I guess I wasn't expecting to make another post today, but anyways...here we go!
Somehow, someway the Rangers pulled two points out of Atlanta, beating the Thrashers 3-2 in a shootout. Nik Antropov was the first to strike, with a deflection off of a Tobias Enstrom point shot past Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers responded in the second period, when Wojtek Wolski tipped in a Derek Stepan pass over the glove of Ondrej Pavelec. Later in the second period, the Thrashers would score again as Anthony Stewart put a shot off of a rebound right through Lundqvist's pads. The third was full of scoring chances for the Rangers, including a 5-on-3 powerplay. With five forwards on the ice, the Rangers could not put the puck past Pavelec and entered the third still trailing by a score of 2-1. With just over six minutes remaining in the third period, Brian Boyle took the puck hard down the right side, and beat Pavelec with a shot over the glove, tying the game at 2-2. This score would last through the rest of the third period and overtime, leading to a shootout. Henrik Lundqvist stopped all three shooters he faced, and Mats Zuccarello fooled Pavelec to score the only goal of the shootout. Zuccarello is now three for three in shootout attempts. Both goalies were excellent in the game, especially Atlanta's Ondrej Pavelec. He made 29 saves during regulation and overtime, including some excellent saves. The highlight save of the game was in the first period. Mats Zuccarello took a shot from the right circle that went through the legs of Freddy Meyer. The shot was labeled for the top left corner, yet somehow Pavelec found the puck and stopped it with his shoulder and blocker. He is truly blossoming into an excellent NHL goaltender, and I can understand how Atlanta has been so successful this season.
One of the bigger stories of the game is that the Rangers lost both Dan Girardi and Brandon Prust to injury during the game. Prust was hurt blocking a shot by Dustin Byfuglien, while Girardi was injured in a fight with Atlanta captain Andrew Ladd. The Rangers are already down forwards Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Vinny Prospal, Ruslan Fedetenko, Alex Frolov and Derek Boogaard. I was actually discussing with my father how the Rangers were lucky that their defense has not had any injuries, as there isn't much NHL-ready talent in AHL Connecticut for the Rangers to call up and have play in the lineup. Hopefully Girardi proves to be healthy after tonight, as he is a vital part of the Rangers team at even strength, on the powerplay and also while killing penalties. Prust is the Rangers leader with three shorthanded goals and five shorthanded points total. He is another vital piece of the penalty kill that the Rangers cannot afford to lose. Both are currently reported as day-to-day; Girardi has a pulled muscle in his ribcage and Prust with a foot injury.
-------------------------------------
Staying in the Atlantic Division, Evgeni Nabokov has reportedly denied to report to the Islanders after the team had claimed him off of waivers earlier today. I recently said that the Islanders would be among the teams putting in a claim for Nabokov, as their goaltending could really use a boost. A ragtag goaltending trio of Rick DiPietro, Nathan Lawson and rookie Kevin Poulin is not proving to be the best formula for the struggling Islanders, so it makes sense why Garth Snow would want Nabokov on his team. Nabokov has been previously quoted as wanting to play for a winning team. He has said that he wants to be in an environment where success is the main focus. Of course, success is the main focus of all 30 NHL clubs, but whether that focus appears now or down the road is the difference between the teams. Obviously, Nabokov wanted to be in a winning environment, where Detroit is looking to be atop the Western Conference once again this year. Chris Osgood has been injured and is expected to be out until March, and Nabokov thought that this would be a good opportunity to come back into the league.
This raises the question as to what the Islanders really saw in an opportunity to grab Nabokov for their team. They are a team in a clear rebuilding mode, and are in no position to succeed. The Isles currently sit 17 points out of a playoff spot, and have not been playing well enough to come back and even make an attempt at a playoff run. They are a young team that needs to develop their players. Nabokov does not fit into that situation, and though he does solve a goaltending issue of an experienced netminder, a veteran back-up goaltender may have served as a better choice. It is also uncertain as to what the plan is for the Islanders. They traded James Wisniewski to the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional 2012 fifth-round pick. Wisniewski is only 26 years of age, and is a good player to build around. He is a right-handed defenseman who has a heavy shot and can play well at both ends of the ice. Why they would trade a player like this when they are in a rebuild confuses not only me but many officials and writers around the league. Do the Islanders really have a plan? I'm not so sure.
What will happen with Nabokov? I certainly don't know, but there are options. The Islanders could be courteous and allow Nabokov back on waivers, where another team (including Detroit) claim him to bring him to a new team. Snow can also suspend Nabokov, so that he cannot play anywhere for the rest of the season. As this situation unfolds, it will truly bring a light onto some of the issues with the CBA.
-------------------------------------
That's definitely it for tonight, I promise. I hope everyone has a good night. I know I will with a Rangers win. Every two points can and will help the Rangers with the hope for a strong playoff push late in the season. Our acquisitions and rookies have certainly made this an exciting team to watch, as they continue to flourish and prove that they deserve spots in the National Hockey League on the New York Rangers.
No comments:
Post a Comment