Kukla's Korner

Goal Line Report

Entries with the tag: Montreal+Canadiens

Reason to Worry?

Another game in Montreal and another comeback by the Canadiens over the New York Rangers as the Habs beat the Blueshirts last night 5-4 in OT.

Even when the Rangers were up 3-1, didn’t you folks get the feeling that the Habs were going to come back? I certainly did and not just because of history, but because of the way the team is currently playing.

While it was great to see the team get off to a great start in the first period with three goals, they were able to score only one more goal during the game. They were outplayed by a faster Habs’ team and were not able to get contributions from some of their better players including Chris Drury, Christopher Higgns, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers,

Rangers Face familiar Folks in Montreal

When the New York Rangers take the ice tonight to take on the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. They’ll be taking on former Blueshirts Scott Gomez and Paul Mara while current Ranger Christopher Higgins returns to the team he spent his first four years with in the National Hockey League.

For Higgins, tonight would be the perfect night to have his first coming-out party as a Blueshirt. Higgins has yet to light the lamp and looks like a player who is pressing as head coach John Tortorella said he wants more from him. There has to be plenty of motivation for him to do that tonight, right?

At 7-3, there isn’t too much to complain about as a Ranger fan. The team has shown that they can score goals, come back in games, play solid defense and get great goaltending. However, in the team’s last two games, both losses, they’ve looked extremely beatable.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers,

Gainey Has to Make it Work

From Stan Fischler at MaxHockey.com:

This time, however, there was a difference; Wang hung on to the club and, eventually, Milbury departed for greener pastures; disguised as a television studio. And more power to him!

The Milbury Syndrome applies to Gainey because he survived a dreadful season-finish yet kept his job because George Gillett has sold the team to The Molson Brothers.

Given this grace period, Gainey has gone wild in the market; and who can blame him.

Scotty Gomez, Mike Cammelleri, Brian Gionta, Mike Komisarek, Travis Moen, Paul Mara.

The list goes on and on but Gainey’s job won’t unless he can make it work.

Click here for more. Do you Habs’ fans out there think Gainey can get the job done in 2009-2010?

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Bob+Gainey, Montreal+Canadiens,

Is Gainey Composing a Masterpiece?

From Mick Kern at NHL Home Ice:

While listening to Wilco’s latest offering on the way to work today, the immediate lukewarm reaction to it reminded me of much of the hockey world’s reaction to what GM Bob Gainey has done with the Montreal Canadiens in the past two weeks.

After watching his team take a nosedive after the All-Star break, firing head coach Guy Carbonneau, taking over behind the bench himself, and getting swept by the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs (all this during the overblown 100th anniversary celebrations), Gainey is understandably under considerable pressure to improve the lot of the Canadiens for the 2009-10 campaign.

He’s cast his lot with underachieving goaltender Carey Price, which might, in part, explain why Jacques Martin was brought aboard as head coach.  Gainey was facing a summer of significant roster turnover, as a number of players were set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1st.

While many in the media, and fans as well, were curious as to how Gainey would manage this off-season, most pointed to the fact that the Habs would benefit from having a lot of cap room to play around with.  Surely they’d be able to land the big stud centre the team has lacked since…since…Pete Mahovlich???

What about the Vinnie rumours?  How about Gaborik or Hossa?  Should they keep Komisarek or go a different direction?  And what about Kovalev and Kaptain Koivu?

Click here for more. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the small trio of forwards in Brian Gionta, Scotty Gomez and Mike Cammalleri do in a physically tough Northeast Division. What are your thoughts/predictions thus far? 

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Montreal+Canadiens,

Canadiens’ sale a boost to Cablevision?

From Mike Farrell at Multichannel News:

The reported impending sale of the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens to the Molson brewing family for as much as $550 million could have an unintended beneficiary - Cablevision Systems.

Cablevision, which also owns the NHL’s New York Rangers, earlier this year said it was investigating the split-off of its MSG unit - which includes the National Basketball Association New York Knicks, the WNBA New York Liberty, Madison Square Garden arena and other entertainment venues, and the MSG Media sports channels. According to a research report by Collins Stewart media analyst Tom Eagan, if the Canadiens sell for $500 million to $550 million - the deal still has to be approved by the league - it could significantly boost the valuation placed on the Rangers. In his report, Eagan wrote that the Habs sale, coupled with the anticipated sale of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs (said to fetch more than $850 million) could add another $3 per share in incremental value to MSG. Eagan added that his $350 million valuation for the Rangers, “now seems conservative based on this comparison.”

Click here for more. I’m not sure exactly what this means but on a slow Rangers news day thus far, it will have to suffice.

