What is there to say about this guy that hasn’t been said already? The Rangers had no clue what they were going to get when they took him with the 205th overall pick in the 2000 draft.

Today in Boston Henrik continued his godlike run in trying to put the Rangers on his back and get them to the playoffs. In his last three games he’s been given three total goals as offensive support, and what has he done? Only led the Rangers to a 2-0-1 streak in those games.

You want to talk about a guy whose an MVP, you talk Henrik Lundqvist for what he means to the Rangers, and if you want to talk about the best goalie in the league you talk about Henrik Lundqvist.

We’re very fortunate, and we’re not worthy.

Not to be overlooked however from today’s game is the fact that the Rangers offensive woes continued, the fact that the Bruins were able to keep them pinned in their own zone for most of the third period, holding the Rangers to just 1 shot on goal in the 20 minute frame.

Even though they’re finding ways to win these games only scoring 1 goal (see above) it’s not going to continue because it can’t. The Rangers after scoring 6, 6, and 5 goals have now gone on streaks of 1, 1, and 1. Not for lack of effort, aside from the Ottawa game and the third period of tonight’s contest, the Rangers need to find a way to start putting the puck in the back of the net again.

Also not to be overlooked tonight is the concept of team defense. The Rangers were extraordinary in that facet of the game today. They gave Lundqvist the assist he needed in blocking 29 shots in the game, more than Lundqvist did, 18 of which came in the third period and none more dramatic than Sean Avery diving to block one late in the third period. You know Tortorella is going to LOVE that effort and I think everyone watching the game loved it too. Boyle led the way with 5 blocks, followed by McDonagh and Girardi who both blocked 4.

You know what that team looked like today? Tom Renney’s classic “five in the frame” work ethic in the defensive zone.

What turned out to be a very physical game all got started when the Rangers were very lucky that Stepan wasn’t chased from the faceoff circle after the false start by Vinny Prospal. Stepan wasn’t chased, the puck was dropped, and Prospal was in position ahead of the Bruins forward to get the puck to the point. Nobody picked up Stepan who went to the net and Sauer found his stick for the deflection to give the Rangers the game winning goal just 6:39 into the game.

After that it was the team defense show. You gotta hope Landry Fields, Stoudemire, and Melo are big time Rangers fans because they could learn a few things from that game. The effort below their blueline was maybe the best we’ve seen since the 1-0 shutout win over Vancouver.

The Rangers won’t be pushed around, they can match any teams physical play regardless of the size that’s thrown at them, and anyone whose scared of the Bruins in a 7 game series in case the Rangers can jump into 6th place should have all their qualms thrown out the window. The only thing that had me scared about the Bruins was the physical toll it would take on whatever team set up to play them 7 games in a row. They play a hard game and they have a big team, but the Rangers (again) proved today that they can handle it and eventually succeed in their mission to get two points in the standings.

I’m literally out of words here.

8-1-1 in the last 10…It’s funny what 10 games can do to the standings…

It was on this date that I called the Rangers out in the blog, saying that a 12-4 or 11-5 record would be necessary to get them into the playoffs, well, they are well on their way to a similar record jumping out of the gate to an 8-1-1 clip in that timeframe.

Compared to the standings as they are right now….

(standings subject to change)

A little misleading right now the shot above as the Habs, Sabres, and Canes are all in action tonight.

What’s possibly the best thing to come out of this game today however may be the three day hiatus in the schedule until the Rangers face off in a huge four point swing game against the Sabres here in (still stuck in winter) Buffalo. The Sabres will play twice (tonight and Tuesday night) before that game against the Rangers, so by that time the Sabres and Rangers will be even in games played at the least, meaning they may very well be tied in points as well the way Buffalo has been playing of late. This game on the 30th is shaping up to be a huge one.

27-0-0 when leading after two

points in 9 of their last 10 games.

If you’re not convinced this team is doing everything it can to solidify a spot in the top 8, you’re kidding yourself.

Last night’s game, chalk it up to that.

We know what this Rangers team is capable of, and after three straight games of 5 goals or more it’s not uncommon to watch a team struggle offensively. And that’s precisely what we’re seeing from this Rangers team who has not scored more than 1 goal in its past two games, on the bright side? Their record in those games is 1-0-1…not exactly what you’d expect from a team scoring 1 goal a game.

But some things are not working and it’s becoming painfully obvious to watch Torts be stubborn and try to make them work. First of all and most importantly it seems that teams that play the trap, like Ottawa did last night and how the Devils have been playing since the mid-way point of the season have been giving the Rangers a ton of problems. Mostly because it seems painfully obvious again that Torts is too stubborn to change his gameplan while playing these types of teams. If the Rangers end up matched up against a team like Boston, (new) Washington, or Tampa Bay in the playoffs we may be in for a long series. These teams trap the neutral zone, take it over, and capitalize on every mistake. It’s not going to work.

Another thing that I’ve completely lost patience with is the combination of EC and Gaborik. They’re not working, and Torts split them up in the third period putting Stepan with Gabby. Right away Gaborik was rejuvinated. Maybe it was because he was more active in all three zones after being enemy #1 on the Senators only goal of the game, or maybe it was because he knows what he needs to do. I think Gaborik woke up big time after the Senators goal, his frustration of slamming his stick on the ice after the goal shows he’s an emotional guy, he knows he was at fault and not giving 100% effort there. Obviously this is inexcusable at this point in the season, but it was good to see him come firing back after that.

