meant to post this last night but from the locker room, at least what i heard:
Johan Hedberg:
"Obviously one thing I'll cherish is playing with a great bunch of guys and being a part of a great organization. But we felt really good about our chances here to win a Stanley Cup. We got beat by a good team these four games. They played better than us. Before the series, they're not better than us but they deserved to win, so it's disappointing.
on the Matt Cullen goal:
"I don't know. If they called a goal, it's probably (right). I trust them. They have a lot of people working and that goal is a backbreaker and there is no doubt about it. That hurt. I felt we came out, we were ready to play. Inconsistency throughout this playoff, that's not what you have to have. You have to be ready to go and we weren't. Tonight we were but they got the job done and we didn't and we're going home.
Scott Mellanby:
I think it is. (I was) pretty much coming back this year like feeling like it would be my last season. It's been a fun ride but I think it's time.
"Right now, it's a lot of disappointment from this series that we had. But it's a great organization and classy people with Don Waddel and ownership. It's nice to be a part of helping the team get to the playoffs the first time. Obviously, we're very disappointed with the way things worked out but hopefully it's a growing process for the organization.
Ilya Kovalchuk:
"We beat them three times (in the regular season) and three games we lose by one goal. So it's real disappointing. But what are you going to do? You step forward.
"I think we gave them a real fight and that goal from the blue line (was devastating). But what are you going to do? Good luck to them and I hope we're going to be there next year because it's the best hockey, the playoffs.
Greg DeVries:
on the Matt Cullen goal:
"It definitely took a lot out of us. When they're taking that long to review it's not going to be a good thing. It was a quick play. I didn't even think it was going to be reviewed to be honest with you. It's tough. That's what happens, you get the puck on the net and things like that can happen. They did that better than we did and they got the wins.
Bob Hartley:
"It definitely was another great effort. The boys showed great commitment. It certainly wasn't easy to play back-to-back games, especially coming back from last night's effort. We wanted to bring this series back to Atlanta but unfortunately for us, it came down to a very close goal, a good goal. It's unfortunate because we feel as though we played three very tight games. But when you lose by one it is just like losing by a couple of goals.
"Give credit to the Rangers. They played unbelievably well. Jagr can motivate. Nylander, I felt took control of the entire series. That line caused a lot of damage. They were basically unstoppable. They created a lot of problems for us. We showed up and had a great game but that was not good enough."
Matt Cullen:
discussing the meaning of getting the game-winner and the goal itself:
"It's nice. I don't care who gets the game-winning goal. It's just nice to be moving on. These playoff games are so fun to play in. It's great to do it in front of our own fans. We've been playing some really good hockey, I feel for a long time now and it's really nice to do it here.
"No I didn't think it was a goal. I saw it hit the crossbar and then I lost sight of it. I was actually surprised they were reviewing it. I didn't expect to be it a goal.
"The longer it took the more I knew we had a chance. I went to the bench and everybody asked me what I thought and I didn't think it was in. They were saying that our video guy was saying it was a goal.
on the series:
"Our goalie was maybe the biggest difference. He was unbelievable. I thought we did a really good job of playing the way we have been coming down the last part of the year and the way that we stuck to our game plan. We showed a lot of poise. There were kind of ups and downs throughout the series and today particulary but we stuck it out and played some really solid hockey and deserved to win.
Sean Avery:
"We did our part. Now we just keep going, whoever we're playing. I don't even know who we could be playing right now. It's just our mentality and I think that's what you commit to. You commit to two months or two and a half months of getting something done.
"I thought the stretch (run) was playoffs. But this is playoffs out here. It's a different level for sure. Every play you make is a crucial play. The regular season you got that cushion where oh they tie it and we'll win it in a shootout type thing. But this is do or die everytime you step on the ice.
"I'm learning just as much as some of these guys. I haven't made the playoffs in five years. It feels good right now. I feel like we're going to enjoy it for a couple of days and then we got to get ready again because that's the commitment we made for two months and four series. We got to win 16 games and I don't think anyone wants to go home now. I think once you start going, it starts feeling even better and you want to keep going.
Michael Nylander:
"It is unbelievable the way everybody has been playing. We have had great goaltending and good PK. We have been playing well as a team. Every game has been really hard. Everybody on our team played really well. We had a couple of bounces go our way and got the lead and we played off of that. We did a tremendous job. You have to enjoy your moment and go to the next series. It is all so fun. We want to win and we did that. We got our job done and we have to look forward to the next round. This is lots of fun. It took a while but finally.
Brendan Shanahan:
"You can't really ask for a better series from the guys. It is always great to accomplish one of your goals. One of our goals is to beat our first opponent. We are happy with the way we played the series but at the same time we are keeping our head on our shoulders. We certainly don't feel like we have hit a finish line here.
"I don't know if anybody goes into any series expecting to sweep. They are pretty rare. I don't think anybody ever says we are going to sweep this series.
on the third period:
"We didn't feel like we were playing like the way we were playing the first three games. We wanted to get back to shortening our shifts, rolling our lines and get back to a rhythm, back to our team and our game. I felt like we were a little bit disjointed in the first and second period. We got back to rolling the lines and we didn't concentrate on matching (lines) and we looked a lot like the team that played in the first part of the series.
"The truth of the matter is it's important for a city like New York (to be good). If you want hockey to do well, it's important for a city like New York to have a great hockey team and to be a destination where players want to have an opportunity to go. It wasn't always that way in the past several years but it's probably starting with Tom Renney, it's getting there. Our feet are pointing in the right direction now.
Jaromir Jagr:
"I am glad it's over, especially the back-to-back games. It is not easy. It wasn't easy for me, the second half of the game I was tired. Between the second and third period you are wondering if you can even go back on the ice. But when you are on the ice, you just go. You have to go.
"It wasn't our goal to just make the first round. The last 20 or 30 games of the regular season, they we played, we can play anybody.
"To me the biggest difference is the games before the playoffs. We learned how to play in the playoffs. They clinched the playoffs before us. We had to fight until the last game. The last 20 games were practice for the playoffs.
"You just never know. You just want to finish the team when you can. You never know. It can go either way, they won one game and they go home and they win at home and they got Game Six and Seven. I had a coach and he always said whoever wins Game Six 80 percent of the time wins Game Seven, you just never know. The quicker the better.
"It gave them more rest. I knew it's a goal. The trainer said it's a goal and that's why I went for the puck and put it in the middle. I guess some guys from Atlanta didn't agree with me.
