Olympic Updates and some other news

First things first:  I plan to write a few blogs during the next week and a half, some on the Rangers and some on hockey in general.  Look for the first one later tonight.


Olympic News and Notes

• Team USA is now 2-0 after their 6-1 win over Norway this afternoon.  Chris Drury scored the eventual game winner in the first period, jamming home a Ryan Callahan rebound.  Drury has been one of the most consistent players for the American squad over its first 2 games, and the goal was the first of his Olympic career.  Their next game is at 7:45pm ET Sunday against Team Canada (MSNBC).
• Team Slovakia is 0-1 after losing to 3-1 to the Czechs late last night.  Some guy named Jagr scored the game-winner for the Czech side.  Marian Gaborik scored the lone goal for his team despite the expectation that he wouldn't be able to play.  They take the ice again later tonight against the Russian team.  That game can be seen on 12am ET tonight (CNBC).
• Team Finland is 1-0 after beating Belarus 5-1 yesterday afternoon.  Olli Jokinen scored the first goal for the Finns...on the power play.  They return to action against Germany at 9pm ET tomorrow (MSNBC).
• Team Sweden is 1-0, with Henrik Lundqvist posting a 21 save shutout over the Germans yesterday. they take the ice again tomorrow at noon ET against Belarus (MSNBC). 
• To see the full preliminary schedule, with times and TV listings, check here.

Rangers News and Notes

• Steven Valiquette did indeed clear waivers, allowing the Rangers to play both Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba in Hartford during the Olympic break.
• Steve Zipay has 4 different posts on individual players today.  
• PA Parenteau is close to returning from his concussion, but all signs point to him signing elsewhere in the offseason.  That's unfortunate...I like him and think he can help the Rangers if given the chance.
• Bobby Sanguinetti is skating, but still not ready to return from his high ankle sprain. 
• Evgeny Grachev is frustrated with his results so far this season, but thinks it's probably just a bump in the road.  Let's hope that's the case, but he's at least saying the right things.
• Ilkka Heikkinen doesn't think he'll get a one-way contract in the NHL, so he sees himself back in Europe next year.

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. Penguins 2/12

Rangers 3, Penguins 2 (OT)

• First things first: Michal Rozsival...can we stop booing him now?  He played an outstanding game all-around.  OUTSTANDING.  He spent over 21 minutes on the ice, played physically and made smart plays with the puck, and his play set up Olli Jokinen's game-winner in overtime.
• I found it a joke that the announcers were expecting a third man in/game misconduct to be called on Rozsival after he tried pulling Matt Cooke off of Chris Drury once they were both already down and Cooke was continuing to throw punches.  If that had happened I would have been livid, and I get the feeling that he would have been too.  He was simply doing the linesmen's job by stopping Cooke from being his normal dirty self (remember that hit on Anisimov from earlier in the season?).  The real question that came out of that scrap for me:  In a year where linesmen have been quick to jump in and stop fights while the player are still on their feet many times, where the heck were they when Cooke was raining down punches on Drury while they were both down?!?
• Big points for Drury tonight.  He backed up his play after Cooke (oh the irony) apparently thought that his clean hit was dirty.  He also drove hard to the net all night, and showed me the consistent effort that I was looking for after Wednesday night's loss.
• I thought that Cooke's hit on Matt Gilroy about a minute later was--no surprise here--dirty.  It was clearly from behind, and not one of those where Gilroy turned his back to an oncoming forecheck.  Cooke also seemed to skate right through Gilroy.  DIRTY.
• Seeing Michael Del Zotto go down like that was scary.  His postgame comments shed even more light on it...he needed 50 stitches on his left side and was lucky the outcome wasn't worse after he lost the fight with Malkin's skate.
• Marc Staal played over 28 minutes just a day after overcoming a stomach bug.  Why has he not been signed to a long term contract extension yet? I would sign him for 7 years at about $3m per season.
• Olli Jokinen had his best game as a Ranger.  He scored the game winner, was credited with an assist on Dubinsky's goal, and was active all over the ice all night, especially in the offensive zone.
• Brandon Prust impressed me a lot last night.  He seems to have very good hockey sense, but lacks any decent shot.  If someone can teach him to shoot, I think he can score 15-20 goals a year.
• Henrik Lundqvist was very good when he had to be, although I think he wants that first goal back.  He wasn't very happy when Crosby beat him 5-hole.
• Vinny Prospal.  Can Slats make a good signing for a change and sign him for another year immediately...please?  He goes all out on every shift and his enthusiasm is infectious.
• I heard someone mention it during the game, but Ryan Callahan knows when he has to step up.  He stepped up into Marian Gaborik's spot after Gaborik left the game and was effective depite failing to score.  He had good battles in front of the net on the power play, and added energy throughout the game as always.

