Live Blog – Game 6: Sabres @ Rangers

PRE-GAME: With the Rangers looking to make history tonight we figured what the heck, let’s start this live blog early tonight.  A win tonight and the Blueshirts would be 6-0 for the first time ever.  Plus with Toronto on the Friday’s docket, lucky number 7 looks to be in reach…but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The revolving door that is the third line left wing continues to roll tonight as Weinman, Zip and Gross are all reporting that Petr Prucha will make his American soil season debut tonight.  For those counting at home that also means that Nigel Dawes is out for the third straight night.

Tonight’s game will be another good test.  The Sabres are no pushover and showed that with a 7-1 drubbing of the Isles on Monday.  I know, I know, it’s the Islanders…but it’s impressive nonetheless.

So we’re about an hour away, let’s keep the momentum from the last live blog rolling.  And if you need something to pass the time before the drop of the puck, look on right side of the site and check out Episode 66.

Update 7:11 p.m.: Orr v. Peters…I don’t even think a punch landed so I’ll say it was a draw.

Update 7:13 p.m.: Gomez draws the early penalty.  6 power play goals in 6 games??

Update 7:17 p.m.: GOAL!! ROZSIVAL! SCOTT GOMEZ WITH THE NICE DROP PASS GETS IN ON THE ACTION AND ROZSI WRISTS ONE PAST MILLER.  PROBABLY ONE HE’D LIKE BACK, BUT WE’LL TAKE IT! 1-0 RANGERS! (Update 7:30 p.m.: Gomez credited with the goal.)

Update 7:21 p.m.: Kalinin to the box.  Couldn’t help but give his old team some help.  Although with this PK, maybe not.

Update 7:24 p.m.: Make that 22-for-22 on the PK.

Update 7:25 p.m.: World class job by Lundqvist to take the bottom of the net away from Spacek.  Another Rangers penalty though.

Update 7:30 p.m.: 23…

Update 7:39 p.m.: Great shift by the 2nd line…what else is new?  You have to like the deep pinch by Staal and the defensive play by Mara on Vanek.

Update 7:41 p.m. END OF 1ST: Another 1st period in the books, another lead.  Not a fantastic period though.  The Rangers went the last 13:25 without a shot and looked a little suspect in front of their own net.  They’ll start off the second on the man advantage.

Update 8:01 p.m.: Lundqvist gobbles up the point blank rip by Kotalik.  His positioning and rebound control still amazes me.

Update 8:05 p.m.: And the streak ends at 23.  Power play goal by the Sabres (although it looked like a Ranger might have pushed it in). 1-1

Update 8:10 p.m.: Looks like Betts put it in while trying to help Lundqvist cover.

Update 8:17 p.m.: Awful, awful undisciplined play by Mara.  It doesn’t matter how upset you are, you simply can’t start wailing away on someone because they tried to hit you.  Five minutes and a game misconduct.  Remember this one if the streak is broken.

Update 8:21 p.m.: And there’s one.  Nice initial save by Lundy, but Vanek got behind the defense and poked in the rebound.  2-1 Sabres.

Update 8:23 p.m.: A bad penalty by the Sabres kills the final two minutes of the Buffalo power play.

Update 8:26 p.m.: Ladies and Gentleman, let me introduce the third line! Great shift by those three.  Let’s see if that can kickstart the rest of the team.

Update 8:33 p.m. END OF 2ND: Well you could see that coming.  The Rangers didn’t look good in the first and it caught up with them in the second.  Only 9 shots on goal so far in the game and the team looks a lot slower than the first five contests.  The first line really has to step up and do something.  Naslund and Drury have been absolute ghosts since returning from Prague.

Update 8:52 p.m.: Renney puts Callahan up on the first line in place of Naslund and it immediately results in a four minute power play.  Genius?

Update 8:53 p.m.: Wow.  Second short-handed goal given up by the Rangers this season gives Buffalo a 3-1 lead.  That’s on Drury.  He simply didn’t pick up his man.

Update 8:58 p.m.: Why is the fourth line taking an offensive zone draw with 30 seconds to go in the power play? Four minute power play over…-1 to show for it.

Update 9:02 p.m.: The Rangers are upping the pressure as Renney is shuffling the lines, but too much is to the outside.  They need to get one quick here.

Update 9:07 p.m.: Smart timeout by Lindy Ruff.

Update 9:15 p.m.: Looks like the Rangers will have to wait until Friday to get win number 6.  Right now the pressure is there, but there are no real threats.  The amount of line permutations in this period has been absurd.

Update 9:26 p.m. BUFFALO WINS 3-1: That’s all folks.  The 1983-84 squad is breathing a HUGE sigh of relief, knowing that they still share a tie of their record.  No beating around the bush, the Rangers simply played a bad game tonight.  They had no forecheck, no special teams and slow legs.  But you know what, before the season started I don’t know a Ranger fan who would have turned down a 5-1 start to the season.

Even still, I’m beginning to wonder if Naslund and Drury are still a part of this team.  Those two need to become a factor if this team is going to be successful in the long run.  The one thing I’m worried about is that Renney is going to begin to shuffle the lines in order to get those two going and actually mess up the chemistry of the rest of the squad.

So it’s on to Toronto to try and win six of the first seven.  Keep an eye out for our next podcast tomorrow about tonight’s game.  Get your thoughts in for the show at (347)410-9093 and hosts@nyrangerscast.com.