Rangers @ Sabres, 7:00 PM EDT MSG, MSG-B
A new season begins tonight for these 2023/24 NY Rangers. Many familiar faces, a few new too. Young Will Cuylle looks to start at LW with Blake Wheeler at RW on the 3rd line, Tyler Pitlick RW on the 4th. Erik Gustafsson will be on the left of the 3rd pair. Jones and Vesey are expected to be Prucha’d.
A new coach, Peter Laviolette, will try to guide the team to their first cup since 1994. He is a demanding coach and has stated he expects the team to improve steadily through the season.
A few gentle blog reminders:
- please do your best to be respectful to others in your comments,
- you don’t have to have the last word – agreeing to disagree is fine!
- try to point to positives too (we know you’ll catch the bad stuff),
- don’t bring politics, religion, race, etc into hockey discussions (X or FB for that stuff)
LGR!
166 responses to “It’s Go Time!”
first. we miss the captain!
Good evening my wonderful Rangers family.
Let us all strive to be optimistic, perhaps guardly so. Maybe, just maybe the Rangers will win the Stanley Cup for James and Ilb, that would be most fitting.
Love all you guys.
LGR
This season is for Ilya and James.
LGR!!!
In honor of our beloved Captain, I will refrain from malignant negativity when things go sour. Staying positive was the subject of one our Captain’s last blog posts, and I will try my best to honor is wishes, to honor him. 🙂
Guys I’ve got some tears in my eyes tonight, this is a tough one.
I am hoping this team proves me wrong
Ooof that happened to quickly!
In honor of James and Ilya, I hope these guys win the Cup this season.
I’ve never wanted to be proven wrong so intensely as i do this season.
Here’s to a great season here on The Blog 2.0. I remember a lot of you, happy to meet everyone new to me, and looking forward to reading ALL of your opinions!
LetsGo Rangers
Wishing you all a Siouxper game day Bonehead’s.
LGR!!!
Watching live from Vegas tonight.
Let’s Go Rangers. Undefeated so far…
I will be watching this one later tonight so that I can watch with Little Miss Gravy when she gets home. Seems even more important after the recent unfortunate passings. Good luck to us all, and I hope James and ilb are watching with us from above. We’ll miss you both.
Laff Track gets the FIRST LAUGH!!!
Monkey off Laffy’s back!
Great Start Laf on track for 82 goals this season 👍👍
Laffy….yeah
Laffy begins the season.
Laffy with the FU goal to start the scoring!!
Love it!!!!
Hope that’s not considered cursing lol.
I can bring back the Firetrucking if necessary
Drive the net and good things happen
Sioux cashing that big prop bet “Laffy scores first goal of the season” ticket
Powers and Dahlin are around $20 million between them. I guess they are planning on the cap going up.
Thank you to whoever is keeping this blog going. I’ll rarely post. But I was known for a bit here back in 2009. I’ll let you know who, in time.
But I thought this double tragedy would’ve been the end for this blog. I’ll miss them both.
Lafren getting his mojo 🙂 love to see a young guy get some early confidence
Not sure how we do a moment of silence on the blog. We should honor the Boneheads we have we lost.
You just did
CK20 great hands
So far anything goes Rangers way and most encouraging – they show a meaningful game
Nice hit by Cuylle
Cuylee has the tools to be a complete hockey player. As a 2nd round pick he is parsecs ahead of Lias Anderson ever was. He certainly makes up for that bad draft pick.
Can’t stop thinking about Ilya and James… very difficult times.
Thank you all so much for your love and respect for The Captain and James.
This is going to be a very special season. I just know it. LGR!
Good period?
Best period of the season
Good period.
Good first period but they will need to match the Sabres physicality. I imagine Chytil might be a tad embarrassed being on the receiving of the head over heals.
That was a very entertaining 20 minutes.
So happy for Laffy getting that 1st goal, good for him. With any luck, it all clicks in for him from here on out.
Chytil always looks like he’s in pain. Grimace.
Panarin, Zibanejad and Fox only at an 82-pt. pace. Too neggy?
I just saw the last post and I am without words. WTF?!
I can’t wrap my head around it. My thoughts are with both families of the fallen boneheads.
Busto shakes off the Rusto with some nice Gusto.
Norm do Lafren and kreider combine for 164 goals this season?
60 minutes boys 60 minutes.