Wednesday Night Recap and Miscellany

Predators 2, Rangers 1

•  I trekked into the city last night to take in the game.  Why?  Because I'm a hockey fan and that's what we do...a little (or a lotta) snow wasn't gonna stop me.  Since the place was empty, I took a seat in section 102 instead of my usual perch in 403.
• The one thing about this that made an impression on me is that you can really appreciate how fast the game is when you're that close.  Otherwise I prefer my usual seat because I get to see the play develop a bit more.
• I thought the Rangers put forth a solid effort at both ends of the ice.  There were obviously some bumps in the road, but overall I thought they played well enough to win.
• As has been the norm of late, they couldn't finish on some top notch chances and let a bad penalty do them in.  The hooking call on Del Zotto was brutal, and the unsportsmanlike conduct add on was just adding insult to injury in my eyes.
• In an interesting twist, Tortorella dressed 7 D-men with Corey Potter up from Hartford.  Andrew Gross had reported that the Rangers had a blueliner who they thought might not have been able to play last night.  Judging on ice time and today's report from practice, my guess is that Marc Staal may be fighting the flu.  His 18:31 of ice time was one of his lowest totals of the season, with all of the other lows coming in blowouts.
• Potter looked decent, but seemed to have a tendency to hold onto the puck too long or attempt skating it out through non-existent holes.
• Henrik Lundvist was sharp again and was certainly deserving of the 3rd star honors he received.
• Chris Drury REALLY wants to win.  I could see it in his extra effort during the waning minutes of the third period.  This makes me wonder why the effort isn't consistent from him...
• The Rangers gave the reported 13,000 or so fans who weathered the snow 25% off all concessions last night.  Even though I didn't take advantage of this, it was a surprise to me and was appreciated.  I guess it's just odd to me that MSG is showing that they appreciate the fans.

Other News and Notes from the Rangers and around the NHL

• TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Rangers have placed Donald Brashear on waivers.  He'll clear waivers and I think that 2 things are possible:
• He'll report to Hartford and the Rangers will put him on re-entry waivers in hopes that a team will pick him up for half price (or what many would argue is market price).  This way, the Rangers are only on the hook for $700k of Brashear's contract next season.
• OR, they'll work out a situation where Brashear will play in the KHL on some sort of transfer agreement.  There were rumblings earlier in the season that he had considered playing in Russia, and his Russian teammates confirmed that he had CDs to teach himself Russian.
• The Washington Capitals finally lost a game last night when the Canadiens beat the 6-5 in OT.  They had won 14 straight, just 3 shy of the NHL record 17-game winning streak by the 1992-93 Penguins.  The last time the Caps lost in regulation was January 12th, when they fell 7-4 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Alex Ovechkin has had 15 goals and 17 assists, good for 32 points over that time.  TO illustrate how ridiculous that is, the Edmonton Oilers only scored 23 goals as a team over the same time frame.
• Random officiating tidbit from NHL.com:  Linseman Mike Galloway worked at MSG last night for the first time in his eight-year career.  Special because Galloway has now worked in every NHL arena, and 2 arenas that aren't in the league anymore.
• NBC is blowing hockey coverage...again.  You think it's a no brainer for them to broadcast the USA-Canada mens hockey game in the upcoming Vancouver Olympics.  Not only because it's a game with major implications, but because it would help promote hockey...you know, the sport that they have the national broadcast contract for.  Well, you're WRONG!  The game will not be broadcast live on NBC because there is a VERY important event on at the same time...ice dancing.  Not pairs skating, the one that SOME people care about...no, ice dancing, the one that approximately 38 people care about (there are 19 couples in the competition...thanks Wikipedia!).
• Today is the current Madison Square Garden's 42nd birthday.

