Lundqvist picked for Elimination Shootout

Newyorkrangers.com is reporting that Henrik Lundqvist was chosen to participate as one of the four All-Star goalies competing in tonight's Gatorade NHL Elimination Shootout at Montreal's Bell Centre, which will be the finale to the 2009 Honda/NHL SuperSkills competition.

Each of the four goalies will face penalty-shot attempts from nine All-Star shooters in a game of hockey survivor. Only shooters who score will advance, and the competition will continue until a round is completed in which only one shooter scores.

During a random draw conducted on Friday in Montreal, each goalie selected nine players to face from among the 36 All-Star Game skaters.

Here is Lundqvist's line-up:

Shane Doan (Phx.), Dustin Brown (L.A.), Stephane Robidas (Dal.), Andrei Markov (Mtl.), Zdeno Chara (Bos.), Keith Tkachuk (StL), Jeff Carter (Phi.), Rick Nash (CBJ), Vincent Lecavalier (T.B.).

...hopefully Lundqvist remembers Chara's shootout goal against him last year when he just wound up and fired it passed Lundqvist to win the game.

Saturday Headlines

New York Post - RANGERS TANDEM EXCELS WHEN A MAN DOWN

The Bergen Record - The Lone Ranger heads to Canada

Newyorkrangers.com - So far, so good as Rangers take a break

Eklund: Prucha to be Traded this Weekend?

Eklund at HockeyBuzz is reporting that Petr Prucha may be traded this weekend with Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Colorado, Minnesota, Buffalo and Nashville all as possible destinations.

Eklund says while the Penguins want Prucha the most the Rangers aren't trading him to a divisional rival. Which he said gives Vancouver a distinct advantage at this point.

...while I don't believe a word Eklund ever says, for Prucha's sake, I hope this is true because he's never going to get a chance with this team.

...i'd love for the Rangers to trade him out west giving him the opportunity to find his game while not being able to burn us ala Shanahan.

Rangers Are About What THN Expected

Adam Proteau at The Hockey News takes stock of team showings and puts the Rangers in the 'About What I Expected' category saying...

New York Rangers: Now, some of you are saying, ‘Wait a second – didn’t you pick the Blueshirts to finish 11th this year? How is that not exceeding expectations?’ And some of me is admitting that is true. But would anyone bet their house the Rangers’ defense corps makes them a threat to play deep into May and June? Anyone other than Jaromir Jagr, I mean.

...while the team's record should put them in the 'Better Than Expected' category the team's play makes Proteau's categorization correct.

Friday Headlines

Newsday - Ranger Insider: 5 Rangers musts after break

New York Post - NO TIME FOR SLATS TO BE CHEAP-SKATE

Daily News - Lundqvist's star is on the rise

Rangers B+ Students At All-Star Break

Scott Burnside at ESPN.com puts a mid-season team-by-team grades report together and gives the Rangers a B+...

Rangers - B-plus
Although they've played better of late and were in first place in the Atlantic as of Wednesday morning, there's still something not quite right in New York, where a fast start has been replaced by maddening inconsistency. The Rangers have scored just two more goals than they've allowed, and that's not the mark of a Cup contender.

...maddening inconsistent is the perfect wording for this Ranger team. However, this recent hot streak has me very excited for the rest of the season.

Thursday Headlines

The Journal News - No rest for the All-Star: Rangers hope Lundqvist can stay fresh

MSG.com - Rangers at the All-Star Break

Oops!!!!

...i can understand the jersey guy making a mistake, but c'mon man you can't wear that in public until it's fixed.

...i remember when I got my first Ranger jersey with Bob Froese on the back, sadly I'm not kidding, I checked the spelling 100 times to make sure it was correct.

...hat tip to Puck Daddy for the pic.

Rangers #10 in Fox Sports Power Rankings

The New York Rangers dropped one spot to #10 in the Fox Sports Power Rankings for the week of January 19th...

10. Rangers - While the Rangers dropped one place in the rankings this week, the team had to be happy with its two wins in three tries in Week 15. New York finished off its longest road trip of the year with a 3-1-1 mark.

