Rangers 08-09 Video/ Scoreboard Watch(Update)

I am currently in the process of compiling pictures from the 08-09 Rangers season, and combining them in a video put to music. This takes more time and work than I originally expected, which is why I did not make a daily post today. I plan on finishing the video later this week, and embedding it on the sidebar of this blog.

Standings wise, the Blueshirts are watching Montreal as well as Florida on this night. It looks as if the Habs will hang to win their game against Chicago, as they are leading 3-1 late in the third. With this win, they will pull within one point of the Rangers. Florida also won their game against Ottawa 5-2. UPDATE: Mtl wins 4-1.

I will be sure to make my daily post tomorrow, and as I said, will have the video up later this week.

Rangers Blank Devils 3-0 To Stay In Playoff Position

Coming into the night, the Rangers were in a position where this game against the Devils was a "Must Win" to stay in the Eastern Conference's top eight. The Blueshirts obviously understood that message, and came out and played a solid game tonight at the Garden. It was a great bounce back effort for the Rangers, after dropping the two previous games last Sunday and Thursday. With this win the Rangers pull within one point of sixth place, with their next game on Thursday in Carolina.

First Off, the Blueshirts had a lot less holes in their defensive game tonight. They were shutting the Devils down for most of the game, and when New Jersey did produce themselves a scoring chance, the stellar goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist, who was on top of his game after letting in some shaky ones in Pittsburgh on Sunday Afternoon. Henrik looked much more confident in this game compared to previous games, and that resulted in 38 saves to shutout the third place Devils. Dan Girardi also played great, notching the Rangers' second goal of the game.

The offense also had all systems going tonight, having a great forecheck, and producing three goals. Sean Avery played awesome in tonight's contest, ignoring all of the hoopla between Brodeur and himself. He mad a great play on Callahan's goal, he was going to the net all night, played physical, and did a great job of ignoring Clarkson while he was being tossed to the ice. That showed great discipline and maturity by doing that, job well done by Aves. Ryan Callahan continued his spectacular season, scoring his 21st of the season, a career high. Dubinsky also skated much better in this game, and in return scored his 11th of the year.

So this was a big one for the Blueshirts, and keeps them in playoff position for the time being, and as I mentioned before, pulled themselves within sixth place Pittsburgh. The Rangers will now go to Carolina, to play he Carolina Hurricanes Thursday Night. The Hurricanes have been red hot, winning nine straight games on home ice.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers Need Points In Game Against Devils

In a night where two foes will meet again (Sean Avery and Martin Brodeur), the Rangers are more focused on getting two well needed points in tonight's contest with the Devils. The Blueshirts have dropped two straight, and one occurred from the Rangers allowing a team to come back from a three goal deficit. So in their last three games, the Rangers have only picked up three of a possible six points that were on the table. This means that they will desperately need points in this one against the third place Devils, who have recorded a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games, and have lost their last four games. The Devils have been on a bit of a rut as of late, and the Rangers will look to take advantage of that by bouncing back from two losses with a win at the Garden Monday night.

Henrik Lundqvist will be in goal for the Rangers once again, as he had a bit of an off game in Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon. Hank will have to be better than he was Saturday, if this team has any playoff hopes. As we all know, there will be a defensive change for the Blueshirts in this game, as Corey Potter will be playing in place of injured Michal Rozsival (knee), and will most likely be paired with Paul Mara, but that is not definite as of now. Also, there is no word of any offensive changes from head coach John Tortorella yet, but if there are, I will update this post with the new combos.

So as I said, this is pretty much a must win for the Rangers if they want to stay in the Eastern Conference's top eight for the time being. The Blueshirts will want to get off to a quick start, because if they let the Devils gain a big lead, New Jersey will trap the Rangers in the neutral zone, and stand them up at the blueline. A win tonight would put the keep the Rangers in the seventh place spot with 89 points. Tonight's game will be televised on Versus.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Potter Called Up, Sauer Sent Down, Rozsival Update

As expected, the Rangers have called up a defenseman from Hartford to replace the injured Michal Rozsival (knee), and that call up is Corey Potter. Potter will play his fourth NHL game against the Devils tomorrow night at the Garden. Mike Sauer, who played in three games for the Rangers, was sent back down to Hartford today in exchange for Potter. Here are head coach John Tortorella's comments and thoughts on Mike Sauer:

"When kids get brought up, they get that juice of adrenaline," he said. "Then, sooner or later, they settle down to what you're going to be at this particular time in your maturity. He's in the middle of a playoff race, getting called up and being asked to put the mitts on against some very good teams, on the road, where you can't always get the match you want. It was a lot for him."

Michal Rozsival did not skate with the team in practice today, but is expected to do so the next few days. The coaching staff is labeling him as probable for Thursday's game in Carolina against the Hurricanes.

I deeply apologize for the late post, but I have been tied up today. I appreciate your cooperation.

Rangers React To Ref's Calls/Non Calls, A Defensman To Be Called Up

As we all know, the officiating in yesterday's matinee at the Igloo was atrocious, and almost handed the Penguins the win. This is not the first time this has happened, as the same scheme was in place in last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals, when the Rangers played 3/5 games at Mellon Arena. I distinctly remember Jaromir Jagr in his postgame press conference with the media after being eliminated last year by the Pens, Jagr said that if the Rangers would have won that game, and then went to the Garden and won to force a game seven, it would be the same old thing at Mellon Arena. Meaning, the refs would continue to screw us over, and hand the series to the Pens through officiating. Jagr was the only one to really make that comment, no other players/coaches called the refs out as Jagr did. This time it is different, many members in the Rangers locker room had plenty to say about the officiating after yesterday's game.

John Tortorella: “The thing that’s frustrating is two teams with the type of position we’re in at this time of year, I just hope we allow the teams to make the difference and to determine the result." He also said, "I’m the first one to say that Sean makes his own bed with some of the things that happened, but I think he’s done his penance here. All I want is, I hope he’s given a fair shake, he does something stupid on the ice, give him a penalty; if it warrants him getting kicked out the game, kick him out of the game, the way he’s trying to concentrate on the game, and the way he’s trying to play, I hope he gets treated fairly.”

Henrik Lundqvist: “I don’t know what it is in this building, seems like every time we’re here it’s about the penalty kill…it’s hard to get in rhythm,” said Lundqvist. And referring to Avery said, “It comes to a point where we’ll probably have to have a discussion with some guys about this. He gets hit from behind (by Crosby), he gets slashed Kennedy, Gill), there’s no calls. I expected it the first couple of games, but…”

Chris Drury: “I do think that Sean is a marked guy,” he said. “He’s played extremely hard and clean since he’s been back. He's never been suspended for something on the ice."

So the common theme among all of their postgame remarks, was about the way Sean Avery is being treated. He is in fact a marked man, Drury is right, and he was treated terribly yesterday. After almost every play Sean was either getting cheap shotted or cross-checked. It was unbelievable that the Pens were getting away with it. I know the refs saw it, they just made no calls. Sean has worked hard since coming back, he doesn't deserve this.

As for the defenseman to be called up, I would think it would be either Fahey or Potter. Mike Sauer was on the ice for two Penguin goals yesterday, and in return only received 1:59 of playing time. He was playing in place of injured Michal Rozsival (knee), who will be examined today.

Rangers Defeated By Pens With Help From Refs

Look, the Rangers didn't play a terrible game, they killed many penalties, scored three goals, and had a great effort in this game. This all ended in the third period when the refs took control of the game, though. They did not let them play at all, and most of the calls were not in the Rangers favor. This has been a constant in Pittsburgh, eighty percent of the calls go to Pittsburgh's favor. It really was disgusting.

The five minute major on Colton Orr was ridiculous! It was a hit, so he gets five minutes? Give him a two minute minor max, not a five minute major. Then there was a time, towards the end of the third, where even the home crowd thought there would be a call against them, but there was no call on an obvious penalty, that I know the refs saw.

Alright, so I will stop my crying now and focus on the team. Henrik Lundqvist seemed a little off, as he did make some big saves, but let some goals in that should have been saved. When you get right down to it, he has to be better down the stretch if the Blueshirts have any playoff hopes. I also thought Derek Morris, Paul Mara, and Redden had rough games. They were all responsible for at least one of the Penguins goals. This made John Tortorella make the decision to only play four defensemen. Those were Redden-Morris, and Staal-Girardi. Staal and Girardi, I thought, had a huge bounce back game after the mess in Atlanta Thursday Night.