One of those nights where you really feel for Lundqvist who was near perfect in stopping 29 shots in 65 minutes coupled with the first four shooters of the shootout. Again, Torts stubbornness here. Lundqvist this season has a remarkable shootout percentage of 84.1 which is 10% higher than the next goalie who has faced over 20 shots in the shootout. It’s an insane number. Add to that the Rangers usually high percentage shooters and that’s a winning combination IF THE RANGERS CHOOSE TO SHOOT SECOND IN THE SHOOTOUT. I don’t like the Torts strategy of shooting second, and even though the Rangers are 8-3 in the shootout, 2 out of those three losses have come when the Rangers have shot first.

But we know this team, we know they’ll bounce back, the goals will come back.

A lackluster effort in the first 40 minutes of the game led to the loss, and they know it judging by post-game quotes where no one on the team could explain the lack of enthusiasm. It’s tough, but we know it won’t last.

And even when the effort wasn’t there they found a way to steal a point, and even more incredible they have 3/4 possible points in the last two games scoring 1 goal in both those games. Want more proof why Henrik should get serious Vezina consideration? There you have it.

Sadly it appears that even though he was benched for the entire third period and OT, Christensen will be back between Gaborik and Prospal tomorrow afternoon in Boston judging by this Torts quote from practice… Torts does say, in his mind, the Prospal-Christensen-Gaborik line is a line he wants to work and he’s trying to make it work… Just because you want something to work won’t make it work Torts, stop being stubborn and cut the cord before it’s too late. Christensen’s random flashes of brilliance with Gaborik don’t make up for his inconsistencies, and you can’t argue that those aren’t there.

I’d like to see some changes made to two of the Rangers lines in Boston.

I’d like Christensen to sit, and Avery to be re-inserted into the lineup and be put right with Gaborik.

Avery – Stepan – Gaborik

Dubinsky – AA – Callahan

Wolski – Prospal – Zuccarello

Fedotenko – Boyle – Prust

Or…

Dubinsky – Stepan – Gaborik (more defensively responsible and Dubi can take Stepan’s faceoffs)

Wolski – AA – Callahan

Avery – Prospal – Zuccarello

Fedotenkno – Boyle – Prust

However I’m less inclined to run these lines as it breaks up the Pack line.

Also these are just pipe dreams as I don’t think Torts sits Christensen.

I’m expecting Avery to however jump back into the lineup in the spot of Wolski or Zuccarello, Torts is stubborn.

It was huge for the Rangers to get a point last night and they need to keep finding ways to get points.

Tomorrow’s matinee game in Boston is a huge one. The Rangers just went 4-0-1 on that 5 game homestand, better than all of us thought they would do for sure. Now they’ll embark on a 4 game road trip before finishing the season with 3 straight on home ice. It starts in Boston and one game can set the tone for the whole trip.

Puck drops at 1 PM tomorrow don’t forget, on MSG.

Time to get back to winning, time to get back to full 60 minute efforts and high amounts of scoring chances.

Will be interesting to see what lines Torts runs, but I’m positive they won’t be too different from Avery being inserted for Wolski or Zucc’s.

7 points up on 9th place Carolina with Carolina having 2 games in  hand. 2 points behind struggling Montreal, and four in front of the overly consistent Sabres (I’ve got a soft spot for Lindy Ruff, dude is a magician – great coach).

Let’s get back to winning and march into the playoffs with some confidence.

————————————————————————

Make sure to follow me on twitter @NYRBlueshirts and you can check out more of writings here

Here we are, March 22nd 2011 amidst the race to the playoffs, and what do we have?

Well, the Rangers are on a four game winning streak + the Rangers are coming off a large road victory + the Rangers have scored 6, 6, and 5 in their last three games = typical let down game on Garden ice against a weaker opponent.

NO

Not this year, and not with these Rangers.

It’s easy to overlook the game tonight and on Thursday while the Rangers prepare to take on the Panthers tonight and then the Senators on Thursday as both these teams are clearly out of the playoff race, but it’s no time to get complacent. These Rangers should have no level of comfort in their position in the standings, even with their four game streak they sit only 6 points ahead of 9th place Carolina, and 3 points ahead of 8th place Buffalo, both teams have games in hand, both teams play tonight.

Tonight the Rangers need to avoid the trap and play the game they’ve been playing on this streak. Four in a row is no coincidence as the Rangers are currently the hottest team in the NHL with that streak, they have everything to lose and everything to gain.

It’s time to continue making a statement to the league. We’re not leaving the top 8 where the Rangers have been since late October, not a day outside of the top 8 since.

Tonight will be Lundqvist’s 18th consecutive start. Keep riding him.

60 minute efforts every night into the playoffs and get there with some confidence.

You want it? Go get it.

Sadly my flag football season has commenced, and since Sean Avery continues to not play hockey, I’ll have to pick up his slack in the Casual Intramural Flag Football league here in Buffalo. Let’s face it, the world needs an Avery somewhere. Consequently I’ll only be able to catch the first period tonight, so tomorrow’s post game is gonna be more of a notes and quotes and stats bonanza, you know, the simplistic view of the Rangers you’re used to if you read Gross, Spector, or Zipay.

Here’s a shot of the standings, 9 games to go, it has begun.

Buffalo is in action on the road against Montreal.

Carolina has the pleasure of hosting Ottawa tonight.

