Rangers Report Blog

A half a dozen games remain, and with Boston and Atlanta winning last night (thank the Devils again, gang), time might be running short for your heroes.

This was a good win, considering from where they had to come, down 0-2. But it’s really disturbing, isn’t it, that at this stage, with so much at stake, after tossing a point in the dumpster in the previous game, the Rangers couldn’t match the Islanders’ intensity and couldn’t play smart in the first period last night.

1) I thought Marc Staal was right there with the rest early on. He made a soft non-play on the deflection goal, and he got bumped and coughed up a pass shortly thereafter. But he rebounded very well and had another solid game.

2) The goalie has to stop coughing up those softies now. Nobody cares more than he does, and nobody feels as personally responsible as he does. I don’t question his want. But that’s a couple of games in a row with a really bad one.

3) I think Brandon Prust might turn out to be a decent player, and if I were him I’d be taking “sandpaper” lessons from Sean Avery. He doesn’t do those little annoying things yet, but if he could add those to his games, his value goes straight upward.

4) This guy, Blake Comeau, who scored his 13th and 14th goals last night for the Isles … that’s two more that Capt. Clutch. Ugh. And how about big Nik down in Atlanta, with 24-42-66!

5) Did anybody else find it ironic that the Islanders, whose games are on Cablevision-owned MSG Network, have a big Fios TV ad on their boards near center ice, and that ad was on the telecast pretty much all night?

6) As much as they’ve aggravated you with the near-fatal loss in Boston and the kicked-away loss in Toronto, the Rangers have seven of a possible eight points the last four games. They might need to sweep the Florida trip. The good thing about the next four games: It doesn’t matter if the opponent gets a point. It only matters that the Rangers get two.

7) If I was an NHL coach (No, Torts, I know I’m not) … I’d fine players who insist on using those breakable sticks, fine them every time one breaks and it costs a goal, or one of them breaks on the penalty kill, or one of them breaks on a point shot during a power play. In fact, I’d insist my PK guys use wooden sticks during PKs. But, you know, I don’t really think things out.
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By the way, the other day I went off about MSG’s baseball show, the Lineup, and ruffled some feathers over there. But I must say I really enjoy the show so far. It’s just that, as I said, so many positions are no-brainers, non-debates. Last night after Rangers-Islanders it was first base night, and Lou Gehrig won (surprise!) But it is interesting seeing and hearing about these guys. Gehrig had seven seasons of 150 or more RBI, and 12 seasons of hitting .300 or better! That’s good stuff.

