The Rangers get a chance to catch their collective breath after a much-needed, and certainly imperfect win in San Jose salvaged an otherwise winless four-game road trip. That is, the Rangers other than Henrik Lundqvist, who has been overworked and will now face the additional stress of a three-on-three all-star tournament this weekend — and […]
Fifty games are in the books. The holiday break, the âbyeâ week, and the All-Star Break have all come and gone. And now it gets real for the Rangers. Thirty-two games remain, with 19 of them on the road. So how do they react? How do they find the consistency they will need to get […]
I was talking with Rick Nash last week about the Rangersâ four-game Western road trip. We discussed how, very often, this type of trek can be just what a team needs – to be together for a long stretch with nothing on the agenda but team-bonding and hockey. No distractions, no outside errands or tasks. […]
Kevin Shattenkirk has made no secret of the pressure heâs placed on his own shoulders, being a New Rochelle kid living out his dream of playing for the Rangers. On Friday, Shattenkirk admitted that his unwillingness to âdisappointâ people â family, friends, fans, teammates and himself included â in his first season in New York, […]
We saw Henrik Lundqvist, during the âRoad to the Winter Classicâ and just before the Christmas break, telling his Rangers teammates that they should know they havenât been good enough and asking if they all agree. We saw Lundqvist Saturday, going down the bench and barking at his teammates after backup goalie Ondrej Pavelec was pulled […]
With less than half a season remaining, the NHLâs Metropolitan Division will be a slugfest among eight teams for what will almost certainly be five playoff berths. The automatic bids will go to the division’s top-3 teams and the two Eastern Conference Wild Card berths will likely come out of the Metropolitan Division. This is […]
So the Rangers are in their “bye” week, which is not quite a week â five days without a game, four and a half without a practice â and not actually a bye. But somebody at the NFL decided that a week off would be called a “bye” and somebody at the NHL decided to […]
I always think the NHLâs outdoor games canât continue to live up to the hype, and they usually do. I always think the league might be oversaturating us with these events, and Iâm always wrong. Those hardy people who sit through the elements get their moneyâs worth out of the game and the experience … […]
Chris Kreider is one of many athletes who are fond of saying ânext man upâ when an injury strikes. Now the ânext man upâ will be replacing Kreider for an indefinite period of time. The Rangersâ 26-year-old left winger was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right arm after he left Wednesdayâs 1-0 shootout […]
The question isnât so much whether or not Henrik Lundqvist can handle the heavy burden his teammates have placed on his shoulders; because maybe he can. No, the question is whether he should have to face that kind of pressure and whether the Rangers can figure a way to take some of it off of […]
The fourth line. The very name implies that it is the fourth-best line, or fourth most important line. [Watch Rangers-Devils on MSG & Download Free on MSG GO] To a point, both are true. The other three lines get more ice time, generally have more skill, usually have guys making more money and those who are […]
Hate to say âI told ya so.” Well, maybe I donât really hate to say it, but I told ya so. The Rangers, once again, answered the bell in a character-test weekend, shaking off the cobwebs of their little 0-1-1 slump, which really wasnât very good at all, and responding with a pair of impressive […]
âAdversity does not build character, it reveals it.â Okay, James Lane Allenâs famous quote might be a tad dramatic for this latest rough spot in the Rangersâ schedule. But seasons are patches of tests â failures and successes â and character is constantly tested. For most of the last half dozen years or so, the […]
I keep hearing a lot about the standings, and how the Rangers, despite this run theyâve been on since Oct. 31, are still on the outside of the playoff picture heading into Mondayâs game against Dallas. Well, yeah. But letâs be realistic. Theyâre sixth in the Metropolitan Division, but just two points out of third, […]
We got a glimpse on Tuesday at one of the âunknownsâ in the Rangersâ 2017-18 season. With the teamâs schedule bunching up for the first time, weâre going to find out more. Backup goalie Ondrej Pavelec, signed as a free agent last summer to replace the traded Antti Raanta, will be a crucial piece of […]
