I'm never going to get sick talking about Chris Kreider who had his coming out Garden party today, scoring the game winner at 7:00 of the third period and assisting on Brad Richards' goal 90 seconds later to ice the game. Today's game was one of the ugliest playoff games I can remember watching as just 32 shots combined were taken today. The second period 5 on 3 the Rangers had to kill changed the entire complexity of the game and will be remembered as a big point in the series. Artem Anisimov opened the scoring at 12:38 on a wraparound goal that found its way behind Holtby. The Caps began to press a little towards the end of the second period and managed to get a puck past Lundqvist with just 4 seconds left with Chimera converting a sick saucer pass from Brooks Laich.
The game was seemingly still up for grabs heading into the third period, with numerous back and forth chances and following the pass through the neutral zone from Derek Stepan to Kreider, blasted a shot past Holtby, who came way out of his crease to challenge Kreider to no avail. With the Rangers buzzing following the go ahead goal and cycling in the Washington end, Kreider found Brad Richards in alone in front of the net and beat Holtby five-hole to ice the game.
Whether fatigue or not was an issue today, the Rangers are a no excuses team. They didn't seem concerned that Brian Boyle and Brandon Dubinsky didn't dress for today's game and the extra forward spot went to a defenseman. They didn't panic during the 5 on 3 PK and they didn't panic coming out of the locker room for the third period after Washington tied it up. This is a team that has what it takes to beat anyone that steps up to them. The Rangers are clearly on a mission to do some big things this spring.
Thanks Brendan Shanahan.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
East & West Conference Semifinals Predictions
1. New York Rangers vs. 7 Washington Capitals
The Rangers now are vastly different group from the team that was knocked out by the Capitals quickly and quietly last April. This time, the Rangers will have their true captain in the lineup unlike last year when Callahan was sidelined with the broken ankle that he sustained blocking a shot a week before the start of the playoffs. Callahan's injury really took the wind out of the Rangers sails, both in the locker room as well as the fan base. The Rangers, through call-ups and FA acquisitions, now have the pieces to the puzzle to the system Torts wants to employ. On top of all this, you would expect motivation to play a huge factor for the Rangers in the series. Hopefully for the Rangers, motivation doesn't turn into frustration if things don't bounce their way.
The Caps are a different team since last season too. Unfortunately, the Caps fired Bruce Boudreau in the middle of the season, so the Ranger fans won't be able inquire directly to the coach if he can hear the crowd noise during the game. Jokes aside, the Caps changed up their entire approach to hockey and are now attempting to be the team the Rangers already are. The Caps goaltending was expected to be an issue when Neuvirth went down to injury. Unfortunately for Washington's opponents, it has led to the emergence of Braden Holtby, whom at times has looked unbeatable.
Keys for the Rangers:
1. Bodies in front of Holtby, bang home rebounds.
2. Start winning some offensive zone faceoffs, no more Konopka to worry about.
3. Forecheck, Forecheck, Forecheck.
4. Caps coach Dale Hunter has kept his own star forward on the bench during key times during his tenure, now its up to the Rangers to make Ovechkin a non factor.
5. Until the Rangers have a miniscule of OT playoff success, win these games in regulation.
I think the Rangers will be fine, but the team will make fans call their cardiologist more than a few times this series. Rangers in 7.
5. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 6 New Jersey Devils
My prediction is basically predicated on the fact that I have no faith in the Devils PK slowing down the Flyers power play. The Panthers with the man advantage, scored at a 33% clip against the Devils across the seven game series and now go up against a Flyers team that scored 12 power play goals in addition to 3 shorthanded goals in six games against the Penguins. Remember how many shorthanded goals the Devils allowed this season? If you guessed 13 you're correct, a mark that is worst in the league. One thing that remains to be seen is how rusty the Flyers may be who haven't played meaningful hockey for exactly one week while the Devils were in double OT, 72 hours prior. The week off allowed the Flyers to get some of their banged up defensemen back in the form of Nic Grossmann (concussion) & Andrej Meszaros (back surgery). The Devils on the other hand matchup with the Flyers as far as top 6 forwards are concerned, but the Flyers have 3 lines that can score and will wear quickly on the Devils blueliners. What is quite sad about this series is that it wouldn't surprise me if the Devils were able to go the distance with Philly, but at the same time it wouldn't surprise me if the Flyers steamrolled NJ. My prediction is somewhere in the middle. Flyers in 5.
