The Rangers were credited with 38 hits last night. They must have started counting them in the local bar prior to the game. However, the biggest hit was accidental and came at 1:42 of the third period. That's when Chris Kreider slid into the Ottawa goal, upended goalie Craig Anderson, and knocked him out of the game. At the time, Anderson, was pitching a shutout and the way the game was going the Rangers were headed for their second straight loss. Anderson is leading the NHL goalies with a 1.57 GAA and a .95 save %. So odds were good that the Rangers would be blanked.
The Rangers were without Rick Nash and Arron Ashham but the Senators were really hurting with five players out including All Star Dman Erik Karlson and forward Jason Spezza. So the Red Cross could have sponsered this game and pulled in a haul. For the Rangers lately, it doesn't matter who is in or out. It's the same listless performance playing scared defense and tentative offense.
Callahan, who else, opened the scoring for the Rangers to tie the game. Believe it or not it was a power play goal taking the Rangers off an 0-3 drought on the PP. Despite the goal, the Rangers have the worst power play in the NHL. Ryan McDonagh put the Rangers ahead but Mike Zibanejad tied the score with 6:39 left, a power play goal, and the teams then went to OT and eventually to a shootout which the Rangers lost 2-1. Kespars Daugavins pushed the puck under Lundqvist in the seventh round and the Rangers head to the House of Horrors in Montreal on a mini losing streak.
The only good news is that the Canadiens lost to the Islanders last night in OT, 4-3. That ended a Montreal five game winning streak. Maybe it will be bad news as the Canadiens will be smarting from the loss and come out flying. I remember back in the 50's they were known as the Flying Frenchmen. Save for that miraculous run in 49-50 when we lost out in seven games for The Cup, I won't mention what they used to call us.
So it's on to the Bell Centre, formerly New Forum, Old Forum aka House of Horrors. The only thing different is that I will have part of my family there. My two sons along with my grandson will be there rooting and tooting for the Broadway Blueshirts. It's time for a little retribution and a big win there. At the least, a good showing. Give 'em hell family.
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notice how the sens had an injury report on anderson before the game even ended? And a real one too, spreained ankle day to day, a week or 2 projected. Wow! I forgot how nice that is. we are not allowed to get any injurty information anymore, "we're not talking injuries" the little dictator barks! i don't see why we cant get some general info on our own players.
Cally played a good game, he hasnt been so great some nights and last night he was good, the pp goal was a nice touch.
Gaby had some good chances but he's off the mark by a hair, poor guy. I feel so bad for Henrik, he gets so mad at himself and always feels he should have every shot but the team hasnt stepped up from, theyre all too happy to sit back and let him do all the hard work, he seems so frustrated. The team just seems so lathargic and i start to wonder what will actually motivate them to elevate theyre games. i dont know but an overall lack of effort over a long period of time usually means one thing...coaching issues.
Pundit's family going to the game in Montreal ought to bring us some luck. LGR! Hope they win for them.
Mike, did you see those highlights they showed last night from 79-80 when the Rangers played the Blues and a brawl broke out, the fans got rowdy and it prompted a Blues player to moon the crowd? The players were running to the dressing rooms so they could fight each other in the hallway. Wow have we evolved. When you consider some of the history of the NHL guys like Cooke and Neil look so tame lol! Notice I didn't use our so called tough guy Asham as an example. He's tame every night. Didn't miss him last night did you?
Well the good news was that the Rangers looked better than the Montreal game but the bad news is all they had to do was show up to the arena to accomplish that. It just kills me to watch this team underachieve like this. I don't even know what I can say about the game that I haven't been saying. One thing for sure my sister (Jeanine1994) is right about the(lack of) injury report and Andrew Gross blogged his frustration regarding the issue today. People who really enjoy the kool aid keep insisting to me that the silence is to "protect" the players from being targeted but thats only because they can't open their eyes to the fact that our little (and he is little) dictator coach wants the ultimate control. Does anyone here really believe that Nash does not have a concussion? No doubt in my mind. Rangers cover the injuries all the time so the control freak can have free reign to pressure the players into playing when they should be healing. He's got to keep them "out of the tub!" The guy is truly psychotic. BTW my favorite coach in the league Detroit"s Mike Babcock doesn't have much to work with as far as his players are concerned. Wings are in a rebuilding period and according to my Red Wing twitter friends their defense is terrible yet they have a record of 7-7-3 giving them 17 pts in 17 games. A similar record to the Rangers who are 8-6-2 giving them 18 points in 16 games. The difference between these coaches is one has a team that went into the season as a Stanley Cup favorite and the team underachieves and the other is taking a team that is not supposed to do anything and they are at least .500 which isn't bad considering. The way you coach is everything to a team. And to cap that off I read a tweet that said a Sens fan sitting behind the Rangers bench was holding up a sign that read "Hey Torts, TSN is hiring" - Hey sens fan, can I borrow that sign? Love it.
Hope the boys have a good time, no matter the result ...