December 20, 2009, Atlanta Falcons eliminated from playoffs reaction sidebar for Atlanta Journal Constitution
With playoff hopes gone, Falcons hang on
By Denis Gorman
For the AJC
6:55 p.m. Sunday, December 20, 2009
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — John Abraham stared incredulously at his questioner as he contorted his face into a mask of sarcastic disbelief.
“Uh, yes. Yes. Yes. We know what happened.,” said Abraham, after being asked if he and his teammates knew that the Falcons had been eliminated from the playoffs prior to Sunday’s 10-7 win over the Jets at the Meadowlands. “Nobody’s giving up here. We’re still going to finish [up] with a winning season.”
Atlanta needed to win its final three games, plus have the Cowboys lose their final three games and the Giants win one of their three remaining games. With the Cowboys’ 24-17 upset of previously unbeaten New Orleans Saturday night, the Falcons’ season (7-7) came to an unofficial and painfully early end. For a team that entered the 2009 season with playoff aspirations following a wild card berth last season, that their campaign comes down to finishing with a winning record is a disappointment, but necessary. The Falcons admitted to that.
“Coach [Mike] Smith kept emphasizing that everybody is going to think that maybe you’re going to lay down because they think you have nothing to play for [after Dallas' win],” tight end Tony Gonzalez said. “But as a man, take a little pride in what you do for a living and really loving what you do, then you owe it to yourself, the fans and the organization to go out there and play your butts off.”
When the Falcons examine what went wrong in 2009, the 2-4 slide in the last six weeks should figure prominently. Atlanta had opportunities to beat the Giants (34-31 OT loss on Nov. 22) and the Saints (26-23 loss on Dec. 13), and probably should have beaten a Carolina team that had alternated wins and losses in the four weeks prior to its 28-19 win at the Georgia Dome on Nov. 15.
“How our season has been going all year, to have this kind of win and to have it come down to the last play go our way finally, it felt good,” said Abraham.
Though the players knew that they would not be in the playoffs, Mike Smith decided to wait until after Sunday’s game to break the news.
“I never mentioned it to this football team. The first time I mentioned it to them was after the game today,” said Smith. “They are aware of it, but it’s our job to go out and play the game of football.”
December 20, 2009, Darrelle Revis sidebar for Atlanta Journal Constitution
Jets cornerback gives Falcons a workout
By Denis Gorman
For the AJC
6:42 p.m. Sunday, December 20, 2009
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —Throughout the Falcons’ 10-7 street fight win over the Jets, Tony Gonzalez witnessed why Darrelle Revis is the best cornerback in the NFL. A half-hour after the game, Gonzalez testified to that.
“I told him after the game that he’s probably the best cornerback that I’ve gone against this year,” Gonzalez said in a cramped visitors’ locker room at the Meadowlands. “The thing that I noticed about him is that he doesn’t panic [and] he’s so confident right now.”
With good reason. Before Sunday’s game, the Jets' coaching staff had credited Revis with six interceptions for 121 return yards, 30 passes defensed and 60 tackles for the season. In seven games against Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Marques Colston, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss this season, Revis limited them to 32 catches for 179 yards and one touchdown. It is those reasons that Rex Ryan has lobbied for his third-year corner as the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Lined up most of the afternoon against Revis, Roddy White finished the day with four catches for 33 yards. He came into the game with 67 catches for 915 yards and eight touchdowns.
“He’s the best guy I’ve faced this year. He did a good job today,” said White. “He’s always around you. He’s like a gnat. He never gets away from you. He never does bad things, [like] sitting on routes. Obviously he’s doing a good job watching film. He just needs to continue what he’s doing, and he’ll be a good player in this league for a long time.”
Added Gonzalez, “Roddy is a Pro Bowl receiver. He’s a Pro Bowl corner. That’s a good matchup.”
Unlike many of his fellow Pro Bowl receivers, White did not appear to be frustrated by Revis. Unlike Moss, White did not criticize the job Revis did on him.
“You just got to keep pressing. That’s kind of what I did today, keep pressing and just kind of get what I could get, and do what I could do,” said White.
At times, the Jets matched Revis up against Gonzalez. On the game’s final drive, Revis broke up a third-down pass to the sure Hall of Fame tight end, nearly picking it off. One play later, Matt Ryan hit Gonzalez with the game-winning six-yard touchdown pass.
“No. 24, he had a chance to pick that ball on third down,” said a relieved Gonzalez. “But that’s the way it goes in the NFL. When you get the plays, get the opportunities, you try to make the most of them. If you can’t, they may come back to haunt you.”
December 18, 2009, New York Rangers-New York Islanders game story for Metro NY Newspaper
Updated 11:03, December the 18th, 2009
Ryan Callahan
Tort benches 2, Rangers score 5 to snap skid
A closer look
1 Message received — John Tortorella lit a fire under his team after five straight losses by benching veteran defenseman Wade Redden and forward Ales Kotalik. While talking to reporters after the Rangers’ optional skate Thursday morning, Brian Boyle pulled no punches. “It’s a simple game. It really is. Crash the net. We do that well.” The Rangers had a 2-0 lead after the first 20 minutes, despite being outshot 14-4, because they crashed the net.
2 Missed opportunity — After Ryan Callahan’s second power-play goal put the Blueshirts up 3-0 in the second, Nate Thompson missed a wide open net by two feet. A minute later, though, Andrew McDonald tallied his first NHL goal on a 4-on-4 slap shot that eluded Henrik Lundqvist.
3 Icing it — Marian Gaborik’s and Artem Anisimov’s third period goals were the icing on a perfectly lousy night for Dwayne Roloson. The Isles’ netminder gave up five goals on 22 shots after he turned away 25 of 26 one night before.
The tension in the Rangers’ room was gone, momentarily, replaced by smiles and a collective sigh of relief.
