Posted by lucko on 10/1/2020 11:20:00 PM (view original):
King Henrik. Best goalie in Ranger history. and thats saying something considering Ranger history. that franchise has had its share of greats. Dave Kerr, Ed Giacomin, John Vabiesbrouck and Mike Richter.

I've been using Cam Talbot as my backup in most leagues!!

Former Ranger Jesper Fast has landed with the Hurricanes on a three-year, $6 million contract.

****, my favorite Ranger, 5 time player's player award winner(tied Jean Ratelle),

Gorton is ******* awful, signing Jack Johnson, the worst defenseman in the NHL and not coming up with $2 million a year for Fast.

The New York Rangers have signed offensive defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $4.8 million. Prior to the two sides hammering this deal out, DeAngelo was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

The New York Rangers have avoided arbitration with Ryan Strome and signed him to a two-year deal worth $4.5 million a season against the cap.


While the Rangers and Brendan Lemieux appeared to be headed for an arbitration hearing this morning to decide his next contract, that process won’t be necessary. Larry Brooks has reported that team has agreed on a two year, $3.1 million contract with their pesky forward, and the Blueshirts confirmed the news shortly thereafter:

Henrik Lundqvist Will Not Play Next Season Because of a Heart Condition

Two months after signing with the Washington Capitals, the former Rangers goaltender said he made the decision after “many weeks of tests and conversations with specialists around the country.”

Henrik Lundqvist to Undergo Open Heart Surgery

Given the severity of this procedure, it is good to know that Lundqvist will have the work done by top medical experts. Any surgery involving the heart is major, let alone a surgery on multiple parts of the heart.

Best wishes to Henrik and his family on the upcoming procedure, and hopefully it is able to give him an overall improved quality of life.

Islanders beat Rangers 4-0 in 1st of 8 games between rivals

NEW YORK (AP) Anders Lee finished with two goals and joined Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal with first-period goals as the New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers 4-0 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.

Semyon Varlamov stopped 24 shots for his 28th career shutout and third with the Islanders. Defenseman Nick Leddy added two assists.

''We know how important points are in a shortened season, we wanted to come out and play well,'' Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. ''I thought our whole bench was moving their legs and doing all the right things.''

Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves as the Rangers fell in the first of eight games between the rivals. Alexis Lafreniere, the first overall selection of the 2020 NHL draft, made his debut and recorded one shot in 15:27 minutes of ice time.

''It was a good lesson for our young group in patient hockey and what it takes to win at this level,'' Rangers alternate captain Chris Kreider said. ''That's a very detailed team, they don't give you a whole lot. Anything you get, you got to earn. I think we relied a little too much on our East-West play, too much on our skill. . That's a very good team, but we definitely didn't play well.''

Barzal capped off the three-goal first period with an impressive stick-handling maneuver before sending the puck past Shesterkin. The Islanders signed Barzal to a three-year contract earlier this month worth a reported $21 million. The 23-year-old center has led the Islanders in scoring in each of his three NHL seasons.

Nelson scored his first of the season 2:33 into the first period on the power play. Anthony Beauvillier's shot deflected off Adam Fox's skate to Nelson in the slot for an early Islanders lead.

''When you get that close like we did last season, it makes you just want to get back to that spot and take that next step,'' Lee said in reference to last season's playoff run to the Eastern Conference final. ''You can't just get there, you have to play a whole regular season and put all the work in. It started with that mentality tonight, we got a long way to go. We have a great foundation to build off of.''

Lee doubled the Islanders' lead 1:19 after the opening strike, scoring on a wrist shot from the right circle. Defenseman Nick Leddy recorded his second assist of the game on the goal.

Shesterkin became the first goaltender other than Henrik Lundqvist to start a season opener for the Rangers since Kevin Weekes in October 2005. Lundqvist signed with the Washington Capitals in October, but is unable to play this season due to a heart condition.

