Game 2 - Second Period Thoughts

Due to some internet thing I don't understand and thanks to friend and reader Doug, I was able to watch the second period but it was quite disgusting. Both the refs and the Rangers really messed up that period.

First lets discuss the zebras. They were absolutely horrendous in that period. They have cost the Rangers to basically constantly play on the penalty kill. A good team like the Devils will thrive on those opportunities. The Devils are known for capitalizing on mistakes. They did that period, they capitalized on the powerplay because of the ref’s stupid mistakes.

Now let’s discuss the Rangers play. They were playing well on the penalty kill and getting in the shooting lanes but a turnover to the middle of the zone gave the Devils a nice shot and Elias made a great shot. The second goal was just Henrik out of place and being a man short left Parise wide open for goal.

The Rangers need to stop taking penalties, I put that more on the refs though. They need to play their game, feed off the crowd and continue to play physical. The Devils have had problems closing the games out in the third period in the first two games of this series and we can only hope that continues. They need to put pucks on Marty because he hasn't been great. Maybe Avery should continue dancing in front of Marty while staring right at him. Its funny and it has to get Marty pretty pissed off.

Game 3 - First Period Thoughts

Unfortunately, due to some stupid connection problem with Comcast cable, the Rangers-Devils game is blacked out in Pennsylvania. For some reason, 3 hours away from New York City, my cable thinks I am getting a New York broadcast and I can’t watch a nationally televised game. They say they are trying to fix it but I am sure they won't. So I had to listen to the first period, so I haven't exactly seen everything that has happened. I have seen absolutely nothing to be exact. I have been watching bull riding hoping that the problem will be fixed.

The Rangers seemed to have some problems to start the game and I personally am going to say they were because of some playoff jitters playing on home ice with all that energy and noise. Unfortunately it cost us since the Devils took advantage of our mistakes and scored. After the goal, the Rangers settled down and played some quality hockey. They were able to tie the game back up and possess the puck more. Tying the game was huge. It got the fans back into the game and took away any momentum the Devils had by scoring so early.

As I said before, I have to listen to the game for now and from the sound of the radio broadcasters it sounded like Avery's penalty seemed like nonsense. Figures, since Marty gets any call he wants just by doing a little bit of acting out there, especially when it’s Avery in front. Luckily the Rangers got a call right off the faceoff so they won't have to worry about killing a powerplay.

Game 3 - News

Playoff hockey as returned to the world's greatest arena and if your not excited then you don't have a pulse. I wish I could just be in NYC for tonight's game. Unfortunately I am stuck in Philly at school but that won't stop me from going crazy. Tonight's game could put the nail in the coffin for the Devils and end any chance of them coming back. As for the lineups, there is of course no change. Everything will still be the same; the only difference is they will be wearing their blue jerseys tonight.

The only aspect of the game that will be different for the Rangers tonight is obviously that they are home. There is no doubt that the Garden will be literally shaking an hour before the game even starts and throughout the whole game. The Rangers need to feed off this energy but they have to do it correctly. Shanny said it best yesterday when he talked about the atmosphere for the Garden, "We've got to harness that emotion and use it correctly, not go running all over the ice. But we should feed off of our fans' emotion." He is a veteran and knows exactly what to do, especially after playing in Detroit for so long. Hopefully the young players and those that haven’t experienced playoff hockey in the Garden can keep their composure. The Rangers just can't get carried away with the energy and get away from their game and what has been helping them win these past two games. One thing is for sure, it is going to be one hell of a game again.

Game 2 - News

Tonight there will be no changes in the lineups or anything. No real suprise there. Tonight should be another high energy, physical game with a lot of great goaltending on display. Hopefully the Rangers have gotten over their playoff jitters and won't come out sloppy like they did last game. If they come out tonight the way they played in the 3rd period of Game 1, then the Rangers should win this game and I feel that if they win this game the series could be over. Taking a 2-0 lead back to the Garden, where the Rangers had the second best home record in the East, would really put the pressure on the Devils. Not to mention, you know the Garden crowd will be going nuts and looking for some payback after what the Devils did to us last time in the playoffs.

