Rangers Report Blog

First this: The Rangers will (or maybe they have already) send tapes of Brandon Prust’s fight with Tom Sestito to the league for review. At the very least, they believe Sestito pulled Prust’s hair—which was pretty obvious from the replays. At the worst, there’s the possibity that Sestito actually pulled on the stitches in Prust’s face from an errant puck earlier in the game. Prust’s cut was obviously re-opened during the bout.

But of course it’s the Flyers, so there won’t be anything more than the wrist-slap $2,500 fine.

Here are the post-game interviews:

John Tortorella:

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Henrik Lundvist:

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Marian Gaborik:

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Michael Del Zotto:

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Stu Bickel:

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Brandon Dubinsky:

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Game 50.

The first meeting since the Winter Classic.

Ya boys are 3-0 against vs. the Flys, who are definitely annoyed by that. Despite that, the Rangers are only three points ahead of Philly in the standings, with two games in hand.

The Rangers are 3-0-1 in their last four, as they begin a three-game homestand and a stretch of seven games in 12 days—every other night.

Henrik Lundqvist, coming off his shutout in Buffalo, starts in goal.

Same lineup for the Rangers, which means Steve Eminger is prucha’d and tough Stu Bickel’s, ahem, assets could be valuable in a game like this.

Before you settle in to enjoy the game, pay some sort of personal homage to Ed Snider, Comcast, ankle-breaking Bobby Clarke and the Bullies. The NHL would want you to do that.

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Reminder: We will do an additional “It’s Go Time!” for that football game everybody’s talking about out in Indianapolis, this evening.

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Same lineup. Henrik Lundqvist starts in goal. Stu Bickel remains in the lineup, and Steve Eminger, now on the active roster and cleared to return, remains out.

Could be that some rough stuff is expected. Remember, Mike Rupp ticked off the Flyers with his Jagr Salute in the Winter Classic, and the Flys had all their knuckleheads in the lineup yesterday against New Jersey—the knuckleheads did not play in the Winter Classic.

Anyway, it can’t hurt to have Bickel in there, just in case, and to keep Eminger’s healing shoulder out of there.

But John Tortorella answered that question in a very brief presser—nobody had any questions:

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NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Sunday, Feb. 5, 1:00 p.m.
Madison Square Garden — New York, NY
Rangers: 32-12-5 (69 pts)
Flyers: 30-15-6 (66 pts)

• All information through NHL games on Feb. 3

  TODAY’S GAME:
  The Rangers will face-off against the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden (1:00 p.m.; TV: MSG Network; Radio: 1050 ESPN Radio), to begin a three-game homestand. The Blueshirts currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and rank second in the league overall, with a record of 32-12-5 (69 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 1-0, in the shootout on Wednesday at First Niagara Center for their third win in four games, and are now 15-4-1 in their last 20 games. New York has posted a record of 29-9-3 since Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark. The Flyers enter the contest with a 30-15-6 (66 pts) record to rank fourth in the Eastern Conference, and have lost two of their last three games. Following the contest, the Rangers will face-off against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in the second game of their three-game homestand.

  RANGERS vs. FLYERS:

