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Lo! Look over here in one’s email inbox! A post game review from the Minx!
Good morning, boneheads. How fortunate that I have been given the privilege of doing the post-game. Since I continue to have low expectations, I was not the slightest bit confident of a Ranger victory. Our boys in blue did not let us down. They now sit 3rd from the bottom in the entire NHL. On to the game.
The pens jumped all over the Rangers scoring 2 goals before our boys in blue were even awake UGH! Mantha scored 2:37 giving the pens a 1-0 lead. Morrow made a bad pass up the middle that was picked off by Mantha. I don’t know who the Ranger was he was attempting to pass to but he turned to exit the zone and Mantha was the gift recipient. Acciari made it 2- zip at 6:05. I really wanted to shut it down at this point, but the game was on ABC and I can’t record it. That was it for the first. As Miller would say “We played hard and had some chances, we just need to be better.”
At 12:59 of the second Mantha scored again on a nice feed from Rakell, Quick out of his net to stop Mantha never had a chance 3-0. The Rangers still haven’t had a shot on goal yet. As much as I hate giving the pens credit their relentless forecheck made it difficult for the clown show to get anything going. Finally, at 18:28 on a power play LaCoast scored his 11th, Miller and Zibanejad with the assists, 3-1 pens no shut out today. Up to this point I thought Quick played well considering the D was atrocious. It must be tough on a goalie knowing the Rangers lack of offense puts added pressure to stop every puck.
The 3rd period started off with a bang if you’re a pens fan, which I am not, I hate the pens. Rakell Scored at 1:29 on a power play Crosby and Karlsson with the assists and then at 1:40 Acciari for his second, Lizotte and Kulak with the helpers, 5-1 pens. At 9:12 of the 3rd while the pens were on the power play, Vermont intercepted a cross-ice pass and scored on a breakaway beating Skinner high glove. Then a goal by Gavrikov 15:15 to make it 5-3, Schneider and Brodude with the assists. The Rangers pulled Quick and as expected Kindel who could have been our draft pick, thank you Drury, scored into the empty net at 17:28. The Pens then fell asleep and let our boys in blue score twice before the buzzer. Busto his 12th at 18:53 helpers to Trocheck and Roberston, and Cuylle at 19:49 Vermont and LaCoast the assists. The final score may have looked close but there was never any doubt who would pocket the 2 points.
back to your usual beat writer …
The Rangers lost to the Penguins yesterday afternoon in Pittsburg, 6-5. Please don’t get the impression that this was a hard fought battle, really close game. It wasn’t, even if the final score was just a difference of one goal. The Rangers had 11 shots on goal through two periods, including just two in the second – the first being a score. No, the NYR didn’t show much life at all until the (formerly) Foxwoods Final Five when a series of mental mistakes by Pittsburg during garbage time allowed the Rangers back in it, so to speeak.
The first opened with a Mantha (18) tip in at just the 02:37 mark – started by a horrible decision by Morrow, passing the puck up ice from below the circle directly to McGroarty who put a shot on goal for the Mantha tip. Not quite four minutes later the Pens would go up 2-0 when Acciari (5), left alone by Robertson, would take a cross ice pass from Rakell and put it past the sliding old man Quick. 2-0 Pens after one.
Mantha (19) would get his second at 12:59 of the second period, coming just after a PIT powerplay ended. Quick made a sprawling save on one side of the net but three NYR defenders on the other side of the net were unable to prevent Mantha from receiving an off the rebound pass across the netfront or taking the shot to put PIT up 3-0. The Rangers would eventually get a shot on goal at 18:28, on the PP, when Lafreneire flung one from the bottom of the circle that bounced behind Skinner. 3-1 PIT. The NYR would get one more shot on goal before the period was over. 50% shooting percentage!
The third saw the Penguins extend their lead to 5-1 by scoring two goals in twenty seconds in the second minute of play. Rakell (10) at 1:20 put one in through the legs of Borgen, who was in the paint but not aware that Rakell was right next to him. In fact, Borgen didn’t look like he was aware of much of anything on the entire series. The next, at 1:40, was Acciari’s (6) second of the game, a goal line rebound that he redirected behind and off of Quick. 5-1 PIT. Fast forward to 09:12 (you might have been sleeping) and Trocheck (12) got a short handed break away goal at 09:12 to pull the Rangers within three with just over half a period left. And not much more would happen until those final five minutes.
