Nugman's thoughts for today

It's been a pretty exciting day for the Nugman, in that I just woke up and it's a little past noon eastern standard time. I rolled off my mother's pull out couch, took my morning deuce, and made my way to the kitchen for my bowl of cheerios. Normally at this point, I wouldn't even need milk in my bowl, as I just fill it with tears over the patheticness of my life. But today is different, why? It's october. It's Yanks playoffs starting tonight. It's Giants looking to move 5-0 this weekend. And It's the Rangers starting a new season with the hope that this one will end with Lord Stanley's cup making it down the canyon of heroes, on its way to Doobie's apartment where it will at some point be filled to the brim with jaegermeister. Doobie lying passed out in his own vomit on the floor with a t-shirt that says "Man Child", and a few of his buddies from high school standing around debating whether or not they should call the police.

These are the thoughts that bring me hope, and keep me from the abyss.

As for some hockey:

Don't know if any of you caught the game between the Flyers and Capitals last night on versus? (With one of the better playoff type baseball games going on on TBS, it was one of the all-time quality "Not only are these games great, but I have absolutely NO vested interest, so I can really enjoy them and not worry about sh*ting myself" nights in sports watching. The twins pulled out their game, but of greater interest to the Rangers was probably the Caps-Flyers)

A very intense, very physical game...that was also high scoring? It's a combination rarely seen in sports, especially hockey. Physical play doesn't lead to high scores. It leads to lost teeth, fights, and french-canadian degenerates screaming drunkenly in the stands about doing vicious things to each other's mothers. The flyers pulled the game out, at home, in OT, 6-5. Mike Richards continued his hot start, towards a Nugman predicted MVP award, with a hat trick. And then there was Ovechkin...who is just a monster, and is getting better it seems every game. (And I am not talking about Joe Michelleti "Marc Staal getting better", the type where the player actually doesn't improve at all, and nothing about their game would indicate a large step forward offensively) I am talking about, the guy was already the best in the league, and now looks like it is just not fair for him to even be in the league. He now has 3+ points in EVERY GAME for his team this season. Which means thursday night, if the Rangers hold Ovechkin to TWO GOALS...they have done a better job of shutting him down then any other team so far. In other words, Hank and the boys are going to have their hands full with a Caps team that is averaging more than 5 goals a game!

That said, my prediction? Rangers win 10-0.

As for the Drury saga that Dave Pucks alludes to (see post below). My take on it is different. Admittedly I have not watched as much pre-season Rangers, or any, for the exact reason that I don't watch spring training yankees, or pre-season giants...there are a lot better things I could be doing, like cutting my nails and watching them grow back. What I have seen in the season so far leads me to believe that torts thinks of Drury as nothing more than a leader he doesn't have to coddle. The fact that he sends him out for a 5 on 3 shows the respect he has for Drury's game. Most of the time when Torts talks about players, like Doobie, it is to say what they have to work on (and in Doobie's case, it's a lot, like being sober for example). The fact that Drury doesn't get mentioned as much here leads me to believe Torts likes his game, doesn't think much needs to be worked on, and also doesn't think Drury is some little girl that he needs to comfort 24/7 to reassure him of his place. Now Drury's PP time has been limited, but I don't see this becoming a growing trend. I just see torts trying to feel out his new guys, and see what they are capable of giving him on the power play. Bottom line is Drury was on the top line for the power play for 2 seasons, and the Rangers power play has been terrible. (The main reason for this has been horrendous play from the blue line, but still, Torts wants to feel out new combos, and I am fine with that. The power play has looked "better", though the results are only just starting to show)

Check back with me on the Drury saga in a week or two, for the time being, I will just assume Torts is a man with little to no love in his heart, who is incapable of feeling anything but the burning desire to win at all costs, and doesn't care about whose emotions he needs to craddle, or who he verbally has to fluff along the way.

Reminder: Nugman will be back thursday evening for in game Rangers blogging against the Caps. It's the most descriptive, accurate, and sexually charged Rangers in game blogging on the internet. While spelling is lacking, the emotion more than makes up for it.

Coach versus Captain - part 3

Nobody else seems to think this is happening - but I'm still seeing a developing rift between Ranger Coach John Tortorella and Ranger Captain Chris Drury.

The latest news on this front is Tortorella's removal of Drury from the powerplay this year.

Hanging around the net and hammering home rebounds is Chris' game. It what we pay him (and possibly over pay him) for. With the increased firepower from Gaborik, Kotalik, and our offensive defensemen (and we mean that in the good sense) what the power play needs is a guy to make trouble in front of the net - pounce on bouncing pucks - and light that goal lamp. That's what Drury does - if Torts will only let him.

Even with Monday night's pair of PP goals - after three games we are just 2 for 12 (Nugman: actually 2 for 15, Dave Pucks loves editing me, the roles are reversed!) - almost exactly last year's anemic pace. So, why not throw Chris out there and see what happens a few times?

And while we're at it - why not give our highest paid centerman a chance to center for our highest paid player? In the whole preseason - and in three games - Torts hasn't given Drury one shift with Gaborik. Can anyone think of a valid reason why? [Update: One of our readers - Amos - has a valid reason. He points out that Tortorella has said he wants a lefty center to feed the puck to left handed Gaborik. I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the assist.]

When you put a player on the PP and on a line with your best scorer - his own production will go up. The Star Player draws defenders - leaving the other guys open (See Adam Graves). So, keeping Drury away from the PP and from Gaby can't be sitting right with the guy who wears the "C". I mean, even when Dubi held out - Gaborik never got to skate with his team's Captain.

And after seemingly forgetting his Captain's name for a few weeks, Tortorella finally mentioned Drury to reporters this week - but only in response to direct questions about him. Otherwise, John has talked about a lot of his guys - but not Chris.

And - as we've mentioned - Drury is not acting like his old self in front of reporters. Instead of being a team spokesman - he's been rushing out of the locker room without comment. Which tells us something is wrong. And of course - Tortorella's Tom Coughlin-like directive "shut up and play" - sure does seem like it is referring to the only Ranger who used to speak regularly - Drury.

We know John T likes to be in charge. But leaning on your Captain - especially a stand-up guy like Drury - is the wrong way to do it. Look - on Monday, Tortorella sent Chris out there on the 5-3 penalty kill - and Drury delivered - big time.

So, come on John. Your opponent is the other team - not your team Captain. Show a little love and let your Captain keep a little pride. It's a good hockey move - and it's the right thing to do.

Hey - take a few seconds and vote. There's a poll on the right side of this blog - let us know where you see the Rangers in the playoffs this year - hoisting the cup -or just watching on TV

Last Night - Torts was a genius

John Tortorella, the Rangers Head Coach, with an assist from GM Glen Sather, made a lot of changes to this Rangers team this year. And - while things may be different down the road - right now Tortorella is looking like a genius.

Nugman (and check out all of the Nugman's great game posts below if you missed them last night) gave Tortorella the #1 star last night for calling the time out 84 seconds in and absolutely screaming at his players for their terrible start to the game. And while I agree - that tirade got the Rangers off the collective red seats of their pants and into the game - that's just one of several ways that Torts looked very very smart last night:

• John shifted our defenseman scheme to younger - more offensive minded players - guys like Del Zotto and Gilroy. And it was just a year ago that reporters were lamenting how our best young talent was languishing in the pipeline - never getting here from Hartford. But now our kids have not just made the team - they've made the team better. Gilroy and Del Zotto moved the puck, crept up on offense, and each scored a goal. It's a new dimension to our offense that just wasn't there a year ago - and it"s Tortorella that put this emphasis on the type of players he wanted.

• The Power Play. Tortorella has put different players and a different scheme out there - and finally - it is paying off. Two power play goals last night - and when is the last time your Rangers tallied two power play goals in one game?

