New York has gotten off to a fast start and will go for a franchise best 6-0 record tonight (7:00pm – MSG), hosting the Buffalo Sabres (also undefeated). The Sabres are already struggling with injuries at the center position, and will be without Jochen Hecht who underwent surgery on his finger yesterday.
Winning streaks are nothing new for Chris Drury, who was part of the Buffalo Sabres team that tied the league record of 10-0 a couple of years back.
The Rangers are coming off a solid 4-1 win over the Devils, while Buffalo has allowed just two goals in their two wins to open the season. Their 7-1 demolition of the Islanders Monday will no doubt have them feeling good about their offense too.
For the Blueshirts the Penalty Kill has been a point of pride, with the team going a perfect 21 of 21 to start the year.
One area that does need some work is the Rangers’ top line. After a decent start against Tampa, the trio of Markus Naslund, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury has gone quiet.
Despite the 5-0 start, assistant coach Perry Pearn tells the Ottawa Citizen the the team remains grounded and knows what they need to do to keep their season going in the right direction.
Plenty of talk going on about the death of Alexei Cherepanov including stories from The New York Times, The NY Daily News, Bergen Record, Sportsnet and ESPN.
The Rangers’ Gordie Clark also talks to the Toronto Star about his personal tragedy, losing seven members of his family to a fire 30 years ago.
Former Ranger defenseman Marek Malik has signed a one year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The signing is just another example of how much demand there is this season for NHL caliber defenders.
Aaron Voros has been a pleasant surprise for the Rangers this season. The UFA forward signed a three year deal with New York this summer after failing to convince the Wild to sign him for more than a year.
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