Rangers Get Crucial Points As Zuccarello, Christensen Work Shootout Magic To Give Lundqvist Win 200

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This was not the prettiest game to watch, but what matters at this point of the year is the outcome and the Rangers walked out of Madison Square Garden with a critical two points in the standings.  The Rangers had another weak first period, and blew two leads in the third, but they got the win so have to be happy about that.  Once again it felt like in overtime the Rangers despite having a 4-on-3 powerplay to start were playing purely for the shootout and that is a dangerous way to play.

In the shootout, the usual suspects for the Rangers came through and delivered the victory.  Erik Christensen did his best Peter Forsberg impression on his attempt and then Mats Zuccarello learned from his mistake in his last shootout attempt and stick with his move until someone stops it.  Zuccarello came down in his slow methodical pace, basically stopped, slid the puck to the backhand, Bernier overcommitted and then he pulled it back forehand into an open net.  Both players made Bernier look foolish.  Jarret Stoll could beat Lundqvist on the Kings second attempt with a beautiful shot top corner and after Wolski was poke checked on an ugly move, it was down to Lundqvist vs Kopitar.  Kopitar attempted to do the same thing that Stoll did, but Henrik got enough of it to have it go over the back of the net and seal the victory for New York.  It was Lundqvist’s 200th career victory in his 383rd career start.

Early on the Kings controlled play and Henrik Lundqvist made a spectacular save on Anze Kopitar less than two minutes into the game.  A few minutes later Brandon Dubinsky took a bad penalty in boarding Willie Mitchell and on the ensuing power play Dustin Brown made the Rangers pay for the mistake beating Lundqvist for the 1-0 lead 5:25 into the game.  This was the sixth straight and 10^th out of 11 in which the Rangers gave up the first goal.  That cannot continue to happen.  The rest of the period was be tightly contested and ended with the Rangers trailing once again after one.

The Rangers played their game to a larger degree in the second period as they finally started attacking the net.  They scored a typical Rangers goal as off the faceoff battle Derek Stepan beats his man and took a one hand shot which banked off Bernier leaving the rebound there for Callahan and he punched it home 4:01 into the period.  The period ended at 1-1.

Early in the third period, Marian Gaborik got off the goal slide with a less than picture perfect shot 6:10 in to give the Rangers the 2-1 lead.  As I said, it was not the prettiest goal, but they all count the same and it has to feel good for Gaborik to see it go in the net and hopefully it will set him off on a little run.  We all know the team could really use him to carry them for a little bit.

Los Angeles answered back only 100 seconds later when Matt Greene scored his first goal in 73 games to tie it again.  The key to start the play was a back-check by Wayne Simmonds who stripped Brandon Prust of the puck in the neutral zone and allowed the Kings to keep Dan Girardi on the ice after he had been clipped with a high stick that was not called.  The puck cycled around and came back to Greene at the point and his shot deflected off Brian Boyle’s stick and in.

New York took the lead again when Brandon Dubinsky showed that an Alex Frolov frapparound can work as he put it in off Bernier’s skate to give the Blueshirts a 3-2 lead with just 3:08 remaining in the game.  Officially the goal has been changed to Anisimov, but I saw no evidence that it hit anything other than Bernier’s skate.  Be interesting to see if that ever gets changed.

Problem was the Rangers coughed the lead up once again when Dustin Brown scored his second of the night just 47 seconds after Dubinsky put New York ahead.  The goal itself was a combination of skill and luck as it appeared to me that Brown shot the puck off the back of Lundqvist’s mask and in.  Beyond the goal itself you saw the problems the Rangers have with faceoffs bite them, as because of an icing they could not send out Boyle or Dubinsky to take the draw, which left Stepan to take a defensive zone draw in the final three minutes. 

