Rangers Recap: King Henrik Leads Rangers in 1-0 Blanking of Bruins
by Nick Montemagno on Mar 26, 2011 5:13 PM EDT
in New York Rangers Recaps
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PrintWe expected a close game. We expected Henrik Lundqvist to stand on his head. We expected a strong effort from the entire Ranger lineup if they wanted a win. Our expectations evidently were right on target for this afternoon's 1-0 shutout victory over the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden. The Blueshirts raised their level of play compared to this week's games against the Panthers and Senators, and put forth a 60-minute effort that included an incredible 28 blocked shots. They got tremendous goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist and contained the Bruins well. A solid win like this was exactly what the Rangers needed after having their win streak snapped on Thursday, and now they are tied with the sixth place Montreal Canadiens in points (MTL gets nod because of tie-breaker).
Both teams came out hitting and that set the tone for what would be a very physical affair. The first and only goal scored in the game came at 6:39 of the first period when Derek Stepan netted his 20th of the season right off the face-off. Stepan won the draw, Vinny Prospal sent it back to Michael Sauer and Step would end up deflecting Sauer's point shot past Tuukka Rask from the top of the slot. With that goal Stepan became the youngest rookie to score twenty goals in his first NHL season as a Ranger since Alexei Kovalev. Kudos to coach Tortorella for putting Derek on Marian Gaborik's line, because it looked to spark new life within that trio.
Sean Avery, in his first game back from being a healthy scratch for over a week, also dropped the gloves with Gregory Campbell early in the tilt. Avery needed to do something to prove he remains in the lineup with the little ice time he knew he would receive from Torts, so squaring off and getting his club into it was probably the best way of doing so.
The Rangers went into a complete defensive lockdown in the third period, blocking 18 shots and keeping the Bruins to the outside. What did get by the tight defense was halted by Lundqvist in net. Boston came awfully close to knotting it up several times but luck was apparently on New York's side because they were able to avoid any trouble and walk away with two huge points in the standings yet again.
Continue reading after the jump....
Now the defense was good, yes, but most of the credit has to go to goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who just so happened to be playing in his 400th career game this afternoon. Hank made a total of 26 saves, many of which came late in the third period after he had to fight off the pain from a nasty collision with Marc-Andre Bergeron in the crease. He also recorded his 11th shutout of the season - a career high - to become the first Ranger goalie to do so since 1927-28 (the year they won their first Stanely Cup). Vezina candidate? Yes, I'd say so.
Lundqvist is an amazing player, and not only because of his goaltending abilities. What he showed today was pure leadership. Between getting run over and getting back up to making all of those late saves to preserve the lead, it was just a touching thing to watch. The guy really cares and again, this team will only go as far as he can take them.
Speaking of amazing hockey players, Derek Stepan has had himself one heck of a rookie season this year. Any time a freshman can record twenty goals in his first season is something very special and something Derek should take pride in. He is one of the top rookies in the entire National Hockey League right now, and also one of the top rookies the Rangers have brought up on offense in recent years. I think the Rangers are going to start sending all of their scouts to just Wisconsin Badger games from now on, because they breed some talented puckers over there.
The Rangers now remain in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a total of 87 points. They are tied with the sixth place Canadiens in points, but again, the Habs have the edge in the tie-breaker (non-shootout wins). The Blueshirts are not far off from clinching a playoff spot in the East. I think four to five more points before the season's end may do the trick, of course depending on what Carolina and Buffalo do as well.
And lastly, a big thanks to Jim Schmiedeberg for hosting a fantastic Blueshirt Banter Viewing Party in New York City today. It really made for a great time and I can tell you first hand that the fans in attendance really enjoyed themselves, especially since they were able to see a win. Thanks for coming everyone. Looking forward to the next one!
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Rangers lose to Ottawa during the "Official Viewing Party" and win during the BSB Viewing Party
coincidence? I think not
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
LOL!!
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers for SB Nation.
The Rangers Tribune: A hockey blog dedicated to covering the New York Rangers.
by Nick Montemagno on Mar 26, 2011 5:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Gutsy win!
Between Hank and his bevy of shot-blockers, it was definitely an inspired effort by everyone defensively, esp. in the 3rd. Much was made of course by Sam and Joe about Girardi’s play, which did warrant the praise, but actually, it’s even more cool that just about all of our D have become excellent at coming across to help out their respective partners. Staal, of course returns the favor quite often, but Sauer, McD and even Eminger do it alot as well. Other than the one recent mis-step Girardi made on Jordan Staal’s goal agst us a few games back, those guys really are amazing at covering for each other, esp. considering how young everyone is back there.
Fantastic FO win and re-direction by Stepan on the game’s only goal, but from the B’s perspective, I gotta think if the NHL had a protest procedure in place they would’ve surely filed one post-game as the eventual winning goal was a direct result of Prospal jumping the gun on a draw that 4 – count ‘em FOUR – officials had the authority to rule on but failed to blow dead with him still in the circle. Good thing Toronto can’t review those…whew!
