Posts tagged ‘Malik’

Well the ten game stretch begins tonight at home against Pittsburgh. Time to forget Florida and focus on the Pens and getting two points. I’ll be paying close attention to the defense and how the return of Malik changes things around. Also, I want to see this offense slow things down and not get into a track meet with Pitt. And maybe a power play goal would be nice too. Let’s get it on…

7:08 pm: Strudwick is a healthy scratch. Steve must be so happy. Good physical play by Dawes to start things off.

7:11 pm: Nice defensive play by Straka to keep the puck in the zone and generate a shot. Quick pace to the start of this one.

7:13 pm: Dawes is all over the place. Almost puts one in off a Conklin miscue and a great defensive hustle play to get back and poke check.

7:15 pm: Avery wide open net and Conklin with an incredible diving stick save. Conklin looks lost out there, got to take advantage right there.

7:17 pm: Penguins go on power play. Great play by Malik to save a goal; shocking to realize how much a guy like Malik has been missed these past few games. First stoppage of a very fast paced first period.

7:21 pm: Nice penalty kill by the Rangers. Only two shots allowed but Staal limped off after a block he took off the foot.

7:23 pm: Avery GOAL! Beautiful pass by Jagr after he skates hard to bring it back into the zone. Great quick wrister to put the Rangers up 1-0. Avery 9 goals in last 15 games, a product of the chemistry this first line seems to have.

7:25 pm: Callahan GOAL! Great defensive play to cause turnover. Drury shot, long rebound, Callahan puts it in. Rangers lead 2-0.

7:30 pm: Rangers are controlling the tempo just like I asked them to do. Henrik is playing well, hasn’t had to make a fantastic save yet but thats a good thing. Only guy I’m concerned with is Backman, he looks clueless out there; keep an eye on him.

7:35 pm: Rangers playing very physical. Great defense from Malik and Tyutin. Great relentless offense by Dawes and Callahan.

End of 1st Period: Rangers lead 2-0. Good period by Henrik and the defense, although they got a little lackadaisical there at the end. Forcheck has been solid, a different tone than the two games in Florida. Dawes and Callahan have looked excellent.

8:00 pm: Rangers get caught in a bad change and Ruutu capitalizes on a break away. Rangers 2-1. Not a good way to start out the second period.

8:02 pm: Here we go. Jordan Staal rebound goal after a bad handoff by Henrik. Renney calls a time out, this team has lost all its focus in the first three minutes of this period. Tie game 2-2.

8:05 pm: Sjostrom GOAL! Rangers lead 3-2. Rangers come out of the time out and capitalize off a Pens mistake. Three goals in the last five minutes, this one has become a shootout.

8:10 pm: Penguins offense is generating opportunity much like the Rangers did in the first period. Some little shoving matches are starting as the intensity is rising. Rangers need to regain control of the puck and start hitting people like they were in the first. Avery and Malone get 2 minutes each for unsportsmanlike conduct.

8:15 pm: Penalty called on Dupuis. Rangers go on the power play. Rangers defense has been sloppy and have given up to many turnovers this period. They cannot give up a shorthanded opportunity.

8:16 pm: Lucky break for the Pens, puck goes off the post and than wedged in Conklin’s pad.

8:25 pm: Plenty of opportunities to put one in, just can’t squeak it by Conklin. Straka has played very well so far. Big save by Henrik on a Malone breakaway. Another turnover by Avery gives way to the odd man rush.

8:29 pm: Rangers get a power play. Gomez draws the tripping call on J. Staal. Gomez and Dawes have been a nice combo tonight. Rangers 0/1 on PP tonight so far.

End of Second Period: Rangers got away with a sloppy period, lead 3-2. Too many turnovers in the defensive zone allowing for odd man rushes by Pens. This is gonna be a barn burner of a third period.

9:00 pm: Slower start to the third period. Drury had a nice shot from the point that almost got by Conklin. This is the pace I would like to see for the rest of the period.

9:02 pm: Avery GOAL! Put back off a rebound, great patience to put it in, his second of the game. Rangers 4-2.

9:09 pm: Game has become very physical, already half way through the period. Rangers seem to play more engaged hockey when they are on the brink of getting into brawls, it’s good to see.

9:11 pm: Straka GOAL! Great job by Drury to get the puck to the net and find Straka wide open. The Drury, Callahan, Straka line has been dominant tonight. Rangers lead 5-2.