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. Hurricanes 1/27

Hurricanes 5, Rangers 1

• I don't know where else to start than this: This may have been Henrik Lundqvist's worst game of the season.  Eric Staal's eventual game-winner that came just 3:36 into the game was a terrible, terrible goal.  There's no other way of putting it.  The 4th goal wasn't much better.  The 1st and 3rd were nice deflections, and Hank had no chance at Staal's 2nd goal of the night (a one-timer blast to the top corner).
• After going 10 straight games allowing 2 goals or less, Lundqvist has now allowed 3 or more in 3 straight games.  My guess is that either Chad Johnson or Matt Zaba will get the start in Colorado on Sunday night to give him a couple of days off.
• Cam Ward was great in net tonight for the Hurricanes, and was very much deserving of the first star honors he received.
• The second period was a solid period of hockey, save for the shift after the Rangers pulled the game back to within a goal.  It looked to me like Matt Gilroy blew the coverage on the 3rd Carolina goal.
• Wade Redden was benched from that goal on, and I can't say I'm sure why.  His play didn't seem all that bad and it certainly wasn't his man who deflected the puck past Lundqvist.
• Watching Marc Staal play against either of his brothers is always entertaining for me.  There are always extra shoves between brothers and they seem to all love playing against one another.
• The past two games have revealed a not so good trend from last year of giving up goals on the shift immediately after a big goal.  Tuesday night, taking a quick penalty and giving up a quicker power play goal to let the Pens back into the game after taking a 2-1 lead.  Tonight, after closing to within a goal.
• Artem Anisimov had his 2nd straight strong game after I wrote that he needed a night off.  I was wrong (and am quite happy about that).  He should never have a shift without Enver Lisin on his wing.
• One rush in the third period pretty much summed up how things have going offensively for the Rangers of late: the puck jumped over Marian Gaborik's stick as he was attempting a wrist shot, then Vinny Prospal's stick broke as he attempted a slap shot following up.
• Gaborik also had the puck jump over his stick as he was trying to fire home a rebound in front of Ward.
• In person, Ryan Callahan's goal seemed to be one of the laziest deflections I had ever seen.  Now that I've had a chance to see a replay, Cally did a great job to fight off the defender and get his stick on the puck.
• Ales Kotalik was absolutely brutal.  I can remember 1 decent shift for him in the game, but his passing was FAR off, his shooting was off, and his play was poor.  Can we have Erik Christensen back in the lineup? PLEASE?!?
• Sean Avery was pretty much invisible tonight.  He threw his body around a bit while playing with Boyle and Voros, but he certainly wasn't anything close to an agitator.

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Penguins 1/25

Penguins 4, Rangers 2

• Artem Anisimov...I was wrong.  I said he needed a day off, and it's a good thing he didn't get one since he provided all of the Rangers' scoring.  The best part for me was that he scored one goal using his stick handling skills and the 2nd goal by crashing the net.  He was also robbed by Fleury at least twice on very nice deflections in front.
• John Tortorella did a lot of line juggling during the game, and I can't say I blame him.  When your team hasn't put a single puck in a net for 7 straight periods, you have to try something.  That said, I still don't understand the thought process between sending Erik Christensen to the press box.  For a team that's hurting on the scoreboard, sitting a guy who can cash in for the 5:36 that Brashear played makes no sense to me.  If Torts was set on benching Christensen, Ales Kotalik should have gotten the chance.
• While I'm on personnel decisions, I still don't like the Girardi/Del Zotto pairing.  Girardi/Staal and Del Zotto/Rozsival seems much more effective.
• Henrik Lundqvist had his worst night in a LONG time.  Both goals by Chris Conner (7g in 77 career games before tonight, called up from the AHL today) looked rather soft to me; and according to Stan Fischler, Hank admitted he blew it on the game-winner.
• Without the benefit of replay, I didn't see the apparent slash that Marian Gaborik was called for (and led to the tying goal).  It seemed like a terrible call and I just had a feeling that the PEns would cash in on it.  The usually outstanding Rangers PK seems to have issues killing off penalties that appear to be bad calls.  That's something that needs to be fixed, and it's a 100% mental issue.
• On the officiating...where to start?  I already mentioned the call on Gaborik that seemed to be a soft call to me, but to have Wade Redden essentially bear hugged away from the puck minutes later right in front of the referee and have no interference called is just mind boggling to me.  If there is a video being made to teach new officials what interference is, a clip of that play should be on it.  Also, there was one play in the third period when the puck so clearly hit the netting that all 10 players stopped playing, but it took 4 players staring at the referee for anyone to blow a whistle.
• Marc Staal and Christopher Higgins both rebounded with strong showings.
• What is there not to like about Ryan Callahan?  6 hits, 4 shots on goal, and the best backcheck I've seen all year in catching Orpik from behind on a shorthanded breakaway and taking the puck away before Orpik could get a shot off.  Now if only he could have netted one of those...