Keep pushing

Lets Go Rangers

Also if you were following me on twitter yesterday and came across my “argument” with ESPNs John Buccigross, well, all you need to read is this to understand where I’m coming from.

Puck drops at 7 on MSG ice tonight

Coming down to the finish here on the player profile series as I believe this is the final installment, that is, he is the last ACTIVE Ranger that I’ll be doing a player profile on. Not quite sure yet if I can even muster one up on Boogaard (remember him?)

Gilroy is an interesting case. A highly persued rookie coming off a Hobey Baker year at BU, Gilroy was a hot commodity in the 09 off-season. The Rangers were able to charm him enough to earn his employment however it’s safe to say that Gilroy has not yet lived up to the expectations that came with him, his salary, or if he will even get the chance to do so in a Rangers sweater.

Here is the interesting case of #97, Matt Gilroy.

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 201 lbs

Age: 26

Drafted: Undrafted

NHL Experience: Currently in his sophomore season

Contract: $1.75 million (RFA at years end)

Before the NHL:

Before becoming one of the most highly regarded free agents on the market in the 09 offseason Matt Gilroy, the Long Island native, was a late bloomer in the game of hockey. Going to BU at the age of 21 to play four full seasons there, Gilroy only made the team due to the fact that he was willing to switch his game from forward to defenseman.

Gilroy’s successes at BU were very limited until his senior year (when he was 24) when he carried BU on his back as their captain to a national championship. Gilroy was very impressive during this season contributing 37 points in just 49 games earning himself the Hobey Baker award as college hockey’s MVP. It was this season, the 08-09 BU campaign that put Gilroy on the map for NHL teams looking to develop an offensive minded dman at the NHL level.

Gilroy’s skating ability and apparent offensive instincts appeared to be what NHL GMs were craving for their teams in the new NHL.

If I remember correctly the bidding war came down to the Maple Leafs and the Rangers and Gilroy decided to come close to home and play for the Blueshirts.

International:

Since Gilroy’s hockey skills came on display after being too old for a WJC appearance, Matt’s only US National appearance came this past off-season where he was very impressive for the US in the World Championships. In 6 games representing his country Gilroy recorded 3 goals and 1 assist. Interesting enough, in those 6 games Gilroy recorded just 1 less goal than he did all season for the Rangers before the tournament in 63 less games.

NHL Success:

Gilroy’s rookie campaign was an interesting one. When he came into the league I know myself and many other Rangers fans were hoping for some sort of an offensive explosion from Gilroy. Ready to take the bad plays he may make in the D zone with the good plays he’d make for the Rangers on the power play or at even strength, oddly enough the opposite occurred. Gilroy’s offense stuttered through his rookie campaign while his play in his own zone appeared much more developed.

Gilroy started off the season on the good graces of the coaching staff, logging 15+ minutes per night early in the season while occasionally even receiving more than 20 minutes of playing time. However it’s easy to read how Matt Gilroy’s rookie campaign went as by the end of the year he was logging less than 15 minutes on most nights that he played. Recall that at the end of the season Anders Eriksson had officially taken Gilroy’s spot in the lineup as the Rangers made their desperate run to try and make the playoffs.

Gilroy’s point totals concluded at 15 points in 69 games an even +/- while logging an average of 16:19 a game. Normally this type of season would be one of a good sign as a rookie defenseman in the NHL, however more was expected of Gilroy.

Outlook 2010-2011 and Beyond:

What we’ve been seeing from Gilroy this season appears to be more of the same from his rookie year. Flashes of brilliance amidst an open sea of mediocrity and not much development. His numbers from his rookie year are on pace to decline, and he’s seen less action. Being a healthy scratch on most nights, or at least deserving to be one (#PlayEminger) Gilroy has been less than impressive.

Appearing in only 55 of the Rangers 73 contests thus far this season, Gilroy has mustered up 11 points. He’s logging 2 minutes less per night than he saw last season and appears to be constantly falling into the coaches bad graces.

Most of the 55 times we’ve seen Gilroy play this season I’d sit and wonder why he’s in the lineup. Currently developing into a non-physical defensive dman whose not even that polished in his own zone, Gilroy has become nearly useless to the future of the Rangers.

3 of his 11 points have come on the power play (all assists) and he rarely ever gets powerplay time. Tortorella is more willing to run a forward like Stepan or Zuccarello on the point over Gilroy, and that’s a bad sign for a guy brought into the team to bring offense and help the power play.

Now with the defense seemingly ailing with Staal out of the lineup, and McDonagh not partaking in practice today after receiving the viscous hit from Matt Cooke yesterday, Gilroy will continue to see time in the lineup. But with a healthy defense, I don’t see how Gilroy is a better option than the rest of the top 6 with McCabe in the fold.

After this season, I believe Gilroy’s time with the Rangers will come to an end. As an RFA earning more than $1 million per year, Gilroy’s qualifying offer is 100% of his current contract, so, the same contract. It’s hard to believe that the Rangers will offer Gilroy that kind of money for this production (well then again, Sather is GM here) and will likely let him become a UFA. With Del Zotto itching to get back into the lineup next off-season, and other guys like Valentenko, Kundratek, and Pashnin knocking down the door, Gilroy, at age 26 (27 in the offseason) will be the one who is clearly not part of the plan and not part of the future.

A low-risk, high-reward move for the Rangers, when the season concludes it’s time to cut ties.

