Rangers 5, Bruins 2; Post Game Quotes and Notes

I couldn’t get a guest reviewer, so no review today.  Clearly, this is a half-assed venture.

Here are the post game quotes and notes from the Rangers, via my anonymous source:

– PRIME NINE – The Rangers’ nine wins through the first 12 games of this season are tied for the most wins in the first 12 games of any season in franchise history. New York has registered nine wins in the first 12 games of a season four times in franchise history (1983-84, 1990-91, 2008-09, and 2016-17).
– GOALS GALORE – The Rangers have registered 50 goals through the first 12 games of the 2016-17 season. New York has recorded at least 50 goals in the first 12 contests of a season for the first time since 1990-91 and has tallied at least 50 goals in the first 12 games of a season for the seventh time in franchise history. The Rangers have registered five or more goals in seven of 12 games in 2016-17. New York leads the NHL in goals per game this season (4.17).
– MAKING THE DIFFERENCE – The Rangers lead the NHL in goal differential this season (plus-23; 50 goals for, 27 goals against). The Rangers’ plus-23 goal differential through 12 games this season is the best through the first 12 games of any season in franchise history.
– SHORT AND SWEET – New York was 3-for-3 (6:00) on the penalty kill and registered two shorthanded goals in tonight’s contest. The Rangers recorded two shorthanded goals in one game for the first time since Mar. 30, 2014 at Edmonton.
– WINNING WAYS – The Rangers extended their winning streak to four games, dating back to Oct. 30 vs. Tampa Bay. In addition, the Rangers have won seven of their last eight games (7-1-0; dating back to Oct. 22 at Washington) and eight of their last 10 contests (8-2-0; dating back to Oct. 17 vs. San Jose). The Rangers have outscored their opponents, 21-6, during their current four-game winning streak, and have tallied at least five goals in each game.
– ROAD WARRIORS – New York ranks second in the NHL – and leads the Eastern Conference – in road wins since the start of the 2013-14 season (74).
– SPECIAL TEAMS – The Rangers outscored Boston, 3-0, on special teams in tonight’s game, tallying two shorthanded goals and one power play goal. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Rangers have posted a 38-2-3 record in games which they have outscored their opponent on special teams. New York has outscored its opponent on special teams in seven of 12 games this season. The Rangers recorded at least one power play goal and one shorthanded goal in the same game for the first time since Feb. 2, 2015 vs. Florida.
– POWER SURGE – New York was 1-for-3 (4:21) on the power play in the contest. New York has recorded a power play goal in six of the last eight games and in eight of 12 games in 2016-17.
– WHAT A LINE – The Michael Grabner-Kevin Hayes-J.T. Miller line recorded three points (two goals, one assist) in tonight’s game and has registered 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) over the last four games.
– TEAM EFFORT – With Pavel Buchnevich, Nick Holden, and Derek Stepan registering their first goal of the season in tonight’s game, 16 different Rangers have recorded a goal in the first 12 games this season.
– COMEBACK KIDS – The Rangers have posted a 5-1-0 record in games which they have allowed the first goal of the contest in 2016-17.
– TWO GOOD – The Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in seven of the last nine games. The Blueshirts have won 33 of the last 34 games in which they allowed two goals or fewer, dating back to Dec. 15, 2015 (33-1-0).
– SOMETHING BRUIN – The Rangers have played more regular season games (642) and have earned more regular season wins (254) against the Bruins than against any other NHL opponent in their 90-season history. The Blueshirts have posted a 2-0-0 record against Boston this season.
– SECOND HELPING – The Blueshirts have outscored their opponents, 21-6, in the second period this season. In addition, New York has outscored its opponents, 17-4, in the second period over the last eight games.
– NOVEMBER REIGN – Since the start of the 2005-06 season, the Rangers lead the NHL in wins during November (86; 86-46-9 record in 141 games in November). The Rangers have won each of their first three games in November in 2016-17.

