Blog

Evaluating Rangers’ Derek Stepan trade after NHL blockbuster

Mika Zibanejad, whose consecutive left-circle faceoff victories against Brandon Dubinsky led directly to the Rangers’ second and third, third-period power-play goals that fueled the club’s impressive 5-3 victory over the Jackets at the Garden on Monday, seems to be filling the role as No. 1 center rather seamlessly. That opening, of course, was created by […]

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Rangers offense taking off by just letting the puck fly

Click:electronic products manufacturer The Rangers power play has started to catch fire because the unit is focusing on shooting the puck more. Who would’ve guessed? The Blueshirts scored three third-period power-play goals en route to a 5-3 victory over the Blue Jackets on Monday night at the Garden, resulting in their fourth straight win. The […]

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The ‘meteoric rise’ of an Islander who’s been here forever

When the 2015-16 NHL season ended, two of the Islanders’ top three scorers signed elsewhere as free agents. Josh Bailey saw his chance. The winger had been in the league for eight years at that point, producing 0.45 points per game, but he knew this was the time to make his move. Ninety-six games and […]

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The Rangers forwards getting squeezed by Alain Vigneault’s strategy

Regarding the Rangers, who meet the Bruins at the Garden on Wednesday, 42 years and a day after Jean Ratelle, Brad Park, Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais exchanged places: 1. What would be closest to an equivalent? Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan McDonagh skating onto the ice wearing the spoked-B while Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron […]

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Stonewalled Islanders give way to Connor McDavid OT thriller

The Islanders had been racking up goals, just shy of four per night, and playing in plenty of high-scoring affairs through their first 14 games of the season. On Tuesday, all it would have taken was two and despite a furious third period, the Islanders could never find the winner. Instead, Oilers keeper Cam Talbot […]

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Two quick Blues goals sinks Devils into season’s first slump

It took a lucky bounce, but Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz scored in a 1:35 span bridging the second and third periods and the Blues beat the Devils 3-1 on Tuesday night, sending New Jersey to its season-high third straight loss. Blake Coleman scored early in the first period for the Devils, but he also […]

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Mixed emotions, results for Isles’ Eberle against his old team

Tuesday morning, Jordan Eberle insisted he was approaching his first game against his old team just like any other. The approach had good intentions, but reality differed. Facing the Oilers for the first time since they traded him to the Islanders in June, Eberle found some redemption with a goal in a 2-1 overtime loss […]

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Jimmy Vesey’s struggle to find a role on the Rangers is real

Jimmy Vesey understands this is all part of that overarching “process,” that sometimes a second-year player is going to be on a short leash and might end up stapled to the bench. And sometimes, good graces don’t last very long. The Rangers winger played what he called “maybe my best game of the season” in […]

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Brendan Smith’s marriage with the Rangers is off to a rocky start

If you look at the four-year, $17.4 million commitment Brendan Smith and the Rangers made to one another on June 28 as a kind of marriage, it is safe to say that neither party thought the “for worse” part of it would arrive so soon. But it has. And through a confluence of circumstances involving […]

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Jimmy Vesey turned nightmare season around in 29 stunning seconds

Infection in his left eye, benchings in his very recent past, an uninspiring stat line through the first 16 games of his second NHL season — and now, the Broadway Hat atop his head. Jimmy Vesey had to ask exactly the proper way to wear the fedora bestowed upon the Rangers’ team-picked best player from […]

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