Good Triumphs Over Evil as Rangers Blank Penguins 5-0

Okay – first of all – if you missed this one live - then go watch the replay on MSG.  It is one of the best Ranger wins in a long time.  Your New York Rangers took on the red hot Pittsburgh Penguins and their 7 game win streak and basically dismantled Crosby & Company as completely as you could ever hope to see.

On the heels of a depressing and lifeless 3-1 loss to Edmonton, and after a closed-door players only meeting - the Rangers, despite still missing the injured McDonagh and Boyle, responded with their most complete game of the year. 

The Rangers skated, they hustled, they attacked, they defended, and when the ice chips cleared they had beaten the hated aquatic birds 5-0.  And, as my Dad used to say – the game was not as close as the score would indicate.  The Blueshirts had a goal disallowed with a bogus goaltender interference call – and Marc-Andre Fluery actually made several spectacular saves – otherwise the Rangers could easily have tallied a few more. 

So many standout performances – but let’s start at the back and work forward:

King Me!  That was Henrik Lundqvist’s 53^rd Ranger shutout win.  The Penguins definitely had their looks and their chances – but Hank stood tall – or on his head – or whatever the situation called for and stopped every puck that came his way.  Crosby, Malkin and the rest launched 33 shots, but Hank was perfect and that’s your puck-game right there (Editor – “puckgame”?) (Dave Pucks – well, it's not a "ballgame" - you know what I mean).  Although – truth be told – one shot did slip by the King…

They Call Me Mister Glass:  … and Tanner Glass made an awesome save of his own.  With the score 0-0 and Hank fooled by a rising deflection, the puck trickled through the Ranger Goalie and was headed for the back of the net – until Tanner swooped in and sticked it aside just as it reached the goal line.

    

Fine Mister Klein:  Kevin drilled in a goal from the blue line and now has all three of the Rangers defenseman goals this year – and defended well all game.

Shortie for the Tall Guy - Nash –notched his league leading 12^th goal of the year – a shorthander off a beautiful – almost too casual - feed from Derek Stepan.  And it’s fitting pay-it-forward because Rick had two assists earlier, most notably passing up a great opportunity from point blank range to slide a perfect pass to….

…Marty St. Louis who calmly slid it into the net for a Ranger goal. 

And – reunited with Stepan (2 assists) – Mats Zuccarello notched a goal and is starting to score again after a slow start.

Throw in a tally from Brassard and we get the 5 goal explosion that was your New York Rangers this evening.

7-6-2 on the year now and I’ll take it.  We’ve seen some good and some bad – but my overall impression is – the defense will improve as we get our people back.  But this year’s Rangers – unlike last year’s – have a real ability to put that puck in the net in bunches.  We finally have the Rick Nash we thought we were getting.  Marty St. Louis has plenty left in the tank.  We have two really good lines – the league’s best goaltender (in my opinion anyway).  And one hell of a coach if you ask me – smart – calm – and effective.

So – at this moment anyway – life is looking good for the New York Rangers – who just played their best game of the season – with hopefully more to come.  Too pumped to sleep – but I’ll give it a try.  Dave Pucks over and out!

Game Night: The Good, The Bad, and the Crosby:

When we last saw our heroes they were getting outworked, outscored, and outplayed by an inferior but streaky Edmonton Oiler team. The Blueshirts' effort was questioned – by us – and by their own players and coaching staff. That's "The Bad".

For "The Good" - here come the Pittsburgh Penguins – on a 7 game win streak and focusing all their red hot anger on the team that outlasted them in the playoffs last year – which somehow – is us. They are playing good - but I guess that's also bad - for us.

And the Ugly – Sidney Crosby – the only player whose fake penalty diving so infuriated Henrik Lundqvist that our usually cool and composed goaltender skated out of his crease to yell at the crybaby from close range.

The Rangers better find their game – some grit – some defense – some puck possession – some effort – and some pulse for goodness sake - or this will be an icy fiasco. Dave Pucks out!

Where the Puck is it?

Puck possession. 

All the cool kids know about it.  It’s all about having the puck. Because the puck is kind of important in a hockey game.  You know what I mean.  When the puck leaves the rink – everybody stops until they get a new one.  And hockey games are basically puck possession battles.  One team gets the puck and either scores with it – keeps it – or gives it back to the opposition – who then does the same thing and back and forth until the game ends.

So, the Rangers – after losing Saturday night in Toronto – traveled back to New York to play the Oilers today at 6pm and, well, they didn't possess the puck much.  At all.  For the entire game.

Edmonton possessed the puck.  A lot.  For most of the game.  They out face-offed the Rangers 39 to 29.  (Editor – you know that “faced-offed” is not a word, right?)  (Dave Pucks – don’t start with me Ed, I’m not in the mood.  The Rangers lost tonight and the New York Giants probably lost their season. )  (Editor – look I know, man, but I have to try and edit here – it’s my job) (Dave Pucks – whatever man, just if I were you I’d TREAD LIGHTLY!)

Where was I?  We were out face-offed 39-29.  We were outshot 31 to 21.  We gave the puck away  7 times and Edmonton took away the puck 5 more times.  Put all that together and it means we never had the puck – so we could never do all the cool stuff that the puck possessor can do – like shoot or, you know, score.  Your basic Hockey stuff.

And to make it all worse it was the guy we let get away - Benoit Pouliot – basically beat us single handedly by assisting on the first goal and scoring the go-ahead goal himself.  That stinks.

But here’s what really happened.  The Rangers are playing without Ryan McDonagh and Dan Boyle and “there’s Moore” (see what I did there?  Wasn’t that cool?)  (Editor – not when you call attention to it, no).  So with our defensemen depleted – our remaining blue liners (Staal, Girardi, etc.) are overworked, exhausted, and basically running out of gas – particularly on back to back games that require international travel.  So we were always a step behind – couldn't get the puck – couldn't keep it when they did get it – and couldn’t score when they did keep it.

If you want the bright side – here it is:  Carl Hagelin notched his 4^th goal of the season.  And that’s it.  A tough night for our heroes and one we can hopefully bounce back from soon.

Bad day in Rangerville.  We’ll talk tomorrow

Game Day - Rangers and Edmonton Oilers

Happy Sunday morning Ranger fans (and also to my perpetually angry Editor – whose name is coincidentally Ed - but he’s probably not awake yet this morning because stays out too late carousing and dare I say: gallivanting around).  

Some folks may think of this as Football Sunday – but you and I know it is a Rangers Game Day as our heroes return home from their 4 goals wasted in Toronto last night.  Henrik had to make the trip – just to sit there and watch Cam Talbot slowly turn into Marty Biron (and by that I mean great first season as backup followed by a not-so-good one).  But tonight he clears customs and gets back in net against the Edmonton Oilers – which I will unofficially proclaim as the NHL:’s streakiest team.  Here’s their season – they lost 5 – then won 4 – then lost 4 – then won one.  So we’re on the bad side of the streak.  

But – coach Vigneault (and at least 3 of those consonants are there for no reason at all) (Editor – that’s how Canadians spell things) (Dave Pucks – look who finally woke up.  Rough night Ed?) (Editor – let’s keep this professional – okay?) (Dave Pucks – isn’t it spelled Canadiens with an e near the end) (Editor – don’t try to edit the editor, okay.  You use an “a” in Canadians when you’re talking about the actual countrymen – not the hockey team) (Dave Pucks – okay – relax – I think you’re hung over – I’m moving on) …Coach Vigneault knows that on the road where the opponents have the last line change – our injury-depleted defense is really exposed.  So he’s saving Hank for home games where he can put Girardi or Staal out there against the opponents top lines.  (Editor – that should be opponent’s with an apostrophe)  (Dave Pucks – leave me alone Ed, you know what - I’m not writing anymore this morning.  I was going to show the starting lines but now - forget it)

(Editor – Dave?)

