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A Brief Review of the First 5 Games for the Rangers

howie9416 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:36:13 +0000

The Rangers 2011-12 season has begun and here is a brief review on the first 5 games of the campaign and some thoughts about the renovated MSG.

Well, the first 5 games have been a roller coaster ride so far and a trip through 3 countries for the Rangers. It was tough to watch the first 2 as they were played in the middle of the day in Europe, but I saw enough highlights to realize that they had to scratch and claw their way to 2 tough points in losing to the Kings in OT and the Ducks in a shootout. They then made their way back to the US and lost a rivalry game to the Isles in which John Tavares scored a hat trick against them.

This long season opening trip continued next in Vancouver, where they had not won a game in 14 years. The last time before Tuesday nights win, Gretzky was a Ranger, and Messier was in Vancouver. That all changed when they scored 4 times in the 3rd and Lundqvist was superb in net shutting out the Canucks with a ton of amazing saves. What I took out of that period was that I thought this was a stepping stone to improved play by the team.

Last night, they headed to another house of horrors for them as they faced the Calgary Flames and played a solid game in winning 3-2 with .5 seconds left in OT as McDonagh scored off a rebound shot off the boards to give them a 2-1-2 record after 5 games. In the game, the Rangers ended an 0-fer Power Play goal slump when Gaborik scored in the first period, and that meant that every team in the NHL had now scored at least 1 PPG. They also added their 1st SHG of the year as well when Prust scored in the first.

Some of the bright spots so far are Gaborik, who seems to be revitalized playing with Richards, who just has fit in nicely with this team after coming over as a free agent over the summer. Of course Lundqvist has been the biggest star of the team so far, playing just amazing goal, allowing the Rangers a chance to win every game. Despite the fact that Staal and Sauer have not played yet, the D has played decently at times, but there are still improvements to be made.

On the other player front, Wolski is supposed to suit up tomorrow night for his first action of the year, but my suggestion to him is try to play your best or else you could be riding the bench a ton. As far as Avery goes, he went down to CT and reported to the Whale and I don’t expect to see him in a NYR jersey again as his salary is now off the Rangers payroll and opened up some more space.

This marathon trip continues tomorrow night when they face Edmonton and finish it up in Winnipeg on Monday where they will be playing there for the first time in over 15 years and at long last, their home opener comes next Thursday as they host the Maple Leafs which will begin a long 6 game homestand at the renovated, overpriced MSG.

Just a commentary on the MSG renovation: while they may make it a nicer place to see an event, the truth is that they are gouging the fans for everything they can get while catering to the corporations and the rich. As a former season ticket holder for the Rangers, I realized that I could no longer to afford to go to games as the prices continued to increase year after year and I feel for the people who have tickets in the upper sections of the arena since I think that after the upper level renovation is completed after this season, they will be hit with increased ticket prices and most likely force even more people out. I expect the Garden to have more empty seats in a regular basis going forward due to this fact. I was shocked to see this when I got an email from the Garden about single game seats for sale; I went out to the Ticketmaster site to check out how much they would cost and could not believe what I saw. I picked a game and wanted to see what 2 seats would go for in the 400′s. Get this, with all the fees, each seat cost $62.55 each, meaning that just to walk into the building would cost nearly $125 and let’s not forget about the additional $$ on other items while at the game. I always wanted to take my son to a game, but I feel that I can no longer afford to do it, so I’d like to thank MSG for making a potential bonding experience with my child almost unattainable due to high prices.

On that note, I want to finish up with that with the improved play over the last couple of games that I think they may have turned the corner on their slow start, so until the next time, your NYR blogger,

