Hmmm.
It appears as if tonight the Rangers are returning to the same lineup that ousted the Devils, with Colton Orr, Petr Prucha, Marek Malik and Jason Strudwick as healthy scratches. Coach Tom Renney didn't acknowledge that, but those four were on the ice long after the optional practice ended.
With Ryan Hollweg in, that would be the third slightly different lineup against the Penguins. Orr and Prucha each played a game in Pittsburgh on the fourth line.
And as suggested yesterday, Paul Mara will see time on the point on the power play.
Told that Pens coach Michel Therrien spoke to the referees after the first period in Game 2 about some Rangers, including Brendan Shanahan, invading the crease against Marc-Andre Fleury, Renney smiled. “Really? I didn’t know you could do that...It's playoff hockey. Whatever...Let him think what he wants."
Renney did acknowledge that more pressure was "probably on us. It's a big swing game."
Among the absentees in the skate: Gomez, Drury, Straka, Rozsival and Lundqvist (David LeNeveu from Hartford replaced him). Shanahan and Avery skated and Jagr loosened up afterward.
More from MSG later...
Comments (24)
Good ol' coach eunuch. Always just 1 nut away from a lineup that makes sense.
Wow Prucha was sure given a chance a whopping 5 minutes after not playing for 3 weeks.
Renney, I can't wait to defecate on your grave.
Please tell Avery his nail appointment is at 5pm before the game, and we got the color passion fruit he requested.
Also remind him to keep turtling and ducking King Laraque so he does not chip his nails.
the tanning salon will give him a deal also.
Renney does'nt know you can sway the refs? I think he knows, he just does'nt bother. Thats one of the reasons he sucks. Tinkering with the 4th line, yeah thats gonna make a difference. CLUELESS!!!!!!!!!!
pens hit the 2nd round and all of a sudden we have a bunch of talkers
HOW IS BACKMAN STILL IN THE LINEUP????
Renney = play bad will result in more ice time
Renney sucks at life.
Chin Chiang is obviously a racist Islanders fan with nothing to do between the 9th and 10th holes. Hey, Chin. Go to your blog so you can read all about your brilliant GMs building plans. Draft well, develop young guys and mix in some veteran FAs. HOLY CRAP!!!! Why didn't anyone else think of this plan before. What an idea, that guy's a genious. Good luck attracting FAs.
Lot of bitter islanders and devils fans out there.
p.s I take it square in the man shortys and do not know the difference between and blueline and a clothes line.
Rangers experience will prevail.
Lundqvist will be shakey tonight, but Rangers "O" will have more chances in shooting more often and crashing the net.
LETS GO RANGERS!
check out this bit of pulitzer prize caliber reporting:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_564825.html
geez, was that actually printed in a newspaper? i think the youngins steps it up tonight, LETS GO RANGERS
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!
You guys disagree with that reporter from Pittsburgh? I agree with him and cannot wait for Avery not to be re-signed by Sather. It just atonishes me that Colton Orr plays the game hard,physical and is maybe the #2 fighter in the league (behind Boogard) and doesn't get in the game. Guy played his butt off all year, caused no crap and stuck up for everyone and never ran from anyone. That doesn't matter anymore.
I'm glad Sean is going to Chin. He's the best.
Lets Go Rangers ! !
For those who haven't yet figured it out, there is almost NO fights in the playoffs as the league cracks down on it. For the last several seasons fighting has been almost invisible during the playoffs, therefore Orr is really not necessary. The odds of anyone gooning it up in the playoffs are remote at best. So the protection issue is not necessary either. The RAngers have certainly not lost two games because of intimidation nor are they going to start winning with intimidation. They have owned the face off circle and the Drury line has spent most of their time pinning the Pens in their own zone, these are the two trends that will tunr the series around, as these are the two areas that the Pens could not find an answer for in either of the first two games. Usually the domination in the face off circles leads to victories, while this didn't pay off in the first two games it will start to pay off in gm 3. Look for the Drury line to get on the board early and once again be the best line on the ice for the Rangers. The Pens have not found a way to stop their forecheck pressure.