Western Conference Predictions
Blues in 6
Nashville in 7
The Rangers now are vastly different group from the team that was knocked out by the Capitals quickly and quietly last April. This time, the Rangers will have their true captain in the lineup unlike last year when Callahan was sidelined with the broken ankle that he sustained blocking a shot a week before the start of the playoffs. Callahan's injury really took the wind out of the Rangers sails, both in the locker room as well as the fan base. The Rangers, through call-ups and FA acquisitions, now have the pieces to the puzzle to the system Torts wants to employ. On top of all this, you would expect motivation to play a huge factor for the Rangers in the series. Hopefully for the Rangers, motivation doesn't turn into frustration if things don't bounce their way.
The Caps are a different team since last season too. Unfortunately, the Caps fired Bruce Boudreau in the middle of the season, so the Ranger fans won't be able inquire directly to the coach if he can hear the crowd noise during the game. Jokes aside, the Caps changed up their entire approach to hockey and are now attempting to be the team the Rangers already are. The Caps goaltending was expected to be an issue when Neuvirth went down to injury. Unfortunately for Washington's opponents, it has led to the emergence of Braden Holtby, whom at times has looked unbeatable.
Keys for the Rangers:
1. Bodies in front of Holtby, bang home rebounds.
2. Start winning some offensive zone faceoffs, no more Konopka to worry about.
3. Forecheck, Forecheck, Forecheck.
4. Caps coach Dale Hunter has kept his own star forward on the bench during key times during his tenure, now its up to the Rangers to make Ovechkin a non factor.
5. Until the Rangers have a miniscule of OT playoff success, win these games in regulation.
I think the Rangers will be fine, but the team will make fans call their cardiologist more than a few times this series. Rangers in 7.
5. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 6 New Jersey Devils
My prediction is basically predicated on the fact that I have no faith in the Devils PK slowing down the Flyers power play. The Panthers with the man advantage, scored at a 33% clip against the Devils across the seven game series and now go up against a Flyers team that scored 12 power play goals in addition to 3 shorthanded goals in six games against the Penguins. Remember how many shorthanded goals the Devils allowed this season? If you guessed 13 you're correct, a mark that is worst in the league. One thing that remains to be seen is how rusty the Flyers may be who haven't played meaningful hockey for exactly one week while the Devils were in double OT, 72 hours prior. The week off allowed the Flyers to get some of their banged up defensemen back in the form of Nic Grossmann (concussion) & Andrej Meszaros (back surgery). The Devils on the other hand matchup with the Flyers as far as top 6 forwards are concerned, but the Flyers have 3 lines that can score and will wear quickly on the Devils blueliners. What is quite sad about this series is that it wouldn't surprise me if the Devils were able to go the distance with Philly, but at the same time it wouldn't surprise me if the Flyers steamrolled NJ. My prediction is somewhere in the middle. Flyers in 5.
Western Conference Predictions
Blues in 6
Nashville in 7
Friday, April 27, 2012
Justblueshirts blog ECQF Prediction Review
1 New York Rangers vs. 8 Ottawa Senators
Prediction: Rangers in 6
Actual: Rangers in 7
The Ugly: I did say in my prediction column the Rangers weren't going to make it easy and the certainly accomplished that task. The Rangers' Chris Kreider proved to the world he can play with the big boys and was the difference Game 6 & Game 7. The Sens are left wondering if their captain is going to come back for one more year but the future elsewhere is very bright in Ottawa.
2 Boston Bruins vs. 7 Washington Capitals
Prediction: Bruins in 6
Actual: Capitals in 7
The Ugly: Whiffed badly on this prediction. Braden Holtby was the single reason why the Caps are advancing as he was able to outduel Tim Thomas at the other end of the ice. Disappointing end to the season for the defending Cup champs but all the pieces for another run are still there.
