Game 64: Rangers vs Avalanche

Take a good look. Tonight is probably the last time you’ll see this team as presently constructed because their next contest won’t come until after the March 4th trade deadline. With the team riding a 2-8-4 stretch that has sunk them to seventh place in the Eastern Conference, just two points out of tenth, there’s little doubt in my mind Glen Sather is going to make some kind of move soon. Is that going to be a push for a top six forward or stud defenseman, or is it going to be a selling off of older vets in exchange for younger building blocks? That might depend on what happens tonight.

The Avs have basically been in a season long funk, and have gone 6-14-0 in the last month and a half. They did just get franchise center Paul Stastny back from missing nearly two months with a broken right forearm, so that’ll be a nice shot in the arm. I dunno about you, but it just looks weird seeing Colorado in last place in the standings.

Here’s tonight’s hodgepodge of lines, courtesy of Jane McManus:

Naslund – Gomez – Zherdev
Dubinsky – Drury – Callahan
Dawes – Korpikoski – Prucha
Sjostrom – Betts – Orr

Staal – Girardi
Rozsival – Redden
Mara – Kalinin

I guess Mark Bell couldn’t force his way into the lineup. Enjoy the game.

Photo Credit: Mark Lennihan, AP

Gone for the Weekend

Ill be out of town this weekend. Mike and Stas will be taking care of the blog until I come back on Sunday.

Have a good weekend.

Barnaby: “Rangers Inept”

Ex-Ranger and ESPN analyst Matthew Barnaby held a chat on Thursday and answered a few Ranger questions, where he referred to Rangers management as “inept”:

Kahtouni (Ottawa Ontario): What’s up with Wade Redden? Is he a top 10 defenseman anymore? He recently scored his 3rd goal of the year… are the Rangers as poorly run as the Knicks?

Matthew Barnaby: There is no way Wade Redden is a Top 10 D-man. He might be paid like one, but he has been struggling for a few years. The Rangers have drafted poorly over the last decade and signings such as Bobby Holik, Kasparaitis, to name a few, prove that they are an inept organization.

Inept is a little bit harsh. They have drafted a little better post-lockout, drafts that produced Dubinsky, Staal, Dawes, and Callahan, with Girardi as an undrafted signee, and Sanguinetti, Anisimov, Grachev and Del Zotto on the way.

He is right on the mark about the awful signings lately. However, you have to ask one thing: Is Matthew Barnaby really a credible source for your hockey answers?

Like it or not, Renney’s Presence Still Lingers

Nobody said it was going to be an easy fix.  Two games in two nights, both times the Rangers getting a slew of chances and clinging to a 1-0 lead going into the 3rd period, and both times the team stops playing and ends up falling apart like the leaves in November.  Tortorella has only been in the driver’s seat for three full days, with only one practice under them, so I don’t think any of this is a reflection on him or his staff.

But the reality of it is that he is asking them to play a completely different game (which he damn well should be doing).  For most of these guys, they have played a safe, defensive style of hockey for 3+ seasons, and to ask them to turn the switch in a span of 72 hours is, well, damn near impossible.  These guys couldn’t turn it on when they had the same coach, what makes us think they will be able to do it for a different guy?

It still boggles my mind that a team can play such solid hockey for 125 feet, then go south like a duck in winter when it matters most.  Both Gomez’s and Callahan’s missed chances tonight are inexcusable.  One of the first things you learn, or should learn, when playing youth hockey is that when you are in tight on the goaltender, you LIFT the pick high to put it in the net.  The chances of him reacting with his upper body as quick as he would with his legs is slim, and if he does, great for him.  These are simple things that should not elude professional hockey players.

You can give Renney a ton of credit for ingraining in his players the style of hockey that he wanted played.  He did it very well, because obviously its been quite a chore for Tortorella to shake these habits loose.  The Rangers always lacked that killer instinct with Tom Renney.  It seems to be the element that the new coach has to instill in his players.  On the bright side, this team has played better in their first two games under Tortorella than they have under Renney’s regime.  They are quicker, more hungry, and are getting more chances.  I don’t think its time to panic just yet, beacuse once it comes together (which is hopefully soon), this is going to be a very strong team.  And if it has to wait until next year, so be it.  At least these boys will know where they stand and what they are capable of.

NOTE: It appears that Brandon Dubinsky is going to be John Tortorella’s horse.  Its a beautiful thing, because I think he’s one of the few people on the team that can mentally and physically handle this new style.

