NY Rangers (29-25-4) vs Toronto Maple Leaves (36-20-2)
• 28 Feb 2025 19:00 EST
• MSG NYC
• TV: SNO, NHLN, TVAS, MSGSN •
The Rangers return home to NYC to host a tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Rangers put on a sharp shooting clinic the past two games, scoring 10 goals on very few shots. Can it continue?
The NYR are still 5-5-0 their last 10, Toronto enters 6-4-0, beating BOS, CHI and CAR their last three. While Toronto may not have much post season success, this is definitely a regular season challenge for the Rangers..
Line-up wise: Shesterkin is net for the Rangers again and Stolarz for the Leaves (2.23 GAA, 0.926 SV%). As to the rest of the line-up: Kreider out again, both Millers will play, Fox is on IR. Robocop will be paired with Vaakanainen. Jones plays in paired with Schneider, Robertson and Kaliyev Prucha’d.
The refs today are Kyle Rehman (1064 GP) and Carter Sandlack (163 GP). Rehman is an active ref.
Keys to a Ranger victory: Skate fast or be left in the dust.
On this date in history: In 1983, the Rangers tied a team record set only in 1980 for most power play goals in a game, five, in a 9-3 victory over the Penguins.
Speculative NYR lineup:
Forwards
1st line ⊳ Panarin ⋄ Trocheck ⋄ Lafrenière
2nd line ⊳ Cuylle ⋄ Miller ⋄ Zibanejad
3rd line ⊳ Vesey ⋄ Carrick ⋄ Smith
4th line ⊳ Othmann ⋄ Brodzinski ⋄ Rempe
Defensemen
1st pair ⊳ Lindgren ⋄ Vaakanainen
2nd pair ⊳ Miller ⋄ Borgen
3rd pair ⊳ Jones ⋄ Schneider
Goalies
Starter ⊳ Shesterkin
Backup ⊳ Quick
Healthy scratch: D Robertson F Kaliyev
Injured: Edström (LBI) Kreider (UBI)
In the Cooler: none
Long-term IR: none
134 responses to “It’s Go Time!”
Switch Busto and the DJ please.
Rangers are 13-6-3 in 2025
Their terrible middle stretch put them and us through hell. But we started hot and even with the loss to Buffalo we are winning significantly more than losing
LGR!
You can’t tell me the refs weren’t looking to call a penalty on the Rangers as quick as possible.
Aaaand here we go
The two minute rule bites again
They better call this game evenly. If they do, 90% of it will be power plays.
Tavares should’ve gotten a roughing
If they were calling it the same all game.
Michael Sauer days since Shesterkin’s last shutout.
Outgoaltended so far.
Rangers better plan on selling at the trade deadline. They couldn’t buy enough to be a playoff team.
I already broke the blog
Olga fixed it
Definitely not calling it the same all game and they were absolutely looking for that first one.
The Panarin line needs to pick their schnit up. They haven’t done anything notable in weeks.
Its only 1-0… 1-1!
I’ll take that
Who deleted letters from my name? Lol
Let’s Go Rangers!
They’re in trouble. I can’t imagine that that wasn’t their good period.
Good period?
Missed most of the period, but 16-5 shots in their favor is a nice change.
The Panarin line is the only one that is not playing N-S. The Borg has a bit of an offensive game. Nice setup for the Mika tip. If they get a PP I wonder if Jones gets TOI.
Own goal by Shesterkin.
The second period curse is back
They should try to play 3 minutes without giving up a goal in a period.
If the team in front of him is playing well, it’s Shesterkin playing like crap and vice versa.
What the Vaak
Igor needs more SOGs. He put that in the net and has allowed 2 on 7 shots.
Loved the way they played the first period; had great puck control. That was no penalty against Zibanejad. Line combinations have good balance. That also includes the defense. Should of scored a few times. Have to continue to forecheck. Once they stop there done.
That was one of the ugliest goals I’ve ever seen a Ranger goalie give up.
About to be two down.
We should all be able to shut this one off early.
Idiots. Screw this team for constantly sucking me back in only to crap all over my false hopes.
Rangers really had the edge in the first period. That’s how you draw penalties.
I never realized how clean Toronto plays the game.
Craig, I’m surprised you don’t expect that by now.
Rangers with only 2 PPs in the last 7+ periods
1 Cup in 85 years. This is not quality work.
Leaves no Cups in 58 years. Even less quality work.
