January 27, 2010, Carolina Hurricanes-New York Rangers game story with notes

US – Thursday, January 28

Updated 11:19, January the 28th, 2010

Cellar-dweller Carolina routs Lundqvist, Rangers

A closer look

1 Wrong way — It was perhaps the most defining play of the season. Vinny Prospal’s stick snapped in half while attempting a third period shot. Carolina scooped the puck, cleared the zone and raced up ice so quickly that Henrik Lundqvist didn’t even see Sergei Samsonov’s bullet that put the Canes up 4-1.

2 Benched again — Is this the beginning of the end of the Wade Redden era? After Ryan Callahan’s tip early in the second cut the deficit to 2-1, Redden was caught in the neutral zone as Samsonov scored to put the Canes up 3-1. Redden was stapled to the bench for the rest of the game

3 No show — The Rangers have lost four straight by a total score of 17-3. They are weak all over, as Lundqvist made just 19 saves last night. The Rangers outshot the Canes 38-24 but went 0-for-4 on the power play. Simply not good enough, even against Carolina.

Bill Parcells once famously uttered that a team’s record is what they are.


Right now, the New York Rangers are 24-23-7 after a 5-1 loss to Carolina last night at the Garden. It was the Rangers’ fourth loss in a row in which they have been outscored by an aggregate 17-3.


It is a Sisyphean undertaking to determine what aspects of the game this team excels in. Against the Original 30’s second worst team, the Rangers did not skate, shoot, hit, pass or defend very well. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?


“I don’t think we played that bad of a game tonight. We had our chances. We had a good forecheck. If (the puck) bounced one way or another it could be a different game,” Ryan Callahan said.


The harsh reality is that the Rangers are not bad enough to have high draft picks nor are they good enough to contend for a championship; they are middle-of-the-road, good enough to win some nights and qualify for the playoffs in the feeble Eastern Conference, where they most-likely will be one-and-done. Maybe they’ll get to the second round. But the sport’s most recognizable image of tangible success will not vacation in Manhattan for the 15th consecutive summer.


What is the organizational mission statement? Is it to win a Cup? Or is it to guarantee that the Garden’s doors will be open in the second full week of April? It’s hard to tell since the general manager, the architect of the milquetoast mis-matched collection of athletes, will not speak with reporters that cover his team.


For an organization that publicly boasts about its plan to build from within, where is the youth? A team that is 25th in the NHL is goals scored cannot afford to evaluate whether forward prospects P.A. Parenteau and Evgeny Grachev, among others, are NHL-caliber?


Do those in positions of responsibility feel a need to make personnel changes?


As far as the coach is concerned, the answer is no.


“I think we’ve had some runs. We had a nice run at the start of the year, (then) struggled, had a nice run before we got into this little mess now. We’d like to play better at home. That’s something we have to work through; and not get so spooked in our building when something goes wrong,” Tortorella said of his team that is 12-13-4 at MSG. “But I do. I think we have the people.”


The Hurricanes (17-28-7) led 2-0 after the first because of goals from Patrick Dwyer (3:11) and Eric Staal (3:36) in a 25 second span and a complete lack-of-fight back from the Rangers. The only emotion emanated from the 18,200 denizens whose boos, catcalls and chants of “Fire Sather” following Staal’s goal reverberated throughout the Garden. In the game’s final minute, the crowd demanded a “Refund.”


Callahan cut the lead to 2-1 with a tip 1:24 into the second period. The momentum lasted all of 41 seconds. Sergei Samsonov tipped an Andrew Alberts point shot to put the ‘Canes up 3-1. On the play, Wade Redden was in the neutral zone. Following the goal, he was benched for the remainder of the game.


“That was my decision. I’m not going to get into a long dissertation about why or when. It was my decision,” Tortorella said.


Redden said that Tortorella did not tell him why he was benched. “I can only assume. I f—d up there. Kind of got caught on the wall. We got back. Gilly (Matt Gilroy) made a good play to break the play up. Caught in our zone. They put it in. That’s it for me.”


Samsonov’s second goal of the game was an even strength bullet at 7:51 of the third increased the lead to 4-1. Staal’s power-play bomb with 5:18 left in the game was the game’s last goal.


Henrik Lundqvist was not good, allowing five goals on 24 shots. Cam Ward stopped 37 of 38 shots.






NOTES:


To a man, the Rangers firmly believe that their upcoming road trip is coming at the right time. They will be in Phoenix on Saturday, Colorado on Sunday and Los Angeles Tuesday night before returning to a home date against Cup-contending Washington next Thursday.


“I think it’s a good time for us to go on the road, as a team. Get things together a bit and put this behind us. Sometimes when you’re struggling the best thing is to go on the road and play a simple game,” Callahan said.


“I think what we need to be doing is getting pucks deep on their defensemen, getting hard on the forecheck and off of that, get pucks to the net and getting guys there. I think that starts in the defensive zone, where we need to tighten up. Guys are pressing a bit looking for offense. Sometimes your defensive zone gets away from you.”


*

The Devils released a statement Monday regarding the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s suspension of forward prospect Patrice Cormier. Cormier, a center for the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies elbowed Quebec Remparts’ defenseman Mikael Tam in the head. Tam collapsed to the ice, began convulsing and had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher.


“We fully respect the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s decision regarding last
week’s incident. The Devils’ organization views this situation seriously, and does not
condone Patrice Cormier’s actions. “This unfortunate incident does not reflect the character of the Patrice Cormier we know. We trust that Patrice will have learned a valuable lesson that will serve him well when he returns to hockey as a valued player in our organization,” Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said in the release. “We will honor the league’s suspension, have not considered, and will not explore other avenues for his return this season. We are pleased to hear Mikael Tam is doing well. Our thoughts are with him for a full recovery.”


The CanWest News Service reported on Tuesday that Rouyn-Noranda GM Andre Tourigny is challenging the QMJHL’s ruling.


*


Rangers prospect Evgeny Grachev was the focus of a feature in the Jan.25 edition of The Hockey News. The piece examined why the 19 year old has struggled in the AHL, having only tallied 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 37 games. Grachev recorded 80 points (40 goals, 40 assists) in 60 games last season with the Ontario (Junior) Hockey League’s Brampton Battalion.


*


The Hurricanes named Eric Staal its 13th captain in franchise history last Wednesday. In the four games since he was named captain, Staal has scored seven goals.


*

Forwards Erik Christensen and Donald Brashear were scratched.


*

New York Islanders defenseman Jack Hillen will miss the next month-and-a-half-to-two months after being hit in the mouth by an Alex Ovechkin slap shot Tuesday night.


*

According to multiple reports, Atlanta has begun trade discussions involving 26-year-old superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuk. Do not expect the Rangers to be in the mix, however, because they do not possess the cap room and likely the prospects to entice Atlanta GM Don Waddell.


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DENIS GORMAN sports@metro.us

January 20, 2010, Tampa Bay Lightning-New York Rangers game story for Metro NY Newspaper

US – Wednesday, January 20

Published 07:37, January the 20th, 2010

Lightning in a bottle

Rangers 8, Lightning 2

It is two games out of the 82-game marathon.


It is 2.4 percent of the season, an insignificant number.


