Ray Emery was excellent in goal for Ottawa, as the Senators defeated the New York Rangers 4-1 last night at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. Early penalties (most notably by Michael Rozsival for high-sticking and hooking) were the Rangers downfall with Chris Neil and Patrick Eaves both capitalizing in the first period during 5 on 3 power play advantages. When you go down two men to the top team in the Eastern Conference, you're playing with fire. Fedor Tyutin would get one back with a nifty backhander following a feed from Jaromir Jagr, but that was the only marker for the Blueshirts on the evening. Henrik Lundqvist kept the Rangers in the game, but Emery made all the big stops in shutting down the Rangers the rest of the way. Dany Heatley scored on the power play in the second period, and Peter Schaefer added a goal late in the third period to put the game away.
The loss snaps a 2-game Ranger winning-streak, but New York remains on top of the Philadelphia Flyers by 4 points in the race for the Atlantic Division Championship. Philly's two games in hand will be played out this weekend in games tomorrow and Sunday afternoon in New Jersey and on Long Island. New York's next contest is on Tuesday against the aforementioned Flyers in a huge game for both teams. How the Flyers fair over the weekend and next week at the Garden could very well decide the divisional race. There are only 8 games remaining in the Rangers regular season schedule. By virtue of Atlanta's 4-3 loss to Tampa last night, the magic number for the Blueshirts to clinch a playoff berth has been reduced to 3. Should Atlanta only pick up 1 out of the 4 possible points in their games tomorrow and Monday, then New York will have secured a playoff spot before the puck drops Tuesday night at the Garden.
Jaromir Jagr's assist in last night's game stretches his point-scoring streak to 11 games. He closes out the month of March with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 16 games; with numbers like that he will very likely be named the NHL's player of the month tomorrow afternoon.
The Rangers dominated the Islanders by a score of 5-1 at the Nassau Coliseum last night, bringing their season-series edge to 4-1-1. Martin Straka's natural hat-trick was nice, but it's Jaromir Jagr's 4-point night and Henrik Lundqvist's victory that made New York Rangers history. Jagr had primary assists on the first four goals of the game, taking his points-streak to ten games. On his first assist, he established a new single-season point record in franchise history. The previous record of 109 points was established by Jean Ratelle in 1971-72. Henrik Lundqvist got his 30th victory of the year, and in doing so broke the Rangers record for wins by a rookie that was previously held by Jim Henry (1941-42) and Johnny Bower (1953-54).
Straka's three goals takes his season total to 18, 7 of which have come against the Islanders. His 13 points in 6 games against the Isles is second only to Jagr's remarkable 16. Petr Prucha got the Rangers on the board first, netting his 29th of his rookie campaign. Blair Betts added a late third period goal to close out the scoring. Alexei Yashin tallied for the Islanders.
All the individual efforts aside, the Rangers (41-20-12) has expanded their Atlantic Division lead to 4 points over the Philadelphia Flyers. Tonight night in Ottawa, New York has a chance to stretch their division lead even further. Henrik Lundqvist is expected to be in net once again, and Jaromir Jagr (the sure-fire player of the month) will be looking to set yet another single-season Rangers record with his 53rd goal.
This one was big. Some may call it the turning point of the season, and they may very well be right. Heading into the third period trailing 4-2 on a less-than-stellar outing by Kevin Weekes, Coach Tom Renney inserted Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes. Early in the period it was Petr Sykora cutting the deficit in half, and set the stage for a dramatic comeback. Mid-way through the third it was Jaromir Jagr netting his 52nd goal of the season, also his 109th point. With the goal, Jagr tied not only the game, but the Rangers single-season records for goals and points. The Garden faithful came alive as they were witnessing something very special. Lundqvist was also exceptional in net when he had to be, stoning Buffalo on multiple odd-man rushes and breakaways in the 3rd and 4th periods. After both teams failed to convert in OT, New York snatched up the second point in the shootout with score from Sykora and three monster saves by King Henrik. The victory was Lundqvist's 29th of year, tying a Rangers record for wins by a rookie goaltender.
New York's come-from-behind win was enormous for the team's psyche. Picking up two points last night was massively important, particularly after dropping the previous two games in shootouts. Henrik Lundqvist and Jaromir Jagr have carried the Rangers all season long, and seeing both players have such tremendous showings at this stage of the season is a wonderful sign as the playoffs are just around the corner.
Despite the jubilation brought on by the magical victory, New York has many areas of concern. The team must be troubled by the several defensive lapses as well as the inability to convert on various power play opportunities (including a 5 on 3 in the 3rd, a 4 on 3 in OT). With all that being said, Darius Kasparaitis' return to the lineup this week will help take pressure off the other blue-liners, and improve the team as a whole.
At this point, there is also little doubt as to who will be in between the pipes the rest of the way. Henrik Lundqvist should and will play every single game until their playoff positioning in 100% solidified. Last night's performance, along with several others this season, matched with the absolute repulsion of the Garden faithful, has pretty much ensured the fact that Kevin Weekes will not be on this team next season. Whether it's Al Montoya, Chris Holt, or someone else, Weekes' days in New York are numbered.
