Rangers Come Up Large, Win 4-2

The New York Rangers, knowing quite well that their playoff fate is in their own hands, came up with a huge effort against the Nashville Predators with a 4-2 victory. The Rangers came out flying in the first 5 minutes and it showed when Sean Avery banged in a rebound to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead. However, from that time on until the end of the 1st period, the Rangers took all their own momentum away by taking 3-straight penalties (Boy were some of those dumb and I'm being kind). Nashville, who has a poor PP themselves, was able to capitalize on Markus Naslund's interference penalty. Shea Webber fired an off-wing wrist shot past Henrik Lundqvist - who got a piece of the shot, but not enough (He's gotta make that save, no excuses). From there, J.P. Dumont got a gift goal off of Dan Girardi's skate which gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at the end of the 1st period.

In between periods, I can only tell you from my experience as a player is what went on in the dressing room - to put it frankly, was a good old fashioned tongue lashing. There was one player in particular that got the worst of it - Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev has all the talent in the world, but at times he reminds me of Alexei Kovalev with the "I don't care" type of play. I'm pretty sure Zherdev's benching has to do with effort, not skill. Anyway, the result was the lines changed constantly and the Rangers played one of their best periods in months. Goals by Scott Gomez and Marc Staal gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead that they would not give up. You gotta give Coach Tortorella credit for making the decision to bench Zherdev and play the players who were going well. Zherdev may not have stepped on the ice, but there were a few other players who the Rangers expect more of and as a result found themselves getting less ice time as the game wore on. I think Coach Tortorella knows there's not many games left, so if he has to hurt a few feelings then so be it. The playoffs are the goal and the Rangers received a ton of help around the league tonight. Now it's on to Philly for a home and home... should be very entertaining to say the least. Over and out!

Quinnipiac Bobcats at St. Lawrence

Listen to the Bobcats on the radio this weekend as they take on St. Lawrence in the best of 3 series (unfortunately I will not be able to do the color).

» Bobcats Link: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x981.xml

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Rangers Shut Out By Canes, 3-0

After spending the weekend doing radio work for the Quinnipiac Bobcats, I thought I would settle in my "Archie Bunker Chair" and enjoy the New York Rangers vs. the Carolina Hurricanes. I was hoping for a good night for the Rangers and getting to sit back and enjoy the game. Ugh! Is all I can say. Boy, was that a clunker of a game for the Rangers tonight. No offense what so ever. There was not one player that I can think of, other than Valiquette, that you can honestly say showed up tonight.

Cam Ward turned back all 27 shots the Rangers fired on him, but really how many were serious scoring shots? 2, maybe 3? And even that's a reach. The Canes struck first when defenseman Joe Corvo beat Brandon Dubinsky and Nikolai Zherdev up the ice and poked in a puck past Valiquette (who made a great initial save). Sorry, you can get away with that early in the season - but not now. Every game has playoff implications and really there's no time left in the season to make it up. After that, Carolina connected on it's 4th PP attempt on a blast by Rod Brind'Amour. That goal, for all intents and purposes, sealed the deal as the Rangers could not find any sustained offense for Cam Ward to worry about!

Other observations in the game for me was Sean Avery is trying just a little too hard to impress and it cost the Blueshirts on PP and negated another. I am a big fan of Avery's, but tonight was not one of his best efforts (He had lots of company). Oh well, as one of my followers of my blog (Mr. Hockey) once wrote, "No score goalie, no win gamie". How true is that? Now the Rangers head off to Nashville. The team will need a huge effort to win that game, the Predators are no slouch! Over and out!

Quinnipiac Bobcats Advance in the Playoffs

The Quinnipiac Bobcats played 3 sudden death OT games over the weekend against the Colgate Raiders. Brandon Wong finished Colgate off with his 2nd OT winner in 3 nights as the Bobcats advanced to the 2nd round of the ECAC playoffs. In the next round, the Bobcats will be facing St. Lawrence University. It was a great series to watch this past weekend. Colgate and Quinnipiac put on quite an exciting 3 nights of hockey. Goaltender Bud Fisher was fantastic in the final game and that's just what you need in the playoffs - solid goaltending. It should be a good match-up between Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence as the teams both won at each other's home rink this regular season. Unfortunately, I won't be available to work the radio broadcast, but I will be listening! Go Bobcats!