And yet, what has transpired in the last two games couldb be a sign, a tantalizing foreshadowing of what spring could be in Manhattan.


The Rangers followed one of their best efforts of the season on Sunday night by an-across-the-board-outclassing of Tampa Bay, 8-2, Tuesday night at the Garden. It was the first time the Rangers recorded eight goals since Jan. 23, 2002.


Eight players scored goals. Sixteen Rangers recorded at least one point, led by Marian Gaborik’s four-point night. All four of Gaborik’s points came off of assists, which tied a career high. He is fourth in the league with 61 points, trailing only Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin (67), Washington’s (65) Alex Ovechkin and San Jose’s Joe Thornton (64). Fifteen players finished plus-one or better, led by the triumvirate of Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and Brandon Dubinsky. Prospal and Dubinsky each had a goal and two assists.


“It’s good to get the scoring spread out. Everyone chipped in. It’s good that, after putting up some goals the last game, to come back and do it again,” said Ryan Callahan, who had an assist, was plus-one and threw eight hits, mostly against Tampa’s rookie defenseman Victor Hedman.


The Rangers will resuscitate their blood feud with division rival Philadelphia Thursday night at the Wachovia Center. It will be the third of six meetings between the two franchises. The Rangers have split the first two games, beating the Flyers in Philly, 2-1, on December 19. Eleven days later, the Rangers were humiliated, 6-0, at the Garden.


One of the pre-season favorites to contend for The Cup, Philadelphia is 9th in the East with a 24-21-3 record. Still, the Flyers and their 51 points are only one spot out of the last playoff berth and four behind the sixth seed Rangers in the dreadfully pedestrian Eastern Conference.


Last night’s match was not the mean affair that Sunday night’s 6-2 win over the Canadiens was, or what Thursday night in Philly promises to be. Still the Rangers stood up for each other and did not back down from Tampa. The Rangers’ newly developed sense of feistiness will be a key component should this team qualify for the playoffs.


“We’re trying to do that. It’s part of being a team is sticking up for each other and throwing the body around. We’re trying to concentrate on taking the body a lot and when you do that, the extra stuff comes with it,” Callahan said. “You go to Philly and they play a tough game. We got to go out and set a tone, just like we did at home. That’s throwing the body around and playing tough.”


The tone for the match was set 10 seconds in, when Aaron Voros fought with Lightning enforcer Zenon Konopka. Konopka, in his first full NHL season, leads the league with 175 penalty minutes. Voros, who had been a healthy scratch for 27 of the Rangers’ 50 games and is in the lineup due to an injury to Donald Brashear, more than held his own against Konopka.


“They changed (Martin) St. Louis right away, so I knew what time it was. He came after me right away. If that’s the way they wanted to start the game, that’s fine,” said Voros.


The left wing had a yellow bruise, interrupted only by a cut that required three stitches, form a semi-circle around his right eye, a memento from a late-game bout with Tampa power forward Ryan Malone. Voros estimated that the fight with Malone may have had to do with his slamming-the-stick-against-the-glass goal scoring celebration following his power play goal with 8:49 remaining. The goal increased the Rangers’ lead to 7-2. The goal was Voros’ first of the season.


“It was junk time. There’s so much that can happen. The second fight of the night I split my eye open. It’s little stuff like that. It’s meaningless time. All you’re going to do is end up banged up. I tried to stay away from it, but after I scored I was kind of overzealous hitting the glass, so if guys (aren’t) happy with that, I understand.”


Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves, only allowing a controversial first period goal to Vinny Lecavalier and a second period power play strike to Alex Tanguay. Antero Nittymaki started in nets for Tampa. He was pulled after allowing five goals on 20 shots. Dustin Tokarski replaced Nittymaki and gave up three goals on 11 shots.



NOTES:


The Ottawa Sun speculated in its Sunday edition that the Lightning and Rangers could be talking about a potential blockbuster deal involving stud Tampa center Vinny Lecavalier. According to the newspaper, it would be a three-for-one deal, with defensemen Matt Gilroy and Wade Redden, along with either left wings Ryan Callahan or Brandon Dubinsky going to Tampa. In return, the Rangers would receive Lecavalier.


It is an interesting deal in theory. However, it is probably unrealistic as the deal does not make sense for either side. Tampa’s cap hit is $52 million while the Rangers are at $56 million. Should the trade come to fruition, Tampa would be at the cap max of $56.8 million. The Rangers would have a little flexibility, at $51 million, but Lecavalier would take up almost one-fifth of the payroll until the summer 2020-21. Lecavalier signed an 11 year, $85 million contract with Tampa in the summer of 2008.


Neither team as currently constructed is a Cup contender and the proposed deal would further accentuate their weaknesses. Tampa has defense corps with No. 2 overall pick Victor Hedman, along with veterans Mattias Ohlund and Andrej Meszaros. Where the Lighting need to improve is in goal.


For the already-blueline anorexic Rangers, the trade would deplete the undermanned unit. Also, for an organization that has publicly stated its commitment to rebuilding with youth, the trade would be a deviation from that plan.



You can follow us on Twitter @DenisGorman

Denis Gorman

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January 18, 2010, Montreal Canadiens-New York Rangers game story for Metro NY Newspaper

US – Tuesday, January 19

Updated 03:55, January the 19th, 2010

Rangers bust out with six goals vs. Habs

A closer look...

1 Best of the season— The second period was perhaps the Rangers’ best this season. They limited the Habs to just two shots, threw their bodies around and most importantly, scored three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead into the third.

2 Solid supporting cast — A seasonlong theme has been the lack of secondary scoring. Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky, though, answered the call last night. Dubinsky sandwiched two goals — one shorthanded — in between Callahan’s two goals. Callahan’s first, a poke 57 seconds into the second, gave his team life. His power-play tally in the third then cemented the Rangers first win in four games.

3 Playoff push — This could be a key win come playoff time. The Rangers moved ahead of the Habs into sixth place with 53 points.

This was a night where the leaders led the way and the boys followed.


Hosting an Original Six rival following a week in which they could only account for one goal in three games, the Rangers got back to basics.


They battled all over the ice. They drove to the net. They limited shots against.


For one night, the 2009-10 New York Rangers looked like an elite team.


The Rangers thoroughly demolished Montreal at the Garden Sunday night, 6-2. With the win, the Rangers improved to 23-19-7 and are now sixth in the East with 53 points. The Rangers’ next game is Tuesday at the Garden against Tampa Bay.


Ryan Callahan tied a career high with four points (two goals and two assists); he had four points in the Rangers’ 5-2 win over the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on December 17, 2009. Brandon Dubinsky (two goals and an assist) and Marian Gaborik (goal and two assists) finished with three points. Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal had two points each.


The Rangers and Montreal will meet this Saturday at the Bell Centre. It seems a safe proposition that the bad blood between The Original Six may not have subsided.


The Rangers and Montreal combined for 68 PIMS last night, including 50 in a wild second period—highlighted by middleweight bouts between Sean Avery and Josh Georges and Wade Redden and Benoit Pouliot. Redden’s scrap was the 21st in his NHL career and his first since January 3, 2009, against then-Capital Chris Clark.


