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Recap #1 of the Season: Preseason opener vs. the Islanders
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Spoiler Alert: Not from this game
There isn’t much to say about last night’s preseason game. Maybe the Rangers wanted to temper everyone’s excitement so they could gradually build it up, or maybe it was just a preseason game. But Neal Pionk had something to say about that shortly into the 0-0 overtime.
Folks…
The many faces of Kevin Shattenkirk
Posted by: | CommentsFriends, we are a short two days away from bliss in the form of a talented defenseman wearing #22 for our beloved New York Rangers. That means tomorrow, instead of the “Sunday Scaries,” we’ll be having the “Holy Crap Live Rangers Hockey is on Tomorrow!” which, frankly, is way better.
Yes, sure, it’s preseason hockey which counts way less. But now is as good a time as any to take a look at the vast difference between our newest Ranger, Kevin Shattenkirk, and how his life has markedly improved since he signed his contract with Jeff Gorton.
Keeping up with the Rangers
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That’s not a Rangers jersey
August is just the most boring month for a hockey fan. Each day is yet another day without hockey. Our agonies of the end of the season have passed, and we’re looking forward to a new year filled with new promise.
The only thing is…. we all need something to write about. And with the lack of players on the ice (save for Junior Rangers activities and some light skating), we all turn into Larry Brooks bickering over whatever nonsense pops in to anyone’s left brain. It’s not a great existence.
So let’s take a look at what our beloved Rangers have been up to this summer in anticipation for the preseason. Read More→
Conference Finals Predictions
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Battle of the Superstars
Although we’re all still questioning and dealing with the grief of the Stanley Cup being out of reach in New York, the show must go on. It’s moving on without our Rangers, and quite quickly at that. Tonight starts the Western Conference Final, and the battle for the East begins tomorrow night.
Many of the staff here at BSB are dealing with the undeniable sadness of seeing a defeated Henrik Lundqvist, and simply cannot think about the future of this playoffs at present time. Three of us were able to pull together the courage to get our predictions out there. As always, leave yours in the comments.
Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Gearing up for Rangers – Senators Game 2
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Don’t tell Kevin how good Marc Methot was in Game 1
Folks, I’m going to be honest with you. There is no reason to hit the panic button quite yet. I know this is very alarming for several people, because people are so romantic when the team wins and so mentally unhinged when the team loses, but I promise you don’t need to freak out.
As a team ventures deeper into the murky waters of the playoffs, they’re destined to meet teams that also deserve to be there. Though people may have dismissed the Senators as a hard hitting, slow team (ahh, the good old Chris Neil days), the team now is far from that. Their defense is not well established, but they make plenty of adjustments and play Erik Karlsson —who, if he is injured, as a robot is not affected — damn near 30 minutes a night.
BSB Playoff Predictions: Round Two
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Bruce Bennett/Getty Image
We’ve made it to Round Two of the playoffs, Rangers unscathed and surprisingly a lot of statistically advanced teams going home. The playoffs, as we know, are a whole different animal, and we’re already deeper here in the New York Metro area (or wherever it is you cheer from!) than we were last time. May hockey is a wonderful, heart attack inducing, fun thing to experience.
Of course, here at BSB this means a fresh crop of predictions. Let’s see how the BSB staff have done through one round:
Beatin the Boys
The second round of predictions includes Justin, so let’s all go blank slate and see how we can fare from here on out. As always, please share your predictions for the four upcoming series in the comments.
Midseason report cards: Alain Vigneault
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BILL KOSTROUN / AP
It seems like ages ago that New York and Vancouver took part in a Coach Swap, something each team needed. Long tenures are tricky because coaching flaws can begin to show. If the coach isn’t willing to adapt, their future with that team looks murky.
It’s how they create reputations and the reason that so many get hired, as is evidenced by that Rangers wife-swapped squad; tired of the aggression and hard-nose, “gritty” hockey, the Rangers opted to hire the offense-minded Vigneault who had come very close to Stanley Cup glory in the Northwest.
Our New Years Resolutions
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Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, folks! It’s finally 2017, which means that we will finally stop seeing an end to those ‘2016 is the worst ever’ memes, and if that’s not reason enough to smile, I don’t know what is.
Here at BSB, we believe in the power of the New Years resolution, a romantic concept that the best is yet to come. New Year, New Us. We’ll optimistically go over some things that we hope members of the Rangers and staff have made as a resolution.
Alain Vigneault: of many, many resolutions I hope for our fearless coach, let’s begin with holding true to your word. Many of us are waiting for your friend Dan Girardi to actually sit the second of a back to back, or even to just rest his 32-year-old warrior legs. Let the man take a break. Read More→
Rangers eke out a win against Carolina
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AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
The Rangers beat the Hurricanes last night in a win that could be described in a few words – bizarre, ugly, concerning – but no matter what, a win is a win. This was a win the Rangers needed to turn around from the slight slump the top-scoring offense in the NHL needed, however strange and ugly that win may be.
Let’s take a period-by-period look at this game in bulleted form:
- Carolina opened the game with a ton of pressure, consistently swarming the Rangers when they’d make it to the offensive zone and forcing turnovers.
- Once trapped in their own zone, the Rangers main move was to attempt to chip the puck out to the neutral zone. When this worked, all it did was come right back in.
Zibanejad injured in Rangers OT Loss
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“but why do they always boo?”
The Rangers game last night was chock full of choppy ice and sloppy play. The Florida Panthers came to New York after beating Ottawa Saturday night to a rested Rangers squad. There were messy goals, homecomings, and a brutal injury to Mika Zibanejad all in the first overtime game all year. Let’s dive in:
- Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello played out of their minds. They’re all animals this year and thank the hockey gods.
- I’m saying this despite Hayes taking the most Hayes penalty of all time, basically clotheslining James Reimer accidentally because he couldn’t quite stop in front of the net.