Rangers Report Blog

First, my favorite NHL Halloween story ever. Stop me if I’ve told you this (oh, wait, you can’t stop me).

In 1998, the Rangers signed free agent Scott Fraser from Edmonton for mega bucks (yeah, that Smith-Muckler tandem sure produced some beauties). Fast as lightning. But another Lisin, Kotalik, Higgins, Joe Murphy, Rico Fata, rolled into one. He’d finish the season 2-4-6 in 28 games, and minus-12. But with a lot of money.

Anyway, Halloween of that year, the Rangers players had their annual party. Fraser shows up in a ski mask holding a bag.

“Who are you supposed to be?” teammates would ask.

“My agent,” Fraser replied.
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I’m going to let the professionals sort out the Zuccarello situation, if it even exists. The only stories about the whole incident are in Swedish and Norwegian. The Rangers are skating at noon today, and I’m sure at least some of the writers will make it back from Toronto in time to ask some questions. According to some already, the situation—reports that Zuccarello is going back to Sweden—is news to the Rangers.

We’ll see. I’m off today and it would have to be a lot bigger news than that to get me to give up my day.

From the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES AND QUOTES
October 30, 2010 – New York Rangers 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 0 (Game No. 10, Away No. 5)

*       The Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-0, tonight at Air Canada Centre to improve to 5-4-1 overall, including a 4-1-0 mark on the road.

*       The Blueshirts registered a season-high, 35 blocked shots in the contest, led by defenseman Steve Eminger’s five blocked shots.  New York has now registered 65 blocked shots in their last two contests at Toronto, having recorded 30 blocked shots against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 21.

*       Henrik Lundqvist posted his 25th career shutout, and first of the season, stopping all 36 shots he faced in the contest to improve to 4-3-1 on the season, including a 3-1-0 mark on the road.  With the shutout, Lundqvist passed Mike Richter, Chuck Rayner and Lorne Worsley for fourth on the Rangers’ all-time regular season shutouts list.  He is now 3-1-0 in his last four starts, registering a 1.78 goals against average, .951 save percentage and one shutout over the span.

*       Ryan Callahan notched a penalty shot goal with 1:25 remaining in the second period to extend his scoring streak to six games, registering nine points (four goals, five assists) over the span.  It was Callahan’s first career penalty shot goal and second career attempt, and the first penalty shot goal by a Ranger since Sean Avery successfully converted his attempt on Feb. 14, 2010 vs. Tampa Bay (M. Smith) at MSG.  He also registered a team-high, six shots and logged 19:29 of ice time in the contest.  Callahan, who has tallied a goal in four straight games (four goals), now leads the team in assists (seven), points (11) and shots (41), and is tied for second in goals (four).

*       Brian Boyle opened the game’s scoring with an even strength goal at 13:12 of the first period and recorded three blocked shots, and has now registered two goals in the last three games.  Boyle has now tied his career-high with four goals on the season, and is tied for second on the team in goals.

*       Brandon Prust recorded the primary assist on Boyle’s first period goal and tallied three blocked shots.  Prust also registered a fighting major in the first period, and is now tied for the league lead with four fighting majors on the season.

*       Dan Girardi registered one assist, four hits and four blocked shots in a game-high, 25:13 of ice time.  Girardi is now tied for the NHL lead with 35 blocked shots, and ranks second among team defensemen with four assists and five points

*       Defenseman Michael Del Zotto registered four blocked shots and logged 21:56 of ice time.

*       The Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, October 31.

*       The Rangers will return to action on Monday, Nov. 1, when they will host the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in their fourth game in six nights.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network, and can be heard on 970 The Apple.

The Rangers and Maple Leaves (correct spelling) see each other for the third time already this season, each winning on the road. 

As for lineup changes, I have no idea. I’m at a football game, not in Toronto. 

So I don’t know of Boogaard (hand infection) can play … this is one of the few opponents where you need a guy like him . Don’t know if John Tortorella goes to Martin Biron, who won solidly the last time the Rangers played here (and thus gives Lundqvist a night off on the second of back-to-backs and has him ready for the Stanley Cup champs Monday).

No idea if there are any lineup changes … though the only three that could be made would be Boogaard in for somebody up front (Grachev, White, Christensen?) and Sauer de-prucha’d for a D-man (Gilroy or Eminger?), and a goalie switch.

No clue. (as usual).

Perhaps some of youse plugged into the pre-game show, or to the other sites, can fill in the blanks (unless you’re watching the Knicks home opener tonight … yeah, right).