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers,

Thoughts on Gomez trade?/Update

Well, just like that, Scott Gomez is no longer a New York Ranger and Chris Higgins is no longer a Montreal Canadien as they were swapped for each other. Obviously, something is brewing here.

If the team is not able to find a suitable replacement, they’ll certainly miss his speed and his ability to get the puck in the zone. Again though, the Blueshirts aren’t done yet so stay tuned for more.

What are your thoughts?

Update from TSN.ca:

Getting a jump on the free agent market, the Montreal Canadiens moved to secure their centre ice position, making a big trade with the New York Rangers Tuesday.

The Canadiens acquired centre Scott Gomez, winger Tom Pyatt and defenceman Mike Busto from the New York Rangers in exchange for winger Chris Higgins and defencemen Dpug Janik, Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko.

Gomez, 29, is coming off a down season for the Rangers, finishing with 58 points, his lowest total since 2002-2003.

“We are extremely pleased to have acquired a player of the caliber of Scott Gomez. He is an outstanding playmaker and an excellent skater. Having won the Stanley Cup twice with the New Jersey Devils, he brings to our team a lot of playoff experience. Scott is an elite player who will certainly contribute to the success of our team for years to come” said Canadiens GM Bob Gainey.

Click here for more.

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Chris+Higgins, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Scott+Gomez,

In the Clear

From TSN.ca:

Montreal police fully cleared Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn of any illegal activity after the Canadiens players were linked to a man who was arrested in a sting operation in February.

A police spokesman told Le Journal de Montreal that 5,000 phone calls made by Pasquale Mangiola were replayed to see if he had any incriminating conversations with the brothers.

According to Le Journal, roughly 2,000 of those calls involved the Kostitsyns, but there was no evidence of criminal activity or sports betting. There was also no evidence of any wrongdoing with Canadiens defenceman Roman Hamrlik, who was also associated with Mangiola.

Good news Habs fans?

Click here for more.

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Andrei+Kostitsyn, Montreal+Canadiens, Sergei+Kostitsyn,

Habs Questions

I know that many Montreal Canadien fans are angry about the way things went this season. It was their 100th in the league and many pundits and fans alike figured that the team would be contending for the Stanley Cup.

Well, as you all know, that dream came to an end last night when the Boston Bruins completed the sweep against their biggest rival. After the loss, I am wondering about a few things that I would like you folks to comment on:

1) Who is to blame?

2) What happened to netminder Carey Price? What did you think of his gesture to the crowd last night?

3) Will Bob Gainey be with the team next season? If so, in what capacity?

4) Who will coach the Canadiens next season?

5) What can the team do to get better for next season?

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Bob+Gainey, Boston+Bruins, Carey+Price, Montreal+Canadiens,

What A Difference a Year Makes

It’s amazing how much things change over the course of a year in the National Hockey League. A perfect example of this would be the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, who will meet tonight for Game one of the first round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

About a year ago, these teams met in the first round of the playoffs but compared to this season, the roles were reversed as the Bruins now have the No. 1 seed while the Habs have the No. 8 seed. That’s not the only difference:

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Alex+Kovalev, Bob+Gainey, Boston+Bruins, Carey+Price, Guy+Carbonneau, Montreal+Canadiens, NHL, Phil+Kessel, Tim+Thomas,

It Means A Lot

As I pointed out in yesterday’s blog, tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens is absolutely critical for the New York Rangers. The Rangers are currently tied with the Florida Panthers (take on the Philadelphia Flyers tonight) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 89 points.

A win tonight over the Habs and a loss for the Panthers would help the blueshirts because one, it gives them two points and two, it gives them another victory in case the remaining seed comes down to a tie-breaker. Basically put, the team needs to win tonight to help clinch a playoff spot within the next five days.

For more Rangers news and notes, please check out the following links:

- Rangers Report
- Blue Notes
- Ranger Rants
- SNY Rangers Blog
- Blueshirt Banter

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Blue+Notes, Blueshirt+Banter, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ranger+Rants, Rangers+Report, SNY+Rangers+Blog,

Puck Daddy: Rangers Have a 50/50 Chance of Clinching Playoff Spot

In his terrific Puck Daddy Blog, Greg Wyshynski puts a death watch on the New York Rangers’ playoff chances.

However, PDaddy does give blueshirt fans some hope with this little tidbit:

“Of course, the Rangers have one significant advantage in this duel to the finish: Both teams have 89 points in 79 games, but the Rangers have 40 wins to the Panthers’ 39. The road isn’t easy at all for New York - a game against the Montreal Canadiens, and then two games against the Philadelphia Flyers to end the season—but technically the Rangers control their own fate.”

