New York Rangers

If there ever was a need for a mercy rule in hockey then boy did the London Knights need to be put out of their misery. The Halifax Mooseheads just beat on the London Knights 9-2 at the Memorial Cup on Tuesday night earning at the very least a spot in the semifinals. This one was over very quickly as Halifax scored 5 first period goals on just 11 shots as the QMJHL champions could do no wrong against the OHL champs. The lead stretched to 7-0 before London scored 2 late second period goals to get on the board. Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin both had 3 assist nights and to be honest they could have had many more if they really wanted. The Mooseheads had 9 power play chances and the harder London tried the worse the Mooseheads made it for them. As talented as Max Domi and Bo Horvat are and they deserve to be picked in the first round, they just weren't even level as Drouin and MacKinnon were. Ranger prospect Tommy Hughes (2013 UFA) was only a -2 (others were worse) but also took 2 third period penalties including one that led to a power play goal for Halifax. Not sold on Hughes developing into a NHL Top 4 but at least his play is a physical, in your face kind of defensive play. He hurts when he hits and other than the one hit against Ty Rattie on Tuesday, Hughes has been a clean hitter. If there was any question which team of the 3 CHL league champions was the best then there is no question about Halifax being the far superior team having scored 9 on London and 7 on the Portland Winterhawks in the head to head matchups. As much as people were critical about Saskatoon's being in the Memorial Cup at least they have been competitive and I am pretty sure that if Halifax faces the Blades in the finals that there would not be a repeat of the upset. The Mooseheads will be huge Portland Winterhawk fans on Wednesday night as a Portland win over Saskatoon would push the Mooseheads right to the Championship final on Sunday. Nathan MacKinnon has made a pretty strong statement regarding who should be the number one pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft with a 4-4-8 effort in the 3 round robin games. I am a huge fan of Seth Jones but right now I would be lying if I didn't think MacKinnon has been the player who has done the most to live up to his pre-draft hype. Hopefully Jones will rise to the challenge because Portland now knows they need 3 straight wins to earn the Memorial Cup starting Wednesday night against Saskatoon.

Save your breath some of you, and stop praying that Darren Dreger’s speculation on the radio might be true. John Tortorella is not getting fired in a 48-game season when two of his three best skaters played like garbage and the team won a playoff round and sure hasn’t quit; not after what it did the season before. Not happening. Thoughts: 1) So, some 0-3 stats: Only three teams in history have come back from 0-3 to win a series – the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs (against Detroit), the ’75 Islanders (against Pittsburgh), and the 2010 Flyers (against Boston). In 1939, the Rangers trailed the Bruins 0-3 and came back to force a Game 7, which the Rangers lost in triple overtime. 2) If you want something on which you can hang your hat, a lot of these Bruins were on that 2010 team that coughed it up to the Philadelphia team that wasn’t very good, the one that beat the Rangers for the final playoff spot in the Olli Jokinen Memorial Shootout Game 82. I know, that’s like George Costanza hoping for a plane crash to get him out of his engagement. It’s not much, but “it’s something. It’s hope.” 3) The guy you really have to feel for is Henrik Lundqvist, who won the first-round series, and had a great bounce-back game in Game 3 … and probably deserved better. He stopped those two early breakaways and then two open hacks by Jaromir Jagr, or it could have been a Boston runaway. And then he faced Boston’s territorial dominance in the second and third. I thought the Johnny Boychuk goal glanced off John Moore and in. The winning goal was just a firedrill and a lot of bad, or good (depending on your view) luck. 4) Taylor Pyatt went to the front of the net and scored a  goal. It’s not that complicated. 5) Another guy I felt for was Chris Kreider, who deserved to move up off the overmatched fourth line, and was getting second-line minutes when that inadvertent stick caught him around the eye. Hope the kid’s OK. 6) Fortunately for the Rangers no power play resulted from that high stick. Once again, the story of this series, more than the goaltending, the forecheck or lack thereof, the depth or lack thereof, zone time, defensive mistakes or whatever, is ultimately the failure of the Rangers’ power play. And yet, first power play, there was buyout-bound Brad Richards at the point. Second power play, half a minute in, there was Richards out there again. And this time the Garden crowd let him have it. 7) The Anton Stralman injury was really felt as the Rangers, who normally go with four defensemen when things get tight late, had to rotate five and bust up their pairs doing so. That meant more minutes for John Moore, and more for Steve Eminger, who was unlucky on the game-winner, but also didn’t take the man. No idea what the Stralman injury is (he got rubbed out hard by Milan Lucic, didn’t he?), but the Rangers are really in even more trouble without one of their top four. 8) I thought the Derek Stepan, Ryan Callahan, Carl Hagelin line had a pretty good, tough game down low and caused some problems for the Bruins. I thought Rick Nash was mostly good again, and so was Kreider, and at times Derick Brassard. That’s not enough against the Bruins’ four lines. 9) Brian Boyle really beat himself up over his 4 of 21 faceoff night, really took the blame for the team’s inability to keep the puck in Boston’s zone. Say what you want, but there sure could be more guys self-accountable like that some nights. 10) Was there enough blood in that game? Holy shishkebob. 11) The arena looked pretty cool pre-game with all the blue T-shirts draped over the all the seats. Too bad they didn’t put in actual jersey-colored seats throughout the Garden during the renovation.. 12) OK, I get it. Geico is in Washington, so they pick a Capitals player to force-feed to the nation in its commercials. But … why Nick Backstr

