Report Card: NYR 4 @ NJD 4
Thursday - November 21, 2002
| 11/21/02 |
|
|
|
|
|
| New York Rangers |
|
|
|
|
|
| New Jersey Devils |
|
|
|
|
|
| Player | Ice Time | Grade | Comments |
| Dan Blackburn | C- | Rebound he couldn't control, just got a bit of the stick on it and shoveled it right to Gionta for an easy goal. Bad play by Dan, but Purinton was also in the corner doing I don't know what when he should've been where that rebound was instead. Second goal, point blank rip by Elias, nothing Blackburn could've done about that. Third goal Dan was down too early again and yeilded another over the shoulder goal. Fourth one was a quick pass from behind the net, not Blackie's fault. C- because he didn't have to make many good saves at all. Really, I'm not sure I remember one. But, let me also say that I don't think Richter would've done any better, either. Which is the problem with our goalies - they're good, but hardly great. Also, Blackburn was no worse than Brodeur. Neither were on their games tonight. | |
| Brian Leetch | 25:32 | B- | Hmm. It's tough call. He made several nice plays but really didn't do much on the offensive end, and a few mistakes in his own zone. On the ice for quite a few goals, at least 3 I think. |
| Tom Poti | 25:43 | B | Great goal by Poti, set up by a Bure half-circle at the blueline, Poti streaks in, gets the shot on Brodeur and follows up his rebound nicely. Otherwise his game was about the same as Leetch's, but a little more noticable in the offensive end, and had the goal, of course. |
| Vladimir Malakhov | 21:43 | B | Very solid game. Not a force, but didn't make mistakes and finished with a handsome +2. |
| Dale Purinton | 17:48 | C | As I mentioned in Blackburn's column, Dale was in the corner on the Devils first for some reason (later note: replays show he lost an edge and wiped out), when the play was entirely in front of the net. Later in the period and awful, AWFUL penalty where Dale made a very slick fake pass in the NZ to get the puck in, but continued to the net (which he shouldn't have) and inexplicably x-checked a Devil into the net to not only draw a penalty but wipe out a goal! He played well otherwise, but those two mistakes were big. |
| Darius Kasparaitis | 19:31 | B | 2 assists, +2... Darius? Really? Yes, really, and really has turned his season around. |
| Sylvain Lefevbre | 15:47 | B | Another solid, unnoticable game. |
| Eric Lindros | 21:10 | C | I've been defending Lindros for still playing decently despite the goal drought, but not tonight. I think he could've and should've brought it a LOT harder tonight. Didn't drive to the net much, a hit or two. Not a terrible showing, but not enough for a big game. |
| Rem Murray | 16:21 | C | Y'know, Rem Murray's a pretty big boy, he ought to use that size a little more often. Like his linemates, didn't have much tonight. |
| Pavel Bure | 24:01 | D+ | What sound does a goat make, "baaa"? Well baaa, Pavel, BAAA! The (almost) goat of the game. Circled back in his zone and was WAY too non-chalant in dumping a pass off to the defenseman that never reached, Devils keep it in the zone and boom. I say again, boom. Very fortunate Messier pulled his ass out of the fire. |
| Petr Nedved | 19:42 | B+ | Launched a blistering wrist shot from just inside the blueline, which was a hell of a shot, but still shouldn't have been a goal. Skated very hard as usual, and an excellent 70% on faceoffs. |
| Ronald Petrovicky | 12:26 | B | Got away with a very fortunate elbow in the 2nd which knocked Gomez to the ice head first. Okay game, wasn't as much of a terror as I would've hoped. |
| Radek Dvorak | 17:04 | B+ | A lucky goal, but those count, too. Played one of his better games in a while, minimal turnovers, skated hard and took the body a bit. |
| Mark Messier | 19:40 | A- | Sorry, Mark. Along with plenty of others I didn't want you anywhere near this team this season. In the summer I even took a picture of yours and Photoshoped a dollar sign over the captain's "C". And has he made me and all of us look silly. Sure, he makes mistakes but he always has. And he's no longer a physical presence. And he takes shifts off. But from game one through game 22, who's been better over that entire stretch? Who's been more clutch? He saved a potential disaster of a game with that late 3rd period goal, same end of the ice he got the last two in back in June of '94. |
| Matt Barnaby | 13:45 | B+ | Fought the Artist Formerly Known As Mike Jefferson in the 1st period, a pretty good one. Big play along with Samuelsson and Messier late, Barnaby with the slick, short pass behind the net to Messier who came out for the goal. |
| M. Samuelsson | 17:42 | B+ | Perhaps the play of the game by beating out an icing call and keeping the play alive, which was picked up by Barnaby and eventually found it's way to Messier for yet ANOTHER side of the net backhander. |
| Ted Donato | 5:35 | B | Another game where he did what was expected of him on the 4th line, no more, no less. |
| Sandy McCarthy | 3:57 | C | Where was Sandy tonight? Okay, not very much he can do with a paltry 3:57, but in a rivalry game that feeds off momentum, they hitters gotta hit, and Sandy really didn't. |
| Rico Fata | 4:41 | C+ | Well, at least he didn't take a shot tonight, because it usually turns out worse for him when he does. |
| COACHING STAFF: | B- | Trottier is back so the 4th line time goes down a bit, as does Nedved's. There's really nothing Trottier and staff did particularly well or not well tonight, so they get the same grade as the team. | |
| 1st PERIOD: | B | Good period, both teams owning the play for stretches of time. And a good period to watch with end-to-end action, hits, a fight and a pair of goals. Devils outshot the Rangers dramatically 12-3 but those totals had very little to do with the actual flow of the period. | |
| 2nd PERIOD: | B | Much like the 1st period in that the momentum was about 50/50, but much less end-to-end action in this one as both teams reeled it in and took care of defense first. Rangers had the only PP of the period and it stunk, of course, but they kept it in the zone and get the fluke goal from Dvorak for the effort. The Nedved goal was also kind of shaky by Brodeur. Shots were 11-7 NJ. | |
| 3rd PERIOD: | C | Ick. That was an ugly period. Not a terrible period, just very sloppy. A few Ranger mistakes were the story, especially Bure's. | |
| OVERALL: | B- | It's nice to come out with a point after being down 4-3 with 7 minutes left, it's NOT so nice to come out with a point going into the period 3-2. I don't think you can take away a distinct impression about the Rangers from this game other than their defensive and neutral zone play is really a lot tighter than it's been in quite a while. At times it was a tight, smartly played game between two decent hockey teams, at other times it looked like a pick up game at your local roller hockey rink. Normally the Rangers would get the slight nod as the road team in a tie usually should get, buuuuuut... I just didn't like some things I saw, both goalies didn't play very well and this game wasn't a step forward not back for either team. | |
| Scratches: | Bobby Holik (hip), Dave Karpa (healthy? elbow?), K . Oliwa (suspension 5/5), Mike Richter (concussion) | ||
| created by: | Pete Rocha, © 2002. procha@optonline.net | ||
| Discuss the card here |
eMail this entry!
Comments
Post a comment
|
Recent Articles
|
|
|