Rangers/Sabres Recap (updated)

So Suit caught the first half of the game, and I was supposed to catch the second half of the game. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out so well for me, but Suit had the first half of the 1-0 shootout win over the Sabres, so here’s his review of the first half:

• Rangers & Sabres are pretty evenly matched. They play the 2-1-2, they dont regroup much, defenders are given free reign to join the rush, they both collapse to the net, etc. First period was pretty evenly matched as a result.
• The only tilting happened when the Rangers took two lazy penalties and had to kill off a 5 on 3. The Rangers were able to do just that by coming up with key blocks, aggressive puck pursuing, and clearing the crease. Hank saw every shot pretty cleanly from the looks of things.
• Our defense’s recovery speed never cease’s to amaze me. They keep up with some of these small elusive forwards so well. A lot of their rushes are negated by just keeping up with these guys and forcing them wide.
• Both teams were pretty strong in their own end and we’re able to keep shots to the perimeter.
• Richards skated circles around the Sabres to open the second. He probably had the puck for a solid 20 seconds, disrupted coverages, fed an open Cally for a terrific chance, but Miller made a spectacular save. We need to see more of that.
• Anisimov had a three good opportunities on the next shift. Need to see more of that too.
• Random commercial break thought…The promos for the NHL w/ Hank & Richie in their hotel room watching highlights is interesting. I can never find the NHL on in any hotel.

Midway through the second, this is where I would have had my review, but work things got in the way. I apologize for that, but at least the Rangers got the win.

Update***

Suit actually caught most of the third period on from the rink (those late night games are a killer), here’s some additional thoughts:

• The Rangers were afforded a power play several minutes into the third period and after the Sabres killed it off pretty easily, the Rangers play went south.
• For a solid ten minutes or so the Sabres just dominated the Rangers in pretty much every aspect of the game.
• We couldn’t win a d-zone faceoff, our defensemen couldn’t make an outlet pass, just rimming everything around the boards, and our forwards lost pretty much every battle at the half wall to pinching Buffalo d-men. It was ugly.
• Thankfully Hank stood on his head and was able to fight off some pretty tough shots.
• During OT the Rangers were finally got some space thanks to a power play that was afforded due to a boarding call from Tyler Ennis on Dan Girardi.
• The Rangers 4-on-3 power play looked much better than their 5-on-4. They cycled well, they made the right reads, got shots on net from the point, etc. Unfortunately Miller was there to make the saves.
• During the coin toss that is the shootout, the Rangers won on an excellent top corner snipe from Ryan Callahan.

Guest Recap: JordanO

None of us were able to watch the game tonight, so BSB poster JordanO volunteered to pen the recap for tonight. Thanks JordanO, much appreciated. Enjoy folks.

After a week layoff due to the all-star break, the Rangers drew a rivalry game right out of the gate, facing the Devils for the second time this season. There would be no All – Star break hangover in this one, as the two teams battled into overtime in a game that changed hands multiple times. In the end the Rangers could not hold onto a late third period lead, coming away with just one point as the Devils prevailed in the shootout.

The Rangers got on the board first, tallying with just 32 seconds left in the opening period. Brodeur made a kick save on a wrist shot from Marion Gaborik, and Anton Stralman was there to put the rebound into the net. Stralman’s second goal of the year gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

In the second period, the Devils answered, finding the net to tie the game on a good play by their captain. Zach Parise collected his own rebound and fired a shot from a tough angle, beating Martin Biron over his shoulder on the blocker side.

The Rangers had a number of good opportunities in the 2nd period. The best chance came when a long pass from Stralman found Brad Richards for a breakaway, but Marty Brodeur made the toe save with his left skate.

In the final stanza, the action really heated up. The Rangers started the period on the power play, but it nearly cost them. After the Rangers couldn’t keep the puck in at the point, Kovalchuck got a breakaway attempt, but Biron slid over to make the pad save.

