ROSEY’S RANTS

First Quarter Almost Complete !

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:25:43 -0500

As the second segment of 10 games winds down Friday night in Colorado, a few things have become clear. The Rangers finished the first 10 games at 5-4-1 they currently stand at 5-4 with a win Friday they can improve in the second segment.
The Rangers have shown that they are a consistent team over the almost completed first quarter of the season. They have shown that they can play with the NHL’s best with very completive games against the Blackhawks, Capitals, Bruins and Penguins.
They have shown that this team has balance. They have shown the ability to battle through injuries to Gaborik, Drury and Prospal. They have shown with the exception of Erik Christensen the all for one mentality that had been lacking for a number of years . They have also shown at times that they still think pass first shot later. They have also shown the inability to play a few solid games in a row at MSG. They have also shown that the power play sorely needs tweaking. The keys to the remaining 60 plus games will be when and if Prospal and Drury come back who goes ? Will Frolov continue is better play of late or will he revert to the 14 game funk he was in ? WIll Stepan stay on the first line with Gaborik and Frolov where he belongs ? Will Torts under use Sean Avery who continues to play solidly even if his ice time continues to dwindle ? The first 19 games have given Ranger fans a lot to think about, and a lot
to look forward to. They have competed in almost every single game , which is all you can ask of a young team. Looking forward to closing this ten game segment out with awin against the Avs and then working on the next set of 10 !

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT !

Sat, 6 Nov 2010 09:37:23 -0400

Attention all you Sather Haters, all you “Rangers buy talent” whiners, I have a News Flash for you ..The Rangers are a team that is built from within ! A team that has used the draft wisely . A team that has built a foundation of young home grown talent with more on the way. In case some of you may have not noticed the leading goal scorer in the NHL this morning is none other then 24 year old “TRUE-BLUE “ Ranger
Brandon Dubinsky. Because he has been so steady, so good since he arrived at MSG many people over look the fact that Henrik Lundqvist is 28 and is also a lifelong NY Ranger who is entering his prime. Artem Anisimov is all of 22 years old, Ryan Callahan plays like a grizzled veteran yet he is all of 25 years old. The defense is obe of the youngest in the NHL even when you include Rozsival and Emminger in the mix, but the core of the D Staal (23), Girardi (26) Del Zotto( 20) are all home grown.
Throw in Derek Stepan (20) and Evgeny Grachev (20) and I would defy you to find a younger more talented home grown core. There are many more on the way as well.
The Rangers have remained competitive every year since the lock-out, missing the playoffs only once , and that was on the last game of the season, in a shoot-out. In the meantime they have managed to stockpile young talent and bring them along, none more evident then in the case of Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan who are both on the cusp of breakout seasons that will establish them as NHL Stars. While the current rash of injuries in the past may have crushed the Rangers chances of competing on a nightly basis, it has become a defining moment for this teams identity , with the younger players stepping up. Lost in all the home grown youth is the play of 25 year old Brian Boyle, who if you have been following this blog know that I feel at 6-7 and 244 and quick hands can emerge as a Tim Kerr type of immovable object in the crease. Last night’s goal was a perfect example of that. Boyle is off to a great start this season one in which will surely see him shatter his career best’s. Another one of Sather’s great pick ups that goes unnoticed. This teams identity has become one of hard work, and standing up for one another. Boyle and the kids on this team are the reason. There have been many Ranger teams that have been enjoyable to watch, but seeing this group mature game in and game out, is not only fun, but it also gives Ranger fans a great deal of pride. We all said we would be patient ,if management thought long term and stayed away from the quick fix. It looks as though our patience has been rewarded because the Kids indeed are alright !

Work in progress shows Little Progress Tonight !

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:41:44 -0400

I have been trying to remain optimistic and not overreact to every losing or winning streak that this team will go through this season. However I do know that this team must somehow find a way to win games at home. For whatever reason the Rangers do not play a full 60 minute game in the World’s most famous arena. Tonight was no exception. Basically 5 players played the same way the whole game, the line of Dubinsky, Callahan and Anisimov as well as Brian Boyle and Sean Avery played hard and consistent all game long. The remaining players are the Rangers had a wildly inconsistent game. All the D-man at times played well at other times were bystanders leaving there goalie out to dry. The biggest concern is the lack of physical play by the defense. To me this has to be addressed immediately. Some way the Rangers need to find a crease clearer. As far as the offense goes , Derek Stepan has seemed lost the last few games. Erik Christenson, Todd White, Alex Frolov have contributed little. While the Rangers have battled hard during this span without Gaborik, Drury and Prospal, they must find away to have that battle equate to wins. As many people who follow this blog point out that points lost now are just as important to points lost down the stretch, while I agree with that to some extent, I also feel that there is a learning curve. The Rangers are trying to find an identity, they are doing that undermanned. So I will not kill them if they tread water until they get key players back from injuries. What I will say though is that the head coach must adjust his game to suit his players. The Rangers, less Gabby and Vinny ,cannot give up 30 plus shots a game and expect to win. This team down the road may in fact be able to play Torts up tempo game, but now they are much more suited to Tom Renney’s conservative defense first game play and trying to capitalize on mistakes and turnovers. I still am looking for positive results in every 10 game span ,so tomorrow is the first critical game in the first 10 game segment as they head to Toronto at 4-4-1, need a big win vs Leafs to end 5-4-1 in segment # 1 . Will it be trick or treat ?

