Rangers In Season Running Thread...

Just a place to throw down your thoughts on the team.  Like most I have some pretty high expectations for this season.  Right now we are a little sluggish out of the gate.  Plenty of time to recover.  However, I do have a problem with the Rangers getting this Europe to start the season BS again.  It's an unfair drain as it is, but then you do it to them twice in a row?  I guess they figure the big market teams can more easily absorb the loss of revenue by missing out on a home tilt.  It's still garbage IMHO.  Oh well, we have Brad Richards now and Callahan has the big C.  We know the King will always be solid.  Hopefully Gaborik can get back on track with Richards creating him more off the puck opportunities.  Go Rangers!

happy to wake up and see that they won. sad that I wasted my time laboring through 11+  periods, 2 OT's and 2 shootouts of very mediocre hockey and missed the best period of the season so far ha ha ha

I  think they will gel, but they need about a month or two to break the old bad habits they have developed through years of being unable to score. Guys, like anisimov for example, try to make that one extra move when they should shoot. That Line- Duby, Cally, and AA always looks best when they dont have to be counted on to carry the scoring load. I'd expect 25-30 goals apeice from this line  if Gabby and Richards can find some magic.

On the other hand, I am really worried about Staal. Its been like 8 months since the hit, so this sounds like a career threatener, I hope he comes back the same. He is huge on D when you look at the makeup of the Rangers... Girardi and McDonagh are currently #1 and #2, followed by the frighteners...

Cant wait til this european and western swing is over, and I can watch the games at a reasonable time....really ridiculous to start out a season this way.

LETS GO RANGERS!!!

Undoubtedly this is a ridiculous way to start the season.  I'll settle for 4 points in 4 games so far.  I look at it as something we won't have hanging over our heads at a later point in the season.  Was good to see them get the win last night, but it did require the all too familiar "Henrik stands on his Head" routine.  We won 4-0, but were outshot 40-20 so that's concerning.  Like you said JCuervo, they just need some time to gel.  As far as Staal goes, you see how long Sidney Crosby has been out of action and it's got to concern you.  Even when he does get back out there, how aggressive will he be?  Not good.  Good win last night indeed, Go Rangers!!

2 games out west, 2 wins.  You have to be happy with that.  Even more happy that Marion Gaborik picked up his 4th goal of the season last night on an assist from Richards.  I mentioned it when we signed Richards that I thought it would benefit Gaborik more than anybody.  TI's looking good so far.  Also the King picked it up after giving up 2 in the first, one was pretty soft too.  Nice, Go Rangers!

I still haven't been able to sit down and watch a game but it seems like they're starting to get their feet under them after the Europe trip which definitely took a toll on them. Grabbing two out west against two top notch teams is huge. Seeing Gaborik light the lamp is what we all expected with the Richards deal so it's nice to see a big name deal pan out (so far). Long way to go, but I feel pretty good about this team the rest of the way, lets just hope they can avaoid anymore injuries.

this long road trip is a joke, but Gabby has started off well, Richards is coming along, and Henrik is still the King.

Duby and Cally need to get it going, i fear Callys is trying to hard because of that C on his chest this year, and Duby is pressing because of the contract, they have gotten points in every game they have played besides 1, so id say thats a pretty good start, despite as I stated earlier the harsh road schedule..

GO Rangers

O and in other news, have you guys seen the Rangers winter classics?? so sick, im getting obe, cant decide, Henrik or Callahan

Gotta go with the King!

While it seems they are starting to recover from the over seas trip and a long road trip to boot. It still concerns me about all the stupid penalties. You can talk about stopping them all you want but until you actually stop taking them they are putting too much pressure on The King.

I know the NHL straight boned the Rangers to start the season, but they didn't even show up last night.  That was unacceptable regardless of how tough of an early season road they have been going down.  My buddy said Torts wouldn't even answer questions last night after the game.  Can't blame him, what could he really say besides "We stunk up the joint tonight".  That would pretty much sum it up.  Hopefully we can pull this one out against the Jets tomorrow night, 3 of 4 would be a nice road trip.

I saw somehting on TV the other day...the NHL didnt bone the Rangers as we might think. I think it was intentional because of the remodeling in MSG, to provide an extra 2-3 weeks to finish and prep. 