And while I am definitely impressed how we’re playing at this time in the season, for sure, now that the play-offs look highly likely, it’s hard not to think how we’ll do while I watch us during the home stretch. And, for this reason, I still have major-league concerns with what should be basic coaching decisions after playing Game #76 of 82. Yes we’re winning, sans OTT game, but lines that have shown to consistently work well together are still not kept together, except towards the end when Dubi/Cally/AA were back – finally. Zucc’s scratching vs. EC was somewhat of a surprise, too, but, way more importantly, I still have a burning issue with the PP. Everyone keeps mentioning how we miss opps to get that elusive second goal (which we’ve luckily not needed agst FLA or BB thanks to Hank), but when we’ve had the PP chances early on, we still put out inexplicable combinations. On one of today’s early PP’s, Gaborik never even saw the ice, and on another, Volski, EC, and someone else ridiculous up front were the first unit instead of at least Cally and Dubi?? WTF? Thankfully, McCabe was out there but still? Those kind of coaching decisions, whether it’s Tortorella or Sullivan who makes the final PP calls, are crucial in the post-season and may really come back to haunt us. Next to goaltending, which we have in the bag, special teams are the most important facet for play-off success and while our PK is excellent and the PP has thankfully gotten way better post-McCabe acq., the approach we have on the PP still makes me scratch my head more often than not. Hopefully I get proven wrong about this…
Also, did anyone catch the King’s post-game comments? He basically came out and off-handily said: “I pretty much thought they were gonna get one…” What??!! Without a doubt, Hank has played some of his best hockey as of late, plus we all know how intense and personal he takes every shot/save/game, etc. so I was totally jaw-droppingly shocked when even a hint of resignation came out of his mouth, especially after pitching a SO. I guess he meant it as somewhat of a compliment to how the B’s played at the end, but it still floored me to hear him say something even remotely close to that…Oh well, I guess he’s human like the rest of us – just when I thought that wasn’t the case :)
That being said, I still cannot fathom that he has a very legitmate shot at breaking Giacomin’s all-time shut-out record by next year. Better get ready to book that flight from Detroit to NYC next year, Eddie, to see him do it…Unreal!
Not having Zuccs in today was a match up decision, Boston is a very big and physical team, and Zuccs lately has been getting pushed around and has not been as effective so I liked that move. Second about the lines is, I wouldn’t worry about it all these guys play together and they should be able to play with anyone on the team, Torts knows what hes doing and hes kept the lines fairly consistent as of late.
by CrazyRangerFan on Mar 26, 2011 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I have to agree..
I think Torts is out of his mind with how often he shakes up the lines. A line like callinskimov has a slow game and he breaks them up?! I do agree with the zuccarello move though. I think the objective here is to get zucc playing like he was when he first came up, and the spot on the roster was his to lose. CrazyRanger Fan also has a point about Zuccs size relative to the BBs.
I liked lundqvist’s comment. I don’t think it was resignation so much as it was a goalie who knows how to stay focused. He was talking about how he was getting himself mentally prepared for it because it is important not to lose focus when the other team gets a late goal. If they ended up getting a goal with 5 min left or something, he would have needed to be prepared for an even harder press from the B’s. I think it really woulda took the wind outta the Rangers sails.
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
I beg to disagree on Torts...
I’m not sure why everyone is so concerned with him juggling lines. Torts plays a 18 player system. So many of your criticisms are based on an offensive perspective. We are first and foremost a responsible defensive club. That’s where almost all of the decisions to play and/or not play certain guys is coming from. Torts needs to balance four lines, not two. Yea, Anisimov played well with Cally and Dubi, but if anoather line needs his presence, its the right thing to move him into a different slot to make sure we can roll 4×4 at 60 minutes. By this point everyone is able to play with everyone because the important thing is the SYSTEM. D-A-C aren’t SO dominant that they can lift the entire club. They are great together, but each of them also plays well with other combos. Because he’s been letting guys skate with different linemates all season long we have a very flexible hockey team. It allows the coach to match up individual players with whatever the other team brings to the table. It allows him to shuffle the deck to match up against an entire range of teams and line combinations and, guess what? Its working! Playing Boston is not the same as playing Florida or Philly or Ottawa.
Torts is doing a magnificent job and if this continues not only deserves the Jack Adams but will win it.
d
I agree with voice22 – the more the season has gone on, the more respect I have for Torts, who has shaped this club into a well-oiled machine, who has changed his coaching philosophy to adapt to the personnel, and who has pushed youth. This team is greater than the sum of its parts, and that is due to the system, as voice points out.
you make a good point but...
defense and good goaltending aren’t always going to win games. Fortunately, for the health of Ranger fans, not every win can be 1-0. Although our record indicates that we have done well this season, there is a glaring problem that remains with this team: inconsistency on offense. Why is that? While the answer to this question is a matter of opinion, I believe it to be because Torts had never had the patience to see how a line pans out. D-A-C, like you say, are not so dominant that they could lift the entire club. But I would argue that they could be. Prust-boyle-fedetenko is a line that was put together early this season and it has somehow survived (most likely because torts does not expect them to score goals as much as he expects them to work hard and forecheck, and that is what they do). If you look at how that line plays together, there is a certain fluidity that you don’t see with the other makeshift lines. In the same way our defensive pairs become accustomed to one another, as we saw with girardi-eminger in staals absence, the forwards must also become accustomed to one another before they can know each other well enough to make the remarkable offensive plays that most would say the rangers lack.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not tort-hating. He has done a fantastic job with the mentality of this team and also with molding them into a real contender. I just think he needs to be more patient with the line combos he puts together. Nothing wrong with this setup:
dubi-cally-artie
zuke-stepan-wolski
gabby-prospal-christensen(avery)
boyle-fedotenko-prust
Z-S-W have been quiet but they have shown real promise as a line. maybe after being sat, zuke will get back to the playmaking we had seen earlier from him.
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
in a rare turn of events
I agree with Voice. But I’ll put it simply, we’re not good enough yet to force teams to match against us. We still have to do the matching to effectively play defense first.
by bleed'n blue on Mar 27, 2011 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
ha...you finally saw the light.