3 Florida Panthers vs. 6 New Jersey Devils
Prediction: Devils in 5
Actual: Devils in 7
The Ugly: Devils were quite fortunate to move on as they tried hard to gift-wrap the series to the Panthers. Goaltending wound up being the difference in the end. Florida needs to find a goaltender badly if they want to compete in the near future.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5 Philadelphia Flyers
Prediction: Penguins in 7
Actual: Flyers in 6
The Ugly: When I had wrote that Marc Andre Fleury was nothing special in the regular season, I didn't expect Fleury to let puck after puck go by him repeatedly for the first 3 games of the series. A 4.63 GA and a save percentage of .834 will not win you many playoff games. Fleury finally showed up in Game 5 but the effort was too little too late. Bryzgalov was not great either at the other end either but it was the Flyers special teams that was the difference. 12 power play goals and 3 shorthanded goals in 6 games.
Prediction: Rangers in 6
Actual: Rangers in 7
The Ugly: I did say in my prediction column the Rangers weren't going to make it easy and the certainly accomplished that task. The Rangers' Chris Kreider proved to the world he can play with the big boys and was the difference Game 6 & Game 7. The Sens are left wondering if their captain is going to come back for one more year but the future elsewhere is very bright in Ottawa.
2 Boston Bruins vs. 7 Washington Capitals
Prediction: Bruins in 6
Actual: Capitals in 7
The Ugly: Whiffed badly on this prediction. Braden Holtby was the single reason why the Caps are advancing as he was able to outduel Tim Thomas at the other end of the ice. Disappointing end to the season for the defending Cup champs but all the pieces for another run are still there.
3 Florida Panthers vs. 6 New Jersey Devils
Prediction: Devils in 5
Actual: Devils in 7
The Ugly: Devils were quite fortunate to move on as they tried hard to gift-wrap the series to the Panthers. Goaltending wound up being the difference in the end. Florida needs to find a goaltender badly if they want to compete in the near future.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5 Philadelphia Flyers
Prediction: Penguins in 7
Actual: Flyers in 6
The Ugly: When I had wrote that Marc Andre Fleury was nothing special in the regular season, I didn't expect Fleury to let puck after puck go by him repeatedly for the first 3 games of the series. A 4.63 GA and a save percentage of .834 will not win you many playoff games. Fleury finally showed up in Game 5 but the effort was too little too late. Bryzgalov was not great either at the other end either but it was the Flyers special teams that was the difference. 12 power play goals and 3 shorthanded goals in 6 games.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
ECQF G6 vs. OTT: Rangers PP wakes up, difference in 3-2 win
Just a fast rundown tonight:
- Kreider had the game winner that really shouldn't have been the game winner & Stepan with 3 points are absolute studs. Throw in Callahan on the right side makes for the best top 6 the Rangers have seen in years.
- Speaking of Kreider, he was the best forward on the ice for two periods. Congrats to the kid on his first goal of many with the Rangers. The pass from Stepan and the snipe by Kreider beating Anderson on the short side was an incredible display of skill.
- The one real goal against Lundqvist was a fine setup on Ottawa's part. Two forwards were parked in front of Lundqvist's crease any time Ottawa was in their offensive zone for the entire first period and a practice they largely gave up on for the remainder of the game until things got desperate late. The Rangers defense and shot-blocking by the forwards tonight was incredible.
- If the Rangers are to advance further into the playoffs, Brad Richards needs to copy his 2004 Conn Smythe performance. His go ahead goal on the 5 on 3 was as clutch as you can ask for.
- I'm not one to call out the refs, but the officiating was flat out brutal tonight. Prust was crosschecked in front of the Ranger net at one point I believe by Chris Neil not long after he was called for the same thing early in the second period. I'm not going to go insane over Ottawa's third goal as we all know the obvious wasn't called.
- Speaking of public enemy number 1, Chris Neil was a ghost in the second period and the Rangers scored 3 goals. Not a coincidence people.