The Rangers then took a 2-1 lead on a play that left Brodeur flopping around his own crease. Stu Bickel took a slap shot from the point that hit Brian Boyle, and Boyle collected the pick and skated around the diving Brodeur, and lifted the puck into the open side of the net.

Late in the game Artem Anisimov took an ill-timed slashing penalty to put the Rangers on the penalty kill with just over five minutes left in the third. The Devils capitalized, as some good passing found Kovalchuck, who had pestered the Rangers all night. His goal tied the game at 2.

However, it took the Rangers all of 36 seconds to answer. Marion Gaborik did an excellent job of keeping control of the puck with the defender all over him, and slid a perfect backhanded pass across the slot. Michael Del Zotto released the one-timer for the Rangers to retake the lead.

It looked the Blueshirts would hold on to that lead, but the Devils scored with an extra attacker on in the final minute. NJ dumped the puck in, and a fortunate bounce off the end boards found David Clarkson right in front of the net, and he scored to send it to overtime.

The five extra minutes were played at a frantic pace, with each team having a golden opportunity to win the game. The Rangers dodged a bullet early when Ryan McDonagh made a spectacular play. Danius Zubrus nearly put one in the net, put McDonagh got his stick on the puck and forced it out.

On the other end, Derek Stepan made a beautiful play, but just couldn’t get the puck in the net. He stickhandled around the defense and tried to sneak the puck in from the side of the net. The puck slid directly across the goal line, but somehow did not go in.

With that, the teams went to the shootout. Kovalchuck beat Biron through a wide open 5-hole, and Brodeur stood his ground to give New Jersey the 4-3 victory, with the Rangers earning a point out of the ordeal.

Notes / Analysis:

• Tortorella made the decision to go with Biron in the first game out of the break with Henrik having in Ottawa for the All-Star festivities. Biron has been solid this season, and was strong at times today, but Lundqvist could have been the difference maker in this one. He had started the previous 32 games against NJ, instead he’ll face the Sabres tomorrow.
• The Rangers powerplay continues to noticeably struggle. John Mitchell was out their on the advantage in the second period to try something different.
• Two assists each for Gaborik and Hagelin, each time setting up defensemen. Stepan wasn’t very visible on that line until his great play in OT that should have iced a Ranger win.
• Similar story for McDonagh, a few defensive lapses for him early, but he saved the game with a great play in OT.
• Stralman played a good game at both ends. Had the first goal, plus a nice long pass to Richards to set up a breakaway.
• The Rangers defensemen continue to join the rush and become a big part of the attack. Not only did two defensemen score, but the Rangers had a good chance in the second period with Girardi and McDonagh skating up the ice on a 2-on-1.
• The Rangers had Brodeur out of sorts a number of times throughout the game, especially on the Boyle goal, but he came up strong in the shootout to deny Richards and Gaborik.
• Secondary scoring really counted in this game for NY, with Stralman (2nd of the year), Boyle (4th of the year), and Del Zotto (6th of the year) finding the net.

Don’t forget to follow JordanO on Twitter here.

Rangers/Jets In Review

The Ranger decided they wanted to enter the All Star break on a high note, and completely dominated the Winnipeg Jets of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference all game tonight. The Rangers owned the Jets (that’s now twice I started typing Thrashers and had to erase it) in all three zones, and aside from one hiccup in the first where the Thrashers generated a few scoring chances, the Rangers managed to completely control the play. Let’s get to the bullet points:

