New York Rangers

[littleranger]

happy to see Cally break out with a 2G 1A game, its been too long coming...he and the rest of the Rangers have looked really flat to date so its nice to see them generate some energy

He was a great buy-low candidate in inexpierienced leagues. Would be nice if he could beat his totals from last year, even when pro-rated. Pro-rated last year was 65 points. Keep it going Captain!

[littleranger]

Pure speculation but any chance that Lundy might be nursing some soreness from his "equipment malfuncation"? Two stinkers immediately following and the Biron comes in?

Again, pure speculation but am glad I picked up Biron.

Seems reallllllly strange for Biron to get the start. Perhaps we won't see ~70 starts for Lundy this season.

[littleranger]

Some Ranger Updates...

Darren Dreger
Rangers reported offer of 1 year, 1 way contract for Anton Stralman remains on the table. Stralman is still in Sweden.

Sean Avery has cleared re-entry waivers and will join the team. No word on if he will be in the lineup on Thursday.

No practice today so we'll know more on Avery and the lines tomorrow.

[littleranger]

Courtesy Dan Rosen

Projected lineup for Rangers on Thursday

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The Rangers lineup should remain the same for Thursday's game against Anaheim as it was for Monday's win over San Jose. The only difference is that Henrik Lundqvist will likely replace Martin Biron in net.

Here is what the Rangers lines and D-pairings looked like in practice Wednesday:

Brandon Dubinsky - Brad Richards - Ryan Callahan
Wojtek Wolski - Derek Stepan - Marian Gaborik
Ruslan Fedotenko - Brian Boyle - Brandon Prust
Andre Deveaux - Artem Anisimov - Erik Christensen

Sean Avery will be the extra forward Thursday night. It'll be his first visit to Madison Square Garden this season.

Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto - Michael Sauer
Steve Eminger - Jeff Woywitka

The Rangers have only six defensemen on the roster.

[donions]

Maybe it's just me trying to find a silver-lining.
But do you think it could actually be a blessing for Gaborik owners to have him on the 2nd unit? He clearly doesnt have the drive to go against premier #1 dman and produce with any consistency.

The Dubi-Rich-Cally line is built to go head-to-head with opposing teams top units. The thought of Gaborik streaking down the wing against the likes of Lilja and Engelland instead of Pronger and Orpik is pleasant.

Sincerely
-Disappointed Gaborik owner.

[littleranger]

Maybe it's just me trying to find a silver-lining.
But do you think it could actually be a blessing for Gaborik owners to have him on the 2nd unit? He clearly doesnt have the drive to go against premier #1 dman and produce with any consistency.

The Dubi-Rich-Cally line is built to go head-to-head with opposing teams top units. The thought of Gaborik streaking down the wing against the likes of Lilja and Engelland instead of Pronger and Orpik is pleasant.

Sincerely
-Disappointed Gaborik owner.

That's definently a silver-lining. He's only playing some PP time with Richards which hurts but the balanced scoring will make it so teams have to throw out the best D against either Richards line or Gaboriks line...depending which one is hot that night. Its only been a couple games so we'll see if this continues but doesnt it make sense? Spread the scoring.

Tonight I'll keep track to see who the Ducks are throwing out against who.

[littleranger]

Probably the second best game of the year for the Rangers. A very disciplined effort with only 3 minor penalties and one being coincidential. New York took Joe Thornton's words to heart with great use of the body and grinding every shift. Here are a few specific notes on the game...

-Wojtek Wolski left the game in the first after blocking a shot/getting tripped. It turned out to be a groin injury...the same injury he was out with to start the year. With this injury, it will open up a spot for Sean Avery on Saturday...not quite sure where he'll fit in though.
-The Dubinsky-Richards-Callahan line played an excellent game lining up on just about every shift against the Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry line. That line is putting up with some of the best in the league and fighting back tremendously. I can't imagine them being split up anytime soon.
-Gaborik played a phenomenal game with an absolute beauty in the shootout and seven shots on goal. The injury of Wolski jumbled up the lines quite a bit so it was hard to say who he meshed with the best as every shift he was all over. He wasn't afraid to go to the dirty areas tonight and thats what you have to do to keep scoring in this NHL.
-The powerplay tonight was working it around to the best of any teams ability but could not cash in. The addition of Stralman will likely hurt Del Zotto but it looked like he played a pretty good game especially in the offensive zone.
-Callahan had a huge chance on the breakaway while shorthanded but couldn't convert. Like I've said, he will get on the scoring sheet quite a bit this season. I would not be surprised if he hit 65 points but I think 57-60 is more realistic.
-Tortorella always seems to be in love with Eric Christensen. The past two games hes proven why hes an NHL player and isn't just in the lineup for having incriminating photos of the coach. He scored an absolute beauty in the shootout...Forsberg style.
-Seems as though Woywitka will be the odd man out once Stralman arrives. Not sure if hes in North America right now.

[mbudz4]

HUGE win last night. What are we thinking about for the weekend? 4 pts? A big game vs. Habs is much overdue. We thinking Henrik playing both?

[littleranger]

HUGE win last night. What are we thinking about for the weekend? 4 pts? A big game vs. Habs is much overdue. We thinking Henrik playing both?

