SB Nation - Chris Drury

Ranger Recap: Rangers 4 Panthers 1

Joe Fortunato — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:33:45 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

about 10 hours ago: New York Rangers' Vinny Prospal (20) and Marian Gaborik (10) celebrate a goal by Prospal in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)

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The Rangers—looking to win four games in a row for the first time since the beginning of the season—walked into Madison Square Garden having lost five in a row on home ice. They broke that streak tonight playing an overall great game and winning their 4^th game in a row.

The opening period was, in certain respects, a "regression and redemption" period for a few of the players. In the redemption portion we saw Enver Lisin play one of the best periods of his short Ranger career, hustling to negate an icing and then setting up a Chris Drury goal; he also drew a penalty and was flying all over the ice. Chris Drury also finds himself in the redemption category scoring yet another goal (he seems to be heating up no?) to tie things up for the Rangers.

Michael Rozsival, on the other hand, headlines our regression segment. Dominic Moore was driving hard to the net (covered by Michael Del Zotto) and threw a shot on the net which trickled into the slot, where Rozsival—who wasn’t even watching the play—skated by it (not before slowing it down) and allowed Victor Oreskovich to score his second goal of the year. Rozsival also turned the puck over a few times which lead to Panther scoring chances, overall it was a poor first period for him.

The Rangers came out flat in the second period, allowing the Panthers to cycle the puck at will in their defensive zone. For anyone who was listening to the Blueshirt Banter Radio Holiday Show, please remember what me and DBMaven (2 mentions in one day!) were saying about the need for defense instead of offense to stop those types of issues. Just call it Joe and DBmaven 1 Mandar 0, for those of you who are keeping score. Regardless the Rangers found their game in the middle of the period taking over the game and being rewarded when Vaclav Prospal scored his 7^th on the power play. It should also be noted that Henrik Lundqvist had to make some absolutely jaw-dropping saves in order to keep the Rangers in this one.

You really can’t start off a period better than the way the Rangers started the third, with Prospal scoring his second of the game just 23 second into the period. Brandon Dubinsky continued his great play adding an assist on the goal, giving him three points in the last two games. It’s pretty amazing how much Dubinsky solidifies this line-up.

Shortly after the midway mark of the third Chris Drury (who had one of the best games I can remember) made some brilliant plays shorthanded before leading Marian Gaborik who buried his 26^th goal of the year.

Empty Netters:

Although Rozsival had an awful first period he tightened up from the second period on. Nice to see him playing at least relatively well.
I don’t think you can say enough about Marian Gaborik, and to be honest nothing I say here will give what he does for this team any justice, so I will just say that he is a God and leave it at that.
Christopher Higgins is simply becoming frustrating to watch. He works himself into open space, he maneuvers himself into a shooting lane and he either fans on the shot or shoots it into the goalies chest. I’m getting sick of him.
Michael Del Zotto had a solid game offensively but my goodness does he lay the lumber. On two or three occasions he threw a Panther to the ice with some awesome hits.
Sean Avery had a brilliant game tonight. He has shaken off the rust since the start of the year and has turned into the Avery of old. He has been one of the few sparks on this team from the get-go.
Matt Gilroy has answered his five game stint in Hartford with two very solid games for the Rangers, he wants to be here and deserves to be here.
By the way what was the infatuation by Sam and Joe with Michael Del Zotto’s family holiday dinner? They talked about it every five minutes. What guys, you two don’t make enough money to scrape up some cash for a pasta dinner in New York?
Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov both had very solid games for the Rangers without hitting the score sheet.
Also how good has Henrik Lundqvist been these past 10 games? The Rangers might not have won all of them but Lundqvist has had a sub 2 GAA in the past 10 game and was once again brilliant tonight.

Okay boys another good one tonight, have at it!

Another Day, Another Loss: Rangers 2, Flyers 1

Geoff Detweiler — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:17:45 -0000

More photos » by H. Rumph Jr - AP

Boucher looks at the puck behind him after noticing none of the Flyers had shown up to play yet. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)

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Final - 12.19.2009	1	2	3	Total
New York Rangers	1	1	0	2
Philadelphia Flyers	1	0	0	1

Complete Coverage >

[Box Score] - [Full Coverage] - [NYR Reaction]

No words. I have no idea what to say. I'm getting sick of having to write stories about how badly the Flyers played, how they didn't deserve to win, and how they still can't score. How bad are the Flyers? They scored one goal against a team that has been giving up 2.91 per game, good for 9th most in the league.