]]> http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/03/22/player-profile-matt-gilroy/feed/ 0 http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/03/20/rangers-5-penguins-2/ http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/03/20/rangers-5-penguins-2/#comments Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:46:21 +0000 Adam Gavriel http://prosportsblogging.com/?p=45725
For those of you counting at home, that’s four in a row for the Rangers, and now 6 wins in their last 7 games…needless to say, the Rangers have picked the right time to get their season back on track now with single digit games remaining. Today’s game most certainly could have been a heartbreaker. [...]]]>

For those of you counting at home, that’s four in a row for the Rangers, and now 6 wins in their last 7 games…needless to say, the Rangers have picked the right time to get their season back on track now with single digit games remaining.

Today’s game most certainly could have been a heartbreaker. After the Rangers were giftwrapped a 5 minute major from (family man and all around great guy [cite: HBO]) Matt Cooke after his ridiculously obvious intent to injure elbow to the head on McDonagh, the Rangers tried their hardest to blow the game by following that up with what started off as the worst Rangers power play since McCabe got here, coupled with a Kunitz shorthanded goal. The Pens take a 2-1 lead rather than the Rangers using the momentum from a 5 minute major to break a tie game wide open.

Alas it was not in the cards for these Rangers to go down so destructively in Pittsburgh as has been the norm since the lockout (disregarding this year). Letang wouldn’t have the Penguins march to victory so easily as he made it harder on the team after taking a blatant high sticking double minor (that was of course argued by Bylsma and co) and giving the Rangers a long 5 on 3. The Rangers go on to score 2 goals in 11 seconds, another offensive explosion after 3 goals in 1:07 against Montreal on Friday, and put the game away soon after.

Now, it wouldn’t be like me to go on talking about how the Rangers were so great during the third period after gaining the lead without first focusing on what got them to where they were in the game.

The first Penguins goal was a joke, and Dan Girardi flat out played a pretty mediocre game. It really makes you wonder if Staal is masking Girardi’s skills as a dman with his play. I don’t think so, but it’s OK to question these things once in a while. Fault the fact that he was playing with a new partner and Wolski made a bad change on the play as to why Jordan Staal was open for the breakaway.

That shorthanded goal the Pens scored to take the league and suck the life out of me (but not the Rangers thankfully) was a mix of mental errors. Girardi got lucky that he got his stick on the puck before Kunitz had a breakaway not 10 seconds before he would end up scoring. Zuccarello made a bad pass to Christensen and Kunitz picked it off. Girardi who was gassed and trying to get to the bench had to turn around and defend, and it was a pretty terrible effort, but again he was gassed. You also have to think that Henrik wants that shot back, and if it indeed became the game winning goal, there would be a ton of focus on the fact that Henrik let that shot in, at that specific time.

But it wasn’t…THANK YOU MATT COOKE, enjoy your 8+ game vacation, and if he gets any less, the league is a joke. Where’s Lemieux now to whine about headshots and the lack of league discipline in these matters? Brooks better destroy him in the Post tomorrow.

But these 20 men that take the ice for the Rangers night in and night out appear to be never say die kind of people. They’re in every game. Kunitz’s goal could have sucked the life out of the team and been a miserable turning point in this race to the playoffs but it wasn’t the way Callahan and co wanted the game to end.

Gaborik got back to his game breaking self scoring that clutch goal off the rip by McCabe to tie the game.

Callahan continues to prove why he’ll be the captain of this team to start next season by grabbing the game winner. Good things happen when you crash the net.

I love the fact that McDonagh and Stepan paired up on a goal after McDonagh came out of the box serving what should have been coincidental minors to himself and Letang, but hey ya know, Penguins on NBC.

Dubinsky cashes the empty netter.

Just an all around feel good win for the Rangers as they get themselves 4 in a row. As Hank continues to stretch his biggest winning streak of the season (also at 4) and climb over 30 wins. For all the notariety NBC was giving Fleury today for how he’s “carried” the Penguins after Crosby and Malkin went down, not enough love was given to Henrik Lundqvist who severely out-dueled Fleury.  Both of whom now have 31 wins, both of whom were called upon to carry teams riddled by injury. But you heard none of that on NBC. That Henrik has had to backstop a Rangers team that has missed it’s best offensive forward, heart and soul core forwards, and top 2 dmen on certain nights, nope none of that. Fact of the matter is at this pace Henrik should be a big part of the Vezina voting.

That one really does feel good.

The Rangers are now just 3 points behind the Canadiens in 6th place while 4 points ahead of the Sabres who drop the puck in 20 minutes. The Habs have 1 game in hand while the Sabres carry 2.

The sprint to the finish is gaining heat and the Rangers are up to the task.

4 in a row.

6 of their last 7.

Like I’ve said before here, no time to get complacent until that X is next to your teams name on NHL.com.

Keep pushing.

The Rangers will host the Panthers at MSG on Friday night, another game where two points can be obtained with the right effort and gameplan.

I’ll be back Tuesday for a game preview and Player Profile.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Obviously you have to overlook the fact that the Rangers played some of their best hockey of the season in that first period to clinch a win after 20 minutes of tonight’s game and turn your attention right to Hank.

After taking that hard hit on the goalie interference, Lundqvist looked shaky for the rest of the game, even refusing to allow his teammates to give him the traditional celebratory head pat after the game.

Also, love Rammer there. Rammer was there taking care of Hank before the scrum in front of him was even over.

Obviously nothing to report on his status now but what we’ve seen, but I’m sure we’ll get more coverage than we want on it tomorrow…

Now, back to the game.

