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| It’s official! |
Welcome everyone to another PRESIDENTIAL blog here, on the new and improved DOINOW.com. As always, check out the right hand of the site for the archives, live tweets, search button all that other good shit! Furthermore, don’t forget to tip your bartenders, don’t drink & drive, try the Italian Wedding Soup at the Bold O’Donoghues, and always, and I mean ALWAYS, use “In Cam We Trust” as your personal mantra.
The Rangers devoured the Ottawa Senators, like a drunken frat kid pounding a White Castle Crave case, 5-1 on Thursday night. Ottawa’s star back-up goalie, Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond squared off ,with who I would keep as the Rangers starting goalie, Cam “The Goalbuster” Talbot. Listen, there are about a million hamburger puns we can make tonight about Hammond such as:
“Boyled Burgers”
“2 burgers, 1 assist and large fries”
“A Glass Goal with your choice of happy meal toy”
“Hammond was as bad as a McDonald’s burger”
“I thought fast food burgers don’t expire”
Those are just several of the Burger puns you can make, and there are probably about a 1000 more. Scream all your burger puns now, and let’s get past it. We get it, Hammond is the Hamburglar, but tonight the Rangers fucked him up faster than Ronda Rousey.
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| Nailed it! |
A half hour before puck drop, I had a good feeling about this game. So good that I went out on a limb and predicted something so unconventional, I would look silly if I was wrong. However, I nailed it, as the Rangers lit up Hammond for five goals. Some people thought I was nuts for predicting that, but these Rangers, all year, when the pressure is on and they need a bounce back game, the Rangers have showed up.
Henrik Lundqvist, who will play this weekend, better take notes from Cam Talbot. Talbot has not lost two back-to-back games during his run as starter. That’s a hell of a stat for a playoff bound goalie, which Talbot should be, but you can’t leave $8.5 million sitting on the bench.
The Rangers just show up when it matters the most. With this win, the Rangers not only clinched a playoff spot (a foregone conclusion, but it was made official tonight) and returned to the number 1 spot in the whole league. The Rangers have 3 games in hand with the other points leader in the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks, a team they swept in their 2 game season series. The Rangers also crossed the 100 point mark, as they now sit at 101 points, one more point than the other Eastern Conference leader, the Montreal Canadiens, who have 100 points and two extra games played.
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| Last Hamburglar reference, I promise |
Going into this game, this match-up featured the two hottest goalies in the NHL. Both goalies got their starter job through injuries. Andersen went down in Ottawa. Hank went down here. Hammond was 14-1-1 going into this game, with no regulation losses. He had a GAA under 2.00. Talbot has been lights out for the Rangers and even has the most diehard Ranger fans questioning about pulling him for Hank. Two goalies that were on no one’s radar at the start of the season (Except mine, as I have been calling for Talbot from day one.) are two of the best goalies in the NHL right now.
I just felt the Rangers would bounce back after that shit sandwich on Tuesday. They did, and they knocked out Hammond in the second period, as Chris Dreidger made his NHL debut. In a game, which could be a potential first round playoff match-up, the Rangers made the Senators question their playoff hopes.
On an aside, how much do you love the fucking NHL right now? Tonight was great. My dick was hard watching all the games and scoreboard watching.
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| The TV set-up in the man-cave |
While waiting for the Rangers game to start on my big TV, I watched the Islanders start off on my small overhead TV. With an iPad going, I was watching the Devils/Capitals, while following live scores through my phone. During commercials and intermissions, I would flip to the NHL Network to catch Pens/Canes, Ducks/B’s and Jets/Habs. I fucking love it. Tonight was like an NFL Redzone day for me. I can’t get enough. Outside of the Caps winning (and you can argue that’s a good thing, as they could bump the Islanders down eventually), every score went the Rangers way.
Rangers won. Ducks deflated Boston. Isles lost. Habs got smoked. Pens are an embarrassment. You couldn’t ask for a better night of scores if you’re Rangers fan. Fuck Wednesday Rivalry Night, this Thursday night was Blueshirt night!
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| INKREIDIBLE! |
The Rangers will have a busy off-season, regardless of what happens in the playoffs. Stepan is a no-brainer re-sign. MSL should work with Slats to finish out his career here. Hagelin is the question mark, but I get the impression he wants to stay here if he gets a deal similar to his best friend, Mats Zuccarello. The Rangers should also look to extend Kreider now, while they still have the chance.