Also, give credit to the penalty killers, who really played amazingly and killed off numerous penalties, including a two minute minor for 4:56. Betts and Korpikoski led the pack, and put all they had into the penalty kill.

Nik Antropov and Ryan Callahan played solid games, as Antro notched a career high 27 goals. Callahan scored his 20th of the season, to continue a spectacular season. Congrats to both!

Now the Rangers come back home to play the second place New Jersey Devils, and will really need a win in this game. It is very important to gain points in that game, after failing to capture any in this one.

(Photo taken by AP Images)

Rangers Visit Pittsburgh, Look To Bounce Back

After giving up a win to the Atlanta Thrashers the other night, the Rangers will look to rebound against the red hot Penguins today. The Blueshirts are currently in seventh place with 87 points, but a win over Pittsburgh today would place them in sixth with 89 points. This is a big game for the Rangers to win, as teams behind them are catching up, and the Rangers want to create some breathing space. Pittsburgh is currently placed in sixth with 88 points, and have won 7 of their last ten games.

Henrik Lundqvist will be back between the pipes for the Rangers this afternoon, as he got the night off Thursday Night in Atlanta. I would assume that Hank gets the start for the remainder of the regular season. The Rangers' remaining games are mostly against teams above them in the standings, and our top Goaltender must be playing in those.

As for the lines, there is one change made by head coach John Tortorella. Markus Naslund and Freddy Sjostrom will be swapping places, so that means Sjostrom will be playing with Drury and Antropov, and Naslund with Dubinsky and Zherdev. Tortorella explained his reasoning for the move to the media yesterday in Pittsburgh:

“Shoe adds some speed,” he said. “I hope he kicks in a couple goals along the way there, he’s played well with the puck as far as forechecking and he’s been pretty good defensively as far as the battles and playing away from the puck.”

I think Sjostrom was also added for the forecheck for this line. A line of Drury, Antropov, and Naslund was way to slay to play Tortorella's "in your face" offensive system, and were unable to create a good forecheck in the last game. Sjostrom's speed will help the cause. The rest of the lines will stay the same.

So this is a huge game for the Rangers, one that they must get points out of. The Penguins have been hot, but the Blueshirts always seem to bring out their best game against top teams. As I said before, the Rangers will move into sixth place with a win today.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Tortorella Reflects On Last Night's Loss

Rangers head coach John Tortorella was not happy at all, after last night's loss in Atlanta. I don't blame him, it was inexcusable. Anyway, Torts let his anger loose in his post-game press conference yesterday. MSG reporter John Giannone was the first to ask a question, he questioned Tortorella on the events that led to the collapse, and why they happened. Tortorella responded:

"Yeah, I thought we sucked," Tortorella said. "Right on through the game. I think we're fortunate to get a point, very fortunate to get that."

Then Giannone mentioned what the players inside the locker room were saying, but Torts cut him off and replied:

"I don't give a $#(@*! what the guys talked about," Tortorella said. "We sucked."

Now Tortorella overreacted here, as we all know, but you have to understand that when a person is furious like he was last night, you don't want to deal with other people, especially there ignorant questions.

Many are taking this too seriously, saying that it was "Bush League" and whatever. Think what you want, but what I know is that the fans deserved better. We want explanations as to which why Nik Zherdev was not chosen to shoot in the shootout.

We all have to leave it behind us, and focus on Saturday's game in Pittsburgh. There is no reason for fans/media to dwell on this. Just a human overreacting due to anger, it happens all the time.

Rangers Give Up Lead, Fall to Thrashers in Shootout(UPDATE)

Well the Rangers had this game in the palm of their hands. Leading 4-1 in the second period, and then the team collapsed and allowed Atlanta to tie it, and eventually win it in a six round shootout. It was unacceptable to give up a game to a thirteenth place team, especially when you are leading by three goals. Many things went wrong in this game, and John Tortorella will surely make it known in the locker room, as he cannot be satisfied with just getting a point out of this game.

As I mentioned before, many things went wrong for the Blueshirts tonight in Atlanta. Starting with the Goaltending. Steve Valiquette had a strong first period, making key saves when they were needed and he looked very sharp. To start the second he continued to be solid, but towards the end of the second the collapse began. It was 4-1 at one point, and then the Thrashers scored to make it 4-2 with minutes remaining in the second. This goal was scored from behind the net, and was banked off of Valiquette. That was one he should have had. Than he later let in two more goals to allow the Thrashers to tie it, but did not have much help from the defense. I will give him credit for making the long pass on Drury's goal though.

Unfortunately, the Rangers top pairing of Staal and Girardi were on the ice for all four goals scored by Atlanta. They had a rough night, and will want to improve their play in Saturday's game against Pittsburgh. The rest of the defense did not play terrible, but weren't good enough. Wade Redden, I thought, didn't play pretty well, as did the rookie Sauer.

Chris Drury had a big night despite the loss, though. His first goal was waived off, but he later scored another, which counted, and cashed in on two assists. So it was a three point game for the Captain, but he was unable to net the winner in the shootout. The powerplay did score two of the four Rangers goals, but the players are still standing around, and not cashing in. The Blueshirts had many opportunities with the man advantage, but were only able to capitalize twice. Again, the problem is too much standing around, and movement needs to be present on the powerplay.

You must give Atlanta credit, though. They would not quit and kept going. Especially their Captain, Ilya Kovalchuk, who really stepped up in this game for Atlanta.

The Rangers will have one day to regroup now, as they will then be in Pittsburgh for a matinee matchup with the Penguins on Saturday. The Penguins have been red hot as of late, and have won seven of their last ten. This is a big game for the Rangers, and the Blueshirts will have to rebound from this game tonight. Stay tuned to other games in the NHL tonight and tomorrow, as that will determine the Rangers place in the Standings. They are currently in seventh place with 87 points.

(Photo taken by AP Images)

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Just saw head coach John Tortorella's post-game interview. He said "We sucked!", "We are lucky to get a point". So obviously Torts is NOT happy with this one.

Rangers Want Two Points Against Atlanta

The Rangers will definitely want two points out of tonight's contest with the Atlanta Thrashers. They are a weak team that is below .500 and in thirteenth place. The Blueshirts, on the other hand have been on a winning swing, with a record of 4-1 in their last five games, and in sixth place in the East with 86 points. The Thrashers have not been bad themselves lately, posting a 7-3 record in their last ten games.

Steve Valiquette will get the nod from head coach John Tortorella for tonight's game, and Henrik Lundqvist will get his first rest in weeks. This was probably done for two reasons; One is that Atlanta is a weak team that the Rangers should explode on, and the second is that the Blueshirts will play four games in six days. As for the lines, you can expect the same, although Markus Naslund has a bit of a shoulder injury/problem, but will still play in tonight's game. The lines will look like this:

Avery-Gomez-Callahan

Naslund-Drury-Antropov

Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Korpikoski-Betts-Orr

I would expect the Rangers to come out with guns blazing tonight against Atlanta. This an opportunity to gain two much needed points in the standings, and also apply a lot of offensive pressure. After tonight, the Blueshirts are scheduled to go up against the Penguins, Saturday afternoon at Mellon Arena.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Controversial Avery Quote In Daily News

Here is an interesting quote from Sean Avery after last night's game, picked out of the Daily News today. "We feel each other," Avery said of his linemate. "I know Schoney (assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld) and guys have been working on Gomer to bear down, and he just beared down and ripped it. It's a big goal by the leader of our team, for sure."

As you can see, Avery referred to Gomez ans THE leader of our team. Is this a rip on Drury? Was that directed in any way to the Rangers captain?

I guess you can look at it as just a normal quote, and Avery referring to Gomer as one of the leaders on the team, or you could believe it is a rip on Captain Clutch. I guess it is just based on opinion, but I thought it would be interesting to share with you.

BTW, there will be an outage at 4pm Thursday Afternoon, so that means that my blog will not be accessible at that time. I appreciate your cooperation.