Post-Game Notes_3 Stars
– Antti Raanta made 35 saves while earning his third win of the season. Raanta has made at least 30 saves in 15 games in his NHL career. In those 15 contests, he has posted a 13-1-1 record, along with a 1.60 GAA, a .955 SV%, and 2 SO.
– Derek Stepan tallied three points (one goal, two assists), recording one point at even strength, one point on the power play, and one point shorthanded and posted a plus-one rating. With his shorthanded goal in the first period, Stepan recorded five consecutive shorthanded goals for the Blueshirts (dating back to Apr. 4, 2015), becoming the first player to register five straight shorthanded goals for the team since Theo Fleury during the 2000-01 season. He extended his assist/point streak to three games in tonight’s contest (one goal, four assists over the span). Stepan has recorded seven points (one goal, six assists) in the last six games and 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in the last 10 contests. The Rangers have posted a 29-1-6 record in the last 36 games in which Stepan has tallied a goal, dating back to Mar. 18, 2014. Prior to tonight’s game, Stepan was also the last Ranger who registered at least one even strength point, one power play point, and one shorthanded point in the same game (Dec. 27, 2014 vs. New Jersey).
– Michael Grabner recorded two points (one goal, one assist), including a shorthanded assist, tied for the game-high with two takeaways, and posted a plus-two rating. Grabner has recorded seven points (five goals, two assists) and a plus-nine rating in the last four games. He leads the Rangers in goals (seven) and takeaways (14), and he is tied for the team lead in plus/minus rating (plus-11) this season.

Post-Game Notes_Blueshirt Breakdown
– Pavel Buchnevich tallied his first career NHL goal, led the Rangers with five shots on goal, and tied for the game-high with two takeaways. He has recorded a point in three of seven games he has played this season (one goal, two assists).
– Nick Holden registered his first goal as a Ranger, was credited with two blocked shots, and posted a plus-one rating. He has tallied four points (one goal, three assists) in the last four games, including three points (one goal, two assists) in the last two contests. Holden has posted a plus/minus rating of even or better in each of the first 12 games this season, and he is tied for the team lead in plus/minus rating in 2016-17 (plus-11).
– Kevin Hayes recorded a shorthanded goal, tied for the team-high with three hits, and posted a plus-two rating. Hayes extended his goal streak to three games, tying his career-high (he also tallied a goal in three straight games from Feb. 10, 2015 – Feb. 14, 2015). He extended his point streak to four games (three goals, five assists), and he has tallied nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last six contests. In addition, Hayes has posted a plus-nine rating over the last four games.
– Jimmy Vesey tallied an assist in tonight’s contest. He has registered 10 points (six goals, four assists) in the last 10 games, including five points (two goals, three assists) in the last four contests.
– Brady Skjei registered an assist and tied for the game-high with two takeaways. Skjei extended his assist/point streak to four games (five assists) and he has recorded six assists/points in the last seven games.
– Marc Staal notched an assist and posted a plus-two rating. He ranks fourth among NHL defensemen in shorthanded points since the start of the 2010-11 season (nine; two shorthanded goals and seven shorthanded assists). Staal has posted a plus-eight rating over the last four games.
– Kevin Klein registered an assist, tied for the team-high with three hits, was credited with three blocked shots, and posted a plus-one rating. Klein ranks second among Rangers defensemen in points since he made his debut with the Blueshirts on Jan. 23, 2014 (59; 19 goals and 40 assists). He has posted a plus-one rating in each of the last four contests.

89 thoughts on “Rangers 5, Bruins 2; Post Game Quotes and Notes”

  1. This team is looking like it’s having a lot of fun out there. Of course, winning = fun.

    A few players that I thought played really well last night:Raanta, Fast, Hayes, Skjei, McDonagh, and the best of the them all, Grabner.

    Grabner is the 12-game MVP. Who woulda thunk it?

    Raanta is 3-0. You can’t ask for more from your backup goalie. This guy is pretty darned good. What in the world happened in Chicago?

    It was great to see “the nose” get the extra 2 minutes and basically cement the win for the Rangers.

    The only problem was that it appeared that the Rangers took their foot off the gas in the 2nd half of the second period and all the third until the penalties on “the nose.”