Video: Highlights, Analysis & Reaction to Win Against Ducks

Rangers vs. Ducks highlights here.

Rangers broadcasters Al Trautwig and John Giannone give their take on the Blueshirts' 4-2 win over Anaheim here.

Rangers players Blair Betts and Henrik Lundqvist, the No. 1 and No. 2 stars of the game, look back on the Jan. 20 victory over Anaheim here.

Rangers head coach Tom Renney discusses his team's 4-2 victory over Anaheim here.

Wednesday Headlines

The Journal News - Rangers end first half with win

Newsday - Rangers go into break with win over Ducks

New York Times - Penalty Killing Helps Rangers Defeat Ducks

New York Post - RANGERS ROLLING INTO 'STAR' BREAK

New York Post - PRUCHA BACK ON RANGERS BENCH

Daily News - Rangers get special (teams) effort

Daily News - The Bitter Bill: Isles be darned, Whalers may be back - Wow a return of the Whale. That would be sweet!!!

The Bergen Record - Rangers Notes

Rangers 4, Ducks 2

The New York Rangers (28-16-4) defeated the Anaheim Ducks (23-20-5) by the score of 4-2, tonight. For a recap and box score go to Yahoo! Sports.

...great way to go into the All-Star break with a solid win against a good Western Conference opponent. The Rangers are now 4-1 in their last five and hopefully feel real good about finishing the season strong.

...couldn't be happier to see Betts get the empty netter to seal the victory. If there was a season ending award for excellence on the penalty kill he'd get it hands down.

...i think my quote earlier today was '...if you want to get Fritsche some ice time, Renney could easily insert him on the fourth line for Sjostrom without losing anything.' Thanks for making me look bad Freddie. Nice goal though.

...you just have to love Callahan. First he instigates a fight with a guy twice his size then draws an ill-advised penalty on Pahlsson after blasting one of his Duck teammates into the boards leading to the winning goal. You need to have guys like him on your team if you're going to win in the NHL.

...Naslund was playing like he was back on a line with Morrison and Bertuzzi tonight. Awesome to see.

...Voros pretty much cemented his spot in the press box with three minor penalties including the first one just 16 second after Naslund gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead resulting in a Ducks power play goal. For what it's worth, I did like Voros' presence in front of the net on the power play.

...quick fact. Tonight was Kalinin's first minus game since December 20th. He was a +8 during that span.

...Gomez actually earned his paycheck tonight. Congrats on your first power play goal of the season. Wow!!!

...the Rangers now have a week off for the All-Star break and will be back in action next Tuesday at home against Carolina.

Rangers vs. Ducks

The New York Rangers (27-16-4) host the Anaheim Ducks (23-19-5) tonight at MSG starting at 7:00 p.m. For a preview go to Yahoo! Sports.

For last minute news go to The Rangers Report or Blue Notes.

Probable Lines:
Naslund-Gomez-Callahan
Dawes-Drury-Fritsche
Voros-Dubinsky-Zherdev
Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Girardi
Staal-Rozsival
Kalinin-Mara

Goaltenders:
Henrik Lundqvist - 23-13-3, 2.54 gaa, .913 sv%, 2 so.

Jonas Hiller - 11-8-1, 2.09 gaa, .930 sv%, 4 so.

Opponent Notes:
- Anaheim has lost eight of its previous 11 on the road and four of six overall.

- Anaheim has been playing this month with several regulars out with injuries, including star winger Teemu Selanne (thigh).

- Ryan Getzlaf leads the Ducks in goals (17), assists (38) and points (55).

Opponent Fan Blog:
Girl With A Puck
Ducks Blog (OC Register Newspaper Blog)

A Ranger Collapse Coming?

Michael Menser Dell over at LCS Hockey says "It’s only a matter of time before the Rangers collapse" and gives these reasons why...