Rangers Edge Minnesota in Wild Game

The Rangers came up with a big win tonight at the Garden, and by doing so, they tied the Pittsburgh Penguins in the standings with 86 points, but they surpass the Penguins and take sixth place because they have the edge in head to head match-ups. The Blueshirts played solid defensively throughout this game, in fact, only allowed 3 shots to the Wild in the first period. The Rangers also took care of a business in the offensive end as well, posting two goals in the first and second periods.

Those goals were scored at key points in this game, and essentially won the game for the Rangers. The first, scored by Nik Zherdev on a perfect shot, came with the final seconds ticking off of the clock in the first period. That left the Rangers with the lead going into the second period. The Blueshirts allowed a goal to Minnesota in the second, but the Rangers answered right back with a goal by Scott Gomez, which was one-timed off of a beauty of a feed by Sean Avery. The times of these goals were key in the Rangers win at the Garden tonight. Overall, I would give the first star to Nik Zherdev, who I felt skated extremely well in this game, and of course, netted the sharp angle goal late in the first to give the Rangers the lead.

Henrik Lundqvist was also solid in net tonight, but with a lot of help from his defensemen. The Rangers' defense played great, starting with the top pair of Girardi and Staal, who had plenty of ice time in tonight's contest. I also thought Mike Sauer played a smart game in his NHL debut tonight, as he had poise and confidence that showed in his play. Great game by the Rangers defense.

Also, the fans really got into the game when Sean Avery fought Cal Clutterbuck, Avery's first since his return, and right after, Colton Orr fighting Owen Nolan, in which Orr dominated Nolan.

The Blueshirts now head down south Atlanta, where they will take on the Thrashers, Thursday night at 7pm. The Thrashes were beat badly by the Habs tonight and will be shaken up by this loss, so the Rangers should expect them to come out hard on Thursday on home Ice.

(Photo taken by AP Images)

Rangers Play Wild In Big Game At The Garden

The Blueshirts, currently in seventh place with 84 points, will be looking to get two points out of this game against Minnesota tonight. By losing to the Sens on Sunday Night, the Rangers lost an opportunity to move up in the standings. They will look to regain those points tonight against a Wild team that is one win away from a playoff spot in the standings. Both teams will be hungry tonight, so it should be an extremely exciting game.

Henrik Lundqvist will be between the pipes for the Rangers once again tonight. As for the offensive lines, head coach John Tortorella has made a few switches. Ryan Callahan moves up to the line with Avery and Gomez, which I prefer. Zherdev moves down to the line with Sjostrom and Dubinsky. Second and fourth lines stay the same and as we all know, Mike Sauer will be in the lineup to replace injured Michal Rozsival. This leaves the lines looking like this:

Avery-Gomez-Callahan

Naslund-Drury-Antropov

Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Korpikoski-Betts-Orr

Redden-Morris

Staal-Girardi

Mara-Sauer

As I mentioned before, both the Rangers and Minnesota desperately want the full two points out of this game, so expect playoff type hockey to be played at the Garden tonight. The game will be televised on Versus tonight.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rozsival Injured, Sauer Called Up(UPDATE)

Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival left yesterday's game against Ottawa with, what seems to be, an ankle sprain. He is supposed to get an MRI on the ankle today, and I am assuming that his time out of the lineup will then be determined.

Rozsival will be missed, he is one of the top defensemen on this team and has been playing better for the Rangers as of late. Hear is what head coach John Tortorella said regarding Rozsival and his suffered injury, as per Blue Notes: "He’s played pretty well. The key thing with Rozy, he can give you some offense. He’s played defensively, but he gets us out of our end zone, he’s on our power play, and the thing I like about him, he’s been taking hits to make plays. He’s a good player and we’ll miss him, but you can’t bellyache about that, [we] have to find a way to make do without him. He’s involved in our power play, penalty kill, and five-on-five, he’s a guy who will be missed."

Now in place of Rozsival, the Rangers have decided to defenseman Mike Sauer from Hartford. Sauer is a tough d-man at 6-3, 220 pounds. He was the Rangers second round choice in the 2005 Draft. Mike is a big hitter and also has an offensive side to him as well, going 6-16-22 in 59 games this season. Sauer has seven points in his last seven games. Here is assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld's take on the rugged defensemen, as per Blue Notes: "He's a strong player, he's an intelligent player, so that means he's gonna make pretty good reads defensively. He's added some offense to his game lately in the last two-three weeks."

Mike Sauer will make his NHL debut Tuesday Night, as the Rangers take on the Minnesota Wild at 7pm at the Garden.

I am hoping to have more information regarding Rozsival's MRI either tonight or tomorrow, so I will post it as soon as I get word.
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UPDATE(7:15pm)- A team spokesperson has confirmed that Michal Rozsival will be out of the lineup for the Rangers for the next 7-10 days.

Rangers vs Senators Postgame(2-1 Loss)

Due to time constraints, I will not be able to make the usual post game post for this game. I apologize for the sudden inconvenience, and am extremely sorry. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

The game did end in a loss for the Rangers, 2-1. Brandon Dubinsky broke a 24 game goal scoring drought, off of a great play by Ryan Callahan. Michal Rozsival also suffered a knee injury, and is expected to get an MRI on Monday.

Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience.

Rangers Host Sens, Try To Make It 4

The Blueshirts will look to increase their winning streak to four straight games, as they have been on a surge, going 6-2 so far this month. The Rangers currently sit in seventh place in the East with 84 points, one short of sixth place Carolina. So a win tonight would put the Rangers into the sixth place spot. The win won't come easy though, being that the Rangers will be going against the Ottawa Senators, who have been red hot as of late. The Sens are in 12th place with 72 points, but are 8-2 in their last ten games, and are currently riding on a four game winning streak.

One would assume that head Coach John Tortorella would give Henrik Lundqvist the nod, for the second straight night, as he has been solid in net for the Rangers. The lines will most definitely stay the same, as they are really starting to build some chemistry and mesh well, like I mentioned last night. That leaves the lines looking like this:

Avery-Gomez-Zherdev

Naslund-Drury-Antropov

Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Callahan

Korpikoski-Betts-Orr

Tortorella is really liking the chemistry being built between these players, and the effort they are giving, especially the third line. Sean Avery continues to play great and is meshing well with his linemates. On a couple of occasions last night, Sean made some great passes to spark scoring chances, as did Nikolai Zherdev. Hopefully that line will stay hot and produce for the Rangers tonight.

As I mentioned before, this game can put the Rangers into sixth place, so this will be looked on by the players as a big opportunity. They will have to play solid defensively against Ottawa's top line, which holds three of the top players in the league, Heatley-Alfreddson-Spezza, and will also have to attack the Sens offensively as well.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers Top Sabres 5-3 In Emotional Game, Streak Increases to 3

The energy and emotions were running high in the Rangers' big win against the Sabres tonight, and the Blueshirts showed that in their game tonight. It was a hard fought win by the boys tonight, as there was a lot of grit and exchanges between the two teams in this game. The offense produced 5 goals, having another great game. The defense also had a solid game, but it took a bit to get the rust off.

Ryan Callahan was the game MVP for the Rangers, and what better way to celebrate a 24th Birthday than scoring two goals in a winning cause(Happy Birthday Ryan Callahan!). He had a beauty of a move on the breakaway goal, that was created by an awesome pass by Brandon Dubinsky. Which leads me to my next point, The meshing of lines on this team. Starting with the first, Avery-Gomez-Zherdev, these guys are really starting to build some chemistry. The puck movement by this line was spectacular tonight! The second line of Naslund-Drury-Antropov has been really working together great, as every line member had a point in tonight's game. This line is lead by Nik Antropov, who continues to impress, and also leveled Patrick Kaleta at open ice, which sent Kaleta's helmet flying along with his which sent Kaleta's helmet flying along with his body. Now the third line is one that head coach John Tortorella is really loving. Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Callahan, this line is the hardest working line on the team and have showed. Great skating and production by this line. The fourth line has been better with Korpikoski on the wing, and I thought he was skating really well tonight. Henrik Lundqvist also looked sharp in goal for the Rangers tonight.