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  2. Even without a guest HAV, a post nonetheless. Excellent.
    I’m traveling this week in California, so won’t see the games. I’ll be dependent on The RR II. Who’s ghosting for you tonight Doodie?

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  3. Buchnevich has a chance to be a star. Not saying this year, he may not score 10 goals this year , but soon. He sees the ice, he’s not afraid in the corners or in front of the net, and he really tries hard in his own end. Like him a lot.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Good morning, boneheads!
    The Bruins were a better team last night, not the Rangers. So what happened? Depth happened.
    1 goal from a 2nd liner (SHG), 2 goals from 3rd line players ( including 1 SHG), 1 goal from a 4th line player ( PP ), and 1 goal from defensive defenseman.
    Bruins have 1,5 lines and 1 real defensive pair. That includes Chara, who still plays a lot of minutes, but I think it’s starting to play to their opponents advantage.

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  8. Ilb,
    Skjei had not offensive bite to his game than I realized. And has gotten better each game. Good job by AV sticking with him after a so, so training camp. The team with no prospects has 3 rookies playing important minutes.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Doodie had a volunteer he just chose not to use him 🙂
    This team is maintaining consistency. They may not have played their best for 60 full mins last night but they found a way to score 5 goals again and get a broad range of contributors as usual. You have to think that the confidence is building here.
    Happy for Bucchnevich. People were trying to say he wasn’t even a good khl player and couldn’t adapt to the NHL game? Goes to show you why so many debates during the summer just aren’t worth the energy.

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  13. Charlie,
    The further we get into the season, the less I would trade any of the guys who’s names have been mentioned. Skjei is one of those guys. I still think trouba is going to be a stud. But I am not as interested in trading for him as I was.

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  14. One more guy I want to mention is Pirri. He seems to be getting better in his own zone. He is now going to the right place more often than not. Not saying he is good at it yet, but you can see him getting better at it.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. As the team plays well there is a sense of infallibility and over-rating the talent. In essence, this extraordinary stretch is raising trade value of some assets but most NHL GMs look for more than Oct/Nov performance. This team is the definition of Fall Champs.
    .
    You are never as good as you look when you are winning just as you are never as bad as you look when you are losing.
    .
    Case in point, last time NYR had won 8 of first 11 games (eventually 10 or 13) was…2008-09… finished 4th in Metro, 7th in Conf
    .
    Just very fun to watch.

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  16. It’s said that’s it’s better to be lucky than good and last night the Rangers were good but quite lucky. Bruins had pucks bounce off sticks, slide off sticks, passes that missed connecting by inches throughout the game.

    That said, this ranger team is special. And while it’s much too early to plan a parade, me thinks this is going to be a magical year.

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  21. Impressive start to season. We’ve seen it before. So in the end should we finish top 3 in metro we’ll lose to Pitt in 1st round again. The playoff brackets are a joke

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  26. Not much of a test last night. The Bs gave it away with poor goaltending and a gifting PP (one that was otherwise effective). The Rangers played only as well as they had to, not a bad thing considering it was the first game of a doubleheader, and that there are 70 to go.

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  28. As to the ray of sunshine, that’s just Eric’s way. But I disagree that we’ve seen this all before. This year’s team is different, and while things could always fall apart–it’s a human enterprise–I haven’t seen a Rangers team dominate like this before.

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  30. Once the Rangers went up 3-1, they took their foot off the gas and started trapping. They looked a lot like the Torts teams, dumping the puck out and turning it over to repeated Boston rushes.

    I recall all the angst regarding face offs over the last few years. AV sends face off videos to the centers over the Summer and I look up to the scoreboard during the Edmonton game and the Rangers are 64% on face offs. Kevin Hayes was matched against McDavid, and was out there for all of the important defensive zone face offs in the 3rd period.

    It will be interesting to see if the Rangers are able to adjust their game in the face of coaches’ attempts to stifle them. They will face trapping and teams forcing them to dump and chase. That won the Edmonton game when Zucc won the puck resulting in Nash’s game winner.