You knew that Tuesday night's tilt against Boston was going to be a painful game when the Bruins spend the first minute and a half in the Ranger end. The Blueshirts had no energy or interest at the start, they had no energy or interest in the middle and they had no energy or interest at the end of what was a 2-1 failure. They had few scoring chances, they scrambled around their own end, they had almost no physical edge and - if I didn't see them with my own eyes - I'd think they had no fans.It was a lifeless, gutless, pathetic performance that belied the fact that it was Game 3 of the second round of the playoffs. It was as if the Rangers felt that just stepping onto home ice would have been enough to win. That may have worked against Washington but Boston is a far different side - one that has depth, intelligence, confidence, resolve, leadership and ability.The Blueshirts are clearly lacking many of those qualities as well as they have fallen behind the B's 0-3 in the best-of-seven series. The lone time this year the Rangers won four in a row was end of February, early March when they defeated Tampa, Buffalo, Philly and the Islanders - three non-playoff teams and a team that shouldn't have made the playoffs.There will be plenty of time to analyze the inherent flaws in the Rangers and speculate over the future in a few days time. For now, a few Late Hits on tonight's awfulness:*For long stretches it seemed like it was Hank against the Bruins and he was back to his old outstanding self. If only he could quarterback the power play too.*Hank definitely deserves his share of blame for his idiotic backhanded pass to the Bruins to set up the equalizer but my Tw-enemy Asham had a chance to break up the play and he went for a half-hearted, one-handed jab at the puck that, of course, failed.*Speaking of failures ... Brian Boyle. Brad Richard$. Del Zaster. Nash. Dorsett. Zuke. The power play. Torts. Take your pick ...*Anyone else like totally shocked that it was Del Zaster's man who scored the eventual game-winning goal?*Boyle getting nearly 20 minutes of ice time shows just how delusional Torts is. Hagelin "stinks" but Boyle's soft, clueless, skill-less play is rewarded with more minutes.*Hags did get some power play time but he is hardly the solution. When you have utterly inept men quarterbacking, you have no chance. DZ gets just over two minutes while Moore and Stralman ride the bench during the man advantage.*Thought Dan Girardi had a nice bounce-back game. Amazing what getting away from DZ will do for someone.*Pyatt was credited with the lone Ranger tally after McD's shot ricocheted off of him and into the Boston net. Hmm, a big player can use his size to screen the goaltender? The hell you say.*Now, the guys on the ice didn't give us much to cheer for but even when they did the building was incredibly quiet. Insanely high ticket prices have forced many of the real fans out and replaced them with pastel-shirt-wearing stiffs.*Another playoff game without John Amirante doing the anthem; truly hope he is alright.*Moment of silence for the people in Oklahoma, the state that refused to help post-Hurricane Sandy. And it was a few seconds more respect than the Rangers showed Derek Boogaard, one of their own.*PHW Three Stars:3-Henrik Lundqvist - 32 saves.2-Tuukka Rask - 23 saves.1-Daniel Paille - one goal and one assist.Scotty Hockey Three Stars:3-Patrice Bergeron - No points and yet seemed dynamic, controlling play.2-Shawn Thornton - A pair of assists thanks to solid grinding and great positioning. A veteran tough guy who is utterly invaluable to his team. Basically, everything Asham is not.1-Paille - Never stopped skating and his hustle paid off.

