The Los Angeles Kings were the unwanted beneficiaries of Henrik Lundqvist’s 200th career win behind net in a shootout loss to the Rangers. New York defeated the Kings 4-3 and Marian Gaborik snapped a seven game drought in an extra session triumph. The Rangers have won two in a row following a six game slide. Mats Zuccarello netted the deciding goal at the Garden on Thursday in a milestone game for goalie Lundqvist. The Rangers’ netminder made 25 saves as New York improved to 31-24-4. Los Angeles fell to a nearly identical 32-22-4 on the season.
New York allowed the Kings to score first on Dustin Brown’s turnaround shot 5:25 into the first period. Brown beat Lundqvist with a spin move during an LA power play to put the Kings on top 1-0. Ryan Callahan produced the equalizer for the Rangers four minutes into the second period. He planted Derek Stepan’s rebound into the net beyond the reach of Jonathan Bernier. Callahan finished with a goal and an assist in the victory. New York took a 2-1 lead at 6:10 in the final stanza on Gaborik’s 17th goal this season. Rookie defensemen, Michael Sauer, added an assist on the goal.
Matt Greene’s blast past Lundqvist at 7:50 knotted the game at 2-2, but the Rangers retook the lead again with just over three minutes to play. Artem Anisimov gave New York a 3-2 advantage on a wraparound goal credited to Brandon Dubinsky. Los Angeles needed just 47 seconds to tie the game for the third time of the evening. Brown’s second goal of the night and 20th of the season sent the contest into overtime. The Rangers began overtime with a four minute power play, but could not break through with the winning goal and were instead penalized to wipe out the advantage. The Rangers finally prevailed with their 16th one-goal win of the season in the shootout round. Zuccarello slapped a score in the shootout and Lundqvist thwarted Anze Kopitar’s third round attempt to preserve his 200th career victory. Bernier made 34 stops in defeat. The Kings are in a five way tie for fifth in the crowded Western Conference, while the Rangers are seventh in the East.
Parting Points: Miguel Cabrera charged with DUI. Nice job.
Derrick Rose scores a career high 42 in the Bulls win over San Antonio on Michael Jordan’s birthday.
Showing posts with label New York Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Rangers. Show all posts
Friday, February 18, 2011
Monday, April 12, 2010
Season Saved in Sizzling Shootout
The good news for the New York Rangers was they actually had a chance at making the playoffs before yesterday. The bad news is they couldn’t capitalize on that opportunity. Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center was the host of a winner-take-all contest between the Flyers and Rangers Saturday. The 82nd game of the NHL season would determine whether or not the host team would advance to the post-season or go home. It turned out favorably for the Flyers, who wrapped up the seventh seed in the Eastern conference. The visiting Blueshirts were eliminated from playoff contention after being clipped 2-1 in a shootout.
The Rangers were staring at a 10th seed at the end of March, but went on a 7-1-1 run to essentially make Sunday a one-game playoff. New York netminder, Henrik Lundqvist made 46 stuffing saves in Sunday’s loss. The relentless Ranger goalie put on a spectacular performance in stopping all but one shot during regulation. He was without question the star of the Rangers yesterday. Philadelphia fired 18 shots during the first twenty minutes but couldn’t slip one past Lundqvist. The Rangers made just four shots on goal during that time. Jody Shelley’s dart at 3:27 in the opening period enabled the visitors to grab a 1-0 lead. Shelley’s deflection off Michal Rozsival’s shot skidded past Flyer goalie, Brian Boucher. The Blueshirts held the lead for over 40 minutes even after the Flyers applied pressure.
Matt Carle found a way to get the puck past the talented Lundqvist with 13:06 remaining in regulation. Philadelphia’s young defenseman flip from the slot on a third period power play tied the game at 1-1. Carle stormed the net to chip in a third-chance shot for his sixth of the season. The Flyers moved the puck extremely well the remainder of the game. Their tight defense didn’t allow the Rangers many opportunities to score. The Blueshits turned the puck over too many times, but their focused goalie kept them in the game. It was enough to outlast the Flyers into overtime. Philadelphia tested Lundqvist with 15 shots in the second period before the game went to overtime. The Flyers made two more attempts in the extra session, but Lundqvist turned both aside. New York’s two attempts also went for naught and the heated battle would be decided in a shootout.
