New York Rangers

The post-game Rangers’ room was a mixture of relief - they weren’t swept - and quiet confidence after scoring a power play goal and rallying from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to send this Eastern Conference series back to Boston for Saturday’s Game 5. “I think the atmosphere of the game was totally different because we had nothing to lose,” Derick Brassard said. “We just played tonight and all four lines and all the defensemen played solid. Hank (Henrik Lundqvist) was Hank again and gave us the chance to win. We just need to play that way all of the time.” Chris Kreider scored the winner at 7:03 of overtime, deflecting in Rick Nash’s pass. Kreider, elevated to the second line to start the game and then to spend ice time with Nash and Derek Stepan, wore the Lundqvist, err, Broadway Hat, all smiles. “How’s your face,” I asked him, no serious marks visible after he was whacked by Tyler Seguin’s stick blade in Game 3. “Fine,” Kreider replied, still all smiles. “How’s yours?” Here’s Tom Gulitti’s game story from The Record. And here’s my column on the coaching decisions John Tortorella made today. ====================================================== 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

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Matt Harvey is still undefeated ... in two sports. Harvey, as you know ... and partially thanks to Rick Ankiel's triple on Wednesday, is 5-0 in 2013. Also, he's 7-0 in the stands as a fan of the New York Rangers, with no game being more important than the one the Rangers played on Thursday, a 4-3 overtime victory which saved their season for at least two more days. If played right, Harvey can save two franchises. The one he plays for, and the one he roots for. Hey, if you believe in superstition like most pro athletes do on some level, you have to find a way to get Harvey to Boston for Game 5. He can get his throwing in on the Amtrak. Then for Game 6, which would be on Monday at the Garden, adjust the rotation a bit. Give Harvey some extra rest and pitch him Tuesday. You saw what happened the last time Harvey pitched with extra rest. Then Game 7 on Wednesday. It's for the greater good, Sandy Alderson. This man has the gift, and if played right he could save two franchises! Well, he could save three franchises, if you believe the graphic that FOX Kansas City had up during the Royals game on Thursday: Yup. Little known fact: "Matt Harvey" is just the name he used to obtain his visa. But if they think Matt Jones is good, wait until the rest of the Mets minor league system hits the majors: Zack Underwood, Noah Doty, and Vyacheslav D'Arnaud.

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.

I just don’t get how a team, in a do or die game, can play the way we did for the first 30 minutes. I really don’t. I’m super proud of the way the boys rebounded, stormed back, and won a game we trailed heading into the 3rd. It’s basically what the Bruins did to us, just, not as emphatically. So, let’s talk about Brad Richards shall we? I actually disagree with benching him, despite how awful he’s been. Only because when coaches make “panicky” moves like this in must wins they almost always backfire. What happened? Dorsett takes a dumb penalty, and really, our 4th line didn’t do jack. Did Haley even play? Keep Richards in on the 4th line, give him some soft minutes, hope he can turn it around. I just don’t think Newbury is the answer here. JT Miller? I think he’d be fine. Not Newbury. Too bad JT is injured. Another thing that’s pretty obvious after watching him for 4 games now, despite the rather mediocre game he had tonight….Zdeno Chara is an incredible defenseman. I mean, he’s so smooth out there, and he’s also a nasty S.O.B.. Amazing stick work, plays the body so well. He’s like Marc Staal, with offense, and a mean streak. There’s a reason Bawstun is soo damn good defensively, it starts with him. Marchand is overrated. I’m just gonna leave it there. That Krug kid isn’t that great, but what he is, is confident as all hell in his ability, a lot of time, that makes up for a lot. Plus, he can rifle the puck, that doesn’t hurt either. Brassard and Stepan, our 2 top centers, officially, were AMAZING tonight. For a long while, they were the only 2 guys who played well, Brassard particularly. OK, bed time, later ppl!

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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

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