The Rangers fall to the Bruins 3-2 in OT and trail the best of 7 series 1-0. For a box score, click here.
Terrible way to lose a game. The Rangers did not play well in OT following a early NYR penalty by Dorsett and a turnover in the offensive zone leads to an odd man rush for the game winner. What felt like a winnable game goes by the way-side. Cup bound teams have to hold on to one goal third period leads in the playoffs. At home, on the road, or on Mars. Unacceptable.
The New York Rangers visit the Boston Bruins at TD Garden for Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals match-up starting at 7:30 p.m. For a preview go to Yahoo! Sports.
...assuming no one is surprised by this. I don't even want to speculate when either of these guys will be available. Maybe, Game 3 the earliest. I'd say Clowe is probably closer than Staal.
Luckily for the Rangers, the Bruins are just a beat up and will likely be relying on inexperienced defensemen tonight....
Julien also says "doesn't look good" for Ference, Seidenberg and Redden.
Filling in for those three will be Matt Bartkowski (20 career regular season games), Torrey Krug (3 career regular season games) and Dougie Hamilton (42 career regular season games). Both Bartkowski and Hamilton played in the epic Game 7 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Bartkowski scored) while Krug was recalled from the Providence Bruins of the AHL.
Wade Redden isn't the only ex-Rangers player in this series for the Bruins, as the man many give credit for turning around the Blueshirts franchise after the 2005-06 lockout, Jaromir Jagr, will also be looking to eliminate his former team. But before the puck drops he only has glowing remarks for his one-time place of employment (via CSNNE)...
“I have a lot of good memories in New York. All of the years, we made the playoffs. In the first year nobody believed we could make the playoffs, and we did it. My first year was Hank’s first year and Tom Renney’s first year as a coach,” said Jagr. “We had such a good group of players and we surprised everybody. Such good memories in that hockey time for me.
“But now it’s a different story. I’m not good now. I was a lot better hockey player then, when I was in New York. Of course I’m different. I am honest. I cannot lie.”
...Jagr is obviously a shell of his former self, but his big ass body still presents a difficult match-up for the Rangers and if he can somehow rekindle some of that old Jagr magic the Blueshirts could be in trouble.
...while I hated Jagr during all those years in Pittsburgh, he will always have a special place in my heart for being one of the biggest reasons the Rangers were able to climb out of the Black Hole that was the early 2000s.
His run in the 2008 playoffs was my greatest memory of him in a Rangers uniform...
Jagr said this about trying to beat his former teammate Henrik Lundqvist in this series...
It's obvious that if the Bruins want to beat the Rangers they're going to have to go through Henrik Lundqvist. And their GM Peter Chiarelli thinks the best way to do that is by creating traffic in front (via Bruins Daily)...
“We’re talking about traffic. We’re talking about net front and we’re talking about getting pucks deep. Really, it’s a simple recipe and I think you could probably canvas all of these press conferences and with the questions to GM’s, you would probably hear a lot of the same film. He’s a big goalie. He’s been really good against us. You’ve got to move him around. You’ve got to get traffic and get pucks on him.”
...going to be on the Rangers defensemen to drive guys like Lucic and Horton away from the front of the net to open up the lanes for Lundqvist to see Chara bombs from the point.
...it's also going to be imperative that the forwards get out to the points to make sure they're blocking those big point shots as well. Wonder if the Rangers are issuing Iron Man like body armor to their players as an additional precaution against Chara breaking another player's leg...
Here's Dan Girardi on boxing out the Bruins forwards (via Boston.com)...
Courtesy of the one, the only AJ Castiglia comes his latest Rangers pump up video appropriately entitled "Semi-Finals"...
...ok, I'm officially ready for the Bruins.
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After yesterday's practice the Rangers discussed what they expect from the Bruins in this series (via ESPN.com)...
Derek Dorsett...
“They’re a big, physical team. A heavy team. It’ll be a war.”
Brad Richards...
“That team has been the same type of team for three, four years. I don’t think much has changed there, even their lines. There’s a little difference, but we’ve seen Boston since they won the Cup that year. There aren’t going to be a lot of surprises. It’s gonna be about patience and a lot of defending, I imagine, and who sticks with it longer.”
Ryan McDonagh...
“Their top line is really clicking right now. Obviously, that’s going to be a task in itself to try and defend whoever’s out there with them. We’re gonna try to do it the same way we did against Washington, as a five-man unit, try to make them defend and wear them out that way.”
...i think Richards said it perfectly. What you see is what you get with the Bruins. They're going to try and physically dominate you playing a north/south game. It'll be up to the Rangers to match that toughness, while staying discipline.
...a couple of goals from Nash would be nice as well.
On the flip side, here's Patrice Bergeron on the Rangers...
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Fresh off his stellar opening-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals, Derick Brassard has a lot to feel good about. He's been given a second chance in New York after some injury-riddled years in Columbus.
"This is the best I've felt in a long time," Brassard told NHL.com. "I just feel like I don't think as much on the ice here, I just play. The way we play the game and the way we manage the puck I think it fits really well with my style. They don't make me try to play another game. Why I play in the NHL is because I make plays, and now not only is my confidence high, it's the best I've felt in a long time."
Aside from Henrik Lundqvist, you can make the case that Brassard was the MVP of the opening round of the playoffs. As Torts eluded to after Game 6, its the playoffs that define a hockey player -- not the regular season. Brassard is certainly making a name for himself.
Teammates have started to take notice of Brassard's improved play.