9:24 pm: It’s not over yet but it’s pretty darn close. If the Rangers hang on it will be the fourth win in six games against the Pens this year.

Final: Rangers win 5-2.  Great job of overcoming a sloppy second period to pick up two points against the Pens.  Definitely a nice sign of this teams ability to bounce back.  A completely different feel to this one than in the two games in Florida.  100th win for Henrik, he had a very solid game.  My three stars go to; 1) Avery 2) Callahan 3) Straka with honorable mentions to Henrik and Dawes.  HUGE win, way to start off the final ten games of the season.

The NHL trade deadline is less then a week away and Larry Brooks of the NY Post says that the Rangers may be on the cusp of a couple of deals.

According to Brooks, the Rangers are making a strong push to aquire PP Quarterback Dan Boyle from the Tampa Bay Lightning.  He also says that Glen Sather and Co., is in talks with St. Louis to acquire Broadway regular Martin Rucinsky in exchange for (brace yourself) Marek Malik.

When it comes to Dan Boyle, I think he’s exactly the type of player that the Rangers need.  The question is: what’s the price?  I’m not willing to part with any big-time prospects (i.e. Dubi, Dawes, Callahan, Sauer, Sanguinetti, etc.) to make the deal.  However, I wouldn’t mind including someone like Greg Moore.  Where this situation becomes interesting is when it comes to Al Montoya.  Clearly never going to see the light of day in a Rangers uniform, it may be time to finally deal the former 1st round pick.  Tampa is certainly a team in need of goaltending help, so it’s not a stretch to see Montoya becoming a key part of the deal.  I know some of you may question whether Dan Boyle is enough of a return for as big a chip as Montoya.  However, Montoya is floundering down in Hartford and his stock is dropping by the day.  It may be time to cut ties while he still has the value that he does.  If Montoya is included in a deal, I’d make a provision that the Rangers have to sign Boyle to a contract extension.  If they’re only getting a rental in Boyle then its no dice.

As for the deal with the Blues, I think it’s the perfect team with which unload Malik.  John Davidson saw #8 every day during his first season with the Rangers (his best season by far as a Blueshirt).  With that memory in mind, the Rangers may be able to get more for Malik than if they were to trade him anywhere else.  Brooks is reporting that the Rangers would be asking for Rucinsky and a defenseman in return.  When it comes to Rucinsky, I just don’t see where he plays on this team.  Assuming that Dawes, Prucha, and Callahan stay put, there’s just no place on this team for the former Ranger.  Unless the Rangers plan on sitting him, it means that the 36-year-old will be taking the spot of one of those three youngsters.  If that’s the case, then it’s a travesty and will be a terrible move.  Rucinsky is not the player he used to be (4 G, 10 A on the season) and the youngsters on the Rangers right now are the most consistent players they have.  As for the defensemen involved in the deal, Barrett Jackman would look good on Broadway.  He’s that big, punishing defenseman that the Rangers sorely miss and would be a big help in the playoffs when those physical D-men are crucial.

So here we go.  T-minus 5 days until the deadline.  I would be shocked if this Rangers team looks the same as it does right now by Tuesday night.

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In other news, Brooks is also reporting that Sean Avery and Glen Sather have made some headway on contract negotiations.  They’re discussing both a one-year bridge and a new multi-year contract.  If I’m Sather, I try and lock him up for a couple of years at a discounted price while I can.  Avery hasn’t had the type of year that gives him a lot of leverage.  To lock him up for 3-4 years in the $2.5-$2.8 million range could turn out to be a steal a couple of years down the road.

According to The Blueshirts Blog, Blue Notes and Rangers Report, the passion and intensity that was missing in last night’s embarrassment against the Kings, was out in full force during practice today. 

Apparently, Malik and Avery got into a shoving match and that quickly escalated into an all out, gloves off, fight between the two. 

According the the reports, Malik was the victor and as the two were being torn apart Avery was heard saying, “What are you, a bleeping tough guy? Why don’t you play like that in a game?” (A sentiment by the way, that is echoed by many fans)

Renney didn’t seem to have any problem with the fight and, according to the writers, went over to Malik after the tussle and said, “Good job, big guy.”

I personally agree 100% with Renney.  The biggest missing ingredient with this team has been that constant passion and determination.  Maybe they were as disgusted with last nights showing as I know we all were and it spilled over into hostility today at practice.

I love it.

