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Dear NHL:

On behalf of the NYRangerscast, I am writing to you to support Penguins Co-owner Mario Lemieux’s proposal “to discuss the NHL’s current system of supplementary discipline — and how it affects not only the integrity but the perception of our great game”.

We, at the NYRangerscast, cannot help but echo that, “the current system punishes the offending player but does very little to deter such actions in the future. We need to review, upgrade and more clearly define our policies in this regard, so that they can provide a meaningful deterrence and effectively clean up the game”.

But what concerns us most at the NYRangerscast is what Mr. Lemieux brings up regarding repeat offenders. “And we’ve often seen repeat offenders. We think it is time that teams also are held accountable for the actions of their players. We propose instituting a policy of automatically fining a team when one if its players is suspended — with the amount of the fine based on the length of the suspension. This should serve as a disincentive for teams as well as players to employ these kinds of tactics.”

Penguins forward, Matt Cooke, is the clear-cut definition of a “repeat offender”. After today’s hit on Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonough, an example needs to be made of him. While this hit is bad enough, and the officials made the right call in ejecting him from the game and giving him a 5-minute major, his track record does not lie. Cooke has already been suspended four games earlier this season for an illegal hit on Columbus’ Fedor Tyutin. In the game just two days prior to that hit, he had another one on Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin.

While there are many other episodes like this involving Matt Cooke over the years, these three examples happened within the last month and a half. It is clear that he is not getting the message. What concerns us, at the NYRangerscast, even more is that Cooke is an alternate captain for the Penguins. We see the “A” on a sweater as a mark of someone who should be a leader on the team, and someone players and fans should look up to. To think that anyone may be looking at him as a role model is frightening.

We support Mr. Lemieux’s proposal to outline a stricter plan, which includes his clear-cut layout to fines associated with the following suspensions:

• 1-2 games–$50,000 fine to team
• 3-4 games–$100,000 fine to team
• 5-8 games–$250,000 fine to team
• 9-10 games–$500,000 fine to team
• 11-15 games–$750,000 fine to team
• More than 15 games–$1 million fine to team

Mr. Lemieux also astutely includes a doubling of fines when the offense involves a repeat offender.

While this cannot guarantee the complete removal of these dirty hits from the league, it would send a clear-cut and strong message to players who want to tarnish this great game and league with such hits.

Sincerely,
NYRangerscast

P.S. – We hope that Mr. Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins have deep pockets because they will, ironically, suffer the most from these new rules if they are put in place.

Streaky. That’s the best way to describe this team.

Just when you’re ready to throw in the towel, back-to-back wins at Ottawa and at home against Philadelphia. Yes, Philadelphia. We’ve only been waiting for the Rangers to beat the Flyers since, oh you know, APRIL 9, 2010! Not only that, 7-0?! Talk about trying to make up for the FIVE straight losses. Well, guess what, that doesn’t cut it, but it sure is nice.

Conversely, just when we were all ready to jump on the bandwagon earlier in the season, and when many of us did (NYRangerscast included), the team came back down to Earth.

I have a hard time believing that this team can put together a serious streak of wins in the midst of a final playoff push. Believe it or not, the Rangers still haven’t even won more than three games in a row all season. The only thing that was saving them was the fact that they also hadn’t lost more than three in a row, until the end of January into February when they lost six straight. They also hadn’t had that bad month – until February (4-7-1, only two of those wins in regulation).

It’s also interesting to note that the bad month came when a team decimated with key injuries was finally starting to get healthier. I can’t say I’m too surprised by this. I feared this because many of the players who were coming back either hadn’t played all season, or missed a significant chunk of time.

So now where does that leave the Blueshirts? Still in a very precarious position. I’m willing to venture a guess there are very few confident fans at this time, and those that are just might have missed the past 1-2 months of hockey.

Usually, I would try to say this is where the Rangers can start to make their run and build some momentum. I’m not going anywhere near that at this point. If they take two out in Southern California then let’s talk.

