Bleacher Report - Articles by Christopher Caiazzo

New York Rangers: My Dream Of Seeing My First Playoff Game Fades Away

Christopher Caiazzo — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:17:03 -0400

I know I have been off my game when it comes to writing consistently about the New York Rangers but I have my reasons, and one of them is because I don't want to jinx my team. As you read on you will find out the second.

I have always dreamed about attending a Rangers playoff game and most of it came true. I received two, game three Rangers-Devils playoff tickets for the first time in my life. I was acting like a little kid with a new toy since the tickets were club seating (see above photo), section 96 if your familiar with the Garden. So on April 20th, I took my long time friend, who is a Devil fan, to witness the beating that the Rangers would apply to the Devils.

As we were about to enter the turnstile, I was stopped by the usher who said, these tickets are for game six. Home game three meant the third home game at the Garden and not the third game of the series. I wanted to burst out in tears and was thinking about running through the usher like a football player.

Instead we went to a bikini bar in Manhattan and watched some of the game, but it was very distracting with beautiful bodies of the female workers, who were trying to hit on us for bigger tips, but my mind was on hockey, not T&A.

After the First period was over we decided to drive home (Brooklyn) and watch the rest of the game while eating Wendy's instead of enjoying a Garden dog and washing it down with an ice cold Bud.

I still had a chance to see the Rangers play but it was a slim one.

With the Rangers up 3-1 in the series, the blue shirts would have had to lose game five in order for me to witness game six. But i wasn't greedy.

As I was watching game five, I was thinking about sitting in my game six club seats, but then it hit me like a sledge hammer, what if they lose game six. I didn't want my Rangers to head back to the Rock for a game seven against the Devils, so I washed that thought out of my head fast and proceeded to cheer for a win.

The Rangers did win game five against the Devils and I couldn't have been happier. I realized I'd rather see my team win than to watch them live and have a chance of them losing the series. That ticket mix-up happened for a reason, and I'm glad it did because now i can watch the New York Rangers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I still have the Rangers game six playoff tickets for round one and they will be cased and hung on my wall as a memory of what could have been. In the future they will be gazed upon with a smile on my face.

New York Rangers' Time to Shine: Jaromir Jagr and Company Need to Keep It Simple

Christopher Caiazzo — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:50:27 -0400

What happened in the regular season means nothing.

Forget the Rangers' bad play in the first half of the season, the winning streak, Jaromir Jagrs' bad play, the juggling of the lines for better offense, and not having home-ice advantage.

The Rangers made it into the postseason for a reason, and that reason is to win.

Tonight the New Jersey Devils host the New York Rangers in the battle of the Hudson in the first round of the playoffs.

The Rangers, who are the fifth-place seed, take on a tough Devils club who have been searching for answers on their goal production. Two years ago, the Rangers got swept by the Devils.

But this year, the Rangers added fuel to the fire with Scott Gomez and Chris Drury.

As crazy as this may sound, the Rangers chances in beating the Devils come down to Ryan Callahan, Nigel Dawes, Marc Stall, Brandon Dubinsky, Petr Prucha, and of course, Henrik Lundqvist.

The blueshirts can't just rely on their veteran players to take over this series simply because they can't do it by themselves.

The blueshirts must play as a team in which all four lines contribute with hard, fast play on the puck to force the Devils into making mistakes.

If the Rangers can keep their game and power play simple by playing two-way hockey, they will come out alive, and we will be seeing them in the second round of the playoffs.

When I say simple, I mean getting pucks to the net, having Sean Avery in front of Brodeur at all times, a shooting power play, hard constant hitting, taking good penalties, and playing a quick, smart defensive game.

The Rangers don't need to be pretty to win. They just need to get their noses dirty and play smart.

They can't lay back and protect a 3-1 lead, even if it's with one minute left in the third period because we all know that the Devils can come back at any time in any game.

They must attack the Devils at all times, from the start of the first period until the buzzer at the end of the third.

The Rangers are where they want to be. It's time for them to show the league what kind of threat they really are and that they will not be looked down upon.

