It has taken four games, the last two at the Garden punctuated by exclamation points, for the Rangers to shatter the myth of Carolina superiority. Now the Blueshirts have to win a game in the Hurricanes’ fortress in Raleigh. It would be foolish to bet against them. “I think the never-die mentality has been in … Read more
New York Rangers winger Ryan Reaves had some regrets after Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Not about the result, which was a 3-1 Rangers victory at Madison Square Garden that cut their series deficit to 2-1. But about the immediate aftermath. Reaves was on the ice at the final buzzer when Carolina forward Max … Read more
Gerard Gallant was fuming. The Rangers head coach had jawed with former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo as the teams left the ice Sunday, following a scrum started by a Domi-family-special late cross-check from Max Domi on Ryan Lindgren moments after the final horn ended the Rangers’ Game 3 win over the Hurricanes. He made it … Read more
PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall says he wants to find a way to have Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang stay with the club for the rest of their careers. “In a perfect world, [Malkin] retires a Penguin, “Hextall said Monday.” And I think Tanger’s the same. “ In a perfect world, anyway. … Read more
The words are the same, but the meaning of the question is entirely different. Because now when you ask, “Where should the Rangers play Alexis Lafreniere?” it is about which combination of forwards needs him the most as opposed to which combination could help him the most. That is not a subtle difference. I’d venture … Read more
RALEIGH, NC – The power play is the source of the Rangers’ offensive identity. That is so in the good times and that is true in the bad times. Game 2 of their second-round playoff series against the Hurricanes on Friday night, a 2-0 loss, qualifies as one of the bad times. That’s because, locked … Read more
RALEIGH, NC – Regarding the Rangers, whose best opening 40 minutes of the season were 20 minutes too few to get them over the finish line Wednesday in a Game 1 overtime loss to the Hurricanes. 1. The Rangers have talked all season about the need to play a complete 60 minutes. Rarely have they … Read more
RALEIGH, NC – The Rangers had the Hurricanes right where they wanted them. They were commanding every inch of the ice, actively taking away what made their opponents so effective and holding the lead. After not building on a one-goal lead when they had a chance, however, the Rangers gave up the game-tying goal with … Read more
Game 1: Hurricanes 2, Rangers 1 (OT) | Carolina leads 1-0 Who was the guy? Antti Raanta was the difference-maker for Carolina on Wednesday. He showed up for all 60 minutes when the teammates did not. The Rangers were the better team through two periods and challenged him with some high-quality looks. But he turned … Read more
Game 1: Hurricanes 2, Rangers 1 (OT) | Carolina leads 1-0 Who was the guy? Antti Raanta was the difference-maker for Carolina on Wednesday. He showed up for all 60 minutes when the teammates did not. The Rangers were the better team through two periods and challenged him with some high-quality looks. But he turned … Read more