- Zenon Konopka continues to dominate in the faceoff circle against the Rangers. Sad when the previously mentioned Senators are the half of the reason why this series has gone 7 games. Spezza and Karlsson the other half.
- Game 7 Thursday night back at the Garden.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
ECQF vs. OTT G2: NYR fall in OT 3-2
Rather than going goal by goal like I normally do, I'm just going to point out a couple things.
First off, Hagelin is probably going to get a one game suspension for his elbow that knocked Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson out of the game in the second period. Although it definitely wasn't intentional, the damage was still done and he is going to have a hearing about it. If Hagelin is suspended, the Rangers need to give Kreider his chance to show what he can do. There's nothing wrong with giving Kreider 3rd line minutes with Boyle and whomever else Torts decides to throw in there after lineup changes. Considering how hot Boyle's stick his right now, Kreider feeding Boyle the puck I don't consider to be a bad thing.
Speaking of Boyle, once the Rangers learned of Ottawa's intention to dress their tough guys and start them no less, the Rangers and Boyle himself knew what was coming. Still, it really didn't seem like Ottawa was all that interested in playing hockey until Erik Karlsson was the recipient of a lucky goal on a pass to the middle of the ice that caromed off of Del Zotto's skate and behind Lundqvist towards the end of Hagelin's elbowing major. Quite frankly, all of Ottawa's goals tonight were fortunate bounces that landed on Senator sticks and behind Lundqvist. Del Zotto was perhaps out of position on the goal that went off of his skate but he is far from the reason why the Rangers lost.
Finally, the Rangers played the third period far too passively for me up until Foligno's goal with 5 minutes left. Where as the Rangers stepped on the throat of Ottawa at the start of the third period Game 1 with Richards' goal, the Sens held the puck for far too long in the third period for Game 2. By the way, with less than 5 minutes to go in the third period with the lead, the Rangers need to do a better job at finishing.
Again, for Game 3 if Hagelin is suspended, Kreider and trade deadline acquisition John Scott need to be inserted into the lineup and John Mitchell scratched who has done little to nothing for this team in months. Ranger fans cannot panic with the series shifting to Ottawa, they are the better team with deeper scoring and a much better goaltender, but as a long time die hard of this team, the Rangers always like to make things interesting for us.
First off, Hagelin is probably going to get a one game suspension for his elbow that knocked Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson out of the game in the second period. Although it definitely wasn't intentional, the damage was still done and he is going to have a hearing about it. If Hagelin is suspended, the Rangers need to give Kreider his chance to show what he can do. There's nothing wrong with giving Kreider 3rd line minutes with Boyle and whomever else Torts decides to throw in there after lineup changes. Considering how hot Boyle's stick his right now, Kreider feeding Boyle the puck I don't consider to be a bad thing.
Speaking of Boyle, once the Rangers learned of Ottawa's intention to dress their tough guys and start them no less, the Rangers and Boyle himself knew what was coming. Still, it really didn't seem like Ottawa was all that interested in playing hockey until Erik Karlsson was the recipient of a lucky goal on a pass to the middle of the ice that caromed off of Del Zotto's skate and behind Lundqvist towards the end of Hagelin's elbowing major. Quite frankly, all of Ottawa's goals tonight were fortunate bounces that landed on Senator sticks and behind Lundqvist. Del Zotto was perhaps out of position on the goal that went off of his skate but he is far from the reason why the Rangers lost.
Finally, the Rangers played the third period far too passively for me up until Foligno's goal with 5 minutes left. Where as the Rangers stepped on the throat of Ottawa at the start of the third period Game 1 with Richards' goal, the Sens held the puck for far too long in the third period for Game 2. By the way, with less than 5 minutes to go in the third period with the lead, the Rangers need to do a better job at finishing.
