Dear Fellow Rangers Fans: An Open Letter Regarding the Loss to Ottawa

Today we witnessed a very heartbreaking game where the Rangers blew a 4-1 lead to the Ottawa Senators. It sucks, I know. I'm just as upset as the rest of you.

Yes, they blew this game big time. You want to know what's not going to make this loss suck any less? Calling for the firing and beheading of the coach.

By doing that, you are being what I like to refer to as "hockey stupid". So yes, that would mean a LOT of you are being really, REALLY hockey stupid right now. 

I've been around the Rangers long enough to realize that these kind of losses are going to rear their ugly heads now and again. Can anyone remember the 4-0 comeback run from the Thrashers two season ago? I sure do. I was really pissed after that game. I was calling for Tom Renney's head just like many of you are calling for Tortorellas head right now. That game meant so much to me, it sparked a personal protest of mine, where I stopped watching games for an extended period of time, and would not repeal until Glen Sather was fired.

Eventually, Tom Renney was released, but Glen Sather still remained. You want to know where the firing of Tom Renney got the Rangers? Nowhere, they still missed the playoffs in the shootout to the Flyers.

10/27/11 Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Haters can't see me, nosebleed seats.

Rangers against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Rangers are finally making there home debut in the new and improved Madison Square Garden. Everyone is abuzz with want to know how the new Garden looks from the inside, along with the new player accommodations like the locker rooms and spas among other things. But tonight is just another night where the Rangers need to lay it on the line in order to get some points so they can gain some ground in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers capped off their Canadian road trip with a 3-1 record beating the Flames, Canucks, and Jets. The Rangers managed to pull out these wins all without two key defensemen in Michael Sauer and Marc Staal. However, on the brighter side of things, Michael Sauer will be making his return to the lineup tonight, so that'll alleviate some pressure on defense.

10/24/11 Rangers vs. Winnipeg Jets

For the first time in 15 years, "Rangers vs. Jets" is a relevant statement.

So I'll just say it again for continuity's sake: Rangers against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Rangers are making their return to Winnipeg tonight, and it's a completely different picture than it was 15 years ago. New stadium, new jerseys, and a much more revved up fanbase. It's a whole new ballgame up in Winnipeg. The ex-Thrashers managed to beat the Rangers in 3-out-of-4 meetings last season, and much of their players have stayed put, so Rangers fans can expect the same level of competitiveness that they saw in Atlanta.

The Rangers failed to get anything going two days ago against Edmonton as they were shut out 3-0. On top of that Henrik Lundqvist left in the middle of the 3rd period due to discomfort in his foot. He is fine, but the Rangers are giving Martin Biron his first start of the season to let Lundqvist rest.

The Diagnosis


If todays post seems short, it is. I have a bit of homework to do and I want to fulfill my obligation to my readers first. I think the Rangers can certainly pull out a win tonight in Winnipeg. Unlike the Oilers, the Jets haven't retooled at all, and therefore are still vulnerable. I think the Rangers will walk out of Winnipeg with a proud win tonight.

The Diagnosis


Rangers win 4-1

Brad Richards will get the first goal early in the 1st period.
Brian Boyle will scored the second also in the 1st.
Alexander Burmistrov will get the lone goal for the Jets late in the 1st.
Marian Gaborik will get the third Rangers goal half way through the 2nd period.
And finally, Ryan Callahan will get a goal coming late in the 3rd to seal a victory.

Enjoy the game!

10/22/11 Rangers vs. Edmonton Oilers

So... you think your untouchable...

Rangers against the Edmonton Oilers.

That Rangers managed to pull two points out of their game against the Calgary Flames last Thursday as Ryan McDonagh snapped home a rebound off a Dan Girardi shot to win the game with 1.5 seconds left on the OT clock. McDonagh, who has stepped up leaps and bounds in the absence of top-defenseman Marc Staal, has two goals, and two assists is the past three games, as the Rangers continue to play their game that they are being given every chance to play. That all comes down to the stellar play of Henrik Lundqvist, who has been standing on his head to stop pucks these past two games, and now the Rangers meet the Oilers as they try to knock off another Canadian team.

10/20/11 Rangers vs. Flames

X-men, welcome to die.

Rangers against the Calgary Flames.

The Rangers managed a very improbable win this Tuesday on their tour-de-Canada, by shutting out the Vancouver Canucks 4-0. Goals were scored by Mike Rupp, Marian Gaborik, Ryan McDonagh, and Brian Boyle, as the secondary scoring for the Rangers finally kicked in to put the Rangers over the hump and out of the reach of Vancouver. But the main story of that game was Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped everything that came his way. The Canucks out-shot the Rangers 40-19, yet Lundqvist didn't allow any to get by him. It was probably the best showcase of skill by Henrik Lundqvist in recent memory, and one can only home he continues to be this perfect.