That is true bleed, we simply aren’t talented enough for that yet but with our youth we may be in the near future. There is no single individual on our team, outside of Hank, that sends shivers down the other club’s spine. Like Joe said, we are greater than the sum of our parts. What we have is depth and balance and discipline.
hehe ... always knew you were modest :P
all that juggling, match-ups and system is for naught if Jimmy Craig Hank doesn’t keep playing out of his mind.
by bleed'n blue on Mar 27, 2011 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
+lotsofnumbers
"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
I have to agree with voice. I have watched $any ranger games on opposing broadcasts, and many have been complimentary of torts on how good he is at getting the matchups he wants.
Bottom line is that they play solid defensively and give themselves a chance to win every game, not roll line combos because a fan thinks they are smarter than the coach. Playing time has always been based on defensive play with tortd.
by GAThingy on Mar 27, 2011 1:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
not roll line combos because a fan thinks they are smarter than the coach
jeez, man…that’s unnecessarily harsh, don’t you think? No ones claiming to be smarter than the coach, buddy, it’s just an opinion. In any case, I totally agree that the Rangers play solid defense and that Hank is the foundation on which they stand. One would have to be blind not to see that. Yet, as I said before, defense is a good starting point, but it can’t always win games. Especially against a good offensive team that has a good defense behind it (i.e. the penguins). We were absolutely sterile offensively in that game. Five goals might suggest otherwise, but those goals came from luck and the stupidity of matt cooke more than anything else.
We have a lot of offensive potential, but we only see glimpses of it. You can’t keep shaking up lines and hope for offensive production? Have you played hockey? Lines always work better when you have played often with the people on your line. One just gets a sense of where those others will be at any given moment and can find them better than someone who hasn’t played with them.
I like the “plan” that the Rangers are playing in accordance with, but I just think that they might be able to generate more consistent offense if torts let the lines develop a bit.
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
You are the man, Grady!
Thanks so much for stepping up, big boy! Like you, I took some umbrance at what was written b/c it wasn’t clear to me which “fan” was being reference, but regardless like Cally would do for Dubi or Prust for Boyle, you jumped right in there to battle it out. Way to go! :) You’re right. Neither of us is saying we’re smarter than anyone – even though I know I am :) We just offered some thoughts on what still concerns us as the stakes get higher and we are seeing the team compete better and getting results to show for it. But you clearly get that. From experience playing and watching, we both know that like fine wine, line chemstry takes patience and time. I mean – what if The Cat changed it up b/c Hadfield wasn’t on pace to score 50 every year or, bite my tongue, Al Arbour took Gillies away from Boss and Trots b/c he wasn’t producing. Can you imagine? To me, those are the caliber of guys who deserve recognition from something so permanent and noteworthy as a Jack Adams award. Not some guy who basically decided not to be a jerk anymore and has come to finally realize that teams are built from within with a core of young players surrounded by some experience and backed by a great goalie. That’s not anything revolutionary or trophy-worthy criteria. It’s called a good coach’s basic job description – at the very least.
you guys have a point, but...
it’s not necessarily the line combinations that are preventing the offense from taking off.
In my opinion, its the fact that we don’t actually have all that much talent up front. Chemistry is vital, of course, but this team is just not talented enough to score consistently like that against good teams. We need more high-end talent.
I think it makes sense to mix lines.
A) It allows for skill, size and playing style match ups with opposition lines. Especially being the away team, the coach needs to anticipate who the home coach is going to put out there. If Torts put Boyle between Prospal and Gaborik that makes the line play differently. It would be harder for the Bruins defense to push Boyle off his line that Stepan or EC. I have always been a fan of matching up talent and size as the away team because the teams strategy is based on a regular match up based on passed games. But each time you change a player on a line it changes the dynamic.
B) Everyone needs to play with everyone else. IF they play the system and they play to their strengths as players they shouldn’t have to worry about who they are playing with. If a player misses there assignment the coach talks to the player and/or makes an adjustment to their game. Yes it’s scary for the fan to not see consistency in the lines but the players should always be ready to play with any of their team mates.
by Leetch4prezofNYR on Mar 28, 2011 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Interesting perspective...
and perhaps you are right to some degree. But I think it assumes that the coach knows the potential of all line combinations he could possibly conceive. It saying that before torts puts boyle between gabby and vinny, that he knows how that line is going to function against the opposition. Maybe he is a genius and he does somehow know that…but to me it seems more like trial and error. In my opinion, it is too late in the season to be resting the success of the team on trial and error.
Look at the best lines and best teams in the league that have them. These aren’t lines that are in flux from game to game. These are solid lines that have been together since the first ten games of the season or even before that. Look at all of the teams in playoff position and you tell me how many of them are shaking up lines to the extent that Torts does it from game to game…
Perhaps Torts is getting matchups, but thats not going to cut it in the long run. When you run into a team with great depth, like philly or vancouver you may manage to win a game or two with that strategy, but there is no way that you take 4 of 7. And this is where many of you will say, well no one even expected the Rangers to be in the playoffs, it is a miracle that they are even there. But I would argue, much like boomer argued to carton with respect to the ny knicks, the objective of all professional sports organizations is to win the national title. In this case, the stanley cup. Are they realistic contenders? Well thats besides the point, really. Yes, the Rangers are built to obtain that objective at some point in the next few years. But the playoffs are arriving, my friends.