James said Laffy would step up in 4th year
Lafren 2/2 on faceoffs. Chytil hasn’t taken one yet 🤣
Bonino has no speed or quickness. Bad pickup
Papa….he did win a face off
Bonino for face-off
There is a pall over me watching this game. I am glad the season is here, but I am struggling watching so far. I have to use the Buffalo feed here in Phoenix, so I get goofball Rob Ray cheerleading.
He won 3 of 4! Will make it work for now
Team is 60% on F/O. It’s early
I have a feeling before the season ends Drury will upgrade 4C. But we will see how Bonino holds up.
Face offs won’t matter much when the Devils and Canes are skating him into the ground
Positive- Cooley can definitely handle the pace
Shoot the puck Laffy
FO%? Meh. Keep it > 45% and you’re good.
Miller is flying
There we go. Panarin at 164-pt. pace. Laffy, too.
Baldy scores. He is more aerodynamically prepared this year with his shorn head.
Who else was sure Panarin was passing that to the guy down low?
Panarin’s been muscling it up along the boards, too. Thug.
I can vouch for that
60 minutes boys don’t let up.
Laffy having a game
Love to see it
Wheeler lost his wheels?
Laffy and Cuylle looks great. Mika and Miller skating well.
Wheeler up and down. For a big man he’s shying away from finishing checks. But maybe he knows it’s 1 of 82 and he has to pick his spots at his age to make it deep in playoffs
It’s almost like they are playing with a system
Damnit
So far so good. Now it’s only a matter if they can keep doing that all 60 minutes.
That’s one of the weakest interference calls I’ve ever seen.
Bad timing for a penalty
Weak call Bruins and Tampa do that 20 times each game
Gustafson had a good preseason.
First shift was sloppy with puck on several occasions
Then Getting a weak penalty call there makes it a debut to forget
Hopefully better days ahead for him
Not great timing, but not terrible either given the clock. Will be a good early PK test, plenty of time to coach it up in the locker room.
Kevin Weekes just said that Panarin went “hairodynamic”
Friggin Hughes
As complete a game through 2 periods as can be played. Lots to like here.
In particular — their new system. When you get teams with slower players, an effective system can make up for speed deficiency (Exhibit A: NY Islanders). Add some skill, of which the Rangers have plenty, and all-world goaltending… the Rangers may surprise some people this year. I’m
No assist for Laffy!
Admiral….from your keyboard to Gods ears.
Laff Track did not make a pass to Mr. Clean. Puck was knocked over to the Former Crusty by a Sabre player.
Still, Lafreniere did pressure the player which led to the turnover
Friggin Sprong. Sounds funnier.
Great kill
Textbook penalty kill.
The 4th line has had basically zero offensive zone time tonight.
Play in the neutral zone is significantly improved from Gallant era
CuylleMania
Kid keeps playing like this he’ll be a fan favorite.
Better period for gustaf
Was thinking the exact same Papa
He just needed me to call him out
Grimace hit high?
Lafren solid 2C so far…
I like Chytil’s game tonight.
Laff Track 4 of 5 on faceoffs!
Perhaps Laffy should play center and Chytil on the wing. That solves two problems I think.
Gustafsson seems a little tentative coming back into the offensive zone
Friggin Hughes II
Is Chytil not at the dot because of injury or because he is just not good at face off?
Don Granato? Didn’t he get whacked in the Godfather?
Trocheck had his legs yanked out from under him. Can’t have the Rangers on a two man advantage. That’s a no-no
Chytil! Oops.
Salmon Joe implied Chytil is not at the dot today given his recent upper body injury.
Whether this is why Chytil is not taking faceoffs is still open to question. Thay said, Lafreniere is doing a great job at the dot.
Hello Olga!
Robocop with his first bruises of the season
….But Buffalo can get a two man advantage apparently.
That’s why you use the body
Lol, really
Trocheck should know better
I friggin love Lindy
SHG!!!
AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
SHORTIE
Kreider with great follow up effort
Suck it, refs!
Ridiculous play by the DJ!
A shorty….Rangers are putting on a PK clinic.
Whatever the system is…they have bought in.
That’s just amazing from Zibanejad. Out of nowhere!
See what happens when Ziba goes to the net
well that was exciting!
Benson seems to have some pest in him.
Buffalo is getting frustrated and physical and getting away with it. Refs can’t quit being NHL refs.
PK clinic did need a crossbar from Ranger-killer Skinner. Small margins.
Sam was funny crying about Lindgren not drawing the interference call only moments after he got away with a cross check in front of the net 😉
Lafreniere 4 -1 on face-off’s move him to center.
