The Rangers Tribune

Postgame: Henrik's Homecoming a Success, Rangers Defeat Frolunda

The afternoon (night in Sweden) began with a special tribute to former Indian and current Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Hank was presented with awards, a key to the city of Gothenburg and flowers, but what must have meant the most to him was the incredible standing ovation he received from the crowd at Scandinavium Arena. Every person in the building was on their feet, clapping and chanting "Hen-rik". Lundqvist modestly stood at center and waived to show his thanks, but the look on his face was what said it all. In fact, at one point he looked up to the high mezzanine and mouthed the word "wow" as his name was sounding through the arena. Definitely a very special moment that Henrik will never forget. 

Once the puck finally dropped, Lundqvist was tested early with a hard slapper that he gloved in a flashy manner, warranting an applause from the crowd on hand. The Rangers then got on the board first when Ryan Bourque made a nice headman pass to Kris Newbury, who lifted a perfect shot over the glove of Indian goaltender Anderson. I'll tell you, Bourque has looked better and better in every passing game and that play was sort of a microcosm of how he's been performing. 

Frolunda came back to tie the game before the end of the first on a rebound that Lundqvist lost sight of after making the original stop. Many were hoping for a shutout for Henrik, but they had to be happy with what they saw from the King following that. 

Led by Lundqvist, the Rangers were able to kill-off five minutes worth of 5-on-3s to open the second period. Henrik made at least four to five marvelous stops in that time and reminded the home crowd of just how good of a goaltender he actually is. And, of course, he received an applause from his former fans after every save he made. 

The Blueshirts obviously gained some momentum from killing off the penalties because they quickly came down and scored to make it 2-1 thanks to a Michael Del Zotto goal. Zuccarello was the player who made the excellent play to get the puck to an open Del Zotto, and that wasn't the only pass that Zuke opened eyes with. He also made a nice feed to Erik Christensen, who ripped a low wrister to the back of the net from the slot to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead just before the end of the second period. 

If he wasn't already, Zuccarello is now definitely a lock for the opening night roster after this game. Zuke's had a very strong camp and it's translated well to his preseason play. He looks much better with the puck than he did a year ago, and he's had the puck in his possession more to start with. Good things to see from the former member of the Swedish Elite League. 

The game's spotlight continued to shine on Lundqvist in the third period as he repeatedly made stop after stop on his former club. The Indians did finally get a powerplay goal by him late in the third, but to be fair, Henrik was sprawled out with no defensive help, so it wasn't on him. 

Before the third ended, though, Mike Rupp brought the Rangers' lead back to two as he took a nice pass by Brendan Bell and buried it five-hole. Nice to see a guy like Rupp getting on the board in the preseason and as you saw, he does have some skill offensively. 

Only four players really stood out to me in this game from a Rangers standpoint, and those were Henrik Lundqvist (obviously), Tim Erixon, Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Bourque. Erixon actually was the only defenseman who I thought played well because as a unit, I wasn't too impressed with their game tonight. 

On offense, Zuccarello and Bourque both were using their speed to their advantage and loving the additional space that comes along with the bigger rinks. And with Zuccarello having such a great game, I think Erik Christensen is on his way to the AHL (or elsewhere). 

If you want an honest assessment of this game, then I will not hold back. The Rangers didn't impress me much, even though there was a good portion of their B team out there. They were sloppy and took way too many penalties, and the only reasons why the won is because they were up against a SEL team and Lundqvist was spectacular in net. If this was against an NHL team, things may not have ended the same way. 

But I won't ruin the moment. I'm sure it means the world to Henrik that he won this game over his former team and brother and he can now take a sigh of relief as I know he was putting a lot of pressure on himself to get the W. The fans were great to him and to the Rangers as a team, and I thought it was a very classy move for both clubs to gather at center for a stick salute at the game's conclusion. 

Henrik couldn't have wished for a better homecoming than this. 

NOTE: Sean Avery left the game in the second period after being high-sticked in the mouth. He did not return. 

Staal Unsure He'll Be Ready for Season Opener

While the Rangers are preparing for their preseason game against the Frolunda Indians over in Sweden today, defenseman Marc Staal has been skating with the Connecticut Whale (AHL) during their practice here in North America. 

When talking to Andrew Gross, Staal said that he is still suffering from headaches that he's sure are resulting from a concussion. Staal does not yet have a flight booked to Europe, nor does he think he is in game shape at the moment, so the chances of him playing in the season opener on October 7 are becoming slimmer. 