Well, here we are again. Just like the first round, the Rangers face essentially a must-win in Game 3, having dropped the first two on the road. And, if they do win tonight, face another virtual must-win Thursday in Game 4, lest they return to Boston trailing 3-1 in the series. Wait, wait, wait, that’s getting ahead of ourselves. “We made corrections yesterday,” coach John Tortorella said. “We want to win a game and we’ll see where we go. “I thought we forced turnovers,” Tortorella added of the Rangers’ second-period effort in Sunday’s 5-2 in Game 2 - Tortorella and the players have cited the second period as perhaps the best playoff period the Rangers have played so far. “I thought we held onto the puck, our pinches were there. We just forechecked better. I thought from the middle part of the first period through the second period, territorially, I thought we just played better. Hopefully we can sustain that for longer and that’s going to give us a chance to win.” As suspected, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh will start the game reunited. And while Tortorella can get the matches he wants easier as the home coach - look for him to get his shutdown pair against whichever of the Bruins’ top lines is going better, probably the Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr trio to start - he can also get Rick Nash away from Zdeno Chara more easily. That said, here are three keys to Game 3: 1. More from Henrik Lundqvist: The Rangers’ franchise goalie shouldn’t shoulder – pun intended after his minor medical scare late in Game 2 – the entire load for the Rangers trailing 2-0 in this series. Too often, Lundqvist has been victimized by sloppy defensive play in front of him in the series. Still, allowing eight goals in two games is not standard for Lundqvist. 2. Have we mentioned the power play? Still waiting for it. The Rangers were 0 for 5 in Game 2 and now are a mind-boggling 2 for 36 in the postseason. Sure, maybe the puck movement was better and they got some chances with seven power-play shots. But Tortorella’s inability to find the right combination and Brad Richards’ struggles holding on to the puck and making accurate passes are both major issues. 3. Slowing them down: The Bruins were successful counter-attacking in transition in Game 2, with their trailing skaters getting free for shots. The solution: fewer turnovers in the neutral zone and more backchecking pressure from the forwards. Not to pile on the power play, which is 2 for 36 in the postseason, but the Rangers have not scored on their last 19 power-plays, going back to Game 4 against the Capitals. Rangers lines/D-pairs: Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan Rick Nash-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello Taylor Pyatt-Brian Boyle-Derek Dorsett Chris Kreider-Brad Richards-Arron Asham Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi Michael Del Zotto-Anton Stralman John Moore-Steve Eminger Henrik Lundqvist (4-5, 2.10 GAA) Bruins lines/D-pairs: Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr Rich Peverley-Chris Kelly-Tyler Seguin Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid Tuukka Rask (6-3, 2.32 GAA) ====================================================== Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AGrossRecord Follow the Record Sports Staff at twitter.com/TheRecordSports

Of course, as the Rangers demonstrated in their seven-game first round win over the Capitals, in which they lost the first two games in Washington, this afternoon’s Game 2 against the Bruins is not a must win. But to win, the Rangers must do certain things better, namely, as written ad infinitum since their 3-2 OT loss in Game 1, forecheck and figure out something with their power play. And, their top line must be better, too. Three Keys to Game 2: 1. Make it tougher: The Rangers’ forecheck was not effective in their 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1, meaning not only did the Bruins have a relatively easy time getting the puck out of their own zone, the Rangers were not able to wear the Bruins down physically. Worse, having a good forecheck had been a point of emphasis in Game 1 with the Bruins dressing three rookie defensemen. 2. Still waiting for the power play: The Rangers were 0 for 3 on the power play in Game 1, leaving them at 2 for 31 in the postseason. The Rangers generated just three shots on goal in 5:35 with the man advantage. 3. Limiting opportunities: It wasn’t just that the Bruins were able to take 16 shots on G Henrik Lundqvist in overtime, or 48 total in the game. The Bruins held puck possession enough to also have 29 attempts blocked and 16 miss the net, meaning they actually had 93 attempts. The Rangers had just 66, including 35 shots on goal. Also, here’s a leftover quote from coach John Tortorella from his media session on Saturday when he was asked about the effect of the lockout on certain players. “You look right through the league, the guys that did go and play, it certainly benefited them,” Tortorella said. “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 age they need to rest. I’ve seen guys careers end quickly because they’re not doing enough. They need to be on the ice more, that’s the way I feel about it. People may not agree with it but I really believe that. I’ve seen a number of situations when I was an assistant coach when I was in Buffalo, not going to name the two players, they felt they needed to be off the ice more because they were older, where their career ended where they should have been on the ice practicing and conditioning more.” Tortorella certainly also didn’t name anybody by name on the Rangers. But, and this is just me talking here, it certainly sounded like he could have been describing Brad Richards. Both teams will maintain the same lineups they dressed in Game 1 as Bruins coach Claude Julien said before the game that defensemen Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg were not available. Something maybe I only find interesting in pre-game line rushes but, all season, regardless of what line he’s actually skating on, Richards typically is given the courtesy of taking the first line rush. I’ll admit I’m not sure about Game 1, but, today, the lines went in order so Derek Stepan’s top line took the first rush. Rangers lines/D-pairs: Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan Rick Nash-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello Taylor Pyatt-Brian Boyle-Derek Dorsett Chris Kreider-Brad Richards-Arron Asham Ryan McDonagh-Anton Stralman Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi John Moore-Steve Eminger Henrik Lundqvist (4-4, 1.76 GAA) Bruins lines/D-pairs: Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr Rich Peverley-Chris Kelly-Tyler Seguin Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid Tuukka Rask (5-3, 2.36 GAA) ====

