Rangers News and Notes: Opportunity is Knocking on the Rangers' Door
by Nick Montemagno on Apr 2, 2010 9:51 AM EDT
in New York Rangers News
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It seems like it has been a month since the New York Rangers defeated the rival Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday. However, with the two days off, it has only helped to build the hype for tonight's match-up with the Tampa Bay Lightning, in which the Blueshirts can gain some serious ground in the standings. With the Bruins, Flyers, and Thrashers all losing last night as detailed in Jim's last post, the opportunity could not be better for the Rangers right now and they need to take advantage of that.
Anyway, below I shared some links with you to get you ready for tonight's contest.
First, Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants reflects on how fortunate the Rangers were that everything that needed to happen for them last night actually did.
So just how crazy was it that everything that needed to happen last night for the Rangers actually did happen? Well consider…
...The Islanders snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Flyers to finally beat Philadelphia, 6-4.
...Matt Bradley snapped a 25-game streak without a goal for the winner as the Capitals edged the Thrashers, 2-1.
...Ex-Devils backup Scott Clemmensen stopped 36 shots for his fifth career shutout as the Panthers won in Boston, 1-0.
Of course, all of this means absolutely zilch if the Rangers - who now have a game in hand on the Flyers, Canadiens and Bruins and two in hand on the Thrashers - can’t capitalize tonight at Tampa Bay. The Lightning are returning from a 2-2-0 road trip and are in a 1-4-0 slump at home.
Rick Carpiniello of Rangers Report - who will be doing an interview for my site in the next week or so - looks at how tight the standings are in the Eastern Conference, and which teams the Rangers are most likely to catch.
Philly is the obvious choice to be caught, with Brian Bush-league in goal—did you see him against the Isles last night?—and the Flyers playing like carcillo, and that home-and-home with the Rangers next weekend.
But Boston can’t score, Atlanta’s just not that good and has a brutal schedule remaining. Neither, actually, is Montreal very good. And the Rangers now have a game in hand, or two, on every team they’re chasing.
They can also pretty much eliminate Tampa Bay tonight, because if the Lightning loses it can still mathematically get to 82 points, but it won’t be able to match the victory totals to get in in a tiebreaker.
Steve Zipay of Blue Notes also details the standings and looks at games tonight that will also be affecting the Blueshirts while they are battling it out with the Bolts.
The standings: Rangers in 10th, with 78; Thrashers in 9th with 80, Bruins in eighth with 82, Flyers and Montreal with 82. But the Rangers now have two games in hand on Atlanta and one on the rest of dem pretenders.
The Flyers play Montreal tomorrow as the Blueshirts face the Lightning and this two-game trip, with Florida in Sunrise on Saturday, looms even larger.
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Means nothing if we don't win tonight
We need a Florida sweep this weekend. We can beat the Flyers the last two games of the year with their sub par goalies, but it won’t mean anything if we stink up the joint in Tampa like we did in November. I watched the Pitt vs Tamp game the other night and we need to make sure Staal is on the ice against St Louis and Stamkos and stay out of the penalty box. If Lundquist has to face Stamkos one timer off the power play its gonna be a long night. Everything broke right last night in two ways, we can still finish bottom five or we can conceivably snag the 6th slot in the playoffs with the way the teams in front of us are spinning their wheels. I think tonights a win win situation for us. Does anyone know if Callahan or Avery have a chance to play tonight? I’m hoping Callahan plays soon so he and Dubinsky have a shot at a twenty goal seasons.
According to Gross...
Avery, Cally and Boyle are still slated to be out for tonight’s game.
i agree on TB, but to add in watching the game vs pitt the other night i have never seen them play such a defensively resposible game and if they play the same way our offense will have it’s usual problems. i assume watching that game that ohlund/lundin will be out against gabby.
as far as staal, i think it is a little misleading to say he has to be out there against Stamkos for the fact that he is more likely to end up checking St. Louis due to sides and positioning. many of the stamkos goals i have seen dont come from down low but rather using his shot and the majority of the time staal wont have a lot of impact on that. yes staal should be out there against the stamkos like but i dont see a situation where he necessarily guards him.
by Michael Gleich on Apr 2, 2010 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions
key line for the rangers this weekend might be the prospal-olli-pa line that was very effective vs the isles. in each game they will collectively have chips on their shoulder as vinny wants to stick it to tb, olli to fla and pa just wants to prove he belongs.
As much as Olli would want to stick it to Florida, do you really want him to go on a tear? Sather might have him sign an extension :P
Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau needs to be resigned, though, if not, it’s gonna come and bite us in the ass down the road.
I honestly don’t see PA being much more than a Dawes type player. Yes, they’re nice, somewhat productive players, but I wouldn’t never say someone on his level of play “needs” to be re-signed, there are a ton of those guys, some of them younger than PA.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Apr 2, 2010 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
who said anything about wanting him to go on a tear, just saying he might have some extra motivation.
as for PA have to agree with smurf that at best he is a fringe NHL player and we have enough 3rd line guys that we dont “need” to keep more, especially when PA is already 27.
by Michael Gleich on Apr 2, 2010 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
None of that matters.
