Gaborik Hurt!

When we first learned the Rangers had signed Marian Gaborik we all wondered what it would be like when Gabby and Lundqvist came together.

Well in practice today they did come together. In fact - they collided.

And Lundqvist's skate blade hit Gaborik's knee. And our leading goal scorer sustained a deep laceration - requiring multiple stitches to repair.

But - big sigh of relief - it appears to be what they used to call in the movies "a flesh wound".

No torn or cut tendons. Just some blood. That's all we know right now. No further word on his status for Wednesday night..

That's all for now
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John Tortorella: Flip-Flopper or Losing Streak Stopper?

About this time last year - John Tortorella was sitting with Glen Sather and making a case about why the Ranger Coach Tom Renney should be fired and why, he, John Tortorella should replace him.

"Safe Is Death" was the phrase Tortorella used.

The Rangers under Renny were playing a style that emphasized defense first - with 5 skaters doing their best to protect Henrik Lundqvist and the Ranger goal. They also conserved energy - laying back and letting the other team punch themselves out. They tried to score when opportunities presented themselves. They waited and reacted.

The idea was that the Rangers lineup could only score a goal or two a night - so they tried to win 2-1.

Tortorella told Sather this approach was all wrong.

"Safe is Death" he said. Laying back and playing defense gives your opponent too many chances. Tortorella’s philosophy was to forecheck and attack. To get the puck out of the defensive zone and away from Lundqvist - to get it near the opposing goalie - where good things can happen.

You know what happened next. Sather listened. Tortorella got the job. The Rangers made the playoffs and got a 3-1 lead against the Caps. But then the wheels came off and we stopped scoring and that was the season.

This year - with some new players - a pure goal scorer - and a training camp - Tortorella had the team – His Team - ready. They came flying out of the gate - going 7-1, scoring goals, and playing exciting-to-watch, attacking-style hockey.

It was fun - a lot of fun - while it lasted.

But the Ranger high wire act came crashing down to earth. Teams began to adjust to our style - we stopped scoring - and we started getting scored on.

So - reluctantly - to stop our losing steaks - Tortorella changed his style. He began attacking less - playing more defense -staying back.

In short - he began playing a style that was a whole lot like the safe-is-death style of hockey that got his predecessor fired.

So - what do we make of this? Is our coach an opportunist? Did he say anything to get hired? Was he wrong in assessing how to fix the Rangers? Is he, in the end, a motivator more than an Xs and Os guy anyway?

Well, you can look at it that way. But I don't

I think John has done the best he can with the roster Glen and the Salary Cap Gods have given him. I know he's had input - but the team has more than a few over-paid unmovable catastrophes clogging the lineup that John could do nothing about.

And the one thing John didn't anticipate was the increased goals-against this season. Is that the fault of an all star goalie starting the downside of his career? Or can it be blamed on letting veteran defensemen go and replacing them with rookies? Or the unavoidable result of a goalie ridden too hard and too long for too many years?

Maybe, to some degree, it’s all of the above. But I don't fault John for changing the team philosophy in mid-season to focus more on defense.

That's not hypocrisy. It’s learning. It’s adapting to the situation as it changes around him. It's just Tortorella paying attention - thinking - listening to a quality group of assistant coaches – and taking action..

Whatever you think of John Tortorella - that man won the Stanley Cup just a few years ago. He's not clueless. He's built and coached winning teams.

So if "Safe" doesn't equal "Death" anymore - that's fine with me. As we limp towards the Olympic break there are actual signs of life. The team is still playing hard. The GM just pulled off his 2nd GREAT TRADE of the year (Gomez was the first). And our new lineup is showing more toughness and the ability - in Jokinen - to carry the puck into the offensive zone. We just pulled off a great win against our hated rivals - The Devils - in which we seemed to play great D - get great goaltending - and score timely goals - to defeat an elite team in decisive fashion.

If we can keep that up - anything is possible.

Mad about the Wrong Boy

There are two rookie defensemen on the Rangers this year. One of them is doing great - the other one - I'm not convinced is ready yet for the NHL.

And it's not who you think.

Michael Del Zotto is getting all of the attention this year. He's got the tools. He can shoot the puck. He has shown a real talent for the long outlet pass - an almost Drew Brees-like ability to launch these bombs that can hit Marian Gaborik in stride at the blue line.

