The Rangers continue to search for their first win under John Tortorella (0-1-1 since he returned, and 0-4-1-1 including the last stint) tonight against the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are outside the playoff picture and were shutout by Martin Brodeur in his come back game Thursday.
If they are going to win…they’ll need to score more than the one goal they’ve been putting up lately. Tortorella spent practice with his top lines, watching video…while Jim Schoenfeld was left to try and figure out ways to get the rest of the guys a better view. The result was a focus on angles and sight lines, which at one point saw Blair Betts reportedly laying down on the ice.
Rangers struggles got you down? Then just wait until Monday when the Dallas Stars are expected to put Sean Avery on waivers. The Rangers are said be set to claim him, if no other team below them does also. What other moves they might have been able to make are probably only going to be minor given the size of the salaries on the books.
The move of course will get the papers writing again, no matter what the outcome…MSNBC just wants to get in first.
While Tom Renney is a candidate to coach Team Canada in the World Championships, the man who replaced him is hoping to get a shot at the US Olympic team in 2010.
If history is more your thing, then the National Post has this story on former Rangers goaltender Corey Hirsch. Hirsch managed just four games with the Rangers, before bouncing around the league some and heading to Europe.
The Hartford Wolf Pack kept their winning ways going with a 2-1 shootout victory over Manchester. Cory Potter scored the Pack’s only goal…a dump in from just outside the blueline that reportedly deflected off a defender past the goalie. Matt Zaba continued his fine form stopping 28 of 29…and now has stopped 156 of his last 162 shots. Zaba also picked up an assist on the Potter goal, and stopped all five shootout attempts. P.A. Parenteau got the lone goal to win the shootout.
A couple Ranger prospects in the NCAA had big nights. Max Campbell got two goals, including the game winner, and picked up the first star as his WMU Broncos beat Bowling Green 5-2. Carl Hagelin meanwhile had a goal and two assists in Michigan’s 6-1 shellacking of Ferris State.
PIT
PHI