Blog Archives
Rangers open their 90th season at the Garden against the Islanders; Pirri gets the start
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images.
After an early exit in the playoffs and a lot of change on the team, the Rangers are finally back in action tonight when they take on the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
This marks the first time that the Rangers begin the season at home since 2007, which makes tonight’s game even more exciting.
There’s a chance that the team will have a total of seven players skating for the first time as Rangers, with two players, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich, making their NHL debuts. The fourth line still has not been announced yet, but there’s a good chance it will be a completely different look. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers blanked in Montreal as Price and Lundqvist engage in battle
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Everyone predicted it would happen, but it was nonetheless spectacular to watch.
Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price put on a show at the Bell Centre, making spectacular save after spectacular save en route to a 3-0 Montreal win. The Canadiens (5-0-0) has won five straight games to start a season for the first time in franchise history, and the Rangers (3-2-0) have now lost two straight games after winning their first three.
It was a disappointing effort from the Rangers. While Carey Price did make a few spectacular saves, the bigger problem was the fact that they couldn’t sustain any offensive pressure. They mustered just 22 shots on goal despite five power plays. Some of the Rangers biggest stars, namely Rick Nash and Chris Kreider, really didn’t have too much of an impact.
Emerson Etem made his Rangers debut tonight, and he had a few good shifts, but went largely unnoticed. The fourth line was much better without Tanner Glass and Jarret Stoll, and they spent some time on attack as well. However, Etem had only 12 shifts, seven minutes of ice time, and 70% defensive zone shifts. He didn’t have much of a chance to prove anything. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers set new lineup ahead of contest with red-hot Canadiens
Bobby Bevilacqua
Things got fiesty when the Rangers last played the Canadiens. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (3-1-0) will look to win their fourth home opener this season as they head into the Bell Centre to take on the undefeated Montreal Canadiens (4-0-0) when they play in front of their home fans for the first time this season.
Alain Vigneault and his team carry their perfect road record (2-0-0) and home opener record (3-0-0) into the loud, rowdy and hostile home of the Canadiens, one of the best teams in the NHL through the first few games.
Montreal is led by captain Max Pacioretty, who is tied for the league lead in goals (4) and second in points (6). Andrei Markov and PK Subban, both excellent defenseman, have each tallied four assists to start the season, and Tomas Plekanec has three goals in the Canadiens’ four games.
Ultimately, this game will come down to goaltending. Henrik Lundqvist versus last year’s Vezina trophy winner, Carey Price. Price is off to a magnificent start to the 2015-16 campaign, winning each of his three starts and posting a 1.67 GAA and a .945 save percentage. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers drop first game of the season to Winnipeg; Zuccarello scores again
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
It was arguably the Rangers best 60 minute performance of the season, but they came away empty handed.
The Rangers (3-1-0) lost their first game of the season at home to a strong Winnipeg Jets (3-1-0) team, giving up four straight goals and failing to capitalize on multiple power play opportunities, leading to a 4-1 scoreline.
The Rangers were the better team throughout the game, outchancing the Jets at 5v5 and recording 12 more shots on goal. They had plenty of opportunities to run away with the game, but ran into a hot goaltender named Michael Hutchinson. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look to stay hot in home matchup against Winnipeg; Big test for Dylan McIlrath
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After an impressive performance against the Blue Jackets this past weekend, the Rangers (3-0-0) are back at MSG for a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets (2-1-0) as they look to continue their perfect start to the 2015-16 season.
Last season, the Rangers and Jets split the season series with one win apiece. The Jets came away with a 1-0 shootout win on November 1st, while Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec posted a shutout after 65 minutes. On March 31st, the Rangers came away with a 3-2 win at the MTS center thanks to goals from Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard and Chris Kreider.
The Jets have scored 11 goals this season, while the Rangers have scored 12 through three games, which sets the seen for an offensive showdown. Also, last time these two teams played, Dustin Byfuglien tried to take JT Miller’s head off with a crosscheck, so there may be some physical play or bad blood between these two teams. Read the rest of this entry
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