Henrik Lundqvist:
"It was great to see how we responded from last night. We came back and kept it simple. Maybe in the first we tried to over do things a couple of times. But we talked about it and we got back to basics in the second and third and we looked much better.
"We played so well. We made it really tough for them to create chances. They are (at their) best when you play a high-risk hockey and you take chances. So we really played the way we have to play against this team.
"I was just relaxed and I didn't spend too much energy on things that didn't matter. We knew the start was going to be important tonight. Unfortunately they got the first goal so they had a lot of energy from it. We stuck to the game plan and we didn't panic. Even when they had a 2-1 lead, we believed in each other.
Tom Renney:
"Thinking back to the lockout year, we suggested to our fans that we were on the verge of re-defining ourselves as an organizaton. At the same time we wanted an injection of youth that could grow up in front of the fans' eyes. I'm not sure how far we've come just yet but certainly it's an important step. You want to get into the postseason as quickly as you can and we've done that in consecutive years. But the first year was not particulary successful. This time around we understand that we have a lot of work to do. I think that to a man, we're still on a business trip. We want to make this last as long as we can possibly can for lots of reasons - first and foremost because of the guarantee that we made to our fans and to our constituents out there that we were going to do everything we could do to be the finest franchise as possible.
"I think being able to start in Atlanta probably helped us. There wasn't a lot of pressure on us to perform intially out of the gate, being on the road. But I think our last couple of months really prepared us for playoff hockey. I think the guys really embraced that whole pursuit and didn't feel at all that the job was complete when we made the playoffs. That was just sort of the beginning of the next chapter.
"Nothing really comes easy for our team. Maybe that is what is most important here, that we learn and understand and embrace the team concept we embrace the sacrifice, which is sometimes you own identity. In the third period, I thought we'd win the game.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
this is good news concerning the rangers and next saturday's boat cruise. The NHL has blocked off April 25-May 9 for the second round and since the Rangers open on the road, they will not be playing a home game on April 28 and might even be playing an afternoon road game on that day, which would be a perfect pregame for this event.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
got to keep this one on the front page, from the journal news ranger blog:
The Rangers were busy working out to some 80s hair metal anthem a few minutes ago. I couldn’t decide if it was Warrant or Winger of maybe even Motley Crue, but Rangers p.r. man Sammy Steinlight chimed in right away that it was Poison. I maintain that even if this is something you did know the answer to, you’re better off keeping quiet. Then again, given the hits I’m taking for my choice in ties, maybe I’m no longer an authority on good taste.
Meanwhile, you can probably tell by now that today was a slow news day. The Rangers skated for barely an hour—including some half-ice 3-on-3—and then retreated inside for the aforementioned workouts to questionable music.
Among the updates:
# Brendan Shanahan skipped practice for what he described as a “maintenance day,” but is otherwise fine.
# Lots of talk about how the Rangers are mostly indifferent about their opponent, again embracing the whole “It’s all about us” mantra. I’ll have more on this in tomorrow’s paper, although for now the other part to consider is that any of the remaining teams present their own unique problems. According to Blair Betts, “We’re going to have beat a good team eventually,” which could be considered smack talk toward the Thrashers. But seeing how Blair Betts is about as controversial as a church supper, I don’t think that was his intent.
# More signs that the Rangers are suddenly a worthwhile endeavor: Sports Illustrated’s acclaimed Michael Farber is in town to do a story on the team.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
If Buffalo and New Jersey prevail, the Rangers will face the Sabres and the Devils will play Ottawa.
If Buffalo and Tampa Bay win their respective series, New York will play Ottawa. The Sabres will host the Lightning.
If the Islanders and Devils survive, they will face each other and New York will play Ottawa.
If the Lightning and Isles gain upsets, New York will host the Bolts and the Isles will travel to Ottawa.
If the Rangers face Tampa Bay, New York will own home ice advantage. Otherwise, Rangers will begin on the road.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
April 20, 2007 Four Players Signed
This just in -- the Rangers have signed Bobby Sanguinetti to a pro contract, and have signed Colton Orr and Ryan Hollweg to contract extensions. They also officially announced the already-reported contract extension that Thomas Pock signed.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
Spring has finally arrived in New York City, a little late, just like Ranger playoff success. But now that it's here, it's glorious. Under beautiful skies and balmy weather, the Rangers take to their practice ice this morning knowing that their next opponent, whether it be Ottawa or Buffalo, will be nearly as rested (or as rusty) as they are when the second round begins in the middle of next week. Buffalo was the latest team to advance, beating an Islander team that either cheats (Sean Hill taking steroids) or is dumb (everyone takes steroids but only Sean Hill was stupid enough to be caught). Either way, the Ice Girls will not be cleaning any more creases this spring (there's a joke in there somewhere, but we're not going there).
Ranger reading today -- Blueshirts Blog, Journal News, Newsday, Star-Ledger, Post, and NY Sports Day for updates from practice yesterday. At MSG.com, Dave Maloney and Sam Rosen. Updated team notes at USA Today. Rob Picarello of FoxSports.com breaks down the Rangers after round one (we told Rob the other day that the Rangers better be moving up his power rankings now). NHL.com notes that any time the Rangers sweep (which is not often) they advance to the finals, but we can amend that (thanks to one of the Rangers' official scorers) to say that any time they take a 3-0 series lead, they advance to the finals even if they don't sweep (they did that in 1950). The Hockey News chimes in with a rare look at the Rangers. Today on the Sean Avery channel, the Toronto Star. CSI fans will want to read ESPN.com's interview with Ranger fan Eddie Cahill. Hartford lost Game 2 of its series with Providence, the series now tied 1-1.
If tampa wins 6 & 7 , we head to Ottawa.
Otherwise, we are heading up to Buffalo.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
from today's journal news blog and i'm not sure if this is good or bad news. i know rachunek improved a little before getting hurt but i still don't trust him:
the blog entry is below:
Tom Renney lent credence today to something many of us already suspected, that Karel Rachunek’s return to the lineup next week is likely to come at the expense of Thomas Pock.
(Thanks to Ernie Palladino for passing along the latest on this. I was at practice for all of 20 minutes before the dual responsibilities of child-rearing and lawn re-seeding came calling).
“They’re all tough decisions at this time of year,” Renney said. “We want to play the best hockey we can, and if it’s at the expense of a current roster player, so be it. We have a culture here where that player won’t be happy with it. But he will accept it.