Lee was credited with his second goal after winning a puck battle. Twenty-one-year-old defenseman Noah Dobson also assisted on the Islanders' second power-play goal.

''They are very structured, well coached, they've got guys that understand how to win at this level, they don't beat themselves,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''We didn't play fast enough, we didn't use our speed to our advantage.''

BUILDING BLOCKS

The Islanders enter the season after making it to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

FRESH LOOK

The average age of a player on the Rangers' active roster entering the season is 25.5 years old, which is the youngest in the NHL. It was the first time in franchise history that seven players 22 or younger (Filip Chytil, Adam Fox, Brett Howden, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, Ryan Lindgren and K'Andre Miller) played in a season-opening game according to NHL Stats and Information.

UP NEXT

The Islanders and Rangers play again Saturday at Madison Square Garden as part of a truncated 56-game schedule. The teams will square off seven more times this season as part of a travel-friendly East Division that includes the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Buchnevich, Panarin lead Rangers to 5-0 win over Islanders

AP

NEW YORK (AP) Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin each scored twice and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 23 shots for his fifth career shutout, leading the New York Rangers to a 5-0 win over the Islanders on Saturday night.

Kaapo Kakko also scored as the Rangers bounced back for their first victory two nights after being blanked 4-0 by the Islanders in the season opener.

''Today was a much better defensive game from us,'' Georgiev said. ''The score dictated a lot of the game because we were leading from the start. We managed to play really smart hockey, let the chances come to us and not rush anything.''

Ilya Sorokin had 27 saves in his NHL debut for the Islanders, getting the start after Semyon Varlamov was hit near the throat by a shot from Cal Clutterbuck in warmups. Cory Schneider, who signed a one-year contract with the Islanders this month, dressed as the backup.

''We hung him out to dry,'' Islanders coach Barry Trotz said of Sorokin. ''We put him in a tough circumstance. . Turnovers, bad plays, poor execution, we were junk today.''

The Islanders went 0-4 on the power play and Mathew Barzal was called for three minor penalties.

Buchnevich opened the scoring 2:12 into the game after Mika Zibanejad stole the puck from Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson in front of the Islanders' bench. It was the Rangers' first goal of the season.

Panarin converted a breakaway to double the Rangers' first-period advantage with 7:14 left. Brendan Smith blocked a shot in the defensive zone then delivered a stretch pass in his season debut to spring the newly selected alternate captain.

''The right words were spoken in the locker room and it was a good lesson for all of us,'' Panarin said in reference to the loss Thursday. ''We changed some things in our game, and we were happy with the outcome.''

Buchnevich added his second of the contest with a sharp-angled wrist shot from the left faceoff dot at 5:57 of the second. Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield struggled to control a rolling puck after getting tied up with an official.

''He is working hard, he wants to get better, he is coachable, he is just really growing up,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said about Buchnevich. ''I am just so happy for him that he is getting rewarded statistically but he is doing all these other things he wasn't doing two years ago. Its just fun to watch people grow.''

Phillip Di Giuseppe set up Kakko with 4:36 left in the middle period to make it 4-0. Dobson struggled to exit the Islanders' defensive zone and the Rangers took advantage of the turnover. Filip Chytil also assisted on the play.

Panarin capped the scoring on the Rangers' seventh power play of the game with 4:04 remaining off a pass from Adam Fox. Buchnevich had an assist for his third point of the game.

''I think its just a really bad outing,'' Islanders captain Anders Lee said. ''It's not representative of how we want to play. Turned a few too many pucks over, took too many penalties, they played a much better game than we did.''

CLOSE CALL

Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock caught a puck up high in the first period. He immediately left the ice and headed toward the locker room. He did return to start the middle frame and totaled 21:23 of ice time.

STREET CLOTHES

Rangers D Tony DeAngelo was scratched after he was whistled for holding in the third period of the season opener and then compounded the mistake with an unsportsmanlike penalty. He played only a minute the rest of the game. DeAngelo was scratched several times last season for disciplinary reasons.

