Rangers Report Blog

Ouch. They just showed the 2002 New Year’s Eve game in Raleigh, which dredged up all sorts of bad memories for me … spending all those New Year’s Eves on the road. That one was particularly terrible. I remember the game was bad (the Rangers won, but good God were they bad). I remember the clown at the hotel bar wanted to close before midnight. There was another New Year’s Eve in Denver where these rednecks were firing guns in the street. There was one in Edmonton when it was 14-below.

For that 2002 game , it had already been determined that I was leaving the beat. I was down to my last few games at that point, and with a lot of mixed emotions.
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That Rangers decade in review they just showed on MSG was pretty good, but it shows you how bad the decade has really been … that those were the top 10 moments. Yeesh.
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Thought I’d give you another clean slate here because the other one was already getting crowded and we expect some heavy traffic tonight. Even Jerkins Perkins is back!

Sorry, CR9, but the streak with the headlines such as “Rangers at Hurricanes” is long over.

Anyway, you can check the math for me, because mine is always fuzzy, but I have the Rangers at 38-34-10 for the calendar year 2009. Which is really hard to believe, because for most of the calendar year they were pretty pathetic and you guys were pretty angry. Justifiably so.

Speaking of angry, that’s what I will be if any of you boys and girls plan to go out partying tonight and aren’t arranging transportation home. DO NOT GET BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A BYFUGLIEN CAR IF YOU DRINK!

Carp’s gettin’ upset. I’m also already sick and tired of this: 2K10. Please. Golf Channel, for example, is beating the heck out of 2K10. How is it easier to say 2K10 than 2010?! How?!

Going back to that 2009 record (this season only), it’s also hard to believe a team can be 18-17-4 with a seven-game winning streak and a four-game winning streak. Isn’t it?

Here are tonight’s pregame notes. Don’t forget it’s an 8 p.m. start.

Me and Mrs. Carp are going out for an early dinner; that’s why the game thread is going up a little early. Hope to be back in the chair at HQ, and online with youse guys, by faceoff. PS, I’m going to the game Saturday and at least one of the games early next week, if not both. Sounds like the new boss wants to cover more hockey in 2010! He’s a Rangers fan.

Can I just say that Brandon Dubinsky should be embarrassed for his defensive play? And that Marian Gaborik should be embarrassed for his defensive play? And that Dan Girardi should be embarrassed for his defensive play? And Michael Del Zotto should be embarrassed for his defensive play? And that Christopher Higgins should be embarrassed for his defensive play? And __ (you fill in the name) should be embarrassed for his defensive play?

Before I begin my analysis, yes, that’s me over there on the right at a family Christmas party. No, I don’t do drugs and I don’t drink anymore. Just happy to be away from the laptop for a couple of hours. Maybe it was the sugar I shouldn’t have had.

Now …

1) I agree with Tortorella that he can’t just go nutso after every game like this, and maybe he’s already played that card too many times, but where is the accountability? How does the Gaborik-Dubinsky line keep going out there, especially with another game the next night? As useless as I think Brashear the the fourth line are, if there’s ever a time for them to eat minutes, it was the third period of this game.

2) Along the same lines, I don’t have any idea, none whatsoever, what a coach or a staff can do to stop the pathetic, weak, sorry stick-checking around the net. I don’t know what can be said or done to stop players from doing the worst thing you can do to your goalie (or goalies in this case).

3) I know they all say Higgins is a good guy and that he does a lot of things well, and that he plays hard and straight ahead, and with a conscience in his own end, and for being on the right side of the puck. But I’m starting to think it was a miracle that this guy actually used to score goals.

4) Somebody on MSG Network said that it’s hard to figure out this Rangers team. Really, it isn’t. This team at its best is mediocre. At its worst it’s dreadful. So when this team plays without effort or smarts, it is going to get its shorts kicked.

5) That guy on the new Geico commercials—the ones with Too Tall Jones and Charlie Daniels—he looks just like Mike Sullivan, doesn’t he? Only he smiles.