This break, Renney said, has been particularly beneficial to Rachunek, to the point that he most likely will be in the lineup for Game 1 of the second round.
“There are some guys who have some credit, some money in the bank. And of course the younger guys have to keep playing well,” Renney said. “In the case of Tommy, he’s a young player who might have to sit out. It’s a matter of who strengthens our team.”
A few thoughts on this:
# For most of the season I was hardly Rachunek’s biggest fan, often considering him a liability. But there’s no question that his play did improve, coincidentally or not, after the deadline trade of his partner Aaron Ward. In the time directly before he got hurt, when he was paired with Paul Mara, Rachunek was actually quite impressive. Specifically there was the stellar job he did on Sidney Crosby on March 1, and then his hand in both of the Rangers’ third period goals in their come-from-behind win against the Blues on March 3.
# Pock, meanwhile, has also improved as the season has gone on. If we’re going to talk about big goals, a number of players have pointed to Pock’s crucial late goal against the Bruins on March 24, which helped the Rangers get into overtime, and then win in a shootout. Pock himself readily admitted he was shaky in his first career playoff game against the Thrashers last Thursday. But he showed more confidence as the series carried on, and I thought he was particularly sharp in Game 3. Naturally, the Rangers’ recent re-signing of the Austrian suggests they see him as part of their future.
# So now the question is: can a player miss a month of action and still be effective? In Brendan Shanahan, we’ve seen a player make only slow progress, to the point where only now does he look like his old self. But in both Fedor Tyutin and Marcel Hossa, both of whom of course had the exact same injury as Rachunek, we’ve seen two players who hardly looked like they skipped a beat.
If anything, the sheer volume of the above entry proves I need to get a life.
OK, back to yard work.
More later…
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
Chemistry is a mysterious and powerful force in professional team sports. For much of the early part of the season (indeed, for much of the past decade), the Rangers had teams that looked good on paper but were missing that certain something that makes teams gel. Things could change rapidly now that the competition ratchets up in the next round, but at this moment, the Rangers seem to have found that mystery glue that makes teams come together.
Today at the MSG Training Center, the team went through a loose 45 minute practice session designed to maintain their conditioning and keep their skill set sharp. A two on two drill proved to be extremely effective even with the defenders knowing what was coming. A three on two drill emphasized basic textbook positioning on the rush and was equally effective. In both cases, forwards who freelanced were shut down far more quickly by defenders than those who stuck with the play.
And the interactions among the players were interesting -- Ryan Callahan chatting easily with Jaromir Jagr, undaunted as a rookie alongside a future Hall of Famer; Sean Avery joked around with Petr Prucha, a pairing one would not have anticipated given Avery's pre-Ranger reputation; Ryan Hollweg and Jed Ortmeyer, good friends off the ice, playfully checked each other; Brendan Shanahan, during a one-timer drill, shanked a shot wide of Kevin Weekes and said, "If there was someone there, it would've been an easy goal for them," before proceeding to drill his next attempt in off the crossbar on a blistering shot; and rink rat Michael Nylander was on the ice for an extra 45 minutes, working with Weekes.
Karel Rachunek participated fully in practice and is expected to start the next series -- Thomas Pock is the likely scratch, but Tom Renney insisted that he will make a decision in favor of what works best for the team on the ice, not one based on seniority. Marek Malik was the only Ranger not to practice -- he was given the day off to rest, but was in the building working out off the ice. One Ranger defenseman banged his knee during a drill and was flexing it for a few minutes, but he completed practice and was said to be OK -- he'll play through anything, Renney said of him afterwards.
The Rangers have the day off tomorrow and resume practice Monday. They have continued to focus solely on their own needs as a team in the absence of a known playoff opponent, but by the time they reconvene, they might know who's up next -- with Martin Brodeur having regained his form with a shutout last night that put the Devils up 3-2 in their series with Tampa, a meeting with Buffalo appears to be the most probable match-up.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
i've been saying this to anyone that will listen so i might as well say it here. The Rangers that lost four times to Buffalo in between October 21 and December 1 are vastly different than the current group for the following reasons:
A - Lundqvist, didn't play in two or maybe three of those games
B - Defense had Aaron Ward, who as we know sucked and pissed off Jagr
C - Jagr wasn't fully recovered from the shoulder problems. He might still not be but he's a lot better now than at that time
D - SEAN AVERY - enough said, which I never thought i'd be typing this when he with the Kings but the guy can play.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
i don't know when the series starts but nbc is showing game two this saturday at 3 pm..
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
Never trust what you read on a web site (excluding this one, of course). That report of a Saturday afternoon Game 2 on NBC was incorrect. Instead, the series schedule is as follows:
Game 1 Wednesday at Buffalo
Game 2 Friday at Buffalo
Game 3 Sunday afternoon at MSG
Game 4 Tuesday at MSG
Game 5 Thursday at Buffalo
Game 6 Sunday afternoon at MSG
Game 7 TBD at Buffalo
More later..
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
updated schedule with the opening faceoff times (from newsday's rangers blog)
Rangers-Sabres sked
Wednesday: Game 1 in Buffalo 7 p.m.
Friday Game 2 in Buffalo 7 p.m.
Sunday Game 3 at MSG 2 p.m.
Tuesday Game 4 at MSG 7 p.m.
Thursday Game 5 in Buffalo 7 p.m. *
Sunday Game 6 at MSG 2 p.m.*
Tuesday Game 7 in Buffalo 7 p.m *
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
updated schedule with the opening faceoff times (from newsday's rangers blog)
Rangers-Sabres sked
Wednesday: Game 1 in Buffalo 7 p.m.
Friday Game 2 in Buffalo 7 p.m.
Sunday Game 3 at MSG 2 p.m.
Tuesday Game 4 at MSG 7 p.m.
Thursday Game 5 in Buffalo 7 p.m. *
Sunday Game 6 at MSG 2 p.m.*
Tuesday Game 7 in Buffalo 7 p.m *
also comments from Shanny , King Henrik , Savery , & Coach Renney
the best of Avery:
"thats probably for bettman , i dont think you can call us underdogs- by any means", ..
..."I feel sorry for my teammates- i havent had anyone to piss off the last few days- we need to start playing or one of these guys is going to kill me before we start "......,
......" they are the same as every other team "......