I like these quick turnarounds. Of course, I didn’t have to catch a flight early this morning, then go through customs, and arrive at my hotel too early for check-in, etc. as I did in the good ol’ days.

Below is an abbreviated version of tonight’s notes (to read more, click “more”). I’m at another assignment all day, and hope to be back in the chair by puck drop.

Some thoughts on Canes-Rangers:

1) I really wonder if there is a better duo in all the NHL at down-low wall play, cycling as they call it, than Sean Avery and Ruslan Fedotenko. And also wonder if they shouldn’t be the second PP unit. They could really dominate against only four opponents—as they do against five—while their center and two pointmen skate to open ice.

2) When Ryan Callahan plays like this, that’s when you see a “C” sewn on his chest someday, and when you think that he might someday be more than a second-line winger. And it’s stretches like these that make you say—in past years—that he should have more offensive numbers at the end of the season. Say the same for Brandon Dubinsky.

3) Do you think John Tortorella goes to Martin Biron tonight, then Lundqvist back home against the champs on Monday?

4) Of course they lost last night. They were without Derek Boogaard.

5) Marc Staal really needs to eliminate some of the head-scratching defensive plays, because he’s starting to find some offense, and at times looks ready to live up to the hype … then he has one of those WTB? plays.

6) Did youse see the byfuglien goal Big Buff scored to beat Buff? Byfuglien=Monster.

7) Loved the new word added to the vocabulary last night. In case you missed it: carcfillo=shift.
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Here are the notes, from the Rangers. They misspelled Leaves:

NEW YORK RANGERS at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Saturday, Oct. 30, 7:00 p.m.
Air Canada Centre • Toronto, ON
Rangers: 4-4-1 (9 pts)
Maple Leafs: 5-3-1 (11 pts)

• All information through NHL games on Oct. 29

  TONIGHT’S GAME:
  The Rangers will conclude their second back-to-back set of the season tonight when they will face-off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre (7:00 p.m.), in an Original Six match-up. The Rangers enter tonight’s contest having been defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, last night at Madison Square Garden, and are now 4-4-1 (9 pts) on the season. The Maple Leafs enter the contest with a 5-3-1 (11 pts) record, having lost four of their last five games (1-3-1). Following tonight’s contest, the Rangers will return home to host the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, on Monday, Nov. 1, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in their fourth game in six nights.

  (more…)

John Tortorella:

 ”We fought back a couple of times. I thought we did a lot of good things underneath the hashmark offensively. We just couldn’t get the lead. And it’s frustrating.”

On the PK and d-zone coverage:

“You look at the goal in the second period where they go up 2-0. We’re really good, where our defense is not allowing plays to come between the defenseman and the post out in the slot area. (Rozsival) is there, but he isn’t, and it doesn’t get done. We made some mistakes defensively. But some of it, it’s one of those games that ends up being wide open. Both teams were wide open.

“But we have to continue to work in our end zone on some of the things. I’m really happy about a lot of things with our team, but there are some things that we still have to work on to be a better club.”

On the penalties:

“The one that frustrated me, and we get scored on again, it’s the same play Michael Del Zotto did the prior game. You can’t do it. You can’t. No matter if you agree with it or not, that’s what they’re calling. You can’t do it. It’s a penalty.”

“Now at the end of the game, on the goal, Dubi gets blatantly interfered with penalty killing, and prior to that, the penalty called (on Brian Boyle), I don’t get it. And I’m not going to whine. I don’t want to whine about it. But it just frustrates the hell out of me when two teams fight so hard and you end up, it’s really a non-call there. And that’s frustrating. I guess I am whining a little bit, but it just pisses me off. It does because I think the teams need to decide it.

“And then after that, Dubi’s is a blatant interference on the faceoff he loses before the power play goal is scored. Blatant interference.”

On the work ethic:

“Yeah, we did a lot of good things. I still think we have to close up our neutral zone at times. I still think our gaps need to be better. Defensively we still have to work on things. But I’m not unhappy with the work habit of the hockey club tonight. We did a lot of good things that way.”

On Chistensen and Frolov, whom he had kind of called out before the game:

“Played much better. They did. Erik on the power play, on that one power play he was dominant, and he made other good plays. And Frolov also. So hopefully we can continue.

“You can’t get down. You don’t get rewarded but we still have to continue to work at how we’re going to play. I thought it was more consistent tonight. Although we made some mistakes, I thought it was more consistent on how we want to play.”

