Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Lightning 2/14

Rangers 5, Lightning 2

• This game had an entirely different feel than the last time the Bolts were in town, when the Rangers dominated for 60 minutes and won 8-2.  In this one, the first period may have been the most boring period of hockey I’ve seen all season.  10 minutes into the game (if I’m remembering correctly), shots were 3-2 in favor of Tampa.  Both teams looked like they were still hitting the snooze button, and the Lightning managed to put 2 pucks past Lundqvist for a 2-0 lead.
• The second period was entirely different, as the Rangers woke up and dominated play for most of the frame.  In particular, the first line of Vinny Prospal, Erik Christensen, and Ryan Callahan was buzzing.
• Christensen, the game’s 1^st star, finished with 2 goals (and nearly a 3^rd as he rang one off the post) on 2 shots, an assist, and a +3 rating.
• Prospal, the game’s 3^rd star, finished with a goal and an assist, as well as a +3 rating.
• Callahan, though he didn’t factor onto the scoresheet, was able to use his body and awareness to create space and energy for his linemates.
• Marc Staal was also +3 and got the primary assist on Prospal’s tally by kicking the puck out of a scramble in front of Mike Smith and right onto Prospal’s stick.
• Sean Avery made the most of his penalty shot opportunity, getting Smith to go down before going all the way to his left and roofing it for the Rangers’ first tally.
• Chris Drury used his instincts to intercept an outlet pass and fire the puck into the empty net to cap off the scoring.
• Corey Potter looked much better today than he did against the Predators on Wednesday night.  He played over 15 minutes and didn’t look out of place, even getting physically involved.
• Although Jody Shelley--wearing #45--only played 2:51 in his Rangers debut, you have to like what you saw from him in making sure Zenon Konopka knew it was not ok that he hit Lundqvist’s glove after the whistle.
• There have been a lot of rumors out there surrounding Brandon Dubinsky and the possibility of a trade, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him go for a decent return.  Today, as is often the case, Dubinsky tried making one too many moves or held the puck one second too long throughout the game.
• Michal Rozsival played another very good game, and kept Marty St. Louis off the board by using his body against the small winger.
• Dan Girardi and Staal play so well together, especially on the penalty kill.  They just seem to know where each other are and they do a good job of helping each other clear the puck.

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Devils 2/6

Rangers 3, Devils 1

• Three Stars: #3 Marian Gaborik (1g), #2 Ryan Callahan (gwg, 1a), #1 Henrik Lundqvist (41 svs)
• Henrik Lundqvist played his best game of the season tonight.  His rebound control was excellent, and his glove hand was even better.  He had at least 4 or 5 memorable glove saves in this game, including one where he committed highway robbery on Mike Mottau in the third period.
• What is there not to like about Ryan Callahan??  Here's the line on him tonight...gorgeous pass to Gaborik that resulted in the game's first goal (on the power play), hard work to create a turnover by Kovalchuk in the offensive zone and fire the puck past Brodeur, 5 shots, 4 hits, 2 blocked shots, 22:22 of ice time (team-leading 4:32 shorthanded).
• Jokinen seems to be starting to click with Dubinsky and Callahan.  There was one point in the third period where they spent 20 to 30 seconds just cycling the puck int he Devils end and created a few chances.
• Marian Gaborik scored his 13th power play goal of the season.  He's now tied for the league lead in that category with Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay, 4th in total goals, and 6th in points.
• The much maligned Rangers defense corps played an outstanding game tonight, save for a few minutes in the third period.  Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Michal Rozsival were especially steady and deserve a lot of credit for shutting down Kovalchuk and Parise.  Girardi in particular was all over Kovalchuk all night, and tackled Parise to keep him away from his netminder during the dwindling minutes of the game.
• Michael Del Zotto didn't get an assist on Callahan's eventual game-winner, but he certainly deserved one.  After an absolutely horrible pinch earlier in the game, he pinched effectively to keep the puck deep in the Devils' end, then got it to Callahan behind the net.
• Great job by Sean Avery to get under Kovalchuk's skin with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game and take him off the ice for the remainder of the game.
• Something random that I noticed during the game...the guys who clean the ice during TV timeouts were wearing Callahan, Drury, Gaborik, and Lundvist national team t-shirts instead of their normal warmups tonight.  Each of the 3 forwards scored and Lundvist played out of his mind.  Maybe they should keep wearing those t-shirts...
• You have to love the toughness that Brandon Prust brings to this team.  He was widely touted as a throw-in with Jokinen in the trade, but he's doing his share of the contributing too.  His 2 fights against a much larger Andrew Peters tonight showed just how tough he is, and he added his first point as a Ranger tonight with an assist on Drury's goal.

