Rangers Report Blog

The Rangers leap into the final quarter of the season tomorrow in Carolina.

I was looking at their record again and thinking, if they go 12-9 these last 21 games—which is conservative—they’ll have 52 wins and 110 points. The 1993-94 team holds the franchise records with 52 wins and 112 points.

Yikes.

They also leap into March, which is the busiest month of the season with 17 games—five of the first six on the road, plus a home matinee against the defending champion Bruins Sunday. They will play four sets of back-to-backs, three of those with both games on the road, the fourth with the second game on the road. In the middle of the month is a seven-game homestand.

Then comes the closing kick, final week of the season in April, when they go every other night: Boston, at Philly, at Pittsburgh, and Washington.

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Was talking to Mike Rupp about John Scott the other night. He told me that when Chicago came to town a couple of weeks ago, he didn’t really know much about Scott and how he fights. Rupp said he usually goes over some video of the opponent’s past fights, and while doing so, he thought “Scott’s a handful.” Then, when the game against the Blackhawks got to 4-0, Rupp felt he had to try to start a fight with Scott to fire up his team. Despite Rupp’s talking to him, Scott declined—the smart thing to do when you’re up 4-0 on the road. But now, because of the yapping, Rupp thought, “Well, I’ve opened that can of worms; I’m going to have to fight him in Chicago (next week).” And Rupp smiled when he said that. Because Scott will be on his side when the Rangers go to Chicago.

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Speaking of that, we got a few glimpses into the human side of the trade deadline the other day, didn’t we? Scott talked in Chicago about leaving his wife and  new baby. We heard about Nick Schultz crying because he’d spent his whole career in Minnesota before being traded. We saw the nervousness, even if he didn’t admit it, of Brandon Dubinsky. And we read the tweets of Christian Thomas and Dylan McIlrath as they celebrated not being traded.

Thoughts:

1) 40-15-6, 86 points with a quarter of a season left. You kiddin’ me?

2) Henrik Lundqvist. Seven straight seasons of 30 wins. Forty-three career shutouts. Eight this season; 10-2-0 with a 1.24 goals against average, .952 save percentage and four shutouts in his last 12 games. A record of 22-6-5 with a 1.72 GAA, .936 save percentage and five shutouts in 33 games against Martin Brodeur. I’m reciting numbers because I don’t have words to describe what this guy is doing this season. If he doesn’t get the Vezina (voted by the GMs, guys like Scott Howson and Paul Holmgren and Garth Snow), they should blow up the trophy, and I hope my PHWA colleagues who vote on the Hart will do the right thing. Not saying he will or won’t win it over Evgeni Malkin, but it ought to be close enough to count the votes, if that trophy really does go to the player deemed most valuable to his team.

3) There sure was a battle for every square foot of ice last night, and now the Rangers can play that game, too. They gave the Devils almost nothing. Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi (and Brandon Prust, Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle) ate up Ilya Kovalchuk and future Ranger Zach Parise. This is why the Rangers, IMO, will be a frightening opponent in the playoffs. They will fight you every second. Not always perfect. But a fight that not every player on the other team really wants to fight.

4) Speaking of fights, the other kind, it would have been kind of interesting if massive John Scott had arrived in time for this game. Don’t know if he would have played, but I imagine his mega presence might have been felt. But … isn’t it remarkable how Officer Joe Boulton won’t fight Mike Rupp, and how David Clarkson won’t fight Brandon Prust? And how no matter how often John Tortorella tells Prust not to fight guys like Boulton because he’s too valuable, Prust still does (and last night he got hurt, though he came back). Did you hear Tortorella’s quote in the post-game interviews about his team not being intimidated by anybody, with or without Scott?

5) Clarkson, the Devils’ sideshow Sean Avery now, was a clown all night, and maybe if the refs didn’t protect him from Rupp and Prust, he wouldn’t have been such a clown. But it really wasn’t funny when he took a long charge, left his feet and propelled himself like a missile at Dubinsky’s head. But, of course, the NHL Department of Player Safety has deemed hits to the head perfectly legal now. $2,500 fine. Couch change.

6) Funny, that even while the Rangers went into a little funk the last few weeks, the lines kind of solidified and stayed together, and I think they’ve really found something with Carl Hagelin-Brad Richards-Ryan Callahan. Hagelin and Callahan have been magnificent lately, and the kid is all eyes and ears, sponging up all the knowledge he can get from the “C” and the “A.”