On home vs. road records:

“Last year you could crawl all over us about our (home) starts. Our starts have been good. I thought we played a harder game, more consistently, tonight than the other night. Again, tonight we still made some mistakes, but we were much harder.

“I don’t even want to talk about it because I think we talk ourselves into it. We’ve got to keep on fighting here. You can’t break apart. It’s still early, but we have to keep on trying to recreate ourselves as far as how we’re going to play. We need to stay consistent with that and I think things will bounce our way, home or away.”

On whether Stepan did more of what he wants to see.

“At times. He was better, he was better. There’s still a lot of work there, and there’s going to be for quite a while.”

From the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES AND QUOTES

October 29, 2010 – New York Rangers 3, Carolina Hurricanes 4 (Game No. 9, Home No. 5)

•The Rangers were defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, tonight at Madison Square Garden, to conclude their three-game homestand (1-2-0).  New York is now 4-4-1 overall, including a 1-3-1 mark at home.

•The Blueshirts tied their season-high with two power play goals in five attempts (8:10), and have now notched four power play goals in the last four games (4-19, 21.1%).

•New York registered a season-high, 43 shots on goal, including 18 in the second period.  The 43 shots were the most by the Rangers since they recorded 44 shots on goal in a 5-0 win vs. the Islanders on Mar. 24, 2010.

•Ryan Callahan notched the Rangers’ first goal, on the power play, at 4:06 of the second period, and added an assist to extend his scoring streak to five games (three goals, five assists over the span).  He also led all skaters with seven shots, tied of the game-high with five hits and logged 20:30 of ice time.  With two points in the contest, Callahan has now recorded three consecutive multi-point performances.

•Brandon Dubinsky tallied an even strength goal at 15:43 of the third period to extend his scoring streak to four games, registering five points (two goals, three assists) during the stretch.  Dubinsky also led all forwards with 20:47 of ice time, and currently ranks first among team forwards with 21:27 of ice time per game.

•Marc Staal registered a power play goal at 12:24 of the second period, and registered three hits in 22:17 of ice time.  He has now recorded five points (two goals, three assists) in 13 meetings head-to-head against his older brother, Eric Staal, who has registered four goals and five assists in those contests.

•Artem Anisimov tallied the primary assist on Callahan’s power play goal and registered four shots in 19:38 of ice time, and has now recorded four points (two goals, two assists) in the last five games.

•Michal Rozsival registered one power play assist, three hits and two blocked shots in 23:15 of ice time.  He has now recorded five points (one goal, four assists) in the last five games, and leads all team defensemen in scoring with seven points (two goals, five assists).

•Erik Christensen and Alex Frolov each recorded an assist on Staal’s power play goal.  Christensen also registered four shots and won eight faceoffs in 13 attempts (62%).  Frolov has now tallied a point in five of nine games this season.

•Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves in net and is now 3-3-1 on the season, including a 1-2-1 mark at MSG.  He has now stopped 30 or more shots in five of his seven appearances this season.

•Dan Girardi registered a game-high, six blocked shots and recorded three shots and three hits in 21:20 of ice time.  Girardi is currently ranked second in the NHL with a team-high, 31 blocked shots on the season.

•Michael Del Zotto logged a game-high, 23:54 of ice time, and registered three blocked shots in the contest.  Del Zotto ranks second on the team and 19th in the league, averaging 24:21 of ice time per game.

•The Rangers will return to action tomorrow, October 30, when they will face-off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre (7:00 p.m.), to close out their back-to-back set.  The game will be televised live on MSG Plus, and can be heard on AM 1600 WWRL.  Please note there is no morning skate scheduled prior to the contest.

POST-GAME QUOTES
John Tortorella on the team’s work ethic… “We did a lot of good things.  I still think we have to close up our neutral zones at times.  I still think our gaps need to be better.  Defensively we still have to work on things but I am not unhappy about the work ethic of the hockey club tonight.  We did a lot of good things that way.”

 Henrik Lundqvist on tonight’s game… “It is very disappointing. It was a pretty good game.  I thought we played pretty well.  A lot of chances both ways.  It is a tough way to lose a game.  I thought we played pretty well.  Their power play played pretty well.  It is a little frustrating when you lose that late in a game when you have a chance to get a big win.”

 Marc Staal on tonight’s game… “Both goalies played great, (Cam) Ward has been playing well all season long. We were getting good opportunities around the net in tight. We were working them in low and finding pucks in the crease.   We were unable to squeak a few by when we needed them but we did create a lot of offense and that’s something that we can bring into tomorrow and try and build on.”

