Lundqvist Should Get The Nod Tonight

Regardless of how well Henrik Lundqvist plays this season, Martin Biron is going to get 15-20 starts to keep Lundqvist fresh for late in the year and the playoffs.  The question becomes with Henrik Lundqvist as locked in as he is right now, when does Biron get his first start this season for the New York Rangers.  In the New York Post, Larry Brooks thinks that tonight will be that night.  Brooks might be right that tonight is the first start for Biron, but it should not be.

Coach John Tortorella has gone back and forth between the idea of sticking with the goaltender and sticking to whatever schedule he makes out for when Biron will play.  Following Lundqvist 40 save shutout performance Tuesday against the Canucks, he should be the man between the pipes tonight.  Biron could still get a start on the trip, either Saturday against the Oilers or Monday against the Jets.  Let Lundqvist continue his groove tonight and have Biron ready to make his debut in one of the next two.  Certainly a great problem to have for Tortorella as he has one of the best backup goaltenders in the league itching to get in there.

Rangers Need More Production, Less Emotion From Versatile Dubinsky

Last season Brandon Dubinsky had a breakout season leading the New York Rangers in goals (24), assists (30) and points (54).  This summer, after getting to the brink of an arbitration hearing, the Rangers rewarded Dubinsky for his performance with a four-year, $16.8 million contract to keep him as a critical component of the team’s core long term.  Some argued at the time that Dubinsky is overpaid while others said he would have received significantly more on the market, had he been a free agent.  Regardless of your views on what he was paid at the time, the New York Rangers need 2010-11 Dubinsky to start playing this season. 

In four games Dubinsky has no goals, two assists and a whopping 37 penalty minutes.   The Rangers need more from him offensively and less of him parading to the penalty box.  Dubinsky and Callahan are the Rangers two most versatile players in their ability to eat ice time and be effective in all situations.  Dubinsky has not been available enough to that thus far this year.  There is no telling if the weight of the new contract is making Dubinsky press or if it was the shift late in training camp to the top line which initially took away his natural linemates in Anisimov and Callahan, but the Rangers need him to figure it out quick.  While Richards and Gaborik have been inconsistent in their impact throughout games, each has produced on the stat sheet to the level the Rangers would hope thus far and that isn’t the case for the second line.

There is no secret that the Rangers are having significant problems staying out of the penalty box and Dubinsky is leading the way there having racked up six minor penalties in only four games.  One of the keys to Dubinsky’s breakout season last year was an increased maturity on the ice that showed him taking on a leadership role.  There were still times where he took foolish penalties and cost the Rangers power plays by running at guys to stand up for teammates, but the other night against Kevin Bieksa was just foolish.  As much as fans, myself included, enjoyed the emotion of Dubinsky telling Kevin Bieksa and the Canucks bench off with his crotch chop, his emotions have gotten the better of him far too often again to start this season.  On the play Bieksa took a cheap run at Dubinsky and was going to the box, which is where it should have ended.  Dubinsky has to understand the team is up 3-0 late in the final period and about to get a free power play to end the game, but instead he selfishly runs back at Bieksa to settle a score while risking himself getting hurt in a fight.  He is too valuable to the Rangers to take that kind of unnecessary risk.

Brandon Dubinsky is one of the most critical players to the success of the New York Rangers and for the team to get out of their early season malaise they need the emotion and physicality he brings to the ice, but they need him to be smarter about it.  Brining positive emotion and legal hitting to the Rangers forecheck will lead to more scoring opportunities for himself and his line, which the offense needs them to cash in.  Expect Dubinsky to break out of the early funk when he gets back to playing his game instead of trying to justify the contract he signed this summer.

Brandon Dubinsky Telling the Canucks Bench How He Feels

McDonagh's Rising Offensive Confidence Raises Ceiling For Defenders Potential

The evolution of Ryan McDonagh continues and with each passing game the 22-year-old defender takes his game to another level for the New York Rangers.  Last week I took a look at how far McDonagh has come since last year at this time and that he has developed into a top caliber defender that has made the loss of Marc Staal significantly less noticeable than many would have expected.  Last night was another example of how McDonagh not only is taking on the challenge of filling the huge void Marc Staal’s absence leaves on the blue line defensively, but his offense is evolving.  When discussing his offense last week I wrote:

Offensively McDonagh is still a work in progress, but he is gaining in confidence.  The confidence shows itself in him having less hesitation to shoot the puck or even join the rush.  Joining the rush got the Rangers in trouble in the first game when he was called for a phantom penalty in the offensive zone, but the aggressiveness is something the Rangers want to see more of from him. 