So overall, the Rangers really played a solid game tonight, and continue to play extremely well under head coach John Tortorella. Their record on the month improves to 6-2, and boy have they looked good.

The Blueshirts are right back to action at the Garden tomorrow night, as they will host the Ottawa Senators at 7pm. The Senators have been red hot as of late, but are not in playoff contentions right now. A win tomorrow will extend the Rangers streak to four, so the boys will look to gain two points tomorrow to surpass the Carolina Hurricanes in the standings. The Rangers currently stand in seventh place in the East with 84 points.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Rangers Look To Make It 3 In A Row Against Struggling Sabres

The Rangers will be wanting to extend their winning streak to three games tonight, as they host the Buffalo Sabres, who were defeated 6-4 last night to the Flyers. Buffalo has suffered greatly since the loss of starting goaltender Ryan Miller, who is out because of an ankle sprain suffered in a game against the Rangers about a month ago. The Sabres are currently in tenth place in the East with 76 points, 5 points short of a playoff spot, and they are 3-5-2 in their last ten. The Rangers, however, have been on a surge, going 5-2 on the month so far, and find themselves in seventh place with 82 points. A win tonight would put the Blueshirts right back into sixth place with 84 points, so the Rangers should get on Buffalo early, get an early lead, and lock up two big points in the standings.

John Tortorella did not mention the starting goalie yesterday, but I would assume Lundqvist will get the start in this one. As for the lines, they will all stay the same, so they will look like this:

Avery-Gomez-Zherdev

Naslund-Drury-Antropov

Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Callahan

Korpikoski-Betts-Orr

Redden-Morris

Mara-Rozsival

Staal-Girardi

These lines worked well for head coach John Tortorella, last game in Montreal, so hopefully he will get the same results tonight. The offense worked hard and put a lot of pressure on the Canadian defense, and in result dominated in the first two periods. The third period, however, was wide open.

Tonight's game will mark the first of three game homestand, and the first of back to back games for the Blueshirts this weekend. The boys will be right back to action tomorrow night at the Garden against the Ottawa Seantors. Also, tonight's game will be televised on PIX11.

(Phot taken from Rangers Official Website)

Upcoming Homestand

The Rangers will be playing on home ice for their next three games, these games are against Buffalo(Saturday Night), Ottawa(Sunday Night), and Minnesota(Tuesday Night). The Blueshirts should look at this as a big opportunity to gain some points in the standings, being that they will have the Garden crowd on their sides for the next three. The Rangers currently find themselves in sixth place with 82 points.

The first game will be played tomorrow night at 7pm, against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are currently in 10th place with 76 points. They are looking to get back in the playoff picture, relying heavily on goaltender Patrick Lalime, due to the fact that starting goalie, Ryan Miller is out of the lineup because of an ankle sprain, suffered in a game against the Rangers several weeks ago. This is a team that has been very inconsistent and are running into problems without Miller, so the Rangers should take advantage of that and get two points in this game.

The Ottawa Senators will be the Rangers second opponent of the homestand. They are also a team that have been inconsistent this season, but have been on a surge as of late, going 7-2-1 in their last ten games. The Sens are in 12th place in the East with 70 points, eleven points out of a playoff spot. The Blueshirts can definitely beat this team if they attack early and put pressure on the Ottawa defense.

The final match during the homestand will be against the Minnesota Wild, the first and final time the Rangers will play them this season. The Wild are currently 3 points out of the playoffs in the West, with 74 points. Minnesota has recorded a 3-4-3 in their last ten games. They are a team I have not seen much of this season, but their star player Marian Gaborik has been out majority of the season, and the Wild have suffered a bit because of that. So I feel this is another game the Blueshirts can pull two points out of.

At the very least, the Rangers should win two out three of their next home games to stay in the playoff picture. Three teams that have been cyclic this season, will visit MSG during the Rangers homestand this week. So I believe the Blueshirts can really gain some quality points over the next week, and that would very well keep us in the East's top eight.

*New Hockey Forum*

A brand new hockey discussion forum has been created: http://nonstophockey.net/. I am advertising it on behalf of my friend. We would really appreciate if you joined, as we will do our best to make it a great and active forum and environment. I am a member of the forum as "King Henrik". I greatly appreciate your cooperation, Thank You!

Nik Antropov Looks Good In Ranger Blue

Now on a three game goal scoring streak, forward Nik Antropov has proven himself as a great acquisition before the deadline by the Rangers. When he came over from Toronto, he automatically became the Rangers top scorer. He has continued that scoring hear in New York, and he now has 4 goals in his seven games played here. Nik has really been a helpful addition to the Rangers offense so far.

As we all have seen, "Antro" uses his size very well to his advantage. He is able to out muscle defensemen with his strength and size, gets to loose pucks with his long stride, and is a fantastic goal scorer with his lethal shot. These are only a few of the traits that make Nik Antropov a great player. Nik also has very good hockey sense and knowledge. One other thing that stands out to me while watching Antropov is his positioning. He knows where to be at what times, take last night's goal in Montreal for instance, he made the play by applying the hit and gaining the puck, then he trailed the play and was perfectly positioned to bury the rebound. Antropov has displayed himself as a very intelligent player as a Ranger.

Now about his shot. This guy can really rip wristshots with his wicked release, as shown last night in the shootout against Montreal. Nik came in on a fairly steady pace Montreal goaltender, Carey Price, and eventually froze him with a lightning release on a wristshot that went top corner for the Rangers' second goal of the shootout. Another example is in Sunday's game against Philadelphia, when Nik notched a powerplay goal which turned out to be one of three powerplay goals for the Rangers in that game. He took his position and threw a laser past the Flyers' goalie, into the back of the net. Antro also scored on a very nice shot in the game against Boston over a week ago.

In totality, Nik Antropov is turning out to be a spectacular acquisition for the Rangers. Nik makes his presence known right in front of the net, screening the goalie with his size. Antro is also a player with much offensive prowess and skill, and it would be wise for the Rangers to resign Nik this summer, as he will be a free agent come July.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers Top Habs In Shootout To Gain Big Points

Chris Drury turned the puck over at the blueline, which enabled the Habs to tie the game at three late in third, but it was Captain Clutch that won it in the shootout for the Rangers. Actually, all three Rangers shooters scored in the shootout, those were Naslund, Antropov, and Drury. I was surprised Naslund and Drury were even out there to shoot, but they both made nice moves and converted for a goal. This win puts the Rangers in sixth place with 82 points for the time being.

Nik Antropov also had a goal in the shootout by ripping a shot top corner, that Price had no chance of saving. "Antro" also had a goal in regulation as well, and I felt that he was the player of the game for the Rangers. Antropov has a goal in his last three games. A runner-up would be Wade Redden, who has really turned his game around under head coach John Tortorella. Wade is making great defensive plays and also moving the puck very well. Ryan Callahan also played a solid game with a goal, and he was a big part of the penalty-kill tonight. Marc Staal had a noticeably strong game tonight as well. Lundqvist played a great game in net as well, despite letting up a goal that Ranger fans will never want to see again in their lifetimes.

The Rangers showed character in this game, as they did last game against Philly as well. The Rangers gave up three leads, but were resilient and kept pushing for the next goal. The penalty kill was HUGE for the Rangers tonight, especially when they had to kill off a penalty in the final two minutes of the third. That pk was lead by Betts, Sjostrom, and Callahan who all were stellar while playing a man short.

So this win places the Blueshirts in sixth place with 82 points for the time being, with their next game on Saturday at the Garden against Buffalo, another big game for the Rangers. This game is at 7pm and will be televised on PIX11.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers In Montreal For Big Game With Habs

First off, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Saint Patrick's Day, hence the Green font. ----- The Blueshirts have a prime opportunity to move up in the standings among them tonight. Montreal is currently in sixth place with eighty points, with a game at hand over the Rangers. The Rangers are in seventh place, also with eighty points, which means that a win tonight would place them sixth in the East, and give them some breathing room between them and ninth place. The Canadians have struggled majorly over the last couple months and in result fired their coach, and now have GM Bob Gainey behind the bench. This hasn't solved their problems as they are still struggling to find wins and are currently on a two game losing streak.

