New York Rangers

The post More post-game interviews: Boyle, Kreider, Nash, Stepan appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.

Courtesy of the NYR: Rangers post-game notes Eastern Conference semifinals Game 4: Madison Square Garden Rangers 4, Bruins 3 (OT) - BOS leads 3-1 Team Notes: -        The Rangers defeated the Boston Bruins, 4-3, in overtime tonight at Madison Square Garden, in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series. The Blueshirts now trail in the series, 3-1. -        New York has posted a record of 213-232-8 overall in postseason action, including a 120-89-2 mark at home. -        The Rangers improved to 5-6 all-time in Game 4 when trailing 3-0 in the series. -        The Rangers tallied one goal in four power play opportunities (7:05), to improve to 3-0 in games when registering a goal on the man advantage in the playoffs. -        The Blueshirts out-hit the Bruins, 40-24, in the contest, led by Ryan Callahan’s game-high, seven hits. -        With the win, Head Coach John Tortorella passed Colin Campbell for third on the Rangers’ all-time playoff coaching wins list, recording his 19th postseason victory behind the Blueshirts’ bench. Player Notes: -        Chris Kreider notched the game-winning goal at 7:03 of the overtime period, and registered three shots and a plus-two rating in 13:50 of ice time. The goal was his first of this postseason. -        Derek Stepan registered an unassisted goal at 1:15 of the third period, and added a power play assist in 24:00 of ice time. He has now recorded three points (two goals, one assist) in the last four games, and leads the Rangers with four goals in the playoffs. -        Derick Brassard tallied two assists, including one on the power play, and won a team-high, 11-17 faceoffs (65%) in 25:29 of ice time. He leads the team and ranks fourth in the league in assists (10), and is tied for fifth in the NHL in scoring with 12 points in 11 playoff games. -        Henrik Lundqvist made 37 saves to post his 30th career playoff victory, and improved to 30-36 in 66 career postseason contests. He improved to 5-0 with a 0.98 goals against average, .966 save percentage, and two shutouts in the last five playoff games at MSG in which the Rangers faced elimination. -        Lundqvist has posted 30 or more saves in the playoffs 21 times, posting a 10-11 record with a 1.61 GAA, .951 Sv% and four shutouts in those games. -        Brian Boyle tied the score at three goals apiece with a power play goal at 10:00 of the third period, and registered two shots and two hits in 16:25 of ice time. He is now tied for second on the team with three goals in the playoffs. -        Rick Nash recorded the primary assist on the overtime, game-winning goal, a team-high, five shots, was credited with three hits, and posted a plus-two rating in 22:59 of ice time. He has registered a point in four of the last five games (one goal, three assists over the span). -        Ryan McDonagh tallied an assist on the overtime, game-winning goal, was credited with three blocked shots, and logged a team-high, 29:43 of ice time. He has now registered three points (one goal, two assists) in the last four games, and leads all team defensemen in playoff scoring with four points (one goal, three assists). -        Carl Hagelin notched a goal and registered three shots in 20:24 of ice time. He is now tied for second on the team with three goals and six points in the playoffs. -        Roman Hamrlik recorded his first point as a Ranger with an assist, and logged 10:55 of ice time while making his playoff debut as a Blueshirt. He has now registered 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 26 career playoff games against Boston. -        Micheal Haley was credited with two hits and logged 7:56 of ice time, while making his NHL playoff debut. Post-Game Quotes: -        John Tortorella on tonight’s game… “I still think we need to keep on getting to another level. We certainly did in the third period. Step made a huge play for us early on and I thought it gave us some l

