SB Nation - Stephen Valiquette

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)

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

Rangers News: Comments from John Tortorella on Gilroy, Heikinnen, and the goaltending "mess"

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:36:07 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

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Andrew Gross had some interesting comments from John Tortorella today: (click link for full story)

Some of the highlights:

On Ilkka Heikkinen:

"It’s not like the other guys are absolutely dead on with their game right now," Tortorella said. "I see a player that has a little bit of jam to him and is willing to hit. We’ll take a chance with some of the mistakes because the guys that aren’t hitting are making mistakes, too."

On Matt Gilroy:

"With Gilly, this is part of the process. Don’t confuse this that he was on the ice for the last goal. Honestly the last goal wasn’t really his fault. We had a horse(bleep) backcheck by one of our top players (Marian Gaborik). Even the tying goal, we’ve got Boyle and Reds picking their (butts), too, on that play."

Finally, and maybe most interesting of all, on the backup goalkeeper situation:

"It’s a mess. Let’s call it what it is, it’s a mess. Honestly, I talked to Valley (Steve Valiquette) at the beginning of the year, we were looking to get him 15-17 games. That’s what I like to do, especially that Hank’s going to be there in the Olympics and all that. Would I still like to do that? I don’t know if I can. Johnson’s going to get a game here along the way, I think that’s going to determine how we go about this. Has it changed? It had to change. We sent a veteran backup down and he’s still struggling down there and we don’t even know what we have with Johnson as far as a backup. I’m not trying to paint a lousy picture but that’s the picture it is. It’s an ongoing thought in my head what we’re going to do. That’s the best I can do."

I can't help but think that last comment on the goalie situation is a thinly veiled criticism of the front office.

One last thing: Brandon Dubinsky skated again today, sounds like he is getting closer to returning.

Goaltending issue ahead for Rangers

Jim Schmiedeberg — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:00:28 -0000

Beginning Monday night, the Rangers will play a stretch of four games in six nights, including back to back games against the Islanders, Wednesday at the Garden, and Thursday out at the Mausoleum.

With Stephen Valiquette banished to Hartford and playing poorly there, the Rangers have a goaltending issue looming for next week. Despite the comments of John Tortorella to the contrary, it looks like he may have no choice but to start a rookie goaltender next week.

Chad Johnson, who performed well in training camp, was summoned from Hartford when Valiquette was vanquished, but was sent back down, presumably to get a start down in Hartford. Matt Zaba was called up to replace Johnson, but his time with the Rangers is most certainly temporary.

So with the glut of games next week, it will be interesting to see what the Rangers do. Best guess is Henrik Lundqvist will start Monday, then again Wednesday at home against the Islanders, then Chad Johnson makes his first NHL start Thursday night in Uniondale against the Islanders. Then Henrik can come back Saturday against Philadelphia.

This is assuming the Rangers don't use that cap space they cleared when they sent Gilroy down to pick up a veteran goalkeeper. Although let's face it, the Rangers rarely do what we think they will do, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Valiquette summoned from Hartford to make a start next week either.

Rangers Recap: Detroit 3 Rangers 1

Joe Fortunato — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:08:35 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

10 days ago: New York Rangers goalie Steve Valiquette (40) makes a save against the Detroit Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg (40) during the first period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)

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Well you can't say that they didn't have their chances. The New York Rangers had every opportunity to win this game and they simply didn't. I can cite Sean Avery botching a wide open net on one of the Rangers 4 power plays (3 of them late in the 3rd).

Marian Gaborik didn’t get a shot on net for the first time all season (I believe someone check that for me) which was a small problem but he did set up a few plays that (obviously) didn’t go in.

Honestly the bulk of this game falls on Ryan Callahan and Chris Higgins. I don’t care how many scoring chances they are generating or how well they are playing them not scoring directly lead to this Rangers loss. Callahan didn’t convert a penalty shot and he also flubbed a semi-breakaway. Higgins couldn’t finish two brilliant chances all alone in front and he also missed a breakaway opportunity. I have said this before and I will say it again: them not scoring goals are costing the Rangers games.