Prediction: Rangers in 6

Ohhh Baby!! New York Rangers Keep the Devils Baffled

Christopher Caiazzo — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:04:22 -0400

The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 at the Garden tonight for the seventh straight time this season thanks to Nigel Dawes, Chris Drury, and Scott Gomez.

With 3:06 left in the third, Drury, who assisted on all 3 Rangers goals, was in position to shoot the puck but instead sent a pass through the middle of the slot towards the driving Dawes, who deflected off of Devils defenseman Sheldon Brookbanks' stick and forced Martin Brodeur to make a right pad save.

As the puck layed in the crease, Dawes, who was knocked down by Devils Travis Zajac, slide into to net and pushed the puck in with his shoulder to give the Rangers the game winning goal.

"Against a team like this I think what wins out is to try and stay composed and poised and work hard within our structure," said Tom Renney. "It seems as games go on against these guys, we believe in that even more so. When it comes to the wire, we almost get a rush from it."

While the first period of play was a battle of the net minders (Hendrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur), Gomez, which was his first game back since he injured his ribs, was getting roughed up from the Devils Dainius Zubrus but that didn't slow Gomez down as he dominated the game with his speed and assisted on both Rangers power plays goals.

"This is the time of year when you want to be out there," said Gomez. "I think we all came here to win a Stanley Cup. So, this is not a signature game for me, or for us. It's a good win; but hopefully we're going to be making a long run in the playoffs."

Going into the second tied up 0-0, Sean Avery drew a penalty as he fell into Brodeur and then Colin White who came to Brodeurs' aid, got in the mix of things and took a 2:00 minor for roughing. With that, the blue shirts had a chance to take the lead on the power play.

A minute into the Rangers power play, Gomez skated in behind the Devils net and fed the hanging Brandon Shanahan with a one-timer pass that blew by Brodeurs' stick side to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.

With the Devils hard work, the blueshirts got sloppy in their zone and couldn't clear the puck which led to the game tying goal by Patrick Elias.

Devils defenseman Paul Martin shot the puck towards the net, which was deflected past a screened Lundqvist, by Elias which evened the game at 1.

Two minutes left in the second, Christian Backman made a crucial mistake when he tried to lift the puck out of his zone but was denied when Zach Parise slapped the biscuit back down to the ice and scored a wicked wrist shot that went top shelf over Lundqvist glove that gave the Devils the lead 2-1.

Early in the third period Backman redeemed himself with a power play goal to tie the game back up 2-2 and got cheers instead of boos from the garden faithful.

Gomez fed a perfect cross ice pass to Backman who then riped a wrist shot from the left point that went top shelf stick side on Brodeur.

"Christian's a good hockey player," said Head Coach Tom Renney. "He displays courage and character in his own way. And I think we saw that tonight, everybody in the building did."

Midpoint in the third, Brodeur was tested as the Rangers poured on the shots and created a couple of good scoring chances but they were unable to score.

Christian Backman drew the 3rd power play for the Rangers but the Devils gave the blue shirts no time to set up as they kept clearing the puck.

The Rangers power play showed signs of life by scoring two goals out of three chances on the power play.

With two minutes left in the third and the Rangers leading 3-2, it was Henrik Lundqvists' turn to face the spot light as he stifled the Devils by giving them no chance to come back to tie the game.

Lundqvist had a brilliant game by stopping 23 of the 25 shots. He kept the Rangers in the game when he stoned Jamie Langenbrunner. Langenbrunner's snap shot was gloved by King Henrik and it brought chants of "Henrik, Henrik" from the crowd.

"We talked about it before the third period that we had come back against them in the third last time. We knew it, and they knew it," said Lundqvist, who won his 35th game of the season. "So, we came out extremely confident in the third period."

With a win over the Devils, who have now lost five straight, the Rangers are tied in the Eastern Conference playoff race with 91 points.

Rangers have five games remaining in the regular season, back to back games against the first place Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders before capping off the regular season against the Devils.

Pittsburgh Hockey: Should Sidney Crosby Return to the Ice?