Howie

2011-12 NY Rangers Season Preview

howie9416 — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 02:00:15 +0000

After a decent 2010-11 NHL season, which saw them return to the playoffs, although it was a short stay when they were eliminated in 5 games by the Caps, I felt that it was the start of something good for this team going forward. I believe what they did over the summer could set up this team for many years of success and yes I will tip my cap to Sather for doing things the right way for a change. So here’s some of what I think about when it comes to this team for the 2011-12 season.
Starting in July, they were smart in the free agent market, snapping up Mike Rupp (Pittsburgh) for some more toughness, and the biggest fish out there – Brad Richards (Dallas), who should be able to help generate more offense on the top line playing with Gaborik. In addition, Callahan was named the new Captain while Richards and Staal were named Alternate Captains for the 2011-12 season. This will give the team more than one scoring line in quite some time while retaining the grit they had before.
Some of the key re-signings were Callahan; Dubinsky; Fedotenko; and Prust; all who were good performers last season. One of the other positives for 2011-12 will be the goaltending tandem of Lundqvist and Biron (who is back after a season ending injury) and should make the Rangers one of the most formidable teams in the East this coming year.
Some of the departures from last year include Prospal – who signed with Columbus; Avery – who was just waived and sent to the AHL; Weise – picked up on waivers by Vancouver; Gilroy – signed with Tampa; Grachev – signed with St. Louis; Drury – bought out & then retired; Frolov –left as a Free Agent; McCabe – left as a Free Agent; and the tragic loss of Derek Boogaard this past May.
I think that their power play will be much improved over last year with Richards on the top unit and the penalty kill should be just as good as it was too a season ago since the same players are still on the roster. If some of the role players can contribute this season as they did last, this could be an even bigger stepping stone for them. Other interesting questions that will be addressed this season are: how well will Del Zotto be on D after last year’s disaster which had him sent down to the AHL; will Christensen be a contributor on this team; can Gaborik have a great season like he did in 09-10; will Dubinsky and Callahan continue to average 20+ goals like the last 2 seasons; and will Lundqvist finally win a Vezina since he’s only been one of the best goalies in the league since he came in 2005.
One lingering injury issue will be how well Staal will be since he has now had a setback related to post concussion syndrome and will miss the start of the season?
One of the highlight of the regular season schedule will be when they play the Flyers on Jan 2 in Philly to mark their first appearance in the Winter Classic which should be a lot of fun for all the fans and teams alike.
Prediction:
I think they can finish in the top half of the conference, I figure between 2nd and 5th. Of course you never know what can happen during the year, but I do have hopes that this team can do bigger and better things this year as long as Torts doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel every game. Bottom line, win more games in regulation and don’t rely on the shootouts so much so that there’s no sweating on the last day of the season.
So on that note, let the season begin Friday in Stockholm, Sweden as they will face the Kings in the NHL Premiere games. They don’t play at MSG until the 27th due to the ongoing renovations which means this is the start of a long road trip.
So, until the next time, your NYR blogger, Howie saying:

LETS GO RANGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

I’m Back from Mothballs – Prepping for the NYR 11-12 Season

howie9416 — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 01:45:48 +0000

Well folks, it’s been a long time since I have blogged but I’m looking forward to doing that for the upcoming season and really going to focus on what the Rangers plan to do as well as how they are doing during the season, from now until next summer. Please feel free to comment when entries are posted as I enjoy reading what people have to say about my writing.

Tough to gauge how a team will do in preseason, but this is great way to see who will make the team and who won’t since there are some spots available in the lineup. Once we get closer to the end of preseason, I will make my season predictions for them and will grade my effort during the year is it progresses.

The regular season gets underway in Europe very soon and its going to be the start of a good year I think.

Well until next time, your NYR blogger
Howie

Another Week, Some More Positives

howie9416 — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:20:10 +0000

The Rangers have shown this past week that they are indeed headed for some postseason hockey for the first time since 08-09 by getting points in trap games against Florida and Ottawa and then beating NE division leading Boston today. They managed to do this despite only scoring 3 goals in the games by relying on Lundqvist for the most part and some clutch scoring. I’m still surprised that they have done this despite the lack of goal scoring this year.

They have been on a nice roll as the playoffs near and it looks like they will most likely finish somewhere between 5th to 7th since it is tightly packed at the moment in the East. The other positive is that they have put some distance between themselves and 9th place, which is where they finished last year in heartbreaking fashion and it is most certainly not gonna happen this year. 3-3 is all they need to go at this point and should be good enough to qualify. If it wasn’t for that great start early in the year, having that major slump at mid-season which would have killed them in some years didn’t this year and this recent streak has allowed them to maintain a playoff position, which I didn’t think they’d have at this point in the year.

Well, the road trip continues in Buffalo on Wed as they keep fighting for positioning and then on the Island on Thursday where they will face the Isles for the last time this year. 6 games until the real marathon begins – the Stanley Cup Playoffs and ya never know what can happen there.