Obviously the game ended 3-3 after regulation.  In overtime neither team really threatened even though the Rangers started the OT with a four minute advantage after a Ponikarovsky double minor for high sticking Marc Staal at the end of regulation.  Dubinsky took his third minor penalty of the night 1:48 into the extra session, leaving two minutes of the most cautious 3-on-3 hockey I have ever seen.  We all know how the shootout ended.

Rangers will be back in action tomorrow against the equally red-hot Devils.

• Ryan Callahan played an excellent game tonight and so did his Western Conference version, Dustin Brown
• Love Dubinsky, but he has to stop taking so many stupid penalties.  Other than the penalties he played a great game, but it was Callahan who kept bailing him out from those mental errors.
• Ryan McDonagh is the Rangers best defenseman right now in my opinion.  The kid is doing everything and making me feel smart for yesterday praising how easy he is making his transition look.  Another +3 effort.

Wolski Game-time decision

Wojtek Wolski's ribs are feeling much better and he will take the skate in warmups to see if he can go tonight. If he cannot go, then Kris Newbury will play

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Rumor: Rangers Interested in Filip Kuba? Are Things That Bad?

As the trade deadline gets closer and closer the list of defenseman linked to the New York Rangers seems to growing longer and longer.  Any player that has ever even thought about being a power play quarterback is apparently up for discussion when it comes to New York being involved in dealing for them.  For the most part the candidates for the position have been of the rental variety, but that is not the case today.  In this morning’s New York Post Larry Brooks reports that the Rangers have interest in Ottawa Senators defenseman Filip Kuba.  Kuba currently has one year remaining on his deal for 3.7 million dollars.

Rumors fly from all over the place this time of year and there are always bound to be some bad ones, but this is clearly one of the worst I have seen suggested thus far.  I see absolutely no positives to this move.  Kuba, 34, has 0 goals and 5 assists this season while recording a whopping -25 in just 39 games.  I do not care how bad your team or your goalie are, when you are -25 in 39 games you are playing like garbage.  I know plus/minus is not the greatest indicator out there, but when it gets to a certain point it must mean something.  Rangers fans complained about Del Zotto last year at -20, but at least he was bringing some offense to the table.

Yes, he does have a history with Tortorella.  Yes he was a good power play quarterback; two years ago.  Do we have to revisit the last time that Glen Sather made a move for a defenseman coming from Ottawa based on what he had done two years before the Rangers got him?  This idea is worse than bringing in Sheldon Souray.  If you know me and what I have had to say about Souray over the last few seasons you will understand just how crazy that might seem.

Why on Earth would the Rangers waste a roster spot, development time and 3.7 million on this kind of a move?   I would much rather suffer the ups and downs with Del Zotto, Eminger and Gilroy than do something like this.  At least with Del Zotto there is the potential for it to be worth it down the line.

This one does not pass the smell test by a long shot, but if it goes down it will destroy a lot of the good will that Sather has earned over the last few years with his trades.

Do Rangers Buy, Sell, or Hold at Trade Deadline?

The trade deadline feels like it is rapidly approaching and the Rangers are in a playoff spot with teams not that far ahead and a number close behind, so decisions must be made as to what the Rangers should do.  Around the league many teams are getting a jump on the action making moves early to get more time with their newly acquired players.  With the way the trade deadline is looking I cannot help but think of the stock market and how overvalued the commodities that are on the market seem. 

In the stock market the goal is always to buy low and sell high.  With that philosophy in mind we can put an end to the ideas that Michael Del Zotto, Marian Gaborik or even Evgeny Grachev get moved at the deadline because you will be selling at a depreciated price.  The other issue right now as the initial moves are being made is what is the valuation of the assets being dealt and with each deal so far it seems that the acquiring team is overpaying on the face value of the player they are getting.  Good players have been traded, and I do not mean to knock them, but the prices that the selling teams are getting for some of these guys is ludicrous for the level of talent they are getting.  Chris Kelly, for example, is a third line center on a good team and that with a year left on his contract is not worth a second round draft pick, but that is what the market is pricing at right now.

