Latest News Updates

No panic from Rangers coach ahead of do-or-die Game Six (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Rangers coach John Tortorella is drawing confidence from a loss to the New Jersey Devils that pushed his top-seeded team to the brink of elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Rangers trail the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final 3-2 after Wednesday's home loss to the Devils, setting the stage for a must-win Game Six on Friday in New Jersey to have any shot at reaching the Stanley Cup Final. "The most important thing that happened last night after a pretty screwy start is that ... ...

 

Rangers-Devils Preview (The Associated Press)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Eighteen years ago, Mark Messier set the stage for one of sports' most dramatic moments.

 

Rangers have no guarantee for this ECF Game 6 (The Associated Press)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Eighteen years ago, Mark Messier set the stage for one of sports' most dramatic moments.

 

The Rangers aren't making any Mark Messier guarantees ahead of Game 6 (Yahoo! Sports)

New York is focused on prolonging the East final against New Jersey, not rehashing old hockey history.

 

NHL Playoff Beard Watch: Blood, Sweat and Beards of unsung unshaven heroes (Puck Daddy)

(Ed. Note: We're proud to welcome two of our favorite bloggers, Chuck and Pants from What's Up, Ya Sieve? , to the Puck Daddy fold as they author our weekly NHL Playoff Beard Watch every Thursday.) By Chuck and Pants from What's Up, Ya Sieve? The stage is nearly set for the ultimate NHL showdown. The Devils and Rangers battle it out at center stage while the Kings wait in the offing for their opponent to be named. It's a long, hard fight to be among the last teams standing. Every one inch is earned. This week, we salute the beards of some Unsung Unshaven Heroes. Marquee name or rookie sensation, it doesn't matter what their contracts say now. They fight on - and the proof of is all over their faces.

 

Devils guarantee they’ll downplay 1994 conference finals for Game 6 vs. Rangers (Puck Daddy)

"We're going to go in and win Game 6. That was the focus this morning and it's the way we feel right now. We've done that all year, we've won all the games we've had to win. … I know we're going to go in and win Game 6 and bring it back here (to the Garden) for Game 7 ... We have enough talent and experience to turn the tide. That's exactly what we're going to do in Game 6." That was Mark Messier on May 24, 1994, making the statement before Game 6 at the Meadowlands between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. He then scored a hat trick to force Game 7, where the Rangers eliminated the Devils in double overtime. With the Devils again leading the conference final against the rivals heading into Game 6 in Jersey, the inevitable parallels between the two series were bound to come up — even if Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, Brad Richards and coach John Tortorella refused to take the bait on any 1994 questions on Thursday. There would be no more painful way for the Devils to exit the playoffs than to have history repeat: Having the chance to eliminate the Rangers on home ice in Game 6 — on the anniversary of Messier Day, no less — blowing it, and then falling short of the Cup Final with a loss at MSG. Which is probably why none of the Devils that discussed the events of 18 years ago were really interested in focusing on the past.

 

Dodger Stadium Winter Classic; 10 worst NHL fans; ‘While The Men Watch’ debate (Puck Headlines) (Puck Daddy)

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • Viggo Mortensen is a huge Montreal Canadiens fan. What better way to remind the world of this fact than by wrapping Kirsten Dunst in a Habs flag at Cannes, continuing an odd red carpet tradition for Aragorn. [ OMG Yahoo! , via Martin Leroux] • Marty Brodeur on the Mark Messier guarantee ghosts of 1994 haunting the New Jersey Devils in Game 6: "I know if you guys look at it, it looks the same, but it's different teams and a different way of playing the game and it's 18 years ago and that's a long time. I know I'm feeling a lot different. I'm feeling a lot more appreciative of what's going on." [ Fire & Ice ] • Bruce Driver on 1994: "I ended up going to New York and played with Mark, a tremendous leader and one of the best captains of all time. In 1994 against us, Mark did what he did, backed it up and scored three goals. But from our standpoint, the way we looked at it, we blew the game." [ NYT ] • Great piece on the friendship between Devils fans and Rangers fans, unnatural that it is. [ WNYC, via Michael Raphael] • No structural damage in Michal Rozsival's knee after that Dustin Brown hit. [ Sportsnet ] • Mirtle with poll on fighting that finds hardcore fans love it, non-fans loathe it. [Globe & Mail, and see graphic ] • Earl Sleek sees a lot of the 2003 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2012 Los Angeles Kings. Say, are those the Devils on the other side of the bracket? [ Battle of Cali ] • Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten wants to pursue a Winter Classic at Dodger Stadium. Read this and other stories in our new book "[Expletive] No One Would Be Saying If The Kings Weren't In The Cup Final." [ LA Times ] • Rich Hammond on the matter: "Gary Bettman has sneered (literally) at any suggestion that a Winter Classic could be played in a warm-weather environment. And while the Kings would love to host an outdoor game — Luc Robitaille is a particularly big proponent — AEG is also in the planning stages of a new downtown football stadium, which would probably be a more likely location in the event that Bettman stops sneering." [ LA Kings Insider ] • The 10 most annoying hockey fans. Including you, Guy Trying To Get on TV. [ THW ]

 

Lundqvist Picks Wrong Game for Stinker: A Fan’s Perspective (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The New York Rangers are right where they seem most comfortable - on the brink of playoff extinction after a Game Five rally petered out.

 

Devils outlast Rangers, 5-3, take 3-2 series lead (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) The New Jersey Devils never could have imagined they would have a three-goal lead on the New York Rangers less than 10 minutes into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals at hostile Madison Square Garden.

 

Rangers run out of playoff luck as Game 5 rally goes awry at the worst time (Yahoo! Sports)

New York's resiliency and goalie Henrik Lundqvist's play have been exemplary throughout the 2012 postseason, but the breaks and bounces went against the Rangers when they could least afford it.