9:25
Empty-netter for Dawes, generously given him by Shanahan. 4-1 final, and a surprising third period. Brodeur has to answer for that giveaway on Callahan's winner.
9:20
Think Gomez may be a little jacked up for this series... Terrific patience on that rush after a nice play by Freddy Sjostrom in the neutral zone. Gomez holds, draws three Devils and Brodeur, and sneaks a pass to Avery coming in for the finisher. 3-1 Rangers, say good night.
9:16
Ah, gotta love McCreary -- Brandon Dubinsky gets knocked down, his stick comes up, Langenbrunner feigns his throat being slashed and McCreary, not watching, puts the arm up. Huge kill for the Rangers.
9:11
Just 7:19 left and the Devils are trying to make something happen. The Elias-Parise-Langenbrunner line controlled the zone well, but no shots got through. Rangers can clamp down on a one-goal lead with the best of them.
Jagr on the bench after getting cut when the puck deflected up off Salvador and caught him in the face.
9:03
And... Whoops! Brodeur gets caught nonchalant with the puck at the end of the Devils PP, and Ryan Callahan whips around from behind the net to stuff it in. 2-1 Rangers, a SHG, and a real momentum-changer. It was the Rangers' second shot of the period, both short-handed, and a terrible, terrible mistake by Brodeur.
A younger goaltender might crumble after that. We'll see how Marty responds.
9:00
Devils carrying the play at the start of the third, and it results in a PP when Michael Rozsival hangs onto Elias' stick behind the net. Devils are outshooting the Rangers 8-0 heading into the PP chance.
8:38
A much livelier period, 1-1 after two. Both goaltenders made big stops in the final two minutes to keep the game tied, and the chances are going up for both sides.
Gomez was flying in those 20 minutes, a step faster than everyone else. His one gaffe, the hook on Salvador in the Devils zone, led to the tying goal, though. Jagr is doing effective work too -- at the end of the double-shift, he stayed out for nearly a triple-shift and created a chance.
For the Devils, Gionta has had a couple golden chances but missed the net. His blast from 30 feet missed badly in that period. The Devils have to capitalize on those turnovers to get ahead.
Still very evenly matched, as expected. Neither team will want to make the mistake that unties this game.
8:34
First big save of the night is Lundqvist's. He goes to his left to rob Elias with the left pad. And Brodeur answers back by flashing the glove to stop Shanahan with 34.8 left in the second.
8:29
Another post, this one from Arron Asham. He thought it was in, but it hit the far post under Lundqvist's arm. Jagr's first double-shift to get away from Zubrus, skating in Shanahan's spot with Gomez and Avery.
8:24
Bad penalty by Gomez ends up costing the Rangers. Marty Straka put on a clinic, blocking two shots after breaking his stick, but the Rangers' PK unit was trapped and outmanned with Straka stickless. Puck bounced around until Paul Martin gathered the puck at the left circle and beat Lundqvist between the pads. 1-1, 5:35 left in the second.
Gomez got whistled for hooking Salvador inside the Devils zone, with the puck already headed up-ice. Bad play, and now it's tied.
8:17
Another strong shift for the Gomez line. He and Avery had some good connection there, which is huge. Rangers' D, Staal and Girardi especially, have shored it up this period.
The Rangers have forwards who can control the flow of the game, and Gomez and Jagr are doing that now. If the Devils have to chase, they're in trouble.
8:12
Good PP for the Rangers, despite not converting. Jagr is getting room to operate and making things happen. Now, the Gomez and Drury lines are starting to move too -- Callahan got in the middle of it there with a drive to the net that got Brodeur and the Devils a little riled up. No penalties though.
Looks like the Devils are going to have to find someone to keep Jagr under wraps, if they can. Avery, drawing two of the three Rangers PPs and getting an assist on Shanahan's goal, is doing positive work too.