Meanwhile - Matt Gilroy - the other Ranger defenseman toils on in relative obscurity. You don't hear his name much. His offensive numbers can't compare to Delzy's.

But guess what? I think Gilroy’s better. And here's why:

If offense was all you needed from your defensemen - you could play forwards back there. You may recall that Tortorella actually tried playing 5 forwards on the powerplay recently - resulting in a shorthanded goal against. And there's a reason that happened - defensemen are needed to defend. Preventing a goal is exactly as valuable as scoring one.

And for every great pass or great shot we see from Michael Del Zotto - there is a moment where he's out of position defensively - or late getting to where he should be - or worse - when he is in the right spot - but then gets completely faked out by his opponents’ dekes and moves.

Now - don't get me wrong. I love the kid's potential. And he's only 19. It’s not his fault he's at the NHL level right now. He's learning and improving every day. But at the same time - with a one goal lead and 2 minutes to go – he can be a liability out there.

The numbers tell the story. Del Zotto has 6 goals and 20 assist. And Gilroy has only 4 goals and 7 assists.

BUT…

Matt Gilroy’s Plus-minus is at +4. That’s the best of any defenseman on the team. In fact, it’s the 5th best plus-minus of all Ranger players. Only Gaborik and 3 guys who have been his linemates have done better.

Michael Del Zotto’s plus-minus? In spite of all of those goals and assists – Mike is at Minus-17. That is the worst number on the Rangers. Much worse than Rozsival or Redden. What that means is that in spite of all of Delzy’s offensive production – he has given it all back and a lot more besides. When Mike is on the ice – overall - we have not been a very good hockey team.

All I’m saying is that Matt Gilroy’s Plus-Minus is much much better than Del Zotto’s. And that a defenseman is more than offense. And that Plus-Minus is a good indicator of defensman's overall game - offense and defense.

Del Zotto is still a really young player. And a lot of what he lacks right now can be taught. But considering how the two rookies are doing – I just don’t think it’s fair that Michael gets all the positive attention while Gilroy is the forgotten man. Matt Gilroy as a rookie has stepped in and done a quietly professional job night in and night out. Whatever success this club has had – Matt is an important part of it. It’s about time he got his due.

I Think I Glove You! Lundqvist reclaims his game - Rangers Win

That was a long time coming. After six straight losses – Henrik was the master out there last night – out-classing Martin Brodeur and making the difference as the Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1.

After giving up 6 goals to the Washington Capitals – and wasting 5 goals from his teammates on Thursday, Hank was the Franchise superstar on Saturday night – stopping 41 shots. Most impressive was his work with the glove. Henrik has been altering his glove side positioning this season – in response to a growing reputation around the league that he can be beaten high on the glove side.

Last night Hank stood a little taller and kept his glove a little higher. And it paid off. He snatched a half dozen shots out of the air with a lightning fast left hand. One shot – a six foot slapshot from Mottau that Hank didn't even see coming – but somehow got his glove on and caught cleanly – was one of the best glove saves I've ever seen Hank come up with.

The Rangers battled throughout – exploded for 3 goals in 2:40 of the 2nd period - and held on to get a much needed win over a very good Devils team. Kovalchuk took 8 shots – and came away with nothing.

The Goalies: Like the Garden crowd chanted for much of the night: Hen-Rik! Outshot 42 to 25 the Rangers won because Hank was much – much – better than Marty.

Hank stopped 41 shots – several of the saves spectacular. A save percentage of .971% is much better than we've seen lately and the kind of performance that gives the Rangers the edge against any other team in the league.

Marty – who was serenaded by the MSG crowd in a derisive “Mar-ty” chant that actually seemed to shake the fat old man's composure – fell apart over a 2 minute 39 second span and let in 3 goals on 4 shots. Overall he stopped just .880% of the shots he faced – just 22 saves.
So – yes – we beat the Devils on goaltending. And it feels great to say that.

Special Teams: The Rangers Penalty Kill has been one of our strengths this year. Despite giving up 3 PP goals tot the Caps (and stopping them 6 times ) - we bounced back last night and denied the Devils on all 5 of their extra-man chances. On our own PP we scored once in three tries. So we won special teams – which helped us with the game.

The New Veteran Rangers: Gaborik was in perfect position – and didn't even have to move his stick – to direct the puck past Brodeur for yet another goal by The Gifted One. Jokinen won 8 of 12 faceoffs and was +1 on the night with 2 blocked shots and a hit. Boyle had a great (if late) check that helped create an odd man rush that resulted in a Ranger goal. I will mention that Prospal and Christensen were the only Rangers with a -1 last night.