If the Rangers are to get back to their âKings of the Roadâ reputation, this watershed week would be a good time to start. The Rangers begin a litmus test week Tuesday in Pittsburgh, then Friday in Washington â against two familiar foes, both during regular seasons and recent playoffs â then host the surprising […]
The Rangers might be able to survive a reasonably short stint without Mika Zibanejad as their No. 1 center. But can they make the power play go in his absence? The team announced Thursday that Zibanejad is suffering from concussion symptoms. There, of course, is no timetable for his return. [Watch Rangers-Hurricanes Friday on MSG […]
So here are the Rangers, 24 games into the season, and still forging an identity. Lately, that identity has been similar to that of the first two seasons under coach Alain Vigneault, which is to say, the âFind-A-Wayâ Rangers. In their last two games, they have most certainly been that: Slow starts, important third-period goals, […]
As the Rangers practiced, then broke for turkey, they had a fair amount for which to be thankful. For example: Henrik Lundqvist has gotten back at or near the top of his game. Was there ever any doubt? (Thatâs rhetorical.) But I will admit, I had some doubt. A little bit anyway. Heâs never been […]
Some thoughts as the Rangers near the one-quarter mark of their season: 1. Henrik Lundqvist will get his eighth consecutive start in goal against Columbus Friday two nights after his and the teamâs six-game winning streak ended in Chicago. One thing coach Alain Vigneault didnât do before this season was place a limit on the […]
Kevin Hayesâ game changed on June 23. He always had the size and last season he added more speed. And heâs got tremendous hands, offensive skills and instincts. That much was obvious. But on June 23, more responsibility â especially in the defensive zone â was heaped on the centerâs still young (25) shoulders. That […]
Look, the Rangers knew coming into this season that there were some âifs.â They knew that for things to turn right in the wake of losing No. 1 center Derek Stepan, long-time defenseman Dan Girardi — both of them alternate captains and team leaders â and to a lesser degree Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Klein, […]
Hey, more power to the Rangers. They have now crawled back to respectability (aka NHL-.500) with four straight wins, and though all is not perfect, the Rangers have a pulse and a purpose. Because, mostly, they are the Power Rangers. The Rangersâ three power-play goals in the third period Monday gave them a 5-3 win […]
RANGERS 2, LIGHTNING 1 (OT) If you follow the Rangers and youâre level-headed, you donât turn cartwheels over their efficient 2-1 overtime win in Tampa Thursday night. But, you might exhale a bit. The Blueshirts, who hadnât played a nearly good-enough 60 minutes in a game this season, somehow hit their highs in compete level, defensive […]
Itâs fairly obvious what everyone will be watching Tuesday at The Garden when the Rangers play the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time. The start. The start. The first few minutes. The first goal(s). The first period. Those were all nightmares for the Rangers on Saturday in Montreal, with a start that has become […]
Nine thoughts after 11 Rangers games: 1. Big, huge, giant asterisk on Game 11 — a 5-2 Garden win Thursday — because the opponent was the winless Desert Dogs of Glendale. The only way you take that result seriously is if Arizona comes out of The Garden with its first win of the season. Itâs […]
The Rangers were right back at work Tuesday because, well, what other options are there? A 4-1 loss to San Jose the night before was still fresh in their minds, and their 2-6-2 record through 10 games hung above them like a dark cloud. âWeâre 10 games in right now,â Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said […]
When Alain Vigneault took over the Rangers in 2013-14, they were, or became, arguably fastest team in the league, perhaps along with Montreal. Now, ironically, after shedding three of their slowest players â Derek Stepan, Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein â the 1-5-2 Rangers are no longer a fast team. Why? Well, for one thing, […]
That which doesnât kill you? The Rangers know itâs early, and that 1-5 isnât necessarily fatal. But they also know, and understand quite well, that game No. 7 on Tuesday (vs. the defending Stanley Cup champions no less) means itâs getting late. âWhen you win games and youâre on winning streaks, itâs easy,â Rangers alternate captain […]