So until next week,

Howie

A Quick Update on Rangers Playoff Drive

howie9416 — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:03:37 +0000

Well, it’s been another week and the Rangers have put themselves in a good spot now with a 4 game winning streak, including today’s win in PIT. While I’d love to talk about that in more detail, I’d rather talk about this instead, the cheapshot given to Ryan McDonagh by dirtbag Matt Cooke. (This is a copy of an entry I had written at rangersgab.com)

Having not seen the play live and just watched the replay, it makes me sick that this guy can continue to have a job in the NHL and today’s hit to me should be the last straw for all of us and the league should toss his ass to the street already. There’s no more room for this type of crap in the league. I remember the cheapshot he laid on Savard last year and the no suspension that followed it as well as the stuff he has been doing this year and it just seems this schmuck just doesn’t get it at all. As for Lemieux, he should not even say a word and keep his mouth shut as this is becoming a regular problem with his team. I hope the league throws the book at this total douchebag and for once sends the message that head shots will not be tolerated. I don’t care what he does off the ice, no matter how good of a guy he is because to me it’s what he does on the ice that is a true reflection of how he will be remembered – not good.

Anyway, the Rangers have played extremely well as of late and congrats to Lundqvist to reaching 30 wins yet again as well as the team just about to hit the 40 win mark once again. It looks like Gabby has found his game again and is now helping the team big time on the ice, Cally is continuing to be clutch and it’s also nice to see them stand up for each other as there were points of the season where that was absent in games. They have 9 games left and need to win about 4-5 of them in order to solidify that spot.

Well as their drive continues, I will keep on posting updates by the week, so until next Sunday

Howie

An Up and Down Week for the Blueshirts

howie9416 — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 01:15:50 +0000

Well after a homestand where the Rangers couldn’t find a way to win, scoring only 4 times, they managed to find their scoring touch for the last 2, breaking out by hitting the back of the net 11 times while only allowing 1. This team has given the fans lots of agita over the last bunch games with the continued inconsistent play. All the fans ask for is for a yeoman’s effort in every game and not to take parts of games off where they usually end up costing them in the end. In order for them to make sure they capture a playoff spot, they need Lundqvist to be on top of his game as Biron is most likely out for the year with a broken collar bone; the forward corps needs to keep up the scoring at least 3+ goals a game; and the defense corps just has to keep doing what its been doing all year despite the fact of how young they are.

This hopefully should help them make it there unless they suffer another slump which could put them on the outside looking in. Ever since the All-Star Break, this team has been up and down (mostly down) which has allowed the teams who were way behind them to close the points gap. With 14 games left, they need to win at least 8-9 of them to guarantee themselves a spot because I think that anything less than that may not be enough.

Well that’s it for my weekly update on the Rangers and let’s hope that my next one in 7 days will be the review of good news.

So until the next time,

Howie

I’m Back – Been a Crazy Winter and Ready for the Stretch Drive

howie9416 — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:41:50 +0000

Hello everyone, its been a while since I wrote out here but I’ve had a crazy winter, from the late work hours to the snow and having to give up my NYR season tickets after 10 yrs, its been just draining. I will be writing as of tomorrow about the Rangers drive to try to get into the playoffs for the first time in 2 years and talking about the ups and down with the effort. They have 20 games left starting with the Caps on Friday and they have to try to pick up as many points as possible. This season has been full of issues, from close losses to loads of injuries such as the current ones to Gaborik and Staal. They have to strap their boots on and try to plow through this and hope that they will be one of the 8 teams in a postseason spot at season’s end. They as of this writing currently sit in 7th place, 8 points better than 9th so they have a little cushion, but not that much as the games become even more important this time of year.

I hope that you will read my stuff as I enjoyed writing here last year, so until Friday night,

Your friendly NYR blogger,

Howie

A Tale of 2 Games (Bad in One and Good in the Other)

howie9416 — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 01:50:53 +0000

The Rangers played 2 games in the last 2 nights, one against Philly where they were totally outplayed and lost 4-1, with the lone goal was tallied by Dubinsky and a total non-call on a head shot to Fedotenko by Dan Carcillo to tonight’s game against the Devils in Newark where they beat them 3-0 with Lundqvist getting his 26th career shutout.

This game had it’s moments as the Devils did try to take advantage of the tired Rangers, but simply could not beat Henrik and on the offensive side, they got a pair from Dubinsky including a shorthanded goal which pretty much sealed the game. This game was also one of the rare times through the years where they did not face Brodeur, who was out with an injury to his elbow. The turning point of this game came after the Devils had put on tons of pressure and then were called for a penalty which resulted in the Rangers getting a PPG which made the score 2-0 late in the 2nd period. Dubinsky now has 10 goals on the season, which is one of the tops in the league at this point and lets hope he keeps it up. On another note, Gaborik is set to return to the team next week and it couldn’t be at a better time for the team and his offense is going to be welcomed.

In addition, it’s nice to see them bounce back after a lackluster perfomance the night before. Their next game is Sunday night against St.Louis where they will face a very good Blues team at the Garden; game time is 7pm. This is also the start of a 4 game homestand for them which I believe is the longest of the season.