Right now they have merely remained alive.

Last night looked like deja vu. The Rangers have a couple good shifts early, but get nothing out of a few scoring chances. Eventually they fall behind and have to try to work their way back into the game. A few furious rallies, golden scoring chances, and ultimately…a loss. Too little, too late.

Was it exciting to watch? Yes. Were the Rangers thoroughly outworking their opponent? At times. Did the opposing goalie rob a few Rangers on scoring chances? Yes. But, in the end nothing to show for it.

I can’t overstate how important of a game the most recent was. The obvious facts: Buffalo had three games in hand and were five points behind the Rangers heading into the game. Sixty minutes of hockey later? Buffalo still has three games in hand and now only trail the Blueshirts by three points. Meanwhile, Carolina’s win over Florida last night has now put the Hurricanes just one point behind New York with a game in hand.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Time and, more importantly, the cushion are running out.

One positive to take away at this point is how much better the power play already looks with newly acquired Bryan McCabe at the point. He likes to shoot. A lot. This should become more and more of a factor down the stretch.

Eric and I are again battling schedule conflicts, but we are planning a podcast for Thursday. I’ll save the Biron injury, more on McCabe and the trade deadline, as well as the playoff push for that show. In the meantime, we want to hear from you. There’s lots to discuss.

Weigh in on some of these topics to hosts@nyrangerscast.com:

Do you like what the Rangers did/didn’t do at the trade deadline? Why? Why not?

Do you think the Rangers will make the playoffs this year?

With 13:50 to go in the 3rd period I had that very empty feeling in my stomach. The Rangers had played a very solid couple of periods. They went on the road and secured a lead heading into the final frame. They looked poised to tack on another two points to their cushion on 8th place Carolina.

And why not? After all, the Rangers had a perfect record when leading in games after two periods.

Then Jussi Jokinen buried his second goal of the 3rd and the Blueshirts were all of a sudden trailing. I imagine some turned off their TV in disgust despite it still only being a one goal game with plenty of time left. I won’t name names, but I even saw some “stick a fork in them” type tweets. Not just for the game. For the season.

I know, it’s hard not to think the worst with this team. The Rangers have been so bad, or at least so frustrating, for so long. 1994 feels like a long, long time ago.

But again, there is something different about this team. Sure, they are hanging on by the skin of their teeth, but they find ways to get it done much more often than we’ve seen in recent years. Last night’s game was a perfect example. Just when it seemed like they were dead in the water, and yes, I was in that state of mind with a few minutes to go, another person steps up.

Enter Wojtek Wolski (happy birthday tomorrow). What a performance. Not just in the shootout. Not just on the game-tying goal. The guy was flying all game long and was one of the, if not the, best players on the ice. For the Rangers to make any serious, magical run in the playoffs this year, he’s just another player who needs to perform like he did last night.

Was the night perfect? No. In fact, far from it. The Rangers still let a team on their heels get a point out of a game they had in their control. Marc Staal left the game with an apparent knee injury. Needless to say, he is one of two (Hank) players the Rangers can go nowhere without.

But at this point, the Rangers are in the playoffs if the season ended today. That means they aren’t chasing teams and trying to make up points. All they need to worry about it accumulating points. If they do that, making the playoffs won’t be an issue.

So at the end of the night, the Rangers got the job done. Two points is two points and they should take them any way they can get them.

Also, Martin Biron should be the shootout coach of the year.

I would like to start a petition to get the Rangers moved to the Western Conference.  I know geographically it doesn’t make much sense, but come on, let’s get creative! We can start a new division in the West.  Call it the “East Division”…No good?

While it is obviously a stretch to consider the Rangers as a Western Conference team, it’s not a stretch to consider them as one of the best Eastern Conference teams when it comes to playing the West.  The Blueshirts have more wins (10) against Western Conf. foes than any other team in the East.  Last night’s SO victory over the Kings puts them in sole possession of first in that category.