So how about that game? The Rangers came out hard and heavy in that first period and essentially dominated with one major gaffe in between domination.

First there was Artie’s goal which was a typical Rangers goal this season. Anisimov gets big and blocks the shot with his body, doesn’t fall down but keeps skating to get himself a breakaway and finish on Price; followed by what has to be my personal favorite hockey celebration, the bow and arrow.

After that goal however came the major gaffe. Gaborik’s line was on the ice when PK Subban seemed to wind up his slapshot for about a minute with no one willing to get into the shooting lane. Now personally, I don’t want Gaborik going down to block shots so that’s not a big deal to me, but somebody has to get in the way there, or just put some pressure on Subban instead of allowing him to wind up for as long as he did and set himself up for a perfect shot.

The third Canadiens goal was the same deal although a little different because the Rangers were on the PK. Wisnewski had all day to line up that shot and get it on the stick of Gionta for the easy deflection. The Rangers need to do a better job of getting big in the shooting lanes while not taking themselves out of the play.

The rest of the game was just an interesting thing to watch. Taking a four goal lead into the first intermission it’s gotta be hard to continue to focus and play with the same edge you were as the rest of the game, and the Rangers proved human in this aspect.

4:13 into the second period the Canadiens who basically held the play up until that point in the  period were able to make it 5-2. It was only after that the Rangers got going again. Tough to fault the team for not playing with the edge they need in this situation, but that sort of killer instinct needs to be developed. The game was far from over.

And even though the Rangers were the better team in the second half of the second period, the Rangers still took a 3 goal lead into the locker room.

Then what happens? 54 seconds into the third period the Canadiens make it a 5-3 game, and while the game was still 5-3 Lundqvist had to come up with a HUGE save to keep it a 2 goal game, and it nearly took the life out of the Canadiens. The Rangers went up 6-3 shortly after and put the game away.

A lot of good intensity in the game as well. Finally a Prust fight that I can get behind even though it was 1 second into the game. That’s a spot where he knows the Garden is fired up and the crowd is ready to go, and in these games some times the Rangers come out a little slow, but not after Prust fires them up with a real good fight to get the game going.

Then there was the PK Subban show where he again proved his cowardess against the Rangers. Slew foots last time at the Garden to only dropping the gloves VS Sauer when the linesman were in good position to save him. Subban’s turning into quite a pest and he’s doing it the right way if he can get the fans riled up.

Speaking of pests…Wolski played 8:24 tonight. For a guy like Wolski to be effective he’s going to need regular shifts during a game and log around 13 minutes of ice time, in my opinion the Rangers would be better off giving that 8:24 to Avery and letting him act like the Canadiens use Subban and Gomez in some aspects of his game as well. Even in his limited ice time and although they were the only line to not record a goal tonight, I believe when they were out there, as always, the Wolski – Stepan – Zuccarello line created good things. If they continue to play like that the ice time will come. Keep in mind that the Rangers next game is Sunday against division rival Pittsburgh, so Torts may opt to throw Avery back into the lineup.

A fun game for the fans but more importantly a statement in that first period. The statement being that the Rangers aren’t going to be taken lightly on home ice anymore, now back over NHL .500 at the Garden. The fact that the Rangers are going to continue to grind until the end of the season to do whatever they can to move up in the standings. With 10 games remaining and only 5 points behind 6th place Montreal now, the Rangers proved they can hang with the best of them.

It’s once again time to start looking up to 6th place rather than watching the scoreboard night after night. Continuing this type of play can catapult the Rangers to a comfortable playoff position by the end of the year. If they can roll into Pittsburgh with the attitude they brought to the Garden tonight it will be a huge boost to my confidence for this team.

Regardless of what happens, it’s going to be a fun stretch run here. With 10 games to go, the Rangers have no reason to get complacent. Time to put foots on throats and defeat the competition by any means necessary.

Congratulations to Hank on his new NHL record of 6 consecutive 30 win seasons after entering the league.

Congratulations to the Rangers for matching their win total from last year with 10 games to go at 38.

Keep the fire going.

Keep the electricity alive

Let’s go Rangers!!

After another two day break from games, well, another two day break that felt like forever, the Rangers head back to work tonight to take on the 6th place Canadiens on home ice. The Habs have 7 more points than the Rangers do at this point in the season which could prove insurmountable. However with a win tonight the Rangers can continue to look ahead of them rather than behind them.

Avery and Gilroy are taking part in the morning skate today so it’s no surprise that these two will likely be the healthy scratches tonight. Avery after getting another opportunity played himself out of Tortorella’s lineup Tuesday night against the Islanders with three minor penalties. It will be interesting to see when, or even if, Avery is re-inserted into the lineup.

With Avery out expect Wolski to jump back into his spot with Stepan and Zuccarello and all other lines to remain intact.

Also interesting to note tonight is the fact that Lundqvist has yet to win three straight games this season, riding a two game win streak into tonight Henrik will obviously try to eliminate that statistic. Not to mention a win tonight gives Lundqvist his 6th straight 30 win season which would continue to build his NHL record of most consecutive 30 win seasons upon entering the NHL.

The Rangers sit at 37 wins, and with a win tonight will tie their win total of last season with 38.

But more importantly with a win tonight the Rangers nearly solidify the cushion they have over the Hurricanes who are beginning to falter. A win tonight would be huge in the effort in taking over the 6th spot from the Canadiens by ensuring a four point swing in the Rangers favor.