“I think we’ve come a long way as a team. It’s great to see a period like that when we haven’t scored many goals lately. Hard work was the catalyst and everyone pitched in and ended up taking the game over,” said Redden. “I think everyone’s got to show each other that we’re in it together. We had big efforts from Cally and Dubi; they led the way. Everyone’s kind of got to get on board and play hard and good things are going to happen for us.”


Good things happened in what was arguably the Rangers’ best period of the season. The Rangers limited Montreal to two shots on goal while scoring three times. Callahan scored the first of his two goals 57 seconds into the second and Dubinsky scored twice in a span of 2:36. At the period’s end, the Rangers led 3-2.


“We had a couple goals that were (banged) in,” Callahan said. “I think it’s good for us. It shows we can do that as long as we stick to the game plan.”


“We were able to take the game over in the second. Big contributions from a lot of guys tonight,” added Dubinsky. “Tonight we were able to get six. Hopefully we can keep her going and find the back of the net.”


The Rangers’ momentum carried over into the third. Callahan’s second of the game, a power play stuff under an underwhelming Jaroslav Halak 4:56 into the third pushed the advantage to 4-2. Halak gave up six goals on 34 shots.


From there, the Rangers surged while the Habs appeared to want to be anywhere but the rink on 33rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.


Gaborik broke out of a mini-slump with his 29th of the season at 12:17 of the third, a one-timer that beat Halak high. It was Gaborik’s first goal in five games. He is now third in the league in goal scoring, three behind San Jose’s Patrick Marleau (32). Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby are tied for second with 30 goals. Gaborik is tied with Crosby for fourth in the league in points with 57, ten behind league-leader Henrik Sedin of Vancouver. Ovechkin is second with 64 points and San Jose’s Joe Thornton’s 63 points is third.


Drury ended the scoring with his seventh of the season with 4:11 left in the game.


Henrik Lundqvist had a relatively quiet night, making 18 saves on 20 shots. Michael Cammalleri (22nd) and Brian Gionta (13th) scored for the Habs. Both goals came in the first period.




NOTES:


Last night was Scott Gomez’s first game at MSG following his June 30 trade from the Rangers to Montreal.


Much like Alex Kovalev three nights prior, Gomez felt no sentimentality about Sunday night’s match against his former employer.


“Nah,” Gomez said in a pregame scrum after asked if he ascribed any significance to the game. “It’s nice to see certain people. After being in the (New Jersey) area for so long, looking (forward) to that.”


During his two year tenure with the Rangers, Gomez compiled 32 goals, 96 assists, 128 points, was plus-one and had 96 penalty minutes. However, he never skated with a scoring winger who could complement his puck carrying-and-distributing game.


The Rangers dealt Gomez and prospects Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto to Montreal for Chris Higgins and prospects Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko. By doing so, the Rangers freed themselves of an average $7.35 million cap hit for the next five years and were able to sign Marian Gaborik to a five year, $37.5 million deal in free agency.


Gomez has not exactly set the world on fire in his first season playing for Le Belle Province’s NHL franchise. Gomez has 32 points and 24 penalty minutes in 45 games with Montreal this season. Higgins hasn’t reminded anyone of Wayne Gretzky circa 1981-82, either. He has 11 points and is -11 with 32 PIMS in 47 games.


“It’s the same (as) New York. They want you to win. If you win, that’s great. If you lose, they’ll let you know about it. There are a lot of similarities. People are great, the organizations are great. The media are doing their job. It’s Original Six,” said Gomez.


The Anchorage, Alaska, native admitted to being “disappointed” that he was not selected to play for Team USA in the upcoming Olympic Games. Tortorella will be an assistant coach for Team USA.


“I wish those guys the best,” Gomez said. “You want to see them do well. All the guys on that team…congratulations.”


Gomez was booed every time he touched the puck.


*


Speaking of a lack of sentimentality, Tortorella shot down a Montreal reporter’s question about Higgins’ mindset going into the game.


“Oh, I don’t give a damn about what team we’re playing against, his former team. Chris Higgins played a good game last night (the Rangers’ 4-1 loss in St. Louis) on a couple different lines. He’s a guy we need to score a goal,” Tortorella said before the game.” I expect him to do the things that he’s been doing without scoring goals: Doing the job along the wall, kill some penalties, and hopefully chip in a goal.”


*


At 18.8 percent, the Rangers power play efficiency is tied for 13th in the NHL. However, Tortorella is concerned about a unit that was 3-for-37 in its last 10 games prior to last night. “We have to get something figured out there. Through the year, through our struggles scoring goals, the reason we were winning some games was that the power play was working. That’s very important for us to get going again.”


*


There were loud cheers when highlights from the Jets’ win in San Diego were shown on the scoreboard.


*


Rangers’ legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert received an ovation when introduced during a second period commercial break.


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DENIS GORMAN sports@metro.us

NHL End-of-Decade-in-Review feature for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Bertuzzi's attack on Moore continues to resonate

