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Game 39: NYR-TOR, Playoff Drive Continues in Canada |
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"It was a fun week last week, but now we have to repeat it" Henrik Lundqvist.
What Lundqvist said has to be the mantra of every player on the Rangers and likely is what many of us have been saying. A week that started in disarray ended pretty special with the Rangers going 3-0-1 while regaining the swagger and style that marked last year's squad. However, that was then and this is a new week, just as critical and maybe more so than last week. With games tonight and Wednesday against a hot Maple Leafs squad, who have been able to win even without Joffrey Lupul and changes in the back line, and sit just four points ahead of the Rangers in fifth. To close out the week, the Rangers head to the Nassau Coliseum to take on the rival Islanders, who sit even with the Rangers in points but who have played one more game, which is why the Blueshirts are in seventh.
Tonight's task is pretty simple, limit the odd-man breakouts and prevent Toronto from using their speed through the neutral zone where they create open space and scoring chances. Sounds simple…on paper, but not so easy to accomplish. Nazem Kadri has taken his game to a new level while Phil Kessel is having a good year, even though his goal scoring is down. JVR and Tyler Bozak are two other main pieces while Dion Phaneuf had 11 points in 13 games in March after a slow start. Between the pipes, James Reimer has been very good, and even when he was hurt, Ben Scrivens did a solid job filling in for him. Add all that up and it's easy to see why Toronto is fifth in the standings.
As I said before, if the Rangers play their game and execute, I don't worry about what the opposition does. The team has gelled since the two big trades and should continue to grow as the players get more use to skating with each other.
Line combinations (same as past few games):
Clowe-Richards-Zuccarello
Nash-Stepan-Callahan
Hagelin-Brassard-Boyle
Pyatt-Powe-Asham
Del Zotto-Girardi
McDonagh-Stralman
Moore-Eminger
Lundqvist
The Drive for the Playoffs (will run this in every blog for the next few weeks):
Since we all are focusing on where every other team is, and I can understand that, because we all are scoreboard watching. Below are where teams from 5-10 sit in the standings. Though as you know, I usually say that we should just worry on how the Rangers play and everything else will hopefully take care of itself, since if they play like they did last week, no team in the East worries me that much that I don't think they can beat them when they get in.
The Rangers have 10 games remaining (back-to-back with Toronto, @Isles on Sat, @Philly, home Florida, next night @Buf, home against NJ, @Florida, @Carolina and home on April 27 to end the season), and as of Monday morning, here is how the standings look:
5th seed: Toronto Maple Leafs (21-13-4, 46 points) – 10 games remaining (6-1-3 last 10)
6th seed: Ottawa Senators (19-13-6, 44 points) – 10 games remaining (5-5 last 10, lost four straight)
7th seed: Rangers (19-15-4, 42 points) – 10 games remaining (5-3-2 last 10)
8th seed: Islanders (19-16-4, 42 points) – nine games remaining (6-3-1 last 10)
9th seed: New Jersey Devils (15-14-10, 40 points) – nine games remaining (2-4-4 last 10).
10th seed: Winnipeg Jets (19-19-2, 40 points) – eight games remaining (3-7 last 10, two points behind Washington for division lead and Capitals have a game in hand)
If Buffalo (39 games, 38 points, 6-2-2 last 10 and won three in a row) or Philly (38 games, 37 points, 5-3-2 last 10) get closer, I will add them in above as well.
"It was a fun week last week, but now we have to repeat it" To quote Fast Times at Ridgement High, Know It, Learn It, Live It. Let's Go Rangers!!!
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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