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault chuckled when it was mentioned to him that he made a lot of lineup changes for Thursdayâs practice before heading to Columbus for a game Friday. âWhich day have I not so far?â he said… Yup, the Rangers, at 1-3 and still searching for a complete-game effort, will have a lot […]
Three games into an 82-game season â even if some fans seem to think itâs an eight-game season â the Rangers are 1-2. They could be 2-1 or 3-0 or 0-3. And while all points gained — and all points lost — matter when they add them up at the end, the record is hardly […]
The Rangers appear to have a bright future thanks to the work of General Manager Jeff Gorton, who gave his roster a makeover, most of which came in a span of eight days this summer. Whether that future is now, weâll have to wait and see. Gorton and Rangers coach Alain Vigneault (the first Rangers […]
The money isnât what will raise expectations on Rangers center Mika Zibanejad. Whether you pay a player five cents or $50 million doesnât make him better or worse. No, the expectations on Zibanejad being better and taking a step up in performance come from need. The Rangers and Zibanejad narrowly avoided salary arbitration Tuesday, agreeing […]
Whenever Iâd bump into Bob Wolff at a baseball game, Iâd greet him with âHi, Bob. First game?â Being the kind and humorous and selfless man that he was, heâd giggle and nod. Of course, this was a fellow who had a photograph of himself, as a lad, with Babe Ruth and had covered Ted […]
Lindy Ruffâs brief tenure as a Rangers defenseman was hardly memorable, his legs by then almost gone. But the way Ruff thought of the game made enough of an impression on then-Rangers coach Roger Neilson to start Ruff on a long coaching career. When Neilson was fired by the Rangers in 1992-93, he landed on […]
Itâs not often a pro athlete arrives with such low expectations and departs with almost universal respect. The Rangersâ Kevin Klein is one. The defenseman officially announced his retirement at age 32 on Friday after battling a series of injuries, most notably a bad back that helped limit him to 60 games last season. Kleinâs […]
Having passed all the significant and obvious dates for potential change â the Expansion Draft, the Entry Draft, the first days of free agency — Jeff Gortonâs alterations on the Rangersâ roster are ongoing. Take a look at the team as it stands right now, and you see significant changes. You also see potential upgrades […]
A few years ago, Kevin Shattenkirk sat in the visiting locker room at Madison Square Garden as a member of the St. Louis Blues and talked about his love of the Rangers. Shattenkirk, a native of New Rochelle, was five-and-a-half-years-old when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup. They became his team for life and Brian […]
When youâre ârebuilding on the fly,â you must exercise caution. And that is exactly what I expect from Rangers GM Jeff Gorton when the NHLâs Silliness Holiday, otherwise known as free agency, begins Saturday. [Fischler: A Look Ahead to the Free Agent Frenzy] Gortonâs now got what the Rangers have rarely had and what a […]
It had been 13 years since the Rangers had a draft pick as high as seventh overall. They had two picks in the top-21 that year — Al Montoya at No. 6 and Lauri Korpikoski at No. 19 in 2004. But after making the Derek Stepan/Antti Raanta trade that also brought back 21-year-old defenseman Anthony DeAngelo […]
Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault said he expected changes, and now here they come. Eight days after the team announced it would buy out blue-blood defenseman Dan Girardi, another alternate captain and core-group stalwart is gone. Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton, heading into the NHL Entry Draft in Chicago, dealt Derek Stepan, along with valuable backup goalie […]
The NHL Expansion Draft probably could have worked out worse for the Rangers, who were always going to lose one of four players since the guidelines were set â Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast, Michael Grabner or Antti Raanta. The Vegas Golden Knights chose the 25-year-old Lindberg Wednesday as they submitted their first roster as an […]
Who says you canât win a Stanley Cup in the late rounds of the NHL Entry Draft? The Rangers have done it. Well, that needs some explaining. In the later rounds, the Rangers drafted a player (Tony Granato, sixth round, 120 overall, 1982) they packaged for another player (Bernie Nicholls), whom they later traded with, among others, Louie […]