Henrik Lundqvist will once again be in net for the Rangers tonight, as he is coming off of a spectacular performance against the Flyers on Sunday Afternoon. The lines will be the same as they were in the Philly game, in which all of the lines showed some offensive prowess. Being so, the lines will be as follows:

Avery-Gomez-Zherdev
Naslund-Drury-Antropov
Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Callahan
Korpikoski-Betts-Orr

So this is another big one for the Rangers, being that a win would put them in sixth place, before a three day break. If the Rangers can get on the Habs early and capitalize on their chances, they will be getting the Bell Centre faithful on the Habs. These fans are extremely frustrated with their team right now, and will be all over them if they fall behind early. Also, take note that tonight's game is at 7:30pm, not 7.
(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Sean Avery So Far.....

Since being signed by the Rangers, Sean Avery has played in 6 games and in that time, has recorded 4 goals and an assist for a total of 5 points. That shows how Sean has had an impact on the scoreboard, but that is not nearly the full impact Sean has brought. It is what Sean does away from the scoreboard, the little things, that "Aves" has been recognized in his career for.

Well he hasn't hesitated at all to get going with this Rangers team, as he has been noticeable in every game he has played in so far. Sean has the ability to get players off of their game night in and night out. It was exemplified by yesterday's game against the Flyers. Players were overly focused on taking care of Avery, that they did not play a fundamental game whatsoever. They were taking unnecessary penalties, being caught out of position, and making major mistakes that cost them just because of one player, Sean Avery. Flyers coach John Stevens saw it just as we did, he knew Sean took them off their game and admitted in the post game meeting with the media:

"We got emotional and used it the wrong way," said Flyers head coach John Stevens. "I think [Avery's] probation period is over and now he's back to his old antics and we got sucked in, to be quite honest."We started worrying about him instead of playing the game. He draws your physical attention and allows their skilled players to play and then we play the whole game shorthanded. We gave ourselves no chance to win," said Stevens.

This is not the only way Sean has impacted the Rangers thus far. Aves has produced himself into a major offensive threat on the team. One that is discussed in pregame meetings on other teams to shut him down as part of a game plan. Sean has offensive skill and is showing it, and making many people eat their words and change their opinion when it comes to Avery. As I said above, Sean has 4 goals in six games, two of which came on the powerplay in yesterday's matinee.

So Aves has been an all around positive impact player on this team, and we hope that he will stay focused on his tasks as a player and will continue to produce at the rate he is right now. If the Rangers make it to the playoffs this season, Sean will be a major reason and will assist this team in getting deep into the playoffs.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Avery And Rangers Respond In Win Against Flyers

This one feels real good! The Rangers responded greatly this afternoon at the Garden, by putting on a show in a 4-1 win over Philly. This win will keep the Rangers in the playoff picture, as they will move up into seventh place with 80pts. The Rangers were lead today by Sean Avery, who recorded 2 powerplay goals in the game. He was a major impact in many ways; he made some great defensive plays, was a threat offensively, and drew several penalties. Avery scored two of the team's three powerplay goals. Yes, I said three powerplay goals, the Blueshirts were prodigious with the man advantage this afternoon, and that is what essentially won them the game.

In six games played with the Rangers, Avery has recorded 4 goals, 1 assist, which equals to 5 points. So "Aves" is averaging just under a point per game and has become a proven offensive threat on this team, as well as an impact player in many other ways. Henrik Lundqvist also played a solid game. He didn't get much action because of all the powerplays, but when he had to be good he was. He made some spectacular saves that left the NBC announcers in awe. I also thought Derek Morris continued his awesome play as a Ranger today, picking up an assist on Avery's first goal and playing really responsibly in his own zone.

The Special teams were a big factor in this game for the Rangers, and when you get right down to it, won them the game. Many penalties were called in this game on both teams, most of them on Philly, ten to be exact. That left the Rangers with many opportunities on the powerplay, and they converted. Nik Antropov scored 1/3 powerplay goals for the Rangers and Sean Avery had the other two. The penalty kill was also a major factor for the Rangers as they took eight penalties themselves. They only allowed one powerplay goal off of a deflection by Mike Richards, but were superior on the kill for the remainder of the game.

Today's win showed a lot of character on the Rangers part and they hope they will carry that character into Montreal Tuesday night, where they will go head to head with the Habs at 7:30pm. The Canadians are currently in fifth place, also with 80 points, so this will be another big game and opportunity for the Rangers to move up in the standings.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers Want Redemption Against Philly Today

By losing to the Flyers yesterday, the Rangers have put themselves in a must win situation today if they would like to stay in the playoff picture for the time being. The Blueshirts are currently in Eighth place at the moment with 78pts. The Florida Panthers are in Ninth place with 78 pts as well, but they have a game at hand on the Rangers, so that means a loss today would put the Rangers in ninth place. A win would have the Blushirts in seventh place with 80pts, so today is one of the biggest games of the season so far.

Henrik Lundqvist will be in net for the Rangers today. As for the lines, they were jumbled a bit during yesterday's game in Philly, but I believe that head coach John Tortorella will at least keep the first line of Avery-Gomez-Callahan, as they have been skating extremely well. Sean Avery and Scott Gomez were the best players on the ice for the Rangers during yesterday's game. Nik Zherdev was moved around a lot yesterday as well, but I feel he should be on the second line in place of Dubinsky. It would be interesting to see how Antropov and Zherdev play together with Drury in the middle. Zherdev is a great passer and Antropov has great strength that enables him to make moves to the net, as we saw yesterday on his goal. So if "Z" could hook up with "Antro" in open areas, they could produce some great scoring chances.

The Rangers will have to clean up their game today, as they were extremely sloppy in all areas of the ice yesterday. This starts with the defense who were allowing way too many odd-man rushes. They will also have to sustain offensive pressure, especially because of the fact that they are going up against Antero Niitymaki in today's contest, who can be very shaky at times in net. So if the Rangers can put pressure on him, they can get out to an early start.

So the Rangers are playing in a big game today against the Flyers, and once again, they must win today in order to stay in the playoff picture. Today's game marks the second of the home and home set with the Flyers, and the game will be televised on NBC.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Rangers Come Up Empty Against Flyers

Well the Rangers blew a big opportunity to gain needed points against the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this afternoon. With the loss, the Blueshirts drop down to the eighth place spot in the East, the final playoff spot. The Rangers played an unbelievably sloppy game today and were turning the puck over in bad areas of the ice. The offense, on the other hand, showed pressure in spurts in today's game, but they were not able to sustain that pressure. When the pressure was applied, the Rangers forced Marty Biron to make some great saves, and he met the challenge and made those saves.

Believe it or not, there are some positives to be pulled out of this game. Scott Gomez continued to skate extremely well in today's game and was a difference maker out on the ice. He has really found his game under head coach John Tortorella. Sean Avery also had a solid game, as he came on in the second half of today's game and was getting scoring chances on Biron, one of which went in. Derek Morris continues to play extremely well for the Rangers as a top d-man, he has no hesitation to shoot and would've received an assist, but the Gomez goal was waved off(Bogus Call). I also felt that without Henrik Lundqvist, this game would have been much worse. He bailed the team out several times as their play was unacceptably careless and sloppy. Nik Antropov also had a beauty of a goal as well.

So the Rangers MUST clean their game up quickly, as they are right back in action at the Garden tomorrow at 12:30pm against the Flyers. Tomorrow will mark the second game of the home and home set. Bottom line is that this Ranger team will have to put together a win tomorrow to remain in the Eastern top 8, If they lose tomorrow, they will most likely be on the outside looking in. Let's hope for the best.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Postgame: Rangers at Flyers

I apologize in advance for the delayed post game post. I will not be around after the game, so I will make the post as soon as I get a chance. Thanks for your understanding!

Rangers In Philly For First Game Of Home And Home

The Blueshirts will skate in Philadelphia where they will take on the red hot Flyers. The Flyers are in fourth place in the East with 82pts. The seventh place Blueshirts, on the other hand, have been on a little hot streak of their own, as they have only lost once in their last 5 games. The Rangers currently have 78 points, and a win today would put them in sixth place with 80pts for the time being, as they have played less games than the Pittsburgh Penguins. Today's matinee will mark the first game of a Home-and-Home set with the Philly Flyers this weekend.

