Brandon Prust Defines What It Means To Be A Ranger (w/Moen fight video)

For many teams in the NHL the guy that keys the rest of the team is their best player as he sets the tone for the type of team they will be.  That is not the case for the New York Rangers.  The guy who sets the tone for the Rangers is Brandon Prust.  With that being the case it was a surprise to few that last night in a crucial game it was Prust who dropped the gloves with Travis Moen one second into the game. The last thing on his mind in that moment was how bad his shoulder is and that epitomizes the way he plays.  That fight sent a charge through Madison Square Garden that the Rangers carried through to their best period of the season as they scored five on their way to securing two huge points in their playoff quest. 



All season Prust has added his warrior stamp to this young Rangers team and defined the kind of mental and physical toughness that allows them to be in the playoffs right now.  Based on pure talent this team should not be a playoff team.  Based on heart and determination they could be Stanley Cup Champions and none define that more than Prust.

No matter how many different injuries he has at any given time, the number of “maintenance days” he has to take off practice or any of the rest you can bet your last dollar that when they drop the puck to start a Rangers’ game he will be in uniform. Not only will he be out there, but he will work as hard or harder than anyone else on the ice and toss his beaten body around with reckless abandon if it will help his team win.  That has become the definition of this team and what it means to be a New York Ranger.

It is why as much as Prust does to defend his teammates every one of them would go to battle for him and frankly I wish more of them did to give him a break from it.  While other teams have their best player as the definition of how they play, the New York Rangers have Brandon Prust leading that charge and all of us will follow him wherever he leads because he defines the slogan the Rangers love to push, "I am a Ranger."

Five Goal First Paces Rangers Over Canadiens in 6-3 Win

The New York Rangers came into tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens talking about looking ahead in the standings and not behind. If they wanted to do something about that they had to start this evening as they came in trailing Montreal by seven points for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers certainly came out to prove their intentions to catch the Canadiens with their best period of the season in the first period in which they tallied a season high five goals. The Canadiens would climb back in and get within two, but the Rangers would hold on for their third straight win and climbed within five points of Montreal for sixth and expanded their advantage on Buffalo to four.

Anyone looking for some "edge" to this game got it right off the opening faceoff when Brandon Prust and Travis Moen dropped the gloves. Prust continues to be the ultimate warrior for the Rangers and never turns down a willing opponent.

The Rangers kept up the energy with Artem Anisimov giving them the early lead 5:28 into the game. The goal was started by Anisimov making an excellent defensive play blocking Yanick Weber's shot inside his defensive blueline and then took off the other way on a breakaway. Anisimov skated in on Price and made multiple deke's before beating Price with the backhand shot. The goal was his 17th of the season and fourth in the last eight game.

The Canadiens answered back quickly when P.K. Subban unleashed a howitzer of a slap shot from the high slot that when through tons of traffic. Lundqvist had no chance to stop that one as it was just simply too good a shot and he could not have seen it. The roar from the visiting Canadiens was as loud as any I ever heard on a visiting goal at Madison Square Garden.

The chippiness continued as Prust and Subban received coincidental minors off a scrum in front. The next shift down the ice it would be Roman Hamrlik going off for two minutes for crosschecking Marc Staal giving the Rangers a four-on-three advantage. The Rangers would not score on the advantage but the pressure they had would be rewarded just 9 seconds after it ended. Dan Girardi would pick up the rebound from Erik Christensen’s shot and fired from the top of the circle at 10:25 to give the Rangers the lead again. The goal was Girardi’s fourth and first since December 16.

New York poured it on late in the first with three goals in 1:07. Ryan Callahan banged home the first one on a scramble in front. The shot sent up the back and off the head of James Wisniewski in which the puck hopped over Carey Price and in. Marian Gaborik added his fourth in four games when he collected the loose puck in the slot and fired it home. Brian Boyle would finish the onslaught and send Carey Price packing at 18:16 with his 21st of the season. The play was created by a beautiful rush from Marc Staal who then fed the puck across to Boyle and he didn’t miss making it 5-1 in a tremendous period for New York.

The Canadiens struck early in the second on a goal from James Wisniewski. The blast can't from the right point at 4:13 of the period.

Late in the second P.K. Subban pulled another one if his BS moves that is going to get him wrecked one of these days. Subban deliberately ran Henrik Lundqvist and when Michael Sauer challenged him to fight over it he backed away like a coward and waited until the refs were in the way to drop his gloves and pretend he would have fought.

Ryan Callahan took a bad penalty late in the period and it carried over into the third with the Rangers up 5-2.

The Callahan penalty ended up biting the Rangers as Brian Gionta deflected a Wisniewski slap shot in just 54 seconds into the third.

Late in the third Benoit Pouliot would crash into Henrik Lundqvist and Hank would remain down for several minutes as he was worked on by Jim Ramsay. Lundqvist would stay in the game and watch as Vinny Prospal capped the scoring as the Rangers finally beat the Canadiens this year by a final of 6-3.

