Game 1; NY Cheesecake > Philly Cheesesteak!
New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 1st round.
Game 1; Thursday, April 17th @ Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Broadway versus Broadstreet, NY Cheesecake going against the Philly Cheesteak or Rangers against the Flyers. Talking about these two east coast cities, the fact is that they don’t like much each other. This rivalry is well known around the league and every hockey fan in the world knows that they are no love lost between these two. Numerous regular season battles and epic Winter Classic in 2012 have higlighted these teams during the recent years but it has been 16 years since they have met in in the post season. The Flyers would have wanted to meet Marc Andre Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1st round because of the playoff history involving those teams but for now they will clash against Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers. These teams met four times in the regular season and they split the wins, both won their home games. In the bigger picture, the Rangers have been perfect against the Flyers on their home ice. They have won the last eight games in the World’s Most Famous Arena and they have outscored the Flyers 31-9 in those games. But it isn’t about the recent meetings, it’s about the whole new playoff series where every single shift and shot can make the difference.
OFFENSE: Claude Qiroux started the season poorly but since December, he has been the backbone of the Flyers success. Qiroux, who is averaging 1.10 points/ per game in the playoffs, is the most important player for the Flyers in this series. He hasn’t been great against Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers earlier in his career. He has only 6 goals in 32 career games against New York. Jakub Voracek has been putting up points lately and he is the guy who sets up Giroux and Lecavalier. Then there’s the tough guy department. Zac Rinaldo along with his friends Jay Rosehill and Steve Downie will make sure that there will some pushing and showing in every single meeting. Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds can do both – irritate and score so you gotta keep eye on them to as well.
Talking about the Rangers, there isn’t a certain line to look out – all four lines can contribute offensively. Coach Alain Vigneault has found some chemistry in his lines and especially the line of Mats Zuccarello – Benoit Pouliot and Derick Brassard have been productive in regular basis. Mats Zuccarello, who won “Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award which is given to NYR player who goes above and beyond the call of duty”, can be the difference maker in this series. Since he became came back from the hand injury, he has been one of the best Rangers player in the line-up. Rick Nash, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis are part of the teams older core and duo Richards-St. Louis already know what it takes to win 16 games in the NHL playoffs. They have scored a total of 60 goals in the playoffs together and the Rangers certainly hope that they can continue that success this year.
DEFENSE: If and when Ryan McDonagh is 100% healthy when the puck drops in the Game 1, the Rangers fans can breathe again. McDonagh, who was hit hard by Alex Burrows in the game against the Canucks, injured his shoulder and missed the last games of the regular season. The Rangers have some quality depth in their defense with Raphael Diaz, John Moore and Justin Falk but getting McDonagh in the line-up is a huge uplift for New York. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi are known the be one of th best shutdown defenders in the league but name you won’t see often in the newspapers is Anton Stralman. 27-year-old Swede has quietly had a great season with the Rangers and although you don’t see him in the highlights, he’s a great defender.
The Flyers defence is divided to two groups, the experienced group and the unexperienced group. Kimmo Timonen, Hal Gill and Braydon Coburn have played over 250 playoff games in total while Luke Schenn, Andrew McDonald and Erik Gustafsson have played just a total of 11 post season games. The Flyers isn’t as tight as the Rangers but they sure have some quality players in the line-up. They gave up 40 goals more than the Rangers during the regular season, so that is one area where the Rangers can really make the difference.
GOALIES: Steve Mason left the game against the Penguins and he didn’t return to the 3rd period. Flyers head coach Craig Berube told the media that he’s sure that Mason is healthy enough to start the Game 1 on Thursday. Mason has been playing well this year and for the first time in long and I really mean that, Philadelphia has had a real goaltender in the net. If Mason can’t play or is forced to leave the series, Ray Emery is their number two goaltender. Emery, who won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks last year is a solid backup, but in the playoffs you need something more than a good backup. The Flyers need healthy Steve Mason in the net if they wanna have success in this series.
