New York Rangers

Shane McColgan (#9) (CHL/WHL/Steve Hiscock) So much for all of us so-called "experts" as if you hear someone claiming they thought the Saskatoon Blades really had a chance to beat the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday don't believe them. Odds are that only the team and their most diehard supporters thought the Blades would knock off the Mooseheads at the Memorial Cup. But 5-2 says they sure did and this one win does a lot for the Blades and in many ways their deserving to host the event. The Blades and Saskatoon have taken much of a beating since they were awarded the right to host the Memorial Cup and the first couple of days haven't been all that smooth either. An anthem singer who badly botches the Star Spangled Banner and some weak attendance (this game was just 8934 for an arena that sits over 15000) didn't make things much better. Saskatoon came into this game already 0-1 after losing to London on opening night and the critics were having a field day with the Blades having a 13 game postseason losing streak going back 3 years. The 5-2 win shuts that one down with authority and this win has to start with the Blades playing their game plan almost to perfection. The Blades wanted to get that first goal of the game and they did as Matej Stransky pounced on a Shane McColgan (NYR 2011 5th) rebound at 12:11 of the first period to give the Blades a 1-0 lead. If this was a game of redemption then count McColgan in as Friday night the only thing anyone noticed about McColgan was getting crushed by London's MaX Domi on a hit. McColgan played well, he won faceoffs, set up scoring chances for his teammates and let the game come to him rather than try to force things. McColgan needed to be more visible on Sunday especially after a shaky opening night. The other Ranger prospect Josh Nicholls (2013 UFA) also had a strong game with another 2 point outing (1-1-2) to give him a 3-1-4 record after 2 games. Nicholls has been making the Rangers look good for signing him by elevating his game against a very strong level of competition. Nicholls had a secondary assist on Saskatoon's 4th goal of the game which came on the power play in the 3rd period. Toss in the game sealing empty net goal and Nicholls has been much better than expected. There is a slight concern about Nicholl's knee as he appeared to have tweaked it but gets 2 day off to rest it as the Blades don't play again until Wednesday night. Next up will be the Portland/London game on Monday night as the Winterhawks find themselves now in an almost must win situation because of the Blades win. The Winterhawks don't want to get that 2nd loss which would put them into double elimination games on Wednesday and Thursday. London will be wanting to win this one as 2 wins assures them of a spot in the semi-finals and also gives them a chance to earn a direct spot in the finals if they could also defeat Halifax. The possibilities are now endless thanks to a 5-2 win by the Blades.

Gotta tell you, I didn’t think the Rangers could do the 0-2 trick against Washington, so I’m not saying “no way,” but I really don’t get the feeling that this Boston team is going to lose four of five. I think these Bruins are better than Washington, play a style and have a pedigree that won’t have them disappear as the Caps did in Game 7, and they have a better goaltender. I also think that, while the Rangers might be able to play better, that Boston hasn’t played its best yet in this series. Thoughts: 1) The Rangers were more than OK for two periods. Better than they’ve been in a lot of areas – forecheck, creating offense, physical play, push-back, offensive-net presence, tempo – for two periods. I really did. Tuukka Rask had to make some difficult saves. Then the Rangers gave up a bad goal during the 4-on-4, and still, only down 3-2 entering the third, let Brad Marchand loose.  And the whole thing collapsed like a mudslide. 2) That said, with even a clue of a power play, maybe they win this game, or at least make the Bruins work a lot harder for it. Maybe they win Game 1 too. Maybe they win the Washington series in fewer than seven. They have to remove Brad Richards from the power play. And they need to really assess the whole plan, because it’s awful. 3) There is plenty of deserved criticism of John Tortorella, some of it greatly biased, some of it very legit. The hoopla over the Carl Hagelin “stinks” comment was way over the top. He can be a jackwagon to the press. But one area that is on him alone … and one where he’d better get some help in the off-season (because he’s not being fired), is that power play. As Pierre McGuire said – and I do agree with Pierre more than you guys do – it’s systematic more than personnel. Was it a little better as the game went on? Yeah. It has costs them too many games for that to matter anymore. And Richards being on it, while he’s on his way out the buyout door, makes no sense. 4) Richards maybe needs to be removed completely from the lineup, because the Rangers’ fourth line getting its brains kicked in by Gregory Campbell and Co. Campbell scored a big goal when Richards lost him. Just don’t know if Kris Newbury is a better option in that spot. 5) Henrik Lundqvist was definitely not great. Of course, he had no chance on some of the goals, and didn’t see one of them at all. Not all his fault. But five goals against, eight in two games, is not going to get it done. 6) That said, the Rangers’ defense spread it around, but Dan Girardi was the most woeful, on the ice for all five Boston goals. I’m not blaming him on the goal off his skate right to Campbell, though he did kick at it. Not completely blaming him for sliding out of the play AND failing to block Milan Lucic’s pass on the fifth goal (Derick Brassard was partly to blame, too). But Girardi might want to move that forward screening Lundqvist on the 4-on-4 goal that made it 3-2. A lot went wrong there, but the bottom line is the goalie couldn’t see the shot. Then, Girardi’s complete loss of Marchand in the opening seconds of the third was a terrible play and it was Game Over. 7) I thought it was disgraceful for NBC to use “Boston Strong” in a graphic  while showing the Game 1 highlights. Just a mind-numbing decision by somebody. 8) Ryan Callahan had a bad Game 1, and a goal doesn’t make Game 2 a good game, but he was much better overall. And I hate saying that when a guy scores because I like to look way past goals. That said, he’s one of their top goal scorers, especially since No. 61 had evolved into something other than that, and he needs to score too. He did, a “God damn huge goal” as Tortorella said on NBC. Callahan also had the big shift immediately after the 2-1 goal that led to Rick Nash’s finally break