The real question should be, what can a team like the Rangers do to win the Stanley cup…THIS YEAR. But can the Rangers do with the pieces and parts that they have now to make a run for the cup. Obviously, as we seem to all agree upon, it starts with Hank. Then, from there, a solid defensive effort. Not just from the defensive players, but as a team. Here is where we part ways:
some of you say the offensive line shakeups permit better matchups and therefore better defense which the offense could work off of
I say that the offensive shakeups are sterilizing the Rangers offense and that it has become very difficult to build off of our defensive success. In some cases, wins have been strokes of luck where the other team did not manage to score in brutal offensive onslaughts (Boston, last game). Many teams do just fine matching set lines against set lines of other teams, and I would say the Rangers are capable of doing the same. Throwing pucks through the middle (where your linemate MIGHT be) will not always work. Its much better to have a sense of where your linemate is like vinny seems to have with gabby, and dubi seems to have with cally. We need offensive chemistry to capitalize on our defensive efforts, and the only way to get that is by keeping lines together.
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
I understand what you are saying but two things have made it and will make it necessary to keep shuffling lines.
A) Injuries. Our players this season have been injured across the board. Everyone played with someone else at least for a while this season. Couldn’t that have created chemistry. If a player gets hurt, I think as a coach you want to know before the playoffs what line you can add that person to generate offense or at least not be defensively liable.
B) Best fit for the situation. Dubinsky has played on wing and at center at various times in the season. If Anisimov is getting pushed around (which has happened this season) wouldn’t you like to know you can put Boyle on that line and there will be better play in the offensive end? It’s a toss up. I think the regular season regardless of when it is is the best time to see what you have when you mix things up. Certain players respond differently. Callhan will play the same style and rarely makes blind passes. Avery is amazing behind the night but a liability on discipline. If you are a coach and see a team is weak behind the net with five minutes left, do you put Avery out there to get the scoring chance with Gaborik from behind the net and Callahan in front?
I can appreciate the consistency argument. My experience with Hockey is the only consistency from game to game is there is no real consistency. Some players have the number of other players like Avery and Kovy or Staal and Ovechkin. Some players just have a step on the third line but would get buried against the second or first line of the opposition. Against Vancouver we used a checking line against their top line. We haven’t used a checking line since Drury was injured. It worked. What if Fedetanko gets hurt, who’s the best fit for that checking line? By your reasoning, you can’t put Callahan on there because he’s part of the pack line, but in my mind he is the best fit based on the situation and put someone on the fourth line in his spot on the second.
Now if this has never happened before the players will not react well. If this is the norm as it is for the Rangers, the players don’t miss a beat and keep on rolling.
By the way I think Torts IS an evil genius who let’s management and ego get in the way sometimes.
by Leetch4prezofNYR on Mar 28, 2011 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
- Avery is amazing behind the net** not night sorry
by Leetch4prezofNYR on Mar 28, 2011 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Injuries?
I know set lines will not ALWAYS produce, even with chemistry, but set lines can be pretty consistent. Injuries have made it difficult for the Rangers this season to maintain set lines, as you said, but that’s the past now. Moving into the playoffs, the rangers need to figure out how to generate some consistent offense. They are relatively healthy, and have some good looking lines that they could keep together. For strategical purposes, as in Torts wants to make a move using specific players, go ahead and shake things up. Overall, I say keep the lines together that show promise. I’ve played hockey for quite some time and can tell you that playing with the same couple of guys from game to game leads to good things. As I was saying, you get a sense for where they are at on the ice. Passing the puck to them becomes easier and more natural feeling. Your own style of play adapts to their style of play and you grow to compliment one another.
As for the notion that we don’t have much talent up front…I totally disagree. I don’t think it was you that said that but I’m putting it out there. How many 20 goal scorers and near 20 goal scorers do the Rangers have now? How many of those 20 goal scorers improve with every game? I think the Rangers are potent when they play good offense. I think a couple of these 20 goal scorers will be 30 goal scorers next year, and in fact, are already playing like 30 goal scorers.
“Best fit for the situation” – like I said…to me it seems more like rolling dice. Its difficult to predict how randomly created lines will work. Throwing boyle here and avery over there. Moving anisimov to this, that, and the other line. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t. I can tell you this, though. When the Rangers go down a goal in the playoffs against the 1,2 or 3 seed, they aren’t going to find that goal. They may get it deep, they may work hard, they may have a phenomenal third period like they had during that bad stretch not too long ago, but much like the bad stretch, it won’t be enough. And it will be because they won’t be able to put nice passes on the tape of their line mates when it really matters. And THAT will be because last game everyone was with someone else, and the game before that, someone else, and so on. No chemistry = no consistency = no chance in the playoffs.
Maybe I’m wrong…I sure hope I am. Maybe Torts really is an evil genius! I’d love to see the Rangers get past the first round. We all know they are capable of it.
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
if you think we have as much forward talent or even close to as much, as the true contenders in the league (Vancouver, Chi, Philly, Wash, ‘healthy’ Pitt, Det, or even teams like San Jose) then I’d like some of the drugs you’re taking.
well...
those teams certainly have more natural talent. the best players of those teams make it happen with half the effort that our forwards need to put in (with the exception of an awake marion gaborik) to make it happen. That’s the thing, though. Rangers are all about effort. Those other teams you mentioned are more about pure talent. That said, I feel that when certain Rangers are putting forth maximum effort (as they should do and must do if they plan to win) they are just as good as those naturally talented players. That is why the Rangers are capable of blowing teams like philly and washington out of the water. No, our goals are almost never as pretty but we can score them. And if there is one thing we have learned about the Rangers this season its that they can score A LOT of them. But frustratingly for us, it only happens in some games. Why? High scoring games could easily be attributed to all of the forwards playing with high intensity. Hence the reason we usually have several different goal scorers in those high scoring games (with the exception of cally’s 4 goal effort). When one or two guys are going on the same line, you see a 3-4 goal or 3-5 goal game, and most of the points come from that line. When one or two guys are going, and they are on different lines its 1 or 2 goals scored by that/those players.
