SB Nation - Donald Brashear

Coach vs. Koci

Becca H — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:30:15 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

David Koci’s hit on Mike Green Tuesday night drew plenty of buzz amongst media and fans alike, and rightly so. At the very least it was seen as an unnecessary boarding penalty in a game that was already out of reach, and for many it was deserving of a suspension (though none would be forthcoming).

Garnering just as much attention these days, however, is the less than kind review of Koci’s "skills" by Washington head coach Bruce Boudreau:

"Please, the guy [Koci] has one goal in six years. He couldn't play in the American League. I've faced David Koci a lot. He might be a nice guy -- I have no idea. I'm glad he's making a living. Let's be honest if this was any [other] game he gets on the ice in the first three minutes, gets into his fight and then he sits at the end of the bench, so what good is he?

It shows what we have to get rid of to have a good game. The guys that are sitting at the end of the bench and they come out and hit a guy for the sake of 'I've got to run around like an idiot or I'll never play again' — those are the guys we've got to get rid of."

It's not the first time this year that Boudreau has called out an opposing team's player - or even the first time this month - and it probably won't be the last. For some, Boudreau's criticism came across as being far too harsh, labeled "mean-spirited" by former Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish. It's somewhat understandable to believe that - after all, singling out one's own players in the media is the norm; going after guys on other teams, not so much.

What's not understandable are those suddenly calling Boudreau a hypocrite for criticizing Koci's presence on the ice. That's the stance being taken by Penguins Insider, a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins blog that seeks to point out said hypocrisy by providing a laundry list of tough guys who have played for Boudreau during his coaching career. Names like Kip Brennan, George Parros and Donald Brashear are thrown around as a way of proving that Boudreau only wants that aspect out of the game when it comes against his teams:

You don’t like that a role player hit your best defenseman. You’re sticking up for your guy. We get it. But walk the walk if you’re going to talk like that. This is a guy who wrote the names "Robitaille" and "Brennan" on his lineup card night after night in Hershey. Spare me the pontificating.

Ah, touché, good sir.

It's an interesting cast of characters presented - it's also both misleading and not at all proof of any hypocrisy. First of all, it ignores the fact that the NHL is vastly different than the AHL and the other minor leagues. Fighting is more commonplace in the minors, penalty minutes more frequent. Case in point - there are currently nine AHLers with 100+ penalty minutes already this season (some of whom have played as few as 18 games); in the NHL, there's only one.

At no point in his anti-Koci rant did Boudreau suggest that the two leagues were comparable in skill level or alike in their use of "goons"; in fact, he makes the point that Koci's skills (and "skills") would barely cut it in the AHL. Even if he hadn't made that distinction, the fact is that Boudreau coached the way he needed to coach to win, and he did so with what he had.

And George Parros still managed to score 17 goals in Manchester under Boudreau's watch.

So what about that one Washington Capital on the list, Monsieur Brashear? We all remember big, bad Brash and his big, bad fists - and the big, bad penalty minutes that came with them. The Caps certainly had an enforcer on their roster during Boudreau's tenure here.

And yet Brashear was never used the way Koci has been and continues to be used. For all his fighting ability, Brash still earned a decent chunk of ice time because he could play hockey. In his three years here his ice time was consistent with that of a fourth-liner, averaging 7:58 his first season, 7:51 during the 2007-08 season and 8:14 a night last year. Many nights his ice time would go into double-digits (and this from a guy who was consistently in the 13-minute range before father time started to catch up with him).

He also had more points in each of those three seasons than Koci has in his entire NHL career so far.

Koci, on the other hand, has never averaged more than six minutes a night - and his ice time the last two seasons has been closer to four-and-a-half minutes a night. Not exactly a go-to guy, or even a guy who serves any sort of purpose beyond patrolling the ice for 270 seconds and spending nearly that much time in the penalty box for his troubles - for his career, he's averaging 4:27 of ice time and 3:43 penalty minutes per game.

Just a game before meeting the Caps, Koci played exactly two seconds... just long enough to do what he does (albeit not so well some times), namely getting into a fight, sitting in the box for five minutes and spending the rest of the evening on the bench.

It's a living, breathing example of what Boudreau was getting at - and to call him a hypocrite is to miss his point completely. He's saying that the NHL doesn't need players who do little more than fill a roster spot and a seat on the bench. It doesn't need guys who skate 3 minutes of a 60 minute game, and maybe draw an early fight, or worse, injure an opponent (especially given the potential long-term effects of head shots) In short, it doesn't need guys like Koci.