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Rangers Stars Lead the Way

In a hard fought struggle, the New York Rangers took a 4-2 victory over a "Who's who" version of the New York Islanders. The Rangers stars - or leaders - whatever you want to call them, stepped up and led the way for the Blueshirts. Zherdev, Drury, Gomez, and Naslund all struck gold for the Rangers tonight. Boy, when was the last time these four guys scored in the same game? It was nice to see! King Henrik was his usual self - making some tough saves at the right time to give his club a boost when needed (Although he cheated a little on the goals that he allowed).

I thought the Islanders played a very energetic game considering all of the new faces in the lineup after the trade deadline. The Islanders really outplayed the Rangers for the most part in this game. On the Rangers side, Avery was his normal self. He got into the minds of the opposition and really just tried to get a feel for the NHL game again that was temporarily taken away from him. He gets a passing mark from me in his first game back. Nik Antropov showed what they got him for: he has good hands and is a hard body to move in front of the net. Antropov's backhand pass to Drury on the PP goal was a beauty (Not many try that kind of pass). One thing about Antropov that Rangers fans better not expect is a banger type of player. Sorry, he's big, but that's just not his style. He is, however, a big asset to the team. As for Derek Morris, I like this pickup and he will be a steady performer on the D. His game gives you a little of everything - hitting, good skater, can move the puck, and will play tough when needed.

There were some bad points to this game tonight though. There was one thing in particular that bothered me the most with all the high-tempo attack and pressure style coach Tortorella is trying to implement. This type of play does not mean that you can play reckless and they were too reckless defensively for my liking tonight. Too many odd man rushes and late skaters not being picked up. Against the Islanders, you can get away with this, against some other teams... well, I think you get my point. I don't want to be picky though. The leaders of this team came through and I hope that it's a sign of good things to come for the Rangers. The "Big Bad" Bruins await the Rangers on Sunday now.

I will be away again this weekend as the ECAC hockey playoffs begin. The Quinnipiac Bobcats host a best-of-3 playoff series at the TD Banknorth Center in Hamden, Connecticut. The Bobcats will take on the Colgate Raiders. Over and out!

» Bobcats Link: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x981.xml

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Rangers Burst Out

While I was away at work this weekend, the New York Rangers took it out on the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 6-1. No, that is not a misprint. 6 goals by the Rangers is a season high and it helped contribute to a much needed win for the Blueshirts. Not only was it important towards the playoff push, but it was probably more important for the psyche of the players. It proves to them that they can score and it helps build the confidence of the team overall.

It was, from what I've been told, a complete game. Goals, hits, great defense, and throw in a few fights (Orr Vs Stewart, Mara Vs Tucker)... hockey at its best. I obviously did not get to view the game, but by all accounts from my son and true diehard Rangers fan friends, it was by far the best effort in quite some time. I hope that it continues because this playoff race is gonna be just wild. With the trade deadline approaching, it will be interesting to see what moves that Glen Sather can make to give the team a little boost. They already received one with Tortorella's hiring and now the clock ticks... will they or will they not make the moves? I'm betting yes, but you never know!

Bobcats Win

As for my other favorite hockey team... the Quinnipiac Bobcats who lost a tough game at Harvard, 2-1, managed to rebound with a 4-1 at Dartmouth. The win was key as it clinched a home ice advantage for the first round of the ECAC playoffs next week against Colgate. Congratulations goes out to the Bobcats players and coaching staff! It's been a long and tough regular season featuring many ups an downs. But, as we all know, the playoffs are a "new" season all together. You get to wipe the slate clean and have a fresh start. I'm looking forward to next week. Over and out!