An odd combo of Trocheck, Brodzinski and Rempe were on the ice and managed to cycle the puck a bit before getting it to Gavrikov in the circle for a one timer over Skinner’s shoulder as he tried to get around the Rempe screen. 5-3 PIT at 15:15. With over four minutes left, Sullivan pulled Quick. Yes, you know what happened. Kindel (12) would hit the ENG for the Penguins at 17:28 putting them back up 6-3. With just over a minute left, the Penguins figured game over, why are we even bothering to skate anymore. This let Trocheck retrieve a puck behind the Penguin’s goal and hit Lafreniere (12) with a pass just above the goal for a shot that Skinner really would want back. None the less, 6-4 NYR at 18:58. Hope? Hope that the Penguins would again stop playing? Guess so as at 19:49 Cuylle, parked in front of the net, was able to swat the rebound of a Trocheck shot into the net before Skinner could re-position. 6-5 with 11 seconds left but no fairy tale ending, that was the final.
Credit due for taking advantage of a napping Penguin squad at the end of the game. But this really was a very poorly played game. A lot of unforced bad decisions with the puck, including by Captain Miller.
Notes: Laba left the game early, possibly re-injuring his shoulder after hitting the boards. The NYR claimed young defenseman Vincent Iorio off the waiver wire from the SJS.
Game summary below:
The Rangers are off until Thursday, 5 February when they will play the Carolina Hurricanes at MSG at 19:00 EST. MSG and FDSNSO with the telecast. This will be the final game before the Olympic break. Roster freeze at 3:00 PM EST on 4 February.
106 responses to “Rangers 5, Penguins 6”
Wolfpack loses twice more. The organization rots from head to toe. Drury is the worst executive in the league. He wins the Millbury award. Watching the Rangers is like watching demolition derby.
Lol if that FB post is the trade then Drury should be fired on the spot. Getting back a first for Panarin and a root veggie? The rest of that list is trash. The prospect has 1G 5A in 27 AHL games and wasn’t a big scorer in QMJHL. The center plays 4th line minutes at a decreasing rate over the past three seasons. And why on earth do we want another LW, let alone one that does not score and is 30?
ORF – is the Millbury award a shoe?
Miller may have had his worse game since he came back. He looked like he was trying to make all the bad East West passes Panarin would make without generating any of the scoring chances.
Defensively I think Gavrikov has tailed off a bit and Borgen a lot. Since December there are quite a few instances of Borgen not even remotely in the play or even realizing what the play is. Can’t say he’s injured either, just looks like not going where he should go or reading the play correctly.
I lived in Boston when Millbury got the BC coaching job. The moron couldn’t count to 15 and gave out more scholarships that he had. BC had to scramble around and arrange for New Hampshire to take one of the kids Millbury gave a scholarship to. He was so bad they canned him without him coaching a game. BC had to go back to Jerry York , whom they bypassed to sign Millbury, to fill the job. I assume the Isles didn’t talk to anyone at BC when they hired Millbury. York led BC to multiple national championships.
Dreary busy making his travel plans for the Olympics. Could holding out Fox and Shesty been a ploy to make Dolan think they weren’t playing well because their stars were injured.
Culture Club 2026 is a real eyesore
No team should sign a full NMC. The team has to have some ability to move the player at the deadline in the last year of the contract.
Assume the minutes are catching up to Gavrikov by now and he’s on PP too. The same can be said to defense in general since the forwards don’t spend much time in O zone
Wonder if the new kid lorio will surpass morrow on the depth chart.
Looks to be a steadier bottom pair guy with size that doesn’t give the puck up
Morrow doesn’t even look ready for the AHL
I remember when mantha was available I was dissapointed we dint try to get him
Similar to the feeling when Bennett was got by Florida for a 3rd rounder the season Gorton “took some calls and made some calls”
Morrow has been pretty terrible even including a handful of bright offensive moments. But before you get your hopes up:
Sully on Iorio claim:
“I don’t know a lot about him. I know a little bit about him. I know he’s going to bring good size. He’s a young kid I think he could potentially help us with our puck-moving ability back there. I think he defends pretty well with his size.
As long as NYR management thinks puck-moving ability is the be all end all of defenders this team will suck. And how does “don’t know a lot’ fit with “think he defends pretty well with his size”?
