The Rolling Road Warrior Rangers.

Thirty two games remain in the NHL regular season. We are one week away from the All Star weekend. Through 50 games the New York Rangers are 28-19-3 with 59 Points and sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have had a great first half despite an all star worthy injured reserve. So far this year, the following players have been injured at one point or another.

• Ryan Callahan- Broken Hand
• Chris Drury- Broken Hand.....TWICE!!
• Marian Gaborik- Knee/Groin
• Vinny Prospal- Knee
• Brandon Dubinsky- Stress Fracture of Tibia 
• Ruslan Fedetenko
• Derek Boogaard 
• Dan Girardi
• Alex Frolov- Torn MCL- SEASON ENDING SURGERY

However, I look at this with a glass half empty mentality. Due to the injuries suffered the Rangers acquired Wotej Wolski from Phoenix in exchange for Michael Roszival and his hefty contract. The Rangers also called up the "Norwegian Hobbit" Mats Zucharello. So far "Zuke" has been clutch for the Rangers. He has scored the winning goal in each shootout he has participated in. He has also clicked with rookie sensation center Derek Stepan. The injuries have allowed call ups and trade acquisitions to shine in the spotlight and they have produced for the Rangers. The Rangers have played great hockey and have been key on the road. They are 2nd in league overall with the 16-9-1 record on the road. The Rangers also have shined due to the stellar play by their goaltending tandem of Henrik Lundqvist and Marty Biron. The tandem is 6th in the league for goals against. The duo has given up only 121 goals this season. Henrik is also tied for first in the league with Tim Thomas with Seven Shutouts. Hank also ranks third in save percentage with .927 and Sixth with a 2.25 GAA. 

Overall the Rangers have exceeded expectations. The Rangers currently have 59 points through 50 games and they need only 14 more victories to pass their season total of 87 points last year. The keys to success for the Rangers in the second half will to play Marty Biron more often once the Rangers have clinched a playoff spot. This will also allow the Rangers to rest some of their key players. Once the Rangers get back all their injured stars at a good and rested 100%, they can be a true force to be reckoned with come playoff time. 

Sean Avery and the New York Rangers Go For Back-To-Back Sweep

Tonight, the New York Rangers will host the New York Islanders in the final game of the back-to-back, home-and-home series.

The Rangers took the first game 6-5, thanks to excellent play by their new and improved top-line.

The Rangers top-line of Marian Gaborik-Erik Christensen-Sean Avery contributed with nine points in the first game, including a hat-trick from Gaborik, and will most likely stick together for game-two.

The Rangers second line of Brandon Dubinsky-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan also contributed with an early goal in the game.

Expect Henrik Lundqvist to start for the Rangers, after relieving Martin Biron half-way through game-one.

I wouldn't expect much of a roster change or line change for the game, but I will be back later this afternoon with any updates, including line changes or roster moves.

New York Rangers Look To Continue Winning In Nashville Saturday Night

Tonight, the New York Rangers will finish off their three game road trip in Nashvillie taking on the Predators.

Friday night, the Rangers shut-out the Florida Panthers 3-0, with several players leading the team to victory.

Henrik Lundqvist had a major bounce-back game with the shutout, and other major players in the victory were Sean Avery, Brandon Prust, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, and Brandon Dubinsky.

New Lines
The Rangers coach, John Tortorella, played with the line combinations for this game, and the new lines paid-off.
The best line for the Rangers was the line of Ryan Callahan-Brian Boyle-Ruslan Fedotenko.
This line dominated defensively, consatnly blocking shots, clearing the crease of players (Boyle), and clearing the zone.
The other Rangers lines for Fridays game, were:
Marian Gaborik-Derek Stepan-Brandon Dubinsky
Callahan-Boyle-Fedotenko
Sean Avery-Artem Anisimov-Brandon Prust
Alex Frolov-Erik Christensen-Todd White

Will the Lines stay?
Though the lines worked wonders for the Rangers on Friday, they may not stay the same for much longer.
According to the NY Post, Tortorella may-or-may not keep these lines.
We will find out for sure later today during Tortorellas pre-game press conference.

Who will start?
Lundqvist finally won a game, after losing his previous three starts. He may start for the third straight game, and second straight night, tongiht; but I would not be surprised to see Martin Biron in goal against Nashville.

If there are any lineup changes, expect an update.