"Combine the pitiful power play with their lackluster five-on-five scoring, and the Blueshirts have no margin for error. They’re going to have to ride Henrik Lundqvist and their penalty killing to victory most nights. And that could be a winning recipe if their top two blueliners weren’t Michal freakin’ Rozsival and Wade Redden."

Dell also adds that the Rangers team combined plus-minus of -69 (21st in the league) makes them the only current playoff team outside the top 16.

...the other day I had a Chicago Blackhawks blogger e-mail me wondering why Ranger fans were so hard on a (at the time) first place team. He only need to read this article to find out why. This team wins ugly and they lose ugly. And there's only so much ugly Ranger fans can take. If they threw in a beauty queen every once in-a-while we might be a little more excited.

Voros, Fritsche In; Korpikoski and Prucha Out

Sam Weinman at The Rangers Report says that Tom Renney has once again decided to tinker with the line-up as Aaron Voros and Dan Fritsche (scratched the last 20 games) will play tonight against the Ananheim Ducks with Laurie Korpikoski amd Petr Prucha headed to the press box.

Renney said the move was more a match-up decision against the bigger, physical Ducks.

Here is Prucha on the benching...

“Aaron is a bigger, stronger guy than me, so he can play more physical. So if coach wants to match up against bigger players, he’s probably a better player than me for that.”

...despite the letdown in Pittsburgh the Rangers have been playing some pretty good hockey lately. Seems like an odd time to make a line-up change. Especially sitting two energy players in favor of guys that have been collecting mothballs.

...i also don't like that Prucha always seems like the first guy to sit. How about giving Sjostrom a rest? Sure, the fourth line has been the most consistant line all season (maybe because Renney keeps them together for more than a week) and he's not out there to score. But if you want to get Fritsche some ice time, Renney could easily insert him on the fourth line for Sjostrom without losing anything.

Video: Post Practice Interviews

From yesterday...

Rangers head coach Tom Renney speaks to the media following the team's Jan. 19 practice at the MSG Training Center here.

Markus Naslund, Ryan Callahan and Wade Redden discuss the importance of playing well before the All-Star break following the Rangers' Jan. 19 practice here.

Rangers Moment of the Week 1/19

Each Monday, newyorkrangers.com's 'Moment of the Week' invites Ranger fans to vote for the top moment from among three finalists. On Wednesday at noon, the winning moment will be posted along with selected comments from fans who voted for it.

This week's nominees are Nigel Dawes game winner vs. the Islanders, Chris Drury's overtime winner vs. Blackhawks, and Henrik Lundqvist stopping Sidney Crosby penalty shot.

Last week's winner was Lunqvist stopping Penguins 2-on-0.

Shanahan Scores Power Play Goal in Return

In his first game in more than eight months Brendan Shanahan broke a scoreless tie by scoring a power play goal in the Devils 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. For full story click here.

...at this pace Shanahan will have more power play goals than the entire Ranger team by the end of the week.

...in all seriousness, despite this goal it still doesn't change my mind that the Rangers were right to stay away from Shanahan.

Tuesday Headlines

New York Post - AARON SET VOR' RETURN

The Bergen Record - Voros, Fritsche are gearing up

Sick Bay

Sorry folks I was holed up with a nasty stomach virus yesterday. Doesn't look like I missed much.

Penguins 3, Rangers 0

The New York Rangers (27-16-4) lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins (23-20-4) by the score of 3-0, today. For a recap and box score go to Yahoo! Sports.

...looks like someone forgot to tell the Rangers the game started at 12:30 p.m. today. I guess the team was happy with seven out of a possible ten points on the road trip and decided to mail it in.

...got to blame Tom Renney for letting that happen. He needs to make sure this team is ready to go every game and he didn't today.

...since the Rangers didn't feel like playing today, I'm not feeling much like writing about them. So that's all I got.

...the Rangers are back at it Tuesday night when Anaheim is in town.

Rangers @ Penguins (Game 47)

The New York Rangers (27-15-4) visit the Pittsburgh Penguins (22-20-4) today at Mellon Arena starting at 12:30 p.m. For a preview go to Yahoo! Sports.