From the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
March 30, 2010 – New York Rangers 4, New York Islanders 3 (Game #76, Road #37)
• The Blueshirts defeated the New York Islanders, 4-3, tonight at Nassau Coliseum, to close out their season series against the Islanders with a 3-2-1 record.
• New York improved to 34-32-10 (78 pts.) overall, including an 18-15-4 (40 pts.) mark in 37 road games this season.  The Blueshirts are now 2-0-1 on their current, season-high six-game road trip.
• Marian Gaborik notched his 40th goal of the season at 17:15 of the second period, marking the 21st time in franchise history a Rangers player tallied 40 goals in a season (including Mike Gartner’s 1989-90 season).  Gaborik is the 18th different Blueshirt player in team history to reach the 40-goal plateau, and the first since Jaromir Jagr set the single-season franchise record with 54 goals in 2005-06.  He has now registered seven points (four goals and three assists) in the last six games, including four points (three goals and one assist) in the last two games vs. the Islanders.
• After trailing 2-0 following the first period, Rangers Alternate Captain Vinny Prospal notched the Rangers first goal of the game at 1:14 of the second period, and later tallied the primary assist on Marc Staal’s game-winning goal in the third period.  He finished the contest with a plus-three rating in 20:28 of icetime.  Prospal has now registered six points (four goals and two assists) in the last six road games.
• Olli Jokinen tallied an unassisted goal at 12:57 of the second period to tie the score at two goals apiece, and added an assist on Prospal’s goal earlier in the frame to register his 11th multi-point performance of the season.  Jokinen also posted a plus-three rating and captured First Star honors, and has now recorded three points (one goal and two assists) in the last two games.
• Defenseman Marc Staal notched the game-winning goal at 5:05 of the third period and logged 25:18 of icetime.  Staal has registered five of his six goals away from MSG this season, tying for fifth on the team in road goals.
• Henrik Lundqvist made 25 saves in net to improve to 31-26-9 overall, including a 16-10-3 mark on the road this season.  He has now posted a record of 3-0-1 in the last four games, registering a 2.20 goals against average with a .928 save percentage and one shutout over the span.
• P.A. Parenteau registered an assist on Staal’s game-winning goal, and finished the contest with a plus-three rating in 17:50 of icetime.  Parenteau has now recorded a point in each of the last two games (one goal and one assist) since being recalled from Hartford (AHL) on Friday.
• Rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto registered the primary assist on Prospal’s second period goal, and has now recorded six points (two goals and four assists) in the last five games.
• Aaron Voros and Chris Drury each recorded an assist on Gaborik’s 40th goal of the season at 17:15 of the second period.  Voros has now skated in each of the last two games, having registered a game-high six hits on Saturday at Toronto, after not appearing in each of the previous 12 contests and 15 of the last 17 games prior to Saturday.  Drury has now registered six assists and seven points in the last nine games.
• The Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Mar. 31.
• The Rangers return to action on Friday, Apr. 2, when they will face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the St. Pete Times Forum (7:30 p.m.), in the first game of a back-to-back set.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

Nothing much needed to be said. They’re talking about the “easy” schedule the Rangers have on TV. Well, they lost to Toronto. Tonight it’s the Islanders. It doesn’t get easier than those two teams. The Rangers better get two points tonight.

As expected, Gilroy and Lisin are prucha’d, Callahan, Avery and Boyle are out injured, and Voros, Ericksson, Parenteau and Locke are in.

To repeat: The Rangers are in a stretch drive with Voros, Ericksson, Parenteau and Locke in the lineup. Nice depth.
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I am not at the game, and for once I must admit I’m glad to not be at the game. Hate that trip to Nassau, and hate that building, and have had some horrible experiences out there—including getting my car totaled and cheating death right at the intersection outside that dump. Hate it.

The race is still sitting there … thanks to the Bruins loss to Buffalo last night.

But the Rangers have to get points to stay in it. Four behind eighth-place Boston, with seven games left.

Beware, though. You can’t possibly expect the Islanders to mail it in the way they did last week at MSG … or can you? Are they so tanking it to improve their draft position?

I don’t believe it. I don’t believe they could possibly duplicate that lack of effort. I don’t think they could dream about being that bad again.

So it will be up to the Rangers to play better than they did in Toronto, probably better than they played in Jersey, and I’d guess definitely better than they played in that 5-0 surrendering by the Isles last Wednesday.

Because it’s still there.
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Did you see that Lee Stempniak, who was acquired by the Coyotes at the trade deadline, has 12 goals in 12 games since the deal? Talk about getting your money’s worth.
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Expect updates on Callahan, Avery, maybe Boyle later. Have a few things to do this morning. So I’ll stop by later, or at least pregame. I’d guess that Voros and Anders Eriksson stay in the lineup, Lisin and Matt Gilroy remain prucha’d and Corey Locke goes in Avery’s spot.

How could we possibly be having more rain?

Good morning, class. And Happy Passover.

As you know, the Devils rolled over for the Flyers last night, further lengthening your playoff chances, and forcing me to the realization that the second annual Boneheads “Paul Mara” Playoff Beard contest is probably not happening this year. Because even if they do squeak in on the final weekend, there won’t be enough time to organize it and get people involved (especially since the playoffs might not even last  a week).