Staal also mentioned that he still has not yet been cleared for contact and isn't sure he will have enough time to get in game shape by October 7. There's an outside chance that he could jump on a flight to Europe over the weekend, but that depends entirely on his health and obviously it's not at its best right now. 

If you recall, just last week GM Glen Sather said that he had no worries about Staal and that he was confident he would join the team in time for the season opener. I doubt he will feel that confident after hearing this news, because as I said, Marc doesn't have much time to recover and get ready at this stage. 

Pregame: Big Day for Lundqvist as Rangers Take on Frolunda (Update w/ Lineup)

The New York Rangers will play their second of three European preseason games today when they take on the Frolunda Indians of the Swedish Elite League this afternoon in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Indians happen to be the former team of Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, as he spent many years within the organization on both their junior and professional squads - it's basically where he made a name for himself as a netminder. More important than playing against his former team in his homeland, though, is the fact that Henrik will be going up against his brother, Joel, in this game, who is a current member of the Indians after departing the NHL following a brief career with the Dallas Stars. 

"It's hard not to think about it," Lundqvist said about today's game. "The last few days it feels like 80 percent of the time I think about going back home and playing there."

As he should. 

Realize that not only did Lundqvist play in Gothenburg, but it basically became his home since Are (his birthplace) was a bit of a hike from where the Indians played. So not only will the arena be familiar to him, but so will the atmosphere, the surroundings, the people and to be visiting there with an NHL team that he's been a part of several years now must be quite an emotional experience. 

This will undoubtedly give Lundqvist an extra push or urge to win today (as if he needs one), but it seems as if that vibe is also extending to his teammates. Check out what captain Ryan Callahan had to say when talking about this game...

"From what I've heard it's sold out, and talking to Hanky, he's pretty excited," Ryan Callahan told NHL.com. "He's supposed to get a warm welcome there and I think the guys that do play in that game will want to try to win it for Hanky. It's going to be a big night for him and hopefully we get a win for him."

Lundqvist in Sweden is the equivalent of Sidney Crosby in Canada or Alex Ovechkin in Russia. He is a HUGE deal over there so you better believe that the Scandinavium Arena will be packed out for this tilt. 

It is also important that the Rangers focus on coming out strong in this game as well because evidently their 2-0 win over HC Sparta was nothing pretty. Plus, on paper, the Indians are a much better team than Sparta is, so the Blueshirts need to be set to face better competition this afternoon and hopefully will not ride Lundqvist to a win, although I'm sure Hank wouldn't mind that too much. 

Also, head coach John Tortorella only has two games remaining to make a final decision on his roster for opening night against the L.A. Kings. What we saw yesterday, at least on offense, is likely what we will see on opening night as well, minus Erik Christensen since he was in for Brian Boyle (flu). So if any bubble players want to make last-minute impressions, now is the time to do it.

There's been no confirmation on today's lineup other than the scratches you see below. 

New York Rangers Lineup

Forwards: Zuccarello,Christensen, Wolski, Prust, Boyle, Rupp, Weise, Mitchell, Avery, Hagelin, Newbury, Bourque

Defensemen: Del Zotto, McIlrath, Bickel, Erixon, Parlett, Bell

Goalies: Lundqvist (playing whole game), Stajcer

NOTE: Today's game will be televised on MSG Network at 1:00 p.m. here in the U.S.

Postgame: Biron, Rangers Shutout HC Sparta (Update)

The Rangers opened up their European portion of the preseason when they took on HC Sparta in Prague, Czech Republic this afternoon. Led by Marty Biron, the Blueshirts earned a 2-0 shutout over the Spartans and have now improved their preseason record to 2-1-1.

As you probably know, today's game was not televised and I'm not in Europe either, so all I have to share with you is what's been shared with me:

- Artem Anisimov scored the first goal for the Rangers when he backhanded a rebound to the back of the net in the second period. Brandon Dubinsky and Tim Erixon had the assists.

- Ruslan Fedotenko had the second goal for New York on the powerplay. The play was set-up by great passing from Michael Del Zotto and Derek Stepan. There's that Step-Feds combo again.

- Marty Biron took the spotlight in this game as he made multiple robbery stops including one on a breakaway to save teammate Steve Eminger, who turned the puck over in the slot.

- Didn't see Erik Christensen's name mentioned once. Not good for his future on this team because when you substitute him for Brian Boyle (flu) in today's lineup, that is the roster John Tortorella wants on the ice for opening night.

