When Someone Runs Your Goalie….

You make them pay.

Donald Brashear, that’s your job. Three times last night, and no one made them pay. If Brendan Shanahan was on this team, someone would have been forced to drop the gloves.

Outside of not sticking up for Henrik Lundqvist, probably the only person on the team that they cannot afford to get injured, this game was dominated by the Rangers. Even when they were bad in the second, they still were able to match Toronto’s output. The good teams in the league are the teams that can mask their mistakes, and this team does just that. There is a nice balance of the team bailing out Lundqvist when he lets in a softie, and Lundqvist bailing out the team when they fall asleep.

The Rangers have now won five games in a row, and sit at 5-1-0. Last season, when the Rangers were 5-1, we were waiting for them to come back down to Earth, and they did, hard. This time around, you aren’t really sure if they are going to come down as hard as they did last year. They beat three playoff teams in this five game win streak. They hustle, they work, they get balanced scoring, they get defensive scoring, good goaltending, good defense (even from Wade Redden), they hit, and they don’t take many stupid penalties. They kill penalties, and they convert on the power play and have good coaching.

Is this team this good? No, they are not going to keep playing at an .800 clip for 75 more games. They are going to come down to Earth, but they are making the so-called “experts” look really stupid.

The John Tortorella effect is becoming very obvious. That is now six straight games where the Rangers have absolutely dominated the third period. Last year, the Rangers had to fight to hold leads in the third, and this time around they are lighting the league up in the third. Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning.

When was the last time the Rangers scored seven goals? And thanks to all those that commented last night, the 75+ comments was a record here.

Game 6: Rangers vs. Leafs

After a dominating performance last night against a weary Ducks team, the Rangers look to continue their four-game roll against the winless Leafs. The Leafs have been downright horrible to start the season, scoring 10 goals in 4 games (average of 2.5 per game, think 2008-2009 NYR), and have allowed 17 goals in those 4 games (average of over 4.0 per game). That number won’t get much better, as Vesa Toskala will be in net tonight. The one thing you can expect from the Leafs tonight is that they are a very physical team that will drop the gloves, with three players in the double-digits in PIMS already.

The Rangers, as previously mentioned, are hot, winning their last four in a row, including three straight against playoff teams from last year (and all three will probably be in this year as well). The leading point-scorer so far is none other than Marian Gaborik, leading the team with 7 points in 5 games. Second on that list might surprise you though, as it is a tie between newly acquired Vinny Prospal, and youngin Michael Del Zotto, each with 5 points.

Both teams went through major overhauls in the offseason, so last year’s head-to-head record is more or less meaningless. The Leafs are still without the newly acquired Phil Kessel, who will be out until November.

Expect to see a Donald Brashear fight tonight, probably against ex-Ranger Colton Orr. It will be interesting to see what kind of reception Orr gets. Henrik Lundqvist returns from his night off last night. No word on the lineup yet, but it’s safe to assume it’s the same 18 skaters as last night.

Game time is 7pm on MSG. Use this to discuss the game tonight. We’ve been getting some good discussion on the games, let’s keep it going tonight as well.

Update 5:25pm: Ever notice that the entire Toronto hockey franchise is based around one large grammatical error? Leafs?

Where Art Thou, Enver Lisin?

I was sitting in the very last row of MSG for last night’s game against Anaheim. Yes, literally the last row, and it was awesome. You can see everything from the last row, except Enver Lisin. Last night was supposed to be his break-out game, where he proves to the coaching staff that he belongs in the lineup, and on the top three lines. But the only time I saw the winger was when he was coughing up the puck, or just kind of skating around in circles.

Lisin did nothing last night to prove his worth to the coaching staff, and while I do not believe he will be benched, I get the feeling his demotion to the fourth line that occurred over the course of last night’s game will be more of the permanent demotion for now. After a good preseason, Lisin has been held off the scoreboard, save for two assists, and has been relatively invisible other than that. His play without the puck, which was questioned in the preseason, hasn’t improved.

To answer the question posed the other day, if it were my choice, I would still sit Voros, and demote Lisin to the fourth line, until he proves he can play without the puck.

Rangers Dominate, Win Fourth in a Row

Last night’s game can be summed up by one stat, 37-18. The Rangers took twice as many shots as the Ducks over the course of last night’s game, and that doesn’t include the myriad of posts and crossbars hit by our beloved Blueshirts. The game wasn’t all that fun to watch until the third period, as it seemed that both teams were just sluggish. The Rangers in particular looked half asleep, especially Marc Staal, who had an epic turnover that led to the Ducks’ best chance of the night in the second period.

