NYR TODAY Tuesday 4/18: Rangers vs Canadiens Preview, Rangers & Alumni Birthdays, Today in Rangers History

NEW YORK RANGERS GAME DAY PREVIEW
Rangers Aim to Tie Series at Two

NEW YORK RANGERS vs MONTREAL CANADIENS 
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS GAME 4 Montreal leads Series 2-1
Madison Square Garden, NYC 7:00 PM, TV: MSG, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports RADIO: 98.7 WEPN

Coming of a 3-1 loss on Sunday in what Coach Alain Vigneault termed a bad time to have a very ordinary game the Rangers will look to move forward and make some possible changes in the lineup.

Monday at practice the Rangers used the lines of Jimmy Vesey, Derek Stepan, Rick Nash; Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Tanner Glass/Pavel Buchnevich; JT Miller, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello; Michael Grabner, Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast.

Tonight might possibly mark the first post season appearance of Pavel Buchnevich with Tanner Glass being the odd man out.

As far as the defense goes it looks as though Nick Holden who was scratched in Sunday's contest may return. On defense during practice the Rangers had Ryan McDonagh paired with Dan Girardi, Marc Staal paired with Nick Holden, Brady Skjei with Brendan Smith and a fourth pair of Steven Kampfer and Kevin Klein.

As far as what the actual lineup will be, Vigneault was very vague only stating "I'm not getting into, we have nine defensemen, and 15 forwards and I will decide."

New York Rangers Birthday

Mika Zibanejad 2016-Present

Center #93

Born: April 18, 1993 in Stockholm, Sweden

2011: 1st Rnd, 6th by Ottawa Senators. Acquired by NY Rangers in exchange for Derek Brassard 

NYR Alumni Birthdays April 18:

Valeri Kamensky LW (1999-2001) Dan LaCouture LW (2003-2004)

Today in NYR History April 18:

1994: THe Rangers defeat the NY Islanders by the score of 6-0 for the second straight game to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

1995: Brian Leetch ties a franchise record with five assists in a game and sets franchise records for assists and points by a defenseman in a game with five against Pittsburgh.

1999: Wayne Gretzky says goodbye to the NHL as only he can.

Before a packed house at Madison Square Garden, Gretzky earns the 2,857th and final point of his NHL career, an assist in the New York Rangers' 2-1 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in their final game of the season.

Before the game, the festivities include videotaped messages from Gordie Howe, his boyhood idol. After Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr ends the game by scoring at 1:22 of OT, Gretzky takes a few laps around the Garden ice; they are reminiscent of the ones he took with the Stanley Cup during his days with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s.

Gretzky is still in uniform when he meets the media; when that's done, he sits for a while longer, allowing the moment to linger.

"Probably, subconsciously, I don't want to take it off,'' he says when asked why he hasn't changed. "I'm not going to pull it on ever again. It's hard. It's hard to take it off right now. I have to be honest with you. I don't want to take it off.  

"I was a boy that happened to love a game and got lucky, and the good Lord gave me a passion for it."

2007: The Rangers defeat the Atlanta Thrashers, 4-2, to complete the sweep in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

2008: Jaromir Jagr scores a goal and two assists in a 5-3 win over the Devils in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Rangers win the series, 4-1.

NYR TODAY Monday 4/17: Rangers & Alumni Birthdays, Today in Rangers History

New York Rangers Birthday

Pavel Buchnevich 2016-Present
Left Wing #89
Born: Apr 17, 1995 in Cherepovets, Russia (Age: 22)
Drafted by NY Rangers 2013 NHL Entry Draft, 3rd Round 75th Overall

NYR Alumni Birthdays April 17:

Dennis Hextall C (1968 Playoffs, 1968-1969) David Oliver RW (1996-1997)

Today in NYR History April 17:

1981: Ranger's Anders Hedberg becomes 2nd player to score on a penalty shot in a Stanley Cup Playoffs game

1993: The Rangers hire Mike Keenan as head coach.

1994: The Rangers defeat the Islanders, 6-0, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Mark Messier and Sergei Zubov each tally a goal and two assists, while Mike Richter makes 21 saves for the shutout.

RNYRF 2017 PLAYOFFS POST GAME WRAP UP: RANGERS vs CANADIENS 4.16.17

Rangers home woes continue lose to Habs 3-1

Henrik Lundqvist came to play, his teammates on the other hand did not. With an almost non-existent home crowd behind them the Rangers showed just as much emotion as their fans tonight at MSG.

Montreal riding their 4-3 overtime win on Friday came to play while the Rangers didn't seem to wan to return the conviction on home ice and dropped their sixth straight home playoff loss.