If any other stats and/or analysis are released, I will be sure to update this post.

UPDATE (5:30pm): Here's a more detailed recap of the game from NHL.com. 

John Tortorella also said that defenseman Marc Staal will be joining the Connecticut Whale (AHL) for practice here in the States and based on that will make a decision as to when he will join the rest of the team in Europe. 

Pregame: Rangers Open Europe Road Trip Against HC Sparta

The New York Rangers have spent the past two days in Prague, Czech Republic for the beginning of their tour through Europe before they land in Stockholm for October 7's season opener. Tuesday featured a lack luster practice in which head coach John Tortorella ripped into his club for afterwards. Yesterday, though, the coach said the performance and focus was much better than the day prior. 

Today the Blueshirts will hit the ice for game action for the first time since Monday's 4-3 loss in Philadelphia. The opponent will be HC Sparta Prague, one of the most famous czech teams in hockey. More importantly, however, is that today's game will be the first in which we see a Ranger lineup that will be close to the one that laces them up on opening night. 

For the second time this preseason we will see the Wolski-Richards-Gaborik trio as the first line. They played an excellent game against New Jersey last Friday and were very dominant when controlling the puck in the offensive zone, especially on the powerplay. Some people still are not completely sold on Wolski skating on the left wing of that line, so I think he still has more to prove before he's considered a lock to play there. 

We will also get to see the "Pack Line" featuring Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan. As many fans do, I love this threesome for the obvious reasons that I think we've all been able to point out by now. They will be extremely vital to the team's secondary scoring this season, so it's important that they click. 

The biggest news of the day, I think, is that Brandon Prust will be getting his first taste of preseason action in this game. Prust has been held out of the preseason to this point because the coaching staff wanted to ease him back into things after undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason. He will be on a line with Mike Rupp and Erik Christensen. Christensen is another story in itself as it seems his chances are becoming slimmer and slimmer. 

Oh and remember when I said that we should get used to seeing Derek Stepan and Ruslan Fedotenko hook up for goals? Yeah, well they will be playing together today on what looks to be the third line for the regular season, along with Mats Zuccarello. Again, an important contributor to the team's secondary scoring. 

New York Rangers Lineup

Today's game will not be televised but check back here afterwards for the results and analysis.

Sestito Suspended Two Games for Illegal Hit on Deveaux

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Tom Sestito has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason as well as the first two games of the regular season for his illegal hit-from-behind on Andre Deveaux during Monday's preseason match in Philly. 

In my opinion, Sestito got off way too light considering the degree of the hit. He was coming in full speed while Deveaux was defenseless with his back turned in the corner, and then he completely pile-drove Deveaux into the boards. This, along with headshots, is exactly what the NHL is supposedly wanting to eliminate from the game, but a weak punishment such as this will not get the job done. 

I know one person that is enraged right now and that's head coach John Tortorella. Torts felt that Sestito should sit out somewhere around ten games. Just two games is a significantly lighter number and won't teach as big of a lesson as ten games would. 

And you have to wonder if the suspension would have been longer had Deveaux been injured on the play. He did bounce right back up after being crushed, but typically we see a longer punishment when the player's actions result in the injury of another player. Is that really what the NHL is basing their disciplinary system on? Whether or not someone gets hurt?

What will they do when one of these days an irresponsible and careless hit such as this takes a life of an innocent player? Because to be completely honest, with all of the from-behind and headshot hits that we see now, it's bound to happen at some point. 

Brian Boyle Taking On a New Role with Rangers

Brian Boyle has come a long way since being acquired by the Rangers in the summer of 2009. He saw his goal total quintuple (yes, that's a word) last season and he also put up 29 more points than he did the previous year. Boyle is no longer a fourth line player, which is evident by the $1.7 million contract he was given in July. But the statsheet is not the only place in which we've seen changes in Boyle's game since coming to New York. He's more physical, he's more capable, and most of all, he's more vocal. 

During Monday's preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers, MSG Network had Boyle mic'd up for all three periods. You learn a lot about a player when you listen to those things and that held true with Boyle the other night. He was constantly communicating with his teammates in order to set-up plays and scoring opportunities, and he was also acting as a leader when giving tips to young guys such as Ryan Bourque. 

Communication in sports goes a long way, especially in such a fast-paced sport like hockey, and you can hear the conversations that Boyle has with Brandon Dubinsky and Dan Girardi on how they are going about setting up the cycle and the breakout. 

Take a look/listen...