(Editor – Hey Dave?)

(Editor – Uh, folks – I think Dave Pucks stepped away.  The game starts at 6pm.)

      

Rangers Score Four (Needed More)

Okay – it’s a tough loss – but not really – and here’s why.  Last year’s Rangers fell just short of winning it all – and what failed them in the finals we not enough firepower (not enough goals).  Well, this year – with Stepan back in the lineup the Rangers scored 4 times – and as the season wears on – when we get our defensemen back – and when Lundqvist is in the net – 4 goals will be more than enough.  

There is every reason to believe the defense will get better – and no reason to think the offense will get worse.  Our good defenders are either hurt (McDonagh, Boyle) or suspended (Moore) or overworked/exhausted right now (Girardi, Staal).  Put that together with Cam Talbot in the net and you get – well, tonight you got 5 goals against.  Is that likely to improve as we get healthy – yes it is.

But what’s really encouraging are the goals we’re scoring. 

Line 1 scored – Nash’s league lead tying 11^th of the season off a beautiful behind-the-back assist for Little St. Louie (his 7^th assist). 

And line 2 – boosted by Stepan’s return - scored twice – one by Kreider in the game’s first minute and a second by Mats Z at 19:20 of the first. 

Line 3 – Hagelin tallied one as well. 

So it’s a regulation loss – but the team, showed toughness and fight on the road and nearly stole one before our depleted defensive core gave it all away. 

What’s Next:  Well, for me – I’m going to bed – followed by a shower in the morning and ... (Editor – I think this section is about what’s next for the Rangers) (Dave Pucks – oh, right) The Rangers return to Madison Square Garden (which is actually a non-square non-garden structure) for a 6pm Sunday home game verses the Edmonton Oilers.  See youse all then.

Game Night - Rangers and Toronto "Make Believes"

Well friends – its game night for our Rangers as they travel to Toronto to take on a team we like to call the Toronto “Make Believes”.  The Leafs (Editor – shouldn’t that be “Leaves” – the correct plural of Leaf?) (Dave Pucks – yes and no – this is how they do it for some reason) have 14 points – the same as our heroes – but with one more game played.  Not that it matters so much this early in the season.

Statistically – Toronto is better than the Rangers in almost every way – goals scored – goals let up – power play percentage – penalty kill – you name it.  And Phil Kessel is red hot right now.  On the other hand – the Leafs have lost 2 straight – though – there’s no need to panic as Toronto’s Richard Panik (Dave Pucks – see what I did there?) (Editor – if you mean “annoy us” then yes I do) got them a goal in their prior game’s last minute to send the game to OT and get his team at least one point in the loss.  Rangers have won 5 of the last 6 meetings.  We’re sending Cam Talbot out there tonight – to give Hank some rest on a travel day in what will be a 4 games in 6 days stretch.  

And we get Derek Stepan back for the first time this year with a fully healed femur (you need those for hockey) and without that broken-jaw faceguard we saw him with in last year’s playoffs.  Here is a wild guess at the lines.  Feel free to put your own name in for the 3^rd defensive pairing – you’re probably as good as what we have there now.

Line 1 - Nash-Brassard-St.Louis
Line 2 - Kreider-Stepan-Zuccarello (yay - Step returns!)
Line 3 - Hagelin-D. Moore-Stempniak
Line 4 - Glass-Hayes-Duclair (hey I thought the Duke had to be top 9 to stick here)

Defense pair 1 - Staal- Klein

Defense pair 2 - Allen- GirardiDefense pair 3- Hunwick-Kostka (or something like that - any of you ever play defense in the beer league?)

That’s all for now – see you after the game.  Still seats available for those of you who can travel to Canada in the next 20 minutes.

Ranger Finally Win In OT

Can you believe it?  The Rangers finally won a game that was tied at the end of regulation, outlasting the Detroit Redwings 4-3.  Your faithful friend Dave Pucks was in the house Monday Night (in the Opera Man section) watching the Rangers struggle to hold leads without regular defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Klein, and Dan Boyle (I almost typed “Bryan” Boyle)  (Editor – so now you’re going to tell us things you almost typed but didn't?  You realize that you actually had to type Bryan Boyle in order to tell us that you didn't type it)  (Dave Pucks - You’re right Ed, I’ll stop doing that).

Anyway – Once again our heroes failed to hold leads – of 2-0 and again at 3-2.  The last one really hurt because we were 7.7 seconds away from winning in regulation.  Henrik got a glove up but the wrister from Tomas Tatar found the back of the net at 19:52 of the third period.

But in OT – with the Rangers on a 4 on 3 powerplay – Brassard knocked in the game winner from close range over a flailing and apparently injured J. Gustavsson to send the faithful home happy.  A nice payback for Derek, because the Rangers first tally was a Brassard shot that ricocheted in the net off of Rick Nash’s rear end – giving Nasher’s “large target” butt the credit for scoring and Brassard just an assist for doing most of the work. 

The Rangers other two goals were by little Marty St. Louis and Lee Stempniak.  A nice win for a club that is still pounded with injuries but is slowly mending.  And it extends our streak of consecutive Ranger wins when they score 4 or more goals.   That;'s all for now - 

Riding Back In FROM the Sunset

Now where were we?  Oh – that’s right – we had to step away for a few months there (Editor – it was a year and a half) (Dave Pucks – now don’t you start with me, Ed, can you at least let me get a few sentences out before you start interrupting me?)  (Editor – fine – just go ahead)

Anyway - here we are back again and ready for action.  The Rangers may have lost in the Stanley cup finals last year 4-1, but with three overtime games it was a highly competitive series that – if we had squeaked one more tally in off the post against Quick in game 5, well, you know how that could have played out.  Don’t get me started.  (Editor – no one is getting you started) (Dave Pucks - It’s a figure of speech, yo)  (Editor – you’re not speaking so how could it be a figure of speech?) (Dave Pucks –shut up – I’m blogging here)

Anyway –it’s a new season – a brave new world – and with the sad news that our beloved comrade Kevin Delury is hanging up his keyboard for good over at the New York Rangers Blog – well, we just thought it was time to crank this apparatus back up again and see if we can get it road-worthy again. 

Much has changed since we last spoke.  The Rangers have a better coach – some amazing new players (Like Nash and St. Louis) and we still have the best goaltender in the NHL in Henrik Lundqvist.  Plus the team is clearly not having a post finals let-down.  In fact – they look determined – gritty – and seem to be attacking this season with a real sense of urgency.

So strap in boys and girls – because the Blueshirt-Brothers are back and we’d love to have you along for the ride.

Playoffs? Yes Playoffs!

Just get in. This year's New York Rangers are not the top seeded favorites we saw just one year ago. In 2013 they bolted in to the playoffs just as the door was closing. But finally, with one game to go, the Rangers, somehow, some way, scratched and clawed their way into the post season.

And so - wipe the slates clean. There are 16 teams left. And we all need the same 16 wins to hoist Lord Stanley's silver bucket.

It was, in some ways, a game like the Ranger's season. We can look great. They can look terrible. And all in the same game.

A first period two goal lead gave us all a false sense of security. Derek and Derick got us on the board (Brassard and Stepan - both assisted by Hagelin).

But in the second period, sure enough, the wheels came off and the Hurricane came all the way back. With three Stahl brothers on the ice ( everyone but the one we wanted there) Carolina tied the at two heading into the final frame.

