Blog Archives
AV spreading ice time and opportunities will be key to Rangers success
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers opened their season with a 5-3 win over the Islanders, showing signs of improvement in many aspects of their game that was expected of them following their offseason moves. The power play looked great, the defense and penalty kill looked structured, and all four forward lines were effective.
With the addition of players like Pavel Buchnevich, Jimmy Vesey, Brandon Pirri and Michael Grabner, the Rangers added a lot of speed and talent to their forward groups, which seemed to make Alain Vigneault structure his lines differently.
Rather than opting for a traditional structure, with a physical, checking fourth line and placing all of the talent on the top two lines, Vigneault had a balance of scoring, defense and skill across the four lines. Having four lines was something that many blogs, including my own, wrote about as a possibility. And last night, it worked extremely well. Read the rest of this entry
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
BREAKING: Rick Nash named an Alternate Captain
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This afternoon the Rangers announced on their Twitter that Rick Nash has been named one of the alternate captains alongside Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan, as well as captain Ryan McDonagh.
Rick Nah was the captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets during his time there, and has shown exemplary leadership qualities in his time there as well as with the Rangers. Nash has filled in at as an alternate captain for the Rangers in the past and has been one of the veteran leadership presences in the locker room since coming to New York in 2012. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers fall in overtime to the Flyers
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Despite their most recent hard fought comeback that left them one goal out of a tie game against the Devils Saturday night, the young Rangers have been doing well for themselves. With Lundqvist back in net and McDonagh back on defense, and Stepan and Nash up front, their preseason record fell to 2-1-1.
Lundqvist flashed the pads at the Flyers early into the game, as he showed his excitement to get back to the game and with team he loves. A few minutes later, Buchnevich received a pass from Hayes but was stopped by Mason on the two on one attempt.
Shortly after, the Flyers took a penalty. The Rangers power play, which they desperately want to improve upon, didn’t come up with a goal but had some good looks. Their best chance was a slap shot from the circle that got blocked in front. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers lines for tonight in Philly; Lundqvist makes preseason debut
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following the team’s first preseason loss, Alain Vigneault and the Rangers will take on the Philadelphia Flyers for game four of the preseason schedule. Here’s how they’ll line up;
Jimmy Vesey-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
Brandon Pirri-Kevin Hayes-Pavel Buchnevich
JT Miller-Marek Hrivik-Robin Kovacs Read the rest of this entry
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