The wins aren’t just coming against Western Conference bottom feeders either.  The Rangers have played 6 of the 8 teams currently in the playoff picture in the West.  They have beaten 5 of them.  San Jose and Anaheim are still on the schedule. 

It’s also a win that proves a little bit more than the Pittsburgh game that preceded it.  Wins over Pittsburgh are always tough, but with that team a shadow of their opening day lineup, a win didn’t necessarily prove a whole lot.  A win against a team like LA, who is fighting to get into the playoffs, shows that the Rangers may be coming back to life.

Tonight is no different.  How bout those Devils, huh?  We said it all year on the podcast…Get your wins against the Devils while they’re down, because it won’t last forever.  And it hasn’t.  The Jersey squad is 8-1-1 in their last 10 and with 25 games to go, are only 12 points out of the playoffs. 

Quick Notes:

—King Henrik picked up the 200th win of his career last night against LA.  An NYRangerscast “Tip of the Cap” to you Mr. Lundqvist.  Fitting that it came in a shoot out.

—Hey Gaborik, where exactly has that shot been all year?  When he let that goal shot go last night, I think there was a collective “It’s about damn time,” shouted by Rangers fans around the world. Vintage Gabby.  Now, do it again.

—Erik “Wrong Spelling” Christensen and Mats “Duke Zukem” continue to stun in the SO.  You would think goalies would start catching on…for our sakes, let’s hope they don’t.

Ah, it’s that time of year again. Scoreboard watch!

There was a time not too long ago when we all were starting to think the Rangers would be in the playoffs pretty safely. Finally, a year where we could ease the death-grip on our couches and watch a hockey game with a lower blood pressure. Well, not so much.

The good news? The losing streak is finally over. The team had three days without games in preparation for tonight’s game against the Kings. And, while the Rangers are getting some time to get rejuvenated other teams are finally starting to play the games they had in hand on the Blueshirts.

What does this all mean? We have to start rooting for teams that we, as Rangers fans, despise. The Islanders. The Devils. Heck, even the Flyers. Let’s face it, the Rangers aren’t catching Philly in the standings, so when the Flyers are playing teams like Carolina, Buffalo, Atlanta, Montreal, Washington, etc. the logical thing to do is root for the result that benefits the Rangers the most. Translation: Flyers, Devils and Islanders can become our friends, or our even more hated enemies, down the home stretch.

I know what you’re all thinking at this point, or at least many of you are probably thinking. There are still a lot of games left. As the standings are right now, the Rangers are in the playoffs with a little breathing room. Why worry about other teams? Well, you’re exactly right and that’s what any Ranger would say should a reporter ask. It is just a nice bonus when the teams behind the Rangers lose as they did last night. The Leafs beat Buffalo, NJ beat Carolina and Philly beat Florida. All in regulation. With that said, two of NY’s next three games are against the Devils and Flyers, so there’s their chance to beat them up themselves.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to have a love affair with any of these teams. Just recognize the fact that they could be doing us a huge favor, or disservice, in the end.

News and Notes

- Apologies for the lack of a podcast. This is just one of those weeks where Eric and I have heavily conflicting schedules. We have Sunday penciled in to talk about this three game stretch. There could be some significant swings for the Rangers in the standings just based off these next few days.
- Andrew Gross reports that Steve Eminger will again be a healthy scratch and MDZ will take his place. Also, Kris Newbury has been recalled as Wolski recovers from some sore ribs.
- The Kings are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. They are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games and 5-0-2 so far on their ridiculous 10 game road trip post-All-Star break. Get this, they haven’t played a home game since January 26th and they aren’t back in the Staples Center until February 24th. Who the heck made that schedule?! You would figure at some point all this travel wears on them and they have letdown game, but G Jonathan Quick has been terrific in net and is now 7-0 in shootouts. I know, because he’s on my fantasy team, ha ha.
- Keep getting those questions/comments in at hosts@nyrangerscast.com. We’re still reading your emails and always appreciate the input/feedback.