First off, not to overshadow Leetch night, just wanted to make mention of Marek Malik not skating this morning.  Nor was his equiptment in his locker.  According to the Rangers Report Tom Renney is referring this as an “internal matter”…this could be the end of Malik as a Ranger but we wont know at least until after the game tonight.

Now, I am currently watching Brian Leetch take the podium to deliver his speech.  MSG Network showed a Leetch retrospective before the ceremony started which was nice.  I’m not going to say much on Leetch…his numbers speak for themselves.  When Mark Messier calls you the greatest Ranger ever, you know you’ve done something right.

He is what all Rangers should aspire to become…humble and great.  Hopefully a little Leetch will rub off onto the Rangers tonight and they canpull off a win.

That was a nice win.  No that’s not a typo, I’m only giving it nice.  The reason: we’ve seen this before.  This win becomes big, great, huge, and whatever other word you want to throw out it when, and only when, the Rangers win another, then another, then another.

But that being said, tonight was an utter domination.  The Rangers paid attention to the little things and capitalized on the opportunities they were given.  More importantly this team didn’t panic when faced with almost the exact situation in which they fell apart on Thursday.

Up 2-0 after a dominating 1st (again), the Blueshirts went down 2 men early in the second.  But this time they were able to kill off the disadvantage and even got a big save from Henrik Lundqvist who took back his throne with a vengence!

And once the 5 on 3 was killed off, the Rangers again did something we’ve seen so little of recently…step on the throat of their opponent.

Led by the line of neophytes, the Blueshirts stormed to a commanding 4-0 lead and never looked back.

Kudos are in line to Tom Renney for his defensive shakeup.  The backline troops responded with a stingy performance reminiscent of the Rangers team we saw in November and say what you want about Marek Malik, but the big guy stepped up tonight.

If you can’t see the difference between Malik and Strudwick I really don’t know what you’re watching.  I’m not going to sit here and say that Malik is a top-pair defender nor am I going to make the claim that he can replicate tonight’s performance on a consistent enough basis to remain a Blueshirt.  But the fact is he is an NHL caliber defenseman and Jason Strudwick simply isn’t.

 So again, a much-needed nice win for the Rangers that can turn into a much-needed GREAT win depending on the team that shows up Monday against the Pens.

I don’t think I need to state just how big a game the Rangers/Canadiens tilt is tonight for the Blueshirts.

A win and the Rangers break a 5-game losing streak and jump back into the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

A loss? Well, another loss and the Rangers fall further into the Atlantic Division abyss and set themselves up to at least tie last year’s seven game losing streak when they’re forced to face the WHITE HOT Pens on Monday.

 Straka in; Shanny out. 

And in a bit of a suprise, fan favorite Marek Malik will suit up along side former partner Michael Rozsival.  The other two D-Combos will be changed as well with Girardi alongside Staal and Tyutin playing with Mara.  In case you can’t do the math, Jason Strudwick is out so clearly I’m upset…

 I actually have a good feeling tonight…Rangers 3, Habs 2.

After the free-agent acquisitions of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury this summer, the expectations in the big apple were high. However, instead of the Rangers dominating the first half of the season, it’s been quite a roller-coaster ride with the Blueshirts showing signs of brilliance and ineptitude during various stretches.

The Rangers began the year going 2-5-1, before going on a stretch of 12 games in late October/early November that saw them lose only twice. But that was only the pre-cursor to a dreadful 4-8-2 stretch in late November/early December that moved the Rangers to the brink of being outside the playoff picture. And all this was of course, just before the recent three-game winning streak by the Blueshirts to finish out 2007.

So the question is: Who are the real Rangers?

The answer: They are this most recent team that’s on a winning streak to close out the year. And here are the reasons why:

First of all, the Rangers finally have a bona fide 1st Line. After all of the shifting and mutations that this top line has seen, the current Jagr/Gomez/Straka line is here to stay. Since being united in the game against Pittsburgh on December 18, the trio has combined for 32 points in 7 games. This line will be one of the most potent in all of NHL in the second half of the season.

The Rangers second line is also finally coming together. For Chris Drury, the transition to New York has taken longer than many had hoped. However, over the past couple weeks, number 23 seems to be finding his grove. He’s been a monster on face-offs and in the last few games has started showing why he’s known in hockey circles as “captain clutch.” As for Shanny, the guy’s been a rock all season long and provides the necessary leadership needed on a championship team. And of course, there’s Sean Avery who, in my opinion, is this team’s MVP. If you look at the season, the Rangers have gone through their two slumps when he’s been out of the lineup. When he’s been in, the Blueshirts have looked like gangbusters. Barring injuries, this second line will be the perfect second half of a great 1-2 punch for the Rangers going forward.

