Rangers Recap: Rangers fall to Penguins 3-2 in season opener
by Joe Fortunato on Oct 2, 2009 10:45 PM EDT
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The Rangers fell to the Penguins 3-2 tonight in Pittsburgh. Not the best way to start the season, but there were some good signs. If it weren't for Marc-Andre Fleury making some outstanding saves the Rangers probably could have won this game. Regardless the Rangers hung in there with the defending champs. Good thing the Rangers play again tomorrow so we don't have to sit on this loss for long.
Let's take a look at the game:
The Good:
- Henrik Lundqvist looked great. Can't blame him for any of the goals, his defense bailed on him on all three. He kept the Rangers in it the entire time.
- Marian Gaborik potted his first goal as a Ranger and took tons of shots. He looked like the game breaker that the Rangers were looking for.
- The power play. Okay so they didn't score but they moved the puck and took shots whenever there were lanes.
- Michael Del Zotto looked awesome for his first game as a 19 year old in the NHL. He was a presence in the offensive zone and he also played very solid defense. Don't forget that he was the QB for the power play the entie game.
- Chris Drury made a poor defensive play on the second Penguin goal but he was all over the ice and scored in the first. I liked his play.
- Chris Higgins, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan and Vinny Prospal all turned in a solid outing tonight; with Dubinsky and Higgins recording an assist each. No complaints there.
- Marc Staal was his usual solid self, never any complaints with him.
The Average:
- Enver Lisin looked good in the beginning of the game then kind of tailed off at the end. Overall though it was a good effort.
- Wade Redden played a solid game and was pretty good on D.
- Artem Anisimov was shakey but didn't really play enough to show it too much.
- The penalty kill looked okay but they gave the Penguins big boys too much space. Too many times I saw Malkin and Crosby with the puck without anyone pressuring them.
- Donald Brashear did what he was supposed to, fight. But it didn't change any momentum so he gets put here.
- You can't take anything away from the Penguins defensivley. They blocked at least 15 shots so the Rangers need to find more open lanes.
- The defense pinched a little too much for my liking. Torts might have to pull back the reigns a little bit.
- Matt Gilroy looked okay. Made a few good plays and a few bad plays. Can't complain about his effort though.
Click after the jump for more recap!
The Bad:
- Dan Girardi was out of place most of the game and looked gassed at times. I expect more from him.
- Aaron Voros went back to his old self. He wasn't skating hard and he was relativley usless.
- I don't care about Malkin but Crosby scored and I truly hate Crosby.
- The Rangers need to do a better job of defending the slot. Too many times they left the Penguins there all alone. Missed nets were the only thing keeping this game from getting out of hand late in the second.
The Ugly:
- Michael Rozsival's poor play in the preseason carried over tonight. He was soley responsibly for the first and third Penguin goals and he was out of position all game. He turned the puck over countless times and by the second period Torts was decreasing his ice time steadily. He might be lucky to see 10 minutes tomorrow.
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yeah, voros was terrible. But one thing i noticed during the game is that dubi had really smooth stickhandling and had great control of the puck the whole game.
Yeah Dubi was awesome....
I love it when he skates down the ice into the corner…. no, not the front of the net, god forbid he used the middle of the ice, I love it when he skates down into the corner and throws blind passes in front of the ice. Dubi looked like crap, just like most of the team. Way too much stuff under good here. The Rangers got smoked, plain and simple. Without Hank this is a 5 or 6-2 game.
"It's like the old phrase goes.....The balls in your court now Mr.Church, so you take that ball, you dribble it up the court and....................................... get a layup"
- Keith Hernandez
how is there way too much stuff under good?
I thought that the Rangers did play a good game. Just because they lost doesn’t mean they played horrible.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions
1 – You hate Voros. Which means you can’t be objective. For the 6:26 he was on the ice, he was solid – throwing the body, fighting for the puck along the boards. No goals scored while he was on ice – and at one point when they really needed it (after a penalty kill) Brashear/Boyle/Voros did a solid forechecking job and kept the puck in the offensive zone.
He wasn’t special, but he did not “suck”.
2 – Girardi had some rough moments – but his play improved as the game went on.\
3 – Poor Rozi. He deserves to be in the ‘Ugly’ category – but to say that the first goal was all his is fault is missing the fact that Redden let Malkin skate right by him into the crease – Rozi was on the far side covering and had to react to Redden’s lapse.
