Comin' to you live from the middle of the rainy epicenter of the universe.
Rangers against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It seems fitting that the Rangers are playing the Penguins today after playing two conference rivals in the Flyers and Capitals, and now have yet another huge task in front of them tonight with the best team in the league at the moment. The Rangers shut down every possible hole they had against the Flyers as they won the game by shutting them out 2-0. Henrik Lundqvist was sharp against the best offensive team in the league, and will more than likely get the start once again tonight. Now that the Rangers are home, where they have performed very well so far this season, it's time once again to get back to the work they know how to do against another mammoth competitor tonight.
Fresh off of a game not even 24 hours ago, the Rangers are lacing up once again to play another game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers beat the Capitals to the tune of their best offensive showing of the season, 6-3. Henrik Lundqvist looked sharp in net throughout the game, despite letting in three goals, he made stellar saves throughout the 1st. period that kept the Rangers and Capitals scoreless. Now, they have a bigger challenge in front of them with the Philadelphia Flyers, the team they will be facing in the Winter Classic. And yes, cameras will be rolling tonight for HBO's 24/7 series to capture all that happens on and off the ice to replay to us in uncensored, high-definition glory.
If your reading this instead of Black Friday shopping, well done.
Rangers against the Washington Capitals.
This is the first meeting of these two teams since their heated playoff series that the Capitals won in five games. Since then, the Rangers and Capitals have been pretty even throughout the regular season. The Capitals had their long win-streak at the start of the season, and the Rangers had their seven game win-streak just recently end to the Montreal Canadiens. The Rangers and Capitals sit just two points apart from each other, and like most of the games they played against each other last year, it will now disappoint.
It's been one year, and it hasn't lost its luster.
A year ago, my decisions in my academic life reflected into my personal life. Attending community college, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and was looking for direction, or an outlet for something I could do with my spare time. I thought about what I was good at, and knew I have always been a writing person over a math person (despite my awful use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation on occasion). Along that line, I decided my major for college, and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life was write. So, I chose the Journalism major at my school, and got to work. I knew if I was ever going to make it in the journalism field, I was going to have to get some practice, and since my schedule did not have room for the newspaper at my school, I had to make use of my own time.
Hockey has always been my sport of interest, and one of my favorite places on the web to catch up on all the news on the sport was Yahoo!'s hockey blog "Puck Daddy". Normally written in a large part to editor Greg Wyshynski, it keeps me up to date with everything I need to know, as well as informing me on all of the teams of the NHL as well as some fun factoids (and enough professional wrestling references to stop your heart cold). Puck Daddy became my motivation, and my influence on how I wrote, now all I needed was a forum in which to do that. So, I thought of making my own, and my search brought me to this website you are reading this on right now.
As I sit here in my home watching the Giants and the Eagles thug it out, like they do every time these two teams get together (myself being a Giants fan because I'm not a horrible person), I have found myself thinking, "wow, I wish I could be watching hockey right now". At the time I am writing this, the game is currently 10-3 at halftime, and I am losing all interest. I've stopped watching, not because of the Giants losing, but because it has become a chore at this point. There are a cornucopia of issues I have with this game, and with watching football in general that tip me on my side whenever I watch a game of football. As compared to when I watch a hockey game, the two sports are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum as far as my excitement goes. This is solely my opinion, so don't go getting your panties in a bunch if you don't agree with me.
Now before I go into my tirade, I'd like to point out that I am a multi-sport man. I enjoy all four of the major sports on American television, I could watch a soccer game if it's exciting, I watch UFC, and I've followed the Olympics when the come around. I like all the sports for their own features. Basketball has the drama and the momentum swings that keep me watching the games. Baseball, while being sometimes very difficult to watch because of its longevity, I played baseball as a kid and have a connection to it, especially when it gets down toward the end of a season. Finally, I enjoy football too, because I understand the strategy that goes into the game. I like the excitement of the big plays, and the determination of a team that is down, but not out driving down a field. Competition in general excites me, but nothing like the way the sport of hockey does.