There were no surprises Sunday on the Rangersâ protected/exposed lists for the Vegas expansion draft. So now the wait until Wednesday night begins, the wait to see which one player Vegas GM George McPhee (nicknamed by the press GMGM) chooses from the Rangers roster. The Rangers protected: Forwards — Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, […]
The clichĂŠs all fit Dan Girardi. Warrior. Heart and Soul. Blood and Guts. And a similar unprintable that former coach John Tortorella used in admiration at times. Others still called Girardi a Cyborg, for his ability to absorb punishment, to seemingly be immune to pain, and to play through some gruesome injuries â a cracked […]
Let the games begin. On Monday, the clock begins to tick on the expansion draft to stock the Vegas Golden Knightsâ roster. And with that ticking clock, you can expect transactions to begin taking place as teams try to maneuver cap space and create room on their protected lists. They will also try to entice Vegas […]
As a riveting and wildly popular, and now tied Stanley Cup Final takes a breather â one game in the next five days â and the Rangersâ offseason about to get busy in the next week or so, some thoughts: 1. All this talk about Ilya Kovalchukâs return from the KHL? First of all, to […]
My wife and I were on vacation in Quebec once upon a time, when we decided to tour the scenic waterfalls. The tour guide was a pleasant French-Canadian man with some knowledge of the area and a mini-bus taxi. Well, it turned out that the only other couple on the tour was from Pittsburgh. When […]
Pat Riley, the former coach of the Knickerbockers among others, is credited with saying, âIf youâre not getting better, youâre getting worse.â Thereâs something to that, and it certainly applies to the NHL, where Nos. 1 through 30 (and soon 31) are separated by a relatively slim margin, where you can be riding high for […]
The longer this Eastern Conference Final goes â and it will only go one more game â the more you realize what an opportunity the Rangers let get away while they were losing their grip on two late leads in the second round against Ottawa. And if Ottawa wins Game 7 in Pittsburgh, then advances […]
So the National Hockey Leagueâs website, NHL.com, is doing a fan-ballot contest to determine the leagueâs best team ever. Good stuff. It will get zillions of clicks, no doubt. Though, with things such as these, the relative youth of the average online voter is going to automatically result in teams from long ago having no […]
Thoughts on the Rangers and the Stanley Cup playoffs: 1. Weâre now less than a month away from the deadline for teams to submit their protected/unprotected lists for the Vegas Expansion Draft (June 17, 5 p.m.). Vegas will then submit its selections on June 20. Every team will lose one player — and only one […]
The Rangersâ roster that skated off the ice in Ottawa in stunned disbelief, then three nights later shook hands with the Senators who were gifted a series despite being outplayed for most of the first five games, is gonna change. The roster, the lineup, will have a new look when training camp opens in September, if […]
This was just the final dagger. The Rangers were wounded, reeling, and ultimately done in by games they had almost all the way in the bag. So the 4-2 loss in Game 6 at home was a fitting outcome, another handshake line at the Garden, and the Rangersâ third series loss in their last four. […]
Well, I told you the Rangers would have to play better in Game 5 than they had in Games 3 and 4 because Ottawa surely would be better. And for one of those rare times, I was correct. So the Rangers go to the brink of elimination, a place where theyâve been plenty the last […]
Itâs a new ballgame. I predicted 2-2 after four games because, well, I always do. But I certainly didnât expect it to get to 2-2 the way it did. So after the Rangersâ convincing 4-1 victory in Game 4 at The Garden Thursday, they go back to Ottawa tied. Thoughts: 1. Iâm going to be […]
Were you expecting something else? The Rangers won a game they really needed to have Tuesday night and their second-round playoff series with Ottawa now has a different complexion. [Rangers-Senators Post Game on MSG Networks] The 4-1 win was complete, start-to-finish and in virtually every aspect. But now they have to do it again Thursday […]
âItâs a five-game series and we have to win four,â said nobody ever. The Rangersâ task is daunting if you look at it in that light. But they wonât, mostly because they canât and partly because they shouldnât. Trailing two games to none after Saturdayâs loss in Ottawa, the Rangers have an extra day to rest […]