This is what it feels like after earning two points.
What was also in the room, and was put forth by the coaches and players, was a simple challenge:
Can they do it again?
One night after hitting rock bottom, the Rangers rebounded with a respectable effort in their 5-2 win over the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum Thursday night. Their next game is Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia against the similarly struggling Flyers.
John Tortorella’s assessment of the Rangers’ performance was straightforward. “I think we played pretty good in spurts,” Tortorella said. “You don’t have to play a perfect game if you score a few goals.”
While it was not a 180 degree change from Wednesday night’s debacle at The Garden—the Rangers still have to tighten up in their own zone and need to focus on playing a simple offensive game —there was a concerted group effort to be better at the Coliseum last night. And they were, led by their most important players.
Despite being outshot 14-4 in the first period, the Rangers had a 2-0 lead because of crease-crashing goals from Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury. Oh, and Lundqvist was the best player on the ice. The Rangers’ netminder finished with 35 saves.
“We didn’t talk about the shots. We wanted to try to play more of a north-south game,” Tortorella. “I thought the back-to-back penalties…they got a lot of shots. They come. They come hard. They’re a hard working hockey team. We were just trying to put the puck up the neutral zone and make them play defense.
“I thought Hank was very important for us. He made some really good saves. Some of the crap that’s going on around this team right now, (if) you’re down 1-0 and it’s back-to-back games with the Islanders, you’re not sure how the guys would react. Hank gave us a chance and then we found our way.”
Callahan’s second goal of the game came 27 seconds into the second, and like his first, it was a crease-crashing goal.
“It feels better to get the win. Get some goals, especially the way we did it—crashing the net—I think that’s one of the things that we need to do,” Callahan said. He also earned two assists to complete a career-high four point night. “We have to build on it. It’s one win. It’s a good win. It’s a character win after the game we had (Wednesday). But we have to start getting some wins back-to-back. We’re going to build on this tonight and go into the next game ready to work and do the same thing. It’s not going to get any easier.
Andrew McDonald cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-1 with his first NHL goal with 10:29 left in the second. McDonald’s marker came moments after Nate Thompson had a wide open net and missed by two feet.
Marian Gaborik’s power play slap shot 3:37 into the third pushed the advantage to 4-1. Gaborik had a three point night and now leads the league in both goals (24) and points (45). Rookie center Artem Anisimov stuffed a rebound from under the hashmarks 3:13 later to put the Rangers up by five. Islanders’ defenseman Frans Nielsen’s fifth of the season completed the scoring.
With 48 games remaining in their season, the Rangers are only two points out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. But with 14 of the 15 teams in the Conference bunched together—Carolina, with 22 points, is the only team in the East that does not have an opportunity to qualify for the playoffs—Tortorella was unwavering in belief what has to happen for the Rangers to play spring hockey for the fifth year in a row.
“I think the key thing is we have to start becoming a team. That’s the most important thing,” Tortorella said.
NOTES:
Tortorella announced at the Rangers’ optional skate that forwards Ales Kotalik and Aaron Voros, along with defenseman Wade Redden were scratched for the game. “Guys that are out, it has to do with their play,” said Tortorella. Kotalik was diplomatic, saying “All you can do is go out there and work hard,” but Redden was clearly upset. “I’m not too pleased about it. The fact that I’m sitting out, I’m not too happy about it,” said Redden, who also used the phrases “singled out,” “I’m the example here” and “If they want me out there” when he met with the Rangers beat reporters in the visiting locker room. “He wants to shakes things up. I can deal with that. Which way do you go? There’s lots of different ways to handle it and I have to do what’s best for me.”
*
TheHockeyNews.com ranked John Tavares as the seventh best junior hockey player of all-time. Tavares, who was a member of Canada’s gold medal winning teams at the previous two World Junior Hockey Championships, noted that he has played with some of the members of this year’s team. The tournament runs from December 26 to January 5 in Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
“The guys that are returning, and Calvin de Haan is one of our prospects (and I) played half a season with him in Oshawa last year,” said Tavares. “It has to be an exciting time for them and I wish them all the best.”
*
The Islanders and Kings are routinely pointed to as organizations who are rebuilding the proverbial right way. Matt Moulson has an interesting perspective, as he played for the Kings for two years before signing with the Islanders last summer.
“There’s a bit of similarity there. (Trying) to grow through the draft with young players,” said Moulson after being asked how the two organizations are alike. “I think (both organizations have) a lot of young players playing, playing well and having key roles in future development in both systems.”
*
Drury’s goal was his third of the season and his first since October 19.
December 17, 2009, New York Islanders-New York Rangers game story for Metro NY Newspaper
Updated 08:22, December the 17th, 2009
Roloson, Islanders shut down sluggish Rangers
Blueshirts plummet to last place in Atlantic
A closer look
1 Perfect so far — The suddenly respectable Islanders improved to 2-0 against their hated rivals this season and have a chance to sweep the home-and-home tonight at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders, who entered last night ranked 26th in goals allowed, clogged the neutral and offensive zones, pressuring the puck and forcing turnovers.
2 Almost a shutout — Blake Comeau put the Isles up 2-0 with a tally late in the third period. It seemed like an unnecessary insurance goal at the time, but the offensively-challenged Rangers finally got on the board moments later when Enver Lisin poked a puck under Dwayne Roloson. Lisin’s goal broke a streak of 231:55 without an even strength goal for the Rangers. The Blueshirts failed to score more than two goals for the seventh straight game.
3 Slow to show up — It didn’t take long to see why the Rangers have dropped eight of nine. They simply don’t play a full 60 minutes of hockey — or even more than 40 for that matter. John Tortorella’s offensive philosophy was lost on his team in the first period when the Rangers generated only three shots. Jon Sim took advantage, putting the Isles up 1-0, and it could have been a lot worse if not for Henrik Lundqvist’s nine saves.
