The Rangers Tribune

Rangers 08-09 Video/ Scoreboard Watch(Update)

I am currently in the process of compiling pictures from the 08-09 Rangers season, and combining them in a video put to music. This takes more time and work than I originally expected, which is why I did not make a daily post today. I plan on finishing the video later this week, and embedding it on the sidebar of this blog.

Standings wise, the Blueshirts are watching Montreal as well as Florida on this night. It looks as if the Habs will hang to win their game against Chicago, as they are leading 3-1 late in the third. With this win, they will pull within one point of the Rangers. Florida also won their game against Ottawa 5-2. UPDATE: Mtl wins 4-1.

I will be sure to make my daily post tomorrow, and as I said, will have the video up later this week.

Rangers Blank Devils 3-0 To Stay In Playoff Position

Coming into the night, the Rangers were in a position where this game against the Devils was a "Must Win" to stay in the Eastern Conference's top eight. The Blueshirts obviously understood that message, and came out and played a solid game tonight at the Garden. It was a great bounce back effort for the Rangers, after dropping the two previous games last Sunday and Thursday. With this win the Rangers pull within one point of sixth place, with their next game on Thursday in Carolina.

First Off, the Blueshirts had a lot less holes in their defensive game tonight. They were shutting the Devils down for most of the game, and when New Jersey did produce themselves a scoring chance, the stellar goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist, who was on top of his game after letting in some shaky ones in Pittsburgh on Sunday Afternoon. Henrik looked much more confident in this game compared to previous games, and that resulted in 38 saves to shutout the third place Devils. Dan Girardi also played great, notching the Rangers' second goal of the game.

The offense also had all systems going tonight, having a great forecheck, and producing three goals. Sean Avery played awesome in tonight's contest, ignoring all of the hoopla between Brodeur and himself. He mad a great play on Callahan's goal, he was going to the net all night, played physical, and did a great job of ignoring Clarkson while he was being tossed to the ice. That showed great discipline and maturity by doing that, job well done by Aves. Ryan Callahan continued his spectacular season, scoring his 21st of the season, a career high. Dubinsky also skated much better in this game, and in return scored his 11th of the year.

So this was a big one for the Blueshirts, and keeps them in playoff position for the time being, and as I mentioned before, pulled themselves within sixth place Pittsburgh. The Rangers will now go to Carolina, to play he Carolina Hurricanes Thursday Night. The Hurricanes have been red hot, winning nine straight games on home ice.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers React To Ref's Calls/Non Calls, A Defensman To Be Called Up

As we all know, the officiating in yesterday's matinee at the Igloo was atrocious, and almost handed the Penguins the win. This is not the first time this has happened, as the same scheme was in place in last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals, when the Rangers played 3/5 games at Mellon Arena. I distinctly remember Jaromir Jagr in his postgame press conference with the media after being eliminated last year by the Pens, Jagr said that if the Rangers would have won that game, and then went to the Garden and won to force a game seven, it would be the same old thing at Mellon Arena. Meaning, the refs would continue to screw us over, and hand the series to the Pens through officiating. Jagr was the only one to really make that comment, no other players/coaches called the refs out as Jagr did. This time it is different, many members in the Rangers locker room had plenty to say about the officiating after yesterday's game.

John Tortorella: “The thing that’s frustrating is two teams with the type of position we’re in at this time of year, I just hope we allow the teams to make the difference and to determine the result." He also said, "I’m the first one to say that Sean makes his own bed with some of the things that happened, but I think he’s done his penance here. All I want is, I hope he’s given a fair shake, he does something stupid on the ice, give him a penalty; if it warrants him getting kicked out the game, kick him out of the game, the way he’s trying to concentrate on the game, and the way he’s trying to play, I hope he gets treated fairly.”

