If Mike Sauer is out any amount of time, this team is going to hit a rough patch. I have a feeling MDZ will not be playing in the next game either. His back is going to tighten up once he stops moving tonight.
Agree with you about Sauer - really hoping that wasn't a concussion. MDZ on the other hand, I think that was just getting the wind knocked out of him.
As others have said, can't show up halfway through the game and expect to win. Still, good to see the resiliency - yet another sign that this team is for real. Every team shows up flat a couple of times during the year. The good ones manage to make even those contests close.
If Mike Sauer is out any amount of time, this team is going to hit a rough patch. I have a feeling MDZ will not be playing in the next game either. His back is going to tighten up once he stops moving tonight.
Thought Phaneuf's hit was the kind of hit we would be toasting if Girardi or Sauer were administering it to a Leaf.
Anisimov too. If your head is down, stuff happens.
edit: I really need to see it again, watching it on a stream is not exactly good enough to judge
What I did not like was that extra shot that a-hole Steckel gave MDZ while he was lying on the ice. I don't like Steckel and would like to see somebody even it up next time.
I thought Anisimov played well and Gaborik picked it up in the 2nd half of the game. Everyone else either flat out sucked or were unimpressive.
The Rangers have been kinda lax on D for about a week now, and tonight it was finally too much to overcome. Kessel and Lupul made a mockery of this team tonight, dancing around as if they were a bunch of figure skating Skinners.
Also, the Leafs started to get real physical towards the end of the game, and the Rangers didn't respond at all. Phaneuf on Sauer and then Schenn on Ansimov less than a minute later. The Rangers just laid down and took it without a fight.
Callahan and Del Zotto should spend some time with a Shooter Tutor after this game.
I actually thought we played pretty good, we fought back and controlled most of the game after the 1st period. We had a bunch of unlucky bounces but it happens and Lundy let a softy behind him which most likely cost us the game (which is OK since he bails us out most of the time). MDZ was awful but hes young and needs to work on things...
Also, is it time to sit Dubi/Boyle for a few games and let MZA show what he has?
You need to do something about Dubi but I dont think sitting Boyle does anything. I honestly think the Boyle we are seeing is the Boyle he really is. I think last year he insanely over achieved and this year we are getting normal Boyle. Dubi has been invisible, so much that we try everything to get him empty net goals lol.
Oh well, it was a tale of two halves. The Rangers played some fantastic hockey the last 30 minutes.
Stepan and Anisimov were fantastic tonight. Stepan right now looks like he did in the WJC two years ago, he can be very very dominant.
That collision with Sauer and Phaneuf was scary to watch. Two extremely large boys hitting each other full speed. I think Del Zotto will be fine, and I thought he had a very nice game. I can't believe the scrutiny he gets game in and game out.
Of the multitude of injuries Sauer's suffered in his career, were any of them concussions?
No. At least it shouldn't. It was a clean body-on-body check. Sauer had his head down. A little pissed off no one stood up for him. If it was anyone else on the ice and Sauer had been out there he would have at least stepped up and went for Phaneuf. Lack of balls.
I can understand why they didnt respond. It was late in a close game. 99 times out of 100 it would have been addressed. But you dont want to take a preventable penalty late in the 3rd of a 1-goal game.
They play the Leafs two more times. Beat them on the scoreboard and I'll be happy.
Wasn't that bad of a game. The first half was just....terrible, but the last half, they dominated. They just couldn't come up with GTG/GWG this time.
We're going to lose some, and while this is definitely disappointing given how close we came to getting at least a point of it at the end, it was bound to happenj eventually. Unlike the games in Florida/Montreal, the Rangers outplayed the Leafs for significant portions of this game. They just seemed to lack sophistication and finish tonight.
What really pissed me off was the last 5 minutes - the Leafs were completely running around and no one stood up for the players who kept getting hurt/wrecked. I realize that the focus is to tie the game, but a hit like the one Phaneuf gave needs to be defended against, even if it was clean. Really hope Sauer is okay, if he's not...oh boy. Not pretty.
Also, I agree with OverTheCap completely. I was actually planning on making a point of it, but I digress - even since the Washington game, we've given up 3, 0, 3, 3, 2, and 3 goals against. 15 goals in 6 games. It isn't terrible, but it's not up to the typical standard of defense the Rangers have set. It was really accentuated tonight, they were absolutely manhandled in the defensive zone, incredibly frustrating to watch the Leafs gain strong body position on almost every dump in and attempt at defense by the checkers.
Overall, though, entertaining game. Just need to prevent a crash, keep the momentum this team had at the end of this game and thrust it at the Lightning on Thursday.
Del Zotto, Anisimov, and Boyle are my three stars tonight.
Girardi is my Redden. He wasn't TERRIBLE, but he was far from good. Probably the worst defenseman along with Sauer tonight.
EDIT - forgot to mention Dubinsky. Bench this bum's ass.
Dubi look fine to me. Boyle has zero hands and no skill around the net. Dubi would compliment Hagelin's speed and Mitchell's strength behind the boards.