• The Penalty Kill. We were worried this would be a disaster after Betts ands Sjostrom were shown the exit by Torts and Sather. And we did let up a power play goal last night - but just one in 6 tries - roughly where we were last year. So the PK is not a huge step down from last year - at least not yet.

• We're scoring. As we've been saying over here at Blueshirt Brothers - "Three for Henrik - that's all he needs". Whatever Torts is doing with the forecheck and the attacking style - its' working. The team delivered Hank his 3 goals yesterday - and that was the difference.

• Our personnel. We know that Sather has the last word on this - but we also know that this year - unlike previous years - it is John Tortorella who is getting huge input on the Ranger's player decisions. And look how it payed off last night for the New Rangers: Gaborik - an assist. Kotalik - goal and assist. Prospal - 2 assists. Gilroy - goal. Del Zotto - goal and assist. And for returning Rangers - just Callahan's assist. So our new guys are all contributing.

• Hank is playing well. The Ranger's attacking style may be helping Hank stay sharp. Under Renney I think Hank was often burned out by the endless stream of shots against and the low scoring of his teammates. This year Hank has faced some huge chances - but he also gets some breathing room -and it seems to be helping his game

It's a long season. But so far, we love John Tortorella. Win or lose - you see the man out there coaching. And so far - it's working.

Take a few seconds and vote in our poll on the right - where will the Rangers finish this season - with the Cup - out of the playoffs - or somewhere in between?

Rangers Recap, and looking forward...

Rangers beat the devils 3-2, as Hank continues to beat Fatso head to head. The Devils move to 0-2-0 and look like a team that is going to have a very hard time finding consistent scoring this season. Two goals from rookie defenseman tonight, hasn't happened for the Rangers since 1990. (Only 25 goals from defenseman all last year from the Rangers, 24th in the NHL. So far they have 3 in 3 games) A good win for the Rangers, especially given what lies ahead the remainder of this week (at the Capitals on Thursday, hosting Anaheim on Sunday. Penguins, Ottawa, Devils, Capitals, Anaheim. Solid test for the Rangers the first 9 days of the season)

Nugman's 3 stars:

Honorable mention - Prospal/Kotalik: The new guys had a nice night in their first rivalry game. Kotalik's goal tied the game at 2, and Prospal had 2 assists.

# 3 - Del Zotto/Gilroy: Del Zotto got the Rangers tied, Gilroy scored the game winner. Off future Hall of Famer fatso, big night for the rookie defenseman who are only going to get more and more confident each shift. Strong game from them, as once again, the only major defensive lapses appeared to come from their more senior, far more well paid teammates Redden and Rozsival. (Who has fallen harder, faster for the Rangers since Rozsival in Game 4 of the Semis against Buffalo in the 2007 playoffs? He was shooting, he was a weapon on the powerplay, he scores the OT winner in game 4 sending the Rangers to buffalo tied....and has been TERRIBLE since)

# 2 - Hank: 15-2-4 all time vs. Brodeur (and most of those losses came in Hanks rookie year) Hank owns the devils, he really gets up for these games. Odd game. The Rangers allowed Hank to get pelted the first 5 minutes, and from there, they probably only gave up 2-3 decent scoring chances the rest of the game. Most of the Devils shots came from distance and bad angles, so the Only way Hank was getting beaten is if he gave up soft goals...and Hank doesn't do that. 25/27 saves for Hank, 2nd win of the season

# 1 - Torts: VERY few, if any, coaches would call a timeout just over a minute into the game. (For the exact reason you saw at the end. Coaches want to save there only timeout for late in the game if they need to rest their defense after an icing call, or if they want to get their top line back out on the ice for a last scoring chance) Torts saw that the Rangers didn't just come out flat, they came out completely inept. They were all chasing the puck like a bunch of 5 year olds chasing an ice cream truck. No one was picking up the body, the devils were getting great chances every time they shot, they scored quickly, and came very close to taking a 2-0 lead. The Rangers were just minutes away from being blown out of the building and Torts knew it. I am almost positive the Rangers lose this game if he doesn't take that timeout when he did, and spend the duration of it SCREAMING at his team. (Which I am sure did not help doobie's head ache, at all)

Nugman Pre-game Doobie Call: He only picked up one penalty tonight, actually escaped with a +1 (though he was in the penalty box when a goal was scored, and it's stupid that that doesn't count against his plus minus) After two excellent games he was a complete non-factor, and created ZERO offense. Let's hope it's not a reoccurrence of last season disappearance act after a hot start, but rather, him coming off a vicious hangover as I predicted, and Torts basically called him out for in an interview before the game.

3 Goals for Hank: 2-0-0 on the season when scoring 3 or more

Special Teams: Rangers go 2 for 6 on the power play, moving to 2 for 15 on the season. They allow 1 goal on 6 Devils powerplays, moving them to 10/12 killed on the season.

Next Game for the Blueshirts: Thursday in Washington, looking to make a statement against one of the big boys, and get a little revenge for last April.

Game I might check out: Washington will play in Philly tomorrow night on Versus. With no Yanks, Giants or Rangers tomorrow, might want to see which one of those two heavy weights is the early favorite in the east to challenge the penguins.

"Expert" Update: In ESPN's opening poll, the Rangers were somehow the 22nd ranked team in the NHL. The Rangers have been in the playoffs every year post lockout. They have been one of the final 8 teams left 2 of the last 3 seasons, they have one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, and just signed the most talented free agent on the market....and 22nd? Well after giving the penguins all they could handle, and beating a decent Ottawa team pretty handily at home, the Rangers were bumped all the way up to # 12 (10 spots for a 1-1 start, tells ya someone was a little off with their original assessment, and how impressive the rangers "loss" was to the penguins), and that was prior to the strong win in Jersey tonight. Rangers somewhere around 12 is an accurate ranking in my book right now. It also was before the puck was dropped on the season, nice some people finally got their heads out of their asses. (Hope those who voted for "Rangers miss playoffs" in our poll get their heads out of their asses soon as well, for their own sake, it's gross in there)

RANGERS WIN 3-2!

With 30 seconds left Callahan skated the puck out of the Rangers zone and to center ice, where he battled 2 devils and ate 20 seconds of time along the boards. The Devils worked the puck back in for one final attempt on Hank, but a cross ice pass was beautifully broken up by a lunging Kotalik and the puck went harmlessly into the corner, where it, and the Devils hopes of getting to .500 any time soon died.

Rangers win 3-2, Doc sounds very depressed but tries to remain professional, and the postgame crew sums it up with one perfectly worded sentence:

"Henrik Lundqvist owns the Devils"

Less than one minute

45 seconds to go, and fatso heads to the bench!

Hank and Drury pull fast ones

With 3:30 left, the Rangers ice the puck, as the Devils are creating intense pressure with their "No talent, all ugly, and enormous" Clarkson, Zubris, Pandalfo collection.

The Rangers with out a timeout, and an exhausted line, Hank skates over to the officials and asks them to tighten up the top of his mask, delaying for 10 seconds. Then Drury asks the officials to clean up something he sees on the ice, eating another 10 seconds, providing the Rangers gas'd line with an additional 20 seconds of rest.

Update: Now 2:02 left, Rangers are again caught in the zone, again ice the puck and can't get off. Torts looks like a man who wishes he had his timeout, but can't blame him for calling it when he did. The Rangers did not show up tonight when this game started, it had to be done.

5:26 to go...

The teams are back to even strength. (Good test for the Rangers, who have yet to hold a one goal lead late in a game. Trailed by 1 in pittsburgh, big lead against Ottawa. Let's see how this attack style of Torts defends a lead)

Rangers just miss, Refs continue to miss

Higgins (who has had a strong "doesn't show up in boxscore" night), has a nice wrap around attempt that handcuffs Brodeur and leaves a rebound in front of an exposed net but the Rangers can't capitalize.