Just read Henrik is in tonight against the Habs but not quite sure about tomorrow against Winnipeg. They'll likely sit Lundy either tomorrow or Wednesday against Ottawa I would say. Should a be a great one tonight! Welcome Back Avery!

[ericdaoust]

Hey guys, I received the invite to come post some Rangers-specific thoughts about the game last night. I do admit I was distracted at times during the game but I caught enough of it to notice a few things.

I know Rangers' fans are excited to see Sean Avery back, but he looked neutered. I don't know if the trip to the AHL has affected his confidence in the NHL or if the coach influenced his play but he just looked like another player. He played 4:46 and nothing really stood out despite the cameras putting a lot of focus on him. I know most people think that he's most effective when he focuses on hockey but he still needs some of that edge to be at his best. I hope he gets back to normal soon.

The Rangers were 1/8 on the power play but their one goal was incredible in terms of timing. The Habs had a few tough breaks in a row that put the Rangers up 5-on-3. Getting that early goal was key in setting the tone which enabled them to get two more before the first period ended.

Sometimes the save percentage stat can be misleading and last night was a great example. Lundqvist was great especially in terms of timely saves when the team was just up by one. The Habs could have tied it several times and when they didn't hit the post Lundqvist was there to answer the call.

Is everything OK with Gaborik and Richards? They did not play bad and both had a point but neither guy looked like the difference maker that they are billed to be. Guys like Callahan, Dubinsky, Boyle and Prust were far more effective from start to finish.

Dan Girardi played 30 minutes and for a guy that gets so many hits and blocked shots he plays a very efficient game. He looks like a guy who can play his game and not wear down. The way he's playing I'd consider him the team MVP so far given that Marc Staal has been absent.

That's all for now, hope you guys enjoyed the game!

[littleranger]

A solid effort all around for the Rangers to keep the winning streak alive and extend it to four games! Last time they won four in a row was March 12 to 22 last season when they won five straight. Here are some Rangers notes and a big stick-tap to Marty Biron on a 23 save shutout which was his first as a Blueshirt.

-Stepan played a largely offensive role this evening play a bunch of shifts with Marian Gaborik and potting in a powerplay goal along with an assist. He's really reminding me a lot of Chris Drury (non-NYR Drury). Was absolutely a great mentor for him even if the fans didn't care to see his face. Stepan was receiving praise in the pre-game by Torts tonight...glad he earned it.
-Dubinsky continues to struggle offensively. As they said late in the broadcast, he's been doing everything really well aside from scoring goals. Only a matter of time before he gets a garbage goal and the flood gates open. One thing to note, Dubinsky is strictly seeing second-unit powerplay time.
-The plan all along was of course to have Gaborik and Richards as linemates and to be one of the top scoring duos in the league. Well it hasn't worked out as well as hoped while playing 5 on 5, but Richards has been fantastic with Callahan and Dubinsky while being matched up against top lines for other teams. He may not be earning the $6.7M on his silky passes, but hes been playing great in both ends and getting the team the W's by any means necessary.
-Last season Brian Boyle averaged 2.7 shots per game, but this season he is at 16 shots in 13 games. He may not be much of a fantasy factor this year, but he's learning the game and the way he should play his role.
-Marty Biron has allowed John Tortorella to give the starting goaltender night's off that he would not have had in the past. It hurts Lundy's value in terms of wins, but he will likely have a better GAA and SV% to show for it later in the season. Biron has stopped 77 of 80 shots so far this season.
-Del Zotto may have seen his last game for a while on the top powerplay. He's reading the play really well and apparently getting a bunch of mentoring from Brad Richards. Hopefully Anton Stralman can bring this team to the next level in terms of special teams.

[STONE.]

-The plan all along was of course to have Gaborik and Richards as linemates and to be one of the top scoring duos in the league. Well it hasn't worked out as well as hoped while playing 5 on 5, but Richards has been fantastic with Callahan and Dubinsky while being matched up against top lines for other teams. He may not be earning the $6.7M on his silky passes, but hes been playing great in both ends and getting the team the W's by any means necessary

So...this is all well and good for a Rangers fan, but I need some points from B. Richards ASAP. Any concern? Getting chances? Only a matter of time?

[littleranger]

So...this is all well and good for a Rangers fan, but I need some points from B. Richards ASAP. Any concern? Getting chances? Only a matter of time?

Personally, I see him at more of a 70-75 point range. He's being put in quite a few defensive situations (taking draws in own end) and I'm not sure if the components on the PP/linemates are as offensively gifted as last season. If he was playing nightly with Gabs I'd have him at 85+ but he's just not playing with the caliber with Cally/Dubinsky as linemates.

[HockeyHobo]

Guys I picked up Giradi as he seems to be putting up some good points despite playing major minutes.
Is he worth holding onto or just someone to roto in and out when needed (league in sig, no min transactions)

[littleranger]

Guys I picked up Giradi as he seems to be putting up some good points despite playing major minutes.
Is he worth holding onto or just someone to roto in and out when needed (league in sig, no min transactions)

He should be good for around 25-30 assists this year but won't offer much in any other category. He has a decent shot and is really smart when to use it, but more often than not, he'll run the puck deep along the boards instead of on net.