Also Jim brought this up after the game: once again when the Rangers relied on Chris Drury he let them down. He took the final face-off of the night (and definitely the most important) for the Rangers and lost it clean. When he is not winning face-offs he is useless and he proved that again tonight, 2 goals so far this season is a horrible thing for me to have to look at night in and night out.

As for Henrik Lundqvist I don’t really know what to say. He was brilliant all game except for one mistake which coasted the Rangers. Looks like the Rangers of old eh? They can’t score, they play well and they lose yet another 1 goal game.

This is way too important for the “empty netters” section below so here it goes. Stephen Valiquette (remember him) was sent down to the minors to find his game after a relatively disastrous season so far. Well his game isn’t in Hartford either. So far he has started both games and been pulled from both of them but not before giving up 10 goals in what amounts up to three periods. This is slowly turning into a HUGE problem for the Rangers, who now don’t have a viable option to run with as a back-up. Keep an eye on this one because we may see a shake up soon.

Empty Netters:

Michael Del Zotto played the most minutes of any defenseman on the team and has handled his step up in ice time very well. He is easily the best defenseman overall on this team right now.
Even when Gaborik isn’t playing well (and this was by far his worst game as a Ranger) he is still noticeable and makes a difference when he is on the ice.
Enver Lisin has one of his best games as a Ranger tonight, good for him we need him to step up.
Erik Christensen is making a successful start to his Rangers career. He is awesome on face-offs which has helped the Rangers massively. (Maybe you should take notes “Captain Clutch”)
Also it should be noted that it is looking more and more like John Tortorella has lost this team. He better turn this around soon before things get worse.

Nothing else to say about this, it was a rough game to accept. Vent out in the comments.

Rangers GameDay: News and Notes, Scouting the Sabres

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:50:43 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

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Here is the latest as the Rangers get ready to take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight.

Stephen Valiquette got shellacked in his first Hartford start last night, gave up 5 goals on 31 shots, and was pulled in the first period. He was sent back in after Matt Zaba was equally ineffective. Thanks to Adam Rotter at SNY for the update.

Andrew Gross from Ranger Rants says the Rangers may have even more trouble scoring tonight:

First off, the Rangers may have tremendous problems scoring goals tonight. Not only have they notched only two or fewer goals in 11 of their last 15 games, but Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller is leading the NHL in both goals-against (1.84) and save percentage (.936). Plus, the Sabres’ penalty kill has killed off 39 of their opponents’ last 42 man-advantage opportunities.

Also, from NorthJersey.com, Gross talks about Ales Kotalik hoping to snap his slump:

"It has nothing to do with the coach," said Kotalik, who has six goals and 12 assists after signing a three-year, $9 million deal with the Rangers, but has gone nine games without a goal. "I’m going through some tough times, like everybody. Hopefully, I come back to Buffalo, or anywhere else, and feel good and get back to my game."

This one is a couple of days old, but Corey Locke was named the AHL Player of the Month for November. His reward is another month in Hartford.

Jim Cerny at Rangers.com looks at the refreshed and (again) reconfigured Rangers.

Ok, more on tonight's game and the Sabres after the jump.......

Buffalo Sabres (16-7-2, 1st Place, Northeast Division)

Head Coach: Lindy Ruff

Leading Scorer:

Derek Roy

#9 / Center / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 5-9

Weight: 188

Born: May 04, 1983

	STATS
27	GP	25
13	W	16
13	L	7
1	OT	2
27	P	34
0.500	P%	0.680
2.89	G/G	2.80
3.11	GA/G	2.28
21.4	PP%	19.5
83.9	PK%	85.4
29.0	S/G	32.4
29.6	SA/G	29.3
47.3	FO%	50.5

Game Notes:

Tonight's game will be televised on MSG. You can also catch the radio broadcast on 1050 ESPN New York and on satellite radio at XM 205.