The Rangers won the battle at even-strength, outscoring the Flyers 2-0 at 5-on-5 play. How rare is this? The Rangers have a -8 goal deferential at 5-on-5 play. Yet the Flyers can't get a goal at even strength. The power play wasn't any better, going 1 for 5.

One of the most telling things in this game was Peter Laviolette calling a timeout after the Rangers first goal. Just over 5 minutes into the game, the Rangers had already outshot the Flyers 5-1 when Claude Giroux had a pass from his knees get picked off in his own zone. Chris Drury put the turnover in the net and Laviolette called a timeout. Not a good start to the game.

In his post-game press conference, Peter Laviolette was clearly not happy:

"It was a poor start, there's no excuse for it. I can't think of one reason why we would come out flat, but we did. We needed the time out to try and refocus. I would have thought we would have ripped the hinges off the gate tonight to get on the ice. We were so far from that in my opinion, to start the game, and we got what we deserved."

The game-winning goal was scored by Artem Ansimov, as his centering pass went off of Ryan Parent's shin pad and past Boucher. It was a lucky bounce, but Ryan Callahan won the battle against Parent in the corner, then beat Parent for positioning in front of the net. They earned their luck, something the Flyers haven't been doing.

After the jump, Random Thoughts, Questions with Answers, highlights, and the Comment of the [Afternoon].

Random Thoughts:

Mika Pyorala only played 5:05 tonight, but he had as many shots on goal as Danny Briere (1) who played 19:45. And it was a scoring chance at that.
With that in mind, I think it's safe to say Pyorala will be a scratch when Darroll Powe returns to the lineup.
Speaking of returning to the lineup, Simon Gagne was rather impressive in his first game back. He logged 20:16 of ice time, had a key assist on Pronger's goal, and showed a lot of jump in his skates. It's good to have him back.
This team's offensive plan is rather predictable. I have a hard time believing the opposing team is surprised by anything the Flyers do in the offensive zone. That makes it easy to defend.
This was mentioned in the game thread by Prometheus74, but the Flyers have now scored 17 goals in their last 11 games. Only twice have they scored more than two goals in that time period, both of them wins. They have only scored 8 goals in their last 9 losses.
The Flyers won the faceoff battle (53%), the shot battle (37-24), and the penalty battle (5-2), but not the war.
District 5.

Questions with Answers:

How does Gagne perform now that he's back in the lineup? He only had one goal in the nine games he played this season, if you remember. He played very well. No goals, but an assist to go along with a strong forecheck.
Do Hartnell and Carter carry over the chemistry they displayed on Thursday? I wasn't impressed with Hartnell at all today, but the Carter-Hartnell-Briere line was the best today.
Can the Flyers successfully stop Marian Gaborik? Yes. Just under 21 minutes of ice time, no points and only 1 shot.
How many people actually make it to the game today? Eh. Two-thirds capacity? I'm obviously not sure. Anybody have a better answer?

Highlights:

Comment of the Night:

Pronger can’t shoot from the point (said two minutes before Pronger scores the tying goal)

JpH89

Rangers Recap: Rangers clip Flyers 2-1

Joe Fortunato — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:26:43 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

6 days ago: New York Rangers, including Michal Rozsival (33), congratulate right wing Ryan Callahan (24) after he scored the first of the Rangers goals in their 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders in the first period of their NHL hockey game at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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John Tortorella made headlines the other day by making the statement that he would enforce all of the changes that we were promised when he was hired less than a year ago. He employed his new roster two days ago against the Islanders and it resulted in a 5-2 romping, filled with energy and the type of play you hope to see from a good hockey team. That continued last night where the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 for their second straight win.

The first period started out well for the Rangers with Chris Drury notching his second goal in two games (2 in his previous 27 games before Thursday). The Rangers surrendered the lead shortly after on a Chris Pronger power play goal after an Enver Lisin boarding penalty. Although the Rangers took four penalties, they played a solid road period and kept the Flyers pretty much in check.