es

Written by Denis Gorman

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 00:00

Editor's note: This is the first in a series highlighting the NHL's most memorable and important moments of the decade. It is the night of March 8, 2004, and Denver’s Pepsi Center is hosting a regular-season game between two NHL Western Conference rivals, the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche. There is an air of expectation. Something is going to happen. Denis Gorman's All-Decade selections: • Best Forward: Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta). • Best Defenseman: Tie between Nick Lidstrom (Detroit) and Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey, Anaheim). • Best Goalie: Martin Brodeur (New Jersey). • Best Coach: Mike Babcock (Anaheim, Detroit). • Best Executive: Ken Holland (Detroit). • Best Game: Game 6, 2004 Western Conference Quarterfinals (Canucks 5, Flames 4, 3 OT). • Best Team (over one season): 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings. • Best Team (over one season) Not to Win a Stanley Cup: Tie between 2004 Calgary Flames and 2006-07 Ottawa Senators. • Most Important Person: Brendan Shanahan. Twenty-one nights prior in Vancouver, Avalanche role player Steve Moore checked Vancouver’s Markus Naslund, incurring a concussion to the captain and a vow of vengeance from his teammates. In the final period of what would be an 8-2 win for the Avalanche, Naslund’s linemate and arguably the league’s most dominant player, Todd Bertuzzi, decided to extract his pound of flesh. He trailed Moore closely, challenging him to a fight. It did not matter that Moore had fought Bertuzzi’s teammate Matt Cooke early in the match. Bertuzzi wanted Moore. He may have wanted to send the proverbial message, to both his team and the Avalanche. What happened next was horrifying, and almost certainly not what Bertuzzi had in mind. Bertuzzi punched Moore in the back of the head before driving him head-first into the ice. Avalanche players and Canucks jumped onto the two men, creating a mountain of humanity. Eventually, the players were pulled off of Moore. The Avalanche winger did not get up. Moore had to be taken off the ice by the on-site emergency medical technicians after suffering a concussion, facial lacerations and three fractured vertebrae in his neck. Neither man has been the same since. Moore has not played an NHL game, while Bertuzzi has become a journeyman. Moore has twice filed lawsuits against Bertuzzi in Canadian courts. According to a recent report in the Denver Post, Moore's lawyer believes an Ontario court will hear the case before the end of next year. Bertuzzi filed a negligence lawsuit in 2008 against Marc Crawford, his coach in Vancouver. The suit charges that the current Dallas Stars coach should have had the foresight to recognize that Moore would be attacked, and should share the responsibility of paying damages with Bertuzzi, if the court rules in Moore's favor. As the first decade of the third millennium comes to its end, did the Bertuzzi-Moore incident change anything in the sport of hockey? The answer, simply, is no. Following the lockout and the rewriting of the league's rules, there was speculation that fighting, while not abolished, would not be a frequent occurrence. Instead, the opposite has happened: Fighting majors have gone up every year, from 466 in 2005-06, to 497 in 2006-07, to 664 in 2007-08 and 734 last season. As of this writing, the league's 30 teams had combined for 534 fighting majors, an average of 1.078 per game. When the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007-08, they led the NHL with 69 fighting majors. The Ducks' general manager that year was Brian Burke who, at his introductory press conference with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was quoted as saying that “we require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. That's how our teams play. I make no apologies for that. Our teams play a North American game. We're throwbacks. It's black-and-blue hockey. It's going to be more physical hockey here than people are used to." On the night that the lives of Bertuzzi and Moore became forever attached, Burke was the general manager of the Canucks. He, too, was named a responsible party according to motion records filed by Moore's lawyers and obtained by the Toronto Star: Crawford took his instructions from Brian Burke, his tough talking boss who also advocates in favour of violence in hockey. He advocates fighting, expressing his dislike over the fact that it bothered him that with the Leafs, it was always the Leafs' trainers on the ice, implying that he wanted to see the other teams' trainers on the ice, whilst promoting a more "hostile" team. “There have been classic violent episodes going back to the mid-1930s, and Eddie Shore and before that. Eddie Shore nearly killed (Ace Bailey). Ace Bailey’s father tried to shoot and kill him with a gun. It was a running story for a long time,” Stan Fischler said prior to a recent New York Rangers home game. Fischler, who has covered the NHL for more than half a century as a writer and broadcaster, may be the best man to opine on hockey's history of violence. “These things happen over and over and over again. The Bertuzzi thing was redundant. …The more media, more replays. The Bertuzzi thing was one hundred times worse because it was played a hundred times more,” Fischler said. It is an inarguable statement. Am examination of the league's history of violent occurrences refutes the notion of Bertuzzi-Moore as an isolated incident: • March 13, 1955: The legendary Maurice Richard was suspended for the final three games, and all of the playoffs, for punching a referee in a fight with Boston Bruin Hal Laycoe. • September 21, 1969: Wayne Maki of the St. Louis Blues hit Boston’s Ted Green in the head with a stick in a 1969 preseason game. • April 28, 1993: Washington Capitals center Dale Hunter inexplicably checked a defenseless Pierre Turgeon, less than a second after the Islanders' star had scored a playoff goal. • May 29, 1996: Colorado’s Claude Lemieux checked Detroit’s Kris Draper face-first into the boards, sparking a rivalry and leaving Draper with a broken jaw, nose and cheekbone, and a concussion. • February 21, 2000: As a member of the Boston Bruins, Marty McSorley slashed then-Vancouver Canuck Donald Brashear in the head, another incident that was tried in criminal court. • March 8, 2007: Islanders forward Chris Simon cross-checked the face of Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg. • April 26, 2009: Brashear, now with the Washington Capitals, sucker-punched Rangers center Blair Betts in a playoff game. Many in and around the game believe the instigator rule has eliminated a code of honesty, saying that current players such as Patrick Kaleta, Sean Avery and Matt Cooke, among others, would not be allowed to perpetuate their deeds without being held accountable. In a November 25 Q&A with Canada’s National Post, commentator Don Cherry sermoned from The Book of The Game Was Better When The Players Held Each Other Responsible. “It is fear and respect. Fear should be in there, because they don’t fear one another. There is no way a guy like Tuomo Ruutu would be running guys from behind if Bob Probert was on the ice,” Cherry told the newspaper. “There is no way guys would be running guys from behind if they knew they had to pay the price. It’s not no respect; the players don’t have any fear that they will have to pay the price. “That’s the problem. They call them hits to the head, but I call them cheap shots.” “[Cherry] is not the only guy -- everybody is saying that," Fischler said. "It’s a bad rule for that reason.” He also pointed at across-the-board physical changes to players, while rink dimensions have stayed the same, as one cause of violence in the modern game. “The game is no more violent than it was before the lockout. When it was a six-team league, it was a different kind of violence than it is now. The big distinction is the speed of the game, the rule changes that made it faster. So you have bigger guys colliding at high speeds. All the protective equipment is a load of (garbage) because it really doesn’t protect that much. And the worst part of it is that encourages [players] to think that they’re invulnerable. It’s like everything else. Cars go faster, they crash harder. You turn on the radio every morning, the traffic, and I hear accidents are all over the place. Hockey’s changed just like everything else has changed. “In the old days, the players skated slower. Body checks were used by the hip ... it was open ice. There was no glass around the boards. The boards were not used to whack guys they way they are now. That’s why they use the boards. It’s easier to line a guy up and hit him into the boards.” There have always been violent incidents in team sports. Jack Tatum paralyzed Darryl Stingley with a vicious hit on a football field. Kermit Washington threw the most devastating punch in basketball history and shattered Rudy Tomjanovich’s face. Juan Marichal attempted to imbed a baseball bat in the head of Johnny Roseboro. More recently, basketball's Ron Artest and baseball's Frank Francisco were prominently involved in riots with fans in Detroit and Oakland, respectively. Then-Tennessee Titan Albert Haynesworth stomped on the helmet-less face of Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode. Still, there is a perception that some members of the media take great pains to criticize hockey's fighting culture following particularly ugly episodes. An anchor for a national morning news television program expressed her shock and desire to see changes made to the sport after a video of a Canadian mite-league brawl was aired. “Hockey is the easiest scapegoat of all the sports," Fischler said, "because it’s not an American sport. Most of the media do not understand it, so they jump on it. It’s easy.” As the NHL begins its ninth decade of existence, the Bertuzzi-Moore incident begs an obvious question: Will there be another? “Do you drive a car? Are there accidents on the LIE (Long Island Expressway), the Jersey Turnpike?” Fischler asked rhetorically. “There will be more. It’s inevitable. How can there not be? It will be a miracle if there isn’t.” And so the clock ticks. Uneasily. http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/features/bertuzzi-moore-incident-continues-to-resonate

January 15, 2010, Ottawa Senators-New York Rangers game story

US – Friday, January 15

Updated 08:18, January the 15th, 2010

Rangers blanked by another Brodeur

Senators 2, Rangers 0

Henrik Lundqvist smashed his stick over the crossbar.


Lundqvist was 74 seconds away from forcing overtime, from single-handedly stealing a point for his undeserving teammates.


Then the puck was behind him, and the game, for all intents and purposes, was over.


Unlike two nights prior, there weren’t many positives emanating following Thursday night’s 2-0 shutout loss to Ottawa at the Garden.