Henrik Lundqvist is Stanley Cup away from being the without a doubt, the best goaltender in the New York Rangers history. He already passed Mike Richter in career wins and Eddie Giacomin in career shutouts this year but he still needs to hoist that shiny piece of silver in order to immortalize his name to the Rangers and Madison Square Garden history. The best part is that there aren’t Rangers fans who don’t believe in Lundqvist. 32-year-old Swede is by far the most famous hockey player in New York and as the old saying goes, it’s good to be the king. Lundqvist has improved his game every year and his numbers in the playoffs are getting better and better every year. Henrik Lundqvist is ready to win and that’s a good thing for the Rangers.
Game 57; Rangers host Roy and the Avalanche at the Garden!
Colorado Avalanche (36-14-5) @ New York Rangers (30-23-3)
The Rangers are back in the business tonight when they host the Colorado Avalanche at Madison Square Garden. Both teams are playing very well, Colorado has 4 game winning streak while the Rangers are looking for their fourth win in-a-row tonight. The Rangers are coming off from 4-1 victory over the Islanders and they wanna continue their good streak against the Avalanche. Colorado has been very good on the road and they have won 4 out of their last 5 road games. Tonight’s game will also feature two world class goaltenders, both going to Sochi to represent their own national teams. Henrik Lundqvist will make his 5th consecutive start tonight and he will face Semion Varlamov in the other net. After tonight’s contest, the Rangers will host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
COL:
Patrick Roy, Hockey Hall of Famer and four time Stanley Cup Champion, has done a tremendous job so far as a head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. They are number four team in the West with record of 36-14-5. They have also won 8 out of their last 10 games so at the moment – they are hot team. The Avalanche will play tonight in New York, on Thursday in Philadelphia before they come back to NY to play the Islanders on Saturday night. After that 5 Avalanche players will head to Sochi to represent their own countries. Former Ranger PA Parenteau has been involved in trade talks during the last few days but he’s still travelling and playing with the team. Another former Ranger John Mitchell will see some of his friends tonight at MSG.
NYR:
To begin, I wanna thank Sam Rosen for his tremendous job with the MSG Networks during the last 30 years. I haven’t been a Rangers fan for that many years but I can tell you – Sam’s dedication to Rangers hockey is something you don’t see that often. No matter if it’s with JD or Joe, with Sam in the booth you enjoy watching the Rangers games – even if they aren’t playing that well. With many more years to come , I just wanna say thanks!
The Rangers gave Sam really nice anniversary gift on Saturday night as they beat the Islanders 4-1. Brian Boyle, Derick Brassard, Brad Richards and Ryan McDonagh scored for the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist got his 296th career regular season win. Now after having a couple of days off, the Rangers will meet high quality team from the West. But let’s not forget, this is a good team and they are playing well. So keep your legs moving and shoot the puck – that should do it.
PS. Congrats to Marc Staal and Lindsey on the birth of their daughter Anna Veralyn Staal!
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 55; The Battle of New York at Yankee Stadium!
New York Rangers (28-23-3) @ New York Islanders (21-26-8)
It doesn’t get much bigger than this one. The Battle Of New York has always been intense but tonight’s game is going to be a classic. We want fishsticks, 1940 chant, Potvin sucks – those are just a few things that make this rivalry so interesting to follow. They both have 4 Cups. The Rangers have won in 1928, 1933, 1940 and in 1994. The Isles won four consecutive Cups in 1980-1983. This time there won’t be any delay because of the sunshine and Henrik Lundqvist needs to stay awake! Talking about Lundqvist, he clearly has an advantage against Evgeni Nabokov because he knows how to play outdoors. Most of the Islanders players will play their first outdoor game tonight and it takes a while to get used to bounces and average ice. After tonight’s game, only the venue will chance. The Rangers will host the Isles at the Garden on Friday night.
NYI:
The Isles are 7 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes (currently at the last “wild card place”) and they have played two more games. With the fact that they’re also in the three game losing streak, it doesn’t look very good for them. There’s still 27 games left and they gotta start to win some games – and what would a better start than winning tonight at Yankee Stadium. Lubomir Visnovsky and Evgeni Nabokov are back in the line-up again and the Isles don’t have much injuries (Hamonic – concussion).
