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.  

Rangers/Panthers Recap

The Rangers played a very strong game in another contest that could have easily been a letdown.  The Panthers really hung around in this one behind some solid goaltending by Scott Clemmensen, but in the end, the Blueshirts were too much for Florida, winning 3-2 in overtime.  Onto the bullets…

• It took the Rangers about 10 minutes during the first period to find their legs, but once that happened they really took it to the Panthers.  There were long stretches during this game that I completely forgot Marty Biron was playing.
• The Rangers had a huge shots advantage in this one, outshooting the Cats 41-21.  It could have been over 50 if the Rangers could just hit the net a little more.  Obviously, to find major negatives with this team right now is nitpicking, but I just wish they would hit the net when they have a clear lane.  Make the goalie work for it.
• The Dubi-Richards-Cally combo was the best line on the ice tonight.   They were working down low and moving the puck well.  It seemed like every time they were on the ice Clemmensen had to deal with a puck bouncing around his crease.  Getting garbage to the net is a huge part of this unit’s game and as the Winter Classic confirms, it is quite effective when you can create that kind of havoc in front.
• Gabby was missing from about the first half of the game, but really came on in the third period and launched that beauty in overtime.  Bad gap control by the Florida defenders on that one.
• I thought Prust, Fedotenko and Rupp all played tremendous games.  Feds had all kinds of snarl in his performance tonight and Rupp and Prust showed some serious chemistry out there.
• One thing that played a huge role in the Rangers’ success tonight was the presence of an aggressive forecheck.  Not only does this kind of pressure lead to turnovers and offensive zone chances, but it also tires out the Florida defenders and keeps the puck out of the Rangers’ defensive zone.  It was the main reason the Panthers were held to 21 shots.
• Speaking of which, another very solid game for the defense.
• Marty Biron played a solid, if unspectacular game tonight.  The first goal was a beauty, so no fault to Marty there.  The second one, on the other hand, could have sent the momentum right back to Florida.  He got caught leaning/thinking pass and got beat on a shot I’m quite sure he’d want back.  Fortunately, the Rangers held it together and came away with a nice win.  Biron plays such a stoic, calm game, it is sometimes difficult to appreciate him for how easy he makes difficult saves look.  Nothing more you could ask from a backup.
• As I mentioned before, Clemmensen played a very solid game and controlled rebounds nicely.  I would have loved to see the Rangers challenge him up high more, if nothing else just to change his eye level.  He was the only reason this game made it to overtime.
• As for any potential bad blood after the Kopecky/Del Zotto incident from the last time the teams met, there was only one notable scrum during this one.  Looks like both teams decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

Right back at to tomorrow as the Rangers travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins at 7pm.

A Classic Winter Classic. The Recap

From the disrespectful attitude towards the Canadian national anthem, to the putrid Orange Flyers Winter Classic Jersey’s, to the terrible NBC coverage – there was a lot not to like today for Rangers fans. Luckily for Rangers fans there was a lot to like about the final score, the determination they showed in coming back to win and yeah, the moral victory in the jersey stakes.

The Rangers were the second best team over the first two periods. They couldn’t impose their game, got little-to-no sustained pressure on the Flyers and seemed to be a step behind the play. They didn’t give up however, had the world’s best goalie in net and once again, found a way to win a tight game. The Flyers couldn’t match the Rangers intensity in the third and their desire to win the one on one battles, so it’s not surprising the Rangers won an oh-so-tight 3-2 affair. What a game, what an ending, what a (Rangers) goaltender.

Let’s start the quick hits backwards, with the ending:

You want the definition of clutch play? 19.6 seconds left on the clock when Lundqvist out waits Danny Briere on the incorrectly called penalty shot to preserve the Rangers one goal lead. Lundqvist was spectacular throughout and that was a fitting climax for the league’s best goaltender on the league’s biggest stage.

The Rangers actually started the game well with Callahan having a great chance to begin the first. They were hard in to the corners and had some good early pressure but they couldn’t keep it up and as stated, struggled to do so until the third period.

You want more examples of the brilliance of Henrik Lundqvist? His early saves on Jagr and Giroux. The one (on Jagr) was patience, standing up to the Czech legend and taking the space away from Jagr. On the Giroux chance he was surprisingly aggressive and made a great poke check which likely caught Giroux off guard. There were other, multiple spectacular stops throughout the game by Lundqvist. Great goaltending. Again.

