Where do we start?
The one saving grace in the Rangers 5-3 loss to the previously winless Thrashers is that nobody was watching.
Locals were growling that the Bosox had a healthy lead in the late innings.
More in the morning…or we can just put this behind us and see how Boston looks at us as easy prey.
Atlanta took to the ice knowing that they had more on the line tonight than our boys in blue. But knowing you have more on the line and executing are two different things. And the Thrashers took the early lead as Pascal Dupuis’ shot from the slot put Atlanta up 1-0 at 4:21 from Brad Larsen and Bobby Holik.
Rangers got into early penalty trouble giving the home side a 40 second 5-3 advantage at 6:12 of the first that Atlanta quickly capitalized on. Viktor Kozlov left alone at the side of the crease neatly tucked in the cross-ice feed from Marian Hossa at 6:23.
Following a nice series of saves against the swarming Blueshirts, Atlanta starter Jere Lehtonen left the game with eight minutes to go in the first frame. Lehtonen was replaced by Johan Hedberg. The Manitoba Moose is 0-2 for the year in three appearances with the Thrashers sporting a 4.29 GAA.
Tomas Pock is on the Blueshirts defence subbing for Marek Malik. Hossa and Jason Strudwick are tonight’s other scratches.
Nigel Dawes, the leading scorer down on the farm is in the lineup tonight for the Blueshirts playing with Jaromir Jagr and Scott Gomez.
Atlanta, losers of 10 in a row dating back to last year’s playoff sweep by the Blueshirts is playing their first game with GM Don Waddell behind the bench.
Lundqvist gets his sixth straight start going against Jere Lehtonen and his 4.72 GAA.
Its seven straight on the road for Atlanta after tonight, which makes the three game road trip by the Blueshirts pale in comparison. Injuries have also taken a toll on the Thrashers this year. Marcel Hossa’s brother has also been on the limp. Marian has been limited to one goal with a wonky groin missing three of the first six games this season. He is expected to play tonight.
Despite their current woes it should be noted that Atlanta won the season series last year 3-1.
A special shoutout tonight to St. Ranger fan Viviane.
Maybe this three game roadtrip is just what the doctor ordered for the misfit Blueshirts. Maybe a week on the road will lead to team bonding and help get this team the chemistry that they desperately lack if they expect to contend for the Cup this year.
On the surface, things aren’t too bad – one game below the Mendoza line five games into the season is not the end of the world. But this whole chemistry experiment – which has been ongoing since all the pieces fell into place in 1994 – should have been settled in the preseason.
Hell, that’s why they have a preseason. The veterans get in game shape, the rookies fight for a job, and the high-priced help handed millions in the off-season to take us to the next level get to acclimatize themselves with their teammates and the city. Speaking of the high-priced help, Gomez just had to cross the river, Drury never left the State. How hard can it be to live up to the expectations of your contracts?
Why has the powerplay been anemic? That Washington game is starting to look like an aberration. The powerplay is operating at 10% efficiency for the season. Throw out that Capitals game and it is operating at ZERO percent. Atlanta affords the Rangers plenty of opportunity to get the powerplay back on track. Here’s hoping…always hoping.
Speaking of Drury, Coach Renney’s line juggling act during practices this week has seen the centre skating on the third line with Peter Prucha and Ryan Callahan. We’re not paying Drury to play on the third line – even if it is just in practice, You do not solve your chemistry issues by sending the seven million dollar man to the bottom of the depth chart.
The Atlanta Thrashers have fired head coach Bob Hartley after going winless and pointless six games into the new season. General Manager Don Waddell will fill in behind the bench on an ‘interim’ basis.
Hartley was picked by most pundits to be the first fired coach this season. Many thought he should have been canned after the Blueshirts swept Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Gearing up for a Cup run last year GM Waddell loaded all his eggs into one basket and traded for the since departed Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik. There are those who think the wrong man was fired in Atlanta but in all fairness to Waddell, he had to fire Hartley to save his own skin.
Atlanta plays host to the Blueshirts Thursday night and the boys in blue better be up for this game because we know the Thrasher players will be fighting for their hockey lives and trying to impress the GM/Coach.
Did anyone happen to catch the interview with Sean Avery in The New York Times Magazine? If so, I’m really interested in hearing your thoughts.
