3/7/11 Rangers vs. Thrashers

One ring to rule them all.

Rangers against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Game #81 of the 2010-2011 season. The Rangers have battled valiantly in the final weeks of this season, most recently pulling off a stunning comeback after being down 3-0 to win 5-3 against the Boston Bruins for a very important two points to keep them in front of the ever persistent Carolina Hurricanes. However, their victory over the Bruins came with a very major loss as Ryan Callahan went down with a fractured leg after blocking a slap shot from Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. However, the loss of such a major cog in this team hasn't wavered the Rangers' confidence. Derek Stepan told reporters after finding out Callahan was injured,


"Guys sacrifice their body and we haven't missed a beat. These guys go out, guys get injured, they're buying into the system. It's just the way we've played. Guys that are hurt, I've got a lot of respect for them. They're doing it the right way. It's been hard, but we've found a way to continue to play."


Even after learning that Callahan may not return this season, coach John Tortorella has implicated the mood of "keep moving forward" to the rest of the team. The Rangers have managed to right the ship when many of their key players went down to injury all season, so there is no doubt that it's possible for them to do it again.

The Thrashers have already been eliminated from the playoffs, but like every team that is, that will not mean that they will just roll over and let the Rangers have this game. A team that is already eliminated is more dangerous than any team thats already clinched, just ask Detroit last night (jerks...). Blake Wheeler has been stepping up for the Thrashers as of late. since getting traded from Boston, Wheeler has seven goals and eight assists. The Thrashers, however, are dealing with injury issues of their own. Tobias Enstrom and Radek Dvorak are both day-to-day with upper-body injuries.

My Diagnosis


First, I'm not going to predict this game because it's way too scary to think about the Rangers losing. the key players for the Rangers tonight are going to have to be Marian Gaborik and Marc Staal/Dan Girardi. Gaborik has yet to score this season against the Thrashers, and with Callahan gone, Gaborik really needs to turn on his jets in order to keep the Rangers ahead of the Hurricanes. Along with him, Girardi and Staal need to get gritty on defense, like they have been all year, and stop the pucks from ever getting into the Rangers zone. Henrik Lundqvist is making his 25th consecutive start for the Rangers, and only he knows how fatigued he is. Also, players like Evander Kane NEED to be shut down all night in order for a win to happen. the the Rangers can execute this game this way, they have a very good chance of winning this game and moving one game closer to the playoffs.

Enjoy the game!