10/18/11 Rangers vs. Vancouver Canucks

I'm back on the horse.

Rangers against the Vancouver Canucks.

First off, I would like to apologize for my lack of posts the past two games. I work now, and I am rather busy and don't have time to write the posts on weekends. I will begin doing a "Weekend Roundup" Every week to go over the games I'll have to miss because of my job. But during the week, I'll be on my game doing every single game that comes up.

Now, onto the game. The Rangers are off to a very rocky start. Despite having two points, they have yet to win this year. They are currently 0-1-2, and need a jump in order to gain some ground out of the starting gate this year. The Rangers have only managed 5 goals in their first 3 games, and are depleted on defense with Michael Sauer and Marc Staal sitting with injuries. It's quite a bit of turmoil to start the season with, but keep in mind that the Rangers lost Marian Gaborik on the third game of the season last year, and managed to bond together to string together some wins. That is not out of the question that that can happen here and now. With a new offensive weapon in Brad Richards, the Rangers can finally get some good setups for Gaborik, and will be able to convert more. What they need right now is secondary scoring. Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Artem Anisimov have yet to score this year, and in order for the Rangers to succeed, they will need them to chip in occasionally to get the Rangers over this hump.

The Canucks are, well, the Canucks. They're a great team. They are currently 2-2-1, and are off to a fairly decent start. With reports coming in that Ryan Kesler will be making his return tonight, that only makes the Canucks that much better. They are a solid team, but that does not mean they are unbeatable. The Presidents Trophy winning team a year ago, the Canucks and Rangers faced on January 23rd last season (a game I proudly attended) and the Rangers shut out the best team in the NHL to the score of 1-0. It will be harder this time around, but I do believe that the Rangers have what it takes in order to make that come true.

The Diagnosis


Despite my optimism, I believe it's going to be too much of a task asking the Rangers to take on this powerhouse of a team at this stage. They are too depleted by injuries, are fatigued from travel, and just don't seem to be on the same page play-wise. I see the Canucks taking this game tonight.

The Prediction


Canucks win 3-1

Brad Richards will have the first goal of the game early on in the 1st.
Henrik Sedin will get the first goal for the Canucks half way through the 1st.
Daniel Sedin will score the second for the Canucks.
And the empty netter will be scored by Kevin Bieksa.

Enjoy the game!

10/7/11 Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings

And here... we... go... (oh hi, Puck Daddy...)

The first game of the Rangers season kicks off in beautiful Stockholm, Sweden in their only match-up this year against the Los Angeles Kings.

First and foremost, on behalf of ever Rangers fan I'd like to say FINALLY! HOCKEY'S BACK YEAH!

Now, for those of you that haven't been paying attention, there are some new additions you'll see today, as the Rangers will debut some newcomers, along with some new veterans. Tim Erixon will be lacing up, along with new enforcer Mike Rupp, and oh yeah, Brad Richards on the first line with Marian Gaborik. The Rangers however, will be down a few players. Gone are Matt Gilroy, Vinny Prospal, Chris Drury, and Bryan McCabe. Along with those losses, Marc Staal will be sitting this game with post-concussion symptoms. Knowing how serious those are, we here at the Clinic wish Marc a speedy and safe recovery. However, aside from those, no major updates have been made. It has also been reported that Brandon Dubinsky will be pairing up with Richards and Gaborik on the first line. Not sure how that will work out, but we will see today.

Sean Avery Reportedly Headed for Waivers

Upset, and frustration came to many Rangers fans faces today as they learned fan favorite super-pest, Sean Avery, is reportedly going to be put on waivers.

The first reports came from Twitter, which were met with much scrutiny from fans, and for a plethora of reasons. Most fans were upset to find Erik Christensen was going to get a shot over Avery. Christensen has become sort of a Redden-esque scapegoat here in New York, after speaking his mind on what he believed was an Avery sucker-punch in a game against the Oilers last season. This decision of Christensen over Avery drew the ire of many fans because they believed that Avery put in more work than Christensen did, and that another factor was because of coach John Tortorellas opinion of Averys play. Tortorella did not keep it a secret that he thought Avery was a distraction to the team, and many fans believe that that opinion was what fueled this decision.

As stated before, this drew mixed emotions from fans. Some were happy to see the pest gone (needless to say, that majority wasn't Rangers fans), and some were truly upset because they loved Averys antics (me included).