1/31/12 Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils

Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face.

Ranges against the New Jersey Devils.

The Rangers are coming back into action tonight on a high note. After winning an important two games in a row against the Bruins and Jets, and a stellar performance by Marian Gaborik and Carl Hagelin at the All Star game, they look to extend their streak against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center tonight. The Rangers are still playing cohesive hockey, despite a few missing pieces still on the shelf on defense, with Michael Sauer still out with a concussion, and Steve Eminger out with a shoulder injury. Luckily, other players have been able to step up to fill the void. One of the big stories coming out of tonight's game is that Henrik Lundqvist will not be starting tonight, and backup Martin Biron will get the go. This willmark the end of a 32 consecutive start streak against the Devils by Lundqvist. Lundqvist, who also took part in the All Star game, stated his understanding of getting a break tonight, as coach John Tortorella wanted him to get at least two practices under his belt before he made another start. Biron, who has a 9-2-0 record over the course of this season and has played among the other Atlantic division teams like the Islanders and Flyers, knows the Devils well, and is a very competent backup that will try to help the Rangers add to their win streak tonigh.

Why Rangers Fans Should Stop Comparing This Years Team to the 1994 Rangers

Going into this years All-Star break, the Rangers sit atop the Eastern Conference with 66 points, they are 2nd overall in the league only behind the Detroit Red Wings by one point, and they have already recorded over thirty wins, being one of only four teams to do such a feat so far this season. The Rangers are doing pretty well for themselves so far.

It is undeniable that there is a surge of giddiness pulsing through the New York Rangers fanbase with the recent success of the team. Fans are looking at statistics and comparisons from the magical year of 1994 when the Rangers won it all. That magical team from 1994 lifted the fanbase from 54 years of drudgery and gave them a reason to be proud of their hockey team once again. Now, it is 2012, a new team has been ushered in and is performing at the level that the team from 1994 played at. But this is nowhere near the same team that won the Cup in 1994.

1/24/11 Rangers vs. Winnipeg Jets

Arguing with thermometers.

Rangers against the Winnipeg Jets.

The final game before the All-Star break comes home as the Rangers take on the new Winnipeg Jets for the third time this season. The Rangers have taken the first two of the four meeting this season, both coming off excellent performances by backup goaltender Martin Biron, who has only let in one goal against the Jets all season. Tonight though, Henrik Lundqvist will venture between the pipes with Biron sitting due to the flu. The Rangers are coming off of a huge overtime win against the Boston Bruins where the Rangers vaulted ahead of the second place team to claim the top spot in the Eastern conference standings. Marian Gaborik edged out the game-winning goal in overtime to win the game. Tonight, the Rangers look to leave a good impression at the half-way mark of the season before their long break. The key to the Rangers having success against the Jets this season has been their defense. They have not given the Jets any opportunity to get anything going in the past two games, and that is why Biron has been able to hold them to one goal. A new hit on the injury front is the Ryan McDonagh, who received a board from Andrew Ference in the late part of overtime against the Bruins, is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. That leaves him, Michael Sauer, Jeff Woywitka, and Steve Eminger all out for the Rangers on defense.

Rangers Recap vs. Boston Bruins 1/21/11

In what was probably the best game I've seen all season, the Rangers managed to pull off a big victory in Boston in overtime coming off Marian Gaboriks stick, on a powerplay no less!

The Rangers were deadlocked with the Bruins the entire game it seemed. Every time the Rangers scored, the Bruins seemed to come right back and answer to tie the game up. Eventually, the game when into overtime, and was decided on a mad scramble in front of Tuukka Rask when Marian Gaborik lifted it over him on a third attempt after Rack made two humongous saves, but could not collect himself in time for the third shot.

1/17/12 Rangers vs. Nashville Predators

Never drink the milk from a coconut you found in the dark.

Rangers against the Nashville Predators.