The Blueshirts have regained sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division and return to action Wednesday night at the Nassau Coliseum against the Islanders.
Despite gaining a pair of points over the weekend in back-to-back shootout losses, New York has fallen to 2nd place in the Atlantic Division (5th place in the Eastern Conference). The Philadelphia Flyers and Rangers are deadlocked with 90 points, but the Flyers currently hold the tiebreaker with more victories. With eleven games remaining, the battle for the Divisional crown will likely come down to the wire, but the Blueshirts will likely clinch a playoff berth within the next two weeks. Any combination of 9 points attained or 9 points missed out on by the Atlanta Thrashers will secure the Rangers' spot in the postseason. Although winless in their last three, New York 3-1-2 in their last six.
With time running out on the Devils and Canadiens (79 points each), even with a dismal finish the Rangers would be unlikely to fall further than 5th. meaning they would face off with the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs. If there is a total collapse, it is conceivable that the Rangers could slip behind Tampa (81 points) into 6th place, but that is highly unlikely.
Tonight's contest at Madison Square Garden against the Buffalo Sabres is a very intriguing one. Lindy Ruff has helped guide the Sabres to a surprisingly strong season, much like Tom Renney has done for the Rangers. New stars are being born upstate in Ales Kotalik, Tomas Vanek, and Ryan Miller among others. However, the unforeseen success has hit a stumbling block. After winning 7 in a row, Buffalo has lost their last 6 games (all in regulation). Cashing in 0 of their last 12 possible points has shifted the Sabres to 9 points back of the Northeast and Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators. Due to their positioning, 4th place in the East is where they will likely finish, but a loss to the Rangers would give them a 1-point lead on the 5th place Rangers.
Leading the way for the Rangers has been Jaromir Jagr. The 2005-06 campaign has been one of Jagr's finest years yet with 51 goals and 56 assists for 107 points. Jagr is a mere 2 points away from tying Jean Ratelle's Rangers single-season record and 1 goal away from Adam Graves' team record established in 1994. Riding an 8-game scoring streak, Jagr has racked up 8 goals and 7 assists during that span. His remarkable season has made him a front-runner for the Hart Trophy which is given the the MVP of the NHL.
We'll be back on Monday to recap both important games the Rangers will be participating in this weekend.
Madison Square Garden had a playoff-like atmosphere last night with the Philadelphia Flyers in town. Although the Rangers played with plenty of emotion and desire, the penalties they took turned out to be too much to comeback from. Despite Jaromir Jagr's hat-trick and all around outstanding performance, the Flyers downed the Blueshirts 4-3.
Early on, it appeared as if the Rangers were going to run away with the game. Jagr scored early on Robert Esche, and New York was poised to roll over the Flyers as they did in their last meeting directly after the Olympic break by a score of 6-1. Instead of piling on the offense, Petr Prucha got called for a hooking penalty. Mike Knuble scored a deflection goal on the ensuing power play. 39 seconds later, Jagr gave the Rangers the lead again. 34 seconds after that, the Rangers momentum was slowed once again; this time it was Ryan Hollweg that was assessed 5 minute major and a game misconduct for boarding. That penalty proved to be costly as Mike Knubled scored his second power play deflection goal of the night, 30th overall for the year, and Michael Handzus notched an additional marker with less than a second remaining in the first period.
Just under six minutes into the third period, a painful giveaway by Sandis Ozolinsh allowed Simon Gagne to skate in on a breakaway and put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist to give the Flyers a 4-2 lead. Once again it was Jaromir Jagr that got one for the Blueshirts bringing them to within one late in the 2nd period, his 49th of the season.
Philadelphia sat back early in the third period, and tried to play a modified trap to shut down the Rangers. When the Rangers' defensemen started joining the play and taking chances, the Flyers capitalized on the lack of guard when R.J. Umberger put New York away with an insurance goal. Sami Kapanen would add an empty-netter to make it a 6-3 final. The regulation loss was New York's first at the hands of Philadelphia. The Blueshirts lead the season series 3-1-2.
The Rangers are dead-locked with the Flyers for first-place in the Atlantic Division, but New York has a game in hand. Each game seems to take on greater importance with only 13 contests left on New York's schedule. Last night's loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Rangers who now head down to Florida for games on Friday and Saturday against the Panthers and Lightning respectively.
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 19 of 21 Boston shots, and Michael Rozsival had a goal and two assists in the Rangers 5-2 thrashing of the Bruins on the night where Brian Leetch played his first and perhaps only road game in Madison Square Garden. Fans chanted Brian's name throughout the contest, but his impact on the ice was virtually non-existent in a game that was never in doubt for New York.
Michael Nylander was named offensive player of the week for his 8 points in his previous 3 games heading into last night. Nylander continued to produce in notching his 19th goal of the season with assists from Jaromir Jagr and Petr Prucha. In tallying an assist, Prucha extended his point-scoring streak to 7 games. Jagr has registered a point in 5 consecutive games.
