Tom Renney will be behind the bench at Madison Square Garden for the first time since being fired by the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist will be back on the bench for the second straight game.
Oilers head coach Tom Renney about his return to Madison Square Garden today, 'I?m coming in as the enemy.'
Oilers head coach Tom Renney about his return to Madison Square Garden today, 'I?m coming in as the enemy.'
Which means Marty Biron will be in net today for the ill Lundqvist as the Rangers host the Oilers to conclude their season-long, four-game homestand.
"I?m coming in as the enemy," said Renney, in his first season as the Oilers coach after going 164-121-42 for the Rangers from Feb. 25, 2004 to Feb. 23, 2009. "I am going to allow myself the opportunity to bump into people. ? I never thought it was so bad I couldn?t walk in with my head up."
Biron, who is 2-2-0 with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage stopped 30 shots in Thursday?s 3-2 overtime win over the Sabres and will be starting consecutive games for the first time this season.
Lundqvist, suffering from headaches along with head and sinus congestion, said he wasn?t 100 percent. He?s expected to start Monday at Pittsburgh as the Rangers start a stretch of seven out of 10 games on the road.
"I don?t want to put the team at risk," Lundqvist said. "Right now, I just want to feel sharp."
It was Renney who made the decision in 2005-06 to elevate a then-23-year-old Lundqvist over Kevin Weekes ? following an early-season injury to the veteran. Lundqvist responded with a 30-12-9 record, the first of five-straight 30-win seasons.
"You don?t think about it during the game but when I think back to my first couple of years, he played a big part in making me feel comfortable," Lundqvist said. "He?s a great man, a great coach. I think it will be special for him."
"It?s a year and a half now," defenseman Marc Staal added. "We had a good relationship and he was a good coach for us. But time passes. It doesn?t really change anything."
Renney, who spent last season as the Oilers associate coach under Pat Quinn, is concerned with having his Oilers grow up quickly. They have an average age of 26.5 but feature left wing Taylor Hall, the No. 1 overall pick in this year?s draft who celebrates his 19th birthday today, left wing Magnus Paajarvi, 19, and right wing Jordan Eberle, 20.
"We still have to play a complete game," said Renney, whose team has lost three straight. "We?ve shown people what we?re going to be like offensively. We do believe we can get into a playoff spot. Our intent is to stay with the pack and the new year will be much better."
BRIEF: Derek Boogaard is expected to be a healthy scratch for the second straight game since snapping a 234-game streak without a goal.
Oilers head coach Tom Renney about his return to Madison Square Garden today, 'I?m coming in as the enemy.'
Oilers head coach Tom Renney about his return to Madison Square Garden today, 'I?m coming in as the enemy.'
Which means Marty Biron will be in net today for the ill Lundqvist as the Rangers host the Oilers to conclude their season-long, four-game homestand.
"I?m coming in as the enemy," said Renney, in his first season as the Oilers coach after going 164-121-42 for the Rangers from Feb. 25, 2004 to Feb. 23, 2009. "I am going to allow myself the opportunity to bump into people. ? I never thought it was so bad I couldn?t walk in with my head up."
Biron, who is 2-2-0 with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage stopped 30 shots in Thursday?s 3-2 overtime win over the Sabres and will be starting consecutive games for the first time this season.
Lundqvist, suffering from headaches along with head and sinus congestion, said he wasn?t 100 percent. He?s expected to start Monday at Pittsburgh as the Rangers start a stretch of seven out of 10 games on the road.
"I don?t want to put the team at risk," Lundqvist said. "Right now, I just want to feel sharp."
It was Renney who made the decision in 2005-06 to elevate a then-23-year-old Lundqvist over Kevin Weekes ? following an early-season injury to the veteran. Lundqvist responded with a 30-12-9 record, the first of five-straight 30-win seasons.
"You don?t think about it during the game but when I think back to my first couple of years, he played a big part in making me feel comfortable," Lundqvist said. "He?s a great man, a great coach. I think it will be special for him."
"It?s a year and a half now," defenseman Marc Staal added. "We had a good relationship and he was a good coach for us. But time passes. It doesn?t really change anything."
Renney, who spent last season as the Oilers associate coach under Pat Quinn, is concerned with having his Oilers grow up quickly. They have an average age of 26.5 but feature left wing Taylor Hall, the No. 1 overall pick in this year?s draft who celebrates his 19th birthday today, left wing Magnus Paajarvi, 19, and right wing Jordan Eberle, 20.
"We still have to play a complete game," said Renney, whose team has lost three straight. "We?ve shown people what we?re going to be like offensively. We do believe we can get into a playoff spot. Our intent is to stay with the pack and the new year will be much better."
BRIEF: Derek Boogaard is expected to be a healthy scratch for the second straight game since snapping a 234-game streak without a goal.