Offense

• How about that Ryan Callahan? He sure does a lot in front of the net. He was uncontested on that first goal, as Zach Bogosian just allowed him to hang out in front of Ondrej Pavelec all day. When Pavelec couldn’t handle the rising Anton Stralman shot, there was nothing anyone could do. It was Callahan’s to miss. Then he does it all again by taking the puck away from the Jets in the third, giving the puck to Brad Richards, who buried it. Richards needed that goal badly.
• That shift by John Mitchell during his goal sure was something else. He got some powerplay time, forechecked to death, came back and backchecked, then took a nice feed from Michael Del Zotto. It’s a shot that Pavelec should have had, but a goal is a goal.
• Del Zotto makes mistakes, but wow has he had a solid season, and this game was no different. He made a great defense play on Blake Wheeler in the second period by doing the simple things. He just stayed with his man, who is not a shooter, and let him make the first move. That is what we call progress folks. This kid may be for real.
• Brian Boyle can’t buy a goal, can he? Hits the post in the second. But for what he lacks in offense he makes up for in guts. His entire body weight fell on his bad right ankle. He can’t even get to the bench, misses a few shifts, but is right back out there for the penalty kill.
• Who’s more snake bitten right now: Boyle or Brandon Dubinsky?
• Very few people can match Carl Hagelin’s speed, but Marian Gaborik may be one of them. It’s odd to say that Derek Stepan is the slowest guy on that line, but he is, and it isn’t even close.
• The Rangers sure do do a good job of pressuring teams on the forecheck, forcing turnovers, and capitalizing. It’s what they did on the first goal, and they did it all game to the Jets.
• The powerplay may not have converted, but they generated some quality chances. At some point that won’t be enough though. They need to start burying these opportunities. That play with Del Zotto in the third really stings. He needs to shoot there.

Defense/Goaltending

• Henrik Lundqvist…you are almost the perfect goalie. But for the love of all that is holy, please stop handling the puck. Please.
• Hank sure is making his case for the Vezina this year. There were at least two highlight reel saves made tonight. Another shutout for The King.
• Speaking of awards: Forget Pavel Datsyuk. Ryan Callahan for Selke.
• Ryan McDonagh didn’t look out of place at all after taking that vicious hit from Andrew Ference over the weekend. He’s lucky too. He and the entire defensive unit played a solid game, albeit against a very offensively challenged and very shorthanded Winnipeg Jets squad.
• As good as the Rangers are at forechecking is as good as they are at blocking shots. Wow.
• Fighting has its place in the game, but these fights after clean hits need to stop. Mike Rupp leveled Jiri Slater with a clean hit, and was immediately challenged by Chris Thorburn. You’re a tough guy, we get it, but that hit was clean.

Opposition/Officiating

• The Jets have a good young core on this team, but it is clear they are lacking a system and a few key components before they become legitimate contenders. That first component: an elite scorer.
• What the Jets lack in production from their forwards they make up for in production from their defensemen. Their first two shots came from the point, and all game their defensemen were in on the play, specifically Tobias Enstrom.
• While the refs missed calls, this game was called consistently, which is all you can really ask for nowadays.

Rangers/Bruins Recap

Took all the way to game 46 for the Rangers and Bruins to finally collide, but what a game it was.  The Rangers bested the defending champs 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Marian Gaborik with 3.6 seconds remaining.  To the bullets…

