Blog Archives
No love lost for Valentine’s Day rematch between the Rangers and Flyers
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
It may be Valentine’s Day, but there will be no love or affection shown on the ice when the Rangers (38-16-6) take on the Philadelphia Flyers (24-20-10) as they rematch back at Madison Square Garden in what is likely to be a physical, high intensity contest.
The games between these two rival clubs always have another level of intensity to them, but it will be even higher tonight following Wayne Simmonds giving Ryan McDonagh a concussion following a sucker punch to the face. Simmonds received a match penalty and Ryan McDonagh remains out of the lineup.
The Rangers lost in their last game on Friday, surrendering a late goal to the Los Angeles Kings and falling in overtime. The Blueshirts trailed 2-0 after 12 minutes, and wound up scoring three straight goals, and then making it 4-3 late. Viktor Stalberg, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes all scored. Read the rest of this entry
Rick Nash now week-to-week; Does this change the Rangers deadline approach?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite initial reports of being day-to-day, Rick Nash has now missed over three weeks, eight games, with a bone bruise sustained in the game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Nash took a nasty fall and crash into the boards, only to come back out on the ice and block a hard shot on the shin.
At this point, I’m finding it harder to believe that this is just a bone bruise. It could be a hairline fracture or a full-fledged fracture in one of the bones on his leg. The Rangers claim it isn’t a fracture, and just a deep bone bruise, which is a fracture to the innermost layer of bone. Whatever it is, the injury is making it hard for Nash to walk according to the Rangers.
Also, let’s get a few things clear. I’m sick and tired of the comments with people saying that the Rangers are better without him. They aren’t. He’s their most consistent forward, their most skilled forward, and their best forward. His absence is causing an imbalance on the lines, forcing both Tanner Glass and Dan Paille to play every night, which is effectively turning the Rangers into a three line team. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers lose barnburner in OT to the Kings
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Tickets were worth the price of admission in what turned out to be a 5-4 loss to Anze Kopitar and the LA Kings.
A duel between backup goalies, both whom have not played in NHL action for an extended period of time, made for a high scoring affair in which Peter Budaj made one more save than Antti Raanta in OT.
The Rangers went down two goals early but battled back only to lose the lead late in the third. They would then lose the second point on a goal scorers goal from Tanner Pearson in the 3 on 3 overtime. This one was a high-paced affair that got off to a fast start when Anze Kopitar scored his first of three goals after Marc Staal arrived late for the 7:08 puck drop and had a really bad first shift. After Staal wasted an opportunity to exit the defensive zone with ease, he stood like a statue in front of Kopitar, who had all the time in the world to pick a corner and put the Kings up in the first minute of the contest. Read the rest of this entry
Raanta starts in net for the first time in a month as the Ranger battle the Kings
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Wednesday night’s game against the Penguins marked the fourth straight win for the Rangers, their longest win streak since they won nine games in a row back in October and November. Playing without Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh has forced them to face the adversity and rise to the challenge, which they’ve done admirably.
This is the first of two matchups between these two teams and the only one that will take place at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers will travel to Los Angeles on March 16th for a game at the Staples Center. Last season, the teams split the season series, with the road team coming away with a 4-2 win both times. Read the rest of this entry
Should the lines change even when Rick Nash is healthy?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Where should Rick Nash play when he comes back into the lineup? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers have been without forward Rick Nash for seven games now. A 42 goal scorer last year, Nash has been the most consistent and perhaps the most dynamic forward since the start of last year. An extended absence without the Rangers best forward should have been devastating.
But instead, they’re 5-2-0 since he’s been out of the lineup. The scoring and offensive production has been fine, and the team has worked well together, apart from the fourth line.
The main reason for this is the surprising outburst of production from the new look top line; Derick Brassard centering JT Miller and Jesper Fast. The trio has combined for 21 points in the last six games, playing big time minutes and scoring crucial goals. Read the rest of this entry
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