Because of the way the Rangers are you almost always have at least one guy working his ass off. Unlike last season where there was several multi-game goal scoring droughts, the rangers almost always get a goal now. And they have accomplished all of this through shuffling lines and a plethora of injuries. No line chemistry, rangers still score goals. Hypothetically, if the rangers could somehow maintain a high level of intensity for the entire duration of the playoffs, they could win the cup and could do it by crushing all of the teams you mentioned in their path to get there.
Yet high intensity is difficult for an entire team to maintain for extended periods and this is where line chemistry becomes more important. In the absence of natural talent and when intensity wavers due to fatigue, you need line chemistry. Line chemsitry can get the rangers a goal when they need it most. If one guy is hot/real intense, the guy who is most likely going to put it on his stick is someone who has played with him game in and game out. They don’t even need to look. They know where he is at and 9 times out of 10, they will put it right on his tape.
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
by NYRGrady on Mar 29, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Edit suggestion on the tie breaker
Not to beat a dead horse but the tie breaker is in non shoot-out wins or “reg/OT” wins.
Nice win by the Blueshirts. Give Hank the hardware now.
"It's such a fine line between stupid...and clever."
The Dude abides.
by Iago on Mar 26, 2011 6:45 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
4th straight year Rangers and Bruins play at least one 1-0 game
5th if you include preseason
Home of the Jared Jeffries Shot Tracker
..........................we need the guy who made the Callahan captaincy 'its time' graphic to make one with Henrik standing next to the Vezina...'its time' above his head. Do it. Now.
Doctors have proven that being a Ranger fan is one of the leading causes of heart attacks among American males……..
Wow. What a game. The above posters have already said everything I was going to say. I want to agree with CrazyRangerFan about Zucc. He would’ve gotten himself killed today for sure.
If we surge our way past Montreal and Boston remains where they are in the conference, I do believe we’ll be facing the Bruins no?
I gotta tell you, they are not a team you wanna face because four to seven games with them could decimate your lineup. They are f**king BIG, and nasty too.
But our boys in Blue have proven that they can skate with anyone. I have so much pride right now its leaking out of my goddamn ears. Seriously….how many different Rangers made outstanding plays today? Blocks….hits….deflections…..Fedotenko, Avery, Eminger, Girardi….the whole lineup.
Eminger looks better and better to me the more he plays.
I am very happy with Michael Sauer back there, laying the physical play on thick. He’s a beast and the consummate teammate.
Huge win today. Lundqvist deserves serious Vezina consideration. While he racks up shutouts Carey Price imploded at least once down the stretch. To me the list of goalies better than the King is growing short. Rinne and Thomas maybe….but Henrik does it every year. He deserves it now that he’s shown you six straight 30 win seasons; buckets of shut-outs; he’s a horse that the coach could play in 60-70 games no problems.
Sabre game is going to be effing HUGE. A playoff atmosphere for sure….can’t wait.
Nick..I think Joe Reiter made the point at the viewing party, but Prucha was the last Ranger to net over 20 goals in his rookie campaign (Prucha had 30 in 06-07).
Great win by the team, they actually showed up compared to the last 2.
If there was a microcosm to our season, it was the team winning a 1-0 game by a goal scored mostly by our young rookies (Stepan won a face-off, went to the front of the net, Sauer got the puck from Prospal, fired a very deflectable wrist-shot, and bang, 1-0).
Avery, 5:45 of ice-time, one fight. If Avery is going to be effective and playing his game, I think he needs more than that. His game is about long-term agitation and wearing out the other team so they take a penalty. Can’t do that in just over 5 minutes. Nice to see him fight though. This team has needed a spark in the past few games, and tonight Avery helped get them going (much like the Pope did the other night).
Henrik…have to quote ‘Army of Darkness’, “Hail to the King, baby.”
Also like to say thanks to Jim/Eddie and the BSB staff for getting everyone together for the viewing party. Good times were had by all. Also nice work to see others chipping in to help the game-thread hit 300 posts without many of the regulars.
Blueshirt Banter *It's just pain.*
Ryan Callahan: running on Vengeance and Tiger Blood since 2006.
Went out again so I’m a little blasted…didn’t read through the ‘youngest’ part, so ignore the 1st sentence. Blech.
Blueshirt Banter *It's just pain.*
Ryan Callahan: running on Vengeance and Tiger Blood since 2006.
Mike York (1999-2000) Petr Prucha (2005-2006) Derek Stepan (2010-11)
Obviously York and Prucha were unable to match the success of their rookie seasons and are now out of the NHL. Hopefully this is just one small step for Step and he continues to play great hockey for the Rangers for years to come
Blueshirt Banter - "The Worlds Greatest Entertainers"
Pinstripe Alley - "The Kings of the Ring"
The Phinsider - "As Long as we finish ahead of the Jets, the season is a success"
by The Last Shall Become First on Mar 26, 2011 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions
sigh...
i remember having such high hopes for those players…
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
and hopefully we wont be saying the same thing for stepan in 5 years
"Mes que un club"
-Ahmad Bradshaw is undoubtedly a psychic genius.
by Scratch and Snif on Mar 27, 2011 1:02 AM EDT up reply actions
...
