Game 54; Rangers and Devils set to meet in the historical outdoor game at Yankee Stadium!
New York Rangers (27-23-3) @ New Jersey Devils (22-19-11)
The Rangers are back in the action tonight as they face the New Jersey Devils at Yankee Stadium in the part of the NHL Stadium Series. For players, coaches and for the fans – this game is something out of ordinary. 50 000 people in the stands will see the 1st ever hockey to be played on the Yankee Stadium tonight. The Rangers are coming off from 2-1 loss against the St. Louis Blues so they wanna get back to winning as soon as possible. The Hudson River Rivalry has been intense since the Devils entered the league in 1982. Mark Messier’s guarantee and Stephen Matteau’s OT goal in 1994 playoffs, Devils sweep in 2006 playoffs, John Tortorella vs. Pete DeBoer matches and 2012 ECF. These teams don’t like each other, the fans don’t like each other and that’s what makes this rivalry so great to watch. Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur will once again play against each others and if the history repeats itself – there won’t be a lot of goals. After today’s game, the Rangers will face the Islanders on Wednesday night.
NJD:
The Devils have won 86 games against the Rangers since the first meeting in 1982. If they can win today in Yankee Stadium, that would definitely be one of the greatest win in their franchise history. It’s hard to believe but Martin Brodeur, who already played in 1994 playoffs, will get a start tonight against Henrik Lundqvist. 41-year-old Brodeur will play his 1452nd NHL game today afternoon in Bronx. Another veteran who will play his 2nd outdoor game in two years is Jaromir Jagr. 41-year-old Czech played for the Flyers in Winter Classic but he was injured in the first period and left the game early. Now Jagr is healthy and he’s ready to help the Devils win their first outdoor game.
NYR:
What ever happens, the fans will remember these next two games for long time. In 2012, the Rangers visited the Flyers in the NHL’s Winter Classic. Mike Rupp scored two goals and Brad Richards scored the eventual game winner in the 3rd period. Henrik Lundqvist secured the Rangers win as he stopped Danny Briere’s penalty shot with under minute remaining in the game. The Rangers haven’t won a game against the Devils this year but if they can do it today – everyone will be happy. Carl Hagelin will play his 3rd outdoor game today and he’s one of the key players for the Rangers. Line featuring Zuccarello, Brassard and Pouliot has been good for the Rangers and with their speed they can cause problems for the Devils defense. This is just me but keep eye on Brad Richards. He knows how to win outdoor games.
Rangers fans in the stands, be safe, be warm and most importantly BE LOUD!
PS, Happy Birthday to #99!
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 42; The Rangers visit Philly last time this year, You can’t beat us?
New York Rangers (21-16-4) @ Philadelphia Flyers (17-21-3)
The Rangers two game road trip continues tonight when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers won’t make the playoffs this year but they will do anything to tease the Rangers at the last meeting of the teams this season. With the win tonight (with Islanders loss to the Panthers), the Rangers would take on the 7th place in the conference. Two teams who are heading to very different directions – this should be exciting! After tonight’s contest, the Rangers will host the Panthers at MSG on Thursday night.
PHI:
The Flyers season have been a disaster. With just 6 games left in their regular season, it’s pretty sure that the Flyers season will end on April 27th. They are coming off from 7-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens last night. The Flyers have had all kinds of problems during the season. At early stages they didn’t score enough and when they did – their goaltending wasn’t on the best level. They also had some key injuries and they really missed guys like Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell during the stages of the season. For the team who reached Eastern Conference semifinals last year, this is a tremendous disappointment.
NYR:
Cause only way to win it, it’s to work for it. And that just what the Rangers did on Saturday night in Long Island. Both teams played very well and the game was one of the best of the season for sure. The Islanders had a plenty of quality scoring chances but they couldn’t beat Henrik Lundqvist who got his first shotout of the season. The Rangers had their own chances but Nabokov also played very well. Dan Girardi was the hero of the night – with his beautiful goal the Rangers beat the Islanders 1-0 after the overtime.
According to Sports Club Stats, the Rangers now have 93,7% chance to make the playoffs with just 7 games left in the regular season. They will face the Devils and the Panthers and the Canes and the Sabres both once. All of those teams are currently out of the playoff picture.
Key players and stats:
The Rangers have received some offensive help from their defense lately. Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi had goals in the last two games. Henrik Lundqvist is seemingly ready for the playoffs. He got his first shotout of the year against the Isles and he’s been playing very well for the last month. For the Flyers, they ended their 4 losing streak last night and they scored 7 goals. With just pride in the play, you can expect almost anything from this team. Claude Qiroux and Jakub Voracek are guys who can score goals for them. This is the last meeting of the season between these teams.
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 4; You can’t beat us?
By Dale Zazine, US Presswire
New York Rangers (1-2-0) @ Philadelphia Flyers (0-3-0)
Last time the Flyers beat the Rangers on Feb 20th, 2011. That’s approximately 23 months ago. During that time we have seen many kind of wins. Ryan Callahan’s first NHL hat-trick in 7-0 win at the Garden, victory in the Winter Classic and overall 6-0-0 record against the Flyers in 11-12 season. But enough with the past. Can the Rangers continue winning or will the Flyers get their first win of the season?
PHI:
Pittsburgh Penguins were the only team with more goals in the regular-season last year than the Flyers. Now they have scored only three goals in three games. It’s still early but they seem to have troubles with scoring. Without Jaromir Jagr and James Van Riemsdyk their offence has been almost invisible. Claude Qiroux just has too much to carry on his shoulders. With the fact that Scott Hartnell is out indefinitely, Brayden Schenn is suspended for one game and Danny Briere is still out with an injury – it doesn’t look very good for the Flyers.
NYR:
The Rangers had a tough night against the Bruins. They lost their lead twice but the overall performance was good. They got the 1st line going (Gaborik-Richards-Nash) but I really liked how they played as a team. Lundqvist played well and got his first win of the season (Still 29 to go!). After the game Tortorella told the media that Kreider could possibly benefit more from playing in AHL. The Rangers recalled Kris Newbury from the AHL but Kreider is making a trip to Philadelphia with the team. It’s interesting to see if Biron gets the start in Philly and Lundqvist will play against the Maple Leafs on Saturday – or vice versa.
Key players and stats:
Marian Gaborik scored his 14th career hat-trick against the Bruins. Brad Richards has most points in team with one goal and three assists. Taylor Pyatt has two goals in three games. This is the first of five meetings in the regular-season between NY and Philly. The Rangers are looking for their ninth win in-a-row against the Flyers. Their next meeting is on Jan 29th, 2013 at the Garden.
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
True Blue I Am a Ranger 