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 […]
Warming The Stove…

by James DeBerardine I know it’s early in the season, but people are beginning to ponder what moves could or should be made that could improve the overall quality of the team. Of course we don’t what injuries or trades will occur over the course of the season; so disregarding these, here are 5 hypothetical […]
Go Dawes Go

by Pete Robinson Once again, Nigel Dawes proves himself on the ice. Within the last 4 games, Dawes has scored 3 goals, which made him the goal leader until Jaromir Jagr‘s goal late in the game against Tampa. Dawes once again proves that the youth movement is going to play a pivotal role in the future of this […]
23 Things Wrong With The Rangers

by Mark Owens The Rangers’ record now stands at 2-4 after Thursday night’s miserable loss to the lowly Thrashers. Until this game, the team had tidy excuses for each of their three previous losses: two were to the Cup-ready Ottawa Senators and the other was a 2-1 loss to the Islanders in which Rick DiPietro […]
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 […]
Game On!

Just three weeks since training camp opened for the Rangers. 151 days since the Rangers last played a meaningful game. Some 813 days since the NHL and NHLPA announced that they’d reached a tentative agreement to end the lockout. 1127 days since the Rangers completed a purge that changed the face of the organization. And […]
You Passed The Quiz, Now Here’s The Test

by James DeBerardine Hey All, thanks for stopping by. This week From the Pulpit will be analyzing the Rangers camp decisions and discuss the early part of the season’s calendar. The final cuts at the end of camp are always especially hard to make; this year Nigel Dawes became the latest victim. I found this surprising because […]
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 […]
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 […]