They weren’t at their best in this game but Anisimov and Gaborik did create some chances. However Stepan had a relatively poor game, his worst in some time. Defensively he was off while he was less visible offensively than his line mates. Anisimov was good on the puck while Gaborik showed off some nice awareness and his usual speed.

Throughout the first two periods the Rangers defensive coverage wasn’t great. One occasion early on, Voracek was wide open on the right hand side but luckily fanned on his shot – no one was near him.

The Rangers also caused several turnovers giving the Flyers some good offensive zone opportunities. There were simply too many neutral zone breakdowns by the Blueshirts (not Blueshits, Mike Milbury).

Before the Mike Rupp show began I had made a note on how Bobrovsky was pretty solid. Then the clock struck twelve and he turned into a pumpkin. Not just because of Rupp’s second goal either. He gave up several juicy rebounds and made a few routine saves look harder than they should have been.

It’s worth noting how carefully the Rangers were managing Marc Staal’s comeback as he had just  3:40 of ice time after one (compared to Girardi’s 10:46) and 9:35 after two. Very un-Staal like minutes but it was the right way to handle him.

• Thought on Brian Boyle: he had a great hit by Boyle to open the second period –why doesn’t he do that more often? That aside, good in the face-off circle which was much needed.
• Another defensive concern: despite nothing materializing from it I didn’t like one instance when the puck broke for the Flyers in the Rangers zone and the trailing Ranger (Mitchell) left his man in the middle and migrated toward the puck to help out his beaten team-mate. Had a Flyer got control of the puck he’d have had a team-mate standing in front of Lundqvist completely alone.

The first two periods the Rangers lost a ton of puck battles all over the ice. Credit to the way the team rebounded in the third. The Rangers won much more battles in the last period. A coincidence that they won the period? I think not.

More physicality: Brandon Dubinsky had a nice hit on Bourdon – he’s more effective when he plays a physical game. He was involved in the game winner though and generally played an intelligent game, especially how he handled the puck at times.

• Schenn’s goal 7:34 left in the second? After Matt Carle threw it on net, there was a big bounce right in front of Lundqvist that created a juicy rebound which a streaking Schenn chipped into the net. It’s hard to criticise Lundqvist given the bounce but Schenn did the right thing by going toward the net. More concern should be how Schenn was left unattended going to the net.
• My issue on the second Flyers goal? While Del Zotto was caught up the ice pinching (leaving an odd man rush) the winger needed to recognise the pinch by Del Zotto and cover him: it was another breakdown in the Rangers play.

Mike Rupp; by far his best game as a Ranger and not just because of the two goals – but obviously they were huge. Loved the Jagr salute by the way. Following a great pass from Prust, Rupp used Meszaros as a screen to beat Bobrovsky with a neat wrister for his first. That was a terrible defensive play from Meszaros by the way and Bobrovsky was helpless on the goal.

One point the Rangers had a 2-on-0 and Stepan should never have passed and instead taken the shot. One too many passes ruined a great chance which was created from a nice turnover by Gaborik. The botched play was symptomatic of Stepan’s day.

Kudos to Prust for two nice assist’s today by the way. Clearly he can play the game, it’s just been to rare this season from the gritty forward.

Despite having an average game, Brad Richards scored the eventual GWG off a rebound following great work from Callahan and Dubinsky. Richards roofed a rolling puck into the net. Nice finish.

After the Richards goal the Rangers began to finally establish their cycling game down low. For the first time in the game they were able to play their own game. Exhibit A: they had great pressure with about five minutes left of the third controlling the puck, getting lots of shots off and creating  traffic, eating up a ton of clock.

The closing minutes of this game were simply spectacular. The incredibly inconsistent referees attempted to hand the Flyers a tying goal but they couldn’t get it. How? First of all the power play was questionable. Then, as Callahan goes down the ice and gets pulled down, how the referees see a penalty on both the Flyer and Callahan is beyond. Finally, with little evidence to prove McDonagh closed his hand on the puck in a goal mouth scramble they award a penalty shot. Incredible decision making.

Side note: If you hear in the coming days or weeks that Henrik Lundqvist has a new love in his life it’s me. Today’s game hooked me in. I love you Henrik. God knows how I’d react if that was a Cup Final game seven. Henrik; Call me…..

So hey, the biggest stage so far and the Rangers find a way to win again. Tell me you don’t feel good right now, I dare you. This team is for real, far from perfect, but they don’t give in. Let’s enjoy this ride shall we? Oh and big up to the man with a cigar for walking into Philadelphia and guaranteeing a victory. I’m smoking my Cuban right now for you Glenny boy. 