The volcanic coach finally erupted.
“The thing that is unacceptable about tonight’s game, and we’re trying to stay positive around here and work our way through it, but when we play like s—t like that for 20 minutes, in a game like this, in a back-to-back situation, it’s unacceptable,” seethed John Tortorella after the Rangers’ sleepwalked their way to a 2-1 loss to the Islanders last night at the Garden. Both teams will meet tonight at the Coliseum, and expect changes to be made to the Rangers lineup.
“It’s simply unacceptable. There has to be something done. And we’ll see along the way here, before (tonight’s) game and see what we go with,” said Tortorella, who grew angrier with every syllable. “It’s just simply unacceptable how we started that game. I wish I could give you a f—in’ explanation about it. I can’t.”
The players and Tortorella have talked about for weeks how hard this group works but were unlucky; as if the league’s successful teams get by because of the crest on their sweaters. It’s a loser’s lament.
With their suburban rivals in the house, the timing was ripe for the Rangers’ worst period of the season. The Rangers were unable to gain the offensive zone for the most part, were unable to keep the Islanders from taking residency in their zone, and were outshot 10-3 in the first. Overall, the Rangers were outshot 28-26. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 26 shots. Dwayne Roloson turned away 25 shot.
“We didn’t come out hard enough,” mea culpa’d captain Chris Drury. “It’s certainly not what we were shooting for. Something we talked about coming into it was making sure we have a good start and for whatever reason, we we’re all pretty flat.”
So it was not shocking that the Islanders (13-14-7) had a 1-0 lead at the end of the first twenty minutes. What was stunning was the way they scored. With 5:31 remaining in the period when defenseman Jack Hillen roamed unmolested behind Lundqvist’s cage before his pass deflected off of Jon Sim’s skate and popped up over Lundqvist’s pads and into the net. The goal was Sim’s third of the season.
“It’s horses—t coverage around the corners, just brings it around the net. It’s a fluky goal but we don’t get them,” analyzed Tortorella.
There was an intense “Fire Sather!” chant from 18,200 performance evaluators as the period concluded, and a clearly angry assistant coach Mike Sullivan told a MSG Network reporter “It’s not about skill, it’s about will.”
The Rangers were better in the second—really, it would have been impossible to have played worse. They had snarl and got into the Islanders’ faces after whistles. By the period’s end, the Rangers had marginally outshot the Islanders 12-10.
Blake Comeau ended any fleeting hope that the Rangers could win the game after potting his second of the season with 3:10 remaining. All that was left was the see if the Rangers could end their even strength goalless streak. Dating back to last Wednesday’s 2-1 loss in Chicago, the Rangers had gone an astounding 172:50 without a five-on-five goal. Enver Lisin’s tally with 55 seconds left ended the drought at 231:55.
The Rangers (14-16-3) have lost five in a row, and eight of ten. What can be done to salvage the season?
According to Tortorella, it’s simple: “Play f—in’ hard.”
Added Drury: “A little bit of everything. The good thing is we do play them (tonight). We don’t have to wait around here for day to thinking about it or talk about it.”
NOTES:
The Rangers called up defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti from AHL Hartford early yesterday.
*
New Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson was at the game.
December 15, 2009, Atlanta Thrashers-New York Rangers game story for Metro (NY) Newspaper
Updated 07:33, December the 16th, 2009
Rangers blanked in SO
Blueshirts have lost seven of last eight
A closer look
1 Terrible twos — The Rangers put a ridiculous 48 shots on goal last night but only cashed in on two. That’s keeping with the theme as of late. In their last 14 games, the Blueshirts are averaging just 2.3 goals per game. They have dropped to 18th in the league in scoring.
2 Shut out in the shoot out — Marian Gaborik notched his league-leading 23rd goal on a power play 4:05 into the third to tie it at 2. Henrik Lundqvist kept it that way by denying Atlanta on a 5-on-3 advantage late in the period. Lundqvist, though, allowed two goals in the shootout while his counterpart, Johan Hedberg, stopped Gaborik then watched Ales Kotalik shoot wide to end it.
3 Searching for a good sign — After a promising start, the Rangers have dropped into a five-team tie for 10th place in the East. Lack of secondary scoring has been a major problem during the latest slump (6-12 since November), but Ryan Callahan, who had a power-play tally last night, could be the man to solve those woes. Callahan has four goals in the last eight games.
It was the best all-around game the Rangers had played in weeks.
For four periods, the Rangers shot the puck. They forechecked. They drove to the net. They hit. They were responsible in their own end. On the few occasions they needed it, their goaltender made saves.
It was a blueprint for how to play winning hockey.
All they got out of it was one point. Monday night’s 3-2 shootout loss to Atlanta was the Rangers’ 11th in their last 15 games. In this stretch, they are averaging 2.29 goals scored per game, while allowing 3.42.
The Rangers will play a home-and-home with the suburban Islanders on Wednesday and Thursday, before traveling to Philadelphia on Saturday and Carolina next Monday.
“We did a lot of good things,” said Henrik Lundqvist, reiterating a season long theme.
Lundqvist was not particularly busy, having stopped 25 shots in 65 minutes. His counterpart, Johan Hedberg, was under siege, facing 48 shots. Hedberg improved to 4-1 with a 1.88 GAA and a .949 save percentage on the road.
“One of the things with Hedberg is (that) it’s not just about making the saves,” understated Thrashers (17-11-3) coach John Anderson. “When the puck goes in, he goes out and gets it.”
He did just that in the shootout, stuffing the league’s leading goal scorer, Marian Gaborik, on the first attempt. Ales Kotalik lost the puck on the second. The Rangers (14-15-3) wouldn’t get another, because Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyacheslav Kozlov both beat Lundqvist with wrist shots. The Rangers are now 2-1 in shootouts this season.
