Bantering Points: 1/4/17

After dominating the cellar dwellers of the Western Conference in 2016, the Rangers were unable to do so to their Eastern Conference counterparts, dropping last night's game against the Buffalo Sabres 4-1. Although the team managed to throw away two easy points, they'll have a chance to rebound quickly, as they're back in action tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. Here are today's news and links:

Rangers News:

• Highlights: BUF 4, NYR 1 (3:00 Video via NHL.com)
• Larry Brooks hears that Henrik Lundqvist is miffed by his trend of giving up early goals (NY Post)
• Brooks also expressed how New York can mask the problem that the defense corps has become (NY Post)
• Justin Tasch reports that Matt Puempel is out indefinitely after experiencing symptoms of a concussion following Saturday night's game in Colorado (NY Daily News)
• Steve Zipay recaps last night's 4-1 defeat (Newsday)
• Scott Charles offered his thoughts on yesterday's "effort" against Buffalo (Blueshirt Bulletin)
• Donavan Burns previews the trials New York will need to overcome in order to keep pace in the playoff race (The Hockey Writers)
• Robby Sabo discusses how Chris Kreider has been the antithesis to the Rangers' inconsistent season (Elite Sports NY)
• Christian Nehls speculates about whether or not Rick Nash has become an untouchable asset for the New York (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Pat from BSB points out that the team is primed to improve it's play, despite weak efforts as of late (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Brandon Cohen doesn't believe that a few players' streaky play is anything to worry about (Blue Line Station)
• Thomas Crincoli explains why the Rangers need to stockpile points now, in order to take advantage of their light travel schedule (Blue Line Station)
• Postgame Notes: Nick Holden continued his hot streak, notching his fifth goal in the last twelve games last night (Official Team Site)
• Postgame Interviews: Alain Vigneault, (1:21) Dan Girardi, (1:08) Henrik Lundqvist, (2:20) and Ryan McDonagh, (1:59) (Official Team Site)

Around the NHL:

• Elliotte Friedman authors another edition of 30 Thoughts (Sportsnet)
• Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban, and Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid have been announced as captains for the 2017 All-Star Game at the Staples Center (TSN)
• Sean McIndoe lists the top five outdoor games he'd like to see in future seasons (The Hockey News)
• Josh Cooper passes along word that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber was well received in his return to Nashville last night (Puck Daddy)
• Adam Gretz saw that the Columbus Blue Jackets extended their winning streak to sixteen games last night, knocking off the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 3-1 (NBC Sports)/

Do you know who the Ranger in the picture is?