Danny Briere beat Lundqvist on backhand to forehand move for the first goal in Round 1 of the shootout. Boucher stopped the Rangers’ Erik Christensen on New York’s first attempt before Philadelphia captain, Mike Richards, was denied by Lundqvist. P.A. Parenteau tied the shootout by pinching in a goal in Round 2 for the Rangers. Claude Giroux joined the goal-scoring club when he found the back of the net in Round 3 to lift the Flyers to a 2-1 advantage. New York’s season came down to Olli Jokinen’s final attempt. Boucher’s diving stuff of Jokinen’s slap sent the Rangers home losers after 65 well-fought minutes of hockey. For Philadelphia, the season will continue at least through one round of the playoffs. The Flyers travel to nearby New Jersey for a playoff meeting with the second seeded Devils. Philadelphia was a Stanley Cup favorite in the beginning of the season but almost missed out on the playoffs.
Parting Points: Pittsburgh/West Virginia area sports news : Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t charged with sexual assault and teammate Santonio Holmes was traded to the Jets. Mountaineers’ sophomore, Devin Ebanks, is leaving WVU for the NBA draft.
Congrats to Phil Mickelson on winning his third Masters.
The Rangers were staring at a 10th seed at the end of March, but went on a 7-1-1 run to essentially make Sunday a one-game playoff. New York netminder, Henrik Lundqvist made 46 stuffing saves in Sunday’s loss. The relentless Ranger goalie put on a spectacular performance in stopping all but one shot during regulation. He was without question the star of the Rangers yesterday. Philadelphia fired 18 shots during the first twenty minutes but couldn’t slip one past Lundqvist. The Rangers made just four shots on goal during that time. Jody Shelley’s dart at 3:27 in the opening period enabled the visitors to grab a 1-0 lead. Shelley’s deflection off Michal Rozsival’s shot skidded past Flyer goalie, Brian Boucher. The Blueshirts held the lead for over 40 minutes even after the Flyers applied pressure.
Matt Carle found a way to get the puck past the talented Lundqvist with 13:06 remaining in regulation. Philadelphia’s young defenseman flip from the slot on a third period power play tied the game at 1-1. Carle stormed the net to chip in a third-chance shot for his sixth of the season. The Flyers moved the puck extremely well the remainder of the game. Their tight defense didn’t allow the Rangers many opportunities to score. The Blueshits turned the puck over too many times, but their focused goalie kept them in the game. It was enough to outlast the Flyers into overtime. Philadelphia tested Lundqvist with 15 shots in the second period before the game went to overtime. The Flyers made two more attempts in the extra session, but Lundqvist turned both aside. New York’s two attempts also went for naught and the heated battle would be decided in a shootout.
Danny Briere beat Lundqvist on backhand to forehand move for the first goal in Round 1 of the shootout. Boucher stopped the Rangers’ Erik Christensen on New York’s first attempt before Philadelphia captain, Mike Richards, was denied by Lundqvist. P.A. Parenteau tied the shootout by pinching in a goal in Round 2 for the Rangers. Claude Giroux joined the goal-scoring club when he found the back of the net in Round 3 to lift the Flyers to a 2-1 advantage. New York’s season came down to Olli Jokinen’s final attempt. Boucher’s diving stuff of Jokinen’s slap sent the Rangers home losers after 65 well-fought minutes of hockey. For Philadelphia, the season will continue at least through one round of the playoffs. The Flyers travel to nearby New Jersey for a playoff meeting with the second seeded Devils. Philadelphia was a Stanley Cup favorite in the beginning of the season but almost missed out on the playoffs.
Parting Points: Pittsburgh/West Virginia area sports news : Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t charged with sexual assault and teammate Santonio Holmes was traded to the Jets. Mountaineers’ sophomore, Devin Ebanks, is leaving WVU for the NBA draft.