4 – Gilroy looked better overall than Del Zotto. Del Zotto gets your attention because of his breakout/lead passes – and granted – they’re phenomenal. Defensively – more lapses for DZ than Gilroy. Over time that will change – but MDZ belongs in the “average” group.
5 – If you think the D pinched too much – wait. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. (Cue BTO for background music). They’re not even close to where Torts wants them to be. And like a real man – he never pulls out ;-)
If not for a brilliant save by Fleury on Prospal (which, by the way – he should have roofed instead of thinking “easy goal”) the game would have been tied.
For a 1st road game against an offensively talented team like PIT, I have no complaints. It was a 1-goal game – something we got used to last year (and the year before). Against many other teams and keepers – the Rangers win that game 5 or 6 – to 3.
to be honest db
The main reason del zotto was in the good category was because he really didn’t screw up. Torts really threw him to the wolves in his first pre-season game and I thought he answered the call.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 9:43 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Gilroy played almost 3 full minutes more than DZ, and was Plus 2.
His crashing the net allowed Gaborik to score that goal.
I would have to say that I fully expected Gilroy
to play a pretty solid game. Gilroy has had the added seasoning of playing in the Bean pot, playing in college and his body filling out because he is 25.
I was honestly expecting a full meltdown from Del Zotto. Maybe I should have moved him to the average but regardless I liked what I saw out of both.
Plus I love the number 4 :-)
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
the thing i took most from this game
gabby was excellent…if he plays like this most of the year he will be an offensive force…the lines also looked pretty good…avery was missed…there was no umf from the rangers stand point…im worried defensively about this team…henrik bailed the defense out a bunch of times…i wanna know why rosival looks lost out there…he cant be hurt can he? the young d-men were good to ok…girardi needs to step it up but overall not too bad…maybe tomorrow a better outcome and better effort
Torts better pull back
on the reigns here a bit. I like the up tempo style but not at the expense of numerous odd man rushes. They gotta pick and choose there spots when to pinch on D. And how about picking up your man in our own end. Crosby’s goal was ridiculous. All alone in front matter of fact him and another penguin all alone in front on his goal. Granted it was the first game of the year but they gotta tighten up here man!!!!
That was
Drury standing next to Crosby admiring his positioning in front of Henrik.
by Blueshirts Rock on Oct 3, 2009 6:49 AM EDT up reply actions
yes
he lifted his stick once and then figured that was enough and just stoof there
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions
I loved what I saw last night
Game could have easily went the Rangers way. Tip you hat to MAF, he robbed Prospal. Gaborik nearly scored on a breakaway through MAF’s five hole, but the puck just went a tad wide.
Gary Thorne=Simply the Best!
by The American Mr.Hockey on Oct 3, 2009 8:48 AM EDT reply actions
Very Positive
Hey boys, lots of positives for the first game with all the new faces. The kids played pretty well( MDZ and Gilroy). Gabby is the real deal! He will score 40+! I don’t mind mistakes when there done by talented kids because they will get better. Voros, Rosy, Boyle were not good and can’t skate. Many times they were caught flat footed. Avery back tonight!
Lets Go Rangers!
by Rangers fan in Tampa on Oct 3, 2009 9:13 AM EDT reply actions
I actually thought Voros played well for his minutes. He is not fast, but he and Brashear, for at least 2 full shifts, kept the puck in the Pens zone and applied excellent pressure… they even had a solid scoring chance later in the game.
Boyle though, did not play well. He seemed confused.
I liked what I saw from Redden. He had a good chance on goal when he joined the rush, made only 1 or 2 mistakes on D, and actually made a few very good plays on D, AND he played physical. He through a few good hits in there, and when he was hit by Malkin, he went and knocked Malkin on his ass… twice!
Gaborik could’ve had 3 goals… Fleury had a tremendous game. A couple amazing saves by both goalies.
When I first started
following your blog early summer, I thought you were doing a horrible job. I felt your blog was crappy but since I’m a Rangers fan, I figured I’d still stop by.
I don’t know what happened but since the last 2 months or so, you really turned it around. I now consider you one of the best blogs to read and I can’t wait to see the updates.
Great job, keep up the good work!
thank you?
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions
I think there is a compliment in there somewhere, and I thank you for it.
