11/3/11 Rangers vs. Anaheim Ducks

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.

3/9/11 Rangers vs. Ducks

Stayin' up late tonight.

Rangers against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Rangers got the best of fortune last night when most of the teams they needed to be defeated were. Now, they have a chance to really pull away from the pack. Coming off a 7-0 bludgeoning of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Rangers are looking prime for the playoffs, which the WILL make. Ryan Callahan had four goals in that game, and Mats Zuccarello had two. The Rangers have become aware of the urgency of their playoff situation and turned on the jets when needed most last game. Not to mention, it seems the cohesiveness that made this team so dangerous before half the lineup went down due to injuries has returned. Nearly everyone in the lineup is looking healthy and working as hard as they can.

The Ducks are dead even with the Rangers in most categories. However, they have had some goaltending issues as of late. In order to solve those problems, the Ducks have called up Ray Emery from the AHL, who will more than likely be in-between the pipes tonight. Along with that, they have had some good scorers come from everywhere on the ice. Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, and Teemu Selanne have all eclipsed 20 goals so far this season.

My Diagnosis


The Rangers are going to have to play very tightly on defense. With veteran Bryan McCabe now in the lineup, that shouldn't be such a daunting task to this young defensive core. Along with that, the Rangers are going to need scoring from Marian Gaborik tonight in order to come out on top. The Ducks have a lot of firepower, so the only option for the Rangers is to fight fire with a lot more fire.

My Predictions


Rangers win 3-1

Ryan Getzlaf will get the opening goal for the Ducks early in the 1st period.
Derek Stepan will tie the game up late in the 1st.
Marian Gaborik will pick up a goal as well coming in the 2nd period.
And finally, Bryan McCabe will get his first goal as a Ranger late in the 3rd.

Enjoy the game!