Rangers’ Peter Laviolette furious over ‘vicious’ hits in Islanders loss
Peter Laviolette was excited after the Rangers’ fourth-to-last game of the season, a 4-2 loss to the Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday night. Never before had a head coach been so furious after a game in his first year on the Rangers bench. And it wasn’t because his team couldn’t claw back the win […]
Rangers avoiding Mika Zibanejad injury catastrophe serves as stark reminder
This was a reminder of how fragile the pursuit of the Stanley Cup can be. This was a reminder that it’s impossible to wrap the Rangers in bubble wrap until the playoffs begin. It was a reminder that disaster looms around every corner, whether it’s a slapshot attack or a collision in the ice that […]
Islanders’ Matt Martin knows exactly what Rangers’ Matt Rempe has to prove
Matt Martin was, in another life, Matt Lempe, about minus five inches. When the Islanders Enforcer entered the league and played five games with the Islanders in the 2009-10 season, the Enforcer was still a player category on almost every team. That means Martin has fought twice in those five fights. And a year later, […]
Rangers know what awaits them in desperate Islanders
Rangers know exactly what awaits them. For the first time this season, the Blueshirts will travel to Long Island to face the Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday night, another divisional game ahead of the playoffs. Including Tuesday’s matchup, the Rangers will play their final four Division 3 games. Rangers manager Peter Laviolette watches the […]
Jack Roslovic ‘more motivated’ after Rangers wake-up call
Jack Roslovic will very likely audition to be in the Rangers lineup. Yes, head coach Peter Laviolette has continually rotated the lineup as a fully healthy Rangers prepare for the playoffs, but on Sunday night the team defeated the Canadiens 5-2. It’s hard not to see his decision to give Roslovic a healthy scratch when […]
Islanders’ playoff hopes still not safe entering Rangers clashes
The Islanders cheered at the start of Monday’s practice and gave a mock ovation as both goaltenders and a small group of players joined the rest of the team on the ice at the Northwell Health Ice Center. Ilya Sorokin raised his glove in a mock salute. The entire roster did stick taps. The Islanders […]
Jack Roslovic’s healthy scratch continues Rangers’ shuffling
One generous journalist gave Jack Roslovic a chance to incorporate a healthy 15-game scratch into his Rangers career Sunday and decided, “Is it just a rotation problem?” Head coach Peter Laviolette seized on the moment by declaring, “It’s just a rotation thing.” This is an interesting way of saying “bench”. Publicly criticizing players is not […]
Rangers ride power play to franchise record-tying win over Canadiens
Chris Kreider has owned real estate in front of every opponent’s net for quite some time. And the longest-tenured Ranger there once again turned the edge of the blue crease in front of the Canadiens goal into his personal office, scoring another key power-play goal in the third period (his third in the last three […]
Rangers’ playoff opponent still unknown with teams scrambling
With four games remaining after Sunday night’s 5-2 win over the Canadiens, the Rangers’ first-round playoff opponent is still up in the air. Unlike last season, when the Blueshirts were scheduled to play the Devils for months, the standings change almost daily as Eastern Conference clubs compete for the final postseason standings. The Rangers were […]
Rangers have two choices for final forward spot as playoffs approach
With five games remaining on the regular season calendar, the Rangers woke up Sunday morning with a five-point lead over the Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division and one point ahead of the Bruins, who are chasing first place in the Eastern Conference. There is. They still lead the entire NHL with 108 points. Since early […]