The Rangers received balanced scoring with goals from Blair Betts, Martin Straka, and Dominic Moore to along with Nylander's and Rozsival's aforementioned tallies. Steve Rucchin also picked up a pair of primary assists for the Blueshirts. New York's depth is beginning to shine in the final stages of the regular season and appears to be poised for a potentially very special playoff-run.
After last night's victory, the Rangers find themselves in first place with 88 points (39-19-10) through the first 68 games. Philadelphia currently sits 4-points behind the Rangers in the race for the Atlantic Division crown. On Wednesday night, the two teams will meet in a huge match-up for both teams. A Flyer loss would substantially hurt their chances of overtaking the Rangers with 13 games left to be played from there on out.
Henrik Lundqvist's exceptional play, and Jaromir Jagr's four-point-night helped the Blueshirts roll past the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night at MSG. Jagr's goal and 3 assists bring his league-leading season point total to 100. Fans can start feeling confident again with the Rangers on a two-game winning streak.
The slump is now but a memory, and in retrospect the 0-4-2 run came at time where it didn’t move New York from first place or knock them out of the playoff picture. All it did was force the team to work harder, and left plenty of time left to get organized. With 15 games remaining, the Rangers have an opportunity to head into the playoffs on a hot streak.
One area that the Rangers are most dominant is on the power play. With Jagr, Petr Prucha, and Sandis Ozolinsh among others as lethal scoring options, New York has arguably the best power play in the NHL. The Rangers haven't been this dangerous with the man-advantage since the days of Brian Leetch and Sergei Zubov manning the points, with Mark Messier on the half boards, and Adam Graves in front of the net. Steve Rucchin and Petr Sykora are really stepping up their games now too. Marek Malik, Michael Rozsival, and Darius Kasparaitis are all playing great on the backline. New York also got a terrific game out of Jason Ward after being benched last week.
Tonight is not just another game on the Rangers schedule. When the puck is dropped in New York City this evening, it will mark the first time Brian Leetch has played a game at Madison Square Garden as a member of the opposing team. Leetch spent fifteen years with New York and was adored by the fans throughout his hall of fame career. His #2 is certain to be hung up in the rafters alongside 1994 Stanley Cup Champions Mark Messier's #11 and Mike Richter's #35 upon his retirement.
Following tonight's game, the Rangers must prepare for a showdown with the 2nd place Philadelphia Flyers in crucial contest that will play a major role in determining which team will end up winning the division. The game with the Flyers will close out New York's home-stand. The Blueshirts head down south to Florida for back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday night against the Panthers and Lightning.
Thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning's 6-3 win over the Flyers on Friday night, the Rangers magic number is reduced by two points. From here on out, every Flyer game is equally as important to the Blueshirts as their own games. A battle for the Atlantic Division title between the Rangers and Flyers continues over the weekend when the Rangers square off with the Leafs at the Garden while the Flyers are in Atlanta on Saturday night. After the Rangers meet the Bruins Monday, and Philadelphia takes on the Devils Tuesday-- New York will play host to the Flyers for an all-important head-to-head match-up. The likely winner of the division could be far clearer by the end of next week, but at this point it's neck and neck between the Rangers and Flyers, with the Devils in a distant third.
| ATLANTIC | GP | W | L | OT | PTS | GF | GA | HOME | AWAY | L10 | |
| NY RANGERS | 66 | 37 | 19 | 10 | 84 | 209 | 163 | 20-7-6 | 17-12-4 | 4-4-2 | |
| PHILADELPHIA | 67 | 36 | 21 | 10 | 82 | 220 | 218 | 18-11-6 | 18-10-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| NEW JERSEY | 66 | 34 | 24 | 8 | 76 | 187 | 189 | 21-9-3 | 13-15-5 | 5-3-2 |
We'll be back on Monday to recap weekend and preview the Boston game.
Finally, the streak is over. After a string of six games without a win (0-4-2), the Blueshirts snapped the funk with an ugly, yet huge, 5-4 victory over the Washington Capitals last night at Madison Square Garden. Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves, Michael Nylander racked up 3 assists, and Jaromir Jagr scored the game winner in a huge one for the Rangers.
Last night's game was anything but easy for New York. Scoring went back and forth throughout the game. First it was Steve Rucchin with a power play marker from in front, and then Petr Prucha tapping in a rebound on an odd-man rush to give the Rangers the early 2-0 advantage. Brian Sutherby would get one late in the 1st, and Brian Willsie notched one early in the 2nd and all of a sudden it was a tie game. After Petr Sykora's deflection goal on the power play off of Jagr's shot, Washington scored a pair of goals (Brian Muir & Chris Clark) to take a 4-3 lead. In the final minute of the period, Sandis Ozolinsh ripped a power play shot from the point through a screen and past Olaf Kolzig for his first goal as a New York Ranger. In the third period with the teams skating four aside, Jaromir Jagr set the ice on fire with a magnificent end-to-end rush in which he deked around a defender and skated right in front of Kolzig to put home what proved to be the game-winning goal.