Congrats to Phil Mickelson on winning his third Masters.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Buffalo Bests Blueshirts
I attended college outside Buffalo, New York. Believe me when I say, the Sabres and the Bills are a way of life to Buffalo and neighboring residents. Buffalo just endured the longest losing streak in the history of the franchise. Fans can’t be too ecstatic with those results. Perhaps Sunday, the Sabres made up their temporary collapse. The Sabres sit in first place in the Northeast, and last night scratched out an overtime win at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers .Buffalo topped New York 2-1 Sunday on Patrick Kaleta’s goal 2:22 into the extra session, spoiling a Rangers comeback. Goalie, Ryan Miller, made 35 saves in the win. It was the second time in as many games Miller was in goal for an overtime Sabres victory. Tim Connolly scored the game winner that beat the Flyers Friday night in Buffalo. That win leapfrogged the Sabres past the Senators into first place again. The Rangers fell to 29-28-9.
The score remained scoreless after two periods of hockey last night before Buffalo’s Adam Mair came through with the game’s first goal. Mair netted the puck past 28 year old, Henrik Lundqvist, fourteen minutes into the third period. New York’s Brandon Dubinsky rescued the Blueshirts from their second straight shutout in two days. Dubinsky tied the game with 1:23 left in regulation. His 16th goal of the season was the first in eight periods for the dejected Rangers. The power play equalizer by Dubinsky was poked past Miller on a rebound of Michael Del Zotto’s shot. Regulation concluded in a stalemate.
The Rangers are in ninth place, two points behind Boston in the standings. Both the Bruins and Atlanta lost last night. New York earned only one point in Sunday night’s loss and Kaleta extended their losing streak to three games. He was inserted into the game in a rare overtime appearance. The 23 year old Angola, New York native, banked a rebound off Lundqvist in overtime to give the Sabres their third win in eleven games. Kaleta’s goal took the air out of the Garden crowd and painted a dismal picture for the Rangers’ playoff hopes. New York still has an outside chance at making the postseason with 16 games remaining on the slate. The Rangers are 1-6 in overtime games this season and have ten road games remaining to right the slumping ship.
Sunday night pitted two Olympic goalies against each other and goaltending dominated the first two periods. Both goalies performed admirably. Lundqvist was outdueled by Miller, but was also pressured more in net. Buffalo struggled to solve a solid Lundqvist until the fourth liners got involved. The Rangers’ backstopped made 30 saves. Offense was tough to come by for the Sabres. They relied on two unexpected heroes in Mair and Kaleta last night. Marion Gaborik was ineffective, but logged 20 minutes for New York after returning from a groin ailment. The Rangers notched 17 goals during Gaborik’s absence. The top-line forward’s return seemed to put a stop to the offensive surge.
Parting Points: Those UConn women are too good. Will they ever lose? I bet there are no hurt lockers in that locker room.
Kudos to the Magic for dropping the Lakers yet again.
The score remained scoreless after two periods of hockey last night before Buffalo’s Adam Mair came through with the game’s first goal. Mair netted the puck past 28 year old, Henrik Lundqvist, fourteen minutes into the third period. New York’s Brandon Dubinsky rescued the Blueshirts from their second straight shutout in two days. Dubinsky tied the game with 1:23 left in regulation. His 16th goal of the season was the first in eight periods for the dejected Rangers. The power play equalizer by Dubinsky was poked past Miller on a rebound of Michael Del Zotto’s shot. Regulation concluded in a stalemate.
The Rangers are in ninth place, two points behind Boston in the standings. Both the Bruins and Atlanta lost last night. New York earned only one point in Sunday night’s loss and Kaleta extended their losing streak to three games. He was inserted into the game in a rare overtime appearance. The 23 year old Angola, New York native, banked a rebound off Lundqvist in overtime to give the Sabres their third win in eleven games. Kaleta’s goal took the air out of the Garden crowd and painted a dismal picture for the Rangers’ playoff hopes. New York still has an outside chance at making the postseason with 16 games remaining on the slate. The Rangers are 1-6 in overtime games this season and have ten road games remaining to right the slumping ship.
