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?

Lineup Changes Begin: Woywitka In, Erixon Out

The post-holiday roster freeze lineup changes for the Rangers have begun. Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News (who took over for Jesse Spector) tweets that Jeff Woywitka will be returning to the lineup tonight in place of rookie Tim Erixon. Woywitka was out for a few games after blocking a shot with his foot in Phoenix. It is likely that Tim Erixon, who was at the morning skate, will be returned to the Connecticut Whale following the optional skate (Update: Torts said, per Leonard, that Erixon will be with the team for a while longer because the team is on the road).

Another Update: Andrew Gross says that as long as Woywitka and Stu Bickel survive the Washington game tonight, Erixon will be returned to Connecticut.

Also, Martin Biron will get the start in net tonight (also per Leonard). This means that Henrik Lundqvist will get the Florida game before the Winter Classic.

All Star Worthy?

The Rangers deserve to have multiple representatives at this year’s All Star game. The fact that so many of the roster should be in contention speaks volumes for the way the Rangers have moved up through the standings and developed this season. So which Rangers players should represent the club? Who deserves the nod?

• Marian Gaborik. It goes without saying that when you lead the entire NHL in goals scored you’re doing something right. Gaborik is having a dominant season; scoring important goals, showing tremendous consistency and giving the Rangers an offensive game changer they lacked last season.
• Henrik Lundqvist. The King is doing what he does best. Like Gaborik he’s tremendously consistent, rarely has he given up a soft goal this year and has been the very backbone of the Rangers once again. Despite being on course to play considerably less games this year – thanks to Martin Biron – the Swedish netminder could be in the discussion for league MVP, such is his impact so far.
• Dan Girardi. The amount of time he spends on the ice is borderline insane – not far off a minute/game more than second in the league. Girardi blocks shots, provides the Rangers with immense stability and chips in offensively too. Not a ‘sexy’ player or a dominant offensive blueliner, guys like Girardi (unfortunately) rarely get the kudos of all star games even when they deserve the recognition. Critical to the Rangers.
• Mike Del Zotto. Yes, you read it – Mike Del Zotto. Especially in the past month he has been consistent, increasingly dangerous offensively, physically impressive and has shown great ability to swallow minutes all season. Del Zotto is the league’s leading blueliner in plus/minus and is one three point game away from being in the league’s top 10 in scoring from the blueline. Easily, the most improved Ranger this season.
• Ryan Callahan. Like Girardi and his ‘type’, rarely are the Ryan Callahan’s of the NHL rewarded with all star weekends. Amongst the league leaders in hits, and ice time amongst forwards Callahan has taken his offensive game to another level and is on course for his first 30 goal season. Maybe the best lead-by-example captain in the league today does any player try harder? Guys like Callahan deserve to be officially titled ‘all star’.

Gaborik and Lundqvist surely should get the call to head to Ottawa early next year. Anything other than invites for the Rangers marquee talents would be a travesty. Will any of the others get a call? Unfortunately Rangers players rarely get the exposure around the league due to the blue collar reputation the roster has.

It’s assumed this team does things by committee, which it does. However the above list proves that this team has serious skill and top end players too. All this and we’re forgetting a hot streak from Brad Richards and there could be another candidate. The 2011-12 Rangers, they’re pretty stacked you know.

Musings At Christmas

Its Thursday, it’s a musings day and a game day. It’s the beginning of a three game home stand against divisional rivals. Don’t get used to it with relocation coming though. Anyway, let’s get into it.

Something I tweeted last night: Dan Girardi has gone pointless in 9 games. The entire tweet was a joke but what it did was reinforce how some players really do go beyond stat lines. Girardi is a solid two way guy who is good for 30 points but there may be no defenseman in the entire league – given the circumstances in NY – that is currently more important to their team. Girardi does it all.

Quietly, several Rangers are near the league lead in statistical categories. Carl Hagelin is third in shorthanded goals, Mike Del Zotto is in the top ten for plus/minus, Gaborik is right in the mix for the Richard trophy (trailing Stamkos but just one goal) while Brad Richards is tied for third in the league in game winning goals. Then there’s a certain goalie. With goalies of at least 16 starts only Brian Elliot and Tim Thomas have better GAA’s and save percentages than Henrik Lundqvist. Vezina season?

