New York Rangers

Tommy Hughes (OHL Images) In the end the Saskatoon Blades that their critics said weren't deserving of hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup gave fuel to those same critics by bowing out of the Memorial Cup after a 6-1 loss to Tommy Hughes and the London Knights in the tiebreaker game. Pick a word or cliche and it will fit as the curse of back to back games kept it's streak intact with the Blades becoming the 3rd team to play a back to back and lose it. The Blades bow out of the Memorial Cup with a 1-3 as London advances to Friday's semifinal against the Portland Winterhawks. This game was over in the first 3 minutes when Ranger prospect Josh Nicholls (2013 UFA) was forced to pull down London's Bo Hovrat who was on his way with a shorthanded breakaway. A penalty shot was called for and Horvat cashed it in for a 1-0 London lead. It might have been the only goal of the period but Saskatoon really looked like they were not into the game and they just didn't challenge London's defense. If there was any indication that was true then look no further than a 4 minute power play the Blades had early in the 2nd period as they failed to generate any real scoring chances which might have turned the game around. It also didn't help that the other Ranger's prospect on the Blades Shane McColgan (2011 5th) was sitting in the penalty box for most of the first 2 minutes of the power play. But that was how the game went for Saskatoon as every time a door of opportunity would open for the Blades, it was their own play that let them down. London would score 2 more goals in the 2nd period to make it 3-0 after 40 minutes and the Blades waved the white flag by giving up 3 goals in a span of 1:06 to start the 3rd period. It was over and that was it for Saskatoon who ended their run at the Cup with a whimper. Ranger prospect defenseman Tommy Hughes (2013 UFA) was scoreless but a +1 and no penalties. Saskatoon just didn't play with any emotion or drive as to be fair they had held their own against all 3 CHL league champions during the round robin portion of the Cup. Their coach Lorne Molleken admitted as much in the post game and it showed. London yes they scored 6 goals against Saskatoon but now it is their turn for the 2nd time to play in a back to back against a Portland Winterhawk team that had a day off. Portland will bring more speed and skill than Saskatoon did but Portland needs to take a lesson from the Blades and "turn the other cheek" against the Knights who baited Saskatoon into taking dumb penalties. The Winterhawks can make the London tactic backfire by playing with discipline. Let London be the ones who wind up in the penalty box by not falling for the London tactics of trying to "poke the bear." That game will be Friday night starting at 7 PM EDT. And the curtain drops Josh Nicholls and Shane McColgan saw their WHL careers come to an end with the loss to London. Nicholls was a respectable 4-2-6 in the 4 games he played in. Nicholls will now move on to begin his Ranger career at the rookie/prospect camp in early July. For his WHL career the 6'2 200lb winger was 138-175-313 in 332 games with the Blades. Barring injuries, Nicholls should start the season with the CT Whale but he is going to need to add some much need muscle to his upper body if he is going to last. Nicholls is the "late bloomer" who had a 47 goal season this year and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty in the corners. Some improved foot speed would also be nice but the Rangers have done well helping their prospects improve their skating. Shane McColgan technically can return to the WHL for an "overage" year but first the question everyone keeps asking me is will the Rangers sign McColgan before the June 1st deadline? I really at this point have to say that I don't see it happening because (a) they already have 4 guys who are 5'9 playing for the CT Whale/Hartford Wolfpack (man I am glad they brought this name back) and (b) at last count t

Is it possible? Um. Probably not. But ya boys can sure make things interesting if they can somehow win Saturday evening in Boston. Like Derick Brassard said, “We’re looking forward to going to Boston. The pressure is on them. Toronto came back from 3-1 and it’s possible. We just want to bring it to a seventh game and anything can happen.” Thoughts: 1) The events of the day were pretty bizarre, from the morning news that Brad Richards was being scratched to the obvious fallout that includes the almost virtual certainty that he will be bought out this summer, to the newly built fourth line … which, other than Kris Newbury’s needless and costly penalty, was pretty decent. 2) I don’t really have much to add about Richards. Kinda said it all yesterday. Kinda been saying it all season. Kinda started saying it on July 2, 2011. Just never though it could possibly happen this quickly, or that the Rangers would have this gift of an opportunity, thanks to Mr. Jacobs’ lockout, to get out from under that contract. Imagine seven more years?. Ooof. And I thought it was OK and kinda cool the way Tortorella got a lot off his chest about his relationship with Richards afterward. Wasn’t anything we didn’t know, but he probably needed to say it. And as I’ve said about Richards all season long, the guy cares. 3) Chris Kreider. That goal, and actually the way he played the entire game, after playing well between being promoted and taking that stick to the eye – the gash in his left eyebrow was pretty nasty, BTW – sure opened up the old can of worms about him playing here. I know he’s been bad both here and, reportedly, in Hartford this season. And whether he’s ready or not is debatable. But the kid is sure going to be a good hockey player, and the Rangers sure don’t have enough guys who have all the tools he has. He created some chances all night, and the goal was a beauty. Can’t wait to see him with a training camp under his belt. (Check out the photo gallery of his OT goal in the post below). 4) Rick Nash. Fought the puck a little bit, but made some plays, too. Robbed by Tuukka Rask a couple of times (needs to shoot more softly, like Hagelin). Great pass on the GWG. 5) Also great pass up ice to start the play by Ryan McDonagh, who had an enormous game again. That penalty he took? Pansification. But you have to like where he was when he committed it. Whatever you guys think of John Tortorella and his system, he wants his defensemen engaged in the offense, joining the play. McDonagh is their smartest defenseman, their best-skating D-man, and I don’t think his puck skills have scratched the surface yet. Would like to see more of him up ice. 6) So the Rangers’ PK gave up, for all intents and purposes (or as Jeremy Roenick might say, all intensive purposes) three goals. Yikes. But their vaunted power play, minus Richards, got a fairly enormous goal. Brian Boyle, playoff specialist. 7) Speaking of which, Taylor Pyatt became a player this postseason. If only he could skate better. Imagine if the Rangers were built properly at the top of the lineup so those guys could be the fourth line that Boston has. 8) Carl Hagelin stinks on those 2 mph backhanders. What a gift. Give the Rangers credit. They were being spanked when that puck crawled over the goal line as Tuukka Rask was sitting on his wallet. They got a break and used it. Good for them. 9) Brassard and Stepan, the No. 1 and 2 centers by default, were sure good in this game. Or most of it. Brassard provided another comic moment when he dropped the gloves with Brad Marchand, then had to go get them and put them back on as Marchand skated away. 10) Stepan made a No. 1 center play on Brian Boyle’s PPG, and picked big Z’s pocket on the wrap-around goal. Chara doesn’t look right to me. Then again, 7-footers on skates don’t look right. That was a t

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

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

Photos by Getty Images. The post Game 4 photo gallery: Chris Kreider’s game-winning goal appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.

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!

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