Goosstavin with the opening night jitters ……
Aka the jelly legs and cement hands
Game of 1/4 inches., Normsie
Hey Za!
The spirit of John Tortorella (and Ilya and James) was in the Rangers locker room tonight! Absolute clinic by the boys tonight!
Sauer update?
Fred Shero played for the Rangers. Unless I didn’t understand the question somebody messed up.
Laviolette looks like he has to go to the bathroom (deuce) really bad and there is 1 toilette and three very old people in line ahead of him.
If Laviolette gets this team to buy in to a sound defensive system with the skill they already have…. 🧐!
I have it Shesty, Panarin and Miller. You could have ten stars tonight, though.
Kreider, Lindgren, Lafreniere
Trouba shuts the door!
Trouba? 🙂 🙂 🙂
Trouba!? 😂
And the Sabre have left the building
Sabre fans….darn I did it again
Very nice effort for game 1 of 82.
Looking up at Captain and James- thanks fellas.
Those are mine as well, Admiral
Good to see you again, Olga😊
Little things: love it that PP2 is getting this opportunity.
Great game!
Congrats to Igor and Laviolette!
G-d bless you, James and Ilya. 🙂
In the words of the late great Bob Murphy…..And now the happy recap.
First of many I hope right on into June.
Igor could have brought a pillow the first two periods.
Well, that took my mind off it for a while. As will beer league tonight. RIP, ilb.
Rich, I think the question was in the last 40 years. Anti-Sheroism.
ILB, James G and Shesty in no particular order.
I wonder if it would be smart to play Jones on average every fourth or fifth game and about 35 for Vesey. This would spell Gutaffson and someone on the 4th line. It also keeps those two engaged and ready in case more is needed.
Good night all. Pleasant dreams
And, the ledge is empty.
The Captain & James are smiling.
🙂
Anybody else want to suplex into a fire hydrant the guy that redesigned the NHL app?
I love Valley Cat:
“Where were these adjustments last year? Where was the backchecking last year against New Jersey??”
Thanks wwpd….I need to pay better attention.
Nice effort blocking shots, I’m encouraged. This one is for James and Ilya!
Admiral
Yes Yes the backchecking really stood out tonight.
100th shesty win
nice play by mika on sh goal
chytil looked lost on pk when he came in from his penalty which ended 5 on 3 but didn’t have time to change
CCCP – and whoever else goes tomorrow (maybe wicky from montana). be careful and aware as i saw article urging being careful that day.
Still undefeated!
Dang it Derbils
That was a banger of a game! Awesome penalty kill! That is why we need Lindy.
That’s a solid W
Good complete game. Results they can build on with the new system. Gusty mighta been a little off but he did maybe save a goal on that turnover. The only mark against tonight comes 2 seconds after Sam mentions the sleeping buffalo crowd. Lol, he’s in mid season form. Robocop is a beast when necessary.
A good win for Ilb & James & others.
When Kreids & Zib scored that shorty I immediately looked skyward & smiled.
Kakko the new nhl app is terrible, like nearly un-useable
60 minutes
More NS than EW
Much better getting puck out of D zone
Oomph! Dishing it and taking the hit when needed.
They looked pretty organized in all three zones given that it was the first game of the season with a totally revamped coaching staff. An encouraging beginning!
I don’t think the Sabres forecheck very hard, but they cleared the zone pretty easily tonight. Let’s see how they do against acteam like the Canes.
That was an enjoyable game to watch.
Black and blue Rangers eating lots of rubber in game 1 of 82+
At one point when baby buffalos tried to break out, the NYR 5 was stacked 4 in the middle and 1 pressuring puck. Could be some fortuitous counter punching off turnovers
Laffy was rusty… don’t feed the algo…still 21 yo…
Just win baby
laffy just turned 22
Forget what I said; bury him with unnecessary barbs and irrelevant quips. He’s over the hill…
Finally waking up in Europe to some good news for once. The W was for our late departed Boneheads no doubt.
Good to see us get the W for our dear departed friends.
They move the puck a lot more, they got the puck out faster, responded when Buffalo started to get back into it at the end of the 1st. There was a Torts-like amount of blocked shots tonight. Lots to like. 82-0 is still on!
Boy did I cry reading through this. I miss this, and you all, in a tremendously tremendous way. And belated happy 26th birthdays to everyone!! Mama love!
Looks like a new post!