Ex-Ranger Alex Kovalev and ex-Islander Chris Campoli combined for the game’s deciding goal. Kovalev circled in the offensive zone, drawing Marian Gaborik to him and leaving the middle of the ice open. Campoli snuck in from the point and wristed a shot from the left faceoff circle into the net.


“I cost us the game,” said Gaborik.


“This is a game we should win,” Lundqvist said. “We play hard for the whole game and I don’t know what we did in the last minute.


The Rangers, Senators and Bruins are in a virtual tie for fifth place in the East with 51 points. The Rangers next game is Saturday night in St. Louis.


Perhaps by the time they visit old friend John Davidson, the Rangers will have remembered that it is imperative to put the puck in the net. The last Rangers goal was Erik Christensen’s score 37 seconds into the third period Saturday’s 3-1, a span of 124:23. Following last night’s loss, there were ideas offered forth from the Rangers as to how to score.


“We have to get inside and create more traffic,” Gaborik suggested.


“I think it’s a matter of going to the blue paint and getting a dirty (goal), standing in there (and) getting an extra cross check in the back or in the head to get that dirty goal,” Ryan Callahan said.


As impotent as the Rangers have been offensively, they had been that good defensively.
The Rangers had not allowed a goal in 127:30 until Campoli’s game-winner. For good measure, Chris Kelly added an empty-netter with 11 seconds remaining. Before last night, the last goal the Rangers had allowed was Boston’ Dennis Wideman score with 3:44 left in the third period Saturday in the Rangers’ 3-1 win.


The last time the Rangers had consecutive shutouts was February 7 and 8, 1928, against Ottawa. Lorne Chabot (Rangers) and Alec Connell (Ottawa) were the goaltenders. The Rangers won the first of their four Cups that season.


In an abbreviated pre-game press conference, John Tortorella said that the coaching staff had talked to the players at Wednesday’s practice about Ottawa having lost five in a row going into the match. He also said that there would be a discussion about that at the Rangers’ early meeting.


What was said did not take as Ottawa dominated in the game’s first five minutes, outshooting the Rangers, 7-2, before Tortorella called timeout. The Rangers were outshot, 15-10, for the period. The Senators outshot the Rangers, 34-32, for the game.


“I’m not in their heads. I don’t understand. It’s a team we’re fighting against for a playoff spot and we know they were embarrassed the night before. We tried to guard against it but I guess they weren’t listening,” said an under control but clearly angry Tortorella. “That team wanted to play harder than we did tonight. They deserved what they got. We deserved what we got. They simply worked harder.”


Despite being outplayed in the period and for most of the game, the Rangers had an opportunity to win because of Lundqvist in nets. Lundqvist was the best Ranger on the ice by far, stopping 32 of 33 shots. He was not, however, interested in moral victories.


“I don’t really care how I played, good or bad. It’s just frustrating not to win,” Lundqvist said. “The points are so important right now. It’s disappointing to come up short, again, in a tight game.”


Mike Brodeur started for Ottawa last night. Brodeur—a distant relation to Devils’ Hall of Famer to be goaltender Martin Brodeur—was called up from AHL Binghamton after Pascal Leclaire was injured during Ottawa’s early skate. Brodeur made his first NHL start in Ottawa’s 4-1 win over Minnesota on December 19, in which he stopped 22 of 23 shots. He was even better in his second NHL start. In his first game at The Garden, Brodeur stopped all 34 Rangers shots.


“Mike was outstanding,” Senators coach Cory Clouston said. “Full credit to Mike.”


And full discredit to the Rangers.


NOTES:


Some may ascribe sentimentality when returning to a place where they started a career.


Then there is Kovalev.


Kovalev denied any excitement about playing one of his former employers. In his 16th NHL season, Kovalev has played for the Rangers, Pittsburgh, Montreal and Ottawa. He was a key component to the 1993-94 Stanley Cup Championship-winning Rangers.


“It’s just another game. It’s been too long,” Kovalev said following Ottawa’s morning skate at the Garden.


Kovalev totaled 142 goals, 188 assists, 340 points in 489 games with 533 penalty minutes and was -13 in his two stints with the Rangers. In 44 games with Ottawa this season, Kovalev has 11 goals, 18 assists and 29 points. He ranks second in goals and points behind Mike Fisher (15 and 32, respectively) and leads in assists. Kovalev has played in 1195 games and recorded 405 goals, 565 assists, 970 points with 1230 penalty minutes and is -16 in his career.

*


Campoli may have found a NHL home with the Senators.


Traded along with Mike Comrie to Ottawa last year, the Mississauga, Ontario, native has been steady for Ottawa with 13 points this season, including last night’s game-winning goal.


“It’s been great. I’m happy in Ottawa. We’ve got a good team, we’re competitive. When you’re winning it’s a little more fun,” Campoli said. “The passion in Ottawa…it’s a hockey driven market for sure. It motivates you as a player.”


*


Chad Johnson made his first NHL start in the Rangers’ 2-1 shootout loss in Atlanta. Since then he’s watched from the bench. With 15 games—eight at the Garden—remaining before the Olympic Break, what are the chances that Johnson starts a home game?


“I think as the schedule goes. It’s not locked in. Eventually he will get a home game (just) not in the near future,” Tortorella said.


*

Forwards Enver Lisin and Aaron Voros were scratched by Tortorella. Ottawa’s scratched were defenseman Filip Kuba, along with Leclaire.


*

Donald Brashear and Matt Carkner engaged each other in two first period heavyweight bouts in a span of 8:19.


You can follow us on Twitter @DenisGorman

Denis Gorman

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2010/01/15/13/1406-82/index.xml

January 13, 2010, New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers game story for Metro NY Newspaper

US – Wednesday, January 13

Updated 04:36, January the 13th, 2010

Patrik Elias’ SO goal slipped past Henrik Lundqvist’s glove.

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Elias’ shootout goal ends epic clash between rivals

Devils 1, Rangers 0 (SO)

Simply, it was the best Devils-Rangers regular season game ever played.


For 65 minutes, the cross-river rivals engaged each other in the type of game Gary Bettman envisioned post-lockout. Both teams conspired to skate, to hit, to level shots at impenetrable netminders as a sellout crowd roared its approval.


Then Patrik Elias lifted a wrist shot past Henrik Lundqvist in the fourth round of the Rangers’ 1-0 shootout loss to the Devils at the Garden Tuesday night. The shootout, though, was almost an irrelevancy. This was not one of 82 games. This was not a mid-January game.


This Devils-Rangers game was one for the ages.


“It was fun to play. It was a 0-0 game but there was a lot of action out there,” Lundqvist said. “I just (knew) it was a tight game and I couldn’t afford any mistakes.”


Lundqvist and his counterpart, Martin Brodeur, did not make many mistakes, as they turned away a combined 96 shots. Lundqvist tied a career high with 45 saves and Brodeur stopped a career-high 51 shots to earn his 107th shutout. The shutout was Brodeur’s NHL-leading sixth of the season.


“There were a lot of shots and a lot of chances for both teams. Both goalies were great,” Jacques Lemaire offered after his team improved to 32-11-1 this season. Only the Blackhawks, with 66, have more points than the Devils’ 65. The Rangers fell 22-17-7, but are in a virtual tie with struggling Boston for fifth place in the East with 51 points.