Beginning tonight, the Rangers have the Islanders twice and Philly over the Xmas period. 3 wins would be huge and are a realistic target given the new found strength on home ice. If the Rangers can get up for those games like they did against the Devils it will be a great stretch. I’m not being greedy; all I want for Xmas is 3 wins this week.

Back to goaltending. Kudos to Tortorella for managing Lundqvist’s minutes perfectly this season. He’s on course to play ‘just’ 62 games this season, by far his least since 2005 – his rookie year. He’s been his most consistent this year and his usual dominant self. The extra breaks (and the presence of Biron) are the reasons why.

The league needs to sort out concussion issues quickly. With four new additions (including ex Ranger Al Montoya) the list of players out due to concussions now stands at over 30. That’s an awful figure. Great players such as Chris Pronger may never play again and Sid Crosby could be well on his way to being the new Eric Lindros – dominant and cut down in his prime by the head issue. The league needs to be tougher on head shots, change unnecessarily tough equipment such as elbow pads and generally show more willingness to solve a horrible trend.

After 19 goals last year, ex Ranger forward Lauri Korpikoski is headed towards 20 this year. The Rangers have handled player development (drafting, ice time, minor league development etc, etc) very well in general but I still think the Rangers gave up on Korpikoski a little too early.

Be honest, did you think the Rangers would be ahead of the Penguins at Christmas, with three games in hand?

Question Time:

• Will Gaborik hit 50 goals this season?
• Will Ryan Callahan hit 30 goals this season?
• How many regular season games will Marc Staal play in this season?
• How many current roster players will be ex Rangers before the season is out?
• Who do you think is the Rangers MVP after 31 games?

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As it’s the last Musings before Christmas on behalf of the Suit, Dave and myself, allow me to wish everyone a Happy Christmas, or if you don’t celebrate it, a wonderful holiday season. A skinny tie for you all

Hank’s Job: Weathering The Early Storm

This has been the story for a while: The Rangers come into a game relatively flat –or at least appear that way– and Henrik Lundqvist bails them out. The Rangers get their feet under them, put the puck in the net, play defense, and win the game. It hasn’t been like this in every game, but it’s been like this enough that we aren’t surprised when it happens. But it begs the question: What if Hank doesn’t weather that early storm single handedly?

It’s tough to quantify what exactly would happen with the Rangers if Hank lets in a few of these early goals. But, it’s easy to assume that if the Rangers give up a quick pair of goals in the first ten minutes, the feeling of the game changes completely. This was clearly evident in the game against Washington, when the Caps poured on the pressure early, and Hank was there to keep the puck out of the net. The Rangers won the game 6-3, but would they have scored all six goals if they had to come from behind?

The attitude of this team is that they can come from behind, and they have proven that time and time again. Being behind doesn’t scare them, but it is a helluva lot easier to win games if you’re tied after a 10 minute barrage as opposed to down a goal or two. And that’s where Hank comes in: he may be the most under appreciated best goalie in the world in history (around the NHL…obviously Ranger fans know how valuable he is).

Lundqvist has always been that rock in net that the Rangers continually lean on, especially in the first ten minutes of a game. The Rangers do not make it easy on Hank, but he stands tall in net, and stops shot after shot after shot. The end result: wins, and points in the standings. The Rangers have the best point per game ratio (.717) in the NHL right now. Lundqvist has been the Rangers MVP for the past five seasons. They wouldn’t be here without him. In a season where credit seems to be going everywhere –and for good reason, the real hero here is Lundqvist.

Brad Richards – The Critical Addition

It’s probably obvious that when a team signs a marquee talent it expects a substantial return on it’s investment. However, as we have seen in the past, that hasn’t always been the case with the Rangers. Think back to dark, dirty years without play-off hockey at the MSG and you’ll lose count of big name players simply collecting cheques and giving little in return. These days it’s different. Brad Richards was the right addition at the right time for a club with so much in the way of a bright future.

Even if Richards ‘only’ hits 27 goals and 65 points (the totals he’s on target for), his on-ice presence has resulted in greater depth, team’s having to focus on more than one line – spreading the defensive coverage – and the arrival of another winner in the organisation. Team’s can learn to win, but there’s no harm in accelerating the learning process by adding a proven winner to the mix. Providing the foundations are set.