Personally, it made me cringe. Listening to a hockey player who makes millions of dollars say he doesn’t “find New York too expensive” and talking about his Yves St. Laurent high-tops and the Dior collection he plans to buy makes me sick. He came across as a pretentious little brat who needs the world to know how rich he is in order to feel good about himself. He’s the kind of guy that you’d meet in a bar and he’d just go on and on about himself and all of the things that he owns. You would yawn and maybe feign interest. But you would never call if he slipped you his number. He’s way too into himself.
Why does this matter?, you may ask. Why do I care what he’s like in person as long as he performs his duties (and performs them well) on the ice? I suppose that’s all that should matter when you’re rooting for a sports team. But I’m always interested in the players’ stories and what they do to make the world a better place. Adam Graves, for example, was always one of my favorites. He was very involved in the community and just seemed like an all-around Nice Guy. It made me feel like the time, energy and emotion I put into the team was worthwhile. A guy like Graves should make millions, as he gives back to the community. The Sean Averys of the league? I can do without.
The Jekyll and Hyde Blueshirts played the role of Hyde tonight in an ugly 3-1 loss at MSG. After scoring on three powerplays last night the Broadway Misfits went 0-6 with the man advantage including a lengthy five on three chance midway through the third.
The boobirds come out as the Rangers failed to capitalize on any of their opportunities.
Things were so bad that Brandon Dubinsky’s attempt to light a fire under his teammates saw him get knocked out by the 106-year-old Luke Richardson late in the game. Maybe it did some good as Jaromir Jagr picked up a garbage goal at 18:51. On the ensuing face-off the Rangers pulled Lundqvist put forgot to add the extra attacker.
St. Ranger player of the game as brought to you by rangerspress.com is Colton Orr who acquitted himself well in a second period slugfest against one of the best heavyweights in the game in Brian McGrattan.
Here’s hoping Dubinsky remembers his name before the boys head down to Atlanta for a match against the Thrashers on the 18th.
Until next time baby Blueshirts…puck on!
Henrik Lundqvist had been the best player on the ice for the Rangers after 20 minutes making 15 saves in the first period. Lundqvist has seen plenty of rubber from the League’s most potent offense. Especially on the Sens powerplay which had been stymied on its first three opportunities.
Eventually the dyke had to spring a leak and the Sens scored on their fourth powerplay of the game when Dany Heatley notched his sixth of the season at 8:23 with Chris Drury in the box for delay of game. Seconds later, 17 seconds to be exact, the Sens went up 2-0 as Chris Phillips shot from the top of the faceoff circle changed directions on the way to the net and found its way behind Lundqvist. Faster than I can type these words the dyke has come crumbling down as Patrick Eaves moved in alone after scooping up the puck at the Sens blueline and scored his first of the year at 9:15.
That’s three goals in 52 seconds baby Blueshirts! The fastest three goals in Senators history.
Colton Orr and Brian McGrattan go toe-to-toe shortly thereafter. The heavyweights put on a great show and we’ll call that tilt a draw. The fight fires up the Garden faithful but it’s the guys on the ice who have to follow Orr’s lead. After 40 minutes they are down 3-0.
Tonight marks the first time this year that the Rangers have allowed the opposition to score more than two goals in a game. The Rangers offense has yet to figure out Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber. The anemic forwards are 0 for 5 periods. That’s 100 minutes without a goal!
After having an easy time of it against the Capitals last night the Rangers battle the Beasts of the East tonight at MSG. Tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators is a better barometer of what to expect from the Blueshirts this season. Coach Tom Renney isn’t tinkering with a winning formula and is icing the same lineup that disposed of the Caps.
Even though the Sens Big Three of Spezza, Heatley and Alfredsson lead the league in scoring rookie coach John Paddock opened the game with Mike Fisher slotted in between Heatley and Alfredsson.
Long-time Ranger goalie John Vanbiesbrouck was one of four inductees Friday night into the US Hockey Hall of Fame. The Beezer – the winningest American born goalie in history – compiled a 374-346-119 record in his long and storied career. Drafted by the Rangers in 1981 Vanbiesbrouck earned four AllStar game nods along the way and a Vezina Trophy with the Blueshirts in 1986 as the games best goalie.
Also joining Vanbiesbrouck into the Hall were Bobby Carpenter who played 28 games with the Blueshirts in 1986-87, one-time Diablo Aaron Broten and college coach John MacInnes.