What do you folks think of the Rangers’ playoff chances this season?

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Florida+Panthers, Greg+Wyshynski, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Puck+Daddy+Blog,

Biggest Game of The Year

Tomorrow night will mark the New York Rangers’ biggest game of the season to date. After the Florida Panthers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, the blueshirts find themselves tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 89 points.

With three games to go in the regular season, their uphill battle will continue tomorrow night when they take on the Montreal Canadiens, a team that is seventh in the conference with 92 points and is catching fire at the right time (5-3-2 in their last 10 games). The Rangers can beat the Canadiens but again, with the tension mounting and the games becoming more and more important by the day, it is not going to be an easy task.

The team has games with the Habs and Philadelphia Flyers (two) to determine whether or not this year’s Rangers will clinch a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive season. The Panthers, on the other hand, have games against the Flyers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Washington Capitals. Both teams have competitive schedules but now, it will come down to just three games to determine who gets the last playoff spot in the conference. 

The team has no one to blame but themselves for being in this situation. Problems with consistency, the power play, line juggling, personnel changes, etc. have all contributed to the team’s issues this season. Now, however, is the time to put those off to the side and go out there and get the job done because the last thing the team wants to do is miss the playoffs and disappoint the thousands of Ranger fans that will be at the Garden both tomorrow night against the Habs and Thursday night against the Flyers. 

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Washington+Capitals,

This Week’s Questions

Much like I did last Friday, I am going to list a few questions related to what’s going on in the hockey world.

Please feel free to post your thoughts on the following questions in the comment section of the blog:

- Will the St. Louis Blues make the playoffs? Why or why not?

- What is happening to the New Jersey Devils? Why are they struggling so much?

- Is this the last hurrah in Minnesota for Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire? If so, where do you think he will end up coaching next? Why?

- Have the Montreal Canadiens finally righted the ship after a dismal February and early March? What have they done differently?

- Does anyone really believe that Philadelphia Flyers’ netminder Martin Biron can lead his club to the Stanley Cup?

- Are the Chicago Blackhawks good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs?

- Do the Detroit Red Wings have good enough goaltending to get them back to the Stanley Cup Finals?

Let’s hear your thoughts!

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, Detroit+Red+Wings, Jacques+Lemaire, Martin+Biron, Minnesota+Wild, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, Philadelphia+Flyers, St.+Louis+Blues,

Rangers Reading

Tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes is a huge one for the New York Rangers as they look to increase the space between them, the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers while also shooting for a higher seed in the Eastern Conference.

Check out the links below for more on tonight’s match up:

- Rangers Report
- Scotty Hockey
- SNY Rangers Blog
- NewYorkRangers.com

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, NewYorkRangers.com, Rangers+Reading, Rangers+Report, Scotty+Hockey, SNY+Rangers+Blog,

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

While the New York Rangers looked like a playoff team on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils, it certainly does not mean that they will make the playoffs as both the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers continue to make things interesting by winning crucial games down the stretch.

These next two games for the Blueshirts are critical so if they could pick up four points, that would obviously be the optimum but right now, getting three out of possible four points wouldn’t be so bad either.

For some Rangers reading, please check out the following links:

- Newsday
- Ranger Rants
- Rangers Report
- SNY Rangers Blog

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Rangers+Reading,

Where Are They Going?

The New York Rangers dropped their second straight game yesterday afternoon in a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The loss keeps the Blueshirts in seventh place with 87 points. However, the Montreal Canadiens are in the eighth spot just one point (86 points) behind them and the Florida Panthers are in the ninth spot just two points behind (85 points).

The Rangers showed some character by battling back from a two-goal and one-goal defecit while also killing off nine Penguins’ power plays. However, Sid “the Kid” Crosby’s great effort put the Penguins ahead midway through the third period, giving the Penguins a 12-1-2 record in their last 15 games.

As we’ve said on this blog before, the club’s remaining schedule will not make things any easier for the Blueshirts. Tomorrow night, they take on the Atlantic Division leading New Jersey Devils followed by games against the red hot Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and a home-and-home series against the Philadelphia Flyers to close out the regular season. 

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, Florida+Panthers, Ilya+Kovalchuk, Montreal+Canadiens, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sidney+Crosby,

Big Two Points

Last night’s game was the kind of game that the New York Rangers may have lost under Tom Renney. However, it was a much different outcome for the Blueshirts under new guy John Tortorella, who overcame some bad bounces and bad goals allowed to beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in a shootout at the Bell Centre.