Just another bad break for our traffic. This season we’ve had some bum breaks, including that we no longer have Sam Weinman full-time on the beat; that we had a stretch in one of our biggest months, November, in which the Rangers played three times in 13 days; that we had an Olympic break; that we had no coaching change as we had last year; no trades at the deadline; and now no playoffs. Ugh. It has all hurt our numbers to a degree, but you guys have still made this the biggest/best Rangers blog anywhere.

Anyway, just wondering if there’s something we could do here during the playoffs in place of the Paul Mara contest. Suggestions?
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MSG Network contacted me, to tell me I was wrong, that the guy in the radio commercial does say “Graig” Nettles not  “Craig” Nettles. They sent me an audio clip. To me it still sounds like Craig. I apologize.
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For those of youse who want to come on here and talk politics, try this site. And remember, 99 percent of all politicians give the rest a bad name.
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MORNING UPDATE, 11:24 AM: The Rangers have called up Corey Locke, apparently to take Avery’s spot.

Well, I thought the effort was OK last night, but the execution stunk, the D-zone coverage was awful again, the goalie—yeesh. Marian Gaborik was benched, Sean Avery joined Ryan Callahan and Brian Boyle on the lower-body injury list, Wade Redden continued to get a jersey while Matt Gilroy got a seat. Yada yada yada. And they’re still very much alive as Philly nosedives.
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So allow me to go off a bit about that baseball show that MSG is airing and promoting ad nauseum.

First of all, on one of the radio ads for the show, the guy said “Craig” Nettles, not Graig. That’s an automatic tell right there.

Now, the premise and the idea are not bad—the best players in New York baseball history at every position. And the shows are OK, good stuff on the nominees.

But in reality, it’s a joke, because in the end, pretty much every position is going to be filled by a Yankee, right? I mean, what’s even the sense of debating catcher (Yogi), first base (Lou Gehrig), shortstop (Jeter), third base (A-Rod) and two of the outfield spots (Ruth and DiMaggio). The only non-Yank who will get a sure spot, I think, is Willie Mays, though there are plenty who will argue for Mickey Mantle (my idol, but Willie was better).

Jackie Robinson should be a slam-dunk at second base (this sentence was edited in, after the author realized his brain stopped working late last night and he somehow forgot to mention Robinson).

The Mets could get starting pitcher, I suppose, in Seaver, though there will be competition from Koufax and Whitey Ford. Otherwise, Willie Mays will be the only ex-Met on the team. If there’s a reliever, that will be from the Yankees, too.

And the first episode: The five nominees at catcher were Yogi, Roy Campanella, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter and Jorge Posada. Jorge Posada!!!??

I think Posada is fabulous, underrated among his own teammates, a battler, etc. … but he doesn’t belong in there ahead of Bill Dickey, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson. The first two are Hall of Famers and MVPs. Munson would have been a Hall of Famer if his life wasn’t cut short. Posada never won an MVP, didn’t bat higher than fifth or sixth most of the time. Please.

Yogi won, so sanity did too.
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Not to push the topic, but do you think the Rangers could have done any worse in OT last night if they’d had three forwards and one defenseman on the ice? Do you think they could do any worse than 1-7 in OT this season with three forwards and one defenseman?
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Finally, a moment of silence for Johnny Maestro (of the Brooklyn Bridge) who passed this week.