Anyway, thats all for now folks, so until the next time,

Howie

Just Can’t Figure This Team Out At All

howie9416 — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 02:19:04 +0000

The Rangers have played 9 games and are 4-4-1 for 9 pts., but have played better on the road than at MSG, where they are an abysmal 1-3-1 which includes 2 straight losses to both Atlanta and Carolina this week. I thought that after they had lost Gaborik and Drury to injuries that they would be playing more consistent defensive hockey, but instead, they have played lackluster hockey and there have been loads of defensive lapses in their own zone.

Offensively, they have have done decently with Dubinsky and Callahan stepping it up as well as a couple of others. One real disappointment has been Frolov who needs a GPS to find the net and has looked lost during some games. In goal, they have gotten steady play from Lundqvist, but haven’t always given him enough support.

If this type of play keeps up, the season may be over sooner than we think since they can’t continue to think they can win at all playing blah hockey like this. I’m hoping that when Gaborik comes back that they can get back to some better efforts on the ice to stay in the race for a playoff spot. I know it’s only late October, but playoff spots can be won and lost in the first 20-25 games and if they start to go in reverse, the last 70+ games could be agonizing to watch.

Well on the bright side, at least they have found ways to find the back of the net unlike last year, where it was a struggle to get goals from anyone besides Gaborik. I do hope that this trend continues since it will keep them in games all season long. I know that I have been rambling on for a bit, but I just wanted to get my points across about what I have seen so far.

They finish the month tomorrow in Toronto where for some reason, they are meeting the Leafs for the 3rd time this year. I am still at a loss to figure out how the league schedules these games, you’d think they would break them up so they meet early and late in the year. Great going NHL Office, finding ways to screw things up on a daily basis.

Anyway, that’s about it for tonight so until the next time,

Howie

A Nice Team Game vs. Toronto Tonight and Other Thoughts

howie9416 — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:53:43 +0000

Hello all, I’ve been crazy busy with work so been tough to get out here, but tonight the Rangers played team oriented hockey and beat the Leafs tonight up in Toronto 2-1. The big story was really Marty Biron who stopped all but one shot in his NYR debut and showed me that he is going to be the solid back-up goalie that the Rangers have needed for a while to help Lundqvist.

All in all it was a great defensive effort with loads of blocked shots and perfection on the penalty kill. Congrats to Ruslan Fedotenko for scoring his first goal as a Ranger!!!!!!!!!!! Nice to see him get it tonight. The real surprise was the way that they got their goals, in a quick 1:01, to go up by 2 and make a very quiet Air Canada Centre crowd even quieter. I find it amazing how it can be so quiet during a hockey game up there considering how crazy they are about the sport. It’s like they sit on their hands all night and I was able to hear the conversations on the ice while the game was going on. Maybe the problem is the corporate seats down low, which seem to be causing that issue in other arenas around the league.

Speaking of other teams, how about that attendance in Columbus the other night? Only 9,800? Is this a sign that the league made a mistake going there or just a lack of support for a team which has only made the playoffs once. Another interesting situation is in South Florida where they have tarped off the upper deck to cut down seating capacity. Why bother doing that since the team shouldn’t have been put there in the first place and would be better off playing in a city which will fill a building and embrace the team. Maybe it could be the fact that they haven’t made the playoffs in 10+ years, but who knows. Atlanta is another arena where fans show up disguised as empty seats and it seems that trend hasn’t changed. When is the hierarchy of the league going to realize that it made mistakes going into some of these markets? I’m not sure but I don’t think the lightbulb is going on anytime soon.

Well now that I’m off my soapbox, the Blueshirts next games are Saturday in Boston and then Sunday at home against New Jersey as they continue to play the October portion of their schedule.

So until next time,

Howie

I’m Back for Another NYR Season

howie9416 — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 02:33:16 +0000

After a long summer off, the Rangers got back to playing hockey and won their opener 6-3 in Buffalo tonight, but the biggest story of the night was rookie Derek Stepan, who scored a hat trick in his first game and more impressive, did it on his first 3 shots. I’m not sure how the team will do this year, but hey a moment like that is needed to be cherished. I have predicted that they will finish anywhere between 7th and 10th, probably missing the postseason, but if they get secondary scoring, they could possibly grab one of the last 2 spots in the East.

Other players who had a good night were Dubinsky, Callahan, and Lundqvist, who stopped all but 3 Buffalo shots in the game. The only downer was the Power Play which once again looked like it has in prior years, not good. Too much time looking for the perfect shot instead of shooting and getting a rebound chance. The good thing is that its early and there’s time to fix it if possible.