• This one now makes 15 of the past 18 games these teams have played each other that has been decided by one goal.
• This game was an incredibly physical one, as expected.  It seemed like Boyle was a Lucic-seeking missile every time he was on the ice, and pretty much everyone had that extra edge this afternoon.
• Once the second period started, the offense began to come through.  4 of the 5 goals came in the second, and had McQuaid’s shot not deflected off of Brian Boyle’s stick, it could have easily been all the scoring.
• Brandon Dubinsky was the one Ranger I felt really struggled in this one.  It seemed like he tried to do too much physically and got thrown off his game.  He missed his coverage on the Ference (more on him later) goal and seemed more or less lost in both ends of the ice.
• I’m going to get all the critiques of the Rangers overall play out in this one bullet.  The power play looked god-awful again today.  If the last one was not a 4-on-3 for 5 minutes, it would have been another wasted opportunity.  I thought the Rangers turned the puck over far too many times at the top of the their defensive zone.  The Bruins point men did a nice job keeping clearing plays in, but too much through the middle and miscommunications on the breakout could have cost the Blueshirts a lot more than it did.  Lastly, they seemed a little soft in the slot area.  Boston does a great job of creating time and space in the offensive zone, but you have to clamp down.  But overall, they played a very solid game in both ends.
• The heart and will that this team has blocking shots is really something isn’t it?
• I fully believe that this game can be played perfectly.  It rarely happens, but you have to strive for it every single time you step on the ice.  I love that Torts has engrained that message in this team.
• I thought Brad Richards played a much better game today.  He had an assist and 6 SOG.  Much more effective than he has been recently.
• Marian Gaborik was obviously the star of the show today.  He had a tough assignment in Chara and managed to put 2 in the back of the net.  He stuck with the goal in overtime, putting the third rebound past Tuuka Rask for the game winner.
• Good call on the musical chair line combos Suit…
• Hank played his usual Vezina caliber game for the Rangers with 32 saves.  He is making all of the saves he needs to and a ton he has no business making.  He very much embodies the success of this team.  I thought Tuuka Rask played an exceptional game as well.  I believe that he is the better goalie in the Boston tandem and kept the Rangers from putting some distance between the teams in the middle of the second.
• There was so much in this game that was worth discussing, but for the sake of keeping the length of the recap reasonable, I’ll close with this.  Ference’s hit on McDonagh was absolutely gutless.  I hope Shanny takes a good long look at this play.  Exactly the type of hit that needs to be removed from the game.

The Rangers need to keep up the intensity from this tilt and prevent a let down game when they return home to host Winnipeg on Tuesday at 7pm.

Rangers/Predators In Review

This, as expected, was a relatively boring game. The Predators ran their 1-2-2/1-4 trap to perfection, but the Rangers were able to adjust to a dump and chase and generate some goals off board play. In the end, it was a grind it out game that had the Rangers emerge victorious, with another shutout for Henrik Lundqvist. This was a very important win for the Rangers who had lost two of three. On to the bullet points:

Offense

• Zzzzzzzzzz….wait…the game is over?
• Carl Hagelin was rewarded for past play by playing on the top line with Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik, and he in turn rewarded John Tortorella for his confidence. Hagelin had another strong game where he notched an assist.
• It’s amazing how much difference having Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko in the lineup has. The Rangers were much stronger in their own zone tonight, and those two players in the lineup make a huge difference.
• Face off percentage, meet regression to the mean. Regression to the mean, meet face off percentage.
• As we mentioned in the pregame thread, the Predators played their 1-2-2 and 1-4 to perfection. The Rangers adjusted, and just outworked them along the boards. That is solid coaching with solid execution.
• How about that John Mitchell? He sure is earning his ice time. That was a good shot that Anders Lindback robbed him in the second, but then he followed that up with a nice curl back and a goal about three minutes later.
• When your big guns aren’t scoring, you need secondary and tertiary scoring. The Rangers got that tonight.
• Still wondering where Brad Richards is. Maybe Olivia Munn can give him a pity “date” so he can find his mojo?

Defense/Goaltending

• Dan Girardi with a lucky goal, but hey, I’d rather be lucky than good. In Girardi’s case, he was both tonight.
• There wasn’t much to really say about the rest of the Rangers defense, there wasn’t much to really notice. Which leads to the next point…
• The Rangers played a pretty good defensive game tonight, but they were definitely helped by the relative ineptitude of the Preds offensively. Not having Ryan Suter helped them too.
• It’s tough to say that the last two games played by Henrik Lundqvist were weak games, but the fact is they were not in line with his normal games. Tonight was Hank being Hank. He was solid again, and made a string of saves in the second period that preserved the Rangers lead.

