The Rangers out hit, out faced off, out fought, out goaltended, out penalty killed, out powerplayed and out hustled the Penguins tonight. This was their best game of the season. And yet, I still am reading message boards with the vindictive, bitter ravings of a lunatic fringe out there who attribute this victory to some perceived notion that it was a “walk in the park” against the slumping Penguins.

Please. Although the Penguins may be slumping, they are still the Penguins, with CryBaby Crosby, Genie Malkin and MA Fleury and the refs of this league in their pocket. The geniuses on Versus attribute the decline of the Penguins to the loss of Sergei Gonchar. I think these guys are hitting the same bong their tech crew was hitting tonight that caused the HD feed to black out. Versus must be owned by Disney because it continues to prove itself to be a Mickey Mouse network.

The Rangers held the Penguins off the boards despite ice-tilting by the referees in what I would characterize as one of the most brutally called games all season. These refs were embarrassingly trying to turn the game around for the Poster Boy and his buddies. Weak calls on the Rangers and no call on the Penguins. Shameful. Great job by the Rangers to kill all those penalties. Despite the bogus calls on the Rangers, Renney remained his usual controlled self. Those who want Renney gone would prefer to see a hot head like Tortorella behind the bench throwing folding chairs and cursing.

All of this aside, the biggest question one must ask oneself is, Why don’t the Rangers play like this all the time? They had 2 powerplay goals on 8 opportunities. (25%). They won 100% of their face offs, 8 for 8, on the powerplay. They even had a shorthanded goal when they were down 6 on 4. Does that Shorthanded goal expunge 2 of the 12 shorthanded goals previously scored against them. It damn well should.

Looks like every player bought into the “system” and that the “system” worked tonight. How is that? I thought this coach had lost this team. I though that this team had turned Renney off, that they weren’t buying in to his game plan. Did every single Ranger on the ice somehow have an epiphany tonight? Was every single Ranger suddenly blinded by the light like St. Paul on the road to Damascus?

Why can’t the Rangers play like this all the time? I am not saying that the coaching staff is perfect, far from it. But when the players execute the game plan, they win. When one sees a complete turn around like tonight, it clearly demonstrates that winning and losing is in the hands of the players themselves. The coaches and training staff can do their best to ensure the team has every advantage. But, at the end of the day, it’s up to the players  to play like they know they can and they will win.

I’ll shut up now and savor the two points. I encourage everyone to do the same.

Let’s Go Rangers

Last night I was a guest on the New York Hockey Talk Radio Program.  Have a listen here:

http://www.nyhockeytalk.com/

Download here:

http://sportsradiony.hipcast.com/download/0f1ec7a3-3c02-f498-94d1-cbe23ce13609.mp3

Again, up until Prucha’s deflected goal on what was probably a blown offside call, both teams were playing an even game. That says a lot to me about the Rangers defense first system. Marc Staaal was able to rag Ovechkin. The Rangers were able to keep the Caps, who are tied for 4th place in goals in the league with San Jose, off the board for almost 30 minutes.

Once the Rangers failed to clear the puck and allowed Green’s powerplay goal less then 1:30 seconds after Prucha scored,  the Caps had the better of the play for the rest of the period. The Caps had the puck in the Rangers zone for almost the entire  4 on 4, following an improbable altercation between Gomez and Nylander, of all people.  

Valiquette was the difference between the score remaining tied until the Caps short handed goal. With about four minutes left in the period, the Caps were out-shooting the Rangers 14 – 7.  Still, the Rangers (Valiquette) were able to keep the Caps off the board. With 1:58 left,  the most dangerous time of any period for the Rangers,  the Caps took a delay of game penalty. Too bad  the Rangers can’t decline powerplays.

The Rangers worst nightmare of this season happened again. Ovechkin comes back  to score a shorthanded goal after a shot by Dubinsky careens up the boards and lands on Greens stick.  Green and Ovechkin come up ice as the Rangers are changing. Green, along the boards, passes cross ice to Ovechkin.

Ovechkin goes around Redden and takes a shot that deflects off Redden’s stick and goes over Valiquette’s right shoulder for the shorthanded goal. Would Henrik have had that? Maybe. But, if I’m Redden, I trip Ovechkin before he can get that shot off. Take the penalty. The Rangers once again fail to score on the powerplay and are burned for their 13? shorthanded goal of the season.

That’s all she wrote in the scoring department. The Rangers once again play the third period to a tie when they are down by one goal and lost based on the shorthanded goal they allowed at the end of the second period. The Rangers actually outshot the Caps 7 to 5 in the third period and continued to keep the Caps off the board. They just couldn’t put the puck behind Theodore, who played well for the Caps.

You got to see Wade, the Wimp, Redden show some fire by nearly knocking out Clark. You got to see Gomez and Nylander getting jiggy with each other. As if that wasn’t enough grit and enough fire, you got to see Renney deploy Marc Staal. Staal got so far under the skin of  Ovechkin that Ovechkin took a run at Staal in retaliation for  Staal’s clean check on Semin at center ice.

By the way, another nice double standard by the officials in this league. How was that not a charging/boarding call for Ovechkin’s hit on Staal. After Staal is hooked and grabbed by Schultz behind Theodore, Ovechkin takes at least four big strides and brings his stick up into Staal head as he slams Staal into the boards. No headhunting there? I guess a different set of rules apply to Crosby and Ovechkin when it comes to cheap shot penalties.  Too bad the Rangers only play the Caps once more. Ovechkin better keep his head up on February 11th at the Garden.

There was no dishonor in this game for the Rangers. They were in it to the end and the showed the Caps that they aren’t going to get pushed around. The Rangers still must solve their special teams issues but right now there is no use in beating a dead horse.