This is the second meeting of these two teams this season, as the Rangers look to extend their six game win streak to a seven game win streak on Long Island. The last time these two teams faced, the Rangers struggled to contain John Tavares as h scored three goals for the hat-trick. Since then, the Islanders haven't been fairing so well, as they are 1-6-3 in their last ten games, their last win coming against the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Rangers have been showing some quality hockey during this win streak, as they have outscored their opponents 23-9. The tandem of Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Biron has been stellar along this stretch, and it is humbling to know that so long as both are healthy, this dynamic duo can get it done any given night. As far as offense goes, many of the forwards for the Rangers, as well as defensemen have been chipping in as of late. Marian Gaborik has 11 points in eight of his last games, and the defense has contributed a total of eight goals so far this season, despite not having Marc Staal.
The Rangers won their sixth game in a row tonight, topping the Hurricanes 5-1 at home. Five different players scored for the Rangers, and a lot of people are contempt right now in New York. People are content with Sean Avery who scored the first goal of the night after being called up five games ago. Brandon Dubinsky is content with scoring his first goal of the season, after struggling earlier on. People are content with Brad Richards, who has proven his worth that has come with his big contract, as he pays dividends with both goals and assists. And most importantly, people are content with John Tortorella who many believed was wrong in changing the layout of the team by sending players down.
There is content, there is consistency, and there is hope. Hope that the building blocks for a powerhouse team are in place. Hope for the Garden Faithful to see a team that has been molded from a young gabble of players make something of themselves. Hope for a bright future to come.
I am happy to see this team finally playing to their potential. This team is good, and they are showing it. But it is a long season. A long season where many bumps and bruises and random catalysts boil down to who can perform at the right time. When those moments come, it all depends on who is more prepared, and the Rangers look prepared. They have a defense who has played without their centerpiece in Marc Staal for the entire season thus far. They have a center, who has, in my opinion, the best awareness on the ice in Brad Richards. It is all clicking, and it makes me smile.
If you pay attention to the hockey world at all, chances are you've hear of 'trap defense'. It is primarily when one team sticks back in their own zone and sets up in an fortified defensive position, while at the same time, not pressuring the puck, as the defending team waits for the offensive team to make the first move. Originally set up by the Crypt Keeper Jacques Lemaire with the New Jersey Devils. At the time, it was deemed as the tactic that "killed hockey" and many called for a change to the rules as it was a painstakingly boring process as the Devils would win a good majority of their games to the score of 1-0.
With Jacques Lemaire back in his mausoleum tending to his fellow skeleton buddies, the trap has been fairly done away with, up until the puck dropped in Tampa Bay last night. The Lightning and Flyers squared up to face each other last night, and the initial jump was not what was expected. Thirty seconds into the game, the Lightning got secured into their positions in head coach Guy Bouchers 1-3-1 defensive strategy (a newer version of the trap where the defending team sets up one player on each blue line, and three players along the center ice line) and went about their normal routine of defense. Except the Flyers found a loophole in this strategy, they found out that if they just hold onto the puck, no one on the Lightning is going to come and get it. Brayden Coburn literally sat in his defensive end, with the puck, not moving, for an entire 30-seconds until the referee realized that if they don't do something soon, Tampa Bay fans were going to riot like true hockey fans are ones to do (cept I think Tampa, 'riot' is just a big group taking a trip to the beach). So the refs blew the whistle and set up for another face off.
This was not the only time that the Flyers pulled this strategy, for they did it multiple times throughout the period. And, of course, people are fired up at Guy Boucher! They want him penalized for making the game boring! There have already been many different ideas tossed up like enforcing a minor penalty, or even something a ridiculous as a shot clock. I've found a much more useful way to keep teams from doing this, without taking away the defense altogether.