All Time – Rangers vs. Sabres
Overall: 54-67-25-4
At MSG: 32-25-15-2
At Buffalo: 22-42-10-2

2008-09 Series Recap
New York went 1-2-1 against Buffalo in 2008-09, including an 0-1-1 mark at HSBC Arena. Ryan Callahan tied for the team lead with two goals and three points in the season series.

Sabres right wing Mike Grier has four points in five games since returning from an upper-leg injury. More importantly, they are 4-1 since his return after going 2-3 without him. The first line of Jochen Hecht, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville has 14 points in the past three games. Roy and Pominville have five points and Hecht has four. Thomas Vanek also has five points in three games. Rookie defenseman Tyler Myers has five assists in four games. Swingman Andrej Sekera has four points in three games since a benching.

Before we anoint a forward as the rookie of the year, look at what Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto and Buffalo's Myers are doing.

Among rookie defensemen, Del Zotto, the 20th pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, leads with 17 points and is tied for first with 12 assists. He's also tops with three power-play goals and is one of three rookie defensemen with a game-winning goal. He's fourth with 18:45 minutes of average ice time.

Myers, the 12th overall pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, is tied for lead at plus-6; is second with 21:55 minutes of ice time a night; is second with 14 points and third with 11 assists.

Sabres Penalty Killers on a hot streak (Buffalo News)

Sekera proving to be a tough out (Buffalo News)

For more on the Buffalo Sabres, check out our SBNation affiliate for the Sabres: Die By The Blade

Rangers Analysis: Grading the Blueshirts thus far (Update)

Joe Fortunato — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

16 days ago: New York Rangers' Vaclav Prospal (20) and teammates celebrate after a goal by Marian Gaborik, of Slovakia, as Pittsburgh Penguins' Jay McKee (74) and Marc-Andre Fleury (29) skate away during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Since we are literally one-third through this season it's about time to grade the Rangers. Here is a list of every player, coach, and general manager of the team; their grade and the reason why (in no particular order):

Marian Gaborik : There isn’t too much more the guy can do aside from pad up and step between the pipes. His 21 goals lead the league and his 37 points are tops among all NHL players (he has only played in 25 games mind you). He is doing everything the Rangers expected him to when they gave him the 7.5 million dollar contract in July. Grade: A+

Vaclav Prospal: When you think about offense on the Rangers two names come to mind and one of them is Prospal’s. His play with Gaborik has been outstanding and his effort on both sides of the puck is commendable. Prospal has also shown up as a leader on this team which is huge since the Rangers have very little leadershipOne of the few bright spots on this suddenly average team I have no problem rewarding Prospal’s play with a good grade. Grade: A.

Brandon Dubinsky: In the time that we got to see him thus far (18 games) he notched 3 goals and 10 points, and really solidified the top line. His penalty killing was fantastic and currently the Rangers are really hurting without his face-off prowess. On my radio show last night Steve Zipay said he should be back in 10-14 games (you can download the podcast here) and the Rangers couldn’t be any happier. Grade: B to B+.

Ryan Callahan: While I am a huge fan of Callahan and he is a huge fan favorite there is no arguing that he is having tons of problems with his game. Thus far through 27 games he has 4 goals and 4 assists and has simply not looked anything like the Ryan Callahan of last year. While he is giving every shift his all and he is leaving his heart on the ice his play is hurting this team. While normally I would give him a pass because of his hear filled play I can’t, he was expected to be an offensive force this year and currently he simply isn’t. Grade: C.

Chris Higgins: Many people (myself included) expected Chris Higgins to be an offensive force this year. Yet again the Ranger faithful found themselves disappointed as Higgins is also having an off year. With just 2 goals and 5 assists in 26 games it seems as though he is playing horrible hockey. He’s not, he is just as snake bitten as I have ever seen a player in my life. Regardless his lack of goals is hurting this team but unlike Callahan he is at least generating scoring chances. Grade: C+.