So, to all the Ranger fans out there who are peeved and are still calling for Renney/Pearn to be fired, players to be waived/traded etc. I ask, was this game sufficiently entertaining for you or would you rather have gotten a point or two in a shootout?

The Rangers are winning games against teams they should be beating and holding their own against the tougher teams.  This week they play four games in six nights. They need to beat the teams that aren’t playing well of late, the Penguins, the Senators and the Sabres.  The game against Montreal should be a good test at the Garden.

Let’s Go Rangers!

PS. Note to Alex Semin: If you are going to fight like a little girl, keep your jersey tied down so the rest of the league can’t see your pink underwear!

Through all this, I still went to work and did my job. I also went to both the games on Tuesday and yesterday only to see the Rangers turn in two embarrassing and lackluster efforts. This has been one Christmas I won’t soon forget.

Aside from being physically sick and tired, when it comes to the Rangers, I’m mentally tired and sick to my stomach. What in the world is going on with this team? They haven’t played a full 60 minutes of hockey since they defeated Anaheim on December 16th.

Not for nothing, but someone from the Rangers  (hint – maybe their Captain) needs to stand up and be accountable to the fans for what has transpired over these last two games. I just learned that Gomez has the flu.  That’s a good reason for not skating hard or hitting.  Why did Renney play him? His lost 13 out of 15 faceoffs. Anyone else on the team have the flu?

I don’t need Chris Drury telling me to put anymore games in the garbage can. Maybe some player’s can  needs to be put in the garbage.  Nice pass to Dubinsky last night that lead to the shorthanded goal, Captain. I don’t blame the kid. I blame Drury. What the hell was he thinking? Jagr wouldn’t have been able to handle the puck Drury dished to Dubinsky. Nice Job, Cap’n.

It is a really bad state of affairs when little Dawes throws one of the few and best hits of the game. Can Drury, Naslund, Gomez or Redden please take a body? Can they finish a check? These are the veteran leaders on this team and they do not lead by example. 

For goodness sake why is Kalinin still on this team? Why is Voros playing and Prucha and Fritsche sitting? If Voros isn’t using his size and his grit, then sit him. At least Prucha will finish checks and hit.

When this  team has played the system, when they commit to playing 60 minutes of hockey, they have won.  The powerplay has never worked. It has been a problem since the first season after the lockout. And yet, Perry Pearn is still here.

What really sickens me the most is the knee/jerk reaction of fans who call for Renney to be fired. They should be calling for Sather to be fired. He signed the bad contracts. He put this squad together. He is ultimately responsible for the result on the ice.

Last time I looked, an NHL team needed at least 6 defensemen. Sather has given Renney 3.5. Last time I looked, an NHL team needed at least one scoring line.  Trying to take the host of spare parts Sather signed and mold them into scoring lines would try the patience of any coach. He can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

What are the remedies to what ails the Rangers? Larry Brooks would have the Rangers re-aquire Avery. Yeah Larry, that will work. Not.  Avery burned his bridges here. There’s no coming back for him.

Here are my remedies.

The team, coaches, players and management all need to acknowledge to the fan base that this is not the year for a Cup run. It ain’t gonna happen.  

Forward – Either get rid of Drury or Gomez. Drury is a center not a winger and has been misused. Drury also has a no trade clause. If the Rangers want to resign their RFA youth this summer and Zherdev,  they need to move salary. If that means Adios to Gomer, que lastima.  No hard feelings Scottie just don’t resign with New Jersey.

Defense -Embarrass Redden into agreeing to be traded to any team that will take him off our hands. Give him the Malik treatment. Redden is the worst signing Sather has made during his tenure since Holik.  Waiving  Kalinin would truly be addition by subtraction. Bring up Potter permanently and get a rental to replace Redden.

Scoring – Resign Shanahan. He’ll bring leadership and scoring for the rest of the season. Say what you want about his having lost a step and his grit, Shanny has it in him to still score goals.

Coaching- Renney has worked with everyone Sather has thrown at him with a great deal of success, more success then anyone should have expected. Firing Renney is not the answer. Pearn must go. Three years with no powerplay is not acceptable. Shanahan could be their powerplay coach.

Management – Sather must go. What the hell does this guy do with his time?  Sather had to go out and hire  “Cap Expert” Cam Hope to help him do the job a GM is supposed to do. Sather needs to get off his ass and do something. Renney didn’t sign these ineffective players, Sather did. Time has past Sather by. He clearly is incapable of operating as a GM in this salary capped environment.

Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey and yellow white,
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?

When I got up to Section 409 tonight, I encouraged some of the Faithful to take a deep, cleansing breath and let it out. I went on to suggest that everyone should put the prior night’s fiasco behind us and to view tonight’s game with a positive attitude. I had no idea that it would actually work.

The Rangers won in a shoot out but not before letting Carolina come back to tie the game twice.  I thought Blair Betts shorthanded goal would have stood up as the game winner but the Rangers couldn’t get another goal on the powerplay or any other way.

After Friday’s track meet in New Jersey, the Rangers taking this game  to the shoot out was indeed miraculous, especially when you consider that the Rangers shut down Carolina’s powerplay.  By the time the two minute five on three was over, Blair Betts could barely skate off the ice.

But, the Rangers stayed in the game and won it in a shoot out. Another two points are in the win column. They didn’t dominate the weaker team. There was no run and gun. No fancy plays. Just fundamental and defensive hockey. It wasn’t exciting but a win is a win. Take it and move on.

The Rangers leave home on a high note for the Western road trip. Let’s hope they treat all these road games like playoff games.

Could someone please tell me why Tom Renney didn’t call time out when he had 1:28 seconds of powerplay time at 18:32 of the final frame? What is he doing, saving time outs to trade for Green Stamps?