And so after getting bellowed at by coach John Tortorella for ten minutes, the Rangers stormed on to the ice and quickly fell behind 3-2.

And then, with time running out, with the 9th place Jets grabbing the lead in their game, with the NJ Devils realizing that they might soon be getting the chance to turn the tables and eliminate the Rangers they way the Rangers eliminated them....

The Rangers rose from the dead.

Like zombies.

It was Brad Richards and a huge dose of puck luck that evened the score. Richards banged the puck off the end boards. It bounces back - hit
Ellis' skate and found the net.

Call it ugly. Call it fate. Call it luck.

But we'll take it. The Rangers had fought back to tie.

On to overtime with the playoffs in the balance.

For most of the extra period Carolina pounded away at Lundqvist. Henrik had surrendered 3 goals on not-so-many shots but with the game on the line he held firm.

And then came Callahan's chance. The Captain found the puck and launched a perfect shot from a bad angle. He beat Ellis by finding the upper corner of the far side of the net.

And then.... Celebration

The Rangers in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Strap in kids - this could be one hell of a ride.


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Rangers Beat Flyers 4-2, Staal Injured

It's always a big momentum shifter when team scores in the first or last two minutes if a period. Ranger Captain Ryan Callahan did both in the first period last night on Madison Square Garden. But it only gave the Rangers a 2-2 tie against the Philadelphia Flyers and so there was more work to do against a team we beat regularly last year.

The second period was scoreless. The third period was taken over by Ranger superstar Rick Nash. The big man notched two goals against Mr. Universe (that's what Pucks Junior calls Philly goalie Bryzgalov ever since his "galaxies and stars" soliloquy on HBO last year) and that was the difference in a 4-2 Ranger win.

It's nice to have Nash around, isn't it? In hockey the system matters and the strategy matters but it just helps so much to have a guy who can putt he puck in the net when we need it.

Hank stopped .920 of the shots he faced while Mr. Universe saved just .800 percent. It's also really nice to have Lundqvist back there.

But the win, this third in a row, came with some potentially bad news. Marc Staal took a deflected puck squarely in the eye in the third period and did not return. It looked frightening and we are hoping the key defenseman is okay.

New York leapfrogged the falling Flyers into the eighth seed in the playoff race. That means if the season ends today....,

...we'd all be surprised since there are two months to go in the season.

Anyway. A good win and hopefully the good play continues.


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Rangers Fail to Lose Lead - Beat Caps 2-1

With Dave Pucks and Pucks Junior in attendance the Rangers rallied from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the despised Washington Capitals and the more despised Alexander Ovechkin 2-1.

The Capitals Holtby stopped 38 of 40 shots for a .950 save percentage. But Henrik Lundqvist was better with a .964.

The Game started off in frustrating fashion as Washington defenseman Carlson beat Lundqvist just 79 seconds into the contest to spot the Caps to an early one goal lead. Holtby then took over - stopping the Rangers on 20 first period shots I goal to escape the first period 1-0, despite being outplayed by the New Yorkers.

It was Carl Hagalin who finally got the Rangers on the board in the second by deflecting a Ryan McDonuagh shot past the Capital's netminder.

So on to the third period we went. And finally, the Rangers power play scored a key goal. 4:25 in, Derek Stepan sved Holtby, a d pt the rangers up to stay.

Form then on the Rangers, after failures in their two prior contests, were as to hold a lead and finish off their opponent in regulation.

Hank was brilliant and the Rangers kept their poise and kept digging throughout as the game slowly turned in their favor. And our one-time nemesis Alex Ovechkin was held pointless and was soundly jeered every time he touched the puck.

A good day for the Rangers. Glad I was there to see it.


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We'll Be There Tonight

 

First of all - like my hero Hockey Rodent - old Dave Pucks is having a hard time hanging in and hanging on these days.  The economy is still not great - I'm working longer hours with a much longer commute.  And I'm needed at home with two sons.

But - I'm staying here.  I'll keep firing away at this blog for as long as I can.  Just understand if it's not every day.

A few thoughts about our recent Rangers:

My co-worker Joey G. is a Islander fan.  And the last two Ranger games he watched - he turned off the TV and went to bed with the Rangers up 3-0 and 2-0 respectively.  Once Joe tuned out - the Rangers fell apart  - twice - and both games ended up in the shoot out.  So my mission now is trying to figure out a way to keep Joe's TV on until the games are over.

I think our Rangers will be okay. It will take Tortorella a little longer to get the troops playing right this year because he didn't have a training camp.  But the conditioning and consistency will get there - just not as soon as we'd like.

One more note - Pucks Junior and I will be attending the Rangers-Capitals contest tonight at MSG.  And I'll keep posting - as best I can - from now on.

Let's go Rangers.

Rangers beat Islanders - season saved - again!

Let's go back to the Captain!

This is a hockey club with some star power.  You've got Nash and Lundqvist and Gaborik and Richards.  But without captain Ryan Callahan - you don't have a winning team. 

Cally returned to the lineup last night and just like that the Rangers returned to form with a desperately needed 4-1 victory over the hated rival New York Islanders. 

 J.T. Miller was exactly what John Tortorella needed as the 19 year old rookie got the Rangers on the scoreboard in the game's first minute and added a second in a stunning MSG debut.  The young man's energy got the whole team going.  Putting Kreider and Callahan on JT's line was another Tortorella special that worked to perfection. 

And perhaps most importantly, Henrik Lundqvist finally started playing like Henrik Lundqvist last night, looking sharp from the outset and only surrendering one goal. 

We're only 5 and 5 now and we have a long way to go and much work to do as a hockey team.   But you gotta admit - we needed that win and it felt great to get it.  

And it all starts with Captain Ryan Callahan

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Woah! Rangers Win A Second Hockey Game!

When John Tortorella first looked at the Rangers lockout-shortened schedule this year - he probably thought that the Maple Leafs game was a good opportunity to give Henrik Lundqvist the night off. 

Of course, when  we got to Saturday, the Rangers 1-3 record made that move impossible. 

The problem is - for the first period - Henrik acted like he did have the night off - even though he was in goal (editor please play ironic "boing" sound now.)

While the rangers got 14 Shots on goal in the first, they only let up three. Of course, this resulted in a two to nothing deficit for our heroes.

Because two of Toronto's three first period shots scooted behind Henrik to give the lowly Maple Leaf's a 2-0 first period lead. The confused rangers skated off the ice after the first period as the Garden faithful rained boo's down on them.

There was nothing to do but keep on attacking and hope that the Hockey Gods would restore the natural order of the universe. The second period went somewhat better. Hank made 6 saves instead of 1 – and the Rangers got one of their 11 shots past Reimer.

It was Brad Richards – once again on the Super Line with Gaborik and Nash who each assisted on Bard's second goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1. We need a name for this line – if you don't like “Super Line” how about “Super Marian Brothers” or – for you old timers GAG Line Two (editor – this is after the original Goal A Game line of Ratelle, Hadfield and Gilbert in the 1970s)

So after two periods we're out-shooting the Leafs 25 to 9, hank has a big 7 saves and we're still losing. But don't worry – The Rangers show up huge in the third.

With their fragile season once again on the line – Marc Staal nets the tying goal at 7:36 as he and Del Zotto worked the puck deep as the Toronto defense focused on Gabby, Brad and Rick.

The go ahead goal was one of the prettiest goals fro Gaborik we've seen since – well – Wednesday I guess. This time The Gifted One deflected a Marc Staal shot in the Toronto that is hard to see even in slow motion. Holding the stick vertical to the ice – Marian makes perfect contact with the blistering shot and Riemer never had a chance.

