Rangers Report Blog

I’m sure you saw that Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan were elevated to a line with Ryan Callahan in practice today, with Brian Boyle being reunited with Brandon Prust (Artem Anisimov on the left) and Ruslan Fedotenko dropped to the John Mitchell-Mike Rupp line. FWIW.

John Tortorella:

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Henrik Lundqvist:

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Ryan Callahan:

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Brad Richards:

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Brian Boyle:

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Derek Stepan:

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Ruslan Fedotenko:

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Headed to the Rangers’ practice today as they return from their one-day respite. Will have some audio later on.

We’re at that point in the playoffs now where there are nights with no hockey. Awful. Then NBC stretches it out an extra day. More awful. So we’re here to try to help you get through two says with no playoffs. Yeesh.

Those looking for good signs: Rangers 4-0 at home all-time in Game 7s; Ruslan Fedotenko 5-0 all-time in Game 7s. Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik, each 3-0 in Game 7s. John Tortorella 3-1 in Game 7s.

More, courtesy of the NHL:

RANGERS, CAPITALS TAKE COMPELLING SERIES TO A DECISIVE GAME 7

NEW YORK (May 10, 2012)—The New York Rangers host the Washington

Capitals in a winner-take-all Game 7 Saturday night at Madison Square

Garden in the finale to their rousing Eastern Conference Semifinal series

(7:30 p.m., ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, RDS).

The winner of Saturday’s showdown will face the New Jersey Devils in

the Eastern Conference Final beginning Monday, May 14.

The Capitals’ 2-1 victory over New York in Game 6 Wednesday night

extended both clubs’ exciting playoff roller-coaster ride this spring:

• Three times the Rangers have led their series against Washington, winning

  Games 1, 3 and 5. They won Game 3 in a marathon triple overtime thriller

  and captured Game 5 early in overtime after tallying the game-tying goal

  with 7.6 seconds remaining in regulation.

• Three times the Capitals have fought back against the Rangers, winning

  Games 2, 4 and 6. Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby improved to 6-0 with a

  1.24 goals-against average and .960 save percentage following a loss in the

  playoffs. Including the regular season, Holtby has gone 29 consecutive

  starts without suffering back-to-back defeats.

• Twelve of the 13 Capitals playoff games have been decided by one goal,

  while the Rangers have played 10 one-goal games in their 13 playoff

  contests.

• The Rangers and Capitals have been tied or separated by one goal for 90%

  of total playing time in their series.

• Washington ousted the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in the

  first round, capturing the first playoff series in NHL history to feature

  seven one-goal games. Four games were decided in overtime.

• The Rangers also needed seven games to eliminate their first-round

  opponent, the Ottawa Senators. In the first Game 7 played at Madison Square

  Garden since they captured the Stanley Cup in 1994, the Rangers edged the

  Senators 2-1 on goals from Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, marking the first

  time since 1950 that a team won a Game 7 without a forward scoring.

  The Rangers are 4-5 in nine Game 7s in franchise history, including a

  4-0 mark at Madison Square Garden. The Capitals are 3-7 in a Game 7,

  including their first-ever road victory on April 25 at Boston on an

  overtime goal by Joel Ward.

   

Thoughts:

1) During and after this game, I thought about a lot of stuff that didn’t completely have to do with the game. For instance, no matter how much we think we know, we don’t know. Example: Many of us thought Washington would be a much easier matchup that Ottawa. Many of us thought, well, the Rangers will have a much less physical series against Ottawa while Philly and Pittsburgh are beating the crap out of each other for seven games; and then we thought the same about Devils-Flyers. And here are the Rangers playing their second seven-game series, each with two OT games, while the rested Devils (who had a physical bye in the first round) await.

2) And another thing. I wondered if these playoffs—which might turn out to be like nothing we’ve ever seen before in history—might make next year’s trade deadline different. Because, right around the deadline, Phoenix and Washington were thinking about being sellers instead of buyers. I know the Capitals were going to sell if they didn’t think Nick Backstrom and Mike Green would be healthy this year. Look at those teams now. And Buffalo did sell and missed the playoffs on the final day. Who’s to say the Baby Buffaloes wouldn’t still be playing if they hadn’t sold and just got in? Oh, and the Rangers got John Scott.

