Rangers Outplayed by Islanders in 3-1 Loss
by Rob L on Oct 28, 2009 10:16 PM EDT
in New York Rangers Recaps
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After the Rangers broke a three-game losing streak Monday night in a 5-2 win against the Coyotes, many Ranger fans expected the team to build upon the positive result away to the Islanders tonight; but that would not be the case. The Blueshirts came out flat to start the game and really never hit their stride all night. Each period the Rangers would apply a duration of pressure to the Islanders which usually resulted in a couple of good chances (including at least two or three posts); but in the end the Rangers just could not get the job done in a game where the Rangers could have proved something with the absence of Marion Gaborik.
Right out of the gate the Islanders controlled the play which led to the breakaway goal by Matt Moulson. Matt Gilroy pinched up attempting to start a rush but eventually lost the puck. Jack Hillen fired a solid pass up the middle to a curling Moulson who made no mistake going stick side on Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers still took a couple of minutes to wake up, but around five minutes into the period the momentum shifted and the Rangers began to apply pressure. A dump into the Islanders zone allowed Chris Higgins to play the body and force the Islanders Defense to move the puck into the other corner. After Brandon Dubinski pressured the puck again, it bounced loose to P.A. Parenteau who quickly cradled to his backhand and shot far-side from about the right-cirlce hashmark past a Chris Higgins screen for his first NHL goal. It was one of the lone bright spots in an overall poor team effort by the Rangers.
The Blueshirts started the second better by applying pressure early. But after no results Sean Avery took a hooking penalty with about four minutes to go that put the Islanders on the Power-Play. The Islanders eventually got set up and Kyle Okposo eventually cleaned up a rebound on a great save by Henrik Lundqvist on Jack Hillen (who received a solid cross-zone pass from Doug Weight).
The Islanders continued the overall pressure in the third keeping the Rangers to low-percentage shots with the exception of a couple of chances. The Blueshirts had an early and late chance on the Power-Play in the third, but neither man advantage yielded even a great chance as the Rangers ended up 0 for 4 on the Power-Play for the night. With about five minute to go, Michal Rozival chased a puck back into his zone with John Tavares close behind him. Rozival barley moved the puck to the opposite corner while breaking his stick as Tavares took him to the boards. Rozival went to move the puck with his hand when Jeff Tambellini got to the puck first and fed it to Tavares. Tavares attacked the net and attempted to make a pass which bounced right off Wade Redden back to Tavares who then shot short-side off Henrik Lundqvist for the third and final Islander goal of the night.
With the summary done, here are my thoughts on the night:
- To be completely frank, the Rangers just didn't get the job done tonight. I said after the Coyotes game that good teams find a way to win and win with confidence (which I thought they did Monday). Today was an inconsistent and disappointing effort from over two-thirds of the Rangers that dressed tonight.
- Congratulations to P.A. Parenteau on his first NHL goal. It was a beauty of a backhander and I'm sure we will hear some chatter about how long P.A. will stay with the big club
- The only two names that come to mind when I try to think of players who didn't play absolutely brutal all game are Marc Staal and Henrik Lundqvist. Staal manhandled Tavares two to three times at least along with moving the puck up-ice well. King Henrik, meanwhile, kept us in this game with many difficult saves. I don't blame him for being upset with Dan Girardi on the second Islanders goal (Okposo rebound) as Girardi should have gotten body-position on the puck and gotten a stick on it.
- Did anyone catch that stat presented by MSG saying that around 60% of NYR goals this year have been scored by first-year Rangers? Scoring was the biggest issue over the summer, so I found that interesting to say the least.
- I thought for the most part that the fourth line of Boyle-Anisimov-Voros was generally effective all night. I still think that if Anisimov gets a shot at third-line center he can put up better points as he will have capable wingers that can finish.
- Tactics wise, the Rangers seemed to be forcing the puck through the neutral zone and into the Islanders zone. As a player you get frustrated and just want to go setup some offense, so I know how this feels. Unfortunately the Rangers never really adjusted and the Islanders did a good job of forcing the Rangers to turn over the puck before their zone.
- Finally, as we all know someone is going to say something about it, I think there is some truth to the Rangers missing Marion Gaborik in the lineup. Next time he plays just watch when he gets the puck. Few players chase and aggressively pressure him because he is so good at making people miss. That is what playmakers and snipers do, and with no true sniper on the ice tonight, the Islanders chased like chickens with their heads cut off and got away with it.