" i am secretly making up things in my head ,.. of all the guys on that team and things that they have done to me... , so i can identify with them when we go into a corner- i will say things to them ....I have already decided I hate all those guys- i dont think we will have a problem with that"..... ( getting under their skin )
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
This sucks! I'm currently out of town on business, about 30 minutes outside of Boston and the hotel obviously doesn't get MSG or Versus. I'm here until Thursday! I guess I'm going to have find a bar or restaurant that gets it!
Well, the bad news is, when you play Buffalo, no lead is safe. But the good news is, that applies to both teams -- in their four games this season, the Rangers twice blew two-goal leads, but so did the Sabres, although they ended up winning all four games (three in OT or by shootout). It's just about impossible for the Sabres to gauge much about the Rangers from the season series since it ended December 1st, long before the Rangers made themselves over in Sean Avery's image, and long before Henrik Lundqvist made himself over in Martin Brodeur's image -- indeed, Lundqvist only appeared in one of those four games.
The Rangers can on the other hand draw much from the Sabres' more recent experience to gauge why Buffalo leads may still not be so safe. While they remain explosuve offensively, netminder Ryan Miller is shakier today than he was back then. His regular season record since mid-February may have been an unassailable 13-5-3, but his goals against average was a pedestrian 2.75 and his save percentage was a less than mediocre .907 -- in fact, go back to a New Year's Day win, and since then he was 19-11-4 with a 2.74 GAA and .906 save percentage. He gave up three or more more goals 22 times in those 34 games, four or more goals eight times.
In the playoffs, Miller improved to a 2.20 GAA and .918 save percentage, but the Islanders played defensive hockey -- they took only 134 shots on him in five games, compared to the Rangers' 143 shots on goal in just four playoff games (Miller's GAA would be 3.00 against that many shots with a .918 save percentage). Meanwhile, we don't have reiterate Lundqvist's numbers -- he remains the NHL's best goalie statistically since the trade deadline, and possibly since Christmas. Yes, he will have his hands fuller than they've been in a long time handling the potent Buffalo attack, but he may also get more support than he's accustomed to.
The series is slated to start on Wednesday night in Buffalo and continue there Friday night before returning to New York for a Sunday matinee. We will once again try to go on the road to cover the games, but wouldn't you know, after a week of glorious weather, they're predicting rain for Wednesday, our travel day. For news reports from today, see the Journal News, Newsday, and Post. Newsday also has a nice feature on Tom Renney. The Buffalo News has a piece on the Sabres starting to prepare themselve to face the Rangers. Some team notes can be found there as well. The Record has a series preview, and Slam! Sports has the fantasy league lowdown on Brendan Shanahan. On the farm, the Courant looks at Dwight Helminen's contribution to the Wolf Pack in the playoffs, and Jess has this report on CHL playoff action:
Marc Staal and Sudbury took to their home ice for Game 3 against Belleville with Staal having led his Wolves to a 9-2 playoff record since returning from a minor injury. A scoreless first period saw Sudbury spending much of the time defending against the Bulls, who controlled play. The second period wound up scoreless too, but Sudbury started to find their offensive game. although they could not finish. Belleville finally got on the board early in the third period, but Sudbury got even a couple of minutes later, and that's how they went into overtime. Staal was robbed on an outstanding play in overtime by Belleville's goalie on what could have been the game winner. He then had his stick break on him during another shot. Evenutally, Belleville scored to win the game 2-1 and grab a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 will be tonight in Sudbury. See game reports in the Sudbury Star and the Belleville Intelligencer.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
luckily i don't have cablevision but i'm sure some might. From today's newsday:
The Rangers are in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1997, but about 600,000 of Cablevision's 3 million customers will be shut out of two of the games against the Sabres.
Versus, the NHL's cable partner, has exclusive rights to Game 1 Wednesday and Game 4 May 1. (The network gets two exclusive games in each of the four conference semifinal series.)
The problem is that on Cablevision (and Time Warner Cable), Versus is available only to those with digital service. (It is widely available on DirecTV and Verizon FiOS and is on some Dish Network tiers.)
The good news is about 80 percent of Cablevision customers have digital cable – the highest rate in the nation. But that still will leave many fans in the dark.
Games 3 and 4 of the Devils-Senators series also are Versus exclusives.
When the Rangers and Sabres are not on Versus, they will appear on MSG (Games 2, 5 and 7) or NBC (Games 3 and 6).
Things will only get tougher if the Rangers advance. In the conference finals, all games not shown on NBC are Versus exclusives. MSG can show no games beyond this round.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
i mean, i have digital cable and wont be shut out like many will be, but i still love sam and the crew on msg.
im sure they will telecast post game shows, if the Rangers do advance. just have to switch over after VS or NBC coverage goes off the air,...
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
The Rangers have relished the role of underdog since the lockout, seeming to always do better when expectations are lower. But going into their second round series as the only low seed to advance past the first round, and having to face the top seed in the league, the Rangers have served notice that they want to be viewed as a legitimate contender. And why not? The difference between the two teams all came in calendar year 2006 -- since the first of this year, the Sabres remained one of the best teams in the league with a 25-15-4 record (54 points), but the Rangers were right there with them, going 24-13-7 (55 points) over their last 44 games
That covers more than half the regular season, not just some late season hot streak. But over the last 17 games, the Rangers were 12-3-5 to the Sabres' 9-6-2. The interesting point of comparison over that stretch is Buffalo's goals vs. the Rangers' goals against -- while the Rangers scored just about as many goals (49) as the Sabres allowed (52), Buffalo scored 62 (3.65 per game), exactly twice the number the Rangers allowed. At one end of the ice, this series looks to be a match-up between an irresistable force (the Sabres' O) and an immovable object (Henrik Lundqvist). If Lundqvist does no worse than split the difference, the series may be decided at the other end of the ice, where a potentially explosive Ranger attack will be targeting a net that will bend, perhaps to the point of breaking.