Opposition/Officiating

• That was one bad call against Marian Gaborik on that double minor. Andrei Kostitsyn high sticks Mike Fisher, but Gaborik got the four minutes. Poor call, but tough to really tell.
• There were a lot of icings on both sides. Such is the life of a trapping team, the Rangers long outlet passes worked sometimes, but resulted in icings other times.
• The Predators, as we mentioned, are a team that win with various methods. But without Pekka Rinne and Ryan Suter, they were going to have trouble against a top-three team in the league.
• If the Predators can manage to get one Suter/Shea Weber under contract, and deal the other for a killer package of offensive players, then they can be pretty good for years to come.
• Anders Lindback had a nice game tonight. He had two goals against that were relatively flukey/screeny, but it is what it is. He played well.

Rangers/Habs In Review

Well this was just a poor game for the Rangers, who always seem to have trouble with Montreal. This has been the case for the past few years, and it’s alarming that a team can have the Rangers number for this long. The Rangers looked lost, and the Habs just skated circles around the Blueshirts all night. Losses happen, and while most will look at the fact that the Rangers have lost two of three, but I look it as the Rangers winning six of the last eight.

Not much to talk about for this game, the Rangers were just bad. The bullet points are going to be short:

Offense

• This game was just a clunker. They happen. It’s alarming that it’s happened twice in three games, but let’s see how this plays out over the next week.
• I had a series of tweets where I mentioned who was having a bad game, but at this point it’s easier to just point out who had a good game. The Brian Boyle/Carl Hagelin/Brandon Prust line had a decent game. Yea…that’s about it.
• It’s amazing how badly the Rangers miss Brandon Dubinsky and, surprisingly, Ruslan Fedotenko. Wojtek Wolski and Kris Newbury are not legitimate substitutes for them. The combo of Wolski/Newbury/Mike Rupp essentially scored two of the Montreal goals for them.
• Back to the positives, there were two shifts where Boyle/Hagelin/Prust held the puck in the offensive zone for an extended period of time. They did a great job of cycling the puck and wearing down the opponent. Even if they didn’t generate much on those shifts, they are important from a puck possession standpoint.
• Will the real Brad Richards please stand up? If he’s going to play like this now, he better turn it up in April, May, and June.

Defense/Goaltending

• This was not one of Henrik Lundqvist’s better games, but he was hung out to dry on a few goals.
• Stu Bickel sure did have a rough game. He coughed up the puck a few times and screened Hank on the second goal. John Tortorella ripped into him on the bench. Don’t worry kiddo, you’re not the first to get screamed at.
• Marc Staal still seems a step behind, but that’s expected.
• The Rangers backcheck was non-existent today. No one played defense.

Opposition/Officiating/Broadcast

• That David Desharnais kid sure is good.
• Montreal is very fast. There are few Rangers that can keep up with them. If this team gets hot they still have a shot at the #8 seed or the #7 seed, and could be a tough matchup for the Rangers int he first round.
• Very few whistles and penalties, so there wasn’t really an opportunity for a hometown bias. There were some missed calls, but they were on both sides.
• NBC Sports still has the same bad broadcast that Versus had. There was one rush where Hagelin had the puck on a 3-on-2, but the camera zoomed in on Hagelin, and we couldn’t see the play develop. Pair that with the “play-by-play” not actually being play-by-play and I had no idea what was going on. It’s not difficult to realize that the best camera angle in hockey is the zoomed out one so we can see what’s going on.
• I would give NBC Sports more slack with their camera angles and analysis if they fired Mike Milbury. He’s awful.
• Terrible analysis by the play-by-play crew: calling Ryan McDonagh a “no name” in the Scott Gomez trade. He was their top prospect. Learn the facts.

Rangers/Leafs In Review

As you know, the four of us were unable to watch the game last night, so the recap today comes from Tom Urtz Jr, who writes for Bleacher Report.  Thanks again Tom. You can follow Tom on Twitter here.

The Rangers are back in the win column after outplaying the Leafs Saturday night in Toronto.The Rangers set the tone early on with a very physical first period that would continue the rest of the game.

With the Rangers forechecking and throwing their weight around, the Leafs were limited to only five shots in a scoreless first period. Towards the end of the period, Cody Franson was called for a penalty which sent the Rangers to the power play.