There was an intense vibe at the Garden, as there always is for Devils-Rangers. But as the game progressed, as the two teams traded chances and hits—33 for the Rangers and 25 for the Devils—the supportive, mostly partisan crowd grew louder. The Rangers acknowledged that they felt the energy emanating from the seats.


“The fans got their money’s worth,” said Erik Christensen. “I’ve sat up in the press box in this building and it’s loud all the time. But when something happens and they start roaring, the building shakes pretty good.”


It shook, then roared its approval when the Rangers killed a 5-on-3 power play midway through the second period. Despite Christensen (roughing) and Brandon Dubinsky (slashing) in the box, the Devils could not get pucks on net—Lemaire estimated that his team was only able to get “one shot’’—before Ryan Callahan dove and swatted the puck out of the offensive zone.


The Garden became unglued when it appeared, for the briefest of moments, that Rangers’ rookie center Artem Anisimov had solved Brodeur later in the period. Anisimov raised his arms in celebration, then dropped them as play continued.


At that point, the match morphed into a “Can You Top This?” display by both goaltenders. Lundqvist stopped 32 shots in the second and third periods while Brodeur stuffed 31 chances.


“It was The Night of The Goaltenders,” offered Callahan. “Hank played great for us. Marty played great for them. You have to tip your hat to Marty, he played a great game.”


John Tortorella used the word “frustrated” to describe how he felt about leaving a point on the Garden ice. The Rangers are 8-1-5 in their last 14 games and earned 23 points in that stretch. “If we keep doing the things that we’ve been doing for the last little bit, we’ll stay consistent in getting our points,” said Tortorella, who expressed his discontent with the game being decided in the shootout. Elias’ wrister was the lone goal in the one-on-one.


“Those type of games…I think it’s a bit of a gimmick. When you have two teams play that way…I just think, I have different thoughts on how to end those games and it’s not with that,” Tortorella said. “Especially a game like that. Jersey-Rangers and then you finish with a gimmick. I’ve never liked it.”


While making his feelings clear on the shootout, Tortorella was equally adamant about what he—and those in the Garden last night—bore witness to.


“It was a hell of a game,” Tortorella said. “I thought we played really good. We played a hell of a hockey game.”


Yes, it was.


NOTES:


The Rangers’ next home game is Thursday against Ottawa.


*


The Devils’ have an interesting slate of upcoming road games. They will be in Phoenix on Thursday, Colorado Saturday afternoon and Long Island Monday afternoon before returning home next Wednesday for a match against Florida.


*

The Sean-and-Marty Show had a brief revival during the second period. After a whistle, Sean Avery skated over to Martin Brodeur and the two rivals exchanged words. Prior to the faceoff for the 5-on-3, referees Justin St. Pierre and Dan Marouelli talked to Avery and Tortorella. When asked what was said, Tortorella responded by saying “none of your business.”


*

New York Mets players Daniel Murphy, Mike Pelfrey and Omir Santos were at the game. When introduced to the crowd, the trio received a mixture of polite applause and boos.


You can follow us on Twitter @DenisGorman

DENIS GORMAN

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2010/01/13/05/1859-82/index.xml

January 7, 2010, Dallas Stars-New York Rangers game story for Metro NYC Newspaper

US – Thursday, January 7

Published 05:24, January the 7th, 2010

Avery's revenge

Fiesty winger tallies four points in 5-2 win over Stars

It was mean and nasty, yes it was.


Slashes, cross stares and angry words were exchanged throughout.


For two teams that play once a year, the Rangers and Stars got after each other last night.


In the end, the Rangers’ 4-2 win at the Garden last night was a total effort, led by two vastly different personalities: Sean Avery and Henrik Lundqvist. Avery had a season-high—and career-high tying—four points against his former team, while Lundqvist made 25 saves.


For one of the few times during this campaign, Avery was a wrecking crew. Along with the points (a goal and had three assists), he threw four hits, drew a penalty and had 12 penalty minutes, while playing an agitating game.


“I’m happy with the game, the way it went,” Avery said. "[It's] the way Sean Avery needs to play. ... [I've] been thinking about it a lot and that’s the way it has to happen.”


Avery’s teammates and coaches praised his effort.


“He played great. No better team to do it against, I guess. It is his old team. He was in their faces, got them off their game (and) got a couple points,” said Ryan Callahan, whose empty-net goal with 1:05 left sealed the scoring. It was the 10th goal of the season for the U.S. Olympian. The Rangers also got goals from Marian Gaborik (his league leading 28th), Ales Kotalik and Chris Drury. Kotalik’s goal was the game-winner, his second in as many games and eighth of the season.


Not everyone was thrilled about Avery’s monster night, as Stars goalie Marty Turco told reporters, “I would have loved to see that delinquent do that for us last year.” Turco did not exactly cover himself in glory or remind anyone Georges Vezina, as he allowed four goals on 24 shots. Both Avery’s goal and Kotalik’s should have been stopped. Avery’s goal was a wrist shot from the face-off circle, while Kotalik hammered a slap shot from above the circle.


“We didn’t get saves early,” understated Dallas coach Marc Crawford.


While Dallas’ goaltending—Turco and Alex Auld combined to allow nine goals in back-to-back games against the Devils and Rangers—was below average, Lundqvist was once again was The King.


Lundqvist routinely made spectacular glove saves against a team that was shooting high all night. During a second period five-on-three power play against, Lundqvist was the Rangers’ best penalty killer as he turned away three shots. Also, he was not at fault for either of the two Dallas scores. Brad Richards pinballed a shot off a sliding Marc Staal 2:17 into the game for the first goal of the match and Jere Lehtinen’s early second period slap shot that tied the game at two deflected off of Drury’s stick.


“We were confident and calm (and I) made a couple good saves,” Lundqvist said about the 5-on-3. “The way we played in our own end, especially on the penalty kill, I think saved us. Very calm and we made good decisions.


Those attributes have helped the Rangers improved to 7-1-2 in their last 10. For a team that looked like a speed bump for six weeks, perhaps it is the start of a run to the top of the Eastern Conference.


“Yeah, definitely. I thought we’ve been playing well of late, minus that one game at home against Philly (a 6-0 loss on December 30), we’ve been playing good hockey. No matter what people are saying about us or what people think, I think we’re playing pretty well,” Callahan said. “I think the guys in here know that and that’s the big thing. I thought we played another good game tonight and hopefully we can take it on the road.”




NOTES:



In their 6-5 gold medal win over Canada in the World Junior Hockey Championships Tuesday night and throughout the tournament, Team USA was led by Rangers prospects Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider and Ryan Bourque. Stepan, Team USA’s captain, led the tournament with 10 assists and 14 points. Kreider finished the WJCs with six goals, fourth best overall, while Bourque notched three assists. Stepan, Kreider and Bourque played in all seven games for Team USA.


Rangers’ fans reacted with chants of “USA” when still photos of the trio were shown on the big screen.


*

Christopher Higgins inadvertently clipped Dallas forward Mike Ribeiro in the throat with 4:28 left in the second period. Ribeiro lay prone at center ice for approximately five minutes. Higgins was assessed a two-minute penalty for high-sticking.