7) There was a play in the second period where the Rangers were pinned behind their net for a bit, and finally Patrik Elias came out with the puck. But as he tried to make the turn toward the front at the right post, Michael Del Zotto simply and solidly planted his shoulder in Elias’ chest, separating him from the puck. And it showed A) how far Del Zotto has come as a defensive player and B) how the Rangers no longer fish for the puck or look for the poke check. I think that has as much to do with their defensive success as their system.

8) Martin Biron survived the trade deadline. I don’t mean he survived, as in didn’t get traded. I mean, he survived as in didn’t get hurt. Remember what happened last year. Andrew Gross reminded me that last year Glen Sather said he wouldn’t let his goalies practice at the deadlines any more. He was joking, of course.

9) Pretty good day for the president/GM, too. He didn’t budge. He didn’t bend. I thought—and I’m sure they thought—that Rick Nash was the type of player they haven’t had, and they’ve needed. And they weren’t worried about the salary cap issues. But they didn’t bow to Scott Howson’s demands.

10) There’s not a chance I would have done Nash in any deal that included any of the  Rangers’ top four D-men or Derek Stepan, and probably wouldn’t have done Chris Kreider, even though I’ve only heard scouts praise him and seen them drool over his skating and size. I thought Nash was the type of  piece they really have lacked and still need. I think Sather was 100 percent right to say “No.” He also was a cut-up in his press conference.

11) You know what has ruined trade deadline day (and poor TSN’s day-long TV show) as much as the salary cap? The shootout. Yes, the Bettman Bonus Point for Losers. It has kept all these mediocre-to-lousy teams within shouting distance of the playoffs. So there’s a shortage of sellers and a glut of buyers. I’m sure you noticed that Philly, Washington, Pittsburgh and New Jersey did less than the Rangers did yesterday.

12) You know, I think Kovalchuk is a legit top-10 superstar in the NHL (way, way better than Nash), and even though they blanketed him, he was dangerous all night. He’s the one I think the Rangers let get away. They  wouldn’t have been able to do Brad Richards, but can you picture him on this roster?

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My Three Rangers Stars:
1) Ryan McDonagh.
2) Carl Hagelin.
3) Henrik Lundqvist.
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AP photos, above.

(I may not be able to see the Carolina game live Thursday. Wondering if anybody’s interested in doing a guest review of that game. Please email me at rcarpini@lohud.com if you’d like to volunteer).

 

Courtesy of the NYR:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
February 27, 2012 (Game 61, Home Game 30)
Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

 Team Notes:

-        The Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils, 2-0, tonight at Madison Square Garden for their 40th win of the season, and are now 11-3-2 in their last 16 games.

-        New York improved to 40-15-6 (86 pts) on the season, including a 21-7-2 mark at home.

-        The Blueshirts held the Devils to a season-low, 13 shots against in the contest, which marks the fewest shots the Rangers have allowed in a game since they held the Calgary Flames to 11 shots on goal on January 19, 1981 at Madison Square Garden. *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

-        The Rangers are the third team in the NHL this season to reach the 40 wins mark.

-        It is the sixth time in the last seven years (since 2005-06) the Rangers registered 40 wins, marking the first time in franchise history the Blueshirts won 40+ games six times in a seven-season span.  The Rangers are also one of only six NHL teams to have won 40+ games in six or more seasons since 2005-06. *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

-        Tonight’s win was the Rangers 100th all-time against the New Jersey Devils’ franchise.  The Blueshirts are now 100-83-27-6 overall against the Devils, including a 55-30-20-2 mark at MSG.

-        12 of the last 16 meetings between the Rangers and Devils have been decided by two goals or less.

-        Since 2007-08, the Rangers have posted a record of 19-8-3 against the Devils, including a 10-4-1 mark at home.  Henrik Lundqvist is 19-8-2 with a 1.96 goals against average, .930 save percentage and six shutouts in 29 games over the span.

-        The Rangers improved to 12-4-2 against Atlantic Division opponents this season, having out-scored their opponent, 52-36, in divisional play.

-        The Blueshirts’ 21-7-2 (44 pts) mark at MSG is their best start at home through 30 games since 1995-96 (19-5-6, 44 pts).

-        New York increased their lead over second-place Boston to nine points in the Eastern Conference, and opened up a nine-point gap over Pittsburgh for the Atlantic Division lead.  The Rangers now rank second in the league overall, just one point shy of Vancouver with two-games in hand.