The second period was more of the same from the Rangers, relying on a few great Henrik Lundqvist saves before Artem Anisimov scored his second goal in as many games to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Marian Gaborik continued to be kept without much space, mainly due to some fantastic defending from Pronger (who really played a great game). The Rangers had their chances to break this one open in the second but Christopher "fanned on the puck" Higgins, well, fanned on a few scoring opportunities. And Ryan Callahan couldn’t find a way to bang his alone in the slot chance, shooting directly into Brian Boucher’s chest.

The third period was pretty much dedicated to tons of defense from both teams—which incidentally lead to tons of offensive chances. The game went back and forth and if wasn’t for some spectacular Henrik Lundqvist saves this game might have easily gone in a different direction. Overall though the Rangers played a pretty composed, and solid road game.

I would still have to say that the Rangers have been taking too many penalties; they just didn’t pay for it today. And while Marian Gaborik was kept off the score sheet he was still very noticeable. Defensively he broke up Flyers outlet passes, lifted stick to stop scoring chances, and didn’t take any crap from Flyers who were simply looking to get under his skin. Have I mentioned that I love him yet?

Oh by the way Gaborik has 24 goals the same amount that Markus Naslund had all of last year.

Empty netters:

Michael Del Zotto quietly played one of his better games this year. He was very physical against a big and tough Flyers team, plus he was all over the ice offensively and ran the power play pretty effectively.
Henrik Lundqvist played his best game of the year. Good to see him back to his old form.
Artem Anisimov is beginning to blossom before our very eyes. The 21 year-old was spectacular today and really seems to have figured out the speed of the NHL. He physically imposed the Flyers all night and was a monster in the offensive zone. Watch him shield the puck with his body, it’s beautiful to watch.
Drury also had one of his best games of the year. Think that goal against the Islanders boosted is confidence? Good for him we need him to get going.
Man Chris Higgins seems to do everything right. He gets the puck, he shields away defenders, he makes space and then he finds ways not to score. I feel for him but he needs to start scoring, he is starting to hurt this team.
We said it in the live thread but I have Chris Pronger with a fiery passion, and would give up quite a bit to have him in Ranger blue. Great move for the Flyers in my opinion.
As much as I hate to say it Micahel Rozsival played his second consecutive great game. Maybe benching Wade Redden was the right move by Torts.
Speaking of John Tortorella he better continue keeping Ales Kotalik and Wade Redden on the bench, things are working right now no need to rock the ship.
Ryan Callahan also played a great two way game, playing great defense and making a few offensive chances as well.
I also think that Ilkka Heikkinen played a great game tonight. He was solid on his own end, threw a few nice hits and didn’t seem out of place at all. I hate to say it but I think he is making more of a difference right now then Matt Gilroy was.

Also Brian Boyle was injured, we will keep an eye on it and keep you posted when we learn more. The Rangers got a huge win today and are finally playing their brand of hockey. Thoughts guys?

Rangers Recap: Rangers snap losing streak, whip Isles 5-2

Jim Schmiedeberg — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:40:35 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

6 days ago: New York Rangers center Chris Drury, right, checks New York Islanders defenseman Jack Hillen against the boards in the first period of their NHL hockey game in Uniondale, N.Y., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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Player's only meetings, tirades from the coach, lineup changes, and fan discord. It was a full day in the world of the New York Rangers.

Oh yeah, they played a game too, and it was Henrik Lundqvist putting the Rangers on his back early, and then the offense did the rest.

Only the end result of tonight's first period looked different than last nights. The Rangers were still outworked and outshot for most of the frame, but managed to score twice off of Islanders goalkeeper Dwayne Roloson and took a 2-0 lead in to the intermission despite being outshot 14-4. The Rangers got goals from Ryan Callahan, who continued his recent hot streak, and Chris Drury (not a misprint) also found the back of the net. Drury's goal was his first since October 19^th.

Callahan didn't waste any time adding to his totals, scoring his second of the game and ninth of the season just 27 seconds into the second period. The goal came on just the fifth shot on goal for the Rangers. Tonight was the first time in 8 games the Rangers found their way to the three goal mark, and they weren't done.

Marian Gaborik added the Rangers third power play goal of the night, scoring his 24^th goal of the season with the Rangers on a two man advantage early in the third period. Artem Anisimov broke out of his drought as well, picking up his sixth goal of the season a few minutes later. Callahan assisted on Double A's goal, giving him the first four point night of his career.

Lundqvist was incredible for the Rangers tonight, making 35 saves. He kept the Islanders off the scoreboard early, when the Islanders were buzzing hard to the net, the Rangers were able to feed off their goalkeeper, and turn it into a big victory.

