Kukla's Korner Hockey
Category: New-York-Rangers
The Other Goalie Has Been Better
by Paul on 05/20/13 at 04:11 PM ET
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from Pat Pickens of Slap Shot,
At the start of the Rangers’ series with the Boston Bruins in the N.H.L. Eastern Conference semifinals, most fans and pundits gave New York a sizable advantage in goaltending.
It is no secret that Henrik Lundqvist is one of the league’s best goalies. He is the defending Vezina Trophy winner and was nominated for the award again this year. He was hot entering the Boston series, with a 120-minute scoreless streak and .947 save percentage.
Yet, through two games, it has been Lundqvist’s counterpart, Tuukka Rask, a fellow Scandinavian, who has given his team the edge.
Rask’s 35 saves Sunday helped Boston win Game 2, 5-2. He has surrendered four goals on 72 shots in the two games and used his showdown with Lundqvist to keep his focus.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: tuukka+rask
Not The Time For A Slumping ‘King’
by Paul on 05/20/13 at 09:35 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
It is difficult enough for the Rangers to win even when Henrik Lundqvist is at the top of his game. It is all but impossible for the Blueshirts to even come close when The King plays as if he’s a plebeian.
Which goes a long way in explaining yesterday, when it appeared as if the Bruins were shooting pucks made out of Kryptonite rather than vulcanized rubber at the Rangers’ Superman in the 5-2 Game 2 victory that sends the Blueshirts back to New York facing their second consecutive 2-0 series deficit.
“The game was about hunting down the puck, and it was tough,” said Lundqvist, who has yielded four long ones overall in consistently being forced to contend with traffic in front, including Johnny Boychuk’s 50-footer at 12:08 of the second that snapped a 2-2 tie. “It was definitely a tough game to play.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Caught On Video
by Paul on 05/20/13 at 09:17 AM ET
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First up, John Tortorella not happy with a no-call at the end of the 2nd period yesterday.
Next up is Jason Spezza surviving this hard from Craig Adams...
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tortorella- “We Need To Go Win A Game”
by Paul on 05/19/13 at 06:47 PM ET
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John Tortorella post-game today after losing to the Boston Bruins 5-2 and going down in the series 0-2.
Tortorella felt the goal early in the 3rd period by Brad Marchand is one they cannot afford to give up. The goal put the Bruins up 4-2 and can be viewed below...
Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: john+tortorella
Brad Richards, The High Priced 4th-Liner
by Paul on 05/18/13 at 08:50 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
So when Tortorella begins an answer to a question about Richards’ status as the club’s fourth-line center with the words, “Sometimes it’s not about Brad,” as he did yesterday on the first of two days between Game 1 of the conference semis and Game 2 against the Bruins here tomorrow, it’s kind of a whoa moment.
As much of a whoa moment as the whole of the 3-2 overtime series-opening defeat in which Richards got the least amount of even-strength ice time of any Ranger (9:59), including 26 seconds in the second period when he sat on the bench for a stretch of eight minutes.
Richards, who turned 33 a couple of weeks ago, isn’t some bit guy. He was supposed to be the missing link when he signed that nine-year, $60 million contract over the summer of 2011 under which he has already been paid $24 million — and would be owed another $24 million if the Rangers use their final amnesty buyout on him this summer.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Scoring Issues Continue For Rangers
by Paul on 05/17/13 at 09:44 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
Henrik Lundqvist, the face of the Rangers and the face behind the mask, did not even attempt to mask the bitter pain of yet another overtime defeat.
This one cut to the core of the goaltender, who blamed himself, and who might have blamed anyone in sight, for the 3-2 loss to the Bruins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semfinals last night that left him oh-for-three in OTs this year and with a career OT playoff record of 3-11.
“I think I made a bad, bad decision,” Lundqvist said, castigating himself for the two-on-one goal that Brad Marchand scored off a Patrice Bergeron right-wing rush feed at 15:40. “It was a tough play, but I could have played it better.