So the question is simple:  Do the Rangers buy, sell or hold at the deadline?

The problem with simple questions however, is that the answers are not always as simple.  The Rangers truly have the feel of an organization that is stuck in the middle of multiple tracks with no clear vision of what they want out of the season.  There is a part of the organization that seems to look at this season as purely a building and development year in which they really see what they have in the young talent and getting those guys experience at this level.  If that part is the one that wins out as most important between now and deadline day the Rangers will either hold with what they have and possibly tinker in small moves and or sell some pieces (Gilroy, Eminger, Christensen) if they can get anything for them.

Another part of the organization will always look to make the playoffs whether they can actually win once they get there or not.  To be fair, hockey is a business, so looking at the extra revenue of a playoff series is certainly well within the rights of ownership and management.  Along with that making the playoffs would certainly be vital experience for many of the Rangers young players as it would help prepare them for the playoff intensity when the team is better equipped to be a legitimate contender.  If those factors win out then you will likely see the Rangers be buyers at the deadline, though even then the extent to which they move is unclear. 

The biggest move I could see the Rangers making is the rumored move for Kaberle.  I understand the team and fan fascination with the idea of Kaberle because of how pitiful the power play has looked for long stretches.  There is clearly a need, an almost dire need for a quarterback to run the show, but I do not see it as a difference maker of a move.  While Kaberle will make the team better, he does not make them a contender and with the price that Kaberle is going to command in this current market, it is not worth it.

Last season the Rangers were in a similar position to where they currently find themselves and general manager Glen Sather made some tinkering moves, but nothing that sacrificed the future.  The move for Jokinen, while having the potential to be a buyer’s move, was mainly about eliminating Kotalik’s contract and moving Higgins along.  It fits the mold of the Rozsival-Wolski trade that he made earlier this season as well.  Based on what Sather said earlier this week I look for this type of approach this season.  The team is not looking to take on salary or sacrifice important pieces just to make a run this year.

There is nothing wrong with the fact that general fan inclination is always on the buy side so that their team can win now.  Plenty of fans also see the benefits of holding onto what the team has and continuing to build for the future.  Obviously the next six games will have a lot to do with what the final decision is, but I look for Sather to only make a move that has the net effect of the Jokinen or Wolski moves and that is the right course of action for the team.  Sather has been very good at protecting his prospects from trades, though not as much his picks and hopefully that will continue.

For me, I would go with a hold/sell approach in keeping all your future assets and making those moves to look to see if you can get anything of value for disposable pieces like Gilroy.  If I was to look into the buying side, I would look at, depending on price, a faceoff man and a depth defenseman to sure up the last pairing.

Kaberle Drama: Would He Waive NTC for Rangers?

With Tomas Kaberle on the block yet again there has been a lot of talk concerning not just which teams would be interested in dealing for him, but the teams he would waive his no-trade clause if a trade could be worked out.  Over the past few days there has been massive twitter chatter about Kaberle concerning whether he had or had not already waived his NTC and if he had made it clear he would only go to one team. 

The conversation about him narrowing his list of acceptable teams started two days ago with a Incarceratedbob saying it was down to one team and that being confirmed by Nick Kypreos yesterday as the Boston Bruins.  However, today on ESPN.com, Pierre LeBrun in debating different trade possibilities claimed that he thinks Kaberle would waive his no-trade if the Rangers were the team that Burke worked out a deal with.  Burke would love to have more than just the Bruins out there as suitors and acceptable places for Kaberle to go because it would increase his leverage as opposed to basically being in the position of giving him to the Bruins or keeping him.

There is so much bad information out there right now that it is hard to get a true read on what the Rangers are looking to do, what the Kaberle camp want and what exactly Brian Burke is asking for.  The only things that are certain right now is that level of bad information is only going to rise and the market is vastly overpriced at the moment making one have to wonder if dealing for Kaberle is even worth it.  When Chris Kelly is getting a 2nd round pick, something is wrong here and says that Kaberle likely cannot be had without giving up a first round pick, which is simply too high a cost for him in my opinion.