So after all the turmoil of the last 24 hours, the Rangers and their fans can take a deep breath and enjoy a well deserved victory. It feels like it has been a month since the last one.

Final Thoughts:

Can't say enough about the Rangers special teams tonight. 3 for 6 on the power play, and killed off all 7 minor penalties they took.

Michal Rozsival has deservedly taken a lot of heat from all of us, but he probably played one of his best games of the year tonight. Same goes for Chris Drury. Maybe Torts knew what he was doing by not benching them along with Wade Redden and Ales Kotalik. He dropped Drury to the fourth line early in the game, and at least for a night, it paid off.

Now can Artem Anisimov get more playing time?

How long has it been since my last apology for agreeing with the Brashear signing? Probably too long, so again, I am sorry. I was so wrong. Like "New Coke" wrong. Like the Wilpons giving all their money to Bernie Madoff wrong. Like Garth Brooks trying pop music wrong.

Ilkka Heikkinen looks to be getting more and more comfortable every game. If he keeps playing like this, he could make it very tough for the Rangers to keep him out of the lineup.

Banter Star of the Game:

Ryan Callahan

#24 / Right Wing / New York Rangers

Height: 5-11

Weight: 188

Born: Mar 21, 1985

Rangers News: Morning (or Mourning?) Thoughts

Jim Schmiedeberg — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:20:03 -0000

More photos » by Mike Carlson - AP

"So there I was, nice cushy job at TSN, all I had to do was sit there, smile, and bash Sean Avery. Then Sather calls, offers me this job, and what do I do? I take it. Dumb, dumb dumb."

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There's a storm front coming
White water running and the pressure is low
Storm front coming
Small craft warning on the radio

(Billy Joel, "Storm Front")

As I was reading the John Tortorella quotes from last night, that song just kept running through my head. Things are ugly right now, too many underachievers in the lineup, and it sounds like the head coach has finally had enough.I don't know if you guys were able to see them on MSG, somehow I doubt it, but I caught them on TSN in between periods of the Ducks-Nucks game.

Check out the quotes, courtesy of Ranger Rants:

On the Islanders first goal being a "dirty" goal, one gotten simply by skating hard to the net:

"That we don’t get. There’s horse*$)#@! coverage around the corners, he just brings it around the net. It’s a fluky goal. But we don’t get them."

What’s the remedy for the way the team started in the first period:

"What is the remedy? I don’t know how you want me to answer that."
What do you think you need to do: "Play ^#(^&@ harder."
As the coach, what do you need to do: "That’ll be something we’ll decide before tomorrow’s game."

More after the jump.....

Is this group capable of figuring it out as constituted:

"I’ll tell you right now, the thing that’s unacceptable about tonight’s game and we’re trying to stay positive around here, trying to work our way through it, but when we play like ^*^#@ like that for 20 minutes in a game like this in a back-to-back situation, it’s unacceptable. I’m not even going back as far as a month and are we capable. It’s simply unacceptable. There has to be something done and we’ll see along the way before tomorrow night’s game. We’ll see where we go with them. It’s just simply unacceptable how we started that game. I wish I could give you a ($@#*%# explanation about it. I can’t.

If you click the link above for Ranger Rants, there are also quotes from the players, but its pretty much the standard "we need to be mentally tougher", and "we need to set the pace" stuff we've heard for a month.

TSN has video of some of the Torts stuff on their NHL page.

So will we see changes tonight? What changes will they be? Bobby Sanguinetti is waiting in the wings, will he take Rozsival's spot in the lineup? Are undeserving forwards still going to be given bulks of ice time? I guess we will find out as the day goes on.

Finally,

Rangers vs. Islanders: "The Little Brother Syndrome", everything to lose, nothing to gain

Jim Schmiedeberg — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:37:59 -0000

Little brother comes to town tonight (photo courtesy of LIfe.com)

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New York Sports is replete with inner rivalries. The Yankees and Mets, the Giants and Jets, the Rangers and Islanders, and even the Knicks and Nets, although I can't say I've ever heard anyone ever get really excited for a Knicks-Nets game.

But each of these rivalries has a big brother-little brother complex to them. The Yankees have been around over 100 years, average a championship every 4 seasons, and have a worldwide fan base, while the Mets haven't had a team identity in over 20 years, and have just two measly banners to their credit, and years of futility and underachievement in their history.