Yes, I know that the team needs to continue to learn how to win games in regulation but let’s face it - they need all the points they can get and last night’s two points put them in sixth place in the ever-increasing tight Eastern Conference.

Nik Antropov continues to show the Blueshirts that he was worth getting at the deadline as he added another goal in regulation while also putting one in in the skills competition. He’s a big guy who has soft hands and a powerful wrist shot and is still working towards being a more consistent player with each passing game.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chris+Drury, Colorado+Avalanche, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Tom+Renney,

Avery Gets It Done

NBC promoted this afternoon’s game as “Sean Avery’s New York Rangers” against the Philadelphia Flyers. It was only fitting that Avery and the Blueshirts went out beat the Flyers by a score of 4-1, with Avery scoring two goals, getting into a couple of scrums and causing the Flyers to focus on him rather than on playing the game.

What’s more is that the Rangers actually scored three power play goals and once again peppered the Flyers net with 39 shots on goal and this time, were rewarded for it.

The win puts the Blueshirts in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with the Montreal Canadiens, a team they will take on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, a place that has been a nightmare of sorts for the team the past couple of visits. 

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Montreal+Canadiens, NBC, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Philadelphia+Flyers, Sean+Avery,

Give It Some Time

I hope New York Rangers fans weren’t expecting the team to come out and fire in four or five goals last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs because if they were, they had to be disappointed.

In last night’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Leafs, the Rangers dominated the first 40 minutes of the game as they got to loose pucks, put pucks on goal, crashed the net for rebounds and played tight defense. However, due to John Tortorella’s attacking style, the team got tired and simply ran out of gas in the third period and the OT. This is obviously something that the team will need to adjust to if they want ot have any kind of success going forward.

As Tortorella mentioned in his post-game press conference, this team obviously has trouble finishing and it’s definitely hurting their confidence right now. When they get the chance to shoot it, it either gets blocked or they pass it off. They have pucks bouncing over sticks in front of the net, they’re hitting posts and they’re making every goalie look like the second coming of Patrick Roy. 

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,

Rock Bottom

With the way the New York Rangers are playing, it’s hard to believe that they still hold a playoff spot. Currently, the team is tied for the fifth place with the Montreal Canadiens in the tight Eastern Conference.

The truth is that they really don’t deserve to be where they are right now. The team had the benefit of an easy schedule in the regular season, which allowed them to pick up a ton of points and build a solid cushion. Most fans and pundits alike figured that this cushion would be enough to help the team to solidify a playoff spot.

Unfortunately, they were wrong as the Blueshirts are currently up just five points over the ninth place Carolina Hurricanes, a lead that is quickly evaporating as the team continues to drop games left and right, much like they did this weekend with losses to the Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues.

Uh, Houston, we have a problem. 

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Sean+Avery, St.+Louis+Blues, Tom+Renney,

Pressure?

Talk about pressure. You are the starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens, a team that has an unbelievable history of producing great netminders such as Georges Vezina, Jacques Plante, Gump Worsley, Ken Dryden and of course, Patrick Roy. This weekend, you are the starting goaltender for the Eastern Conference All-Star team at the Bell Center in Montreal. Not only that, but 16 years ago, Roy was the starting goalie for the Wales Conference at the Montreal Forum and later that same season, won the Stanley Cup.

Do you think that current Canadiens’ and now all-star netminder Carey Price is feeling the pressure? Well, if he is, he’s certainly not showing it as the 21-year-old masked man is having a fine season for Les Canadiens. In 27 games this season, he has 16 wins, a 2.35 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and one shutout. Not bad for someone who has the ghosts of past Canadien teams looking down at him.

Price also went into the break on somewhat of a role as he won three out of his last four games and in those games has a goals against of 2.00, certainly not a bad way to go into the grueling second half of the season, a half that could determine just how far the Habs will be willing to go come spring time. Again, you think Price has a lot of pressure?! 

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Carey+Price, Eastern+Conference, Georges+Vezina, Gump+Worsley, Jacques+Plante, Ken+Dryden, Montreal+Canadiens, Patrick+Roy, Wales+Conference,

Don’t Give It Away

The New York Rangers have won two of their last four games (had a 2-1 OT loss to the Buffalo Sabres and 6-3 spanking at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens) and look to continue their strong defensive play and timely goal scoring when they take on the New York Islanders tonight at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

After head coach Scott Gordon explained to the media that he wants to play his youngsters more, it’s easy to think that the Rangers may skate all over the Isles tonight and come up with two points. However folks, remember that this is the Blueshirts and that they’ve lost games like this to the Isles before.