That was one fantastic way to win, and it was also a pretty good way to put half of the fan base on life support. But, the New York Rangers found yet another way to get it done tonight, as Chris Kreider's overtime winner sealed the deal. It's also worth pointing out the world class pass from Rick Nash, as he put it right on Kreider's tape. The Rangers also found a way to give Henrik Lundqvist some much needed goal support, as he stood on his head quite a bit tonight. Things started off fairly lethargic for the Rangers, as newly inserted Roman Hamrlik took the games first penalty on a delay of game call. It's definitely not something the Rangers wanted to get into, especially with the Bruins power play being pretty threatening thus far. The Rangers were able to buckle down and kill off the penalty. Both team's were playing pretty safe throughout the first period, and were playing some shut down defense. The first frame went by with both the Bruins and Rangers remaining scoreless. The Rangers started off the second period much like they did in the first. Two early penalties wound up digging the Rangers into a pretty big hole. First it was a goaltender interference penalty by Kris Newbury, where Nathan Horton would eventually sweep a rebound under Lundqvist for the 1-0 lead. Just three minutes later, it was Torey Krug sticking the dagger in the Rangers once again, as he bombed one over the shoulder of Henrik Lundqvist. Seriously, the shot was that fast, I honestly wasn't able to pick up the puck until it hit the back of the net. That goal was courtesy of a Michael Del Zotto interference penalty in the neutral zone. But, as wacky as things have gone for the Rangers, Carl Hagelin was able to bring some life back into Madison Square Garden, and most importantly, the Rangers. It was such a weird goal, it's hard to even explain how it happened. Derick Brassard hit Carl Hagelin with a feed heading into the zone, and Hags just tossed a muffin shot on net. To everyone's surprise, Tuuka Rask must have tripped over his own feet, and literally wiped out in the crease. With the puck sliding on net, and Rask on the ground, the puck slipped right under his pad and the Rangers were back in it. Either way, the Rangers were started to finally play like the Rangers we all known and love. They were able to close things out on a high note, which set everything up for an interesting third period. The life eventually roared right back into the Rangers as Derek Stepan tied the game just a minute into the third period. You want to talk about robbery? Just look at what Stepan did to Zdeno Chara behind the net. Stepan swooped in on the forecheck, picked the puck cleanly from Chara, and wrapped it into the empty. What an effort from Derek Stepan. As exciting as the tying goal was, the Rangers shot themselves in the foot once again. Ryan McDonagh took an accidental goaltender interference penalty on the 3-on-2 rush, which sent the Brings back to the power play once again. Even though the eventual goal came shortly after the power play expired, the Rangers were sitting on their heels. Also prior to the goal, Henrik Lundqvist's makes two unreal pad saves, but isn't able to stop the third as Tyler Seguin lofted the puck over Lundqvist's pad and into the back of the net. The perfect way to describe that goal was completely deflating. The Rangers fought their way back into the game, only to have it ripped out of their hands, and back into the Bruins favor. But the Rangers weren't going down without a fight. The Rangers got their own shot at a power play with just over ten minutes remaining in regulation. The Rangers picked a great time to get their power play going, as Brian Boyle would tie the game up shortly after on a beautiful feed from Derek Stepan. They never gave up, and clawed right back into the game once again. With tons of chances coming from both teams, this game eventually ended with both teams deadlocked at 3-3, and went on to be decided in

The post Game 4: Rangers 4, Bruins 3 (OT) … More post-game interviews: Stepan, Boyle appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.

The post Game 4: Rangers 4, Bruins 3 (OT) … Post-game interviews: Tortorella, Kreider (part I), Brassard appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.

