Wow, the Senators looked absolutely fantastic in that period. Seriously, they just controlled the play at will in the offensive zone, and they attack, attack, attack. It seems like they are on one long ass powerplay, and when they are actually on a powerplay, it looks like a 2 man advantage.

Credit Henrik for keeping the Rangers in the game, and the defenseman for limiting the quality of the chances. Nobody looked particularly horrible, but nobody really stood out either, except for Henrik of course.

On forward the Rangers look out of sorts again. Though they did manage 7 or 8 shots on net, only 1 or 2 were from the quality areas that you want to get your shots from. Considering the way the Senators played that period, the Rangers should feel fortunate to be tied at zero. Nothing against us, but the Sens looked that damn good.

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Through 4 games this year, the Rangers have picked up 4 points. Through 4 games last year the Rangers picked up 4 points. Then why am I so ecstatic so far this year, and was a tad bit nervous (at least moreso that I have been at any point this year) last year?

Here are the Goals Allowed through the first 4 games this year:
2 - 2 - 2 - 1

Here were the Goals Allowed through the first 4 games last year:
2 - 4 - 4 - 6

Thats 7 VS 16. More than half as many goals. And that has more to do with the system, than the goaltending, although Henrik has been brilliant so far this year, and was not nearly as strong at the start of last year.

This is why most pundits, including myself (though im more of a pun, than a dit) feel the Rangers will be a true force this year. Not the offense, but the defense and goaltending. When you can get your entire team to buy into a defensive system, with the kind of offensive balance that this team has, you will be a tough team to play every time you are out there on the ice. Not to mention that tonight, Henrik didn’t even have to be all that great. Most of the shots were from the outside, with the crease being cleared almost immediately. Yes there was a post, and a good clear by Girardi, but those chances were few and far between, which is encouraging when you consider that team has several deadly forwards.

However it is not all hugs and puppies, Marek Malik was flat out brutal out there tonight, and Mara, though he improved as the play went on, wasn’t that much better himself. The tandem of Girardi and Tyutin have not only cemented themselves as our best duo, but are showing themselves to be nearly allstar caliber at such a young age. Very encouraging if you are a Ranger fan, especially when you consider that Sauer, Sauer and Sanguinetti all should be better than this tandem. Can you imagine a team so good that the 3rd pair is as good as any teams first pair?

Ok, ill let you chew on that for a while. In the mean time, enjoy some sweet caroline:

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The story of the second was quite simple. Olaf Kolzig was outstanding, amazing, ridiculous, miraculous….and…you know….pretty good. Rangers are utterly dominating the play, 5 on 5, 5 on 4, 5 on 3, 4 on 5….basically in every facet of the game, they looks really strong. That whole chemistry thing theyve been talking about for a while now seems to be settling in nicely. Thats 2 straight games where theyve looked stronger and stronger. But dont count the caps out just yet. Theres a reason why I picked them to win their division, they never quit, have some amazing forwards, and are backstopped by the most underrated goalie in the league.

The 3rd will be huge.

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Through the Rangers first 9 periods of hockey, I felt the defenseman and the goalie, for the most part, were the best players on the ice. Tonight though, the forwards are just flying, and our defense looks very pedestrian.

It starts with Marek Malik, who was beyond hideous in that period. He showcased his lack of footspeed, and his horrendous decision making process, and somehow will still end up being a +6 for the game. Michael Rozsival was only marginally better. Though he scored a goal, he has been out of position a lot, and he too has been turning the puck over. Finally Paul Mara was single handedly responsible for the goal against, completely missing his assignment on Ovechkin who undressed him like a 2 dollar hooker.

The forwards however are playing great hockey, and don’t think its just because of the powerplays, no, they are drawing those penalties through sustained forechecks, and hustle.

Also, I just wanted to note one thing regarding Marcel Hossa. Man oh man is the kid having a heckuva game or what?! Never separate him and Jagr, they just own the boards.

I like what I have seen of each of the 3 parts of our team, now they just need to tie all of them together to unleash their inner juggernaut.

-Inferno

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Wanted to let you know that YouTube has suspended my account. Even though I love making Rangers vids, I dont do them exclusively. I also alter a lot of existing videos, like music videos, or Family Guy stuff to make them funnier, different, etc. However YouTube deleted my account for having too much of that “other stuff”

I will be uploading my vids again under a different account, but not for a while.

Just wanted to let you know.

-Inferno

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This, is New York Rangers hockey folks. I don’t exactly know what you all expected, with us scoring like 400 goals a game or something, but you’d be sadly mistaken if that is the case. What you should expect is a team which plays exceptional defensive hockey, clogs the neutral zone, and come back 5 strong into their own zone to protect the slot and their goalie. We played that game to a T.

With that said, we also played VERY good offensive hockey, getting 37 shots on goal, and many many many of them in high quality scoring zones. The truth is, they just didn’t go in. Hey, it happens. DON’T FREAK OUT! Through 3 games we have never allowed more than 2 goals. That is a major positive.