The Rangers have drafted well and appear to be a young, tight-knit group that play hard for each other. Brad Richards isn’t just a quality player, but he seems to fit in the team dynamic too. He’s influencing the young players like Stepan and Anisimov, he’s a positive guy that is more than happy to share the limelight (Broadway hat anyone?) and he is someone that gladly assumes responsibility. Depending on what your opinion is on long term contracts in a cap world there really is nothing to dislike about the Richards signing.

The Rangers have the best goaltender in the world and a burgeoning core that is growing together. When the team added Marian Gaborik to the mix they added an elite goal scorer to a bunch of kids still growing. Then they continued to grow. This summer when Richards came on board this club (and the roster) had matured and Richards was added at the right time. The club appears ready to take the next step towards being a contender and the way the team has played recently; far from perfect but never rolled over, proves that the mental strength required to win is there. Richards adds to that mentality.

Richards’ totals may not be brilliant (although they are far from bad), but his impact has been significant. His goal against the Ducks in Sweden was decisive: thanks to that goal 2 OT losses looks better than one solitary point. His game winner against Montreal helped avoid what would have been a second collapse in a week and he has been relatively consistent all season. He has done it against the good teams too. He’s contributed offensively against the Sharks, Ducks, Kings and Canucks – all play-off bound teams. He doesn’t disappear when the quality of competition increases.

This team has flaws, naturally; it isn’t as skilful as the Penguins or Caps, nor is it as potent as some other clubs on the power play, but Richards improves both aspects on the Rangers. If this club goes on to have significant success, there’ll be a few milestone moments that will be looked on as being critical.

Drafting Henrik Lundqvist way back in 2000, Callahan in 2004 and Marc Staal in 2005, not to mention the culture change – and youth emphasis – that has gone on under John Tortorella are all crucial moments/periods in recent Rangers history. Adding Brad Richards (the right player, at the right time) may be another of those seminal moments that make this club a winner. Here’s hoping.

Rangers Recap; Thoughts and Rants

Well that was interesting. The Rangers keep finding ways to lose games. First they couldn’t muster any offense, now they can’t hold leads and through all of it, they have still to play a complete game this season, something they were nowhere near to doing this afternoon. With the 5-4 shootout victory for the Senators in the books, let’s get to some thoughts on the game.

• Gaborik and Richards looked good tonight. Gaborik in particular has had a good start to the year and it showed today. He was full of energy and yet again he went to the net and was rewarded. That’s how you score goals and what was missing last year. I’m ready to declare that Gaborik is definitely back.
• Seriously, the Rangers have been outshot in every single game? That is an abysmal trend.
• The Rangers first period was dire. Their second period was solid and they began the third fine, then they lost complete control. 4 goals scored (to an extent) masks another poor performance
• Erik Christensen doesn’t score in shootouts anymore. So what is his role now? Electric Six had a song called ‘Naked pictures of your mother’… I think EC has shots of Torts’ mother because there is no other way of explaining his presence on this roster any more.
• Spezza’s redirect goal; you need to move players out the way there. Exhibit A of why this team needs Staal back quickly.
• Some Twitter folk (including Brooks) said the call on Konopka was borderline; why? Anisimov had his head down and was facing the boards when Konopka came in elbow out and planted Anisimov into the boards. Penalty. Simple call.
• Dubinsky was better, more engaged, but seriously; can the guy hit the net now? He gets a fat new deal to hit the plexi 300 times a year? Get him doing shooting drills 8 hours a day and every time he misses the net, 30 press-ups. He’ll either become Brett Hull-esque or have the body of a Greek God: win-win for Dubinsky.
• So there were actually some good things to come out of this game. Richards looked faster more confident. The power play was better. Gaborik continues to improve game by game. Del Zotto is growing more confident and is playing better. Mike Sauer is healthy and ready to hit anything that moves. Penalty kill solid (despite the one PPG). Lot’s to build on……honestly.
• Just one Ottawa based remark: Jason Spezza is starting to look like the Spezza of a few years back when he was one of the top 5 centers in the league. If he gets back to that and their D grow (ton of talent on the blueline) this team actually has a decent future.
• San Jose next. Very possible that the Rangers start their home season 0-2-1. Now that’s a scary thought on Halloween weekend.
• I’m not going to discuss Wolski because you know what; not everything he did was bad. Just a bad ending to the game.
• One mini rant to end the quick hits: Seriously MSG; your team throw away a 3 goal lead, have OT looming and you boo? Awful timing to vent your frustration. A nervous, fragile team doesn’t need that at that crucial point in time. Poor show fans, very poor show – dumb actually.

