The roar that greeted the announcement of Jaromir Jagr in the starting lineup was ear tingling. It had followed the roar of the crowd as the team hit the ice and the roar following the National Anthem.
Then came the groan and the silence as Sandis Ozolinsh was trapped and Tom Poti misplayed a two on one. Bingo. Goal! Game! The silence was deafening. Jagr later remarked in the dressing room, "We have to learn how to play a two on one." We don't know how. You leave the shooter to the goalie. Oh well, one more game to figure it out.
Watching the replay in the early minutes Sam and JD remarked that the coaching staff didn't want to hear Ozolinsh being booed last night. Well there is one way to stop it. Don't play him. Hasn't Renney seen enough of this? We got him for offense, especially on the PP, but our defense has gone south since he showed up. Plus he is paired with Tom Poti. Talk about a perfect storm.
After the game I picked up the Renney press conference on the radio. Would you believe not one question of why Renney played Ozolinsh? The usual fluff questions from the drive-by sports media. There was no need to ask why Ozolinsh played. Ozolinsh is playing because Glen Sather traded for him. How fitting, Sather's other god child Tom Poti is paired with Ozolinsh. Maybe it's Tom Renney's perverse way of getting back at Sather.
The life was sucked out of the Garden after Jamie Langenbrunner's goal. Sykora hit the post, that would have tied it, and later hit another post on a gimme to the left of Broduer who made 25 saves. It has been a rough series for Sykora who hit a post in game two, on a five on three, that also might have turned the game around. That's how it goes with the losing teams. The good teams do get the breaks.
What more can you say about Jagr. He gave it his all and thought he might lift the team. Right now this team needs a crane to lift it. The Prince was back in the nets but still is not there yet. Something is amiss. I said it last column that he should have played game two. Another game to iron out whatever kinks exist in his game or his head. He seemed to pick it up in the third period when he made all seven saves.
Besides Jagr, who played over seventeen minutes, Rucinsky and Rucchin also played with injuries. Rucinsky with a broken finger and Rucchin with a broken foot. It was a valiant effort by the skating wounded but unfortunately they couldn't lift up the rest of the team especially one defenseman. At one time in the third period Renney had the wounded trio of Jagr, Rucinsky and Rucchin on the ice at the same time and they did create some opportunities.
What about game four? Do we go quitely or do we kick up a storm? We should stop talking about the great 0-3 comebacks and start thinking about how we start winning periods. Maybe we should be concentrating on scoring goals. That should be our motto. How do you win games? One goal at a time.
ICINGS: Ryan Hollweg continues to play well. He has now become a force even on offense. Perhaps putting him in front of the goalie on the power play? Try something but sit Ozolinsh for game four. At least spare us that.
A very nice Rangers fan in the park today said her father had a flashback nightmare when Zach Parise scored the "nail-in-the-coffin" third goal for the Devils. Thirty-one years ago in 1975 his father, left winger, Jean-Paul Parise of the New York Islanders scored a decisive goal for the Islanders against the Rangers in a Round 1 playoff game. The Islanders won that series 2-1. Ouch!
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The Rangers need official leadership, too. Someone to smack the team up'side the head.
We need a captain.
Good idea. Renney needs someone to get in the face of these players. He won't do the job.
Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft...
Good idea. Renney needs someone to get in the face of these players. He won't do the job.
Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft, Soft...
It saddens me how one mans arrival, Ozolinsh, turned what was an awesome season into what feels like another year without the playoffs. I was there last night pumped and ready to go. It came quickly his stupid mistimed pinch and Poti’s piss pour attempt at playing some defense. You either take away the passing lane or force the pass, but doing neither just freezes the goalie. He did the same stupid thing in game two. As for the team as a whole, it looked like they were nervous playing at the Garden. One of the things that pisses me off the most is that it felt like 75% of the game was played in the Rangers offensive zone… but most of the time behind the net. Its UN-FRIGGIN believable how this team so quickly unwound. I’m still praying for a win in game 4, and I’ll keep wearing my Rangers gear with pride but this is sad :(
Ready to talk about next year?
1. no fire sales
2. no more Europeans. Get some of those Western Canadian farm boys. that's a missing piece..
but do we have a kernal of a team to build on? Moore's smart but needs to put on about 30 pounds, Ortmeyer needs to practice trying to hit the broad side of barn with a puck this summer, Prucha, Malik, Rozsival, Tyutin are keepers.
scott-They should name Jagr. He seems to be the spokesman after each game.
bitter & broken in brooklyn-you must believe it, you wrote it twice. Renney is non confrontational
anonymous-a lot of cycling but no shots. keep praying man, you gotta believe.
rangerfan-add Immonen,Pock, Stahl, Baranka, Dawes and a mess of kids in Hartford. Plus Chara, free agent.
Our inability/FEAR to go down the middle is killing us. Every other playoff team that scores, has done so by driving down the middle. Its simple geometry/math: best angle at the goalie, is in front of him. If you drive down the middle, you will get hit, and knocked down, but that will be hte only way to reestablish it. Ozolinsh is a disaster, and hopefully will be drummed out of hockey... Next year, yeah, we need to get more north americans, and re-vamp the defense. Id certainly make a run at chara, getrid of poti, tyutin, and maybe one other european defenseman. Nylander, as good a passer he is, is too soft, and id deal him too, to make room for immonen. Definately bring back rucinsky and rucchin, as they have shown a lot more grit and heart than i had given them credit for. Same with straka. Hossa has finally come into his own. Id love to see him and hollweg on a line, as hollweg would clear space for hossa to move...
To jagr meister-Too many Europeans who believe in the perimeter game, afterall Sather and Renney constructed the team arouhd Jagr. Disagree with you on Tyutin and Hossa. Tyutin is young and has played aggressively. I must be missing something on Hossa. Great young talent in Hartford.
My problem with Tyutin is his consistency...in being inconsistent. He will have one great game, and about 5 or 6 bad games. He has shown pretty bad instincts, an unwillingness to shoot regularly, or play the body. He has terrific size, and an amazing shot, when he decides to use them both, yet he seems unwilling to do either. As for Hossa, at 23, he is still very young, so his offensive skills will come. He has looked very good as of late, and has been playing very hard and with passion. He has earned the spot he has been given as of late. I went to school in upstate NY, so i got CBC and TSN, and got to see him play regularly when he was in the Montreal Organization. He was always a good defensive forward, the knock on him was he never tried, and hadnt perfected his ability to be a finisher. I think the second part will come with time, and is slowly, as with more playing time he improved. As for not trying, he has solved that. That is just my take on Hossa and Tyutin.
To jagr meister-Remember Tyutin is only 22. Hope you are right about Hossa. Good takes.
I'd definitely add Chara and more of the kids from Hartford (and Staal!).
I quickly became disenchanted with Ozo, and haven't liked Poti since he was brought to the Garden. We need a player like Zubov and someone like Beuk. A quarterback and a pounder. Chara fits the latter to a tee.