Christopher Caiazzo — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:25:18 -0400

Sidney Crosby, who missed 28 of the past 31 games due to a high right ankle sprain, says his ankle is feeling better and might return to the Penguins' lineup Thursday for a game against the New York Islanders at Mellon Arena but is this the right decision by head coach Michel Therrien?

Michel Therrien needs to make a smart decision, and that smart decision is sitting Crosby for the remaining six games of the season. With the playoffs around the corner, the Penguins are playing well without Crosby so why would you risk further injury.

The Penguins are 14-8-4 without the super talented Crosby, thanks to Evgeni Malkin's step-up play with 21 goals and 29 assist.

With six games left against the Devils, Islanders, Rangers, and Flyers, (two against the Rangers and Flyers) the Penguins are sitting pretty at the second spot in the eastern conference and are going to need Sidney Crosby healthy for the playoffs.

Michel Therrian knows that these teams (Rangers, Flyers, Devils, Islanders) are in need of every point that they can get and they're going to show it with there tough play and big hits.

So why would they even think about bringing Crosby back?

Do they want Crosby to take a big hit and sit out for another six weeks when the games really count? I highly doubt it. There is no reason to rush the captain back into the lineup. Let Crosby continue practicing with the team and make sure he takes it easy.

The Penguins have Marian Hossa and Evheni Malkin to take care of business for the remaining six games left in the regular season. There is no need to take any chances on Crosbys' ankle.

So be smart Therrien, let Crosby rest his his ankle until the playoffs start, you're going to need him.

Note: The Penguins 43-26-7 with 93 points, can move four points ahead of the Devils in the Atlantic Division with a regulation win tonight.

Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin Reaches 60 Goals

Christopher Caiazzo — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:35:53 -0400

Three years ago Alexander Ovechkin was the Washington Capitals’ first round pick in the 2004 NHL entry draft.

Now in his third season, Ovechkin has made a name for himself as he is the face of the "new" NHL.

The talented winger, who scored two goals last night that helped the Capitals beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-3, reached the 60-goal plateau, something that hasn't been done in 12 years.

The superstar Ovechkin was the first player to reach 60 goals in a season since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr did it back in 1995-1996. In his 2005-2006 rookie year, Ovechkin scored 52 goals.

"I don't think about it. I just do my job,'' Ovechkin said when asked how many goals he could get this season. ''I don't think about personal goals. It's just the team.”

When you see Ovechkin on the ice you can just see how much he loves the game and enjoys playing hockey. Maybe that's his secret for his great success in his three-year NHL career—he just wants his team to win. The NHL could use more players like Ovechkin.

Ovechkin leads the NHL in points, goals, powerplay goals, game winning goals, and in shots.

He leads the Caps, in points (106), goals (60), power-play goals (21), game-winning goals (10), shots (410), hits (203) and takeaways (63).

With six games left to play for the Washington Capitals, who are just one point behind the eight placed Boston Bruins, Ovechkin with his amazing season is looking to make more headlines by trying to get his team into the playoffs and if anyone can do it, who could do it better than Ovechkin.

New York Rangers: Third Period Rally Gets Them an Earned Point

Christopher Caiazzo — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:30:35 -0400

The New York Rangers' third period comeback got them a point in the standings but that still wasn't enough as the Philadelphia Flyers won in a shootout 4-3.

"It's a valuable point, every point is," said Tom Renney after the game. "We had to battle through some personnel issues, obviously. But we have to be careful that we don't just accept the way we played tonight, because we were not particularly tidy in our game."

Through two periods of play down 2-0, the Rangers never lost their composure and kept on battling. Half way through the third period, Jaromir Jagr set up Marek Malik with a perfect pass to get the Rangers on the board.

Malik sailed a wrist shot from the left point through Flyers' Martin Biron to make it a 2-1 game.

A minute and forty-eight seconds later, Nigel Dawes scored to tie it up at two. Dawes took a one-timer pass from Christian Backman which went through Birons' five-hole.