 

Going into the season I saw Brian Boyle as someone who was emerging as a core player on this hockey club. I think after watching this, I'm convinced that he definitely is a core player on this hockey club already. 

The constant encouragement and advice he was giving in that video is something you want to see out of all of your players, but unfortunately there are only a select few that actually possess that sort of personality. Boyle is one of those players and it's evident that he is a leader on this team even though he may not wear a letter. 

Boyle has been one of the more impressive players in training camp and preseason, picking up a goal and an assist in Monday's 4-3 loss. He's setting himself up for yet another successful season on Broadway this year, and maybe will even be able to surpass his 21 goal total from 2010-11. But even if he's not scoring, he still brings the intangibles to the ice that not every player is capable of doing, and those are the types of players both coaches and fans fall in love with. 

It's amazing how much Boyle's role has expanded since being traded here, and I think you have to credit the coaching staff and management for helping him reach his peak here in New York. Boyle is a huge part of this team now and if the Rangers do end up having a strong year this season, you can bank on Boyle being a big part of that. 

NHL Not Penalizing Wayne Simmonds for Alleged Homophobic Slur

Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds met with the league today in regards to the homophobic slur that he was accused of directing towards Sean Avery in Monday night's preseason match-up between the Rangers and Flyers. The league has decided that there is no conclusive evidence that Simmonds actually made such remarks, so he will not be penalized. 

NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell did release a statement on this matter and the subject of sexual slurs, though. I posted that below, courtesy of Ranger Rants...

“All Players, Coaches and Officials in the National Hockey League deserve the respect of their peers, and have the absolute right to function in a work environment that is free from racially or sexually-based innuendo or derision. This is the National Hockey League’s policy and it will remain so going forward.

“It also is important to emphasize that the National Hockey League holds, and will continue to hold, our Players to higher standards with respect to their conduct both on and off the ice. While we recognize that the emotion involved in certain on-ice confrontations may lead to the use of highly charged and sometimes offensive language and commentary, certain lines cannot be crossed. Specifically, we have for many years emphasized to our Clubs and Players that commentary directed at the race or ethnicity of other participants in the game (or even non-participants), or that is otherwise socially or morally inappropriate or potentially hurtful—including as it may relate to sexual orientation—is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“With that as background, we have looked into the allegations relating to the possible use of a homophobic slur by a Flyers player in the Rangers/Flyers preseason game last night in Philadelphia. Since there are conflicting accounts of what transpired on the ice, we have been unable to substantiate with the necessary degree of certainty what was said and by whom. Specifically, Flyers Player Wayne Simmonds has expressly denied using the homophobic slur he is alleged to have said. Additionally, none of the on-ice officials close to the altercation in question heard any inappropriate slurs uttered by either of the primary antagonists. In light of this, we are unable at this time to take any disciplinary action with respect to last night’s events. To the extent we become aware of additional information conclusively establishing that an inappropriate slur was invoked, we are reserving the option to revisit the matter.”

Innocent until proven guilty is how the old saying  goes, and that's basically the case with the Sean Avery/Wayne Simmonds incident from last night. Just Avery's word alone cannot be used to penalize another player, so I agree that the correct decision was made there, and I'm sure Simmonds received a clear warning from league officials about future use of such terms as well. 

Again, there's no room for that garbage-language in this sport, so it's good to see that the NHL is taking a stern approach with this stuff. 

Sean Avery Explicitly Threatens Claude Giroux (Update: Headline Clarification)

WARNING: Before you watch this, there is some explicit language that can clearly be heard in the audio of this video that may not be suited for younger audiences. Just giving you a heads up...

 

Meanwhile, the Rangers landed in Europe earlier this morning and both Sean Avery (toe) and Mike Sauer (shoulder) did not skate. 

UPDATE (6:00 pm): Because it seems everyone is misreading my headline for this post, the word "explicit" was used in the sense that what was said could clearly be heard and that colorful language was involved. I was not using this as a way to put Sean Avery down at all, nor am I looking for "attention" as some of you claim - trust me, I get enough so I don't need more. 

Video: Wayne Simmonds Talks About Incident with Sean Avery

Here's a video of Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds discussing the back-and-forth trash-talking that went on between him and Sean Avery during Monday's preseason game, in which Simmonds was accused by Avery of directing a homophobic slur at Sean.

 

Simmonds certainly didn't deny it, so this may be something that the league will want to look into, in addition to the Tom Sestito hit on Andre Deveaux.