Friday, November 30, 2007

First Place!

Result!!.jpg
Rangers 4 Islanders 2
YAY!!!
The top line of Jagr, Straka and Dubinsky combined for 2 goals and 4 assists; Drury and Gomez each scored a power play goal, and the Blueshirts beat the Fishsticks for the 1st time in 4 tries this season. Barton Silverman took these 2 shots of the Jagr and Dubinsky goals:
Jagr wrister! Dubinsky stuffer!.jpg
The boys were 10-3-1 for November, that's outstanding! They travel to Ottawa for a game Saturday against the mighty Sens.
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Empire Struck Back...

Well my team lost its war with the NHL. No more independent Rangers home page; www.newyorkrangers.com is now part of NHL.com, and the web site is now: http://rangers.nhl.com/

The old link still works 'cos, duh, I just clicked it and that's how I found out the news. It's not that I'm adverse to any kind of change, it's just that I like things to stay the same.
same. same. same. same. same. same. same. same. same. same. same. same. same. same.

Sean Avery is going to miss some time as he is having arthroscopic surgery on his wrist Thursday. Get well soon, ya big thug lug.
Thursday, it's another game against the Islanders @ MSG; the boys have yet to beat the fishsticks this year.
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Who is this Smith guy, anyway?

Who is this Smith guy, anyway?.jpg
Stars 3 Rangers 2
guh
The Blueshirts outshot visiting Dallas 41-18, but could only get 2 past Stars netminder Mike Smith. They were 0 for 6 on the power play. guh.
Goals from Shanahan and Jagr were not enough to offset the turnovers and missed chances. C'mon boys, let's get back to winning...
Let's Go Ranguhs!!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

'Jok' Aside, We'll Take The Point!

Points are good!.jpg
Panthers 3 Rangers 2 (OT/SO)
*muted YAY*
Ranger backup netminder Stephen Valiquette got the nod as the boys visited Florida on Friday night. Busy night for Stevie V., and he played very well, stopping 33 of 35 shots in regulation/overtime. Unfortunately, allowed the only goal in the shootout, scored by Olie Jokinen of the Panthers.
Chris Drury scored both Ranger goals, and Jaromir Jagr nearly won it, but his late 3rd period attempt clanged off the post. *frak!*
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Strike Down the Lightning!

Strike Down the Lightning!.jpg
Rangers 2 Lightning 1
YAY!!!
The Rangers went back on the road and got back to winning, shutting down the red hot Vinny Lecavalier, and holding Tampa Bay to just one very late goal. (16 seconds left in the 3rd- Sorry, Henrik!) The boys found scoring production from tough guy Colton (not to be confused with Bobby) Orr and defenseman Fedor Tyutin.
A couple of rookies made their Ranger debut in Tampa on Wednesday night; call-ups Greg Moore and Ivan Baranka (see photo below) from Hartford of the AHL.
Baranka Poke Check.jpeg
That's five straight road wins, woohoo! Okay boys, let's make it 6 this Friday against Florida...
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Monday, November 19, 2007

Defense Working Overtime!

Five Straight to First Place!!.jpg
Rangers 4 Penguins 3 OT
YAY!!!
[no time for my recap!]
Defense Working Overtime!!.jpeg

LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

YAY is not a strong enough word.

Rangers gettin' it done at Philly!.jpg
Rangers 4 Flyers 3 OT/SO
YAY!!!
[no time for my recap!]
Avery Airborne Again
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Road Warriors!

Road Warriors!.jpg
Rangers 4 Devils 2
YAY!!!
The Rangers made their first trip to the Devils' new home in Newark, NJ, called the Prudential Center, nicknamed 'the Rock'. It was a big night for the youngsters, with Nigel Dawes, Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal all scoring. Here's Nigel:
Nigel to the Net!.jpeg
Captain Jaromir Jagr scored, and linemate Scott Gomez had 2 helpers.
Top Line Triumph!.jpeg
Henrik in goal was good when he needed to be, and he'll need to be even better tonight against Philly...
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

The Annual Hall of Fame Game

First Road Win!.jpg
Rangers 3 Maple Leafs 2 (OT/SO)
YAY!!!
Coach Tom Renney made a decision to rest Hardworking Henrik for the first time all season, and so backup goalie Steve Valiquette got the nod against Toronto. Performing in front of his parents near the town where he grew up had to have been a thrill. He held the Leafs to just 2 goals in regulation time, coming through in a huge way for the Rangers, getting the rare road victory. Here he is after the game, talking about the life of being backup to the 'king':
[“One thing I’ve learned, when the other goalie’s playing, I kind of make the save along with him,” Valiquette said. “It sounds weird, but it’s the easiest way to transition into a game and it doesn’t feel as foreign. When Henrik makes the saves, I make them with him.”]
The newly constituted line of Shanahan, Gomez and Avery scored 2 goals on one shift, I think the Blueshirts might have something there, yay! Naturally, a full day's work for Sean Avery involves being an obnoxious pest to the opposition. Here is dancing around with Darcy Tucker, shortly after they had both left the penalty box for earlier transgressions:
Avery vs. Tucker.jpeg
Now about the shootout. Valiquette was perfect, Nik Antropov and Mats Sundin, while the first 2 shooters for New York were successful: Brendan Shanahan...
Shanny Shootout goal.jpeg
... followed by Marcel Hossa:
Marcel is the man!.jpeg
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Friday, November 09, 2007

Home Cooking!