At the ten minute mark Eddie Olcyzk points out that the refs have put the whistles away and not called a penalty this period. (I assume he means other than the penalty they called on Girardi 30 seconds in on the rangers to give the devils a 5 on 3)

Oh...and as I type that...."tweet tweet", or whatever f*cking noise a whistle makes.

The 16th and 17th penalties of the game called on Clarkson and Voros for roughing on each side. So guess what, 8:20 left in a one goal game, let's play some 4 on 4!

Rangers 3-2, 12:34 to go in 3rd

Versus takes a TV timeout because Doc Emerick had reached his full "terrible jokes" quota for that particular segment of the game.

(Big hand by the way for Dave Pucks following the blog all night long and checking the spelling nightmares that Nugman leaves in his prodigious wake. Nice job Pucks)

[And I just corrected "quote" to "quota" - Dave]

Goalie Update:
Hank, 22 of 24 saves
Fatso, 18 of 21

Another penalty? Sure, why not.

It took all of 30 seconds for the refs to blow the whistle's for the 15th penalty of the game, this one also on the Rangers, giving the devils a 2 man advantage for 30 seconds.

Rangers are able to kill off both penalties, and even got a nice play from Wade Redden in the process, helping to win a puck and clear the zone.

16:30 left in the game, 3-2 Rangers

Versus Jinx?

Versus just informed me that teams leading after 2 periods so far this young season are 19-0-1. If the Devils are going to be the first to pull it off in regulation they are going to have to come from behind like the Ranger's were Brodeur's ex-wife's sister. *

(*Brodeur banged his ex-wife's** sister)

(** This made Fatso's wife, become his ex-wife. Which means Marty will be playing a LOT longer)

Gilroy scores! CUT REDDEN AND ROZSIVAL

Matt Gilroy shoots one hard and low, that somehow finds it's way through the Newark size 5 hole between Brodeur's legs. (Assists to Drury and Staal) First career goal for the Hobey Baker winner.

Is there any doubt that by December Redden and Rozsival will be the highest paid 3rd defensive pair in NHL history? It's amazing what happens when defenseman actually shoot.

Momentum? What Momentum. Callahan called for running Brodeur over, power play Devils. (this is legit, BUT, Hank was run over in the first period by Zubris when he lost his edge, and NOTHING was called)

The second period is over, the Devils will have another minute of power play time to start the 3rd

Rangers lead 3-2 after 2

UPDATE: 14 penalties thru 2 periods...none of them fighting. Expect that to change in the 3rd period.

UPDATE UPDATE: Rangers 2 for 6 on powerplay thru 2 (although one of them lasted only 20 seconds), Devils 1 for 5, with a minute left on their 6th. 12 power plays, is approx 24 minutes of play (they didn't all go a full two minutes obviously, so let's say about 22 minutes worth), and then there has been about 2-3 minutes of 4 on 4 times. About 25-26 minutes I would guess, out of the 40, have not been 5 on 5. Meaning about only 35% of this game has been played at full strength for both sides...nice work.

R U F*cking kidding? Is this Russia? This isn't Russia.

To quote my mother any time she has had more than 2 white wines in her, "What the f*ck is going on here?!"

Kotalik catches his stick in the midsection of Bergfors. Is it a hook? MAYBE. Very tick tack...so of course they call it....and Bergfors? He lose his footing and goes down. Possibly a dive. Do they call it? Absolutely. So instead of just letting to questionable plays go, and continuing 5 on 5, what do they do? Call hooking and diving, two more penalties, and we are playing 2 minutes of 4 on 4.

Is this a joke?

Rangers get their SIXTH power play....and then don't

Rangers get their 6th powerplay (4 for the devils), on the 10th penalty of the game called by these JV refs....and then 20 seconds into it, Del Zotto is called for a trip, the 11th penalty, wiping out the Rangers power play, and after some 4 on 4, the Devils will get 20 seconds of power play time.

It's Rangers-Devils...if you see blood, blow the whistle. Otherwise, LET THEM PLAY.

7:18 left in the second, Jersey outshooting Rangers 17-14

Torts on Doobie: GROW THE F*CK UP

Showing an interview with Torts, asked about Doobie, he says: "I think he has a LOT to learn about what it is to be a professional hockey player...I don't think he thinks he does, but...he does. And we are going to teach him."

He went on to say that right now, Doobie is playing very strong though....when sober.

Rangers go back on the power play, where they are 2 for 4 tonight

2-2, 14:17 left in 2nd

Rangers start the second period with a strong kill of the Devils power play. The devils only got one shot, and the better scoring chance actually went to the Rangers.

Rangers keep the play in the devils zone before Rozsival botches a one timer, whiffing and fluttering a slow puck towards brodeur, which the Devils turned into a 2 on 1 the other way, but did not convert. (The play of Rozsival and Redden through 7+ periods so far this season has been nothing short of completely unimpressive. 11 million dollars and the best thing you can say about them is they "aren't killing us right now")

HUGE hit by Higgins knocks parise on his ass, and the Rangers turn it into a scoring chance the other way as Anisimov (Anus) rips a shot from a bad angle which Brodeur gloves.

2-2 After one period

If I am the Rangers, I am happy this game is 2-2 right now. They came out incredibly sloppy. The devils tallied 2 goals at home. EIGHT penalties have been called in the first period of a very chippy, physical game....and it's all square, with 40 minutes to play. You have to think the Rangers worst hockey for the night is behind them, and once they get sustained pressure on Brodeur, they have to like their chances. They have gotten off the power play 0-fer, which should make life substantially easier as well. They will begin the second short handed for another 80 seconds, but after that they need to get some 5 on 5 time and start peppering Brodeur with shots.

The refs need to get control of this game. They have called 8 penalties in 20 minutes, some legit, some cheap, but the Refs need to realize this is always a physical game, from two teams feeling each other out. The devils need a first win, the Rangers want to get some momentum going on the road against a rival, if your going to call every little cheap contact play, this game is going to have 25 penalties called, and there will be almost no 5 on 5 play. Games should not be played, and decided on special teams.

Brodeur....wow....not fast

After Drury gave a knee to Martin, the Devils were set to get another power play, but Oduya decided to defend the honor of his teammate he would jump on a defenseless Drury sitting on the ice. The refs properly give Oduya a double minor for being a filthy criminal, and it puts the Rangers back on the powerplay.

Off the faceoff win, Del Zotto passed over to Kotalik, who is ready to shoot every time the puck comes his way, and he rifles a shot low and hard past brodeur on the stick side. The shot was perfect, but it was also from around 30 feet. Slow reactions from brodeur, coming off a 5 goal opener against Philly....not ideal for Devils fans.

Which means I feel super.

2-2 with a minute left in the first. (2 points for Del Zotto)

Devils kill the PP, Doobie still drunk, Devils retake lead

Devils kill the Rangers powerplay, and right after it finished Doobie takes his first holding call of the night. I say his first, because as Nugman predicted after last game, I have zero doubt Doobie has been on a 2 day bender after his opening night dominant performance, and he is going to be a step slow all night.

Zajac scores on the power play, the Devils retake a 2-1 lead thanks to incompetence on the part of Rozsival, Redden and Doobie, and the Jersey fans have come back to life. (More than anything just to annoy the Rangers fans in the building, who out number them nearly 2-1 I am sure)

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!?! Rangers score on PP!

Del Zotto, the 19 year old defenseman, picks up the Rangers first power play goal of the season, the first of his young career, and his second goal of the season in just 3 games. (Meaning he is already a more developed offensive weapon in my eyes than Marc Staal)

Del Zotto gets the goal, but most of the credit goes to Prospal and Khotalik (both assists), whose fine play got fatso out of position and out of the net, allowing Del Zotto to shoot at a wide open net for the tying goal. The rangers power play, which has looked better but with no results, finally hits paydirt.....and will get another chance.