8:03
See what happens when you throw it at the net? Shanahan, who'd been sluggish in the first, corrals a puck along the half-boards and shoots. Appeared to click off Bryce Salvador's stick or skate, by Gomez's screen and under Brodeur's arm. 1-0 Rangers.
7:44
All it takes is one dumb play to counteract all your own dumb plays, I guess, and the Rangers got that with a silly icing in the final minute. Chris Drury won the faceoff and the Rangers controlled play long enough to get a PP and a few good scoring chances to give them some momentum, and 1:44 of PP, going into the second.
Shots ended up eight apiece, and each team hit a pipe. Dan Girardi committed two terrible giveaways in his own zone, and Gomez had one, leading to a good chance by Brian Gionta. Devils are showing better physical play, better flow at breaking up rushes and turning plays around and more fluidity.
But it's still 0-0 end of 1, so none of it really matters.
7:32
14:32 in and the Devils have the decided advantage now. Not liking the way the Rangers' D is playing in its own zone, and Lundqvist got a quick whistle from Bill McCreary and an alert sweep from Scott Gomez after leaving two easy rebounds in the slot. Avery is back, though his line has been a non-factor. Jagr's line is the only Ranger line carrying the play.
7:27
Sergei Brylin thinks it's 1-0, but his shot clangs off the crossbar. Hideous giveaway by Fedor Tyutin in center ice on the PP, and Brylin hustles past him for the near-goal. Rangers first PP is as bad as the Devils'.
7:24
Good penalty call on Oduya, who did hack Avery's stick before the puck caromed off Brodeur and into Avery's ear. He's in the locker room for some medical assistance, and the Rangers are on the PP.
7:20
First close call with 8:07 gone by. Jagr hits the post on a one-timer from 35 feet. Brodeur looked like he was in good position to anticipate, but the shot got on him fast. Unlucky for Jagr.
Devils are ramping up their forecheck after a lousy PP. Couple of good chances and some shots from the point, but the defensive-minded Rangers are clogging the slot and clearing loose pucks away. Zubrus-Rupp-Clarkson on against Jagr so far, though No. 68 hasn't been bothered too much yet.
7:15
Shaky start, and a bad penalty taken by Paul Mara to give the Devils the first PP. Mara had an icing coming and instead chose to pick off the Devils forward. First shot goes to Shanahan on a short-handed try.
Rangers get two shots SH, Devils get none with the PP. Too much passing around the perimeter.
7:07
Devils fans were told to "Rock the Red"... So they gave out white towels to wave. Got it.
Game on!6:54
Strudwick out, Mara in for the Rangers.
6:53
Oh, by the way, Newsday's Katie Strang says Devils in 6. She just told me so I could tell you all.
6:33
Staple here from high -- I mean HIGH -- above the ice at the Prudential Center in downtown Newark. If you've ever played NHL on Sega or PlayStation and chosen the overhead view, you have some idea of the view from here.
So we're bloggin the Stanley Cup Playoffs, starting tonight. Teams are skating in warmups now. Both Jason Strudwick and Paul Mara are on the ice, but only one of them will likely play, unless Tom Renney pulls a shocker and puts Strudwick on the fourth line. Doubtful. Petr Prucha, Colton Orr and Marek Malik are definite scratches.
On the Devs side, Bryce Salvador will be in on D and Vitaly Vishnevski is out.
More in a bit.
Comments (36)
LETS GO RANGERS!!!
YEAH BABY, LETS DO IT!
If our coach had a clue, I would say beating Devils would be very easy. They are the least dangerous and least deep team in the east. Their main weapons are good system, discipline and defense/goaltending.
Hollweg and Mara better play their butts off
damn, too bad Jagr's shot hit the post, that would have been sweet
man, it has gotten so boring, would have been a lot more fun playing the Capitals.
This is has to be the most boring of 8 matchups.
Renney's "system" stinks
Devils' secret plan turned out to be Renney's "coaching"
Sam Rosen needs to retire, he doesn't even note some big hits.