Sean Avery leads the Ranger news today, as he is the only New Yorker to break the bulletin board code and give the Sabres some fodder. Then again, that's exactly what he wants, to distract the Sabres, which is why he said what he said -- "I've already decided I hate all of those guys. I'm going to hurt them, I'm going to hit them, I'm going to be in their face as much as I can." And more -- see the Daily News, Journal News, Newsday, Times, Post, Star-Ledger, and AP. Buffalo reaction from their News ("It’s pointless to get caught up in his little soap operas," said Ryan Miller, already caught up in it if that's what he's calling it). Also from the Buffalo News, good news for Jaromir Jagr -- Lindy Ruff rolls four lines, like the Rangers do, which means he will not face relentless match-ups against the Sabres' best defensive players. The guys at MSG.com weigh in -- Sam, Dave, and Joe. News and notes on each team from USA Today here and here. Series previews from ESPN.com and NHL.com. More from NHL.com on Michael Nylander. Mayor Bloomberg eschewed placing the traditional bet with the rival mayor.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Donate Organs and Save a Life
BUMP - hopefully 24 hours from now we'll be dissecting a good rangers win.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
Comments
Johan Hedberg:
"Obviously one thing I'll cherish is playing with a great bunch of guys and being a part of a great organization. But we felt really good about our chances here to win a Stanley Cup. We got beat by a good team these four games. They played better than us. Before the series, they're not better than us but they deserved to win, so it's disappointing.
on the Matt Cullen goal:
"I don't know. If they called a goal, it's probably (right). I trust them. They have a lot of people working and that goal is a backbreaker and there is no doubt about it. That hurt. I felt we came out, we were ready to play. Inconsistency throughout this playoff, that's not what you have to have. You have to be ready to go and we weren't. Tonight we were but they got the job done and we didn't and we're going home.
Scott Mellanby:
I think it is. (I was) pretty much coming back this year like feeling like it would be my last season. It's been a fun ride but I think it's time.
"Right now, it's a lot of disappointment from this series that we had. But it's a great organization and classy people with Don Waddel and ownership. It's nice to be a part of helping the team get to the playoffs the first time. Obviously, we're very disappointed with the way things worked out but hopefully it's a growing process for the organization.
Ilya Kovalchuk:
"We beat them three times (in the regular season) and three games we lose by one goal. So it's real disappointing. But what are you going to do? You step forward.
"I think we gave them a real fight and that goal from the blue line (was devastating). But what are you going to do? Good luck to them and I hope we're going to be there next year because it's the best hockey, the playoffs.
Greg DeVries:
on the Matt Cullen goal:
"It definitely took a lot out of us. When they're taking that long to review it's not going to be a good thing. It was a quick play. I didn't even think it was going to be reviewed to be honest with you. It's tough. That's what happens, you get the puck on the net and things like that can happen. They did that better than we did and they got the wins.
Bob Hartley:
"It definitely was another great effort. The boys showed great commitment. It certainly wasn't easy to play back-to-back games, especially coming back from last night's effort. We wanted to bring this series back to Atlanta but unfortunately for us, it came down to a very close goal, a good goal. It's unfortunate because we feel as though we played three very tight games. But when you lose by one it is just like losing by a couple of goals.
"Give credit to the Rangers. They played unbelievably well. Jagr can motivate. Nylander, I felt took control of the entire series. That line caused a lot of damage. They were basically unstoppable. They created a lot of problems for us. We showed up and had a great game but that was not good enough."
Matt Cullen:
discussing the meaning of getting the game-winner and the goal itself:
"It's nice. I don't care who gets the game-winning goal. It's just nice to be moving on. These playoff games are so fun to play in. It's great to do it in front of our own fans. We've been playing some really good hockey, I feel for a long time now and it's really nice to do it here.
"No I didn't think it was a goal. I saw it hit the crossbar and then I lost sight of it. I was actually surprised they were reviewing it. I didn't expect to be it a goal.
"The longer it took the more I knew we had a chance. I went to the bench and everybody asked me what I thought and I didn't think it was in. They were saying that our video guy was saying it was a goal.
on the series:
"Our goalie was maybe the biggest difference. He was unbelievable. I thought we did a really good job of playing the way we have been coming down the last part of the year and the way that we stuck to our game plan. We showed a lot of poise. There were kind of ups and downs throughout the series and today particulary but we stuck it out and played some really solid hockey and deserved to win.
Sean Avery:
"We did our part. Now we just keep going, whoever we're playing. I don't even know who we could be playing right now. It's just our mentality and I think that's what you commit to. You commit to two months or two and a half months of getting something done.
"I thought the stretch (run) was playoffs. But this is playoffs out here. It's a different level for sure. Every play you make is a crucial play. The regular season you got that cushion where oh they tie it and we'll win it in a shootout type thing. But this is do or die everytime you step on the ice.
"I'm learning just as much as some of these guys. I haven't made the playoffs in five years. It feels good right now. I feel like we're going to enjoy it for a couple of days and then we got to get ready again because that's the commitment we made for two months and four series. We got to win 16 games and I don't think anyone wants to go home now. I think once you start going, it starts feeling even better and you want to keep going.
Michael Nylander:
"It is unbelievable the way everybody has been playing. We have had great goaltending and good PK. We have been playing well as a team. Every game has been really hard. Everybody on our team played really well. We had a couple of bounces go our way and got the lead and we played off of that. We did a tremendous job. You have to enjoy your moment and go to the next series. It is all so fun. We want to win and we did that. We got our job done and we have to look forward to the next round. This is lots of fun. It took a while but finally.
Brendan Shanahan:
"You can't really ask for a better series from the guys. It is always great to accomplish one of your goals. One of our goals is to beat our first opponent. We are happy with the way we played the series but at the same time we are keeping our head on our shoulders. We certainly don't feel like we have hit a finish line here.
"I don't know if anybody goes into any series expecting to sweep. They are pretty rare. I don't think anybody ever says we are going to sweep this series.
on the third period:
"We didn't feel like we were playing like the way we were playing the first three games. We wanted to get back to shortening our shifts, rolling our lines and get back to a rhythm, back to our team and our game. I felt like we were a little bit disjointed in the first and second period. We got back to rolling the lines and we didn't concentrate on matching (lines) and we looked a lot like the team that played in the first part of the series.
"The truth of the matter is it's important for a city like New York (to be good). If you want hockey to do well, it's important for a city like New York to have a great hockey team and to be a destination where players want to have an opportunity to go. It wasn't always that way in the past several years but it's probably starting with Tom Renney, it's getting there. Our feet are pointing in the right direction now.
Jaromir Jagr:
"I am glad it's over, especially the back-to-back games. It is not easy. It wasn't easy for me, the second half of the game I was tired. Between the second and third period you are wondering if you can even go back on the ice. But when you are on the ice, you just go. You have to go.
"It wasn't our goal to just make the first round. The last 20 or 30 games of the regular season, they we played, we can play anybody.
"To me the biggest difference is the games before the playoffs. We learned how to play in the playoffs. They clinched the playoffs before us. We had to fight until the last game. The last 20 games were practice for the playoffs.