For last minute news go to The Rangers Report or Blue Notes.

Probable Lines:
Naslund-Gomez-Callahan
Dawes-Drury-Prucha
Korpikoski-Dubinsky-Zherdev
Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Girardi
Staal-Rozsival
Kalinin-Mara

Goaltenders:
Henrik Lundqvist - 23-12-3, 2.53 gaa, .914 sv%, 2 so.

Marc-Andre Fleury - 14-11-2, 2.94 gaa, .905 sv%, 1 so.

Opponent Notes:
- Pittsburgh is just 11-16-2 since mid November.

- The Penguins are 0-1-2 against the Rangers this year.

- Evgeni Malkin leads the team in goals (18) and points (69).

- Brooks Orpik is out today while Sidney Crosby, Max Talbot, Pascal Dupuis, Rob Scuderi and Kris Letang are all day-to-day and questionable for today's game.

Opponent Fan Blog:
Pensburgh

Eklund: Rangers In On Lecavalier Talks

Eklund at HockeyBuzz has now lumped the Rangers as one of the teams interested in the suddenly available Vinny Lecavalier (see Lacavalier availability news here).

Eklund's "source" says that the Rangers would need to part with Marc Staal to get it done.

...the Rangers would also need to part with $7.7 million off their payroll for the next seven years to bring him in.

...hey, I just post this stuff.

...actually, I'm interested. If the Rangers could somehow get Lecavalier under the cap, would any of you be willing to part with Staal to bring him in? Post your feeling in the comments section.

Sunday Headlines

Newsday - Staal quickly becoming Rangers top defenseman

New York Post - DUBINSKY REDISCOVERS SCORING TOUCH

New York Post - RANGERS-ISLES IN 2010 CLASSIC'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO

Daily News - Rangers look to Pen different end

The Bergen Record - Injured Girardi won't miss this one

Girardi OK; Crosby Still Hurting

Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants reports that the Rangers have yet to call up a defenseman from Hartford in case Dan Girardi is unable to go tomorrow because of an upper-body injury (possibly left hand). Gross adds the Rangers could still call someone up tomorrow morning, but Girardi seems good to go.

Gross is also reporting that despite making it through the team's 50-minute practice today Sidney Crosby is still not sure whether he'll be playing in tomorrow's game. Crosby, who suffered a left knee injury Wednesday against the Capitals and did not play Friday against the Ducks, had this to say...

"I'm just kind of on the fence right now, we'll just wait and see tomorrow," said Crosby. "There were a few things that didn't feel great. That's part of injuries and stuff like that. I just want to make sure I'm comfortable playing in a game."

Finally, Gross says the same line-up will be in tomorrow with Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes.

...relieved to hear Girardi is doing ok. Crosby on the other hand, I could care less.

Rangers on Last Night's Refereeing

Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants has these quotes from Tom Renney and Ranger players on the disgusting display of refereeing last night...

Tom Renney:

“We knew we were right there, we knew we could win,” Renney said. “We knew as the game evolved the calls were going one way so keeping our composure would be important.”

“There was consistency,” Renney said regarding the refereeing. “They were calling everything under the bloody sun. You tell me the other team was so squeaky clean in this game. I’m sure I can buy it.”

“So far, maybe the most satisfying,” Renney said about the win.

Chris Drury:

“It’s probably two of the most rewarding (points),” Drury said. “Looking back, it might be two of the most fun.”

Henrik Lundqvist:

“We played five skaters and two referees,” said goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made 32 saves and stopped eight of nine shots with the Blackhawks two men up. “It was unbelievable, there were so many calls. I don’t know where they came from. I’m almost not enjoying the win right now, I’m so annoyed at the calls. I can’t believe we killed that many five-on-threes.”

...again, great job by the players and coaches to keep their composure and not let the calls take them off their game. I'm hopeful a victory like this can really pull this team together and send them on an extended win streak.

Video: Highlights, Analysis & Reaction to Win Against Blackhawks

Rangers vs. Blackhawks highlights here.

