Game 11 - Islanders 1 Rangers 3
Record - 5-3-3, 13 pts.
Last year - 0-0-0, 0 pts.
Seen From - Sec 422/ Row D/ Seat 7
Points out of 8th - I know that the minute I eliminate this category, bad things will happen.
Islanders - With all the talk of their "sweep" last week, they got 3 pts and we got 4 in the three games.
- We had an extra ticket for the game, so I put this ad on Craig’s List:
- Big Plays - Hockey’s a funny game indeed. Just a week after the Rangers carried the play to their rivals at the Garden but came away with a "loss," it was the opposite scenario for most of this one, except this was a real loss for the visitors. Having 11 power plays, including four consecutive ones in the third period helped their cause to be sure, but other than an initial burst out of the gate off the layoff, the Rangers seemed to be a step behind all night, and most of the penalties were chasing infractions. They didn’t seem as cohesive as they’ve been prior, and newcomers Fedor Fedorov and Jeff Taffe didn’t add much.
With the home team up 2-0 but back on their heels a bit midway through the second, Jagr had the puck behind the net and tried to bank it off DiPietro. It almost worked too, but the puck fell short of the line as D.P. (do they really call him that?) scrambled to cover up. Suddenly, the puck squirted free and Tom Poti (T.P.), lurking on the other side, was looking at an open net with the Isles’ goalie sprawled helplessly. However, his shot struck the leg of Trent Hunter, who had plunged into the net to cover, and bounced away. Replays showed that Hunter barely managed to stop the puck just on the line, keeping his squad in the game.
However, in the commotion over determining whether the puck went over the line, what was overlooked was the play that Jagr made to set up Poti for the shot. Despite being shoved and pinned at the back of the net by Alexei Zhitnik after his bank attempt, Jagr saw the puck sitting along the goal line, somehow managed to wrap his stick around the goal post and poke at the puck with a backhand tip, directing it across the goalmouth and right to the luckless Poti. It was a truly remarkable play, demonstrating his extraordinary strength and vision, and was inches away from being his third point of the night.
- All too often, the person who selects the three stars is obviously looking only at the score sheet. Yes, Jagr, awarded the first star, set up both first period goals, but during the crucial third period in which the Rangers were constantly shorthanded, he was barely on the ice. It was the penalty killing duos of Ortmeyer-Moore, Betts-Ward, and Rucchin-Rucinsky, and all the D that combined to block 25 shots in a penalty killing performance that was more scrambly than anything else, and to me, Ortmeyer was the standout and deserved some post-game honors for his relentless effort. He had four blocked shots, a big clear with three minutes left, and his check on Satan in the last minute dislodged the puck and led to Betts’ clinching empty-netter.
- Former Hartford Wolfpack goalie Jason Labarbera is 5-0 for the Kings, with a 1.4 goals against and a save percentage of 94.7%.
Last year - 0-0-0, 0 pts.
Seen From - Sec 422/ Row D/ Seat 7
Points out of 8th - I know that the minute I eliminate this category, bad things will happen.
Islanders - With all the talk of their "sweep" last week, they got 3 pts and we got 4 in the three games.
- We had an extra ticket for the game, so I put this ad on Craig’s List:
I have one extra for tonight. Section 422 (center ice). Season ticket price of $22.50. ($25 for Islander fans; $50 for Islander fans wearing the orange third jersey; $100 for Republican Islander fans wearing the Fishstick jersey)It was just a little good-humored banter, but I received in response the usual tired “1 since 40” and “let me know when you win 4 cups in a row” crap from humorless Icelander fans. One guy responded
I am wearing an Islander jersey with the gormans fishsticks logo and you are still wearing the jersey of a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in seven years.I’ll tell you man, those jerseys are like John Kerry’s “I voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it” gaffe, which was described by some in the GOP as “the gift that keeps on giving.” We wouldn’t have the “We Want Fishsticks” chant if not for those uniforms. And besides having very bad taste in fashion, did this guy actually think I was going to sell him the ticket?
How much for the ticket?
- Big Plays - Hockey’s a funny game indeed. Just a week after the Rangers carried the play to their rivals at the Garden but came away with a "loss," it was the opposite scenario for most of this one, except this was a real loss for the visitors. Having 11 power plays, including four consecutive ones in the third period helped their cause to be sure, but other than an initial burst out of the gate off the layoff, the Rangers seemed to be a step behind all night, and most of the penalties were chasing infractions. They didn’t seem as cohesive as they’ve been prior, and newcomers Fedor Fedorov and Jeff Taffe didn’t add much.
With the home team up 2-0 but back on their heels a bit midway through the second, Jagr had the puck behind the net and tried to bank it off DiPietro. It almost worked too, but the puck fell short of the line as D.P. (do they really call him that?) scrambled to cover up. Suddenly, the puck squirted free and Tom Poti (T.P.), lurking on the other side, was looking at an open net with the Isles’ goalie sprawled helplessly. However, his shot struck the leg of Trent Hunter, who had plunged into the net to cover, and bounced away. Replays showed that Hunter barely managed to stop the puck just on the line, keeping his squad in the game.
However, in the commotion over determining whether the puck went over the line, what was overlooked was the play that Jagr made to set up Poti for the shot. Despite being shoved and pinned at the back of the net by Alexei Zhitnik after his bank attempt, Jagr saw the puck sitting along the goal line, somehow managed to wrap his stick around the goal post and poke at the puck with a backhand tip, directing it across the goalmouth and right to the luckless Poti. It was a truly remarkable play, demonstrating his extraordinary strength and vision, and was inches away from being his third point of the night.
- All too often, the person who selects the three stars is obviously looking only at the score sheet. Yes, Jagr, awarded the first star, set up both first period goals, but during the crucial third period in which the Rangers were constantly shorthanded, he was barely on the ice. It was the penalty killing duos of Ortmeyer-Moore, Betts-Ward, and Rucchin-Rucinsky, and all the D that combined to block 25 shots in a penalty killing performance that was more scrambly than anything else, and to me, Ortmeyer was the standout and deserved some post-game honors for his relentless effort. He had four blocked shots, a big clear with three minutes left, and his check on Satan in the last minute dislodged the puck and led to Betts’ clinching empty-netter.
- Former Hartford Wolfpack goalie Jason Labarbera is 5-0 for the Kings, with a 1.4 goals against and a save percentage of 94.7%.
posted by Alan Mann @ 7:33 AM
1 Comments:
At 12:38 PM,
Anonymous said…
Your comments are remarkably perceptive for someone sitting way up in the blue seats!
I completely agree with your comments re. the 3-stars -- should have been Lundquist and a combo. of the penalty killers, Ortmeyer, Moore, Betts and Ward.
It was clear from the start that this game didn't have the same flow as the last Garden meeting, and the penalties made it worse -- in part because it prevented the 3rd and 4th lines, "the momentum lines", from having their regular shifts. I thought the 2nd line was useless, and I hope Renney considers redistributing ice time tomorrow night.
Empty net goals don't usually excite me much, but it was a tremendous feeling watching Betts' shot go in to seal the win -- made me realize that I wanted this win pretty badly -- which is another indication to me that things are different this year with our beloved Blueshirts.
11
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