LINE CHANGES

Alexis Lafreniere, selected by the Rangers with the first overall pick in the NHL draft, was elevated to the second line to skate on the right side with LW Panarin and C Ryan Strome. Kakko, the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, was moved down to the third line with Di Giuseppe and Chytil.

UP NEXT

Islanders: Host Boston in their home opener on Monday night.

Rangers: Host New Jersey on Tuesday night in the finale of a season-opening three-game homestand.

Posted by bronxcheer on 11/29/2019 12:02:00 PM (view original):

sad

Hughes has 3 points in 2nd period as Devils beat Rangers 4-3

NEW YORK (AP) Jack Hughes had two goals and an assist in New Jersey's three-goal second period, Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 47 shots and the Devils beat the New York Rangers 4-3 Tuesday night.

Miles Wood had a goal and an assist, and Travis Zajac also scored to give New Jersey at least a point in each of its first three games (2-0-1). The Devils gave coach Lindy Ruff, a Rangers assistant the previous three seasons, a win against his former team.

Blackwood, starting for the third straight game, made seven saves in the first period and 20 each in the second and third. He had seven stops in the final 4:51.

''That was a great effort by everyone blocking shots at the end, pushing stuff to the outside, keeping them on the flanks and not letting the shots go through,'' Blackwood said. ''You've got to find a way to close out tight games on the road. And I think we're all pretty proud of the way that we shut that one out tonight at the end.''

Hughes, who nearly had an another point on a disallowed goal, gave Blackwood credit for the Devils' early-season success.

''He's the reason we're winning hockey games right now,'' Hughes said. ''Gives us a lot of a lot of confidence knowing that he's back there and he's going to shut the door.''

Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play, and Filip Chytil also had a goal for the Rangers. Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox each had two assists.

Alexandar Georgiev gave up four goals on 20 shots through two periods. Igor Shesterkin came on to begin the third and finished with eight saves.

Chytil pulled the Rangers within one as he knocked in the rebound of an attempt by Phil Di Giuseppe at the 7-minute mark of the third period. It was the first even-strength goal allowed by the Devils this season.

New York pulled Shesterkin during its sixth power play with a little more than 2 minutes left for a two-man advantage, but couldn't get the tying goal.

''We got looks, we spent a lot of time in their zone,'' Kreider said of the Rangers' push in the third. ''I thought we did a pretty good job executing what we wanted to do, we just didn't get the bounces. We continued to jump on loose pucks and hem them in. ... We weren't just working the perimeter on the power play. We were getting rubber to the net.''

Zibanejad left the game with about 4 minutes to go after sliding hard into the boards.

The Rangers tied the score 1-all early in the second. Blackwood stopped Panarin's initial shot before Kreider came in and attempted a backward pass. The puck deflected off Devils defenseman Ryan Murray's skate and through Blackwood's legs at 2:50.

Hughes regained the lead for New Jersey less than 90 seconds later. Ty Smith's shot was deflected up by Georgiev over the goalie and off the post. With the puck sitting in the crease in front of the goal line, Hughes swooped in and put it in.

Kreider nearly tied it again on a power play, but his shot rang off the post at 7:19.

Hughes then pushed the Devils' lead to 3-1 just 1:19 later on a breakaway as he skated in and put a backhand through Georgiev's legs.

Zibanejad pulled the Rangers back within one on a one-timer from a sharp angle from the left side with 7:51 left in the middle period.

''We didn't have the start we wanted,'' New York defenseman Jacob Trouba said. ''We got to a game we like more. ... There's some things we want to adjust, but some things to be happy with, not to be super discouraged about. I think getting off to a faster start is something we want to do.''

Wood restored the Devils' two-goal lead with 4 minutes left on their power play. Hughes sent a pass from the left side through traffic to the right doorstep, and the puck went off Wood's stick and right skate and in. It was Wood's third goal of the season and 100th career point.