Postgame Reactions - Rangers at Kings 2/2

Kings 2, Rangers 1

• 5 forwards for a 5-on-4 advantage backfired pretty mightily.  I have a feeling Torts won't be trying that again soon, but Chris Drury HAS TO back check harder.  He glided in as Kopitar skated in and beat Lundqvist and it sure looked like he would've caught Kopitar if he had back checked harder.
• Henrik Lundqvist had a stellar game in his return from the flu.  He was seeing the puck well, putting rebounds in the corners, and was beaten on 2 shots that were essentially partial breakaways.
• Marc Staal had a very strong game, but got caught up ice on Ryan Smyth's eventual game-winner and was a step behind the play.
• I liked what I saw from Olli Jokinen in his Rangers debut.  He's a much better skater than I thought and I think with a few practices he can blend in well.
• I also liked the little I got to see from Brandon Prust.  He even almost scored in the third period.  I'm quite unclear as to what he did to earn himself 17 minutes in penalties for a fight as opposed to the customary 5.
• Marian Gaborik scored 4 of the Rangers' 5 goals on the 3-game road trip.  Not to sound redundant, but others are going to have to chip in if this team wants to win with any degree of consistency.
• This was a very solid defensive game on both ends, but the Kings were clearly the more physical defensive team.
• The Rangers need to do a better job of getting through the neutral zone.  Ryan Callahan mentioned in his post-game interview that the Kings were shutting them down in the neutral zone, but good teams get through that.  It seems to me that their tendency is to move backwards every time before moving forward, but Gaborik's goal was a product of Wade Redden pushing the puck up instead of back.
• Speaking of the goal, very nice move by Erik Christensen to get the puck into the zone and find Gaborik streaking to the net.
• Christensen should see time on the top line Thursday night with Jokinen centering the second line.  My guess would be Dubinsky and Callahan on the wings.
• I also think Enver Lisin will make a return to the lineup with either Aaron Voros or Brandon Prust taking the night off.  Likely Voros.
• Michal Rozsival quietly had another very good game.  I know a lot of people have been calling for him to be shipped out or down to Hartford, but if either one of those is going to happen there needs to be a very solid blue liner coming in to replace him.
• On the contrary, I think Wade Redden has a future in Hartford ahead of him.  Outside of his assist, he had a pretty forgettable game.

