Well, complete and utter domination of the defending stanley cup champions certainly is a step in the right direction, but with a game against the Penguins in 4 days one has to wonder if the trend of play well against good teams, play like crap against poor teams will continue.? Of course the Penguins record doesnt really show them as a poor team, but the fact of the matter is, they simply are not a good team, they just beat up on the Flyers and us to get their points.? Seriouslythey have 4 wins against the Flyers, and 2 wins against us, out of their remaining 13 games they have a grand total of 10 points, hardly impressive.? The problem with them is that we take them sooooooo much for granted that we always seem to dig ourselves a hole and play like crap for 60 minutes.

Getting back to the dismanteling we just witnessed I have to say I was completely and utterly impressed with the 3rd line.? This is the second straight game where they have just dominated the puck posession end of things when they are on the ice, and its done with nothing more or less than very hard work and determination.? Marcel Hossa, who I have been very much against, has played very well, but the question is, are we going to be demanding his head for the next 19 games, or does he show some consistency?? For now, that line looks like a helluva find, as they continue to keep the opposing top lines off the score sheet, and generate chances of their own (with a goal to boot!).

The top 2 lines both got on the score sheet tonight, which isnt surprising, but what IS surprising is that 2 goals were scored off of redirections from point shots/shotpasses.? You really have to love the point men actually doing something with the puck (SHOOOOT!!!) rather than just play hot potato for 30 seconds.? Give the forwards some credit, they really helped out the D, and the D helped out the forwards in their zone too, pinching at just the right time, and generating chances of their own.? Btw, if Marek Malik never attempts another drop pass again, it will be too soon.? The guy needs to stop doing that crap, period, I hated it when Kondratiev did it last year, and I still hate it when Malik does it.? Drop passes, NEVER WORK when you are trying to get out of your own zone.

Finally we must talk about Henrik Lundqvist.? Henrik was a rock tonight.? Getting his first shutout of the season against the defending champs, and making at least 4 spectacular saves.? Henrik has been “in the zone” since giving up the softie against the Devils, and thats really helped the Rangers win, and stay in games they werent playing particularly well in.? I would ride Henrik till the next back to back game (against Buffalo).? Let Weekes play at home against the Sabres, or if you want, let him play in Buffalo on 12/1 but dont let the guy rot on the bench, its important to keep both goalies fresh.

Rangers 3 Stars Of The Game:

1)Hossa-Betts-Ward.? The entire 3rd line was flat out dominant today.? They controlled the puck, they cycled, they rushed, they backchecked, they killed penalties, they did it all, including scoring the winning goal in the first period.
2)Henrik Lundqvist.? First shutout of the year, and has only given up 1 goal in his last 2 games.? This will certainly help move his bloated GAA and SV% back to respectabilty following his early season struggles.
3)Jaromir Jagr.? The captain was great with the puck, but still looked sluggish at times.? Still though, hard to argue with 2 goals right?

-Inferno

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Anyone else notice that gutless sack of shit Cole dive twice to draw penalties? (im pretty sure that was him on the 2nd penalty, but not positive)

Ive said this for a while now, that guy is the most unsportsman like player in the entire league and he should get a spear right through his face.

Period.

The Hurricanes are notorious for diving, and it starts with Cole, but the rest of them do it too, throwing their heads back to embellish stuff that clearly didnt happen, flopping to the ground on anything.? They are an absolute joke to watch out there, and its really an embarassment to the game when they try to pull this stuff.? I dont get vulgar very often, but I cant help it when I watch stuff like that.?

Getting back to the actual game, the Rangers have looked flat out dominant in this one, and it starts with the Hossa Betts Ward line which continues to pressure the other team, control the play, and play smart 2-way hockey.? Keep em together coach, they look GREAT out there.

Henrik had to make a few good stops this game, though if im correct, 2 were off of turnovers he himself did.? Still though, Henriks been there when hes had to be, and has himself a second consecutive first 2 period shutout.

-Inferno

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Pressure, pressure, pressure!? Thats what I saw from the NY Rangers tonight.? They were all over the person w/ the puck, and they pressured everyone.? Very nice period by the 3rd line, not only did they score a goal, but they had several chances and really didnt give up squat.? Im really starting to love this Hossa Betts Ward line.? They are all about the same size, and can play both styles of hockey, that is, a cycle game, and a rush game.? I like it!

One thing I dont like is the quality of the ice.? Both teams are built to play transition attacking style hockey, but the ice just wont cooperate, as such you are seeing both teams dump the puck a bit more than usual rather than trying to carry through.? Youre seeing guys wiping out all over the place, and pucks jump over sticks, its actually helping the Rangers right now I think but really the Rangers can benefit from the speed game a bit more as well.

Cant really say much more than that about the period, Rangers played well, and brought the game to the Canes, lets just keep it up and not rest on our laurels.