As always, Let’s Go Rangers!

And the streak continues…

I won’t go too deep into this because I want to see how the Rangers respond today against a beaten up (literally) Pittsburgh team. With that said, Torts has already responded to this 6-game losing streak. Andrew Gross has the latest on the new lines and Eminger back in for MDZ.

Basically, it looks like this:

Brandon Dubinsky-Vinny Prospal-Marian Gaborik
Wojtek Wolski-Brian Boyle-Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery-Artem Anisimov-Derek Stepan
Mats Zuccarello-Erik Christensen-Brandon Prust

The first thing I notice is that this now gives Gaborik no excuse of not having talent on his line. Are Dubi and Vinny as talented? No, but there aren’t many players that work harder than Dubi and Vinny can score too. Also, the dynamic duo of Prust and Boyle has been separated (just before Valentine’s Day, how sad). All in all, this is a very different, and rather large, shakeup. I’m wondering how the lines will gel. At this point, there are no excuses and there is no time to waste.

Simply put, the Rangers need to win tomorrow. It’s a home game and the Pens are playing without Malkin (out for the rest of the year), Sid, Kunitz, just to name a few. One thing that really worries me is the 9-3 thumping they just received from the Islanders. Embarrassing doesn’t even begin to describe that. You know they won’t be very happy and will be out for blood. Things might get a little chippy this afternoon…

More to come after this game, including a podcast which will hopefully have a more positive spin after a W. Otherwise, we’re talking about a 7-game losing streak. Yikes.

…and it will be the only goal he scores the rest of the season…

Okay, busted. It’s a good thing we’re just a fan blog and not a media outlet trying to provide you with all the hard-hitting facts. Eric and I found the timing of the Drury knee injury to be rather coincidental, didn’t you? Yeah, well, it turns out he’s now having surgery on that knee and is expected to miss six weeks.

It makes sense. Guys are coming back from injury and Drury was totally inefficient. Whether he was playing through the pain for a while or not, he should have the surgery now. He is a total non-factor for this Rangers team. If he had been trying to play through the pain all this time because he knew the team was dealing with so many other injuries then kudos to him. He’s an admirable player who has had a fine career. He’s a class act guy who never complains. It is just clear that his best days are behind him and that he is not the best man for the job re: wearing the Rangers “C”.

Couple things:

Eric and I put together a podcast last night. It’s on the site now. Also, while we discussed the increasing struggles for Marian Gaborik and decreasing minutes, Larry Brooks offers a suggestion to get him (and Hank) back on track.

Ruh roh…

Four losses in a row. Only four points away from being on the outside looking in. Have played more games than any other team in the NHL, meaning everyone (except ATL, who has also played 55) else has games in hand. A road trip to Joe Louis Arena on the horizon. Raise your hand if you’re starting to get at least a little worried.

As great as this season has been, and as fun as this team has been to watch, it’s gut check time. Eric and I mentioned in our last podcast that this wasn’t all going to be peaches and cream. The month of February is brutal in terms of opponents. The only two games this month against sub-.500 teams is a pair against the Devils. The Rangers have already dropped that first one in gut-wrenching fashion. A very disappointing start to the month to say the least and it doesn’t get any easier.

Players are starting to come back from injury, which is a good thing, but I was also a little concerned as to what all these players coming back at the same time would do to the chemistry. Throwing Cally-Dubi-Arty out there as a top line wasn’t necessarily going to be an automatic flashback to the beginning of the season. Cally had missed significant time. Dubi had missed a few games. And the three haven’t played together on one line in quite some time. Prospal hadn’t played all season. Christensen hadn’t played since the end of December. I know, Cally and Vinny each have a goal already since returning, but it is apparent that they aren’t quite up to speed just yet. The consequence? Well, I can think of a couple instances, specifically in the Pittsburgh game, where those two would’ve potentially buried a couple pucks in the back of the net, making that game a no contest.