That's all for tonight, folks. In the end hopefully this is a mini wake-up call for the squad. Sometimes as a team and player you just don't have it on certain nights; and I'm hoping this was the case. Henrik was great as always, and I hope the "fights" in the stands were won by Blueshirt fans (half-kidding, I hope nothing serious happened). Vent in the comments, please.
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ugly
not just cause it was the damn islanders who got their second freakin win tonight, but because it was just terrible hockey.
they got out played by a bunch of hacks.
missing gaborik was huge. once again secondary scoring has been an issue and was the issue tonight. the power play looked lost. the checking was uninspired. Defense sloppy. They couldve potted a few that hit the post, but thats as good as a missed shot. close doesnt count. If i was torts, i would go Tom Cable on everyone in that locker room and throw haymakers and wake some people up. Higgins just doesnt get it. him drury callahan are playing awful offensively.
if gaborik is really hurt like i think he is, and not like the rangers say, and this is how the team responds… its going to be a long season.
hopefully torts wakes this squad up before fri.
Worst game I have seen in a long time
why we continue to come out flat against the Islanders time and time again is beyond me.
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
Everyone wake up!!!
Bottom line here is that this team has some serious problems. First, our Captain is not a Captain, Nothing about what he does on the ice warrents his salary or the C. He has been given enough time with the Rangers to make his mark. This never has and never will be His team. Time for us to part ways. Second, all the other American boys are not getting it done. Besides Higgins, whom I will give some slack because this is his first year with us, everyone screamed and yelled how we must keep our so called young guns. Well, I think it is time to realize that they (Callahan & Duby) are average players. They work hard and give a good effort but they just don’t have the ability to be great players. Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble but 3 years and top 6 ice time is enough. There is a term for these types of teammates “role players” They should stay on the third line. Lastly, as much as I like Torts as a coach we are right back to the Tom Renney roulette of line mixing. Can’t continue to change the lines all the time especially throughout the game. This team comes out flat way too often for me not to think that the coach has something to do with it.
I’ve been thinking about the line mixing alot. The lines were working well and then all of a sudden we started mixing them before we started losing. I like Torts but if a line is working you don’t break it up if they have a bad game.
I like Cally and Dubi… they aren’t super stars… but we only have one of those and he’s hurt (and the king). I haven’t given up on higgens yet… but he’s got to improve soon.
Drury looks like he’s skating in oatmeal.
by CTrangerfan on Oct 29, 2009 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Dubi is a $2 mil player. Drury is a $7 mil player. big friggin difference. People keep giving Dubi shit about holding out? his offer was 800k. I don’t blame the guy at all. dubinsky was a +1 tonight and made some good plays and hits.
Avery hasn’t done shit this year. I don’t hear anyone calling for his head. What about the Avery factor? We did better when he was hurt. HE was a -2 tonight.
Drury needs to shape up. This team has no friggin offense. No wonder the Islanders got away with charging us all night.
I don’t know what is up with Callahan but he really doesn’t look like an impact player. I didn’t think he was that good to begin with. He missed a wide open net tonight.
Funny
Where were all the nay sayers for the first 8 or 9 games? We have some bad contracts that are hurting us yes, so deal with it, do you think it’s easy to ship drury out? If it was it’d would have been done already. Callahan has been relegated to the 3rd line, that has a lot to do with his offense, also being saddled with higgins hasn’t helped, since higgins can’t help himself at this point. I’m not saying callahan is a savior, but the guy does great things… I didn’t realize it was a philadelphia blog here haha, i recall them calling for richards head after the first loss of the playoffs last year…
Everybody take a deep breath… Relax… it seems like some are already calling for a coaches head… i just laugh at that…
wow
You people really need to chill out. It’s pretty simple what happened last night. The Isles had something to prove and came ready to play. The Rangers, being the team of young guys that they are, underestimated their opponent and played like a win was a foregone conclusion.
Hopefully, this was a wake up call for the team. And I’m sure Torts is gonna rip his face off and spew fire balls at practice while the team is puking their guts out over the boards.