Two more goals – One off of a Boyle and the other an empty netter from Gabby sealed the deal.

The offensive stats look great: Two Goals and Two assists for Marian. Two assists for Nash and Del Zotto. A goal and assist for Staal and Richards. Lone assists for Stepan and Girardi.

A less good story for Hank. It's hard to win a 5-2 game with a lower save percentage than your opposing goalie, but Hank (.882) did exactly that with Reimer (.902).

But plenty of good news to talk about. Offense back on track. Hank did save the last 14 shots he faced, and Ranger fans can step back off the ledge for another two days.

Next up is a Tuesday night game when the Flyers come to town. That gives Tortorella a few days to train and coach his team. Let's see if it makes a difference.

The Rangers Win A Hockey Game

Stop the presses! The season is not over. The Rangers have won a hockey game.

Twenty seconds into overtime and the Rangers, still winless after 180 minutes of the 2013 season, were defending in their own zone as the boss-town Bruins, who had scored three of the games last four goals, were on the attack.

And the stage was set for Marian Gaborik to take over a game - and maybe save a season.

Step 1. Gabby lunges forward and deflects a cross ice Bruin pass out of the Rangers' defensive zone toward center ice. Huge play that ended the Boston threat.

Step Two: Marian beats everyone to the deflected puck. Now we have possession of the puck.

Step Three: Gabby puts his head down and skates with all his might and speed toward the Bruin goal, maintaining just the slightest lead over the chasing defenseman. Holy crap - we've got a breakaway.

Step Four: Gaborik slams the blade of his stick to the ice - but does not shoot yet. Go back and look at this on the video. It's an attempt to throw the Boston goaltender just a big off his timing. What a great move. How many other players have you EVER seen pulling that stunt with the game on the line.

Step five: Gabby shoots. The off balance goaltender - who has been killing us all night -makes a great stop and the puck bounces into the air.

Step Six: Gaborik does the impossible. In the tiny fraction of a second left to him, Marian lifts his stick and with the stick blade swats the puck out of mid air - and into the Bruin's goal.

Rangers Win. The Rangers Win!

It's early. And we have a lot of work to do. But make no mistake. That was a huge goal and a huge win for the New York Ranger hockey team.

And tonight they are right back at it against the Flyers.

- Dave Pucks

Oh no. The season is over.

Well kids, this is not how Dave Pucks thought we'd come out of the gate. In fact I'm not sure we even have come out of the gate at all this year.

Two games. Two losses. And just 46 games to go.

It got so bad against the despised
Penguins at home that John Tortorella yanked Hank out of the net. And he said he did it for a reason I have never heard before

Torts said:

"I was not going to keep him out there with what was going on in front of him"

Uh. Okay coach.

Anyway we focus on Positives here at the Dave Pucks site. You get plenty of gloom a doom from other Ranger fans so we try to shoot a little sunshine up the five hole at this establishment.

So here we go. This is the problem: We have a brand new top line with Mr. Nash as a new arrival. And Brad Richards has the flu. Other teams with top lines that played together last year are at a natural advantage right now. That problem will go away.

And John Tortorella didn't have the chance to set up his system or his fitness regimen or anything this year.

So calm down people. It's two games.

Of course game three feels like a must game. Which is crazy three games in to the season.

Isn't it?

I sure hope so. Anyway, lets win a friggin hockey game  and we can reassess after that.


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THE RANGERS ARE BACK, BABY!!!

Throw open the doors!  Wake the neighbors!  Blast Bruce Springsteen's Jungleland from every ipod!

The Rangers!  The Rangers!

The Rangers are BACK!

Break out the Goal Song.  Dust off the lucky pucks.  Set your Lundqvist bobble-head a-jiggling.

The Rangers are BACK!

Rouse Sam Rosen from his slumber.  Motion Micheletti to the mic.  Douse Dave Maloney with a bag of pucks.  Wake up boys!

The Rangers are BACK!

Grab Gaborik.  Contact Krieder.  Reach out to Richards.  Dial up Del Zotto.  Call Callahan.  Signal Staal.  And - for the first time - Notify Nash!

 The Rangers are BACK!

Awaken all ye Blueshirt Brothers.  Rise up, fans.  Jump to your feet, all you faithful.  Stand together as one.  Your team - your hockey club - your New York Rangers - are back.  They're ready.  They're rested.

And baby, they are coming for the CUP!

I Miss Hockey

I miss the new York Rangers.  I miss hockey.  I miss Lundqvist.  And Gabby.  And Girardi.  And all of the guys.  Even crazy Tortorella. 

Come on Gary Bettman.  Fix this.

Nash will be BlueShirt Smash - Rick is a Ranger!

A Ranger who Scores Goals - why didn't I think of that?

Yes, I was there in February.  Dave Pucks and Pucks Junior were among the faithful at MSG in February chanting “We Don’t Want You” at Rick Nash when he scored that game-tying goal in to send the game into Overtime.

But that was then – and this is now (as Micky D once sang)

And today, brothers and sisters, I am one happy Ranger fan.  Happy that Rick Nash, the two-time 40 goal scorer, is here.  Happy that Sather did not give up Stepan, or Del Zotto, or Kreider, or McDonagh to get him.  Happy (and amazed) that Glen “Slats” Sather was patient, smart, and determined to get the right guy at the right price.  It took a while, but we kept our youthful core and didn’t even take on salary.  I have to tip my cap to the old man – he made a great deal – and remember – this guy works for James Dolan (the guy that dumped Linsanity - and do not get me started on that).

What are we getting in Rick Nash?  A 28 year old former first rounder who has averaged 34 goals a season over the past 8 years (that’s better than Gaborik over the same span).  A former team captain with leadership skills and 323 assists to nearly match his 324 goals.  An all-star who can score – a missing piece of the puzzle that kept the Rangers from winning the cup last year. 

There are nay-sayers (I hate those guys) who will point to Rick’s stats and say he’s declining.  I would look at the team he came from – the Blue Jackets were a last place club – cutting salary and rebuilding.  Nash – the lone scoring threat – was the focus of opponent’s defenses.  And it’s natural to get demoralized when the team around you can’t deliver.

Under Tortorella – on a team that got within 2 games of the Cup Finals – in a media center like New York - we’ll see a revitalized Nash who will redouble his efforts and revitalize his career.

Remember – Nash had a no-trade clause.  He wanted to come here.  And we got him.

And what did we give up?

We love Brandon Dubinsky.  He loved being a Ranger.  He showed effort every night.  But his career derailed last season – and while so many of his teammates were thriving under Tortorella’s system –Dubi seems to stumble.  He scored just 10 goals last year – less than half his 2010 totals – and having – by a wide margin - the worst season of his young career.  It was the time we expected Brandon to take a step toward stardom – but instead - he struggled.  So, reluctantly, we have to admit the Dub-warrior was not earning his contact.  So – we’ll miss you Brandon – but it was a good move to make this change.

Artem Anisimov.  So talented – but the bigger the contest – the smaller he played.  He was not the grinder that Tortorella needs.  And we watched as he fell lower and lower on our rotation.  He scored in the teens each of his three seasons and does not seem to be taking that next step.  Still – farewell to the man we’ll always affectionately call “Anis” (alternate spellings welcome).

Tim Erixon? Not a leading defenseman for our team and not worth his contract.

So all this leaves us with more offense – and a first line, 6’4” 216 star Left Winger.  And when our right wing Marian Gaborik gets healthy in November – we’ll be able to put a line out there that can rock and roll with anyone out there.  Anyone.