As such, Rangers’ head coach Tom Renney is keeping the same lineup he used on Saturday night in the team’s 2-0 shutout victory over the Ottawa Senators. This means that Aaron Voros and Dan Fritsche will once again be scratches.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Aaron+Voros, Andrew+Gross, Blue+Notes, Buffalo+Sabres, Dan+Fritsche, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, New+York+Rangers+web+site, Rangers+Rants, Rangers+Report, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gordon, Scotty+Hockey, SNY+Rangers+Blog, Steve+Zipay, Tom+Renney,

Time to Step Up

As I’m sure all of you New York Ranger fans are aware of, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was named to the Eastern Conference All Star team. He’s been a Vezina Trophy finalist in each of his three seasons in the National Hockey League so it’s nice that he finally got recognized by the league as one of the game’s elite netminders.

With that being said, if NHL management based their selections on the last two months, Lundqvist would not be on the team. Much like he did in 2006-07 and last season, Lundqvist is having trouble finding consistency. Just take a look at this week, for example. On Monday night, he stymies the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-0 shutout and last night, he allows five goals in a 6-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The team’s beat reporters went about as far to say that Lundqvist was one of the main reasons why the team lost last night. I’m sure most of you would agree.

This weekend, the team takes on the Buffalo Sabres (Friday night, 7:30 p.m., at the HSBC Arena) and the Ottawa Senators (Saturday night, 7 p.m., at Scotiabank Place). These are four points that the Rangers should be able to get so hopefully, Henrik will be on top of his game in the tilt he starts (assuming that backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette will start one of the two) because as Henrik goes, so do the Blueshirts. 

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Eastern+Conference+All+Star+Team, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Stephen+Valiquette,

Christmas Could Come Early

According to Vancouver Canucks’ General Manager Mike Gillis, Mats Sundin will have his decision by Thursday.

All I can say is, and I think the rest of the hockey world will agree with me, it’s about time. Since last season ended, all anyone could talk about was “What is Mats Sundin going to do?” “Is he going to retire?” “Is he going to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs?” “Is he going to be a Montreal Canadien, Vancouver Canuck, Philadelphia Flyer, New York Ranger, etc.?” “Will he really just be a rent-a-player?”

That question will finally be answered on Thursday and right now, it’s tough to say what he is going to decide.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Daniel+Sedin, Fredrik+Sjostrom, Henrik, Henrik+Sedin, Markus+Naslund, Mats+Sundin, Mike+Gillis, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Vancouver+Canucks,

Where’s The D?

In a surprising turn of events last night, the New York Rangers finally lost to the New Jersey Devils by a score of 8-5.

Yes folks, you read that right: the Blueshirts allowed eight goals to the Devils.

For the past few weeks, the Rangers have struggled to keep the puck out of the net. On Thursday December 4, they allowed six goals in a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Last Sunday night against the Calgary Flames, they allowed three goals in a 3-0 loss and obviously, last night wasn’t so pretty.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Calgary+Flames, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Scott+Gomez, Tom+Renney,

An Interview with an NHL Employee

Instead of talking about how the New York Rangers were able to beat a tough Pittsburgh Penguins team on Wednesday and lose to a team that was struggling to score goals on Thursday night (Montreal Canadiens), I am going to share an interview I did with Michael DiLorenzo, the NHL’s Director of Corporate Communications.

Mr. DiLorenzo was kind enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to talk to us about how he got into the sport, his role with the NHL, a look at the league’s marketing/promotion efforts, as well as his Stanley Cup Finals predictions.

Don’t worry, I’ll be back to discussing all things Rangers hockey soon but figured I’d give you guys something to enjoy before tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames.

Let’s hear your comments!

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Bobby+Brooke, Boston+Bruins, Brad+Parl, Calgary+Flames, Detroit+Red+Wings, Michael+DiLorenzo, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, NHL, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

Records can be Deceiving

With a record of 17-8-2 and sitting first in the Eastern Conference, one would have to think that the team and its fans would be happy.

In the case of the New York Rangers, not so much. Looks can be deceiving folks and yesterday afternoon’s 4-0 clunker at the hands of the Florida Panthers proves that point.

Over at Sam Weinman’s (The Journal News) Rangers Report Blog, MSG’s John Giannone points out that of the club’s 17 wins, six have come in the shootout. If there were no shootouts, the team would have a substantially lower record and would be 11-7-8.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
 Tags: Calgary+Flames, Chris+Drury, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Giannone, Markus+Naslund, Michal+Rozsival., Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Phoenix+Coyotes, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gomez, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Wade+Redden,

     

Feed

Most Recent Blog Posts