The Rangers inability to score on the man advantage continued against the Leafs as they failed to capitalize and get shots on net. The Rangers went 0-2 on the man advantage against the Leafs.

The Rangers once again outshot the Leafs and physically dominated the Leafs in the second period and finally got on the scoreboard when Mike Rupp scored his fourth goal of the season on an odd man rush led by Derek Stepan. Tonight was a night where the third and fourth liner continued to shine.

Brian Boyle would get the monkey of his back when he scored his third goal of the season towards the end of the period and was assisted by Brandon Prust and Ryan McDonagh.

In the third the Rangers continued to limit the Leafs scoring chances but received some continued help from both goal posts and the crossbar. Derek Stepan scored the Rangers third goal after Marty Biron hit Carl Hagelin with a crisp cross ice pass before setting up Stepan.

The goal was Stepan’s tenth of the year and his second point of the night. Marty Biron once again was a difference maker. Biron stood on his head when the Leafs were swarming on the powerplay and didn’t give up many second chance opportunites.

Biron improved his record to 9-2-0 and has eclipsed his win total of 8 from the 2010-11 season.

Defensively, the Rangers were solid. Ryan McDonagh quietly had a good game and Marc Staal is continuing to show he is ready for more responsibility. The fact that Staal saw some power play time was a good sign. Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul were a non factor in this game and Toronto never got anything going.

Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik really weren’t a factor in this game and that is going to have to change for tomorrow night. The Rangers need these two players to perform in order to be successful against tough opponents. They can’t survive on third line productions alone.

Artem Anisimov may still be in Tortorella’s doghouse as he only played 10:07 as the fourth line center against the Leafs.

Hopefully the Rangers can continue this effort tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens. The Rangers have had some trouble with the Canadiens at the Bell Centre so hopefully Lundqvist can come out strong.

Rangers/Sens In Review

The Rangers were bound to lose sooner or later. After all, there was no way they were going to finish the season with just nine regulation losses. The Senators are a good team, and they play the Rangers well. With the Rangers loss tonight, the teams are 1-1-1 in three games with one left to go. This was going to be a troublesome game, as we predicted,

Offense

• Wojtek Wolski played very well tonight. He generated chances, got to open ice, and just had a good game. That’s your spot he’s after Ruslan Fedotenko.
• Speaking of Fedotenko, that was not a “cheap kneeing” penalty he had on Jason Spezza. It was a hockey play, so anyone saying it was dirty is kidding themselves. Fedotenko is a lot of things, but dirty is not one of them.
• The fact that the powerplay in the third period consisted of Fedotenko, Brian Boyle, and Carl Hagelin was a message. That message: get your act together. The recipients: The top six forwards.
• I did not notice Brad Richards at all this game.
• Artem Anisimov seemed to be in the dog house in the second period, as pointed out by Joe on the telecast. It was clear that he was receiving less ice time when Mike Rupp was on the powerplay with Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik. To be fair, Rupp did a good job in front of the net.
• This game reminded me a lot of the game against Phoenix, where the Rangers took a lot of shots, but couldn’t solve the goalie. The issue here is that the shots weren’t quality shots. There were a lot of perimeter shots, which is why save percentage is such a faulty stat.
• Brian Boyle needs to start finishing. Period.
• So does Anisimov.
• There was a lot of “Hagelin goes to the net” from Sam tonight. I smiled. Good things.
• The Rangers couldn’t solve the Senators 1-2-2 trap…at all. It was sad to watch.
• That said, the 1-2-2 trap alternated with the 2-1-2 forecheck, which is what we said in the pregame. The Sens give a lot of looks, and the Rangers had trouble solving them.

Defense/Goaltending

• It’s tough to really fault the defense or the goaltending in this game. The Sens play a trap system, but the Rangers didn’t allow much offensively.
• The Rangers dominated this game, but one quick shot by Jason Spezza really set the tone for the game. That tone: one goal may be enough.
• Henrik Lundqvist sure did work on that glove, didn’t he?
• Speaking of what he’s worked on, he worked on the low stick side too. That save on the Erik Karlsson shot was simple but beautiful.
• Michael Del Zotto saved the game in the third period after an odd bounce in the crease.