The Kid Rangers: I am putting Prust in this category – it's his first full season in the NHL. The kid got an assist, two fights, a hit and was +1 on the night. It's hard not to notice him. Del Zotto and Gilroy had assists. Anisimov won just one of five faceoffs – and it has been a long time since we called his name in a positive way. With all the centers we have on this team – well, I'll let you finish that thought for me.

The Returning Rangers: won this hockey game for us. Callahan was everywhere – 6 hits – 5 shots – a goal and an assist. Chris Drury – the forgotten 4th line captain – scored a goal. Dubinsky didn't score – but won 3 of 4 faceoffs and played an active game. And how about Sean Avery – goading Kovalchuk into a fight with 2 minutes to go – effectively removing the Devil's best weapon from the ice for the remainder of the game?

Defense on Offense: Two assists. When we hear from this unit – odds are we will win.

In Conclusion: Wow – did we ever need this one. Huge, clutch, great performance from your New York Rangers – defending their home ice against a great Devils hockey team. And it goes to show – Lundqvist can still pull out these incredible performances. And when he does – the Rangers have just enough firepower to compete with anybody. 8 goals in 2 nights – with an empty netter just beaten by the buzzer.
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Next Up:
Only three more games before the Olympics. On Wednesday night we're home to the Nashville Predators. I'd start Chad – it helps him develop and helps Hank rest.
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Where We Stand: The Clump continues. We're in 9th – tied in points with the 8th place Flyers. One point out of 10th. Two points out of 12th. And the Islanders have fallen 3 points behind the clump by going 2-8. Carolina, by the way – have won 7 of 10 and have climbed out of last place.

Loose Pucks

Just a few random thoughts today.

So - tonight it is the Devils. And Kovalchuk. As if they weren't good enough without him.

I'm wondering what our new lineup would look like against some team that wasn't one of the best in the league - or on a hot streak - or both. But we're going to have to wait a while longer to find out.

I think we are playing better. But we're losing anyway.

And you know - I'd put Chad Johnson out there. It will help Hank get his head on straight. And I don't know for sure - but Chad might let in 5 or less against the Caps.

I've got a nickname idea for Jokenin. How about Olli-jo (pronounced Olli-yo like in Olli Jokenin). Let me know what you think.

I'm feeling bad for my 11 year old son Pucks Jr. The little guy is still full of hope. He's just a kid. He's not used to the misery of being a Ranger fan. So all this losing is hard for him to take. Most of us were upset by the loss to the Caps - but completely entertained by the wild game. It was just a bad loss to my little guy.

I hope the Rangers can win tonight - for my kid's sake, anyway.

Rangers score 5 - still lose to Caps

As losses go - this one was pretty entertaining. 11 goals. 5 by the home team. Some real offense by the Blueshirts. And that Ovechkin is really something to watch. He's so fast and agile and large and quick. I hate the guy but it's still hard not to admire him out there on the ice. That one goal at the end of the second period was stunning. He took the puck right through Rozy's legs, snuck around him, and whacked the puck at Lundqvist. It deflected up and over Hank and just snuck in the opposite post.

For a change, we scored plenty of goals. Jokinen showed how he can light up the Ranger's second line - and the powerplay - but he also committed 3 penalties. Would Higgins and Koty together have matched Olli's offense last night? No. So the trade was a good move - both in who we got and who we got rid of.

Look - we ran into the best team in the NHL right now - playing on an 11 game winning streak. And we hung in with them all night.

But man, one more goal. Redden came close with a slapper that beat Theodore and HIT BOTH POSTS before bouncing out. And Ovie's goal just floated in. Another inch or two and we win this one.

On the other hand - you commit 9 penalties and let up 6 goals - you ain't gonna be nobody. (Editor - he means...) (Dave Puck - they know exactly what I mean)

Anyway - here are the grim facts

The Goalies: If you give Henrik Lundqvist 5 goals - I usually like our chances. But the Caps - especially the way they're playing right now - are unbelievable.

Hank faced 32 shots. He let in 6 of them for a 0.813 save percentage. And that's not going to beat anyone. Still he made some very good saves and the Rangers seemed to be down a man all night.

Theodore "three or more" made 33 saves on 38 shots and beat us. When Jose Theodore outplays Hank - we are in trouble.

