A Bounce Back Win against The Devils

The Rangers followed up a tough 80’s style hockey loss the other night to the Caps with a strong win tonight over the Devils at MSG.  The biggest kudos goes to Lundqvist who stood on his head, especially in the 3^rd when he was being bombarded with shots.  It was nice to also see Callahan and Drury get goals as well as Gaborik, who continues his hot streak of late with another goal.  Jokinen is fitting in nicely on the 2^nd line and makes me say Higgins who and Kotalik who?  Still glad those 2 are gone and really like the way Prust plays, hardnosed.

The season is continuing along and I have finally realized that this team will most likely not make the playoffs and it they did, it would be a one and done situation.  Wins like this always give me hope, but then they play a dud the next time out and make you think that there is no hope for them. 

Well, one bone of contention with the NHL, I’m a little sick of constantly seeing the Pens on NBC, tomorrow will mark what, the 50^th time they’ve been on.  News flash Bettman, there are 29 other teams in the league, you jackass.  I wish you would be replaced already since I think your time has passed as NHL Commissioner.  The league needs new blood at the top and I don’t think you are doing a good job any longer. 

Anyway, the Rangers have 3 games left before the break, Wed at MSG vs. Nashville, Fri. in Pittsburgh to face Sidney Crybaby and the Pens and then host Tampa on Valentine’s Day.  I hope that they can get at least 4 pts out of this and keep it close for a playoff spot going into the break. 

Until Wed. Night,

Howie

Tags: Callahan, Drury, Gaborik, Jokinen, Lundqvist, NHL, Prust, Rangers

Tale of 2 Road Games

It was a tale of 2 games over the weekend as they played in Phoenix and Colorado back to back.  They had a rough start in PHX in which they were unable to overcome after backup goalie Chad Johnson gave up 2 shaky goals early and lost 3-2, followed by a game last night where they came out, played solid defensively and won 3-1 on the strength of a Gaborik hat trick and Johnson’s 1^st NHL win in net. Congrats Chad and Gabby for his first hat trick since he potted 5 against guess who, yup the Rangers.

The most puzzling thing to me with these 2 games was that they seemed to play horrid in the 1^st one and looked awesome in the 2^nd one.  If they could play a more consistent game like they did last night, this team might actually reach the playoffs even though they are in a dog fight with a bunch of teams due to their ineptitude at times.  They have played under .500 hockey since a 7-1 start and for me despite the win last night, the Olympic break can’t come soon enough as I think some players need a rest. 

It looks like Kotalik and Higgins are on their way out as soon as tomorrow and for me, it’s not a surprise since both players have been just awful since they came here and maybe a change of scenery could do them some good.  Hopefully what comes back in return from a trade will be better than what is being given up. 

Well anyway, the team finishes up their road trip tomorrow night in LA, then returns home on Thursday to face the Caps and then Saturday to face the Devils.

Until next time

Howie

Tags: Gaborik, Johnson, NHL, Rangers

The Awful Run Continues and NHL GameCenter Live Review

Well folks, I don’t have that much to say other than the fact that this team is truly not playing as one anymore and I’m at a loss for words as to try to describe their performances night in and night out.  This latest one was over in the first period and even though they did get a goal early in the 2nd to cut it to a goal, they never showed enough life to really make the fans at MSG tonight believe that they were going to win the game.  I believe they have quit on Torts and honestly they haven’t played well in quite a while and there doesn’t seem to be any hope for the near future.  It’s time to blow up this team and sell at the deadline to try to get more youth and rebuild this team to make it a cup contender in the next couple of years.

Anyway, thats all I have for now on this game and they next head out on a 3 game Western trip to PHX, COL, and LA where I’m not giving them too much hope to win any of these games.

On another note, I have been using NHL Gamecenter for a while now when I have my DVR recording 2 things at once making Center Ice  a no watch for the evening.  I happen to like the functionality of the software as it allows me to watch up to 4 games at once on the screen and also a lot of them come in high definition on the pc, also an amazing feature.  I do like the new DVR ability, which allows for the same functionality as my Directv DVR.  The one thing that I wish they would eliminate with it is the blackout rules when it comes to local team games and others on CBC, Versus or other networks.  In this day and age, blackout rules should be eliminated for this type of service since another league, the NFL allows its Sunday Ticket Superfan purchasers the ability to watch every game on the pc, no blackouts for local teams for the FOX and CBS games.  It’s truly time that the NHL adopt this type of policy to try to continue to grow the sport.  On the whole, it’s a very good product and if you continue to tweak this product, it can be made even better.