Gaborik's speed is too much for Rolston, who has to hold him and gets called by the Refs. The "rock", pro devil for about 2 minutes has drastically shifted back to support the blueshirts as the jersey fans have remembered that their franchise and their fan base is a complete joke.

Good kill for the Rangers, now PP # 10

Rangers woke up a bit and had a very aggressive penalty kill where they had the best scoring chances.

Following the end of the Devils powerplay, the Rangers had a strong two shifts where khotalik and gilroy almost hooked up for the tying goal on brodeur (curious to see how Fatso handles the rangers new "shoot first" style, after a decade of watching their "do anything but shoot" style)

Brashear actually shows some value and draws a penalty, so the Rangers will have a chance to score their first power play goal in 10 tries. (One shorthanded goal so far, 0 power play goals)

Devils score first...Torts PISSED

The Rangers come out with a decent offensive shift, but VERY lazy on defense, not working, and everyone chasing the puck, no one covering the passing lanes or taking the body. The Rangers give up three very good chances out in front of Hank, before the Devils finally capitalize just over a minute in to the game. The Rangers followed with another poor shift, and Torts uses his timeout to SCREAM at the team. Clearly upset at the effort level from the Rangers on defense.

Devils lead 1-0 on the goal by niedermyer (shot high glove side on Hank, taking a page out of the Caps game plan from the playoffs last year), and now going on a power play thanks to a very lazy defensive effort from Rozsival. Rangers need to wake up.

Game Night: The Devils and the Details

Game three in the Rangers season unfolds "somewhere in the swamps of Jersey" tonight as our heroes take on the New Jersey Devils – that team we dislike above all others - at Newarks' crown jewel: the Prudential Center - at 7pm.

Martin Broduer – perhaps the most over-rated goalie in the history of the NHL is coming off his historic 1000th career game – a 5 goal (on just 25 shots) catastrophe at the hands of former Ranger Blair Betts and his Philadelphia Flyers.

Broduer brings a record versus the Rangers of 1-6-3 in his last ten into tonight’s contest.

On the Rangers side – the lines figure to be what they were in our home opener:

Prospal–Dubinsky–Gaborik (because - if you don’t have a first line center – give Gaby two 2nd line centers)
Higgins-Drury-Callahan (the hardest working line in the NHL)
Lisin-Anisimov-Kotalik (“Anis” will improve)
Brashear-Boyle-Voros (no comment)

And defending pairs:

Staal-Girardi
Del Zotto-Rozsival
Redden-Gilroy

In other line up news:
-Sean Avery is still out with a “friendly fire” knee injury from a training camp collision with Ryan Callahan
-And Henrik Lundqvist, despite much having been said and written about giving him extra rest this year – will make his third straight start of the season.

With this just being game three in a long season - why does it feel so important? Our need to get off on the right track? A proof-of-concept for Tortorella's system? Because we hate the Devils? Probably all of the above.

It feels like the Devils are still reeling from last year's abrupt ouster from the first round playoffs - maybe we can jump on them when they're down.

Ranger Power Play - it's Worse this year? Is that even possible?

It doesn't seem possible - but it's happened.

(As you know - last night we covered the Ranger Penalty Kill team - but today we're talking powerplay)

Last season the Ranger's Power Play was really bad. How bad? Well, our Power Play was 29th out of 30 team - and converted at a terrible 13.9% success rate.

Well, this year Tortorella and Sather made this a top level item to address in the offseason. The Rangers went out and got some legitimate goal scoring for the man advantage - led of course by Marian Gaborik. And Chris Higgins has shown some success on the Power Play in year's past, and Kotalic appears to have a cannon shot from the Point. Throw in a few offensive minded defenseman and it adds up to what should be a rejuvenated power play this season.

So we pretty much knew the Rangers would be moving off the 29th spot in power play production - and sure enough - we have.

We've moved down to 30th!

I wish I were kidding - but it's true. So far in the two games the Rangers have played - we are an anemic 0-9. Zero goals. And there are a few other teams with zero powerplay goals this season (only five out of thirty) but none of the other scoreless teams have as many chances as the Rangers did.

So - in a league where special teams are often the difference maker between closely matched hockey clubs - so far the Rangers are measurably worse on both the PP and the PK. In fact, with our shorthanded goal - our PK is OUTSCORING our PP!

Like we said - it is really really early - but it's not the way we expected to start off.

Penalty Kill

Hey folks - sorry - I (Dave Pucks) was away the past 2 days - but as you could tell - my co-blogger Nugman was fast and furious with the game day blogs in my absence.

I just wanted to check in here to take an early look at special teams -specifically - the penatly kill. This is a stat the Rangers led the league in last year - not giving up goals on the Penalty Kill an amazing 87.8 percent of the time.

As you all know - Blair Betts was a lynchpin in that penalty kill - but here's no longer here. First Donald Brashear nearly removed his head - and then the Rangers removed his body - from the team. Happily for Blair - he found a home on the Flyers - which will make the first Flyers game at MSG interesting to say the least.

Anyway - without Betts - in the ridiculously small sample of two games - the Rangers have killed of 5 of 6 penalties - for an 83.3% success rate. Not that far off last year's pace.

The Flyers with Betts? They've killed off 12 of 13 for a 92.3% success rate.

Like we said - it's way early - but so far the "Betts Factor" is favoring the Cheese Steaks.

We'll keep our eye on this one. More tomorrow morning.

Nugman's Nuggets from the opening Weekend

Rangers win 5-2 in home opener over Ottawa. Rangers showed great legs for a team playing back to back nights to start the season, and won 2 of the 3 periods. In the first and third periods, the Rangers held Ottawa to 14 shots combined....but allowed 20 in the second. And the second is where Hank took over, and made his mark on the game. Not just saving 19 of 20 shots, but some of the saves were of the "Oh man, I am definitely going to completely exaggerate and call that the best save I have ever seen" variety. But unlike many games last year, this game wasn't all Hank.

# 1 Star - Doobie: Similar to last season, getting off to a great start. Scores two goal tonight, also picks up an assist. Was driving hard to the net all game, and gave Ottawa all sorts of problems. A training camp holdout, he needed a strong start. But Nugman is calling it right now, look for doobie to put up a minus on Monday and see less ice time against the Devils, because I am relatively positive he is going to be the drunkest guy in NYC the next 48 hours

# 2 Star - Hank: 32 of 34 saves. What was an absolutely fantastic game turned a little sour allowing a cheap goal with 5 seconds left, but still another great effort. Hank looks in midseason Hank form, and that's a very good thing for the Rangers.

# 3 Star - (MSG gave it to Del Zotto, but I am not about sentimental BS) Gaborik - A goal and an assist, and his hands are absolutely terrifying. Every time he touches the puck inside the blue line, he is a threat to score. The Rangers haven't had a player like that since 2005-2006 jagr, and they haven't had a player like that in his prime since......? It's been awhile. If the guy can play 75 games this year, he'll score 50 goals.

Good Sign from something Odd: Does everyone else remember watching the Rangers last year, and especially in the second half, you couldn't go through a game without noticing Ryan Callahan? The guy just worked so much harder, more consistently, then everyone else on the ice. Non-stop motor, non-stop hustle. Through 2 games, Callahan has been almost non-existent. And that's no knock on him. He hasn't found the back of the net yet, but there's nothing wrong with that, he's still palying hard. It's just that...EVERYONE is flying right now. It could be the early season legs. It could be the grueling training regimen Torts put everyone thru in camp. Don't know what it is, but Callahan no longer stands out. Everyone skates fast, hard, and for 60 minutes. (Except Redden and Rozsival of course, whose names barely get mentioned in a telecast, despite making 11 million between them)

An honest take on the Rangers so far: The Rangers have played two of the better offensive teams in the league their first two games (Well pittsburgh is certainly one of the top 2-3, and Ottawa still has one of the top lines in all the NHL) with an incredibly young and inexperienced defense. Staal, girardi, Gilroy and Del Zotto. In the 2 games, they have given up 4 goals of relevance (5 total). A lot of that has been the great play of Hank, but you'd have to say the kids have done "ok" so far. They've given up more than their fair share of odd man rushes, but these are two very good offenses that have been held mostly in check. On offense, the Rangers do look like a much more explosive team than last season....but it all rides on Gaborik. Without him, this is a scrappy team that can win some 3-2 games. With him, the Rangers could become a team that can score 4-5 on any given night, which is pretty much an automatic win with Hank. Looking at the Rangers schedule, in pittsburgh, a place they struggle, then home against Ottawa, you'd expect them to be 1-1 after 2, and they are right there. So far the Rangers look like a competitive, hard working, playoff team with a legit sniper and supporting cast that could scare one of the big boys in the first round.