…seriously, man…I would just be distraught. I’d really like to see him grow into the fantastic player that everyone sees in him. He needs to work at it though. He has got to try to beef up a little in the offseason. If he were stronger on the puck he would easily be a 30+ player. If he thinks he has established himself in this league, and he just rides it out…I don’t think there will be much improvement. He has gotta get with Boyle’s trainer…
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
that joe reiter is a douche, don't listen to anything he tells you
@joereiter
Blueshirt Banter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"
Great quote, rare to see a quality Bruce Campbell quote in a post; now “Gimme some sugar baby!”
by bleed'n blue on Mar 29, 2011 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions
So Uhhh, Just Throwing It Out There...
I’M 7-0 IN MY LAST 7 RANGERS GAMES!!! Five in New York, and both in Boston this season (I’m now a student in Boston). Hey, Jimmy Dolan, can a brotha’ get season tickets? Or tickets to every game?
But about the game itself, gutsy performance; even had the idiot Bruins fans impressed with the shot blocking. Not gonna lie; when Hank went down, I saw the season flash before my eyes. But again, big performance from Hank, not only to get the shutout, but to not let that collision rattle him whatsoever. I don’t care what anyone says, Hank is the Vezina winner this year. Furthermore, guy should get some MVP consideration. I cannot think of one other goalie (and certainly not many players) that would hurt his team as much if he was out. Without Henrik, we are nothing this season. For real, he has been outstanding.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
“that was a heck of an ugly game. but a beautiful one for the rangers”
Just wanna say the game thread was awfully lonely lol but hope you had fun fellas and big win for the whiteshirts!!
by Mr. Avery to you on Mar 26, 2011 9:53 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Best Win of the Season
Three straight 1 goal game ans we’ve gotten 5 out of a possible 6 points. Lundqvist, the defense and the penalty kill have great, but can we get more then just one goal next game? Also, Avery wasn’t bad today, I thinked he earned another game or two
Blueshirt Banter - "The Worlds Greatest Entertainers"
Pinstripe Alley - "The Kings of the Ring"
The Phinsider - "As Long as we finish ahead of the Jets, the season is a success"
by The Last Shall Become First on Mar 26, 2011 10:20 PM EDT reply actions
I agree with you regarding Avery but the question is: at who’s expense????
by NJblueshirt on Mar 26, 2011 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
MZA's been benched for entire third periods lately
My guess is him
Blueshirt Banter - "The Worlds Greatest Entertainers"
Pinstripe Alley - "The Kings of the Ring"
The Phinsider - "As Long as we finish ahead of the Jets, the season is a success"
by The Last Shall Become First on Mar 26, 2011 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Zuke didnt play tonight because of matchups. Boston is a bigger more physical team than most of the teams we have played and MZA has been banged around recently. I love Avery but Zuke brings a lot more to the table especially considering Zuke gets more time than Avery’s 5 and a half mins a game.
by NJblueshirt on Mar 26, 2011 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Good point
I really don’t know what Tort’s plan is but I think Avery deserves at least one more game
Blueshirt Banter - "The Worlds Greatest Entertainers"
Pinstripe Alley - "The Kings of the Ring"
The Phinsider - "As Long as we finish ahead of the Jets, the season is a success"
by The Last Shall Become First on Mar 26, 2011 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope that diving shot block (and clear) in the 3rd impressed Torts. Very good play by Avery
Rangers FTW!
by BleedsRangerBlue on Mar 27, 2011 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions
wolski has been completely invisible since coming back from his first healthy scratch. he should be the odd man out
by nyrangerfan521 on Mar 27, 2011 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Happiness is...
11 shutouts and 33 wins. Our Vezina candidate is the best goalie in the league.
8-1-1 in the last 10 games is awesome; not to mention that we are the best team in the league since we dropped 6 straight. This is the right time to put ourselves in position to move up.
I Am HockeyMan!!
If we want that 6th spot we better aim for 5th
Tampa is not that far above Montreal. Ideally I want to either match up against the Capitals or the Ice Chickens.
I have a feeling if we have to try and get through Boston, if we can do it, we wont come out of that series with the same lineup that we went into it with.
Philly has been dangerous to us and I dont really want to get into a series with them until there is no other option.
7th or 5th is where I want to be going into the playoffs. Great win today I just hope we can score a few more then 1 goal in our final few games, cant win them all if you only score 1 now if you score 4 there is a good chance.
The caps would probably be a decent matchup for us. If we can win the first game by a fair margin, say 2-3 goals, we could instantly crush their morale
"Mes que un club"
-Ahmad Bradshaw is undoubtedly a psychic genius.
by Scratch and Snif on Mar 27, 2011 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions
i rather play boston than the penguins. the penguins will almost definitely get the 4th seed, as philly will most likely hold onto the 1.
capitals will probably finish in the two seed, leaving boston in the 3th.
out of the flyers/caps/bruins/pens, i would want to play the bruins and the caps.
i believe we could definitely beat pitt, especially with out crosby and malkin, but i do not think we can beat the penguins AND THE REFS, which seems to be the norm in the playoffs.
8 on 5 hockey bros.
"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
Oh
wanted to post about this real quick.
Devils are in 12th, 73 points, 7 games left.
Sabres are in 8th, 85 points, 7 games left.
Basically, the Devils are eliminated from the playoffs in another loss, or Buffalo win. (I think i got that right)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq7BYOnDrM for our satanic friends from NJ
Rangers FTW!
by BleedsRangerBlue on Mar 27, 2011 12:20 AM EDT reply actions
I was watching the replay.....