But for the first time in a long time, the Rangers seemed to feel good about themselves. Dominating an opponent will do that.
“We really stressed crashing the nets, getting pucks at the net and getting rebounds,” said Ryan Callahan, whose seventh goal of the season at the 17:10 mark of the second period tied the game at one.
Kozlov had opened the scoring with a laser with 3:19 left in the first. Colby Armstrong put Atlanta up, 2-1, 3:06 into the third with a shorthanded goal. The lead lasted all of 59 seconds because Gaborik scored his league-leading 23rd with a power play bullet from the left faceoff circle.
“We put up forty-something shots tonight. That was the biggest thing: get shots, get opportunities. I thought we did that. If we put up forty-something shots a night, there’s not too many times we’re just going to score two goals, especially with the guys we have in this room,” said Callahan.
The offense received a jump due to the return of Brandon Dubinsky, whomissed 13 games with a broken right hand after it was struck by a Jay Bouwmeester slap shot Nov. 7. The Rangers’ record without their top-line center was 4-8-1. In his first game back, Dubinsky received 24:06 of ice time. He did not record a point, but was a forechecking force.
“I felt good. It is just a matter of playing with the hand the way it was and I was able to do that. I wasn’t bothered by it too much.”
“He gave us some juice, didn’t he? He gave us some juice,” added Tortorella. “It’s good to have him back in the lineup. He was an important guy for us tonight.”
Tortorella praised the effort—despite their personnel flaws, the Rangers have worked hard throughout the season—but lamented the lack of scoring.
“They played well. Other than six or seven minutes at the beginning of that second period, I thought we played a good hockey game. We just have to keep trying to build on it. We have to get over the hump of
that second goal. We had our chances to score our third one, but we didn’t get it done.”
NOTES:
Lundqvist has played in 13 of the Rangers’ last 14 games, with his
only off day was the 8-3 loss in Pittsburgh on November 28. If the
Rangers have any hopes of making a playoff push , they will need
Lundqvist relatively fresh for a majority of final 50 games of the
season. Factor in Lundqvist’s Olympic duties for Sweden, and it means
that AHL call-up Chad Johnson should play in one of the upcoming
games.
*
Tonight, Andy Bathgate, Eddie Giacomin, Rod Gilbert, Harry Howell,
Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter will take
part in a dinner meet-and-greet at the Garden.
*
New York Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, GM Omar Minaya, RF Jeff Francoeur and
pitchers Bobby Parnell and Jonathon Niese were at the game. A Mets PR
spokesperson declined to let the quintet take questions.
December 10, 2009, Carolina Hurricanes-New Jersey Devils game story with notes for Metro NYC Newspaper
Updated 08:00, December the 10th, 2009
Devils hold off Canes
A closer look
1 Greene’s goals — MSG announcer Stan Fischler called Andy Greene “an East Coast Scott Niedermayer.” Greene scored two goals, including a top-shelf bullet wrister from above the circle after a spectacular shake-and-bake move to put the Devils up, 3-0, early in the second.
2 Stuck in the middle — Jacques Lemaire has recently been critical about his team’s slow starts. The Devils’ coach won’t be happy about their middle after last night. After Greene and Patrik Elias put the Devils up 3-0, Carolina scored the last two goals of the second period, a bouncer from Brandon Sutter and Tuomo Ruutu tally, in the span of 1:58, to shrink the deficit to 3-2.
3 No record but good enough — With their lead down to a single goal, the Devils played Jacques Lemaire hockey. They took away the neutral zone and forced turnovers. Martin Brodeur didn’t break the shutout record tonight, but he did play well enough to hold off the Canes until Rob Niedermayer’s empty-netter sealed it late in the third.
This was different.
There was a scrum surrounding Andy Greene at his locker after a game, and there was a coach that publicly stated his belief in the 27-year old defenseman.
“I always feel that he is going to slow down, but he never does. He plays well every night. He does the same thing, it doesn’t matter which team we play against. I never thought he could never play this (well),” gushed Jacques Lemaire. “He’s got talent.”
Led by Greene’s first two goal NHL game, the Devils topped the Hurricanes in a more-nervous-than-it-needed-to-be 4-2 win at The Prudential Center Wednesday night. The Devils’ next game is Friday night at the Rock against Florida. At 21-7-1, the Devils lead the Atlantic Division by two points and trail Washington by one for the Conference lead and top spot overall in the league.
Greene said that his last two goal came in 2006-07 with the Devils’ AHL affiliate in Lowell, Mass. Greene, who played sparingly with the Devils from 2006-07 through 2008-09, totaled five goals in over 131 games. This year, under Lemaire, Greene has skated in 26 games and scored five goals.
“I’m just trying to go out there and play,” said Greene, who passed on opportunities to rip former coach Brent Sutter. “You want to play every game and you want to be part of it. Sometimes when you’re in-and-out, it’s tough but it’s part of the job.”
Judging by the smiles, last night’s win was one that the Devils particularly enjoyed. The Devils certainly had not forgotten about losing to Carolina in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in spectacularly devastating fashion
Seven months after reaching the conference finals, the Hurricanes are the NHL’s worst team. At 7-18-5, the Hurricanes are the only franchise with less than 20 points this season.
The reason for the Hurricanes’ season-long slide has been their overall play. Carolina’s goaltenders (Cam Ward, Michael Leighton and Manny Legace) had a GAA of 3.00 and a save percentage of .889. The only player on the plus side of the ledger is recently called-up defenseman Brett Carson, who finished plus one in Monday’s night’s win. The rest of the team was a combined -119. The Hurricanes were 25th in the league with 437 penalty minutes—an average of 15.3 PIMs per game—and its shorthanded unit that had killed 80 percent of the power plays against.