The Rangers probably played 15 solid minutes out of the 60 today. That isn’t enough to deserve a win in the ECHL, let alone the big league. Tortorella needs to get in to the players heads. Is this form a coaching issue? Is it technical issues? Is it a lack of focus? It’s all of that. The passing is poor (Richards crisp passes aside), players look nervous, team-wide the confidence is low and Tortorella doesn’t seem to have many answers in the past few games.

The season is still young; this hasn’t gone from a talented young side to a lottery pick in two weeks but the Rangers need some serious practice time and a chance to re-focus.

A Quick Look Ahead

The Rangers defense did not look good against Zug – an understatement. It hasn’t looked particularly good throughout the European tour in all honesty. So much of that has to do with the absence of Marc Staal which will now stretch in to the regular season. It also has to do with Mike Sauer of course. The Rangers’ defense is patched up and will be for a little while longer and it’s at this stage a few things need to be preached.

• First of all, the team needs to be allowed some patience. Patience above all for the injured players to get back to full health; the fact the Rangers have a decent stretch without a game after getting back to the US helps Marc Staal in particular. Thanks to this gap between fixtures, it is the right thing to not rush the one critical defenseman on this team.
• Secondly, another form of patience is required. This is not the easiest of starts for the Rangers. They are entering the season on the back of a gruelling trip, starting in Stockholm against two very good teams and likely with a patchwork defense. Thanks to the MSG renovations they start with a lot of road games. If you offered me, as a fan, a .500 start to the season in the first 8 games I’d take it. This team will get healthy, it will gel and looking at the schedule this team will get some nice home stands to (hopefully) take advantage of later in the year. No panic please, if this team doesn’t have a great record to begin with.
• Thirdly, let the kids play. If a Stu Bickel or a Brendan Bell or a Tim Erixon or a Michael Del Zotto play significant minutes and the results are mixed don’t worry, they are learning. OK, so Bell is a veteran but the point here is that they have to learn at some point. When you have the likes of Staal and Mike Sauer returning you can afford to hand out some ice time knowing core players are on the way back. Long term, the team will know a lot more about a few of these defensemen thanks to the start of this season. Going forward that is obviously a good thing.
• Finally with the Rangers defense being banged up, maybe the emphasis will be more on the forwards and given some of their recent performances that is a good thing. Until the Rangers get their main guys on the blueline back it may be a chance for John Tortorella to play a different kind of game. A more offensively inclined one.
• Looking at the pre-seasons of Artem Anisimov, Mats Zuccarello and Mike Rupp; of the developing chemistry between Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik and the relatively promising start by Wojtek Wolski on their left there is a chance here for Tortorella to perhaps let the shackles off, even if it’s just for the first few games. The coach can take advantage of the great form of some of the kids like Anisimov. Let them play.

The Kings and Ducks fixtures in Stockholm are clearly important, but they aren’t critical. After all they are games one and two of a long season. Let’s enjoy them for what they are; a unique start to the year and a chance for the team to develop some chemistry. Don’t worry; Lundqvist will make sure this team gets some points in his home country.

Thoughts on Rangers (Impressive) First Pre Season Roster

All the beat writers have announced the Rangers roster for the pre-season opener in Albany tomorrow against the basically bankrupt Devils. If you haven’t already seen it, here it is:

Goal: Henrik Lundqvist, Cam Talbot

Defense: Michael Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, Brendan Bell, Steve Eminger, Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath

Forwards: Sean Avery, Brandon Dubinsky, Dale Weise, Andre Deveaux, John Mitchell, Erik Christensen, Artem Anisimov, J.T. Miller, Christian Thomas, Ryan Bourque, Shane McColgan, Carl Hagelin

My first impression is one of excitement. The team going head to head with the Devils tomorrow has a ton of young talent on show with Christian Thomas, Carl Hagelin, JT Miller, Ryan Bourque and Tim Erixon. However, the young talent can relax because they’ll be playing in front of Henrik Lundqvist (at least to begin with) while there is also plenty of NHL experience among the skaters with Dan Girardi, Brandon Dubinsky, Sean Avery and Artem Anisimov leading the way for the veterans.