Around the Eastern Conference: The biggest statement so far has been made by the Flyers, who have cemented themselves right off the bat as one of the top 3 teams in the East. The hype was big coming in, and they have lived up to it. Two dominating wins on back to back nights, on the road, against tough playoff teams with tested goalies (Carolina - Ward, New Jersey - Brodeur). Philly controlled the Carolina game from early in the first on, and absolutely blew New Jersey off the ice tonight. They look very strong. That said, the Rangers have matched up very well against them the last few years, and have made winning in Philly look rather easy. But, a very overhauled Rangers squad, who knows how they will take to Philly's physical style. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, dynamic dou.

The Capitals will finish 1 or 2 in the eastern conference. I am not sure where, but they are blowing teams out of the building and are too young, too talented to ever really go into any type of slump.

And the Penguins are the champs (as they showed tonight with a comeback victory over the pathetic Islanders). Until some one proves otherwise, the Penguins are the champs. So penguins, Capitals, and Flyers look to be the top 3 teams in the east.

Boston I have to see play before I annoint them to anything, and I have my concerns about the losses they took on their league leading defense, and trading Phil Kessel. But right now, you'd have to think they are a strong lock for a 4/5 seed.

Then the Rangers fall into that next area. The Devils,Carolina, Rangers, Canadians. The probably other 4 playoff teams fighting for 5-8, and then there is Ottawa and the Sabres, both of whom are going to battle down to the wire to give the Rangers and those other 3 all they can handle. 10 teams, 8 spots, and I think 4 have all but already been decided. 6 teams, 4 spots. Watch those other 5 all season long.

Brashear Update: 2 games, 2 fights, I'd say he is 0-1-1, and he's still alive. I'll leave that up to you whether it is a positive or negative thing.

Seriously, this sh*t has to stop: 0-5 on the power play tonight, 0-9 on the power play on the season.

3 Goals For Hank: 1-0-0 this season when scoring 3 or more.

Next Game for the Rangers: Monday at the rock in Jersey against Fatso.

Rangers WIN!!!

Ottawa scores with 5 seconds left in the game. A shot goes thru the legs of a defender in front of Hank, an annoying blemish on an otherwise fantastic night.

Rangers win 5-2, my lengthy game recap, as well as thoughts from around the NHL to come shortly.

Rangers have won 4 home openers in a row, for what it's worth.

Doobie Drops the Deuce! Scores AGAIN! 5-1!

Rangers will be shorthanded for most of the final 2 minutes, 6 on 4, as Ottawa has also pulled the 2001 first round pick. Rangers can finish it here........ADN THEY DO!

DOOBIE SCORES!

A shorthanded, empty net goal for Doobie. His second goal of the night, with Kovalev all over his back, dumps the puck into the empty net!

Rangers lead 5-1!

Gaborik scores his 2nd, and Nugman dreams of Jagr

2 games healthy, 2 goals for Gaborik (3 points). The Rangers have not had a scorer like this since Jagr in 2005-2006, when he was in the final elite scoring year of his career. Can they keep Gaborik healthy? I have no idea, but when he is on the ice, the guy is lethal.

Doobie led another rush down ice (Doobie has created more offense these first two games then he did all last November, December, January and February COMBINED) and beat LeClaire stick side but it hit the post and bounced out. Doobie was then taken out by the defense and the puck was left sitting in front of the crease for who? an UN-MANNED Gaborik. And again....COVER THE GUY.

Rangers have picked up their defensive efforts in the third period, forcing everything from Ottawa to the outside and the boards, where Hank gives up one goal every 2 months or so.

Rangers lead 4-1, about 5 minutes left in the 3rd

Del Zotto scores! Rangers Lead 3-1!

After 2 periods the Rangers have been mostly outplayed (Giving up TWENTY shots in the second period)....but lead 3-1.

Del Zotto get's hist first career goal on the wrister, and gives something positive to this young defensive unit. Del Zotto is 19...when I was 19, I was still having my friends buy me beer because I couldn't afford a good fake id.

Hanks 28 saves on 29 shots thru 2.

Hasn't been said yet, but should be, Sean Avery still out with knee injury. He's day to day. No word if he will be available for the devils on Monday, I would guess yes. He like's playing against "Fatso" too much.

UPDATE: Del Zotto first Rangers teenager to score since Manny Malholtra....let's hope Del Zotto's career as a Ranger is slighty more....impressive.

Slow Line Change, and Rookie Defense do Hank in

Ottawa gets on the board in a period they have mostly dominated. A slow line change from the Rangers led to Gilroy chasing Spezza into the corner, with Alfredsson trailing. Gilroy was indecisive, and couldn't decide whether to attack the puck and spezza, or to back off and try and cut off the passing lane...so he did neither. Spezza threw a pass to a wide open Alfredsson right in front of Hank and he buried it.

Once again....sports is not complicated. Malkin, Crosby, Alfredsson, Spezza...KEEP A MAN ON EACH, AT ALL TIMES. Leaving the best players on the oppossing team wide open in front of the net? BAD idea.

Rangers lead 2-1, as Alfredsson is taking over and Hank is on his own.

Uh Oh Stat: Rangers have given up 7 odd man rushes so far

Doobie Scores! The Rangers are starting to dump!

I will hold off the doobie is a man child talk (since last year he had a great first 4 games, I thought he was ready to take the next step, and then he DISAPPEARED FOR FIVE MONTHS). But, Doobie get's his first goal of the season (assist to Gaborik). Similar to last year, Doobie took it up the center, then went wide, gave himself a shot from a bad angle, but it was perfect. Over the glove of the first round pick from 2001, and Rangers lead 2-0.

(Strange period, Rangers being outplayed, but 2 perfect shots and they lead 2-0)

Rangers get their 4th power play of the game, the way Hank is playing, they can put the game away with a goal here

New Year, Same Story

How many times during a Rangers game do you hear "These Goalies are just amazing!" Now we expect that from Hank, but kind of odd how EVERY goalie the Rangers play seems to be amazing huh?

(Some comments from Michaletti, amazing how he says them with a straight face. Of LeClaire, "Ottawa thinks he can be one of the best goalies in the NHL, there's a reason they took him with a FIRST ROUND PICK.....in 2001")

36 shots on goal combined about halfway thru this game, Hanks is 22/22, and just stopped a breakaway from Ryan Shannon on a giveaway from Gilroy in the rangers zone, and Leclaire has stopped 13/14, couple of big time saves.

Rangers getting outshot 13-2 so far in the 2nd

Prospal Scores! Rangers Lead 1-0

Prospal finally finds the back of the net. (I say finally after only 4+ periods but he has been robbed twice already this season so, that was nice) Staal and Girardi get the assists. Prospal's 199th career goal, and 600th point, was the result of an odd man rush. Hank made some nice saves, and Prospal broke down the ice 2 on 1, and in a very "un-ranger" sort of move, instead of holding on to the puck until the last minute, making a predictable pass to the accompanying winger that is broken up by the defense, or leads to a terrible angle shot which the goalie easily turns away, Prospal instead held on to the puck, and rifled it into the back of the net for his first goal as a Ranger.