The Giants and Jets follow a very similar path, with the Giants being one of the oldest teams in the league, numerous championships, and really only one prolonged bad stretch in their history (the 70's). The Jets have always lived in the shadow, and continue to live off a championship that happened forty years ago. (Yes Joe, we've heard the "Guarantee" story, at this point I can tell it better than you.)

That brings us to the Rangers-Islanders. The Rangers, with their 80-plus years of history, the flashy names, the bright lights of Broadway, and when newspapers pay attention to hockey: the headlines. The Islanders? Sure, they had their amazing dynasty in the early 80's, but they still suffer the same fate as the Mets, Jets, and I guess the Nets. I call it "The Little Brother Syndrome".

If you have younger siblings, remember when you used to play games with them? You'd beat them, usually by a wide margin, but you were supposed to. You were the big bad brother or sister: older, smarter, and presumably with more tools and resources for defeating your younger opponent. It felt good to win, it usually does, but there was also something missing because you felt like you were just doing what you were supposed to.

When the Yankees and Mets play, if the Yankees win, the Yankee fan mostly takes it in stride, its just another day at the office for them. Same goes for the Giants when playing the Jets, and Rangers when playing the Islanders. It's just big brother doing what big brother does.

But when little brother gets the best of you, your life becomes a living hell. Jet fans live to beat the Giants, and some Met fans would be ok with the Mets being 6-156 as long as those 6 wins came against the Yankees. Same rule applies for Islander fans; when the Isles beat the Rangers it makes their whole year. If you've ever been around an Islander fan after they've beaten the Rangers, you will know what I mean.

And in the case of the Islanders, baby bro is catching up to the Rangers. They are a hard working team that has played better than their record, and they have a flashy new toy in John Tavares. Meanwhile, big brother is struggling right now, his head isn't quite screwed on straight, like his girlfriend dumped him or something. But the Isles are still the little brother, and a couple of games against little brother may be just what the Rangers need to get their confidence going again.

Let's hope so, because nothing is worse than losing to your little brother.

Also, we are doing a Special "Blueshirt Banter Radio Rally" at 5:30 PM, leading up to the game. You can click the link below to listen to the show:

Blueshirt Banter Radio w/Mouth and Jim

Blueshirt Banter Radio tonight at 8 PM!

Jim Schmiedeberg — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:46:38 -0000

Tonight on Blueshirt Banter Radio, we will be joined first by Leslie Treff from Hockey's Future. Leslie is one of our go-to experts when it comes to Ranger prospects, and what is also going on with the parent club.

Then we will be joined by our friends Adam Raider and Russ Cohen, the authors of "100 Ranger Greats. If you;ve heard them on our show before, you know it's always entertaining radio. You can click the link below to listen to the show and join the chat, or use the player below the link. Hope to see you there!

Blueshirt Banter Radio With Jim and The Mouth on Blog Talk Radio

Rangers News: Brandon Dubinsky activated, Parenteau sent down

Joe Fortunato — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:59:29 -0000

More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

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That's from Blue Notes the blog of Steve Zipay. Here are the highlights from the full story:

That was the lone bit of news from today's 40-minute practice. Dubinsky may still sit out tomorrow's game with the Thrashers to take a couple more days to prepare for his return from a broken hand, but John Tortorella decided to demote Parenteau, who had no points in his last eight games after doing well upon being recalled earlier in November.

Dubinsky will be among the top six forwards, obviously, but where is up in the air. Tortorella gave some indication today, saying that he may split up Vinny Prospal (0-3-3 in last 8) and Marian Gaborik and that Chris Drury (0-3-3 and minus-5 in last 8) is still an important player for the team.

Tortorella also indicated that Chad Johnson may get a game next week, possibly one of the back-to-back games with the Islanders.

Actually a pretty big surprise here, at least for me. I thought that P.A. Parenteau's game has been pretty good so far, but apparently he has not earned an extended stay with the big club. I was expecting Aaron Voros or Brian Boyle to be sent down (maybe even for cap reasons) but it's P.A that gets the axe. It's unfortunate, but at least he will keep Matt Gilroy company.

Regardless of who was sent down it's good to see that Brandon Dubinsky will be back. You will really be surprised how much better the Rangers play with him in the lineup, trust me. This might be the start to turning things around. Thoughts?