The victory takes the Rangers to 37-19-10 and puts them in front of the Philadelphia Flyers by two points with 16 games to go in the NHL season. Saturday night at the Garden when the Maple Leafs visit the Rangers, New York can enter the game a little more relaxed since the losing streak is over. With a 14 point lead on the 9th place Atlanta Thrashers, New York is coming very close to clinching it's first playoff spot in 9 years.
Many
detractors of this year's strategy have failed to recognize the
importance of keeping Jarkko Immonen and Nigel Dawes in
Hartford. However, it is very important that Al Montoya
play in the AHL and that Mark Staal perfect his game before
making the big jump. The last thing the Rangers want is
another Dan Blackburn or Manny Malhotra where the team can
contribute to ruining some guy's career by bringing him up too
soon. A player like Hugh Jessimen needs a chance to mature
before breaking in with the big club. The truth is, a
major part of the rebuilding process is allowing the players do
develop and refine their craft before entering the NHL.
This New York Ranger team is a great mix of veterans and rookies,
and they are going to be a force in this league for years to
come with the balance they have got.
Marcel Hossa, despite harsh criticism, has the tools to be a
big-time player. The potential is there for sure. He
hasn't developed the hands yet, but he has size, speed, and
youth on his side. Tom Renney has made Hossa into his
project. Renney sees something in Hossa that others
haven't, and it is his goal to bring it out of him. Will
he be able to do it? Nobody knows, but they are
"rebuilding" here, and there's a guy that is getting ice-time
because of it.
Dominic Moore has potential too, and while
some fans are mad that at 25 he isn't Mark Messier, he needs to
be given the chance to grow and better his game. Moore
will likely contribute more offensively to go with his defensive
prowess in years to come. Jason Ward, arguably the hardest
working forward, is killing penalties and giving everything he's
got on every shift. Ward, a favorite for the Steven
McDonald Award for Extra Effort, also shows flashes of
offensive giftedness and had some success scoring in the
American League. Over the next few seasons, he will likely
improve.
Jarkko Immonen, and Nigel Dawes will likely replace Steve
Rucchin, and Martin Rucinsky next year-- Hossa will have a
chance to play too. Pock will replace Poti, and so on.
Sather and company are building a franchise that will be a Cup
Contender for many years to come, the fact that they're in first
place and have a legitimate shot at it this year are a bonus.
New York made great moves in bringing in Sykora and Ozolinsh
because they complement the style of play the coaching staff has
implemented.
The "WIN NOW" attitude of some fans cannot
wipe wipe away what is really going on here. The
Blueshirts are having a miracle season, and made great
adjustments to the roster that will the team a chance to go far
in the post-season this year. However, unlike previous
years, they are not sacrificing their future. One great
example was the decision to utilize Ryan Hollweg over Ville
Nieminen. Everyone loved Ville, but as Sather said,
Hollweg "hits a little harder." Ryan Hollweg is a wild-man
on the ice and his hitting is infectious. He's also a
rookie-- when's the last time the Rangers had this many rookies
on their team? Lundqvist, Prucha, Tyutin, Moore, and Betts
among others. This team also plays four lines, something
that hasn't been done for a long time. This squad is
designed to win in the new NHL, and by the looks of the younger
players-- that winning can continue for several years with this
core group of players.
0-4-2 in the last six? Yeah, it stinks to lose, but the
Rangers are still holding on to first place in the Atlantic,
with a game in hand on the Flyers. Unfortunately for the
Blueshirts, the Florida Panthers were slammed by Philadelphia
last night. The Flyer win makes tonight's game with
Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals even more
important for the Rangers. New York will need to rack up
some points in the next three games against non-playoff teams at
Madison Square Garden to stay on top of the division.
Carolina is the best team in the league and they proved it last night against the Rangers. Martin Gerber was terrific in stopping 41 of 44 Rangers shots in a 5-3 win for the Hurricanes.
Although beaten for the 6th straight time (0-4-2), New York had plenty of opportunities to score. A failed penalty shot attempt from Martin Straka and an unsuccessful breakaway for Marcel Hossa were just two golden opportunities the Rangers misfired on. Jaromir Jagr played through pain and had a strong game, picking up an assist and firing a team-high 6 shots on net.
Matt Cullen of the Hurricanes struck first and Michael Nylander of the Rangers answered back to keep things tied after one period. In the 2nd, Carolina took a 3-1 lead on a pair of goals by Doug Weight. New York cut the lead in half on a late power play goal by Nylander, his second of the game. In the third it was Mike Commodore scoring what proved to be the game winner, despite a late goal by Petr Sykora to make it close. Cory Stillman cashed in an empty-net goal with Kevin Weekes pulled for an extra-attacker in the final minute of play.
