Blog Archives
Zibanejad injury sets Kevin Hayes up for a breakout season
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
When Mika Zibanejad went down in overtime against the Florida Panthers, you knew it was bad.
Thankfully, the Rangers’ offseason acquisition only suffered a broken fibula, sidelining him for the next six to eight weeks. I say only because with the way he went into the boards, it could easily have been a shattered ankle, torn tendon or a messed up knee.
I like to think that I’m a bit of an optimist, so there was a bit of a silver lining to his injury. The first was that it’s a clean break, which is better when it comes to healing. The other positive out of this awful injury is the fact that Kevin Hayes will get a huge opportunity to grow and develop in a top six role. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers bounce back with gutsy win over the Penguins; Miller and Hayes rise to the occasion
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
After their first two game losing streak, the Rangers (14-5-1) took down the Pittsburgh Penguins (11-5-3) on the road, scoring five unanswered goals and coming out of the PPG Paints Arena with a 5-2 win.
Antti Raanta started in net, his first start of his career against the Penguins, and secured his fifth win of the season with a solid 29 save effort. He remains undefeated with a 5-0-0 record with a 2.05 GAA and a .938 save percentage.
In the team’s first game without Mika Zibanejad, out for the next 6-8 weeks with a broken fibula, the depth of the Rangers shone through. Kevin Hayes and JT Miller, both playing on the top line, stepped up big time, with each of them scoring a goal. Michael Grabner scored his team best 12th goal of the season, at even strength yet again. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers begin home-and-home series with Pittsburgh; Hayes an important piece moving forward
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (13-5-1) fell in the shootout to the Panthers last night and lost Mika Zibanejad for the next 6-8 weeks, but the turnaround is quick as they head to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins (11-4-3) on the road.
Goals from Kreider and Zibanejad weren’t enough as the Rangers mustered a lot of scoring chances, but only two goals on James Reimer. It was the second loss in a row for New York, marking the first time this season that they have lost consecutive games.
The Penguins will be playing their fourth game in six nights, and coming off of a shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves and allowed just one goal, while Sidney Crosby scored the lone goal for the Pens. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers fall in the shootout to Florida; Zibanejad out 6-8 weeks
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The New York Rangers started the game a little late, but for a great reason. The Rangerstown family honored Sam Rosen pending his well-deserved induction into the Hall of Fame on Monday, as they stated that this would be one of those moments that would truly “last a lifetime.”
In their first game back at the Garden after finishing up a road trip, which they went 3-1-0 on, the Blueshirts walked away with a point in their first overtime game of the season. Coming into the game, they were the only NHL team to not play an overtime game yet. In a hard fought matchup, they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Florida Panthers Sunday night in the shootout.
But the real loss came in the overtime period when Mika Zibanejad went down awkwardly into the boards. His foot jammed against the boards and you saw his ankle bend the wrong way. He was helped off of the ice, putting no weight on his leg. Alain Vigneault announced after the game that he broke his fibula and will be out for the next 6-8 weeks. He has 15 points (5-10-15) in the team’s 19 games. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers return home to take on the Panthers; Jooris could return tonight
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets to conclude their four game road trip, the Rangers (13-5-0) are back at MSG to take on the Florida Panthers (9-8-1), last season’s Atlantic Division champions.
The Rangers got goals from Mika Zibanejad and Michael Grabner but that wasn’t enough as the Blue Jackets scored late and secured a win. That was just the Rangers’ second loss in their last 10 games, and they still sit atop the Metropolitan Division Standings.
The Panthers have had a bit of a rough start to the season, tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for fifth in their division. There’s been some injuries, underperforming and integrating new players into the roster, which takes some time. But at the center of the team is the same group of young talent that won the Atlantic last season. Read the rest of this entry
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