P.K. Subban appeared to extend the Devils' lead with 2:15 remaining in the period, but the goal was disallowed after the Rangers challenged for offside on the play.

Zajac got the Devils on the scoreboard 32 seconds into the game, scoring on the rebound of a shot by Wood as the Devils took advantage while the Rangers were making a line change.

TWO MORE

Panarin, who scored twice in the Rangers' 5-0 win over the Islanders on Saturday night, had his second straight two-point game. The star left wing had a career-high 95 points in 69 games a year ago in his first season in New York.

MILESTONE WATCH

Zajac's goal was his 99th career point. It was also his 18th goal against the Rangers, tying him with Bobby Holik for third-most in franchise history against New York. Patrik Elias (23) tops the list, followed by John MacLean (21).

SCHEDULING

This was one of 10 games for the Rangers this season in which they are not playing the same opponent multiple times. For the Devils, this was one of nine times they don't play the same team in back-to-back games. However, the Rangers and Devils will play each other four straight games April 13-18.

UP NEXT

Devils: At the New York Islanders on Thursday night before a three-game homestand.

Rangers: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night to open a two-game series and four-game road trip.

Penguins rally past Rangers for 4-3 shootout victory

PITTSBURGH (AP) Mike Sullivan is impressed with his team's resiliency. The Pittsburgh Penguins coach would just prefer it if his players didn't rely on it so much.

Kris Letang scored in the final round of a shootout, and Pittsburgh beat the New York Rangers 4-3 on Friday night for its third straight comeback victory.

Letang ripped a backhand over Igor Shesterkin to put the Penguins in front. Tristan Jarry collected his first win of the season when he stuffed New York's Tony DeAngelo moments later. Jarry's teammates poured over the boards to celebrate, while Sullivan exhaled after Pittsburgh scrambled back from a two-goal deficit.

''Once again it seems to be a bit of a recurring theme where it takes that type of adversity in the game for us to respond,'' Sullivan said. ''We've got to find ways to have better starts.''

New York's Filip Chytil, Adam Fox and Kaapo Kakko scored in a 3:01 span of the second period to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead. Shesterkin made 26 stops but let in two of the three shots he faced in the shootout.

''Just a part of our learning curve,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''We have to understand we're up 3-1, there's a certain way to play. Certainly didn't do that tonight.''

Bryan Rust and Jared McCann collected their first goals of the season for Pittsburgh, which has won three straight following an 0-2 start. Teddy Blueger tied it with less than 10 minutes to go and Jarry finished with 31 saves, an impressive response after being given two games off following a pair of rocky performance in Philadelphia last week.

''It's huge,'' McCann said. ''Tristan works hard every single day. He's a guy that you can really stand in front of and know he's going to make the big save for us. Moving forward we've got to play better in front of him for sure.''

ROOKIE RUT

New York forward Alex Lafreniere, the top pick in the 2020 draft, is still looking for his first NHL point despite moving to the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Lafreniere didn't record a shot and was on the ice for a pair of Penguin goals.

''Alexis continues to do good things,'' Quinn said. ''He's going to continue to get better. It's Game 4 into his NHL career. I just love his passion and enthusiasm.''

ROOKIE RAVE

Pittsburgh defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph played 13:02 in his NHL debut and picked up the primary assist on Blueger's goal when his blast from the point hit off the end boards and ended up on Blueger's stick just outside the crease.

Joseph, part of the trade that sent Phil Kessel to Arizona in June 2019, was forced into action following injuries to Marcus Pettersson and Juuso Riikola. The 21-year-old sprinted around the ice before the opening faceoff to get the jitters out and then played with a poise the Penguins will need with Pettersson and Riikola both expected to be out for several weeks.

''Once the game starts, it's hockey,'' Joseph said. ''I've been playing the sport forever. I told myself to enjoy it. It's the first one. It comes only once.''

