Those Who Know, Know Fedotenko!

What a game for #26!

Yes Biron was amazing. Yes Girardi did everything AGAIN... and somehow we got another two points out of a poor and disorganized effort where the only visible strategy on multiple occasions seemed to be: "chase the puck around."  Who was just as excellent in this game as Marty Biron though? Ruslan Fedotenko!

Feds played a part in every positive for the Rangers last night. He scored the 1st PP goal on a brilliantly simple deflection, and then he drew the penalty that lead to Callahan's PP goal. Who got the primary assist on Cally's goal? Mmm hmm,  Feds. Man did he look dangerous all night... he was flying all over the place!

Ruslan is a responsible, intelligent, and deeply experienced player who I believe should be given more minutes. I really can't think of any situation this season or last where giving him more ice team seemed like anything even approaching a risky proposition. There was a lot of talk during preseason about who should play on the 1st line with Richards and Gabby, and along with Wolski and Stepan I clearly remember Feds being suggested as well. I'm not saying he should be the permanent solution, but giving him some playing time with those two here and there cannot possibly hurt the team at all.

Baffled...... 2-0 EDM

I decided to sleep on it to see if my subconscious could arrive at some sort of understanding in regards to the disaster that was the game last night... Good morning folks, I am still baffled.

It would be so easy to jump on Torts for not giving Biron the start last night, but in all likelihood even Henrik didn't know there was a possibility he'd start getting cramps half way through the game. That is not what I'm going to call out Torts for, it was switching Gaborik and Callahan. Why? What could possibly be the reason for this? You're not getting enough chemistry so you make a switch that effectively removes it completely? It's also not like there weren't good things happening on the 1st line! The 1st line WAS getting chances. Maybe some games they need a chance to get onto the same page? to get warmed up? Gaborik breakaway... remember that? No no no, I don't want any more of that... Gabby, get out there with Dubi and Anisimov and see what you can do without the guy that has been a part of every one of your goals this season.

Give these lines a chance. The 2nd and 3rd are already proven from last season, and the 1st one has been kicking ass. Have a little faith in this team as it is... every line is like a mini-team. Give them a chance to learn from their mistakes and grow stronger. I see no reason to believe that another goal or two would not have been scored by our first line last night.

I am normally a big supporter of Torts but seriously, just let em' play! What do you have to lose in the 6th game of the season??

I Cannot Believe My Eyes

When Rupp scored I jumped out of my seat.
When McDonagh scored I raised my fists up to eye level and shook them conservatively.
When Boyle scored I stared with my mouth open... motionless.
When Gaborik scored I really just didn't know what to do with myself at all.

How did this happen? The answer is simple: Henrik Lundqvist was in the zone, and when the King is in the zone, he is a living god. Nothing worked for Vancouver. By the end of the game the Canucks would find themselves staring at a score board that read shots 40, and goals 0 for the home team.
Manny Malhotra (who I love) said during the 2nd intermission that they were doing a good job and just needed to stick with the plan..... No luck there!
Unreal. McDonagh, unreal. Just so exciting to see the young players making things happen. Many have been upset (and understandably so) about the injury of Marc Staal, but I have been saying since preseason that these experiences for the kids are priceless and will pay off in the future. Whatever D man goes to Hartford when Staal returns will be so much the wiser than if they'd been there since the season's start.
Good good good. That's all I have to say... that and: we'd sure be dangerous if we could stop taking penalties!!!

OH! I almost forgot to mention: isn't it interesting that MSG failed to mention that we shut out the Canucks the last time we played them too? 1-0 at the Garden? They haven't scored a goal against us in two years.... (:

-|\/|arbar

WHEN WILL THIS TEAM STOP TAKING PENALTIES?

It's driving me crazy. 0-2-1 and every game has been close... you know how you win a close game? You don't take stupid penalties!

I agree that the penalty on Callahan was preposterous but in the words of my cousin, "boarding, hooking, too many men on the ice, these are penalties that are going to bring you down." It does all make sense though, with two key defensive cogs out of the lineup things are bound to get desperate here and there, but you just can't give away power play opportunities over and over again because there is a chance you might get beat on a play.

Still however, I am not upset with the team really, a lot of things look really good and we got our first glimpse of some serious Richards > Gaborik magic. Also much like in life, there is the greatest benefit to making some big mistakes early on, so you can be smarter for the rest of it. Lets hope we start seeing some of that wisdom start manifesting itself when we go see the Canucks on Tuesday night at 10.

-|\/|arbar

Traverse City Tournament Game 1: NYR 5 - SLB 2

If you felt anything like me last night, you really enjoyed watching game 1 of the prospects tournament last night. I wasn't expecting or really hoping for a win but it was definitely nice.

The most amazing thing was how it happened... So much cohesion from a squad that had only practiced together for 40 minutes prior to the game. 3 power play goals from units comprised essentially of strangers, who cycled the puck well and were very composed and unrushed when they had position. Great poise by Erixon, and CAPTAIN McIlrath.