Postgame Reactions - Rangers vs. Canadiens 1/23

Canadiens 6, Rangers 0

• After the first 8 minutes or so, watching this game was just as bad as watching the last 6-0 loss (to Philly).  This is now the 2nd time in as many weeks that the Rangers have been shut out in back to back games, and this one time it's far less excusable (not that it ever was to begin with).
• Jaroslav Halak was excellent in net for the Habs tonight.  The Rangers had 3 point blank chances in the first 5 minutes, and Halak stood tall.  He also robbed Chris Drury on a one-timer from the left circle.  The most disappointing part of tonight for me: Halak is on the bench for my fantasy team today.
• Pulling Henrik Lundqvist was the right move.  Not because of anything he did, but because the team was playing putrid defense in front of him.
• Before everyone jumps on Michal Rozsival for letting Gomez get to the net on the opening tally, it was Drury who lost the draw clean to Gomez and then blew the coverage by following the puck instead of his man (as noted by Joe Micheletti on the broadcast).  Rozsival did the best job he could to go to the open man, but got there a split second too late.
• Marian Gaborik failed to score a goal for the 3rd straight game and 8th time in 9 games.  He looked better and recorded 7 shots on goal, but couldn't find the twine.  He also missed a wide open net a few minutes into the game.
• Michael Del Zotto had a horrid game.  Maybe it's time to call up someone from Hartford to give him a rest for a game.  I'm ok with rookie mistakes, but he's looked tired both mentally and physically in the past couple of games.
• I thought Marc Staal rebounded from a terrible showing against the Flyers and was the best Ranger on the ice tonight.
• Ales Kotalik should play on Monday night against the Penguins.  Artem Anisimov or Christopher Higgins should sit.  Anisimov has looked tired like Del Zotto in the past few games and could use a rest.
• Aaron Voros and Enver Lisin should absolutely stay in the lineup.  Voros took a bad penalty night, but I like the passion he's been playing with.  
• Plus, Voros got Marian Gaborik on Twitter.
• Matt Zaba looked ok in his NHL debut.  There's no way to really judge it though, very similar to Chad Johnson's debut in the last 6-0 defeat.
• The Rangers need to regroup and regroup fast.  Familiar foes Pittsburgh make and appearance at MSG on Monday night, and the fans are itching for something to cheer about (see also: goals, a win, and Sidney Crosby getting knocked on his butt).

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.

The Goalie Shuffle

As first reported on Twitter by Laurie Carr of Beyond the Blueshirts, Chad Johnson has been sent back to Hartford and Matt Zaba has been recalled to serve as Henrik Lundqvist's backup for tomorrow's game against the Hurricanes.  I agree with this move completely...Johnson needs to get some real game minutes under his belt if he hopes to really serve as an NHL backup and get a few starts with the Rangers.  As I mentioned after watching his 2 periods of work on Wednesday night, I think he has a future as a backup but I don't think he's ready now.

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. Panthers 12/23

This post comes with a disclaimer:  I am a season ticket holder and I sit in section 403 (about even with the goal line at the end where the Rangers defend twice).  That said, the reactions that will follow this disclaimer are based on what I saw live and a little bit of looking at the box score.

• I don't think I need to even acknowledge this, but Henrik Lundqvist has been playing out of his mind.  He made at least 3 highlight reel saves that I can remember.
• Florida's power play has excellent movement.  I don't remember seeing a single player stand still for longer than 2 seconds during any one of their power plays.  John Tortorella should use this as an example to improve the Rangers' PP unit further.
• The PK unit for the Rangers did a great job once again, but they have to get better at clearing the zone.
• I thought Enver Lisin played his best game as a Ranger.  Torts seemed to agree and rewarded Lisin with 13:05 of ice time, his most since the Rangers' last home win.  His foot seems to have healed fully and his speed is a great asset.  Drury's tying goal was completely set up by Lisin's speed negating the icing and finding the captain with a beautiful pass.  He even drew a penalty and was heavily involved in 2 scrums.
• Follow up to my earlier post on Brian Boyle: I thought he played a decent game.  He was credited with 2 hits, but won only 1 of the 4 faceoffs he took.
• Wade Redden had a solid game.  He had 1 shot on goal, 3 hits (only Callahan and Gilroy had more), and did an outstanding job breaking up a 2-on-1 when the game was still tied.
• It's great to see Vinny Prospal rewarded for his hard work.  Since I've been at every home game this season, I always appreciate his visible work ethic on EVERY shift.
• Michal Rozsival had another solid game.  I don't know what Torts did, but it worked!
• Chris Drury too...that 4th line demotion last week is continuing to bear its fruit.  Drury was named the game's 3rd star and deservingly so.

Congratulations are in order for Henrik Lundqvist, who is now alone at #5 on the Rangers career wins list.