3) I’m pretty sure (very educated guess) that John Tortorella’s fines have muzzled him, because when I asked him about the icing before the Jason Chimera goal, before the timeout before the Chimera goal, he didn’t want to discuss it. I wasn’t asking him to criticize the officials. I just asked if there was some confusion or thinking that it shouldn’t or might not have been an icing.

4) Because Stu Bickel had played the puck toward the blue line, and there was a Ranger there, with Roman Hamrlik, and the puck went right through Hamrlik’s skates and down the ice. How can that be icing? Did I miss something? Also, the NHL’s official play-by-play sheet said that play was reviewed? Has anybody ever heard of an icing being reviewed? If somebody did review it, well, they’d better stop reviewing such things, because they effed that up. And how about the long-time hockey writer from Canada asking Tortorella what the timeout was about—when it was obviously because they iced the puck and his players were gassed?

5) I’m not trying to coach (Pat Leonard reference), and I’m not second-guessing, and I certainly don’t want to sound like one of you guys who love to talk lines, because I don’t. But I just don’t like the Rangers’ lines the way they are. I don’t mind Chris Kreider on the fourth line because the kid’s had some struggles lately. I just think, in my humble opinion, that Ryan Callahan should be playing with Derek Stepan, who had a pretty decent game … and I don’t care who’s on the left, though Artem Anisimov makes sense, especially when you need some secondary scoring. And I think, in so many cases this year, especially the Ottawa series, that Brian Boyle with Brandon Prust, and usually Ruslan Fedotenko, gives them so many good minutes and such a good forecheck. Maybe there’s a matchup situation I’m not seeing. But I didn’t care for the lines they used last night.

6) That Alex Ovechkin goal? If Callahan doesn’t blow a tire, that probably never happens and maybe it’s a totally different game.

7) This has got to be the longest the Rangers have gone without a fight. Not that Prust wasn’t trying to rile up the Capitals. He speared The Great Eight in the ovechkins, and he shoved around Jason Chimera, who embarrassed himself by diving backward … though the officials embarrassed themselves more by falling for it.

8) Yes, the Capitals have exploited Henrik Lundqvist’s glove in this series. But it’s been some pretty good shooters who solved it. And these deep-in-the-net, butterfly guys are always susceptible to glove shots … just like bad-angle shots.

9) Going back to the icing that led to the second Washington goal: That’s a lousy break, because it shouldn’t have been icing; then after the timeout, Richards lost a draw. Then John Carlson’s shot hit the toe of Nick Backstrom’s skate boot and hopped right to Chimera … who now has five of his seven career playoff goals against the Rangers.

10) Matt Hendricks is Washington’s MVP in this series for my money. Ironically it was he who lost the draw on the GWG in Game 5. But he’s done everything else, including shut down Marian Gaborik’s line for long stretches, and kill penalties (the Rangers helped him) and won so many faceoffs. And squished people. Like a clean Chris Neil/Zenon Konopka combo platter.

11) Did you see Mike Green cough up the puck right over the glass because Boyle was coming?

12) Tortorella ripping the effort, to me, is him already coaching Game 7. Because I didn’t think it was about effort. Maybe in a few cases. Do I think this was their best game. Certainly not. But overall, it was Washington’s ability to score on the PP, and the Rangers’ inability to do the same. Tortorella did agree that the four-minute power play “sucked. It killed us. It sucked.”

13) You guys missed some near fisticuffs between yours truly and a radio clown in the tight quarters of the visiting lockerroom (my second such close encounter of the playoffs). Unfortunately I had just turned off my recorder. Well, maybe fortunately considering some of the vocabulary I used. I would have been banned from the blog.

14) Finally, and maybe this should have been No. 1 … we all saw first hand how difficult it is when all these teams are so even, for a team to match the desperation of the team that’s actually in a more desperate situation. We’ve seen it time and time again in these playoffs. That said, I expect the Rangers will not not have to manufacture desperation and will win Game 7. But not easily.

15) Just wanted to see if you’re still paying attention. That’s a photo of the last time the Rangers clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference final. And the last time that guy played was the last time they had a good power play.