Rangers Recap: Kaleta scores twice, Sabres down Rangers 3-2

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:34:09 -0000

More photos » by Stephen Chernin - AP

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Patrick Kaleta scored a pair of goals including one while the Sabres were shorthanded as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden Saturday night.

Turnovers in their own zone, and the continued inability to play well in front of their own net did the Rangers in again tonight. On Buffalo's first goal, there were three Rangers in front of the net, but Derek Roy was still able to put the puck in the net.

Ryan Callahan continued to show signs that he is coming out of his slump by picking up his sixth goal of the season in the first period. Callahan now has three goals in his last seven games. The Rangers got back to doing what worked on the power play early in the year, constant movement with the puck, putting the puck on net, and the results showed on the scoreboard, as the Rangers went 2 for 6 with the man advantage.

Marian Gaborik snapped out of his mini-slump with two points on the night, picking up an assist on Callahan's goal, and scoring one his own on a rare 4-on-3 power play.

Chris Drury had himself another tough night, he was on ice for Buffalo's first two goals. On the second one, Drury had two chances to clear the puck, and couldn't do it. He did have one of his better games in the face-off circle, winning 13 of 20. But as we've said before, the Rangers need more than face-off wins from their Captain.

Ales Kotalik is practically begging to be benched with his lackadaisical play. With the Rangers on a power play in the second period, first he was beaten along the boards by Jason Pominville, and then after a pass bounced over his stick and got to Patrick Kaleta on a breakaway; Kotalik barely gave chase as Kaleta scored a shorthanded goal. Mistakes will happen with every player, that is a given, but there is no excuse for laziness. Kotalik put a pretty little bow on his "Period in Hell" by taking a cross-checking penalty late in the second.

Henrik Lundqvist made 29 saves in a losing effort.

Notes and Quotes from the Rangers after the jump.......

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES AND QUOTES

December 12, 2009 - New York Rangers 2, Buffalo Sabres 3 (Game #31, Home #15)

Click Here For The Official Game Summary

The Rangers were defeated by the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, in front of a sold-out crowd (18,200) at Madison Square Garden, and are now 14-15-1 (29 pts.) on the season and 7-8-0 at home.
New York have sold out 171 consecutive regular season games, dating back to Nov. 5, 2005 against New Jersey; the last regular season non-sellout was Oct. 31, 2005 vs. Montreal (17,697); including the playoffs, the Rangers sellout streak is now at 185 games.
The Rangers tallied two power play goals in six opportunities to improve to 27.6% (16-58) at MSG this season.
Marian Gaborik tallied one power play goal and added an assist to record his 13^th multi-point game of the season; he has now registered a point in 25 of 29 games this season.
Ryan Callahan notched one goal, on the power play, and registered four shots in 20:06 of icetime; he has tallied a goal in each meeting with Buffalo this season.
Vinny Prospal collected one assist and won a game-high 15 faceoffs in 26 attempts (58%); he also tied a game-high with four hits in the contest.
Henrik Lundqvist made 29 saves in the contest, and has now stopped 132 of 142 shots (.930%) over the last four games.
Ales Kotalik and Michael Del Zotto each recorded one power play assist apiece in the contest.
Chris Drury won 13 of 20 faceoffs (65%) and recorded five shots in 21:28 of icetime; Christopher Higgins registered a game-high seven shots.
The Rangers practice schedule for tomorrow, Dec. 13, is 12:00 p.m. at the MSG Training Center.
The Rangers return to action on Monday, Dec. 14, when they will face-off against the Atlanta Thrashers at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in the second game of their three-game homestand; the game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

POST-GAME QUOTES

John Tortorella on tonight’s game…

"Well, we just need to make one play, an offensive play. I thought at times we had chances. They defend pretty well. Our last power play, we threw it away a couple of times there and that hurt us a little bit. Again, it is just getting over that hump in making another big offensive play or maybe a goal go in off you, getting a shot through at the point, having it deflect off you."

Henrik Lundqvist on tonight’s game…

"Bottom line, we know we have to win. We are doing a lot of good things and the work ethic is definitely there. We work really hard. We just come up short a lot of nights. I don’t know what else to say. We just have to keep battling and hopefully it will turn around."