Anyway, I’m glad to be back and look forward to another season of Rangers hockey. Their next game is Monday at 1 against the Islanders.

Until the next time,

Howie

Playoffs

howie9416 — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:07:40 +0000

If anyone would like me to write up a blog regarding the playoffs and how I am seeing them, please let me know.

Howie

In the End, No Playoffs for the Rangers

howie9416 — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:16:40 +0000

Well it came down to one game and the Rangers came up short in their attempt to make the postseason with a crushing 2-1 Shootout Loss to the Flyers today. The only player who seemed to be in the game all day was Lundqvist, who stopped almost everything in sight. It had to be more than just him and it never happened today. It will now be a long summer for the Blueshirts as I’m sure that changes will be made with the roster and hopefully the front office.

I do hope that they get rid of the shootout as it should never decide a playoff spot in this sport. I would rather they play a full OT period instead. The NHL has done some good things and the shootout was ok when the lockout ended, but it has outlived its usefulness and I have found it a terrible way to decide a game now. I mean look at the Coyotes, 19 wins after regulation and get this, 14 in the Shootout, unacceptable, it has turned the league into a joke.

I want to say in closing that it has been sometimes frustrating at times to watch this team, but there were enjoyable ones as well and I enjoyed writing here this season. I do plan on popping in from time to time during the playoffs to offer my opinions on how they are going, and so until the next time, this is your NYR blogger,

Howie

One Game for a Playoff Spot – Rangers Still Alive

howie9416 — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:07:55 +0000

The Rangers have allowed themselves to play for a playoff spot on Sunday by beating the Flyers 4-3 in the first of a season ending home and home series. It was a nail-biting affair in which both sides had momentum and in the end, Lundqvist came up huge for them and Gaborik had the game winner. It’s been an amazing ride for the last couple of weeks and this has been a lot of fun to watch and write about.

This win came on the heels of a 5-1 thrashing of the Leafs on Wed. night where it was all Rangers all the time from the drop of the puck. I’m still amazed this team is alive for a spot considering that they were listless coming into the final stretch and showing no heart at all. This team has shown nothing but heart in this stretch where they have only lost 1 game in regulation.

There’s truly not much left to say other than that I want all the Ranger fans to root super hard for them on Sunday and whatever happens, that we are proud of the fact they didn’t give up when they could have folded up the tent and left.

So until Sunday,

Howie

Their Amazing Trip Continues with Another Big Win

howie9416 — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 02:02:08 +0000

Just when you thought that the Rangers may be left for dead after they were trailing 1-0 against the Panthers after 2 periods tonight, they came out like a house of fire and kept them on their heels and scored 4 times enroute to a huge 4-1 win which pulled them into an 8th place tie with the Flyers, whom they have a home and home with to finish off the season. Once again, they got great goaltending from Lundqvist and the scoring came from Prust, Drury, Staal, and Gaborik, who finished it off with an empty netter for his 41st.

The unbelievable part about this trip is that I gave them no hope for doing anything as far as getting near a playoff spot and here they are with one game to go in Buffalo on Tuesday with a 4-0-1 record. After that, they finish off with 2 of their last 3 at home and now have some control of where they can potentially finish thanks to all the teams around them not playing quite as well at this time.

Anyway, there is still some work to do, but we Ranger fans appreciate the fact that they didn’t mail it in when they were just about out of it. I will keep hope that they can sneak in and plan on being at the Toronto game on Wed. night, cheering them on. Well, that’s about it for now, so until Tuesday night…….

Have a happy Easter and Passover all,

Howie

Their Trip Continues and The Playoffs are Still Within Reach

howie9416 — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 02:17:10 +0000

Amazingly enough, the Rangers, who I left for dead not that long ago, are sitting within 2 pts of the final playoff spot with 5 games left on the schedule. Their latest wins on this 6 game road trip were a 4-3 win over the Isles and a 5-0 shutout of the Lightning this evening where they knocked out Mike Smith after the first by scoring 4 times on him, including a PPG. Lundqvist was good when he had to be as he notched his 4th shutout of the season.

If they somehow sneak in, well I think they aren’t long for them however, but you never know. They have 2 games left on the trip, including a game tomorrow in Sunrise vs. the Panthers and one in Buffalo vs. the Sabres on Tuesday and have amazingly picked up 7 of 8 possible points so far which is amazing in itself. Well the one edge they have is that they still have a game in hand on some of the teams around them, which could play into their favor. It remains to be seen if they can take advantage of that, but at this point in the year, anything is possible.