An overall poor team effort by the Rangers
Thank you for some good honesty. That’s really all the summary needed from yesterday. That and PA Parenteau scored.
"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"
Jesus people.
First. That’s not the sky falling. It was the roof of the mauseleum.
Second – they had an off night it happens. There’s no hockey team that goes 82-0, just as there is no team that goes 0-82. Teams lose all the time, even to bad teams.
Third – As much as an Islander hater as I am, they’ve taken Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston, and Montreal to OT already this year. (yes, i know they had leads that they coughed up against them, they still took some very good teams and gave them a scare) These are not last years Isles, they’re a scrappy team with some young kids who don’t know (yet) they’re supposed to suck. They’re obviously not a team you can sleepwalk against, and that’s exactly what we did. Still, a few inches here and there and we bury 4-5 goals tonight.
Fourth – the team currently has players on pace for
112 (yes, even factoring in that MG won’t play 82, this is a 75 game pace)
100
75
75 (A defenseman)
56 (the very average Dubinsky)
50.
They average 3.61 goals per game. The defense has 11 goals and 34 points in 13 games. How one can think this has looked anything like last years team right now is beyond me.
Fifth – For the Callahan bashers:
Total Career: 2.51 shots per game, 9.2% shooting percentage.
2008-2009 2.92 shots per game, 9.7% shooting percentage.
2009-2010 2.92 shots per game, 5.3% shooting percentage.
2008-2009 – 1st 13 games – 3 goals, 1 assist, 35 shots
2009-2010 – 1st 13 games – 2 goals, 3 assists, 38 shots
His game has not changed. He’s just not cashing in. Yet.
Sixth – I defended Drury after 10 games, pointing out that since he lost his PP time, his production was bound to slip into what is normally his ES production, namely about 40pts in 82 games. Well, he’s no longer on that pace. So he needs to get his ass in gear. Mleetch keeps speculating about trades, maybe Drury is who will get shipped.
Seventh – Well, I guess I should make this a top 10 at this point
Eighth – And probably a fan post too, oh well
Ninth – The team has a ton of youth right now. There are bound to be some growing pains. The first goal was a direct result of Gilroy trying to make a play, getting caught in the neutral zone, and having the forward blow right by him coming back. The Isles getting an early goal like that probably changed the whole momentum right there.
Tenth – Some random game highlights:
Boyle was not on the ice for a single SOG against at even strength.
MDZ had another solid game. No points to show for it but they generated more SOG and total shots (misses and blocks incl.) with him on the ice than any other player.
Avery was terrible, beyond the -2. He was the anti-MDZ.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Oct 29, 2009 9:17 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
It’s nothing against the Islanders. It’s not a case of losing to a terrible team. This is a rivalry – I expect them to take games from each other. But have them take the game. Don’t give it to them. I just wanted them to play more like it’s a rivalry.
"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"
J.P.
If Higgins can’t get motivated for (a) return to Montreal, or (b) a return to L.I. (where he grew up) for a game against the Rangers’ arch-rivals, then he’s just not going to perform. I can excuse the goal-less streak but some better forechecking and some big hits would be nice. same for Voros and Boyle — they should be pounding the young guys on the Isles and especially AVERY — he’s playing scared; not scared of the other players but of Tortorella’s retribution so he waltzes around without hitting anyone — maybe once or twice a game. And once again, we let them run Lundquist with no retribution — WTF?
by PotvinSucks on Oct 29, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Anyone else notice by the way Tortorella’s late time out? Wonder what the point of that was. If he was trying to win the game he was about 40 minutes late on the wake up call.
"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"
An embarassing effort, but I just look at it as part of the learning process.
Rozy was just flat out terrible last night, and the rest of them weren’t much better
Welcome to the NHL, P.A. Parenteau!
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by Jim Schmiedeberg on Oct 29, 2009 9:25 AM EDT reply actions
Just some thoughts…
The game was just bad…
Dubi is playing ok… Cally too… No they are not super stars… we only have one and he’s hurt.
Drury is only good at PK… I think we could use a better captain.
I think Avery wanted to be the difference maker… he fell apart though. I still think he is important to the club. He seems the most willing to stand up for our keeper.
Girardi and Gilroy made way to many mistakes…
Gaborak makes a huge difference, but these guys need to learn to win without him.