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by Jim Schmiedeberg on Oct 3, 2009 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Semenov Thing
Get the sense this is a pretty big deal. Among Girardi, DZ and Gilroy, there will definitely be some lapses….see the clearing atempts on the Pens third goal. O looked a lot better but with a lot of 2-1 and 3-2 games in the offing, they’re going to have to get seroius about this.
Semenov isn't a huge deal.
I can almost guarentee he wouldn’t be playing tomorrow if he were here. Unless it was to replace Rozsival.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
What’s unfortunate is that right now, if Tortorella wanted to send a message to an underperformer – he can’t. Without that 7th d-man active – he’s stuck with who he’s got and can only juggle how many minutes each one plays.
Agreed
Unless they want to call someone up from Hartford to play 7th man duty (which would make no sense).
It’s sad when the second higest paid defenseman on the team was out played by thhe 19 year old rookie who jumped into the NHL directly from the OHL.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
well
after watching rozi last night. (and redden isnt so innocent. malkins goal was more his fault than rozi’s. they were both responsible for atleast 1 goal) i much rather have semenov in there.
i really wish sather would admit his mistake and send rozi to hartford. if he keeps up tis play for another few games, its time to realize hes not getting any better. its been this way for over a year now and its not gonan change.
send him to hartford. that opens up 5 mil in cap space which were gonna need to improve the defensive core.
girardi was fine. he wasnt great, but his game was good enough. i dont understand how someone can say redden was better than girardi, but its just an opinion.
i think we lsot the game because of r and r, but mostly rozi. its time to send them down.
im sick of watching 2 socially awkward shy retarted kids who look like their too self-conscious to stad up for themselves.
its like they have to think about blocking malkin for 8 seconds before they do anything. i cant stand them anymore tonight.
if torts is gonan go buy the whole having to earn your ice time, rozi shouldnt play anymore.
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
I will say this Mosh
Jim and I had VERY high hopes for Rozsival this year. I guess we were wrong.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Not ready to give up on Rosi yet, but he isn’t making me feel real confident
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by Jim Schmiedeberg on Oct 3, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
hes been bad for over a year now. when are we going to realize he wont get better? give him 5 more games. if hes this bad, i rather see another rookie in there.
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
well Mosh the problem now is
who do you replace him with? There is no 7th defenseman. Yeah you could send him down to try to bring someone up but who? Sanguinetti, Potter and Sauer all got beat out by Gilroy and Del Zotto and I am NOT confident with 3 rookies ont he D line.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
so
semenov is definitely not signing..
wtf? he was here for a month, did his wife think he wasnt gonna sign……
i really think we need to find someone else than.. theres gotta be other dmen out there better than rozi.
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
yeah Semenov's wife nixed the deal
so he is a goner.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Rozsival
I was debating making a separate fan post about it but I think I’ll just ask here. When the Rangers first got him it seemed like he was a steal – he went from a 5th-ish D to a 1st/2nd on the Rangers, and Jagr always requested him on the PP specifically over Mara. What the HELL has happened to Rozsival over the last 2 years? How did you go up and down like he has? Any theories?
"Malik now." "6 foot 6, 238, not a noted goal scorer but he's gonna give it a shot here." "Malik has not scored this year. In on Kolzig, faked it....SCORES"
Honest Calm Down
Rozsival has a great shot when he uses it. And if you remember in the 1st season after the lock out he racked up a huge ammount of assists because all he did was pass the puck to Jagr who would bury it.
Now think to that playoff series against the Devils after Jagr got hurt. On the power play Rozsival looked lost, never took the shot passed to no one and looked awful. The same thing is happening now, he is out of his comfort zone he has no one to pass to and he is lost.
Basically he was a figment of what Jagr made him and now that the entire team is no longer coming back to play D like they were under Renney his defensive lapses are starting to show alot more. get used to it my friend. it wont change
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
well
i guess joe beat me to it.
jagr left and his true colors are showing.
hes a 6th dman at best.
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
A few preseason games, and one regular season game, under a “safe is death” system that he’s clearly uncomfortable with, and everyone’s writing him off. :shakes head:
How about you give the coaching staff and all the players the benefit of the doubt for a couple of weeks?? Torts himself said it will take time for this to become instinctive. The younger players who haven’t been drilled in a ‘system’ will adapt more easily – we’ve already seen evidence of that. Older guys who are used to playing a particular style are going to take more time. There’ve been plenty of times where you can see the indecision on Staal, Girardi, Redden, Roszival – they get stuck in that moment of “do I or don’t I”.