"You just never know. You just want to finish the team when you can. You never know. It can go either way, they won one game and they go home and they win at home and they got Game Six and Seven. I had a coach and he always said whoever wins Game Six 80 percent of the time wins Game Seven, you just never know. The quicker the better.
"It gave them more rest. I knew it's a goal. The trainer said it's a goal and that's why I went for the puck and put it in the middle. I guess some guys from Atlanta didn't agree with me.
Henrik Lundqvist:
"It was great to see how we responded from last night. We came back and kept it simple. Maybe in the first we tried to over do things a couple of times. But we talked about it and we got back to basics in the second and third and we looked much better.
"We played so well. We made it really tough for them to create chances. They are (at their) best when you play a high-risk hockey and you take chances. So we really played the way we have to play against this team.
"I was just relaxed and I didn't spend too much energy on things that didn't matter. We knew the start was going to be important tonight. Unfortunately they got the first goal so they had a lot of energy from it. We stuck to the game plan and we didn't panic. Even when they had a 2-1 lead, we believed in each other.
Tom Renney:
"Thinking back to the lockout year, we suggested to our fans that we were on the verge of re-defining ourselves as an organizaton. At the same time we wanted an injection of youth that could grow up in front of the fans' eyes. I'm not sure how far we've come just yet but certainly it's an important step. You want to get into the postseason as quickly as you can and we've done that in consecutive years. But the first year was not particulary successful. This time around we understand that we have a lot of work to do. I think that to a man, we're still on a business trip. We want to make this last as long as we can possibly can for lots of reasons - first and foremost because of the guarantee that we made to our fans and to our constituents out there that we were going to do everything we could do to be the finest franchise as possible.
"I think being able to start in Atlanta probably helped us. There wasn't a lot of pressure on us to perform intially out of the gate, being on the road. But I think our last couple of months really prepared us for playoff hockey. I think the guys really embraced that whole pursuit and didn't feel at all that the job was complete when we made the playoffs. That was just sort of the beginning of the next chapter.
"Nothing really comes easy for our team. Maybe that is what is most important here, that we learn and understand and embrace the team concept we embrace the sacrifice, which is sometimes you own identity. In the third period, I thought we'd win the game.
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
The Rangers were busy working out to some 80s hair metal anthem a few minutes ago. I couldn’t decide if it was Warrant or Winger of maybe even Motley Crue, but Rangers p.r. man Sammy Steinlight chimed in right away that it was Poison. I maintain that even if this is something you did know the answer to, you’re better off keeping quiet. Then again, given the hits I’m taking for my choice in ties, maybe I’m no longer an authority on good taste.
Meanwhile, you can probably tell by now that today was a slow news day. The Rangers skated for barely an hour—including some half-ice 3-on-3—and then retreated inside for the aforementioned workouts to questionable music.
Among the updates:
# Brendan Shanahan skipped practice for what he described as a “maintenance day,” but is otherwise fine.
# Lots of talk about how the Rangers are mostly indifferent about their opponent, again embracing the whole “It’s all about us” mantra. I’ll have more on this in tomorrow’s paper, although for now the other part to consider is that any of the remaining teams present their own unique problems. According to Blair Betts, “We’re going to have beat a good team eventually,” which could be considered smack talk toward the Thrashers. But seeing how Blair Betts is about as controversial as a church supper, I don’t think that was his intent.
# More signs that the Rangers are suddenly a worthwhile endeavor: Sports Illustrated’s acclaimed Michael Farber is in town to do a story on the team.
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
If Buffalo and Tampa Bay win their respective series, New York will play Ottawa. The Sabres will host the Lightning.
If the Islanders and Devils survive, they will face each other and New York will play Ottawa.
If the Lightning and Isles gain upsets, New York will host the Bolts and the Isles will travel to Ottawa.
If the Rangers face Tampa Bay, New York will own home ice advantage. Otherwise, Rangers will begin on the road.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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April 20, 2007
Four Players Signed
This just in -- the Rangers have signed Bobby Sanguinetti to a pro contract, and have signed Colton Orr and Ryan Hollweg to contract extensions. They also officially announced the already-reported contract extension that Thomas Pock signed.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
Sunny Saturday AM Update
Spring has finally arrived in New York City, a little late, just like Ranger playoff success. But now that it's here, it's glorious. Under beautiful skies and balmy weather, the Rangers take to their practice ice this morning knowing that their next opponent, whether it be Ottawa or Buffalo, will be nearly as rested (or as rusty) as they are when the second round begins in the middle of next week. Buffalo was the latest team to advance, beating an Islander team that either cheats (Sean Hill taking steroids) or is dumb (everyone takes steroids but only Sean Hill was stupid enough to be caught). Either way, the Ice Girls will not be cleaning any more creases this spring (there's a joke in there somewhere, but we're not going there).
Ranger reading today -- Blueshirts Blog, Journal News, Newsday, Star-Ledger, Post, and NY Sports Day for updates from practice yesterday. At MSG.com, Dave Maloney and Sam Rosen. Updated team notes at USA Today. Rob Picarello of FoxSports.com breaks down the Rangers after round one (we told Rob the other day that the Rangers better be moving up his power rankings now). NHL.com notes that any time the Rangers sweep (which is not often) they advance to the finals, but we can amend that (thanks to one of the Rangers' official scorers) to say that any time they take a 3-0 series lead, they advance to the finals even if they don't sweep (they did that in 1950). The Hockey News chimes in with a rare look at the Rangers. Today on the Sean Avery channel, the Toronto Star. CSI fans will want to read ESPN.com's interview with Ranger fan Eddie Cahill. Hartford lost Game 2 of its series with Providence, the series now tied 1-1.
If tampa wins 6 & 7 , we head to Ottawa.
Otherwise, we are heading up to Buffalo.
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the blog entry is below:
Tom Renney lent credence today to something many of us already suspected, that Karel Rachunek’s return to the lineup next week is likely to come at the expense of Thomas Pock.
(Thanks to Ernie Palladino for passing along the latest on this. I was at practice for all of 20 minutes before the dual responsibilities of child-rearing and lawn re-seeding came calling).
“They’re all tough decisions at this time of year,” Renney said. “We want to play the best hockey we can, and if it’s at the expense of a current roster player, so be it. We have a culture here where that player won’t be happy with it. But he will accept it.
This break, Renney said, has been particularly beneficial to Rachunek, to the point that he most likely will be in the lineup for Game 1 of the second round.