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Is Mats Zuccarello Getting A Free Pass From Rangers Fans?

Al Bello/Getty Images

One of the best parts of being a fan of sports is having players you love to follow and for each fan there are different reasons that certain types of players or individual guys strike a chord with them.  New York Rangers fans are certainly no different and there favorites are totally up to them.  It is also a part of reality that fans judge their favorites on a different scale than other players.  That statement should not shock nor surprise you and it is true of every team in the league and their fans.  There is nothing wrong with it and it is a very natural thing because there is more of an investment in those players.  The place where I take issue with it is when certain players are getting called out for poor play while favorites are getting a pass while producing even less.  One of those players, at least it appears to me, who is getting a pass from Rangers fans is Mats Zuccarello.

Let me try a blind test to see how well this works.

Since January 11

	GP	Goals	Assists	Plus/Minus	PP Points
Player A	28	5	11	5	7
Player B	27	5	11	12	3

Rangers Need More From Derek Stepan Down The Stretch

For the New York Rangers offensive production is something that is a constant problem in terms of finding consistency.  The team has shown an ability to explode for huge goal scoring games, but then they go into prolonged droughts where they can muster two goals, at most, per game.  They obviously need scoring from their veteran players and those guys have started to come around of late.  In addition they need some of the young players who have produced for much of the season to bring their game back up again.  One player the Rangers are going to need more from down the stretch if they are going to maintain their playoff position is rookie Derek Stepan.

The Rangers have asked a lot of Stepan at different points in the year and he has responded well to all the challenges they have given him.  Overall Stepan has put up and impressive 39 points (18-21) on the season.  He has been as high as the top line with Marian Gaborik and as low as the fourth line. 

The flip side for Stepan has been the lulls in his performance and production has crept in at different points of the season, which is to be expected from young players.  He is currently experiencing one of those lulls as he has recorded only one goal and two assists in the team’s last 8 games, which will not be enough the rest of the way.  In recent games his play and the play of his linemates has made their line fall in the pecking order to fourth once again. 

What has happened previously when Stepan has fallen down the order is that he has gotten back to playing his game and worked his way out of it.  When he has been at his most effective this season it has been when he has added a physical element to his game which has been lacking lately.  Stepan is never going to be a big hitter or anything of the sort, but when he plays with contact his entire game changes because he is more aggressive at the front of the net.  They need him to do this again as it will lift not only his game, but the game of his wingers.

The team has to be happy with the recent surge in the offense, but with the standings as tight as they are they cannot be content relying on the same guys to score each night.  They need others to rise to the occasion down the stretch and Derek Stepan has shown he, as much as anyone, should be expected to increase his level when it counts most.  While not at this level he has been in critical games and performed whether it be helping Wisconsin reach the national championship game or the USA win Gold at the World Juniors both last season, so he can handle the moment.

The 20-year-old rookie has shown he can be an impact player with a knack for scoring goals at key times in the game.  There will come at least one moment in these last 11 games where the Rangers will need Stepan to come through with a goal to tie, win or send a game to overtime and I expect him to rise to the occasion.  At each turn this season Stepan has met the challenge and found another level when his team has really needed it from him and now they need that guy again.  This time of year there is no such thing as a rookie anymore, and Stepan has not carried himself like a rookie all season so the Rangers need him to find his game again and bring the offense back so that he can have a chance to make some history come playoff time. 

Video: Dwayne Roloson's Diving Mid-Air Paddle Save

Could This Be Sean Avery's Last Season With The Rangers?

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

When New York Rangers coach John Tortorella inserted Sean Avery back in the lineup on Tuesday against the Islanders many expected that we would see an inspired Avery take the ice and make a statement about how he deserves to be in the lineup.  Instead, the performance that Avery gave was arguably his worst of the season as he only played 7:18 in the game and still managed to take three penalties, two in the offensive zone, and one which cost the Rangers a goal.  

I have given Avery credit this year for being the good soldier and his effort in the limited minutes he has gotten over the course of the season, but there is no way to defend Tuesday’s performance.  Coming off that kind of game the upside to Avery playing against the Canadiens in not worth the risk and he should find himself back in the press box with Wojtek Wolski back in the lineup.

The question today goes beyond whether Avery should or will play against Montreal, but if Avery’s spot on this team is in jeopardy for next season.   

At his best Avery brings energy, toughness, agitation and some underrated passing ability.  Those skills have produced three goals and 21 assists in 70 games this year.  While the overall numbers look respectable given his amount of ice time they are also inflated by early season production.  In the first eight games this season, while teamed mainly with Derek Stepan and Ruslan Fedotenko Avery had one goal and six assists. Over his past 22 games Avery has only produced one goal and four assists and his impact on the games has been limited.  

There is no denying that part of his reduced production is related to both his reduced ice time and the quality of his linemates, but there is also a statement being made by the coaching staff on how they view Avery now and going forward.  The statement says that he is a fourth line player who will be 31 next month and predominantly plays under minutes a game now.  Is that player worth nearly 2 million dollars next season? I would have to answer no.  