Ryan Callahan:

“I’m happy that I’m starting to put away my chances, but unfortunately we’ve got to get the win there. Maybe if I bury that 2-on-1 we have a better chance at it.”

“I looked at Dubi. The defenseman looked like he was playing him pretty hard, so I took it to the middle and tried to get a good shot, and he made a good save on me. Obviously I want to score there, but unfortunately it didn’t happen that way and they come back down and score, so it makes it a little bit more frustating that it didn’t go in.”

”(Cam Ward) played a good game. We had our chances. You’ve got to give him credit where credit’s due. Hank played great for us, too, and gave us a chance to win. He kept us in the game, and unfortunately we didn’t bury the next one that we needed and they did.”

“We’ve got to tighten up defensively still. We know we’re still running around a little bit in our defensive zone. I think that will come with time. I think we’ve gotten better through the first part of the season here, and everybody’s starting to get better at it and starting to get used to it, but we still have to tighten up some and limit their chances.”

On home-ice:

“I try not to look too much into it, to be honest with you. The first couple of home games I didn’t feel we played our best, but tonight I thought we played pretty well. Obviously we need to bury a couple more of our chances and limit theirs, but it’s just a mindset. We’ve got to come out hard and continue that for a full 60 minutes, whether we’re home or away. We’ve got to keep the same gameplan and stick to it.”

Marc Staal:

“I thought in the second we were having problems getting it out of our zone cleanly. We had a lot of turnovers before our blue line and in the neutral zone, and I thought that caused them to have a little momentum. Obviously there’s things we can tighten up.”

“Both goalies played great. Ward’s been playing well all season long. We were getting good opportunities in tight. We were working them down low and finding pucks in the crease and just unable to squeak a few by him when we needed them. But we did create offense.”

On home-ice:

“I don’t know. It just seems to be at the end of games it slips through our fingers and we need to find a way to correct that in a hurry. As good as we’ve been on the road, we need to do that at home to be successful. We need to start getting a winning record here.”

“We’ve had a good offense this year and when we’re forechecking we’re creating a lot of chances, and that should make it easier on us defensemen and goalies. But it seems right now bounces are slipping by us, and a few goals at certain times have been costing us at home.”

Henrik Lundqvist:

“It felt like I was on in the third and I felt I could help the team here get a point or two points, but not tonight.”

“They’re a fast team. They did a good job of hunting pucks down and knife through us. … but I thought we created enough chances to win this game. But unfortunately we came up short.

“I felt good. I had a good feeling that we could do this, we’d get a good win at home. But again we lose a game short-handed late in the game. It’s always tough to lose that way. But we definitely created enough chances to win the game. But, you know, we came up short and, oh, very disappointing.”

To repeat:

Boogaard is out with an infected hand. Evgeny Grachev makes his NHL debut, wearing No. 91 and playing on a fourth line.

Here’s the probable lineup:

Frolov-Stepan-Prust
Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan
Avery-Boyle-Fedotenko
Christensen-White-Grachev

Staal-Rozsival
Del Zotto-Girardi
Gilroy-Eminger

Lundqvist/Biron

Sauer is prucha’d.

(Before I transcribe, tonight was the fourth or fifth time that I’ve been around this season where Tortorella began his session with a good, old, joking-around with the assembled media, then he patiently answered every question in detail. I’m telling you, this is how he was the last time he was here. Good for him. Maybe he went to see the Wizard. A couple of the previous joke-sessions weren’t printable. Tonight he went on a bit about how he’d like for some of the writers to sit at the podium while he grilled them with questions).

John Tortorella:

On what he hopes to see from Grachev tonight.

“Anything good. I haven’t seen him … I saw him during camp. I just want to see him play. I want to see what he can do. We’ve gotten some decent reports on him down there. I’m not exactly where it’ll all go as far as his ice time and play. But we need to take a look at him in this situation. I’m not looking for one particular thing. He’s going to speak to us with his play as far as to where he’s progressed to.

“I think the the things we asked (Hartford coach Ken Gernander) about was just his strength on the puck. That’s something we talked to him about early in camp, protecting the puck, using his body to protect the puck, his wall play. He hasn’t scored a bunch, but from a coach’s point of view, for him to get some ice time at the NHL level, and all coaches will tell you, is he can’t hurt you defensively. It can’t be turnovers. It has to be strength, especially with his body size. We want him to understand how he has to play along the walls.

“Kenny(’s reports) are not glowing, but he’s still just a kid and this gives him an opportunity here for us to look at him in an NHL game, regular season not exhibition.”