NYR:
I’m speaking for myself but last Sunday was pretty close to being a perfect day as a New York Rangers fan. 50 000 people watching hockey in Yankee Stadium is something that you don’t see that often. Another thing you don’t see that often is Martin Brodeur letting 5 goals in against the Rangers but let’s get to that little later. Patrik Elias started the scoring in the 1st period and soon after that Dominic Moore tied the game in one. After that the Rangers had a tough 10 minutes and the Devils were able to score twice. First Jaromir Jagr made a good play on the power play and Elias scored his second of the game and right after that Travis Zajac gave the Devils 3-1 lead. After that, it was all about the Rangers.
Marc Staal, Mats Zuccarello twice, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash and Derek Stepan. 6 unanswered goals and total of 7 goals were enough for the Rangers to get the victory. The Rangers played wisely, they waited for turnovers and then they used them well. Mats Zuccarello was the 1st star of the game with his 2 goals but you can’t underestimate Dominic Moore’s effort. Moore scored the Rangers first goal and got the assist on Staal tying goal.
If they can continue doing those right things tonight, they’ll be fine. The Islanders offense is highly skilled and they turn the game quickly and that’s where the Rangers need to stay awake. Last time these teams met, the Isles used their odd man rushes well and they won that game.
Stay warm and be loud!
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 41; We’re half way there! Happy New Year #NYR fans!
New York Rangers (19-19-2) @ Florida Panthers (15-20-5)
The Rangers will have one more game ahead of them this year as they visit the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida. The Rangers are coming off from big 4-3 win over the Lighting but tonight they will face another hot team. The Panthers are 6-4-0 in their last 10 and they are coming off from 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Marc Staal will be back in the line-up tonight and Conor Allen will play his 2nd NHL game tonight. With Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist in the nets, you don’t wanna miss this one. Rangers and Panthers on New Year’s Eve.
FLA:
Like I said last time these teams played against each other, this just isn’t the Panthers year. Is this team heading to the right direction? Definitely yes. Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad are part of their young core and those three players will be big names in the league – pretty soon. They need to add a few more scorers but their offense looks pretty nice. Is Tim Thomas right goaltender for this team? I don’t think so either. Thomas, who’s been involved in many trade rumors, is just too old for this team. The Panthers need a winning goaltender if they wanna succeed in this league.
NYR:
Three power play goals in the game? Yeah, you heard it right. Those PPG’s were big reason why the Rangers left Tampa with two valuable points. This team is a good hockey team when they want to play well and they showed that again on Sunday night. Henrik Lundqvist was sharp in the 3rd period and the forwards really stepped up their game and scored 4 goals. Conor Allen played in his 1st NHL game and he looked pretty comfortable on the ice. Marc Staal and Anton Stralman will return to the line-up tonight but it seems that Allen will also get second look.
The Rangers will close out year 2013 tonight and now it’s good time to look back what has happened during these last 365 days. Due to lockout the first game of 2013 was on January 19th as the Rangers visited the Boston Bruins. The Bruins won that one and eventually they knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs too. Brad Richards scored his first NHL hat-trick, Marian Gaborik was traded to Columbus in exchange for Derick Brassard, John Moore and Derek Dorsett and JT Miller scored his first NHL goals. And oh yeah, you should visit the transformed MSG with it’s new Chase Bridges.. If you haven’t heard that one yet.
MY top three #NYR moments of the year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JmE2m4WtnE, The best save of the year by Henrik Lundqvist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfFUwf2XMYQ, Ryan Callahan’s OT goal sends the Rangers to the playoffs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deOqPa8BVZc, Just a thing of beauty by Nash&Kreider.
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 40; #NYR visit the Lightning, Allen makes his NHL debut
New York Rangers (18-19-2) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (23-11-4)
The Rangers are back in the action and this time they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in Sunshine State. For the Rangers sun isn’t shining so bright – they lost Anton Stralman in the last game and eventually they lost that game 3-2. When Steven Stamkos broke his leg, many if all hockey analysts were saying that the Lightning’s season was over. Now almost two months after that the Lightning is number three team in the East and number two team in the Atlantic Division. Henrik Lundqvist will be back in the net tonight and he wants to prove that he’s still the King of New York.
