Rangers once-vaunted power play has gone missing
The Rangers lost a key part of their offensive engine on the power play and also lost a confidence-boosting penalty kill step. It's been seven games since the Blueshirts last scored a power play goal, dating back to the second period of a 6-3 loss to the Jets on Nov. 12. That's an alarming 0-for-14 […]
Rangers adamant skid will have silver lining on ‘the other side’
As another tough test any team endures in an 82-game schedule, it's understandable and necessary that the Rangers' isolation last month, culminating in a four-game failure, was mentally challenging. It is. Of course, there's the rough patch in January that comes after already building a 25-9-1 head start, and the middling 7-8 mark after a […]
Rangers not used to having trade deadline chatter surround them
RALEIGH, N.C. — The benefit of having a core of players who have played together for many years is that they share so many different experiences that they collectively lean on. It's been quite some time since the Rangers were mired in mid-season trade talk involving key players in their own room, but the team […]
Rangers blow lead and fall to rival Hurricanes as losing skid hits four
RALEIGH, N.C. — The win against the Hurricanes was balm for the Rangers' soul, but the loss was like more inflammation. The Blueshirts' losing streak reached four games Wednesday night after the visiting team lost a 4-3 loss to Carolina in front of a crowd at the Lenovo Center, giving up a third-period lead. A […]
Chris Kreider opens up on trade talk with Rangers ‘tension’ rising
RALEIGH, N.C. – When Chris Kreider, the Rangers' longest-tenured player, was abruptly ejected a day after his name was included in president and general manager Chris Drury's league-wide memo inviting trade partners. , it seemed like a strange coincidence. But the 33-year-old was hoping to set the record straight for his second successive scratch. “My […]
Rangers ship Matt Rempe back to Hartford after one-game stint
Matt Rempe's return to action was short-lived. The Rangers sent their popular forward back to AHL Hartford on Tuesday and called up defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. Lempe was called up for the team's 5-2 loss to the Blues on Monday at Madison Square Garden. Rangers center Matt Lempe #73 jumps out of the way of the […]
Brett Berard delivers first NHL point in Rangers debut
On Sunday, Brett Berard was on the verge of winning his third straight game in AHL Hartford when he received a call from Rangers assistant GM Ryan Martin. Instead of joining the Wolfpack, Berard was told he would be heading to New York to make his NHL debut with the Blueshirts on Monday night against […]
Rangers drop third straight after GM signals he’s looking for shake-up
After a disappointing four-game road trip, the Rangers turned to internal youth to reinvigorate the team, but they were unable to prevent the club from losing their third straight game. Even before the Blueshirts lost 5-2 to the Blues at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, it was believed by leadership that more drastic changes […]
It’s time to blow up this underachieving Rangers core
The recalls of Brett Berard and Matt Lempe may indicate that GM Chris Drury and his executives recognize that something is broken and needs fixing. However, the organization cannot stop there. That's because a perfect storm is brewing that threatens to sink this season. Half-hearted measures are not the answer. The Rangers' core has been […]
Rangers to call up Brett Berard after disappointing road trip
The Rangers were already relatively well-equipped when it was announced that Brett Berard was a healthy injury ahead of the AHL Wolfpack's Sunday 4 p.m. game against the Bridgeport Islanders in Hartford, Conn. I got home after a good night's sleep. In fact, the 22-year-old was on his way to New York with his first […]