Rangers/Panthers Recap

In a game that could have been easily overlooked in the wake of the Winter Classic on Monday, the Rangers took it to the Panthers 4-1 in their final tune-up before heading to Philly.  After a rocky outing against the Caps, the Rangers bounced back and played a very smart game and grabbed a little momentum to take to Citizens Bank Park.  Onto the bullets…

• The name of the game tonight for New York was the executing the little things.  For the most part, they got the puck deep, threw pucks at the net and created havoc in the offensive zone.  Defensively, they used the boards well, blocked shots and didn’t give allow the forecheck to lure the play into the middle of the ice.
• Scott Clemmensen had a rough game tonight, but the Rangers’ goals weren’t of the soft variety.  They made quite a few great first passes out of the defensive zone that lead to quality offensive chances.  Jose Theodore played much better in relief, but at that point the game was pretty well in hand.
• Another solid defensive showing for this overachieving blue line.   The defense did a great job keeping pucks to the outside and although Hank was somewhat busy, most of the shots came from bad angles. Stralman in particular had a strong game, and although Stu Bickel has been a bit of a punching bag since his call up, he has played incredibly smart, simple defense.  McDonagh does look a bit tired to me, but continues to play well.  If Staal can come back at some point in the near future, McD can get his minutes back to a reasonable level and should be better rested for the stretch run this season.
• For all the (deserved) praise the GAS line has gotten so far this season, the newly formed Hagelin-Richards-Callahan trio has been just as impressive.  They were the best line on the ice tonight and have been getting better with each game.  Hagelin has a tremendous hockey IQ and his speed has been a weapon since day 1.  Each one of these guys has a completely different skill set, but they play off each other incredibly well.
• Continuing the theme, Michael Del Zotto is probably playing the best stretch of hockey I’ve ever seen out of him.  He is making the simple plays and not overextending himself.  He is playing physical and jumping into the offense at the correct times/places.   His continued development will be huge going forward and he is clearly playing with a lot of confidence and Torts is rewarding him with ice time in a variety of situations.
• Brandon Dubinsky quietly has 5 points in his past 5 games.  I’m not sure I’m completely sold that he has fully turned his season around, but it’s a huge step in the right direction.  His goal tonight was a fantastic individual effort.
• Nice to see Richards play a solid game after a couple of rough outings.
• Henrik Lundqvist.  Best goalie on the planet.
• I’m not sure what was more entertaining to me tonight; the Panthers growl or Tort’s tie (it looked like an early 80’s couch).

After months of anticipation, HBO cameras and uniform drama, the Winter Classic is finally here.  Hopefully the Rangers can stay focused and play their game.  Wouldn’t we all love to see Glen Sather’s press-conference declaration become a reality?

Rangers/Caps In Review

The Rangers were dominated by the Caps for most of this game, and it showed on the scoreboard. It seemed like the Caps beat the Rangers to every loose puck, and were just forcing turnovers on every shift. The Rangers failed to win their sixth game in a row, but they can’t win them all, and dropped to the Caps 4-1. Let’s jump to the bullets:

Offense

• The Rangers simply did not test Tomas Vokoun at all that game. Vokoun has been awful all year, and it was clear he was slow in his crease (how many pucks went under him?) and was giving up rebounds. They didn’t get enough quality chances. Plain and simple.
• Brandon Dubinsky’s goal (just his third of the year) was set up by Ryan Callahan blocking a shot. Dubi picked up the puck and simply beat Vokoun glove side.Dubi had another opportunity in the second, but Vokoun stuffed him on that chance. It looks like he has finally woken up, but Dubi is a streaky player. Let’s see how his next few games are.
• The powerplay was inconsistent, but other than the first and the third powerplays, it’s tough to be disappointed with the way the units played, especially in the third period. Those two times with the man advantage in the third the Rangers looked like they had a good powerplay, but just couldn’t convert legally. Cally got one, but he kicked it in. Looked like he tried to kick it to his skate, but it went further than he thought.
• Artem Anisimov had a relatively strong game. He and Derek Stepan caused some havoc in the first period and Anisimov almost buried one (puck slid off his stick). That play came after he got a stick on a wide open Brooks Laich and managed to deflect his shot.
• Cally forced a turnover on Erksine early in the third that almost led to a goal. Seemed to be a trend in this game: forcing turnovers that almost resulted in goals.
• Cally was the best Ranger on the ice. Again.
• Carl Hagelin is fast. Really fast. As in the opposite of slow. He makes fast guys look not fast.