Sens/Officiating

• The officiating seemed pretty fair and consistent, which is rare for NHL refs.
• The Sens really did rely on Craig Anderson tonight, and he stood tall. The Rangers didn’t test him, but he made saves when he had to.
• Kyle Turris sure is something. He started slow in Ottawa, but he really solidified their second line.
• Spezza made one great play blocking the Brian Boyle shot, then wound up getting the puck to Karlsson, who found Michalek, who roofed it on Hank. That play started with the Spezza’s play on Boyle.

Rangers/Yotes Post-Game Analysis

The Rangers played a pretty strong game tonight, but they almost didn’t come away with a win thanks to solid goaltending by Mike Smith and some strong defensive plays by the Coyotes.  The Yotes played a 1-2-2 neutral zone trap and were able to force the Rangers wide for most of the game, but they also got beat by the Rangers relentless forecheck and seeded possession. Luckily the Rangers were able to come away with a win in a very exciting shootout. On to the bullets…

Good looks

• Rozi started the game with a lazy icing. Welcome back Rozi, welcome back.

• Dubi was all over the puck tonight, but he couldn’t make a play once he had possession. He started at least three transition rushes that didn’t register a shot on goal. Hopefully this is just a hiccup in his game, which has been rebounding of late.

• The line of Hags, Boyle, & Feds might have been the best line out there tonight. It was great to see Feds finally score in the third, as that line was putting on pressure and generating chances all night.

• Derek Stepan had a strong game tonight with a fantastic backhand pass to Stralman early in the game that might have been Smith’s best save all night. Step also had a great shot on the power play off a cross-ice feed from Gabby and of course he scored the game winning shootout goal.

• Hank only faced 19 shots tonight, but he made some tough saves in OT and in the shootout, continuing his dominance over the world beyond the third period.

• Was Smith’s stick (off the shaft) save on Gabby during his penalty shot luck or skill? I’ll let Justin decide…

• Gabby’s goal in the shootout? All skill baby…and maybe some scouting during that penalty shot.

Not so much

• You think the Coyotes neutral zone trap is doing wonders growing the game in Phoenix? Yea me neither.

• Whitney almost put one away in the first after undressing Dan Girardi. Somewhere in Wales Chris was half-smiling downing his pint.

• There was a lot of obstruction nudging and pawing by the Yotes tonight when the Rangers were playing dump and chase. Funny, I thought the league made clutch & grab illegal. The trap lives on.

• Vrbata’s goal was one of the few defensive mishaps tonight by the Rangers. He came in off a line change while his mates were controlling the play in our DZ. No one picked him up and he ended up being the third man high and wide open. Cally and Rupp got their coverage mixed up and somehow ended up next to each other. Ah well.

Well that’s my notes. Anything else?

Rangers Steal One: Recap

The Rangers are really trying their best to eliminate the word lose from their vocabulary. The Rangers played an at best mediocre game. They lacked energy for the most part, lack cohesion and didn’t manage to sustain an offensive game. That said, this team has the best goalie in the league and has depth. The team got key performances from individuals and worked hard to earn a lucky 3-1 victory. To the hits:

Overall Game Comments

The Rangers got dominated for three quarters of the first but had Lundqvist to thank again. On the back of Lundqvist the Rangers gained a foot hold toward the end of the period. Following strong play along the boards and a simple cross-ice toss by McDonagh – ably assisted by Dubinsky making a nuisance of himself in front -Richards banked home a rebound with Fleury out of position. Call the first period daylight robbery on the part of the Rangers and their Vezina goaltender.

