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.



As for the Coyotes, their fortune is a bit grayer than the Rangers'. The team that has made a huge impact in the standings the last two seasons is now currently sitting outside the playoff bubble of the Western Conference, struggling for consistency. A bit of good news from their team though, Shane Doan, after 17 years in the NHL finally got his first career hat-trick against the New York Islanders. Who knows, maybe such a feat is what the Coyotes need in order to shake up their struggling performance.

The Diagnosis


The Rangers have won nine of their last ten games, while Phoenix is 4-4-2. While the talent of the Coyotes tends to fly under the radar, I don't feel they are prepared enough to take on the task they have in front of them tonight.

The Prediction


Rangers win 4-2

Brad Richards will get the initial goal for the Rangers in the 1st.
Ryan Callahan will score the second of the Rangers also in the 1st.
Keith Yandle will get the first Phoenix goal late in the 1st.
Brandon Prust will get the Rangers third goal half way through the 2nd.
Daymond Langkow will get the final goal for the Coyotes early in the 3rd.
And finally, Derek Stepan will get the empty netter to seal a victory for the Rangers.

Enjoy the game!