So, yes, I was there in February chanting that I didn’t want Ranger Rick.  But I was wrong.  I do want the guy – and now I’m glad we got him.

Get psyched Blueshirt Brothers.  Your Ranger team that was 6 wins away from the Cup last year – just got better!

Thank you Rangers

So many things to say - but for me it comes down to this:

Thank You New York Rangers.

Thanks for a great season - a big step forward - and the most exciting ride we've had in a long time. We got within 2 wins of the Stanley Cup finals. And in the 4 games we lost to the Devils - we had the lead in one and fought back from multi-goal deficits to tie the other two.

The thing to remember is that - for the most part - we are a young team on the rise.

Next year we can fully expect that Krieder, Stepan, McDonaugh, Hagelin, and others will be better hockey players. And there is no reason to expect any drop off from Callahan, Dublinsky, Lundqvist, Staal, Girardi, ... and so on. You get the idea.

We were one of the last 3 teams standing. Our guys played hockey the right way - tough, selfless, accountable - something we've been waiting for a long time.

So I'm going to try and look past how close we came to beating New Jersey. It's hard - but I'll get there.

I'm going to look at this year as the start of something great.

And to Tortorella and the team I say:

Thank you men!

Let's go Rangers.

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Come on guys - Get this One

Friends - a season is on the brink tonight. It's been a great ride - but can the Rangers get it to last one more game?

Look. If the Devils can beat us 3 in a row they deserve to win. But this team - this season - has always found a way when they had too.

It's going to come down to a few things.
1 - Who scores first.

2 - Which Henrik do we get tonight - the all-world King or the lapsing-Lundqvist we've seen at crucial moments?.

3 - Did the Rangers learn that they can score on the Devils by moving forward - more easily than they can beat them by falling back?

Win or lose - these are our guys. This is our team. We go forward - or we go down - together.

We are BlueShirt Brothers.

Let's go Rangers! Get this one!
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Ranger comeback falls short - Devils up 3-2.

Tough, tough loss kids. You want positives? Okay - sure. Absolutely.

Tortorella said it himself: "We played, probably, our best game of the series"

And it's true.

From the 10 minute mark of period one to the 15 minute mark of period three - the Rangers - finally - out shot - out hit - and thoroughly dominated the Devils - outscoring them 3-0 in that span.

They hung together, hung in there, and almost hung a catastrophic loss on the Devils. They came back from 3 goals down to tie the game at 3-3.

It was a great hockey game for what it's worth - with some great and terrible moments.

Brad Richards put the hardest shot on his own goal that I have ever seen in my life. Lundqvist had to make a high save - and he did - but what in the world was Brad doing? I still can't believe what I saw.

We had Callahan knocking the puck in the net (the right net this time) with his skate - causing all of us to contemplate what a "distinct kicking motion" is. Luckily the NHL review team in Toronto loves close games.

We had the fat Brodeur misplay the puck and have it end up in his own net - with help from Gaborik - to tie the score.

And - I have to mention - we had the worst of Henrik Lundqvist when we needed him most. 3 goals on 3 consecutive shots in the first period. Hank? How is that even possible?
And then the crushing number 4 with less than 5 minutes to play. In the end Lundqvist had a 0.750 save percentage - not good enough - but thje Devils did have some "puck luck" as coach Tortorella phrased it later.

Still - when the Rangers attacked - it exposed the Devils weak defense and aging goaltender. And as soon as they tied the score and started tightening their defense - the Devils regrouped and started gaining their advantage again.

Goals for Prust (like that guy), Callahan amd Gaborik. The return for Dubinsky.

But in the end - well, you know.

But if you want positives - 40 minutes of our best hockey of the series. And we're at full strength. And there's that history. The Friday game 6 will be exactly 18 years to the day after our historic game 6 win in New Jersey.

So keep your heads up Ranger Fans. The Devils can't beat us 3 games in a row. We just need to win game 6. And we can.

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Rupp Punches Marty! (Rangers lose 4-1)

Well, that was pretty bad. The Rangers continued their woeful performance in even-numbered series games - getting blown out 4-1 in Newark by the Devils.

The team scoring the first goal has won the last 12 Ranger games - and when Salvador's shot from the left point went through 6 different screening players on it's way to finding a tiny gap in the King's legs for 1-0 Devils lead, you had the feeling - 4 minutes in - that this one was over.

It was.

Still - we have a nice piece of good news:

Mike Rupp punched Marty Brodeur. I repeat: Mike Rupp punched Marty Brodeur.

In his crease. During the game. And Brodeur - acting or for-real - was rocked by the blow. Best of all - Rupp is a former teammate of Matry's - with his name on the Cup as a Devil.

"You don't like to see that," Devil's coach DeBoer said of the incident - a statement Dave Pucks disagrees with 100 percent. I did like seeing that - it was the rest of the game that I was unhappy with.

The Devil's coach and John Tortorella got into another bench-to-bench screaming match to add to the festive playoff atmosphere. I can easily see Torts and DeBoer dropping the gloves before this is over (not that they wear gloves - but you know what I mean).

Other Ranger high points were few and far between. We didn't let up a goal in the 2nd. And we broke up the fat man's shutout late in the third.

Fedotenko slipped one past the old man at 14:55 - assisted by Delzy and Richards. Too little and too late - but at least the only shutouts in this series still belong to Hank - who stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced for a .896 save percentage.

So now - the Rangers - who have only won 2 or 3 periods so far in this series - have to win a best-of-three game series. With two at home.

Taking a step back - we needed the split in Jersey and we got it. We just need to win game 5 and everything tilts way back in our favor.

Let's go Rangers.




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Come On Lucky Seven – Rangers Try (AGAIN) For 2 Game Series lead

As incredible as it seems – the Rangers have had 7 opportunities to take a 2 game lead in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their 7th attempt is tonight. They've failed in each of their first 6 tries.

They led the Senators series 1-0, and 2-1 but lost the 2nd and 4th games. They led the Washington series 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 but each time lost the next game - the one that could have put them 2 games up. And they led the Devils series 1-0 and lost game 2, before jumping up 2-1 on Saturday and setting the stage for tonight's seventh try at a two game series lead.

You can't help but wonder if sooner or later, the Rangers wasting all these chances will come back to bite them. On the other hand – the playoffs have worked out just fine so far – with the Rangers dominating in the odd number games, winning their first two series against Ottawa and Washington, and leading in their third against the Devils.

The Devils have outplayed the Blueshirts for probably 6 or 7 of the 9 periods they've played – but still the Rangers lead the series 2-1 and had a late 2nd period lead in the one game they did lose. The moment to take control of this series is now. The Devils are frustrated – coming off a shutout loss in their own building. This could be our best chance to beat them.

The Devils split with the Rangers at MGS. Can the Rangers sweep the Devils in Newark? It won't be easy – but then again- the Rangers have been doing it the hard way all year.

We'll find out tonight.





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A Tale Of Two Goalies

Two goalies competed saturday afternoon. One played very well.

The other was perfect.

Through two periods the Devils outshot the Rangers 26-14. And through two both Marty Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist stopped everything that came their way - with the Devils getting more quality chances and Hank matching them with quality saves.

And so - for the third consecutive game - we started the third period tied.

And from there - Hank was unstoppable - unbeatable - and in a zone that I've never seen him in - a man possessed.

And like game one - the Rangers rose up and grabbed it.

The similarities between contest 1 and 3 were eerie.

Girardi scored the first (again). On the PowerPlay the Ranger defenseman got a free shot in the slot. He started from Brodeur's left but shot it to the chubby old goalie's left. Marty had a pretty good look at it - but could not grab it.