Again, for Game 3 if Hagelin is suspended, Kreider and trade deadline acquisition John Scott need to be inserted into the lineup and John Mitchell scratched who has done little to nothing for this team in months. Ranger fans cannot panic with the series shifting to Ottawa, they are the better team with deeper scoring and a much better goaltender, but as a long time die hard of this team, the Rangers always like to make things interesting for us.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Kreider learning hockey, "The Rangers Way"
"It's pretty hard to not get too far ahead of ourselves with the way we go about our business in our organization and in our locker room. I'd say our leadership all the way through, help guys understand the importance of one game at a time. There is now a Rangers way of doing things, and we all understand that." - Derek Stepan
What was a small snippet of a post practice interview with reporters following a practice in Virginia, the day after a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on December 28th, has turned into a mantra for the Rangers, all the way through the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Chris Kreider, a 2 time NCAA champion and Rangers first round pick in 2009, sat up in the stands for Game 1, took in the MSG playoff atmosphere and was apparently told by Rangers coaches to follow and study fellow rookie Carl Hagelin. And study he did. Kreider jotted down notes like a scout, studying Hagelin's play with and away from the puck and had to be impressed watching Hagelin lift the stick of a Senators' defenseman to feed Brad Richards alone in front of Ottawa's net for the Rangers 4th goal of Game 1. Kreider is a smart kid with a good head on his shoulders to realize he was never going to make the jump to the pros unless he was ready. Kreider now feels like he is ready and Ranger brass does too. It will only be a matter of time before Kreider takes the ice and dazzles Ranger fans and teammates with his skill set and other-worldly speed. But until then, Kreider has to learn how to play the game, the right way, the only way...
The Rangers Way
What was a small snippet of a post practice interview with reporters following a practice in Virginia, the day after a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on December 28th, has turned into a mantra for the Rangers, all the way through the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Chris Kreider, a 2 time NCAA champion and Rangers first round pick in 2009, sat up in the stands for Game 1, took in the MSG playoff atmosphere and was apparently told by Rangers coaches to follow and study fellow rookie Carl Hagelin. And study he did. Kreider jotted down notes like a scout, studying Hagelin's play with and away from the puck and had to be impressed watching Hagelin lift the stick of a Senators' defenseman to feed Brad Richards alone in front of Ottawa's net for the Rangers 4th goal of Game 1. Kreider is a smart kid with a good head on his shoulders to realize he was never going to make the jump to the pros unless he was ready. Kreider now feels like he is ready and Ranger brass does too. It will only be a matter of time before Kreider takes the ice and dazzles Ranger fans and teammates with his skill set and other-worldly speed. But until then, Kreider has to learn how to play the game, the right way, the only way...
The Rangers Way
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Series Preview- New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators
Ottawa will win if:
All starts with Ottawa's goaltending. If Craig Anderson is up to the task at matching his fellow counterpart in Henrik Lundqvist at the opposite end of the ice, Ottawa will have a good chance at stealing this series. They'll have even a better chance if their secondary scoring decides to kick in. Guys like Turris, Foligno and Greening will have to chip in offensively if the Rangers top defensive pair in Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh are able to neutralize Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Milan Michalek for long stretches. Finally, the Senators need to be stout killing off Ranger power plays which have been better as of late. Ottawa's penalty kill was ranked 20th in the regular season and Ottawa cannot allow an under-whelming New York power play to burn them.New York will win if:
We've all heard about how how fast the Senators are and how their speed poses as a matchup issue. To counter-act this, the Rangers have to come out in Game 1 and bang the Senators around along the boards. Finishing checks needs to be a must to slow down and wear on a quick team over the course of a 7 game series. Look no further than Game 1 of the Flyers-Penguins game last night. The Flyers had 39 hits against the Penguins who were getting badly beaten to pucks along the boards as the game progressed. Next, Ranger fans are about to find out if the increased rest over the course of the season for Henrik Lundqvist is going to pay off. Hank is beginning to hear the mumblings of some detractors in the hockey media about how he is only a regular season goaltender who suddenly becomes average in the playoffs. We've seen Lundqvist turn into a goalie possessed before and it's only a matter time before it happens again. Finally, the Ranger defensemen need to make sure they know where Spezza and Erik Karlsson are at all times, allowing their top guys especially Karlsson distributing the puck on the point to take over could be disastrous.
