SB Nation - Marian Gaborik

Familiar Scene for Carolina: Rangers 3, Hurricanes 1

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:13:21 -0000

More photos » by Karl B DeBlaker - AP

about 21 hours ago: New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik (10) battles with Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Staal (12) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

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Fans of the Carolina Hurricanes have been down this road before. The team played well, was in the game most of the time, made a couple of mistakes which ended up in the back of the net, then failed to capitalize on opportunities in the opponent's zone as an evenly matched game turned into yet another loss last night at the RBC.

The New York Rangers defeated the Hurricanes by a score of 3-1. While the first two periods of the game were almost dead even and the third was very close, the New Yorker's were clutch. The Carolina players were not.

The Canes had three powerplay chances and failed to score. They had numerous odd man advantages and failed to score on them.

Bottom line, Henrik Lundqvist out-played Cam Ward and New York's franchise player out-performed Carolina's. That's not to say Eric Staal had a bad game, he played well. But Marian Gaborik was better.

After a scoreless first period in which the stats were almost dead even, Sergei Samsonov opened the scoring with a wrap around chance just 46 seconds into the second period.

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, the Rangers answered back almost immediately. Cam Ward aggressively played a puck outside the crease which took an unfavorable bounce and got by him, then Tim Gleason got the puck in front of the open Carolina net, but hit it right to the league's premier sniper, who made no mistake.

The tally was number 25 for Gaborik, which leads the NHL. It took the Rangers just 28 seconds to tie the score.

That would be the end of the scoring for the Hurricanes, although they would have ample opportunities in the game. Later in the second, Scott Walker and Rod Brind`Amour had a tremendous two on one chance, but Walker's pass was a bit off and Brind'Amour could not handle it.

In the third period, Staal got behind the New York defense and had the puck with a point blank chance, but could not lift it past Lundqvist.

On the other side, the Rangers scored on their best chance of the third period as Vinny Prospal passed to Marian Gaborik who fed a wide open Brandon Dubinsky in front of Ward. The forward lifted a perfectly smooth backhander over the unsuspecting Carolina goalie as if he were a 30 goal scorer. It was Dubinsky's fourth goal of the year.

That was the difference in the game. Winners find a way to win. And the Hurricanes are not in last place in the league by accident.

Marc Staal finished up the scoring on a long empty-netter with just 33 clicks left.

Next up will be a rematch with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

Game Notes:

The Hurricanes powerplay was 0-3 making it three games in a row the team has failed to score with the man advantage, (0-7). Although having just seven powerplay chances in three games is certainly not an over-abundance of opportunity.
Tim Gleason started out with a visor but took it off after the first intermission. The defenseman has had better games as he misplayed the puck on Gaborik's score and was on the ice for all three New York goals. He finished with a -3, but it was his first game back after about a week off due to concussion-like symptoms.
The Hurricanes were credited with 39 hits compared to 20 for the Rangers. Andrew Alberts, Tuomo Ruutu, and Scott Walker led the way with six each.
Carolina had 33 shots on goal led by Staal and Ray Whitney with five each.
Aaron Ward and Ray Whitney had three blocked shots each.
After the game, coach Paul Maurice said that it felt like a playoff game. Neither team made many mistakes. It was a tightly contested affair throughout.
The team won 45% of faceoffs led by Brind'Amour's 83%, (5 of 6). Staal won 33%, (7 of 21).

Rangers withstand storm beat Hurricanes 3-1

Joe Fortunato — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:16:09 -0000

More photos » by Karl B DeBlaker - AP

about 20 hours ago: Carolina Hurricanes' Brandon Sutter (16) dives for the puck between New York Rangers' Marc Staal (18) and and goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

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Coming off their first 2 game winning streak since forever, the New York Rangers walked into North Carolina to take on the last place Carolina Hurricanes. Matt Gilroy was back in the line-up along with Ales Kotalik and Wade Redden who were surprise picks to play tonight to say the least. The Rangers were looking for their first three game winning streak since the 7-1 glory days of the beginning of the season, and they found it.

The Rangers obviously packed the same fire and flare that they brought to Philadelphia and brought it with them to North Carolina. The Rangers came out flying, in a very open, first period which saw the two teams trade odd-man rushes more times then you could count. Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky both had various chances that were snuffed out by Cam Ward. Chris Higgins also had a notable first period but couldn’t find the net—what a surprise. Henrik Lundqvist continued his magnificent play making some great saves early and often.