Drury is completely invisible
YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
lol bob..can you at least shut it till friday?
oooooooooooooh baby!!, we miss JD :(
what a win, cuz they gave us hell tonight..clearly we didnot deserve to win this game..but thankfully they have marty "wheres the puck?" brodeur..lmao!!
home ice...what home ice?
vince, you can get off their backs for losin sunday now..we got home ice :)
1 down, 15 to go
Gomez picks a perfect time for his best game as a Ranger
Callahan is Mr. Clutch for tonight.
How bad must Devils feel to gove up that 3rd goal to Avery LOL!!!
woo-hoo! what a win
Henrik saved us from several brain camps early on.
We definitely had the best goalie in the league tonight.
Hollweg with just 1 hit in 6 minutes is useless, bring in Prucha
gomez earned his 7 million tonight, thank you very much..maybe all the naysayers will FINALLY say he's worth every friggin penny
You know when you're in the outfield, playing softball and there is this little gnat that keeps getting in your face no matter how many times you swat him?
That's bob
hi bobby!!..buddy ole pal!!..it didnt matter did it?..hollweg sux and we all know that..lmao!!
hey bob, you know who dosent suck?..gomez!!! :)
hey bob, you know who else dosent sux?..henrik lundqvist
hey bob, you know who else SUX? ...MARTY FREAKIN' BRODUER, LMAO!!!
and you know what else bob..much to your dismay, we took there best shot tonight, and guess what?... WE WON!!!..LMAO!!
Goalposts won't save Lundqvist all the time and Brodeur won't make mistakes like that too many times.
Everything I said about the Devils was spot on. They are the easiest team in the east from the top 8, but Renney will make it a struggle with his pathetic coaching.
bzzzzzzzzzz, bzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I can't get this bob out of my face....
anyone got any OFF spray?
cool,
looks like they are finally deleting some bob posts
finding out his IP address shouldn't be too far away.
Renney 1, Bob 0....
newsday 1 - bob 0 ..lol
bob really needs to go. im not even a regular poster on these boards but i used to really enjoy coming here and reading everyone's opinions after and before the games. bob just ruins this entire page.
the rangers win 4-1 and yet people still complain about the coaching. what a joke.
hi guys, remember me? I was supposed to be a 40 goal sniper, but then they decided to sign Shanahan and gave me 9 minutes a game on the 4th line without any powerplay time. I am a good defensive player, but Renney keeps saying I am not and never lets me kill penalties. You used to chant "Pruuuuuuuu!" every time I scored. Now that Sjostrom was brought in I can't even get any icetime at all, my confidence has disappeared, nobody seems to care about me anymore. Jagr kicked me out of his appartment because I didn't want to do it with him. Renney always disliked me because I didn't know what to do. Recently I started wondering about Roman Lyashenko...
Gomez was awesome. Hank was at his best.
But most importantly are the youth being involved and helping win the game. Callahan, the perfect example of finishing the play, rushing to the net, and what can happen when you just put the puck on net. Should be a major motivator for everyone.
Bob,
Drury was invisible??
He was 14/18 on faceoffs...thats incredible..
learn something about hockey before you post here
TJ,
Was that post really from you? How did we not deserve to win? We out skated, out shot, and out everythinged them all night. I admit that Henrik did hold us in for a little bit when The Dev's turned it own for awhile, but I think that's going to happen against most teams. And yes Brodeur handed Callahan the one goal, but The Rangers absolutely deserved the win. Not sure if that was you or not, but I can't take anything away from how well the Rangers hustled all night.
HUGE WIN IN GAME ONE IN THEIR BUILDING!!!
The isle fans have got to be P.O.'d as they miss the playoffs, lose out on the hummer challenge, lose out on first overall pick and now lose out on their hopes of us being swept.
I love playoff hockey!!!! LGR!!!!!!!!
