Blog Archives
Rangers host the Penguins and attempt to sweep the home-and-home series
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images.
After scoring five unanswered goals in a fantastic comeback win in Pittsburgh, the Rangers (14-5-1) now get to host their Metropolitan Division rivals at Madison Square Garden, looking to beat the Penguins (11-5-3) for the second consecutive game.
The Rangers surrendered two goals to rookie Jake Guentzel in the first period, with the first goal coming on his first NHL shift and his first NHL shot. However, the last 40 minutes were very impressive from the Rangers, seeing them do a better job defensively while scoring five unanswered goals from five different players.
Now the two teams faceoff for the second of five matches this season, and the first of three at Madison Square Garden. Kevin Hayes led the Rangers with a goal and an assist on Monday, Ryan McDonagh picked up a pair of assists, and Michael Grabner scored his 12th goal of the season, tied for the league lead. Read the rest of this entry
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 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 Practice Report: Buchnevich may have more than back spasms, Jooris ready and NYR lines
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers practiced this afternoon ahead of their game against the Panthers tomorrow, but Pavel Buchnevich did not take the ice with his team. Alain Vigneault alluded to the fact that it might be more than back spasms for the rookie.
“Not a set back. Today he came in and wasn’t feeling the way we expected him,” Vigneault told Matt Calamia of NYRangers.com. “Right now we’re going to have our doctors take a good look at him. This obviously might be more than just back spasms. We’re going to take a look at this and we’ll come up with a plan and I’ll share that plan with you.”
This means that Buchnevich will miss his fourth straight game with these so-called back spasms. Earlier this season he missed five games with “back spasms,” which could mean that it’s a chronic issue. It’s been tough for him, but he’s been good while healthy, tallying four goals and four assists in eight games. Read the rest of this entry
Kreider expected to return as the Rangers take on the Blue Jackets
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a stretch of three games in Canada that all resulted in wins, the Rangers (13-4-0) will look to keep on rolling and sweep their four game win streak as they head to Columbus tonight to take on the Blue Jackets (8-4-2).
The Rangers most recent victory was a 7-2 thrashing over the Canucks, with JT Miller and Kevin Hayes each scoring a pair of goals, and Mats Zuccarello recording a three point night. Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves to improve to 8-1-0 in his last nine starts and 9-4-0 this season.
The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four games, including an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 12. They also dominated the Canadiens in a 10-0 win back on Nov. 4, the only team to score 10 goals in a game. Columbus has scored 47 goals this season, but 18 of them have come in two games. So despite their good record, they have had some issues scoring goals at times. Read the rest of this entry
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