Thanks to the Islanders trouncing of the Devils in New Jersey, the Rangers loss did not truly effect their position in the standings. The two teams the Blueshirts need to worry about catching up to them are the Flyers and Devils-- more realistically the Flyers, but both teams are struggling as of late, much like the Rangers. Even with the losing streak, New York hold sole possession of first place in the Atlantic with a two point lead on Philadelphia, and 8 points on New Jersey.
With the next four Ranger games coming at home, the Blueshirts will need to reel off some points. Starting tomorrow, New York will play host to three teams in a row that are on the outside of the playoff picture. After those games are over, Philadelphia comes to town in a crucial late-season match-up in determining playoff positioning. The NHL post-season begins on April 21st, and if the Rangers can hold on to the Divisional lead, they will be home in the first round.
When the season began, nobody thought the Rangers (36-18-10) or Hurricanes (43-15-6) would make the playoffs, let alone find themselves ranked at the top of their respective divisions in mid-March. Carolina is the number one team in the NHL and has continued to roll, despite the loss of 30 goal scorer Erik Cole. At last week's deadline, the 'Canes trade for Mark Recchi will help fill the shoes of Cole. Eric Staal, Doug Weight, and Rod Brind'Amour are among those having phenomal seasons in Carolina. Martin Gerber has come out of nowhere to provide exceptional goaltending for Peter Laviolette's squad.
New York has hit a bump in the road lately, but they remain in first place despite their toughest stretch of the season. Picking up two points in the last five games is not a success by any means, yet there are reasons for the Rangers to view the glass as being half-full:
Although things may appear gloomy on the surface, several reasons to be optimistic are listed above. The Rangers will have an enormous test tonight on the road against a team that almost never loses at home (26-5-1), but New York is sure to give it everything they've got with the hopes of turning things around.
After an incredibly frustrating 1-0 loss on Saturday night in Montreal, the Blueshirts only managed to earn a point against the Atlanta Thrashers falling 3-2 in overtime at Madison Square Garden last night. The loss was the 5th consecutive for the Rangers, and all of those defeats have been by one goal.
New York had gone a span of 4+ games without a lead until Martin Straka broke a scoreless tie by beating Kari Lehtonen to the glove side, with a quick shot from the slot, in the second period of yesterday's match. Jaromir Jagr would score a beautiful backhand rebound goal, from deep in the zone, shortly after Straka's marker on the refined Rangers power play assisted by the returning Petr Prucha, and the newly acquired Sandis Ozolinsh. Atlanta knotted the score with a pair of third period goals by Ronald Petrovicky and Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk's tying goal came with under 5 minutes to go in regulation during a 5 on 3 power play. Marc Savard put home the game-winner during a power play in overtime. Despite having only one point to show for it, Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding in both weekend match-ups. Although winless in his last 4 starts, Lundqvist is first in the NHL in goals against average and save percentage.
With 18 games to go in New York's schedule, they are atop the Atlantic Division. The only bright part of the weekend was the help received from the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins in shutting down the Flyers on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Saturday's 6-5 loss was a crusher for the Flyers who led at multiple times during the game, only to have Mike Grier score with less than 5 seconds to go in the game. Sunday night was pretty awful to as Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins earned their first shutout of the 05-06 season with a 2-0 win in Pittsburgh. There was a span of 7 straight minutes of power play time (5-minute major & 2-minute minor) for the Flyers in the third in which they didn't get setup once, and only managed to muster up one shot on goal. As bad as the Rangers slide has been, the Flyers are feeling even worse. Philadelphia has played one more game than the Blueshirts and are two points behind them. In their 5 games against the Flyers, New York has picked up 8 points, and the Flyers have earned 5.
The Rangers next contest occurs tomorrow night in Carolina against the league's number one ranked team. Tom Renney and company had an incredible early portion of the season, but the cushion they built for themselves is gone and they are on the brink of a complete and utter disaster.
We'll be back on Monday to recap both important games the Rangers will be participating in this weekend.
"New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in exchange for San Jose’s third round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft (previously acquired by the Rangers from the Sharks for Ville Nieminen)." - newyorkrangers.com
Adding Sandis Ozolinsh to the lineup will give the power play a huge boost. Ozolinsh is among the best point-men in the league and is a deadly offensive weapon. It is likely that he will be paired with his Darius Kasparaitis, with whom he was paired in Juniors.
This site first brought up the name of Ozolinsh in an article on December 10th in which it was also suggested that Petr Sykora would be a great acquisition for the Blueshirts.
Click Here to read the aforementioned article
The Philadelphia Flyers were about to end the night without a point losing in regulation to the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Blueshirts appeared to be on their way two earning two huge points to pull futher ahead with a win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Incredulously, the Flyers tied the game with 6/10 of a second remaining in regulation and ultimately found themselves in the shootout when down a goal with Peter Forsberg as their last shooter. After Forsberg tied it, Niittymaki stoned Staal, and Simon Gagne put the puck past Martin Gerber for a miraculous comeback. In Atlanta, despite the Rangers scoring on their first two chance in the shootout, the Thrashers tied it with their last shooter (Victor Kozlov), Kari Lehtonen stopped Martin Straka's shot, and Marian Hossa beat Lundqvist for the win. Michael Nylander, Petr Sykora, and Marc Savard all scored in the shootout as well.
