Blog Archives
Rangers Practice Report: Klein OUT for opener, Vesey and Buchnevich in top six
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After being held out of practice for the last few days, Kevin Klein will miss the season opener tomorrow against the Islanders at Madison Square Garden after an MRI revealed a back strain.
Klein had been experiencing back spasms but fortunately this injury is not too serious. Alain VIgneaut said it’s “day-to-day” and that “he’ll be back soon.”
Klein has scored nine goals and 17 assists in each of the last two seasons while providing a steady defensive presence and surprisingly improving his possession and passing each year. 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
Reasonable expectations for the Rangers 2016-17 Season
Bobby Bevilacqua
Before the offseason started, there were talks about Jeff Gorton and the Rangers doing some minor tinkering and potentially entering the first phase of a rebuild. The team looked to have some major flaws and holes, an aging blue line and issues to address before opening night.
But Gorton made a lot of small, smart depth signings during Free Agent Frenzy, a trade for Mika Zibanejad, brought aboard a highly coveted NCAA prospect in Jimmy Vesey, and even made some changes to the coaching staff and management.
The moves made in the offseason show that the Rangers aren’t looking to rebuild and exit the first round this season, they’re looking to contend. Read the rest of this entry
Brady Skjei: What to expect and how to best utilize him
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
When the Rangers were deciding whether or not to re-sign Keith Yandle, Rangers GM Jeff Gorton said that the emergence of Brady Skjei factored into whether or not Yandle factored into their future plans.
“You need good players that are coming that don’t make a lot of money,” said Gorton. “Brady [Skjei] looks on the cusp of being an NHL player. I think that will help our decision.”
I could write a whole article about why that logic is flawed and why Skjei shouldn’t have been factored into the decision on re-signing Yandle or not, but I’ll hold back. Instead, just a concise statement on it; While Skjei is an excellent talent and performed well in his brief NHL stint, it’s not fair to expect Skjei to come close to Yandle’s offensive production, since he’s not the same type of player and he’s a rookie, and hampering him with those expectations could put a lot of unnecessary pressure on him. Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 