Saturday Night Special
- Saturday, Mar.22/03
Philadelphia (39-19-11-4) vs. New York Rangers (30-33-9-3)
by Rink Rat
The New York Rangers are definitely not America's hockey team. Frequently they aren't even New York City's hockey team. General manager Glen Sather has assembled a strange assortment of misfits, spare parts, and rejects, then allowed various coaches, Bryan Trottier being the last, to mold them into nothing much at all. On this team, the whole has always been less than the sum of the parts. Sather finally took matters into his own hands and has slowly pulled this team together.
They still aren't great, but improved play which includes a run of 5-2-2- 1 has the Rangers six points out of the final play-off berth in the Eastern Conference. They are unlikely to make the cut but at least showing signs of life has come as a welcome change for their impatient fans. Trades bringing in Alexei Kovalev from Pittsburgh, Mike Dunham from Nashville, and Anson Carter late of Edmonton has helped to spark this group. That Mark Messier's minutes have been falling indicates improvement from the likes of Bobby Holik. The Rangers' road record is seventh in the east at 13-17-5-2, good for 33 points. Their last five road games have produced a 1-2-1-1 record. Against the top echelon teams in the East they've managed a 3-5-2 record since the beginning of February. Rangers have scored 99 goals on the road (2.68 goals/game) which is fourth best in a conference which views goal scoring with suspicion. They have 115 goals against (3.11) and that is twelfth. Where they run into big trouble is penalty killing. They take too many penalties (185 on the road) and have too many scored against them (32) which works out to a penalty killing success rate of 82.7% (9th).
Seen another way, they've given up 32 power play goals in 37 road games. They're lot isn't improved by having an even strength goal scoring record of 73-76. They will probably be without moody winger Bure for this one, as he's having trouble with a knee. However Carter has added some jump to the team and goaltender Dunham has a .923 save percentage. When he plays the team's goals against average dips to 2.29 as opposed to their over-all average of 2.59.
On Thursday night the Philadelphia Flyers beat the bedraggled Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2. That was goaltender Esche's first win in seven games, an important point because first choice 'keeper Cechmanek is injured. The Flyers have now only two regulation losses in their past 12 games. They have power forward Leclair back and he's begun scoring. Winger Amonte, arriving in a trade deadline deal, has been a revelation, producing 3-4-7 in four games. Philadelphia was a fractured team heading into this season and every time they wobble others expect them to unravel. But they've managed to keep toeing the line Coach Hitchcock wants them to take and they've managed to keep squeezing out the wins with minimum goal scoring production.
Their home record is only 7th in the conference (18-9-7-2, 45 pts) but they are 4-0-0-1 during this run of success. They've scored a miserable 83 goals at home (13th, 2.37) and are first in the conference for goals against (68, 1.94 ) Philly fans don't go to see goal scoring, they have to satisfy themselves with ugly wins. Flyers don't take a lot of penalties (155) and aren't overly successful when they are on the power play (14.4%, 23 goals, 8th). Their penalty killing is poor at (83.6%, 7th) which is surprising for a grimly defensive team like this.
However the deficiency is masked because they are seldom penalized (122). Besides, the Flyers are a solid 59-45 at even strength, which is where they win their games. The Flyers take over 32 shots per game on home ice yet can only produce those 83 goals, which makes the gamble on Amonte make sense. Philadelphia has the edge on the Rangers this year, having won three of four, although the Rangers won the last meeting at Madison Square, 5-1.
New York likely will have a small edge in goal for this game, since Cechmanek is out. New York can be expected to get a small lift being the desperate team, but the same can also be said of the Flyers. By winning their division, they are currently tied for the lead with New Jersey, they can avoid a dreaded rematch with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Flyers will stay out of the penalty box and grind the Rangers into the ice. It won't be pretty but it will be effective. Philadelphia will bank the two points and put a severe dent in the Rangers' play-off aspirations. Play on the FLYERS MONEYLINE !!!
no emails in the forums please...take it to promo.... thanks!
[This message was edited by Dante on 03-22-03 at 07:55 AM.]
[This message was edited by Dante on 03-22-03 at 07:57 AM.]