Photo: Brandon Dubinsky Does His Best Richard Nixon

Blueshirt Banter Radio Tonight 8-10 PM with Ranger Blogger Roundtable

It is Wednesday, so that means it is time for Blueshirt Banter Radio with Jim Schmiedeberg and Eddie "The Mouth" Gieck at 8 pm.  If you have not listened to the show before, you do not know what you are missing, as it is the most open and honest discussion of Rangers hockey out there.  Beyond the show itself you can have the enjoyment of participating in the chatroom with other New York Rangers fans talking about the team in a fun atmosphere. 

During tonight’s show things will be slightly different than normal as during the 9PM hour of the show there will be a bloggers roundtable with various New York Rangers bloggers.  Included in the roundtable will be Nick Montemagno of The Rangers Tribune, Dave Shapiro of Blue Seat Blogs, Eric of 5-hole.com, Kevin DeLury of The New York Rangers Blog and myself.

I am going to assume that everyone who reads this already knows to read each of the other bloggers that are listed and will all be attending tonight’s radio show.  See you there!

Wolski, Eminger out vs LA; Del Zotto in; Newbury Recalled

The New York Rangers have decided that Wojtek Wolski’s injured ribs have not healed sufficiently over the past three days for him to play tomorrow against the Kings.  The discussion seems to center around Wolski wanting to go but being unsure of how long he would last and Andrew Gross passes along that coach John Tortorella did not want to start the game with him and end up short a forward early on.  This is similar to how they handled the Dan Girardi rib issue right before the All-Star break and it is a smart move to play it cautious right now and not make into a bigger or longer term injury issue. 

With Wolski out of the lineup, the team has recalled Kris Newbury from the Connecticut Whale and he will be in the lineup tomorrow.  There is no word yet on where Newbury will play, but he is capable of playing either center or left wing. I would expect Newbury to play somewhere along the fourth line no matter which position and for Zuccarello to move out of that spot and take Wolski's spot with Boyle and Callahan.

Speaking of Zuccarello, also per Andrew Gross, Mats Zuccarello will take Wolski’s point position on the power play unit.  After looking shaky there earlier in the year, coach John Tortorella has liked what he has seen from Zuccarello on the point during recent practices.  The fact that the Rangers have Zuccarello and Stepan on the points on the power play only underscores their need for a natural power play quarterback.

On the defensive side, according to Steve Zipay, and to the surprise of no one, Michael Del Zotto will be back in and Steve Eminger will be out.  I say that there is no surprise because Eminger only got 4:08 of playing time against the Penguins, so Del Zotto being moved back into the lineup has as much to do with displeasure towards Eminger as a vote of confidence in Michael, in my opinion.  The reality is none of the final three guys in the defensive rotation are playing well right now and I would not be surprised to see either a trade happen or Matt Gilroy also get sat down in the near future.

McDonagh Making Smooth Transition To NHL Level

The New York Rangers possess the youngest defensive core in the NHL, and while many worry about their age and inexperience the group has been a strength of the team this season.  A large reason for that has been the play of rookies Michael Sauer and Ryan McDongah.  Yesterday, I took a look at Michael Sauer, and his transformation from overlooked prospect to core member of the defense and now in part two we get a look at his partner, fellow rookie, Ryan McDonagh.  Unlike Sauer, who was under the radar, there was certainly hopes and expectations for the former first rounder as he made the transition from the University of Wisconsin to the professional ranks.  There were some bumps in the road to start in the AHL, but after figuring that level out I do not think anyone could have foreseen his transition from the AHL to the NHL being as smooth as his skating stride makes it look.  Let’s take a small look back and then a look ahead to what the Rangers have in their new number 27.