The Rangers and Hurricanes traded goals in the second period with Gaborik netting his 25^th off a broken defensive play by the Hurricanes. By the way not is a great time to point out that Gaborik now has more goals in 34 games than any Ranger did all of last year. It’s in bold because it’s pretty important; the man is a God plain and simple. The Rangers got into penalty trouble—and incidentally got no help from the referees—but were able to kill them all off and walk into the third tied at 1.

In the third Brandon Dubinsky found the back of the net for his 4^thgoal of the season, a beautiful one from Gaborik and Vaclav Prospal. Again the Rangers saw themselves trading scoring chances with the Hurricanes but Lundqvist stood on his head and continued keeping the Rangers in the game. Marc Staal accentuated his great game by scoring the empty netter to give the Rangers a 3-1 victory.

Empty Netters:

Michael Rozsival is playing the best hockey of this season. He played a brilliant game and saved what would have been a tying goal for the Hurricanes late in the third.
Marian Gaborik continued his brilliant play with a goal and an assists. I love him.
Henrik Lundqvist has found his game again, and wow is he impressive.
Artem Ansisimov continued his impressive play and like I said on my radio show, he shields the puck and makes space just like Jaromir Jagr.
Like we have been talking about for the past few weeks if the Rangers want momentum now is the best time to get it. Let’s hope this continues.
I think that Wade Redden bounced back from his benching with a solid game. Let's hope to see more of this.
I also think that Matt Gilroy played a great game in his return to Ranger blue. It's nice to see since we all agree that he is a fan favorite.

Well let’s hear your praise in the comments boys!

By the way after Tuesday's radio show Jim won't be around much over the next few days so if you have any questions or concerns please e-mail me at Joe@blueshirtbanter.com. I will get back asap. Thanks guys!

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

4 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

4 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,

Islanders 2, Rangers 1: Roloson & Co. slip by Sather's ghosts

Dominik — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:31:04 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Jon Sim guides the puck into the net with his eyes -- a method studies show to be 63% more effective than using his stick.

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That was a superbly played game by the Islanders, in front of a quite dead crowd at the Garden (other than the "FI-ER SA-THER" chants), in which John Tortorella kept running his top guys out there, but Glen Sather's compilation of lifeless players just wouldn't go. I almost shed a tear.

Dwayne Roloson was a minute short of a shutout as he outplayed Henrik Lundqvist, and get this: Jon Sim and Blake Comeau were not only the goal scorers, but also two of the better Islanders forwards. Both played the body, both went to the dirty areas, there were eight shots on goal between them, and Sim was a nuisance while Comeau broke up a 2-on-1 with a diving sweep of the stick. Those two as "stars" is not the recipe for a lot of wins, but their cohesive effort was reflective of a smart team game played by the entire Islanders squad. The score was probably closer than it should have been.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles | Blueshirt Banter

Final - 12.16.2009	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	1	0	1	2
New York Rangers	0	0	1	1

Complete Coverage >

I do hope the "FI-ER- SA-THER" chants never make an impact. It is too much fun having him guiding the boo-shirts. As Chickendirt said, Sather is "the gift that keeps on giving." The Rangers had one shot in the first 16 minutes, so I was a little nervous when the Isles went to the first intermission with only Sim's miracle foot goal to show for their efforts.

Thankfully, the Smurfs only made a marginal push-back in the second, and Roloson was solidly in control the rest of the game.

Gabby Was Here

I was hoping someone would sneeze on Marian Gaborik's groin to put him on the shelf again, but no such luck. In nearly 27 minutes of ice time, Gaborik managed six shots on goal and attempted eight more. Yet I'd say the Islanders played him pretty well, mostly keeping his shots to the outside and not leaving him alone too many times. In nearly half an hour of ice time -- including four minutes on the PP -- a player like Gaborik is going to get his chances. But the Isles defense and Roloson combined to keep him off the score sheet.

And of course, for Sather's Rangers, if Gaborik doesn't score then...yeah.

Four Lines Rolling

John Tavares was probing, again learning what will and won't work at this level. Trent Hunter was noisy, Josh Bailey was getting shots on goal (!), Sim's line was a responsible nuisance, and Comeau mostly overcame his reluctance to leave the perimeter. In short, guys on all four lines were doing effective things, so it never felt like their rhythm faded.

