3 Stars
1st Star - Hen
2nd Star - reeeeek
3rd Star - Lundqvist
Post Game Cocktail Recommendation
In recognition of the Kings attempting a ridiculous 80 shots against the Rangers tonight, let's all do some shots of our own!
Gif of the Game
Is Kreider trying to do monkey rolls?!?!?!
He's Baaaaaaaaack
Remember last week when we all thought Lundqvist was done? Good times.
When Lundqvist is once again stealing games the Blueshirts have no business winning, you know all is right in Rangerstown.
Let's take a look at some of his handy work tonight.
After the Montreal debacle in which Lundqvist got bombed in relief, I stated that AV had made a mistake going with Raanta that night and the only way Hank would find his groove was by playing him consistently. Tonight was his fourth straight start and "The King" has gotten stronger each night. I know AV wants to keep the Rangers netminder fresh for the playoffs, but the guy thrives on work and the head coach needs to remember that.
Standing Up for Your Teammate
At the time, the Rangers not defending Lundqvist after he was bowled over by Cody Eakin in Dallas had the potential to destroy team chemistry. Instead, the players learned from the incident as they've gone out of their way to defend each other in every subsequent occasion since. Including tonight...
Defend Your King!!!!
I have no idea what kind of defense this is, but it makes for an amazing visual.
Holy Corsi
I'm trying not to rely on fancy stats too often on this blog, but holy crap were the Rangers lucky to come away with the win in this one.
In case you can't read this, the Rangers were outshot attempted by the Kings 65-29 while playing 5-on-5 (80-35 overall). That usually leads to a resounding defeat. But tonight the Rangers had Henrik Lundqvist in goal, while the Kings had Jeff Zatkoff.
Mini Recap
Wait, the Rangers didn't blow a two-goal lead to the Kings? I don't understand.
How deep are the Rangers at forward? AV was able to drop both Kreider and Buchnevich to the fourth line and somehow the team got better.
Not sure if AV is lucky or good, but seeing Puempel pump (pun intended) one home on his first shift after replacing Kreider on the Stepan line was pretty incredible.
Speaking of the Puempel goal, the Girardi pass to spring Stepan might have been the best outlet of his career.
Zuccarello is usually the one dishing out dimes, so it was nice to see him on the receiving end for once allowing him to break a 30-game non-empty net goal scoring drought.
How big of a weight was that goal off Zuccarello's shoulders? Here's exclusive video of him in a private moment after the game.
How big of a weight was that goal off Zuccarello's shoulders? Here's exclusive video of him in a private moment after the game.
Hey, sometimes you're going to win ugly. The Rangers don't need to apologize for their goalie being far superior to LA's. Just take your two points and get ready for Philly. Although, if they play like that again on Wednesday, I'm pretty sure the outcome will be much different.
Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at nyrfan94@yahoo.com.
Kevin that overhead view of Hank in the crease surrounded by his entire team bowing down to him must be what he means by "structure"...😉 What a performance by him. And thanks again for writing the most entertaining recaps I've ever read!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the readership. It means a lot.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the game I never got the sense that the Rangers were dominated as much as I thought the Kings just were stifling everything the Rangers tried to do from an offensive perspective. It was good to win a game like this one though.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Brandon Reapirri snap one home.
I saw on Twitter where Dave Maloney had said that he felt Kreider wasn't using his size or throwing his weight around. Perhaps that was the reason AV made the switch in his lines. Don't know what the Comrade did or didn't do. However, in the end it was a shrewd move by AV. That guy is a pretty good bench boss.
Lastly, it sure would be nice to win tomorrow on the night I love to hate. Let's roll into another break on a four game winning streak. That would be choice!
I think it was more about AV looking for a spark than Kreider/Buchnevich doing anything wrong.
ReplyDeleteYet another solid read. One thing I like about this site more than any of the others is how you can be both praising and critical of those that deserve either, despite the name on the back of their jerseys.
ReplyDeleteKeep doing what you do!
I'll say I was surprised they did eek this one out, it really seemed like LA was holding a team camping event in the NYR zone last night and they seemed to be the home team more than the blueshirts.
As for Wednesday Night, Phuck Filly
Appreciate your support of the blog!
ReplyDeleteIn Lundqvist we trust.
This was the second game of a back to back so I did expect the kings to take the game to the Rangers. Probably the reason for 1 shot through the first half of the 1st period. They didn't panic and picked their spots. This team has been amazing in the 2nd game of a back to back. I want to say their record is 8-1 in those games.
ReplyDeleteGood point on back to backs. While I also expected the Kings to start fast, I'd still rather not see the Rangers dominated that much. But I'm not going to complain about two points.
Deletegirardi outlet pass of his career indeed! saw him do a couple of good things (and I'm not exactly this #1 fan). another great write up kevin. your return seems well timed since the former blog got nuked. oh and holy sh*t that left by klein. ouchee.
ReplyDeleteicycup ^
DeleteNYRfaninNC here! I miss my friends!!!
DeleteGreat job Kevin! Great reads!
Really sucks what happened over there. Front door is always open here tho.
DeleteHey Icy.....if you see this go to http://broadstreetbuzz.com/2017/01/25/flyers-vs-rangers-game-preview/#comment-3120298411
DeleteThe gang has it going again...have to sign up through discus
Thanks icy! I know I don't have Livefyre here but if you're still in touch with all those knuckleheads invite them over to say hi.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you back bloggin, Kev! I'm thoroughly enjoying it (again).
ReplyDeleteThanks! Appreciate the continued support and readership.
ReplyDelete