• All-Time: 113-107-37-7 overall (59-47-23-4 at home; 54-60-14-3 on the road)
• 2011-12: Tonight is the fourth of six meetings this season, and the third and final at Madison Square Garden. New York is 3-0-0 (2-0-0 at home; 1-0-0 on the road) following a 3-2 win in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. New York has out-scored Philadephia, 9-4, in the series, including a 5-2 advantage in the third period. The Rangers are 2-7 (28.6%) on the power play in three games. 15 different Rangers have tallied a point against the Flyers this season. Michael Del Zotto and John Mitchell lead the team with three assists/points apiece, while Brad Richards and Mike Rupp have each tallied a team-high, two goals. Henrik Lundqvist is 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA, .958 Sv% and one shutout in the series.
• Last Season: New York was 2-4-0 overall (1-2-0 at home; 1-2-0 on the road). The Rangers power play was 4-19 (21.1%) in the season series. Ryan Callahan (four goals, one assist) and Derek Stepan (three goals, two assists) tied for the team-high with five points, while Callahan’s four goals led the team. Henrik Lundqvist was 2-3-0 with a 2.57 GAA, .908 Sv% and one shutout in five games.
• The Rangers enter the contest with a five-game winning streak against the Flyers, having out-scored Philadelphia, 19-6, over the span
• New York ranks 12th with a 15-5-2 (32 pts) record at home; Philadelphia ranks first with an 18-7-2 (38 pts) mark on the road
• The Rangers are 9-2-1 vs. the Atlantic Division; the Flyers are 6-5-1 vs. the Atlantic Division
• New York lists three former Flyers on their roster: Martin Biron (2006-07 – 2008-09); Steve Eminger (2008-09); Ruslan Fedotenko (2000-01 – 2001-02)
• Philadelphia lists four former Rangers on their roster: Blair Betts (2005-06 – 2008-09); Jaromir Jagr (2003-04 – 2007-08); Ian Laperriere (1995-96); Jody Shelley (2009-10)

(more…)

… or, not so Super. This three-day break seems longer, doesn’t it? But we won’t be bored after this. Starting tomorrow, games every other night, seven in 12 days. Then two days off, followed by five games in nine days. Then two days off and a ridiculous 17 games in 30 days in March.

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It is now official. Congratulations to our friend Koy for winning the ticket contest. We will have another contest soon, maybe as early as Tuesday’s rematch with the Devils.

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The Rangers never officially announced the Erik Christensen trade yesterday. Just sayin.’

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Sources tell me that, with the Winter Classic rematch tomorrow, the Empire State Building will be lit in Orange Crud tonight, to honor Ed Snider, Comcast, ankle-breaking Bobby Clarke and the rest of the Bullies. With the full approval of the NHL, of course. Then, to celebrate the Super Bowl tomorrow, it will be lit in Orange Crud, to honor Ed Snider, Comcast, ankle-breaking Bobby Clarke and the rest of the Bullies. With the full approval of the NHL again, of course.

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Also, tomorrow we’ll do the whole nine yards with the game against the Flys—a 1 p.m. start. Pre-game through post-game. Then, if you like, we’ll have a Super Bowl “It’s Go Time!” as we did last year, for any Boneheads who want to watch the game together. Who wants to bring the chicken wings and the little hot dogs?

 

 

First, thanks to all who joined in the Live Chat yesterday. These things have become a big hit (and a bigger hit with Rangers-fan boss) so we’ll be doing them regularly the rest of the season. Gotta say, it was a lot of fun. Plus I could do it in my PJs.

Second, preliminary congrats to our ticket contest winner, Koy.

Koy had the Devils winning 4-3, but had Elias with the GWG.

Mikey F had Devils 4-3, and Clarkson with the GWG.

So we went to the next tiebreaker, Rangers shots. Koy had 25, Mikey F had 22, and the Rangers had 26.

So, it appears the winner is Koy. I’m giving youse half a day in case I missed another entry that was closer than that, or in case my calculations were incorrect. If you think you won, email me (rcarpini@lohud.com) by 5 p.m. Otherwise I will declare Koy the official winner of the tickets.

It would have been a lot more complicated if the Rangers had won the game.

We have another pair of tickets to give away, probably  with a contest in the Rangers-Devils rematch Tuesday. Stay tuned.

 

First things first: We’ve got a Live chat going today at 11:30. Bring your questions, comments, whatever. Please use a username. We’ll go for an hour or so. Be there!

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This was playoff-style hockey … or more specifically, the way the Rangers are going to have to play in the playoffs. And the way a lot of games are going to be contested down the stretch. Get used to it. Sure, you’d like to see more possession and more offensive creativity, and no doubt you’d like to see even the slightest semblance of a power play.

But this was a game where every inch of ice was a battle field, where every loose puck was a fist fight. Buffalo played very, very well. The Rangers did too.

But, man, it was not pretty, and I could see that, if you’re a fan of one of the teams, if you had a dog in this fight, you didn’t find it very entertaining.

