Report Card: BOS 4 @ NYR 1
Tuesday - January 20, 2004
| 01/20/04 | 1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
F |
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0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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Goalie
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GA/SH
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Grade
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Comments
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| Mike
Dunham #30, G |
4/33 | D | A good 1st period, made about 3 or 4 big saves, but
not very... er... confidently, I guess. Dunham is flopping around and
pucks are hitting him so far. Well, whatever works. Early 2nd Boston
gets a 2-on-0 break shorthanded, easy goal. Will Dunham EVER stop a
breakaway? Can he? It's not like that was Samsonov there, it was some
dude named CARL CORAZINNI! Very shaky 2nd period. One time a harmless
shot got behind him to sit in the crease for an hour, he's generally
flopping all over the place, just doesn't look solid. Second goal was a
very weak pass across the crease that Dunham could've reached but
instead he flopped and took himself out of the play. Bruins third goal,
a blast from the top of the circles right between the legs. Fourth
goal, a quick wrist shot put RIGHT BACK INTO THE SLOT for a rebound
goal. Just brutal! A typical Dunham game this season. The team sucked in front of him, but Dunham doesn't help this team one single bit. He's not a #1 goalie this season, hasn't been since October. And honestly, what the hell is with the flopping? Dunham's entire career through last season he was a STAND UP goalie who plays the angles well and uses his size to his advantage. Now he's Joe Floppy all of a sudden, every goalmouth scramble he's rolling around like he's on fire. Mike is going to flop himself into the East River any day now. A big sign of how unconfident he is right now. I was a HUGE Dunham fan last season, right now I'm so sick of him and his fragile psyche I wouldn't mind a bit if he was traded. |
| Jussi Markkanen #40, G |
0/0 |
(DNP) | |
|
Defenseman
|
Ice Time
|
Grade
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Comments
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| Brian Leetch #2, LD |
22:09 | C- | Good and bad, probably
more bad than good. Scored the Rangers lone goal on a PP blast, yet
also was shaky in all three zones and negated an important PP in the
3rd by losing the puck at the blueline and tackling the onrushing
Bruin. That was a VERY important play with the score 2-1 at the time
and the Rangers on the PP. This is a "leader" on this team, right? Oh,
he's a leader alright. Leads them to the golf course in April every
year. -2. |
| Lawrence Nycholat #28, RD |
15:21 | D+ | Very early flubbed a
Rucinsky pass just inside the offensive blueline, leading to a 2-on-1
and good scoring chance the other way. His first few shifts were very
messy, but he settled down later in the period including a big hit in
his own zone. That didn't last long. Fell down at the blueline keeping
the puck in leading to a 2-on-0 goal shorthanded! Ouch. Major blunder.
Well, it certainly was a tough game to make your NHL debut in, but you
have to call it as you saw it. Nycholat was pretty bad. |
| Vladimir
Malakhov #23, LD |
21:03 | B | Took a shot off the knee late in the 1st, couldn't
put weight on it as he limped to the bench. Didn't miss a shift,
though. The credit goes here tonight, the only defenseman along with
his buddy Bobo who didn't look lost and finished the game even. |
| Boris Mironov #29, RD |
22:21 | B | See above. I say that a lot in Boris' column, see above. I hope he doesn't take it personally. If he was the left defenseman and Vlad the righty, I'd be saying "see above" in Vlad's column all the time. So, you see Boris, it's nothing personal. |
| Joel
Bouchard #74, LD |
18:37 | C- | Good and bad 1st period, the bad coming late when he
was stripped of the puck at the blueline leading to a 1-on-none Bruins
scoring chance, who thankfully shot it wide. Bouchard had some real
tough shifts especially when the big Bruins got forechecking and Joel
couldn't do anything to stop it. |
| Dale Purinton #5, RD |
15:36 | C- | Caught very flat footed
on the Bruins' second, stood still and poked at the guy as he skated
around Dale and made the centering pass for the goal. Was okay
otherwise. Hardly great, but not terrible. |
|
Forward
|
Ice Time
|
Grade
|
Comments
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| Bobby
Holik #16, C |
15:07 | C- | So, tell me, where has big bad Bobby been in these
last two crucial games? Outside of poking the goalie after the whistle
every now and then, that is. Hasn't been outright terrible, but both
games he was a very minor presence. When you call out the team for
their lack off effort after the game tonight, Bobby, don't forget to
include yourself. |
| Martin Rucinsky #26, LW |
17:51 | C+ | Very possibly saved a
goal midway through the 1st - Dunham is sprawled on his back, Rucinsky
gets his stick in the way of a shot Dunham couldn't reach and was
headed towards the net. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the
only positive things I have to report on any player this night. |
| Alexei
Kovalev #27, RW |
16:02 | C- | Early looked like he showed up in a good frame of
mind, but didn't do much of anything the remainder of the game. One
shot. One. Nowhere near good enough. |
| Petr Nedved #93, C |
16:59 | D+ | Took a lazy hooking
penalty early in the 2nd, Rangers already down 1-0 and losing the
momentum quickly. You'd think Nedved would want some revenge after
getting smacked around yesterday. Here's his revenge: No shots, -2.