Chris Kreider is the player every non-Ranger fan loves to hate. He’s that Ovi. He’s that Simmonds. He’s that Subban. He’s that Crosby. While all those players are different in their own ways, they all illict extreme hatred from opposing fans. Kreider is that guy for the Rangers. He does so many different things. He’s got speed, power, can score, can pass and has no qualms with tussling & getting dirty when it’s needed. (Hi Carey Price! Ha-Ha!)
Kreider (2 goals, 1 assist) scored the first goal of the game. This is a goal you will want to seek a replay of. I praised Stepan for breaking out of his slump against the Ducks on Sunday and questioned where the hell was he on Tuesday. Stepan returned tonight. In a play that will make the blood rush straight to your penis, Stepan fed Kreider a “protractor” goal. Stepan made a long pass off the boards and the puck bounced off the boards and right into a speeding up the ice Chris Kreider. Kreider slammed it home, 1-0 Rangers.
Seriously, if you didn’t see this goal, you need to see it. It was probably one of the top 3 scoring plays of the season, due to the difficulty and the way Stepan made the pass. Kreider’s execution was really the cherry on top.
Unfortunately, after the goal, 19 seconds later, Curtis Lazar buried one right back. It was the story of the Rangers. Lose a face-off, turnover and Lazar has the net all to himself. I wouldn’t blame Talbot for this goal, but at the same time, he’s stoned harder shots from better guys. This was the one-on-one save that Talbot was making on guys like Tavares, Ovi, Perry, Toews, etc. Lazar was in the right place at the right time and scored. Can’t blame Cam, but it was a save he’s been making of late. 1-1, little more than 7 minutes to go.
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| The Boyler Man |
Dan Boyle scored the game winning goal, less than two minutes after Lazar, scoring off a perfect pass from Rick Nash. Let me say one thing – the Rangers passing was as great as it has been all season. We groan as fans as the Rangers overpass the puck at times, but tonight, all the passing led to goals. I hope the team keeps it up, but we have seen too many games where the Rangers pass up open looks for these passes that go nowhere. Tonight the passing game worked.
Boyle said during the first intermission break that he was trying to get higher, but in the end, happy with the goal that snuck by Hammond’s glove.
I haven’t been a big Boyle supporter on this site. For the money, you could’ve kept Stralman. However, the Rangers are stuck with him, so let’s hope he can keep the scoring up and gets the Powerplay going.
Speaking of the powerplay, it was non-existent tonight, because the referees decided to ignore any slashing, hooking or tripping that occurred on Rick Nash, but were quick to call 6 penalties against the NYR that led to 6 powerplays for Ottawa, with several two-man advantages. However, the Rangers PK was lights out. I wish the Rangers PP was even half as good as their PK. As I’ve mentioned several times on these pages, Carl Hagelin is just a monster on the PK. Talbot held his own end of the bargain, and wound up with 23 saves on 24 shots.
It really is amazing how you can give a team 6 powerplays and the other team 0. I have never complained so much about officiating, even in victories, than this season. It’s not just the Rangers, it’s league-wide. I have always said the NHL referees are the best refs in sports, but they have never been worse than they currently are.
| A True Warrior |
Derek Stepan would pick up his second assist of the game, via a video game play. Stepan powered one at Hammond, and the puck went up in the air and trickled down Hammond’s back. If you have a HUT team in NHL ’15, you know the agony. With the puck landing (and perhaps would’ve gone in, giving Stepan the goal), Kreider came crashing in and put the puck past the goal line. 3-1 Rangers, heading into the second.
With Kreider’s goal coming with 1 minute left in the first, it was great to see the Rangers score early in the second, as Mats Zuccarello took a beautiful pass from Kevin Hayes and buried it, making the score 4-1, with 18 minutes and change left in the second.
How great is Kevin Hayes? We’ve talked about it a lot here on these pages. He is the reason why the Rangers can deal Duclair and all these draft picks. He’s a developed NHLer and the future of the Rangers. As I talked about with Stepan’s first assist, Nash’s assist, Hayes kept the Rangers great passing going. I almost shit my pants when Zucc actually shot, rather than passing up the puck. I know you always want to find the perfect shot, but this team needs to shoot more. When they take shots, good things happen.
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| This motherfucker! |
Tanner Glass. It’s a name that evokes rage from the majority of Ranger fans. So you can imagine what it was like when Glass came on the ice after his penalty and scored a goal. Again, Kevin Hayes was the man. Hayes knew Glass was coming out of the box, showed his patience and found Glass wide open in front of Hammond. Glass scored his first Rangers goal, despite playing in 60 games.