The third line is where some questions lie. Ryan Callahan and Petr Prucha have both struggled to build off of a great opening night performance. Brandon Dubinsky has been very solid, but overall the trio isn’t adding much secondary scoring. However, I really like the way the line works and think that it’s all just a matter of time until the goals start to come. Ryan Callahan has scored at every level he’s been at and adds feistiness to a lineup that is sometimes lacking in that department. Prucha looks like he may have had a breakout game in Toronto on Saturday. He did suffer a wrist injury at the end of the game that kept him out a night later, but doesn’t appear to be serious. As for Dubinsky, there is no part of me that is worried about this kid. I really think he’s exceeded expectations this season and this year will prove invaluable to him as he learns to play the game at the NHL level. My prediction is that by the end of January this line will be pumping in a couple goals a week.

As for the fourth line, they’ve really been the one constant on a team that has seemed constantly in flux. They have been phenomenal against the opposition’s top line and on a rare night can even light the lamp. The one small complaint is that I’d like to see a little more of the rough stuff from Hollweg and Orr, but outside of that I really can’t ask for more than what they’ve given. When it comes to Betts, I think you’re talking about the best fourth line center in the league. He is as shut-down a forward as there is in the league and is as good a face-off man as they come. He’s also probably the best penalty killer the Rangers have, never hesitating to block a shot to make the play. I have no doubt that this line will continue their defensive dominance moving forward.

And speaking of defense, the top four on this year’s backline have been phenomenal. Marc Staal has settled into the NHL nicely and in him and Michael Rozsival the Rangers have a nice top pair. The second pairing of Girardi and Tyutin has exceeded expectations with Girardi forcing everyone to question how he could have possibly been passed over in the draft two years in a row! All four have also provided an offensive punch from the backline that was absent a year ago. This year’s Rangers defense has scored 24 goals already; only 6 less than last year’s total. The most prolific scorer of the bunch this year has been Roszival who is in the second in defensemen goal-scoring in the NHL with nine goals. Yet my criticism of the foursome lies with Roszival, who could have double his goal total if he would just shoot more. Roszi still defers too much to Jagr, passing up open shots to get the biscuit to number 68. He’s definitely doing it less than last year, but I’d love to see Roszival shoot more in ‘08.

Where the questions on the defense lie are in Paul Mara, Marek Malik, and Jason Strudwick. While Mara’s been fine defensively, you’d like to see him be more noticeable on the offensive end. He’s got a rocket of a shot that he very rarely uses. If he’s not going to provide the offense, then he’s a very ‘vanilla’ player. As for Malik, I’m one who believes the big guy gets too much criticism from the Garden crowd. 95% of the time he makes the right play, but the problem is that in the 5% of the time that he doesn’t, the puck usually ends up in the back of the Rangers net. When it comes to Strudwick it’s pretty simple. He’s a fine seventh defenseman, but the Rangers have used him WAY too much this season. He’s not a NHL regular (last year he played in Europe for most of the year because nobody wanted him) and his leadership skills aren’t important if he’s a liability on the ice.

Looking ahead, I’d say that if the Rangers make a move, look for one of those three to be involved, but specifically Mara and/or Malik. Both still have value and in the case of Malik, I don’t think he’d be opposed to a change of scenery. Marcel Hossa may also be on the block as it seems that there simply isn’t a place for him on this team right now.

On the goaltending end the Rangers are set. Not much needs to be said about the King and Valiquette has proven to be a worthy backup (and a cheap one at that).

So you may say, “This is a pretty optimistic look at a team that had been struggling badly just a few games ago.” Well it may be, but at this point it seems that everything has finally clicked into place. So much of the year has been spent trying to find the right spots for everyone and it seems like Renney and Co. have finally found them. The key for the second half is simple…STAY HEALTHY! This especially applies to Sean Avery who, as was said earlier, is the key piece on this team. When he’s gone everything else falls apart.

Barring any injuries, look for the Rangers to make a second half surge to take the Atlantic Division. I predict a second place finish overall in the East, losing out to Ottawa for the number one seed, but giving the Sens a scare in the process. When it comes to playoff time all bets are off. This team has all the pieces of a championship puzzle; the goaltending, the offense, the defense, the leadership and, of course, “captain clutch.”

In the end we’ll have to wait and see, but they have as good a chance as any.

