SPOTLIGHT: COMINGS AND GOINGS

BY: Bruce Berlet

It’s official.

Sid “The Kid” Crosby will be returning AGAIN in the world’s biggest media center.

Crosby, who has been battling the effects of post-concussion syndrome for more than 14 months, will be back in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup Thursday night when they visit Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers, whom they’re frantically pursuing for the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference titles.

FAN-FARE: THE AVERY LEGACY

BY: Adam Gavriel

It appears that the Sean Avery saga is finally coming to an end with the Rangers…again. Though this time it seems to be for good and not just with the Rangers, but with the NHL, KHL, SEL, AHL, or any hockey league you can think of.

Last night on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, Sean Avery proclaimed that he was retiring from hockey and that he, “…Threw his skates into the Hudson.” Many had speculated that the end of Avery’s career was right around the corner, that he had, between his actions and words, burned too many bridges in the NHL and its affiliates to have a legitimate shot at being put on re-entry waivers this season by the Rangers. Turns out, those speculations may have been correct.

FANFARE: MICHAEL ST. CROIX

BY: Adam Gavriel

Michael St. Croix has taken the Western Hockey League (WHL) and New York Rangers fans by force this season. The 18-year old center was drafted the Blueshirts fourth round pick of the 2011 NHL entry draft after recording a 75-point season in 68-games for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL. This season, St. Croix is 5^th overall in the WHL scoring race with 70-points (28 goals) in just 46-games. His breakout year in what is normally considered Canada’s toughest and most offensively challenging junior league has prompted Rangers analysts everywhere to rethink their current prospect standings.

SPOTLIGHT: JAMES DOLAN SPEAKS

BY: Bruce Berlet

New York Rangers owner James Dolan made a rare, spontaneous visit to the Madison Square Garden media room after his team’s 3-0 victory over the Nashville Panthers on Tuesday night.

Dolan, the CEO of MSG, praised Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather for building a team from within with youth and good drafting that is close to winning its first Stanley Cup since 1994. Dolan didn’t mention Connecticut Whale coach Ken Gernander and assistants J.J. Daigneault and Pat Boller, but coach John Tortorella has often praised their work as the Rangers (29-11-4) have moved to the top of the NHL’s overall standings with 62 points in 44 games.

SPOTLIGHT: WEEKEND PREVIEW

The Connecticut Whale has several objectives for the last weekend of 2011.

First, the Whale (18-9-1-3) would like to build on a seven-point lead over the Albany Devils in the Northeast Division in games at Worcester on Friday night and against Springfield at the XL Center in Hartford on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Secondly, two victories might give coach Ken Gernander his first job in the AHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 29-30 in Atlantic City, N.J. Gernander, an All-Star player in 1996, 1999 (captain of PlanetUSA in 5-4 victory in Philadelphia) and 2000, and the Whale are third in the Eastern Conference in points percentage (.645) behind Keith McCambridge of St. John’s (.683) and Hershey’s Mark French (.656). In the Western Conference, Todd Nelson of Oklahoma City is first at .719, followed by Milwaukee’s Ian Herbers (.696), Abbotsford’s Troy Ward (.677) and Houston’s John Torchetti (.672). Abbotsford hosts Texas on Thursday night.

WINNING STREAK OVER – TIME TO START ANOTHER

      VERSUS      

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
(From the Rangers)
December 28, 2011 (Game 35, Away Game 19)
Verizon Center – Washington, D.C.

                                                            1st   2nd   3rd   OT   Final
New York Rangers               1        0           0         -         1
Washington Capitals          1        2           1         -         4

Team Notes:

- The Rangers were defeated by the Washington Capitals, 4-1, tonight at Verizon Center to snap their five-game winning streak.  The Blueshirts are 7-3-0 in their last 10 contests.