-        The Rangers out-hit the Devils, 37-24, with four players registering five or more hits in the contest (Callahan – 6, Boyle – 6, Dubinsky – 5, Rupp – 5).  New York was also credited with 18 blocked shots in the game.

Player Notes:                                                                         

-        Henrik Lundqvist won his 30th game of the season, stopping all 13 shots faced to post his league-leading, eighth shutout of the season, and 43rd of his career.  He became the fourth goalie in NHL history to post 30+ wins in seven or more consecutive seasons, joining Tony Esposito (7 from 1969-70 to 1975-76), Patrick Roy (8 from 1995-96 to 2002-03) and Martin Brodeur (12 from 1995-96 to 2007-08).  He also increased his own NHL record of most 30+ win seasons to begin his career.

-        Lundqvist improved to 30-12-4 overall, including a 16-6-2 mark at home this season.  He is now 10-2-0 with a 1.24 goals against average, .952 save percentage and four shutouts in his last 12 games.  He has posted five shutouts in his last 14 games, has allowed one goal or less in 13 of his last 26 games, and has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 34 games this season.

-        Henrik Lundqvist has faced-off against Martin Brodeur in 33 career regular season games, posting a record of 22-6-5 with a 1.72 GAA, .936 Sv% and five shutouts over the span.

-        Carl Hagelin registered his second straight multi-point performance, tallying the game’s opening goal at 16:59 of the first period and adding the primary assist on Callahan’s empty net goal with 1:06 remaining in regulation, to capture first star honors.  He has now recorded 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in the last 18 games, with six points (three goals, three assists) in the last six contests and four points (two goals, two assists) in the last two.  The Rangers improved to 5-0-1 in games when Hagelin records two or more points.  He also posted a plus-two rating in the contest, and ranks second among NHL rookies with a plus-18 rating on the season.

-        Ryan Callahan tallied the primary assist on Hagelin’s game-winning goal, added an empty net goal at 18:54 of the third, tied for the game-high with six hits and posted a plus-two rating.  He has now recorded 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in the last 10 games, and has registered 16 hits in the last three games.

-        Dan Girardi recorded an assist on Hagelin’s game-winning goal, was credited with a game-high, three blocked shots, registered three hits and a plus-two rating in 22:38 of ice time.  Entering tonight’s contest, he ranked sixth in the NHL in blocked shots and 21st in hits.

-        Brad Richards tallied an assist and posted a plus-two rating in 19:20 of ice time.  He has now recorded eight points (two goals, six assists) in the last 10 games, including two assists in the last two contests.

Post-Game Quotes:                                                                                 

-        John Tortorella on being responsible in your own end…

“Everybody needs to do it. Haggy (Carl Hagelin) blocked a shot.  Rupper (Mike Rupp) blocks some shots. It’s all part of what we have to do.  I thought both teams worked hard there. There just wasn’t much room.  You have to find a way to bang one in and get an open netter.”

-        Henrik Lundqvist on winning 30 games in seven straight seasons…

“I remember my first year it was a big deal to reach thirty wins, and now it’s the seventh straight year to reach it, obviously it means a lot to me.  It means that things have been going well but it also means that I play for a club that’s given me the opportunity to play a lot.  I have a pretty good team in front of me as well.  But I’m happy that I reached it again, and you always want to improve from each year.  You want to get better; so far this year it’s been a good ride.”

-        Brad Richards on Henrik Lundqvist…

“We are used to that. That’s what he does.  You can tell that in the third period, when they get one or two chances, Hank is going to stand tall.  We did a great job defending for the most part tonight, but they’re still going to get that good chance, and he’s there to save it.”

-        Carl Hagelin on his line…

“It’s been good, I think our line has been good the last five or six games.  We’ve been playing consistently now with each other.  It makes it easier.  We know where we‘re going to be, and Richie [Richards] has been on me a lot about things I need to work on and things I need to do.  It’s important for me to have a veteran like him telling me and leading the way.”

Team Schedule:

-        Please note the Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Feb. 28.

-        The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, Mar. 1, at RBC Center (7:00 p.m.), to begin a back-to-back road set against Southeast Division opponents.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

Some interesting stuff. Henrik Lundqvist talking about another 30-win season, and about playing in a game where there aren’t many shots but some of them are dangerous. Brad Richards talking about the way he is re-learning to play. Carl Hagelin talking about being mentored by Richards. Brandon Dubinsky with some interesting things to say about David Clarkson. And John Tortorella talking about his tough team, and about Hagelin, etc. He said it’s the tightest team he’s ever coached, but that it hasn’t had success yet—that success is to be attained later on.