On Boyle moving up to a line with Avery and Fedotenko:

“He deserves to be there.”

On what he’s seen from Frolov, and Frolov-Prust as linemates.

“He has to play better and he understands that. We’ve had a number of conversations. I think one of his biggest strengths is his strength on the puck underneath the hash marks offensively. You can see that’s where the main part of his game is. … We need him getting more shots, we need him around the puck more offensively.

“I think the combination of both of them, I think Pruster ads a forecheck. He is constantly in on the forecheck. I think Alex can protect pucks. It hasn’t been a good line, by no means, as we’ve gone through the early part of this season here. But we’re going to start with it tonight and see where we go with it.”

On how Stepan fits with them.

“I think Step is a guy who sees the ice, I think is a good defensive player. He’s had some struggles, as we’ve talked about. We’ve gone over quite a bit with him. I’m not sure if it works. We had quite a few (topics to discuss) with Step yesterday. I want to give him another opportunity there. We may make some changes along the way if there’s still a struggle with his game. I’m not in love with the combination. It’s basically, I don’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul and have all my lines in a mix. I think Boyle stepped up really well the other night with Fedotenko and Avery, and that Anisimov line I’m keeping together.”

“Plain and simple, Step has to play harder, and play in the areas like we’re asking everybody else to do. By no means to I think he’s a shy player. I just think it’s not a true understanding of how we have to play, and how he has to play. He’s a talented player, but he also has to do the other things around the puck … as  our team, as I’ve harped upon here, you do those dirty things, the hard things, through the body, and you start that way and all the other things fall into place. It not only goes for the team, but it goes for the individual. I think that’s a big part of the learning process for Step right now, and I think he’ll get it. We’re not looking for him to be banging all over the place, but he needs to be involved and be around the puck more than he has been, and do a little of his own work.”

On how Staal bounces back from games like he had Wednesday.

“Yeah, and on the goal—you’re talking about Little’s goal—it’s not completely his fault on that. That’s a combination that starts with our deep forecheck, where we simply don’t take the speedy away from that team. (Stepan) starts in the corner and he swings off a guy, then he ends up the guy cutting in front of Sean (Avery) to go across the ice, where if Step hit the guy in the corner, Aves would have known that he’s going across the ice. So we’re all in-between there a little bit and it allowed them way too much speed coming through the neutral zone.

“But to answer the question, he’s going to be fine. He’s a guy that—he’s our top guy and this is all part of maturity, handling those situations. He’s already shown that to us, that he can, and I think he’ll play very well tonight.”

On how his second-year players are developing.

“Artie (Anisimov) has continued to impress a far as his aptitude, learning. You say one thing to him as far as a correction and he picks it right up. He’s been one of our better players all year long in all areas, on our penalty kill, 5 on 5, in our end zone, he’s done a pretty good job on the power play. We’re asking a lot of him in this situation as far as a young guy, but he’s handled it pretty well. We watch it closely because we don’t want to screw him up, either, by giving him too much at one time and putting him into a hole. But right now he’s a pretty good player. 

“Michael Del Zotto, a kid that carries the right type of arrogance. As I always say, that’s something I watch very closely, so that he doesn’t get on the wrong side of that arrogance and forget about  preparation, forget about what it is to be a young kid learning to be a pro. He still has a lot of things to learn, but the thing I like about him is that arrogance, that if he makes a mistake he’ll come right back and try to make that play, and he’s not afraid of that. But it’s a constant evaluation with Michael, both offensively and defensively, for a young guy that’s getting a lot of minutes playing against top people.”

Some of the Carolina writers asked him about Tim Gleason, the defenseman for whom Tortorella lobbied to be on Team USA in the Olympics last year (when he was an assistant coach who handled the defense). He said some glowing things about Gleason … and finished with “I think he’s one of the more underrated players in the game, in the league here, and I hope he stinks tonight. … you could tell him that, too.”

Will have John Tortorella’s presser shortly.

First, he said that Grachev will play, starting on right wing on a fourth line with Christensen on the left and White in the middle. (Markus Naslund, unofficially, is the only Ranger ever to wear No. 91, which Grachev will wear in his NHL debut).

Stepan is moving between Frolov and Prust. Boyle moves to what should be a good forechecking line with Avery and Fedotenko … they played together some Wednesday.

Gilroy remains in, with Eminger. Lundqvist in goal. Boogaard is out with a hand infection. Sauer is prucha’d.