We’re the slowest team in the league and our fastest guy isn’t playing. Rangers try a stretch pass. Smh.
No argument there.
Buffalo no cups in a million years.
Laviolette sucks azz. Too many men all the friggin time. I bet we have the most of these penalties.
F@#king horrible. Why not just put Jones in Fox’s spot?
Sam: Both Millers on the ice for New York.
Joe: Great family, Sam…
The PP took the wind out of their sails.
Can’t call a better timeout to strategize the power play than the intermission.
Actually they should take the intermission to explain how many players belong on the ice.
Getting goalied so far. They have had the better of the play. How much do they pay Solarz?
They listed the last goal’s shot type as “poke” instead of “OWN”, which it most definitely was.
This is the polar opposite of the last two games.
So far, so far
Wreak-azz call. Should’ve been embellishment. Dude went down like a sack of potatoes on a tap.
that was a terrible call
Coolio!
CUYLLEHIGHHARMONY
See! Good things happen when you drive the net….literally!!
What a nice friggin goal!
Woot
Woot.
Will the Chill with the shorty! Mika with another pernt
Big, big goal
This game is totally on the overpaid goalie.
Shesterkin you moron!
Forget it. That’s a backbreaker.
Idiot.
A complete sh1t show with both D behind the net.
Sigh.. why can’t we have nice things?
Knies goal.
Shesty needs a raise. Not making enough to win games yet
The Rangers are obviously better when the goalie is good and the rest of the team sucks than they are when the goalie sucks and the team in front of him is good.
Like I said, polar opposite of the last two games.
Lose through the deadline to force Drury to sell.
Igor isn’t overpaid until next season. Unless you mean even 5.67M is too much, which it may be tonight.
Dino the raise kicks in next year. 2026 Cup champs.
Penalties at the beginning of the game, goals at the beginning of a game, goals at the beginning of a period, goals given back soon after they score….
Prototypical Ranger game.
I’m tune in just in time for the next comeback!
How can I fast-forward two minutes?
Cmon they’re just toying with them
Pp1 brodzinski. What’s that tell you?
Worst team of all-time when shooting straight down the middle from the blueline. It gets through maybe 1% of the time. 99% block advantage.
Sooooo bad.
I’ve never seen a team more inviting in their defensive zone when the other team has the puck as the 2024-25 New York Rangers. Even on the power play with two guys on one. Idiots. Bunch of pu$3ies.
Like I said, I hope this (first) period wasn’t their good one.
It was.
Rangers do not pass the puck when their aren’t sticks in the way.
This is a fitting outcome
Since that contract signing, the Rangers couldn’t give Lafrenière away for a seventh rounder right now.
This game will be known in history as The Karma Game.
This is done. There’s a slightly more than zero chance they your this. They’d give the goal back right after though, so it doesn’t matter.
*tie
The Rangers never disappoint in their ability to disappoint 🙁
did bread play?
Rangers would have had a point but the Leafs goalie Stolarz.
What a shame what a freakin way to lose.. One of the best games we’ve seen the Rangers play in quite a while.
Rangers had the better game. Toronto had the better goalie. were on the wrong end of what we did to other teams the last two games. No post-game needed. It’s as simple as that.
This game was 100% on Shesty, obviously.
Two steps forward one step back for him. That would probably get us into the playoffs though. 🤷🏻♂️
Another great quote by the Beezle “.The Rangers never disappoint in their ability to disappoint ” Can’t say it better. Always spot on. We will continue to play well
It’s good that no post-game is needed as well, because I can’t get any links. Lol
Drury was selling anyway …but they can still make playoffs
Bobby, they have one of the hardest schedules the rest of the season and their number one defenseman is out for a minimum of a few weeks. And we also lost ground tonight. Don’t get your hopes up.
In fact, Ottawa jumped us without even playing.
valley saying we need to go 17-6
14-9 or even lower would do it
The 8th spot will probably go down to the last week with three teams all in the mix.
If they made this type of effort every night this season would have been very different. PP was awful, but can’t blame it on Fox being out since it wasn’t much better with him.
15-8 gets them 90 points which probably gets them in.
Play for the 14th-to-last place!