From the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
March 27, 2010 – New York Rangers 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 3 OT (Game #75, Road #36)
• The Blueshirts were defeated by the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, in overtime tonight at Air Canada Centre, in an Original Six matchup.
• New York is now 33-32-10 (76 pts.) overall, including a 17-15-4 (38 pts.) mark in 36 road games this season.  The Blueshirts are now 10-5-3 (23 pts.) against the Northeast Division in 17 games this season.
• The Rangers have now posted a record of 37-20-11 (85 pts.) against Original Six opponents since the 2005-06 season, including a 10-6-3 mark vs. Toronto over the span. The Rangers’ .625 winning percentage ranks third, trailing Detroit (.710%, 33-12-5) and Montreal (.626%, 57-32-10), and ahead of Boston (.520%, 44-40-15), Toronto (.521%, 42-38-17), and Chicago (.453%, 21-26-6).
• New York’s penalty kill held Toronto scoreless in two power play attempts tonight and have now held opponents scoreless in the last four games, going 11-for-11 over the span (100.0%).  The Rangers have surrendered just six power play goals in 63 shorthanded chances vs. Northeast Division opponents this season for a 90.5% success rate.
• Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 of 32 shots in net, and is now 30-26-9 overall with a 15-10-3 mark on the road this season.  Entering tonight’s contest, Lundqvist’s 15 road wins was tied for sixth in the NHL.
• Defenseman Michal Rozsival registered two assists and a plus-two rating, and led all skaters with 25:45 of icetime.  He has now registered five multi-point performances on the season, and ranks third among team defensemen in assists and tied for third in points.
• P.A. Parenteau notched the game’s opening goal at 10:25 of the first period, and tied for the team-high with four shots in 16:03 of icetime after being recalled from Hartford yesterday.
• Brandon Dubinsky tallied one goal and four shots in 21:09 of icetime.  He has now registered four points (two goals and two assists) in the last five games.
• Erik Christensen recorded one assist and won a team-high seven faceoffs in 12 attempts (58%).  Christensen has now tallied 12 points (three goals and nine assists) in the last 14 games, including four assists in the last three games.
• Olli Jokinen registered one assist and three shots in 16:07 of icetime.  Jokinen has recorded 31 of his 46 points at even strength this season.
• The Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Mar. 28.
• The Rangers return to action on Tuesday, Mar. 30, when they will face-off against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum (7:00 p.m.), in an Atlantic Division matchup. The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

The Maple Leaves are making their own push, so I expect this game will be entertaining, intense, and probably nasty.

Which is probably part of the reason Aaron Voros is being de-prucha’d. I suspect that Jokinen might have been prucha’d if Callahan hadn’t been hurt. Instead it looks as if it will just be Lisin prucha’d and P.A. Parenteau in the lineup.

Also, Matt Gilroy is prucha’d. And somehow Redden survives to play another day. Wow.

Boston won this afternoon, the dropping-like-a-stone Flyers lost.

Enjoy.

I used this quote from Tortorella the other night, and in my column:

“There’s no sense of feeling the pressure here,” he said. “You lose a couple of games here with so few games left, you’re done. So you just go out and play, and we’ve talked as a group. A lot of people poke holes in us. A lot of people are poking holes, and rightfully so. We’ve had a very up and down season. I’m not complaining about that. But we can’t listen to that. We’ve got to stay within ourselves and find a way to grind and get points here. Whether we get there or not, I don’t predict it. But we’re going to keep on fighting and see where we’re at in the end.”

And I got to thinking that maybe the best thing for this team was the feeling that the season might already be lost.

Now it can go out and play, like a spoiler. That “nothing to lose” attitude can work wonders for teams in all sports late in seasons, mostly for bad teams out of races who suddenly have a strong finish, out of nowhere.

The thing with the Rangers is that they are still in the race, technically, if they can use this newfound loosey-goosey thing to their advantage. We’ve already seen what a simple two-game winning streak can do in a tortoise race like this.

But then the problem becomes, once they are back up and running in the race, are they able to maintain the “nothing to lose” feeling?

The Rangers just announced that P.A. Parenteau (Mr. Shootout) and defenseman Anders Eriksson have been recalled from Hartford.

Hmmm. I know Callahan’s hurt and Brian Boyle’s dinged up, but I am wondering if Mr. Jokinen and/or Mr. Lisin, and/or one of the defensemen (Redden) might be taking a seat tomorrow in Toronto. And if Aaron Voros might be de-prucha’d.

See the quotes on Jokinen and Lisin in last night’s post.
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AFTERNOON UPDATE, 4:43 p.m.: Here’s a link to a video explaining the new head-shot rules.