Thoughts:

1) The first period set the tone for the night. Tough sledding in the first. Nobody giving up anything, not an inch. Rangers of past seasons—I mean, before last season—would not have been up for that. They might have packed it in after the first.

2) I still maintain that these 0-0, 1-0, 1-1 scores we see for such lengths of games now has a whole lot to do with the ridiculous size of the equipment the goalies are allowed to wear. Ryan Miller weighs like 110 pounds, and when he puts the uniform on he looks like Vince Wolfork.

3) Shut up Pierre. I really like Pierre McGuire. He’s a really good guy and his knowledge of the sport and its players is off the charts. Honestly, it is. But we don’t give a crap what every player’s junior team was, or where he was born. Your cameras are on the moon, so tell us what’s going on on the ice. And, it sure seems as if NBCSports is using the same production people as Versus and Outdoor Life Network—the ones who cut away from the action the moment a whistle is blown to show us a closeup of somebody somewhere else, and missing virtually every single confrontation on the ice. Just God awful.

4) And … Kaleta won’t fight Brandon Prust because of a hand issue? Please. Kaleta is the worst kind of cheap-shot artist, the kind that will never be manly enough to accept the challenge and be accountable for his actions. If the world was about to be blown off its axis and Kaleta could save it by fighting Prust, he wouldn’t. Piece of clarke.

5) Maybe it was because they were down a ref, but the call against Stu Bickel, where the guy held his stick and took a swan dive, was dreadful.

6) On Brian Boyle again. If he had 12 goals instead of three, maybe certain people would be happier, and possibly the Rangers might have a few more points. On the other hand, where would the Rangers be if they weren’t so fabulous at killing penalties? And Boyle has been a beast on the PK. A beast. And he was a beast on the 5-on-3 kill that saved the game.

7) It looked like Chris Dru… er, Brad Richards, caught a shot of adrenaline for a while in the second period. And he played much better as the game went on. It would be an enormous understatement to say he’s a critical piece the rest of the way. And, oh, it’s time to take him out of the top three in the shootout.

8) Brandon Dubinsky, again, began the game on a line with Richards and Ryan Callahan, and again was demoted again. Four shifts in the second period, three in the third, none in OT. I have no idea where it’s going with him, or where it’s gone.

9) At least the PP didn’t have many chances to stink. I was thinking the same thing as some of our readers last night. It’s time to put the third or fourth line out there, intact, for the next PP, and just tell them to play as if it’s 5-on-5. Also, though it’s too small a sample to judge, Anton Stralman bombed out in his shot at the PP point. The PP has been better in OTs, when it’s 4-on-3. And it should be.

10) Meant to mention this yesterday. I was listening to a Zach Parise interview following the game in Newark Tuesday. Parise said he knows the Devils were lucky to get the win on the bad hop, but that he thought his team played very well. And this was the money quote that told how much has changed for the Devils AND the Rangers. He said that if the Devils play that way, “We can compete with teams like (the Rangers).” Imagine.

11) The Breakaway Contest After The Hockey Game Ends (BCATHE): Get rid of this freakin’ gimmick. It reeks. There’s no way either team should have gone away with a loss because of what happened in that stupid crapshoot of a joke of a contest, no matter how much it is enjoyed by people who don’t have a clue about what goes into winning a hockey game. Playoff positions, playoff revenue, coaches’ jobs, players’ jobs, GMs’ jobs, should not be affected by this sideshow. But they are.

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My Three Rangers Stars:
1) Henrik Lundqvist.
2) Dan Girardi.
3) Ryan McDonagh.

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AP photos, above.

Courtesy of the NYR:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
February 1, 2012 (Game 49, Away Game 27)
First Niagara Center — Buffalo, NY

1st   2nd   3rd   SO   Final
New York Rangers                0      0        0       1      1
Buffalo Sabres                       0      0        0       0      0

Team Notes:

-        The Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 1-0, in the shootout tonight at First Niagara Center for their third win in four games, and are now 15-4-1 in their last 20 games.

