Rangers Roundup 3.20.09
So looking ahead for the Rangers, beginning on Saturday they play 3 games at home in 4 days, following the same "Saturday-Sunday-Tuesday" format they had last weekend.
Of the three teams the Rangers play, only Ottawa can be considered out of playoff contention, Buffalo is currently 5 points behind 8th place Florida, and Minnesota is only 1 point behind 8th place Edmonton. So those will be two games against teams fighting for their playoff lives.
I'm guessing Lundqvist gets the night off Sunday night against Ottawa. He played all three games in the last 3-in-4 stretch, but John Tortorella has to find time off for him somewhere, and I am thinking Sunday night will be the next opportunity.
While we wait for Saturday, here are some Ranger stories making headlines today:
- The Bleacher Report talks about the contributions Sean Avery and Nik Antropov are making.
- Rangers head coach John Tortorella is not a fan of shootouts. I definitely agree with him here. The shootouts are exciting to watch, but so is a good car chase, and I don't want one of those to decide a hockey game either. Just play overtime until someone scores.
- This actually made news over the weekend, but maybe you didn't hear about it. Former Ranger Ron Duguay is making a 2 game comeback this weekend.
- From the NY Post, Larry Brooks talks about how now that John Tortorella is coaching the Rangers, the players can't blame "the system" anymore.
- Fox Sports talks about how being traded to the Rangers has energized Nik Andropov....and the Rangers.
A few final notes....
- C Scott Gomez recorded an assist to give him 14 points in his last 14 appearances to tie Zherdev for the team lead with 52 points, the same amount as newcomer Nik Antropov
- RW Ryan Callahan's goal against the Habs, his fourth in eight games, also extended his point-scoring streak to four straight games.
- With his sixth win in 10 games since taking over for fired coach Tom Renney, Tortorella also surpassed Peter Laviolette for the all-time record among U.S.-born coaches with 245 NHL victories.