The Rangers were caught out of position for the Pens goal. Following Boyle being taken down deep in the Pens zone a three on three became four Pens as Ben Lovejoy was trailing the play and was completely free right in front and gave Lundqvist no chance. Fedotenko was trying to get back in to the play but was well behind Lovejoy when it mattered. A breakdown by the Rangers cost them dearly

Credit Tortorella for calling an early timeout. It may not have initially had an obvious impact but the Rangers All Star coach takes action when he deems necessary and doesn’t just watch idly like some coaches.

Biggest issue in the first period was the Rangers inability to stop the Pens putting pucks on net, getting bodies to the net and creating havoc around Lundqvist. In short, they seemed to do whatever they wanted around the net other than score more than once.

The Rangers routinely failed to track the free man in their own zone and were caught chasing the puck several times. Given how dangerous James Neal is, it was worrying to see him alone near Lundqvist as the teams battled for the puck near the corner early on.

Early on, it seemed the gap between the Rangers forwards and their defense was too big. The first period in general was the Rangers worst in a very long time. However the score after one showed why this team is where they are: they simply don’t give up and keep themselves in games. The very definition of ‘difficult to beat’.

The Rangers scored a great shorthanded goal following a breakout from their own zone. Callahan showed excellent patience with the puck, making a nice drag-back and slid a simple pass to Dubinsky who tapped in. It was an eerily similar goal to one the Rangers scored in the same game by the same two players last season.

Much like in the Winter Classic, following initial dominance by the opposition, the Rangers raised their compete level, found their legs and looked faster beginning to win more battles along the boards which led to a few chances on Fleury.

Rangers had a two on one about eight minutes into the second. Once again it was Dubinsky and Callahan breaking in and this time Dubinsky, the puck carrier, elected to shoot. This is the type of play that drives people nuts about Dubinsky. He simply has to get that shot on net.

It was noteworthy to see Lundqvist hold on to so many shots and freeze the puck. Why? The Rangers were better on face-offs in the game. As obvious as it sounds, being remotely competent in the faceoff circle reduces the time the team is forced to spend in their own zone.

The third goal. It all started from the way McDonagh patiently tracked Kunitz round the Rangers goal and forced him to play the puck backwards. Gaborik chased the puck down, Fleury mishandled and Stepan followed up a Gaborik post shot to bank the puck in an empty net. Poor play from Fleury but great pressure from the Rangers.

The back tracking from the Rangers forwards vastly improved following the first period. Their neutral zone play – and the aforementioned gap between forwards and defense – was much better as the game progressed.

Noteable Rangers

• It’s almost pointless singling out Lundqvist for his play because he’s spectacular most nights and excellent every night. He made big stops, his positioning was excellent and his rebound control was solid. As noted on the MSG commentary his glove hand was especially brilliant tonight. James Neal (active throughout) found his master in the King.
• Ryan McDonagh had a slight mid-season dip in form but it’s behind him. He was a beast in this game. Involved offensively, solid as a rock defensively and equal to anything the Pens had. When he plays like this (which is often) you almost feel sorry for Montreal fans. Almost.
• Brandon Dubinsky played his best game of the season. He was physical (which he needs to be to be effective) and he was excellent offensively while he constantly went to the net. However there’s that shocking miss on the two on one.
• Marian Gaborik ended the night pointless but he was busy, dangerous and defensively responsible too. His work rate and defensive conscious are under-appreciated but he wouldn’t get so many offensive opportunities if he wasn’t working so hard.
• A final tip of the Broadway Hat goes to Dan Girardi. Like Lundqvist it’s almost boring to praise the Rangers rock on the blueline but he went +3, and played great defense. Whether it is a block, cleverly negating an icing or his great positional play Girardi almost never makes a bad play. Immensely consistent.

Final Thought

What else is there to say? This team keeps winning. It gets contributions from all over the roster and with Marc Staal getting better with each passing game this team has another top tier player on his way back to form. In recent years a win in Pittsburgh would require a great overall performance from the Rangers but this season they can beat elite teams without playing their best. Scary thought. I cannot wait to see how the Rangers measure up against Boston’s finest.