As Rangers celebrate, Ottawa steps up their play, and draws a penalty on the Rangers. 14 minutes left in 2nd period

Brutal, End of First, 0-0

The Rangers are the guy who has spent all day pounding tequilla, chili, steak, burgers, and chips. They feel like they are about to explode, they squat down on the toilet for a theraputic offensive exploision and then....nothing. There is grunting, there is thrusting, there is sweating, there are tears....but there is no offensive explosion.

Prospal gets robbed of a goal for the second straight night, gaborik missed wide from 5 feet in front of the net, khotalik hit a post. The Rangers have created countless chances on their 3 powerplays, but through a combination of tough luck, and fantastic goaltending, they are now 0 for 7 on the season. At some point the Rangers are going to take a giant dump on someone, just not yet.

Michelleti, ever the "The glass is not only half full, but it's maturing before our eyes and looks like the next brian leech" optimist, claims that the power play looks better now than at any point last year.

Maloney chimes in, "Yeah...but at some point you have to score"

Can't get analysis like that watching the tv muted.

Rangers Powerplay Already Drawing Moral Victories

Moral victories are pretty losses. The only time a moral victory comes up is when you lose. The Rangers first power play of the night ends as the previous 4 did last night...with no goal. Admittedly, they had some excellent chances, and the goalie just shut them down but sooner or later, you have to SCORE.

Goalie interference puts the Rangers back on the power play, here's hoping the sixth time is not a moral victory.

UPDATE: 0 for 6......super

Rangers outshooting Ottawa 10-6, 5 minutes left in the first

The Blue man group? Are you kidding?

Well, looks like I owe an apology to the Penguins. Apparently there are possible worse opening ceremony options then raising a championship banner to ultra gay music and hving a bunch of dudes pull down some sheets from around the Stanley Cup. You could have the blue man group come out and get the crowd fired up.

I almost feel like the Rangers should go 0-2 now just to make a point that they never want to see the Blue Man Group at the garden again....but that wouldn't do much good, since ownership doesn't really pay attention to what happens on the ice anyway.

And now Cold play music? Boy....just a bad time to be alive.

Rangers Lose, Malkin still horrific looking

Rangers lose the opener for the first time since 2004, falling 3-2 to the Penguins. If you want to know about how it happened, read the 800 blogs I have written below. All season long you can come here for Rangers in game blogging (accept for the games I choose not to do it).

Reasons why tonight's loss isn't the end of the world:

1) The Penguins are good, very good. And for the majority of tonight's game, the Rangers not only played with them, but gave them all they could handle. Had it not been for some superb play by Fleury, the Rangers could have walked out of Pittsburgh with a very impressive win.

2) Hank looked very sharp, and we need that early. He gave up the long wrister on the screen, but otherwise, 28 saves on 31 shots against the defending champs in their building, he was pretty strong, just not quite good enough. Fleury gets the top star tonight, but Hank was right behind him.

3) We need Gaborik and Drury to stay healthy (Gaborik), and get off to a hot start (Drury), and both scored tonight.

4) If you could somehow magically remove a 68 second sequence from the middle of this game, the Rangers win 2-1....but you can't.

Things that don't look so hot:

1) Different team...same power play. 0 for 4 tonight. The main reason why? We don't have a gonchar. Elite power plays get great play from their blue line. They have guys with deadly shots that force defenders to cover them, to spread out, and create room in front of the net. The Rangers do not currently have a defenseman that any team respects offensively, so they bunch in front of the net, and the rangers aren't a very big team, so it does not bode well.

2) The Wade "God this guy is killing us tonight" Redden Award for the evening goes to: Wade Redden. His miss of a pass from Gaborik in the final minute, with Hank out of the net, and letting the puck go out of the zone all but sealed the Rangers fate. Along with another lack luster performance in limited time, the 6 million dollar man continues to cripple the team.

3) Aaron Voros....I get it, he's a warm body, and I guess we need one, but...why is he back? Nugman "non-hockey, more whose blowing who related" Call of the Night: Voros is blowing Sather.

Overall Reaction: The Rangers played a strong game, in a building they have had a lot of recent trouble in, that they could have easily won against the best team in Hockey. If you can make a prediction for the season based on the opener (which you almost always can), the Rangers look like a team that will have their defensive lapses in the first half of the season, and combined with a lack of offensive cohesiveness, they will lose a lot of tough games 4-2, 3-2. When the offense clicks, they will make a charge around the 1/3 mark thru the season, and probably get themselves to a 5 or 6 seed. And then come playoff time, it will come down to 2 things: 1) Is gaborik still in one piece, 2)...have they FINALLY figured out how to score on the power play??? (I am not going to make a prediction on that, because it will just make me sad)

The Good News: The Rangers open up the Garden tomorrow night with a chance to put one in the win column against the Senators, and build off a hard fought game

The Bad News: 1) The Rangers play tomorrow night (really, back to back nights, and 3 games in the first 4? The season is 20 months long, how are we playing 3 in 4 to open?), 2) Unless the Rangers catch a lucky break with some swine Flu, Redden will still be with the team, Rozsival will still be making 5 million dollars, Staal will still be making amazing progress in the eyes of Rosen and Michelleti and no one else, and the Rangers will continue to have arguably the worst defensive unit of any playoff team

Refs miss a big one

Leaving aside my snide comments, the Refs have actually called a very clean, even game. But they just blew one.

Blatant 6 men on the ice for the Penguins as one played it right next to the bench during the change. Refs missed it, costs the Rangers a big power play chance. (They are 0-4 so who knows if it would have meant anything, but I would have liked the call to be made)

Less than 7 minutes to play

UPDATE: With 5 minutes left Hank makes two AMAZING saves to rob Adams, and keep the Rangers in the game

GABORIK SCORES! IT'S JAGR TIME!

Rangers still in it. Doobie with speed gained the zone on a pass from staal, with prospal and gilroy rushing the net, a penguin took each ranger out of the play, but the Rangers were rushing 4, and the penguins only had 3 in front of the net, and the one guy you don't want to leave alone* on the Rangers in front of the net Gaborik, was the one guy the Penguins chose to. Gaborik beats Fleury glove side from close range, Rangers down a goal. (Doobie and Staal get assists)

Refs fearing the rangers potentially making a rally, immediately break out the whistles for a hook on Anisimov. Big penalty kill coming up.

* - There is a whole industry (Sports entertainment, coverage, analysis) devoted to trying to make sports seem a lot more complicated and intelectual than they really are. Who has scored this game? Malkin, Crosby, Gaborik and Drury. (and a cheap long screened goal from the penguins) But in the other 4 cases, the 2 best goal scorers for each team, were left in front of the net WIDE open. With all the scheming and designs, how is there not an order "I don't care where the puck is, you NEVER leave Crosby, that's your job." And same for Gaborik. Why ever leave them, to cover Staal? To pick up Voros?

UPDATE: Rangers kill the penalty, less than 11 minutes left, Rangers down 3-2 and Doobie is putting it in my eye right now. Just drew a penalty, Rangers go on the power play (0-3 so far)

VERY telling stat.....

Rangers only have 6 defenseman right now, one of them is 19 year old Michael Del Zotto, and another is rookie Matt Gilroy. So thru 2 periods, which 2 defenseman have played the least amount of minutes? Rozsival and Redden.

Torts doesn't like these guys, he doesn't trust them. How did Sather not get rid of at least one of them? That should have been an absolute priority in the offseason.

Thru 2, Down 2, Rangers down...not yet out

Rangers thru 30 minutes were out shooting the penguins, in control of the tempo, and had Fleury on the ropes....then the penguins counterpunched, and the Rangers crumbled.

Down 3-1 heading to the third, they badly need Gaborik to take over and become Jagr 2005-2006 to get back in this one. (It would also help if Fleury went back to his 2006-2007, incredibly shaky, fall apart at any moment, form)

3rd time the charm?