Henrik Lundqvist: “I don’t know what it is in this building, seems like every time we’re here it’s about the penalty kill…it’s hard to get in rhythm,” said Lundqvist. And referring to Avery said, “It comes to a point where we’ll probably have to have a discussion with some guys about this. He gets hit from behind (by Crosby), he gets slashed Kennedy, Gill), there’s no calls. I expected it the first couple of games, but…”

Chris Drury: “I do think that Sean is a marked guy,” he said. “He’s played extremely hard and clean since he’s been back. He's never been suspended for something on the ice."

So the common theme among all of their postgame remarks, was about the way Sean Avery is being treated. He is in fact a marked man, Drury is right, and he was treated terribly yesterday. After almost every play Sean was either getting cheap shotted or cross-checked. It was unbelievable that the Pens were getting away with it. I know the refs saw it, they just made no calls. Sean has worked hard since coming back, he doesn't deserve this.

As for the defenseman to be called up, I would think it would be either Fahey or Potter. Mike Sauer was on the ice for two Penguin goals yesterday, and in return only received 1:59 of playing time. He was playing in place of injured Michal Rozsival (knee), who will be examined today.

Potter Called Up, Sauer Sent Down, Rozsival Update

As expected, the Rangers have called up a defenseman from Hartford to replace the injured Michal Rozsival (knee), and that call up is Corey Potter. Potter will play his fourth NHL game against the Devils tomorrow night at the Garden. Mike Sauer, who played in three games for the Rangers, was sent back down to Hartford today in exchange for Potter. Here are head coach John Tortorella's comments and thoughts on Mike Sauer:

"When kids get brought up, they get that juice of adrenaline," he said. "Then, sooner or later, they settle down to what you're going to be at this particular time in your maturity. He's in the middle of a playoff race, getting called up and being asked to put the mitts on against some very good teams, on the road, where you can't always get the match you want. It was a lot for him."

Michal Rozsival did not skate with the team in practice today, but is expected to do so the next few days. The coaching staff is labeling him as probable for Thursday's game in Carolina against the Hurricanes.

I deeply apologize for the late post, but I have been tied up today. I appreciate your cooperation.

Rangers Need Points In Game Against Devils

In a night where two foes will meet again (Sean Avery and Martin Brodeur), the Rangers are more focused on getting two well needed points in tonight's contest with the Devils. The Blueshirts have dropped two straight, and one occurred from the Rangers allowing a team to come back from a three goal deficit. So in their last three games, the Rangers have only picked up three of a possible six points that were on the table. This means that they will desperately need points in this one against the third place Devils, who have recorded a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games, and have lost their last four games. The Devils have been on a bit of a rut as of late, and the Rangers will look to take advantage of that by bouncing back from two losses with a win at the Garden Monday night.

Henrik Lundqvist will be in goal for the Rangers once again, as he had a bit of an off game in Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon. Hank will have to be better than he was Saturday, if this team has any playoff hopes. As we all know, there will be a defensive change for the Blueshirts in this game, as Corey Potter will be playing in place of injured Michal Rozsival (knee), and will most likely be paired with Paul Mara, but that is not definite as of now. Also, there is no word of any offensive changes from head coach John Tortorella yet, but if there are, I will update this post with the new combos.

So as I said, this is pretty much a must win for the Rangers if they want to stay in the Eastern Conference's top eight for the time being. The Blueshirts will want to get off to a quick start, because if they let the Devils gain a big lead, New Jersey will trap the Rangers in the neutral zone, and stand them up at the blueline. A win tonight would put the keep the Rangers in the seventh place spot with 89 points. Tonight's game will be televised on Versus.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers Visit Pittsburgh, Look To Bounce Back

After giving up a win to the Atlanta Thrashers the other night, the Rangers will look to rebound against the red hot Penguins today. The Blueshirts are currently in seventh place with 87 points, but a win over Pittsburgh today would place them in sixth with 89 points. This is a big game for the Rangers to win, as teams behind them are catching up, and the Rangers want to create some breathing space. Pittsburgh is currently placed in sixth with 88 points, and have won 7 of their last ten games.