The Rangers came alive in third. After Sean Avery drew a roughing minor on Ryan Whitney, Ales Kotalik converted on a chance that deflected off Scott Niedermayer to give the Rangers the lead. Artem Anisimov made it 2-0, converting a nice pass in the slot from Vinny Prospal. Avery got the secondary assist on that one for his first point of the year. Then, with Brandon Dubinsky in the box for a late double-minor, one which gave the Ducks a fighting chance, Dan Girardi launched one into the empty net for the third and final goal of the game. After that, it was just a matter of preserving the shutout for backup goalie Steve Valliquette.

The Ducks best chance came on the aforementioned Staal gaff, which was a turnover that reminded me of Marek Malik circa 2006 against the Sabres. Luckily, Valliquette was up to the task, and chants of “Vally! Vally!” reigned down from the Blue Seats. These chants came alive again at the end of the game, and when Vally came out for the first star of the game.

Vinny Prospal took about 15 minutes to celebrate his third star selection for the game. He took so long, in fact, that the PA announcer started calling the second star (Ales Kotalik), and had to stop because Prospal was still on the ice. I laughed.

Game 5: Rangers vs Ducks

The Anaheim Mighty Ducks travel to New York to take on the Rangers tonight at 5. The Rangers have looked really impressive in the last 3 games, and the Ducks are coming off a come from behind win yesterday against the Flyers.

The Ducks have a pretty well balanced lineup, led by Ryan Getlzaf and Corey Perry. Teemu Selanne is joining up with his Finnish friend Saku Koivu, and they looking to repeat their Olympic magic of a few years ago. Jonas Hiller, a member of my fantasy team, is the starter, although he played yesterday, so we might see J-S Giguère. 

The Rangers will start Steve Valliquette for the first time this year, and Sean Avery is making his season debut as well. Presumably, the top 3 lines will remain the same, and Aaron Voros will sit. As Dave wrote earlier, Enver Lisin might be the odd man out next game depending on how well Avery plays. Defensive pairs are the same, although it will be interesting to see how Michal Rosival responds after last game’s third period benching.

Treat this as your open thread for tonight’s game. Discuss the game, interact with other fans, have fun. We’ve had a lot of comments the past couple games. Let’s do it again. Enjoy the game.

Avery In, Who’s Out?

With Sean Avery returning to the lineup for tomorrow’s game against Anaheim (one which I will be attending), the question surrounding his return isn’t about Avery himself, but about who will sit when he does return. Avery has been rotating on the fourth line with Brian Boyle, Aaron Voros, and Donald Brashear in practice, but that doesn’t mean he will be playing on the fourth line.

John Tortorella has shown reluctance to break up the top two lines, especially with the chemistry the line of Prospal-Dubinsky-Gaborik has been showing since the season started. Also, with the line of Lisin-Anisimov-Kotalik finally getting on the board the other night against the Caps, it is unlikely that Tortorella would want to mess with that just yet.

Avery slots in as a top-nine wing, where the Rangers actually have a lot of depth. It is possible that the Rangers scratch Enver Lisin, who has had trouble finding his game away from the puck. But Avery doesn’t have the skill or the speed with the puck that Lisin has. This is an interesting problem the Rangers have right now, but it’s a good problem to have. When was the last time the Rangers actually had to think about which player to scratch when a player returned from injury?

An interesting way they can solve this problem is by simply playing Avery on the fourth line. Not because he should be on the fourth line, but to ease him back from his injury. This allows the Rangers to have one more game to evaluate who should be the scratch from the lineup. Reading between the lines, it gives Enver Lisin one more game to prove to the coaching staff that he belongs in the lineup.

Grachev Reassigned

Evgeny Grachev’s stay in NY was relatively short, as he was reassigned to Hartford after the win against Washington. Grachev was an emergency call-up in case the “upper body” injury to Ryan Callahan was serious enough to keep him out of the game. Grachev’s reassignment just means that he will have to wait until another injury, or until someone’s game goes to hell.

Accountability, Thy Name is Rozsival

The one thing John Tortorella brings to the table is making his veterans accountable for their actions on the ice. The first player reprimanded was Nikolai Zherdev. In what is sure to become an on-going occurrence, Tortorella made his second veteran accountable for his actions. This time, it was struggling defenseman Michal Rozsival.