Here we go.

John Tortorella:

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Henrik Lundqvist:

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Carl Hagelin:

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Brad Richards:

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Brandon Dubinsky:

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Game 61.

Trade deadline came and went with no Rick Nash, no trading of prospects or young players. Only XXXXL enforcer John Scott.

Ya boys are 2-1-1 in their last four, 22-7-2 in their last 31.

Same lineup, which means Henrik Lundqvist in goal … remember last deadline day, when Martin Biron broke his collarbone and it was too late to get a backup goalie? Lundqvist is 23-10-5 against the Devils in his career. He is 9-2, 1.35, .948, three shutouts in his last 11 starts.

Stu Bickel remains on defense, and Steve Eminger, Jeff Woywitka, and of course Scott, are prucha’d (or is that wolski’d?).

Martin Brodeur starts back to back games for the first time this season for the Devils, who have lost two in a row, but who defeated the Rangers in each of the last two meetings—a 1-0 decision at MSG earlier this month, and a 4-3 shootout win by the Devils in Newark Jan. 31.

The Rangers have 99 all-time regular-season wins against the Devils. And if that’s not daunting enough, Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter AND Stephane Matteau are all in the building.

Here’s the audio from the delayed Glen Sather post-trade deadline press conference (at the beginning he’s trading some barbs with former teammate Pete Stemkowski; not sure how much of it the microphone picked up):

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From the Rangers:

RANGERS ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN JOHN SCOTT
Send a fifth round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft to Chicago                                                                                 New York, February 27, 2012 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired defenseman John Scott from Chicago in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Scott, 29, has skated in 140 career regular season contests in four seasons with Minnesota and Chicago, registering one goal and four assists, along with 231 penalty minutes.  He has also recorded 22 penalty minutes and a plus-one rating in four career playoff contests with Chicago.  Scott made his NHL debut with Minnesota on January 3, 2009 vs. Detroit, and tallied his first career point with an assist on March 15, 2009 at St. Louis.  He notched his first NHL goal on November 15, 2009 at Carolina, as a member of the Wild.

The 6-8, 270-pounder has also skated in 173 career regular season games in three seasons with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL), registering six goals and seven assists for 13 points, along with 402 penalty minutes.  He established an AHL career-high in assists (five) and points (six) in 2006-07, and tallied a career-high in goals (three) in 2007-08.

Prior to turning pro, Scott skated in 126 games over four seasons with Michigan Tech of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), registering seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points, along with 352 penalty minutes.  As a Senior in 2005-06, he established a career-high with three goals, and tied his career-high with five points in 24 games.

The Edmonton, Alberta native originally signed with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent on December 31, 2006.

We are expecting Glen Sather to address the media around 4:45 p.m. to discuss the deadline day.

I will put up audio shortly thereafter.

For those just tuning in, the Rangers acquired 6-7, 270-pound defenseman/winger John Scott—a true enforcer—from the Blackhawks for a fifth-round pick.

They talked to Columbus throughout the day, and apparently put on a press near the deadline, for Rick Nash. But did not, obviously, offer enough to get it done. And then Scott Howson, the Blue Jackets GM, said that it was Nash who initiated the scenario by requesting a trade. That’s surprising. Shocking, actually, that a GM would say that about his team’s captain. Good luck with that relationship going forward.

 

 

Spoke with Brandon Dubinsky after the skate, on how he handles his name being in rumors, and on whether he can salvage his season over the last 22 games plus playoffs.

Brandon Dubinsky:

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Looks like a slow deadline day so far. Just one Kostityn joining another in Nashville … so far.

John Tortorella held a dumb press conference today—dumb because we really have nothing to ask him at this hour. He did indicate he’d talk again after the deadline if they do something, but he said he’d be OK if the current Rangers roster is the one he had for the rest of the season and playoffs.

At this point, it sounds kinda quiet around MSG. I’m sure Glen Sather is working the phones trying to improve, but I’m also sure that unless Columbus comes back to the table with a much lower asking price, the Rangers aren’t looking to swap any of their valuables.

Still, I expect they will try to make some upgrades, perhaps with rentals-for-picks or lower prospects.

John Tortorella:

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