Fact of the matter is when you don’t play for an extended period of time at game speed it will take you at least a couple games to get back in the flow. Unfortunately for the Rangers, they don’t have that kind of time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m by no means blaming these players. It will be important to have these guys down the stretch and you can already start to see glimpses of their effectiveness at full strength.

Here’s the major concern. The Rangers lost three games in a row way back in the beginning of the season (10/11-10/18) and one of those was in OT. Since then, they have remarkably not lost more than two games in a row. Until now. This is the first time we’ve really seen the team reeling all season. Four losses in a row and only one point out of that bunch. Honestly, given that this is such a young team that has suffered a lot of injuries, I had expected a stretch like this way earlier in the season. A bad game, which turns into a bad week, which turns into a bad month. It has been a staple in the Rangers seasons for as long as I can remember.

So, what’s it gonna be, Rangers?

Here are a couple things that MUST happen if the Rangers are going to be successful down the stretch:

1. King Henrik MUST bounce back. He always does, so I feel good about this one.
2. Marian Gaborik MUST exist. I sound like a broken record. Aside from a 3-4 goal game here or there, I’m not sure…
3. The power play MUST do something besides consistently stink. I know, three games in a row with a PP goal before the debacle at Montreal, but sorry, when you go 0-4 on four consecutive PPs with only one shot in a tie/one goal game it becomes a glaring issue. I’m pretty sure Eric and I, with Rebecca in goal (no offense Rebecca), could’ve killed those PPs.
4. The big players MUST step up and take control. The production and growth from Stepan, Boyle, Zuc, Arty, Prust, etc. cannot be overstated, but if these team is going to make a serious run at it then the key players, and really veterans on this team (Gaborik, Cally, Dubi, Vinny, and of course Hank), are going to have to lead the charge.
5. The Rangers MUST find a way to beat better teams. To be the best, you gotta beat the best. Cliche? Yes, but true. We’ve seen the Rangers do this a number of times this season, but now it’s even more important. It starts Monday at Detroit. Are they expected to win? I would expect not, but it’s time they go out there and play like a hungry and desperate team, and get a result.

There’s my pre-game Super Bowl speech. Who’s pumped now? …or just starting to get in panic mode… Nah, they’ve got this!

Quick update before tonight’s game against Pittsburgh. First, check out our new podcast. Lots of talk about all the returning players and new problem of having to figure out who to play, who to scratch and who to send back to the Whale. Plus, we have another pretty ridiculous ending…hopefully it provides you all some entertainment.

Here are the lines for tonight with Dubinsky, Callahan and Girardi back in the lineup per Andrew Gross’ Rangers Rants:

The Rangers’ combinations:
Brandon Dubinsky-Artem Anisimov-Marian Gaborik
Wojtek Wolski-Brian Boyle-Brandon Prust
Mats Zuccarello-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery-Kris Newbury-Chris Drury
Marc Staal-Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto-Matt Gilroy
Ryan McDonagh-Mike Sauer

We have our some of our answers to last night’s podcast. First, MDZ replaces Eminger. It should be interesting to see how long Eminger is out of the lineup. Second, as expected, it appears Avery’s minutes will be significantly reduced as he has been dropped from top line to fourth line with Newbury and Drury. I won’t be surprised if he only sees 8 minutes of ice time tonight. That could be a bad thing for the Rangers… I love lines two and three. Prust and Boyle together as always paired with “Double V”, as Eric likes to say, but my favorite line that I’m most looking forward to watching is “ZukeNukem”, Stepan and Cally. Talk about grit, speed, quickness and youth! That will be a line to watch every time out!

Also, Pens are without Crosby, Malkin and Letestu. Translation: GET A WIN, NO EXCUSES!