Game 1 - Post Game Thoughts

That was the greatest period of hockey I have seen in a long time. That was an overall complete game and a great game by the entire Rangers team. The defense and Henrik were the key to this game. The defensive play was solid and Henrik was an absolute wall. The beginning of the game was sloppy to say the least. I credit that to just some playoff jitters. There is no other reason for all the turnovers. After the first the Rangers were a whole lot better and cleaner. The penalty kill was the best I have seen in a long time. They were solid, aggressive and kept the Rangers in the lead. There in not much more you could ask for from the Rangers.

Three Stars:
1) King Henrik - If you watched the game then you know why he is the first star. He made saves no human should ever be able to make. He kept the game close when they were tied and stayed solid when the Rangers gained the lead. He out dueled Marty, who seemed to have a little senior moment out there on the shorthanded goal., poor old Marty. Henrik was at is best tonight and the King was the biggest reason why we won this game.

2) Scott Gomez - After the first period, I thought one of his mishaps was going to cost us the game. He got over the jitters and the boos and composed himself to end with a great game. He assisted on 3 of the 4 goals tonight and was great on the penalty kill both defensively and offensively. He skated very well in the 2nd and 3rd period and made great plays on both Callahan's goal and Avery's goal. It was nice to see him really burn his old team when it really mattered.

3) Ryan Callahan - As I mentioned before, Marty seemed to have senior brain fart out there on Callahan's goal. That was some serious hustle to stop the Devils, get down the ice and follow up his own shot. Before that play the Rangers had no shots on goal in the third, and that goal really seemed to relax the team a little bit and give us a whole lot of momentum. Without his hustle the game could've been a lot different.

Notables: Shanny - A great goal and what a great hockey player letting Dawes record his first playoff goal. That was something.

The entire defensive unit - I will say once and I will say it again, the Rangers defense was great tonight. The forwards came back and helped but the entire defensive unit played very well, blocked shots and got their sticks in to steal some pucks. With defense like that the Rangers can go very far.

So we now have the momentum in the series as we captured the first game and take a 1-0 lead in the series. That’s a big momentum boost to win the first one on the road and not have to worry about going back to the Garden down 2-0. If they can play the entire game like they played the third period in Game 2, I expect the Rangers to take it back to the Garden up 2 games to none.

Game 1 - Second Period Thoughts

That was another hell of a period. Both teams are continuing their high energy play and both goalies are on display. Henrik made some great saves to keep this game tied. I thought the Devils had at least 2 or 3 goals that Henrik just absolutely brilliant in making the tough saves. Marty has been pretty good too, he is letting up a lot of rebounds though and one weird bounce in front of the net and the Rangers could get another goal. Just some great play all around by both teams.

I dont know who this powerplay is but it is actually playing great. They are firing pucks like crazy and one of those is going to go in if we get another chance. We have to keep firing pucks and playing like we are on the powerplay.

As for the goal given up, what are you gonna do. The Rangers did a great job keeping it away from the net with their blocks and the Devils just kept on firing. If you asked Henrik he would most likely say he could've stopped that but there was not much more the Rangers defense, which has been very good, could really do. The Rangers have to keep up the great defensive play and just look for a rebound off Marty because he has let up plenty of them so far. This is one hell of a game and its only the Game 1. Love the playoffs man.

Game 1 - First Period Thoughts

Man do I love playoff hockey. This game is high energy and fast moving right now. Everyone is hitting everyone and people are skating. I like that the Rangers are coming out with good energy and they are skating well. Some big problems are the turnovers. There have been way to many for the Rangers and a team like the Devils will jump on a mistake, thats their game. The Rangers need to play smoother and handle the puck better. The Devils played better than us that period but Henrik and some good defense has kept it at 0-0.

The Rangers have had some good chances. Jagr hitting the post was the closest. The Rangers have to have traffic in front of the net to get a goal. The Devils had some problems dealing with traffic, especially at the end of the period when they got called for a penalty. The first goal of this game is going to be huge. It will really give either team some serious momentum. We'll see what happens.

