Blog Archives
Dan Girardi needs to sit
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Accountability is a term that Alain Vigneault has used often in his tenure as Rangers head coach.
And for reasons we may never understand, it’s one of the things he has perhaps lacked most in crucial spots. His blatant favoritism isn’t just costing his team points in the standings anymore, now it could cost them a playoff series. It seems to me like the coach needs to start holding some of his favorites accountable.
Dan Girardi—a warrior, life time Ranger, heart and soul guy, notoriously AWESOME human being—is not getting the job done anymore. It has been bad for some time but in the last little while it has come to a breaking point. The abilities of the player do not match up with what the coach wants him to be. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers lose Lundqvist to injury as Penguins take a Game 1 victory
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
It’s a good thing that it’s a seven game series.
Patric Hornqvist scored a hat trick as the Pittsburgh Penguins took down the New York Rangers in Game 1, 5-2, backstopped by a 35 save performance from Jeff Zatkoff, their third string journeyman goaltender.
What’s worse? Henrik Lundqvist took an errant stick to the eye and was removed from the game after the first period. Antti Raanta was forced into his first career playoff game, and although three goals on 19 shots doesn’t look great, he was fantastic in relief. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers open round one on the road vs Pittsburgh; Fleury a game time decision
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a tumultuous regular season, the Rangers open up the playoffs tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins, looking to get things started on the right foot in their latest quest for a Stanley Cup Championship.
This marks the third consecutive season that the Rangers and Penguins will meet in the playoffs, and the second straight year that they play in Round 1. Two years ago, the Rangers came back from a 3-1 series deficit, without having home ice advantage. Last year, Derick Brassard opened the scoring 28 seconds into the playoffs and Carl Hagelin sent the Penguins home packing after a Game 5 overtime winner. The Rangers had home ice in that series.
The mentality in the Rangers locker room since training camp was getting back to the playoffs and finishing what they’ve started, what they’ve been so close to accomplishing in three of the last four seasons. They haven’t made it easy on themselves, and face a tough road ahead, but this is a team full of hungry guys as well as veterans who realize their window may be closing. And that makes this playoff series a special one, and one with potentially a lot more riding on it. Read the rest of this entry
Series Preview, Round 1: Rangers vs Penguins
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This matchup seems quite familiar.
For the third consecutive season, the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off in the playoffs, as the long time rivalry between the teams continues to intensify through intense playoff matchups.
The Rangers have won both of the playoff series in the past two years, including a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit in 2014 after rallying around the death of Martin St. Louis’ mother. That series saw the double goal in overtime from Benoit Pouliot, a St. Louis goal on Mothers’ Day, and a clutch Game 7 win with some excellent goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers must capitalize on Lundqvist’s prime while they still can
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
As the Rangers prepare to embark on their quest for the teams elusive fifth Stanley Cup, their one constant over the past 10 years in Henrik Lundqvist is once again at peak form.
On a night following a 1-0 shutout win against the Detroit Red Wings, Lundqvist put what the final minutes of a 0-0 game feel like from his perspective. “The last 10 minutes of the game you definitely know the next goal wins… I know I need to be perfect.” It’s a situation the Rangers veteran net minder has become more than comfortable with over the years as a Ranger. Lundqvist has played in more big games and high pressure situations, in the last three seasons especially, than most goalies do in their entire careers.
I’ve often said that being a goalie is unlike anything else in sports. You’re a part of the team, but it’s really just you alone out there. You have more influence on the game than anyone else on the ice. Only the highest level of focus, athleticism and anticipation will allow you to be successful. It’s a position that is unique in the fact that you can be an eraser for when the team is outplayed as a whole. The goalie is one of the few positions in sports that will often times single handedly determine the outcomes of events. Read the rest of this entry
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