Henrik Lundqvist will most likely be in net for the Rangers, as he had a solid performance in Nashville Thursday Night. Now the lines will be mixed up in today's game. The first line will be the new found combo of Avery-Gomez-Callahan, which was the Rangers best line in the game against Nashville. Gomez and Avery played one of their best games ofthe season last game, being involved in every goal. Gomez has really found his game under Tortorella and has become a threat on this team once again. Hopefully he can keep that going this weekend against Philly. As for the other two lines, it is questionable as Zherdev was benched for the second two periods last game. In practice yesterday, Zherdev skated on the third line with Lauri Korpikoski and Markus Naslund. If that is the case, the lines would look like this:

Avery-Gomez-Callahan

Dubinsky-Drury-Antropov

Naslund-Korpikoski-Zherdev

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

The Rangers can surely beat this Flyer team with this new system. Last time we played Philly was with Tom Renney behind the bench, we were dominated that game, 5-2. This time around, we have John Tortorella as the head man, and as it was exemplified last game, if Torts doesn't like the way the team is playing in the game, he can turn them around quickly, and the team responds. Again, this is the first game of a very important Home-and-Home set with the Flyers, the second game will be played tomorrow afternoon at the Garden.

(Image taken from Rangers Official Website)

*New Domain*

I am proud to announce that rangerstribune.blogspot.com has changed to http://rangerstribune.com/. This is a huge step forward for the blog and it is now easier for people to access/discover the site.

Special Thanks to my friend Pete, for setting up the domain for me. It is greatly appreciated by me and all of this blogs readers.

Zherdev's Benching Done For Good Reason

As you all know, forward Nikolai Zherdev was benched for the second and third periods during last night's game against Nashville. From what we think, Zherdev was probably benched due to a bad giveaway in the offensive zone that led to a turnover and a Predator goal. Also the fact that Zherdev's battle level was not present in the first period, and has not been great over the last few weeks, did not help much either.

I personally think it was done by Tortorella to play with Nik's mind, and light a fire under him to get him going again. Zherdev has been known to be a bit lazy throughout his career, but for the first half of the year he was anything but lazy and was putting up points. Since then, his scoring has declined a bit, and a bit of apathy has been shown by Zherdev at times. Tortorella does not want Nikki to revert beck to his lazy ways, so I believe this was done to wake him up and get him going once more.

Zipay reported that in practice today, Jim Schoenfeld was watching Zherdev as he was performing extra skating drills at center ice. When leaving the ice, Zherdev smashed his stick against the concrete wall in the Nashville hallway leading to the locker room. He is clearly showing frustration, and we hope it will show in his play, in a positive way that is.

As for Tortorella's perspective he told the media this; "That's mine and Nik's business. I talk to players all the time about different things,". So we will see what Torts does regarding the situation this weekend.

Look, Zherdev is one of the top players on this team, the fans know it, the coaching staff knows it, and the players know it. It has just seemed that Nik's game has been slipping lately, and we need him to be at his best going down the stretch here. So this move by Torts means good, it was made to get Nik back on track and at the top of his game, when it is needed most. Maybe this should be done to some of the other players on this team as well.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Rangers Come Up Big Against Preds, 4-2

It was all about the top players coming up big when it was needed. The Rangers sort of went with one line in that game that was put together accidentally. That line was Avery-Gomez-Callahan, which all three played spectacular, Gomez and Avery had one of their best games of the season. Sean Avery was all over the ice tonight, he was part of the play in three of the four goals in the game. He showed his physical presence and was making a positive impact on the ice every shift he was out on the ice. Scott Gomez was also a part of three of the four goals and created two of the four. This was one of Gomer's best games of the season and has really began to find his game under head coach John Tortorella.

The Rangers had a weak first period after taking three penalties, they did manage to score first though. The first Nashville goal Lundqvist would've wanted back and the second one was a flukey one of off Dan Girardi's skate, who recovered and played a real solid game. That was the theme for the whole team; Recovery! After the battle-lacking first period, John Tortorella sent a message to his team, and the Rangers responded by coming out and dominating the rest of the game. The top line that I mentioned before controlled the tempo of the game, and in return, Tortorella gave them a lot of ice time. It was the reverse for forward Nik Zherdev, who got benched for the two final periods, after a bad first period. I think it is more of a mental thing with Zherdev, and Tortorella is trying to mess with his head and light a fire under him.

Henrik Lundqvist also played a solid game, despite letting up a weak goal in the first. This game makes Hank the first goalie in history to record 30 wins in all four of his first NHL seasons. Congrats Hank! He was helped by solid defensive play. Derek Morris played a really solid game as did Marc Staal, who recorded his first multi-point game of his career(1goal, 1assist). And as I mentioned before, Dan Girardi recoverd and played a great game.

The Penalty kill was also solid tonight, as they had to kill off penalties at crucial times and they responded by doing just that. It even created the Rangers' fourth goal from a beautiful play by Blair Betts to feed Freddy Sjostrom for a shorthanded goal on a 2-on-1.

This win puts the Rangers right back in the playoff picture in seventh place. The Rangers will be presented with the opportunity to increase their slot in the standings with a home and home with the Philadelphia Flyers this weekend. The Blueshirts will be in Philly on Saturday, and back at the Garden on Sunday.

(Photo taken from the Rangers Official Website)

Rangers Look To Gain Crucial Points In Nashville(UPDATE)

A win tonight will put the 9th place Rangers into a seventh place playoff spot, being so, this game is crucial for the Blueshirts standings-wise. The Predators, on the other hand, will look to keep themselves in the playoff picture in tonight's game. The Preds are currently in eighth place with 71 points, and have the Wild breathing down their neck with 70 points in ninth place.

Henrik Lundvist will get the start tonight, as he sat the last game out with the flu. Head coach John Tortorella has mixed up the lineup a bit as he had Sean Avery playing with Gomez in practice yesterday, so expect to see Sean's energetic play on the first line tonight. Nik Zhrdev was on the other wing and Naslund was moved down to the third line. The defensive pairings were also jumbled, they will be; Rozsival-Mara, Redden-Morris, and Staal-Girardi. With these changes, the lineup will look like this:

Avery-Gomez-Zherdev

Antropov-Drury-Dubinsky

Naslund-Korpikoski-Callahan

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Rozsival-Mara

Redden-Morris

Staal-Girardi

As I said before, this game is very important and it will be crucial for the Rangers to get two points tonight. Two points that would put the Blueshirts back in the playoff picture. I think the new line combos will allow the Rangers to do just that.

(Photo taken by AP Images)

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Almost forgot to mention, if Hank comes out victorious in tonight's contest, he will become the first goaltender to win 30 games in each of his first four NHL seasons. Congrats in advance Hank!

3/10- Scoreboard Watch(UPDATE)

A few games affecting the Rangers situation tonight; Flyers/Sabres, Penguins/Panthers, and Canadians/Oilers. The Penguins both have 76pts at the moment so this game will determine which team claims the sixth(possibly 5th if MTL looses) place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Flyers are in fourth place with 80pts and Buffalo is in 10th place with 73pts. And finally Montreal is in 5th place with 77pts. So the results of all three of these games are crucial to the Rangers playoff situation. Will update with scores of games later.

Scoreboard:

Flyers-5 Sabres-2 Final

Penguins-4 Panthers-3 Final/SO

Canadians-4 Oilers-3 Final/OT

Streak Ends At 3, Rangers Blanked By 'Canes 3-0

The Rangers three game winning streak came to an end tonight, a night where the Rangers couldn't find any offense against the Carolina Hurricanes. This loss hurts doubly due to the fact that it put the Rangers on the outside looking in from a playoff perspective. The Blueshirts now occupy the ninth place spot in the East with 76pts, this is the first time this season the Rangers have fallen out of the top eight. The Panthers and Penguins(7th and 8th spots), also have 76 points, so the Rangers could very easily be back in playoff position with a win Thursday Night in Nashville.

Steve Valiquette played a great game despite allowing 2 goals to the 'Canes. He made some huge saves to keep the Blueshirts in the game, but the offense failed and were shutout by Cam Ward, who also played a solid game. The Rangers fatigue showed in the third period, being that they played in an emotional matinee yesterday against Boston. They were getting beat to loose pucks in the offensive zone, and therefore could not establish any offensive pressure. Head Coach John Tortorella even tried juggling the lines to find a spark, but nothing was working for the Rangers offense tonight.