It took almost 38 minutes for a scoreless game to be broken on a power play goal by Montreal's Arturri Lehkonen after J.T. Miller was called for a faceoff violation for moving the puck with his hand.

The Canadiens rode the momentum of that goal into the third period and picked up another power play goal with 25 seconds left on a 4 minute power play by Shea Weber after Mats Zuccarello was called for a high stick that cut the Montreal player.  Adding a goal with less than 5 minutes to go, Alexander Radulov put the game away with the Habs third of the game.

rangers Brady Skjei broke Carey Price's shutout bid with 2:56 to go in regulation but the existing 2 goal lead was not to be overcome by the Rangers.

Montreal now leads the series 2 games to one.

Game 4 is once again at MSG on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS GAME 3

FINAL GAME REPORT
NEW YORK RANGERS 1 MONTREAL CANADIENS 3

POWER PLAY: NYR 0/3 MTL 2/3

SHOTS ON GOAL: NYR 21  MTL 30

GOALTENDERS:
Montreal - C. Price (20 SV)
New York - H. Lundqvist (26 SV)

SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
No Scoring
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
17:37 Montreal PPG - Artturi Lehkonen (1) ASST: Brendan Gallagher (2), Tomas Plekanec (2) 1-0
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
07:42 Montreal PPG - Shea Weber (1) ASST: Alex Galchenyuk (2), Alexander Radulov (3) 2-0
15:35 Montreal Alexander Radulov (2) ASST: Phillip Danault (2) 3-0
17:04 New York Brady Skjei (1) ASST: Kevin Klein (1), Mika Zibanejad (1) 3-1

PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
03:52 Montreal Jeff Petry - Hooking - 2 minutes
15:29 Montreal Alex Galchenyuk - High-sticking - 2 minutes
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
16:05 New York J.T. Miller - Face-off Violation - 2 minutes
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
04:07 New York Mats Zuccarello - High-sticking - 4 minutes
09:10 Montreal Artturi Lehkonen - Interference - 2 minutes

NYR TODAY Sunday 4/16: Rangers vs Canadiens Game 3 Preview, Alumni Birthdays, Today in Rangers History

NEW YORK RANGERS GAME DAY PREVIEW
Easter Sunday Showdown at MSG

NEW YORK RANGERS vs MONTREAL CANADIENS 
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS GAME 3 SERIES TIED 1-1
Madison Square Garden, NYC 7:00 PM, TV: MSG, NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports RADIO: 98.7 WEPN

Round one continues to night at Madison Square Garden as the Rangers look to regain the series lead. Coming off a disappointing overtime loss on Friday Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers will take on the Canadiens in a place that has been too friendly during the regular season, home ice.

 Although the Rangers won their final regular season home game 3-2 just a week ago against the Pittsburgh Penguins having posted a 21-16-4 record at the World's Most Famous Arena.

Even though he picked up the loss on Friday, Lundqvist is coming in off a 53 save performance. Michael Grabner picked up his second goal of the series versus Montreal while Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello picked up their first goals of the post season.

The Rangers did not hold practice yesterday so with the exception of Lundqvist starting the lineup has yet to be determined. Possibly look for changes to be made on defense as both Marc Staal and Nick Holden had troubles in game two. The Rangers could see Kevin Klein, Adam Clendening, Steven Kampfer or a combination of any of those three make their post season debuts tonight.

NYR Alumni Birthday April 16:  

Mike York C (1997-1999)

Today in NYR History April 16:

1992: Brian Leetch becomes just the fifth defenseman in NHL history to record 100 points in a season. Leetch tallies a goal and three assists in the final game of the 1991-92 season to finish with 102 points and team record 50th Win.

NYR TODAY Saturday 4/15: Alumni Birthdays, Today in Rangers History

NYR Alumni Birthday April 15:

Tom Laidlaw D (1980-1987) Kevin Lowe D (1992-1996) Norm Lowe (1949-1950) Kevin Stevens LW (1997-2000)

Today in NYR History April 15:

1986: The Rangers upset the Philadelphia Flyers in the Patrick Division Semifinals, defeating the Flyers, 5-2, in Game 5 to win the series, 3-2.

RNYRF PLAYOFFS POST GAME WRAP UP, GAME 2: RANGERS vs CANADIENS 4.14.17

Rangers Fall in OT to Habs 4-3 Series tied 1-1

Despite a 53 save performance by Henrik Lundqvist the Rangers fell in overtime to the Montreal Canadiens.

Playing catch up after Henrik Lundqvist had broken his stick and the Rangers failed to get a replacement, Montreal's Jeff Petry was able to put one past on the blocker side for the 1-0 lead. Michael Grabner tied the game nine minutes later on a beautiful breakaway backhand on Carey Price. But Montreal was able to retake the lead just two minutes later when Paul Byron pu them ahead 2-1 taking the lead into intermission.