Henrik Lundqvist will be back between the pipes for the Rangers this afternoon, as he got the night off Thursday Night in Atlanta. I would assume that Hank gets the start for the remainder of the regular season. The Rangers' remaining games are mostly against teams above them in the standings, and our top Goaltender must be playing in those.

As for the lines, there is one change made by head coach John Tortorella. Markus Naslund and Freddy Sjostrom will be swapping places, so that means Sjostrom will be playing with Drury and Antropov, and Naslund with Dubinsky and Zherdev. Tortorella explained his reasoning for the move to the media yesterday in Pittsburgh:

“Shoe adds some speed,” he said. “I hope he kicks in a couple goals along the way there, he’s played well with the puck as far as forechecking and he’s been pretty good defensively as far as the battles and playing away from the puck.”

I think Sjostrom was also added for the forecheck for this line. A line of Drury, Antropov, and Naslund was way to slay to play Tortorella's "in your face" offensive system, and were unable to create a good forecheck in the last game. Sjostrom's speed will help the cause. The rest of the lines will stay the same.

So this is a huge game for the Rangers, one that they must get points out of. The Penguins have been hot, but the Blueshirts always seem to bring out their best game against top teams. As I said before, the Rangers will move into sixth place with a win today.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers Defeated By Pens With Help From Refs

Look, the Rangers didn't play a terrible game, they killed many penalties, scored three goals, and had a great effort in this game. This all ended in the third period when the refs took control of the game, though. They did not let them play at all, and most of the calls were not in the Rangers favor. This has been a constant in Pittsburgh, eighty percent of the calls go to Pittsburgh's favor. It really was disgusting.

The five minute major on Colton Orr was ridiculous! It was a hit, so he gets five minutes? Give him a two minute minor max, not a five minute major. Then there was a time, towards the end of the third, where even the home crowd thought there would be a call against them, but there was no call on an obvious penalty, that I know the refs saw.

Alright, so I will stop my crying now and focus on the team. Henrik Lundqvist seemed a little off, as he did make some big saves, but let some goals in that should have been saved. When you get right down to it, he has to be better down the stretch if the Blueshirts have any playoff hopes. I also thought Derek Morris, Paul Mara, and Redden had rough games. They were all responsible for at least one of the Penguins goals. This made John Tortorella make the decision to only play four defensemen. Those were Redden-Morris, and Staal-Girardi. Staal and Girardi, I thought, had a huge bounce back game after the mess in Atlanta Thursday Night.

Also, give credit to the penalty killers, who really played amazingly and killed off numerous penalties, including a two minute minor for 4:56. Betts and Korpikoski led the pack, and put all they had into the penalty kill.

Nik Antropov and Ryan Callahan played solid games, as Antro notched a career high 27 goals. Callahan scored his 20th of the season, to continue a spectacular season. Congrats to both!

Now the Rangers come back home to play the second place New Jersey Devils, and will really need a win in this game. It is very important to gain points in that game, after failing to capture any in this one.

(Photo taken by AP Images)

Tortorella Reflects On Last Night's Loss

Rangers head coach John Tortorella was not happy at all, after last night's loss in Atlanta. I don't blame him, it was inexcusable. Anyway, Torts let his anger loose in his post-game press conference yesterday. MSG reporter John Giannone was the first to ask a question, he questioned Tortorella on the events that led to the collapse, and why they happened. Tortorella responded:

"Yeah, I thought we sucked," Tortorella said. "Right on through the game. I think we're fortunate to get a point, very fortunate to get that."

Then Giannone mentioned what the players inside the locker room were saying, but Torts cut him off and replied:

"I don't give a $#(@*! what the guys talked about," Tortorella said. "We sucked."

Now Tortorella overreacted here, as we all know, but you have to understand that when a person is furious like he was last night, you don't want to deal with other people, especially there ignorant questions.

Many are taking this too seriously, saying that it was "Bush League" and whatever. Think what you want, but what I know is that the fans deserved better. We want explanations as to which why Nik Zherdev was not chosen to shoot in the shootout.

