Hockey Fans

So, the playoffs started tonight.

And the Rangers WIN!!!

Rangers defeat the Capitals 4-3 in Game 1.
Scorers include: Scott Gomez, Nik Antropov, Markus Naslund, and the game winner by Brandon Dubinsky. Gomez had a total of 3 points on the night.

Captain Chris Drury did not play, due to an upper body injury.
Rangers didn't do too well on the faceoffs tonight either.

Well, one game down, at least three more to go. I hope they're all as thrilling as this one was: my sister's mad Ovechkin lost, the dad's glad that the Rangers actually won a game, my mom still thinks Lundqvist is a terrible goalie, and I almost stabbed my hand because I was making a sandwich when they won. :lol:

I love the playoffs.

 

Our own league is now over, one of my hate teams lost the finals and team that won, has never won before so it was a big yay! One of my fave teams became third ( these are our national Championships)

as for NHL playoffs... Sami Salo scored \o/ he is such a great defenseman. And Pittsburgh won - yay \o/

 

Since my blog sites are unavailable, I'll just "blog" here for now.



Rangers Survive a Tough Night in Washington

Rangers faced a tough night as they faced the Washington Caps. First period was scoreless as both teams had a tough time trying to make a goal. Although Caps deserve credit for their defensive and offensive work.
They dominated the first and half of second period in the game - until of course Rangers were able to to get on their feet and fire right back. Rangers main focus (during first period, that is) was PK, we all saw a familliar pairings forwards Blair Betts and Fredrik Sjostrom. Sjostrom recieved a hard hit against the boards (on the head) but was able to recover relatively quikly.

Marc Staal (Rangers defenceman) who got much attention for literally running over Ovechkin, on a few occasions. Not Avery like everyone thought. Avery did quite well in this game, he kept his cool at first, later on he got more physical. With no goals and no assists Avery was still able to make himself useful. Another Rangers defenceman contributed to stopping "Alexander the Great" was Dan Girardi, who cut off Ovechkin before he can make his move on Lundqvist.

The rock behind the Rangers was of course Henrik Lundqvist, who saved Rangers from being eliminated early in the game (and through out). He truly proved the reason why he was chosen MVP. He faced more shots than Jose Theodore,who didn't get much action in the first period - and he looked shaky in the second.

After Tomas Fleischmann tipped Ovechkin's shot past Lundqvist 6:40 into the second period,Scott Gomez beat Theodore below his blocker, Nik Antropov got him over his right shoulder and Markus Naslund bested him with a wrister on his stick side. And, finally, Dubinsky scored the game-winner with a shot past Theodore's glove side.


The Washington Capitals may have been the better in defence/offence, but they had no change against New York elite goalie.


For me personnaly, the game was a heart stopper, I've never been more nervous for the Rangers. There
were time when I though - thats it, its over - were done here. But I'm glad we pulled through. LETS GO RANGERS!!!!


Goal Scorers

Scott Gomez (2)

Nik Anthropov

Brandon Dubinsky


Tibit

Rangers forward Ryan Callahan showed why coach John Tortorella likes him so much. Callahan didn't end up with a goal or an assist, but he was a plus-1 with seven hits and two shots on goal. He was effective working with linemates Markus Naslund and Brandon Dubinsky, who teamed up for the game-winning goal right after coming on the ice for a shift change.

 

Okay...

Ducks kicked some San Jose's ass..okay, 0-1 but still...they won.

Too bad Calgary and Montreal lost, I cheer especially for Habs!

hmm..then there was 4th game as well, but I don't remember the result of that or what teams those were.

I am so mad if that stupid Detroit wins again *kicks Detroit*

 

May I come kick Detroit with you, Ducky?
For some reason, I just can't stand them. Can't explain it, just don't.

---
Prized college free agent Gilroy signs with Rangers
By Greg Wyshynski

"I grew up under two miles from Nassau Coliseum and my uncle used to work there, so I used to skate there. I've never actually been to a Ranger game. Maybe I'd have to say I'm an Islanders fan?" -- Matt Gilroy, Boston University defenseman

The quote above was from Sean Leahy's Frozen Four preview interview with Matt Gilroy, perhaps the most coveted college hockey free agent on the market.

The Long Island native wasn't going to fit with the New York Islanders, as the 24 year old was seeking upwards of $3 million a season and wanted to play for a "big market" franchise.

The Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers and Brian Burke's Toronto Maple Leafs were in the derby; but it's the New York Rangers that will claim the Hobey Baker winner.

Gilroy isn't eligible to play in the postseason, but his skating ability and maturity are going to benefit a Rangers blue line that was problematic this season. And with Brian Burke on a Borg-like mission to assimilate any and all standout free agents, it's a coup for the Rangers to have won this derby -- and at a two-year deal worth $3.5 million.