*


Much-maligned defensemen Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival received cat-calls from the crowd every time their names were mentioned.


*


There was a bizarre scene in the first period when a late-arriving fan screamed obscenities at a scout for 10 minutes during the first period. The fan was ejected.


*

The Rangers improved to 21-17-5. With 47 points, the Rangers are in seventh place in the East, one point behind Ottawa. The Rangers are in Atlanta tonight.


*

Tortorella would not comment on an exchange between he and Crawford after the game. Presumably it had to do with Dallas enforcer Steve Ott on the ice in the game’s final seconds. Tortorella was heard to bark “f—ing fight” at Crawford before both men turned towards their respective locker rooms.


*

Henrik Lundqvist made his 17th consecutive start in nets for the Rangers. With 19 games remaining before the Olympic Break and his duties for Sweden in the Games, is there a concern that Lundqvist might burn out before the home stretch?

Not from where Tortorella is sitting.


“My concern is that you guys (the media) talk guys into being tired. We’ve been very careful with Hank. We’ve (given him) days off. Johnnie (reserve goaltender Chad Johnson) is going to play some games this month. We have to find out about Johnnie, plus Hank, he is going to get a break. Hank’s in great shape. I’m not concerned about that so I’ll leave it at that.” Tortorella did not tip his hand whether Lundqvist would start in Atlanta tonight.


You can follow us on Twitter @DenisGorman

Denis Gorman

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2010/01/07/11/2430-82/index.xml

Wade Redden column for Metro NY Newspaper (published December 21, 2009)

US – Thursday, January 7

Published 05:40, January the 7th, 2010

Redden must rise up or ship out

Tortorella sits defenseman again, curses high-priced player's lack of effort

Published: Dec. 21, 2009


In a cramped corridor, just a handful of steps away from the visitors’ locker room at the Nassau Coliseum on Thursday night, John Tortorella held court.


Tortorella's team had just topped the Islanders, 5-2. The win was the Rangers’ first win in 12 days, yet the coach was far from joyous. His team has been engulfed in a maelstrom of negativity brought on by eight weeks of often uninspired hockey.


“I think the key thing is we have to start becoming a team. That’s the most important thing,” said Tortorella.


How can a fragile group become a single-minded team? While the mechanics and chemistry may never be fully understood, in this instance, there is a starting point: Wade Redden can no longer be a New York Ranger -- at least not right now.


When Tortorella announced that Aaron Voros, Ales Kotalik and Redden were scratched for Thursday night’s game at the Coliseum, the pull-no-punches coach was typically blunt. “Guys that are out, it has to do with their play,” Tortorella said. Voros is a 13th forward, one that has only played in 19 of the Rangers’ 35 games this season. Kotalik, signed to provide secondary scoring, has seven points in the last 15 games. While Voros and Kotalik may be not happy to be on the ice, neither said that they felt they were “singled out” as Redden did.


Ostensibly employed to an obscene six-year, $39 million contract in the summer of 2008 to generate offense from the blueline and be the on-ice power play mastermind, Redden only has six points (a goal and five assists) in 28 games and has not displayed an inclination to be involved physically in any of the three zones. In his two years of undistinguished service, Redden has totaled just 32 points while posting a minus-6. Yet, Redden engaged Tortorella in a shouting match prior to the Rangers’ optional skate after finding his “name on the scratched list.”


“He wants to shake things up and I’m the example here. I can deal with that. Which way do you go? There’s lots of different ways you can handle it and I have to do what’s best for me,” Redden said early Thursday afternoon. “The fact that I’m sitting out, I’m not real happy about it.


“It comes down to performance. (He) feels like I have a lot more to give. I want to get out there and play more and get that chance,” Redden said.


That chance, though, still didn't come Saturday in a 2-1 win over the Flyers as Tortorella went with young defensive prospects Bobby Sanguinetti and Ilkka Heikkinen for the second match in a row.


The reasoning?


“You have to ask him,” said Redden, who never referred to the coach by his name.


Tough. That is the coach’s prerogative, to decide who will and will not play. And while the message may oft-times be uncomfortably blunt, Tortorella and his coaching can only go by what they see on the ice. And it hasn't been pretty.


During his abbreviated profane tirade masked as post-game press conference Wednesday night, Tortorella shot-from-the-hip when after being asked about the defensive coverage on Jon Sim’s game-opening score in what would be a 2-1 Rangers loss at the Garden, a play where Redden did not exactly cover himself in glory.


“Horse s—t,” said Tortorella after the Rangers' 2-1 loss to the Isles Wednesday night. He was very bluntly referring to the half-hearted pokes by Redden and Christopher Higgins that led to the first goal in the game.


“The thing that is unacceptable about [Wednesday'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. It’s simply unacceptable,” said Tortorella. “I wish I could give you a f—in’ explanation about it. I can’t.”


The truly damning aspect of the petulant player and angry authority figure soap opera is that there are Rangers who have taken on the responsibility of being leaders throughout the season. Henrik Lundqvist, Vinny Prospal, Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan have testified to nightly cross-examinations, whether they felt like it or not.


Redden, though, puts the blame on everyone for the team's 8-15-3 nosedive following a 7-1-0 start to the season.


“Everyone’s got to be better,” Redden said. “We haven’t won in 10 games. So draw your own conclusions. We haven’t gotten things done. That’s where we’re at.


“I just got my a— skated off. All I can do is show him I want to be out there. If they want me out there, then I have to deliver.”


Or, if he really wants to be out there, he can "play f—in' hard," Tortorella said.

Denis Gorman

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2010/01/07/11/4008-82/index.xml

January 5, 2010, Boston Bruins-New York Rangers game story for Metro NY Newspaper

US – Tuesday, January 5

Published 13:36, January the 5th, 2010

Higgins makes himself at home

Rangers 3, Bruins 2

The smile on Christopher Higgins’ face stretched from Midtown to Smithtown.


The embattled Rangers' checking forward had just slipped a backhand shot between the post and Tuukka Rask’s pad for his first goal as a Ranger at the Garden.


About 10 minutes after the Rangers’ 3-2 win over Original Six rival Boston Monday night, Higgins held court while Alicia Keys’ “Streets of New York” blared in the jovial dressing room.


“It came at the right time. To contribute to feels good,” Higgins said of his goal that came with 1:29 left in regulation. “(He) started to move side-to-side a little bit and it squeaked in. Why not try it? Nothing else was going in.”


The Rangers improved to 20-17-5 and are tied with Montreal for seventh in the East with 45 points apiece. The Blueshirts’ next game is Wednesday night at MSG against Dallas. That game, a Mutual Loathing Society revival meeting between Sean Avery and his former team, will also provide the Rangers an opportunity to do something that they haven’t done much of this season: Win a game at the Garden. The home ice advantage has been a disadvantage for the Rangers, who have only won three of their last 14 games at the Garden.


“I think we’re 6-1-2. We’ve got some points along the way. It’s a tough month ahead of us; we’ve got to take one game at a time and we have another home game. We need to come back and be ready to play another home game, to try to solidify ourselves,” John Tortorella emphasized about a month in which the Rangers have seven games at the Garden and 14 games overall. The Rangers have won six-of-ten overall dating back to their disastrous December 16 2-1 home loss to the Islanders.