I guess Renney faked Zipay out of his jock as Mara was certainly in the lineup and there was no Strudwick or Mailk sighting. Thanks for the hot tip. As to those who immediately bought in, as I said yesterday why not wait and see who is in the lineup before you start the bitching parade. As to Bob, I can't even remember the last time Prucha scored a goal so whether he is in or out of the lineup is really MEANINGLESS. The Devils for the most part were kept to the outside and most shots were taken from bad angles outside the circles. When they were able to create a good opportunity Hank was there to stone them. The Devils played the soft dump and tried to keep the action in Rangers zone, while this had some early success the strategy is now out of the bag, lets wait and see what the adjustment holds, PS when you create a new strategy and it does not lead to victory you could be in some trouble. Devils will play more desperate in each game, this will lead to great offensive opportunities as long as the Rangers remain patient. The Devils will have to open up more and more as 1 or 2 goals is just not going to get it done. When you have scored 10 goals in 9 games against a team you have to be concerned and maybe a bit frustrated. When Marty lets two softies in and you lose that to must be greatly frustrating. The Devils will lose their patience and end up losing the series because of this. PS you can also say that if the Devils outskated the Rangers, out played the Rangers and forced all the play and still lost, then what hope is there?
MSG-
agree in many ways. yet, there are quite a handful of guys in that devils lockerroom with playoff experience (as in NYR as well), so dont count on them leaving their game plan all together. but you are right - at some point their psyche will be tough to handle when you've lost 7/ 8 games in reg. season and game 1 of playoffs.
Rangers need to tighten up in defensive zone. That includes forwards coming back to help out, clean breakouts, and when all else fails, simply getting puck out of the def. zone, period.
i thought the save Henry made on Elias was the turning point of the game. Elias, Gionta and Langenbrunner can be dangerous around the net, so when they get stuffed, other devils have got to shake their heads.
Again with the Jagr, Dubi, Stratka line - too many passes and not enough shooting. Sec 314 mentioned it the other day - everyone looks to pass to Jagr. Shoot the damn puck!
And as it stands now, i hope avery sticks to his game plan and thrives with shanny and gomez. when his "under the skin" mentaility strikes, i hope he uses it when appropriate. For now, he looks focused and determined (are you watching Sather? - re sign the guy!)
Keys for Game 2 - tighten up the D, score early and continue hard forecheck.
Great victory for the Blueshirts. It's nice to see the second week of the Mets season and golf get the headlines and premier sports news spots on the back page and online. WTF?
Anyway, that was a great game with an insane pace. I can't wait to see the rest of this series.
I just hope the Rangers shoot more. Brodeur is great, but he will give up the occasional rebound and sometimes that's all it takes.
Let's Go Rangers!
On WFAN last night, after the 2 hour Met post game show, even Steve Somers was talking Mets.
Very disheartening, even Mr. Somers.
Rangers have to get back on WFAN. 1050 radio doesn't even come in without static and other radio stations mixing in with it after 7pm, it's ridiculous.
Great win for the rangers. The kids were flying again,as usual and it turned into a goal when mart decided to stare at the puck to long. I wonder if he'll say that Cally didn't get all of it or he didn't mean to shoot it there.LMAO Over on MSG plus they said he wouldn't even talk about it . What a jerk!!!!!
Saw Renney's post game interview and he was very happy with getting the win but he comp[lained about a few things and said we have to be much better. I guess tj will say he's a debbie downer since we won and he still wasn't happy. I guess when I do that I'm like Renney,oh MY.
To see Avery get the third goal was great since we all know how he hates marty the diver. There's not much you can say about the class of Shanny ,insisting Dawes score the open net goal. Now that's Classy. Lets go fri night and Lets go Rangers!!!
Dude you stole my gnat story lmao but how true it is about booby LMAO.
It was a classy move by Shanny to let Dawes score, but the first class move was by Dawes who gave the puck to Shanny so that Shanny would score (shows great respect) before Shanny returned the favor by giving it back to Dawes for what I am assuming is his first Playoff goal. Did anyone else notice that?