Gavrikov 24:05 vs 23:05 ATOI/GP in 2024 and 27.5 vs 25.2 shifts/GP in 2024
Schneider 20:17 vs 17:52 and 25 vs 22
Borgen 18:30 vs 15:12 and 25 vs 19
Can we get a crease clearer who can lay the boom ?
Maybe Drury and call Anaheim and get Trouba back. 😝
Corporal – Dylan Strome as a free agent. Not even a peep of consideration
Miller: “I don’t know. I’d like to think we’re very prepared and motivated and ready to start the game. Talk about it all the time, but we’re not really executing that game plan. Other teams are getting out to better starts, so obviously it’s an issue for us…I feel like we’re ready to go. When we go on the ice, we’re ready to play the game. And then we get out there and they jump out to the lead it seems like a lot of nights. It’s definitely something we got to try to shore up.”
So basically he’s saying the NYR are the Yorkies of the dog park?
I don’t expect Sully to know much about a waiver claim. It’s also unfair that he has to be the spokesman for the sphinx (or sphincter)that runs the place. At least he has noticed they have a issue with moving the puck out of their end. I wonder if Iorio plays on Thursday.
This season may be starting to wear on guys. Maybe they can clear their heads during the Olympic break. They are all waiting for the other shoes to drop leading up to the deadline. It’s not fun playing on a team that is a seller headed to the cellar.
On Iorio (why do I keep thinking of Duran Duran?)
https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2026/01/sharks-place-vincent-iorio-on-waivers.html
POST UPDATED FOR GUEST REVIEW!
Miller needs to replace ‘we’ with ‘I’ in his post-game missive. painful watching Capt Pegleg in Dzone morph into Miller the Baker in the ozone.
Need to get the 3 stooges; Laffy, Tro and Miller on one line and keep Meeka, purro and coolio on another.
Really challenging to assess performance on a sinking ship but Morrow makes troubling outlet passes while under no pressure. The pass last night right to the tape of the opponent by his lonesome in the slot makes one consider if he should be getting tested for color blindness
Sing it, Beezle, “Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand…”
So, have you guys seen the mention of NHL draft and a G. Betty in the “E. Files”?
So is Lorio the new Italian replacing Mancini?
I miss Roof-it-Rick
If I were in Morrow’s camp, I would strongly encourage him to work on his peripheral vision.
“The 3rd period started off with a bang if you’re a pens fan, which I am not, I hate the pens.”
“The Rangers pulled Quick and as expected Kindel who could have been our draft pick, thank you Drury, scored into the empty net at 17:28.”
This is Red Smith Award quality stuff thank you Minx, for having to experience this game twice vs the hated flightless birds, once in the watching and once in the retelling
Iorio is the new Vittorio 🤌🤌
Nice work St Pete Eli!!!
Perhaps Iorio can put a hit out on some of the opposition….Heaven knows no one else on the Rangers can.
Our play in the d zone reminds me of the Monty python soccer skit
The long John silver impersonators vs the gynecologists
I guess this shows how important Igor is to the defensive structure
We had very good defensive numbers first third of the season
Wheels have come off
Worse without Soucy now as well
Not sure what’s going on with Borgen . He was so much better last year.
I guess on the sinking ship. It’s very hard to judge anybody. Summer can’t get here soon enough.
Confidence in your goalie has to make a big difference. I wonder if not playing with Panarin is going to wake up LaCoast?
Whenever Lafreniere is traded he will immediately wake. Whoever we get in return will immediately go into a coma.
Its funny…Avery used to do all that girlie fashion stuff but would run you over on the ice in a hearbeat. Lafreniere doesn’t do any fashion stuff but might as well be skating down a modeling runway
The Canes could really use the Breadman. I believe they have the assets to.
Quick was playing some lights out performances behind these guys too earlier in the season. Hard to lay much of this at his feet.
wwpd
Agreed, Quick so much better as a backup at this point in his career.
Sad end for Quick
Thought this year would’ve one last hurrah
Can’t imagine he plays at 41 yo
As they said about Danny DeVito-everyone can use a little Italian.