The Hurricanes received positive lineup news with the return of franchise goaltender Ward. Ward had missed a month after being cut by a skate in early November. Maurice noted that Ward had had a “week of hard practices” and “we expect him to be ready.” Without Ward, who was among the goaltenders invited to the Canadian Men’s Olympic Tryout Camp in August, Carolina went 5-6-3 in 14 games.
“I’m real excited about (starting),” said a smiling Ward after the skate. “It’s been a long four weeks for me. I was saying that I didn’t know what hurt more: my knee or the fact that I had to be pushed to the sidelines and watch the games.
“I got the hunger to come back. You get an appreciation for the game and how lucky you are to do something like that.”
Ward’s joie de vivre did not last one full period. The Devils were up 2-0 after the first due to markers from Patrik Elias (4th) at 11:11 and Greene (4th) at 17:53. Elias’ goal was a soft centering pass to Nic Bergfors that appeared to deflect off a Carolina defenseman’s skate and slide under Ward. Greene’s was a bullet from above the circles after making a subtle now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t move on Erik Cole.
Greene’s fifth goal of the season and second of the game increased the lead to 3-0 early in the second. On a power play due to a Ray Whitney high stick, Greene led a rush from the Devils’ end, feathered a quick pass to Zach Parise along the half boards and the Devils’ leading goal scorer took a shot and Greene, standing on the door step, tapped the rebound past Ward at 13:55.
The 3-0 advantage lasted all off 43 seconds. Brandon Sutter scored his seventh of the season with a long shot that bounced off the ice and handcuffed Brodeur. Tuomo Ruutu’s seventh cut the deficit to 3-2 with 8:46.
“I was looking at the way we were playing. We started to turn the puck over at their blue line three or four times in a row. We stopped playing in their zone. We tried to be a little fancier, I guess. We tried to make plays that were had to make (and) it was not successful,” was Lemaire’s analysis. “I would say we started to do things…unsuccessful.”
In the final period, the Devils got back to playing Lemaire’s brand of hockey. The Devils consistently took away the neutral zone and the center of the ice, forcing the Hurricanes to go wide. When the ‘Canes were able to gain the zone, Martin Brodeur turned away their chances. He made seven saves in the period and 21 overall.
Rob Niedermayer scored the game’s last goal with a short-handed empty-netter with one second left. Ward gave up three goals on 30 shots.
NOTES:
Earlier in the day, Ward had been asked if he felt if he still had a shot to make the Canadian Men’s Olympic Team. Ward was among the goaltenders invited to the Canadian Men’s Olympic Tryout Camp in August.
“I’m not going to give up, that’s for sure. Obviously, this didn’t help me at all, missing a month. I have to play with the belief that I still have a chance,” the Hurricanes’ goaltender said.
*
Maurice announced that Brind’Amour would be in the lineup, after being scratched in Monday night’s 3-2 win in Pittsburgh. The win was the Hurricanes’ first road win of the season.
“Roddy’s back in the lineup,” said Maurice, who was then probed about his center’s state of mind after being told of Monday’s decision. “Roddy is a real good pro, so there wasn’t a long discussion. I told him at the morning skate (in Pittsburgh) and that was the end of it.
“It was difficult because you’re talking about a player who does the things you ask a player to do; prepare himself physically and mentally to play. He doesn’t make any mistakes. He competes. We just found ourselves for the first time this year with all the healthy options up front, all 13 of them. He was just the guy. It was not an easy decision to make, but at the same time, those things happen.”
*
Hurricanes’ Head Equipment Manager Wally Tatomir displayed following the ‘Canes early skate a skate blade holder that he had invented. Tatomir explained that it would take “five seconds” to replace a blade with his holder compared to current skates.
*
At 7-17-5, the Hurricanes are the only franchise with less than 20 points this season. Still, there was laughter, good-natured taunting after saves and goals during the Carolina Hurricanes early skate at The Prudential Center. It was the sounds and looks of a winning team, a group that seemingly enjoyed being at the rink and around each other, one that was feeling good.
“I would hope so. Because you can’t feel much worse than we did,” a steely Maurice said after the Hurricanes’ late morning skate in Newark.
*
With his 3-0 shutout of the Sabres in Buffalo Monday night, Brodeur is tied with the immortal Terry Sawchuk for the all-time shutout mark with 103. In his 16 year NHL career, Brodeur has shutout the Hartford-now-Carolina franchise seven times. The only franchises he has blanked more is Montreal (eight times), Philadelphia (nine times) and the Islanders (ten times). The only franchises he has not shutout in his Hall of Fame career are the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks.
Brodeur also needs five more appearances to break Patrick Roy’s record of 1,029 games. That record should fall before the end of the year, as the Devils have 10 games remaining this month.
“He doesn’t get rattled. His focus is good. He doesn’t feel pressure,” was Lemaire’s analysis of what makes his goaltender great. When asked if those traits are shared among great players, Lemaire said, “It’s a good way to look at it. The top players are like that. They know what to expect.” The coach also said that he has not seen a change in Brodeur from his first tenure with the Devils to now.
When it was suggested that Brodeur might be the greatest player of all-time, regardless of position, Lemaire said “it was hard to say” before naming Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau as those on the short list of players who could make that claim.
*
Lemaire does not look at the 10 games left this month as an opportunity to open up ground on the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.
“Every game is important. The team we are playing tonight is a team that is starting to play better and believing in themselves. So if you can find me an easy game, please come and tell me because I got to be sleeping.”
*
The announced attendance was 12.013. That number seemed off as there were scores of empty seats throughout.
*
Defenseman Bryce Salvador suffered a right knee injury after being boarded by Erik Cole in the right corner during the first period, but finished the game. He skated 22 shifts for 14:10.
Lemaire said that he did not see the hit but was concerned that Salvador was going to miss the game. Salvador did not think Cole’s hit was malicious, pointing out that Cole suffered a broken neck following a check from behind by Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik in 2006.