Juggernaut!.jpg
Rangers 4 Penguins 2
YAY!!!
The Blueshirts returned to MSG to face Sidney Crosby and the Pens, and won their 5th straight at home. (8-2 @ The Garden) The offensive stars were Sean Avery (goal, assist) and Scott Gomez (goal, assist). Avery played his usual instigating game, drawing 6 minutes worth of penalties by Pittspuke's Gary Roberts. Gomez centered a line with Brendan Shanahan and Avery, and obviously the change worked well, at least for one night. =)
Michal Rozsival and Brandon Dubinsky also scored for New York.
After a game when the boys scored 4 goals, coach Tom Renney jokingly called his team a 'Juggernaut'. Kidding or not, it's nice to see them win a non-nailbiter.
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Fishsticks end our fun.

Fishsticks end our fun.jpg
Islanders 3 Rangers 2
guh. The Rangers took their act back out on the road, and things looked good for a while. They took a 1 goal lead into the dressing room after 2 periods. Unfortunately they gave that up a minute into the 3rd. Another lead, but then the Isles came back with 2 to end the winning streak. frelling fishsticks.
The Boys got goals from Drury and Mara, Henrik played well, despite the 3rd period letdown. (that ended 159 minutes of shutout hockey for The King of Sweden)
Temporary setback...
Let's Go Ranguhs!!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Four In A Row!!

Oh Baby, I Love It!!!.jpg
Rangers 2 Flyers o
YAY!!!
Another shutout for Henrik Lundqvist! (that makes 4 for Heroic-Henrik) The win over the Flyers made it a 5-1 homestand, just what the boys needed to right the ship. 7-6-1 on the season-- a week ago, being over .500 was a frail hope.
The Rangers made a 1st period goal by Jaromir Jagr (see above celebration) stand up until late in the 3rd, when Brendan Shanahan cashed in a power play chance. (assist to Jagr)
I can't resist another angle of the Blueshirts greeting their Captain, and neither can you:
Gladhanding.jpeg
Sean Avery levitates between the Philly D, in this snappy shot by Barton Silverman:
Who's doing the FLYING?.jpeg
The Rangers play another game Tuesday night, taking the bus over to Uniondale to face the Islanders at the Nassau Mausoleum. This borders on getting greedy, but let's make it 5 in a row boys, and defeat the fishsticks!
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Geeked & Tweaked

Petr Puck, Shootout Winner!.jpg
Rangers 2 Devils 1 (OT/SO)
YAY!!!
WooHoo, the NYR streak is 3 in a row., and they've clawed their way back to a .500 record. (4-1 on the home stand so far)
Scott Gomez scored against his old team, his 2nd goal on the season. Henrik Lundqvist held the Devils to a 1st period goal, perfect the rest of the way. Lot of tense moments/big saves in period 3, *Hen-rik, Hen-rik* erupting from the Garden crowd more than once. Where would New York be this season without this guy??
Petr Prucha scored the only goal in the shootout following a scoreless overtime. So good to see Petr Puck come through with the game-winner!
The Blueshirts got one of their missing forwards back in the lineup with the return of the thug feisty Sean Avery. He yapped at NJ goalie Marty Brodeur during warm-ups, tried to pick a fight with Zach Parise before his first face-off, and later took a slashing penalty against Parise. All in a day's work for Avery, who missed 10 games with a separated shoulder.
Speaking of injuries, Jaromir Jagr 'tweaked' something, and missed a couple of shifts at the end of the contest. Hopefully he won't miss the game against Philly Monday night...
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!

Friday, November 02, 2007

Winning is Fun!

Another_Shutout!.jpg
Rangers 2 Capitals 0
YAY!!!
Goals by Chris Drury (deflection of a Staal shot) and Michal Rozsival (from a pass by Gomez) + effective special teams play (power plays/penalty kills) + stingy defense = a big win for the Blueshirts!
Their goalie doesn't make all the saves...
Drury_Deflection.jpeg
...while our goalie does:
Henrik_Hero.jpg
In fact, Henrik has been so awesome lately (3 shutouts in like 5 games) that the refs actually measured his goalie pads to make sure he wasn't cheating. The pads are legal, now GTFO!!
Boys, let's make it 3 in a row on Saturday.
LET'S My Family Crest GO My Family Crest RANGERS!