And yes - we lost the game right there.

Special Teams: A tale of two cities:

It was the best of times - our PowerPlay - with Jokinen on the point - woke up for 4 goals in 6 attempts. You can't ask for any more than that.

It was the worst of times: our Penalty Kill let up 3 goals in 9 attempts. Not a fiasco - but bad enough to lose.

The New Veteran Rangers: First - the new guy. Jokinen had a goal and an assist - and sparked our 2nd line. And he was the only Ranger that won more than half of his faceoffs. But he also took 3 penalties. Gabby had 2 assists. Prospal had 2 goals and 2 assists.

Your Returning Rangers showed up as well. Callahan scored a goal and had an assist. Dubinsky scored. Staal had an assist.

Drury painfully blocked 4 shots – and was minus-two on the night for his troubles. And I’m sorry – but have we ever had a worse season from a Ranger Captain before?

The Kid Rangers contributed assists from Gilroy and Del Zotto. Gilroy is quietly having a great rookie season by the way.

Defense on Offense? Three assists from the back line.

In conclusion: Plenty of offense. But the Capitals are amazing. We've said it before - but if we can play like this every night we will beat a lot of teams. Still it's Hank's 6th straight loss and at this point I've had enough with the encouraging losses. I'd settle for a discouraging win or two right now.
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Next Up: we get The NJ Devils. You may have heard - they just added this guy named Kovalchuk to the roster.
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Where we stand. Just barely standing. The loss puts us in a tie for 9th with the Florida Panthers.

Updates – We’ve Got Updates!

Usually we post just once and let you guys get on with your busy day. But a few things have percolated to the surface that we wanted to talk about:

How They Skated this morning: The lines that were put together for today’s practice – usually a pretty good indicator of how they will start tonight look like this:

Line 1: Christensen centering for Gaborik and Prospal. It makes sense – what little offensive chemistry this team has is in this line combination

Line 2: Jokinen centering for Dubinsky and Callahan. I hope they explained this to Olli. He had complained that he wasn’t given enough time in Calgary to jell on the number one line. In Tortorella’s system he was given about 15 minutes on the top line before the demotion. But, like we said below, we love this move. It can potentially create a 2nd scoring line for the Rangers – something opposing teams actually have to think about. Note that Dubi is back on the wing – we’ll see how that plays out.

Line 3: Anisimov centers for Avery and Lisin. I’m sure “Anis” is surprised and thrilled to find himself at the pivot in Line 3 when there are no less than four legitimate veteran centermen theoretically ahead of him on the team. And Lisin is surprised to be off the healthy scratch list and back on the team. Avery has been on every line 1-4 in the system and I’ll bet nothing surprises him anymore – other than, say, a kind word from an opposing goalie.

Line 4: The Captain continues to go down with his shift (Editor – stop that!) as Chris Drury centers for our new and improved Punch-Man: Brandon Prust and Boyle.

I’m feeling like the trade made us bigger, tougher, and less bad offensively. So – it feels weird but I have to say: Good Job Glen.

The other item out there today is that the Atlanta Thrashers have given up on re-signing Ilya Kovalchuk and have announced they will trade the goal-scoring superstar as soon as they can. But it’s a rental – Ilya’s contract is done at the end of the year. And he is actually asking for the official league maximum (somewhere north of $11 million per) and a 10 year deal. And the Thrashers would want quite a lot in return – like a top 6 forward and top defenseman. So word is – the Rangers are looking – but can’t give up what Atlanta wants and couldn’t fit Ilya into the cap – so we’d lose him anyway. Of course – Glen is Glen – and we’re always a player when there’s a player out there.

Okay - Back to work kids – I’ll see you later.

Line One? Line Two? What Do We Do?

Let's try to remain positive. The Rangers have some relatively fresh faces in the lineup – they do have at least one victory in their last 7 games – and they are looking to increase that number when they return home tonight from their west coast road trip to take on the (hated) Washington Capitals.

The Capitals are riding high - first place in the Eastern Conference and a full 10 points above the next best team (the Devils). They lead the NHL defending champion Penguins by 11 points. They are the best team in hockey right now.

None of this is good for the Rangers - who are reeling - or for Henrik Lundqvist - who has personally lost 5 straight regulation games. I’m thinking that’s his worst streak ever – unless any of you can remember him doing this badly before.