The Rangers have made the movement towards youth and Avery’s spot on the team has largely been replaced by Brandon Prust.  With the Rangers needing to sign key restricted free agents Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, Artem Anisimov and Michael Sauer and potentially chase Brad Richards this team will need to free up some money under the cap.  Eliminating Avery’s 1.9375 million will not be a magic bullet to fix the cap, as resolving the Chris Drury situation is more important for that, but it can certainly help.  The combination of the salary, his diminishing role on the team and the obvious lack of trust from the coaching staff in Avery his potential departure has to be considered a possibility.

I doubt that any team would trade for Avery after what happened in Dallas, but he has been very well behaved this year, so maybe someone would take the chance on him and believe that Tortorella has been making him play a calmer game, which has limited his effectiveness.  Yet another storyline to look for in in what should be a very interesting summer.

The Rangers Power Play Is Actually Becoming A Weapon

For much of the season the New York Rangers power play was something so painful to watch that the running commentary the NHL should devise a system where you could actually decline opposition penalties.  Don’t look now, but that is no longer the case.  In March the Rangers have converted 7 of 25 power plays (28%).  That number alone would be impressive from where it has been over the course of the season, but over the past four games the power play unit has clicked for 6 goals in just 14 opportunities (43%).  The recent surge has raised the team’s season percentage to 17.7%, which pulls them to a respectable 15th in the league after being significantly lower for much of the year.

What if anything can account for such a drastic change in these results? 

McCabe:

The trade for Bryan McCabe has certainly had an impact on the power play as he has brought a true quarterbacking presence to the unit.  McCabe unlike many of the other players the Rangers have tried on the point this season understands the nuances of running a power play.  There have been a number of noticeable differences with him in the fold.  His ability to hold the blue line and keep possession in the offensive zone has been huge in maintaining pressure on their opponents and eventually wearing them down for goals later in the man advantage.  The understanding of to walk the line create lanes not only for his own shot, but also for others to get open.  Potentially the biggest is the fear of his shot, which the Rangers have not possessed all season to make the defense honor the point and have to play higher in certain instances which creates room and holes elsewhere.

Aggressiveness:

For much of the season I have pleaded with the Rangers to attack the net more and get more traffic in front on the power play, but even beyond that play with a more aggressive mentality.  You had a team that played aggressive hockey at even strength and shorthanded, but was passive when they were on the power play.  They were content to pass the puck around for much of the time in the offensive zone and then shoot it into the bodies of the defense.  This has not been the same recently.  The Rangers have been more aggressive both in general shooting but also attacking the net down low.  They have had power play goals scored in front from tap-ins, shots in the slot and rebounds. 

This is partially because of the attention that McCabe demands, but also a more aggressive mindset, most notably from players like Erik Christensen.  The Rangers would suffer through far too many power players with no shots and now they are firing when they have the chance.  Over those last four games the team has had 30 shots on goal in those 14 power play opportunities.  It seems they have finally figured out that you cannot score if you do not shoot.  All the best power plays dictate to their opponent’s and the Rangers are finally starting to do that.

This recent hot-streak on the power play could be a fluke, but if it is a sign of things to come down the stretch and in the playoffs it adds another dimension to the Rangers as a hockey team.  If they can find a way to combine their defense and goaltending with an offense that can chip in on the power play they would become a very dangerous opponent as special teams is at a premium in the playoffs.  For now at least Rangers’ fans no longer have to groan each time they go on the power play, joke about how they should decline the penalty or wonder if it will kill the team’s momentum and instead can look forward to hearing Sam Rosen say, “It’s a power play goal.”

Ethan Werek Suspended Five Games For Elbowing Opponent In Head (Video)

On a day where there was a lot of positive news regarding New York Rangers prospects there is some disturbing news regarding 2009 second round pick Ethan Werek who was suspended for five games today by the OHL.  Friday night against the Oshawa Generals with only four seconds left in a 6-5 loss, Werek went behind the net and put on an awful display.  Werek lined up Boone Jenner who had his back to him behind the net, left his feet and elbowed him in the back of the head sending him into the boards.

Here is the video courtesy of The Prospect Park (hit occurs at 12:40):

Everything about Werek I have seen or heard says this is out of character for him, but this was a play I expect from a Matt Cooke and has no place in the game of hockey.  The elbow was bad all by itself, but leaving his feet to make that kind of hit on a defenseless player is ridiculous and that five game suspension was more than deserved.  Hopefully Ethan learns from this and moves forward.

Video: Nathan Livingstone Buzzer Beater From Past Center Ice During Playoff Game

March is the time we most associate with buzzer beating shots, but usually it basketball and not hockey that people immediately think of in those situations.  Nathan Livingstone changed that some yesterday when he beat the buzzer not just on any shot, but on one from behind the red line during a Central Junior A playoff game.

Luckily for the goaltender the team would end up winning the game handily so he can laugh about it along with everyone else.

Hat Tip to Puck Daddy