Thats all for now,

Your NYR blogger,

Howie

Tags: NHL, NHL GameCenterLive, Rangers

The Slide Continues

Tonight, the Rangers attempted to try to break through against the Sidney Crosbies (Pens), but once again came up short.  At least they scored twice and broke another long goalless drought after back to back shutout losses but gave Henrik zip help again and lost 4-2, which was their 3rd straight.  The only players that seemed to show up tonight were Anisimov, Avery and Henrik.  This is becoming a common theme for the team as they continue this up and down trend with only certain players showing up to play.  I’m truly at a loss for words at this point as watching this team on a night in night out basis is truly becoming quite frustrating.

The one thing I’m sure of is that missing the playoffs is becoming a potential reality for them now and at this point it might not be a bad thing since if they did get in, they would be one and done.  Since they have now lost 5 of 8, scored only 17 goals in those games, and played some really bad hockey at inopportune times, this team just needs to be torn apart and rebuilt.  They have played 27 home games and have won only 12 of them, which to me sums up how this season has gone since last year, they were a dominant team at the Garden.

I know they have a game on Wednesday night vs. the Canes, I’m not sure what to expect at this point since they show no heart most nights and Torts seems to have lost them.

Anyway, that’s all for now.

Your frustrated NYR blogger,

Howie

Tags: Anisimov, Avery, Lundqvist, NHL, Rangers, Tortorella

After 2 Solid Games at Home, a Dud Down in Philly

The Rangers were in Philly to play a hockey game this evening, but it ended up being another boring ass defensive type of game which proceeded to make me want to rip my hair out at times.  A clear lack of effort was the key tonight as they just didn’t get enough shots on goal and they proceeded to lose by a score of 2-0 which marks the 3^rd time in 6 games that they were shutout. What’s more frustrating is this effort came after 2 games where they broke out offensively scoring 14 goals and they just at times simply could not sustain any pressure on the Flyers.  What bothered me most is that Dan Carcillo went after Gaborik and the Rangers didn’t really come to his aid, kind of sad. It also was fight night with 4 total fights in the game.  Lundqvist was solid again, but can’t do it all by himself.

The Flyers get credit for playing a solid defensive game, but speaking as a fan that is getting tired of the defense first approach; this is killing the sport and driving fans away as is seen in many arenas league wide.  One last thing, here was a chance to get at least a point and they blew that chance and these points are precious since the middle of the pack teams are closely stacked.

Hopefully they will get this out of their system and get it together on Saturday when they face the Habs, who they beat on Sunday at MSG.  After that, they then face the Pens at MSG on Monday and then the Canes at MSG on Wednesday.

That’s it for now.

Your NYR Blogger

Howie

Tags: Gaborik, Lundqvist, NHL, Rangers

Taking it to the Habs at Home

Tonight’s game at MSG was one that started off really bad for the Rangers, but in the end, a total team effort lifted them to a big win at home over the Canadiens after a couple of no-show games lately.  Going into tonight, I was wondering what type of game I was going to see since they had been struggling to find the net as of late having been shut out in 2 straight and getting only 1 the night before in St. Louis.

 There were many good performances all around tonight and I will just go down the list of these players right now.  They were Callahan, Dubinsky, Gaborik, Drury, Prospal, and Lundqvist; whose contributions helped lead the charge for tonight’s win.  I was wondering if they were going to score a goal at home since it had been an eternity since that happened, but they exploded for 6 in total, putting the goalless drought in the rear view mirror.  It also became fight night as even Avery and Redden fought Montreal players to get the crowd into it.

I’m hoping that they can carry this game effort into the next one since they need to continue to pick up points going forward and beating a conference rival is always important.  With this win, the Rangers moved back up to 6th in the conference.

In the next couple of games they will play as we head towards the Olympic break, they will face Tampa on Tuesday at MSG and then they are off to Philly on Thursday to take on the Flyers at the Wachovia Center.  I will be in the building on Tuesday for the Tampa game.

Until Wednesday evening,

Your NYR blogger,

Howie

Tags: Callahan, Drury, Dubinsky, Gaborik, Lundqvist, NHL, Prospal, Rangers

Second Straight Bad Effort

Well good evening folks, the Rangers played a game in St Louis tonight and proceeded to lose their 3^rd straight game by a score of 3-1.  There was a clear lack of effort at times and it seemed like they didn’t care one bit.  The only positive that came out of the game is that they finally scored a goal for the first time in 172 minutes which equates to almost 3 full games, just pathetic.  This was the longest stretch without a goal since 1999, a year where they did not make the playoffs. 

