Live Blog – Rangers @ Penguins

Hey guys.  So tonight we’re going to try something new.  We will be live blogging throughout the course of the game.  Everything will be on this post so keep checking back for updates and use our comments section at the end of the blog to respond.  Let’s get a good conversation going!

 Another big one tonight.  Shanahan out again tonight, but hopefully him and Avery will be back on Wednesday against Buffalo.

Here we go!

7:07 p.m.: They just put up Ty Conklin’s numbers on Versus.  9-0-1 in his first ten starts for the Pens…whew.  Set up for a fall?  We’ll see…

7:12 p.m.: Well that was fast.  Love that to start the game.  Two heavyweights going at it and setting the right tone to the game…

7:17 p.m.: Mara holding penalty.  The Rangers need to avoid the penalty parade tonight if they want to be successful…

7:18 p.m.: …and that’s exactly why!  This team has too many weapons to give opportunities to…

7:25 p.m.: Wow.  Not much more you can really say about that one.  Sid the Kid just taking it to another gear and Malkin finishing.  The Rangers need to pick it up…

7:32 p.m.: Another penalty.  This is getting bad early.  An absolute must to kill this one off!

7:43 p.m.: This has got to stop.  If this game keeps up like this, the win against Montreal is completely moot…

7:45 p.m.: Horrible, undisciplined penalty and for the fourth time in three games the Rangers are down two men…

7:46 p.m.: It’s time now for Tom Renney to make a point! I want to see those who aren’t skating and are taking undisciplined penalties punished.  Take away ice time and give it to the people who are playing hard…

7:50 p.m.: Horrible, absolutely horrible period.  If the Rangers have any shot at all they MUST score on this power play to start the second.

8:18 p.m.: And that right there is the reason Conklin is 9-0-1 so far…

8:24 p.m.: I’m sorry, but the fourth line cannot get more than 4 more minutes total in this game.  It has nothing to do with them, but trailing 3-0 Renney needs his offensive players on the ice…

8:29 p.m.: MUST SCORE NOW!

8:42 p.m.: Frustrating, frustrating period.  An absolutely dominating session by the Rangers, but nothing on the scoreboard.  But this is what happens when you stumble out of the gate.  It will take an absolute miracle for the Rangers to claw back into this one…

9:02 p.m.: Woah! Close one there for Crosby and Malkin…

9:07 p.m.: Honestly how much do you think it would cost to buy a goal? I’d start the bidding at $10,000…

9:14 p.m.: GOAL!!! Looks like Sather wired the ten-grand to the Penguins.  Finally, they capitalized on the man advantage and now have a punchers chance.  Need to put another one in before the five minute mark…

9:16 p.m.: Unbelievable, but then again believable.  Did you really expect anything else?  The Rangers don’t know how to do anything else the last few weeks, but kill their own momentum with unnecessary penalties.  Game over…

9:31 p.m.: Malkin hat trick and that’s all she wrote.  The Rangers were the better team for the 2nd and 3rd periods, but the story of this game is the same as its been for the last few weeks.  It takes 60 minutes to win a hockey game in the NHL and at this point the Rangers just don’t seem committed to do that night in night out.

9:36 p.m.: Some rough stuff now to end the game.  It would be great to see Staal use his size a little more like that night in and night out.  Not necessarily fighting-wise, but he’s got the stature and the history to become that physical shut down defenseman that the Rangers sorely lack right now.

Thanks everyone for checking in tonight on the first live blog for NYRangerscast.  We’re going to try and do as many of these as we can.  Don’t forget to check out the newest podcast episode tomorrow as we recap the games against Montreal and Pittsburgh.

Also, remember that there a few days left to enter the “How to Fix the Rangers” contest.  Send in your ideas to us at hosts@nyrangerscast.com.  Again, the winner will recieve a $25 Gift Certificate to Shop.NHL.com.  The winning entry will be announced on Friday’s episode.