Sunday night pitted two Olympic goalies against each other and goaltending dominated the first two periods. Both goalies performed admirably. Lundqvist was outdueled by Miller, but was also pressured more in net. Buffalo struggled to solve a solid Lundqvist until the fourth liners got involved. The Rangers’ backstopped made 30 saves. Offense was tough to come by for the Sabres. They relied on two unexpected heroes in Mair and Kaleta last night. Marion Gaborik was ineffective, but logged 20 minutes for New York after returning from a groin ailment. The Rangers notched 17 goals during Gaborik’s absence. The top-line forward’s return seemed to put a stop to the offensive surge.
Parting Points: Those UConn women are too good. Will they ever lose? I bet there are no hurt lockers in that locker room.
Kudos to the Magic for dropping the Lakers yet again.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Outlasting & Outworking Ovechkin
The New York Rangers are sitting pretty with a 3-1 series lead against the Washington Capitals as Game 5 returns to the D.C. area. In order for New York to win on the road, the intrepid goal play of Henrik Lundqvist must again contain the powerful Capital skaters. Wednesday night, Washington took adamant attempts to the net the entire game, only to be turned back by Lundqvist’s protective shield.
The Rangers were aptly able to bounce back from a home loss two nights ago. The injured, Chris Drury, was on the ice last night in the second period to take a timely cross pass from Derek Morris. Drury attempted a shot against Capitals rookie goalie, Simeon Varlamov and missed. The rebound was slapped in for a wrister though, giving the Blueshirts a 2-0 lead. Lauri Korpikoski poked the puck to Drury on the rebound. That was all the scoring they needed in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. Lundqvist provided the team his best playoff effort, with 38 saves, 19 in the second period alone. He allowed a single goal to Alex Ovechkin. Alex skated in one-on-two after collected the puck from the top of his zone and skating down the ice. He rifled the puck through the Morris’ legs and the crossbars for Washington‘s third period goal.
Paul Mara scored the first Rangers goal in the opening period. He fired a shot that deflected off John Erskine and swept past Varlamov. Varlamov made 19 saves in the tough-luck loss. He struggled to handle the puck between the posts in only his third playoff appearance.
The Rangers captain, Drury, was a warrior with his composed clutch performance last night. The excellent puck handler has been playing with restrictions because of an injured right hand and he sat out Game 1 completely. New York needs his leadership on the road in Game 5 as the 7th seeded Rangers have the Capitals facing elimination. New York received a stellar Game 2 from their net minder. Lundqvist shut out Washington 1-0 then but was even more impassable Wednesday in silencing the sticks again. The gifted Garden goal play wasn’t the only good performance in Game 4. The Rangers penalty-killers did their job in stopping Washington too. Control on puck penetration boosted the Blueshirts as the defense held the Capitals in check.
Washington out-shot the Rangers 39-21 and still find themselves down by two games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Sooner or later, it seems the offensively-minded Capitals will have an operative outburst. They erupted in Game 3 for the four goal shutout but have struggled to shoot for most of the series. It’s puzzling how invisible Mike Green has been in the playoffs. Green has been held scoreless and Ovechkin finally found the net last night for the first time in the series. Ovechkin led the NHL in the regular season with 56 goals and the sooner he finds his groove, the more trouble he’ll cause the Rangers. It could be too little, too late unless Washington creates some momentum soon.
Washington coach, Bruce Boudreau benched goalie, Jose Theodore after the Game 1 loss. The Rangers were able to solve his replacement once, but 20 year old Varlamov got his team back in the series Monday night. The series certainly is not over for the number two seed Capitals. They can pull off the improbable comeback with a few adjustments and players stepping up. The raw rookie Varlamov settled down after showing a little unbalance early on. The Rangers were smart in creating traffic in front of the goalie in order to test him. They still need to obstruct his view and take even more shots when given the opportunity. Disciplined hockey is something the team needs to enact on the road Friday. They skated in and out of trouble last night and honestly, were lucky to win the game. If not for the same old song and dance and familiar feel of Lundqvist, the Rangers might not have a 3-1 lead.
