After last night's debacle it might be more difficult for The Stealth to pull off a trade for Rick Nash. It was a game where no Ranger was particularly impressive. The game did prove that the Rangers need Nash and maybe a tougher more surer defenseman. It was a game where one team, the Islanders, needed the game and the other, the Rangers, wanted the game. The needy team beat the greedy team.
Fortunately, the Rangers are still seven points up on their closest rival and the Islanders moved to within six points of the last playoff spot. Hmmm. The Islanders in eighth place playing the first place Rangers. The Pundit does not like that matchup. For the second game in a row Marty Biron put the Rangers behind the eight ball giving up two questionable goals. He has given up three goals in each of his last four starts. With 23 games to go is it time to let Lundqvist carry the load the rest of the way?
The Rangers are 1-2-1 in their last four and look like a tired team. Their offense is, well it's offensive. Staal scored the first goal on a cheating Nabokov. Gaborik was sprung for a breakaway goal and Stepan scored on as beautiful a cue shot you will ever see, the puck bouncing off of three Islander players. So there is no systematic offense. Its all helter skelter.
The all knowing, all wise coach says the team is sloppy right now. What a surprise. A team that has relied on a kamikazi defense in front of a rock solid goalie is now tired and sloppy. The warts are starting to show. Girardi recorded 30:04. McDonagh was right behind at 29:14. You think they are just as efficient in the later minutes of the game? Boyle and Dubinsky got over 17 minutes each. What did either accomplish? On the other end of the spectrum Rupp got his 6 plus minutes and no fight tonight. Why is he on the team? He is on the team so that Sean sits in Hartford. Fatso is happy that Sean is in Hartford.
So now the pressure is on The Stealth to revive this team with a blockbuster trade or two. You think we have as many indispensables today that we had three weeks ago? I don't think so. Remember when we traded guys like Mike Gartner and Tony Amonte to get the role players to win the Cup? However, we don't need role players. We need a big tough forward and a big tough defenseman so that when one of our guys get cheap shoted we retaliate, on the ice, at that time. It's time some things changed in Rangerland. Now is the time. Strike Stealth, strike.
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Yes, the "warts are showing." Biron is regressing. The defense is cracking. The offense is stagnant. Richards looks like he's setting up to be Drury 2.0. It feels like a team that is now limping to the playoffs. Lundqvist is the only one holding it together, and now he's got a pregnant wife to worry about. That might well knock him off his game. But we are in first place so all is well.
Fatso and many, many other nhl'ers love Avery in hartford. And after todays disgusting news, they can can all exhale, because that's where he'll be sitting for the rest of the year.
How and why do you not put him on waivers? San Jose, Calgary, Florida, Pittsburgh....all wanted to claim him.
But no. Sather wants to pay Avery his full amount to live in brooklyn and drive to the once a week whale practice that doesn't even want him there in the first place.
This is absolutely disgraceful. Sorry, but there's no reason for this non-move besides macho head games. Unless of course they trade him in a minor league deal...but why would they do that? That would be sensible and just. Two words Sather never has and never will learn.
Just hearing Sam Rosen announce: "..and here's Brad Richards, he is 0-for-eight in the shootout this season..." gave me a sick feeling last night.
And Richards looked like a condemned man shuffling down the ice, hestitatingly...
If we have to live with the damn shootout as a fact of NHL life, can't Coach Tortorella use a little imagination for once?
Richards..AGAIN?
And John Mitchell as de-facto shooter #4? No matter what he acheived in Toronto, Mitchell is 0-for-the season in these situations.
Why not Anisimov? Del Zotto? Fedotenko?
I see Minnesota took a shootout victory over Florida a couple of nights back. This "Christensen" fellow scored on the very first shot for the Wild.
(ps: Avery lives in Manhattan.)
"Avery lives in manhattan".....LOL sorry sir