Well, you had to know it would likely be a fluky goal that would win a game like Game 1. Right? So the Rangers are down 1-0 and the road warriors have a pretty important Game 2 Saturday afternoon outside Ottawa. [Rangers-Senators Post Game Coverage on MSG Networks] Thoughts: 1. Letâs discuss the game-deciding play. […]
The Rangersâ upcoming second-round playoff series against Ottawa, which starts Thursday, carries motivational and emotional side stories galore. Frankly, the best of those stories are on Ottawaâs side of the series. [RANGERS POST GAME COVERAGE ON MSG] The Rangers? Well, except for Mika Zibanejad playing his former team, and Mats Zuccarello going up against his […]
I absolutely had my doubts about the Rangers coming into their first-round series against Montreal. There were all the âIfsâ as I wrote in my preview ⌠if Henrik Lundqvist can reach his elite level again, if the Rangers can defend better around their own net, if they can take care of the puck and […]
OK, raise your hands if you had the Rangers dead and buried after Games 2 and 3. Donât lie. So six days later, after Mika Zibanejadâs overtime goal beat Montreal 3-2 in Game 5 Thursday, theyâll be at home trying to shake hands with the Canadiens at The Garden. Thoughts: 1. I know you canât […]
So the Rangers go back to Montreal in a 2-2 series. Difficult to believe, isnât it, that except for two players, that was the same team that played Game 3? Thoughts: 1. That wasnât a different team in Game 4, a 2-1 win, but it was most certainly a group more intent on competing, in […]
So the Rangers leave Montreal tied 1-1 in their first-round series, which really should have been 2-0 in their favor. Thoughts: 1. This game got away and was given away, but thatâs the Rangersâ M.O. Since this run of playoff âsuccessâ began in 2012, they are 2-14 in games after taking a series lead. Which […]
If. If. If. If. A whole slew of âifsâ surround the success or failure of the Rangers as they begin the Stanley Cup playoffs tonight in Montreal. [HOW TO WATCH GAME 2 OF RANGERS-CANADIENS] If Henrik Lundqvist plays the way he has always played in the playoffs; if the Rangers can clean up their play […]
In the last 40 years, the Rangers have played four playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, each memorable in its own way. The Rangers have won the last two, in 1996 and 2014 and, believe it or not, eight of 15 playoff meetings in their history. The 1978-79 season was my first on the Rangers […]
It will be a celebration Sunday at Madison Square Garden, yet another celebration of the remarkable life of a remarkable hero, when the Rangers present the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award prior to their final regular-season game, against Pittsburgh. This one will be more special than the others, more meaningful, more emotional, because for the […]
1. It sure isnât an easy closing three. The Rangers, who have had trouble manufacturing emotion and desperation recently, due to having their playoff seeding virtually locked up for weeks, will play three desperate opponents. Wednesday theyâre in DC, where the Capitals are looking to lock down the Presidentsâ Trophy and home-ice throughout the playoffs. […]
1. This March swoon, if you want to call it that (6-8-2 in the last 16 games) could reasonably be explained as human nature. Perhaps because for a while now, the Rangers have been pretty much locked into their fate â the first Wild Card in the East, and a crossover into the Atlantic playoff […]
The subject was Brian Leetch, and Brady Skjeiâs eyes were as big as saucers. Skjei has always admired Leetchâs legacy, even though Skjei was less than three months old when Leetch lifted the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Stanley Cup. The point was this â even the greatest offensive defensemen of all-time had to learn […]
Iâve got to tell you, Iâm not a big believer in blaming luck. And at the same time, good and back luck decide hockey games all the time. So the Rangers played the Islanders Wednesday at The Garden in a game that was, arguably, decided by some lucky bounces â lucky for the Islanders, unlucky […]
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, in mid-sentence after Mondayâs practice, looked for a piece of wood on which to knock. He had just been asked about how it feels to have a roster that is getting closer and closer to being whole. âEvery time I say this, something happens,â Vigneault smiled and tapped on the wooden […]