Wonder how the fans in Boston will treat him next season? Well, the non-Boston College fans; we know their deal.
---

Hm...
I like Gilroy, very good player. Watched him play college hockey in Boston and win, and watched him whoop Miami of Ohio's butt a few weeks ago for the title. Captain of the Hockey East regular season and playoff champion Boston University Terriers, Gilroy registered eight goals and 29 assists for 37 points in 45 games this season. He led the Terriers to their fifth NCAA championship, assisting on the game-tying goal with 17 seconds remaining in regulation in the championship game on April 11, after entering the tournament as the #1 seeded team.
Not sure how he'll go with the Rangers though. But, I don't figure they can do any worse offensively can they, so any little bit helps I guess.

And here's a fun fact: He became the second player in Boston University history to win the Hobey Baker Award, as Rangers’ Captain Chris Drury won the award in 1998.
Coincedence....?

 

They feel somehow arrogant and annoying - so yes,you may kick 'em as well

Yay for Pens! Must be fun to kick some Flyers ass... Okay, OT wins are just... fun when you are on winning side

And Vancouver won.. don't know what to think about that.. they have lots of Swedes so I guess it's a good thing so they won't come to play to World Championships

 

Haha, thanks Ducky

And so, the Rangers make it a 2-0 lead against the Capitals as they won today, 1-0!
:beer:
Ryan Callahan gave the Rangers the winning goal early in the first period, and were able to hold onto it for the remainder of the game.
The whole team played very well, especially Callahan, who has just become a machine in the last few games. I'm very impressed by him.
Also, I heard something I thought I would never hear "Great play by Wade Redden!" Shock!

I was really worried for a while because Freddy Sjostrom was hurt.
But then I saw him back on the ice and it was all good.

Best play of the game: Lundqvist loses his stick at a point when there are like 4 Caps players in their zone. He then makes about five saves using Markus Naslund's stick! Beautiful
-----

Bruins' Hunwick taken to hospital Saturday
By Shawn P. Roarke

Boston defenseman Matt Hunwick was rushed to the hospital Saturday morning after complaining of abdominal pains upon showing up for a team meeting to prepare for Saturday night's Game 2 against Montreal at TD Banknorth Garden.

"He didn't feel very good, so our trainers did what was right and called an ambulance," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "Hopefully we can get some good news here as we move on."

Julien said Hunwick would not play in Saturday night's Game 2. He will be replaced by veteran Shane Hnidy.
Boston's medical staff examined Hunwick after he complained of pain in his abdominal area. It was determined that he need more complete medical attention and an ambulance was summoned. Julien said the injury was related to Hunwick's spleen, according to what the medical staff relayed to him. It is unclear how, or even when, Hunwick suffered the injury.

The Bruins had reported to Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Ma., for a team meeting and Julien said the first-year defenseman felt fine when he showed up at the rink, but soon fell ill.
I wuv Matt Hunwick.

-----
EDIT: Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Hunwick had his spleen removed Saturday but has not been ruled out of the NHL playoffs. The surgery was done Saturday afternoon, about 2 1/2 hours after Hunwick felt increased pain while the team was together for its morning skate before that night’s second game against the Montreal Canadiens.

“He’s comfortable and he’s recovering in his room” at Massachusetts General Hospital, Bruins team physician Dr. Peter Asnis said before the game. “Spirits are high, feels well, and he’ll be there for a couple of days.”
Asnis said Hunwick, 23, thought he was injured when he was checked during the second period of Boston’s 4-2 win Thursday night. But he said the defenseman didn’t notice any abdominal pain after the game and “had no complaints” during practice on Friday. Asnis said that when the Bruins learned of his injury, they determined that Hunwick would not play Saturday night.

“It’s possible, depending on his recovery, that he could be back” later in the playoffs, Asnis said, “but that’s something to be determined.” He said Hunwick’s playing career shouldn’t be affected and “full recovery should be in several months. A month or two and we’ll see how he does.”

GM Peter Chiarelli said he hadn’t spoken with Hunwick, but, “I’m told that he’s resting well and he’s going to watch the game.”

Get well soon!

 

Bleh, what an icky game tonight.
We knew it was going to happen sooner or later (I would have prefered later, as in never), but the Rangers lost. Badly. 4 to nothing badly.

I think that the Rangers were a bit too confident coming into this one, first of all, as well as probably a little tired. These last few games have been much more action packed than we are normally used to.
So they finally got out of that funk, then they keep drawing ridiculous penalties in the second. Seriously, those were some of the softest calls I have ever seen. :shifty:
By the time the third period rolled around, the Rangers were upset and flustered, so they still played like crap.

They didn't seem to be playing as well defensively as they had been either. What happened to all the really beautiful shot blocking from the last game?
Another thing, stop paying attention to Ovechkin. Yes, he's good; yes, he's dangerous. But there are other guys on that team who are just as lethal, as I think we've learned tonight *coughSemincough*.
To the Capitals: Give me back my Jose Theodore, this new goalie's too good!