Anyway, that’s all for tonight and until tomorrow night,

Howie

Another Point Slips Away Tonight As Does Their Playoff Hopes

howie9416 — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:15:16 +0000

Well folks, just when ya think there’s hope for the Rangers, they turn around and pull the rug out from under everyone. This time it came in the form of a 3-2 OT loss to the Leafs in Toronto tonight in which they blew a 2 goal lead which was built in the 1st. I once again just cannot figure this team out and the way they played tonight was emblematic of how up and down they have been the entire year. Not enough offense and too much reliance on the goalie as well as playing the game not to lose it. Well they did do that and it came back to bite them in the butt tonight as they blew an opportunity to stay even with everyone else in the hunt for the last playoff spots in the East.

I just find it more and more frustrating to watch them as I never know what team is going to show up on a game to game basis. I was hoping to see the team that beat the Isles and Devils come out there tonight, but instead, they play down to the level of their opponent and what you saw tonight is exactly what you got, a lackluster effort where there was no true try to go for the jugular against the worst team in the conference. Their next 2 games are against the Isles and Lightning, both of whom are truly out of the playoff race and I’m no longer sure that the Rangers can win enough games to sneak in……they did this to themselves by being so inconsistent all season and I still hope that the playoff miss will bring about some needed changes with this team, starting with that schmuck Sather, who needs to be shown the door.

Anyway, I don’t have much more to say at this point except,

Until next time,

Howie

Signs of Life from the Rangers

howie9416 — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:12:37 +0000

The last 2 games in which the Rangers played, they came out with get this 4 out of a possible 4 points and managed to remain in the hunt for the final playoff spot for now. They shutout and shut down the Isles on Tues with a great performance by Lundqvist in net and a 3 point effort from Gaborik. Tonight, they faced the Devils in Newark and won the game in a shootout 4-3 with another top notch performance from Henrik in net, plus it never would have gotten there if not for a clutch goal from Drury with 16.5 seconds to go in regulation. They showed a sense of urgency for once and it actually paid off, but I wonder still if it’s too little too late for them. Congrats need to go to Lundqvist, who just recorded his 5th straight 30 win season and is quickly moving up the all time lists for the Rangers.

One other note, I don’t think I’ve seen Tortorella act that happy on a goal ever behind the Ranger bench, but when Drury scored, he acted as if his job was just saved. Let’s be clear, I’m not sold that just because they have crept to within 3 points of the 8th spot, they still have a couple of teams to jump over and not many games left. They still have 5 games left on this road trip starting with a game in Toronto on Saturday and then to the Mausoleum for a game against the Isles on Tuesday. With 8 games to go, it’s gonna be a tough task for them, but hey you never know with the way things go in the league.

Anyway, thats pretty much it for the time being.

Until next time,

Howie

Time to Play Taps – 09/10 New York Rangers

howie9416 — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:46:19 +0000

Despite the latest setback which still leaves them alive for a playoff spot, this team is totally lifeless and it again showed in a 2-1 loss in Boston today. I am at a loss for what else I can speak about when it comes to this totally inept bunch of overpaid players. I can only say that the rest of the way should be a total boo fest for us fed up fans starting with one of their final 3 home games this Wednesday against the rival Isles. It should start with Fire Sather and the Dolan Sucks chants and go from there since this train wreck of an organization has earned these barbs as far as I’m concerned. This team will indeed miss the postseason for the first time since the lockout.

To sum things up this year, it was a true disaster after the great start which had us hopeful that maybe this could be a decent year. Instead, they played like crap most nights and truly have disappointed all of us fans on many levels. I want to see this team tear this mess down and rebuild from the few core players that should still be here next year. They should focus on a commitment to winning the cup as opposed to just sneaking into the playoffs as a crappy 8 seed all the time. That’s not good enough for us long time fans and should be unacceptable to ownership as well, but the Dolans don’t care since the only thing they are interested in doing is ripping off the ticket holders with outrageous prices every year. The Dolans should instead look at what the Yanks are doing as a model, they may spend a lot of $$$ and charge a ton for tickets, but they are committed to winning a title every year and don’t accept mediocrity. If they followed this pattern, there may be happier fans going to the Garden on a regular basis knowing that their team has a shot at it every year.

Anyway, I’ve been rambling on and can’t speak anymore on this since it just drives me nuts so…..