Defense/Goaltending

• That first goal was a product of poor rebound control by Martin Biron and poor defense by Michael Del Zotto. Biron got hit in the chest with that shot, he needs to smother it. However Del Zotto can’t let Marcus Johansson skate right around him in front of the net. MDZ was at fault on the second Semin goal too, as he drifted too far away from Semin.
• The second goal was just a result of the Caps having a relentless forecheck and forcing the Rangers to stay on the ice for an extended shift. It happens in hockey.
• As for that third goal, Brad Richards needs to get that puck deep in the offensive zone. Instead, he didn’t dump it in, and wound up turning the puck over at the blue line. The puck wound up on the stick of Alex Semin, who got behind the Stu Bickel/Jeff Woywitka combination and beat Biron with a good shot. That goal is on Ricahrds, Bickel, and Woywitka.
• Speaking of Richards, he’s had a few poor games in a row.
• The third line of Dubinsky-Brian Boyle-John Mitchell had a solid game defensively.
• The Rangers need to learn that their padding is in front of them, not on the side of them. Face the shooter to block a shot, you’ll take it in the shinpad instead of the hip or ankle. Cover sensitive areas if you’re scared of not having children, but they can’t keep blocking shots like that.

Opposition/Officiating

• No qualms with the officiating. There were missed calls, but it was a consistently called game, which is all you can ask for. Missed calls happen, but that call on Dennis Wideman was atrocious.
• The Caps beat the Rangers to every loose puck, and it looks like new coach Dale Hunter has allowed them to play more of an aggressive forecheck as opposed to the Boudreau-trap. Much like I said in the pregame, it’s what the Caps need to do to win games.
• They also need solid goaltending, which they didn’t really get this game. Sure, the score looks like they did, but Vokoun was shaky. He didn’t seem comfortable in net and he gave up a ton of rebounds. The Caps won this despite Vokoun.

Rangers Cruise to Isles Win: Recap

In all honesty, the Rangers rarely got out of second gear against the Islanders tonight. Despite the 3-0 scoreline you never got a sense that the Rangers were dominant, far from it. That said, you never got the sense – a few isolated shifts in the second period aside – that the Islanders were a real threat to break Lundqvist’s shutout.

The Rangers won this game on the back of minimising mistakes in their own end, having the a Vezina-in-waiting goaltender in net and keeping the Islanders at arms length.

Let’s get straight in to the quick hits for the game.

Bickel keeps impressing me. He (naturally) makes the odd rookie error (like a semi-giveaway in the first period behind his own net) but he seems a clever player, doesn’t seem rushed on the puck and can move the puck up the ice better than the club probably expected when calling him up. At worst, Bickel is making himself a legitimate roster option beyond this season and not just for his physicality.

While Lundqvist wasn’t hugely tested throughout the game he still managed to make some big plays. The save off of the re-direct from Bailey who was streaking towards the net was a great reaction stop. After that he showed great rebound control pushing shots to the corners as well as making a few tricky shots through traffic look routine. He’s in a great rhythm right now.

The Rangers’ defense looked in control throughout. How strong can this unit (eventually) be with Staal and Sauer back? Does a Marc Staal eventually back to his mid season form make them a contender? Quite possibly. Especially if Del Zotto keeps this development curve trending up.

Ah yes, Michael Del Zotto. For those looking to find anything to grab on to in terms of criticism, some may have pointed to secondary assists. Well tonight he was a play maker. Both his assists tonight were heady plays. One came from a great piece of individual skill, the other finding Hagelin in the right location following a great decision to go down low in the first place. Having a progressively outstanding season.

The Mitchell – Boyle – Prust line was very effective, especially in the first period. Mitchell makes smart plays and looks confident with the puck. With the several forwards returning in a week or two, Mitchell would be unfortunate to find himself as the guy to make way. Unfortunately in this NHL game of asset management he may be the easiest (AKA lowest risk) to move. Kudos to the heart and effort the line showed defensively tonight while they were also a factor in the Isles end.

The Rangers penalty kill continues to be impressive. They played aggressively and the Islanders were subsequently never able to settle the puck in the offensive zone.

Really struggling to see how Dubinsky is going to get back in the top six. Not only was he pretty invisible again tonight but the way the Hagelin – Richards – Callahan trio are meshing is impressive. Both of Hagelin’s goals came on quality shifts. They also showed the Swede has a sense for where he needs to be on the ice to score and that he’s not just a speed merchant. Quality drafting my friends.