A huge factor that cannot go unnoticed is the pair of penalties Jaromir Jagr received for using an illegal stick. First it was in overtime, and then minutes later prior to the shootout which prevented him from getting a crack at the Atlanta goaltender. Jagr vehemently denied that Referee Don Koharski was correct in his assessment and claimed that the official was incorrectly using the measuring tool.
New York did not play their best at even-strength, or on the power play (1 for 9), but they did have a superb night in terms of penalty killing. Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers penalty killing units prevented Atlanta from registering a goal in all 8 of their power play opportunities.
Jaromir Jagr scored his 43rd goal of the season in the 1st period just seconds into a 5 on 3 advantage with a one-timer off a feed from Martin Rucinsky. Thomas Pock, who dressed for the second straight game due to Marek Malik's injuried shoulder, scored with 5 seconds remaining in the 2nd period to tie the game at 2-2. Ilya Kovalchuk was the first player of the night to get on the board notching his 40th goal on Atlanta's first shot. Serge Aubin scored the other regulation goal for the Thrashers.
The Rangers OT loss paired with Philadelphia's OT win, has the Blueshirts in first place by only one point in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers have 19 games remaining, while New York has 20 to go.
Last night was the final slate of games prior to the trade deadline which takes place this afternoon at 3pm Eastern time. New York already made a move in sending Ville Niemenen to San Jose for a 3rd round selection in this year's entry draft. The move frees up some room for a possible acquisition. Although a marquee talent may not be brought in at this year's deadline, New York will certainly be looking to attain a defensemen to help sure up their blueline en route to a run at the Stanley Cup. The Rangers will take aim at the Canadiens on Saturday night in Montreal, hoping to pick up their first win in four games.
With a two-game losing streak, tonight's game has become a significant one for the Blueshirts. Fear of a tailspin could certainly be running through the minds of fans and players alike, even if it is an overreaction. Back-to-back one goal losses have presented the Rangers with two missed opportunities to take steps closer to securing a playoff spot / first place in the Atlantic.
Although the Thrashers are out of the top 8 in the East, they have enough offensive weapons to scare even the strongest defensive team. Ilya Kovalchuk (39 g) and Marian Hossa (30 g) have combined for 69 goals; only Ottawa has a tandem with a greater number of goals (71) in Dany Heatley (36 g) and Daniel Alfredsson (35 g). Ironically enough, Heatley and Hossa were dealt for one another in the off-season.
New York was victorious in the two prior meetings with the Thrashers earlier this season. After tonight, these two team will battle at Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening for their final head-to-head match of the year.
With the trade deadline looming tomorrow at 3pm, the Rangers have found themselves in the midst of several rumors. Radio stations and newspapers throughout North America have mentioned New York as a possible destination for a power forward or a defenseman. Todd Bertuzzi, Keith Tkachuk, and Brian Leetch are among the big names that have been bandied about. Stay Tuned...
On what was supposed to be a celebrated return to home-ice for a beloved Rangers team, the fans left Madison Square Garden unhappy last night. The Carolina Hurricanes handed New York their second consecutive 2-1 loss. Martin Gerber carried the 'Canes on his back in the third period where the Rangers out-shot Carolina 17-0. Kevyn Adams (deflection) and Justin Williams (one-timer) scored goals in the first and second periods respectively to put New York down 2-0. Steve Rucchin cut the deficit in half early in the third period tapping in a rebound on the doorstep, but that was the end of the scoring.
Both teams had solid penalty killing and weak power plays-- New York was 0 for 5 and Carolina 0 for 7 with the man advantage; each team failed to convert during extended 5 on 3 opportunities. Jaromir Jagr did not have one of his better nights and took a couple of penalties at inopportune times in the 2nd period. Both Michael Nylander and Michael Rozsival were taken down on semi-breakaways resulting in power plays, but a penalty shot would have been a reasonable assessment on both plays. The biggest non-call of the night came in the third period just as a Carolina penalty expired and the Rangers were swarming in the offensive zone; the puck was passed out to Tom Poti on the right point, and a player from the Hurricanes bench reached out into the play with his stick and interfered with the play. Unbelievably, the play was noticed by 18,200 fans but unseen by both referees.
After winning 7 straight, the Rangers are now lost two in a row for the first time since back-to-back losses against Columbus and Detroit in the middle of January. The victory for the Hurricanes give them a 2-1 edge in the season series, but New York will have another crack at the league's top team in Carolina on a week from tonight. Wednesday night the Rangers will be back in action against the Atlanta Thrashers.