The one and only meeting between these two teams this seasons is gearing up to be quite the interesting bout. The Rangers are coming off of a hard loss to the Montreal Canadiens after a back-to-back series with them and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Coach John Tortorella blamed the lack of structure defensively, which has not been a problem for most of the year. The Rangers have done a good job limiting, and shutting down opposing forces this year, but it appeared the Canadiens were a bit more hyped, and just found a way to squeeze through the cracks. For injuries, Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko are both questionable for tonight's game, with Feds having back spasms and Dubiwith a sore left shoulder, and on defense, Jeff Woywitka, Steve Eminger, and Michael Sauer are all sitting as well. The Rangers have managed to fair quite well despite some blaring injuries early on in the season, and it isn't a doubt they can overcome said injuries once again tonight. Players like John Mitchel, Carl Hagelin, and backup goalie Martin Biron have managed to carry some of the extra weight they need to when it's been crunch time. The Rangers are always dangerous, and the Predators are going to see that tonight.

1/15/11 Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens

867-5309.

Rangers against the Montreal Canadiens.

This is the third meeting between these two teams this season, both splitting a win. The Rangers are coming off of a decisive 3-0 win over the other Canadian Original-Six team in the Maple Leafs where Marty Biron stoned the Leafs shooters for his second shutout and ninth win of the season. The Rangers set the tempo early on with a plethora of hits going every which way on the Leafs to set up the tempo they wanted to play at. That shut down the Phil Kessel and Joffery Lupul line, and allowed the Rangers to skate to a win. Another key factor the Rangers got the win by was secondary scoring. Winter Classic hero Mike Rupp and Brian Boyle, two very infrequent scorers, chipped in last night for the first and second goal to lift the Rangers out of a scoring slump they've been in for the past few games. When the Rangers played the Senators and got shut out 3-0, they did not get either of those two things. They barely hit, and could not get anything going from their forwards. But after a few words for coach John Tortorella, they seem to have shook back into their groove.

1/12/12 Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators

There can only be one.

Rangers against the Ottawa Senators.

This is the third meeting between these two teams this season, with one more game to go. The Rangershave taken one of the games against the Sens 3-2, while the Sens pulled of a comeback and won the first meeting 5-4 in the shootout. The Rangers are in the midst of a five game win-streak, despite a bit of a lack of offense as of late. The Rangers only scored one goal against the Coyotes a few days ago, and are looking to get back on that horse that has propelled them to many wins this season. Luckily for them, the goaltending and defense have been stellar to keep the games winnable. Henrik Lundqvist already has 19 wins this season, and it is only the half-way mark. Plus, Marty Biron has been able to step in and relieve the King when he needs a day of rest. In all, the Rangers have been playing like a team, and not like a bunch of individuals, which is the reason they've been winning their last few games.

The Senators have rebounded from a slow start, and have gone 7-1-2 in their last 10. Like the team that came back on the Rangers early on in the season, they are dangerous as always, and need to be accounted for every time they get a chance.

The Diagnosis


There is a possibility of Brandon Dubinsky sitting out tonight, after taking a rough hit during the Phoenix game. Luckily, the x-rays came back negative, but I believe he will be taking a night off just to rest up. The Rangers have performed well against the Sens this season so far, with Marian Gaborik having three goals against them and Brad Richards with two. But the Sens are dangerous, and tonight, I think the Rangers might have their hands full.

The Prediction


Senators win 3-1

Daniel Alfredsson will score the initial goal for the Senators early in the 1st.
Ryan Callahan will score the lone goal for the Rangers also in the 1st.
Milan Michalek will give the Sens the lead in the 2nd.
And finally, Nick Foligno will ice the game with an empty net goal.

Enjoy the game!

1/10/12 Rangers vs. Phoenix Coyotes

You break my record, now I break you, like I break your friend.

Rangers against the Phoenix Coyotes.