-        The last time the Rangers entered the shootout in a scoreless tie was Jan. 12, 2010 vs. New Jersey at MSG (0-1, SO).  The last time the Blueshirts won when entering the shootout in a scoreless tie was Oct. 17, 2008 vs. Toronto at MSG.

-        New York has posted a record of 32-12-5 (69 pts) on the season, including a 17-7-3 mark on the road.  The Rangers have registered at least one point in 32 of their last 41 games (29-9-3), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark.

-        Seven of the last 10 meetings between the Rangers and Sabres have been decided by one goal.

-        The Rangers have won six of their last eight road games (6-1-1 over the span), and are 12-3-1 in their last 16 games away from MSG.

-        The Blueshirts increased their gap over Boston for first in the Eastern Conference to three points, and now sit atop the league standings with 69 points.

-        New York improved to 6-1-1 in the second game of back-to-backs, including a 2-1-1 mark on the road, and are now 27-9-3 in the back-end of back-to-backs since 2009-10 (14-6-2 on the road).  The Rangers have posted a combined record of 12-1-3 in back-to-back games this season.

-        The Rangers held the Sabres scoreless in five shorthanded situations, and have not allowed a power play goal in 14 of the last 16 games (38-40, 95.0% over the span).  New York improved to 24-6-2 when not allowing a power play goal.

-        The Blueshirts out-hit the Sabres, 28-14, to increase their league-leading total to 1,426 hits on the season.

Player Notes:

-       Henrik Lundqvist posted his sixth shutout of the season, and 41st of his career, stopping 34 shots through regulation/overtime and four of five shootout attempts.  He passed Dave Kerr for second on the Rangers’ all-time shutouts list, and is tied for first among NHL goaltenders for most shutouts since 2005-06 (Brodeur – 41).  Lundqvist improved to 23-10-4 overall, including a 12-5-2 mark on the road.  He has allowed one goal or less in 10 of his last 17 games, and has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 25 games this season.  It is the 15th time he posted 30 or more saves in a game this season, posting a record of 9-5-1 with a 1.97 goals against average, .944 save percentage and two shutouts in those contests.

-       Lundqvist’s shutout streak is now at a career-high, 150:35, dating back to 19:11 of the second period on Jan. 21 at Boston.  It is the first time in his career he has posted shutouts in consecutive starts.

-       Ryan Callahan tallied the game-deciding goal in the shootout, was credited with a game-high, five hits, registered a team-high, four shots on goal and led all forwards with 23:02 of ice time to earn third star honors.

-       Marian Gaborik converted his shootout attempt and was credited with two blocked shots in 17:31 of ice time.

-       Dan Girardi was credited with two hits, tied for the game-high with three blocked shots and led all skaters with 30:43 of ice time.  He has logged 30:00+ of ice time in three of the last four contests.

Team Schedule:

–        After an off-day tomorrow, the Rangers’ next practice is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 3, at MSG Training Center. –        The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, February 5, at Madison Square Garden (1:00 p.m.), to begin a three-game homestead.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

Game 49.

First, about the ticket contest. I’m still tabulating the results. Looks like we had two contestants with 4-3 Devils, and neither had Kovalchuk with GWG. Hope to make it official shortly.

Next, we’re planning a live chat tomorrow, Thursday, at 11:30 a.m. So plan on bringing questions/comments and pretending you are working while at your computer. Also, please use a screen name when you ask/comment.

Ya boys, thanks to the BCATHGE (breakaway contest after the hockey game ends), are NHL-undefeated in their last three (2-0-1).

In case you missed it, the Devils’ Eric Boulton was fined the max $2,500 for his slash that stung the left hand of Mike Rupp in the second period last night. Tortorella was livid when it happened, but said that Rupp is fine.

Henrik Lundqvist in goal tonight against the Buffalo Baby Buffaloes, puck drop around 7:37 on NBCSports. Same lineup, meaning Erik Christensen and Wojtek Wolski—BCATHGE specialists—remain prucha’d.