You thought Avery was bad? How many needless offsides does this Islanders team skate into? Grabner is utterly clueless. Either that or has too much speed for his own good.

How impressive is the Gaborik line? They create so much, and are a threat to score on almost every shift. The shift where Gaborik carried it up the centre and faked the shot creating a great chance was typical for the line and there was another chance that same shift. They have some great chemistry.

Before the third period it seemed the Rangers had started the game reasonably well and then proceeded to get worse as the game progressed. They were terrible in the latter half of the second period and gave some momentum back to the Isles. Play with the puck was careless while they allowed the Isles far too much room in their own zone.

What this team could achieve with a reasonably effective, and consistent power play? They go through stretches were it looks good and connects and then they go through a stretch like they are now, where it is utterly fruitless. The powerplay could have helped put them out of sight early tonight.

Can’t wait to see 24/7 for what Tortorella said in between periods two and three of tonight’s game. While the Rangers still weren’t great, they were vastly improved in the third. Better puck control, better pressure in the offensive zone and even when they were pinned in their own zone once or twice you never got the sense the Isles were going to score. The team clearly stepped up in the third.

The Rangers have a depleted Panthers and a struggling Capitals up next, two very winnable games.

Final Word: The more this season progresses the more you get the sense there’s a genuine possibility of something special. The team is putting away the weak, competing with the best all the while displaying character to cope with injury, developing their own prospects and displaying great depth game-in and game-out. Winning is getting habitual. 

Rangers/Islanders In Review

The Rangers and Islanders traded chances in the first period, but the Rangers depth was too much for the soon-to-be Kansas City Drylanders. Two timely goals in the second period by Marian Gaborik and Michael Del Zotto put the Rangers ahead for good. The Rangers, after going 2-3-1 in their previous five games, have won three in a row heading into Friday’s showdown with the Flyers. Let’s get to the bullet points.

Offense

• So while I was heading home from work, I got off the subway and randomly ran into Del Zotto and Gaborik. I gave the head nod and said good luck, and they went their way while I went to my LIRR train. Both of them scored today. I’m a good luck charm.
• That goal by Brandon Dubinsky was pure grit, guts, and skill. It’s the Dubinsky we have all been hoping to see, and we finally got it. Let’s hope there are more games like this by him, because the Rangers need it.
• How about that Marian Gaborik? He really wants it this year. He and Del Zotto are really having fantastic years.
• The little face off play on Gaborik’s goal was a nicely drawn up play, but executed to perfection by both Gaborik and Artem Anisimov. Anisimov is as important to that line as Derek Stepan, and it often goes unnoticed because he’s not making the flashy plays. Anisimov just does everything right, and does all the small things, which is something that does not go unnoticed on this blog.
• Carl Hagelin is fast, we know this. But he has some nose for the net. He’s always hounding the goalie and did another great job of it tonight. That’s a part of his game I didn’t notice until he got to the Rangers.
• His speed, something I noticed while watching him at Michigan, is impressive though. I think Mark Streit is the only Islanders defenseman that Hagelin can’t skate around.
• The powerplay looked pretty good, moving the puck around. They didn’t score, but made some nice plays.

Defense/Goaltending

• The defense was rather porous in the beginning, which is expected considering the current state of the blue line. If it weren’t for Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, and Ryan McDonagh, then this game would have been out of hand early. Yes, Michael Del Zotto is in that sentence. He has been brilliant.
• More on Del Zotto, we’ve been big supporters of his here, and boy is he making us look smart. He has been on an offensive roll this month, and has been fantastic in his own end. It’s called progression folks. And he’s only 22 years old.
• Tim Erixon made a stupid pass that wound up in an Islanders almost-chance (blocked by Stu Bickel). Erixon made up for it later when he backed up Martin Biron’s stick on a bit of a mess in the crease.
• Not much needs to be said on Girardi and McDonagh. It’s all been said, and they did it again tonight.
• Bickel was fairly unnoticeable, but that’s not a bad thing. He made a good play to cover for Erixon’s gaffe, but no one covered for him when he rushed the puck up on the ensuing rush. His fight with Matt Martin was good though.
• Martin Biron is the best offseason acquisition post-lockout not named Dan Girardi. Period. Even if he did botch that save that led to the Isles powerplay goal in the third.