**************************************************
My Three Rangers Stars:
1) Derek Stepan.
2) Brandon Prust.
3) Henrik Lundqvist.
**************************************************
Gravy’s Three Rangers Stars:
1) Dan Girardi.
2) Henrik Lundqvist.
3) Ryan McDonagh.
**************************************************

AP photos, above.

John Tortorella:

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Henrik Lundqvist:

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Ryan Callahan:

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I may have audio from Alex Ovechkin … but here’s part of what he said:

“We don’t want to stop playing. We don’t want to finish the season. We knew we could beat them. It was very intense  … their top D played lots of minutes. We are going to have our chances. We had our chances. But Lundqvist played unbelievable again in the third period. Same as Holtby.”

And Braden Holtby:

“It’s a big one. I think we earned it in a way that is going to benefit us in the long run. We played a very solid team game. Very gutsy effort and we got rewarded tonight.”

 

First things first: Whew. I thought I was going to have to bring some shrinks with me for the Live Chat today at noon. Thought I was going to be talking people down. Now I am going to have one happy group.

Be there at noon, with questions, comments, whatever. Or else. This one should be fun.

****************

Thoughts:

1) Look, I told you guys dozens of times this season that this group is something special. A lot of you didn’t want to believe me, and a lot of you only wanted to believe me until something went wrong … and I’m sure a lot of you are going to forget that, or won’t appreciate what this team is when things go wrong down the road. I’m not even saying that these Rangers are going to win this series, because there sure as hell is no guarantee they will. None at all. But it’s a special group.

2) Because part of our jobs as reporters still has to do with newspapers and deadlines, we have to write early, or “bulldog” stories to put into the paper if the game runs late or goes into overtime. A lot of time it’s filler stuff, leftover quotes that you cobble into something, just in case they need it. Well, my Game 5 bulldog was about Brad Richards. And that strikes me two ways. A) Perfect timing. B) The guy is a bulldog. He is clutch. He scores huge goals (9 GWGs during the season, don’t forget, including the Winter Classic winner and the one in Phoenix with 00:00.1 left; and he scored seven GWGs in the 2004 playoffs on his way to the Conn Smythe). He’s money—and that has nothing to do with his $60 million. Oh, and there seems to be some discrepancy about the time of Richards goal. There were 6.6 left when he scored, but they put a second back on the clock after review; yet the official box says there were seven seconds left, which means 6.6 is somewhat official.

3) Speaking of Conn Smythe … not a chance in hell, but a guy who’s been really valuable in these first 12 games is Anton Stralman.

4) Veteran players know you can get away with a lot, especially protecting a lead in the final minute of a game when the opponent has pulled its goalie and is creating havoc in front of the net. But Joel Ward took it way too far and didn’t get away with it and earned himself a pair of goat’s horns. And because he cut Carl Hagelin, he not only helped lose the lead, but also the game. Also, that’s why that has to be an automatic call—just like flinging a puck over the glass. It has to be a call the referee will make every time; has to make. Wonder if Ward will face any further discipline, because to me, it’s not much different than what Aaron Asham did in Round 1. Spin the wheel, Shanny.

5) I didn’t write it down and it’s late, and I’m having trouble remembering who Dan Girardi lit up. (Was it Mike Green? I think it was, because I recall him complaining). I thought Girardi left his feet. People who saw replays insist he left his feet after contact. You know what? Tough. First of all, the refs and the league owe him one shot like that. Second, the league has obviously legalized and approved leaping, leaving-your-feet hits to the head. Goes around comes around

6) That was one helluva start for ya boys. I mean, as bad as they were at the start of Game 4, that’s how good they were to start Game 5, even if Washington threw a couple of big hits early on. And the Rangers continued to dictate right to the final shot, even if they easily could have lost this game. They were in control.

7) But, boy, does the power play need to be better than it was in until the final minute. Because it had zero shots until the sequence before the Richards goal. Somebody told John Tortorella that John Mitchell thought the power play had some chances and wasn’t bad those first three tries. Tortorella’s comment is in the post-game audio. Let’s just say he disagreed. And Mitchell, who continues to get PP time that I don’t understand, passed up two good opportunities to shoot and instead passed during the earlier PPs.