Brodude 7:31 Othmann 6:31 Rempe 4:12 … guess what they did the prior game was a fluke and undeserving of 10 or more minutes TOI again
tor a lot better than isles
92 pts looking like the magic numeral as of today
He’s Jerkin Twerkin up and down
Makes us smile or makes us frown
One night hero next night clown
Ship this head case out of town
No hopes Ev but the East sux
Columbus is only 4 pts behind the Devils with a game in hand.
The also have $86,456,053 in deadline cap space.
I think we have seen the best of Busto on Broadway. The kid doesn’t have what it takes to be a winner. Drury should have traded him along with Igor when he had the chance. Always a day late, but never a dollar short, clueless!
Beezle nailed it at 9:43.
The Rangers have only 3 games left against teams currently even or ahead of them in the WC race.
@ Sens
CBJ
@ CBJ
The Canadiens are currently a point behind the Rangers, but can pass them with their game in hand.
The Rangers have no games against them either.
Cuylle is adding to his game. Last year he scored mostly close in. This year he had diversified. That move on the shorty didn’t happen last year. He has a lot of upside and should be untouchable.
LAF on the other hand hasn’t added much to his game since he arrived. Cuylle has one less point than LAF and is +8, while LAF is -18 and only 3 strokes behind Mika for the Green Jacket.
Sell! Sell! Sell!
Drury couldn’t get a French Fry for Lafreniere.
Busto and Miller for Slafkovsky and Xhekaj, do it Drury.
I wouldn’t be surprised if next season JT has some conversations with LAF about making a better commitment to being a pro. Drury should have something to tell him during the exit interviews at the season’s end. He has sat on his wallet since he signed the big contract.
Would Gorton make that trade? LAF would have appeal in Quebec.
We are guaranteed to be be at least 6 points out of the first wildcard spot and 4 or 5 out of the second after tomorrow’s stadium game. Last night’s game hurt.
Kreider was invisible again last night but somehow still tied for 2nd in goals playing 10 less games.
Will Frenchie score more than 15 goals this season?
Was Jones day dreaming behind the goal during Loaf’s GWG?
Does Shesty want to be Henk so bad he is purposely misplaying pucks?
Gave up a PP goal, and did not score on the PP. thank goodness Kreider was out last night. 🙄
Murphys law of ranger hockey that Lafren, he of achieving the hallowed heights of a career high 57 points, decided to model his game on Bread rather than his other linemate Trocheck.
Ev
They may get what they deserve for takin a mid-season vacation. Pout and you’re out!
Lafreniere, skill without will.
Didn’t he used to have will? I swear I remember it a few years ago
He only has to look down the bench to find Will. St. Pete has it right. Taking a month off because their feelings were hurt is what did them in. Last night’s game viewed in a vacuum is not that alarming. They played well and a few breaks went against them. The few mistakes they made wound up in the net and they hit a few posts. They got beat by a goalie making $2.5 million. It’s the 20 points they p!ssed away in December and January that did them in. Drury is on the clock now. I hope he has been keeping Dolan in the loop about where they are and what needs to be done. He needs to retool and build an identity for the team.
They are playing with 5 or 6 AHL caliber talent and in every game is all you need to know.
Get rid of the dancers and bring back the black and blueshirts
The core that took a month off needs to be sent away
SN
This biggest blunder Drury will be remembered for is signing Twerkin for $11.5 mil. Totally unnecessary. The lights are on but nobodies home.
Used to get notified automatically of a new Thread by e-mail.
Used to see who up-votes your comments.
Used to be older then; I’m younger than that now.
“Old man take a look at me now I’m a lot like you were.”
Ranger Goalie Invests 11.5 Mil into “Igor & Chris’ New and Improved Colony Pizza Emporium.”
The loss last night was very disheartening. Shesterkin couldn’t make the big save when he needed to. And the goal in the second period was a master class in how to look ridiculous.
They have really nothing else to do but sell as much of their expired merchandise as possible. This team needs a heart that actually beats. To not make it to the playoffs is a total waste of the season.
*NEW POST*
Deal like that you’d think the GM used to be a goalie
‘I thought I was smart
I thought I was right
I thought it better not to fight
I thought there was a virtue in always being cool
So it came time to fight
I thought I’ll just step aside
And that the time would prove you wrong
And that you would be the fool
‘Oh, to fight is to defend
If it’s not now, then tell me when would be the time
That you would stand up and be a man…’
The Flaming Lips
*THERE REALLY IS A NEW POST*