Looking forward to game 2 tonite, and seeing more combinations in action.. after all the goal of the tournament is not so much to win the tournament, but to have a winning assessment of the talent in the organization.... oh yeah, and folks? WE'VE GOT A WHOOOOOOOOLE BUNCH.   (:

-Marbar

The Unbearable Wait

Still about a month away from preseason and I am suffering ladies and gentlemen. The draft and free agency provide some relief and entertainment in a time of no hockey, but this last month has been brutal. There is just NOTHING going on. It also does not help that we got Brad Richards and know that Cally is 100%. That makes the wait completely unbearable. The only "solution" if you can call it that is relentless watching of youtube clips and classic games on hulu... but all that does is dull the pain. Nope, until I'm actually at "The Pebble" for preseason Rangers/Devils, the pain will continue...

Sure Hurts Doesn't It?

The playoffs really ARE the ultimate barometer.

This series is showing exactly what this team has got, and we've got a lot given our level of experience. You can see at times, like the first 15 minutes of the third period in game two, that this team isn't that far away from exploding. Unfortunately however, that probably won't happen until at least next year. Something to be sad about? I don't think so, it's hardly unexpected. New York has finally bought into the plan of building a team from scratch, and it's the only way we're going to have another parade any time soon. So good job boys is what I have to say...

Having said that, let me go on to now say that I believe we can still win this series. Call me crazy, but it just doesn't seem that out of reach yet. Consider the two Washington goals and the circumstances surrounding them.. They were the result of a drop in Ranger intensity, so just like in game one, the Caps scored because of the Rangers, not because they are so skilled that they just bulldozed through us. You could see right out of the gate that the Rangers were not playing as hard at the beginning of the second, and the Caps smelled blood.

Usually the Rangers just bust their asses all night regardless of what the other team gives them, but they seemed to stumble at the beginning of the second as if maybe they were over-complicating things, and they ended up straying from their well known mantra. The Caps seem more reactionary as far as how hard they decide to play (IMO), only becoming unmanageable when you give them a little bit of breathing room. I'm telling you, if the Rangers can just play their same old game consistently @ MSG for game three, good things could happen, and we all know what happens to this team when their hard work brings success; they do things like beat Boston 5-3 after being down 3-0.

Can't wait for game three, but can I ever really wait for the next Ranger game?

That's Right Bitches; It's Gonna Be A Long Series

Folks, I almost died when Semin scored in overtime Wednesday night. I felt as if a large pouch of poison had suddenly ruptured inside my chest, leaving me gasping for breath and questioning existence.

BUT FOLKS!!!

Everything is going to be OKAY. At least that's what I believe. We held the Caps scoreless for two periods, and then we scored 1st, and it was off a beautiful setup borne of hard work and a Gravey performance from Prust.

The goal Ovechtrick got was garbage, and could have been prevented if Staal had shoved him out of the way sooner (but how can you blame the guy that plays 30+ minutes?).

The goal with two minutes left in overtime? A product of another Ranger mistake, which was a result of physical and mental exhaustion.

Basically the Caps can't score when the Rangers are on top of playing their game, and so the Caps' worst fears were confirmed on Wednesday night: they are going to have to work extra extra hard to beat this blue collar Ranger team, and that is not something I believe the Caps are designed to do. The Rangers however are, because they've been doing it all season.

This is gonna be a great series, and I bet the kids can't wait to get back on the ice and take what they have learned from their 1st playoff experience and put it to work for them.

Torts' Old Pals Smash Canes; Send Rangers to Playoffs

Hello folks! Well it was really something watching the Rangers put MAAAARRRTTYYY and the Devils in their place this afternoon off a brilliant game winning 1st NHL goal by the rookie revelation and total trade STEAL Ryan McDonagh, and then watching the Bolts crush Carolina's hopes in Raleigh. I am just so completely jazzed that we made it into the playoffs that I don't really know what to do with myself. It was never an expectation of mine that we make it in this year, I've just thought that whatever we could achieve would be icing on the cake.

For all the naysayers I have but one question: what was the point?

We are at the beginning of something truly special here in New York, and if you can't see that you are either not paying attention, or are a two-dimensional thinker. We are finally doing what needs to be done in the cap-era, creating a home grown team and not signing any lazy ass HAS BEENs or SUPPOSED TO BEs to ridiculously exorbitant contracts hoping to patch gaping holes in the team with SILLY PUDDY!

We have a coach that knows how to use every player, and holds the players accountable. He also recognizes that some aspects of his methods are no one else's business and doesn't hesitate to tell the media where to shove their stupid ass questions that a 5-year-old could come up with. He has squeezed every last drop of capability out of this squad, and now we're in the playoffs!

So my mind is blown, and I can no longer just post a thought here and a thought there on twitter or Facebook, it has become neccesary for me to create my own BLOG, because there is just too much on my mind that I need to get out... and here it is folks! Ranger Onslaught, a BLOG inspired by a team that fights for what they want, stands up for their team mates, and never gives up. That's what it means to be a Ranger!!!

One more message to the naysayers whose first response to us making it into the playoffs is to say that we won't make it far: this is crucial experience for our young players no matter how far we make it, we are building a team folks! IN NEW YORK! CAN U BELIEVE WE'RE FINALLY DOING IT RIGHT??