The Rangers scored two unanswered goals in the second period, one from Rick Nash on a top shelf shot over Price and a deflection off the stick of Mats Zuccarello.

The Rangers held the lead for almost all of the third Period, surviving barrage and barrage in their zone by Montreal. The Canadiens tied the game with 17.3 seconds to go when Tomas Plecanic deflected one in off Rangers defenseman Nick Holden.

Looking lackluster in the overtime period the Rangers were still able to hold on but lost with 1:26 to go when Alexander Radulov scored the winning goal for Montreal.

With the series tied 1-1 it now heads to Madison Square Garden for games 3 & 4  on Sunday and Tuesday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS ROUND 1 GAME 2
FINAL GAME REPORT 

NEW YORK RANGERS 3 MONTREAL CANADIENS 4 FINAL OT

POWER PLAY: NYR 0/3 MTL 0/3

SHOTS ON GOAL: NYR   MTL

GOALTENDERS:
New York - H. Lundqvist (53 SV)
Montreal - C. Price (34 SV)

SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
04:05 Montreal Jeff Petry (1) ASST: Phillip Danault (1), Alexander Radulov (1) 0-1
13:48 New York Michael Grabner (2) 1-1 Today in
15:42 Montreal Paul Byron (1) ASST: Brendan Gallagher (1), Tomas Plekanec (1) 1-2
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
09:58 New York Rick Nash (1) ASST: Jimmy Vesey (1), Nick Holden (1) 2-2
14:47 New York Mats Zuccarello (1) ASST: Brendan Smith (1), Derek Stepan (1) 3-2
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
19:42 Montreal Tomas Plekanec (1) ASST: Alexander Radulov (2), Alex Galchenyuk (1) 3-3
OT PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
18:34 Montreal Alexander Radulov (1) ASST: Max Pacioretty (1), Shea Weber (1) 3-4

PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
No Penalties
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
04:51 Montreal Alexander Radulov - Slashing - 2 minutes
07:05 New York Mats Zuccarello - Roughing - 2 minutes, Served by Chris Kreider
07:05 New York Mats Zuccarello - Roughing - 2 minutes
07:05 Montreal Shea Weber - Fighting - 5 minutes
07:05 New York J.T. Miller - Fighting - 5 minutes
07:05 Montreal Jordie Benn - Roughing - 2 minutes
11:30 New York Brady Skjei - Roughing - 2 minutes
14:52 Montreal Jordie Benn - Interference - 2 minutes
18:47 Montreal Alexander Radulov - High-sticking - 2 minutes
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
00:57 New York Mats Zuccarello - Stick Holding - 2 minutes
OT PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
02:15 New York Chris Kreider - Slashing - 2 minutes

NYR TODAY Friday 4/14: Rangers vs Canadiens Preview, Alumni Birthdays, Today in Rangers History

NEW YORK RANGERS GAME DAY PREVIEW
Rangers Look to Take Two in Montreal

NEW YORK RANGERS vs MONTREAL CANADIENS
Bell Centre, Motreal, Quebec, Canada, 7:00 PM, TV: MSG, USA, CBC, TVA Sports RADIO: 98.7 WEPN

Taking game one in Montreal on Wednesday with a 2-0 shutout the Rangers will look to spoil home ice advantage for the Habs and head to Madison Square Garden for games three and four up two games to none.

Expect another goaltending battle between Henrik Lundqvst, the game's first star and Carey Price, the game's third star who both shined in Wednesday's opening game of the series. Going by Thursday's practice the Rangers will be going with the same forward lines and defense pairs for game two as in game one.

The Rangers shutout of Montreal on Wednesday was only the second time the Canadiens have been shut out on home ice during the playoffs in franchise history.

Wednesday's victory also marked Henrik Lundqvist tenth career playoff shutout, moving him head of Mike Richter (9) into the franchise record books at number one.

Rangers Lineup vs Montreal Game 2:

Forwards:
Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello
Jimmy Vesey, Mika Zibanejad, Rick Nash
Michael Grabner, Kevin Hayes, JT Miller
Tanner Glass, Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast

Defense:
Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Marc Staal - Nick Holden
Brady Skjei - Brendan Smith

Starter:
Henrik Lundqvist

Backup:
Antti Raanta

Scratches: Pavel Buchnevich, Brandon Pirri, Matt Puempel, Adam Clendening. Kevin Klein, Steven Kampfer

NYR Alumni Birthday April 14:

Dave Archibald C (1989-1990) Jeff Finley D (1997-1998) Steve LaRouche C (1995-1996)

Today in NYR History April 14:

1928: The Rangers capture their first Stanley Cup with a 2-1 win in Game 5 against the Montreal Maroons.