It’s when looking at the ‘veterans’ where it gets most exciting as even the veterans in this line-up (Bell, Eminger and Mitchell withstanding, to an extent) are some of the young Rangers core emphasising just how young and talented the Rangers franchise is from top to bottom.

Line’s would be hard to gauge and probably isn’t worth over analysing at this stage because the majority of the roster haven’t played together before. Dubinsky and Anisimov for example may be teamed together as they have been previously but may be split to provide some veteran leadership for some of the kids. Regardless though, there’s a ton of exciting possibilities to look forward to for tomorrow’s game.

A few players to watch: Watch out for Carl Hagelin and his skating ability while the clock really starts ticking for players such as Dale Weise, Sean Avery, Erik Christensen and Brendan Bell even though it ticks in different ways for each player. Weise and Christensen in particular are playing for their immediate NHL futures.

Quick note; as Andrew Gross acknowledges in his blog the first cuts from camp will be made after the Friday pre-season game in Newark, against the Devils once again. 

Never mind Crosby, the NHL Needs A New Poster Boy

In the first couple of years coming out of the lockout, having Sidney Crosby at the center of all NHL marketing made sense. He was the most talented player in the league, he was well spoken, and the sport needed a fresh face to bring in a new era of hockey in North America. However, as the seasons have gone by, Crosby’s popularity outside of The Steel City has slowly deteriorated.

Fans across the country have come to realize Crosby isn’t the NHL’s white knight. He’s one of the sports best no doubt, but everyone is now aware of his dirty play, the whining, and of course the unparalleled favoritism shown by league referees.

Hockey fans are ready for a new poster boy and the league should give it to them, otherwise they run the risk of being like golf when Tiger was injured, no one was watching…this is pre-sexcapades of course.

Now I’m not naïve enough to think Crosby’s lack of likability is going to force the league to reconsider its marketing strategy. However, with the relative uncertainty of his health and future, the timing couldn’t be better to look at other NHL elites.

Of course reading this post you knew there was a list coming, so here are several players the NHL should be putting their promotional dollars behind.

Steven Stamkos

Stamkos is arguably the game’s purest goal scorer. He may not have the flash of Alexander Ovechkin, or the eccentricity, but he’s of equal value to the Tampa Bay Lightning. To date, he has received very little push.

Now Tampa may not win any awards as the league’s greatest hockey market, but the house is packed every night, the ratings are solid, and the team has a chance to go deep into the post-season.

Jeff Skinner

Should Skinner follow up his rookie season with a sensational second, he should get a bump. He’s young, he’s uber-talented, he’s fresh faced, and the kid’s jersey probably outsells fried Oreos down south. If the league wants to continue to market the youth, it’s hard to not give Skinner a look.

He’s only 20 years old, but viewers and the media always love whiz kids whether it’s Rory McIlroy, Shaun White, etc. There’s obviously some risk involved putting all of that responsibility on such a young kid, but Skinner seems like he can handle the attention.

Dustin Byfuglien

It’s pretty simple. The league doesn’t do enough to market the game to minorities and it’s a big reason why hockey’s TV ratings are “grassroots,” which is the industry term for sh*tty. Hockey will never come close to being within the same viewership level as the NBA until they can diversify their audience. Byfuglien can help solve this issue.

Byfuglien may not be the best defensemen in the league, but he scores a lot of goals, he’s enormous, and he’s articulate. Playing in Winnipeg, which will now be the NHL’s smallest market, is going to hurt his exposure. The league needs to do what it can to counter the lack of love from NBC.

Henrik Lundqvist

I know, I know, a Rangers blogger is suggesting the NHL use a New York Ranger to be one of the faces of hockey, how ironic! Still, New York is the NHL’s biggest market and Lundqvist has been the Rangers greatest player, yet the man is never featured in any national advertising.

The Winter Classic and HBO’s 24/7 are the league’s best opportunities to build new stars. Why not use the star of those programs (don’t worry he will be) to be the centerpiece of all your marketing?

Lundqvist is the best, he’s well dressed, and he’s got a legion of supporters behind him. It’s time to show the rest of North America why he is The King of NYC.