“There are some guys who have some credit, some money in the bank. And of course the younger guys have to keep playing well,” Renney said. “In the case of Tommy, he’s a young player who might have to sit out. It’s a matter of who strengthens our team.”
A few thoughts on this:
# For most of the season I was hardly Rachunek’s biggest fan, often considering him a liability. But there’s no question that his play did improve, coincidentally or not, after the deadline trade of his partner Aaron Ward. In the time directly before he got hurt, when he was paired with Paul Mara, Rachunek was actually quite impressive. Specifically there was the stellar job he did on Sidney Crosby on March 1, and then his hand in both of the Rangers’ third period goals in their come-from-behind win against the Blues on March 3.
# Pock, meanwhile, has also improved as the season has gone on. If we’re going to talk about big goals, a number of players have pointed to Pock’s crucial late goal against the Bruins on March 24, which helped the Rangers get into overtime, and then win in a shootout. Pock himself readily admitted he was shaky in his first career playoff game against the Thrashers last Thursday. But he showed more confidence as the series carried on, and I thought he was particularly sharp in Game 3. Naturally, the Rangers’ recent re-signing of the Austrian suggests they see him as part of their future.
# So now the question is: can a player miss a month of action and still be effective? In Brendan Shanahan, we’ve seen a player make only slow progress, to the point where only now does he look like his old self. But in both Fedor Tyutin and Marcel Hossa, both of whom of course had the exact same injury as Rachunek, we’ve seen two players who hardly looked like they skipped a beat.
If anything, the sheer volume of the above entry proves I need to get a life.
OK, back to yard work.
More later…
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
Today at the MSG Training Center, the team went through a loose 45 minute practice session designed to maintain their conditioning and keep their skill set sharp. A two on two drill proved to be extremely effective even with the defenders knowing what was coming. A three on two drill emphasized basic textbook positioning on the rush and was equally effective. In both cases, forwards who freelanced were shut down far more quickly by defenders than those who stuck with the play.
And the interactions among the players were interesting -- Ryan Callahan chatting easily with Jaromir Jagr, undaunted as a rookie alongside a future Hall of Famer; Sean Avery joked around with Petr Prucha, a pairing one would not have anticipated given Avery's pre-Ranger reputation; Ryan Hollweg and Jed Ortmeyer, good friends off the ice, playfully checked each other; Brendan Shanahan, during a one-timer drill, shanked a shot wide of Kevin Weekes and said, "If there was someone there, it would've been an easy goal for them," before proceeding to drill his next attempt in off the crossbar on a blistering shot; and rink rat Michael Nylander was on the ice for an extra 45 minutes, working with Weekes.
Karel Rachunek participated fully in practice and is expected to start the next series -- Thomas Pock is the likely scratch, but Tom Renney insisted that he will make a decision in favor of what works best for the team on the ice, not one based on seniority. Marek Malik was the only Ranger not to practice -- he was given the day off to rest, but was in the building working out off the ice. One Ranger defenseman banged his knee during a drill and was flexing it for a few minutes, but he completed practice and was said to be OK -- he'll play through anything, Renney said of him afterwards.
The Rangers have the day off tomorrow and resume practice Monday. They have continued to focus solely on their own needs as a team in the absence of a known playoff opponent, but by the time they reconvene, they might know who's up next -- with Martin Brodeur having regained his form with a shutout last night that put the Devils up 3-2 in their series with Tampa, a meeting with Buffalo appears to be the most probable match-up.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
even tho we didnt win 1 game against them this regular season-
they only faced King Henrik once,
and 3 of the 4 games went to overtime - ( 1 in shootout.}
I think Henrik alone, when he gets in his "zone", can frustrate the Sabres.
Dont write us off yet,...
[size=+3] - _/ _/ _/ Lets Go Rangers \_ \_ \_ - [/size]
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
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also forgot to mention that Avery hadnt been a NYR yet , in any of those previous meetings with Buff.
Buffalo, here we come.
[size=+3] - _/ _/ _/ Lets Go Rangers \_ \_ \_ - [/size]
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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A - Lundqvist, didn't play in two or maybe three of those games
B - Defense had Aaron Ward, who as we know sucked and pissed off Jagr
C - Jagr wasn't fully recovered from the shoulder problems. He might still not be but he's a lot better now than at that time
D - SEAN AVERY - enough said, which I never thought i'd be typing this when he with the Kings but the guy can play.
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
MSG 2 08, Buffalo 10, Hamilton 11
_____________________________
KEEP OUR COUNTRY ....COUNTRY
Its gonna be a great series!
LETS GO RANGERS!!!
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
we need the sched.
LET'S GO RANGER'S!!!!!!!!
Series schedule set
April
23
Never trust what you read on a web site (excluding this one, of course). That report of a Saturday afternoon Game 2 on NBC was incorrect. Instead, the series schedule is as follows:
Game 1 Wednesday at Buffalo
Game 2 Friday at Buffalo
Game 3 Sunday afternoon at MSG
Game 4 Tuesday at MSG
Game 5 Thursday at Buffalo
Game 6 Sunday afternoon at MSG
Game 7 TBD at Buffalo
More later..
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013
Rangers-Sabres sked
Wednesday: Game 1 in Buffalo 7 p.m.
Friday Game 2 in Buffalo 7 p.m.
Sunday Game 3 at MSG 2 p.m.
Tuesday Game 4 at MSG 7 p.m.
Thursday Game 5 in Buffalo 7 p.m. *
Sunday Game 6 at MSG 2 p.m.*
Tuesday Game 7 in Buffalo 7 p.m *
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
1) MSG
2) MSG
3) NBC
4) MSG
5)* MSG
6)* NBC
7)*MSG
fucking sweet.
cant wait for this to start.
from todays practice facility up in westchester
rangers on demand
The Rangers on The Sabres
also comments from Shanny , King Henrik , Savery , & Coach Renney
the best of Avery:
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
LETS GO RANGERS!!!
Blueshirt Bulletin
Ryan Miller Can Be Beaten
Well, the bad news is, when you play Buffalo, no lead is safe. But the good news is, that applies to both teams -- in their four games this season, the Rangers twice blew two-goal leads, but so did the Sabres, although they ended up winning all four games (three in OT or by shootout). It's just about impossible for the Sabres to gauge much about the Rangers from the season series since it ended December 1st, long before the Rangers made themselves over in Sean Avery's image, and long before Henrik Lundqvist made himself over in Martin Brodeur's image -- indeed, Lundqvist only appeared in one of those four games.