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) ====

Just an observation before more on this loss: Walked out of the press area to make a call, was looking at the rink and there’s Jaromir Jagr, two hours after the game, skating by himself in a Bruins’ warmup suit and a Bruins’ pom-pom ski hat. That goes back to what coach John Tortorella was saying yesterday, that older veterans need more time on the ice, not less. Jagr has a reputation for working out harder and longer than most. As for today’s loss, here’s the game story. Despite the 5-2 loss, the Rangers are staying positive, the experience of rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the first round against the Capitals still fresh in their minds. “I thought our first two periods were maybe our best playoff hockey we’ve played up to this point,” captain Ryan Callahan said. “We were having chances, we were on the forecheck. They get a quick one in the third, it puts us down two, that’s hard to come back from. And they end up getting another one and that’s the story. We’ve got to take the positives out of the first two periods. That’s the way we have to play. If we play that way we’ll be OK.” Also, there has to be a little concern over Henrik Lundqvist. At 15:08 of the third period, he leapt forward to cover the puck after a Daniel Paille deflection try. Lundqvist remained on the ice for a bit and was in obvious discomfort while rotating his left arm, something he continued after the stoppage. It looked like the puck hit him in the chest, not the collarbone so it was unclear exactly how Lundqvist got hurt. “It’s my shoulder, we’ll see,” said Lundqvist, who also rubbed his shoulder area a couple of times while speaking to the media. “We’ll take a look at it.” ====================================================== Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AGrossRecord Follow the Record Sports Staff at twitter.com/TheRecordSports

Spanked in game one, blistered in game two, the New York Rangers once again need some MSG TLC to make the out of town boo-boos feel better. The Boston Bruins put a 2-0 choke hold on the Eastern Conference semifinals with a decisive 5-2 win over the NY Rangers in game 2. The Bruins were able to exploit multiple defensive breakdowns by the Rangers and light up Lundqvist for five goals in 60