A huge goal - the team scoring first have won each of the last 11 Ranger playoff games. And all the Devil's hard work - all their chances - and all of Brodeur's saves - were for nothing - the Rangers had their 1-0 lead with 16 minutes to play.

The Devils tried to rally back - but Hank - with the stick - the body - the glove - the post - and the crossbar - kept the shutout going.

And then - just like game one - Chris Kreider got the Ranger's 2nd goal. This was a big league deflection - a perfect redirect of a a Ryan McDonagh bullet towards the net with 14 minutes to play.

And the Rangers had a 2-0 lead to protect.

And in the end it was - like game 1 - an empty netter that got us to the final score. This time Ryan Callhan - who hadn't scored a playoff goal in a long while - gave the Rangers their final margin.

Henrik Lundqvist - in the biggest games of his life - is playing his best hockey. He handled a Zack Parise 2-on-1 high shot by staying upright and getting the puck with the handle of his stick. And he dove backwards and stretched out the glove to deny Kovalchuk on a breakaway.

Marty Brodeur played well and had a .906 save percentage. Good game. But that doesn't beat the 1.000 save percentage posted by The King.

Outshot 34-24 - the Rangers outhit the Devils 24-15.

Assists for Callahan (to go with his goal), Fedotenko, Richards, Boyle, and McDonagh.

Now - the Devils have to look themselves in the mirror and wonder if they can do better than 3 goals in 3 games. They have to wonder if they can score on Lundqvist. Because they keep outplaying us - but their 40-year-old goalie can beat ours.

And now - the cup is 6 wins away. And - incredible as it seems - if the Rangers win 6 more home games.....

Think about it.

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Even Number Game Woes Continue - Rangers Drop Game 2

If you like trends and data mining - the 2012 Rangers Playoffs have been full of goodies for you.

Three times now the Rangers have lost game two after winning game one. For the 6th time in 7 tries the Rangers have lost an even-numbered game.

Of course - the trend has been that we win the series - so let's hope that keeps up as well.

So - again - we've lost home ice advantage and a lot is riding on game three.

And again - we can't do things the easy way.

Kovalchuk scored first in the first - on the powerplay - to put the Devils in front. But then in the 2nd the Rangers scored a pair to take the lead. Staal and then Kreider on the powerplay and the Rangers led 2-1

But the tide turned (I hate when tides do that). Carter - off a deflection at 18:09 of the 2nd sent the Devils into the locjer room tied 2-2. And so - for the 2nd straight contest we entered the third period tied,

This time - unfortunately - it was Clarkson - who broke the tie with one of the best deflections I have ever witnessed. He held the stick at shoulder level - parallel to the ice - and redirected the puck down - off the post - and in past a helpless Lundqvist.

And with that the Devils clamped down and stopped the scoring right there - with the referees helping by basically not calling any more penalties - motivated in part by the incredible occurrence of the Devil penalty box being broken and unusable earlier in the contest.

Marian Gaborik was involved in two memorable if unfortunate sequences. He failed to try and block a shot with his body which led to the Kovalchuk goal. Tortorella benched the Ranger sharpshooter until midway through the third for that omission.

And Gabby was the unwilling cause of one of the best saves the old fat Brodeur has made in years. With the bloated geezer flailing on his stomach, Gaborick got a Richards feed at point blank range and lifted the puck toward the Devil net. From his stomach - Brodeur bent his right knee - lifting the back of his leg in perfect time to make a massively lucky and unlikely save.

With everything that went wrong in Ranger town - we still scored twice and had a lead and a chance to win.

As mentioned - goals for Staal and Kreider. Assists for Richards, Girardi, Stralmann and Anisimov.

Rangers out hit the Devils 39-34, but were outshot 27-25

So we go to game 3 - still just 7 wins from Lord Stanley's cup - but fighting to regain our lost home ice advantage.

Let's go Rangers

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Exhausted beats Rusty - Rangers Grab Game One

Another game one - another Ranger win!

Would game 1 versus the Devils favor the Red Hot (but Exhausted) Rangers or the Rested (but Rusty Devils?

As it turned out - the Devils started out hot and not rusty at all. The first period was a bit of a mess for both sides - but in the second - the Devils began getting the best of the action - forcing the puck in the Rangers zone - getting shots and solid chances on net - and looking like the better team.

But nobody told Lundqvist. The great Henrik was magnificent in the 2nd - stopping flurries of shots from every angle. The Devils came away with nothing for their efforts other than frustration and a 0-0 tie.

But - then - like game seven against Washington - the third period belonged to the New York Rangers. Clamping down on the Devils - the Blueshirts allowed just 4 shots on goal. And Hank handled each of them.

So all that was needed was a Ranger goal. They got three.

The first was a perfect pass from Rookie sensation Chris Krieder to defenseman Dan Girardi - who had just coming off the Ranger bench and was unaccounted for by the Devil's defense. Girardi one timed the puck through a perfect screen of four lined-up players. Marty Broeder didn't see it until he looked behind himself into the net. 1-0 Rangers.

Krieder scored the 2nd goal himself - off a nifty no-look pass from Artem Anisimov. Krieder, who was not born when the Devil's goalie first played in the NHL, shot low along the ice to Broedur's left - but the aging netminder was too slow to stop it.

The third and final Ranger tally was an empty netter - and the Rangers had captured their third consecutive game 1 victory in a playoff series.

So far so good. The big question is - will the Rangers take a 2 game lead - something they have failed to do in their 5 previous attempts. In fact - the Rangers are 1-5 in even numbered playoff games this year, losing to Ottawa in games 2 and 4, and to Washington in games 2, 4 and 6.

Wednesday would be a great time to reverse that trend. Maybe for once we can do this the easy way.

(My son Pucks Junior's analysis of the New Jersey Goaltender: "Brodeur is fat")

Let's go Rangers.

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Rangers beat Caps - advance to round 3

Can you believe it? Once again the Rangers came up huge in game seven - this time defeating their nemesis team - the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin - 2-1 to catapult themselves into round three.

In the last 4 years the Rangers have made the playoffs 3 times - and Washington had sent them home twice. The last 4 times the Caps faced elimination - they had beaten us 4 straight times.

Could this years Rangers - a One seed - finally send the Capitals home?

Yes.

It took coaching - grit - goaltending - defense - and conditioning - but yes - the Rangers did it.

John Tortorella's team had played all season to capture the Atlantic division crown - giving them a home game seven and the right, as the home team, to match lines. It paid off quickly as Tortorella sent the Gaborik - Richards - Hagelin line out in the game's first AND third shifts - catching the Caps by surprise. The third shift - 90 seconds in - yielded the all-important first goal for the Rangers.

The speedster rookie Hagelin beat everyone to the puck - crossed behind the goal and made a perfect feed to Brad Richards. With Gaborik creating traffic at the net - Richard's launched a slapper that beat the screened Holtby and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 1:32 of the first. Richards has been everything we had hoped and more this season - a sniper who can find the net when others can't.

And in game 7 Richards gavew them a lead they never relinquished.

The Capitals threw everything they had at the Rangers in the second period - dominating through long stretches - keeping Del Zotto stuck on the ice for more than 3 minutes of game time - and
pinning the Rangers in their own zone for an 80 second eternity when we simply could not clear the puck.

The Rangers wall of defense - from the forwards to defensemen to Lundqvist - withstood the barrage - and the wall held.

And so - on to the third - with the Rangers clinging for life to their one goal lead. Right around the ten minute mark - the Rangers struck again.