Prediction:
Goaltending and defensive depth clearly favor Rangers in this matchup and we'll call the offense a wash, but the Rangers have done the little things just a little better than Ottawa has this season and that'll be enough to advance. The Rangers, as always will make it interesting but I think they'll win this in 6 games.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Eastern Conference Quarter Finals Predictions
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5. Philadelphia Flyers
(Flyers lead regular season series 4-2)
Had to start with what is going to be the most physical, high scoring and entertaining series of all the matchups regardless of conference. This is series is going to be a bloodbath. The Flyers know what it takes to win in the Consol Energy Center, in fact they are 5-1 in Pittsburgh since the new building opened. Pittsburgh has gotten absurd of amounts of scoring depth this season which they will need if they want to keep their season going as Marc-Andre Fleury has been nothing special this season.
(Flyers lead regular season series 4-2)
Had to start with what is going to be the most physical, high scoring and entertaining series of all the matchups regardless of conference. This is series is going to be a bloodbath. The Flyers know what it takes to win in the Consol Energy Center, in fact they are 5-1 in Pittsburgh since the new building opened. Pittsburgh has gotten absurd of amounts of scoring depth this season which they will need if they want to keep their season going as Marc-Andre Fleury has been nothing special this season.
Prediction: The way to beat Pittsburgh is to beat them at their own game, scoring, scoring, and more scoring. The Flyers boast similar depth and they do have a couple guys coming back from injury, but with all the questions surrounding Ilya Bryzgalov and his already shaky playoff history, I can't advance the Flyers with any sort of confidence. The series does go the distance. Penguins in 7.
3. Florida Panthers vs. 6. New Jersey Devils
(Panthers lead season series 2-1-1)
From one end of the spectrum to the other, the likely snooze fest series of them all. To be brief, the Devils have won 6 straight at the end of the season, while Florida has lost 8 out of their last 10. Momentum heading into the playoffs can be a big advantage.
Prediction: Jose Theodore's GAA last 4 playoff appearances: 3.04, 3.15, 3.72, 3.70. Are those numbers suddenly going to improve? Didn't think so. Devils in 5.
2. Boston Bruins vs. 7 Washington Capitals
(Capitals lead season series 3-1)
I'm pretty sure the Bruins aren't too happy that the Rangers lost their last game of the season to Washington to set up this matchup, instead of drawing Ottawa, which would've been a short series. More questions than answers when trying to figure out if Washington can even play to their potential. Haven't even mentioned the Caps issues in goal right now.
Prediction: The 4 game regular season series were all close games besides the lone Bruins win on 2/5. The Caps do present a nice test for the defending champions in the first round, but the Bruins are likely too much for a young rookie goaltender in Braden Holtby to handle in his first playoff appearance. Bruins in 6.
RANGERS VS. SENATORS DETAILED SERIES PREVIEW THURSDAY.
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Just Blueshirts blog reviews its preseason predictions
1. Preseason- Washington
Actual- New York Rangers
The Caps started 7-0 and dropped off the Earth afterwards. Fought for 8th nearly all season long, fired coach, Ovechkin under-achieved, bad goaltending from Vokoun and still nearly stole the division title from the Panthers on the last day of the season. The Rangers went above and beyond expectations thanks to a rock solid defensive corps and the best goaltender in the NHL.
2. Preseason- Pittsburgh
Actual- Boston
The Bruins went through their "Cup hangover" in October, then proceeded to lose only 4 games from Halloween until New Years Eve, looked to make another run through the new year, but played barely better than .500 hockey in 2012.
3. Preseason- Buffalo
Actual- Florida
Buffalo was the sexy preseason pick with their big free agency splashes, but couldn't stay healthy once the season started, lost 4 out of 5 to finish season in 9th place, three points from the cutoff. Florida came out of nowhere, but finished the season poorly winning just 2 games in their last 10 and still held off Washington thanks to overtime and shootout results.
4. Preseason- Tampa Bay
Actual- Pittsburgh
Tampa lost in the conference finals last season to Boston and could not duplicate last year success into this year despite Stamkos scoring 60 goals and 97 points. Done in by poor goaltending. The Penguins could not overtake the Rangers despite having two winning streaks of 8 and 11 games in 2012. Came within just one point out of first in the Atlantic in mid-March but home and home losses to the Islanders in late March put the division title out of reach for good.