WACKY WEDNESDAY AT MSG.

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:42:44 -0400

Tonight’s game had maybe seven games within the game. The Rangers dominated the first four minutes outshooting the Thrashers 7-1 early while building a 1-0 lead on an early goal by Ryan Callahan. The garden crowd was fairly subdued even with the early Ranger lead, perhaps it was the unusually warm temperatures, or maybe some of the dual Yankee/Ranger fans gave there tickets to friends thinking tonight would have been game 1 of the World Series for the Yanks. The Rangers then disappeared allowing the Thrashers to build a 2-1 lead. Sean Avery single handedly tied the game with grit , drive and determination , digging for the puck behind the net and scoring a nice wrap around goal on Mason. The Thrashers then took control of the game scoring the next 3 goals. The loss of Artem Anisimov left Tortorella no choice but to shuffle lines. A goal by Todd White gave the Rangers life and when Brian Boyle brought the Rangers within 1, it seemed as the Rangers may actually have pulled a point of a game that they had been outplayed for large portions of the game. With the score 5-4 the Rangers pulled Marty Biron in favor of the extra man, The Rangers hit a post, then with the Thrashers on the attack on the open net Dan Girardi made what could have been a game saver diving full length across the ice stick extended to block a shot headed right for the empty net. The Rangers tried valiantly , but it was a case of too little too late. I am really at a lose to pinpoint exactly went wrong tonight. Biron was not real sharp, and I'm sure there will be plenty of second guessing as to why Henrick wasn’t in goal tonight, but I was fine with it.Staal also seemed out of step a bit tonight. The Rangers never adjusted to the Thrashers Trap. And the ice time distribution was a little odd for me. Boyle looked like he had legs tonight, my choice would have been for Boyle to center the Dubinsky-Cally line. But it is a long season and there will be games like this. The positive to take from this is that at 5-2 the Rangers easily could have packed it in, instead they made it a 5-4 game with plenty of time on the clock. 4-3-1 with 2 games left in the first set of 10, need a win vs Hurricanes Friday with the King back in Net !

THERE IS NO “I “ IN HOCKEY

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:27:06 -0400

OK so as you all know , I look at the season in 10 game segments, which I say over and over again, Win the majority of your 10 game segments and you are a playoff team. The Rangers with gritty team play over the last 3 games have put themselves in a position where 1 win in the next 3 games gives them a winning record in 10 game segment # 1 . The beauty of the 10 game segment breakdown for me is that you don’t get to far ahead of yourself, and no matter how poorly you do in one 10 game stretch there are 7 more to pull yourselves out of the hole. As a Ranger fan you have to like what you have seen and heard from this years Rangers. First off the Rangers are getting the dirty work goals, as evidenced by the 2 goals on Saturday night by Frolov and Ansimov. And then again on Cally’s redirect of a beautiful Dubinsky pass on Sunday night. This Ranger team is not the EuroRanger perimeter tic-tac-toe passing teams of years gone by. This team is grap your lunch pail, work your ass off and get results. Secondly last year if any Ranger was in the opponents crease it was an rarity, this year line after forward and d-man are storming the crease. Thirdly what was a huge problem last year has really not been an issue at all to this point, the Rangers D has made an all out effort to protect the goalie, if you come close to the crease you will pay.
As Ranger fans we are critical when players don’t perform, that is our way, over the last 2 seasons we have been critical of Michal Rozsival, it appears that he is healthy and has been playing his best Hockey as a Ranger, and he deserves all the credit in the world. I have been super critical of John Tortorella for not changing things up , his of Todd White in favor of Jeremy Williams while only a subtle lineup tweak, is a positive sign to me, that finally a sweater has to be earned. Williams was sent back down to Hartford already, but surely it is a message to Todd White play hard or you are gone. Another positive sign that Torts is changing a bit is the way he has handled the D, he is allowing the young D-men of the Rangers such as MDZ and Girardi to gain confidence giving them major major minutes.
While it is very early , the attitude of this team seems different, last year Gaborik and Lundqvist carried the team. This year with Gabby out for awhile and Hank starting to round into the King over the last 2 games, the Rangers are a team, they are a group trying to prove that they are more then 2 players . Quotes from Sean Avery and Brian Boyle on a nightly basis show that there is no lack of leadership on this team. The inspired play night in and night out of Callahan, Dubinsky, Boyle, Prust and others are leading by example. It is way too early to say that this is who the Rangers are, but if it is, then it will be a very enjoyable season. 4-2-1 with 3 games to go in segment # 1, lets see if they can insure a winning segment with a win against the Thrasers at the Garden Wednesday night !