However there were a few negatives. As usual Marek Malik makes several, what the hell is he thinking, plays, and one of them burned the Rangers. I know that he does a lot of good things, but the thing that annoys me, is that if he just simplified his game, and DIDN’T do those retarded things that make you throw up, then he would be a very good defender. Its a shame considering Staal, Tyutin, Girardi, and Rozsival can all play that simplified game, and play exceptionally well, but a guy like Malik, who has the tools to be so much better, doesn’t. Also, Jason Strudwick continues to be a nightmare out there, constantly missing assignments, and confusing Staal by attempting to pick up guys Staal already has covered. Also twice Strudwick penetrated the zone deep to play offense, but weren’t we told he was there to be a calming factor on Staal? I’m sorry but leaving the 20 year old all alone on the blueline is not what I call calming.

Blair Betts was another negative in this game. His play, while rock solid defensively, was horrendous offensively. He continues to show an absolute lack of vision out there, and an inability to keep up with the offensive game the way the mighty midgets (Prucha and Callahan) do. Brandon Dubinsky shined every second he was out there. Unfortunately those seconds added up to the tune of 2 minutes and 46 seconds. Why is he even up here if that is all he is going to play? He has shown me definite signs of being able to play an offensive game, and Betts clearly has shown signs that he can play a defensive game. Here’s a thought, why not play the offensive center with the offensive wingers, and play the defensive center with the grinding wingers? It’s just a thought Tom, but it might be one worth examining, revolutionary, I know, but it just might work.

Other than that, I was very happy with the teams overall game. Building blocks folks, we took a giant step forward in this one.

P.S. Why do we have to see Hillary Duff every 10 seconds? There are a LOT hotter women out there.

P.P.S. Brian Engblom, get a freaking haircut.

-Inferno

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See my first period thoughts? The exact same applies for this period. Rangers played very well, got burned by yet another poor call (can they get a freaking call for once?!), and Strudwick still sucks.

Really, I’ve got nothing left to say.

-Inferno

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The Rangers looked quite good. I know, you’re saying, uhh, hey retard, they are losing 1-0. True enough, however I feel their game was quite strong. They played the game that got them to the playoffs, really for the first time this year. A smart defensive game. And if not for a truly horrendous call where Shanny got called for a penalty when in fact he was the one who received a slash the Rangers would be going into the second tied at zero. Don’t blame really anyone for the goal given up. If any of the 2 forwards who were free on the play went to the puck to try to retrieve it, Bergeron, who was definitely getting there first would have passed it off for a wide open chance against. These things happen.

Also, Jason Strudwick continues to be a nightmare in his own zone. Why is this guy on the ice? Is it a test for Staal? Maybe if you put him under enough duress you’ll make him an epically good defenseman under fire? I honestly don’t know, but I have a hard time believing any of the justification for this move presented by the big club.

Marek Malik, a large part of the podcast over at nyrangerscast.com, was his usual self. Strong when unnoticed, but epically STUPID when given freedom to do what he wants. I swear, I know this guy can be a rock solid defenseman, but he does deserve a lot of what he gets for putting himself in those situations with truly horrendous decision making.

-Inferno

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I am playing with the look and feel of the site. If something looks strange, odds are I am working on it now. Give me a day or so to fix things up a bit.

-Inferno

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Ok, so we lost. You know what? I really don’t care. Well, thats not true, I care, but what I am looking for in the early going are signs of chemistry. And really, we didn’t show much. We played the defending Eastern Conference Champs, who put on an absolute clinic on how to play the trap, and only gave up 2 goals, neither of which I consider “legit” goals. To be shutout looks bad, but I think we saw a lot of positives in this game.

The 1 thing that bothered me in this game, is the sheer amount of times the Rangers tried to break through the trap by going 1 on 4 or 1 on 3, rather than using their teammates or dumping and chasing. Other than that, I really don’t have that many complaints. The 2 goals against were definitely a product of a lack of chemistry, and some questionable work ethic by the first power play unit (i highly doubt that will be a prevailing factor here on out). Oh yeah, Jason Strudwick SUCKS, and should never suit up for the Rangers ever again.

The positives I have already discussed, but in case you missed my in-game entries, I’ll repeat em. Henrik Lundqvist was flat out dominating. The term “scary good” seems, at this point, a ridiculous understatement. Without Henrik, we probably are talking about how Heatley had a 5 goal game. Instead, he was held off the goal sheet. Great goaltending wins big games, and we’ve got one of the best goalies in the league. And the pairing of Girardi and Tyutin were great out there. Really strong away from the puck, assertive with their bodies, and gave the opposition nothing. When they made a poor play, or got beat, the other defenseman immediately picked up the other. They looked really mature and smart out there, and you all know how much I preach playing smart hockey.

Let’s face it folks, three of the worst players on the ice for the Rangers today were Drury, Gomez, and Straka. What are the odds that will happen a whole lot this year?

Dont freak out, we’ll be fine.

UPDATE
As you can probably tell….assuming you’ve been here before, I got bored with the layout and changed things up. Hope you guys like it.

-Inferno

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