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Canadiens 1/17

Rangers 6, Canadiens 2

• Is there any better way to shake a scoring slump than with a 6 goal outburst against a team that you're fighting with for a playoff spot?
• Three Stars: Ryan Callahan (2g, 2a), Brandon Dubinsky (2g, 1a), and Marian Gaborik (1g, 2a).
• This was the most passion and physical fire I've seen from this team all season.  Wade Redden deserves a lot of credit after standing up for Erik Christensen.  First, after Christensen took a high, late hit from Benoit Pouliot, Redden was the Ranger who approached Pouliot.  After Pouliot returned from his penalty, Redden managed to find him during a post-whistle scuffle and the two dropped the gloves.  From my vantage point in the 400s it even looked like Redden won the fight, landing some solid shots.  Here's video of the fight.
• Later, Christensen stood up to Scott Gomez on behalf of Dubinsky, who took a shot between the legs from Gomez after the whistle.
• Enver Lisin stood up for himself after being interfered with by Tomas Plekanec.
• The Rangers did a much better job at 2 very important things tonight: clearing the zone and getting traffic in front of the opposition's net.
• The top line of Prospal-Dubinsky-Gaborik seems to be clicking again.  It's only 1 game so consider it cautious optimism, but I'm pretty sure we'll see them together Tuesday night against the Lightning.
• Redden had a strong game on defense to accompany his feisty play.
• Dubinsky had a strong 2-way game and excelled in the faceoff circle, winning 12 of 15 draws.  He also showed unselfishness in setting up Gaborik for the team's 5th goal instead of shooting for a hat trick of his own.
• This game was a great illustration of why Ryan Callahan is on Team USA for the Olympics.  He scored goals on the power play and at even strength, and added assists short handed and at even strength.  Really, his play to get the puck out of the zone and around the defenseman completely set up Dubinsky's shorthanded goal.
• Chris Drury was very good on the power play point.  He took shots when the lane was there, and did an outstanding job of keeping the puck in the zone at least 3 times tonight.
• Michael Del Zotto had his best defensive game in recent memory, and did a great job of forcing Gomez around the net on a third period 2-on-1.
• The second period was one of the team's best all season.  On top of the 3 goals scored, they limited the Habs to 2 shots.  In fact, I think the Rangers limited the Habs to 2 shots for the 30 minutes or so following their 2nd goal.
• Speaking of that 2nd goal, it looked an awful lot to me like Brian Gionta knocked it into the net with a high stick.  I just saw the replay of it on TV, and I still think they got the call wrong.
• From my vantage point I thought Pouliot deserved more than 2 minutes for his high, late hit on Christensen.  It seemed very late and clearly directed at Christensen's head.
• Henrik Lundqvist appeared to be sporting a brand new mask.  If new mask = 6 goals for the Rangers, I think he should have a new mask every night.  He can surely afford it with his contract!
• The last time Lundqvist allowed more than 2 goals in a game was that forgettable outing agains the Flyers on 12/30.  It's now been 8 straight games allowing less than 3 goals for Hank.
• Sean Avery saw most of his time with the 4th line tonight, and had a good scrap with Josh Gorges.  It was the best I've ever seen Avery fight.
• The only way I see a spot for Brashear or Kotalik in this lineup is if Higgins takes a seat.  Everyone else played themselves into a spot in my eyes.
• The Rangers now have three 10-goal scorers on the year: Gaborik (29), Callahan (12), and Dubinsky (10).
• One other thing...I didn't quite understand the reason behind booing Gomez.  He clearly used to be a Ranger, but it wasn't like he asked to be traded or left via free agency.

The Day After

Now that I've had some time to digest what I saw last night at Madison Square Garden and see some highlights of that game and others last night, I have to write a little bit more on the game and some other league-wide news.

First, on the game:

• That was more than the most entertaining game of the season.  The only game in recent memory that I've seen live or on the tube that was as entertaining from start to finish was the Ovechkin-Crosby hat trick game in last year's playoffs.
• This game had the most shots of any double shutout ever...BY FAR.  The previous record was 75, set in 1968 and tied in 2006. (credit to NHL on the Fly)
  
• Both goalies set career highs for saves in a single game.  It was also the most shots Brodeur had ever faced in a single game.  (Elias Sports Bureau)
• I don't know how I forgot to mention this last night, but Brandon Dubinsky had another outstanding game playing on the wing.  I don't see any reason for him to move back to center this season unless there's an injury.
• Also, in general I liked the officiating last night.  There was lots of end to end action without whistles, and I think close to 10 minutes in the first period without one.  However, I thought the call on Christensen was weak, especially after a period and a half of calling nothing either way.
  
• The Rangers now have points in 12 of their last 13 games.  The only blemish on their record was that forgettable 6-0 loss to the Flyers.  They've allowed an average of 1.77 goals per game over that span (1.42 if you take out that game) and are 8-1-4 (20 pts).
• I turned to the person sitting next to me last night and said, "Does anyone want to argue that a 0-0 game can't be more exciting than a 7-5 game?"  No contest in this one...0-0 won by first round KO.  This game was an instant classic and I just wish it was on MSG so I could watch it on Rangers in 60 today.