Rangers broadcasters John Giannone and Dave Maloney discuss the Blueshirts' 3-2 OT victory over the Chicago Blackhawks here.

Rangers captain Chris Drury, who scored the game-winner in overtime, talks about the Blueshirts' big 3-2 win here.

Rangers players Wade Redden and Brandon Dubinsky look back on their team's dramatic 3-2 overtime win here.

Saturday Headlines

The Journal News - Rangers pull out overtime win

Newsday - RANGERS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2: Drury delivers in OT

Newsday - Rangers overcome powerplay disadvantage to beat Chicago

New York Times - Rangers Win in Overtime, Despite 12 Penalties

New York Times - Harsh Suspensions After Death Inquiry of Rangers Prospect

New York Post - DRURY'S OT WINNER ERASES ONE-SIDED REFEREEING

New York Post - LUNDQVIST UNDERSTUDY COULD BECOME BEST NO. 2 GOALIE IN RANGERS HISTORY

Daily News - Drury's goal in OT powers Blueshirts

The Bergen Record - Penalty kill unit gives Rangers life

The Bergen Record - Rangers notes

Rangers 3, Blackhawks 2, OT

The New York Rangers (27-15-4) defeated the Chicago Blackhawks (24-10-8) by the score of 3-2 in overtime, tonight. For a recap and box score go to Yahoo! Sports.

...that's as sweet a victory as you're ever going to see. Not only do the Rangers defeat a Blackhawks team that's only lost once in regulation in that building while playing with just five defensemen, they overcome one of the most embarrassing refereeing performances on record. I could keep going on about the refs but why bother.

...in the past I've been very critical of Tom Renney's calm demeanor towards the referees, but I've got to give him all the credit in the world for keeping his and his players cool tonight as any outbursts would have led to further penalties and probably an L tonight. Great job Tom.

...speaking of great jobs, if anyone didn't think the Rangers had the #1 penalty kill before the game, they do now. Any Ranger who even played a second on the penalty kill tonight deserves the day off tomorrow.

...now that's the Chris Drury I thought we were getting when we signed him last year. Clutch goals, hard working on the power play and outstanding leadership by never once losing his cool (except for when he broke his stick after Callahan's late third period penalty. Hey who wouldn't have?) during the parade to the penalty box.

...oh yeah that guy in net, what's his name again, he was pretty good tonight too.

...hope Girardi is alright or we might see an NHL debut for Bobby Sanguinetti Sunday afternoon.

...off tomorrow then the Sunday Afternoon Game of the Week on NBC against the Penguins trying to pick up nine out of 10 points on this road trip.

Rangers @ Blackhawks (Game 46)

The New York Rangers (26-15-4) visit the Chicago Blackhawks (24-10-7) tonight at the United Center starting at 8:30 p.m. For a preview go to Yahoo! Sports.

For last minute news go to The Rangers Report or Blue Notes.

Probable Lines:
Naslund-Gomez-Callahan
Dawes-Drury-Prucha
Korpikoski-Dubinsky-Zherdev
Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Girardi
Staal-Rozsival
Kalinin-Mara

Goaltenders:
Henrik Lundqvist - 22-12-3, 2.55 gaa, .913 sv%, 2 so.

Nikolai Khabibulin - 13-3-4, 2.31 gaa, .926 sv%, 1 so.

Opponent Notes:
- Chicago is 14-2-4 at home this season and are 13-4-0 since December 7th.

- Chicago's defenseman Duncan Keith will miss tonight's game due to an undisclosed injury that occured after a hard, open ice hit during the Blackhawks last game. Keith tops Chicago with a plus-23 rating, and has collected 16 (three goals, 14 assists) of his 26 points over the last 17 contests.

- Nikolai Khabibulin has won seven of his last 11 starts against the Rangers, shutting them out twice and boasting a 2.01 GAA in those outings. He’s also 7-0-3 with a 1.82 GAA in 11 home games.

- Patrick Sharp leads the Blackhawks with 21 goals, while Patrick Kane leads the team with 42 points.

Opponent Blog:
Second City Hockey