8) Also, I agree that part of the problem with the PP, which hasn’t been very good most of the time all year (and since Wayne Gretzky retired), in this case, is the pressure the Capitals PK applies.

9) Michael Del Zotto took a pair of penalties. But otherwise I thought he was really good, and very physical against the most physical Caps: Jason Chimera, Matt Hendricks, Troy Brouwer. Just like he was against Teflon Chris Neil. That said, there needs to be a little more leniency on those interference penalties when the guy chips the puck past you. Del Zotto’s needed to be called, but sometimes the D-man has to be given a chance to get a piece of the guy. IMO.

10) That 1-1 goal by Brooks Laich, which was off a faceoff tie by Brian Boyle eventually possessed by the Caps, was yet another of many goals in this series created by random deflected passes/shots that wind up on somebody’s stick by accident.

11) Unrelated, but funny, My friend Ira Podell of the Associated Press told me that at the Devils home games against the Flyers they show clips of Rocky movies—you know, the Philadelphia icon—and in every one he’s getting his aasen kicked. Which I find pretty clever and hilarious.

12) Seriously, I expect some of you guys to jump ship and you didn’t disappoint in this game. I can almost predict who and when. But for the life of me I can’t figure out why so many actually left the game before the final minute. I mean, it’s 2-1 in Game 5 … and this team has shown all year that it doesn’t stop. I don’t get it.

13) Brendan Shanahan explains his suspension decisions … but I would love to hear him explain how the Claude Giroux head shot is so very different than the Chris Neil head shot or the Alex Ovechkin head shot. … or the Shea WWEber head shot … or the Chris Phillips head shot … But good thing they got that goon Hagelin. I would also like to have Shanny do videos of why he’s not disciplining somebody like Ovechkin for his assault.

14) If you weren’t in NYC last night, you probably aren’t going to believe this. But the Empire State Building was lit in orange. Swear to God.

************************************************
My Three Rangers Stars:
1) Brad Richards.
2) Marc Staal.
3) Ryan Callahan.
************************************************
Dore33’s Three Rangers Stars:
1) Brad Richards – CLUTCH!
2) Mark Staal – Hopefully he is back 100%
3) Carl Hagelin – was all over the place tonight.
************************************************

AP photos, above.

 

Josh Thomson, 26, will have more later.

John Tortorella:

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Marc Staal:

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Henrik Lundqvist:

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Thoughts:

1) I’m not going into a gigantic rant about the Alex Ovechkin cheapshot on Dan Girardi because it’s a distraction and the Rangers don’t deserve a distraction with the way they played Game 4. … And I don’t want to call for a suspension because Brendan Shanahan and  the NHL Department of Jumping Through Hoops to Not Suspend Guys for Intentional Head Shots have set the bar so unbelievably, sadly low (see Chris Neil, Shea WWEber, et al).

2) Still, this was a leaving-your-feet, charging, ignoring-the-puck, shoulder directly aimed at the head by a repeat offender. One whose last suspension (for leaving his feet to hit an opponent in the head) announcement included this line from the NHL Department of Pretending We’re Trying To Remove Head Shots From the Game But Really Not Actually Trying:

One key note in Shanahan’s explanation:
“The moment Ovechkin launches himself into the air prior to the hit he becomes
responsible for any contact to the head.”

3) And finally, I just stopped laughing over hearing Cheapshot (Head) Hunter’s explanation that it was incidental contact. Cut it out, Dale. You’re killing us. You mean, like that incidental contact with Pierre Turgeon?

4) Wow. Nice time to use your worst period of the playoffs, by far. Henrik Lundqvist bailed them out with that sick save on Ovechkin among many others.

5) Yes the Rangers overcame that start and battled and grinded (is that a word?) and got it tied up with opportunistic goals. But once again the power play let them down, once again they got some head-scratching calls (or non-calls). Once again, they had trouble creating offense.

6) That all said, I fully expect them to come out completely unaffected Monday night. And probably win.

7) I mentioned this last night, but that was a really poor performance by John Tortorella after the game last night. I personally don’t give a crap if he talks to us (or me) …. but there seem to be several hundred thousand of people deeply invested in this team, who pay his salary (and his fines) who want to know what the head coach thinks of the game they just witnessed. Wants to know what happened and why. He’s got to answer.