A nitpick on Kindel- The Pens used their own pick to pick him at 11. Jack Nesbit was picked by Philly at 12 who got the pick from the Pens. There’s no telling who the Rangers would have picked in that spot, but giving it to the Pens -via the Canucks- rather than the 2026 pick looks like the right call. Even a broken clock…
ORF
I definitely missed that. Still giving up a 1st and an Italian for Miller was the wrong move. It accomplished nothing for the Blueshirts.
Quite right Professor Minx. and I did like the paisan, who hasn’t gotten many nhl games in since the trade – though it seems he’s recently back in the Canucks lineup too
On the retool or re whatever
Not sure what we are hoping to do with the cap space
Figure Igor window is the next few years.
If we try to just build though draft than he Mika and miller will all be too old
Who are the FAs available to target that aren’t Panerin?
On D I’d want to sign Logan Stanley. 27 year old tough 6ft 7 crease clearing defender
Heck trade for him now with an extension
Drury cart in front of horse again. Just like with keeper and trouba.
Announcing we aren’t resigning or playing bread. Losing even more leverage.
IMHO Drury is and always will be an incompetent GM. Nothing will change my mind. Prove me wrong Drury. Go for it!
@StanFischler
It’s now clear that the
@NYRangers
are suffering from a rare hockey ailment called “Blueshirt-itis. The only medic with the cure is owner #JimDolan. But the “poor” guy must admit his two errors and doubly dump
Commodore Drury, and Loser First Class — the coach.
Otherwise, FEH!
https://x.com/StanFischler/status/2017846703110447193?s=20
“Loser First Class — the coach”
Stan still got it!
Arrrgh! Is someone looking for a new GM? Arrrgh!
Drury had Knoblach and Muse on the payroll and signed Lavy and Sully. I wonder how he does at the track. He hasn’t picked any winners that I can see.
Edm has 2 top 5 guys league wide
I cant even imagine Igor getting in a goalie fight
Crowd enjoyed that fight. Drury should shut Igor down for the rest of the season. We do not need any more points this season.
Coincidental “goalie interference” minors, does it still count as a fight?
Kreider with 2 goals and a nice screen on the 3rd Ducks goal, Tuba with assist on 2nd.
Nothing to see here…good thing they saved cap space to lock down Laffy the Limp
SN
Now you opened Pandora’s box
Kreider’s 6th goal in the last 27 games. Prior to that he had just 2 goals in 22 games.
How many times Kreider woulda been sent to the moon and back if he was still here with those numbers? 😉
I find goalie fights to be very clownish. And why do they get special treatment? If you fight, you should serve your five minutes in the penalty box, just like other players.
I promise you GM’s laugh when Drury calls.
It’s not that Drury traded Kreider, though I think he earned the right to stay, it’s they just dumped him for nothing. They traded miller, and replaced him with Gavrikov. Kreider they replaced with, Connor Sheary? On top of that, if the idea was to open a top six spot on the LW for Cuylle, or Lafrenier, they didn’t. Either guy has been playing the LW. Even now, with Panarin out, neither guy is playing LW in the top 6.
Think Cullye playing LW in top 6 but neither Laf or Cullye have seized any top 6 spot or any power play presence with the time provided.
This clown show is obviously floundering without Conor Sheary in the top 6.
Cuylle playing RW. LWs are, 10, and 94.
8
Well since 10 isn’t playing LW’s should be 13, 94, and 50 in that order.
Kreider and Trouba were culture moves. Miller has established a new culture. How’s that working out?
From the latest GGMM. Correct me if I’m wrong – at the 2/3 point of the season, do these issues not fall heavily on the coaching staff?
GM Barry Trotz is addressing his team this morning to inform them of his decision to retire.
Sullivan loves the effort? Is this gaslighting or is he just completely delusional now. This team is in a collective zombie like coma.
Too many stick infractions? Maybe it’s because the Rangers have too many slow skating slugs.
And this is why Olympic hockey sucks now (among many other sports that are now just pro league teams)
Would think laziness more than slow skating ability resulting in stick infractions
some of these guys need to be touching the puck in order to move their feet
Capt Pegleg is #1 example
Guess the Panthers miss the big Finn. 2 Cups and then no playoffs
GGMM at praccy reports:
Adam Fox, Conor Sheary and Noah Laba are all on the ice for #NYR practice in red non-contact jerseys. Also, Duran Duran is wearing #6.
The longer the Panarin sage drags on the more likely it is to blow up in Drury’s face.
How badly would the rest of the season have to go for Dolan to clean house? 5-21?