And that's a point that's hard to argue with.

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

Game 36 Recap - Capitals 6, Avs 1

Mike @ MHH — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:34:45 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

7 days ago: Washington Capitals left winger Alex Overchkin, left, of Russia, gets tangled up while pursuing the puck with Colorado Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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One Sentence Recap Style:

The Avalanche laid a turd on the ice last night in the shape of a Hot Pocket.

[Joe here. I'm going to add a few more sentences of my own.]

One of the downsides of having so much youth and inexperience is inconsistency. Some nights the Avalanche just aren't going to show up, and this was one of those nights. It happens. It will happen again. The good news is that Calgary also lost last night, so the Avs retain the top spot in the West.

The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is why David Koci continues to play hockey at all. What is his purpose? Aside from a few fights in the opening minutes of a few games, he plays no more than three total minutes, contributes nothing to the offense, and generally warms the bench. Matt Duchene and Craig Anderson have been getting roughed up all season, so it's not like Koci has provided any kind of protection.

Koci's hit on Mike Green last night was clearly boarding, and the game misconduct was well-deserved. It was a dirty hit and Green is lucky to have come away with just a few stitches and a headache. Green never saw him coming. The only reason Koci was on the ice in the second period instead of his usual first-minute-of-the-game beat-down was that Washington doesn't have a big enforcer like Donald Brashear any more. Koci didn't have anybody to fight. Coach Sacco knew this and played him anyway.

I hope the league suspends Koci for a game or two. If nothing else, it will free up a spot in the lineup for somebody who actually plays hockey.

To The Five Boroughs - Hawks 2, Rangers 1 (OT)

McClure — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:33:32 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

Dustin Ovechkin? Where the balls did THAT come from?

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If you can find anything to complain about from the Hawks from this game...you're wrong. The fact of the matter is, for nearly 64 minutes, the Hawks dominated this game, and the only thing that kept the Rangers in it was Henrik Lundqvist. The one sequence that the Hawks gave Marian Gaborik any room to work with in the first he found an open Chris Higgins who beat Cristobal Huet from the left circle with a perfect water bottle wrister. Other than that, however, the Rangers didn't get a sniff, as evidenced by the 3 shots COMBINED in the third and OT, and totaled 18 for the evening.

In the offensive zone, the Hawks mauled the rangers for a total of 41 shots for the night, and the game would have been out of hand early if not for Lundqvist's heroics. Every line for the Hawks produced offense, and it finally took four Hawks jamming away at King Henrik with 6 minutes left, and on a power play, to finally prod one past him to equal the score, and consequently force the overtime.

Once in OT, the Hawks kept the pressure on, and then came one of the most ridiculous things I've seen at the UC in a long time. Dustin Byfuglien picked up a loose puck at the top of his own rings and led a one-man rush down the ice and slid the puck past Lundqvist for the game winner. Buff has regularly been a whipping boy of this blog, and this play is part of the reason why. Seeing this, we all know he has it in him, and yet he is still quite often a passenger on whatever line he happens to be playing with. It's confounding, but even still, it resulted in my maniacal victorious laughter at the end of the night, so all's well that ends well. Hawks win 2-1.

Observations

The second line of Sharp, Kane, and Brouwer looks quite promising, as Sharp was everywhere tonight, despite not making it onto the score sheet
I TELL YA, DAT HORSA GUY CAN BACKCHECK
Nice to see Troy Brouwer throwing his weight around again
It seemed like the book on Lundqvist was to go high, which the Hawks adhered to, but it led to many, MANY shots over the net and rung off the end board glass. Had they not gotten too cute, the shot total would have dwarfed the 41 that was put up.
The Hawks have only scored 4 even strength goals since the San Jose game.
I cannot believe a game that involved Donald Brashear, Sean Avery, and Ben Eager did not contain a single moment of unbridled numbskullery.

Player of the Game

In spite of Buff's goal, and even though it ended up being a losing effort, there is no denying that King Henrik had the best game of anyone on the ice tonight.

