NHL Wrap-Up 12-11-2011
The New York Rangers continued to prove why they are amongst the NHL’s elite, by snapping out of a recent slump, posting back-to-back victories this weekend at Buffalo, and at home vs. the Florida Panthers.
With the 2012 NHL Winter Classic, on the horizon, the Rangers are out to show the nation how they are getting it done. “I think our defense is a big part of our offense, noted Rangers center Derek Stepan. I think the big thing is we have the puck more, and we’re able to make plays.” Stepan would net two on the night, including an NHL on The Fly top Highlight reel goal where he split the Florida defense and wristed one top shelf on goalie Jose Theodore, giving the Rangers a 3-1 lead. “I just picked up the puck, and I knew we were shorthanded, so if I did get a pinch off, I could always just dump it down. I found a little ice to play on, and at that point I had a lot of speed. It’s hard for the defenseman to gap off when it comes in the corner. So I figured I’d make a move, and try to get around him”, noted the sophomore sensation on his huge 3-point night. The Rangers also got huge contributions from Brad Richards, and Artem Anisimov who propelled them to the early jump on the Panthers.
Just as they have done all season, the Broadway Blueshirts displayed a Second Period onslaught. Steve Eminger, Marian Gaborik, and another wrister from Derek Stepan found the back of the net to cap off the scoring. Rangers head coach John Tortorella attributed to how hard his team works in Training Camp to prepare for the upcoming seasons and tough conference games such as these. “We have a hard camp, it’s condition oriented. It’s a challenge for them. With the way we always talk about it, is this is going to pay off. You can hear me say in between periods, in these type of situations. I think (training camp) has something to do with it. I’m not sure it’s all that for our record in back-to-backs, but it’s nice to have that in the back of your mind, that you know what our work is going to pay off now. “ With the Second Period surge, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist barely had to stand on his head. He did note that the Panthers appeared tired heading into the game. He has been amazedly impressed with his team’s early success this season. His 20 saves performance helped propel the Rangers one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers with a game in hand. The two opponents will also meet Jan 2nd in a Winter Classic Showdown at Citizens Bank Park. “I think we raised the bar this year. We’re not satisfied on playing ok, and getting a point here and there. So many players in the room now are challenging each other to be better, and we have four pretty good lines out there. It’s a great feeling, and I’m happy to see the way we’re playing and the way we push ourselves through the ups and downs”, Lundqvist noted.
The Florida Panthers weren’t able to generate any offense, despite scoring early on Lundqvist on a slapshot by defenseman Erik Gudbranson that cut the deficit to 2-1 early in the first period. Panthers first-year head coach, and former NHL player Kevin Dineen expressed his team’s lackadaisical effort, “Even in the first period, our special teams weren’t very good”. Dineen also noted on how the Panthers went 0 for 7 on the power-play, and give up two-short-handed chances throughout the evening. “Any time you get a tail-kicking like that, you always say things like “the will to compete”. That’s what you always kinda hear from coaches. Certainly their want was higher than ours. When we play well, we certainly travel as a unit. We seemed really spread out. We were individualistic tonight versus playing as a group.”
Among the other Blueshirts heroes was Artem Anisimov who scored a similar goal Thursday night that exasperated the Tampa Bay Lightning causing a brief melee. With 2:33 left in the period, he gathered the puck into a wide open net, after Erik Christensen hit the post. Defenseman Anton Stralman would record his first assist as a Ranger on the power-play. On a previous power-play opportunity, Brad Richards set the tone, and showed just why he was one of the hottest names on the free-agent market this summer, by netting his 11th goal of the season. He is on pace along with Team Captain Ryan Callahan for a 30-goal campaign, which would be the first of his already successful NHL career, that includes a Stanley Cup Championship with John Tortorella and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. “You create match-up problems and it takes a lot of pressure off each other. We’ve got faith in each other as lines, and each line goes out and tried to help. It’s healthy competition, and everyone is going to battle to get out there and get ice time”, noted Richards.
The victory marked the surging Rangers 18th overall on the season. After a 3-3-3 start, the Rangers are now 14-3-1 in their last 18 games. They also winners of four out of their last six games. The stage is set for something special to happen at the Garden this season. This is the most talented Rangers team with the depth on the roster to support it since the 1992-93 campaign. If they are to end their 18 year Stanley Cup drought, they will need to continue on working, and realize what got them to where they are today.