So, I am going to chalk this loss up to the fault of one thing: those annoying thundersticks MSG gave out. Not only do they make an annoying noise, but these ones had a little blue light in them too. Therefore, I think the Rangers were distacted. Because concentrating on the game isn't near as much fun as watching some guy in the stands bop some other dude on the head with one of those sticks.

In not as depressing news, Boston won again. So that makes them 3-0 over Montreal.
On Saturday, Patrice Bergeron got into his first NHL fight in five seasons!
He totally kicked Josh Gorges rear end too! I'm so pround of him :lol:

 

Disagree. To some level.

1st - Too many Penalties (Some are BS penalties :brickwall

2nd - Pucks got turned over, they were looking on too much on the other team.

3rd - This is New York Rangers against a good defensive team NOT New York Rangers against Alexander Ovechkin.


Eventually the Ranger defensive pairs will have to face the main (like Ovie, Green, etc..) players, its just a matter of doing your job. If youre not doing that the other team will take advantage of the opportunity given to them.

11/10 guys on the ice at a time, send your defence pairs to take care of Green, Ovechkin, Kozlov. Make sure you got them covered, then worry about everything else.

Another thing - puck control, they need find a way to control the puck.
Meaning the offence needs to play a much more aggressive game. Make the distance between you - and the goalie shorter, try to shoot pucks less from outside.

Create more trafic in front of the goalie.


I write a 20 page essay on how fix this game and all the rest there just isn't enough time for that.






But while we are talking about the NEW YORK RANGERS here's a Shocking Headline.


OVECHKIN SPIES ON RANGERS PRACTICE

A BEHAVIOR THAT A PLAYER CAN BE PUNISHED FOR, ACCORDING TO THE NHL RULES.

HERE"S THE LINK:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0421200...crashes_ranger_practice__gets_boot_165497.htm



I"D SUSPEND THAT :censored::censored::censored: IN A HEART BEAT, IF IT WAS UP TO ME. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE, AND HE SHOULD BE SUSPENDED. HE KNOWS THE RULES, AND SHOULD"T HIDE BEHIND THE FACT THAT "HE CAN'T SPEAK ENGLISH". SHEEP! THATS WHAT HIS NAME MEANS IN ENLISH (OVECHKA (RUSS) MEANS SHEEP IN ENGLISH AND THATS HOW HE'S ACTING -LIKE A SHEEP!!!!!!!!!!!


AND JUST TO SHOW WHAT A REAL :censored::censored::censored: THIS GUY IS - IN THE END OF THE GAME RANGERS LEFT, FANS LEFT, THIS GUY SKATES TO THE CENTER ICE - TO THE LOGO AND WAVES HIS STICK . THE FANS BOOED THE #%#%#!:censored::censored::censored: AROGANT :censored:. HE THINKS HE A GIFT.

 

^^ Okay, I know hockey is a passionate game but calm down and breath in. So no need to act like that

Ovechkin is a kickass player. Arrogant yes, like all Russian players that are good

Ohoh, Habs are losing I wonder if older Koivu comes to World Championships.

 

And they call Sean Avery classless -Well, Ovie is no better after all that

It's not proffesional, really immature thing to do for a player like that.

Class Act ... Pffffttt ...Yeah....Right .



I hope Wedsday Rangers kick some serious Craps butt. LETS GO RANGERS!

 

Oh yeah, in case anyone's interested--Eddie Cahill is covering the Rangers progress in the Stanley Cup again (3rd year running--Nhl.com has a link to the Celeb blogs) He's already done 2 blogs.

Lets go Rangers!!! Here's hoping they can keep their lead in the next game

 

Cool! Another Habs fan! Well, I like them and the Sens.

So, if Vancouver wins again, they'll make it on to the next round! I'm hoping they sweep the Blues! Gotta cheer for my Canadian teams ('cept the Leafs but they're not playing right now, so who cares).

That's so cool that Eddie Cahill's covering the Rangers progress. It's so cool to have a hockey fan on a show you love

 

Oh, I feel like such an outsider here: I'm pulling for the Bruins.

Anywho, I think Vancouver's got this one. Not too often that a team that's down comes back from a 3-0 series, but I suppose anything's possible.
I was going for St. Louis a bit, just because they were the underdogs and I like Alex Steen, but the best team always wins and there's no doubt that is the Canucks.

And Pittsburgh just won again tonight, so that makes them 3-1 on the Flyers.

 

As much as I love the New York Rangers, I don't think we'll pull through for the Stanley Cup this year . We've been matched with a tough team, were workin' our behinds for every game, and it finds a way to bite us in the a*:censored: .

Either we get better, or the hopes of every Ranger fan to win the Cup will have be held off for a while. But I'm still keepin' faith. LETS GO RANGERS!

But, if the Rangers don't make it. I have very high hopes that the VANCOUVER CANUCKS will. Who literally swept the Blues last night. Whaaatta GAME!!! :beer:

Periods and Over time, both teams were exausted. Luongo was on top of his game. Alex Burrows got a LUCKY Winning Goal for Canucks.