btw how many people were in the penalty box for tampa??

This game was really entertaining and we WON which is the very best thing ... But what I loved besides the win was

1. Drury's hat trick
- we need our top players(offensively) to play their very best and hopefully they are on their way to doing so, consistently

2. the PP ... they were more involved and aggressive on the PP ... seemed to keep it more active and mobile and as such got 2 goals ... WOOT!

3. Zherdev ... If you guys have noticed, in the games that Z has had points this season we have gotten points and over the last two losses he hadn't really done much so I was happy to see him more involved and have two assists ...

4. Voros ... same as Z ... while Aaron had gone scoreless and pointless for a few games, the troubling thing is that he wasn't the "in-crease" presense he had been during our first 5-7 games ... so I am SO happy he got back to that tonight ... Mike Smith?

5. Our overall team game ... while there was one defensive breakdown and our PK gave up one goal I thought we played a very complete game from start to finish as we've played all season

6. Nigel Dawes was visible tonight ... I think the goals for him will come as long as he plays as involved as he did tonight and not as invisible as he has been ... let's see if he can consistently make it happen

7. Henrik ... last but not least, once again, he was awesome!

Finally, after our two uninspired games in our back to back losses I needed to see them have a game like tonight ... it's only one game, but they are 11-4-1 and to me that record is not luck or mirage ... we have a good team and they will not win every game in a 82 game season, but what I do need from them is to work hard every game and be involved and for stretches of times in our previous two games that didn't happen which is why we lost ...

The PP was actually awesome tonight for a change

This was a much needed win! There were points where it felt like they might falter as they did against Toronto and the Islanders, but they held it together and came up with the win! It was nice to see Staal step into a shot tonight! As Joan7 would say, Staal is having a "good" year!

Snow, I know what you are saying about our record not being a mirage... in the sense that we have a good team with good players, you are right, we should have a good record. But I still think that our record is deceiving considering how well we have played. We really haven't played that many GOOD games and because of that our record could be a lot worse than it is. Our team is good, but not so good that it can win without a ton of effort every night. They work hard, they win. They take a night - or even a period - off, they'll probably lose.
I saw only the 3rd period (at work on my computer...) but it looked like a great, entertaining game. I want more like this, win or lose.

Let the drury hot-streak begin!

I am so glad our new Capt got a 3 goal game. He's gonna fire up the team with that Hat Trick.

Henrik was agian standing on his head for us to get this win. We would be hurting without him.

I can't P U C K I N G believe the goalie was aloud to stay in the game with all the "BILLY SMITH" like CRAP all night. The refs were wearing blinders and Voros was almost a cripple by the time they finally called something.

Excellent team effort. We still need work on the power play. Tonight was a improvment and showed they are now working hard to shoot more and camp out in front of the net.

Nice Game and Great Action.

I read that Renney wants the League to Suspend Smith for instigating that fight at the end of the game there ...

quote:

Originally posted by SnowKitten35:
I read that Renney wants the League to Suspend Smith for instigating that fight at the end of the game there ...

He should be suspended 3 games EASY for those countless slashes.

never understood why the goalie couldn't be put in the box along with another player. Goalies should not be exempt from having to serve their time

quote:

Originally posted by Serapheem:
never understood why the goalie couldn't be put in the box along with another player. Goalies should not be exempt from having to serve their time

He should have gotten a game misconduct.

Zherdev leads the team with a +11. Z needs more PP time. He can carry the puck and dish it off just as good as Gomer.

FINAL THOUGHTS
When last night's game ended, my teenage son said "Now that's a team captain." Chris Drury stepped up and led the team out of it's recent funk, a two game losing streak and an abyssmal power play, with a tremendous performance- a hat trick including a shorthanded goal and two power play goals, and all-around stellar play. Drury's first goal was the result of tenacious forechecking pressure on the penalty kill leading to a turnover and a breakaway, and he finished it with a cerebral, intelligent, thinking-man's goal, faking the goalie to his backhand, pulling the puck back into the goalmouth to his forehand (a player's strongest shot) and buried it high in the twine. The nicest goal I've seen all season.
The second goal was on the power play on a rush up ice and I must give credit to Scott Gomez, who received a pass from Drury, carried the puck and then returned a beautiful pass to Drury placed EXACTLY where a player wants it, in position to fire it on the fly. Not too far ahead of him, not behind him, not in his skates. Passing the puck is my favorite part of the game, especially when it leads to a goal, and that was a perfect pass by Gomez. After that one, my son said "I hope Drury gets a hat trick..." and he did, finishing the feat in the final minute of the game on the power play after the Lightning suffered a meltdown and took numerous stupid, undisciplined penalties. Their goalie, Mike Smith, is an incarnation of "The Goon Goalie" Billy Smith, and I can't wait until the Rangers face him again. I hope somebody takes his head off. He's a dirty player and presents a good example why the NHL should look into changing the rules and forcing a goalie to serve his own major penalties in the penalty box. I can see sending a teammate to the box to serve a minor penalty (delay of game, unsportsmanlike conduct, etc.) but a major penalty is a MAJOR penalty and he should be taken off the ice to serve it, punishing him as well as his team. The Rangers power play effectively punished the Lightning for their infractions last night, and I hope the PP remembers what they did right and doesn't slip back into it's ineffectiveness after having success last night.
A few other notes- I like starting the game with the Betts-Sjostrom-Orr line, setting a tone of defense first while play gets sorted out. Outstanding play by Freddy Sjostrom backchecking when Vaclav Prospal had the puck all alone at the side of the goal. Lundqvist patiently stood his ground while Prospal tried to fake him out, and suddenly Freddy was there to poke the puck into the corner. Just one highlight in another outstanding game by King Henrik, who's best save of the night was a glove save on a Vincent Lacavalier power play shot. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the other two beautiful Rangers goals, by Ryan Callahan and Mark Staal, a monster game by Aaron Voros, in particular when he stayed focused on the play and didn't retaliate while being hacked and chopped by the goalie, and solid play by Nigel Dawes, who will be rewarded on the score sheet if he continues working hard and playing the way he has been...

So according to mullet-head himself,Smith should not be suspend because ....get this

Voros isin't a 50 goal scorer.

oh i wish i had a rocking chair so i can laugh and fall off it from that comment.

A goalie should not be aloud to start a fight without taking his stupid helmet off.

It's like fist fighting a guy who has a gun. Take it off or get a game misconduct. He should never had been in that game. I'm really steamed about that guy.

I would have broken my stick over his head.