Hey DK1994...and we're the ones with the biased sportswriters? I'll take Zip in a fight over that twerp any day of the week!
Hey DK!
I wrote the writer an email:
Mr. Starkey,
How can you put in a quote from Gary Roberts regarding Avery and expect anyone to take you seriously? Gary Roberts is a good player; he is also one of the dirtiest, roughest, cheap shot artists in the league. Excuse me if I take anything he says with a grain of salt.
Also, if you knew anything about hockey, you would know that these little cheap shots and slashes happen all the time during the course of a game, its gamesmanship. In my opinion, this only becomes news because Crosby likes to cry about it. No one else says anything because they are true hockey players and tough guys. Both teams play hard, play rough, and try to get away with as much as they can to gain an edge.
It’s called hockey.
Regards,
Busey
None of you have asked the question.."why would Avery have been hated by his Kings teammates?". The answer lies in his agitating and jawing and then "turtling" to let teammates fight his battles for him.
We aren't talking about a star here. We're talking about a guy who's best asset isn't his skating or his stick handling, but his mouth.
On second thought, sounds like he's a great fit in NY.
Avery does his job perfect.
Once again Black and Gold is yapping with that Charley Brown sound coming out of his mouth. Avery is an AGITATOR, just as Darcy Tucker and Gary Roberts have made careers on this one skill. Avery does have a bove agerage skating ability and he is capable of being a 20 goal scorer as has been shown factually. The reason he was hated in LA was because he was one of many in a totally disfunctional locker room. As Shanny has said many times Avery is a pain in the ass but he is our pain in the ass and better we have him then have to play against him. He is a modern day Matthew Barnaby with a bit more skill. You certainly remember Matthew Barnaby don't you, and certainly you rooted for him while he worn the Black and Gold didn't you. Just as you would root for Avery if he was a PEN, but he's not so you need to hate him. Hopefully you will be hating him even more when the teams return to PITT at 2-2 for gm 5!
Would that be the Gary Roberts who is a healthy scratch tonight?
Pens will beat the Rangers the Pittsburgh way, by playing hockey, not the NY way, which consists of shooting your mouth off like msg4ever
by Black N Gold | April 29, 2008 18:19 Would that be the Gary Roberts who is a healthy scratch tonight?
Pens will beat the Rangers the Pittsburgh way, by playing hockey, not the NY way, which consists of shooting your mouth off like msg4ever
B&G,
You don't mean by playing hockey. You mean the Pens will win because "The Next One", will feel a poke check on his stick and buckle to the ice with those oh so strong skating legs. If he was such a good strong player he would skate through the checks more often than not and the way I see it, if he isn't diving, it makes him weak. Jagr skates through that stuff all the time, and he isn't near as good a player as he was when he was playing in that sorry excuse for a city your boys play in. Are you saying that he isn't really that good? Or are you saying that he's diving? It's one of the two. Jagr doesn't go down that often. If Sidney is just as good or better, he shouldn't either. So which is it? Is he not as good a player as everyone says he is or is he the next coming of Mark Recchi? Crosby is a good player but buying into "THE NEXT ONE" is a complete and utter joke...and to whoever said that Avery won't stand up for himself I have seen quite the contrary. If you think about what he does, he runs his mouth, but he is doing it to do the same thing as your pest players have done in the past to do. Get any edge he can but he in fact follows it up, and THAT is why people hate him. He doesn't care because he CAN stand up for himself. Guys are used to people backing down after they get an @$$ whoopin...but he won't. He will drop em if he has to but he will back down from that fight if it means a better situation FOR THE TEAM. That's SMART HOCKEY. Not cheap hockey. No he doesn't fight often but if the situation FOR HIS TEAM warrants it, he will go.
Anonymous,
Perfect answer. Instead of arguing that your team will win, you start making excuses for them losing, even before the puck is dropped.
Typical Rangers fan, totally gutless.