The Rangers will look to get themselves back in the playoff picture Thursday Night at 8pm in Nashville. The Predators are currently occupying the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 70pts. As I said, places seven, eight, and nine in the East all have 76 points, so it won't take much for the Rangers to get back in the top eight, Until Thursday, us fans will just have to scoreboard watch, and hope that the results favor the Rangers situation.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Blueshirts Look To Make It Four In A Row Tonight In Carolina

Coming off of a huge win against the Boston Bruins on Sunday Afternoon, the Rangers are in Carolina tonight to take on the Carolina Huricanes. The Rangers will want the full two points out of this one, as Carolina is 1pt behind them in ninth place. The Rangers will also look to keep their goal-scoring streak(14 goals in 3 games), as well as their 3 game win streak alive and going.

Steve Valiquette will be in net for the Rangers tonight in CAR, as this is the second of back-to-back games for the Rangers and head coach John Tortorella felt it was time Lundqvist got a night off. That is the only lineup change for tonight's contest, so that will leave the lines looking like this:

Naslund-Gomez-Zherdev

Dubinsky-Drury-Antropov

Avery-Korpikoski-Callahan

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Two huge points are on the line tonight against the Hurricanes, and with the Rangers currently in seventh place with 76 pts, expect the Blueshirts to give this game their best shot as it would get them 3 pts out of ninth place and put them higher than seventh for the time being. Tonight's game will be televised on Versus and TSN2.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Rangers Make It Three Sraight, Top B's 4-3

After letting a third period lead slip away, the Blueshirts fought back to strike late and win a huge game, in which they gained 2pts that put them in sixth place. They showed a lot of heart after letting in the two goals that allow the Bruins to tie it. They kept up the pressure and a missed shot by Marc Staal went off of the backboards and onto Nik Zherdev's stick, where he buried the game winner into an empty net. The Rangers have now stretched their win streak to three games, and in during that stretch, have recorded 14 goals.

Henrik Lundqvist made some huge saves in this game, including a header. I would give Nik Antropov the title of best Ranger in tonight's game, as he recorded his first goal as a Ranger and added an assist to that, to earn him first star of the game. Chris Drury had another decent game picking up an assist as did Derek Morris. Ryan Callahan and Scott Gomez picked up 2 goals and Sean Avery had a big assist on the Callahan goal. Avery was very noticeable in his second game as a Ranger this season.

The Blueshirts will now fly out to Carolina where they will take on the Hurricanes tomorrow night at 7pm. This will be another big game for the Rangers as the 'Canes are one point behind the Rangers in eighth place in the East.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Rangers Take On Bruins in Avery's Garden Return

Today's game will mark Sean Avery's first game as a Ranger at Madison Square Garden this season. Nik Antropov and Derek Morris will also make their Garden debuts today. All three players, along with the rest of the team's top players, will need to have all systems go against the first place Bruins. The Bruins have been on a bit of a slump streak as of late and the Rangers will want to capitalize on that, and defeat the first place team on National Television(NBC).

Henrik Lundqvist will be the probable goaltender for the Blueshirts today, and it is possible Valiquette gets the nod from head coach John Tortorella tomorrow night in Carolina, as it will be the second of back-to-back games for the Rangers. As of now, no line changes will be in place in today's game, so that will mean that the same combos used on Long Island Thursday Night will be in place today at the Garden. It will be interesting to see how the team's new acquisitions will react in their Garden Debut's. I know Sean Avery will have no problem warming up to the Garden Crowd.

Today's matinee will be the beginning of an extremely busy and important week for the Rangers. They can gain some big points in the standings this week, and get themselves out of that seventh place spot. What better way to start the busy week than gaining two huge points against the best team in the East on national television.

(Photo taken from NHL.com)

Rangers Look Forward To Busy Week

The Rangers will be playing five games in four different arenas this week, with 3 of those games on the road and 2 of them at MSG. Going into this week, the Blueshirts are currently in 7th place in the East with 74pts. This week will bring the Rangers a big opportunity to gain some points in the standings and gain some breathing room.

It all starts tomorrow(Sunday) against the first place Boston Bruins at 12:30pm. The Rangers are 1-1 while playing the Bruins this season, and they are 1-0 against them while on Garden Ice. Then the Rangers will fly out to Carolina prior to the Bruin game, where they will go head to head with the 10th place Hurricanes Monday Night at 7pm. The 'Canes very are anxious to get in the playoff picture.

Tuesday and Wednesday are free days for the Rangers, which head Coach John Tortorella will most likely use for practice, workouts, video work, etc. On Thursday, the Blueshirts will be in Nashville to play the Predators for the first time this season. The Predators are currently in 6th place in the West with 70pts.

The Rangers will close the week out with a home and home against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers will be in Philly on Saturday and back at the Garden to host the Flyers on Sunday. The Flyers are currently in 4th place with 78pts, 4 more than the Rangers.

Big week for the Rangers coming up. They could really do some damage in the standings to get themselves out of the 7th place spot. There are some tough teams the Blueshirts will go against throughout the course of the week, but I believe the team is able to beat everyone. We will just have to see how it all plays out.

Rangers Win 2 In A Row, Notch Isles 4-2

In their first game after a long break, the Rangers were able to put together an effort that defeated the Isles 4-2 on Long Island. A lot of players stepped up this game to provide the needed offense. In fact, in their last two games, the Blueshirts have scored 10 goals. Overall though, the Rangers looked a bit sluggish, Tortorella said he will improve that in practice.

Henrik Lundqvist was the best player on the ice for the Rangers tonight, no question. At times in this game, he kept the Rangers in the game by making the big saves when they were needed, as always. I also thought Drury and Gomez also had great games, and they both have recorded goals in each of their last two games. Nik Zherdev stepped up in this game as well, recording a goal and an assist.

Thoughts on the new guys: I felt that Nik Antropov played a solid game, he recorded an assist on the Drury powerplay goal. He is huge and very strong, and works good on the boards and in front of the net. Sean Avery had a decent game. He was hit A LOT in this game, he also layed a few down himself. I think in a matter of time, he will be back in shape and back to himself. Derek Morris had a bit of a quiet game, but a decent one. I think Torts will need to work with him some more to get him playing up to expectations. Remember, Torts has had only one/two day(s) to work with these guys, so the best is yet to come from the new acquisitions.

The Rangers next game will be on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 pm, as they will host the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden. This game will be televised on NBC.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Revamped Rangers Vist Long Island

On day after the 2009 NHL trade Deadline, the Rangers will head out to the Island where they will play the Islanders. The Rangers are currently in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with 72 points. This is a big game for the Rangers being that they have not played in four days and they are coming off of a huge win against the Coloradoo Avalanche Saturday night. This will also be the fourth game with Tortorella behind the bench and we will be able to see Avery, Morris, and Antropov in action for the first time tonight.

Henrik Lundqvist will most likely be in net for the Rangers tonight, after having a stellar performance for the Rangers in the game against the Avalanche. Not to sure what the line combinations will be today, being that three new faces will be in the lineup. But what Head Coach John Tortorella did say, was that he would like to keep Antropov on left wing, so we will see where he goes with that.

So keep your eyes on Nik Antropov, Derek Morris, and Sean Avery as they are looking to make first impressions and show the coaches what you got. Antropov has a lot of offensive talent and is a very interesting player to watch. Derek Morris is a solid Defenseman that is a great puck mover that is looking to get a fresh start in New York. And Sean Avery is Sean Avery, we all know what he brings to the game.

Tonight's game will mark the final game between the two rivals this season, and the Rangers are 4-1 against the fishsticks this season and the Blueshirts are 3-0 while playing on Long Island. The Rangers will look to end the series between the two teams on a good note.

(Photo taken from Rangers Official Website)

Rangers Improve Lineup At Deadline

Glen Sather waited for the last 20 minutes before the trade deadline to make his transactions, but they were worth the wait. First at 2:47pm, the Rangers announced that they have acquired Nik Antropov from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for 2nd round draft pick and a conditional draft pick. The 6' 6", 230 pound center has 21 goals and 25 assists for a total of 46 points on the season. Nik will add size to lineup, something the Rangers, lack and also has a lot of offensive skill and will play as a top 6 forward on this team. Antropov makes $2,050,000 and is an unrestricted free agent come July 1st.