But with less than four minutes in the game the Flyers regained the lead 3-2 with a wrist shot in the crease from Danny Briere. His second goal of the night gave the Rangers little chance to tie it back up with only 3:37 left to play.

With time as the factor, The Rangers kept on coming and tied the game with a backhander from Jagr.

Jagr found the loose puck and somehow sent a bad angle backhander that deflected off of Flyers Jason Smith for a goal which sent to game to overtime.

A minute and thirteen seconds into overtime, the ref called a terrible penalty on Marc Staal.

The Rangers did manage to kill off the Flyers sixth and final power play of the night. The Rangers got a power play with 36 seconds left in overtime but couldn't connect as they failed on three power plays through out the game

Stephen Valiquette, who was phenomenal in the first two periods, couldn't hold off the Flyers in the shootout.

The Rangers lost the game and lost a valuable point in the standings.

The Rangers lost more than just one point. They lost Scott Gomez who crashed hard into the boards in the first period.

"It’s just an upper-body injury, and I don’t know how long upper bodies take to heal." Gomez said.

Gomez had a smile on his face when he answered the question about the status of his injury that made him sit out for the rest of the game. We still don't know what the injury is but we do hope it’s just a bad bruise.

The Rangers were very fortunate to come out of tonight's game with one point.

The Flyers two goals were scored on two bad turnovers by the Rangers.

The only positive things to come out of tonight's game was the Rangers penalty killing and their hard work comeback in the third to tie the game at three.

The Rangers now have 88 points and are still holding that sixth spot in the eastern conference, one point behind the fifth place Senators.

The Rangers have three days to rest and to correct their problems before the Flyers roll into the Garden for their last meeting of the season.

Jaromir Jagr's Sluggish Play Unhelpful to New York Rangers' Playoff Chances

Christopher Caiazzo — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:34:56 -0400

When Jaromir Jagr came to the New York Rangers in 2003, it felt like an early Christmas present which had the Stanley Cup dancing in our heads.

Now, still with no Cup since his arrival, 36-year-old Jagr is in his final year of his contract, and it probably will be his last year with the Rangers with his recent sluggish play.

With eight games left in the season, Jagr is rotting like an old tomato with his spoiled play on and off the ice. Jagr, our “captain,” only has 18 goals and 42 assist with the blueshirts this season and hasn't been any help to the Rangers’ playoff aspiration.

It's not a good sign when you see a three-time 50-plus goal scorer taking pointers from the rookie, Brandon Dubinsky. Has Jagr given up on himself? I think so. He is slow and lazy on the back check, and complains that he doesn't want to participate in shootouts.

When he does have the puck, he rolls back by the point and waits for his teammates (instead of driving to the net), but, by that time, he already has given up the puck and his linemates now are chasing the opposing team, while Jagr still hasn't even reached the blue line.

You would figure that in big games, like the one last night where the Rangers defeated the Devils 2-1, would spark Jagr's season, but, no, he was held pointless and was nowhere to be found, like a lost puppy.

What more can Sather and Renney do to get Jagr rolling? They tried every possible line combination there was, and he still hasn't been able to contribute to his team’s offense.

I'll tell you one thing for sure; you can't say he doesn't have any players to support him.

This year, Glen Sather signed two top-caliber and rather expensive players in Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, to aid Jagr. As the team captain, Jagr needs to find a way to delude himself and get his game (act) back together before the playoffs start.

If he doesn't, it's going to be another soggy off season for the Rangers.

Jagr's confidence is at the lowest point. He just isn't the same player that he used to be, and it seems like he just doesn't care.

He is just a spectator with skates.

Is it fair to say that it's time for him to hang up his jersey or part ways with the Rangers? Only he can decide that.

But, what I do know is that I do not want to see him with the blueshirts next year.

New York-New Jersey: Rangers, Devils Battle for Playoff Position

Christopher Caiazzo — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:39:24 -0400

It's been a long roller coaster ride for the New York Rangers and now it all comes down to this. Nine games left, all from the Atlantic Division.