Marian Gaborik - the hero of the 6 period OT winner in game 3 - took on three Capitals all by himself as he stickhandled into the Washington zone and got a shot off at Holtby. A Capitals stick was able to block it - but with all the attention draw to Gabby - no one had covered Michael Del Zotto who had crashed the zone. MDZ had the puck bounce right to him - snapped off a shot in traffic - and Holtby failed to grab it.

2-0 Rangers. With 10 minutes to go.

But you know our Blueshirts. The easy way? Never.

The two goal lead - a rarity in this series - lasted all of 38 seconds before a screened Henrik Lundqvist fail to find a desperate Hamrlik shot and we were back to a one goal lead with less than 10 minutes to play.

The Rangers then had an apparent goal waved off (don't even get me started on the referee concept of "intent to blow" the whistle). And 2-1 it remained.

But - despite the Capitals goal - the real story of period three was how our Rangers rose up and clamped the lid on a potent Capitals team. In the end they allowed only 4 shots on goal in the third. That's just 4 shots from a Capital's team with their season on the line.

Blocking shots and pushing the puck forward - the Rangers kept the pill away from the Caps - and smothered many Capital attempts when they did put pressure on our defense.

So it came down that Hank needed just three saves in the 3rd to nail down the win. And a focused - dominant - Lunndqvist made those saves. As the final horn sounded Hank was exultant - having reached the Eastern finals for the first time in his career.

You have to feel for Holtby. He was every bit Hank's equal in the Capital's net - and quite nearly stole this series from us all by himself.

But the Rangers did win - taking all 7 gmes to do it - and now look forward to round three against the Devils.

8 wins until the cup. Here we go!

Can you believe it?

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Resilient (I wish they weren't)

The Washington Capitals have bounced back to win after a playoff loss 6 consecutive times this year. You just can't beat them twice in a row.

The good news is that the Rangers won't have to.

The Caps won at home, 2-1, on Wednesday to stay alive and knot the series 3-3 with the Rangers.

The Rangers did manage a little last minute heroics - at 19:09 of the third period when Marian Gaborik slkammed one past Holtby with assistance from Stepan and Girardi. But it wasn't enough.

So it all comes down to Saturday.

One game - winner take all. Losewr go home.

And that game is at MSG. The Garden should be rocking.

It will probably come down to who scores first. And maybe Holtby will feel the pressure this time. But don't count on it - he's been a steady rock back there for the Caps so far this series.

For the third time this season the Rangers have a must-win game. The first 2 worked out okay against Ottawa - let's hope they can do this one more time.




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Rangers Win One for the Ages - Richards Nets Tying Goal with 6.6 Seconds Remaining!

59 minutes and 53 seconds had elapsed with the Rangers trailing the Capitals 2-1.

Brad Richards skated to the left side of a big pile-up at the Capital's net. He shot the puck. It started an improbable journey toward the Capital's goal.

Braden Holtby, the Caps goaltender had been nothing short of brilliant all night - out dueling Hank and letting up a single goal despite a barrage of Ranger chances. And now - in 7 seconds the Caps would be headed home with a 3-2 series lead.

Holtby reached for the puck with his glove - but just missed it. And the black rubber disc rocketed under the goaltender's body - he was on his hands and knees sideways - (what is that - the six hole?) - and the puck continued on it's way past the Caps goalie and on toward the net.

But it still had a long way to go.

A second Capital player, defenseman John Carlson, had slid into the crease behind Holtby - backing him up and serving as a second barrier between Richards and the Capital's net.

Richard's shot was rising - and along with it the Ranger's fragile hopes and dreams of a hockey season. There was a small space between Carlson's arm and his body - the defenseman's 4-hole to use goalie-terminology.

The puck hit the material of Carlson's jersey - we can see it ripple from impact - but the puck - slowed but not stopped - continues it's once-in-a-lifetime journey toward glory.

Go puck, go!

It is now headed directly at the Capital's goal post. It hits the post with an audible "tink" that you can clearly hear on the television broadcast.

And it bounces.....

....IN the NET!!!!!!

Goal! Ranger Goal! Tie game! An unlikely - miraculous playoff goal. 6.6 seconds and the Rangers have tied it.

In my life as a Ranger fan I have never - ever - seen a bigger goal. 6.6 seconds.

And the same double Minor penalty - Joel Ward's high stick that nearly took Hagelin's head off - had given the Rangers a man advantage during the final scramble - and would provide a powerplay at the start of overtime.

For 12 minutes between periods the Garden would not quiet down - and then - Overtime. On the powerplay.

And 1:35 into the extra period - Marc Staal - who had an assist earlier - launched a 55 foot slapshot that Holtby never saw - until he looked behind him into the Caps net.

And the Rangers had the most thrilling, improbably playoff victory of a lifetime.

It has to be devastating for Washington - they had a 2-1 win in their pockets - they were headed home with a 3-2 playoff lead. They had the series won in their heads, But no - the Rangers yanked back the game from the brink - struck back - and won.

Game winning goal and assist for Staal. Goals for Richards and Stralman. And assists for Callhan, Del Zotto, Stepan and Mitchell - who also won the face off before the game winner.

Rangers outshot the Caps 38-18 and outhit them 29-14. Holtby's save percentage was .921 (and much higher after the first 59:53). Hanks was only .889. But with all the games Lundqvist has won for us - we owe him this one - and many more. Hank made many tough saves to keep us in this one.

And so - we head to DC - with a chance to finally get past the Washington Capitals.

We can think about game six - tomorrow. Not today. Today we're just going to feel really good that this team we love won an amazing game - and that all the hard work and blocked shots paid off. The good guys won. Let's be happy about it. Let's go Rangers.

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Capitals Bounce Back - Series Tied At 2

Yup. The hard way. That's how we do things in Ranger-town. For the 2nd time in this series and the 4th time in the playoffs – the Rangers lost a 1 game lead and has fallen from the brink of dominance back into the pit.


The Capitals struck back again, rebounding from their traumatic 6 period OT loss with a 3-2 win at home to know the series at 2 games. So much for momentum and the psychological advantage of that game 3, 6 period OT win. We're back in a dogfight. Again.

In the first, Lundqvist made some amazing saves until the 12:43 mark. Krieder suddenly looked like a rookie playing the second week of his NHL career – giving up the puck to Ovechkin in the Ranger zone. The massive Russian launched a 40 footer at Hank that found the net and gave the Caps a 1-0 lead.

But the Rangers fought back. In the second minute of the second period Anisimov got lose in front – got the puck from Stepan – and buried it to tie the game at one.

But at 11:54 Backstrom gave the Caps back their lead. He was left alone in the slot and Hank couldn't come up with the save.

But our Rangers fought back a second time. At 16:43 Gaborik – who ended the 6 period marathon Thursday morning – went to the net – got the puck and used his lightning fast stick to beat Holtby and tie the game – again – at 2 all.

Also in the second period – Ovechkin left his feet to give Girardi a head shot – that hopefully the league will have something to say about. Girardi finished the game and seems okay. Tortorella, predictably, was visibly furious in the post game interview – lasted about 30 seconds storming out.

But – in the third – the Caps went ahead to stay. On the powerplay with four minutes and 17 seconds remaining – Green – with the slapshot – and that was it.

We outhit the Capitals 33-24, but were outshot 26 to 20. Goals and assist for Anisimov. Goal for Gaborik. Assists for Boyle, Girardi and Staal. 5 hits for Callahan. Dubinsky still out with the foot injury. Lundqvist stopped .885 of the shots he faces and Holtby stopped .900. Close – but we were on the short end. We were 0-2 on the powerplay, and 1-2 on the Penalty Kill – and that was your hockey game. The Rangers again get 2 goals – but unlike game three – 2 goals wasn't enough this time.

