The Price is Right?
by Matt Waxman At this point it should be apparent what the Rangers are, and that is a mediocre team. They are not an offensive team, nor are they a defensive team of late. This is a team in limbo. There are several ways this can play out, but first a review. At the start […]
Can Renney and Jagr Lead this Team?
by Mark Owens Your team is struggling for the past five weeks, you have just gained 1 of 6 available points on a road trip, and you return to MSG for a three-game homestand against the NHL’s second worst team who is riding a seven game losing streak. Sounds like your team should be desperate […]
Give Gomez More Ice Time
by Mark Owens Gomez is riding high with a 10-game point streak, and since the end of October has amassed 30 points in 26 games. However, his 19:31 of ice time per game ranks him just 149th in the league. There are 45 NHL forwards (including 25 centers) with more ice time per game than […]
Changes Needed As Mediocrity Settles In
by Mark Owens Optimistic Ranger fans are probably satisfied with the Rangers’ current second place standing, patiently watching the Rangers tread water, but changes are needed before mediocrity settles in Need some evidence? – The Rangers are now 26-10-7 with Avery and 7-8-2 without him since his arrival last February. -The Rangers’ anemic offense continues […]
Rangers Getting It Together in Time for Road Games
by Mark Owens The recent run of success starts with the continued sizzling play of Henrik Lundqvist, the NHL’s third-best penalty killing, the return of Sean Avery, the steadily improving play of Scott Gomez, and, finally, timely goals. Also important has been the emergence of Marc Staal, who may be in the process of replacing Marek Malik as one of the […]
Avery’s Injury Presents Opportunity
by Mark Owens n the surface, losing a sparkplug like Sean Avery for 4 weeks appears to be bad news for the Rangers. Replacing Avery’s grit, tenacity and agitating skills will be next to impossible ‘ there just aren’t that many players like him in the league. The Rangers already missed him in the remaining 53 minutes […]
Preseason Grades Are In
by Mark Owens With the win Saturday, the Rangers wrapped up the preseason. As Ranger fans await confirmation of Tom Renney’s final roster cuts, now is the time to evaluate each player’s – and the team’s – performance. With a record of 3-2-1, I rate the team’s preseason performance a C+. There were blowout losses […]
Preseason Losses Nothing to Worry About – Yet
by Mark Owens The Rangers have looked completely flat in two of their four preseason games. The Flyers shut them out Saturday (5-0), and the Red Wings came within two minutes of shutting them out last night (6-1). Should Ranger fans be concerned? The first thing to remember is that this is the preseason. The […]
Rangers Stick Together In Brawl With Isles
by Mark Owens Damn, I wish I saw last night’s fight-filled game with the Islanders. Why the hell don’t the Islanders televise their preseason home games? Probably because they can’t draw fans to the Nassau Mausoleum for any game, much less a preseason game. Anyway, from what I’ve read, the Islanders’ dirt bags got things […]
Hard Roster Decisions Remain
by Mark Owens With three preseason games remaining, Tom Renney and staff face some difficult roster decisions. There are still 33 players in camp vying for 23 roster spots. Which 11 players will be cut? To answer this question, start by looking at which players are most likely to make the team. The following veterans […]