Other NHL news:

• Marian Gaborik is on a little scoring skid and Patrick Marleau has taken over the season goals lead, scoring his 30th and 31st goals last night.  Sidney Crosby has 29 and Gaborik is 3rd with 28 goals on the season, but only 2 in his last 9 games.
• In case you missed it, Vancouver's Alexandre Burrows accused referee Stephane Auger of threatening to "get [him] back" for a 5-minute major call in the last Canucks game Auger officiated that was later rescinded by the league (video).  There is video footage from the pregame skake showing the two talking, though you obviously can't tell what was being said, but the third period interference call that Auger made on Burrows was one of the worst calls I've seen all year, and the earlier diving call wasn't much better.  The NHL fined Burrows $2,500 for his comments and found no need to punish Auger after investigating the incident.  I've never liked Auger, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was true, but TSN's Bob McKenzie had a very interesting and insightful take on this.  It's not short, but it's well worth the read.  UPDATE: McKenzie's follow up, after the investigation.  An even better read.
  
• In another dicey situation from last Thursday, FSN Pittsburgh sent replays to the Toronto replay room for review of a shorthanded no-goal call on the Flyers' Simon Gagne.  Problem is, they just happened to forget to send the one replay (overhead) that showed the puck clearly across the line.  It's easy to blame who they blamed (the producer who's been suspended), but I'm wondering why the NHL didn't request the overhead view before ruling.  They had to know it existed...isn't there a direct overhead shot of every goal in the league???
• All of the Kovalchuk chatter around the league is starting to amuse me.  A few things:
• He's not coming to New York.  The Rangers don't have cap room and have no way to create it.
• He's not going to the KHL.  This Zherdev goal should be taken as a barometer of the level of play in the KHL.  Zherdev wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the goal if he tried that in the NHL.
• $10-11m per season for a guy who doesn't backcheck with any degree of consistency...no thanks!  Someone will probably pay it, and they'll get some highlight reel goals out of him, but it's still hard to ignore his defensive deficiencies.  He has 50 points this season and still has managed to be in the red in the plus/minus column...that's hard to do.  (Brad Richards and Marty St. Louis are the only others out of the 11 50-point players, and all but 1 of the rest are better than plus-10).
• The front runners are reported to be Chicago and LA, but my guess is LA.  They have plenty of cap room and he fits their system much better.  Plus, he'd look really nice next to Anze Kopitar.
• Curtis Joseph hung 'em up officially yesterday.  CuJo retires as #4 on the all-time wins list and #1 on the all-time loss list.  He's a sure thing for the Hall of Fame; they should start making the plaque now.
  

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Devils 1/12

Devils 1, Rangers 0 (SO)

• WOW! What a game!  96 combined shots, no goals, 4 penalties, 58 hits, and entertaining for 65 full minutes of play!  This was the most entertaining game of the season in my eyes.
• Games like tonight make me hate the shootout.  Neither team, and really neither goalie, deserved to lose this one...it was fit to be a tie.
• The shot that did end up in the net was a wicked one by Elias.
• Chris Drury...anyone want to argue that he shouldn't be on the Olympic team after his performance tonight?  He played the full 2 minutes of the 5-on-3/4-on-3 after Dubinsky and Christensen were whistled on the same play.  He also put on an absolute clinic in the faceoff circle, winning 11 of 15.
• Marc Staal and Dan Girardi shut down the Devils' top line.  Staal led all players with 27:31 of ice time and must have poke checked the puck away from Devils attackers at least 5 times.
• Vinny Prospal looked like he hadn't missed any time at all; not bad for a guy who had a torn meniscus and missed 7 games.
• Who is this guy posing as Brian Boyle?  7 hits, 4 shots on goal, a breakaway, 2-0 on faceoffs in just 7:58?!?  Maybe he needs to play against the Devils every night...
• Ryan Callahan was very involved tonight too...5 shots, 6 hits, and killed off most of the 5-on-3 with Drury.
• Overall, this was a great effort from the Rangers.  If they play at even 75% of this in every game, they're going to pile up the points down the stretch.