Rangers get their third power play on a delay of game from the Penguins. Rangers need this one pretty bad to have any shot in this game.

Agression Giveth....and Agression Taketh Away

The rangers rushed 4 into the penguins zone, and didn't recover the puck. When you don't recover the puck, and have 4 men deep against the penguins, issues ensue. The penguins got a 3 on 1 rush the other way, which the Rangers actually did ok on, but then guerin recovered the puck against the boards, and flipped it in front to Crosby (who somehow had no one on him). Crosby scores, all is not right with the world.

Update: Penguins pushing hard now, amazing momentum shift, and Penguins get a bad goal from a screen. Khotalik throws a bad pass in the neutral zone, the penguins gained control, Golagoski wristed a shot from out near the blue line, Hank never saw it, now 3-1 penguins....

meaning...cue the goon, it's Brashear time

Goalies Taking Over

After not being tested the last 10 minutes or so, Hank has trouble with a rebound and has to stuff meat head Goddard on the door step. In a very deja-vu sort of moment, the penguins keep the puck in the zone, and Goddard has another chance on the door step, this one Hank clearly didn't see, but he was in good position to block the puck. The score stays 1-1, Hanks 17/18 saves, Fleury 13/14 saves

1st real blown opportunity of season: One on one against the boards, Callahan was unable to chip the puck out of the rangers zone under pressure. Had he been able to, the Rangers would have had a 2 on NONE the other way....which is a rather ideal odd man rush.

Fleury Robs Prospal!

Doobie and Prospal broke down the ice 2 on 1. Doobie gave Prospal a nice feed, he took a hard wrister at what appeared to be an open net, but Fleury, well practiced at spreading eagle in the presence of multiple men, robbed Prospal of his first rangers, and the go ahead goal.

15:12 left in second, Rosen making bad jokes about being unable to stretch

Rangers get their second power play. Gaborik draws a hooking penalty on Dubois.

Update: Fleury proceeds to rob Khotalik AND Gaborik on the power play. The story tonight is Fleury who is keeping the Penguins in the game. Rangers could easily be leading 3-1 right now.

First Period Over-reactions

Rangers are tied 1-1 thru 1. I would say the usual idiot play by play guy "They couldn't ask for more at this point" comment, but...they could be leading. And I am positive they would ask for that.

In the first the Rangers were very agressive. Higgins made his presence felt, as did obviously the captain. Even Redden looked like he hopes to not be a complete flop this season, breaking up what could have been a breakaway for the penguins with a nice steal of a puck in the penguins zone. Noticeably absent in the first: Dubinsky and Gaborik.

I am not a fan of having Doobie center Gaborik. Besides the fact that he is in hold out shape, Doobie has a way of being a cooler for his forwards. (Since he is a below average passer and has a tendency to not finish himself) I feel like he will be a weight around Gaborik's neck.

Rangers, barring some incredibly bad luck, and a record number of hit goal posts, will score a lot more this year...but at the same time, remarkably enough, they are going to give up even more breakaways then they did last year. Leading to two knee jerks calls from the Nugman right now:

1) Hank, who will have another strong season, will easily have the worst save percentage of his career. I believe he will win 40 games (a career high), but the quality of the shots these Rangers are going to give up will make it very hard for Hank to put up an elite percentage.

2) Mike Richards of the Flyers, who scored already tonight, is my sleeper pick for League MVP. Incredibly talented, gets better every year, all around great player, and Philly is getting a lot of pre-season hype. Richards is the guy.

More later

OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN

The first goal of the season for the Rangers comes ugly, agressive, and entirely based on the new forecheck scheme. Higgins and Drury attacked the zone, the puck bounced off a ref (probably trying to kick it out of the zone to a penguins player) on to the stick of higgins, he centered, and Drury rammed it home. First goal of the season for the Captain (desperately need 30+ from him).

Which now leads to the BS "this guy lost so much weight this offseason, thus he will dominate this year" story....Drury lost 8 pounds.....he will probably drop 8 pounds during this game.

Crosby follows the goal in true, face of the NHL, all class mode. He slashes Staal, and the Rangers get their first power play with less than 3 minutes left in the first.

Brashear Bleeds, but Penguins are having the Period

With the Penguins taking control of the game, Brashear is asked to perform his goon duties for the first time this season. To stop the game, and fight a guy in the hopes of slowing the momentum, and artificially firing up his team.

Well, Brashear had the fight early, then it was a draw, then a few rabbit punches and Goddard probably took what was a relatively even battle. As Brashear ending up with a nice cut on his bald, nazi-esque head.

Update: In a player profile, Brashear says if he wasn't in the NHL he would be a "psychologist...because I love analyzing people"

Umm, no, he would be in Jail. 100% positive.

Penguins best player, Malkin, scores first

Amazing how momentum can change when your shorthanded. It would have been nice to stay at even strength for awhile longer. Rangers penalty kill is 0-1 as Malkin had a fantastic deflection on a shot from Gonchar (healthy for the season, he makes pittsburgh even more scary)

1-0 penguins as they are now putting heavy pressure on Hank. Rangers being out shot 8-2, 9:57 left in the first

Penguins take a dive, the season has officially begun

Not sure there is a team in all the NHL, certainly the east, that ends up on their backs/stomachs as much as the penguins. Mainly led by diver extraordinaire sir sid, I was kind of shocked to see the rangers made it through 5 minutes without having a call made on them.

And so far at even strength the Rangers have been the agressors, and you can see the plan for the season is to...ATTACK...ATTACK...ATTACK. (Twice the rangers have had 5 man rushes. Strange seeing redden moving towards the oppossing net)

With the rangers controling most of the play, it was time for a penguin to take a dive. Chris Drury made some tic-tac contact, down went a penguin, and now we get to see the Rangers penalty Kill unit. # 1 in our hearts, and in the NHL last year, who knows this year? (Wasn't pretty without Betts, we'll see)

Some last second thoughts....

When you don't win the cup, it means someone else does. If it's someone else, there's the possibility that its a city as lame as pittsburgh, and you might end up having to watch their opening night ceremonies the following season. So the mission is clear for the Rangers, make sure I never have to watch a celebration this incredibly queer again.

Some thoughts from the pre-game:

1) Rangers are REALLY banking on Gilroy developing at Leech speed, and not Staal....really hope they are right

2) Rangers will NOT be outworked this season. Watching some of the video from Tort's preseason workouts, from players puking, falling down on the ice, it's clear that this team will be in good shape for all 3 periods. (With the added bonus of Redden possibly dying from exhaustion, going on IR, and freeing up some cap space)

3) Rosen is already in midseason form. Meaning I am already borderline sick of listening to him. It's been 6 minutes. I always thought he should have been a penguins announcer, since his nose makes him look kind of like one. They could have named him the president of Penguins nation or something stupid like they did with Jerry Remy and the red sox. He doesn't look like a red sox, but he is an incredibly depressed alcoholic.

Puck, and my pants, drop in 30 minutes

...exactly 38 minutes until the much anticipated Rangers debut of Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy, and the season opener for our beloved Rangers.

With Rangers getting ready to start a season long "FU" to espn rankings, with CC Sabathia going for his 20th win for the Yanks tonight, and with a fresh bottle of vaseline...needless to say, it's going to be a GREAT night at Nugman's house.

PS - For those worried about the lack of pictures we have up right now (Dave Pucks is very worried), do keep in mind that we are simply restructuring the site currently to make it more efficient and user friendly for you blueshirt lovers. Think of it as our way of removing Redden, and replacing him with a headless parapalegic. In other words, a huge step in the right direction. Dave Pucks, our resident tech guy, will be all over this, and he needs your support. In the meantime, I will be adding pics to my in game blogs, and doing my best to push this closer and closer to a "Full Frontal Nudity...male or female" sort of blog.

Go Rangers!

It is time!

