Posts tagged ‘Valiquette’

Just when things were going so well, Blair Betts will miss 2 to 3 weeks of playing time. Betts underwent minor foot surgery and he will be replaced in tonights lineup by Ryan “Hollywood” Hollweg. All this according to the Rangers Report and Sam Weinman. This is not good news folks, Betts is one of the most underrated centers in the league and the line definitely drops a few notches with him out.

Also Sam Weinman reports that contrary to what Steve and I hoped for, Stephen Valiquette will start in goal tonight against the Flyers. You can’t really argue Vally’s productivity against the Flyers but you can question whether it’s the right time to sit Henrik.

OK, so maybe this team wasn’t Born to Run away with the Eastern Conference, but they are hanging in there. Before I get into Ranger talk, I want to welcome back Bruce Springsteen references. As you may remember, Steve and I made the trek to Cleveland late last year to see The Boss live. Well, we’re doing it again, that’s right, concert number two for the guys at the NYRangerscast…tomorrow night in Rochester. While I won’t sit here and whine about why Brucey doesn’t play Thunder Road every concert, I will lend you my thoughts on last nights loss to the Islanders.

• How about Henrik? Well…how about him? Do you have any answers for his inconsistent play? No, of course you don’t, thats why you’re not employed by the Rangers. I am not friends with The King, nor do I speak Swedish, but I can see that there is something wrong. Tom Renney says that Lundqvist will start at the Island on Thursday. I think this is a good idea, Hank let in some bad goals on Tuesday but if this is “the franchise goalie” you have to let him play out of his slump. BUT, let’s not forget about Vally, he has been playing very well. So if The King’s slump continues you can’t let Vally sit on the bench for to long.

• Rozsival in the shootout. That was a scratch your head move huh? Maybe Renney was trying to shock the Isles into letting Rozsival score. Can’t say I agree with the call, but than again I am not the coach. I am merely a commentator who gets paid very, very, very little to have an opinion on these kinds of things.

• According to the Rangers Report, Dubi and Gomez didn’t practice today, both are a little sore. These two have been the most exciting Rangers to watch this past month. Both skate with an enthusiasm that is absolutely contagious. No real point here, just a little man love for the two.

The Rangers need the full two points on Thursday and I need to see signs of a turn around from The King. Here’s hoping for that and a little Thunder Road action in Rochester tomorrow.

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.

Before I get into anything too Ranger specific, I want to make a quick point on the league’s attendance this year. Twelve teams have sold out all of their home games this year, including the Rangers. But the bottom five teams are what should concern the NHL; New Jersey, St. Louis, Washington, Chicago, and NY Islanders all have an average attendance around 75 percent. Jersey has a new arena, Washington has Alexander the Great, Chicago is an Original Six team, the Islanders are contenders, and St. Louis is no expansion team. Yet, these teams can’t put butts in the seats on a consistent basis. Amazingly, teams like Tampa Bay can fill their games to capacity every night. The NHL has to figure out what works for teams like the Lightning and implement that into the perennial hockey towns that have become hockey wastelands. There has to be some solution.

• Rangers television ratings on MSG Network are up a reported 85%…yes 85% from last year. Great to know that if the fans can’t get into the Garden they are watching the games from their recliners.
• Steven Valiquette will start at goal tonight against Toronto. I guess Lundqvist isn’t a super hero after all. If there is anyone in the league who deserves a day off, it’s the King. Toronto is the only logical game to get Vali between the posts; no way Henry is sitting out any of the four divisional games that follow tonight’s game in Canada.
• Make sure to check out the latest Podcast from the NYRangerscast. Also, give us a call at 347-410-9093 or e-mail us at hosts@nyrangerscast.com. The show is all about fans being heard so don’t hesitate to give us a ring.