Courtesy of the Rangers: RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 2 – TD Garden Bruins 5, Rangers 2 (BOS leads 2-0). Team Notes: -      The Rangers were defeated by the Boston Bruins, 5-2, today at TD Garden, in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series. The Blueshirts now trail in the series, 2-0. -      New York has posted a record of 212-231-8 overall in postseason action, including a 93-143-6 mark on the road. -      The Blueshirts out-shot the Bruins, 37-32, including a 16-9 advantage in the second period. -      The Rangers held the Bruins scoreless in one shorthanded situation (2:00), and are now 17-21 (81.0%) on the penalty kill in the playoffs. Player Notes: -      Ryan Callahan notched an unassisted goal at 8:01 of the first period, and was credited with a game-high, eight hits in 22:00 of ice time. He has now tallied a point in each of the last three games (two goals, one assist over the span). -      Rick Nash registered his first playoff goal as a Ranger, and tied for the game-high with four shots on goal in 22:23 of ice time. He has now recorded a point in each of the last three games (one goal, two assists over the span). -      Mats Zuccarello tallied an assist and was credited with two hits in 17:29 of ice time. He has now recorded six points (one goal, five assists) in the last seven games. -      Dan Girardi registered an assist, three shots on goal, and was credited with three hits in 19:29 of ice time. He now leads all Rangers defensemen in scoring with three points (one goal, two assists) in the playoffs. -      Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves and is now 29-35 in 64 career postseason contests. The last time he allowed five goals in a game was Mar. 9, 2011 at Anaheim, a streak of 152 games (regular season + playoffs). -      Derick Brassard tied for the game-high with four shots on goal, was credited with four hits, and won 6-11 faceoffs (55%) in 20:16 of ice time. His six-game point streak, which was the longest by a Ranger in the playoffs since Wayne Gretzky’s nine-game point streak in the 1997 postseason, came to an end. *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau -      Steve Eminger was credited with a team-high, three blocked shots in 12:08 of ice time. Team Schedule: -      The Blueshirts’ practice schedule for tomorrow, May 20, is 11:00 a.m. at MSG Training Center. -      The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, May 21, at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. – TV: NBC Sports Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7), in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup. The post Game 2: Bruins 5, Rangers 2 … Post-game notes appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.

Here we are once again. The New York Rangers were unable to get the job done once again, and dropped Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals by a score of 5-2. Despite the Bruins putting up five goals on the Rangers, the score didn't necessarily dictate how the Rangers played. They actually played really well, generated a bunch of scoring chances, but just weren't able the goal to push them over the edge. The Achilles' heel for the Rangers this afternoon were several defensive breakdowns in front of Henrik Lundqvist, which more or less, left him out to dry. Dan Girardi was on the ice for all five Bruins goals today, including one where he completely missed Brad Marchand cutting to the net and tapped the puck under Lundqvist. On the other end of the ice however, the Rangers had a handful of chances and looked pretty well. Tuuka Rask bailed out the Bruins a few times as he stood on his heads when he needed to, which kept the Rangers off the scoreboard for the most part. This game started off pretty bad for the Rangers once again, as Tory Krug was able to put the Bruins up 1-0 just five minutes into the game. One of the biggest issues the Rangers had today in the defensive end was picking up the player trailing the play, and coming in late. That's exactly how this goal happened as Nathan Horton tossed a cross ice feed over to Krug cutting in, and he had a wide open lane to the net. But throughout this game, the Rangers were able to erase two leads by the Bruins which lessened the blow a little bit. Ryan Callahan was able to tie this game up just three minutes after the first goal, as he out-hustled Dougie Hamilton, and faked Tuuka Rask out of his shorts on the move. It was just a huge goal from the Captain, and it's the type of effort you expect out of him. After finishing out the period tied, the Rangers fell back once again at the beginning of the second period. Gregory Campbell converted just two minutes into the second period, as he cleaned up the garbage off of a blocked shot, and chipped it over Henrik Lundqvist. But, just like last time, the Rangers found a way to answer right away following the goal. Rick Nash sniped home his first playoff goal since 2009 at the 3:20 mark of the second period, and tied this game up once again. Yet another big goal to answer, and hopefully that's the one that awakens the beast. If Rick Nash gets going, it can only be beneficial for the Rangers. Later on in the period, both Arron Asham and Shawn Thornton got tangled up in front of Tuuka Rask, and exchanged some shoves. Both were eventually escorted to the box, which set up some 4-on-4 hockey for the next two minutes. The Bruins were able to convert with the extra space as Johnny Boychuk sent a laser of a wrist shot past Henrik Lundqvist to give the Bruins their third lead of the afternoon. To Lundqvist's aid though, Dan Girardi provided the extra screen along with Brad Marchand, and Lundqvist never caught a glimpse of the puck as it came in on him. While the Rangers weren't play terrible throughout two periods, they completely collapsed in the third period. The Bruins were able to catch the Rangers flatfooted just 26 seconds into the third period as Brad Marchand scored his second goal of the playoffs on a beautiful feed from Patrice Bergeron. It was a eerily similar goal to the one that ended Game 1 in overtime as Marchand slipped behind Dan Girardi undetected, and tapped home the pass. The Rangers continued to push throughout the third period, but the Bruins were able to shut them down for the most part. With just under eight minutes remaining in regulation time, Milan Lucic put the nail in the coffin as he tapped home yet another lose puck at the side of the net. Dan Girardi was on the ice yet again, as he dove in a last ditch effort to prevent Lucic from walking in. It was a really poor outing from Dan Girardi tonight, but I'd expect him to come back two thousand times better in Game 3. I said it during the last series again