After Stepan’s goal, the announcers at the TD Garden pronounced his name wrong. ‘Step-en’
One day they will know
They were calling him “Greg Step-en” all night. Morons.
by NJblueshirt on Mar 27, 2011 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Sorry I had to leave early guys, had some schoolwork pending and I was exhausted, running on no sleep. I made the effort to come in though and meet you guys and I am glad I did! Was great to meet George, Nick, Gleich, Jimmy, Eddie, Joe Reiter, Master Ov Brutality, Caerid, and the rest of the gang.
Especially nice to be catching shit for being exhausted the whole time by Reiter and Caerid. Next time I will try getting some sleep before the damn viewing party instead of being up all night and stumbling onto an 8:22 train.
Big win, Hank was amazing. Thanks to everyone who came to the viewing party, it was a blast.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
wah wah wah
next time pop a red bull and vodka
@joereiter
Blueshirt Banter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"
Red Bull tastes like piss.
Next time I am going to wrassle you.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
and if drury is retired by then
he’ll supply the hot oil
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
Wouldn’t be wrasslin’ without hot oil.
You boys ever wrassle a greased up pig? Hoo-eee that’s some good fun.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
since wen did you go all ’Bama on us
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
Was watching the Simpsons and laughing at Cleetus. I think that is all I have to say.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
yeah…it does
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
Nothin’ but love for ya big boy.
If anybody’s interested I stealthily took a picture of Dig Sleep. Figured I’d post it
Blueshirt Banter *It's just pain.*
Ryan Callahan: running on Vengeance and Tiger Blood since 2006.
I’m so pretty.
No one appreciates beards anymore. Especially lumberjack beards.
(I hate those damn commercials)
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
Just to show I’m not biased, I’ll post a picture of myself
Blueshirt Banter *It's just pain.*
Ryan Callahan: running on Vengeance and Tiger Blood since 2006.
ur Tyler Myers?
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
That is the kind of neck that makes an executioner with an axe a happy man. It also creates unwanted sexual advances from giraffes.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
you never know…maybe he likes sexual advances from giraffes
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
Ever see two male giraffes duking it out for mating rights to a female giraffe? It’s horrific, they swing their heads like battle axes at each other and it makes a horrifying sound. Would like to see Chara and Myers dancing that dance. NECK FIGHT.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
how do you know so much about the mating habits of Giraffes?
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
…I get lonely some times and the security at the zoo is lackluster at best.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
are u the one that freed the cobra in the bronx zoo this weekend
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
Gives this a whole new meaning.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
dont call this guy for help
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
by Kevin Power on Mar 27, 2011 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions
One day, some psychologist is going to make a medical breakthrough doing research on the history of Google searches on Digger’s computer.
Blueshirt Banter *It's just pain.*
Ryan Callahan: running on Vengeance and Tiger Blood since 2006.
digger your hilarious lmao
"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
Please,
Tip your waitresses.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
If you looked like that I would have shrinked away in fear. Also I think that fella has make-up on… you didn’t have make-up on did you Caerid?
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
Pffft, my morning beautification ritual is about 5 seconds to comb the mop on my head.
Blueshirt Banter *It's just pain.*
Ryan Callahan: running on Vengeance and Tiger Blood since 2006.
Mine involves brushing my teeth in the shower and making sure I have pants on before I stumble out the door. Brushing teeth in the shower = time saver.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
agreed.
"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
i think...
this looks more like zdeno chara
"I've been really working on stick-handling with my head up,"
- Eric Lindros
for those wondering I was also at this party doing my best Gaborik impression
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
I thought I felt someone massaging my thigh under the bar… never talk to me again.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
hold on i think To Catch a Predator is calling…i’m gonna have to get back to you
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
Pretty accurate representation. He had a hat though.
Blueshirt Banter - Where Rangers' Fans Matter
Tracking the Rangers - Numbers don't lie. They just don't agree with you.
Twitter: RangerSmurf
by George E. Ays on Mar 27, 2011 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Well everyone was very disappointed in the fact that you didn’t have a calculator or an abacus or an erlenmeyer flask… very, very disappointed indeed.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
when you say everyone
you mean you and ur clan of trolls
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
by Kevin Power on Mar 27, 2011 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions
why you gotta make this a racial irish thing?
clans? huh?
go back to your uncle’s nephew’s cousin’s baby shower, ya hack
@joereiter
Blueshirt Banter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"
ouch
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
by Kevin Power on Mar 27, 2011 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I had my phone’s app and a pint of guinness, I think that should’ve been plenty.
Blueshirt Banter - Where Rangers' Fans Matter
Tracking the Rangers - Numbers don't lie. They just don't agree with you.
Twitter: RangerSmurf
by George E. Ays on Mar 27, 2011 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
plural pints of guinness
don’t try to cover it up now, dig was counting………in his sleep….
@joereiter
Blueshirt Banter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"
I never had more than 1 at a time.
Blueshirt Banter - Where Rangers' Fans Matter
Tracking the Rangers - Numbers don't lie. They just don't agree with you.
Twitter: RangerSmurf
by George E. Ays on Mar 27, 2011 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions
stat monkey
@joereiter
Blueshirt Banter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"
I do most of my best work in my sleep.
@DigDeepNYR
"I like a man who grins when he fights." -Sir Winston Churchill
"It's just pain." -Brandon Prust | "In Prust we Trust."
just like Sather
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
Out of all of the people, I picked you out first. Only guy at the bar with glasses on.
