Saturday's Bruins...

[the mugs]

Early game out here on the east coast...Want to get a jump on tomorrows game because I have a family function tomorrow. I won't have much time & I don't know what kind of news articles I will get to but if they look important, I will get them here.

IMO - Rangers are hot as they have won 3 in a row. Too little too late? Bruins at home the last two games have been stinkers. A 2-0 loss to Carolina last Saturday and the BORING 2-1 loss to NY Isles last night. Glen Murray scored with 2:16 to go in the game to stop the shutout string at 117:44. The PP - not working at all going 1/28 since March 19. Yuck.

Mugs

Here we go!!!

NEW YORK RANGERS at
BOSTON BRUINS
Saturday, April 6, 2002
FleetCenter; Boston, Massachusetts
1:00 pm (ET) - Gametime
12:30 pm (ET) - Bruins Digest
NESN
Today's Game
The Bruins host the Rangers tonight in the fourth and final game between these teams this season and the second of two games of the season at the FleetCenter. The Bruins are 42-22-5-8 overall this season with a 22-10-1-5 record on home ice. The Rangers are 34-36-4-4 overall this season with a 16-18-2-3 record on the road. The Bruins are 8-5-1-3 vs. Atlantic Division opponents thus far this season and are 31-16-2-6 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes. The Rangers are 12-4-2-0 vs. Northeast Division opponents thus far this season and are 28-22-3-3 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes.

Lifetime Series
The Bruins are 271-222-97-1 lifetime vs. New York with a 1902-1721 scoring edge in those 591 games. On home ice, the Bruins are 157-93-42-1 lifetime vs. the Rangers with a 1060-820 scoring advantage in those 293 contests. The Bruins are 1-1-0-1 vs. New York in this season's series thus far with a 2-1 overtime loss in Boston on Oct. 27, 8-4 loss in New York on Jan. 23 and 3-1 victory in New York on Mar. 13.

Recent Bruins Games
The Bruins have won seven of their last nine games with a 2-1 victory over Detroit on Mar. 16, a 4-2 win over Phoenix on Mar. 19, a 2-1 victory in Buffalo on Mar. 21, 3-1 win in Florida on Mar. 23, 4-3 overtime win in Tampa Bay on Mar. 24, 3-2 victory in Carolina on Mar. 26, 2-0 loss to Carolina on Mar. 30, 4-2 win in Philadelphia on Apr. 2 and 2-1 overtime loss to NY Islanders on Apr. 4. They are now 10-2-0-1 in their last 13 contests and are 16-7-2-1 in their last 26 contests overall.

The Bruins are 3-2-0-1 in their last six home games and are 9-5-1-2 in their last 17 home contests. They have won their last seven road games, are 10-3-1-0 in their last 14 road games and are 15-6-1-2 in their last 24 road contests. Their current seven-game road win streak is their longest such streak since a club-record eight-game road win streak from Mar. 15-Apr. 14, 1993.

Recent Rangers Games
The Rangers have won their last three games with a 4-2 win in Florida on Mar. 30, a 6-4 victory in Tampa Bay on Apr. 1 and a 4-2 win in Toronto on Apr. 4. They had gone 1-7-0-0 in their previous eight games and are now 6-12-0-1 in their last 19 contests.

Upcoming Bruins Games
The Bruins next travel to New Jersey to face the Devils on tomorrow, Apr. 7. They will return home to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Apr. 9 and travel to Ottawa to face the Senators on Apr. 11 before closing out the regular season with Fan Appreciation Night at the FleetCenter, hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins on Apr. 13.

Upcoming Rangers Games
The Rangers next return home to host Pittsburgh on Apr. 8 and Toronto on Apr. 10 before closing out the regular season in Philadelphia on Apr. 13.

Bruins Injuries
Dennis Bonvie: Abdominal strain; day-to-day.
Jarno Kultanen: April 1 knee surgery; out for the season.
Joe Thornton: Shoulder injury; out indefinitely.
Total Man-Games Lost: 169

Bruins Recent Transactions
Mar. 19: Sean Brown acquired from Edmonton for Bobby Allen.
Mar. 19: Jeff Norton acquired from Florida for 2002 sixth round draft pick.
Mar. 19: Darryl Laplante acquired from Minnesota for Greg Crozier and assigned to Providence/AHL.
Mar. 19: Benoit Hogue claimed on waivers by Washington.
Mar. 19: Gord Murphy assigned to Providence/AHL (did not report).

Rangers Injuries
Sylvain Lefebvre: Torn PCL in left knee; 2 weeks.
Mike Richter: Linear fracture of temporal bone; out indefinitely.
Radek Dvorak: Right knee injury; out for season.
Mark Messier: Left shoulder surgery; out indefinitely.

 

[the mugs]

Recent games and Trends

Recent games and Trends

The only other game here in Boston was at the beginning of the season with Theo Fleory scoring the winner in OT...

