Blog

Rangers’ spiraling penalty kill could unearth key to turnaround

LOS ANGELES — The Rangers are a defensive team now, and there’s no need to look further than Rick Nash to find the explanation why. There was a time, not all that long ago, when it would have been a little surprising to hear just how much Nash cares about the penalty kill, and how […]

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Road woes a new wrinkle in Rangers’ frustrating season

LOS ANGELES — It has been an oddity this season, going into a visiting dressing room and seeing the Rangers all distraught. But the best road team in the Eastern Conference since the start of last season (34 wins), as well as since Alain Vigneault took over as head coach in 2013-14 (106 wins), is […]

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Islanders fall in OT despite pair from Anthony Beauvillier

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Nick Cousins scored his second goal of the game 2:21 into overtime to lift the Coyotes to a 3-2 win over the Islanders on Monday night. Anthony Beauvillier scored two goals for his second straight two-goal game for the Islanders, who have lost three of four and eight of 12. Beauvillier has […]

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Rangers defenseman seething at NHL’s indifference to dirty hit

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brendan Smith was both angry and befuddled. The Rangers edgy defenseman took a bad penalty and got into a fight that set the tone for a hellish second period Sunday night en route to a 4-2 loss to the Kings in Los Angeles. But just before that, Smith had been nailed with […]

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The biggest fear hanging over Islanders’ dual-home nightmare

Let’s stipulate that this is something the Islanders did not and would never have chosen for themselves. But operating without leverage in the same world of power politics through which the team prevailed in its bid for a new arena at Belmont Park that is projected to open for the 2021-22 season, the Scott Malkin-Jon […]

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Henrik Lundqvist yanked in Rangers’ ugly loss to Ducks

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Rangers think they’re playing well. Again, the Rangers — who lost their third in a row with a 6-3 defeat to the Ducks on Tuesday night, who are 5-8-1 in their past 14, who are dangerously sliding into the fringes of the postseason race as they approach the All-Star break — […]

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Brendan Smith rips NHL for being lenient about head shot

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brendan Smith was angry and befuddled heading into the Rangers’ 6-3 loss to the Ducks on Tuesday night. The edgy defenseman had taken a bad penalty and got into a fight that set the tone for a hellish second period Sunday night en route to a 4-2 loss to the Kings in […]

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Ex-Ranger sent home from Vegas over hazy ‘ongoing issue’

Brandon Dubinsky hasn’t played in over a month, but his season has taken a turn for the worse this week after the Blue Jackets’ trip to Las Vegas. The ex-Ranger was sent back to Columbus on Tuesday “to deal with ongoing personal issues that have hampered his season and could threaten his career,” sources told […]

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Rangers’ fear that could sink season is coming true

SAN JOSE, Calif. — This seemed inevitable, the time when the weight of an entire team resting on the shoulders of Henrik Lundqvist was just going to be too much. Eventually, all those nights of heavy lifting were going to catch up, and what happened to the Rangers on Tuesday in Anaheim was something they […]

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Kevin Hayes does on-ice work but status remains in doubt

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Rangers canceled a scheduled full-team practice in Anaheim on Wednesday, but injured center Kevin Hayes did manage to get some on-ice work when he skated with the extras. It still remains unclear whether Hayes is going to be ready for the final leg of this four-game road trip, facing the […]

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