5. Preseason- Boston
Actual- Philadelphia
The Flyers were right there with the Pens and Rangers leading up to their Winter Classic matchup with the Rangers. Following the Rangers win, the Flyers could not keep up and settled into third place in the Atlantic following a bad February thanks to brutal goaltending by Ilya Bryzgalov and injuries along their blueline. Seemed to find their game in March but it was too little, too late.
6. Preseason- Rangers
Actual- New Jersey
Devils played .500 hockey through mid-December and improved as the year went on, still finished with a good enough record to settle comfortably in sixth place in the conference despite finishing 4th in the Atlantic with 102 points.
7. Preseason- Carolina
Actual- Washington
Carolina finished no where close in the playoff race due to the struggles of captain Eric Staal and goaltender Cam Ward in the beginning half of the year. Won just 4 games for the month of November and 5 games in December. Jeff Skinner struggled to duplicate his outstanding freshman season into a successful 2011-12 campaign.
8. Preseason- New Jersey
Actual- Ottawa
Ottawa won exactly 50% of their games and floundered around the bottom of the East for most of the season. Backed into the playoffs losing 3 straight and 6 out of their last 10.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
NYR Sunday Stats
Every Sunday morning this entry will be updated with a running total of goals, assists and points for the Rangers as well as stats on the Ranger goalies.
Updated 4/8/12 FINAL SEASON STATS
Player Goals/Assists/Points
Marian Gaborik 41-35-76
Brad Richards 25-41-66
Ryan Callahan 29-25-54
Derek Stepan 17-34-51
Michael Del Zotto 10-31-41
Carl Hagelin 14-24-38
Artem Anisimov 16-20-36
Brandon Dubinsky 10-24-34
Ryan McDonagh 7-25-32
Dan Girardi 5-24-29
Brian Boyle 11-15-26
Ruslan Fedotenko 9-11-20
Anton Stralman 2-16-18
Brandon Prust 5-12-17
John Mitchell 5-11-16
Stu Bickel 0-9-9
Jeff Woywitka 1-5-6
Mike Rupp 4-1-5
Steve Eminger 2-3-5
Marc Staal 2-3-5
Erik Christensen 1-4-5
Sean Avery 3-0-3
Michael Sauer 1-2-3
Wojtek Wolski 0-3-3
Mats Zuccarello 2-1-3
Tim Erixon 0-2-2
Andre Deveaux 0-1-1
John Scott 0-1-1
**italics indicate player is no longer on active roster**
Henrik Lundqvist 38-17-5 GA- 1.97 SV % .930 8 SO
Martin Biron 12-5-2 GA- 2.46 SV % .904 2 SO
Leaders-
PIM- Brandon Prust 156
+/- Ryan McDonagh +28 // Ryan Callahan -8
Shots- Marian Gaborik 276
Updated 4/8/12 FINAL SEASON STATS
Player Goals/Assists/Points
Marian Gaborik 41-35-76
Brad Richards 25-41-66
Ryan Callahan 29-25-54
Derek Stepan 17-34-51
Michael Del Zotto 10-31-41
Carl Hagelin 14-24-38
Artem Anisimov 16-20-36
Brandon Dubinsky 10-24-34
Ryan McDonagh 7-25-32
Dan Girardi 5-24-29
Brian Boyle 11-15-26
Ruslan Fedotenko 9-11-20
Anton Stralman 2-16-18
Brandon Prust 5-12-17
John Mitchell 5-11-16
Stu Bickel 0-9-9
Jeff Woywitka 1-5-6
Mike Rupp 4-1-5
Steve Eminger 2-3-5
Marc Staal 2-3-5
Erik Christensen 1-4-5
Sean Avery 3-0-3
Michael Sauer 1-2-3
Wojtek Wolski 0-3-3
Mats Zuccarello 2-1-3
Tim Erixon 0-2-2
Andre Deveaux 0-1-1
John Scott 0-1-1
**italics indicate player is no longer on active roster**
Henrik Lundqvist 38-17-5 GA- 1.97 SV % .930 8 SO
Martin Biron 12-5-2 GA- 2.46 SV % .904 2 SO
Leaders-
PIM- Brandon Prust 156
+/- Ryan McDonagh +28 // Ryan Callahan -8
Shots- Marian Gaborik 276
Monday, April 2, 2012
Rangers fall 2-1 against Boston, clinching first on hold
I'm going to be moving away from the good, bad, ugly format to my game reviews from here until the end of the year and just post some thoughts I took away from each contest.