One of the posters on HockeyRodent’s message boards, who goes by the handle “Chimp”, had this to say about the New York Rangers in particular and the NHL in general. I asked if I could quote him,  Since he didn’t say no, I took his nonresponse as approval. This person is from Europe. Not sure which country.  I believe it gives one some insight into what non-North Americans think and speaks volumes. For what it’s worth: “It feels a little bit weird, but totally right. I’ve been watching the NHL since 2005 and the entertainment value has seriously gotten worse year after year. I’m sort of bailing ship right in the middle of the playoffs. Watching that World Championships tournament was a serious wakeup call for me. Less hitting, yes, but goddamn, they actually played some hockey. They passed the puck, connected with more than 2(!!) passes in a row, used the D-men to restart the attack to try to enter the zone with puck possession, the cycling game actually lead to something constructive, I just loved it. No grinding along the boards for 50 minutes where nothing happens. No dumping the puck for the automatic backcheck. More than 3 legit scoring chances during an entire game. Not 0/2000 on the PP. Not blocking 90% of every shot fired. Not horrible ice where the puck bounces around like it has its own life. Today’s NHL and the Rangers/ Boston especially? It now feels as agony to watch them play. I couldn’t even bear myself to watch game 2 even when it was an evening game here, because I knew it would suck from a quality standpoint, I knew I would be disappointed, I knew I would be frustrated and I knew I would not be entertained. It has been the same feeling this whole season. I’ll see when I get an interest in Rangers hockey again, perhaps when Torts is fired and/ or when Bettman is. Because the NHL today is unwatchable from an entertainment standpoint, even as a hardcore hockey fan. Torts is single handedly sucking the interest of watching the Rangers play out of me (well obviously not true after that rant, but coaches like him still needs to go). I’ll think I get my beauty sleep instead. I’ll chime in once and then and check how it goes, but no way in hell I’m watching another minute of NHL hockey like it’s played today. Something seriously needs to be done, because I honestly can’t waste sleep watching this.” Share this:

I didn’t get the recorder in there on time with the media horde, but Brian Boyle’s interview, when I got in there, began with him completely blaming himself for the Rangers’ lack of possession, because “I can’t win a freakin’ faceoff … just terrible.” He was 4 of 21 in the circle. The post Game 3: Bruins 2, Rangers 1 … post-game interviews: Tortorella, Girardi, Boyle appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.

The post Post-game interviews: Lundqvist, Nash appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.

That loss was simply deflating. There's really no other way to put it. The New York Rangers lost Game 3 by a score of 2-1, and are now in a bit of trouble as they are trailing the Boston Bruins 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Rangers didn't necessarily get the type of scoring chances that they would have liked, and it wound up costing them at the end of the night. Henrik Lundqvist was forced to be spectacular once again, and he can only carry this team so far without him getting some scoring support. The Rangers start to the game didn't really help their case as many people expected them to come out with a little pep in their step. However, it was the exact opposite. Right off of the opening draw, the Bruins went right to work, and kept the Rangers pinned in their own zone for the first couple of minutes. The Rangers finally started to respond around the halfway mark, where they finally started to get pucks in deep, and cause some chaos for the Bruins below the goal line. Whether people agree or not, that's when the Rangers play their best hockey. You have to force the other team into making mistakes, and they didn't do that nearly enough as they should have tonight. The first twenty minutes went by with neither team getting on the board, and that only about four minutes into the second period. Ryan McDonagh would eventually get the puck off of an offensive zone faceoff that was won by Derek Stepan. McDonagh's first shot attempt was blocked, but he quickly regained possession and tossed a hopeful shot at the net. Luckily enough, Taylor Pyatt was parked right in front of the net, and wound up getting a piece of the puck as it went by. It took a bounce in front of Tuuka Rask, and right into the net for the early 1-0 in the second period. It was a big goal for the Rangers at the time, but they weren't able to get anything else generated for the rest of the night. The Bruins did a great job of shutting down the Rangers, and basically forced them to play dump and chase for a majority of the night. With the neutral zone clogged up, the Rangers really had no choice by to play that style, unless they wanted to run into a wall every single time up the ice. Either way, with the Rangers clinging to their 1-0 lead, Henrik Lundqvist was fantastic at the other end of the ice. He made a few jaw dropping glove saves tonight, that could have easily been goals if he wasn't manning the crease. During the second half of the game, it appeared as if the Rangers really began to fight it. Throughout the second period, the Rangers were only able to muster up a whopping five shots, as they were lucky to be heading into the third period with the lead. While the Rangers were a little better in the third period, it wound up eventually costing them the game at the other end of the ice. Johnny Boychuk was able to knot the game up at one just three minutes into the third period, as he ripped a wrist shot through traffic, and Lundqvist never picked it up. It all started from the Rangers failing to clear the zone on multiple attempts, and it wound up in the back of their own net. It's also worth noting at this point the game had turned into an absolute blood bath. Anton Stralman wound up not returning during the third period after he took a solid, but legal, hit from Milan Lucic, and appeared to hit his head on the glass. Carl Hagelin took a puck to the face, lost a few teeth, and had to go to the locker room for the repairs. Chris Kreider also took a stick to the eye, and also went to the locker room for some quick repairs. So, to say the Rangers were dropping like flies at this point in the game was a complete understatement. While it's never good to make excuses, the Rangers were definitely hurting on the back end, especially with Marc Staal already missing, and than Stralman being done for the game after the second period. With just under four minutes remaining in regulation, the Bruins fourth line went to work once again. Daniel Paill