If youâd never seen a single one of the 280 goals he scored as a Ranger, or one of the uncounted thunderous hits, or if you didnât know he was a record-setting player for the 1994 Stanley Cup champions, you still might consider Adam Graves an all-time great. Certainly, thousands of kids and their families think of […]
In football, the most important player is the quarterback. But depending on circumstances, the next most important player could be the backup quarterback. In hockey, the most important player is usually the goalie, and circumstances donât have to change for the backup goalie to become important ⌠if not critical. The Rangers, over these six […]
Itâs no secret that when the Rangers have had success this season, itâs been built on a four-line attack. Itâs no different now, as they carry a quickly-built two-game winning streak into Thursdayâs game against Carolina after beginning a four-game trip with consecutive-night victories over Tampa Bay and Florida. While Tanner Glass has gotten â […]
Click your heels together and repeat, âThereâs no place like road, thereâs no place like road âŚâ The Rangers were in need of restoration of their identity, and a change of recent results, and the Big East basketball tournament did them an enormous favor: It chased them out of The Garden and onto the road […]
For every team, there comes a moment after the trade deadline where you exhale and say, âSo this is the group with which we will go to do battle.â Sometimes thatâs a gung-ho thought, that you are loaded and ready for the grueling two-month Stanley Cup tournament. Sometimes itâs a white towel, that weâve sold […]
The situation is interesting, inarguable, and unique when it comes to Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. If he doesnât play up to his standards, the Rangers have almost no shot to consistently win. And if he does play up to his standards, the Rangers have a chance to win and win big. Hence the massive concern […]
The start of the play was as impressive as the finish, and both told the whole story about the player Kevin Hayes has become for the Rangers. In the third period of a 1-1 game in Columbus on February 13th, the Rangers lost the puck in the neutral zone. Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson tried to […]
To use one of Rangers coach Alain Vigneaultâs favorite quotes â âIf I were a betting man âŚâ If I were a betting man (Iâm not), I would put a small wager (I wonât) on the Rangers not looking a whole lot different after the March 1 trade deadline. I could be wrong. The Rangers, […]
Late last summer, Jimmy Vesey was asked how to pronounce his name. âRhymes with âEasyâ,â he said. Which is kind of fitting, because Vesey can make it look easy, as he did in Columbus Monday when he scored the winning goal late in the third period. V-Easy sped around Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard, who […]
Heâs got 400 career victories now, which is just another line item on a remarkable career resume. Henrik Lundqvist is going to the Hall of Fame when all is said and done, and his No. 30 will ultimately hang from the spoked ceiling at Madison Square Garden. Lundqvist is 11th all-time at 400 wins and […]
Another night at the office for the new J.T. Miller Tuesday. Two assists, including the pass that directly led to the gameâs most important goal; 19:45 of ice time, most among the Rangersâ forwards, including 3:38 worth of penalty kill as the Rangers were a perfect 4-for-4 in a 4-1 win over Anaheim. Oh yeah, […]
Armed with his new contract extension, Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault takes aim at his 600th NHL victory in Tuesday nightâs game against Anaheim. Vigneault would become only the 15th coach in the leagueâs 100-year history to reach 600 wins, and only the second in the 90-year history of the Rangers to have gotten some […]
Where would the Rangers be without Michael Grabner? Surely youâve heard that question before. The question is unanswerable because Grabnerâs impact is immeasurable. But suffice it to say that Grabner is at least in the conversation for team MVP, perhaps for the Steven McDonald Extra Effort award, and, if such a trophy existed, the Free […]
Back in August or September or even October, if somebody said the Rangers would be 31-17-1 after 49 games, youâd have run for the pen and yelled, âWhere do I sign?â Right? Youâd almost certainly, also, have been thinking that 31-17-1 would be good enough for first place in the Metropolitan Division, and not fourth […]