Rangers News: Christensen's first day, Heikkenen, Dubinsky skates

Jim Schmiedeberg — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:12:06 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

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Happy Friday Ranger fans. The weekend is upon us, we've got two Ranger games on the slate, and some big college and pro football on the slate. Send the family out Christmas shopping, and settle in for what will hopefully be a great sports weekend. Here are some of the headlines making news in the Rangers world:

Jim Cerny has reported on Twitter that Wade Redden will not play at all this weekend, Chad Johnson was not told how long he will be with the Rangers, and that Brandon Dubinsky skated before practice today with Mike Sullivan.

Jim Cerny at Rangers.com has a good story on one of the newest Rangers, Erik Christensen. While as fans we tend to look at new players as some kind of saviors, let's remember that Christensen is a guy who has never played a full NHL season, and has not showed the ability to score at the NHL level that he did in the minors.

But, he does give the Rangers another true center, and he looks to be a good face-off guy, something we know the Rangers desperately need right now.

Metro Hockey has a look at what lies ahead for the Rangers, funny stuff. My favorite:

March 2: Chris Higgins scores his third goal of the season.

Larry Brooks says the Rangers are hopeful the changes made this week will lead to some wins:

As far as Rangers shakeups go, this is not waiving Eddie Giacomin a week before trading Jean Ratelle and Brad Park in 1975.

Having said that, the personnel moves over the last two days, in which the Blueshirts acquired center Erik Christensen off waivers from Anaheim, exchanged goaltenders by waiving Steve Valiquette to the AHL while recalling Chad Johnson from the Wolf Pack, and promoted defenseman Ilkka Heikkinen from Hartford, are indications that management is not going to sit still while the club nosedives to the nether regions of the East.

More after the jump......

Andrew Gross has the updates from practice today:

Donald Brashear is also out for the time being, having re-aggravated his right hand/wrist injury.

Tortorella on Dubinsky:

"For a while, we didn’t see the healing," Tortorella said. "There’s healing in there now. I don’t think we’re at risk to do any damage if he hits it. Of course, we don’t want him falling. Also, we need to get him on the ice. He’s been off for a while. So when we started seeing the healing, we’re going to slowly get him on just to get his skating legs."

Capitals destroy Panthers 6-2; does it matter?

Whale4ever — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:35:46 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

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As an ardent Cats fan and dedicated blogger who covers the Panthers, a recap of Thursday's embarrassment in Washington would prove to be a pointless exercise. No offense to the Capitals, who played a masterful game in all zones; it's simply time I vented.

So for that reason (and about a dozen others) I'll let loose what's on my mind.

We'll get the positives out of the way first: I firmly believe - and will defend to the end - that every member of the Florida Panthers cares.

All of them has a burning desire to win. Each will go to war for the other, and do everything within their power to be victorious; against all odds and deficits, to bring two points to his club in the standings and carry this team to a place it hasn't tasted since before many of their fans were able to walk independently: the postseason. We've all seen the heart and soul each of them bring to the table every game. The new ownership appears to be solidly behind the hockey operation - at least in words at this early stage - which was highly questionable during the latter portion of Alan Cohen's regime. Coach Peter DeBoer is a winner, just not yet at this level. General manager Randy Sexton has presumably done all he's been allowed to do.

I've spoken, emailed, and IM'd with many employees of the organization. They'd stop just short of giving their first (and in some cases second) child if it would help the club win. Dedicated to a fault; even those who were thrown to the ground by previous regimes. And there are more than a few.

This team has a lot of fans within - and so many more just outside the large bay windows ringing the BAC.

On the negative side: this team sucks. As currently constituted, they cannot compete in this league, much less their own division. Speaking of the Southeast, here's their record: 1-6 against the division, the lone win coming against a reeling Carolina club. This is no way to blaze a glorious trail to, well, anything even approaching prosperity. Got to be better news within the stats, right? Attend: through Wednesday's games (and it's worse now), Florida was 24th in wins, 5th in losses, 21st in goals scored per game, 27th in goals allowed, and it snowballs from there.

They can't hold a lead...in any period. Power plays should be declined, as has been suggested time and again. They ended a five-game winless streak Wednesday by blowing four two-goal leads and getting lucky - yeah, I said it - in the shootout after Stephen Weiss won it in the fifth round. Fifth round. He scored a natural hattrick in regulation and was shelved until the fifth round. What is that??? Which blackboard was DeBoer reading from?

Far too many nights they spot the opposition a freebie lead, which typically ends up being too high a mountain to overcome. Leaving out the anomaly that was the 3 for 3 performance against Colorado (get the impression the Avs' collective brain just wasn't in it?), the Cats can't buy a special teams goal. They did against Washington on Thursday, in the form of a shortie, but along with 75-cent seats, the Panthers are quite generous.