Join me after the jump.

Ales Kotalik: In the beginning of the year Kotaliklooked like the steal of free agency, now that he has foundlevel ground Ranger fans are pretty sick of him. While his shot from the point is unbelievable and his shootout prowess is invaluable his five on five play is atrocious. He is also a minus 12 on the year and can’t seem to click with any of the line-mates he is paired with; still he makes the power play lethal and without the power play (even if it is bad right now) the Rangers would be much worse than they are now. Grade: C+.

Michael Del Zotto: Michael Del Zotto hit Broadway like a bang and quickly became the Rangers hottest defenseman. Currently he has 5 goals and 12 assist for 17 points and is a monster on the power play. While his numbers have slowed down a little of late he may actually be the hardest hitting D man on the team. Also his defensive game has come along quite nicely. He is another one of those few bright spots on this team; plus he is only 19. Grade: A.

Marc Staal: Usually the backbone of the Rangers defense this is the first year where Staalseems to be finding level ground. He is suddenly making mistakes he never made before, giving the puck away in the defensive zone and losing his control of the neutral zone. While there have been some blemishes he has still been reliable at the back. Grade: B.

Sean Avery: In the beginning of the year he wasn’t playing his normal brand of hockey but currently he is back on track. When he is on he is one of the most effective players in the league. Grade: B to B+.

Dan Girardi: Had an awful start to the year but has shored up his defensive game considerably. While his offensive game isn’t where we want it to be he is playing better. Grade: B-.

Wade Redden: While he will never live up to his contract he has really played very well defensively compared to last year. He is a solid second pairing defensemen who has played pretty well of late. Grade: C+.

Michael Rozsival: I have nothing to say. Grade: F.

Matt Gilroy: Coming straight from the NCAA I was not sure how effective he would be but he is actually playing quite well and has adapted to the NHL game quite nicely. His offensive game is finally starting to catch on and his defense is coming along nicely as well. He has flashes of brilliance and hopefully we will see more of it soon. Grade: B.

Donald Brashear: While I didn’t expect him to be the next coming of Wayne Gretzky I did expect him to be more effective. He is losing pretty much every fight he gets into and when he does fight it is often at inopportune moments that don’t change the momentum of the game. Grade: D.

Aaron Voros: He goes through stretches where he plays really well and then stretches where he is invisible. His fighting has improved though. Grade: C.

P.A Parentenau: Is a monster in the shootout and has been good five on five. Has earned a spot on this team in my opinion and has been solid of late. Grade: B.

Artem Anisimov: Hard to get a good read on him since he sees so little top line (1^st or 2^nd) time. I like what I see thus far though. Grade: B.

Brian Boyle: I expected more scoring out of him and currently he is doing little more than taking the body occasionally. He always talks about how he needs to score / more but he only has 2 goals. Grade C-.

Chris Drury: I honestly don’t know what to say. He is not playing good hockey right now, and seems like he will never break free. Like Jim said "if Drury is not winning face-offs he brings nothing to the table." Let’s just say he isn’t winning face-offs. Grade: D.

Henrik Lundqvist: Lundqvist has not been the Lundqvist of old and maybe he is taking more time to adjust to the Tortorella system than originally thought. He is still an all-world goaltender and although he has let in more soft goals than usual his play has still kept the Rangers in a lot of games. Can’t go too low on him. Grade: B to B+.

Glen Sather: Can’t blame him for Higgins, Drury and Callahan not scoring. The moves for Gaborik, Gilroy and Prospal were nothing short of brilliant. Still he needs to make some moves to fix this team and he hasn’t. Grade: B.