NOTES: Due to the absence of Marek Malik, who is dealing with an injured shoulder, Thomas Pock was inserted into his spot in the lineup and was paired with Michael Rozsival. Ryan Hollweg was dressed and played a very strong game with his linemates Dominic Moore and Jed Ortmeyer. Ville Niemenen was scratched and Marcel Hossa played on the line with Blair Betts and Jason Ward.
For the first time in a long time, 24 days to be exact, the New York Rangers will take to the ice in front of 18,200 fans at Madison Square Garden. It will be a homecoming tonight for Jaromir Jagr- the NHL's leading scoring and top candidate for the Hart Trophy. Henrik Lundqvist is sure to receive a huge ovation from the Garden Faithful when in his name is announced tonight prior to his first start since capturing a Gold Medal in the Olympics last weekend.
New York will meet a more than adequate challenge in the NHL's top ranked team, the Carolina Hurricanes. While Jagr has been mentioned as a front-runner for the Most Valuable Player, Eric Staal of the 'Canes is having an MVP-like season as well. Staal has clearly avoided the dreaded "sophomore jinx" with his 39 goals and 43 assists for 82 points in 60 games. At the age of 21, Staal appears to be a franchise player that Carolina can build around for the next decade. Another one of their top forwards who was having a career year was dealt with some really bad luck over the weekend. Erik Cole has been sidelined for the remainder of the 05-06 season after a hit from behind by Penguins Defenseman Brooks Orpik that injured Cole's neck. The hit occurred in Cole's 60th game of the season, one in which he tallied his 30th marker and 60th point of the year. Due to Cole's absence, Doug Weight will be shifted to the top line with Staal and Cory Stillman. Carolina recalled Andrew Ladd from the minors to replace Weight on the line with Rod Brind'Amour and Justin Williams.
Another big part of both New York's and Carolina's surprise successes is the coaching staff. Peter Laviolette has guided the Hurricanes to the leagues top record despite most pundits predicting his team would fail to qualify for the post-season. Tom Renney of the Rangers joins Laviolette in the running for the Jack Adams Award. Prior to the start of the season, Sports Illustrated selected the Rangers 30th overall, and the Hurricanes 28th overall.
New York enters tonight's game having won their last three home games, and 8 of their previous 10 at home. The Rangers bested the Hurricanes 4-3 at the Garden on Nov. 19th in the most recent meeting between these two teams.
When these two teams met in January, New York ended a 9-game Devil winning streak; last night it was New Jersey that put a stop to the Rangers streak of 7 straight victories. Martin Brodeur was solid and the Devils' team defense silenced the Blueshirts offense in a 2-1 triumph at the Continental Airlines Arena.
Kevin Weekes played well in his second consecutive start. He had no chance on Brian Gionta's power play one-timer that proved to be the game-winner. The first goal of the game scored by Scott Gomez was on a rebound off a Gionta shot that Weekes should have been able to control. Martin Rucinsky scored the Rangers' only goal of the evening on a break-away after Brodeur had a failed attempt to poke the puck away.
Once New Jersey took a 2-1 lead in the second period, they shifted into a defensive mode that slowed the game down and minimized scoring chances. Although the contest started out as a passionate and exciting game, it transformed into a neutral-zone-trap snooze-fest. Even Devil's play-by-play announcer Mike Emrick admitted to be bored with the style of play the home team instituted upon taking the lead. Jaromir Jagr, who had registered 15 points in the previous 5 games, was unable to penetrate the defense and create many significant scoring chances. There were a couple big chances where the Rangers came close to tying the game in the third period; Darius Kasparaitis cut to the net and released a back-hander that rung off the post, and Fedor Tyutin fired a point shot the deflected off the crossbar.
The regulation loss marks New York's first since Buffalo down the Blueshirts 2-1 on January 24. After a day off today, the Rangers will try to get back on the winning-track tomorrow night in thier first game at Madison Square Garden since before the Olympic break. Henrik Lundqvist will certainly be in goal tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes, currently the top ranked team in the NHL.
7 victories in a row has given the Rangers their longest winning streak in 13 years, and now the Blueshirts take aim at making it 8 straight against their cross-river rivals.
The New Jersey Devils have been a totally different team since Lou Lamoriello took over behind the bench mid-way through the season. Patrick Elias' return along with Martin Brodeur's return to excellence have both been key ingredients in the recent success of the Devils. Although their 31-22-7 record is slightly above average for the NHL, their 19-8-3 home-record is among the best in the league and will pose a challenge for a red-hot Ranger squad that has won its last 6 road games.
With New York's 3-1 win in their last match-up against the Devils on January 22, they improved their head-to-head record this season to 4-1-1 with New Jersey. With only two more games to go against the Devils, New York has clinched a victory of the season series, something they haven't done since 1996-97 (which was ironically enough the last time the Rangers were in the post-season).
Tonight will likely mark Henrik Lundqvist's return between the pipes for the Rangers. After leading Team Sweden to the Gold in last week's Olympics, New York must have even greater confidence that their goaltender is entirely capable of carrying them to the promised land. Jaromir Jagr looks to continue his torrid 6-game point streak (9-6-15) against a team he has averaged a point-a-game against this season (3-3-6).