8) Couple of mistakes by the kid Chris Kreider. The blind giveaway to Ovechkin. Then, I’m not completely sure who was supposed to pick up Nicklas Backstrom, if it was Kreider or Anton Stralman or whomever. Maybe the coach knows. Oh, wait. Never mind.

9) Despite the awful start for the Rangers and the optimal start for the Capitals, I thought the Caps’ D-men were spinning and doing whatever, while coughing up the puck, to avoid hits. I felt the Rangers got away from that constant pressuring those D-men. And while I always question the home-cooking on the stat sheet, the Capitals were credited with 26 blocked shots to the Rangers’ seven. Very un-Ranger-like.

10) On a good note: The Caps do a lot —A LOT—of salutes to servicemen during stoppages. And for every one, Tortorella and his staff take time to applaud and all the Rangers stand up and bang their sticks on the boards. Nice touch.

11) Watching these playoffs I just can’t believe how big the equipment on these goalies has gotten. How did it get so out of hand? How did all these scrawny athletes come to look like Refrigerator Perry? I mean, there are some great goalies out there, but sometimes, often, they just get hit in the equipment.

12) The 1987 Flyers and the 2004 Calgary Flames each played 26 playoff games, which is the record (that’s two seven-game series and two six-game series). Why do I think these Rangers will play 28 games if they survive this series?

13) One more thing: Was the Carl Hagelin elbow on Daniel Alfredsson really, really, really more heinous than the Neil or Ovechkin head shots? Really? Speaking of which, was that Hagelin slash really a penalty, right after Brian Boyle had his stick knocked from his hands? On the Mike Knuble uncalled delay-of-game … well, I felt at that point the Rangers were probably better off 5-on-5 than 5-on-4.

********************************************
My Three Rangers Stars:
1) Artem Anisimov.
2) Henrik Lundqvist.
3) Marc Staal.
********************************************
True Fans Bleed RW&B’s Three Rangers Stars:
1) Artem Anisimov.
2) Dan Girardi.
3) Henrik Lundqvist.
********************************************

AP photos, above.

 

Don’t forget, we’ve got a Live Chat coming up at 2 p.m. Be there. Capisce?

******************************************

The news: Brandon Dubinsky’s still on crutches, his right foot in a boot. Mats Zuccarello still wearing a removable cast on his wrist and not practicing with the team.

A bunch of the Rangers went over to Arlington National Cemetery on their day off yesterday, and were overwhelmed to a degree. We’ve got Americans Brian Boyle, Ryan McDonagh and John Tortorella talking about that.

John Tortorella:

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Henrik Lundqvist:

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Brad Richards:

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Brian Boyle:

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Ryan McDonagh:

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Thoughts:

1) Holy shishkebob. I’d been covering this team since 1978, and had never seen one of these triple-overtimes. Saw them with the Islanders, saw them with the Devils. Never with the Rangers. And in my lifetime, there had only been one—the Pete Stemkowski game in 1971—and I’m pretty sure I heard that one on the radio, though I’ve seen the replay so many times that I feel like I saw it. But this was a first for me … and the longest Rangers game any of you who weren’t born before 1939 have ever seen. Quite an experience.

2) And the Rangers made it an experience. The Capitals, too (they’re 0-4 in games of three OTs or longer, and have lost all four series in which those games were played). But you forget the loser of a game like this for two reasons: A) they lost, B) the Rangers deserved it, as Henrik Lundqvist said. They won it not on skill, but as Marian Gaborik said, on will. And this is the way they play. They changed nothing, through 114:41 of play, that stretched into their day off (and isn’t that extra day between Games 3 and 4 looking good now?) They played the way they play, blocking shots, physical, grinding it out, patient—how many times did they forecheck and come up empty, only to go right back to the forecheck the next shift?—sacrificing blood, bones, facial configurations right on through the third overtime.

3) I completely believe John Tortorella was right because I said so during that third OT—the Rangers looked fresher, like they weren’t going to let fatigue beat them. And while the Capitals sacrificed too, and you could see it in Mike Knuble’s busted-up face, it looked a little bit like they were out of gas toward the end.