-Inferno

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Seriously? I need an address here pronto!? The Rangers scored 2 goals off of direct calls/non calls by the refs.? The first being the first period high stick redirection by Shanahan, and the second coming on the powerplay that led to Shanahans goal.? Just terrible reffing in this game for the Lightning.? Im sure Tortarella will have a lot to say during his post game interviews, but its ok, I’ll take it.?

Need further proof that the Rangers look at my blog? Just look at the reaction to my “Captain Craptastic” by Jaromir today.? Ok, so I’m a little full of myself, big whoop, wanna fight about it?? Where was I? Oh yeah, Jagr was just a monster in this one, he clearly was on a mission to redeem himself from a terrible outing last night, and did so with flying colors.? He drive the puck to the net, scored a goal, assisted on 2 others, and could have easily had another 4 goals from his line if not for some very good goaltending by ex-Rangers Holmqvist.

The first line truly was spectacular tonight, but the unsung heroes really was the third line, which just slammed the door shut on any chances the Tampa first line could have had.? I like that pairing, keep em together, and match lines more often Renney.? Hossa, Ward, and Betts played a very very very solid game today, and really should be our “Colin White” line that shuts down the other teams top line.? It could make our games a bit more competitive as we cut down on goals against.? Think it was a coincidence the team nearly had a shutout save a terrible mental breakdown in the final 5? ‘Twas not dear reader, the Rangers FINALLY matched lines (as any home team should) and used that ability to effectively neturalize one of the best lines in all of hockey.

Henrik Lundqvist has been another story.? Since giving up that terrible goal against the Devils, he has been a rock, a brick wall, an unstoppable force, an immovable object, a really really good goalie, a….you get the basic idea.? Hes been amazing, hes been the goalie the city of New York fell in love with (not in a gay way) last year.? For most of the game he was flat out lights out, and if not for some godawful defense by the Rachunek Bozolinsh pairing, he would have had his first shutout of the year, meaning all 3 of his career shutouts would come against teams based out of Florida….Ahh, thats why they pay me the big bucks, for knowing useless stuff like that….seriously though, when do I get paid for this gig?

Getting back on track, this game wasnt without its lows though.? Rachunek and Bozolinsh was simply an abomination on the ice.? They just couldnt get the puck out of their zone when they had the puck, and they kept turning the puck over on their breakout passes.? Frankly Ive never been a fan of that pairing as it seems like a nightmare waiting to happen, and this might have been that game (if not for some great goaltending and 2 very helpful posts). Want to know how I would pair up our current roster?? Tyutin with Pock, Ward with Bozolinsh, and Rachunek with Rozsival, but hey, thats just me, what do I know.

Rangers 3 Stars Of The Night:

1)Jaromir Jagr.? Captain Craptastic one day, Captain Courageous the next, ahh you gotta love the wonderful sport of hockey.
2)Henrik Lundqvist.? Stellar effort yet again for the young goalie.? Methinks the sophmore slump is over.
3)The Refs.? Seriously, without them I’m not sure this game would have been the laugher it ended up being.

-Inferno

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OK, the Rangers goal should have been disallowed, but the Tampa goal was probably the right call, albeit borderline.?

2 reviewed plays both went in favor of the Rangers, and im pretty amazed at how it played out.? First of all the first goal, if my understanding of the rules are correct, was unreviewable because Nylander touched the puck.? Had it gone in straight from Shanahans stick, then it could have been reviewed, but because Nylander redirected the redirection in, the review was moot.? However the play should have been whistled dead right away because Shanahan CLEARLY touched the puck with a high stick and as soon as Nylander touched it, it should have been whistled dead.? That one clearly went against the road team.? The second play was a bit more debateable, but in the end I think the right call was made.? It did “appear” to be a kicking motion, but im not so sure it was a kick, but rather the guy catching an edge in an attempt to slow down.? The motion looked like a kick, but I dont think the intent was to kick the puck in.? Regardless it was the right call….probably…but again, another play that went against Tampa.

John Tortorella is my kind of coach though.? He may have hurt his team in the short run by his profane assault on the refs, but dont be shocked if this team comes out like gangbusters in the 3rd.?

Were in for? a wild final period I think…..

-Inferno

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Henrik The Great, King Henrik, He who stops the pucks, etc, all apply today.? Henrik has just been outstanding since giving up the softie against the Devils.? Hes most definately back in form, particularly late in the first today with a flurry of 3 point blank shots that Henrik got to.? His reaction time and lateral movement appear to be back, as does his positioning and recommitement to the “Be there and be square” words he used to live by last year.? Henrik isnt the only story here though, the entire team appears energized, and Jagr definately looks a lot better, generating several scoring chances and actually backchecking a bit.? Still though this was far from a perfect period, the Lightning play a high pressure game sending in 2, and sometimes 3 guys to attack the enemy puck carrier in their own zone.? Against a butterfinger club like us it usually spells disaster, and in fact it did on several plays, particularly against Bozo and Rachunek who did NOT have a good period whatsoever.