John Tortorella: In my opinion is trying to force feed this system to some players and has not been the fiery coach we expected. I also have a sneaking suspicion that this team is starting to tune him out. I do like him as a coach though so here is to him turning it around and for him to stop being stubborn. Grade: C.

Update: How did I forget Enver Lisin and Stephen Valiquette?

Enver Lisin: Personally I am a pretty big fan of Lisin. Regardless of whether you like him or not you can't deny that he is a huge upgrade over Lauri Korpikoski. Still he hasn't been great offensivley and I think the injury has hurt him more than we thought originally. Grade: B- to B.

Stephen Valiquette: Again I am unsure what to say here. We all epected alot out of him but his skill simply wasn't there this year. He looked out of place most games and gave up more soft goals than I can count. Find your game again Vally hope we see you soon. Grade: D.

Mike Sullivan: As far as I know he is responsible for the penalty kill which is close to tops in the league. Grade: B+.

Rangers News: Stephen Valiquette Waived, Christensen claimed off waivers

Jim Schmiedeberg — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:29:08 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

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After some dismal performances, the changes have begun it looks like, and Stephen Valiquette is first on the chopping block.

From the NY Post:

The Rangers have placed backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette on waivers and have claimed seventh-year center Erik Christensen off waivers from Anaheim.

Teams have 24 hours to claim Valiquette, who has spent the past four seasons with the Rangers, but has struggled with a 3.74 GAA in six games this season.

Christensen appeared in nine games for the Ducks this season without recording a point, but will receive "an opportunity," as expressed by coach John Tortorella, as Brandon Dubinsky recovers from a broken hand.

The Rangers will call up 23-year-old goaltender Chad Johnson, whom the Rangers received from the Penguins this summer in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Johnson has played 18 games for Hartford (AHL) this season, compiling a 10-6-1 record with three shutouts, a 2.10 goals against average, and a .926 save percentage.

Tortorella also announced an unspecified injury to Donald Brashear.

Erik Christensen

#26 / Center / Anaheim Ducks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Born: Dec 17, 1983

Up next: Marian Gaborik, Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers (again)

FrankD — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:15:10 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Steve Valiquette unfortunately doesn't look like he'll be starting again tonight.

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[SBN Rangers blog - Blueshirt Banter]

It's really a shame Matt Cooke can't be around for this one. On one hand I think he already answered for his actions in the latter part of Saturday's game when he and Ryan Callahan threw down in the third period. However I also feel as if playing in front of the Rangers faithful at MSG would've only fueled his fire (and maybe taken a bit of heat off some of the top guns).

But probably not. Even though Sean Avery went for Crosby's head the other day - an interesting situation where Sid actually ducked out of the way and sent Avery tumbling to the ice - expect NYC fans to have their diving chants and "Crosby sucks" cheers going strong.

The Rangers are 2-3 on home ice for the month of November and can close that out at .500 with a win. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, are 3-5 on the road this month.

Expect Henrik Lundqvist tonight. It won't show on the injury report, but I suspect Stephen Valiquette is out with a bruised ego. There's a reason why he didn't start a game against Pittsburgh for almost an entire decade. That showed on the scoreboard Saturday night.

Avery might have to answer for the public embarrassment that is his life. You know, that incident when he jumped Ruslan Fedotenko. Rematch? Or will Eric Godard have to step up for his teammates and take the punk down? That is, of course, if he's not already preoccupied with Donald Brashear. Last fight I remember Tenks getting in was against Colby Armstrong, whereby instead of breaking Colby's face he instead broke his hand and missed a few weeks. I'm sure Tenks has fought here and there since that incident last season, but that's the one that stands out the most in my mind.

