Ryan McDonagh did not make the trip to Ottawa with his Rangers teammates for Saturday afternoon’s penultimate match of the regular season, but the captain engaged fully in Friday’s practice and dispelled thoughts he might be impaired heading into the playoff opener in Montreal that probably will be played Wednesday. “I feel really good,” said […]
Read MoreIt has been a long time coming for Mika Zibanejad, who is returning to the city of Ottawa that he called home for four years for the first time since his summer trade to the Rangers. “I’m excited, anxious, a little nervous, and have the entire range of emotions you would expect,” Zibanejad told The […]
Read MoreOTTAWA — Consider it a terrific practice, and one in which Henrik Lundqvist shined. In his final regular-season start, the Rangers’ most important player to their postseason hopes was their best player, as Lundqvist was the lone positive for a depleted roster that lost a 3-1 game to the Senators on Saturday afternoon at Canadian […]
Read MoreThe Islanders are finishing the season as one of the NHL’s hottest teams — and one with no place to go, except home. The Islanders were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday night despite running their winning streak to five games with a 4-2 decision over the Devils at the Prudential Center behind two goals by […]
Read MoreIt could not have been the final lap envisioned by Patrik Elias, who, after all, skated the Stanley Cup victory lap twice within his first six seasons. But as closing acts go, Elias’ final spin on the ice during warmups preceding the Devils’ home finale loss Saturday against the Islanders wasn’t a bad way at […]
Read MoreOTTAWA, Ontario — It seems as if Alain Vigneault has had enough of watching the Rangers’ B-team. The coach implied that a couple of regulars are going to rejoin the lineup for Sunday’s regular-season finale at the Garden against the Penguins after resting for the past week. “That’s a possibility,” Vigneault said with a knowing […]
Read MoreSome of them may have learned their fate while on the Cross Bronx Expressway, others maybe on the LIE or Grand Central, and others perhaps on the Verrazano or Throgs Neck as the Islanders made their way home by car service following Saturday’s 4-2 victory over the Devils in Newark that kept their playoff hearts […]
Read MoreThis is what the NHL and Gary Bettman do when they don’t get their way: They take their puck and go home. Or stay home. They refuse to play. They did it through Owners’ Lockouts I, II and III in 1994, 2004 and 2012 and they’re doing it again with the 2018 Olympic Games in […]
Read MoreGood job, good effort. It didn’t matter whether the Islanders won or lost against the Senators on Sunday. Their fate was sealed the night before when the Maple Leafs clinched the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, eliminating the Isles and their last-ditch effort to reach the postseason. The Islanders’ (41-29-12) consolation prize was […]
Read MoreWith little at stake in the regular-season finale, the Rangers and Penguins just wanted to get through it unscathed. Now both teams can focus on the playoffs as they chase the Stanley Cup. Jimmy Vesey scored a tiebreaking goal in the third period and the Rangers beat the Penguins 3-2 Sunday night. Ryan McDonagh had […]
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