Then at 2:59, the Rangers announced that they have acquired defenseman Derik Morris from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes, and Dmitri Kalinin. Derik is 6 foot, 221 pounds. He is easily a top 4 defenseman, and is a great puck mover. I feel he will improve our transition and powerplay. Morris was 5-7-12 in a Pheonix uniform, and makes $3,916,667 and will also become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

So overall, I believe the Rangers solidified their Defense and improved their offense. Sather did a pretty good job of meeting the team's needs. Now I am not saying that these acquisitions are the answer to all of this team's problems, I am just saying that it helps. If you look at our lineup as a big picture, you will see that it is very much improved:

Naslund-Gomez-Zherdev

Drury-Antropov-Avery

Korpikoski-Dubinsky-Callahan

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Morris

Rozsival-Staal

Mara-Girardi

Lundqvist

Valiquette

I am not saying that those are the lines, I just made up lines to exemplify how we improved our lineup before the Deadline. In today's deadline, there was a total of 22 trades including 45 players and 21 picks. We will have the opportunity to see all of the new faces in action tomorrow, as the Rangers will visit Long Island to go head to head with the Isles at 7pm.

Trade Deadline 2009

3/3 9:20pm- Happy Trade Deadline Eve. A lot has happened in the Rangers world today. First off, Sean Avery was claimed off of re-entry waivers(See post below). Aaron Voros and Erik Reitz were placed on waivers, and John Tortorella and Glen Sather said that they would like to add some size to the lineup before the deadline.

Unfortunately, I will not be home tomorrow from 7am-2pm, so I will be posting deadline updates as soon as I get home. I will be on my Blackberry while I am not home though, so I will be fully aware of what is going on. It is promising to be a very busy and exciting day tomorrow, as every trade deadline day is. Hopefully Slats will pull out a great deal that will improve this team down the stretch. Until tomorrow, Good Bye, and enjoy the excitement of the Deadline!

3/4 2:40pm- It has been an extremely quiet day on the 2009 trade deadline. One big deal has occurred and that sent Olli Jokinen to the Calgary Flames, but before that the Columbus Bluejackets traded away Pascal Leclaire to the Senators, and in return, gained Atoine Vermette.

It has been fairly quiet in Rangerland so far, as I have read several rumors, but nothing has been confirmed just yet. So if Glen Sather pulls any moves it will have to occur in the next 20 minutes.

3/4 2:50pm- TSN is reporting that Nik Antropov has been traded to the Rangers, and we sent a second round draft pick and a conditional pick to Toronto.

3/4 3:06pm- The Rangers have now acquired Defensemen Derek Morris from the Phoenix Coyotes, and we sent Prucha, Dawes, and Kalinin their way in return.

More Later.....

Avery Claimed By Rangers/ Voros And Reitz On Waivers(UPDATE)

Well it is Official, and finally over. Sean Avery will put on a Rangers Jersey once again, as he was claimed by the New York Rangers off of re-entry waivers earlier today. This was a great move by the organization, and I totally agree with it. Sean will provide a great spark to the team. Welcome Back Aves!
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UPDATE:
Here are some player and coach reactions about Avery returning, as per Zippay's Blue Notes(http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/blog/):
Chris Drury: "I think it’ll be great. The only two things I need to know and I think the other guys in this room need to know are: One, that he wants to be here, that he wants to be a Ranger, he loves wearing the jersey, he loves living in New York and second, he wants to win a Stanley cup. What more could you ask for of a teammate?
How will he fit in the Tortorella system?
"I think he's gonna love it, no question, he's an in-your-face, uptempo player, always moving his feet, finishing checks, I think he's gonna thrive in it."

Henrik Lundqvist: "It's not gonna be so much focused on Sean. It more about we already turned the page here with the new coaching staff and we played a lot better the last three games. He's gonna be one of 20 guys and have to bring something to the table. We'll see, it's hard to say now. He brings a lot of energy, he plays with passion every night. He's a really good hockey player when he focuses on the game...Whoever comes into this room is going to have to adjust to the people who are here and to the system. I met him a couple weeks ago and had a good time. Sometimes he can be aggressive off-ice too, but most of the time he's a regular guy."

Brandon Dubinsky: "I can't speak for everyone....Whatever happened, happened. He's my teammate again...each of our teammates are part of the family. He's part of our team. I'm immediately excited for him and looking forward to have his on-ice capabilities help us win games."

Steve Valiquette: "Right now, we're very businesslike. We're gonna be winning regardless of who's in the lineup. It'll be different for him here because there are some different faces. But we're all in the same thing together---except for the goalies."

John Tortorella: "We feel, especially in the division, we need a little more jam on our team. Hopefully he can kick in a couple of goals. I haven’t coached Sean, I want to see what he’s all about. I’ve seen him play. When he’s concentrating on playing under a team concept, he’s an effective player. That’s what we’re looking for. He’s really tried to help himself and Glen believes in second chances. I think he’s done his homework here and we’ll see where it goes."
"I believe in personalities...If you have conflict, you must be hitting a problem head on. I had major conflicts with a lot of players in Tampa Bay. Now we respect one another, and understand why we went through it."
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It has also been confirmed that forward Aaron Voros and D Erik Reitz have been placed on waivers. If they pass through waivers, they will play in Hartford, if otherwise, they will be playing for another NHL team. This move relieves us of around $330,000, which leads me to believe that Sather might have something up his sleeve with the trade deadline coming tomorrow at 3pm.
(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Bell Sent Down To Hartford

It was just announced today that newly acquired Mark Bell has been assigned to the Hartford Wolfpack. This is a good indication that Glen Sather is making room for the arrival of Sean Avery. The Rangers and Glen Sather are expected to claim Sean if another team below them in the standings does not. So we will most likely be seeing our beloved Sean Avery wear number 16 in Ranger Blue once again.

More Later.....

Sean Avery/ Trade Deadline(UPDATE-Avery Placed On Waivers)

Sean Avery will most likely be placed on re-entry waivers by the Dallas Stars today, so that means that all the teams that are under the Rangers will have an opportunity to claim Sean, which I doubt will happen. So then Glen Sather and the Rangers organization are presented with an opportunity to claim Avery and his 3 year contract that we would be paying 1.9 million for, by puting in a waiver claim. I believe Sean would be a huge asset on the team, we only have one agitator in Orr. Avery also has skill and can score goals, which would help this team offensively.

The other huge day in the Hockey world is on Wednesday, the 2009 NHL Trade Deadline. Some teams will be buyers, some sellers, and some of the biggest names in the NHL will be on different teams than they are now. Some of these names could include Vincent Lecavalier(TBL), Marian Gaborik(MIN), Jay Bouwmeester(FLA), and Ilya Kovalchuk(ATL). These are some names that will be looked upon considerably by other teams in the NHL, and among these teams are the Rangers. Glen Sather has his work cut out for him though, as he has some heavy contracts on this team, and they have eaten up most of the cap space.

Rumor wise, I have heard that the Rangers and Glen Sather have previously looked into Bouwmeester, Kovalchuk, and Tkachuk. I don't know if these rumors are true or not, but if the are, they tell the story as if Slats is looking to go big here, But again in order to pick up a big name, we would have to trade a big name away.

So we will see what folds out in the next 3 days for the Rangers. It will be an extremely exciting three days, and at times it will be stressful. But as a fan, you can only hope and wait, as you have no control of the turnout of these events. Some sites that I will be checking out for updates over the next three days will be; http://www.tsn.ca/, http://www.hockeybuzz.com/, and http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/blog/. So enjoy the next couple of days and you can come here for all of your Rangers updates and rumours.
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UPDATE(1:30pm)- Sean Avery has been officially placed on re-entry waivers for 24 hours by the Dallas Stars. So Avery will be on waivers for the next 24 hours, and if the Rangers send in a waiver claim(and teams below them don't), Sean Avery will become a Ranger tomorrow(Tuesday) at noon.