Life is pretty good for a Ranger. Sure they play an 82 game schedule, but the way they have been playing lately it comes to about 38-41 games a year. Last night against the top team in the East they managed to play about 20 minutes of hockey. They ruined what could have been a super night what with the Jets beating the Pats, but the Blueshirts could not rise to the occasion.
The Rangers are now in a 4-4-1 funk scoring all of 13 goals in that period. Of course the blame stream media is all over Marian Gaborik for not scoring any goals. Gabby is goalless in the last eight games, and has three goals in the nineteen games and only eleven for the season. How about Brandon Dubinsky with one goal in nine games, who twice missed open shots last night?
In all fairness to Gabby, he didn't see much ice time. He got all of 2:25 of ice time in the second period. The coach seems to think you can come out of a slump by sitting. Is the next stop for Gabby Hartford? The coach would make a great kindergarten teacher. You know the one that sits you in the corner when you used to pull the hair of the girl in front of you. Better he should cut the ice time of the over worked guys especially the two overused horses on defense.
So now the Rangers have lost three out of three to the beasts of the East, Philadelphia. The game got feisty in the second period with Prust, Kris Newbury and Avery engaging in some brawling. Now you all know that I am a big Sean Avery fan, but Sean, I am not a fan of punching a guy when he is on the ice. I am sure the frustration of limited ice time is starting to wear on Sean, but keep the fights fair.
The way the team is going it looks like the coach is wearing on the whole team. The Rangers who were only four points behind the top team in the East a few days ago are now only five points ahead of ninth place Carolina and Carolina has three games in hand. Keep putting the kids in the corner coach.
As for my friend, The Dark Ranger, this looks like a long unhappy season as his favorite team keeps losing to the team he loves to hate. Hang in there pal, better days are ahead, I hope.
HockeyFights.com:
Avery being Avery -- After a relatively quiet month by his standards, Sean Avery is back at it again.
During a second period gathering that nearly became a line brawl in Sunday's Flyers-Rangers meeting, Avery took advantage of a favorable matchup against Matt Carle and pounded him to the ice, getting in a couple of shots while Carle was already down.
Matt Walker and Kris Newbury grappled and exchanged punches along the boards during the fracas, but neither received fighting majors. The same went for Darroll Powe and Brandon Prust, who never got going...
HockeyFights.com:
Matt Carle vs Sean Avery -- Who won?
Sean Avery -- 61.5%
Matt Carle -- 21.5%
Draw -- 17.0%
You're being a too hard on Avery.
Avs threw a total of four punches. Two shots were thrown when Carle went to the ice and only one of those caught the top of the turtle's head. Avery stopped as soon as he knew he had a confirmed turtle.
Remember these are the Broad Street Bullies here. Do you remember last year when Carcillo pounded Gaborik to the ice? I also see that the league fined Danny Briere $1000 for punching Prust in tha back of the head from the bench during Sunday's game.
I'm reminded of the Clint Eastwood movie 'Unforgiven' when Clint's character shoots the saloonkeeper. And the sheriff, Little Bill, says, "You just shot an unarmed man." Clint replies, "Well, he should have armed himself."
Same deal here. If you're Flyer and you drop gloves with a Ranger then arm yourself.
It hurts too much to write about it, Mike. You know me so well. Not sure why psychologically we cannot raise our game against them.
Kid Dynamite-You are right Kid but no one should get punched when they are on the ice.
I know Avery wanted Carcillo last time but the worm weaseled out.
I still think a lot of it had to do with frustration with the amount of ice time coach disagrreable is giving him.
You are right, against the Flyers the motto should be: Stay armed.
The Dark Ranger-We are overcoached. Peter L. over coach disagrreable.
Don't take it too hard. Trust me after a while you find other things to amuse you.
I didn't reach this ripe old age making book on Ranger success stories.