Did any of you notice that Michal Rozsival did not see the ice in the third period? I didn’t watch the game, but it was brought to my attention. Also brought to my attention was that Rozsival had a chance to lay out Ovechkin in the first, passed up on it, and got saved by the buzzer as Ovechkin broke in alone on Hank. That is just one incident that probably sticks out in fans’ heads, but it is just one of several bonehead plays by Rozsival since preseason that has made him the new whipping boy ’round these parts.

Tortorella, who I guess had grown tired of seeing Rozsival mess up all the time, benched him in the third period. This move takes guts, as Rozsival is one of two veteran defensemen charged with helping the rookies adjust to the rigors of the NHL game. But, this move also needed to be made. Rozsival has been atrocious since the preseason began. He has not played a physical game, playing more like a pussy(cat) than a hockey player. He has been horrible at the point on the PP, to the point that a 19 year old has taken his spot. He turns the puck over, and is often out of position in the defensive zone.

Even Wade Redden, who was horrible last year, has been pretty solid defensively so far this year. But Rozsival doesn’t appear to be able to adjust to John Tortorella’s system. It just makes you wonder what will happen if Rozsival doesn’t find his game. Will we be seeing Corey Potter or Bobby Sanguinetti sooner than expected? Will that quest for a 7th defenseman be a little more rushed? There are still some intriguing names out there. Rozsival needs to find his game, and quick.

The Game Breaker

Last year, when the Rangers were down by one with ten minutes to go in the game, it was always a question of who would deliver. Who would the Rangers rely on to get that big goal? The answer was very simple, yet very complicated: whoever put the puck in the net. Simple answer, but it doesn’t exactly help you when figuring out who to put out there.

What is the difference between this year’s team and last year’s team? Two words: Marian Gaborik. Who do you put out on the ice when you need to tie the game? Marian Gaborik. Will he deliver? If last night is any evidence of his abilities, then yes he will.

With the Rangers down 3-2 with 12 minutes left in the game, Marian Gaborik delivered. Taking a feed from Vinny Prospal, Gaborik skated to the high slot, and ripped a shot that barely beat goalie Jose Theodore five-hole. Barely counts in the game of hockey, and the score was now tied. Just two and a half minutes later, while on the powerplay, Marian Gaborik delivered again. Michael Del Zotto fed Gaborik with a beautiful pass, and Gaborik repeated what worked for him on the last goal, skating to the high slot and ripping a shot that beat Theodore five-hole again.

In a span of two minutes and thirty-three seconds, Marian Gaborik erased a one-goal deficit and gave the Rangers a one-goal lead. That is what a game-breaker can do. He elevates his game to the point where he can simply take control, bury opportunistic goals, and give his team the confidence it needs to stay calm and composed in tough situations. The Rangers haven’t had a player like this since Jaromir Jagr. The Rangers haven’t had a player like this in his prime since Mark Messier circa 1994. In one game, Gaborik showed why GM Glen Sather committed to him for five years.

The season is still in its infancy stages, but with back-to-back wins against good teams, the Rangers are starting to give even the most pessimistic fans hope. Remember, no team is perfect, and the successful teams are the ones that recover from mistakes (Hank’s brain fart) to still win games. Marian Gaborik will surely hide some of these mistakes as the season progresses.

Game 4: Rangers at Washington

Tonight, the Rangers are taking on the Washington Alexanders Capitals in Washington for the first time this season. I was going to go into the head-to-head record from last year, but to be honest, it doesn’t matter, 40% of the Rangers this year are new.

What does matter though, is that Alex Ovechkin is on pace for roughly 3,000 points this season. He has been red-hot to open the season, putting up three straight three point games. That’s ridiculous. Past Ovechkin, Brooks Laich is off to a hot start, and you can never count out Mike Green, Alex Semin, or Nick Backstrom. The good news? Jose Three-or-more Theodore is in net tonight, so our beloved Blueshirts won’t have to shoot on their nemisis Semyon Varlamov.

The Rangers will be looking at their top line of Vinny Prospal-Brandon Dubinsky-Marian Gaborik to match up against the Washington elite. That’s a tall order, but this line has been good at putting up points (11 in three games) and keeping possession of the puck in the offensive zone. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi will have their hands full tonight with Ovechkin, and it will be up to them to keep the game close. Well, them and that Henrik guy.

Evgeny Grachev has been called up, presumably to take the place of the injured Ryan Callahan. Other than that, the lineup is the same as the first three games.

Game time is 7pm. Use this as the open thread for the night to discuss the game. It was nice to have people commenting on the game against the Devils, let’s see if we can get a good discussion for this game as well.