Blueshirt Banter *It's just pain.*
Ryan Callahan: running on Vengeance and Tiger Blood since 2006.
when dig turned around to announce himself this is what it looked like from my pov
@joereiter
Blueshirt Banter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"
that’s a face only a blind mother can almost like
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot" Evgeny Nabakov on Garth Snow
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
by Kevin Power on Mar 27, 2011 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions
We're playing as well as anyone in the East right now.
It’s interesting to watch other teams play because as we get closer to the playoffs, they’re all starting to play like us! But we’ve been doing it all year, low-scoring, grind-it-out wins. It could mean real good things come April.
The win tonight coupled with Carolina’s loss means that even they ran the table on the rest of their 6 games (practically impossible) and we just went 3-3, they still wouldn’t catch us.
I watched the end of the Carolina game on their broadcast and their announcers basically said the same thing. they would have to go at least 6-1 to make the playoffs. They have some tough games still, so it is unlikely ( although possible)
Rangers need to keep the winning momentum into the playoffs. Anything can happen at that point.
Great game, don’t think I can say anything not said already.
I did however like what the B’s coach said:
“even at the end when we were firing away late in the third, they were all collapsed and doing whatever they had to do to block shots. They were willing to pay the price.”"
Possible new tag line there, NYR: Willing to pay the price
by teknics on Mar 27, 2011 1:53 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
its just pain :)
"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
I watched the NESN feed. One of the biggest mistakes of my life. The entire analysis of the game was based upon the fact that there was an offsides that led to the penalty which lead to the eventual Stepan goal. Seriously, stop it. Stop complaining about how ONE OFFSIDES blew the game for you. The fact that it was offsides didn’t prevent Recci from taking a penalty. The fact that it was offsides doesn’t mean that you lost that faceoff because of that. I got pretty pissed about NESN blaming the goal on the refs. If Gaborik had scored on that same exact play, there is some merit. Don’t say “well because this happened, then that happened, then that happened, then they scored on us”. And to top it all off, Jack Edwards raises my blood pressure because his commentary is just atrocious.
there are flyer fans convinced the offside not called in the '80 game six second goal by the islanders cost them the cup
there are red sox fans who are (still) convinced buckner is solely responsible for the ’86 world series loss
there are (some) oilers fans who still blame steve smith for the loss of a five in a row dynasty in ’86 (seems to be a bad year for blown plays)
let edwards & co. whine and cry about it
their team lost
@joereiter
Blueshirt Banter
"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"
Exactly!
Great reference, Joe – the Tonelli-Nystrom goal came to mind as soon as I read MRM’s statement. In that case, and even the waived-off goal from Tik’s slap-shot in ‘94, can definitley be a direct result of an offsides call or lack therof. But in this case of Stepan’s goal, there were a lot of circumstances that occurred b/w the infraction and the utlimate goal being scored. Like I said above, the FO not being blown dead w/ Prospal jumping the gun was way more of a contributing issue than a prior offsides on an earlier play. On the other hand, it still was only one goal early in the game, so the B’s certainly had plenty of time to get one or more back, esp. in the 3rd.
well if the nhl was never created the bruins wouldn’t have lost that game either.
"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
Hey wait Buckner WAS directly responsible for the Red Sox losing. That play would have ended the game and the series.
by Leetch4prezofNYR on Mar 28, 2011 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions
The game was already tied during Buckner’s play. It was tied up on a wild pitch a couple pitches before that. It would’ve ended the inning only.
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by George E. Ays on Mar 28, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
and people forget there was a game seven after that play
which the red sox led early until they blew it thanks to the pitching heroics of calvin schiraldi
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"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
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even the Joe and Sam kept saying how there was a blown offsides, then a blown miss on Prospal jumping the gun which directly led too the goal, they had a point but its not something for the Bruins to blame the game on.
by CrazyRangerFan on Mar 27, 2011 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions
It seems every other city has “the worst” homer commentators. I wonder if other cities’ fans think the same of Sam and Joe. As much as they both annoy the hell out of us, I think they are generally pretty fair.
compared to jack edwards, rick jeannerete, and the penguins dynamic duo, they're the most impartial in the league
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"You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"
Agreed
Compared to others, they are very fair.
by nathansfamous on Mar 27, 2011 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
When you are not a fan of the opposing team and you have to listen about how great some middle of the road player is or how the refs have taken the game out of the the opposing teams hands, when from your perspective it was just a great play by the Ranger, you start getting pissed. Crosby does this by never giving credit to another team or player for a great play that beats his team.
Joe is a homer, but he’s our homer. He screws it up some times and plays the “we got screwed” card and hypes up guys like Wolski and Zuc but that’s the party line. It gets really annoying when he says a call should or shouldn’t have been made and the replay shows the exact opposite of his argument.
I love Step but right now he should not be discussed for Rookie of the Year. I like Stall but I see the mistakes he makes. I just wish Joe would moderate his enthusiasm a bit.
by Leetch4prezofNYR on Mar 28, 2011 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
+1
Mats Zuccarello - Icing goalies' groins since 2010
In Prust we Trust - "It's just pain."
This team has balls.
by Master Ov Brutality on Mar 28, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
wow...
this thread has been giving me all kinds of trouble trying to post the last two days when using Chrome like i usually do.
anyways…it was great meeting a lot of the guys at the viewing party…and as Jim said…another Rangers shutout victory during a viewing party…we’ll have to make this happen more often!
Mats Zuccarello - Icing goalies' groins since 2010
In Prust we Trust - "It's just pain."
This team has balls.
by Master Ov Brutality on Mar 28, 2011 11:11 AM EDT reply actions
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