Still, we took one of two in DC and regained our home ice advantage. Let's see if the Rangers can win game five this time – because we don't want to be down 3-2 like last time. The Caps are not Ottawa.

We missed our chance to go up 3-1 on the Capitals. Of course – we did go up 3-1 in 2009 - and ended up losing anyway. Maybe this way will work.

Good Morning Gabby! Ranger beat Caps in Triple OT

Wednesday night's game three contest had no winner - until Thursday morning. It took more than 4 and a half hours of real time and 114:41 minutes of game time – but the New York Rangers won the marathon – outlasting a tough Washington Capitals team 2-1.

You can analyze this 100 ways – but in the end the Rangers simply would not let the Capitals score a second goal. Our defense was aggressive and organized – but the Capitals matched us shift for shift. In the end it came down to two very hot goaltenders. Henrik was simply stupendous, making 45 saves to preserve the 2-1 victory.

Captain Callahan got the Rangers on the board first at 6:41 of the second with the Rangers on the powerplay. Gaborik – who would end this game (much much later) delivered the puck to Michael Del Zotto (who had figured prominently in both Ranger goals in game two). MDZ rifled the puck on net – but when the red hot Holtby made the save - the rebound came directly to Callahan in front. The Ranger Captain, with lots of open net to shoot at, netted the puck and the Rangers had the first goal of the contest.

We had a lead to protect – and we did – for four minutes and twenty nine seconds. Then Carlson stick-handled from the left circle across the middle and the Ranger defense slashed at the puck with their sticks. The puck was dislodged from Carlson momentarily – but bounced right back to him. His shot beat Hank cleanly and we were tied at one.

And then - lots and lots of blocked shots and saves.

In the first overtime – a lot of fuss was made about Brian Boyle's rear end – which made an accidental save on a Mike Rupp shot at an open net. Rupp beat Holtby – but not the butt of Boyle – which blocked the shot. To be fair though – the goal might well have been called back because Boyle and his posterior were in the crease before the puck got there. The first OT ended with the teams still tied.

Five minutes in to the second overtime the Rangers - and Dave Pucks – got the scare of our lives. Alexander Ovechkin – the Ranger killer and the man who scored the game 2 game-winner, stole the puck and moved in alone on Henrik Lundqvist. The big Russian shot the puck from point-blank range... and..... The GOAL BUZZER SOUNDED! The siren blasted. The Capitals fans went crazy – jumping to their feet and screaming in victory.

But wait.

Hold on there kids!

The referee is blowing his whistle and waving his arms. The puck is not in the net. Ovechkin hit the post. It hit the post! It hit the post! No goal! No goal! And the Rangers play on!

Ovechkin stood in front of the Ranger net – watching the replay on the overhead screen – until the feisty Prust pushed him away from Hank.

And the game went on with both sides showing tremendous poise, grit, and determination. Great defensive sequences interrupted by great chances – which were each turned away by masterful goaltending. The second overtime ended in a 1-1 tie. There was an amazing and exhausting 5^th intermission. The Rangers would a play a third overtime for the first time since the 1970s (and yes – Dave Pucks – who was just a little Pucks back then – remembers that one too.)

And so it was in the third overtime when the fateful contest finally reached it's magic end. Brad Richards fired the puck wide from the left side and it caromed to Girardi – who played it back behind the net. It came directly back to Richards behind the net and he made a perfect pass in front to Gaborik in front of Holtby. The Washington Goaltender was in the process of dropping his leg pads to the ice – but Gabby with the lightning fast stick found the rapidly closing five hole. And so, at 14:41 of period 6, and at 12:15am on a frantic Thursday morning, Marion Gaborik, lit the lamp and scored his first playoff goal since game one of the Ottawa series, giving the exhausted Rangers a much needed 2-1 victory in our nation's capital.

We outshot the Caps 49 to 46. They outhit us 59 to 46 and I'm sure everyone is sore today.

Goals for Gabby and Cally. Assists for Gaborik (the star of the game), Del Zotto, Girardi, and Richards. The kid – Kreider – was minus 1 with no shots on the day but had 2 hits.

Ice times? Don't get me started. 53 minutes for McDonagh led the defense and Richards had 39 minutes on offense.

And it came down – once again – to the goaltenders. Holtby saved 47 shots for a .959 save percentage. An incredible night. But Hank, saving .978 was just a little bit better.

Historic game.  And about time we broke two bad streaks - the Rangers losing streaks in OT and on the road against Washington.  And so – we grab game three – gain back out home ice – and can rest until Saturday. Huge win. The Cup is now 10 wins away. And for the first time this series – the pressure is on Washington.

Du-BOOT-sky

Brandon Dubinsky was spotted around town a few days ago sporting a medical boot on his right foot. But a report today has him traveling with the team to DC and being boot-free.

Encouraging that he made the trip. But at this point it's All Feet On Deck (which actually makes more sense than All Hands On Deck now that I think about it).

Rangers have not won a playoff game in Washington over the last 2 series and multiple years. This would be a mighty good time to end that streak.




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Posts, Cross Bars and Trickling Pucks - Caps beat Rangers 3-2 to tie series

It's never the easy way with our Rangers

Through 2 rounds of playoffs - it is clear that the Rangers are never going to coast to an easy victory. We're going to have to scratch and claw for everything we get.

In round one, when we won the opener 4-2 against Ottawa - we figured - easy series - Rangers in 5 or 6.

But no. We had to win both 6 and 7 to come from behind and get to the second round.

And once again - against the Caps - we grab game one - but fall in game two - at home - 3-2.

The Rangers and Capitals are playing similar games. Defensive - opportunistic - counter-punching.

In game one we had the better goalie. In game two Holtby - and some truly bad luck - did us in.

What bad luck? Del Zotto beat the Capitals goaltender on two occasions only to have the puck clang off the crossbar - or post - and out. And Washington's 2nd goal was a comedy of errors:

Hank slid his stick across the ice in perfect position - but Stralman was trying the same thing from the other direction. Hanks stick hit Stralman - it lifted up and the puck slid under. Still - it was trickling wide right when McDonagh's skate inadvertently pushed it back int he crease and in. Nice double team fellows. It took two of our own defensemen to beat Hank - but it happened and we were down 2-0.

To our credit - we fought back. Brad Richards got a huge goal in the last minute of the second period - and then in the third Michael Del Zotto - who had hit the post earlier - shot a missile on the powerplay that Callahan deflected in to tie the game at 2 in the third.

But then, a pair of Ranger penalties less than three minutes apart did the Blueshirts in. After the first was successfully killed off - Richards committed the 2nd infraction and this time the Rangers couldn't kill the penalty.

Ovechkin got the puck at the point - and fired off a nasty rocket at the screened Lundqvist. Hank never had a chance at this one - it struck the back of the net with more noise than I ever remember hearing before. That puck from our nemisis was deadly - and it game the Caps all they needed to take game 2.

Del Zotto had one more chance at heroics at the end - but he hit the crossbar - and the game ended 3-2.

We outshot the Capitals 28 to 25 and out hit them 45-35. That's our game - but we couldn't close the deal.

Goals for Callahan and Richards. A pair of assists for Del Zotto and singles for Richards and Gaborik.

So it came down to goaltending. Which I'll take in the long run. But last night Hank's dave percentage was just .880, while Holtby was .929. I can't see that holding up over seven games - but last night - with posts, cross bars, and McDonah kicking it in - it was enough to make the difference.

So we head to Washington, knowing we need to win at least one in their building.

Let's Go Rangers.

-Dave Pucks

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