I’m a twitter guy. I love it. I love getting the news, the pictures, the memes, the opinions, interacting, the dirt and all that other good shit. I talk to many of you guys on twitter. We love this shit and dealing with people as insane as us about the team.
Twitter fucking broke after Tanner Glass scored tonight. Within seconds of the Glass goal, I had 33 notifications and a timeline longer than the Magna Carta. Glass is easily the weakest and least liked Ranger on this team. Many people, myself included, wonder if Glass has naked pictures of Coach AV taking it in the ass from tranny midgets, because it makes no sense why AV loves him so much and gives him so much time.
Tanner Glass is so disrespected, that recently, after a Rangers home game, autograph seeking hounds (Don’t worry, I was one of you when I was young too and got the binders of Petr Nedved autographs to prove it) turned their back on Glass. I get it. It’s not like fans are obligated to get Tanner’s autograph, but the story has been so exaggerated and blown out of proportion that even Glass and his wife had to comment on it. This is how bad Glass has been, that he has to deal with stories like this.
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| Credit NYRMemes |
If you didn’t see the game, and living off recaps and silly blogs like mine, please seek out the replay. This meme above does the goal no justice. AV was smiling like he just crop-dusted the whole bench. I never saw AV smile like this on the bench before. Usually he’s snapping his gum and cool, calm, collected, but here, he couldn’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl.
Tanner Glass might not even play in the playoffs once MSL comes back & Sheppard and Fast take his spot on the fourth line, but I’m sure Glass feels like he got a huge monkey off his back. He has been completely useless all season and makes me long for Dorsett/Carcillo, but with that said, I’m happy for the guy. I don’t expect this to be the first goal in a huge scoring streak, but still, he must feel on top of the world and relieved right now.
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| GOALBUSTER |
I’ve spent countless words on Cam Talbot all season. Once again, Talbot came out big for the Rangers. This game didn’t turn into a Wild West Shootout. Hammond got his doors blown off, while Talbot held down the fort. Talbot didn’t steal this game, like he has in his other 1 goal games, but he was rock solid.
Talbot will never say it. However, it is human nature and an athlete’s drive, for Talbot to wonder how far he would’ve got if Hank wasn’t coming back. Talbot has just been godly for the Rangers. He has set many records, done incredible things and will eventually earn a starters job & starters $ in the NHL. If it was up to me, it would be in a Rangers jersey, but it just seems unlikely. I really hope Ranger fans give him a standing ovation for a long period of time, towards the end of this season.
With Talbot in net, the Rangers own the best record in the NHL and have been one of the best squads in NYR history. Don’t assume Hank would’ve done the same thing. In fact, if the All-Stars were voted the same way the NFL does their all-stars, at the end of the season, Talbot would be there. If Hank went down earlier, who knows, maybe we’re talking Talbot for Vezina.
Hank will return this weekend, and while it was funny to see him listed as the back-up tonight, I did really miss that ginger fuck, Mackenzie Skapski and his smiling ass on the bench. I hope Hank gets the start in MSG, as Boston has notoriously owned Hank as of late and it makes sense to give Hank a huge MSG moment by returning there on Sunday. However, Talbot’s contributions to this team should not be forgotten.
I usually do not like copying and pasting from the Rangers website, but in honor of the Rangers clinching a spot in the playoffs, here are the official postgame notes from BLUESHIRTSUNITED.com:
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| Come watch the game with us on Saturday, even JEFFREY will be there! |
All is good in blueshirt land. The only thing you can really complain about is Rick Nash in the second half, as his goal scoring abilities have disappeared. He didn’t look as bad as he has looked in recent games, even picking up an assist tonight, but you really want to see Nash start going to the net and converting shots into goals.
The Rangers return for a much anticipated back-to-back this weekend, as they head to Boston on Saturday afternoon and host Washington on Sunday. Hank makes his return for one of these games.
As I said in a previous blog, don’t be quick to rush down Hank’s throat if he has a bad game. I mean look at the LA game. The Rangers stunk the joint out, but had a game like this tonight and destroyed the Ducks on Sunday. The Rangers are playing the best hockey in the NHL and anything less than a Cup victory will be disappointing. It’s up to Hank to finally bring a parade to the Canyon of Heroes.
I will be back late Saturday, after the party, to recap Boston/NYR. Until then…
LET’S GO RANGERS
IN CAM WE TRUST
Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@nycthemic on the twitter machine
Your blog is informative and well-written but it would be better still if you didn’t constantly and gratuitously indulge in obscenities. They neither amuse nor make a point, so do use them judiciously, if you must.
thanks for the feedback, I never realized it offended people to be honest