The confidence was on full display in the third period against the Canucks as McDonagh pinched deep finding himself open in the slot to take the Brandon Dubinsky feed and beat Roberto Luongo for the Rangers second goal.  Scoring the goal on emboldened McDonagh to be more aggressive on the offensive end and he showed that he can combine his tremendous skating ability with skill and instincts as he danced around would be defenders and then made a perfect pass to Marian Gaborik for a tap-in goal late in the final period.

When healthy, the New York Rangers possess arguably the best top four on defense in the NHL as each of Staal, Girardi, McDonagh and Sauer can play against top lines and be a shutdown defender.  The problem with that grouping is that none of them have truly been able to be a consistent threat on the other end of the ice, but McDonagh has those type of skills if he remains confident in his game.  The Rangers are certainly hoping that Michael Del Zotto and Tim Erixon can use their noted offensive skills to provide that threat from the blue line and combine with the shutdown defenders to make a formidable defensive corps.  

There has always been hope that Staal would take another step offensively and he has shown those flashes, but of the top four from last season it might be McDonagh who is best equipped to become the complete package as a two-way defender.  McDonagh was originally seen as an offensively skilled defender when he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens 12th overall in 2007, but his focus shifted to defense first during his time at Wisconsin.  Now that he has established he is more than capable of being an excellent defensive defender at the NHL level, and the confidence that comes with that, McDonagh can allow his natural talents to display themselves offensively.

There are few who doubt that McDonagh is going to be a stalwart in the NHL for a long time regardless of whether the offense ever fully develops, but with each step forward his offense takes, the ceiling for him grows exponentially.  Aside from the stellar start of Henrik Lundqvist and possibly the play of Dan Girardi, the elevation and maturation of Ryan McDonagh to start his second season has been the biggest positive of this young season for the New York Rangers.

Lundqvist Brilliance Steals Rangers First Win of Season

The New York Rangers tallied their first win of the 2011-12 season by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 4-0.  That score is in no way indicative of the game that happened in Vancouver this evening.  New York scored all their goals in the final 20 minutes and if not for the stellar work of Henrik Lundqvist the Rangers would have been blown out before the final period even began. 

Lundqvist was unbelievable on the night making 40 saves to record his 36th career shutout.  Lundqvist kept the Rangers alive for two periods as they were outshout 28-9 before the rest of the team decided they wanted to join in on the action.

Mike Rupp kicked off the scoring 2:22 into the final period when he converted a Michael Del Zotto rebound in behind Roberto Luongo.  This was the kind of goal the Rangers have not been getting thus far and gave them the surprising 1-0 lead.  Lundqvist would be tested and make a couple of huge saves to keep at 1-0 before the Rangers opened the floodgates.

Ryan McDoangh made it 2-0 at 9:57 when he took a beautiful feed from Brandon Dubinsky in the slot and fired it over Luongo’s shoulder.  Brian Boyle made it 3-0 when he took a great saucer pass from Ruslan Fedotenko on the type of shift that the line was known for last season.  Brandon Prust won a great battle in the defensive zone, played the puck ahead to Fedotenko who found Boyle for the finish.

McDonagh would get in the act again with just 2:21 left when he did his best Brian Leetch impression dancing through the Vancouver defense and finding Marian Gaborik wide open at the side of the net for the tap-in.

• Lundqvist showed tonight that the only thing standing between him and a Vezina, if not a Hart trophy this year is the play of the rest of his team.
• McDonagh was a beast tonight on both ends of the ice and his growth continues to astound.
• Del Zotto was excellent on the goal and then proceeded to screw up much of the good will immediately after when Edler schooled him and then took a penalty.
• Brandon Dubinsky has been awful so far this year and his penalties are hurting the team severely.
• Callahan has done little to nothing since the first game
• Prust went from benched and in the doghouse during the second period to have two assists
• The penalties still need to end

Video: Vancouver Canucks Pay Tribute To Rick Rypien

The Vancouver Canucks paid tribute to Rick Rypien before tonight's game against the New York Rangers.  The tribute to the Canuck who lost his battle with depression during the off-season was a beautiful one and all involved should be honored.

Penguins' Kris Letang Suspended Two Games For Boarding Alex Burmistrov

Brendan Shanahan, the NHL's ruler on player discipline, has handed out his latest suspension, this time it was for two games to Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Letang was called for a two-minute minor penalty during the third period of Monday night's game against the Winnipeg Jets when he rode Alexander Burmistrov into the boards in the offensive zone.