“It was one of those situations. You get pushed from behind,” said Salvador. “It’s one of those plays that happens. You’d like to think he didn’t do it on purpose.”
December 7, 2009, Detroit Red Wings-New York Rangers game story for Metro NYC Newspaper
Published 07:35, December the 7th, 2009
Cleary's goal highlights Rangers' inconsistency
Red Wings 3, Rangers 1
There were variations of the same platitudes emanating forth from the Rangers’locker room.
“We played well enough to win this game,” said Henrik Lundqvist.
“We have to fight through it,” said John Tortorella.
“It’s not the end result, that’s for sure,” Sean Avery lamented.
Following the Rangers’ 3-1 loss to Original Six rival Detroit Sunday night at the Garden, though, is it fair to wonder if this team sees the 2009-10 season as an already lost campaign.
“I don’t think our hockey team has been a lazy hockey team during this. In general, as a team, I think we’ve tried to fight through this,” Tortorella said hours before Sunday night’s game against the Red Wings. Nothing changed for the Rangers last night as the work ethic was there and were physically involved throughout the evening. “Again, I thought we played well. I worry about it a little bit. I think it is kind of our responsibility now to make sure they understand how they played,” Tortorella said afterward. “That’s the coaches’ responsibility and we will. We’ll get back at it here against Chicago.”
The Rangers’ next game is Wednesday night in Chicago against Blackhawks. The Rangers won both games against the Blackhawks last season, a 4-2 win at MSG on October 10, 2008, and a 3-2 OT win on January 16.
With 39 points in 28 games, the Blackhawks are second best in the West and league’s fourth overall in the league. The league’s 12th highest scoring team last week scored big off the ice as it locked up young franchise cornerstone forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews for five years and defenseman Duncan Keith for 13 years.
Therein lays the issue for the Rangers. It is a hard-working group, but the requisite young talent needed to be able to play Tortorella’s puck-pressuring system and to consistently win is not there. Outside of Marian Gaborik, who leads the league in goals with 21 and is second in points with 38, there is not another Ranger in the top 30 in either category.
If Gaborik does not score, the Rangers (14-14-1) don’t win. Brian Boyle scored the game’s first goal, a tap-in with at the 15:56 mark of the first. The Rangers then went scoreless for the final 44:04.
“I think on some of those power plays we have to capitalize,” said Ryan Callahan of a PP unit that finished the night 0-4. Callahan had an opportunity to push the Rangers’ lead to 2-0 early in the second on a penalty shot, but Jimmy Howard’s (28 saves) skate kept the puck out. It was Callahan’s first NHL penalty shot attempt. “I had a little bit of room and it caught the toe of his skate. It was a good save by him.”
The 2009-10 season has not gone to form for the reigning Western Conference Champions, either. The Red Wings are ninth in the West—and third in the Central Division—with a 14-10-5 record. Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom, both of whom will be teammates with Lundqvist on the Swedish Olympic Men’s Hockey Team during the Vancouver Olympics, lead the Red Wing with 30 points and 11 goals, respectively.
Holmstrom and his penchant for crease-crashing was of particular concern for Tortorella and the Rangers. Before the game, Tortorella said, “Holmstrom, you have to be very careful of. You want to clear him out but you don’t want to have a two-man screen in front of Hank. You have to be very careful when you go to him. He wants people to come to him because the goalie can’t see the puck.”
Tortorella’s words were proved prophetic. Midway through the second period, Holmstrom tied up a defenseman in the crease, which allowed Pavel Datsyuk to stuff a shot past Lundqvist stickside to tie the game at one. The goal was Datsyuk’s seventh.
The match stayed tied until the 17:57 mark of the third when Dan Cleary scored his seventh—and the game winner. Much like the tying goal, Holmstrom was parked in front of Lundqvist (30 saves) and battling a Ranger defenseman, which allowed Cleary to throw a stickside shot that rolled through Lundqvist.
“That’s part of the game, having guys in front of you. You just try to be active and try to find the puck all the time. It’s tough when you have a guy who moves with the puck and tries to be in your face. He’s good at that,” Lundqvist said of Holmstrom.
Kris Draper’s empty-netter with at 19:53 ended the scoring.
NOTES:
Last night’s match was the second in 24 hours for both teams. The Rangers beat Buffalo, 2-1, while the Red Wings lost to the Devils at the Rock, 4-3, in the shootout Saturday night.
*
Red Wings’ vice president and Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman was at the Garden last night, ostensibly to scout Rangers’ defenseman Marc Staal, who was a part of the Canadian Olympic Tryout Camp in August.
*
In his pre-game press conference, Tortorella announced that injured center Brandon Dubinsky (broken hand) has been skating. He is expected to return next month.
*
Incomprehensibly, last night’s Original Six match was the first time in almost three years that the Rangers and Red Wings skated at MSG. The Wings topped the Rangers, 4-3, on February 5, 2007.
*
During a stoppage of play in the first period, former Ranger and Red Wing (amongst other organizations) Brendan Shanahan was introduced to the crowd and received a standing ovation. Shanahan, who retired on November 17 after a 21 year career, was recently hired by the league to be its Vice President for Hockey and Business development.
December 3, 2009, Vancouver Canucks-New Jersey Devils game story for Metro NYC Newspaper
Published 06:50, December the 3rd, 2009
Luongo wins battle with Brodeur
Canucks 5, Devils 2
It was the kind of game he had won 572 times in his Hall of Fame career and another 16 times for Canada in various international competitions. His team trailed by a goal early in the final period and an attacking forward bore down on him.
The moment called for a save, one that would keep his team in a game and give his mates a chance to win.
Instead, as his teammates fell apart around him, Martin Brodeur sagged with them.
