Torts vs. Bolts Part II

The Rangers stay at home for tonight’s game against Tampa Bay. For the second time this year, Tortorella’s club gets a chance to knock off the team he used to lead. I don’t think many of us forget New York getting flat out embarrassed 5-1 down in Tampa earlier this season on what was supposed to be a special night for Torts. This time it won’t be in the Sunshine State, but the Blueshirts get a chance to string together back-to-back wins at home before heading on a brief road trip.

I will be interested to see how the Rangers come out early. It looked like same old, same old from New York when it trailed 2-0 after one period Sunday against Montreal. Out of nowhere, the Blueshirts scored six unanswered goals to secure the win. So now what? Do they go back to their usual ways and struggle to win a low scoring game? Or, do the Rangers come out early, play well, continue to score and put together a convincing win over an inferior team? I honestly don’t know what to expect.

What Eric and I did talk about in the latest podcast is the fact that strong games, like the Montreal game, have seemed to be coming more in bunches as of late. Earlier in the season, aside from the early 7-game winning streak, a convincing win came few and far between.

A couple things I look for in tonight’s game: as mentioned above, I want to see a fast start. Get out of the gates and score the first goal. Don’t give fans a reason to start saying “here we go again”. Also, Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky, please play every game like Sunday’s win over Montreal. If those two skate that well and contribute in the scoring department along with Gaborik’s production, look out. Sean Avery: keep being a spark for the Rangers and a pest for the opponents. Gotta love what he’s been doing since the Dallas game. Lastly, Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik: do you still exist? Okay, that last one is more of a joke and if the Rangers get anything from those two (assuming they aren’t healthy scratches) then they’re playing with house money.

With all of this said, the most important thing the Rangers need to do is just go out tonight and win the game. Points are more important than anything else at this point in the season.

Don’t forget to check out our latest podcast. Also, as Eric mentioned, we are going to try to get the Live Blog back up and running tonight so check back before the game and keep your fingers crossed. Let’s Go Rangers!