There's 2 things I took away from Sunday nights contest. First was the apparent confusion inside the locker room of what the Rangers needed to do in order to wrap up the one seed. I firmly believe that Torts never brought up what they had to do in order clinch first, but as a player I believe it's important to know exactly where your opponents are in relation to where you stand in the overall picture of things. Brandon Prust likely knew what the Rangers had to do after inquiring to newyorkrangers.com before the game about who had won the Flyers-Penguins matchup earlier Sunday afternoon. After the game, Marc Staal told reporters he had no idea the Rangers simply had to take Sunday's game into overtime to clinch first.
The second thing is the sense of complacency the Rangers had for a large stretch of Sunday's game. Following Marion Gaborik's opening tally at 4:33 of the first period, the Rangers seemed more than content to sit back and play defense. So much defense, in fact the Rangers only finished with 5 shots on goal in the first period after not registering a shot in the final 11+ minutes of the first period. The Rangers never really turned the pressure up again on Bruins goalie Tim Thomas until the Rangers went on their second power play with less than 1 minute left in the first and were rewarded with a brief 5 on 3 early in the third period, which the Rangers were unable to capitalize. The Rangers finished with 19 shots in the third period alone and 34 shots overall. The Rangers obvious lack of urgency for about 35 minutes cost them from clinching in front of their fans.
I'm sure Ranger fans won't complain if the Rangers sweep the season series with Philadelphia on Tuesday, who have been snakebitten by a Ranger team all season that simply has worked harder game in and game out and have come out undefeated in the season series. The Flyers do have home ice at stake in their likely series against Pittsburgh and will have something to play for. Also, I'm sure the Rangers will get the Flyers best game so the Flyers can prove to themselves that they can hang with the Rangers in a potential series down the road.
RELAX RANGER FANS!!!
There's 2 things I took away from Sunday nights contest. First was the apparent confusion inside the locker room of what the Rangers needed to do in order to wrap up the one seed. I firmly believe that Torts never brought up what they had to do in order clinch first, but as a player I believe it's important to know exactly where your opponents are in relation to where you stand in the overall picture of things. Brandon Prust likely knew what the Rangers had to do after inquiring to newyorkrangers.com before the game about who had won the Flyers-Penguins matchup earlier Sunday afternoon. After the game, Marc Staal told reporters he had no idea the Rangers simply had to take Sunday's game into overtime to clinch first.
The second thing is the sense of complacency the Rangers had for a large stretch of Sunday's game. Following Marion Gaborik's opening tally at 4:33 of the first period, the Rangers seemed more than content to sit back and play defense. So much defense, in fact the Rangers only finished with 5 shots on goal in the first period after not registering a shot in the final 11+ minutes of the first period. The Rangers never really turned the pressure up again on Bruins goalie Tim Thomas until the Rangers went on their second power play with less than 1 minute left in the first and were rewarded with a brief 5 on 3 early in the third period, which the Rangers were unable to capitalize. The Rangers finished with 19 shots in the third period alone and 34 shots overall. The Rangers obvious lack of urgency for about 35 minutes cost them from clinching in front of their fans.
I'm sure Ranger fans won't complain if the Rangers sweep the season series with Philadelphia on Tuesday, who have been snakebitten by a Ranger team all season that simply has worked harder game in and game out and have come out undefeated in the season series. The Flyers do have home ice at stake in their likely series against Pittsburgh and will have something to play for. Also, I'm sure the Rangers will get the Flyers best game so the Flyers can prove to themselves that they can hang with the Rangers in a potential series down the road.
RELAX RANGER FANS!!!
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