Here are the official game summary and event summary.

New poll down the right side of the page. Honeymooners and Three Stooges in less than 24 hours, baby!

From the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
December 30, 2009 – New York Rangers 0, Philadelphia Flyers 6 (Game #39, Home #20)
* The Rangers were defeated by the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-0, to snap their five-game points streak (4-0-1); the five-game point streak was the Blueshirts longest since winning seven consecutive games from Oct. 3 vs. Ottawa to Oct. 17 at Toronto.

• The Blueshirts are now 18-17-4 (40 pts.) on the season, including an 8-10-2 mark at home.
• The Rangers out-shot the Flyers, 12-2, in the third period.
• Goaltender Chad Johnson made his NHL debut, stopping 17 shots after entering the game at the beginning of the second period.
• Rangers Alternate Captain Ryan Callahan led all skaters with six hits; he has now registered 136 hits on the season to rank third in the NHL.
• Rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto logged a team-high, 23:02 of icetime, and recorded four hits and two blocked shots; he currently ranks third in the NHL among first year players in total icetime (765:32).
• Christopher Higgins led the Rangers with four shots in 19:59 of icetime.
• Two Rangers prospects rank among tournament leaders at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships; Team USA Captain Derek Stepan is currently tied for the tournament lead in scoring with eight points (three goals and five assists) following a four point (two goals and two assists) performance in yesterday’s 12-1 victory over Latvia; Chris Kreider is currently pacing Team USA in goal scoring, tying for the tournament lead with four goals in three games after notching a hat trick yesterday vs. Latvia; Team USA next plays Canada tomorrow, December 31st, to close out their preliminary schedule and determine the winner of Group A.
• The Rangers return to action tomorrow, Dec. 31, when they will face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center (7:00 p.m.), in the first game of a home-and-home set; prior to the game, the Blueshirts’ morning skate is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at RBC Center; the game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.
  POST-GAME QUOTES
  John Tortorella on going forward… “We start over.  That is the best thing for us right now is to get on a plane and play.  Some things, obviously, there has to be some discussion on certain situations but we have to start over.  We have to start over.  The best thing for us is to play right away.”
  Henrik Lundqvist on tonight’s game… “We were into a really nice rhythm before the break.  The last two games, I think, our energy was okay but not tonight.  In our zone, we have to be ready to battle.  We just made it way too easy.”
  Marian Gaborik on tonight’s game… “We weren’t ready.  They got three quick goals and then nothing was working out for us.  It is obviously unacceptable.  The positive thing is that we play tomorrow.  We need to redeem ourselves.”

In case you missed it, Canada unveiled its powerhouse Olympic team roster. Wow.

Also, in case you missed it, at this point there are only two Rangers—Gaborik and Lundqvist—on any of the Olympic teams. Ryan Callahan has a shot at being on the US team that will be announced Friday during the Winter Classic telecast—perhaps aided by Tortorella being an assistant coach.

What does that tell you about the fine roster put together at the World’s Most Famous?
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To repeat, Christensen is in tonight for Prospal, and if Capt. Drury can’t play, then Voros will be de-prucha’d for the first time in December. Lundqvist in goal tonight and tomorrow.

Here are tonight’s pregame notes. See youse during the game.

According to Andrew Gross, Chris Drury may not play tonight. He missed practice yesterday for personal reasons, and is ill today. So Aaron Voros, who was prucha’d for the entire month of December, might get a shot.

Gross also reports that Tortorella said Chad Johnson will not start tomorrow in Raleigh.

After all this silly downtime that is sure to catch up with them, the Rangers go back-to-back to close out 2009 and to begin a stretch of 21 games in the next 39 days, with only two breaks of two days each. In other words, for the next six weeks, they’re playing just about every other night.