In what was all but billed a showdown between the odds-on favorites to be the starting goaltender for the Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey Team during the Vancouver Games in February, Brodeur and the Devils were dreadful in Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss to Vancouver at The Rock.
Roberto Luongo wasn’t spectacular—he didn’t have to be—in turning away 27 of 29 mostly harmless Devils shots. Brodeur yielded all five Canucks goals on 26 shots.
The much-anticipated goaltending duel between the two best goaltenders in the NHL never really materialized, as both teams took great pains to take try away the center of the ice. Vancouver (16-8-5) did, counterattacking after forcing 12 turnovers in the neutral and offensive zones. As for the Devils, there were breakdowns all over the ice. From Jacques Lemaire on down, the Devils admitted to their failings. The coach also offered ominous words to his team.
“Our problem as of late is that we’re not ready to play,” said Zach Parise.
“We didn’t do a good job of getting pucks deep,” Travis Zajac said. “I don’t think we did a good enough job skating through the neutral zone and getting on the forecheck.”
“It was mistakes on the forecheck, no support. Mistakes on turnovers; mistakes on passing, seeing guys open and making the right pass. Out of position,” listed Lemaire in his five minute post-game press conference. “I think they need a good practice. We’ve been going easy, thinking that they might be a little tired and this-and-that. Christmas is coming and (their) mind is somewhere else. We’ll try to put their mind back.”
A press box voice joked following the first period, “Marc-Andre Fleury just locked the starting job.” With a gold-medal-or-go-home nation watching the prime time matchup between Brodeur and Luongo, were both something less-than-stellar as Vancouver led 3-2 after the first period.
The Canucks jumped out to a 3-0 by the 12:32 mark of the period, thanks to a redirection goal from Alexandre Burrows (7th) at 6:33, a Sami Salo (1st) slapper that deflected off of Parise’s blade at 10:03 and a Daniel Sedin (2nd) wrist shot. The Devils responded with missile guidance accurate goals from Niclas Bergfors (7th) at 16:05 and Zajac (8th) with six seconds remaining. Vancouver had nine shots on goal in the opening 20, while the Devils took seven shots.
Earlier in the day, Luongo dispelled any notion that the match was a personal duel between he and Brodeur for the Canadian Olympic goaltender starting job. “It’s just a regular game. I’m not facing Marty. He’s not shooting on me. It’s just a matter of being on the ice at the same time,” Luongo said following Vancouver’s early skate. “I’m more concerned about Parise and Elias than Marty, let’s put it that way.”
The game remained at 3-2 until Alex Edler’s (2nd) slap shot at 1:36 into the third beat Brodeur. Jannick Hansen’s third of the season, a one-time snap shot from the slot off of a beautiful feed from Kevin Bieksa 4:18 later, ended any pretence of a comeback.
“They did a good job going to the net. There’s a guy a shooting and a guy driving, and it opens up holes to make plays,” was Brodeur’s analysis of the Canucks’ offensive game plan.
There is a positive out of what was the Devils’ worst game of the season. December could be a pivotal month for the Devils (17-7-1), who have 10 of their 15 games at the Rock. In winning the Atlantic Division last year, the Devils won nine-of-14 December games. The Devils’ next game is Friday at The Rock against the improved Lightning.
NOTES:
While having the two best goaltenders in the world represent their home country in their home country in the biggest sporting event in the world is a boon for the Devils and Canucks, the organizations will have more than Brodeur and Luongo in British Columbia.
Ryan Kesler and Zach Parise should find their way onto Team USA; Patrik Elias most likely will be called on to snipe for the Czech Republic, while the Sedin twins and Mikael Samuelsson should done Sweden’s blue-and-yellow sweater.
According to Samuelsson, who signed a three year, $7.5 million deal with the Canucks over the summer, the Olympics are nice and have been talked about, but the focus is on the day-to-day grind of the NHL season.
“Right now, it’s all about the NHL. I’ve heard some comments about the Olympics but more from media. There’s nothing really to talk about yet. All the focus on the NHL. You can’t focus on anything else,” said Samuelsson. “How can you look at the playoffs? Just try to win the game tonight. That’s how I look at it and how the team looks at it.”
*
Neither Brodeur—who became an American citizen Tuesday—nor Luongo would tip their hands about any perceived individual importance about the game. However, Canucks coach Alain Vineault may have come the closest to telling the truth about how both netminders viewed the matchup. All time, Brodeur is 6-9-0 against the Canucks while Luongo is 5-13-0. Luongo did not play in last year’s lone meeting, a 5-3 Devils win at GM Place.
“I’m sure it’s a big game for both goaltenders. They’re both professionals and they’ll both play real well, I’m sure,” Vineault said. “Roberto gets up for every game and wants to play every game. He’s a lot like Marty Brodeur: Those guys want to play every game. They want to practice every day. That’s why they’re at the elite level of their profession. New Jersey is very fortunate that type of goaltender and we’re very fortunate to have Luongo in Vancouver.”
*
Vancouver’s line of Burrows and the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, accounted for six points. Edler had a three point night and finished plus three. In all, nine Canucks recorded at least one point and 11 finished plus-one or better. In comparison, only five Devils tallied a point; twelve were minus-one or worse. Only defenseman Mark Fraser, Andy Greene and Dean McAmmond finished on the plus side of the ledger, at plus-one.
*
The Rangers announced in the afternoon that they had claimed forward Eric Christensen off of waivers from Anaheim. Christensen has played for Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Anaheim in his five year career. Also, according to multiple reports, reserve goaltender Steve Valiquette was placed on waivers. If Valiquette clears waivers, it is expected that he will be sent to AHL Hartford to work on his game. Valiquette is 2-3-0 with a ghastly .852 save percentage and an unsightly 3.74 goals against.
December 1, 2009, Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers game story
Updated 07:29, December the 1st, 2009
Crosby recorded his 16th and 17th goals of the season.