4) Marian Gaborik. Give the guy this. He’s been shut down at times, he’s been partly at fault for that, he wasn’t having his best game, even with the assist early and the goalpost he hit about three minutes before the winner. But he kept going, kept plugging. And he got the kind of goal he’s supposed to get, the kind the Rangers need from him.

5) Ryan McDonagh, Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi, Brian Boyle, Marc Staal, Michael Del Zotto = Beast Brigade. If we were any one of them, we’d be in a hospital this morning, and hoping to stay there for about a week. In addition to the blood loss and whatever else they suffered during that 114:41, some stats: McDonagh a game high 53:21 played (Girardi didn’t get there because he was off being “sutured” for a while: “It’s just a couple of flesh wounds”) with eight blocked shots. Callahan was only listed for four hits and five blocked shots and I don’t believe either is even close to what he actually had in 41:52, which is not believable for a forward (he also had a goal way way back in the second period. Girardi had six hits and six blocks. Boyle had nine hits and a couple of blocks (one with his chin, which was split open) … (he also blocked one by Mike Rupp). Staal played 49:30, nearly killed one of the Caps cleanly, had six hits and three blocks. Del Zotto 43:37. Just sick numbers. I could go on. Big as the building.

6) Did I mention the goalkeeper yet? Henrik Lundqvist, who had lost seven consecutive playoff OT games since 2007 (and his team was one off  the NHL record) wouldn’t let them lose. Yeah, he had some breaks, like Alex Ovechkin’s shot off the post in one of the OTs, I forget which. How about the 3-on-1 save on Brooks Laich in regulation? So many saves. Sometimes just getting enough of the puck to keep it out. Just a remarkable performance. Listen to Tortorella’s post-gamer talking about his goalie.

7) This was the best game of the whole season, 92 games in, for the fourth line, and that includes the Winter Classic. Mike Rupp was a force (Boyle blocked his shot, too, a winner into an empty side). Brandon Prust … well, he’s had a lot of good games, and he was really strong in this one. And John Mitchell probably had his best game as a Ranger. Get this. The guy had gone the entire playoffs, nine games, without a shot on goal. He had five shots in this one. Nearly won it a couple of times.

8) Brad Richards. I was joking that his contract was only going to have six years left by the time this game ended (and that Prust didn’t have a beard when it began). Seriously, the guy’s been money in big moments, and he was again in this game. Looked for a few moments in the third OT that he couldn’t move his legs. Then all of a sudden, he got a second wind. And he made so many good plays, I lost count, including the winning pass.

9) Geez, I’m starting to feel bad about guys I didn’t mention, because the effort really was top to bottom.

10) I thought Callahan’s hand looked to really be bothering him when he got run over by Matt Hendricks and couldn’t break his fall with his right hand. But, well, what else can you say?

11) When did Hendricks become a clean version of Chris Neil?

12) The Countdown Guy played some game, too, didn’t he?

13) They put the arena camera on Ted Leonsis during the game, so he can be cheered like some dictator … or Trump.

14) I was noticing that the replays were better and much more plentiful, and that the cameras were zooming in on the right guys at the right times. Then I realized I was watching the CBC feed, and not the NBC feed.

15) Saw The Captain after the game. I asked Mess if he was glad he wasn’t playing. He said it’s tougher to watch a game like that than it is to play one.

16) Whatever high you’re feeling about this game, no matter how devastating it must have been for the Capitals, or how uplifting for the Rangers, remember this. Game 4 will start fresh, as every game does. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Washington wins that game. Not in the least. As Lundqvist said, and I paraphrase, all this one means is they’ve won two, and they need four.

*****************************************************
My Three Rangers Stars:
1) Marian Gaborik.
2) Henrik Lundqvist.
3) Ryan McDonagh/Dan Girardi.
*****************************************************
Latona’s Three Rangers Stars:
1) Henrik Lundqvist.
2) Ryan McDonagh.
3) Ryan Callahan.
*****************************************************

AP photos, above.

John Tortorella:

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Marian Gaborik:

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Henrik Lundqvist:

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Dan Girardi:

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Brian Boyle:

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