I’ll join you in condemning anyone who hasn’t “gotten it” by December, but until then everyone needs to be a bit more realistic.
im not writing him off yet buddy
as I said before Jim and I have very high hopes for him this year. Ill give him a few games to tighten up and play better. But it is not him not being used to the system thata gets me it is the defensive lapses that I have been seeing from him the past 2 years.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Joe – you have to realize that they’re interrelated. A split second’s hesitation is what causes the ‘defensive lapses’. He had some good shifts last night – and some terrible ones.
The biggest issue that I see with the D corps is that they don’t have a big, physical guy who can clear the crease – especially on the power play. Maybe they’ll have to consider moving a Brashear or a Boyle into that role – even though that his its own set of risks – or they’re going to have to find one somewhere else.
Even if they’d put a claim in on Schubert, Atlanta would have gotten him by virtue of having a worse record – and he might have been the right kind of guy. I don’t see much out there on either the waiver wire or FAs – so we might be in for a long year – unless a Potter or Sauer steps up and fits in. I’m sure we can agree that it will be interesting to see what moves get made and how this plays out.
A great point db (as usual) and I will agree with you
But there is no doubt that Rizsival was the worst D man out there last night and through most of the pre-season. Other defensemen are dealing with it better. Thats the point i tried to make.
I think that Rozsival can play better, I have seen him be a number 2 before and I think he can do it again. You literally can’t give up on him yet because there is nothing the Rangers can do. I want him to play and the Rangers need him to play well.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
its not like its only been a few games.
he was terrible all alst season too. weve given hiom plenty of chances, and i personally dpmt think hell get any better. but i hope im wrong
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
Well....
I actually liked what I saw from Gilroy. He was on the rush plenty, including joining the rush that allowed Gaborik to score as an uncovered 4th rusher. And when he went deep he had the legs to get back and defend. Del Zotto looked a little slow last night compared to my expecations.
Bouncy puck last night. I can’t recall more pucks bouncing over forwards sticks than last night.
Welcome to the Banter OpenRoad!
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by Jim Schmiedeberg on Oct 3, 2009 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
rangers lose opening night.
this team stll needs a goal scorer look for alot of 2-1 3-2 games this year gaborik is just not enough the defence is shaky because rosi and redden are terrible i think they missed avery,s presence last night missed his grit and pestiness it,s only one game but i would give them a c minus….
but its not just Gaborik
Callahan, Prospal, Kotalik, Higgins and Drury are all potential 20+ goal scorers. I think we are ok in that department.
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by Joe Fortunato on Oct 3, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
obviously in hindsight...
don’t forget Dubi on that list.
I also think Lisin has 20 goal potential even for this season.
What the f$%k is the internet?
things I learned from this game..
1. Rosizval is terrible and needs to go
2. Semenovs wife wheres the pants in there relationship
3. if Redden plays solid like in this game I will have no problems except his contract
4. redden and staal if they keep playing at that level sholud be the first pair
5. girardi struggled
6. brashear did not do anything stupid
7. del zotto was not that great and struggled on the PP but it is understandable being his 1st game
8. drury can score in the 1st month of the season
9. they never lost on opening night with renney
10. tortorella needs to use his first line more
11. kotalik shot on the PP is worth the 3 mil a year but why isnt he playing with drury
12. prospal was better then i thought he would be
13. lundqvist was great as usual
14. gaborik is on poace to score 82 goals if he plays 82 games
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Rangers
|
49 | 32 | 12 | 5 | 69 |
|
Philadelphia
|
50 | 30 | 14 | 6 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
51 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 62 |
|
New Jersey
|
50 | 28 | 19 | 3 | 59 |
|
New York Islanders
|
50 | 21 | 22 | 7 | 49 |
(updated 2.4.2012 at 8:30 AM EST)
Rangers Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
Philadelphia
|
Sun 02/05 | 1:00 PM EST |
|
New Jersey
|
Tue 02/07 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Tampa Bay
|
Thu 02/09 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
@
Philadelphia
|
Sat 02/11 | 1:00 PM EST |
|
Washington
|
Sun 02/12 | 12:30 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Buffalo
|
Wed 02/01 | SO - W 1 - 0 |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Tue 01/31 | SO - L 3 - 4 |
|
Winnipeg
|
Tue 01/24 | W 3 - 0 |
|
@
Boston
|
Sat 01/21 | SO - W 3 - 2 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
Thu 01/19 | L 1 - 4 |
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