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Bruins 1/9

Rangers 3, Bruins 1

• This was the 2nd straight very strong defensive performance from the Rangers, and they seemed to build on their strong play from Thursday night in Atlanta.  All six defensemen played very well, took the body, and didn't give the Bruins much room to work with.  The forwards also had a strong back checking game today.
• The first period was sloppy by both teams and the Rangers were lucky to come out of it with the lead.  Del Zotto's moves on the goal and Lundqvist's poise on the penalty shot provided for the 1-0 margin.
• The second period was probably the 2nd best period I've seen the Rangers play this season (first period vs. Ducks was best).  They outshot the Bruins 21-3 in that frame, and the puck seemed to spend at least the entire 2nd half of the period in the Bruins end.  The 21 shots in a period were a season-high for the Rangers.  Overall, the Rangers outshot the Bruins 34-30, but that number was skewed by the Bruins' 16-6 third period advantage.
• As a team the Rangers took only 2 minor penalties (3 if you count the penalty shot), and 2 of them looked like proficient acting jobs by Bruins forwards.  Also, they have yet to allow a power play goal in 2010.
• The power play still looked dreadful in the first period, but improved a lot after that.  There was more movement, and they did a better job of keeping possession.
• Brandon Dubinsky (1st), Henrik Lundqvist (2nd), and Erik Christensen (3rd) were the 3 stars of the game, and they all deserved it.
• Dubinsky factored in on all 3 goals, posting 2 assists and the eventual game winning goal.
• Lundqvist was very sharp in turning away 29 Boston shots, including 15 in the third period and Marco Sturm's first period penalty shot.  The only blunder was with less than 4 minutes to go in the game.
• Christensen continued his strong play with a very nice assist on Dubinsky's game winner and a rocket of a wrist shot for the insurance goal in the 3rd.  He also had 3 other shots on goal and was credited with 4 hits.  He now has 7 points (3g, 4a) and is plus-7 in 6 games since Prospal has been out.  If it was up to me, he would stay in the top 6 forwards when Prospal returns.
• Michael Del Zotto took advantage of last year's Norris and Vezina winners on his first period beauty.  He took the puck and skated around Chara, then drove to the net with the puck and got Thomas to open up the 5-hole before sliding the puck into the net.  Del Zotto was also especially strong in his own end today.
• Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Michal Rozsival all continued their strong play.  Girardi in particular blocked 4 shots and was credited with 4 hits.  Staal led the team with over 25 minutes of ice time.
• Chris Drury had another strong game and earned all of his 19:10 of ice time.  He was also 13-9 in the faceoff circle.
• The fourth line of Lisin-Boyle-Brashear played very well and was rewarded with almost 10 minutes of ice time.
• Sean Avery drew a roughing penalty in the second period during a post-whistle scuffle.  He had an otherwise quiet game.
• The next game is Tuesday night when the Rangers host the Devils at 7pm.  In case you missed it, there was a lighting issue last night in Newark and the Devils-Lightning game was suspend with about 9 minutes left in the second period.  The rest of that game will be played tomorrow, so both teams should be pretty fresh for Tuesday's contest.

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Stars 1/6

Rangers 5, Stars 2

• Welcome back, Sean Avery!  What a night for Avery...he started by tying the game early on a slapper over Turco's shoulder, then went on to record the primary assist on the next 3 Rangers goals, all while annoying the heck out of the Stars (at points it seemed like they were collectively more focused on killing #16 than beating the Rangers).
• Avery also had what I'm calling the quote of the year in his postgame interview when asked what was different about this game, he simply stated, "I was getting paid by 2 teams."  Classic!  Here's the video from his interview. (Thanks @cathybytes)
• Henrik Lundqvist is looking like The King again...how about that silly stick save he made on Jamie Benn in the second period?!? WOW!  The only 2 pucks that got by him tonight were deflected.
• Can we all agree that Erik Christensen has earned a regular spot on this team?  4-game point streak since taking Vinny Prospal's spot and another strong game tonight.
• Michal Rozsival had 2 more assists tonight (8 in the last 10 games), and was the only Ranger not named Avery to record more than 1 point...just sayin'.
• Dan Girardi is an absolute warrior and I hope Glen Sather locks him up for another 2-4 years at about $1.5-2m per.  He blocked a team-high 4 shots tonight in a team-high 23:09, was plus-3, had 2 hits and 2 takeaways. I'm not sure about this, but I don't think he's missed a game since he was called up from Hartford 3 seasons ago...that's 240 consecutive games and he's only 25.
• Donald Brashear was flat out robbed of his first goal as a Ranger by Marty Turco tonight.
• With his empty netter, Ryan Callahan is officially the 2nd 10-goal scorer on the Rangers this season.  Callahan also had a strong game on the PK, along with Chris Drury.  The PK went 6 for 6 tonight.
• Ales Kotalik has improved his play at even strength of late, and done so with consistency.
• Brandon Dubinsky had another strong game playing left wing.  Torts should keep him there for the long haul.
• Tomorrow (Thursday) night's game at Atlanta will be on MSG+