Just 3 hours until the puck drops on another Rangers season. And for a Yankee fan having to sit through a few more meaningless games until next wednesday, this is fantastic news. I can't wait to see the new, basically entirely new look Rangers that Glen Sather has once again put together. I am really pumped to watch as, aside from last season, they go through their annual "3-4 month, getting to know each other" period. I just hope that Torts doesn't revert to the knee jerk Renney, "change the lines every night...it's good for offense" strategy.

Now on to the actual game. The Rangers head to pittsburgh....not only has it been a house of horrors the last 3 seasons, but it is also now home to the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Never a good thing. But, if you gotta play pittsburgh, a very skilled team, I wanna do it as early as possible, in the hopes that they are still drunk from their cup celebration. (Which might be possible, since, after all, it's only been a little more than 3 months....hockey is ridiculous) Much like the last time we saw the Rangers, they are facing a team far more skilled, with two of the top 5 offensive forces in the game (Crosby, Malkin).

What to look for tonight: 1) To see how what sort of grit a rangers team anchored by a full season of avery and.....thug/borderline criminal Donald Brashear bring to the table. 2) To see what type of focus Torts has gotten into this rag tag collection of past their prime free agents, an elite injury prone goal scorer, and a group of unproven youngsters. 3) This is as close to a playoff game feel as the Rangers are going to have until April, let's see what Gaborik can do, and if he can perhaps win a game on his own?

The wizards at espn once again picked the Rangers to be in the bottom third of the league, at 22. Last year I believe they started somewhere around 18. It never ceases to amaze me. The top 16 or so are what you consider playoff teams. Since the lockout, only TWO eastern conference teams have made it every year, the Rangers, and the hockey team that plays in New Jersey. Now while we can't say for sure if the Rangers are better than last season, how can you possibly decide they are worse? And with one of the top 4 goalies in the game, a 8 seed should be the minimum expectation for this team. I'd have the Rangers somewhere around 14 right now, and let's see what they can do this opening week.

As for tonight's prediction: The penguins come out with all the energy, but Torts has the rangers prepared to counter punch every move. Thru two periods the rangers somehow hold a one goal advantage...and then the third. When the energy of the night should lift the Penguins to a heartbreaking come from behind, 4-2 victory on am empty netter late.....here's hoping I am not half as smart as I am.

In game blogging to come!

Drop The Puck already!

Don't you feel it? And can you friggin believe it? NHL regular season hockey is finally here! And as for us - the entire Blueshirt Brothers staff is stoked, liquored up and ready to go.

Tonight the puck drops on a brand new Rangers season. And forget about about easing in to this year - our heroes will be facing the big guns right away:

We start by playing none other than the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins - in their home opener - on their home ice.

You can't ask for a more blood-pumping beginning than that. Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin. The champs will be gunning for us.

And for our side:

We'll be showcasing newcomers like: Marian Gaborik, Higgins, Kotalik, and Prospal

We'll be feeding off the energy of youngsters like Gilroy, Del Zotto and Anisimov

And of course we'll be leaning heavily on our returning nucleus - Hank - Sean - Dubi - Calli.

And right now - as you're reading these words - everything in our season is still perfect. No injuries yet for Gaborik. No goals allowed for Hank. No tirades yet for Tortorella. No horrendous play from Redden It's all pristine.

The big question is: Can we be better this year? Well, I can't speak for Nugman, but Dave Pucks says Yes We Can. And here's why:

• We will forecheck better


• We will score more at even strength.


• We will manage Hank better physically (with rest) and emotionally (by giving the poor guys a few leads to work with)


• We will convert more powerplay goals


• We will get more offense from our defensemen


• We will even win more shootouts

But enough forecasting. Enough off season analysis. Enough waiting. I want to stand and cheer again. I want to sing the goal song. I want to jump back on that emotional rollercoaster one more time.

Drop the friggin Puck! Let's Go!

Let's Go Rangers!

Gaborik: "This Team needs a Skating Kitty" - How our boys did on Letterman

Okay - what we do here is in depth Ranger Analysis - so here's our take on last night's Ranger action - reading Dave Letterman's top ten list:

10 - Donald Brashear said: "Instead of fighting, why don't we work things out over Brunch". Including Brashear in the group of ten is clearly a move to get him past the bad feeling that Ranger fans have ever since Brashear decided to break Blair Bett's face in a playoff game last year. They put him up first so the the initial cheer when the Ranger's came out would hopefully cover any scattered boos. Listening to the studio audience - I didn't hear any booing in the house - but the CBS studio is not the Garden.

9 - Dan Giradi: "Between you and me, I have no idea what the hell Icing is". Not the best line reading, Dan, but you hit you mark and said the words correctly. And by the way, Dan, Icing is that stuff on top of cakes.

8 - Marian Gaborik: "What this team needs is a Skating Kitty". Okay, even though English isn't his first language, Marian get through it just fine. And, thank goodness, no injuries.
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7 - Brandon Dubinsky: "I really wish these fans would watch their language". Except he said "wash" instead of "watch". Dubi is clearly showing the lack of training camp time after his hold out. If he'd been in camp since day 1 - he would have nailed this one.

6 - Chris Drury: "High scorer gets to pick which Barbara Streisand CD we listen to on the bus". It's just nice to hear Drury speaking - he's been really quiet with the New York press lately - which is not like him. I'm just glad he can still talk.

5 - Marc Staal: "Forget all the goals and the awards, Gordie Howe has one nice looking butt". Staal read this one just fine - but didn't read it with any real feeling - which, given the subject matter, is probably for the best.

4 - Chris Higgins: "For good luck, I lick the puck". We're counting on our US born players who speak English as a first language to really nail these - and Higgins stepped up and scored. Good job Chris!

3 - Ryan Callahan: "My real dream is to work at an insurance company". Ugh. Ryan, that was a pretty bad reading. He stops twice in the middle: "My real dream is ........ to work at .............. an Insurance company". The key to comedy is timing, Ryan. It almost sounds like he's making one of those coerced hostage tapes....

2 - Henrik Lundqvist: "Who can concentrate on Hockey when Jennifer Aniston still hasn't found love" Even though Hank is not completely comfortable speaking English in front of a live audience - and he was given a long complicated sentence - I'm not 100% sure how to say "Aniston" myself - he stands on his head and comes up huge! King Henrik!

1 - Sean Avery: "I wish Letterman was on at ten". They saved Sean for last because they felt he was the most famous - particularly to non-hockey fans. I guess that's the right move. Also because he speaks publicly the most of any Ranger - he's been on talk shows - and he was someone they felt they could count on. And Sean delivers - he nails the reading. He's always got more of a smirk than a smile - but he does just fine.

The audience cheers again and Letterman comes down the line shaking hands with each player - as if a playoff series has just ended. Now, I'm waiting for Sean's turn, because I remember what happened when he shook hands with Jimmy Fallon on Jimmy's show. What Sean did back then was fake like he was throwing a punch at Fallon - freaking the poor guy out completely and sending him into an emotional tailspin from which I don't think Jimmy has ever fully recovered.

So I'm wondering if Sean will try the same stunt with Letterman. And it looks to me like he's thinking about it - but he's actually holding one hand with the other in front of him to keep his impulses in check. The moment of truth arrives - and no - he just shakes hands. Good move, Seanny - Dave deserves respect and you handled it just right. Another Ranger crisis averted.

Earlier - the ten Rangers carried Madonna into the studio - they put their sticks across their shoulders - sort of like pall bearers - and she sat on those. Madonna later told Dave that the sticks "pinched" her - though I wonder if Avery did any unauthorized pinching of his own.

Here's Letterman's site if you want to see it the Top Ten yourself. And the whole night is recapped quite well on CBS's site by the one and only Mike McIntee on the Wahoo Gazette - in a post that mentions this blog!

All in all - a few rough spots - but in then end a clutch performance by your favorite Hockey team. Let's Go Rangers!