Should the Rangers make an upward move in the standings, last night’s win could be the blueprint. For the first 54:33, the Rangers played a smart, hard working game. They won battles along the boards and behind the nets. They skated through the neutral zone and peppered Rask with 35 shots. Defensively, the Rangers eliminated opportunities for second chance shots on Henrik Lundqvist, who finished the night with 26 saves.


Most importantly, on a night when Marian Gaborik did not score, the Rangers received scoring from Ales Kotalik, newly acquired Erik Christensen and the aforementioned Higgins.


Kotalik’s power play slapper at 9:58 of the first period gave the Rangers a 1-0 and it was his first since the Rangers’ 4-2 in Edmonton on November 5. Christensen increased the lead to 2-0 with a spectacular one-handed goal while holding off Bruins’ defenseman Dennis Wideman.


However, much like they did in the Winter Classic, the Bruins came back with two late goals to tie the game. In a span of 1:26 of the third period Matt Hunwick (at 14:33) and Blake Wheeler (at 15:59) potted goals that took the air out of the building before Higgins’ game-winner.



“We’re not going to talk about that. Bottom line we found a way to get two points. I thought we played a solid game. They’re a good team, too. They pressured us, had two opportunities and found a way to score in the third. Big play by Higgy to find a way to put the puck in the net and two points is two points. Especially at home where we’ve been struggling,” said Brandon Dubinsky, who assisted on Kotalik’s and Christensen’s goals. Dubinsky has nine points in the Rangers’ last seven games—a stretch that coincides with his reassignment to the left wing. “I feel like I’ve gotten more chances playing on the wing, more scoring chances. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or if it because I moved to the wing. But I feel comfortable there and I’m happy with the way things are going.”


And for the first time since their 7-1-0 start to the season, so are the Rangers.






NOTES:


Lundqvist left no doubt that he was irritated with Boston’s top center Marc Savard. Following a second period save by Lundqvist and subsequent frozen puck, Savard skated through the crease and delivered a cross-check to the head of the Rangers netminder.


As Lundqvist went down, Savard skated to the corner where he was met by Rangers, enraged at his act. Eventually Lundqvist skated to where both teams had congregated and talked to referee Tim Peel. According to Lundqvist, Peel said that he would “look after” of the goaltender.


“I had the puck and felt his fist right on my head. I was surprised. I guess the ref didn’t see it,” Lundqvist explained. “He was a little tricky there. It was close. He’s right in front of me and I felt his hand knock me off. Sometimes that happens.


“I don’t mind (a) physical game, but cheap stuff? I don’t like that.”


*

By all accounts, the Flyers-Bruins Winter Classic was a rousing success. Historic Fenway Park was an awe-inspiring host for the outdoor game, which, according to Sports Business Daily, the New Year’s Day extravaganza did a 2.6 Nielsen rating.


Certainly, the NHL and host Bruins should feel good about the show they put on, yes, Claude Julien?


“I’m at the stage where we’ve talked enough about Fenway. It’s now time to move it. It was a great experience, something you’ll remember forever. But we have to put our focus on the present and future,” Julien said after the Bruins’ early skate Monday at MSG.


Coming off an Eastern Conference best 116 point season, the Bruins have scuffled in 2009-10. Through 40 games prior to last night’s nationally televised Original Six rivalry revival, the Bruins were 21-12-7 for 49 points, good for fifth in the East.


The Bruins coach used the word “consistency” as the primary reason for Boston’s inconsistency. Boston finished 2008-09 with 270 goals, second in the league behind Washington’s 289. This season the Bruins have scored 100 goals. Only league worst Carolina has scored fewer with 99.


One of the Bruins that was counted on to provide scoring is second year forward Wheeler. The Robbinsdale, Minnesota, native has struggled with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) while having played in every game. He recorded 21 goals and 24 assists in 2008-09.


“He’s working hard, there’s no doubt about that. We’re helping him find the range. It’s not just scoring goals but getting yourself in the position to score goals,” offered Julien. “Sometimes he’s forcing passes and maybe he needs to take the puck a little harder to the net. He has a tendency to overpass sometimes. He’s a second year player. He’s a guy we need to be patient and keep working with.”



*


Escape From New York was a 1981 Kurt Russell action flick. While a lousy vehicle, the title may more than adequately reflect Derek Morris’ attitude about being in Boston. Morris signed a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Bruins in the off-season after playing 25 games (regular and post-season) with the Rangers following a trade deadline deal with Phoenix last season.


“Totally different coach,” Morris said after being asked to describe the differences between Julien and Rangers coach John Tortorella. “He’s not a screamer or yeller type coach. He’s very structured, very system (oriented). We’re not run-and-gun. We’re not a lot of pressure. We’re a lot on containment and wait for opportunities.


“Obviously our forwards do a lot of work, so it makes it a lot easier for our ‘D.’ Our forwards work their butts off. “


Partnered with Zdeno Chara as the Bruins’ top defense pair, Morris has three goals and 18 points this season.


*

Burgeoning Boston power forward Milan Lucic skated at the Garden yesterday, as did
Miroslav Satan. The Bruins signed Satan, a free agent winger Sunday, reportedly to a one year, $700,000 deal.


Lucic, who has missed the Bruins last 16 games with a high ankle sprain—Boston is 9-4-3 in that stretch—told METRO that he fell on his ankle, which had been bent behind him.


“It feels better every day. Today it felt better than yesterday, and everything is starting to get more comfortable, and whatnot,” said a chuckling Lucic. “Last two weeks have been real good skates, so that’s good.”


Lucic said that he and the organization are on the same timetable as to his return.
“We’re on the same page. It’s one of those injuries where you feel great but you don’t want to come back too early. Right now I could be back in as early as Thursday (at home against Chicago) or it could take two more weeks. It depends how it feels.”


Along with Lucic, Satan was not in the Bruins’ lineup last night.



*


Something called NHLSnipers.com posted a trade scenario Sunday that had the Rangers possibly trading their 2010 and 2011 first round picks, a 2011 second round pick, Brandon Dubinsky, Michael Rozsival, Chris Higgins and prospect defensemen Ryan McDonagh or Bobby Sanguinetti to Atlanta for free-agent-sniper-to-be Ilya Kovalchuk and late round draft picks.


There is no truth to that rumor as Atlanta is still trying re-sign Kovalchuk.



*


The Rangers are well-represented at the 2009-10 World Junior Hockey Championships. Forwards Ryan Bourque (son of Bruins Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque), Chris Kreider (the Rangers’ first round pick in last June’s Entry Draft) and Derek Stepan are key components for Team USA, which will play Canada tonight in the Gold Medal game.

Bourque, Kreider and Stepan have played in all six games for the Americans. Stepan leads the tournament in points (12) and assists (9). Kreider’s five goals has him in a five-way tie for second in the tournament, while Bourque has two assists. Forward Roman Horak had two points in six games for the Czechs, who finished the tournament in seventh place.

Denis Gorman

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2010/01/05/19/3655-82/index.xml