Now that the Rangers have disposed of the Penguins once again, they face another rival in a game that could potentially gain them a share of the Atlantic Division lead.
With the win last night, the Blueshirts improved to 5-1-1 against the Penguins this year. They also moved within 2 points of the Philadelphia Flyers, who face Buffalo tonight. If the Flyers lose in regulation and the Rangers win, both teams will have 70 points.
More importantly, though, is that the Rangers improved their lead on the 9th place teams to 16 points. Who would have believed that on February 2nd, these guys would have a 16 point cushion for a playoff spot? Yet, here we are, with dreams of a division title and home-ice advantage.
It looks like Kevin Weekes will get the start in net at the Nassau Coliseum tonight. I was very surprised he didn't start against the Penguins, but Tom Renney suggested that he wanted to get Lundqvist a rebound win after that disappointing loss to Philly. The Isles have struggled quite a bit this year, but have won their last three games. The Rangers had better come out strong, and Weekes had better get off to a good start, otherwise things could get ugly.
NY Post: Larry Brooks thinks that the team needs a credible physical presence in the lineup to prevent teams from taking liberties on Jagr and Lundqvist. I agree, but the question is where is there a tough-guy with some skill who might be available? Chris Simon comes to mind, but he has not played that well this year and Calgary would probably still be hesitant to let him go.
NY Daily News: Last night, Rucchin gutted his way through perhaps his most visible performance of the season - even getting his wheels going, too - by scoring a goal and setting up another in the Rangers' 3-1 Garden victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Journal News: Renney acknowledged a mistake and accepted the blame for placing right wing Jaromir Jagr on the ice for the final 30 seconds of the game. Defensemen Robert Scuderi and Brooks Orpik confronted Jagr at the buzzer, and Jagr was also seen jawing with the Pittsburgh bench. "They were upset the coach put me in," Jagr said. "I told them, 'Hey, I didn't even try, I'm just standing here. What do you want me to do?'''
NY Newsday: "I was coming off the bench, so the puck came right across me," said Rucchin, who scored at 4:05 of the first when he scooped up an errant pass in center ice, deked Fleury to his right, went back left and slid the puck past his right leg. "Long breakaways like that, you almost don't like having them. It gives you too much time to think. I think I was pretty fortunate, but I will definitely take it because the bounces have been few and far between for me this year. Special teams were obviously huge for us."
NY Times: The atmosphere at Madison Square Garden last night was a far cry from the playoff-like feel of Monday's game against the Flyers. With the lowly Pittsburgh Penguins on the ice, the most inventive cheer came late in the second period, when a section of fans chanted "Let's go Seahawks!"
NYSportsDay continues its outstanding ranger coverage.
Blueshirt Bulletin had some live blogging from last night's game.
Tonight, it's the Rangers and the Islanders in Nassau. The puck drops at 7:00 pm EST. Enjoy the game.
HDH
Posted by Jim at February 02, 2006 10:36 AMeMail this entry!
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