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Rangers Fall in the 3rd

In a game that was very similar to the night before against Toronto, the New York Rangers looked like the faster team, more physical team, and the team that dominated in scoring chances. Unfortunately, the last thing, scoring chances is what did them in. The Rangers lost to the Florida Panthers by a score of 2-1 in a very critical game considering how tenuous the playoff hopes of the Blueshirts are right now.

David Booth and Nathan Horton scored for the Panthers exactly one minute apart to seal the deal in favor of Florida. Where do we start? The Rangers were, in my eyes, the much better team in most aspects of the game. Hustling, skating, hitting, all around effort, and shots (41 to 22 in favor of the Rangers). You would think that would make it an easy victory for the boys, but this is the Rangers - the team that's snake bitten and simply can't score.

I don't know what to say anymore. The chances are there, but the goals are not. Can we place blame on Lundqvist for allowing that soft goal on David Booth's backhand, or Scott Gomez chasing Zednik around the net while leaving his man (Horton) wide open in front of the net? Sure we can. But mistakes are what hockey's all about and if the Rangers could have found the net a couple of more times - the mistakes would be a moot point. The PP obviously still needs some major work as well. 49 seconds with a 2-Man Advantage while leading 1-0 is a chance to bury the opposition. Instead of extending the lead, the Rangers left the Panthers with a chance to hang around in the game.

It's a tough time for the Rangers right now and the players are feeling the pressure as well. With the trade deadline coming up, will some things happen? I don't believe this team can stand pat. Something needs to be done, and that's for sure.

I will be away in Boston this weekend doing some more games for the Quinnipiac Bobcats (against Harvard and Dartmouth). If you are interested in listening, the link is littered throughout previous posts and check in around 7PM EST. I will answer any comments when I get back! Over and out!

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Rangers Lose, Fire Renney

The New York Rangers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs last night by a score of 3-2 in OT. I'm not going to get into what happened in the game other than lots of shots, no goals, a stupid penalty in OT, a loss - end of story.

Then today, I just get back home from the YMCA and what do I hear? Tom Renney has been fired. Well, now the players have absolutely no excuse. I don't want to hear about it. It's all on them now, they have to start playing and prove their worth. It's always easy to get rid of the coach and staff - right or wrong. You can't get rid of "High Priced Under Achievers" in a salary cap league. Glen Sather probably had no choice, even though anyone who knows hockey will tell you it's all on the players.

The word is that maybe John Tortorella will be taking over? Well, if that's the case, wait until the players get a load of him. I think he's a good coach, but he's a tad abrasive and blunt. He actually might hurt a players feelings (Boo-Hoo!). I will say this, if you believe it was Renney's fault - you're dreaming. Players play, players skate, players hit, and in the end - players have to score. I hope they prove me wrong!

Great Night for Howell and Bathgate

Along with the game, I was also present for the jersey retirement of Harry Howell's #3 and Andy Bathgate's #9. I was like a kid in a candy store... Andy Hebenton, Bill Gadsby, Bob Nevin, Vic Hadfield, Larry Popein, Earl Ingarfield, Dean Prentice, Arnie Brown, Eddie Shack, "Leapin" Lou Fontinato, and finally Captain & Coach Red Sullivan - all of which, former Rangers teammates. Simply awesome.

There were also 4 others to cap these legends on the ice... they brought in Red Kelly, Dick Duff, Stan Mikita, and Frank Mahovlich. It was a fantastic night! Your's truly got to sit in the Rangers legends box with Pete Stemkowski, Gilles Villemure, Ed Giacomin, Rod Gilbert, Brad Park, and Carl Brewer's wife, Sue.

After the game, there was a party at the Plaza Hotel that was Marvelous. My wife Lisa and I had the great pleasure of talking to Frank Mahovlich and his wife on the way to the hotel. It was truly an honor to be around these hockey greats. I would like to, yet again, thank the New York Rangers for this special privilege. Over and out!

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