Opposition/Officiating

• If the Islanders don’t stay on Long Island, then whatever city gets them will be very lucky. This team is about 2-3 years away from being serious contenders. They have a lot of young talent.
• That said, all their talent is on offense. They have no one on defense other than Streit. That needs to change.
• Speaking of Streit, every time I see him play I cry a bit, because he’s the guy I wanted the Rangers to get in that offseason to forget. The Rangers wound up with Wade Redden, but when I saw what Streit signed for, I threw stuff at my TV. I really wanted him on Broadway.
• What was Evgeni Nabokov thinking when he left the net? Regardless of what Jack Capuano says, you have to see that the Rangers have the puck.
• The officiating was pretty fair this game. I was very impressed. They let them play. However, they missed the Andrew MacDonald slash on Artem Anisimov. That should have been called.

Whaling Rangers/Devils Recap

The Rangers managed to look awful in the first 30 minutes of this game. They just couldn’t do anything right, and the Devils outshot them and wound up with a 1-0 lead. Goaltending kept the Rangers in the game until the offense took over. The Rangers scored four goals in those final 30 minutes, and the Devils fell to the Rangers forwards and the CT Whale’s defense. This is a big win for a team that is hurting without several key players.

This recap we had to do by period, as Suit caught the first period, then had to go to his hockey game. I got back from the gym in time for the second and third period. This blog is a well oiled machine folks.

First Period (Suit’s Take)

• Mike Rupp dropped the gloves against Cam Janssen, a great fighter, three seconds into the game and held his own. Brandon Dubinsky dropped David Clarkson on a nice left hook moments later. Definitely a feisty way to open up a game.
• The Ryan Callahan and Eric Boulton 10 minute misconducts for exchanging cross checks were atrocious calls and obviously favored the Devils. I mean who is Eric Boulton anyway?
• Love the elevated behind the net camera angle used on special teams, really picks up the speed of the game much better than your center ice angle.
• Rangers PK was strong on John Mitchell’s penalty. Dan Girardi and Michael Del Zotto had nice pass blocks and Brandon Prust had a big blocked shot.
• MDZ was great on second PK. Very strong on boards. Clearing rebounds. Breaking up passes.
• Rangers fail to clear slot on first Devils goal. Girardi and Cally fell on the face-off creating a mess of sorts. Brad Richards and Dubi let their men penetrate the slot. Cheesy goal.
• All in all, not much five on five play, so Rangers weren’t able to get their forechecking going, which obviously is their greatest offensive strength.

Second/Third Periods (Dave’s Take)

• Considering the way the Rangers have looked the past few games, I’m surprised Sean Avery wasn’t  playing, considering how effective he is on Ilya Kovalchuk and Martin Brodeur.
• Three crossbars in the second period, and a goal. This game could have been a lot different if the puck bounced the Rangers way a few times.
• The Derek Stepan goal was started by Artem Anisimov helping make a good defensive play on Zach Parise. He made a simple pass to Girardi, who got the puck to Marian Gaborik, up to Stepan, who held the puck and fought off a checking defender for what felt like 10 seconds. He threw it in the middle and, after a lucky bounce, Anisimov banged it home. Great team effort on that goal.
• There was a rush in the second period where the Rangers had a 4-on-2 break, but managed to get a terrible shot from outside the circle on an awful angle by Ruslan Fedotenko. Feds missed the net cleanly, and it resulted in a puck-around-the-boards-generated 2-on-1 for the Devils. There are two no-nos there: First is the obvious shot location, which should not happen on that kind of rush, and the second is missing the net. That has to stop.
• Speaking of Fedotenko, is it me or has he been relatively bad this year? He hasn’t been a liability, but he sure isn’t what he was last year.
• As much as I noticed Carl Hagelin and the number of shifts he received, was as much as I didn’t notice Tim Erixon or Stu Bickel in the second. They played a lot more in the third though. Well, that was until Erixon got hurt. How many more times can this defense get hurt?
• I tweeted it in the second, and got harassed by Devils fans, but Brodeur was giving up a ton of rebounds. And look at that, Gaborik gets a goal off a puck Brodeur couldn’t control. The coaching staff reads my Twitter account, I swear.
• Right after that Gabby goal, Lundqvist and Girardi kept the game tied with some great defense/goaltending. A tying goal would have deflated the Rangers.
• Ryan McDonagh is great, but he sure has had some rough games lately. That closing his hand on the puck penalty was just stupid. Maybe it’s fatigue?
• The Hagelin short handed goal was a thing of beauty. He causes the turnover, takes it down the off wing with Boyle trailing on a 2-on-1, and makes the smart decision to just shoot. What a goal, and it was Stu Bickel’s first NHL point.
• The Devils have given up 10 shorties this year. Atrocious and inexcusable.

Rangers/Yotes Game Analysis