TBL:
Steven Stamkos is the heart and soul of the Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s true but the Lightning is a very good hockey team – even without him. Marty St. Louis, Valtteri Filppula and Alex Killorn have really stepped up and showed that they can play big minutes. Ben Bishop has been terrific all season long and he’s one of the reasons the Lightning is on the top. The Lightning are coming off from shootout loss against the Canadiens last night and tonight’s game will be their last home game this year. After tonight’s contest, the Lightning will head to Western Canada.
NYR:
The Rangers played a very good road game against the Caps but again – they weren’t awarded with any points. The Rangers showed some heart again, as they made two comebacks to tie the game early in the 3rd period. Dan Girardi’s shot hit the post and on the other end Eric Fehr blasted one past Cam Talbot and the Caps rolled to 3-2 victory over the Rangers. Although the Rangers didn’t make any big mistakes, the smallest ones made them pay. John Moore’s defensive mistake led to the winning goal and Cam Talbot has to stop that one.
As said, Anton Stralman was injured in the first period and didn’t return to the game. The Rangers called up Conor Allen from Hartford and he will presumably make his NHL debut tonight vs. the Lightning. Marc Staal skated with the team yesterday but he told the media that he won’t play tonight. Henrik Lundqvist will play tonight and he really hopes he can be better than last time in this building. The Lightning won the first meeting 5-0 earlier this season.
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 34; Lundqvist and the Rangers host the Flames!
Calgary Flames (13-15-4) @ New York Rangers (15-17-1)
The Rangers are back in the action tonight as they continue their 9-game home stand when they host the Calgary Flames at the Garden. The Rangers have lost the last four and they desperately need a win tonight. Henrik Lundqvist, who was pulled out with only 11 minutes into the 1st period against the Blue Jackets, told the media that he honestly thinks his confidence isn’t that high. The goaltending isn’t the biggest problem. The Rangers gotta find a way to create high quality scoring chances way more often – and eventually use those chances. After tonight’s game, the Rangers will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
CGY:
This Flames doesn’t score that much goals but they do have highly skilled forwards. Jiri Hudler and Mike Cammalleri represents the older core while Sean Monahan is their biggest young star. Monahan, who is the Flames first round draft pick (1/ #6) from this years draft, has already 9 goals this year. The Flames have 10 OT/SO games this year so they know how to get that extra point in the standings. Miikka Kiprusoff ended his career but the Flames have a another Finnish goalie between the pipes. Karri Rämö and Reto Berra are their goaltenders this year.
NYR:
The Rangers found themselves down by three just 11 minutes into the first period against the Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Henrik Lundqvist was pulled and Cam Talbot replaced him in the net. The Rangers found a way to beat both Blue Jackets goalies once but again they weren’t able to get any points to the standings. Dominic Moore and Dan Girardi scored for the Rangers but other than that the Rangers offence had a quiet night.
The Rangers are currently at the 7th place in the Metropolitan Division, only the Islanders are behind them. The regular season is like a marathon, you can’t win the race during the first 40 games but you can lose it. Losing four games in a row isn’t yet terrible but the Rangers gotta find a way to win on a regular basis. Now playing without Marc Staal and Ryan Callahan, the players like Derek Stepan and Rick Nash must step up and lead the way.
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 32; Asham returns to the line-up as the #NYR host the Preds!
Nashville Predators (13-14-3) @ New York Rangers (15-15-1)
After a horrendous performance against the Capitals, the Rangers are back in the action tonight when they host the Nashville Predators at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers have lost the last two games and they desperately need to win this one. Getting just 1 point out of the 4 in back-to-back wasn’t the Rangers only lost. Marc Staal left the game against the Devils and he sat out the next game due to concussion. Staal, who injured his eye during last year, already has had a serious concussion previously so the Rangers really have to be careful with this one. The home stand continues on Thursday night when the Rangers host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
NSH:
The Predators are playing without their best player and you can see that from the standings. Pekka Rinne, who’s close to return, has been one of the best goaltendersa< in the whole league and with no offense, Marek Mazanec and Carter Hutton aren’t top-5 goalies in the league. They got Shea Weber back in the line-up and they could really use some points from him. The Predators are 4-5-1 in their last 10 and 0-4-1 in their last 5. They have scored only 67 goals this year and Weber is their top-scorer with 7 goals. Barry Trotz really hopes that he will get Rinne back in the net and the team starts to win some games – before it’s too late.