Carey Price got the win yesterday for the Habs while making 35 saves in the process, will be interesting to see if they allow him to go back to back or let Auld try and work another win over the Rangers. My guess is the Habs go with Auld tonight VS Lundqvist.

But most importantly a win tonight to put the Rangers on a 3 game winning continues to show the fans that this squad is for real and they have faith in their abilities to clinch their own destiny and get themselves into the playoffs.

Wouldn’t hurt to also have the Canes fall to the Islanders, and if the Capitals beat the Devils tonight it’s all but over for New Jersey.

It’s the stretch run folks…let’s see what this (young) team is made of.

Lundqvist VS Montreal this season: 2 games; 0-2; 2.56 GAA; .937 sv%

Auld VS NYR this season: 1 game; 1-0; 1.00 GAA; .962 sv%

Time to end those struggles against mediocre backups.

Puck drops at 7pm on MSG 2

Starting to type this one up quickly after the game, which only means that the other game that truly matters to the Rangers tonight, the Hurricanes/Sabres game in Buffalo has yet to be decided yet. At 9:53 pm Carolina leads Buffalo 1-0 with 9:05 to go in the third. Rooting for the Sabres to make a miraculous regulation comeback, but would much rather just have the game not go to OT.

So back to the game we care about, the game that essentially makes the outcome of that other game obsolete as the Rangers got 2 points at home VS the Islanders.

They were able to avoid the typical letdown home game that they would usually fall victim to after coming back from a moderately successful west coast trip.

All started by getting the first goal early in the game on the PK from Prust. After that you could just sense that the Rangers had that confidence, that swag that they were playing with in the beginning of the season and the swag that was getting them points early on in the season. After the first goal the Rangers were able to get another one and gain a very important 2 goal lead.

However all good things may not be as great as they seem as even though the final was 6-3, the Rangers had a serious let down in the second period. Coming out of the gate taking a 2-0 lead into the locker room the Rangers could not go into that intermission and get complacent, they needed to put their foot to the throat of the Islanders and really finish them off. Sadly this was not the case for the Rangers tonight as the Islanders came out all over the place and actually ended up tying the game at 2. It looked like the Rangers were beginning to fall apart, that Torts might have needed to call a timeout and get their heads back on the shoulders and get back to grinding away a win. But a well timed TV time out saved Torts the embarrassment of having to call his team out and I’m sure he used that given time out wisely in order to get the Rangers back to their game from the first period. And they did. The Rangers were able to hold the Islanders to 0 shots on goal for the final 11:53 of the second period while they scored 3 goals and took an insurmountable 5-2 lead into the second intermission.

Not exactly the game anyone wanted from Avery tonight as he took 3 poor minor penalties. The first boarding one was a good call, Avery needs to let up there but you gotta understand that he’s probably got a ton of adrenaline going, he knows he needs to battle hard to stay in the lineup and he’s trying to grind. The second penalty called on him was a joke of a goalie interference call and the Rangers were lucky the Islanders negated that one for them. The third Avery penalty was the one that killed him, the one that may have set in stone his spot in the press box. It was a roughing call while he was battling post-face off and again you have to feel for Avery because he’s grinding hard but he HAS to be smarter than that. He knows the target is on his back from the league, he knows he’s on a short leash with the coach, he needs to be smarter when he sees ice which has become all the more rare as the season has gone on.

Torts just asked what the final score was in his post-gamer…someone is pre-occupied with Avery on the mind (haha)

During the first period I tweeted that the special teams will win you games in the new NHL. The Rangers tonight went 3-5 on the power play with big additions from McCabe and Gaborik, not to look past the short-handed goal that Prust scored to get the Rangers going early in the first period.

Tortorella was asked that he looked upset when Sean took the penalty: “That’s my business.”

Back to special teams…

Gaborik and McCabe really turned it on for the Rangers on their special teams today. They combined for 3 points on the power play to help the Rangers go 3 – 5 on their game tonight.

The way Gaborik played tonight is the way he needs to play night in and night out. Even before the points started rolling in it was obvious to see that Gaborik really had his feet moving and wasn’t afraid to try to dance around a defender in order to set himself up for a shot. That’s the key for Gaborik. When he’s moving his feet and going as hard as he can he’s nearly unstoppable, just as he appeared tonight.

Final in Buffalo: Hurricanes 1 – Sabres 0

What happened tonight needs to happen 11 more times for the Rangers. We need to see that swag, that effort, that we’re never too far ahead and never too far behind mentality that wins you games in the NHL. The special teams needs to click like it was clicking tonight.

The Islanders were not an easy team to beat tonight, they’re one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the turn of the new year with the leagues highest goal scorer since that date. They have nothing to lose and they come out hard and fierce all the time. The main point here is that they can’t be taken lightly right now, and the Rangers were able to make it happen by beating them huge 6-3 and gaining a big two points in the standings.

The Rangers next game is Friday night on home ice against the Canadiens. What’s interesting about this game is that if the Habs lose on Thursday night to the Lightning, it could be a huge four point swing game for the Rangers that could set them up for a 6th place finish at the end of the year.

It’s gonna be a fun finish, and by winning 4 of their last 5 games, the Rangers need to put the pedal down harder, foots on throats, and grab themselves that playoff spot.