Game 1 News

The Rangers went very easy in the morning skate today. They didn't do any drills that hinted at lines or anything. Not really that suprising as Tom is trying to hide his philosophy from the Devils (we have played them 8 times so I think they know what the Rangers are going to do.) My feeling is that Shanny won't be on the fourth line and as for defense, many reporters seem to be hinting that Malik is not playing. One thing is for sure, Henrik is in net. We will have to wait till the start of the game to see what the lines are going to be. I don't expect any crazy changes.

Let the Playoffs Begin

It's one of the greatest times of the year. The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight and today is the last day to shave. I am very excited for these playoffs as a general hockey fan. The league was very tight during the season and I think the playoff series will show this. There should be some very exciting games and some great series. Below I have my predictions:

First, the preview that matters the most.
New Jersey vs New York
If your looking for goals then you are looking at the wrong series. This series should be low scoring and full of defense. Both teams have great goalies and play solid defense. The edge comes offensively. The Rangers have more fire power than the Devils. The key to this series is going to be the first goal of the game. If the Devils score first, they can drop back like they always do and play good enough D to win the game. I feel the lack of depth in firepower for the Devils will allow the Rangers to win the series. The Rangers have three solid lines that can score and that kind of depth is dangerous in the playoffs. We don't have to worry about one line scoring and if one line is off we still have 2 lines to go to for goals. Not to mention our 4th line could put a goal or two in during the series. Expect Henrik to out duel Marty and lead the Rangers to the second round against the Pens.
Rangers in six

Montreal vs Boston
This is a great Original 6 mathcup right here. These division rivals played 8 times this year so they know all about each other. With the injury to Bergeron and all the young players, I can't see the Bruins hanging with the offensive powerhouse that is Montreal
Montreal in five

Pittsburgh vs Ottawa
The Sens have had some serious problems through the second half of the season. They looked like a lock to be the #1 seed months back, but they seem to have completely lost it. The Pens are a balanced team, and Sid has some playoff experience now. I expect the Sens to get themselves together a little bit but I see the Pens getting some revenge on the Sens.
Pittsburgh in five

Washington vs Philadelphia
I think this is going to be a great series. The Flyers are hot but the Capitals are hotter. Both teams have been playing well as of late so both are confident. I like the Flyers to win this series because they are more tested coming from the Atlantic Division. They have some good defense to stop Ovechkin and if you can do that you can stop the Capitals.
Flyers in six

New York Rangers Clinch 3rd Straight Playoff Berth

I would first like to apologize for the recent lack of activity on the blog. It has been slow but we will be ready to go in the upcoming weeks.

Tonight on the Island the Rangers clinched their third straight spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I don't care what kind of expectations this team had, it is quite an accomplishment. Not that it was unexpected but one of the goals every year is to make the playoffs. After years of futility in the late 90's and early 2000's we all know how precious that playoff spot is. Three straight playoff berths is no small feet and credit should be given to Jaromir Jagr, Henrik Lundqvist, and Tom Renney for bringing this franchise from the bottom of the league to a legitimate Cup contender over these past three seasons.

Great win tonight, there was no better way in my mind to clinch the spot. 10th shutout of the season from Henrik along with 2 goals from the captain...this team is ready to go. I would definitely like to see some players rested at least for tomorrow night including Scott Gomez, Henrik, and maybe a defenseman or two.

Let's talk about seeding for a little bit. The Rangers are virtually locked into that number 5 spot. If the Rangers split the next 2 games (seems realistic) they are guaranteed that position. 1 win would put them ahead of Ottawa for good and a lose would but the Devils out of reach. So we're probably headed to Jersey next week...more on that later.

A word about some other potential matchups...how about a 1-8 matchup of Crosby vs. Ovechkin. Not only would that be a great story but also a huge boost for the NHL in terms of TV ratings and popularity. I'm rooting for it. With the Rangers virtually a lock to play the Devils and a potential Boston-Montreal inter-division matchup the first round is shaping up to be pretty exciting.

What more can you say about this Rangers team. It was a slow start but they've really gelled together. A healthy mixture of young players with a veteran presence and strong goaltending is the formula for a cup run. We have a experience, we have toughness, we have skill and we have Henrik. The New York Rangers can make a run at Lord Stanley's Cup. However, still 2 more "preseason" games to go. Here's to no injuries and the healthy return of Blair Betts.