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Bruins 1/4

Rangers 3, Bruins 2

• So apparently Christopher Higgins CAN (and did) hit the side of a barn...but only if practically he's touching it already.
• If you caught the postgame interview with Higgins on Versus, you may have noticed that he didn't even know who he scored on.  He thinks he beat an Olympic goalie (Time Thomas)...maybe we shouldn't tell him it was actually a 22-year-old Finnish rookie with a cool name (Tuuka Rask).
• Erik Christensen again showed why he should continue to see ice time as a top 6 forward, even after Vinny Prospal comes back from his knee surgery.  I was sitting with a Bruins fan tonight who was quite impressed with the move he put on Rask to score...I agree.
• Marian Gaborik seemed to have an off night, although he did put 6 pucks on net.
• I thought Ales Kotalik had another effective game at even strength, and put his rocket of a slapper to work in picking up his 7th goal of the season.
• Donald Brashear was for the most part effective in his 5+ minutes of ice time.  He got a pair of good shots on Rask and tried to engage Byron bitz, who declined.
• Brandon Dubinsky had another strong game on the left wing, picking up a pair of assists and having Rask keep him from scoring a goal or 2.
• Michal Rozsival had a strong defensive game and did a great job to deny Marc Savard of a shot on his partial breakaway without taking a penalty.  He was whistled in the 3rd period for tripping, but it looked a lot like a dive to me (and the Bruins fans sitting to my left). 
• Henrik Lundqvist was sharp, and likely would have pitched a shut out save for a couple of late defensive breakdowns.
• Ryan Callahan had a very strong game tonight, especially on the PK.  At one point he spent 10-15 shorthanded seconds with the puck in the Bruins zone, while 4 Bruins tried to take it away from him.  He probably could have even drawn a holding the stick or hooking penalty on the play, but nothing was called.
• Tuuka Rask leads all NHL goalies this season with a 0.935 save percentage...and the Rangers beat him.  This was a very solid win for this team.

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Hurricanes 1/2

Hurricanes 2, Rangers 1 (OT)

• Christopher Higgins could not hit a parked car with a puck if he was inside of it.
• Christopher Higgins could'nt hit the side of a barn with a grenade launcher if he was standing next to it.
• You get the point...I just don't understand how Higgins continues to see the amount of ice time he's been getting recently (20:21 tonight, including 2:51 on the PP) while Avery (11:22), Lisin (4:03), and Anisimov (12:02) continue to play well in limited time.  I especially don't understand it after Higgins took 2 bad penalties in the first period today.
• Speaking of Enver Lisin...did you see that move he made to create a shooting lane for himself before getting flat out robbed by Cam Ward?!?  That's why Glen Sather gave up Lauri Korpikoski for him.
• Cam Ward played an excellent game and was deserving as the game's #1 star, but the Rangers hit the post 5 times that I counted from my seat and should have put at least 1 of those in the back of the net.  As Torts said in his post-game press conference, this game should not have gone to OT.
• Erik Christensen really looks like he fits in well with Dubinsky and Gaborik.  He played almost 20 minutes, picked up an assist on Gaborik's goal, and got 1 shot of his own on goal.
• I thought Ales Kotalik had as solid a game as he's had in a loooong time (all season?), especially at even strength.  I still think he needs to get himself open more and go back to letting a few slappers rip from the point on every PP.
• I'm happy I can say this...Brian Boyle had a solid game and earned every bit of his 9+ minutes of ice time.  He even got 4 shots on net.
• Dan Girardi has looked good over the past few games, and I like the pairings much better when he plays with Staal and Del Zotto skates with Rozsival.