With 80 points through 59 games, this is the latest the Blueshirts have been ranked first in the Atlantic Division since the 1995-96 season.
Last night in Philadelphia, the Rangers resumed their remarkable run with a 6-1 trouncing of the Flyers. Although it was the first Ranger game in nearly three weeks, due to the Olympic break, the Blueshirts picked right up from where they left off. The decisive victory extended their winning streak to 7-games, and gives them 6 consecutive W's on the road.
Kevin Weekes was fabulous, particularly early on, and picked up his third straight win. Jaromir Jagr continued his awesome play with 2 goals and an assist, to give him 15 points during his 6-game point-scoring streak. Special Teams for the Rangers were top notch yet again going 4 for 6 with the man advantage, and killing off 8 of 9 Philadelphia opportunities with the extra attacker.
These two points are big for New York as it gives them a 4-point lead on the Flyers for the Atlantic Division lead (with a game in hand). Unbelievably, the Rangers are now in primed for a run at the Stanley Cup. At 36-15-7, New York's 80 points are pulling ahead of the pack.
NOTES: Martin Rucinsky had a three point night (1g 2a), and both Jason Ward & Blair Betts had unassisted goals... Donald Brashear had an absolutely atrocious game, taking senseless penalty after senseless penalty and costing his team any chance at competing, registering 35 PIM when it was all said and done-- he failed to get even with Darius Kasparaitis for taking Simon Gagne out of action with a hip check last week in the Russia-Canada game; all he did was prevent his team from ever having a chance to compete... Henrik Lundqvist had the night off on his 24th birthday, but should return between the pipes on Saturday night against the Devils.
Tonight the Rangers will take to the ice for the first time since a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 11. Kevin Weekes was victorious in that game extending his personal winning streak to two games, and the team's streak to six. Coach Tom Renney has opted to give Henrik Lundqvist, the Gold Medalist, the night off and let Weekes get some action against the Flyers tonight in Philadelphia. Lundqvist would likely start Saturday night in New Jersey, and most certainly Monday night at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Philadelphia gets a major return to their lineup tonight in Peter Forsberg. After missing the Flyers final 8 games before the break with an injured groin, Forsberg played a key roll in the Swedes gold medal victory in Turin. Although they receive a huge boost with Forsberg's reinsertion to the lineup, their leading-scorer Simon Gagne will be out of action for two weeks due to a Darius Kasparaitis hip check in the Canada vs. Russia match last Wednesday.
Jaromir Jagr enters the stretch-run ranked first in the NHL in goals and points, and second in assists. His 40 goals have him on pace to break Adam Graves' Ranger record of 52 in one season that was set in 1994. In four games against the Flyers this year, Jagr has four goals and four assists. The last time New York was in Philadelphia, Jagr netted an overtime game-winner to keep the Rangers first place. He will also enter tonight's contest with a 5-game point scoring streak, scoring 7 times and having 5 helpers during that span. 12 points in his last 5 games? Not too shabby.
Currently, the Blueshirts are 19 points up on the 9th place Toronto Maple Leafs. With just 24 games to go in the season, the Rangers will be clinching a playoff berth for the first time in nine years very soon.
The team that was the hottest in the NHL prior to the Olympic break resumes their season tomorrow in Philadelphia against the Flyers. With a 10-1-1 record heading into the stoppage, the Rangers were on fire, and atop the Atlantic Division. Now, a few weeks later, Henrik Lundqvist helped take Team Sweden to the Gold. Ville Nieminen of Finland has a Silver medal, while Jaromir Jagr, Marek Malik, Martin Straka, and Martin Rucinsky all took home Bronze medals for the Czech Republic.
Coach Tom Renney has stated that Kevin Weekes will be in goal against the Flyers in tomorrow's match. Antero Niittymaki, the Flyers netminder, was the goaltender for Team Finland when they fell to Sweden and King Henrik in the final contest of the Torino Tournament.
New York's biggest concern throughout the Olympic Games was the fear of losing a key player due to injury. Jaromir Jagr had many fans holding their breaths when his head was smashed against the boards by Jarkko Ruutu. Jagr had several cuts on his head and which left a pool of blood on the ice. Fortunately for the Blueshirts, he did not sustain a concussion on the play and returned to action the following day. In the Bronze medal game, Jagr left after the second period due to a sore groin. He returned to the ice to for the medal ceremony, and has since said that he feels completely healthy. Ironically enough, Darius Kasparaitis injured his toe off a shot by Jaromir Jagr in that same game. Kasparaitis is still expected to play in tomorrow night's game.
Blair Betts, who has been out of action since spraining his knee on January 7, has been practicing with the team and should be ready this weekend. Petr Prucha sprained his knee a few days before the Olympic break, and should return to the lineup in about a week.
The Rangers were unbeaten in February (6-0), and will enter tomorrow night riding a six-game winning-streak.