What about individuals? "Cats aren't tough enough!" we screamed, leading to the re-acquisition of hard-hitting forward Steve MacIntyre. Got his claws on Donald Brashear and Colton Orr, but following that quick spell, he was reassigned to Rochester. Smells a lot like quickie fan-favorite Wade Belak. We're all aware DeBoer does not prefer giving a roster spot to 3-4 minute guys who won't contribute in any other way, but the Cats have been pounded otherwise. Think Weiss or Steven Reinprecht is gonna go with some of the monsters employed around the East? And what of Mike Duco, just called up from the "A", getting a billion penalty minutes against the Caps (at a point which ultimately didn't matter on the scoreboard)...wanna bet he's on a one-way Greyhound back to rural New York?

Lost in all the recently announced partnerships - imagine an empannage embedded anywhere but at BankAtlantic Center - is the hockey team. Dreams of shopping, dancing, dining, and who-knows-what-else have overshadowed the presence of the item that made all of the dreaming possible.

Florida's hockey fans deserve far better than what they've been handed. We continue to tune in, show up, buy the goods, shout across the web, tell our friends, recruit coworkers, blog till we're blue, and endlessly accept the manure that's been strewn our way. And there's been a lot of it.

Why? Because we're hockey fans. Slavishly loyal and fiercely proprietary over "our" team, we're no different than any other group of followers in the NHL. Treat us as such. The players deserve it, the employees of the club deserve it, and the fans deserve it.

We're fed up, we're tired, and we've got lots of options to spend our money on in this part of the world. For one small moment in time, give us a winner.

It may just be cost-effective.

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

22 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

Rangers Recap: Penguins 5 Rangers 2

Joe Fortunato — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:49:33 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

22 days ago: Pittsburgh Penguins' Mike Rupp (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers on Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Same story, same result. No one other than Marian Gaborik scores, John Tortorella benches the wrong players and Michal Rozsival is still finding ways to screw up games.

What are the Rangers going to do? What can the Rangers do? Who is to blame here, Tortorella or Glen Sather? Will the Rangers recover? Are they even a good team? Why isn't Henrik Lundqvist playing his normal "brick wall" style of goaltending? Why can't Chris Higgins or Ryan Callahan score? Why is Michael Rozsival so bad? Why haven't Corey Locke or Dane Byers been called up? Why is Chris Drury so bad this year, what happened to him? Why is Ales Kotalik so bad in five-on-five play? Why is Donald Brashear playing on the third and second lines? What happened to our lethal power play? Would we have been better off with Tom Renney at the helm? Is Glen Sather even paying attention to this season? Does he think everything is okay? Why doesn't Jim Donal fire him? When is Dolan going to start getting involved in this team? Why do I even root for them?

Notice a trend in the above paragraph? Yup all questions, no answers. That's what life is like as a Ranger fan right now, and no one seems to know anything.

The Rangers found a way to blow a 7-1 start to the season to come back to level ground at 13-13-1. The supposed fiery coach that was Tortorella has lost this team, and as a result they are floundering.

It really is no longer debatable this team is tuning out Tortorella. It is no longer debatable that they need a move or a spark or something. I'm not doing my empty netters, the Penguins scored enough goals in the past two games for tonight. I am also not recapping the game, it was awful. Vent here, don't hold back they deserve it!

Rangers News: Lines for tonight, Lisin scratched (as in not in uniform this time)

Jim Schmiedeberg — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:40:03 -0000

by Mike Carlson - AP

This picture says it all, from Prospal's confusion to Tortorella's ire to Drury's indifference.

View full size photo »

From Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants, here are the lines for tonight, subject to change after everyone's first shift:

Sean Avery-Vinny Prospal-Marian Gaborik
Christopher Higgins-Artem Anisimov-P.A. Parenteau
Donald Brashear-Chris Drury-Ryan Callahan
Ales Kotalik-Brian Boyle-Aaron Voros
Matt Gilroy-Bobby Sanguinetti
Marc Staal-Michal Rozsival
Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi

Can't wait to see Drury and Callahan get it going with Brashear on their line.

Also, Enver Lisin will be scratched this evening, I guess at this point we can call him "Enver Lesson" (ba-dum-bump)

Henrik Lundqvist in goal, in case you had any doubt, and if you did, why?

Be here all week folks........