On the back line, Mark Streit was a steady anchor, and Jack Hillen was very effective -- amusingly bewildering two Rangers on his pinch in that led to Sim's make-your-own-luck goal.

No Rest for the Victors

So these teams have an encore tomorrow in front of a, heh, hopefully louder crowd than what we saw tonight. I don't expect a "Rangers hangover" -- that will come against the next opponent -- but I do have to expect the Short Island Smurfs will come out with a little more life. If not now, is there any hope for their season? Who knows, maybe even the neutered Sean Avery will figure out a way to be effective for a moment.

So I'd think the Isles will have to play a little better to pull off another regulation win, but everything they did tonight was a positive -- certainly a vast improvement over the Panthers debacle.

More to come during the day. For now, drink this victory up. The season series is now Islanders 2, Rangers 0. Nice.

Rangers Recap: Rangers woes continue, lose to Islanders 2-1

Jim Schmiedeberg — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:49:03 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

5 days ago: New York Islanders left wing Jon Sim (16) tips the puck past New York Rangers defenseman Wade Redden (6) as goalie Henrik Lundqvist of Sweden (30) defends the goal in the first period of their NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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Do Ranger players even know this is a rivalry?

Time was, Rangers-Islanders meant intensity, bad blood, emotion, heart. The current edition of the Blueshirts showed none of that, and lost the first of a crucial eight game stretch 2-1 to the Islanders at Madison Square Garden tonight.

Throughout the game, the Islanders fore-checked the Rangers to death, and the home team seemed content to stand still and let the Isles cycle around without so much as a hint of physical play. Eventually this bit them in the shorts when Jack Hillen threw the puck towards the net (a novel idea, one apparently the Rangers will take under advisement), and it bounced off Jon Sim and past Henrik Lundqvist to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

Sean Avery tried to get the Rangers emotionally involved as soon as the second period started, mixing it up with Hillen, then again later in the second period. The Rangers need more of this, every night. Ranger fans have begged, pleaded, prodded this team to show emotion, to play with urgency and intensity. It has to come from more players than just Sean Avery, but he just doesn't seem to be getting through to his teammates.

The Islanders tallied what turned out to be the game-winner late in the third, when Blake Corneau scored to give the Isles a 2-0 lead.

Ranger fans voiced their displeasure early and often, with most of the venom directed at the General Manager. The Blueshirts gave them little to cheer about until the final minute, when Enver Lisin scored to break the shutout, but considering it had been well over 200 minutes since the Rangers last even strength goal, to expect them to get another one in less than a minute seemed to be asking a bit much.

Another night to forget for Chris Higgins, who should just be nicknamed "fanned on the shot" because that's all Sam Rosen ever says about him.

Lots, lots more after the jump......

Final Thoughts:

Someone, anyone, explain to me how after the Rangers score to make it 2-1, they take a timeout to discuss strategy, and somehow decide that Michal Rozsival should be on the ice for the final minute with the goaltender pulled.
Speaking of Number 33: 24 minutes of ice time, seriously? Are they that scared of Ilkka Heikkinen?
Marian Gaborik's delay of game penalty in the first period, how is he supposed to stop his momentum after he trips over a players skate and slides into the net?
As someone said in our open game thread, you know the Rangers are playing bad when even Joe Micheletti criticizes them. Joe also said its time for the Rangers to "reassess playing time".
I loved seeing Enver Lisin get that late goal, even though it was meaningless. Lisin was glued to the bench for most of the game again, for whatever the reason, and I liked seeing him get some redemption. Out of all the issues the Rangers have, to single out Enver Lisin is just plain stupid. I can think of at least five players who are a bigger problem than Lisin.
One plus is that it may have been the Rangers best night on face-offs, only Brian Boyle lost more face-offs than he won.
Full marks to the Islanders. Yes, we hate them, but they come to play most every night, and will rarely be outworked. We can't say that about the Rangers.
Props to you guys that were with me in the open game thread, we had over 700 comments, great job by all of you.

I will add the notes and quotes from the Rangers either later tonight or in the morning.