One game at a time. Kreider with the OT winner. Chris Kreider, he of much debate this season, gave the Rangers at least two more days of their 2013 season with his overtime winner. This series is a long way from being over, but the Rangers have a long way to go before gaining significant momentum. Henrik Lundqvist kept them alive through overtime with magnificent saves, and then the kid got himself out of the doghouse. Game Five is Saturday at 5:30pm in Boston. Bruins 1, Rangers 0 After Kris Newbury takes a pretty boneheaded penalty, the Bruins got a bit of a lucky goal with the man advantage. The Bruins gained the zone and Nathan Horton had the puck at the bottom of the off-wing circle. He passed to the middle, but David Krejci was expecting shot, so he jumped out of the way. He left his stick on the ice, and the pass actually hit his stick and went right back to Horton. Hank was in position for the pass, but not the redirection back to Horton. Horton’s shot went through the legs of a sliding Lundqvist. That’s the type of series it’s been for the Rangers. Bruins 2, Rangers 0 After Michael Del Zotto, who had a rough series, took an interference penalty, the Rangers were once again victimized by rookie defenseman Torey Krug. The Bruins worked the puck well on the powerplay, and after a good shot from the point, the puck wound up at the point for Krug to wind up for a one-timer. Krug let go an absolute laser with Brian Boyle in front screening Hank. Puck went right over his glove. The Rangers did overcommit to the strong side on the initial shot, before the puck circled around back to Krug, which has been an issue all series. Rangers 1 Bruins 2 Tuukka Rask fell down? I don’t know. This one was weird. It’s about time the Rangers had some luck on their side. Rangers 2, Bruins 2 The goalie is supposed to tell the defenseman if there is a player pinching. Rask failed to do that for Zdeno Chara, and Derek Stepan was able to sneak in and steal the puck from a slowing Chara. Rask was also slow to get back to the net, and Stepan used his speed and momentum to wrap the puck around and stuff it in the empty net. Chara should’ve been more careful as well. Both he and Rask got real lazy, and Stepan took advantage. Bruins 3, Rangers 2 Although this goal doesn’t officially come on the powerplay, Ryan McDonagh didn’t get back before Tyler Seguin got the goal. The Bruins caught the Rangers tired and running around, and were able to generate solid puck movement. After the puck gets to Chara at the point, he faked a shot and passed to Seguin. Seguin sent the puck cross ice to Dougie Hamilton, who one-timed it back to Seguin for a one-timer that Hank made a beautiful save on. Problem was that Ryan Callahan bit on the initial fake-shot by Seguin (when he passed to Hamilton) and was unable to recover. Seguin got his own rebound. Rangers 3, Bruins 3 With the Rangers on the powerplay –yes, they scored a powerplay goal– the unit managed to gain the zone, which was a battle in itself this series. Stepan bought some time on the far boards and eventually drew a drifting Gregory Campbell too deep. Gregory Campbell was too deep. Brian Boyle recognized this, and circled to the high slot, where Campbell should have been. Boyle was the closest Ranger to the net aside from Stepan, but that is the power of Derek Stepan. He drew coverage, and dumped a perfect backhanded pass to the high slot for Boyle. With Campbell too deep, Boyle was open for the shot. Rask had no chance. Rangers 4, Bruins 3 The Rangers won a defensive face off, and the puck worked itself to Rick Nash from Chris Kreider on the off wing. Nash was given enough room to stop at the top of the circle and look for a pass to a cutting Kreider. He placed it perfectly on his stick, and Kreider deflected it right over Rask for the winner. The series is still 3-1, but the Rangers have some life in them. One shift at a time. One game at a time. T

GOALS BOS 4:39 of P2, PPG Nathan Horton (5) from David Krecji (12) and Brad Marchand (6). BOS 7:41 of P2, PPG Torey Krug (motherf***ing...) (3) from Tyler Seguin (2) and Nathan Horton (6). NYR 8:39 of P2, Carl Hagelin (3) from Derick Brassard (9) and Roman Hamrlik (1). POWERPLAYS BOS- 2/3 NYR- 0/2 It ain't over 'till it's over. Believe. Let's go Rangers.