The eastern conference playoff race has been tighter than a spring and the Rangers helped their own cause by going 16-5-3 in their last 24 games. They are holding on to sixth place with 85 points, only two points back from the fifth place Ottawa Senators and only five points from the first place Devils.

With the possible 18 points up for grabs, the Rangers have a chance to move on up in the eastern conference but it has to start somewhere and that somewhere is tonight against the New Jersey Devils. Martin Broudeurs' Devils are coming of a huge win over the Colorado Avalanche and are 14-4-3 since February second. The only problem is that New Jersey hasn't been able to find a way to beat the Rangers.

Rangers, who are 5-0 against the Devils, can expect a physical, hardworking game against a defensive-minded Devils team. The blue shirts success seems to come from shooting the puck and driving to net causing big rebounds but Marty Brodeur might have something other to say about that with his 40 wins and 2.15 goals against average.

"I build my career and the way I play around being consistent," said Brodeur. "I play a lot of games, my teammates expect me to win 40 games. They (goals) are nice to accomplish, but your team has got to be a big part of it also."

The Devils need to sustain a high pressure offensive game against the rangers to stand a chance. We all know Marty will be there giving his team a chance to win. Maybe the five losses to the Rangers will play a big part in their game play tonight.

The keys for a Rangers victory is simple.

Smart defense. Rangers need to play tight defense for 60 minutes and keep the play out of their own zone. Also they need to keep the Devils play to the outside by banging bodies.

Good puck management. The blue shirts must stay away from blind passes and turn overs as the fast paced Devils can easily turn a mistake by the Rangers in to a goal.

Stay out of the sin bin. No more stupid penalties. When games are tight, the Rangers usually give their opponents the edge by taking unnecessary offensive penalty's.

Keep it simple. Rangers need to take more low shots from the point, and drive to the net more often. (I can't stress this enough.) Doing so will lead to rebounds and eventual goals. Have someone in front of the net at all times.

Two way hockey. The blue shirts must have a quick transition game from defense to offense, offense to defense.

Power play—I think the blue shirts forgot what this word means. Yes, that's right I said it. The Rangers need to shoot more when they are a man or two advantage.

Tonight's game is going to be an early preview of whats in store for the playoffs. With big hits and lots of fights, Both teams know how important these two points are and in the end it will come down to whoever wants it more.

New York Rangers Take a Two Day Vacation in Florida

Christopher Caiazzo — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:01:03 -0400

While the Rangers and company were still thinking about their stellar 10-0-3 performance while traveling to the Sunshine State, two non-playoff Florida teams have showed the blue shirts what it really takes to win hockey games.

The Rangers lost a tough battle against a Florida Panthers team that is two points behind Philadelphia for the eighth and final playoff spot. It was their first regulation loss in 13 games, which made them the hottest team in the NHL during that span.

Coming into Tampa bay the next night, the Rangers were ready to start a new streak of wins. Instead they were shutout by one of the worst teams in the NHL. The Rangers looked like they were playing with 10-pound weights tied to their ankles.

"Maybe we felt like we’ve arrived and that teams will respect us just because of who and what we are, and just hand over the two points," Rangers head coach Tom Renney said this after a terrible performance against Tampa, a team that will likely be watching the postseason on TV.

"Maybe we are not spending exactly what needs to be spent in order to win, in terms of your body, your mind, even your ego to a point."

Renney couldn't have said anything better to describe the past two loses. But what exactly do the Rangers have to do to get back where they left off? Should Renney shuffle the lines once again? Maybe the blue shirts so-called Captain (Jagr) should be taken off the power play.

One thing they must do that they haven't done in the past two games is drive to the net, which leads to rebounds and goals. The blue shirts have the young talent and speed that can cripple opposing teams defences, but they keep the puck to the outside waiting for that perfect play and, before you know it, the puck is turned over as fast as Jagr's career is headed to nowhere.

What ever the coaching staff decides, it has to be quick and effective or the Rangers will be cleaning out their lockers early. Tonight the Penguins visit the Garden to take on the Rangers in a must-win for the blue shirts and hopefully Tom Renney tightened all the lose nuts and bolts to get his team two points.