    Glad to see Buchnevich get his first goal. That kid has some serious skills. I hope to see him back up with Zibenajad and Kreider soon. Maybe that will help those two recover from the Winters’s protection program, as they have been invisible for the past couple weeks. I thought their benching from Thursday might make a difference in their play yesterday, but it did not.

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  33. The reason the Rangers took their foot off of the gas pedal was to conserve energy. They play tonight. The game seemed well enough in hand and they were able to leave Boston with plenty off gas still in the tank.

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  37. Swap Zucc for Boo chef itch. THE and zdgdgghtghfbnbjbad are suffering as a result of zucc’s style of play. Zucc plays like a 78 LP whereas THE and Bbad are 45 singles.

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  38. Raanta is doing a really good job even in the face of unnecessary chaos in front of the net. Is this like the third or fourth time people have said ‘not their best effort’ yet they still put up a 5 spot? Can’t even really call it puck luck, they’ve had many over this stretch that could have gone in and did not.

    Liked by 1 person

  44. E3, no one wins in this league without some lucky bounces or good fortune.

    Doodie no problem I just can’t resist the opportunity to bust your chops.

    And Stranger Nation- all teams get hot and cold. I get what you’re saying but sitting around waiting for the other shoe to drop isn’t my idea of enjoying the season.
    If they lose they’re awful and if they win they happen to win and will be worse. Not saying that’s your mentality but the mentality of many these day

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  48. And while I admit that you can over rare talent while winning (and we do) sometimes guys settle in well on a team and benefit.

    I think a lot of fans are going to be eating crow when it comes to Kevin Hayes. I was criticized last season for saying he was in a sophomore slump but look at how hard he’s working at the start here and how much better the effort and productivity has been. Some fans didn’t want him resigned as an rfa. There’s a lesson to be learned

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  50. I watched the game last night, and I don’t think the Bruins were the FAR superior team. I’d give them the edge in play, but I don’t think they were superior by any means. I always give the team 20 games before I think contender or on the flip side, go looking for a sturdy branch. I will say that this year’s team sure is fun to watch and it feels like something special is happening. I hope at 20 games I am still excited and that the losses we are sure to have are still entertaining games. All I expected this year was an entertaining team, and what we have so far, is a very enjoyable group to watch. Great to see Buch get his first of the year. Balanced lines and depth with speed speed speed. Let’s go Rangers!

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  56. Hazy has switched his off ice habit from the bong and herb to some kills cane.

    Either up your nose or through your vein with nothing to gain ‘cept killing yo brain

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  59. The Bruins are the Bergeron line and that’s about it. He and Marschnoz were dangerous all night. The rest of the Boston forwards…..not so much.

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  61. I’m a Great Believer in Luck. The Harder I Work, the More Luck I Have – not Thomas Jefferson
    .
    James – very, very fun to watch, but also gave up 37 shots to Bs, who stink. The O is holding up the D.

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  65. I don’t get the usual gloom and doom / wait for the other shoe to fall off feeling with this year’s team. They’re wininng early, as they did last year, but the difference is they are BLOWING other teams out–good teams, too. And Hanka hasn’t even started playing up his ability consistently yet.

    This team is deeper, more talented than Ranger teams of the recent past.

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  66. Even with no post-game review, it’s great to have somewhere to go to read everyone’s boneheaded comments. Didn’t see the game last night, but felt like I did because of you guys. But what do I know? This is clearly a half-assed comment. : )

    Liked by 1 person

  68. Two years ago Hayes had Hagelin as a line mate.He had a very good season.Last year no Hagelin not such a good season.This year Grabner as a linemate off to a good start.Similar type of players speedy,creates a lot of room out there.Just an observation.

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  69. Can’t argue that point about the D, Stranger. The most important things there are staying healthy and the forward lines preventing them from being exposed

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  71. It’s tough to remember a lot of Duclair in his short tenure here but I know some were underwhelmed with his play without the puck. He did show flashes of brilliance with it.

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  82. Does anyone want to go to the game tonight? My parents were supposed to go but they forgot and made plans that they can’t break. So I’ve got two free tickets for the first bonehead who claims them. If you want to pay any amount of money for them, fine, I won’t say no to it, but otherwise, totally free.

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