Eminger is an interesting case for me. Coming into training camp this year with the Rangers without a guaranteed roster spot after being acquired via trade for winger Aaron Voros in the off-season Eminger was able to establish a useful role with the Rangers. At first Eminger was just another borderline #5 journeyman defenseman that the Rangers signed to fill a void. As the season went on he proved himself a useful player before being banished to Torts’ doghouse where he will try to break out of that tonight against the Islanders. Here’s more of what you need to know about Steve Eminger.

Height:6’2″

Weight: 203 lbs

Age: 27

Drafted: 1st round (12th overall) in 2002 by the Washington Capitals

NHL Experience: Currently in his 8th NHL season

Contract: $1.125 mil, UFA at years end

Before the NHL:

Before the NHL, like so many other native Canadians Eminger went on to play in the OHL as a teenager to gain recognition from NHL scouts and hopefully make it to the NHL. Eminger would spend 3.5 seasons with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. He had a great season in 01-02 which what was catapulted him to become a top 15 pick in the NHL entry draft. That season Eminger recorded 58 points in 64 games while managing a +24. It was after this season that the Capitals spent their 12th overall pick that season on Eminger.

The Capitals would begin bouncing Eminger around right away. He started off the 02-03 season with the Caps, was returned to Kitchener, and then he started playing the game we’ve seen with so many Rangers this season of being assigned and recalled to and from the AHL.

Eminger was never really able to capture the offensive prowess he showed in the OHL in the AHL.

Interesting to note is the fact that in the 01-02 season, Eminger’s best with Kitchener, he played alongside Sabres star forward Derek Roy as well as Flyers captain Mike Richards.

International:

Eminger has only represented Canada once, in the 02-03 season when the Capitals assigned him mid-season to the Canadian national Junior team. Eminger would play in 6 games and record 2 assists.

NHL Success:

Eminger’s NHL successes have been rather limited. At the young age of 27, the Rangers are Eminger’s 6th NHL home.

Eminger would play in the better part of 5 very poor seasons with the Capitals before they decided to cut ties with their former first round draft pick and traded him to the Flyers.

After 12 games in Philadelphia, Eminger would be traded again, this time to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Eminger’s 50 games in Tampa might have been his most productive in the scheme of things numbers wise in the NHL. In 50 games with the Lightning Eminger was able to boast 23 points. However this didn’t seem to be enough for the Lightning, who not even four months after acquiring his rights, dealt Eminger to the Panthers, Eminger’s third team in one season.

After 9 games in Florida Eminger was let go as a UFA in the summer and was eventually signed by the Anaheim Ducks to a two year deal.

An injury plagued and quiet 09-10 campaign saw Eminger play in only 63 games for the Ducks before they too felt the need to part ways with Steve.

A very unorthodox NHL career for this young former top 15 draft pick has seen Eminger play in 400 games and record 91 points while establishing a plus minus of -50.

Outlook 2010-2011 and Beyond:

Had I typed up this section of the player profile mid-season it would seem a little different than it is going to today. In the middle part of the season Eminger and Mike Sauer were quietly establishing themselves as a good middle pairing for the Rangers, however with the Del Zotto struggles came the McDonagh call up; McDonagh was paired with Sauer and Eminger couldn’t get himself into a good rhythm with another teammate until he found himself keeping whoever the extra forward was company every night in the press box.

But again like I said in the intro, Eminger came to the Rangers in training camp to fill a need. He’d either be a bottom pairing guy or a steady 7th dman to be plugged in whenever necessary and that is exactly the role that Eminger is currently fulfilling for the Rangers.  However it can be debated that when given a steady spot in the lineup Eminger is a more viable option than the player currently seeing action over him, Matt Gilroy.

[notice that I decided to write the Eminger profile before the Gilroy profile]

So obviously, I subscribe to the #PlayEminger team.

When he was being given the minutes with the Rangers Eminger proved himself more than capable of handling bottom pair minutes on a consistent basis; more consistent than I believe Gilroy has been to this point.

Gilroy’s upside may be a little better, but they’re both about the same age (Eminger has a year on Gilly).

However all this proves moot as I believe neither will be back with the Rangers organization next season. Eminger’s expiring contract can help pave the way for Del Zotto to get back into the NHL full time or for a player like Valentenko or Kundratek to step up and be that guy.

A so far tough career for Eminger, never really finding a place to settle down will seemingly continue.

I think he can play a part in getting the Rangers to the playoffs if used correctly, however I do believe that Eminger’s time with the Rangers will be up after this season and he will have to move on to find suitor #7

That my friends was the opposite of the Rangers team we watched dismantle the Flyers on Sunday…your typical Rangers let down game, however this one had a twist of it’s own as it occurred away from home ice. Usually when the Rangers disappoint the fans they tend to do it right in front of their faces on garden ice.

If you were one of the smart ones and didn’t watch the game, or shut it off half way through to get some sleep (like I should have) here’s what you missed.

What last night’s game boils down to can be summed up in a novel I’m currently writing entitled A Tale of Three Periods…I think it will sell well.

First period:

Rangers come out hot, Dubinsky nets his 20th of the season just 3:30 into the game. Every Ranger looks active in all three zones and it’s appearing to be a long night for Dan Ellis. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, don’t judge a game by the first 5 minutes.

If you didn’t feel like the game was going to get somewhat out of hand after Corey Perry banked his shot off of Girardi and passed Lundqvist for the tying goal from behind the net, then you’re either a liar or you just haven’t been watching the Rangers this season. I think we all felt it, I think the Rangers felt it, but we just didn’t want to believe it.