From the Rangers: RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS Game 3: Madison Square Garden Bruins 2, Rangers 1 BOS leads 3-0 Team Notes: -        The Rangers were defeated by the Boston Bruins, 2-1, tonight at Madison Square Garden, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series. The Blueshirts now trail in the series, 3-0. -        New York has posted a record of 212-232-8 overall in postseason action, including a 119-89-2 mark at home. -        Tonight’s loss ended the Rangers’ streak of nine consecutive wins at MSG, including their final six regular season home games. Prior to tonight, the Blueshirts’ last loss at MSG was a 3-2 shootout defeat against Washington on Mar. 24, and their last regulation loss at home was Mar. 21 vs. Florida (1-3). -        The Rangers have lost only six times in regulation over their last 24 contests, including the final 14 games of the regular season. -        The Blueshirts did not surrender a power play opportunity to the Bruins, marking the second time in these playoffs New York has not been shorthanded in a game (Mar. 12 vs. WSH). -        The Rangers out-hit the Bruins, 37-28, led by Ryan Callahan’s game-high, seven hits. Player Notes: -        Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves and is now 29-36 in 65 career postseason contests. He has posted 30 or more saves in the playoffs 20 times, posting a 9-11 record with a 1.56 GAA, .941 Sv% and four shutouts in those games. -        Taylor Pyatt notched a goal, was credited with three hits and two blocked shots in 14:53 of ice time. He has registered a point in three of four home playoff games (one goal, two assists over the span), and is now tied for fifth on the team in playoff scoring with four points (two goals, two assists). -        Ryan McDonagh tallied an assist and was credited with three hits in 21:14 of ice time. He has now recorded two points (one goal, one assist) in the last three games, and is tied for the team lead among defensemen in playoff scoring with three points (one goal, two assists). -        John Moore was credited with a game-high, four blocked shots in 13:01 of ice time. -        Ryan Callahan registered four shots and a game-high, seven hits, in 23:37 of ice time. Post-Game Quotes: -        John Tortorella on tonight’s game… “At times we struggled to get through and when we got through we just didn’t sustain our forecheck. A team that is rolling their lines like they are, we need to have some time in their end zone. As the game went on we were there less and less. So it pops up on you.” -        Henrik Lundqvist on approaching Game 4… “You can’t look at it as you have to win four games, you just have to focus on the next one.  The season is on the line, so you have to leave everything out there. Preparation and the effort have to be there, and we will see if it’s going to be enough.  We definitely have to give everything right now, mentally and physically, and put it out there on Thursday.” -        Ryan Callahan on tonight’s game… “They are a good team at an important time of the year.  We knew they were going to push.  I thought we had a pretty good third period, but we gave up a goal (to allow them to tie it) and we don’t get one.  It’s tough.  Especially at home, going into the third period with the lead, that’s something you want to hold onto this time of year obviously.” Team Schedule: -        The Blueshirts’ practice schedule for tomorrow, May 22, is 12:00 p.m. at MSG Training Center. -        The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, May 23, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. – TV: CNBC; Radio: ESPN 98.7), in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup. The post Game 3: Bruins 2, Rangers 1 … post-game notes & quotes appeared first on Rangers