Ryan Callahan on tonight’s game…

"Obviously we need to crash the net more, get pucks into the paint, and get an ugly one there late in the period or even in the second (period). I thought we were forechecking well and we had the puck in their end and controlling them. It’s just a matter of getting the pucks to the net, getting a guy there and getting an extra crack at it."

Game Preview: Buffalo Sabres @ New York Rangers

Rafal Ladysz — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:01:38 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

12 days ago: Buffalo Sabres goalie Patrick Lalime makes a save against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period of the NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. The Sabres won 2-1. (AP Photo/ David Duprey)

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I figured I'd salute Patrick Lalime by using his photograph for our game preview today. It wasn't pretty at times but the back-up netminder gave his best Ryan Miller impression Friday evening by stopping 39 of 40 shots in a 2-1 win over his former squad, the Chicago Blackhawks. Lalime earned his first 'W' and Miller got a well deserved night off.

Tim Kennedy and Patrick Kane, who grew up in the same area of the city, each had an assist. As rewarding as claiming top spot in the Northeast Division is, the win was more about Lalime and the level of confidence he brought easing Lindy Ruff's choice to select him. Buffalo was truly shaky to start the first and third period giving him a workload which helped get him into gear.

It's back to work though as the Buffalo Sabres see the New York Rangers today. Henrik Lundqvist stole the show last week when he out-dueled Miller in a low-scoring, tight checking 2-1 result. With a few days worth of rest, the American ~~should~~ will be prepared to even the series for his team.

To our five thoughts on each squad:

First, Buffalo has scored a powerplay goal in each of the last two games after getting shutout by New Jersey to start the week. This brings them up to 17th best in the league and both tallies were because of a player standing at the front or side of the net. If they're to beat Lunqvist, more of the same is needed.
New York's found it hard to put a string of wins together. Losers in five of six, Marian Gaborik's been the one Ranger who continues to do his part in production leading the league in goals, 21, second to Joe Thornton in points and 25 per cent of their markers are courtesy of the Slovakian. It's too bad none of the others are lending a helping hand to their superstar aside from Lundqvist.
If you read my preview for the Blackhawks contest, you'll notice that I kindly asked Thomas Vanek to end his scoring drought. I even said the word 'please' which I'm sure was what brought him on the score sheet. Vanek has had goals in back-to-back matches only once all year so I'll do my best to assist him again. Please get at least one by Lundqvist tonight Thomas.
Starting off the season with a 7-1 record, the Rangers were looking sharp. But they've gone 7-13-2 since largely because of offensive inefficiencies. Averaging 28.7 shots per game (23rd worst), New York needs more from everyone else especially Vaclav Prospal who was clicking very well with Gaborik.
The Sabres are 14-2-2 when they grab that first lead and 4-7 if the opposition does. As usual, getting on the board will calm the supporters as Buffalo's protection of leads is assuring. Why wouldn't it be? We've got Miller back there, undoubtedly the best goalie in the NHL this season.
With one point in ten games, Ales Kotalik is showing why he wasn't the most preferred forward for Lindy Ruff. A powerplay weapon, the Czech can't seem to make as much of an impact during even strength play. Whatever it is, he's not our problem anymore. Speaking of former Sabres, Chris Drury has nine points on the year.
Mike Grier (personal) likely won't join the team, Chris Butler has an ankle injury and of course Paul Gaustad is working his way back from a knee issue. For New York, Brandon Dubinsky remains out recovering from a broken hand. These teams have stayed rather healthy in an injury-riddled campaign and that includes Connolly and Gaborik.
Rookie sensations Michael Del Zotto and Tyler Myers will lead their blue lines into battle. Separated by one point in rookie scoring, it's a story worth viewing as one has been compared to Brian Leetch and the other to Zdeno Chara. Myers had a helper in the first match-up.
Interesting statistic: Patrick Kaleta has thrown at least 39 more hits than all of his teammates. Maybe he'll give Kotalik and Drury a taste of the shoulder (not elbow). We can only hope.
The Rangers own a hitting machine as well. Ryan Callahan has 109 to his credit which is 37 more than the closest teammate behind him. He's third among the entire league, trailing Stephane Robidas by four and Dustin Brown by three. Well respected for his work-ethic, Callahan will be all over the ice.

Elite goaltending, rookie stand-outs, hard hitters and two healthy stars; there's much to look forward to in this meeting of two clubs heading in different directions. And Madison Square Garden will ensure a terrific atmosphere for everyone involved.