Stick it to 'em, Petr!! |
| Jan
Hlavac #37, LW |
11:41 | C- | I don't know. Did he touch the puck tonight? Was he
near it? I didn't see evidence of either that I can remember. |
| Anson Carter #22, RW |
13:22 | B | Nothing. Carter is too
talented a player to do nothing in a very important game. Floated. So
why did I give him a "B" when his play deserved about a "C-" and I'm
REALLY starting to tire of Carter's lack of efforts? Just to annoy a
certain messageboard poster. |
| Eric
Lindros #88, C |
14:45 | B | Great 1st period, a few big hits and several good
scoring chances. Best Ranger on the ice all game, in fact, but what's
new? Lindros would probably be in the top 5 in scoring if the team
around him was playing any better. |
| Chris Simon #17, LW |
10:49 | C+ | Was handed the only
penalty in an after whistle scrum in the 1st, a BS call. Seemed to show
up in a nasty mood, but all that turned into was 1 shot and two minors. |
| Matthew
Barnaby #36, RW |
10:31 | B- | The rough stuff begins early! Excellent! Barnaby vs.
Boynton, a great fight, lasted about a minute and a half, Boynton wins
on account of landing more quality shots, yet give Barnaby points for
his usual "don't end the fight" theatrics. Great play in the 2nd tying
up Boynton in the crease with the puck sitting there for a small
eternity. |
| Mark Messier #11, C |
15:27 | D+ |
His
-2 was fitting of his phone it in effort. Thanks, Cap. So glad you came
back this season. |
| Dan
Lacouture #39, LW |
10:21 | B- | Was having a pretty good game, a few hits and getting
shots at the net, but didn't do a good enough job tying up Slegr who
scored the Bruins' second. Regardless, Lacouture was one of the better
Rangers effortwise tonight. Got in a fight late, as he OFTEN does. At
least he cares. |
| Jed Ortmeyer #41, RW |
12:19 | C- | Dumb, dumb penalty in
the 3rd, Rangers down 2-1 and on the PK already, Ortmeyer whacks a
Bruins skates out giving them a 5-on-3 PP and a goal shortly after. |
|
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| COACHING STAFF: | F | I was LIVID when I heard Dunham would be starting
tonight. Exactly what has Markkanen done to earn his cementing to the
bench? Oh, that's right, two months of almost entirely great play! Hey,
Glen! Even at his best Mike Dunham ain't no Grant Fuhr! You keep riding
a guy who rarely earns the confidence, and for what? How much longer do
you need to see Dunham isn't the answer? Like Lennon said, GIVE JUSSI A
CHANCE! A real chance, not a benching after the first bad period he has
in three weeks! Damnit. |
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| |
|||
| 1st PERIOD: | B | Both teams with shaky defense and good goaltending.
LOTS of scoring chances on both sides. A little rough stuff, a few big
hits, a nice period to watch but I'm a little nervous about the Rangers
chances right now. Giving the Bruins way too much. Shots were, get
this, SIXTEEN TO FIFTEEN in favor of the Rangers! It's 70's night
indeed. |
|
| 2nd PERIOD: | D | Majorly ugly. Rangers
didn't even have half the offensive chances they did in the 1st and the
defensive zone coverage was awful. The defense looks horrendous, but
the forwards are hardly helping out here. Shots 8-7 Boston, which seems
to indicate an even period. It wasn't. The hitting has toned down, too. |
|
| 3rd PERIOD: | D | Got an early goal, down only 2-1, MOMENTUM! Yeah,
right. Bad penalties by Leetch and Ortmeyer, more junk from Dunham,
more lazy, sloppy play and they end up buried 4-1. The game was there
for the taking! At least for a chance at the taking! Mercy. Shots were
like 8-7 Boston or something, who cares? |
|
| OVERALL: | D- |
How
quickly things change. Rangers looked great against a red hot Montreal
team, they were beating or at least getting points against their
conference rivals, Dunham was rebounding, things were as positive as
they have been since early in 2002. Then they meet the Bruins, a team
the Rangers are chasing in the race and lose back to back games by a
combined 9-3!! Not only did they get out hit, they got beat up, they
really just got put in their place by a better team. And that place is
9th or 10th place. Pretenders, not contenders. Miserable. Too many
players didn't do near enough. Awful. Add to this was the news
Kasparaitis is likely done for the season (10-12 weeks IS the season,
though they wouldn't say that on MSG), Dunham is brutally unreliable,
in just 3 days the season went from a high to a spiral into the vortex.
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| Scratches: | Pavel Bure (knee - IR) Greg de Vries (knee - IR) Darius Kasparaitis (knee - IR) Dan Lacouture (healthy) Bryce Lampman (healthy) Jamie Lundmark (knee - IR) Tom Poti (back spasms) |
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| created by: | Pete Rocha, © 2004. procha@optonline.net | ||
| Discuss the card here | |||
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