We all have to leave it behind us, and focus on Saturday's game in Pittsburgh. There is no reason for fans/media to dwell on this. Just a human overreacting due to anger, it happens all the time.

Rangers Want Two Points Against Atlanta

The Rangers will definitely want two points out of tonight's contest with the Atlanta Thrashers. They are a weak team that is below .500 and in thirteenth place. The Blueshirts, on the other hand have been on a winning swing, with a record of 4-1 in their last five games, and in sixth place in the East with 86 points. The Thrashers have not been bad themselves lately, posting a 7-3 record in their last ten games.

Steve Valiquette will get the nod from head coach John Tortorella for tonight's game, and Henrik Lundqvist will get his first rest in weeks. This was probably done for two reasons; One is that Atlanta is a weak team that the Rangers should explode on, and the second is that the Blueshirts will play four games in six days. As for the lines, you can expect the same, although Markus Naslund has a bit of a shoulder injury/problem, but will still play in tonight's game. The lines will look like this:

Avery-Gomez-Callahan

Naslund-Drury-Antropov

Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Korpikoski-Betts-Orr

I would expect the Rangers to come out with guns blazing tonight against Atlanta. This an opportunity to gain two much needed points in the standings, and also apply a lot of offensive pressure. After tonight, the Blueshirts are scheduled to go up against the Penguins, Saturday afternoon at Mellon Arena.

(Photo taken by Getty Images)

Rangers Give Up Lead, Fall to Thrashers in Shootout(UPDATE)

Well the Rangers had this game in the palm of their hands. Leading 4-1 in the second period, and then the team collapsed and allowed Atlanta to tie it, and eventually win it in a six round shootout. It was unacceptable to give up a game to a thirteenth place team, especially when you are leading by three goals. Many things went wrong in this game, and John Tortorella will surely make it known in the locker room, as he cannot be satisfied with just getting a point out of this game.

As I mentioned before, many things went wrong for the Blueshirts tonight in Atlanta. Starting with the Goaltending. Steve Valiquette had a strong first period, making key saves when they were needed and he looked very sharp. To start the second he continued to be solid, but towards the end of the second the collapse began. It was 4-1 at one point, and then the Thrashers scored to make it 4-2 with minutes remaining in the second. This goal was scored from behind the net, and was banked off of Valiquette. That was one he should have had. Than he later let in two more goals to allow the Thrashers to tie it, but did not have much help from the defense. I will give him credit for making the long pass on Drury's goal though.

Unfortunately, the Rangers top pairing of Staal and Girardi were on the ice for all four goals scored by Atlanta. They had a rough night, and will want to improve their play in Saturday's game against Pittsburgh. The rest of the defense did not play terrible, but weren't good enough. Wade Redden, I thought, didn't play pretty well, as did the rookie Sauer.

Chris Drury had a big night despite the loss, though. His first goal was waived off, but he later scored another, which counted, and cashed in on two assists. So it was a three point game for the Captain, but he was unable to net the winner in the shootout. The powerplay did score two of the four Rangers goals, but the players are still standing around, and not cashing in. The Blueshirts had many opportunities with the man advantage, but were only able to capitalize twice. Again, the problem is too much standing around, and movement needs to be present on the powerplay.

You must give Atlanta credit, though. They would not quit and kept going. Especially their Captain, Ilya Kovalchuk, who really stepped up in this game for Atlanta.

The Rangers will have one day to regroup now, as they will then be in Pittsburgh for a matinee matchup with the Penguins on Saturday. The Penguins have been red hot as of late, and have won seven of their last ten. This is a big game for the Rangers, and the Blueshirts will have to rebound from this game tonight. Stay tuned to other games in the NHL tonight and tomorrow, as that will determine the Rangers place in the Standings. They are currently in seventh place with 87 points.

(Photo taken by AP Images)

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Just saw head coach John Tortorella's post-game interview. He said "We sucked!", "We are lucky to get a point". So obviously Torts is NOT happy with this one.