NYR:
Another night of sloppy defense, missed scoring chances and frustration. The Rangers weren’t able to beat Philip Grunbauer until a minute left in the third period when Benoit Pouliot finally scored his first goal in the last 14 games. Henrik Lundqvist’s shutout streak against the Caps came to it’s end when Jason Chimera found the loose puck in front of the net and soon after that Steve Oleksy made it 2-0 from the blue line.
Tonight the Rangers wanna get tougher, they wanna skate hard and create quality scoring chances. They sent JT Miller back to the Hartford and recalled forward Arron Asham. Derek Dorsett is ready to go and Dominic Moore will return to the line-up. Benoit Pouliot and Taylor Pyatt will be the healthy-scratches. Henrik Lundqvist will get his 4th consecutive start tonight.
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 31; Sunday night hockey at the Garden as the Rangers host the Caps!
Washington Capitals (15-12-2) @ New York Rangers (15-14-1)
The Rangers are right back in action tonight as they host the Washington Capitals at the Garden. The Caps are coming off from big 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators last night while the Rangers lost a tough one for the Devils after overtime 4-3. The Rangers won the first meeting of the season in DC 2-0 and Henrik Lundqvist has a chance to make it 4 consecutive shutouts against the Caps tonight. Marc Staal left the game yesterday and didn’t return and Michael Del Zotto will probably takes his position in the line-up. After tonight’s game, the Rangers will host the Nashville Predators at the Garden.
WSH:
The Caps have the best scorer in the league but they have had tough time to score vs. the Rangers. Their last goal against Henrik Lundqvist was in the Game 5 of the last year’s playoffs. Alex Ovetckin has already scored 22 goals this season and he’s ready to cause trouble for the Rangers defensemen. The Caps are 5-4-1 in their last 10 and 5-5-2 on the road. Adam Oates’ team has had same problems as the Rangers. They win a game and then they lose the next one. Braden Holtby is their number one goalie and his numbers are fairly good.
NYR:
Mats Zuccarello’s goal made it 2-0 early in the 2nd period and it looked like the Rangers were rolling to the first victory over the Devils this year. The Devils and the referees?! disagreed and with just 6 minutes remaining in the third, Michael Ryder gave the Devs 3-2 lead. For the first time this year, the Rangers tied the game late in the 3rd and they forced the game to the overtime. Ryan Callahan was called for high-sticking at 1:02 into the overtime and the Devils used that chance well. Eric Gelinas slapshot found it’s way to the net and the Devils shocked the Rangers once again.
The last time the Rangers played back-to-back games, the second game was one of the best performances this year. Tonight they need to get their legs going, avoid taking stupid penalties and use their own chances well. Henrik Lundqvist loves to play against the Capitals and he’s ready to stop all the shots once again. JT Miller played very well last night and there’s no need for AV to change the line-up (except Staal).
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 40; The Rangers trying to shut down the Leafs at the MSG!
Toronto Maple Leafs (22-13-4-) @ New York Rangers (19-16-4)
The Rangers are back at the MSG tonight when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Teams met in Toronto two days ago and the Maple Leafs beat the Rangers 4-3. With just 9 games left for the Rangers in the regular season, they need to find a way to make the playoffs. The easiest way is winning! Can Rick Nash continue his show at the MSG? Will the Rangers find a way to shut down Kessel and Kadri? We will find out that tonight! Following tonight’s contest, the Rangers will head to Long Island for the crucial match-up against the Islanders on Saturday night.