Washington is the more physical team and their stature cannot be overlooked. The power play opportunities were present and plentiful in Game 4. The Capitals went 0-6 on the power play, including two crucial third period ones with Sean Avery in the box. Sean bloodied Washington defensiveman, Milan Jurcina with a shot to the face and was called for high sticking Brian Pothier to leave the Blue shirts a man short. The emotional Avery seems to rattle easily against Washington. If anything is going to kill the Rangers, it could be the penalties. Avery spent 18 minutes in the penalty box and about 16 on the ice. Avery’s penalties this series have been inexcusable and inappropriate, and include one for misconduct. He cannot keep this up in the remaining games.
The Rangers defense defiled the Capitals scoring chances though, and Washington was unable to tie it up. For a team entering the post-season with the second best power play, Washington was stripped of their splendor. There were too many passes by the Caps and not enough shots. The team was in the Rangers zone for two minutes in the third period with a one-man advantage, but flailed and floundered.
Washington drew their own penalty during the same time after Alexander Semin tripped Avery. Both teams showed plenty of hitting but it was the aggressive Rangers who pinned Washington’s backs against the wall. Even with the earlier penalties the Rangers endured, they were able to counteract the calls, drawing several of their own. The Blueshirts were successful and flourished in coverage. Two keys for New York in Game 4 were winning face-offs (67%) and keeping the Caps out of the Rangers’ crease. Brandon Dubinsky was 15-2 on draws. Marc Staal and the Ranger defensive provided the showering stoppage against the soaring Caps.
New York is still not shooting accurately or taking quality shots. The team tries to be too cute and plays too loose at times. The rebounding could be better and they need more production from Nick Andropov and Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev put in a whopping six minutes ice time Wednesday. John Tortorella is not inclined to play him but I think he needs to be a Game 5 skater. The blue and white clad fans won’t be at the Verizon Center in Game 5 for an added Rangers advantage. Lundqvist is breath-taking, undulating and undeniable in the net. He is capable of stifling any team on offense and is a game changer. Henrik can bail out his team only if they do not play lazy and rest their legs. They are becoming too comfortable with him in goal. New York has to score some goals and keep the puck deep if they are going to take this series. They need to clamp down on defense, like they did in Game 4. Even though they were outscored, the Rangers minimized the athletically superior Capitals’ quality shots. They need to outlast and outwork Ovechkin one more time.
Parting points: Fantastic finish from the Yankees bullpen yesterday and a nice walkoff shot by Melky. It was Cabrera’s second of the game (one from each side of the plate) and fourth of the year.
Song of the day- “Dosed” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Rangers were aptly able to bounce back from a home loss two nights ago. The injured, Chris Drury, was on the ice last night in the second period to take a timely cross pass from Derek Morris. Drury attempted a shot against Capitals rookie goalie, Simeon Varlamov and missed. The rebound was slapped in for a wrister though, giving the Blueshirts a 2-0 lead. Lauri Korpikoski poked the puck to Drury on the rebound. That was all the scoring they needed in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. Lundqvist provided the team his best playoff effort, with 38 saves, 19 in the second period alone. He allowed a single goal to Alex Ovechkin. Alex skated in one-on-two after collected the puck from the top of his zone and skating down the ice. He rifled the puck through the Morris’ legs and the crossbars for Washington‘s third period goal.
Paul Mara scored the first Rangers goal in the opening period. He fired a shot that deflected off John Erskine and swept past Varlamov. Varlamov made 19 saves in the tough-luck loss. He struggled to handle the puck between the posts in only his third playoff appearance.
The Rangers captain, Drury, was a warrior with his composed clutch performance last night. The excellent puck handler has been playing with restrictions because of an injured right hand and he sat out Game 1 completely. New York needs his leadership on the road in Game 5 as the 7th seeded Rangers have the Capitals facing elimination. New York received a stellar Game 2 from their net minder. Lundqvist shut out Washington 1-0 then but was even more impassable Wednesday in silencing the sticks again. The gifted Garden goal play wasn’t the only good performance in Game 4. The Rangers penalty-killers did their job in stopping Washington too. Control on puck penetration boosted the Blueshirts as the defense held the Capitals in check.