To say this is make or break might be accurate. This will also be a time when the Rangers need to find and use a backup goalie, whether that’s Chad (Dos Nueve) Johnson or somebody else. I think Johnson gets the New Year’s Eve game in Raleigh, especially if the Rangers can win tonight.

Henrik Lundqvist cannot play 21 games in 39 days, then go to the Olympics, and be expected to have anything left down the stretch. John Tortorella talked about that, among other things, yesterday. Here’s Tortorella’s press conference after Tuesday’s practice.
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We know most of the Olympic rosters already. Today Canada announces its team. Friday, during the Winter Classic telecast, Team USA is announced.You can supposedly watch Canada’s announcement live here, starting at noon.

From the Rangers:

2010 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP/RANGERS PROSPECTS UPDATE
New York, December 29, 2009 – All four Rangers prospects participating in the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships were in action today.
In the United States’ 12-1 victory over Latvia, Chris Kreider led all skaters with three goals, completing his hat trick on a penalty shot with 1:14 remaining in regulation.  Team USA Captain Derek Stepan tied for the game-high with four points, notching two third period goals and assisting on two of Kreider’s goals.  Ryan Bourque recorded the primary assist on the game-winning goal, and now has an assist in each of the last two games.  Through three games, Stepan leads the team with eight points (three goals and five assists), Kreider has notched a team-high four goals to go along with five points and Bourque has registered two points (two assists) as Team USA improved to 3-0-0 in the tournament.  Stepan is currently tied for the tournament lead in points, while Kreider is tied for first among all skaters in goals.
Roman Horak was also in action as Czech Republic defeated Austria, 7-1, to improve to 1-2-0 in the tournament.
The United States next plays Canada and the Czech Repbulic next plays Russia as both teams close out their preliminary round schedule on Thursday, December 31st.

I am so wrapped up in year-end and decade-end stories right now that I haven’t even considered what Mrs. Carp and I will do New Year’s Eve.

But I have a dilemma New Year’s Day. The Winter Classic (are you allowed to say that without including the sponsor’s title, or will the NHL come after me?). I think it’s a pretty cool idea and a very cool game to watch, and it might be even cooler—literally and figuratively—if it snows that day, as expected.

Which makes me wonder, what if we get a blizzard? Or worse, what if it rains?

Anyway, the NHL has bombarded us with ads for this game, and so has NBC. Obviously trying to jack ratings as high as possible, rope in casual fans, etc. We hockey fans are well aware of it already, thank you.

My problem is this: The Honeymooners marathon starts at midnight New Year’s Eve and goes all day—39 episodes—on Channel 11. Any of you guys with me on this? Can you possibly turn away from The Honeymooners if it’s on?

Depending on the episode, I can turn away from time to time to see what’s going on at Fenway.

Will you guys be glued to either one?

Sorry this is late, but I’m sure you’re aware we’ve had some tech problems today.

I think the Rangers sabotaged us.

I’m kidding.

Here’s the official word from the Rangers on Prospal:

VINNY PROSPAL UNDERGOES ARTHROSCOPIC KNEE SURGERY
Procedure Performed This Morning at Phelps Memorial Hospital
New York, December 28, 2009 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Vinny Prospal underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this morning to repair a lateral meniscus tear, and will be sidelined 10 days to three weeks.  The injury was sustained during Saturday’s game against the Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
The procedure was performed this morning at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Westchester by Dr. Anthony Maddalo.
Prospal, 34, has registered eight goals and 24 assists for 32 points, along with 22 penalty minutes in 38 games this season.  He currently leads the Rangers and is tied for 19th in the NHL in assists.  He also ranks second on the team in points and third in goals.  Prospal has recorded seven multi-point performances this season, including a three-point performance (two goals and one assist) on the night he tallied his 200th career NHL goal on October 14 against Los Angeles.  In addition, the 15-year veteran registered his 600th career NHL point with a goal in his Garden debut on October 3 vs. Ottawa, and skated in his 900th career game on November 28 at Pittsburgh.