This is the second and final meeting between these two teams this season. The first meeting between these two teams ended literally at the last second of regulation when Brad Richards managed to sneak a puck past Mike Smith with less than a tenth of a second left on the clock to win the game 3-2. The Rangers are in the midst of a four game win streak, and look to continue their fortunes at home tonight against the Coyotes. When faced with adversity, the team has come up big in other departments to win the game. Henrik Lundqvist has stepped up tremendously in the games where goals were not coming so easily for the Rangers to keep the game close, which have mostly lead to wins. Lundqvist has won his last six starts, and usually there are no more than two goals scored by a team. As far as offense goes, Brad Richards has awoken from a drought of points to put up some good goals that have helped the team out. Along with him is Brandon Dubinsky, who has found it harder to score after having it be a regular occurrence just a season ago. He has revived his offensive touch and over the last few games has managed to chip in for a goal that has helped lift the team. The Rangers are gelling right now, and everyone is picking up their slack when it is most needed.

The Rangers/Flyers Geno's Steaks Brawl: An Eye-Witness's Testimony

For those who have not heard, there is a rivalry between the Rangers and Flyers that got world-wide attention on January 2nd when the Winter Classic took place in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. Afterwards, a brawl on 9th St. right in front of Geno's Steaks was caught on film where five Flyers fans and two Rangers fans were caught in a brawl, one of which was an off-duty cop and war veteran, Neal Auricchio. This story has gotten huge media attention lately, but the Clinic has a eye-witness testimony from someone who was actually there. Two friends of mine who were at the Winter Classic, and saw the brawl happen right in front of them have been kind enough to offer up their story to me as first-person witnesses, but wish to keep their identity's anonymous.

"We went out to Geno's after the game. Two Rangers fans got on line for cheese steaks behind us, and this bum cam up to us and started talking to us about whatever, but none of us gave him money. Five minutes later, the bum came back and sprayed the back of the other two Rangers fans with Windex, and there were five Flyers fans across the street laughing. Those two Rangers fans and the five Flyers fans got into a war of words, but calm stuff like "first place" and typical hockey banter, while the Flyers fans were using obscenities and threats, and were pretty much looking for a fight".

Why The Fining of John Tortorella For His Comments About The Refereeing in the Winter Classic Is Malarkey

Over 40,000 people trekked to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia to watch the Winter Classic on January 2nd, and over a million people tuned in on television to watch the game. A lot of people who tuned in also got to witness some questionable calls by the referees in the dying seconds of the 3rd period that to a vast majority of the audience, seemed to be favoring getting the game into overtime.

In the dying seconds, the Philadelphia Flyers pulled goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for an extra attacker. During the skirmish in the Rangers' zone, Ryan Callahan cleared the puck, and headed to shoot it into the empty net, when he was hooked up by Kimmo Timonen heading for the puck. In the midst of said hook, Callahan briefly took his hand off of his stick to nudge the stick out of the way, without gripping it at all, to protect his face. The referees called coincidental minor penalties on both Timonen for hooking, and Callahan for grabbing the stick. During the 4-on-4, the Flyers pulled their goaltender again to get an extra attacker on the ice, nearly got the puck in, but Ryan McDonagh dove into the crease, and used his hands to dig the puck out which lead to a penalty shot by Danny Briere, that Henrik Lundqvist stopped and the Rangers held onto the lead to a victory. During this entire drama, I was damn near ready to pull my hair out because of the lopsidedness of the calls. I was thinking that the refs were doing it on purpose to favor the home town crowd or the NHL higher-ups to send the game into overtime for higher ratings or some other wild fantasy that ran through my mind. I too questioned the integrity of the calls made on the ice in that final minute, along with everyone else I watched the game with, and at the end of it all, coach John Tortorella made a statement about how he thought that the officiating in the 3rd period was "disgusting," and that maybe the NHL and NBC got together to get the game to overtime.

1/2/12 Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers... in the 2012 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic.

This game has had a wave of months of anticipation leading up to it, and now, the day is finally here. Once the rumors during the summer started circulating that these were going to be the two teams playing in this years installment of the Winter Classic, Rangers and Flyers fans have been giddy ever since. The addition of the second installment of the 24/7 series helped ignite the excitement even more, as fans got to go behind the scenes and got to see what it was like in a day-in-the-life of an NHLer in the middle of this rivalry between these two teams. Parties have been planned, jerseys have been bought, and the teams are ready to go.