And the Islanders have scored 4 goals against the Leafs in less than 60 minutes.  What’s wrong with this picture?  Anybody???

Game 63: Rangers vs. Florida

Update 9:30pm: With the regulation loss, and Buffalo/Carolina each getting at least a point, the Rangers have dropped to 7th place in the East (8th if Buffalo wins), just 2 points ahead of Carolina.

If there was ever a crucial game for the Rangers, this would be it. The Rangers sit 2 points ahead of Florida for 6th in the conference, but Florida has 2 games in hand. They also sit just 1, I’ll even spell it out for you, ONE, point out of 9th place.

They need this game, no if, ands, or buts about it. Not only do they need this win, but they need it in regulation. Buffalo (#8) faces Carolina (#9) tonight as well. Should the Rangers lose, and Buffalo wins, the Rangers drop to the #8 seed. If Carolina wins, the Rangers drop to the #7 seed. I’m not going to run all the scenarios, but I hope this illustrates the urgency behind this game.

The Panthers website is reporting that Vokoun will be a game time decision tonight. Not like that matters, Craig Anderson is a very capable backup, and has given the Rangers some problems in net.

More later.

Update 6:15pm: Now that the game gets nearer, I’ll move this up to the first post on the page, ahead of the Whitney/Kunitz trade.

None of the beat reporters have lines up, and it looks like Torts isn’t going to disclose that information until game time.

My guess is that he will be using the same lines as last night, maybe inserting Mark Bell somewhere.

Tomas Vokoun has an inner ear infection, and it looks like Craig Anderson will get the start tonight.

Update 6:35pm: Reitz/Sjostrom out, Mara/Voros in.

Update 7:10pm: They aren’t even going to review that? Well, I guess if Torts isn’t arguing, it’s no goal.

Update 7:14pm: Well, the Rangers have been generating some good chances early on, including that no goal by Dubinsky. Let’s see if they keep this up.

Update 7:17pm: What a save by Hank. Wow.

Update 7:22pm: That’s what happens when you drive to the net. Nice play by Callahan to get the puck out of the zone, nice pass by Kalinin to Gomez, nice job by Naslund to get the loose puck into the net. 1-0 Rangers. Naslund from Gomez and Kalinin.

Update 7:30pm: So that’s what Glen Sather looks like…

Update 7:36pm: Denis Potvin is in the house, on the 30th anniversary of his hit on Nilsson.

Update 7:39pm: The Rangers are getting a lot of good shots on net. Craig Anderson is standing on his head.

Update 7:43pm: Phantom call on Rozsival to end the period. 1-0, end of 1.

Update 8:03pm: Even the penalty is more aggressive under this new system. They are certainly much more fun to watch.

Update 8:04pm: Wow. Craig Anderson just made an absurd save. He is single-handedly keeping the Panthers in this game.

Update 8:20pm: The PP will take some time to get used to the adjustments. Micheletti said it best, it’s not natural yet to rotate around. It will take time.

Update 8:30pm: Lift the puck please. That’s twice.

Update 8:35pm: Hit the net please. Disregard, deflected by Anderson.

Update 8:54pm: Dubinsky and Staal are the ice time leaders for forwards/defense through 2 periods. Good to know Torts trusts the sophomores.

Update 8:59pm: Nice passing play on the PP, nice save by Anderson. I think the Rangers would need a 5-on-2 to score a goal though.

Update 9:03pm: Oh come on Gomez. How do you not bury that? It was an empty net and the puck was on your stick. What the hell man?

Update 9:07pm: The Rangers are looking real tired right now.

Update 9:09pm: Ouch. Zednik just took a slap shot off the neck. This man and his neck, he’s just unlucky.

Update 9:10pm: Oh man, it was a McCabe shot too. That has to hurt.

Update 9:12pm: Crap. Booth slides it through Hank’s legs. Hank wants that one back. 1-1. Booth from Weiss and Ballard.

Update 9:16pm: Someone blew an assignment. Horton was left wide open. 2-1 Panthers. Horton from Zednik and McCabe. The Rangers need a goal, and they probably won’t get it.

Update 9:21pm: It was Gomez that blew the assignment. So he couldn’t score and blew that assignment. That’s a 2 goal swing courtesy of one player.

Update 9:22pm: And the FIRE SATHER chant rains down from the heavens (the Blue Seats).

Update 9:30pm: Another Ranger loss. This one in regulation. I’ll put the updated standings at the top of the post.

Pens Get Kunitz

I usually don’t like interrupting game threads, but this deal requires the interruption.