TOR:
The Maple Leafs are heading to the playoffs – first time since the last lockout. They have got points in 9 out of their last 10 games and with just under dozen games left, it seems they’re going to make it. James Reimer has been their starting goaltender and he has been playing well. Dion Phaneuf is a solid backbone of their defense while John-Michael Liles is part of their young core. Trio Kessel-Kadri-Van Riemsdyk has been very dangerous this season and they are big part of the teams success. Coach Randy Carlyle has done a good job with the Maple Leafs this season.
NYR:
The Rangers did make a comeback and they fought well but they just fell short. Getting even a single point would have been a vital for the team. Good thing is that they can try again tonight – hopefully with a better result. After tough 1st period, the Rangers found their offense. A couple of beautiful goals by Rick Nash and one by Stepan but that wasn’t enough. Right after the Rangers tying goal, Phil Kessel got a chance and he didn’t miss it. Without Lundqvist in the net, the Rangers got a few changes to tie the game but they just failed to do it.
Tonight the Rangers really need to win. With Maple Leafs now 6 points – the Senators and the Islanders 2 points ahead, every single point is valuable. The Rangers got some good news that Marc Staal could return to the line-up before the end of the regular season. In the last game, the team really missed him!
To be honest, Lundqvist looked a little bit tired in the last game but as we all know he wants to play every game and help the team. With the tight playoff race, it isn’t easy to give Hank a rest.
Key players and stats:
Rick Nash now has 17 goals in the season and he has scored goals in the three consecutive games. With the full regular season, Derek Stepan would be on pace to 70 points, which tells a lot about his game this season. He’s scoring goals with a regular-basis, he makes good plays in almost every shift and most of all – he skates very well. As we saw in the last game, the Maple Leafs have some serious offensive threads. Phil Kessel ended his long scoring slump against the Rangers and Nazem Kadri continues to put up points. This is the last meeting of the regular season. Both teams have won one meeting.
Let’s Go Rangers
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 6; Rangers looking for revenge against the Flyers
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Philadelphia Flyers (2-4-0) @ New York Rangers (2-3-0)
Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers and Taylor Pyatt had a lonely goal for the Rangers in the Flyers’ 2-1 victory last week. Now just four days later they are set to meet again. The Rangers are coming off from a big win while the Flyers had some tough time against the Lightning in their previous game. As we all know, there ain’t no brotherly love between these two – this should be a good one! Rangers and Flyers at the Garden!
PHI:
After the first win of the season against the Rangers, nothing could stop the Flyers. Matt Read scored a hat-trick in 7-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Although their “Sunshine State”- road trip started well, the ending was bittersweet. Michael Leighton got his first start of the season in the net against the Lightning but after a twenty-minutes of play he was already beaten three times. After a 5-1 loss, the Flyers are trying get back to winning. Scott Hartnell had a surgery to repair a broken first metatarsal in his left foot and he will be out four to six weeks. Because of that the Flyers added some depth to their line-up by signing RW Mike Knuble for a one-year-deal. Good news for the Flyers is that Brayden Schenn is back in the line-up after a one game suspension.
NYR:
The Rangers had a huge 5-2 come-back win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night at the Garden. The Maple Leafs scored two early goals in the first but the Rangers third period was just too much for them. Marian Gaborik scored two goals and two assists and Marc Staal’s goal was the first goal scored by the Rangers defenceman this year. The big first line got their game going but I also liked the line: Callahan-Ferriero-Hagelin. Fast line with good hands! The Rangers were also looking for add one depth player to their line-up and they almost got one. Jason Arnott already signed with the team but he wasn’t cleared by the team doctors. Henrik Lundqvist have had a few days off so in my opinion he gets the sixth consecutive start this year.
Key players and stats:
Brian Boyle scored his first goal of the season against the Maple Leafs. Gaborik has 8 points in 5 games. Ex-Ranger Ruslan Fedotenko scored his first goal of the season in the game against the Panthers. The Flyers won the first meeting of the season 2-1 at the Wells Fargo Center. Last three meetings: Mar. 5 (MSG) and Mar. 26 (Wells Fargo) and 16. Apr (Wells Fargo)
Let’s Go Rangers !
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
True Blue I Am a Ranger 