Hurricanes and Penquins

I feel like writing about the Rangers ability to play themselves out of games. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the results were completely opposite, but the team played themselves out of both games. Two on one after two on one. No goals. No creativity. No soft touch. Regardless who it was.
We all agree that The Rangers have a need for additional scoring. Renney reconstitutes the lust to recreate the NJ Devils cup teams every time he is asked about the low scoring punch of the Rangers. It needs to be clarified that the NJ Devils Cup winning teams did not go out and score one first and beat you 1-0. Or even 2-1. No. Cup contenders score 3,4 5 goals on there way to a defensive minded Stanley Cup. Renney MUST recognize this deficiency in his roster set up every night. And begin to inject a more opportunistic approach in building an insurmountable lead. Renney cannot and will not go far with a 1-4 check after a one goal lead or after giving up the tying goal. The reason the one goal lead evaporates is directly correlated to the 1-4 check in place and the over use of defensive players.
I recommend that Callahan be moved the Betts line and either Prucha or Parrenteu be put into the line up while Colton Orr takes his well earned (1 goal in 2 years) spot in the stands. The toughness will emerge if needed from productive players.

Rangers 4 Ducks 2

Shorthanded goals!! Power play goals!!! By the N Y Rangers!!! 

   This was the most complete game I have seen the Blair Betts line play ever. When I say complete game , I mean scoring, checking, defending.  Otherwise ,in hockey, it does not constitute a complete game. The hitting was spirited last night at times. The rough stuff came from junior Rangers. That was refreshing. 

    Voros and Fritsche in . Prucha and Korpokoski scratched.  I will only presume they needed a rest. LOL!  What a bonehead personnel change by the coach. It should have cost us the game . Given Voros's ability to find the penalty box instead of the front of the net the way Prucha does. Fritsche spent most of his ice time falling down and being non effective instead of Korpokoski's speed and superior puck handling abilities. 

    The PK and the PP were the deciding factor for the Rangers.

Rangers Win In Chicago Despite The Penalties And Lose In Pittsburgh

Play the trap. Play against the trap. It doesn't make a difference with the Rangers. The Renney Robots have found a way to get 7 points on the road trip. Drury thinks it took the team a while to figure out how to retrieve the puck from the dump ins against Pittsburgh. Wow!
My prediction for second half of the Rangers season is that they will be the most penalized team in the NHL . (see the Hawks game) My reason is that the management has figured out that the Rangers are number one in penalty kills. Therefore they will cheat until caught. It works for as long as no team scores 3 power play goals on a given night against the Rangers. It is a sucky way to watch your team play. This is only my opinion of course. I could be totally wrong. The Rangers could just be the laziest and lowest IQ team collectively in the NHL. I might be giving the management too much credit on this point. It has been discussed that the Rangers must take penalties to stop scoring chances. This requires quick thinking. That being said. It seems the Rangers are willing to hook. hold, and interfere their way to a win .
Where do the goals come from in April? Where are the Rangers going to turn when the opponent scores on the power play?
A classic example of Rangers offensive ineptitude happened in Pittsburgh. To frame it, look back at the Pens first goal that came on a one timer from the slot off a gorgeous blind pass by Sykora. The one timer was placed off the ice and to the stick side of Henrik. GOAL PENS. In the third, the Rangers passed a puck from behind the net to the slot for a great one timer opportunity for Blair Betts. Betts shot the puck low and into the goalie. The goalie has NO CHANCE to react to a one timer like that. But Betts reacted even slower than Fleury. Typical Ranger play. Reason? Opportunities do happen for the Rangers. But the players the Rangers utilize do not react well to offensive opportunities because they are not prepared for offense, Instead, the Rangers are ultra prepared for back checking. This affects the offensive phsycie in my opinion. Lending itself to choking on offense by the Rangers.

Islanders Provide The Rangers With A Win ('Cause The Rangers Sure Didn't Deserve It)

A 1 -4 checking scheme for the whole 2nd half of the game? What is going on here? Is anybody at the least concerned in Rangersland about the obvious lack of scoring chances every single night ? Do any of the upper brass ever check in to what the coach has created ? Renney has created a team that can only win by the thinnest of margins. This is not due to a lack of team speed, or quality scorers. (Historicaly, Naslund, Drury, Zherdev, Prucha, Redden, and EVEN Gomez have put a few pucks in the net at the NHL level) But Renney and the coaching staff keeps shoveling the lack of attention to detail crap as HIS argument for the need to play a non aggressive , no attack style. Which ends up reinforcing his LAME LAME LAME argument that the Rangers are not a high scoring bunch.
Why is Renney allowed to continue in this fashion? It will not get this team deep into the playoffs. It stifles the development of scoring touch from the younger players. And most of all , it makes me feel like we LOST the game when we win!! I hate the style. I hate the fact that the N Y Rangers play this way in the biggest market and most famous arena in the world.

Friday In Buffalo And Saturday In Ottowa

What did I learn from the Rangers games this weekend? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.  The Sabers and Senators are sleepwalking these days. I can't remember the last time the Rangers went to Ottowa and didn't get pasted from wire to wire until Saturday. Who was the impostor of the Ottowa Senators that played the Rangers???

   Ryan Miller was as good as Stevie V Friday night. But yet again. Who were those impostors in Sabers uniforms? That wasn't the Lindy Ruff coached team that I have been accustomed to seeing . Albeit, the Sabers did use a 5 man forecheck at times during the game. But not nearly as much as they normally do against NY.

   The Rangers played like The NY Rangers usually play in 2008-2009.  No forecheck, very few scoring chances, and borderline defense. Good enough to tie and win  for 3 points in Buffalo and Ottowa. This road trip is about beating the teams you are supposed to beat at this point of the season. The Rangers did that so far. 

WE NEVER BEAT MONTREAL (The Rangers had beaten Montreal four straight times at home...Hockey News ) WELL, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT.

WHEN DOES IT END? THE RANGERS DEFENDERS DO NOT STAND UP. THE FORWARDS LOOK DISORGANIZED ON ALL ASPECTS. THE 4TH LINE STARTS THE GAME ON HOME ICE. ALL BUT MAILING A HAND DELIVERED MESSAGE TO MONTREAL AND THE REST OF THE RANGERS THAT RENNEY DOESN'T THINK HIS NUMBER ONE LINE CAN MATCH THE CANADIAN'S TOP LINE. WHY NOT JUST STAY HOME NEXT TIME AND CALL THE LEAGUE AND FORFEIT THE GAME?
THE RANGERS LOST LAST NIGHT BECAUSE THEY USED THE FOURTH LINE TOO MUCH. WHICH CAUSED THE REST OF THE OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO NEVER GET A RHYTHM.

Prucha Scores in Loss Vs Caps. Prucha Assists in WinVs Pens

The Rangers need 3 more Peter Prucha's in the lineup every night. He drives the net on every chance. He passes the puck to the front of the goal whenever he can. In other words, Prucha CREATES.
Creating chances is what the NY Rangers, A K A Renney Robots, are lacking in a big way. If Sather is going to trade, he needs to bring 2 to 3 skilled forwards to the STARTING LINEUP. I emphasized starting lineup because I am afraid the Renney would not insert skilled offensive players in the lineup every night. Skilled , gifted , offensive players cannot be trained to be Robots.