Blog Archives
Rangers lose 4-2 to Toronto; Kreider and Miller score
Chris Vallely
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After the New York Rangers league mandated bye week, their first game back didn’t go as planned. Toronto defeated New York 4-2.
Toronto came out ready to play. Rookie William Nylander opened up the scoring less than five minutes into the game. The Rangers were unable to get the puck out of their zone, and were scrambling, which caused Nylander to slide the puck in between Henrik Lundqvist’s legs. Both teams went back and forth after that, traded scoring chances, but neither were able to capitalize. As usual, Lundqvist made some tough saves following some defensive breakdowns. Late in the first period, Brandon Pirri took a penalty on a Rangers PP, after he was forced to backcheck. In order to deny a 2 on 1 shorthanded chance for Toronto, Pirri hooked the opposing player. The Maple Leafs would then score on the PP to take a 2-0 lead. Mitch Marner made a great cross-crease pass, and James Van Riemsdyk was able to put it five hole on Lundqvist. The young, Toronto team went into the locker room with a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers secure remarkable comeback victory over Columbus; Michael Grabner scores twice
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The New York Rangers went into this game coming off a big 5-2 win against divisional rival Philadelphia Flyers. While this game appeared to be a loss, the sheer will and heart of this Rangers team carried them to a surprising 5-4 win at Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the best team in the League.
The New York Rangers fell behind fast as just 1:54 into the first period, Columbus blasted a shot from the point that got deflected in front of Lundqvist by Nutivaara and flew behind him for a one goal lead.
Soon after, McDonagh took a penalty that cost his team, putting them down 2-0. Gagner, who was behind the net, put the puck in front and across the crease for Cam Atkinson, who notched his 19th goal of the season. Read the rest of this entry
Lundqvist stellar as Rangers take down the Flyers; New defense pairings work well
Bobby Bevilacqua
After an awful game against the Sabres yesterday, the Rangers (27-13-1) took down the Philadelphia Flyers (20-15-5) with one of their best all-around efforts this season, getting some stellar goalkeeping from Henrik Lundqvist, an offensive outburst and great defense and forechecking that led to the 5-2 victory.
The Rangers looked absolutely nonexistent and asleep against the Sabres, but the effort was there tonight. Everyone was playing with an edge and also making smart, decisive plays and creating chances while effectively shutting down Philadelphia for most of the game.
This marked the fifth straight game the Rangers beat the Flyers, and it was also their 21st win in the last 28 games against Philadelphia. The Rangers also secured their league-leading 14th road win of the season, and they are now 7-0-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers poor defensive effort hands Minnesota their 10th straight win
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After getting embarrassed at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers (23-12-1) had yet another disappointing effort, losing 7-4 to the Minnesota Wild (20-8-4) and giving them a franchise record 10th straight victory.
The Rangers offense was fine tonight, scoring four goals, but the defensive struggles continued. This time, goaltending wasn’t there to bail out the constant defensive miscues and blown coverages. Henrik Lundqvist was not at his best, allowing two weak goals, but there was nobody there to help him. Antti Raanta came in and gave up two goals, both two completely wide open Wild defenders.
You can complain as much as you want about the goaltending, the forward injuries, the lack of “grit” or “toughness,” but none of those issues are as big as this defense. It’s a tire fire at times and the usual offenders (Girardi, Klein) are not getting any better. Yes, it’s still December, but it’s better to solve this problem now. Read the rest of this entry
Quick Hits Recap: Rangers down the Hurricanes for a much needed win
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite a pretty rough first 40 minutes, the Rangers (16-7-1) managed to shake off their slow start and score three unanswered goals to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes for the 12th straight time at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers struggled to get much of anything going for the first two periods, managing just 12 shots on goal and giving up two goals to former Ranger Viktor Stalberg in the first period. But if there’s one thing this team has been able to do this season, and that’s capitalize on their chances and come back from early holes.
The first Stalberg goal came after Nick Holden made a weird play, kicking the puck right to the crease after blocking a shot, and it went right to Stalberg. Holden then missed his block and seemed to screen Lundqvist, which led to the goal. The second was a truly awful play by Kevin Klein, who lost the puck and essentially gave it to Jay McClement. He passed it to Stalberg as Rick Nash tripped and fell into Lundqvist. Easy finish for Stalberg. Read the rest of this entry
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