Crosby, Pens are mightier once again
A closer look
1 Rupp’s hat trick — It is one thing if a Mike Rupp scores a rebound goal while all but standing on the goal line. It is another when the fourth line wing carries the puck from the Pittsburgh end into the Rangers zone unmolested, then wrists a game-winner from the left faceoff dot — as he did last night. Rupp finished with three goals as the Pens improved to 3-0 against the Rangers this season.
2 The Kid is their daddy — Sidney Crosby followed up Saturday’s hat trick against the Rangers with two more goals in this one. After Marian Gaborik’s first goal gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the second, Crosby answered 11 seconds later to tie it. He added another one 15:54 into the third to make it 4-2.
3 Streak snapped — The Penguins’ offensive explosion gave them their first win in nine games at the Garden.
In a pin-drop silent dressing room, Henrik Lundqvist sat at his stall, holding his face, then covering his ears, in his hands. His countenance was red, as if he had wept.
Was it embarrassment? Was it frustration?
Earlier in the evening, he had stared at the ceiling for what seemed an eternity after yielding a third period individual rush goal to Mike Rupp which turned out to be the game-winner .
It was another night and another dispiriting loss for the Rangers, who were competitive-but-ultimately-not-in-the-same-class-as the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins, 5-2, Monday night at the Garden. The loss was the Rangers’ third in a row.
Rupp, the ex-Devil, recorded his first career hat trick, and Sidney Crosby, fresh off of a five-point effort against the Rangers Saturday night, left Midtown with two goals and an assist.
With the game tied at two 8:46 into the third period, Rupp picked up the puck in Pittsburgh’s end and rushed unmolested into the Rangers’ zone before ripping a bullet past Lundqvist (28 saves) to give the Pens a 3-2 lead. A Crosby deflection at 15:51 increased the lead to 4-2 and Rupp iced the game with an empty-netter with 40 seconds remaining.
“It’s a three-on-two initially, but Higgy (Christopher Higgins) is back above the blueline and Rosy (Michael Rozsival) even takes a look. It’s really an even strength rush coming across and that’s what we need to close out. I thought he played a pretty good up until then. For some reason he sunk into the middle and the guy basically walked in,” was John Tortorella’s analysis of the Rupp’s game-winner. “We make a key mistake at a key time, the puck’s in our net and costs us the game.”
The Rangers (13-13-1) will be off until Saturday, when they travel upstate to take on the hot-as-can-be Sabres. They will then come home for a Sunday night date against the Red Wings. Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik, who had a two-goal night and leads the league with 21, offered their belief that the break will be good for the Rangers’ fragile psyche.
“It is good to have four days without games. We really need to try to get away for a bit and come back. It is a long season. We just have to regroup,” Gaborik said quietly.
“We will take it as a good thing. You have to see as positive as you can right now,” added Lundqvist. “Maybe it is a good thing to get a break and take a step back to see what you can do as a team, and individually, how we can get better.”
If Tortorella agreed with his stars’ assessment of what the Rangers need, he wasn’t exactly proselytizing. “Yeah. They’re off tomorrow and we’ll get back to work the following day,” Tortorella said in a terse press conference.
Dating back to their October 14 4-2 home win over the Kings, the Rangers are 8-12-1, have been outshot 575-559 and outscored 67-53. In that time, the Rangers fell from a top four spot in the East to 10th in the conference.
“It’s discouraging. I thought there were a lot of good things for a lot of minutes of that game. But right now we’re just not figuring out how to win it,” Tortorella lamented. “That’s the fine line between winning and losing in this game.”
Last night’s match was the back end of a home-and-home with the Penguins (19-9-0). Pittsburgh won 8-3 Saturday night. The Penguins were missing forward Matt Cooke, who was suspended Sunday for his upper-arm check to the head of Rangers’ rookie center Artem Anisimov in Saturday’s match. Suspended for two games, Cooke missed last night’s rematch and will not be in the lineup for Thursday’s home game against Colorado.
Without Cooke, who was challenged by Donald Brashear and later fought Ryan Callahan Saturday night, the game was emotional but not a 21st Century version of Slap Shot.
The potent Penguins outshot the Rangers 11-9 in the first, but were unable to find the back of the net. It was the first time since the third period of the season opener for both teams that the Rangers held Pittsburgh without a goal in a 20-minute stanza. Still, the Pens outshot the Rangers 33-31 for the game.
Marian Gaborik’s 20th goal of the season opened the scoring 3:12 into the second. Inexplicably left alone in front of Pens netminder Marc-Andre Fleury (29 saves), Gaborik snapped a shot, then slammed home the rebound to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. The lead lasted all of 11 seconds. Crosby scored off the faceoff with a high backhand shot over Henrik Lundqvist to tie the game at one. Rupp broke the tie 4:10 later by jamming a puck past Lundqvist stick-side. Gaborik’s power play stuff at 18:45 of the period tied the game at two and set the stage for Rupp’s third period game-winner.
NOTES:
The legendary Wayne Gretzky was at the game with his wife, actress Janet Jones. Rangers great Mike Richter was also at the Garden.
*
Last night’s game marked the regular season home debut of prized rookie defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti. The New Jersey-bred blueliner had skated in last weekend’s road losses to Tampa Bay on Friday (5-1) and Pittsburgh (8-3) on Saturday. Sanguinetti finished -1 with a penalty in 11:20 of ice time.
*
Dan Girardi was called for boarding Rupp in the third period. Rupp was helped off the ice, but returned to the bench with 12:55 left in the period. Said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma of Rupp’s performance. “To be honest, when we looked at his stats when we talked over the summer, I expected to see more. I’m not surprised to see him being a factor in the offensive zone, being around the net and driving to the net, and being a physical force. That’s kind of what we thought we were getting. His first goal and a lot of his goals have been around the net.”
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