Brad Richards has struggled through a nightmare season that has only grown worse in the playoffs. The $60 million center will be a healthy scratch tonight as the Rangers try to stave off elimination as they host Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Bruins. It could signal the end of his Rangers’ career just two seasons into the nine-year deal he signed as the premier unrestricted free agent in 2011. It’s been widely speculated as Richards stumbled through this season that he would be an offseason candidate as one of two amnesty buyouts the Rangers are allowed under the new collective bargaining agreement. “I don’t know if surprised is the right word for it,” said Richards, who turned 33 on May 2 and is still owed $36 million through 2020. “I’m disappointed.” Relegated to the fourth line, though he was still seeing ample time on a power play that comes into tonight’s game 2 for 38 in the playoffs, Richards has one goal and no assists in 10 postseason games as his playing time has steadily decreased. He logged just 8:10 with one shot and was a minus-1 in the Rangers’ 2-1 loss in Game 3 on Tuesday. The 8:10 that Richards played represented the least amount of ice time he had ever received in 93 career postseason games. Prior to this year’s playoffs, Richards had never played fewer than 14 minutes. He had not played more than 12:57 in his last five games and had played fewer than 10 minutes twice. Asked after the Rangers’ optional morning skate on Thursday whether it was hard for him to be effective in a fourth-line role, Richards simply said, “Yes.” This marks the first time Richards, who had 11 goals and 23 assists in 46 regular-season games, has been a healthy scratch under Tortorella. Tortorella coached Richards from 2001-08 in Tampa Bay and the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with Richards being awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP Richards said Tortorella called him this morning at home with the news. “Nothing’s over,” Richards said. “Work harder and try my best to never let it happen again. “It’s all tough,” Richards added when asked whether it was tougher to sit out with the Rangers on the brink of elimination. It was not clear who would replace Richards in the lineup, though Darroll Powe, who has been out since Game 3 of the first round against the Capitals, said he would not be in the lineup. Rookie Chris Kreider, Richards’ linemate, will apparently play after being hit in the forehead by Tyler Seguin’s stick blade in Game 3. But Arron Asham, who completed the fourth-line trio, said this morning he wasn’t sure if he would be in the lineup. Veteran minor-leaguers Kris Newbury and Micheal Haley, who have both been skating with the Rangers’ practice squad of Connecticut (AHL) call-ups, both participated in the morning skate with the Rangers. On Saturday in Boston, Tortorella made a general comment about the need for older veterans to be on the ice more in practice, not less and to prepare harder during the offseason. Tortorella never mentioned Richards by name. However, Richards was involved in the NHL Players Association negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement during the lockout and also spent much of the lockout in New York helping with post-Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. “You look right through the league, the guys that did go and play, it certainly benefited them,” Tortorella said of NHL players going overseas to play during the lockout. “Some guys that didn’t go and play it hasn’t affected them at all. But some guys that didn’t go and play it has affected them. I think older players should have played. I think older players, even when it’s not a lockout need to do even more as far as conditioning as far as being on the ice. Some guys feel because they’re veteran and they’re up in

With D Anton Stralman not on ice for either today’s optional morning skate or Wednesday’s practice, it’s a fair bet he won’t be in the lineup for tonight’s game. Roman Hamrlik, who has been a healthy scratch for 23 straight games dating to a 4-2 win over the Jets on April 1, was the first defenseman off the ice from the group of replacement candidates that also included Matt Gilroy and Marc Staal. None, of course, would reveal who was in the lineup, unlike C Brad Richards, who acknowledged he wasn’t in the lineup. However, while Staal said the past two days have been better as far as his blurred vision and altered depth perception, it didn’t sound like he was ready to go. Gilroy has played one game since March 12 (on April 25) and just three times since Feb. 26. “I’ve got to move my feet and play simple, nothing fancy,” Hamrlik, 39, said when asked what the keys would be if he does play. “I haven’t played for a long time. I’ve got to keep the shifts really short. I know I didn’t play for a long time but I’ve been in the league for a long time. I should know what to do and how to do my best.” Hamrlik played just 12 scoreless regular-season games for the Rangers after being claimed off waivers from the Capitals on March 6. Meanwhile, Staal reported some progress in dealing with his issues stemming from being hit by a puck near the right eye on March 5. Since the injury, has played in just Game 3 of the first-round series against the Capitals. “That week after the game I didn’t play [Game 4 against the Capitals], I had some ups and downs and I took a few days off to let things settle down,” Staal said. “The last two days have been better so we’ll go from there. “It’s worse to sit and watch than it is to deal with the eye,” Staal added. ====================================================== Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AGrossRecord Follow the Record Sports Staff at twitter.com/TheRecordSports

