Progress Made, Changes Needed
by Mark Owens Despite bowing out in round two again and perhaps wasting their final season with Hall-of-Famers-to-be Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan, the Rangers’ season was mostly successful, due to the development of rookies Marc Staal, Brandon Dubinsky, Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan. Lauri Korpikoski scored a goal in his NHL debut Sunday, and is one of several rookies with a chance to make […]
Season Ends in OT
Well that’s another season in the books my friends. With today’s 3-2 OT loss to the Penguins, the Rangers officially were eliminated and now will turn their attention to retooling over the season. Several key players will be free agents this Summer including: Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Sean Avery, Martin Straka, Michal Rozsival, Marek Malik, Paul Mara, Stephen Valiquette and Jason Strudwick.
Day Off
The Rangers get a rest today, as also do the Penguins as they prepare for tomorrow’s Game 5 in Pittsburgh (2:00pm – Eastern). The Rangers wouldn’t be the same next year without Jaromir Jagr according to Bergen Record writer Tom Gulitti. Gulitti is one of a growing number of writers who’ve been jumping on the Jagr bandwagon. Penguins coach Michel Therrien is confident going […]
Game 5 Is Alive
An independent observer of the Rangers-Penguins Eastern Conference Semifinal series could easily jump to the conclusion that the Rangers have been thoroughly outclassed in this series, and that a win for Pittsburgh on Sunday is all but a foregone conclusion. After all, the Rangers lost an almost unlosable game in Game 1 when they gave […]
Still Alive
With their backs to the wall, it was a case of win or go home for the Rangers last night. The mantra in the lockerroom before the game…just avoid the sweep and earn the right to play one more game. Jaromir Jagr and Henrik Lundqvist were instrumental in leading the Rangers to a 3-0 win, keeping alive their season, for at least one more game. Jagr turned back the clock and scored two […]
Stop Diving Sidney!
by Mark Owens At 5’11, 200 pounds, Crosby is one of the most powerful, explosive skaters in the NHL, yet he crumpled to his knees when 180-pound Straka leaned on him Friday night, drawing a penalty. Heck, even featherweight Petr Prucha doesn’t hit the ice that easily. The fact that the referees called such a marginal penalty […]
Rangers Looking To Even It Up
The Rangers have a shot at redemption today (2:00pm – NBC) in Game 2 of their series with Pittsburgh. While it’s not a must win, going back to New York down 0-2 would be a tough situation. If they are to put Game 1’s fiasco behind them, then it will be up to their defense to improve. The […]
Rangers Trail 1-0
Well… Not much to say about last night’s game, other than to say the Rangers blew a golden opportunity to take a 1-0 series lead on the road. The keys to the game for me were the 2nd and 4th goals that the Rangers gave up…the former just 12 seconds after the Rangers made it […]
Week Off Might Be Double-Edged Sword
After a seven day wait and plenty of talk, the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the Rangers and Penguins finally gets under way tonight (7:00pm – Versus). If the Rangers are to win the series, they’ll need to neutralize Sidney Crosby. While Evgeni Malkin lead the Penguins in the regular season, Crosby is probably their key player, and the Rangers will need to keep a lid […]
Round 2 Starts Tonight
The NHL Conference Semifinals get under way tonight, but the Rangers and Penguins will have to wait until tomorrow before they play. Even so, there’s still plenty of stories in the papers today. This will mark the first occasion that Marc Staal will face his younger brother Jordan in the playoffs. Jordan Staal is in his second pro season, […]