Blog Archives
Rangers win streak ends after loss to Columbus; Grabner scores 11th goal
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The first power play of the game went to the Rangers, and they circulated the puck well but were held to one shot on goal. Against the best power play in the League, the Rangers did a great job after Nash put his team short-handed. The Jackets barely had any chances as they were kept to the outside.
With under five minutes to go in the first period, a bad set of plays put the Rangers behind by a goal. JT Miller gave the puck away right in the middle of the defensive zone to Karlsson who ripped a shot from the blue line. Lundqvist didn’t get the pads together in time on a shot that normally wouldn’t count as a quality scoring chance. The period ended with three shots on goal for each team, proving how limited the opportunities were. Read the rest of this entry
Kreider expected to return as the Rangers take on the Blue Jackets
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a stretch of three games in Canada that all resulted in wins, the Rangers (13-4-0) will look to keep on rolling and sweep their four game win streak as they head to Columbus tonight to take on the Blue Jackets (8-4-2).
The Rangers most recent victory was a 7-2 thrashing over the Canucks, with JT Miller and Kevin Hayes each scoring a pair of goals, and Mats Zuccarello recording a three point night. Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves to improve to 8-1-0 in his last nine starts and 9-4-0 this season.
The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four games, including an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 12. They also dominated the Canadiens in a 10-0 win back on Nov. 4, the only team to score 10 goals in a game. Columbus has scored 47 goals this season, but 18 of them have come in two games. So despite their good record, they have had some issues scoring goals at times. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Mailbag: Trading for a defenseman, the Kreider injury, and is this team for real?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
This is the first Mailbag of the 2016-17 season, a series of articles I do where I ask my readers to submit questions and I answer them to the best of my ability.
This series is all about you, so I urge you to ask any questions you have, especially about the Rangers, to help this series become full of content.
Thanks to everyone that participated, and be sure to keep your eyes out for my next edition of the Mailbag article. I’m hoping to do this every two or three weeks.
On to the questions!
Do you feel like the Rangers need to add a solid defenseman in order to make a legit Cup run? – Jason Fristensky
Marc Staal defends against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 19. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This is a question that has come up often over the last few years, and especially during this offseason. Almost every year I would answer with a resounding yes. But this year, my answer varies depending on your definition of “solid defenseman.”
Two years ago, we saw the Rangers trade for dynamic offensive defenseman Keith Yandle. He was very effective for them, but ultimately was not a difference maker when it came to trying to win a Cup. Most of that has to do with how Alain Vigneault uses defensemen, and how he tends to lean on his shutdown guys.
I am also impressed with how the defense has played to this point. At first, I was expecting this season to look something like how the Rangers played during last season’s winter months, which was a disaster on the backend. But a full season has had a positive effect on Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, as well as for keeping guys like Ryan McDonagh fresh. Nick Holden has improved over the last few weeks and Brady Skjei has been miles better than anticipated, which certainly helps. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers head to Rogers Place for the first time against Edmonton
Bobby Bevilacqua
Following a 4-1 win over Calgary to begin their road trip, the Rangers (11-4-0) will finish off their back-to-back series tonight against the Edmonton Oilers (9-5-1) when they head to the new Rogers Place for the first time.
The Rangers offense was back to normal again despite only managing 28 shots on goal, scoring four against Brian Elliot and the Flames and getting an outstanding performance from Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 35 shots. Michael Grabner, Derek Stepan, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich scored for New York, and 10 players recorded a point.
The Oilers have lost their last two games, one goal defeats against the Penguins and the Stars, but still sit atop the Pacific Division with 19 points. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Practice Report; Skjei earns high praise and AV shuffles up the whole lineup
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers practiced in New York yesterday ahead of their first extended road trip, beginning with a trip through Canada to play the Flames, Oilers and Canucks before heading back to the states to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Alain Vigneault and his team have played 10 of their first 14 games at Madison Square Garden, with four brief one game road trips in between the homestands. The Rangers have been a good home team in recent years, with their 74 wins being tied for second in the NHL.
“It’s a good challenge for us,” Henrik Lundqvist told reporters on Thursday. “We haven’t traveled much. We’ve played a lot of home games, which has been a good test. Now, I think it’s going to be a good test to go out on the road here and face some desperate teams.” Read the rest of this entry
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