HARSH WORDS

It's probably a good thing Sullivan is required to wear a mask on the bench as part of the NHL's COVID-19 protocols. He called a timeout following the three-goal flurry that gave the Rangers the lead and gave an impassioned speech that doubled as a wake-up call, the visible parts of his face turning red while testing the elasticity of his black mask.

''I was certainly trying to elicit a certain response and I wanted us to have a little pushback,'' Sullivan said. ''It starts with our compete level and it starts with a mindset and a will to win and so that was part of the discussion. That's just part of the emotion of the game.''

UP NEXT

The teams complete their two-game set in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. They meet again at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.

Guentzel's 100th career goal lifts Penguins past Rangers 3-2

PITTSBURGH (AP) Jake Guentzel scored the 100th goal of his NHL career with less than two minutes remaining, rallying the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday night.

Guentzel's goal at 18:29 was his second of the season.

''We have a resilient group,'' Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ''These guys, especially the core guys in the leadership group, have been through a lot. If they're in a one-, or two-goal game, they know they're capable of winning those games.''

Pittsburgh trailed 2-1 entering the third period before Jared McCann and Guentzel scored in the final 20 minutes, extending the Penguins' win streak to four games after two opening losses. It was Pittsburgh's fourth straight comeback win, tying the longest such streak in franchise history. The Penguins have had four straight comebacks six times.

It was Pittsburgh's fourth win of the season, but first in regulation, as the previous three came in the shootout or overtime. Bryan Rust also scored and Tristan Jarry made 20 saves for the Penguins, who started 4-0 at home for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

''We're developing that confidence, knowing that it doesn't matter how many goals we're down, or what the situation of the game is, we can always make a push to come back,'' Rust said.

Colin Blackwell and Ryan Strome scored for the Rangers, who held a 3-1 lead against Pittsburgh on Friday before losing in a shootout. Igor Shesterkin stopped 16 shots for the Rangers.

GUENTZEL HITS A MILESTONE

Guentzel's slap shot from the top of the circle beat Shesterkin between the pads for the game-winner. He became the 17th player in team history and the 10th-fastest to record their first 100 goals with Pittsburgh.

Guentzel became the sixth member of the 2013 draft class and the only one outside of the top-10 to score 100 goals.

''Obviously, it's a cool honor, and we're fortunate that it was the game-winner,'' Guentzel said. ''It's a big goal for us. Any chance to get two points is definitely big.''

SPARKING THE OFFENSE

Penguins F Evan Rodrigues left the game midway through the second period following a collision with Rangers F Filip Chytil.

With Rodrigues in the dressing room, Rust was promoted to the top line, alongside Guentzel and Sidney Crosby, and he tied the game at 1-all on the next shift. Rust, who extended his point streak to five games, took a lead pass from Crosby and beat Shesterkin between the pads on a breakaway.

''When we made the change and put (Rust) with (Crosby) and (Guentzel), they had instant success,'' Sullivan said. ''Those guys have been familiar with one another and they played together for a long period of time.''

LETTING ANOTHER ONE GO

New York Rangers' coach David Quinn lamented allowing another lead slip away against Pittsburgh - the second time in as many games.

The Penguins scrambled back from a two-goal deficit to beat New York in a shootout on Friday. Pittsburgh scored twice in the third period to defeat the Rangers in regulation on Sunday, as New York opened the season with one win in its first five games.

''You just have to find ways to win,'' Quinn said. ''We've been talking about the good things that we did, but you've got to win hockey games. To come here and play some good hockey and come away with one point is really disappointing.''

UP NEXT

Pittsburgh, which closed a four-game homestand, travels to Boston on Tuesday for the start of a four-game trip.

The New York Rangers continue a four-game trip Tuesday at Buffalo. The Rangers will host Pittsburgh for a two-game set on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 at Madison Square Garden.