-Inferno

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When your captain, a guy making the most money in the entire NHL, simply doesnt give a shit, you will lose 9 times out of 10.? That was what we saw tonight.? Jaromir Jagr just dogged it.? From minute one, he didnt show up.? He didnt skate hard, he didnt backcheck at all, he just didnt want to work tonight.? I dont know what the hell he was thinking, but his effort, and lack of caring and attention to detail most definately had a negative effect on the entire team.? I for one cannot stand watching things like that, and to me, he should have been benched in the 3rd period.? You can call me crazy if you like, that is your perogative, but Jagr really hurt his team today.? Honestly we might have been better off if he just sat the damn game out.

The result of this game was particularly disheartening because there were two very impressive showings by two Rangers.

Henrik Lundqvist had an OUTSTANDING game.? Stopping just about everything in sight except for a slam dunk, a rebound off of a slam dunk, and rebound goal by Staal.? You cant point the finger at Henrik, who stood on his head for most of the period.? Equally Fedor Tyutin was great, though he tailed off a bit towards the end, he was still very physical and assertive, and he played the puck with confidence, and even came to the aid of one Jaromir Jagr.

The rest of the team had a terrible game with penalties and overall effort level, with of course the usual suspects not included, that would be Hollweg, Shanahan, etc.? The Rangers took 12 penalties in this game……12 freaking penalties.? If there werent offsetting penalties or the 2 goals scored, it would have been a full 24 minutes played down a man.? That is just insane.? And whats worse is im pretty sure they were down 2 men 4 times in this game (one being with an extra skater on with the empty net at the end, i believe)? 4 times down 2 men, are you freaking kidding me?? You couldnt beat a college hockey team playing that many times down 2 men, no matter how great your goalie plays.

The worst part about all this is I really cant complain about the reffing.? Honestly I thought they were pretty decent, and actually their reffing probably ended up favoring the Rangers more than the Penguins believe it or not.

Just a disgusting game to watch.

Rangers 3 Stars Of The Game

1)Henrik Lundqvist.? The king is back, he stood on his head for most of the game, and kept the Rangers in it till the very end in a game they simply did NOTHING worthy of getting a point.
2)Fedor Tyutin.? A fantastic game for the kid who is quickly becoming the Rangers best defenseman.? Fedor took the body with authority, was very heady, and didnt really hurt his team at all.
3)Brendan Shanahan.? Had a goal, almost had 2 others, but really a bit of “too little, too late” based on how the rest of the team played.

-Inferno

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That was terrible, and it starts right at the top.? Jaromir Jagr is just dogging out there.? Hes got no legs, no backchecking, no passing, NOTHING.? Hes just been terrible out there plain and simple.? The whole “As Jagr goes, so go the Rangers” saying is in full effect tonight ladies and gents.? Jagr has show me nothing for 40 straight minutes, and conversely Henrik Lundqvist is single handedly keeping the Rangers in this game.? Right now, I wouldnt be opposed to benching the entire first line.? They arent doing squat out there.? At least the second line is backchecking, the first line isnt even doing that.?

I dont like what I am seeing one bit, this would be the perfect time for a Renney rant because this team needs to be read the riot act.

-Inferno

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Listening to Sam and Joe you would have thought the Rangers played a godawful period, but I honestly thought they werent bad at all.? They had several chances but the pucks were getting blocked, deflected, shanked, etc. I thought Henrik Lundqvist and Fedor Tyutin were exceptionally sharp, particularly Tyutin who was all over the ice, and was laying people out while playing a smart game.? The kid is rapidly developing into what we thought we were getting, just without the offensive upside.? Hes been fantastic this year.

Henrik was also sparkeling making several amazing saves on Malkin, and his positioning was spot on.? The one goal he did let in was on a 5 on 3 that I really cant fault the Rangers on.? Bozo, who took the second penalty, really made the right play trying to elevate the puck into the glass and get it away from the front of the net, he just shot it too high, I can live with that.

I dont think it was as bad as the announcers made it out to be.? They may have only had 4 shots on goal, but the sheer amount of pucks that have been deflected tell a different story.

-Inferno

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I’m going to keep this one short and sweet ladies and gents.? The Rangers looked very much like a team who has had a very tough schedule, was on the 2nd game of a back to back, and was playing against the Stanley Cup Champs.

?

Rangers 3 Stars Of The Game:

1)Jaromir Jagr.? Great game by the captain, if not for some solid goaltending, he could have had several tonight.
2)Kevin Weekes.? Good game by Weekes, gave the Rangers every chance to win it.
3)Aaron Ward.? For the “Punch Check”

-Inferno

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