RANGERS LOOK TO CAP WASHINGTON ELITES

NEW YORK RANGERS at WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Verizon Center – Washington, D.C.
Rangers: 22-8-4 (48 pts)
Capitals: 17-15-2 (36 pts)
* All information through NHL games on Dec. 27

TODAY’S GAME:

The Rangers will face-off against the Washington Capitals today at Verizon Center (7:30 p.m.), to begin a three-game road trip culminating in the 2012 Bridgestone Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Blueshirts currently rank first in the Atlantic Division standings, and first in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 22-8-4 (48 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the New York Islanders, 3-0, on Monday at Madison Square Garden to extend their winning streak to five games, and are 7-2-0 in their last nine. The Blueshirts have now registered at least one point in 21 of their last 26 games (19-5-2). The Capitals enter the contest with a 17-15-2 (36 pts) record to rank 11th in the Eastern Conference, and have lost four of their last six games (2-3-1). Following tomorrow’s contest, the Rangers will face-off against the Florida Panthers on Friday, Dec. 30, at BankAtlantic Center (7:30 p.m.), in their final game of 2011.

RANGERS BUILD BRIDGE OVER LONG ISLAND THAT HOPS OVER BOSTON AND 1ST PLACE IN CONFERENCE

     VERSUS      

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
December 26, 2011 (Game 34, Home Game 16)
Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

                                                        1st   2nd   3rd   OT   Final
New York Islanders               0      0        0       -      0
New York Rangers                 0      1         2       -      3

Team Notes:

- The Rangers defeated the New York Islanders, 3-0, tonight at Madison Square Garden to extend their winning streak to five games, and move into first place in the Eastern Conference standings.

SO MUCH FUN THE FIRST TIME, LET’S DO IT AGAIN

NY RANGERS vs. NY ISLANDERS
Monday, Dec. 26, 7:00 p.m.
Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
Rangers: 21-8-4 (46 pts)
Islanders: 11-16-6 (28 pts)
* All information through NHL games on Dec. 23

TOMORROW’S GAME:

The Rangers will face-off against the New York Islanders on Monday at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in their fourth consecutive game against an Atlantic Division opponent. The Blueshirts currently rank first in the Atlantic Division standings, and second in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 21-8-4 (46 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2, on Friday at Madison Square Garden to extend their winning streak to four games, and are 6-2-0 in their last eight. The Blueshirts have now registered at least one point in 20 of their last 25 games (18-5-2). The Islanders enter the contest with an 11-16-6 (28 pts) record to rank 14th in the Eastern Conference, and have lost six of their last eight games. Following Monday’s contest, the Rangers will face-off against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, Dec. 28, at Verizon Center (7:30 p.m.), to begin a two-game Southeast road trip.

IT’S LONELY AT THE TOP – BUT WHO WOULD HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY?

     VERSUS      

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES

December 23, 2011 (Game 33, Home Game 15)

Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

                                   

                                    1st 2nd 3rd OT Final       Click Here For:

Philadelphia Flyers       0     0        2       -       2                  Game Summary
New York Rangers        0     2        2       -       4                  Event Summary

Team Notes:

• The Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2, tonight at Madison Square Garden to extend their winning streak to four games, and move into first place in the Atlantic Division standings. The Blueshirts are currently second in the Eastern Conference standings, trailing Boston by just one point.
• New York improved to 21-8-4 (46 points) on the season, which includes a 10-3-2 mark at home.
• The Rangers’ eight regulation losses are the fewest in the league, and New York ranks second in the NHL with a .697 winning percentage.
• This is the latest the Rangers have been in first place of the Atlantic Division standings since the 2005-06 season, when New York held the top position through game #80 on Apr. 13, 2006.
• The Rangers have registered at least one point in 20 of their last 25 games (18-5-2), and have out-scored their opponent, 83-54, during the stretch. The Blueshirts are 6-2-0 in their last eight contests.
• The Rangers improved to 16-1-1 (.917 win%) in games when scoring first. Their .917 win% ranks second in the NHL, while their 16 wins are tied for second in the league.
• New York out-hit Philadelphia, 35-24, with six Rangers players registering three or more hits in the contest. The Blueshirts now rank third in the league with 878 hits.