The Rangers can on the other hand draw much from the Sabres' more recent experience to gauge why Buffalo leads may still not be so safe. While they remain explosuve offensively, netminder Ryan Miller is shakier today than he was back then. His regular season record since mid-February may have been an unassailable 13-5-3, but his goals against average was a pedestrian 2.75 and his save percentage was a less than mediocre .907 -- in fact, go back to a New Year's Day win, and since then he was 19-11-4 with a 2.74 GAA and .906 save percentage. He gave up three or more more goals 22 times in those 34 games, four or more goals eight times.
In the playoffs, Miller improved to a 2.20 GAA and .918 save percentage, but the Islanders played defensive hockey -- they took only 134 shots on him in five games, compared to the Rangers' 143 shots on goal in just four playoff games (Miller's GAA would be 3.00 against that many shots with a .918 save percentage). Meanwhile, we don't have reiterate Lundqvist's numbers -- he remains the NHL's best goalie statistically since the trade deadline, and possibly since Christmas. Yes, he will have his hands fuller than they've been in a long time handling the potent Buffalo attack, but he may also get more support than he's accustomed to.
The series is slated to start on Wednesday night in Buffalo and continue there Friday night before returning to New York for a Sunday matinee. We will once again try to go on the road to cover the games, but wouldn't you know, after a week of glorious weather, they're predicting rain for Wednesday, our travel day. For news reports from today, see the Journal News, Newsday, and Post. Newsday also has a nice feature on Tom Renney. The Buffalo News has a piece on the Sabres starting to prepare themselve to face the Rangers. Some team notes can be found there as well. The Record has a series preview, and Slam! Sports has the fantasy league lowdown on Brendan Shanahan. On the farm, the Courant looks at Dwight Helminen's contribution to the Wolf Pack in the playoffs, and Jess has this report on CHL playoff action:
Marc Staal and Sudbury took to their home ice for Game 3 against Belleville with Staal having led his Wolves to a 9-2 playoff record since returning from a minor injury. A scoreless first period saw Sudbury spending much of the time defending against the Bulls, who controlled play. The second period wound up scoreless too, but Sudbury started to find their offensive game. although they could not finish. Belleville finally got on the board early in the third period, but Sudbury got even a couple of minutes later, and that's how they went into overtime. Staal was robbed on an outstanding play in overtime by Belleville's goalie on what could have been the game winner. He then had his stick break on him during another shot. Evenutally, Belleville scored to win the game 2-1 and grab a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 will be tonight in Sudbury. See game reports in the Sudbury Star and the Belleville Intelligencer.
[size=+3] - _/ _/ _/ Lets Go Rangers \_ \_ \_ - [/size]
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
NYR Practice 4-24-07 .
27 hours boys, cant wait .
[size=+3] - _/ _/ _/ Lets Go Rangers \_ \_ \_ - [/size]
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
The Rangers are in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1997, but about 600,000 of Cablevision's 3 million customers will be shut out of two of the games against the Sabres.
Versus, the NHL's cable partner, has exclusive rights to Game 1 Wednesday and Game 4 May 1. (The network gets two exclusive games in each of the four conference semifinal series.)
The problem is that on Cablevision (and Time Warner Cable), Versus is available only to those with digital service. (It is widely available on DirecTV and Verizon FiOS and is on some Dish Network tiers.)
The good news is about 80 percent of Cablevision customers have digital cable – the highest rate in the nation. But that still will leave many fans in the dark.
Games 3 and 4 of the Devils-Senators series also are Versus exclusives.
When the Rangers and Sabres are not on Versus, they will appear on MSG (Games 2, 5 and 7) or NBC (Games 3 and 6).
Things will only get tougher if the Rangers advance. In the conference finals, all games not shown on NBC are Versus exclusives. MSG can show no games beyond this round.
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
this fucking sucks.
i mean, i have digital cable and wont be shut out like many will be, but i still love sam and the crew on msg.
im sure they will telecast post game shows, if the Rangers do advance. just have to switch over after VS or NBC coverage goes off the air,...
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
April 24, 2007
Rangers Better Than Sabres This Year
The Rangers have relished the role of underdog since the lockout, seeming to always do better when expectations are lower. But going into their second round series as the only low seed to advance past the first round, and having to face the top seed in the league, the Rangers have served notice that they want to be viewed as a legitimate contender. And why not? The difference between the two teams all came in calendar year 2006 -- since the first of this year, the Sabres remained one of the best teams in the league with a 25-15-4 record (54 points), but the Rangers were right there with them, going 24-13-7 (55 points) over their last 44 games
That covers more than half the regular season, not just some late season hot streak. But over the last 17 games, the Rangers were 12-3-5 to the Sabres' 9-6-2. The interesting point of comparison over that stretch is Buffalo's goals vs. the Rangers' goals against -- while the Rangers scored just about as many goals (49) as the Sabres allowed (52), Buffalo scored 62 (3.65 per game), exactly twice the number the Rangers allowed. At one end of the ice, this series looks to be a match-up between an irresistable force (the Sabres' O) and an immovable object (Henrik Lundqvist). If Lundqvist does no worse than split the difference, the series may be decided at the other end of the ice, where a potentially explosive Ranger attack will be targeting a net that will bend, perhaps to the point of breaking.
Sean Avery leads the Ranger news today, as he is the only New Yorker to break the bulletin board code and give the Sabres some fodder. Then again, that's exactly what he wants, to distract the Sabres, which is why he said what he said -- "I've already decided I hate all of those guys. I'm going to hurt them, I'm going to hit them, I'm going to be in their face as much as I can." And more -- see the Daily News, Journal News, Newsday, Times, Post, Star-Ledger, and AP. Buffalo reaction from their News ("It’s pointless to get caught up in his little soap operas," said Ryan Miller, already caught up in it if that's what he's calling it). Also from the Buffalo News, good news for Jaromir Jagr -- Lindy Ruff rolls four lines, like the Rangers do, which means he will not face relentless match-ups against the Sabres' best defensive players. The guys at MSG.com weigh in -- Sam, Dave, and Joe. News and notes on each team from USA Today here and here. Series previews from ESPN.com and NHL.com. More from NHL.com on Michael Nylander. Mayor Bloomberg eschewed placing the traditional bet with the rival mayor.
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
[size=+3] - _/ _/ _/ Lets Go Rangers \_ \_ \_ - [/size]
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
Let's Go Ranger's!!!!!!!!