Marian Gaborik didn't register a goal on Saturday's loss but did pick up two assists to pad his season total of 35 points. He's currently second in the league in that category, two behind Joe Thornton. Frankly Brooks Orpik did an excellent job of shutting him down, so we can only hope for a repeat effort tonight. The only good look I remember Gaborik getting was early in the first when he got in close on Fleury and just couldn't manage to lift the backhander over MAF's mitt. Other than that, he assumed more of a playmaker role than goal scorer one. On a team that doesn't exactly possess many goals scorers that's a solid trade off. To put that into perspective for ya, Gabby leads the Rangers with 19 goals. The next two players closest to him are Vinny Prospal and Alex Kotalik with six goals each.

Puck and thread drop at 7:00. Let's see the Pens close out November on a high note.

Hat trick on hat night; Pens spank Rangers 8-3

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:29:55 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Amazingly, John Torture-rella's head didn't explode during the course of this game.

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Rangers vs Penguins coverage - Rangers vs Penguins boxscore - SB Nation blog Blueshirt Banter

On a night when we welcome back three very important players (defensemen Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang and forward Tyler Kennedy) the Penguins kicked it back into high gear. Maybe it was that they were mad about a poor performance yesterday in Long Island, but Pittsburgh showed what they're capable of, ringing up right goals on poor Stephen Valiquette. That's right, it's hard not to feel a little sorry for Valiquette after the barrage he faced.

Marc Staal opened the scoring swooping in and beating birthday boy Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins would close the period very strongly, scoring three goals before intermission: Evgeni Malkin started things off, Sidney Crosby scored on a crazy angle and then Maxime Talbot got his first of the year. Crosby got the assists sandwiched around his goal, giving him a three point period.

The second period saw two defensemen for either team notched goals; Matt Gilroy got the Rangers within a goal before Mark Eaton got what would eventually be the game-winner. Thirty three seconds into the third period, former Penguin Michal Rozsival again brought NYR within a goal, when he made it 4-3. Sidney Crosby scored his second of the night to bring the Pens up 5-3 and then the wheels really fell off on the Rangers.

Pascal Dupuis literally scores on a knucklepuck from way out. Bad goal for Valiquette to allow. Then on the next shift, Matt Cooke hit Artem Anisimov away from the puck and was assessed a deserved minor for interference. This drove the Rangers for vengeance, as the Rangers really picked up the extracurriculars. Goon Donald Brashear tried to fight Cooke, but the Monster wasn't looking to go up in weight class. Big Brash was slapped with 4 minutes in penalties and Crosby got his hat-trick goal in the ensuing PP, 7-3 Pens. Tyler Kennedy tipped a Kris Letang shot to close the scoring on the back-end of that double minor penalty.

Cooke would drop the gloves with Ryan Callahan to atone for his hit, both earning a 10 minute misconduct to ensure their nights would be over. Then Aaron Voros tried to pick a fight with Jordan Staal and Sean Avery, being Sean Avery, basically jumped Ruslan Fedotenko from behind when the play went the other way for whatever reason. Avery got an instigator and a misconduct for his troubles, and Fedotenko wasn't penalized at all.

Hat trick on hat night. That Crosby sure has a knack for timing.
It was good to hear the crowd going crazy for Fleury; chanting his name and happy birthday for him in the closing moments of the game. Fleury had a couple flashy saves, but he wasn't the star of the show tonight so it was interesting to see the fan's love affair with him extend to a game where he wasn't the main storyline.
Five points is Crosby's highest single game total since he got six [1g, 5a] against Philadelphia on December 13th 2006.
Nice to see Cooke answer the bell with his scrap with Callahan. He's often been a guy to hit and run, with only now six fights since the lockout. The Code said he owed a Ranger a fight after the hit on Anisimov, so good to see him get it out of the way. We'll cut him a break for not responding to Brashear, right? I wouldn't want to fight that big guy either.
Craig Adams has now gone 35 regular season games as a Penguin without a goal (he does have three playoff goals). It's been since last December 16th -- when Adams was a Chicago Blackhawk -- since his last regular season goal. Goal scoring isn't a key tenet of Adams' game, but it seems like he's been getting good chances lately. The red light may be coming on sooner than later for him.
Two assists each for Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski. Tyler Kennedy got his goal and attempted 8 shots on the night. Welcome back, boys.
Michael Del Zotto -- a legit contender for the Calder Trophy -- caught a tough one tonight; ringing up a -5 in the plus/minus column. That'll sting.