Then what happens? By some grace of God Visnovksy is able to get enough of his stick on a bouncing cross ice pass to put it towards the net. Then Marc Staal (who had an awful game, just like many other Rangers) decided it would be a good time to follow his man across the crease. Lundqvist doesn’t see the 20 mph shot flutter right by him and into the top corner. The luckiest shot in NHL history right there. Visnovksy was lucky to get it off, he was lucky to direct that thing towards the net, and I don’t know how it just picked the corner like it did, but I couldn’t believe it.

And THEN WHAT HAPPENS?!?! Well, it continues. Visnovsky tees up a shot in the lane and Anisimov tries to block it with his stick. Now I know I’ve blogged before about the Rangers and their shot blocking. It is a 100% lazy play to throw your stick at a puck to try and block it. Either get your body in front of it and get big, or get out of the way and let Lundqvist see the shot. He’s going to save 999/1000 shots he can see clearly from the blue line; that’s what all world goalies do.

Rangers go into the locker room trailing 3-1 after taking an early 1-0 lead.

The second period:

This period actually wasn’t that bad. A good road period, but not good within the circumstances. The Rangers held the Ducks scoreless but failed to connect on any of their opportunities to make it a 3-2 game.

Had the game been 2-1, or 1-1, this would’ve been a fantastic period by the Rangers, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Third period and the back breaker:

The two goal swing play.

Early in the period Dubinsky had what appeared to be an open net to shoot into, however Dan Ellis decided to channel his inner Hasek and dive over in a last effort to get a piece of the puck, and what do you know? He makes potentially the save of the year. Ducks pick the puck up and go down the ice 2 on 1, Girardi does his best Del Zotto impression and flails himself at the puck carrier. Corey Perry must have been laughing when he watched Girardi slide passed the passing lane, dished it off to Bobby Ryan who finished it on a helpless Lundqvist and gave the Ducks a 4-1 lead and put the game away.

Seemingly.

Here’s the most infuriating part of the game. NOW THAT THEY’RE DOWN 3 GOALS IN THE THIRD PERIOD the Rangers realize that they’re actually playing a hockey game, and decide to turn on the jets.

After the fourth Ducks goal I think that’s the most action we’ve seen Gaborik trying to generate around himself in what feels like forever. He looked like the gamebreaker he is (finally). But he needs to play like that all the time.

As for a whole game outlook…

Avery was putrid. Expect, as much as we may not want it, Christensen back into the lineup over Avery for Saturday night’s game.

Boyle played like garbage as well as his just awful turnover led to the Ducks 5th goal, but not before Dan Girardi decided to go sliding on the ice one more time. One of Girardi’s worst game as a Ranger last night. No way around it…there’s no way around the fact that Girardi and Staal have both been slumping for some time now. They’re going to need to figure this out so they can log minutes for the Rangers down the stretch. They need to be a shutdown pairing.

McDonagh and Sauer continue to impress and at this rate it won’t be long before they’re on the ice longer than Staal and Girardi are.

Even with all their hustle the Dubi – AA – Cally line combined for 3 points and a -10 last night. The beat writers are all over the fact that it’s been (something like) 16 years since a Ranger has scored a goal and been a -4 in a game. Cool guys, but tell me about the game maybe?

Did I mention that Boyle and Prust are fourth liners?

WW – Stepan – Zucc is a great line, but they’re going to be broken up today at Rangers practices as I forsee Tortorella experimenting with new lines.

What it boils down to with last night’s loss is that the Rangers missed a great opportunity to provide themselves with some cushion in the standings. To nearly eliminate the habit of scoreboard watching that is going on with their fans.

Now however we are subject to other teams will. Sabres and Hurricanes are both 2 points behind the Rangers with 3 and 2 games in hand respectively.

With 13 games to go, 74 points, and a 94 point plateau which seems to be the spot where a playoff berth is more than guaranteed, the Rangers seem to be writing their own fate.

It’s not so much a desperate reaction after losing one game, but it’s the way they lost. It was the effort, or lack thereof, that did the Rangers in last night. I just don’t understand how you can play so lackadaisical with the playoff distinctions that last night’s game could hand you. You come out firing, go up early, and then one bounce doesn’t go your way and the entire team implodes? Where’s the leadership?

It’s going to be an absolute grind to get themselves into the playoffs and with efforts like we witnessed last night it’s not going to happen, plain and simple.

Somebody in the locker room needs to take control. Everyone on this roster should know what missing the playoffs feels like, and nearly everyone on the roster was with the team last season when their playoff hopes vanished when Ollie Jokinen shot the puck into Boucher’s legs. You have to believe that they don’t want that feeling ever again.

I don’t want that feeling ever again.

I’m expecting a big line jumble out of Torts today, something like…

Prospal – Stepan – Gaborik

Dubinsky – Boyle – Callahan

Wolski – Anisimov – Zuccarello

Fedotenko – Christensen – Prust

Rangers practice at 4pm EST so check twitter for those updates.

Only 13 games left, 8 wins gives them 90 and a good shot, 10 clinches it beyond any doubt.

Coming home from this west coast trip empty handed will nothing short of guarantee the fact that the Rangers will not be in the top 8 when it comes time to drop the puck against the Islanders on Tuesday.

Saturday’s game is huge. Two points are necessary, but more important than the points…a statement is necessary. A 60 minute effort from this team to show the fans that they’re not going to back down is necessary, that they’re going to grind and give it all to get themselves into the top 8 when the season concludes.

Make a statement.