New York Rangers

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

Here's your second thread for Game Two of the bear pit. GOALS BOS 5:28 of P1, Torey Krug (2) from Nathan Horton (5) and David Krejci (10) NYR 8:01 of P1, Ryan Callahan (2) from nobody. BOS 2:24 of P2, Gregory Campbell (1) from Torey Krug (1) and Adam McQuaid (2). NYR 3:20 of P2, RICK NASH! (1) from Mats Zuccarello (5) and Dan Girardi (2). BOS 12:08 of P2, Johnny Boychuck (3) from Brad Marchand (5) and Patrice Bergeron (3). POWERPLAYS NYR- 0/3 BOS- 0/1 Rick Nash finally buries a goal in the 2013 NHL Playoffs, hopefully it sparks his game and gets him playing like the guy we were all salivating over during the regular season. Torts it's time to... UNLEASH THE NASH! Rick Nash #61 / Right Wing / New York Rangers Height: 6-4 Weight: 213 Born: Jun 16, 1984 The Rangers powerplay is still a disaster and Brad Richards looks absolutely lost out there. Let's go Rangers. Believe.

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) ====

Must win? Not yet. But you probably don’t want to play with those matches again, right. The Rangers came back from 0-2 for the second time in team history against Washington, so you really shouldn’t figure that can happen again, right? I don’t think the Rangers are dead at 0-2, but they’d be really close to the cliff. Take Our Poll Game 2. Rangers at Bruins. The Patrick Elias Sports Bureau just informed me that in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the winner of Game 2 is either 2-0 or 1-1 in the series. And that either the winner or loser of Game 2 has gone on to win the series 100 percent of the time. Same lineup for the Rangers, which means no Marc Staal (eye), Ryane Clowe (probable concussion) or Darroll Powe (probable concussion). Henrik Lundvist in goal vs. Tuuka Rask. Duh. Sounds like the B’s won’t be getting back any of their injured D-men, Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference or everybody’s favorite, Wade Redden. So the kids will play again. And the Rangers power play rolls in at a hefty 6.4 percent clip. ************************************** Don’t forget to vote for the Three Rangers Stars, and to follow me (and Josh Thomson, 26) on twitter: @RangersReport. Also, it’s now official. Our first-round predictions contest winners are: 1. Mike S, 2. Michael Raffo, 3. Lyova. Congratulations, boys! Please email me your snail-mail addresses to rcarpini@lohud.com. The post It’s Go Time! … Game 2: Rangers at Bruins appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.

Today the Rangers look to avoid going back to MSG down 2-0. In game 1 the Blueshirts stayed with the Bruins until OT where they were out-shot 16-5, half of which was on that one power play. Although it wasn’t a great game by any means, I thought the Bruins looked very beatable. Sure they have depth and an ability to roll four lines, but at no point did I feel like any of their guys were legit threats to send us home packing. That nervousness for me just wasn’t there the way it was against the Caps, or even the Devils or Senators last year. I know that’s not much of an analysis, but that’s what the gut was telling me. Anyone feel differently? Side note: The media has made a big fuss over Henrik Lundqvist’s losing record in OT during the playoffs. Interesting that no one is mentioning Martin Brodeur’s career playoff OT record of 12-21 (.364) Series Previews: Rangers/Bruins second round preview Five keys for success against the Bruins Scouting Tuukka Rask and his goaltending style Previewing the Bruins and their systems/styles of play Series: Bruins lead 1-0 NYR Playoff Leading Scorer: Derick Brassard (2-8-10) BOS Playoff Leading Scorer: David Krejci (5-9-14) NYR Playoff Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist (8 GP, 1.76 GAA, .945 SV%) BOS Playoff Goaltender: Tuukka Rask (8 GP, 2.36 GAA, .926 SV%) New York Rangers Tickets RSVP to potentially win tickets to a game Rangers Lines (unconfirmed until Torts releases the lineup): Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan Mats Zuccarello-Derick Brassard-Rick Nash Derek Dorsett-Brian Boyle-Taylor Pyatt Chris Kreider-Brad Richards-Arron Asham Ryan McDonagh-Anton Stralman Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi John Moore-Steve Eminger Henrik Lundqvist Scratches/Injuries:  Darroll Powe (concussion), Marc Staal (eye), Ryane Clowe (undisclosed/concussion), Matt Gilroy (healthy), Roman Hamrlik (healthy), Kris Newbury (healthy) Broadcast Info: NBCSN 3pm Tweet

The New York Rangers are heading into this afternoon's game with a perfect opportunity to walk out with the split, before returning to Madison Square Garden for Game's 3 and 4. Even though the Rangers lost the last game in overtime, they actually played a pretty decent game both offensively and defensively. One small miscue was the reason for failure, and it's just one of those games they need to shake off and look ahead tot he next one. vs. New York Rangers (#6 Seed) vs Boston Bruins (#4 Seed)Series Score: 1-0 BOSTD Garden - Boston, MA- 3:00 PM Television: NBC, TSN, RDS | Radio: NHL Game RadioOpponent's Blog: Stanley Cup of Chowder | Tickets: New York Rangers Playoff Tickets Some Quick Thoughts: According to Darren Dreger, it appears as if the Boston Bruins won't be getting an reinforcements on their blue line this afternoon. Wade Redden, Dennis Seidenberg, and Andrew Ference all aren't ready to return, which will leave Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski, and Dougie Hamilton in the lineup. With the Rangers power play continuing to struggle, John Tortorella stated there would be some changes. He said that he didn't like putting Carl Hagelin on the power play because he's "too fast", but with the recent struggles, he's walking back on those comments. Rick Nash looked like a completely different Rick Nash in Game 1, and he was starting to show glimpses of himself. The Rangers absolutely need Nash to step up big in this series if they are going to move on. Relying too much on secondary scoring can be dangerous for the Rangers. Projected Lineup: Carl Hagelin - Derek Stepan - Ryan CallahanMats Zuccarello - Derick Brassard - Rick NashDerek Dorsett - Brian Boyle - Taylor PyattChris Kreider - Brad Richards - Arron AshamRyan McDonagh - Dan GirardiMichael Del Zotto - Anton StralmanJohn Moore - Steve EmingerHenrik LundqvistMartin Biron Scratches: Marc Staal (upper-body), Darroll Powe (upper-body), Ryane Clowe (upper-body), Matt Gilroy (healthy), Roman Hamrlik (healthy).