[Note by Jim Schmiedeberg, 12/16/09 10:44 PM EST here are the notes, no quotes tonight]

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES

December 16, 2009 - New York Rangers 1, New York Islanders 2 (Game #33, Home #17)

Click Here For The Official Game Summary

The Rangers were defeated by the New York Islanders, 2-1, in front of a sold-out crowd (18,200) at Madison Square Garden.
New York have sold out 173 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 187 games.
The Blueshirts are now 14-16-3 (31 pts.) on the season, including a 7-9-1 mark at home.
The Rangers won 31 of 51 faceoffs for a 61% success rate; Vinny Prospal led all skaters with 11 faceoff wins and went 11-16 (69%) in the faceoff circle.
Enver Lisin tallied one goal and two shots in 9:14 of icetime; he now has two points (one goal and one assist) in four career games against the Islanders.
Brandon Dubinsky recorded one assist and won 10 of 17 faceoffs (59%); he also logged a season-high 24:28 of icetime.
Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves while starting in his seventh straight game, which ties his season-high.
Dan Girardi notched an assist on Lisin's third period goal and recorded three shots in 22:57 of icetime.
Marian Gaborik led all skaters with six shots and 26:51 of icetime; Christopher Higgins led the team and tied for the game-high with five hits.
The Rangers return to action tomorrow, Dec. 17, when they will face-off against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum (7:00 p.m.), in the second game of a home-and-home set and the Rangers fourth game in six days; the game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.
Prior to the game, the Rangers pre-game skate is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Nassau Coliseum.

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

Rangers Recap: Blueshirts Fight Hard, Fall Short of Thrashers in SO, 3-2

NYRBlogger — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:47:46 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

7 days ago: New York Rangers' Ryan Callahan (24) shoots the puck past Atlanta Thrashers goalie Johan Hedeurg (1) for a goal in the second period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)

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Despite registering a season high 48 shots on goal against the Thrashers, the Rangers were once again unable to convert on prime scoring chances, including three or more breakaways, and ended up falling to Atlanta 3-2 in the shootout. At the same time, the effort was there and the Blueshirts poured everything they had into this game. In fact, if New York does not allow that shorthanded goal to Colby Armstrong in the third period, they win that game 2-1, but unfortunately that is not the way it went down.

In the first period, the Rangers came out and outshot the Thrashers 16-6, yet found themselves trailing due to a powerplay goal by Slava Kozlov when he launched a slapper off the far post and past Lundqvist to give the Thrashers a 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until Michael Del Zotto made a remarkable pass from behind his own goal-line to lead Ryan Callahan on the breakaway 17 minutes into the second period. Callahan made his usual backhand-forehand deke to beat goaltender Jonas Hedberg low. This powerplay tally was Ryan’s seventh goal on the season and fourth goal in his last eight games. Good to see that he is finally awakening and emerging as a secondary goal scorer on this team.

In the third stanza, Colby Armstrong capitalized on a fortuitous bounce off of the boards which eluded Del Zotto and ended up on his tape. Armstrong roofed a wrister over the shoulder of Lundqvist to regain the lead for Atlanta. That did not last long, however, as almost exactly a minute later Del Zotto wowed us with his passing abilities, when he fed Marian Gaborik for the one-timer goal which was Marian’s 23^rd on the season (leads NHL in goals).

This was followed by a 5 on 3 powerplay opportunity for the Thrashers when both Girardi and Staal went to the box at a crucial time. Thankfully, Henrik Lundqvist lead the Blueshirts to a tremendous kill which saw Hank on his hands and knees throwing his body around to make saves. No goals in overtime, so we would go to the shootout where Kovalchuk and Kozlov scored, and Gaborik and Kotalik did not.

Brandon Dubinsky, returning from his broken hand injury suffered on November 7^th, was one of the better players for the Rangers out there tonight. I, personally, expected him to be slow and a little hesitant, but he sure proved me wrong. He skated like mad, he was fantastic on the forecheck, and even threw hits when he had the chance. Dubinsky finished the night with 24:06 of ice-time and did not get a shot on goal in that span.

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Chris Higgins and Ryan Callahan are the two other players who I thought played a very similar game to Dubinsky’s. By that I mean the effort was there, they skated, and created scoring chances. No, Higgins was unable to bury any of those golden opportunities, but the fact that he is getting there and getting shots is a good sign, and the goals will eventually come. Callahan is back to old form in that he is everywhere on the ice and scoring goals, much like last season. I am extremely pleased with his game as of late.

