These wins just seem a little more legit. The boys in blue are not stealing their points and running away tonight. They earned these.
They played a very strong road game against a pretty darn good WESTERN conference team. If you remember, the Rangers recorded ONE win in 12 games against teams on the other side of the league last year. This year, they have recorded a point in 6 of 9 games against Western clubs, including four "wins".
Last night in Anaheim, the Rangers did their job. Plain and simple. They didn't allow the Ducks to sustain any real pressure for any extended period of time in this tilt. New York forwards routinely retrieved their dump-ins and cycled effectively in the offensive zone. This tactic keeps the puck away from the likes of Getzlaf and Perry and Teemu, and thus out of trouble.
Still, when Selanne and Co. did have the puck in Henrik's territory, The King was, again, phenominal. He made at least two saves on shots he never saw, and repeatedly stopped shots from high-scoring-chance-areas.
Naturally they would play well as a team days before Mr. Sundin makes his decision.
Anyway, there's only one thing that could really deteriorate the good, accomplished feelings from last nights win... and that would be a loss to the lowly Kings tonight.
Win- and you are on a roll.
Lose- and it's back to the drawing board.
Since Bill missed them, lets get to some...
GAME NOTES
- As far as my Dawes/Prucha statement from last post... point taken Bill. Holy mojoley. It's not often you see Pronger turn into a pylon (or Rich Pilon for that matter), but Nigel Dawes turned him inside-out and backwards before potting the GWG. Wowzer.
-Still, Dawes could have had 3 OTHER goals in this game. He's starting to get chances again, he just needs to finish them more often.
- The arrival of Captain Clutch? A nice snipe by the Captain for the first goal. How nice would it be for him to start contributing on the score card? He has been very visible in the last couple of games.
-Lauri Korpokoski had a strong game tonight. He was at least standing out during his shifts.
- The Aaron Voros- Steve Montador fight was very confusing to me. First, why, when in tight like that, does Aaron continue to punch Montador's helmet? It's easier to detach the thing from in close, why bloody your hand and have no effect on the other guy? Second, Steve Montador throwing body shots? Really? Like.. honestly? That's not even cool.
- And it's the Rangers who capitalize on the turnovers tonight! Crazy! That's a nice roll change!
- The Rangers penalty kill is fun to watch. While it's concerning that they must be out there so much, this is the group that has been the MOST CONSISTENT for the team all season. They have been holding the fort at crucial points in games. They're now 28 for their last 29 kills. Hats off (Firstly) to Betts, Shoes, Callahan and Drury. The D have been very strong as well.
-In fact, watching them provides the exact opposite reaction that you get when watching the Power Play. Mats can not sign his papers soon enough for this part of the team. They're honestly brutal. You NEED to have an effective PP to be a complete team.
- Bill said it... Henrik for Vezina.
- My one concern FROM THIS GAME, again, is finishing scoring changes. Dawes' marker with less than 4 minutes left shouldn't have had to be so vital. The Rangers had numerous chances to add to their 1-o lead in this game, but came up empty again and again- and the Ducks eventually tied the score. You can't let teams hang around in this league because they WILL come back. With J-S Giguere on the bench, they should have capitalized.
DO NOT lose to the Kings tonight.
3 Stars Of The Game
First, since not really ONE player, a special shout out to the guys on the PK. They were a big story in this game.
3) Chris Drury- 1g... Had a strong all around game, and scored on a nasty wrister. Let's hope he finds a rhythm.
2) Henrik Lundqvist- 19 Saves... Bailed his teammates out when they needed it with big saves at big times. The lone goal allowed came off a rebound of a ridiculous save.
1) Nigel Dawes- 1g, GWG.... He made Chris Pronger look silly. Not easy to do. He then clinched the first star by actually finishing the play with a goal. That's the effort that will keep him in the lineup.
HEY! Looks like Bill got those right!
OFF TOPIC- There were TWO phenomenal plays around the league last night.
First, Alexander Semin made a ridiculous behind the back pass to Alex Ovechkin against the Islanders, giving AO an open net that you know he's not going to miss.
In the Devils-Maple Leafs game, Jason Blake pulled a spin-o-rama in the shootout against Scott Clemmenson to give Toronto the win. Nicely done by the guy who was almost choked to death by Mark Messier.
Also, Mats Sundin is expected to make a decision by Thursday regarding where he will play this season (Vancouver or NY). Whichever team he chooses, we will have coverage and opinions here following his decision
-Rif
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