Well isn’t that a relief. A win against the Isles for the first time all season and it couldn’t come at a better time. Rangers now jump back to the top of the division (Tied with the Flyers) and create a little space away from the Islanders. Also, Ottawa has lost their last five games; so Saturday could be a good time for the Blueshirts to get the Senators on the ropes.

On the defensive end for the Rangers, some changes will be made for Saturday’s game. With the injury to Paul Mara, the always reliable Marek Malik will be back in the line up. He will be paired with Michal Rozsival and Marc Staal will get the honor of playing side by side with Jason Strudwick. We’ll have to see how these changes affect the game tomorrow night.

Steve and I will be back on with a podcast on Monday. Make sure to get your calls in on what will hopefully be two Rangers wins.

Thomas Pock was placed on waivers this afternoon. This doesn’t come as a whole lot of surprise, although it could indicate some more moves are coming on the defensive end. Steven mentioned that the game against Atlanta was Pock’s big shot to prove he should be playing over the likes of Marek Malik. Pock was -2 in that 5-3 loss at the hands of the Thrashers and his play was unimpressive at best. Personally I don’t mind the move. If in the days and weeks to come management makes a move to improve the defense that’s fine by me; it’s all about finding ways to make the product on the ice better. Thomas Pock was not helping this team and putting him on waivers shouldn’t ruffle too many feathers.

The second piece of news that comes out of Rangerville today is the injury of Ryan Callahan. Callahan has a knee sprain that won’t require surgery but will keep him out indefinitely. Hopefully, indefinitely means only a few games but it could mean many more. Add Callahan to the list of injured Blue Shirts that already include Martin Straka and Sean Avery and the Rangers find themselves in quite a hole. The Rangers Report today said that Callahan’s spot could be filled by a number of Wolf Pack players including Alex Bourret, Lauri Korpikoski, and Greg Moore. No matter who it is, the Rangers are going to be dealing with more young, inexperienced talent. Callahan has looked very good and it’s another unfortunate injury that is going to hurt this team. Hopefully both Avery and Callahan will be back sooner than expected. But until they are back, Rangers fans need to collectively knock on wood for the rest of this team’s health.

Nigel Dawes and Thomas Pock will, in all likelihood, make their season debuts for the Rangers tonight in Atlanta. For Dawes, it’s almost a sure thing that he’ll play, seeing as Marcel Hossa can’t go because of a hip flexor injury. For Pock, it’s not as certain, but following yesterday’s practice it seems probable. According to the Blueshirt Blog and Rangers Report, Pock was paired along side Michael Roszival in practice and Marek Malik was paired with Jason Strudwick. Although Tom Renney said not to read too much into it, look for Struds and Malik to be watching tonight from the Press Box. (If you’re quiet, you can hear champagne corks popping in the home every Rangers fan as we speak.)

For Dawes it’s a shot; for Pock it’s the shot.

When it comes to Nigel Dawes, it’ll be nice to see what he can do tonight. He’ll be playing on the first line with Jagr and Gomez (certainly different than last year when he got to play, but with the likes of Jason Ward and Adam Hall). But let’s be realistic. No matter how well Dawes plays, the road still leads back to Hartford. Even if he makes a case to be in the lineup over Hossa, Sean Avery is on the horizon. And when Avery comes back, Dawes will go back. So take tonight for what it is with Dawes, a possible glimpse into the future. But for Dawes, no matter what he does, the future is not now.

For Thomas Pock this is a completely different situation. For him, this is the be all, end all. Sure he’s been in the lineup before (he actually played 44 games last year). But in most of those games he was subbing in for an injured player and even though Pock probably deserved to win a lineup spot, he continually got scratched for a lesser veteran when the vet came back. This time it’s different. This time Malik is taking a seat because of poor play and Pock needs to seize the moment one more time. He needs to get into the lineup and stick; not allow the coaching staff to take him out. And whether or not it’s unfair, it has to happen tonight. If Pock doesn’t play well, he won’t get another shot on Saturday in Boston. Malik will be right back on the ice and Pock will be right back in street clothes. This is it. Pock knows it, and don’t be surprised if Pock takes advantage of it.

Now let me say this. No matter what happens tonight, it is becoming more and more evident that something has to give on this Rangers backline. Marek Malik, Paul Mara, and Thomas Pock are every day players fighting for two spots. None of them will stay content to be scratched for long periods of time. I’d expect a trade sometime in the near future.