Marian Gaborik was also a difference maker tonight, just as he is in almost every game he plays in. Gabs received a total of 28 minutes and 19 seconds of ice-time, which is unbelievable for any player on the team, let alone a forward. I do not think you can really question his health status when he is able to keep the motor running for extended periods of time in fast-pace contests like he did at MSG in this one.

Sean Avery and Vinny Prospal also had their chances in this game but obviously did not put them in the net. Prospal continues to amaze me with the way he can find passing lanes and the same goes for Avery when he is able to attract four players to him almost every time he even approaches the crease. Sean was in the middle of everything tonight.

The defense, I thought, played very well as a whole, but the two individual performances that I took notice of were that of Mike Del Zotto and Michal Rozsival. Not for their defensive effort, but rather for their passing percentage and execution. While Rozy’s passes may not have been converted for goals, they were certainly effective and there were a few of them. Same thing for Del Zotto, who created both Ranger goals in this one. Staal and Girardi were also very strong in their own zone shutting down the high-flying Thrashers.

Henrik Lundqvist was sharp, especially when he had to come up big during the third period penalty kill, but was out-waited by Kovalchuk, which was a marvelous goal, and simply beat by Kozlov in the shootout. It should not have gotten to that point, though, as the team needs to score more than two goals when you record a season high 48 shots on goal. As Callahan said in his postgame interview, nine out of ten times you will win the game with shot totals like that, and tonight was the odd minority.

I believe that there is no better time for a home and home with the Islanders to approach the Rangers at this point. The Isles will force them to do everything they did in tonight’s tilt and more, and if we can walk away victorious in both, you better believe the confidence level will pick up greatly. That home and home will begin on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

[Note by Jim Schmiedeberg, 12/15/09 7:53 AM EST Here are the notes and quotes from the Rangers. Guess what? Another sellout!]

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES AND QUOTES

December 14, 2009 - New York Rangers 2, Atlanta Thrashers 3 SO (Game #32, Home #16)

Click Here For The Official Game Summary

The Rangers were defeated by the Atlanta Thrashers, 3-2, in a shootout in front of a sold-out crowd (18,200) at Madison Square Garden; the Blueshirts are now 14-15-3 (31 pts.) on the season, including a 7-8-1 mark at home.
New York have sold out 172 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 186 games.
The Rangers tallied two power play goals in five opportunities to improve to 30.0% (18-60) at MSG this season; each of the Rangers last four goals have come on the power play dating back to Saturday's contest against Buffalo.
Ryan Callahan tallied two points on the power play (one goal and one assist) and delivered a game-high six hits; he has notched a goal in each of the last two games, and has four points (three goals and one assist) in the last five.
Marian Gaborik notched one power play goal in a game-high 28:19 of icetime, and has recorded four points (two goals and two assists) in the last four games; he has tallied a power play goal in each of the last two games to increase his league-leading total to 11 with the man advantage.
Rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto tallied two power play assists in 21:19 of icetime; he has now recorded three assists in the last two games.
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 25 of 27 shots in the contest, including 13 saves in the second period.
Chris Drury led all skaters with 16 faceoff wins, and finished with a 62% (16-27) success rate in the faceoff circle; Sean Avery registered a game-high seven shots.
Brandon Dubinsky logged 24:06 of icetime in his return to the lineup after missing the previous 13 games due to injury.
The Rangers practice schedule for tomorrow, Dec. 15, is 12:00 p.m. at the MSG Training Center.
The Rangers return to action on Monday, Dec. 16, when they will face-off against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in the first game of a home-and-home set; the game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

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POST-GAME QUOTES

John Tortorella on tonight's game...

"Other than six or seven minutes at the beginning of that second period, I thought we played a good hockey game. We just have to keep on trying to build on it. We have to get over the hump of that second goal. We had our chances to score our third one but we didn't get it done. We have a lot of good things to build off of."

Henrik Lundqvist on tonight's game...

"I don't think it matters who we are playing right now. We have to see every game as an opportunity for us to turn this around. We have to keep pushing each other to have the energy that you need to win a hockey game. You can't walk around and feel sorry for yourself. All of the guys have to work together."

Chris Drury on tonight's game...

"We've got to keep doing the right things, keep playing like we're playing. 48 shots and I think we got 38 last game - if we keep getting over 30 shots something's going to give here."