- Saturday, Mar.22/03
Philadelphia (39-19-11-4) vs. New York Rangers (30-33-9-3)
by Rink Rat
The New York Rangers are definitely not America's hockey team. Frequently they aren't even New York City's hockey team. General manager Glen Sather has assembled a strange assortment of misfits, spare parts, and rejects, then allowed various coaches, Bryan Trottier being the last, to mold them into nothing much at all. On this team, the whole has always been less than the sum of the parts. Sather finally took matters into his own hands and has slowly pulled this team together.
They still aren't great, but improved play which includes a run of 5-2-2- 1 has the Rangers six points out of the final play-off berth in the Eastern Conference. They are unlikely to make the cut but at least showing signs of life has come as a welcome change for their impatient fans. Trades bringing in Alexei Kovalev from Pittsburgh, Mike Dunham from Nashville, and Anson Carter late of Edmonton has helped to spark this group. That Mark Messier's minutes have been falling indicates improvement from the likes of Bobby Holik. The Rangers' road record is seventh in the east at 13-17-5-2, good for 33 points. Their last five road games have produced a 1-2-1-1 record. Against the top echelon teams in the East they've managed a 3-5-2 record since the beginning of February. Rangers have scored 99 goals on the road (2.68 goals/game) which is fourth best in a conference which views goal scoring with suspicion. They have 115 goals against (3.11) and that is twelfth. Where they run into big trouble is penalty killing. They take too many penalties (185 on the road) and have too many scored against them (32) which works out to a penalty killing success rate of 82.7% (9th).
Seen another way, they've given up 32 power play goals in 37 road games. They're lot isn't improved by having an even strength goal scoring record of 73-76. They will probably be without moody winger Bure for this one, as he's having trouble with a knee. However Carter has added some jump to the team and goaltender Dunham has a .923 save percentage. When he plays the team's goals against average dips to 2.29 as opposed to their over-all average of 2.59.
On Thursday night the Philadelphia Flyers beat the bedraggled Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2. That was goaltender Esche's first win in seven games, an important point because first choice 'keeper Cechmanek is injured. The Flyers have now only two regulation losses in their past 12 games. They have power forward Leclair back and he's begun scoring. Winger Amonte, arriving in a trade deadline deal, has been a revelation, producing 3-4-7 in four games. Philadelphia was a fractured team heading into this season and every time they wobble others expect them to unravel. But they've managed to keep toeing the line Coach Hitchcock wants them to take and they've managed to keep squeezing out the wins with minimum goal scoring production.
Their home record is only 7th in the conference (18-9-7-2, 45 pts) but they are 4-0-0-1 during this run of success. They've scored a miserable 83 goals at home (13th, 2.37) and are first in the conference for goals against (68, 1.94 ) Philly fans don't go to see goal scoring, they have to satisfy themselves with ugly wins. Flyers don't take a lot of penalties (155) and aren't overly successful when they are on the power play (14.4%, 23 goals, 8th). Their penalty killing is poor at (83.6%, 7th) which is surprising for a grimly defensive team like this.
However the deficiency is masked because they are seldom penalized (122). Besides, the Flyers are a solid 59-45 at even strength, which is where they win their games. The Flyers take over 32 shots per game on home ice yet can only produce those 83 goals, which makes the gamble on Amonte make sense. Philadelphia has the edge on the Rangers this year, having won three of four, although the Rangers won the last meeting at Madison Square, 5-1.
New York likely will have a small edge in goal for this game, since Cechmanek is out. New York can be expected to get a small lift being the desperate team, but the same can also be said of the Flyers. By winning their division, they are currently tied for the lead with New Jersey, they can avoid a dreaded rematch with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Flyers will stay out of the penalty box and grind the Rangers into the ice. It won't be pretty but it will be effective. Philadelphia will bank the two points and put a severe dent in the Rangers' play-off aspirations. Play on the FLYERS MONEYLINE !!!
no emails in the forums please...take it to promo.... thanks!
[This message was edited by Dante on 03-22-03 at 07:55 AM.]
[This message was edited by Dante on 03-22-03 at 07:57 AM.]
