The Rangers entered the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs as a wild card, both literally and figuratively. They were the fourth seed in the Metropolitan Division, and the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. That’s the literal meaning. A look at their lackluster final quarter of the season, Henrik Lundqvist’s inconsistent play throughout the year, […]

For the second consecutive spring, the Pittsburgh Penguins moved to Plan B before Plan A ever had a chance to materialize Wednesday night before their playoff opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Starting goaltender Matt Murray, Plan A, suffered a lower body injury in pregame warmups, forcing the Penguins to start Marc-Andre Fleury, Plan B, […]

“Expect the unexpected”. Those were the first words Tanner Glass said to the media following the Rangers impressive 2-0 Game One victory over the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night. Likely, no other words spoken post game by Glass or his teammates or his coach summed things up better because the Rangers bucked recent — and not […]

With one week remaining in the 2016-17 regular season, 64 players appeared in at least one game for multiple teams this season, some as waiver-wire acquisitions, others through in-season trades. Far and away, the biggest name to have switched clubs during the season is Kevin Shattenkirk, the Capitals defenseman acquired at the trade deadline from […]

Dan Girardi returned to the lineup after a 12-game absence on Saturday. One night later, Henrik Lundqvist (eight games) and Kevin Klein (14 games) also were back in the lineup. For the first time in a long time, the New York Rangers are complete. Now what? The Rangers have six games remaining on their regular […]

Since Alain Vigneault became head coach of the New York Rangers before the 2013-14 season, the team’s annual three-game trek to California has been a mixed bag, with successes and failures varying wildly depending on the year. And that doesn’t even include the emotional tumult of losing three overtime games –including a pair in double […]

Veteran defensemen Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein both are medically cleared to play and are practicing with the New York Rangers again after extended injury absences. Though neither will play Tuesday night in Newark against the Devils or Wednesday at Madison Square Garden against the Islanders, Girardi and Klein will be on the club’s trip […]

The dreaded longest road trip in franchise history is behind them, and the New York Islanders not only survived it, they thrived. The Islanders, who had only seven road wins the entire season, went 5-3-1 on what was most definitely a make-or-break trip that covered nearly three weeks. All that did, however, was keep the […]

The New York Rangers announced Saturday morning that Henrik Lundqvist is out for the next 2-3 weeks with a lower body injury. Lundqvist told reporters that he hurt his hip in the first period of his most recent start Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, a game he would play to its conclusion, a 5-2 victory, […]

Doug Weight is proving to be many things since becoming interim head coach of the New York Islanders on Jan. 17. A terrific communicator with his players. A passionate, invested leader. A smart hockey man, who is evolving from a terrific player in the National Hockey League to a pretty darned good coach. An early […]

Of all the goaltenders who have played for the New York Rangers in their 90-year history, six are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, two are in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and one, Henrik Lundqvist, is well on his way to hockey immortality. However, only four ever backstopped a Stanley Cup […]

John Hynes and his New Jersey Devils are on the league-mandated bye week; but rest assured the coach and his players are keeping an eye on the Eastern Conference standings while they rest up for the season’s final push. The streaky Devils, who started out 9-3-3 before a 7-15-6 two-month detour, hit the bye week […]

When Stefan Noesen was selected in the first round, 21st overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 NHL Draft, there is no way that he could have predicted all that would take place in the ensuing seven years to this point, nor would he want to. There was a suspension that cost the Plano, […]

One long-time National Hockey League head coach has already been fired, and another is on the hot seat; and that forms the core of this week’s The Hockey Writers Live podcast. Jack Capuano was relieved of his duties by the New York Islanders last week after seven seasons as head coach. He leaves the Isles […]

Antti Raanta’s third straight start in goal, third win in a row, and second consecutive shutout highlighted a 5-0 victory for the New York Rangers over the New Jersey Devils Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. While Raanta deservedly earned top billing , his was not the only compelling story line on Sunday. Here’s an […]

Long-time Toronto Star reporter and columnist Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) is our special guest on the The Hockey Writers Live podcast this week. Cox discusses his career with Canada’s largest daily newspaper, his memories of covering the Toronto Maple Leafs and some of his favorite Leafs, Pat Burns and Doug Gilmour among them. We also break […]

In an extremely entertaining affair at Barclays Center Wednesday night, the New York Islanders scored twice in the first period and never trailed in knocking off their arch rivals, the New York Rangers, 4-2. There was so much more to this one than simply the last place Islanders finding a way to beat the first […]

At the conclusion of last season the New York Islanders were viewed as a young team ready to take the next step up the ladder of success in the National Hockey League, while the New York Rangers were thought to be at the end of an impressive five-year run which included three Eastern Conference Final […]

The first team to make an in-season coaching change in 2016-17? The Florida Panthers, who relieved Gerard Gallant of his duties less than a full season after he guided them to 47 wins, 103 points and an Atlantic Division regular-season title a year ago. Jack Eichel has returned from his severe ankle sprain and the […]

If ever there was an example of how much the 2016-17 New York Islanders teeter on the edge, then Wednesday night’s 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Barclays Center was it. New York scored first for only the eighth time in 22 games this season, then raced out to a 3-0 second-period lead over […]