The Bruins and Sabres have separated themselves a bit from the WC pack. Metro teams may have a better chance of catching the Isles-although the Sabres are due for a regression to the mean.
Further reporting:
PP1: Gavrikov-Trocheck-Miller-Zibanejad-Lafrenière
PP2: Morrow-Laba-Othmann-Perreault-Cuylle
Back when I lived in Boston I was getting dressed to ref a game at a rink in Brookline. One of the coach from the practice that just finished on the ice came into our room to change his skates and we exchanged pleasantries. His face looked familiar to me but I couldn’t immediate place him. After he left I realized where I knew him from and asked my partner “That was Jim Craig wasn’t it?” He agreed and said he has seen at this rink a few times. This was probably in the early 2000s and he was gray around the temples but looked pretty much the same otherwise.
I have screamed “Move your f%%&ing feet!” at the TV a few more times than usual this season after Ranger stick fouls. I’m not sure if it slow foot speed, poor positioning or laziness, but it has happened a lot. Only guys making the league minimum sit after doing it.
Screaming at my TV never works for some reason. However healthy doses of my NY sarcasm…which I have maintained even living here in Hagerstown….is quite cathartic. And it makes my wife laugh…so its a win win.
Rich you need a direct line to the MSG PA system 🤣
ORF
I would suggest it is a combination of all 3.
the trade deadline is a month from now
It speaks volumes of Drury’s incompetence if Panarin isn’t moved by Thursday’s game against the Canes. Just my opinion of course!
why.. Panarin isn’t playing in Olympics… What if there are major injuries in Italy, wouldn’t that make possibly make more teams interested and/or free up cap space for them?
I think they need to move him before the Olympic trade freeze.
The longer it goes, I think it’s more and more likely that it’s Florida.
hope not…not sure how Florida fits him in this year if they think Barkov is coming back and not sure how they fit him next year if they extend him.. is Bobrovsky gonna take a pay cut so his buddy can get paid more?
Olympic trade freeze at 3 pm Wednesday
Tick tick tick
Fla might well not make the playoffs unless buffalo falls apart
Florida ironically has Bob off the books so room for next year but not this year, don’t think Bread fits their mold…he also wants too much dough (I’ll let myself out here…). Not sure why he feels the need to sign now rather than have all 31 teams vying for his services. Doesn’t make sense for the team or him.
they said he doesn’t want to move twice. If he wants east coast its one of Florida/Caps/Canes
Had Rempe done what Wilson did (led with forearm, skates off the ice) he’d be done for the year..at least.
GGMM with this on Rempe: screw twitter – this is from Sully
“I feel like Remps is in it right now. He’s in a tough spot, because he’s trying to get better on the fly here, so to speak. I think he’s in a much better place than he was the last time he went in the lineup. I think he continues to work at getting back to complete health and full capacity. I think his conditioning has improved over the last probably three or four weeks. I think his strength on the puck and his ability to handle the puck, I think has improved, which is obviously a critical element of your ability to have success out there. We all know the game that he brings. He’s an abrasive player. He’s an unnerving player for our opponents, you know, with the type of game that he plays and the physicality that he brings. There’s an element to Remp’s game that I think we can tap into moving forward. That being his ability to execute plays with the puck and things of that nature. Just his decision making, making sure that he executes wall plays and gains lines. He’s a predictable player for us so that he can disrupt and he can create momentum for our team. That’s really kind of the expectation. That’s what we’ve defined for him, and we’re trying to work with him through some of the different areas of his game that he has to get there.”
Sully loves spending a lot of time breaking down the games of players who are on the ice for 7 minutes a game.
Let’s hear the analysis of the top 6 that mostly play like dogs breakfast
Yes, we understand Bread’s selfish demands, he would be moving for 2-3 months prior to choosing where he wants to live for the next 3-4 years; a bit of difference in time horizons.
I have given up any hope Drury will accomplish a successful retool. Actually I never believed he could to begin with.
Minx we know what you do want to believe!
Beezle
LMAO!
I’m a sabres and CBJ fan now. The Rangers, like Fredo, are dead to me.
E3
I know what you mean. Management has broken me.
Bread very much would like to avoid all the travel of a deep playoff run this year too.
Sabres and Ducks are easy to root for
Sabres look good some good D ..probably need another scorer
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