The Rangers meet the Jets again for the second time in two weeks, this time on MSG ice. The Rangers capped off a "scratch and claw" game yesterday against the Montreal Canadiens to the score of 5-3. Dan Girardi, Brad Richards, Michael Del Zotto, Ryan Callahan, and Erik Christensen all chipped in for the Rangers on their goals as the scoring for the Blueshirts is spreading onto all fronts and line.
The last time the Rangers played the Jets, Martin Biron was in net, and he lead the Rangers making 27 saves. Along with that, both the Rangers goals by Ruslan Fedotenko and Ryan Callahan wee scored on the powerplay. That is another good sign for the Rangers: their powerplay is clicking. That can be attributed to the addition of Brad Richards, who is undoubtedly in my mind, the smartest mind on the ice for the Rangers. His passing is smooth, and he has been able to chip in for the Rangers at times when it is needed.
The Jets are also gaining ground after a lame start to their season. They have not been completely left behind in the standings yet, but they failed to pull two points from New Jersey yesterday as they lost in overtime. Former Ranger Nik Antropov has done well for his team, as he leads the Jets with three goals and eight assists as the Jets look to do some consistent winning in this league.
First off, I'd like to exclaim my excitement for this game because it is going to be my first Rangers game I attend this season! I am excited to see the new Garden, Richards, and the game! It's going to be SWEET!
Now that I've composed myself, onto predicting the game. The Rangers managed to pull a win away from the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout. Marian Gaborik, who is not an avid shootout ace, tucked it past Jonas Hiller after juking him out of position , leaving it to Henrik Lundqvist to stone Bobby Ryan to seal the two points for the Rangers, keeping them up in the standings. The Rangers have been finding their scoring touch as of recently, after having five goals from four different players against the Sharks earlier this week, and having defenseman Jeff Woywitka get the lone goal for the Rangers against the Ducks. Everyone seems to be gaining that cohesiveness that the Rangers showed last season, and they're doing it at the right time, too. The standings are doing a ton of shuffling every night, and in order to not be left behind, the Rangers need these points. After giving Lundqvist some time off, he only allowed one goal in his game against the Ducks (not counting Selanne's shootout goal). Letting Martin Biron take the net for two games will prove to be a good move for Lundqvist's sake because now he has had time to center himself, and will be at a higher peak of performance tonight because of it.
When life gives you razor-blades, you make a baseball bat, covered in razor-blades.
Rangers against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Rangers and Ducks are meeting tonight on home soil, after versing each other in Sweden earlier in October, with the Ducks took that game 2-1 in a shootout. The Rangers have shuffled up this team a bit after blowing a 3 goal lead against Ottawa. Kris Newbery and Tim Erixon were sent down to the Connecticut Whale, and the Rangers brought up Andre Deveaux and fan-favorite Sean Avery. Unfortunately, Avery will not be in the lineup tonight, but the Rangers are feeling better after that loss. The Rangers responded to the loss against Ottawa by beating the San Jose Sharks 5-2 on Tuesday. Captain Ryan Callahan scored twice, and Artem Anisimov and Derek Stepan both scored their first goals of the year. It appears that the loss against Ottawa has resonated more inside the locker room than one would have thought, and has woken up the secondary scoring a bit. That has been what the Ranger have lacked in the first two games: secondary scoring. Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards have done their part in contributing, and now the 2nd and 3rd line guys are beginning to get into the swing of things. If all goes well tonight again for the Rangers, this shuffling of the team could prove to be a benefit.
It seems fitting that the Rangers are playing the Penguins today after playing two conference rivals in the Flyers and Capitals, and now have yet another huge task in front of them tonight with the best team in the league at the moment. The Rangers shut down every possible hole they had against the Flyers as they won the game by shutting them out 2-0. Henrik Lundqvist was sharp against the best offensive team in the league, and will more than likely get the start once again tonight. Now that the Rangers are home, where they have performed very well so far this season, it's time once again to get back to the work they know how to do against another mammoth competitor tonight.