Shanahan stressed in his explanation that Letang clearly acted as if he knew Burmistrov would get the puck first, making this not a race for the puck but a defensive play by Letang.  Also factoring into the decision were the "predictable" path that Burmistrov took to the puck making it Letang's responsibility to let up on the check and the fact that Letang was fined for a similar hit in April 2011.

The two game suspension is somewhat surprising given that there was no injury on the play and that Letang has never been previously suspended.  A fine or a one-game suspension likely would have been sufficient, but it appears the fact that Letang was recently fined had a large impact on both the decision to suspend and the length of punishment given.

Rangers Stressing Need For Quick Start Against Emotional Canucks

The New York Rangers head into Vancouver tonight in search of their first win on the season and facing a Canucks team that is getting reinforcements on the ice and emotion from the pre-game ceremonies.  The return of Kesler to the lineup adds a completely different dimension to the Canucks lineup as it is no longer a one line team, but adds to the team defensively and their edge as well.  The pre-game ceremonies to honor the late Rick Rypien will only add to the energy in the building.  According to Marian Gaborik and Jeff Woywitka via Blueshirts United the Rangers are well aware of how critical the start of the game will be tonight.

Gaborik:

The start is going to be huge, they always come out strong in this building. So we need to bang some bodies, be physical, and play a quick game. We need to try and play five-on-five and play in their end, shoot as much as we can, and hopefully play with a lead. We need to get our first win.

Before the Islanders game it was Christensen talking about the sense of urgency and how the rivalry must fire up every player on the team and now we have Gaborik talking about banging bodies.  Like Christensen the other day, Gaborik is exactly right that the Rangers need to do those things, but it is still weird having it come from his mouth.  The Rangers do need to get back to playing their style and establishing the game in Vancouver’s end early and often.

Woywitka:

We're going to make sure we are respectful and pay our respects to a guy who was a good teammate here in Vancouver and whose loss was a tough one in the hockey world, but once the whistle blows and it's time to get going, we know that crowd will be energized and we're going to have to make sure we match their intensity. The first ten minutes or so we know they will be charged up, so we will have to match that, weather the storm, and then get rolling.

Vancouver will certainly have energy, but I expect that the Rangers will have a tinge of desperation to get off to a fast start as they search for their first win.  The best way to “weather the storm” of emotion that will be in the building is to take the play to the Canucks, get an early lead and take the crowd out of it.

Torts Looks To Punishment To End Rangers Penalty Problems

The New York Rangers have been in the penalty box far too often in their first three games this season.  The team has been shorthanded 19 different times thus far and it has cost the Rangers two games as the Los Angeles Kings scored the game-winner in OT while on the power play and the Islanders had two goals with the man advantage on Saturday.

According to Pat Leaonard of the Daily News, coach John Tortorella has turned to punishment to attempt to curb the parade to the penalty box.

When Rangers defenseman Jeff Woywitka tripped up a forward in practice Monday, John Tortorella made all of his players drop and do 10 push-ups on the ice at Rogers Arena.

"No penalties here," Tortorella barked.

There is no way to tell if this will work at all, but Tortorella is certainly backing up his disgust over the penalty situation from Saturday night's post-game talk.  This does feel a little gimmicky as it is a sort of punishment that would be better served with guys losing ice time instead.  The only part that appeals is the team aspect of the punishment so you get peer accountability as well.

The Rangers will certainly need to show more discipline tonight as the Canucks offense thrives on the power play having converted five power play goals in their 21 chances this year.  That power play only gets more lethal with the return of Ryan Kesler tonight.  The Rangers should certainly hope the message got through and there are no need for pushups following tonight's game.

Sauer Not Playing Tomorrow, Wolski Unlikely

The good news on Michael Sauer is that he was back on the ice for practice for the first time since returning from Europe.  The bad news is that Sauer will not be able to play tomorrow against the Canucks. Sauer explained the approach that they are taking per Blueshirts United:

"We're taking it in steps, both on ice and off ice," Sauer explained. "They want me out there making passes and stuff, but not ripping it hard yet. Just being out there handling the puck and being with the boys is great in of itself. I just need to get (the shoulder) strong, get it healthy."

Forward Wojtek Wolski (groin) was also on the ice, but it doesn't appear that he will play tomorrow either as he is talking about how he has not had enough practice time.