Archive for Petr Prucha
Game 37: Rangers vs. Caps
Posted by: | CommentsAfter a surprisingly successful west coast trip, the Rangers are taking on the Washington Alexanders Capitals tonight. They will look to build on what has to be a confidence boost from last week: two wins in the LA area, and a dominant third period against the Sharks where they were one break away from tying the game.
Corey Potter was returned to Hartford, which points out that I clearly made a mistake when I said that players cannot be reassigned to minor league affiliates during the roster freeze. Apparently they can. With Potter in Hartford, I still won’t get my wish for Kalinin to get the Prucha treatment.
It also looks like Fritsche and Prucha will be the scratches, again. Fritsche hasn’t played since Nov. 30, and Prucha since Dec. 7. Combined they have played in 26 games this year. But considering the road trip, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I have no qualms with the forwards playing tonight.
This has to be the slowest day of the year in the business world. I’m the only one on my floor (that’s right, floor) at the office today. I should be out early and home in time to do in game updates.
Update 7:08pm: Same lines as the last few games. No surprises there.
Update 7:12pm: You know, I was looking at that injury report, and I forgot that Tom Poti was on the Caps. I have to admit, as much as I didn’t like him, he got a raw deal in NY. He was touted as the next Leetch, and the Rangers gave up Mike York (fresh off a 30 goal rookie season) for him. In retrospect, that deal wasn’t so bad.
Update 7:13pm: Wow, what a pass by Zherdev. What a trade that is. I loved it from the beginning, and this kid is going to be a superstar. 1-0 Rangers, Naslund from Zherdev and Gomez.
Update 7:18pm: Hank looks strong tonight, nice save on that mini 2 on 0.
Update 7:22pm: You know, I have a bottle of Jean Paul Gaultier cologne, but after that commercial I don’t think I’m going to use it anymore. And Kalinin was on the ice for that goal. +1 for him! He’s now -15 on the season.
Update 7:25pm: Wow. What a shot by Rozsival. His play is picking up. He needs to shoot more. And as I write this, they score again! Theodore is not a good goalie anymore. The second goal was Rozsival from Drury and the third Callahan from Drury and Dawes. This is just a raping right now. But remember, the Rangers were up 4-0 on Philly earlier in the year and barely won that game. Goalie change. Johnson in net.
Update 7:36pm: The Rangers are just beating the Caps to every single loose puck. They look real hungry today. I like it. It looks like someone lit a fire under their ass.
Update 7:38pm: If not for a bad hop, that would have been 4-0. The Rangers are just all over the Caps so far. But let’s see if they can keep this up for the entire 60 minutes, which seems to be a problem for them. 3-0 Rangers, end of the first.
Update 7:57pm: Theodore back in net, apparently Johnson is sick. Just put pucks on net.
Update 8:02pm: Nice series by Hank. And on that Dubie shot, it looks like Johnson got his stick on it. If he did, that’s a real nice save.
Update 8:04pm: What great passing by the Rangers, and what a move by Callahan, that makes it two on the night for him. Callahan from Dawes and Drury again. That’s three assists for Drury.
Update 8:08pm: The Caps have now been outscored 11-1 in the past four periods. That can’t be good for morale on that young team.
Update 8:11pm: I agree with Micheletti, the PP does look so much better when Rozsival shoots. He has a cannon.
Update 8:18pm: That one deflects off Rozsival. Nothing he can really do about that. 4-1 Rangers. Ovechkin gets the goal, assisted by Backstrom.
Update 8:22pm: They needed that stoppage, they got outplayed for a long time. Let’s hope that was just a blip and not the usual 2nd period let down.
Update 8:28pm: Good kill by the Rangers. That was needed.
Update 8:30pm: 4-1 Rangers after two. Good period, they had a little blip in the middle, but recovered nicely with a good kill and then drawing a penalty at the end of the period. The PP carries over for about a minute.
Update 8:50pm: 4-2 Rangers, what a deflection by Fleishman. Fleishman gets the goal from Backstrom and Laich.
Update 8:53pm: Wow. Theodore just stood on his head. He just kept them in the game.
Update 8:57pm: Zherdev is playing a hell of a game. He is far and away the best Ranger skater tonight.
Update 9:02pm: So much for consistency. They look flat in this period. 4-3. This game shouldn’t be this close.
Update 9:05pm: Wow. What a save by Theodore. He looks like a different goalie this period. What did he eat in the intermission?
