Blog Archives
Rangers battle the Flyers in crucial division matchup; Vigneault fuming after yesterday’s loss
Bobby Bevilacqua
Yesterday was an embarrassing game for the Rangers (26-13-1), who lost 4-1 to the Buffalo Sabres after showing almost no effort or fire in their game. The team needs a quick turnaround, because they take on the Philadelphia Flyers (20-14-5) on the road tonight in what could wind up being an important one for the Metropolitan Division standings.
The Rangers did almost nothing right last night, and were outworked and out-executed by one of the worst teams in the league. Alain Vigneault normally keeps his cool, but he was fuming after last night’s loss.
“There’s no doubt we didn’t do a good enough job in preparing our team for tonight’s game,” Vigneault told reporters. “I mentioned it many times. There are no easy games in this league. We weren’t ready when the game started, our execution was nonexistent. We didn’t have a ‘D’ that could make a pass, and our compete level was not good enough. I haven’t said this very often about this group since I’ve been here, but this was a very bad game where we got outworked badly, and we’re going to need to respond here.” Read the rest of this entry
Rangers begin the new year against the Sabres at MSG; Nash and Buchnevich back to practicing
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a successful two game road trip, the Rangers (26-12-1) head back to Madison Square Garden to take on the Buffalo Sabres (13-15-8), the first of two games over the next two days before heading to Philadelphia tomorrow.
The Rangers took care of business last week, beating the Arizona Coyotes and the Colorado Avalanche, two games they were supposed to win. The game against Arizona was a lot closer than it should have been, but they beat the Avalanche handily in their next game, scoring six goals. Now with games against the Sabres and the struggling Flyers over the next two days, the Rangers have a chance to secure some points before the league mandated bye-week.
The Sabres dealt with some injuries to start the year, but it’s been a pretty disappointing start considering some of the signings they made this offseason. Buffalo enters the game tonight with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, and are just 1-4-2 in their last seven games. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers battle the Ottawa Senators; Lundqvist OUT for tonight with illness
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a much needed three-day Christmas break, the Rangers (23-12-1) are back in action at MSG tonight, taking on Derick Brassard and the Ottawa Senators (20-11-2), who are riding a four game win streak.
To say the Rangers struggled in the two games before the brief break is an understatement, with the team giving up seven goals in both of their games and continuing their trend of a diminishing offense. After a start to the season that saw New York score four or five goals in almost every game, their shooting percentage is dipping back to normal, offense is drying up with the injuries and numbers are starting to look more realistic.
Ottawa however, are looking to extend their win streak and continue to fight for the top spot in the Atlantic, where they trail the Canadiens by three points. While both teams have allowed 89 goals so far, Ottawa is only averaging 2.59 goals per game, while the Rangers have scored 3.31 goals per game. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look to rebound and snap Minnesota’s nine game winning streak
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a beat down at the hands of Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers (23-11-1) face another tough opponent before they close out their pre-Christmas schedule, a home matchup against the red-hot Minnesota Wild (20-8-4), winners of nine straight games.
The Rangers played Pittsburg on Tuesday, their ninth game in 15 days, and got pummeled in every aspect imaginable. Antti Raanta was unsupported by his teammates, the defense was atrocious, and the offensive struggles continued.
For Minnesota, everything has been going right. Last night they took down the Montreal Canadiens, Devan Dubnyk stopped 25 of the 26 shots that he faced, improving his record to 17-6-3 with a 1.57 GAA and a .948 save percentage. Eric Staal scored the game winner, a shorthanded goal in the third period. Read the rest of this entry
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