Until next time,

Howie

2 More Blown Opportunities and Say Goodbye to Playoff Hopes

howie9416 — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:06:53 +0000

The Rangers have clearly shown this season that they are not good enough to be a contender and lately have also shown that they really don’t give a rat’s ass about making the playoffs even as a low seed with back to back pathetic performances against MTL and STL at the Garden this week. Too much indecisiveness when it comes to shooting the puck and lapses at the worst times have continued to cost the team on a regular basis. So when you compound everything all the ills for this team, their playoffs hopes are pretty much gone at this point.

I have finally reached the end with this team for the season and I have to say it has taken a long time for me to finally give up on them. I tried to believe that they could be a decent team but it never materialized for long stretches as they simply played way too many mediocre games all year. I have been a fan for 35+ years and this is probably one of the worst teams I have ever watched whether live at the Garden or on TV and all the Olympic Break did was prolong the inevitable for this train wreck of a team.

I have no oomph left and unfortunately will watch the rest of this horror show as to give opinions on who should stay or who should go. First to go in my opinion should be Sather – the author of this disaster and maybe he should take Torts with him. The players need to be auditioning for their own jobs next season as I can see some of them not here in October.

I have nothing else to say at this point as I have run out of bad stuff to talk about other than that their next game is up in Boston on Sunday on NBC in which both teams will probably put the fans to sleep both in the arena and on TV.

Until next time,

Howie

A Weekend of Wins, Hope Still Flickers, Somewhat

howie9416 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:32:56 +0000

2 wins this weekend over Atlanta and Philly have given the Rangers some hope by pulling them within 1 point of Boston for the last playoff spot in the East although the Bruins have 2 games in hand which is huge this time of year. The Rangers played well enough to win over Atl 5-2 and 3-1 over Philly in what was true desperation times for them in this lost season. Prospal potted 2 on Friday vs. the Thrashers and Avery was the star in today’s game with a pair himself, one game after being benched. Guess sitting out must have got to him and helped him raise his game. Lundqvist was his usual solid self between the pipes and is inching closer to another 30 win season.

At this point, I’m not sold on this team getting there due to the many shortcomings that they have shown on most nights this year. Too many defensive lapses in which Lundqvist has been hung out to dry and not enough offense on a lot of evenings. I would rather see them retool for next season and try to become a true contender instead of a mediocre midpack team, which is what they have become over the last few years.

Well, this homestand continues with games against MTL on Tuesday on VS, which I still don’t get thanks to Directv/Comcast’s ongoing BS and Thursday against STL, which is their last game vs. the West. After this, they have to play 8 of their final 11 on the road where it’s a true crap shoot for them. Well, I’m not sure about what else to comment about them except that I will continue to hope that they can sneak in to postseason play, but I won’t be upset if they don’t make it.

So, on that note, until next time

Howie

Stick a Fork in Em – Rangers R Done

howie9416 — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:41:05 +0000

Well folks, last nights latest debacle, a 6-3 loss to NJ just solidified what I have been saying now for quite a while. This team is a total train wreck and it is pretty much a foregone conclusion that they will miss the playoffs this year. Too many mistakes last night leading to Devil goals and Lundqvist was pulled in the 2nd period after allowing 5 of em, but not without some redirects from his own men.

The season has been up and down and after that 7-1 start which is now seems like ages ago, they are 22-28-8 since and in my opinion, not good enough. Not enough production from certain players, the D is way too soft and the goalies being left hung out to dry way too many times. Also, there have been way too many goalless droughts this year too just to add to this team’s ineptness.

I believe that it’s now time to forget about it this year and look towards 10-11 while making some real changes over the summer, including at the management level. Sather’s time in NY is over and he needs to be shown the door already. Over 10 years and all this guy has to show for it is 2 2nd round playoff exits and a lot of bad moves personnel wise. In addition, I’m tired of the mentality of let’s just get in the playoffs and make the extra $$$ for the one round they would probably play. I mean, my $37 season seats jumped to $65 per seat for the playoffs, wow thats a 76% increase over the regular season cost and to me an incredible ripoff. What happened to affordability for playoff games, guess that theory is out now thanks to the Dolans.

One other note, I find it appalling that NHL VP Colin Campbell could use such distorted logic in not handing down cheap shot artist Matt Cooke a suspension for his hit on Marc Savard the other day. This is why the league is a joke in my opinion and it’s time for some changes in the NHL offices as well since certain people have worn out their welcome having been in their positions way too long. Maybe we should all go to Campbell’s office and blindside him and see what his reaction would be. If this had been Crosby who got knocked out, Cooke would have been suspended in 5 seconds, but because of the obvious double standard, and BS reasoning about rules, nothing was given out. A precedent could have been set and instead, the same old same old came out of the league office, simply unacceptable in my opinion. I hope that someone beats the hell out Cooke, he would deserve it.