Most know that Ryan was acquired by the Rangers in the coup that was the Scott Gomez in the summer of 2009.  Instead of turning pro, he went back to Wisconsin for his junior season where he was an assistant captain and helped to lead the Badgers, along with Derek Stepan, to the NCAA championship game.  At Wisconsin, McDonagh was paired with more offensive-minded defenders like now Toronto Maple Leaf’s property Jake Gardiner, which left Ryan to focus on the defensive side of the game.  This confused and disappointed some Rangers fans last year when they would check the stats and saw McDonagh was not producing points after reading the scouting reports from his draft year talking about offensive potential.  The fans that worried about if he was as good as advertised then are reaping the rewards of the impact being at Wisconsin had on McDonagh’s game.

McDonagh participated in the Rangers Development Camp this summer unsure if he would go back to the Wisconsin for his senior season and be the captain or turn pro.  He decided following the camp he would turn pro.  As soon as that decision was made there was hope among many, including myself, that Ryan could earn a spot on the Rangers from the start of the season.  After a solid training camp, in which he was one of the last cuts, he went down to the AHL and struggled to start the season.  For the first month Ryan was fighting the play, but he settled in and worked his way back to being an option for the club if they needed to make a call.

When McDonagh was initially called up on January 3^rd there was no guarantee he would even see action during his stint in New York.  A rib injury to Michal Rozsival would get him a chance to play against the Dallas Stars, and while the nerves showed in the first game, the skill and poise shined in his second.  The Rangers were so comfortable with what McDonagh did in just those first few games that they were willing to deal away Rozsival and Ryan has not let that faith and trust down.  Ryan has only gotten better and better with each game, showing an increased level of comfort and belief in his belonging on this stage.

He has been plus-4 in 17 games, but more impressive is the fact that he is been over or plus in 13 of those 17 contests.  In terms of ice time he has been playing an average of 16:17 per game.  The 16:17 is misleading because in his first six contests he never played more than 12:03 in a game.  In the eleven games since he has played above that average in ten of the games, while eclipsing 20 minutes on five occasions.  He will not blow anyone away with offensive prowess as his two assists so far show, but he is a player whose game goes far beyond the stat sheet.  There is also the potential to add some offense to his game.

So what is it that makes McDonagh play such sound hockey?  This summer, before McDonagh signed, the New York Rangers had a feature on him, which looked at how he had progressed and his thoughts on the game.  Here is McDonagh in his own words…

"As a defenseman, I want to make sure I'm strong in my own end," said McDonagh. "A team won't be able to live with you for very long if you're not taking care of your own end and making smart plays and keeping the puck out of your own net at times. I'm a big guy, and I like to be physical and tough to play against for the other team's best forwards. I like to match up against them a lot and log a lot of minutes."

McDonagh has shown on the ice that he truly believes those words in the way he goes about the game.  Looking beyond those numbers I mentioned it is the vast set of skills McDonagh has shown on the ice that have so many so excited for his future.  When Ryan is on the ice you see all of the following: excellent positioning defensively; a feistiness to his game in terms of hitting and clearing the crease; excellent instincts on when to step up both in the neutral zone and pinch offensively; and most importantly exceptional poise on the puck.  McDonagh will never be a player that dazzles with flash, but he will be a lunch-pail defender that can shut down top flight competition, much like Michael Sauer, and to have that in a 21-year-old bodes extremely well for the Rangers future.

With what McDonagh has shown at the outset of his career, there is no reason to expect anything less than a top four defenseman for the New York Rangers for the next decade.  These are the pieces you build a franchise around and this is yet another reason this year for the Rangers goes far beyond whatever the final outcome is for the team.  Possessing Staal, Girardi, Sauer and McDonagh the Rangers possess four standout shutdown defensemen in their core, which is something few if any teams around the league can claim; especially at their respective ages.  Just wait until Michael Del Zotto gets his game back and the Rangers Department of Defense will be ready to go to battle with anyone.

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