He’s a winger – he has to go.
Remember – since we have no “1st Line Center” – we’re shooting to have a 12-forward group made up entirely of centers. A Guinness Book of Records record..
BlueshirtBanter - beating up reporters at bus stops since 1994
"Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right......"
why stop there…i want 6 centers playing D too
by Michael Gleich on Apr 2, 2010 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I had a dream last night that P.A was re-signed to an 8.2 million dollar per year contract over the next 4 years. I woke up in a cold sweat.
I had a dream that Bobby Boucher showed up at halftime...and the Muddogs won the the Boi'bon Bowl.
…that and I’ll be witnessing a Rangers victory tonight here in Tampa.
"...also I'll brush my teeth and remember to turn off the stars at night and put the hyena out." ERNEST HEMINGWAY
+1
Blunter than Sather's Cigars....
by Jersey BlueshirtFan on Apr 2, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Slightly off topic....and rambling...apologies up front.
I live in DC so I saw the Caps/Thrashers go at it last night – couple of things struck me Rangers related. One was how good Antropov has been this year and wouldn’t if have been nice in hindsight to have him on a third or fourth line – particularly impressive was his backchecking work. Two is if the Caps play as they have done the last 4 games, including this last one against the Thrashers, they are not guaranteed to make it out of the first round. I don’t know if it was the Olympic Spanking, the Colin Campbell Spanking, or perhaps both, but Alex Ovechkin s not sparking on all cylinders and the Caps as a whole seem to have developed a confidence issue. So I am on the fence. Like to see the Rangers make the playoffs for pride reason – don’t want to see them get spanked, and if they play the “right now” Capitals it would not be such a lopsided affair; on the other hand it would be nice to get a higher draft pick….arghh.
Small sample sizes
There have been games this year the Rangers have looked unbeatable. There are also games where Gaborik has been invisible.
Don’t take too much out of one game, or even just a small block of games.
The caps ran away with the East for a reason, they’re really good.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Apr 2, 2010 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Roger that.
Oh, no argument here about small sample sizes, although things do take on a different flavor in the playoffs – I have tracked the Caps all season long and their offensive output is sickeningly good, as is their ability to come from behind – I think they have a goaltending issue and one is not really sure which defense might show up night to night. I have not witnessed their star player in the doldrums for such a stretch either. Now if the question is who do I bet on in a Caps vs "any other team in the East"……mostly a no-brainer..
Looks like a win-win tonight
Depending on what side of the fence you’re on.
If they beat Tampa, they’re in good position to get to the playoffs.
If they lose, Tampa is only 2 pts behind us to move down to prime Nino territory.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
Therefore...
They will most likely lose to Tampa tonight in a shootout, get 1 point, and continue to keep us all in suspense!
guess i will “one up” you and say if they lose tonight the same scenario applies tomorrow vs fla who also currently has 74 pts. lol
by Michael Gleich on Apr 2, 2010 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Almost the same
But you can almost guarantee they’ll go 1-1-0 here, because that would take them out of both races.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Apr 2, 2010 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s actually slightly better, it means both teams will have gained a point on us, instead of just one team gaining 2.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Apr 2, 2010 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions
The hottest team
Washington has too much firepower to wilt for long. I think the key to their team – after Ovi – is Backstrom, who might be the smartest center in the NHL.
But the hottest team in the NHL – scorching hot – is the Red Wings. In fact, the arc of their season reminds me of last season’s Penguins. Laying in the weeds for most of the year – though for different reasons, they had many injuries – and coming on strong leading into the postseason. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they went all the way, especially with Chicago’s shaky goaltending.
I feel bad for Phoenix. They’ve had such a good year, finally going to the postseason, and their “reward” could very well be a 1st round matchup with the Wings. Ouch.
probably…if they run the table they could catch SJ because they play them 1 time and would hold the wins tiebreaker if they tie…unlikely but possible.
by Michael Gleich on Apr 2, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Rangers
|
51 | 33 | 13 | 5 | 71 |
|
Philadelphia
|
53 | 30 | 16 | 7 | 67 |
|
New Jersey
|
53 | 31 | 19 | 3 | 65 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
54 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 65 |
|
New York Islanders
|
52 | 22 | 22 | 8 | 52 |
(updated 2.9.2012 at 9:25 AM EST)
Rangers Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
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 |
|
@
Boston
|
Tue 02/14 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Chicago
|
Thu 02/16 | 7:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
|
New Jersey
|
Tue 02/07 | L 0 - 1 |
|
Philadelphia
|
Sun 02/05 | W 5 - 2 |
|
@
Buffalo
|
Wed 02/01 | SO - W 1 - 0 |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Tue 01/31 | SO - L 3 - 4 |
|
Winnipeg
|
Tue 01/24 | W 3 - 0 |
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