“I have to see the guy [Marchand] in the middle. I knew he was coming, but I was too focused and too locked in on the puck. That’s why I made a stretch move instead of being able to keep my pads together.”
continued and watch the Marchand OT goal below...
Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Rangers/Bruins Series All About Lundqvist
by Paul on 05/16/13 at 02:13 PM ET
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from Sportsnet,
For the Bruins to win: The Bruins will have to continue their impressive faceoff prowess to keep the Rangers hemmed in their own end. New York’s defence has been susceptible against teams with strong forechecking, and Boston won a league-high 60 per cent of its faceoffs in its first-round win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Boston’s top line — Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, David Krejci — combined for 29 points, and the Bruins could use contributions like that against the Rangers. If that troika is contained, Tyler Seguin will need to step up; the second-line centre recorded just one assist against Toronto. The Bruins will also need Tuukka Rask to be outstanding. Boston’s netminder sports a 2.49 goals-against average this postseason. He’ll need to be better for Boston to advance further.
For Rangers to win: Henrik Lundqvist must continue to be the world’s best goaltender. Lundqvist carried New York to a seven-game series win over the Washington Capitals, shutting out Washington for the series’ final 120 minutes. The Rangers would also be wise to score first and more than once; they are 1-3 this postseason when scoring fewer than two goals. New York got goal-scoring contributions from its bottom-six forwards, but it likely won’t be able to survive a series against the defensively disciplined Bruins without offensive output from Rick Nash and Brad Richards. Nash only recorded two assists in the Rangers’ seven games, and Richards was exiled to New York’s fourth line in the final two games of its first-round series, playing fewer than 21 minutes in the Rangers’ final two wins.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Sather Has Confidence In His Rangers
by Paul on 05/16/13 at 09:39 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
“I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m confident in this group,” Sather said. “We were good enough to beat Washington, and we’ll have to be better than that in order to beat Boston.
“So much of a series like this comes down to the goaltending, you know all the clichés, but when you’ve got a guy there like Henrik [Lundqvist], you have to feel pretty good about your team.”
Other things Sather, who does not discuss his March prostate cancer surgery, feels pretty good about: a) Rick Nash, who failed to score a goal in the seven-game series against the Caps; b) the club’s depth in the wake of the deals at the deadline that brought Derick Brassard, John Moore and Derek Dorsett from Columbus (and the sidelined Ryane Clowe from San Jose); c) Mats Zuccarello; and, d) his coach, John Tortorella.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: glen+sather
Let’s Play Two At Yankee Stadium
by Paul on 05/15/13 at 01:58 PM ET
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NEW YORK (May 15, 2013) – Two outdoor regular-season NHL® games will be played at Yankee Stadium during the 2013-14 season as part of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ the National Hockey League announced today.
The two games scheduled for Yankee Stadium are:
New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils
Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 12:30 p.m. ET
New York Rangers at New York Islanders
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014 7:30 p.m. ET
Filed in: NHL Teams, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Capitals Leave The Playoff Party Early Again
by Paul on 05/14/13 at 10:35 AM ET
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from Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post,
There was a moment Monday, one that will be lost in yet another restless offseason, in which it seemed it could be Alex Ovechkin’s night. In one first-period shift, the Washington Capitals right winger crushed helpless New York Rangers defenseman John Moore in the open ice. He then tracked down Steve Eminger and delivered another blow. And before he returned to the bench, he lined up Ryan McDonagh, jarring him. The boards rattled. Verizon Center roared.
But as the clock wound down, and another spring of hockey ended in the District, Ovechkin was left to look down at his feet, glance up at the scoreboard, and consider another long summer ahead. His early hits scarcely rattled the Rangers, and his lone shot couldn’t getpast infallible New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist, so Washington is back in a familiar spot: Wondering when and how — and, more increasingly, if — the Ovechkin-led Capitals will ever advance deep into the NHL playoffs.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, | KK Hockey | Permalink
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at pk@kuklaskorner.com