Update 9:07pm: This is real sloppy. That penalty was a good penalty to take by Girardi. And what a terrible pass to send Kozlov on the break.
Update 9:09pm: Huge kill by the Rangers there. They really needed that.
Update 9:12pm: Why am I not surprised that they blew this lead? Too many miscues. Bad pass by Dawes. 4-4, Ovechkin unassisted.
Update 9:24pm: The Rangers just gave a point to the Caps, that might loom large in April. What a terrible third period. To OT we go. Or should I just say shootout by now?
Update 9:27pm: I thought the Rangers were playing the Caps, not the Habs. Rangers give up 5 straight goals, and snatch defeat from hands of victory. That’s all for tonight folks.
Thanks to Mike A. from River Ave. Blues for the shout out tonight.
It’s Not Just About the Money
Posted by: | CommentsAs predicted here, Sundin went to the Canucks for more money. I couldn’t be happier. The last thing this team needed was an aging veteran who isn’t a fast skater. I mean no disrespect to Mats, who is a great player and will probably make the Hall, but that’s the disadvatage of being 37 in the “new NHL”.
The Rangers probably won out in this deal too. They didn’t have to make any absurd roster movements, they keep the core of the team together, and they get to build on two wins against good teams on the west coast.
But I digress. There are a lot of people out there who believe that Sundin went straight for the pay day. And yes, it looks like that. But Sundin didn’t sign that 2 year/$20 million whopper that Vancouver offered. He signed for one year, at the prorated $10 million (roughly $6 million). As per Pierre LeBrun, Sundin phoned fellow countryman Mattias Ohlund and asked if his presence would have an effect on the Canucks locker room. LeBrun continues to add that Sundin was unnerved by the fact that multiple bodies (Prucha and Fritsche to start, maybe going further to Korpikoski and Kalinin depending on the salary) would have to be moved to clear room on the Rangers roster. Those kinds of move mess with a teams chemistry, no matter how many times they change lines during the season.
I respect Sundin, but as for him signing with the Rangers, we say good riddance.
So what’s it gonna be Mats?
Posted by: | CommentsAs we sit on the eve of Mats Sundin’s big decision, one has to wonder…is this a move the Rangers have to make? Or are they simply reverting back to their old ways, going after the the biggest available name out there, and not necessarily for the right reasons?
One would have to think that given Sundin’s track record that this is not just a move of desperation. Let’s face it….the Rangers offensive attack has all the symptoms of the worst types of anemia, and a big, able-bodied scorer (not named Aaron Voros or Colton Orr…sorry boys) will do wonders for an eye-gouging power play. The presence of another fellow countryman will also help in the progress of Markus Naslund, who will be a critical cog in the machine down the line, not to mention making your franchise goalie feel a little more at home.
But at what cost do the Rangers bring Sundin in? It will take a great deal of player movement and sacrifice to get him signed to the roster at the current asking price. The Rangers have taken great pride in the post-lockout era in holding on to their products, whether it be players they have drafted, or exports that have grown exponentially in their system. A commitment to Sundin will certainly mean the end of Petr Prucha (whom I believe the Rangers organization completely ruined, but thats another story for another time) and surely Michael Roszival, whose combined salary lands at $6.6 million/year. Besides, as a Rangers fan, you can’t help but cringe every time Slats goes after that big name (see Lindros, Eric; Bure, Pavel; Holik, Bobby, etc etc etc etc etc).
We can sit here all night and argue pros and cons over the decision, but it all comes down to which situation one future Hall of Fame center feels better about. In the end, the bright lights of New York, the prospect of playing with his notable natives, and remaining in the Eastern Conference will be enough to sway Sundin to the Big Apple. Then Rangers fans have to ask themselves two questions: how many line combinations will Tom Renney experiment with before he gets it right, and how much will Mats donate to Big Z for #13?
Prucha Delivers
Posted by: | CommentsWell, one day after Petr Prucha declines a conditioning assignment in Hartford, he puts in the game tying goal with under six minutes remaining in the third. For those who missed it, Prucha, who was one of the best Rangers on the ice during the game, buried the puck after it caromed off the boards from a Gomez shot.
Considering his effort and production today, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing tomorrow night in Montreal as well. Maybe all he needed was some playing time.
Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if he sits in Montreal. But that’s a whole other topic I don’t want to get into right now.