Recent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
3/13/2002 NYR 1 Bos. 3 0,110/5.5 Bos./U
1/23/2002 NYR 8 Bos. 4 0,120/5.5 NYR/O
10/27/2001 Bos. 1 NYR 2 0,-175/5.5 NYR/U

Trends

The under is 4-1 in the past five meetings.
The Rangers have won their last four ATS on the road.
NYR is 29th in defense at 3.11 goals/gm against.
Boston is 4-2 ATS in the last six meetings.
Boston is 10-3 ATS in their last 13 overall.
The under is 6-1 in the Bruins last seven at home.

 

[the mugs]

B's buckle up: Desperate Rangers crash at FleetCenter

WILMINGTON - The Rangers performed a valuable service for the Bruins on Thursday night when they won in Toronto, helping the B's increase their Northeast Division lead to six points over the Maple Leafs.

Too bad for the Rangers they haven't done a better job this season of helping themselves.

The Broadway Blueshirts are once again the most dysfunctional team money can buy - lots and lots of money, with a payroll in excess of $65 million. But with the Rangers in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, five points out of the eighth and final playoff berth, it'll take a mini-miracle for New York to avoid missing the playoffs for the fifth consecutive spring.

``You wonder why,'' said Bruins defenseman Kyle McLaren of the Rangers' postseason drought. ``I think everybody does. With that much talent, you wonder why they're not fighting for first place in the conference - not eighth place.''

First place, of course, belongs to the Bruins, who'll seek to maintain their solid grasp on their conference lead against the Rangers this afternoon at the FleetCenter.

Former Ranger Mike Knuble got a firsthand look at New York's struggles last year, but still can't offer an explanation for the team's annual swoons.

``On paper, they're a really good team, but for some reason or another it doesn't come together for them,'' said Knuble. ``They have some great players. It's always a mystery why they don't do better.''

The Rangers have more good players than ever, since the acquisition last month of sniper Pavel Bure, defenseman Tom Poti and wingers Martin Rucinsky and Rem Murray. Yet even the production of Bure (9-5-14 in eight games as a Ranger) hasn't helped all that much, with the Rangers 4-6-0 in their last 10 outings.

Still, the Rangers will be desperate today when they play the Bruins. And what New York may lack in team defense, it makes up for with an explosive offense.

``Especially since they got Bure, they can run-and-gun with the best of them,'' said McLaren.

The Bruins' last two home-ice opponents, the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders, won by playing an untra-conservative, slow-down game that lulled the B's and their fans into a coma. But coach Robbie Ftorek would be deeply surprised if the Ron Low-coached Rangers took the same approach.

``They play a wide-open style,'' said Ftorek. ``You know they're going to be crashing the net, pinching, going offensive. That's what they do. That's the skills they have. That's the way they want to succeed.''

And Ftorek's club has just the skills to counter such a game plan: aggressive puck pursuit that forces turnovers and leads to scoring chances.

``I'm sure teams get some good chances against them, 2-on-1s, 3-on-2s,'' said McLaren. ``You have to bury them when you get those chances. And on the other hand, you can't turn the puck over against them - because guys like Bure, (Theo) Fleury, (Eric) Lindros and (Brian) Leetch can burn you.''

Those names are a reminder of just what a collection of big-name talent Rangers GM Glen Sather has assembled in Manhattan. Jim Dolan, the CEO of Cablevision, which owns the Rangers, remains a Sather supporter.

``With Glen Sather, he is a consummate hockey guy,'' Dolan told New York beat writers in a rare interview last weekend. ``I would never start telling him how to do his job. And he's got a plan. He's got a strategy. He's executing it. We're supporting it and we're going to continue to do so. I think we're really lucky to have him.''

Sather has certainly proven adept at spending multi-millions, a luxury he never enjoyed at his previous location in Edmonton. As for building a winning team, well, not yet.

Bruins notes

Ftorek stopped short of confirming that Joe Thornton will miss the weekend matinees today at the FleetCenter and tomorrow in New Jersey, but the injured center will likely remain a scratch.

Thornton still did not show full range of motion with his damaged left shoulder at practice. . . .

Tough guy Dennis Bonvie (abdominal strain) was feeling better, but does not expect to play today.

 

[Terryray]

I don't expect Blackburn to be so sharp today. He almost always follows up a stellar performance with a less than stellar one. and I don't think his dad will be in Boston tonight--this from NY Post:

"The Rangers won in Toronto on Thursday following a familiar and haphazard script, all over the place in their own end, yielding odd-man rushes by the flock, carried by goaltending and by Eric Lindros' line. The first half of the year it was Mike Richter in nets; Thursday, it was the kid Dan Blackburn, beaming after an acrobatic 35-save performance in front of his dad, Tom. The first half of the year it was Theo Fleury and Mike York on No. 88's flanks; Thursday, it was the great Pavel Bure and Martin Rucinsky. "

so leaning toward the over, but this matchup usually goes under. So should be better values out there....too darn busy with MLB all day!!! Can visit here much...

good stuff as always mugs! Good luck on any pics!