5 Rangers named Olympians

Now that all of the rosters for the Olympic hockey teams have been named, congratulations to the Rangers player (and all players) who made the cut.  I'll take a look at the 5 players in the organization who will be playing in Vancouver as well as a few who were candidates but won't be making the trip.  first, the Rangers players who are on Olympic rosters:

• USA - Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury
• Slovakia - Marian Gaborik
• Sweden - Henrik Lundqvist
• Switzerland - Andreas Ambühl (Wolfpack)

Gaborik and Lundqvist were shoe-ins, but the other 3 had to wait to find out if they had made their respective teams.  Ryan Callahan probably played his way onto the team over the past year and a half.  He plays all out on every shift and earned the 'A' from Tortorella for a reason...obviously good things in the eyes of Team USA GM Brian Burke.  Drury is an interesting case, just because of how much his offensive production has dipped over the past 2 years.  I think he makes this team for his defensive zone faceoff prowess and his ability to kill penalties.  He won't be expected to score much on this team, and maybe that will let him take some pressure off himself and improve his play before coming back to the Rangers after the Olympic break.

With a limited Swiss talent pool, the selection of Ambühl probably makes sense.  When he signed with the Rangers in May, he was billed as a Swiss version of Sean Avery and he scored at almost a point per game clip in Switzerland last year.  However, he's failed to translate his game to the AHL so far, posting just 1 goal and 4 assists in 33 games this season.

Click below to read about a few Rangers who were candidates and didn't make the cut, as well as some general Olympic team notes.

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Islanders 12/26

Final Score: Islanders 3, Rangers 2 (OT)

• Brandon Dubinsky played an outstanding game.  Not only did he score both Ranger goals, but he went 12-4 in the faceoff circle and was effective all over the ice.  He also registered 5 shots on goal, 2 hits, and a plus-1.
• Sean Avery did a good job of being Sean Avery.  That said, the penalty he took for goalie interference was just dumb.  That's one of those penalties Torts has to just hate.
• When I saw just a single referee on the ice to start the game and heard that it was Steve Walkom I began to wonder if this was going to look like a Rangers-Isles game from the 90s, with lots of scraps and what is now called interference.  Fortunately...or maybe unfortunately...it wasn't.
• Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal were each a team-worst minus-2.  It's gonna be hard for the Rangers to win when that happens...
• Prospal's pass to Girardi that set up the first Isles goal was a tough one that took a bad hop on Girardi.  On that goal, what a pass by Kyle Okposo.
• Michal Rozsival posted 2 more assists and was plus-1.  He now has 5 assists and is a plus-5 in the past 5 games.  Despite the 2 assists, Rozsival's game regressed a bit tonight.  That said, I still don't understand why people boo the guy when his assists are announced...seems a lot like punishing good to me.  (I plan to write further on this in coming weeks.)
• Enver Lisin's game regressed a bit as well, but I still thought he had a decent game in limited time.
• See my previous post on Brian Boyle.  I don't remember seeing him on the ice again after his STUPID delay of game penalty for putting the puck over the glass unnecessarily on a delayed penalty.  Hey, at least he was 2-2 on faceoffs, right?
• Chris Drury had another effective game even though he didn't put one in the net.  He did get the primary assist on Dubinsky's first goal though.
• Did I mention how bad Brian Boyle was?  3:01 of ice time...Tortorella agrees.
• On the game-winner in OT, the puck made an unfortunate (for the Rangers) deflection off Staal's skate.  No deflection, do goal...that's a tough one.
• I'm watching NHL on the Fly (on NHL Network) as I write this.  They just played the highlights from this game, and I feel bad for whoever had to listen to John Giannone call this game.  His voice is brutal and it seems like you can see the gears spinning in his head on the screen in front of you.

That's all for now.  I have the USA-Slovakia game from the World Junior Championships on my DVR and intend to watch it tomorrow and blog on it.  Also, congratulations to another Rangers prospect, Roman Horak, on being named to the Czech WJC team.  Horak, a center, was the Rangers' 4th round selection this year.