In a blockbuster deal, the Pens get Chris Kunitz and Eric Tandarni from Anaheim in exchange for Ryan Whitney. Kunitz will presumably be placed on the line of Malkin-Crosby-insert winger here. That line scares the bejesus out of me.

The Pens are making a push to make the playoffs with this move. Whitney was movable with Gonchar coming back, Letang on the blueline and Goligoski in the minors. That top forward line rivals the best in the league, and if Fleury can stay solid, they will make the playoffs. If the Rangers keep losing it will be at the expense of the Rangers.

With Whitney going to Anaheim, you can bet your life that Niedermayer or Pronger will be gone before the deadline hits.

Update: In other news, Montreal has traded Steve Begin to Dallas for Doug Janik. This is a minor deal on the scheme of things, but may lead to more for Montreal, as this frees up some salary.

A Successful Failure

Another loss to the lowly Leafs probably has a lot of fans wondering if Torts was the right move. To that I say 4 words:

Powerplay goal by Redden.

That’s all you need to know right now to show that this will be successful if you give it time. When was the last time Redden scored a goal on the PP? How about the last time he scored a goal? This system will benefit Redden, so give it time.

The Rangers are conditioned to play a safe system. They are not conditioned to play this attacking game, hence the tired legs in the 3rd period onward. They will only get better as this progresses because they will become accustomed to the system.

Tortorella’s system, as with any new system for any team, will take time to get used to. Be patient.

Game 62: Rangers at Toronto, Torts Debuts

John Tortorella begins his stretch as Ranger head coach tonight in Toronto, the second meeting of a home-and-home meeting between the clubs.

In keeping up with Tortorella’s theme of a clean break, this marks the first game of the remaining 21. If the Rangers want to make the playoffs, they will have to win at least 13 games. Let’s hope they are up to the task.

The forward lines will remain intact from the last practice:

Dubinsky-Drury-Callahan
Naslund-Gomez-Zherdev
Dawes-Korpo-Prucha
Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

The defense is as follows (as per Zipay):
Rozsival-Redden
Staal-Girardi
Kalinin-Rietz

Expect the top 13 to get plenty of ice time. I am really nervous about that Rozsival-Redden combination, it could either work really well or fail miserably. I don’t think there’s a happy medium there. I like Staal and Girardi together though. They both have the offensive potential and the defensive mindedness to work with each other. Kalinin-Reitz will be interesting to watch, I’m not sure how I feel about that combo.

Aaron Voros is scratched, and Paul Mara is still out with his shoulder injury.

I won’t be doing a live blog tonight, I don’t even think I’ll be watching the game tonight. I have a work function I have to attend and it’s from 6:30-9:30. I am not happy.

Rangers Claim Mark Bell

The Rangers made another waiver wire move today, claiming Mark Bell on re-entry waivers from Toronto. Bell has had a troubled past with substance abuse, and could have just needed a change of scenery from Toronto. Granted, I don’t know how well playing in NY goes to getting over substance abuse.

Bell, 28, was the #8 pick by Chicago in the 1998 draft, and it’s safe to say he hasn’t lived up to the potential. At 6’4, 220lbs, he’s the big forward that can show a scoring touch (averaged 30 goals in 3 seasons with Ottawa in the OHL). This move probably isn’t going to amount to anything, but it’s worth noting.

As for the contract, the Rangers are on the hook for half of Bell’s $2.5 million salary this year. Pro-rated, this amounts to roughly a $320,000 cap hit, leaving the Rangers with roughly $700,000 in cap space to work with for the deadline.

With this move, Avery returning this season seems less likely. I ran the numbers. As of now, Avery’s cap hit would be roughly $512,000, and it decreases by roughly $24,000 with each game the Rangers play. The minimum Avery cap hit would be roughly $439,000, which is met if the Rangers claim him on re-entry waivers after the Saturday game with Colorado.

Update: It could also mean the departure of one Aaron Voros, who’s purpose on a Tortorella team is up in the air, especially with the arrival of Bell, who has more offensive upside than Voros. We know how much Torts likes his offense. If the Rangers can get anything for him, I would be impressed.

Image Credit: Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Time to Close That Poll

With Tortorella in and Renney out, there is no real point to discussing what the Rangers need to do, considering there won’t be another coaching change this year.

Most people still think Sather needs to go. I am in full agreement. However, you have to feel bad for whoever takes over, with all those contracts.

Update 12:05pm: I guess it’s time to remove that mantra ‘More consistent than Tom Renney’s lines’ too. Let me know what you think of the new mantra.