Washington out-shot the Rangers 39-21 and still find themselves down by two games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Sooner or later, it seems the offensively-minded Capitals will have an operative outburst. They erupted in Game 3 for the four goal shutout but have struggled to shoot for most of the series. It’s puzzling how invisible Mike Green has been in the playoffs. Green has been held scoreless and Ovechkin finally found the net last night for the first time in the series. Ovechkin led the NHL in the regular season with 56 goals and the sooner he finds his groove, the more trouble he’ll cause the Rangers. It could be too little, too late unless Washington creates some momentum soon.
Washington coach, Bruce Boudreau benched goalie, Jose Theodore after the Game 1 loss. The Rangers were able to solve his replacement once, but 20 year old Varlamov got his team back in the series Monday night. The series certainly is not over for the number two seed Capitals. They can pull off the improbable comeback with a few adjustments and players stepping up. The raw rookie Varlamov settled down after showing a little unbalance early on. The Rangers were smart in creating traffic in front of the goalie in order to test him. They still need to obstruct his view and take even more shots when given the opportunity. Disciplined hockey is something the team needs to enact on the road Friday. They skated in and out of trouble last night and honestly, were lucky to win the game. If not for the same old song and dance and familiar feel of Lundqvist, the Rangers might not have a 3-1 lead.
Washington is the more physical team and their stature cannot be overlooked. The power play opportunities were present and plentiful in Game 4. The Capitals went 0-6 on the power play, including two crucial third period ones with Sean Avery in the box. Sean bloodied Washington defensiveman, Milan Jurcina with a shot to the face and was called for high sticking Brian Pothier to leave the Blue shirts a man short. The emotional Avery seems to rattle easily against Washington. If anything is going to kill the Rangers, it could be the penalties. Avery spent 18 minutes in the penalty box and about 16 on the ice. Avery’s penalties this series have been inexcusable and inappropriate, and include one for misconduct. He cannot keep this up in the remaining games.
The Rangers defense defiled the Capitals scoring chances though, and Washington was unable to tie it up. For a team entering the post-season with the second best power play, Washington was stripped of their splendor. There were too many passes by the Caps and not enough shots. The team was in the Rangers zone for two minutes in the third period with a one-man advantage, but flailed and floundered.
Washington drew their own penalty during the same time after Alexander Semin tripped Avery. Both teams showed plenty of hitting but it was the aggressive Rangers who pinned Washington’s backs against the wall. Even with the earlier penalties the Rangers endured, they were able to counteract the calls, drawing several of their own. The Blueshirts were successful and flourished in coverage. Two keys for New York in Game 4 were winning face-offs (67%) and keeping the Caps out of the Rangers’ crease. Brandon Dubinsky was 15-2 on draws. Marc Staal and the Ranger defensive provided the showering stoppage against the soaring Caps.
New York is still not shooting accurately or taking quality shots. The team tries to be too cute and plays too loose at times. The rebounding could be better and they need more production from Nick Andropov and Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev put in a whopping six minutes ice time Wednesday. John Tortorella is not inclined to play him but I think he needs to be a Game 5 skater. The blue and white clad fans won’t be at the Verizon Center in Game 5 for an added Rangers advantage. Lundqvist is breath-taking, undulating and undeniable in the net. He is capable of stifling any team on offense and is a game changer. Henrik can bail out his team only if they do not play lazy and rest their legs. They are becoming too comfortable with him in goal. New York has to score some goals and keep the puck deep if they are going to take this series. They need to clamp down on defense, like they did in Game 4. Even though they were outscored, the Rangers minimized the athletically superior Capitals’ quality shots. They need to outlast and outwork Ovechkin one more time.
Parting points: Fantastic finish from the Yankees bullpen yesterday and a nice walkoff shot by Melky. It was Cabrera’s second of the game (one from each side of the plate) and fourth of the year.
Song of the day- “Dosed” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
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