Anyway, the inept Rangers play next in Atlanta on Friday where they will be playing in front a mostly empty arena down there.

Until next time,

Howie

2 More Games Down, 2 More Losses for the Inept Rangers

howie9416 — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:04:09 +0000

The Rangers showed this weekend that they truly are not worthy of a playoff spot come next month. They showed zip offensively losing 2-0 on Saturday in DC which was Auld’s NYR debut and it took a late goal by Dubinsky tonight to break a 149:30 goalless drought in a 2-1 OT loss to Buffalo at MSG. Lundqvist was solid in net again tonight but got no help as usual and should sue his teammates for non-support. This drought was at least the 3rd or 4th this year where they showed zero offense for over 100 minute stretches.

This team has shown offensive ineptitude too many times this year and the lack of scoring is one of the many problems that plague this team. I’m finally saying that this team is way too flawed to do anything in the playoffs, should they somehow get there and I hope that they don’t so Sather can finally get what’s coming to him, a pink slip. He has done a lot of horrible things to this franchise and has them further away from a cup than when Jagr was here playing. I’m also sick of the Dolans who have turned the Rangers in to a joke since they have owned them, meaning that whatever they touch turns to crap. In addition, the playoff invoices have come out and my $37 seats for the regular season are $65 for the 1st round of the playoffs. I remember when the playoff tickets were not that much higher than the regular season tickets and I find the greed to be just sick at this point. Nothing like continuing to raise prices to see an inferior product, it’s not like this team is gonna be a contender for a cup anytime soon.

Anyway, their next game is Wed. in NJ where it will be another low scoring defensive contest as they continue to wind up the post olympic portion of the schedule, which for me can’t come to an end soon enough.

Until next time,

Howie

Season Resumes with a Ranger Victory in Ottawa

howie9416 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:16:31 +0000

Hey everyone, it’s been a couple of weeks since I have had to post about the Rangers and at least tonight they gave me something positive to talk about. They faced off against the Ottawa Senators at ScotiaBank Place and came away with a nice win which was a total team effort. Callahan had a pair, Avery added one and Dubinsky also had one as well as Lundqvist being solid in net as usual.

After they had a somewhat sluggish first period, they exploded for 4 goals in the second to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead which they would not relinquish for the rest of the night. The team defense limited the Sens big-time and kept the home crowd quiet for most of the evening. It would be nice to see them carry this effort over into Thursday night, but that will remain to be seen since this team has been up and down all year.

What I hope doesn’t happen is that Sather does something foolish like trying to get a quick fix for a one and done playoff run. I’d rather see this team build around its youth and turn this crap into a cup contender for years to come so we Ranger fans have something to look forward to.

One other thing, I’m still at a loss at Directv’s stubbornness at the whole Versus issue; come on already, the playoffs are 6 weeks or so away and subscribers can still not see the games on that channel. Time for both sides to get it done and stop the BS that has been going on for now 6 months and newsflash – the ones who are suffering are the subscribers and no one else, so cut the s__t Comcast and Directv.

Well, their next few games are as follows: home against the Pens and Sidney Crybaby on Thurs, in DC to face Ovie and the Caps on Saturday, and home against Ryan Miller and the Sabres on Sunday Night as they continue to wind down their season schedule.

Until next time,

Howie

A Big Win in Their Final Regular Season Game at the Igloo

howie9416 — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:55:15 +0000

Tonight marked the last time the Rangers will ever play in that dump they call the Igloo during the regular season and they won in OT 3-2. This was an exciting game from both sides as there were many chances to score goals. Lundqvist was outstanding tonight and allowed only Sidney (Crybaby) Crosby to put 2 past him. There were strong performances all around from the team and notably Rozsival, Dubinsky, Redden, Staal, Drury, Prospal, and Jokinen, who scored the OT winner.

It was nice to see them play a full team game even though they played short a couple of guys as Gaborik tried but couldn’t go after about 4 minutes of ice time in the first as well as Del Zotto, who was cut early in the game by an accidental skate into his side. This also was their first win over the Pens in their last 8 tries and was their first win in Pittsburgh since 2007, so this turned out to be a huge 2 points for them. Even though I don’t see them going anywhere, they remain in the hunt for the last few playoff spots.

Well, the final game before break is on Sunday vs. Tampa and then it’s 2 weeks off while Olympic Hockey is being played. I plan on doing a summary of the pre break highlights and lowlights as well as preview their final 20 games afterwards so stay tuned.

Until next time,
Howie