This team looks like they again have no direction and no clue what they are doing and might not make the playoffs, which would not be a huge surprise.  This just sucks in general and I’m not sure how they get out of the funk they are in except by putting the puck in the net and shooting more.

I don’t have much else to say except that they will attempt to win a game at home tomorrow night when they face Montreal, which means the return of Gomez to MSG since his trade in the offseason and then face the Lightning at home on Tuesday night.

Well that’s it for tonight since I’m just frustrated from this effort.

Your aggravated NYR blogger.

Howie

Tags: NHL, Rangers

A Goalie Clinic at MSG Last Night

Last night’s contest was one for the ages as both goalies stood on their heads all night and each got a shutout in the process.  Both Brodeur and Lundqvist were spectacular stopping shot after shot and amazingly, the only goal of the night came in the shootout, which is pot luck sometimes.  Anyway, there were 96 shots and no goals, plus that was the first time the Rangers were goose egged by Marty in the regular season at MSG.  Amazing considering all the games he has played there.

There isn’t really much else to say other than wow what a game, and makes me look forward to the next one tomorrow night against Ottawa.  Players on both sides had numerous chances but hey what can you do when the tenders are on top of their game putting on a clinic.

Well, this does give them points in 12 of the last 13 games and they now sit 6^th in the conference going into the Ottawa game.

Well, that’s it for now folks and until the next game,

Let’s Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Howie

Tags: Brodeur, Lundqvist, NHL, Rangers

Another Day, Another Solid Rangers Effort, This Time vs. Boston

The Rangers continue to play well over the last month or so with their record improving to 8-1-3 in their last 12. Today’s win came by beating the Boston Bruins in Beantown by a score of 3-1.  This nice win comes on the heels of a tough SO loss to Atlanta 2 nights before 2-1 where they looked like they were having a letdown after the emotional effort in the win over Dallas the night before at MSG.  This makes them 3-0 over their Original Six rival this season and lifts them to 6th in the conference standings at this point of the season. 

Outstanding defense and solid goaltending by Lundqvist were the big keys as well as nice efforts by Del Zotto, Christensen, and Dubinsky, who all got goals today.  It continues to amaze me that this is the same team who couldn’t get out of their own way for more than 2 months.  I guess the coach’s message is being received by the team as they are continuing their climb up the standings.

One other key note to mention is that a huge high five goes out to Lundqvist, who stopped a penalty shot and the way they kept the Bruins off their game all afternoon.  Another thing to mention is that late in the game there were chants of Lets Go Rangers being heard in the building.  Nothing like giving it to the home crowd as their team was losing. 

Anyway, their next 2 games are at home, Tuesday vs. NJ and Thursday vs. Ottawa and let’s hope that they can continue to rack up the points.

Well folks, that’s it till next time.

Your NYR blogger,

Howie

Tags: Christensen, Del Zotto, Dubinsky, Lundqvist, NHL, Rangers

A Five Star Effort Tonight vs. Dallas

The Rangers are on a nice run lately with the latest win coming tonight over the Dallas Stars at MSG by a score of 5-2.  This latest win was special for Sean Avery as he faced the team he played for last year and he showed them he could still play well with a 4 point performance.  The other top performers tonight were Gaborik, Kotalik, Drury, Callahan, Gilroy, Del Zotto, & Christensen on the offensive and defensive sides and Lundqvist was stellar in net once again for them.

This was one of their better games this season and they played well for most of the evening except for a short stretch when Dallas tied the score up at 2.  Another key was their PK, which went 6-6 and did not allow the Stars any real chances on their PP opportunities.  This makes their record over the last 10 games to 7-1-2 and they had a 2-0-1 home stand which help them get back to .500 at home. 

Well, it has been a nice run lately and made for much more watchable hockey since the stretch before this was mostly horrible hockey which took place over a long 2 month period.  That bad stretch made me want to watch paint dry for a better brand of entertainment.  Here’s to hoping for better hockey in the near future.

Anyway, their next games are on the road in Atlanta tomorrow and then they travel to Boston to meet up with the Bruins for the 2^nd time in less than a week on Saturday.

Well folks, that’s it till next time.

Your NYR blogger,

Howie

Tags: Avery, Callahan, Christensen, Del Zotto, Drury, Gaborik, Gilroy, Kotalik, Lundqvist, NHL, Rangers