The Rangers will try to keep their season alive not with Brad Richards and Arron Asham in the lineup, but with Micheal Haley and Kris Newbury. Not with an injured Anton Stralman on defense, but aging veteran Roman Hamrlik, who has not played since April 1. Hamrlik for Stralman aside - Hamrlik, to me, is a better choice than Matt Gilroy here with Marc Staal unavailable - I don’t see how this is a better lineup even given Richards’ struggles. But maybe it’s not about the best lineup. Maybe it’s about a wake-up jolt to a Rangers’ team in danger of being on summer vacation in a few hours. One other notable lineup change: rookie Chris Kreider has been elevated to C Derick Brassard’s second line with Rick Nash on the right. “After the Game 3, everyone was down, everyone was pretty disappointed about the loss,” Brassard said. “We set our mind to make it 2-1 instead of 3-0. I know it looks hard to come back from 3-0. I think it’s possible. You take one game at a time. For us it’s do or die, an elimination game. Maybe, sometimes, when you’re thinking too much and gripping your stick and your back is against wall, sometimes you let yourself loose and maybe it’s a good thing for the team.” Here’s some history: The Rangers have trailed a best-of-seven series 3-0 10 times in franchise history. Six times, the Rangers have been swept. Three times, the Rangers have lost the series in five games. The other time, in the first round of the 1939 playoffs against the Bruins, the Rangers forced Game 7 before losing in triple overtime. The Rangers were last swept in the first round of the 2006 playoffs by the Devils. The last time they faced a 3-0 deficit was to the Penguins in 2008. The Rangers won Game 4 at home but lost the series in five. “The mindset of anything coming to end is nowhere on anyone’s radar,” D John Moore said. “All we need to do is win one game and get it back to Boston.” Keys to Game 4: 1. The small picture: The Rangers must do something only three teams in NHL history have accomplished by rallying from a 3-0 series deficit. So, while it’s totally clichéd, they really must only think of tonight’s game, even just starting with the first period, the first shift. Rallying from a 3-0 series deficit is a monumental task. Winning one game shouldn’t be. 2. Puck possession: Everything the Rangers want to accomplish stems from holding on to the puck and forcing the Bruins to play defense. It starts with winning faceoffs – the Rangers went just 21 of 55 (38 percent) in Game 3 – and continues by getting pucks in deep and then playing in the Bruins’ zone by establishing a forecheck. 3. The power play: Boy, this has become repetitive. The Rangers are now 2 for 38 on the power play in the postseason, without a goal in their last 21 attempts and 0 for 10 against the Bruins. The first trick is to keep the puck in the Bruins’ zone while on the man advantage. Then, don’t worry about being cute. Just shoot away and try to pound in a rebound. Ugly goals are just as good-looking as pretty ones “I think it’s got something to do with the whole game,” RW Mats Zuccarello said when asked whether going and failing on the power play saps momentum from the Rangers. “We don’t get into the flow, we don’t get into the rhythm and it’s just the power play and some of our five on five too. But we’ve got to win one game. Now is not the time to think in negative thoughts and see what’s wrong.” As for the lack of a consistent or effective forecheck in the series, D Ryan McDonagh said, ““You’ve got to give them some credit. They’ve got some big defensemen and they’re able to get back there and retrieve the puck. I thought at times we had the puck on our stick and maybe just got a little bit impatient. You see them, they’re pretty good at waiting for help, wai