But – to stay positive - our team appears to be still be hustling out there. We’re playing hard and trying to play team defense. And the recent addition of Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust has brought some more hope to the Blueshirts. But it has also brought some questions. First and foremost: How do we line these guys up?

I'm really interetsed to see how Tortorella sets his lines up tonight- and in particular where he plays Jokinen. Christensen seems to have some real chemistry with Gaborik and Prospal. You could keep him there - but then why do you trade for a first line center if he's not going to play on your first line? Olli could be another target for Prospal's creative passing. He could draw some attention away from Gabby. He could get the puck into the zone and set up Marian like a first line center is capable of. He could make our first line into something that can go toe to toe with any line in the league.

Of course - on the other hand - having multiple lines that can score is very important in the NHL - and having anyone besides Gaborik score for the Rangers is long overdue. Right now The Gifted One has 5 of our last 6 goals. If we drop Olli down to line two he could turn that into line 1a - making it an offensive force and giving the teams that play us problems in deciding when to play their best defensemen.

Either plan could work - or could fail. And of course, knowing John Tortorella - we'll probbaly see both combinations - and a dozen others - before the year is out.

Nobody asked me - but I'd try to put Dubinsky with Olli on the 2nd line to see if we can get that going.

I'm not going to predict a winner tonight - but I will predict:

- Rangers will play hard
- Olli will respond to his first-ever MSG game as a Ranger with a big game.
- Prust will punch somebody

This is the same Capitals team that won 3 straight to oust us from the playoffs last year. In a way - we've been trying to re-make the team to fix that ever since. We've had all this time to regroup and re-engineer ourselves. We know we don’t like Ovechkin and his mates. Let's see what Sather and Tortorella have come up with.

Puck drops at 7pm.

Maybe the Jokinen is on us

Opening night for the New Look Rangers ended up looking a whole lot exactly like our last few losses. We played defense pretty well with a few stunning lapses - our Penalty Kill was awesome – our our powerplay was terrible – we couldn't score much – we tried to come back. And we lost to the Kings 2-1.

Olli Jokenin in his Ranger debut was minus 2 on the night. The guy did have to play the day before and travel and get used to a new team. He launched 4 shots on goal, had 4 hits and won 6 of 8 faceoffs. He also gave the puck up 3 times.

And (the other Brandon) Brandon Prust was a checking, fighting demon out there. 7 minutes of ice time - 19 minutes in penalties. You certainly knew the young man was out there – and you can't question his courage. Tortorella may not like all the penalties – but I'll bet he likes Prust's attitude and will work with him.

Would Higgins and Kotalik have changed the outcome in a positive way? No. I like the trade and I think it will work better as time goes on.

Oh – and two more times we HIT THE POST.

The Goalies: Hank returns. Hank was treated to a breakaway by Kopitar which would be hard for anyone to stop. On the night Lundqvist faced only 21 shots – but two of them squirted by for a .905 save percentage and a loss. US Olympic goalie Jim Quick only saw 12 shots in the first 2 frames and only 21 overall. He saved 20 of them for a .952 save percentage and a win.

Special Teams: Our Penatly Kill was again amazing. And our freakin' PowerPlay cost us the friggin game. Not only did we not score on three attempts – we let up a catastrophic shorthander to the King;s best player that cost us the hockey game.

The New Veteran Rangers: You can't get newer than Jokinen. We already talked about him up top – but he's a big guy – good skater – good shot – and should do some good for us once he gets some time in with the team. And Gaborik scored again! He's scored 5 of our last 6 goals now.

And Christensen got the assist – making me wonder if Jokinen may be better off on line 2.

The Kid Rangers? Do I put Prust here? It's his first full hockey season as an NHL player. As mentioned – the kid has a motor and some toughness.

The Returning Rangers: Redden had an assist. In fact Redden and Girardi were +1. Can we say Redden played well? That can't be right. Oh, and Chris Drury seems almost utterly lost out there.

Defense on Offense: An assist.

In Conclusion: We came close tonight – and we were playing a very good and very hot team on the road. I like the trade. I think it will get better as the guys practice together and start to mesh. I think Jokinen may be better off on line 2. And I think we should start Chad Johnson in goal every 3 or 4 games.
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Next Up: The boys come home to face the hated Capitals on Thursday.
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Where We Stand: That damned clump. One loss – and now we're out of the playoffs in 10th . But we're still tied in points for 8th and just 3 points out of 13th.