One of the rare bright spots in game two: the captain The Rangers lost a tough one to the Bruins in game two. Why was it tough you ask? It was tough because the Rangers were brutal in their own end. If the Bruins had capitalised on half of the odd man rushes or wide open chances they had it could have been worse. That all said the Rangers were much improved offensively. They created chances, generated some turnovers of their own and if Tuukka Rask wasn’t in strong form this may have been a higher scoring game at both ends. The Rangers need to tighten up at the back end if they want to get on the board Tuesday. On to the goals Boston 1 Rangers 0; Torey Krug The Bruins took the lead just over five minutes in as rookie defenseman Torey Krug looked anything but. Entering the Rangers zone late, the blueliner was completely open and received a cross ice pass from Nathan Horton that opened up the ice for the rookie. Receiving the puck out of stride Krug pushed the puck between his skates in spectacular style before beating Lundqvist five hole as his shot beat the despairing dive – and block attempt – from Girardi. The goal was an example (one of countless examples in the first) where the Rangers defensive coverage was found wanting. The Bruins had multiple odd man rushes and were able to find wide open shooters several times, resulting in quality looks in front of Lundqvist. Luckily for the Rangers, Krug’s was the only such chance the Bruins capitalised on in the first. Rangers 1 Bruins 1; Ryan Callahan The Rangers tying goal was all Ryan Callahan and classic Ryan Callahan. The Ranger captain’s strong forecheck created a turnover along the boards and Callahan didn’t give up on the puck, beat a Bruins defenseman to the loose puck in the Bruins zone before skating in on Tuukka Rask and deking the Bruins goalie to the floor finishing off by sliding the puck into the empty net. The goal was all hustle, desire and a sublime finish from the Rangers captain. The tying goal came at a point where the Rangers were clearly the second best team and unable to cope with the Bruins breakouts and odd man rushes. Bruins 2 Rangers 1; Gregory Campbell The Bruins re-took the lead early in the second and once again Torey Krug was involved. Following some more nifty footwork and stick handling, Krug then simply threw one on net where it deflected in front of Lundqvist off of Dan Girardi’s skate. Gregory Campbell had gone to the front of the net hoping for a rebound (hockey basics) and was rewarded as he was able to chip one past Lundqvist who got caught flat footed. The goal resulted from the Rangers being outworked to the puck and along the boards by the Bruins always dangerous fourth line. Rangers 2 Bruins 2; Rick Nash Welcome to the post season Rick Nash. Rick Nash scored a beauty as the Rangers took advantage of a rare mistake from Zdeno Chara of the Bruins. Nash was able to blow past Zdeno Chara who had over committed poking at what he thought was a loose puck at the red line. Nash was able to put the puck on to his forehand before wristing one top right corner past Rask, from the top of the crease. Great, confident play by Nash who displayed excellent speed and strength to get past Chara. Bruins 3 Rangers 2; Johnny Boychuck The Bruins grabbed their third lead of the game – and for good – midway through the second period as the teams skated four on four. The goal was created by Brad Marchand who was able to turn at the boards and feed Johnny Boychuck at the blueline who was then able to skate in a few steps before releasing a shot from up high that beat a completely screened Henrik. The Rangers had Girardi covering a Bruin who had gone to the front of the net which resulted in Lundqvist not having a chance on the Boychuck shot. Bruins 4 Rangers 2; Brad Marchand The Rangers got burned quickly to begin the third period. Following a turnover in the Bruins zone, the Bruins quickly came the other way as Bergeron carried the puck into the Ra