As for the teams play, they really have only played 1 exceptional period this season. They have looked pretty flat otherwise. Sauer and Staal being out are killing us. And up front we look like we have no energy.  At this point we are very lucky to have 6 points, because we realistically could have 0 with the way we have played.

I really hope returning to MSG this week gives us a spark.

I'm going to get back on my old soap box...

I don't see them as contenders as long as Tortorella is there.  IMO, he got lucky in TB when he won.

He is back to his old making faces and juggling lines already.

If they are flat, if they are taking too many penalties, if they have no energy, etc. etc.  that reflects on him as well as the players.  They continue to improve the talent on the team, but so far the result is the same.  We still spend entirely too much time in our own end.  You can blame that on the offense or defense (or coach), but so far this year we have been outplayed (timewise and zonewise) by everybody.

It is an absolute crime to have the talent they have and not show some type of set offense.  The continuing long pass, tip the puck into the attacking zone and cycle all night long is a loser.  Just about all of our opposition attack the Rangers zone with anywhere from 2 to 5 players at a time.  They criss-cross, they bring it down one side and pass to the center, etc.  The Rangers bang it around and hope.  And finally get MDZ off the power play, or off the roster.  I think he was a 1 year wonder. 

 

Big win tonight, finishing 3-1 in Cannada. 3-2-2 now

Got a 6 game home stand coming up now. I`d gotta go atleast 4-2, that would put us at 7-4-2.
Pretty good considering we start 0-1-2

Anyone else who actually watched the game last night will agree with me on this:  The Rangers were lucky.  They were outplayed the entire game.  Sometimes in sports you win games you really don't deserve to win and last night was one of those games.  Still a win is a win is a win.  Finally back to the Garden, which I'm excited for.  However, if we don't start gathering some sort of clue offensively it's going to be a long season.  I hope they start clicking beginning with this homestand.  Let's Go Rangers!

There was a time last year when I watched Crosby play and I remember thinking, man that guy seems to be able to do anything he wants out there..., it was like he was in total control of himself and the game.  I got a similar feeling watching Kessel on a couple of plays this year..., he'll never be Crosby but he just seemed very much in control and aware..., he seemed to let the game unfold in front of him.
Cally's game winning goal last night was just the opposite; I don't begrudge Cally some luck, he deserves it!  But that wasn't even a good pass; the shot and rebound would have been a better play.  I get no good vibes from the Rangers right now; the team never improves; but don't go down one goal to them late in the third because they can shut you down as good as anyone with Henrik backing up that mind-numbing, pull your hair out and scream and then start sobbing - defense.  It's enough to make a bitch eat her pups!!!

Yeah no kidding.  That was funny bro!  If I had a dollar for everytime over that last 5 years that I spent the last 10 minutes of a Rangers game screaming "Get the DAMN puck out of the zone!", I'd be a rich man.

I agree....i have seen every period this year except the 3rd against Vancouver (of course i missed the best one) and have yet to see any signs of cohesion in any area of the game. Truthfully, we are lucky to have a single point right now, much less 8 of them. I think we will gel, but we will all get totally frustrated before it happens. Probably looking at a really tough 1st half.
 

All I have to say about tonights home opener is "Man, what a stinker"

Man it was not a good night J, I really expected better in our home opener.  They almost seemed like they were still lagging from the road trip.  You add our offense that is still figuring things out with Henrik being less reliable than his normal self and these are the results.  Hopefully we get our act together against the Senators tomorrow night.  Man, did anyone else catch the score in the Flyers-Jets game?  Ridiculous.  Apparently Jaromir Jagr can still play at a pretty high level, but we'll see if he can stay healthy.

I find myself agreeing with Old Ranger Fan, again.  This team will not win with Torts at the helm.  They have not figured out how to be aggressive without taking penalties, which is a coaching issue.  This team is not a bunch of rookies anymore.  Every shift has a different line combination, and the forwards just collapse into the defensive zone.  Then it becomes a game of dump and chase, and it has become very deliberate and easy to defend against.

Also, thinking of Jagr, he would not have even made this team.  I actually think Torts would have run him out of town because he isn't gritty enough.  This team needs that balance, like grit and finesse, but he doesn't like it that way.