In a great twist of scheduling, the Penguins travel to Manhattan for a Monday night game, the next for both teams. Tonight's game got really chippy at the end, it'll be interesting to watch if any of the post-whistle activities carry over. The tension is sure to be at playoff-level intensity. The Rangers surely won't be throwing out old Valiquette again, it'll be the King. And you know coach John Tortorella is gonna be pissed and have his boys ready to bounce back.

Blueshirts are the Pitts: Crosby and Pens crush Rangers, 8-3

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:50:12 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella shows RW Ales Kotalik which way the ice is during last night's game against the Penguins

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After giving up 13 goals in two nights to the Lightning and Penguins, the Rangers are long on questions and short on answers. Very little is working for this team right now, and their coach, for all his tough talk and arrogance seems to have absolutely no clue what to do about it.

The Good Ship Tortorella is sinking Ranger fans, and the Skipper seems powerless and/or unable to stop it. The water is coming up over the bow, and most of the team is bailing with Dixie cups.

They still aren't playing hard for 60 minutes, they still aren't getting scoring from forwards not named Gaborik or Prospal, and they are still making far too many defensive mistakes to be considered even a mediocre hockey team.

Plenty of excuses, no answers.

On to the recap, although I can't fathom how anyone would even want to read this, because I didn't even want to write it.

Recap after the jump.......

The Rangers drew first blood on a beautiful backhand goal by Marc Staal, but after that the Penguins came roaring back, with three goals in a span of less than four minutes, and by the end of the night, Sidney Crosby had a hat trick, and the Pens had a 8-3 victory at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin, Maxim Talbot, Tyler Kennedy, and former Ranger Pascal Dupuis also scored for the Pens.

The Rangers flirted with attempts to make a game out of it, but the Penguins had an answer every time. After Matt Gilroy made it 3-2 with a goal with five minutes left in the second, Mark Eaton scored a goal as time expired in the second period. A review of the goal showed that it crossed the goal line with 0.4 seconds remaining in the second.

The Rangers answered quickly in the third, with Michael Rozsival scoring his first goal of the season just thirty three seconds into the period. It ended a long scoring drought for Rozsival, who hadn't scored in 42 games. But again, the Penguins came back fast, came back harder, and put the game away for good.

The luckiest Ranger of the night? Enver Lisin, who was dressed and on the bench, but didn't get on the ice once. MSG announcers talked about Lisin "being taught a lesson" by head coach John Tortorella. Yeah, you sure showed him Torts.

Final Thoughts:

Michael Del Zotto had an especially tough night, finishing -5 for the evening. Can't say I can ever recall a defensemen having a +/- that bad.
Defensive breakdowns notwithstanding, Stephen Valiquette was awful in this game, just flat out awful. He is making it harder and harder for the Rangers to give Henrik Lundqvist nights off.
I almost feel bad for Christopher Higgins, I really do. He's doing all the little things, and getting plenty of chances, the puck just refuses to go in the net for him.
Donald Brashear had a power play shift in this game.......I'll just let that sink in.
Chris Drury had a terrible night as well: -2, a woeful 1 for 6 on defensive zone face-offs, and 6 for 14 on face-offs overall. Boys and girls, if he isn't winning face-offs, he is of no use to the Rangers.
I think Artem Anisimov has earned more playing time. Put him on the first line, and see what happens. What is the worst that could happen, the Rangers lose?
Towards the end of the MSG telecast, John Giannone said the Rangers would be an "angry team" on Monday night for the rematch with the Penguins. I want John to tell me what Ranger team he is watching, because the one I'm watching doesn't get angry.

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