Higgens… He’s got a Monkey on his back… if he gets it off he’ll be ok… but the pressure is building.
Stall and MDZ looked good. PA had a goal and looked pretty good to.
We have salary cap problems and it’s hard to make a move. I sure hope they are trying to get rid of Drury but I doubt they’ll be able to. I don’t think you could get rid of any of the other big salaries.
Scouting the Game last night
Overall, Rangers defense looks shaky, they need to find some stability back there somehow. The offense seems to get things going with Prospal, Anisimov, Lisin, Kotalik.
Dubinsky, Callahan, Avery and Drury can do some things when they want to, but not lately they seem like a non-threat lately. These guys need to step it up.
That being said, Dubinsky, Callahan and Avery seem like they are on and off per game. The hustle is there but they are not getting it going offensively. Maybe they are working harder away from the puck and that is tiring them out? Not sure.
Del Zotto looks better and better each game, toward the end of the game Torts basically handed him the reigns, he was out there for most of the end of the 3rd period and looked very good under pressure. Staal and Girardi need to stabilize. Redden is actually very reliable lately. Rozy has been extremely suspect lately.
We need to be able to run and gun but also learn how to play that grind it down defensively in order to stop the bleeding and if we cannot score goals we def need to adhere to this some nights.
yeah
except hes only been injured for one game so far. Also kinda funny that Wild fans talk shit since you signed the equally injury prone Havlat.
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
by Joe Fortunato on Oct 29, 2009 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions
It's only 1 loss.
The Rangers are 8-4-1. You guys were yelling at me saying how the Gaborik-less Rangers were “looking 0-1” midway through the third. Now you guys are hitting the panic button, pointing fingers in all directions. I’ve read comments saying “Drury isn’t a captain”, “Callahan and Dubinsky are poor”, “Girardi sucks”, “Without Gaborik we suck”.
What kind of talk is this?
So the Rangers lost to the Islanders. Who cares? Most of you were so sure the Rangers would beat this “AHL team” (as quoted from the thread). They lost, and you were all crying fowl.
Listen, after 1 loss, in which the team obviously could’ve easily beaten the opponent, you don’t start committing suicide.
The Rangers didn’t play well, but they also hit 5 posts in the game. It just wasn’t their night. It happens. If you think the Rangers are doomed now and can’t play, you are too easily beaten.
Still, the Rangers are 8-4-1, as said above. Are you happy about this? Well, they have the same record as the Kings and the Sharks. They’re good teams… playing great hockey now. The Rangers are also a good team. They just looked at their opponent with ease and deserved to lose. Now stop whining and complaining. Stop pointing fingers, because these absurd statements are all out of rage. Calm down, and come Friday against Minnesota, you’ll all be gearing up for the game, hoping for a better performance from the club.
"Jaromir Jagr.... it's a POWER PLAY GOAL!"
- Sam Rosen
sure.. were 8-4-1.
sure.. were 8-4-1.ints really good yeah.
sure.. were 8-4-1.ints really good yeah.but we were 7-1
sure.. were 8-4-1.ints really good yeah.but we were 7-1so that means were.
sure.. were 8-4-1.ints really good yeah.but we were 7-1so that means were.1-3-1 in our last 5 games. not good. we need to play better
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Rangers
|
54 | 36 | 13 | 5 | 77 |
|
Philadelphia
|
56 | 31 | 18 | 7 | 69 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
56 | 32 | 19 | 5 | 69 |
|
New Jersey
|
55 | 31 | 20 | 4 | 66 |
|
New York Islanders
|
55 | 23 | 24 | 8 | 54 |
(updated 2.14.2012 at 8:54 AM EST)
Rangers Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
@
Boston
|
Tue 02/14 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Chicago
|
Thu 02/16 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Columbus
|
Sun 02/19 | 8:00 PM EST |
|
@
Pittsburgh
|
Tue 02/21 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
@
New York Islanders
|
Fri 02/24 | 7:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
|
Washington
|
Sun 02/12 | W 3 - 2 |
|
@
Philadelphia
|
Sat 02/11 | W 5 - 2 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
Thu 02/09 | OT - W 4 - 3 |
|
New Jersey
|
Tue 02/07 | L 0 - 1 |
|
Philadelphia
|
Sun 02/05 | W 5 - 2 |
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