Despite the atrocious officiating, hope everyone appreciated a classic playoff game at the Garden on Sunday, a memorable matinee for sure.
After the second period, I wrinkled my nose at my colleague Mark Herrmann---who should earn residency in Buffalo for all the time he's been there recently---down in the pressroom and sniffed. "I smell overtime," I said.
I didn't expect two.
It's ironic that late Friday night/early Saturday AM, a few of us were at the Century Grill in Buffalo, and I had a short discussion with Pete Stemkowski, who was handling radio duties that night. Never would have thought that Game 3 would have summoned the memory of his three OT game-winner in 1971 against Chicago.
How many near misses were there? Hossa's not on his game. And other one that really sticks out was Jed Ormeyer's failure to get a stick on that pass in front from behind the goal line. It looked like he was retreating too early.
Mark, who was covering the Islanders-Sabres series as well, was delighted by Jagr's attitude on and off the ice. Those of us who've covered the team for a few years are aware of that, of course, but....
Anyway, a must-win is now in the books and we'll tee up tomorrow with a report from practice later this morning...
Comments (25)
Steve, the officiating wasn't that bad. Jagr, correctly was called for 3 lazy penalties, 2 hooks and a trip. After the Sabres got a few power plays in a row, the Rangers started falling down any time the Sabres came near them (see Avery and Callahan flops). The Rangers are lucky that Avery didn't get called three times - one for his hit on Roy at the bench during a change, the blatant cheap shot with his stick to the groin of Pominville when the puck was frozen at the boards and when he tried to shove Miller into the net on the goal mouth scramble.
You and homer Rosen need to stop hanging out together.
Not me, it was that loser with no life again.
And, loser, the Sabres got 6 cheap powerplays in a row.
Man, it must suck being an Islanders fan with no life.
Why is this titled back to Buffalo? There is a game at the Garden tomorrow night right?
What a game yesterday!
How Renney didn't end up with a fine after that one? Honestly, would have liked to seen it.
I don't want to start this because we did find a way to win. But, when does the league start to care and make things right.
Hi, Im the NHL and our refs suck!
The first step is admitting you got a problem Gary and Colin.
The third call on Jagr was wrong.
That said Jagr, Lundy, and Avery were awesome last night. I held my breath through the two overtimes, thank goodness we won.
Of course, the Sabres got 6 cheap power plays in a row but if the Rangers got 6 power plays in a row it would have been all because of effort and hard work right? Open your eyes. Get a life loser.
Jim from Woodbury (the second): Nothing personal, but you gotta wonder who has no life if you are responding to the purported 'imposter' withing 7 minutes after his post.
That said, 6 of the 9 Rangers penalties were probably legit, way too many for the Rangers to be taking against this team. (None of the 5 Buffalo penalties were questionable, and they really should have had 3 more.) The trip against Jagr was a blatant dive (a missed penalty against Buffalo), and the crosschecking against Shanny appeared to be incorrect, as it didn't appear his stick touched the Sabre at all. The hooking on Malik was also borderline. That, on top of the bad reversal on the disallowed goal, where someone made up a distict kicking motion where there was none, as well as two blatant missed calls on the hooks of Prucha and Isbister, all point to poor and very inconsistent officiating on all levels.
Some think it's a bias against the Rangers as a team. Others think it is a bias against certain players, such as Jagr, Shanahan and Avery. Either way, it appears to be a bias, and it has to stop.
So, to Jim from Woodbury (the first and supposed imposter), you can take your bias and go back to either islander or sabre country, from whence you came.
I think there were some bogus calls indeed, but whatcha gonna do? Unfortunately this season seems to have gone that way all across the NHL. I have the NHL Center Ice package and watch quite a good deal of non-Rangers hockey and the officiating across the board has been inconsistent. I'm all for letting guys play and if one team gets away with it, so should the other, although I'm cool when they call penalities, again as long as they call them on both sides. From what I've watched, this year has been a bit lopsided on the penalty calling in at least 50% of the games.
Rachunek's goal was also a joke. The ref had to make his own kicking motion to signal the no goal because the replay of Rachunek's play didn't offer any real evidence to that fact. ha ha. I think he got robbed, but again, whatcha gonna do?
Glad to see a big playoff OT victory though. It's been awhile. I still believe the Rangers have a chance to win this series. They are so close to breaking this thing wide open. A few more lucky bounces and keeping up the pressure and they wll get it done.
Let's Go Rangers!
The only call against the Rangers that I can complain about is the tripping call against Jagr, which looked awfully weak and was punctuated with a swan dive on the part of the Buffalo player that should have at the very least resulted in a 4-on-4 situation. My real issue is with the calls that WEREN'T made against the Sabres. The Rangers committed too many penalties, no doubt. But the Sabres were doing a lot of the same things the Rangers did, and getting away with it more often than not.
Officiating aside, the biggest travesty of the afternoon was the result of the review of Rachunek's goal. Two games ago, Pomminville was awarded a goal that was initially waved off on the ice because the reviewers in Toronto were somehow able to determine that his "intent" wasn't to knock the puck in with his arm. Yesterday, the folks in the War Room were somehow able to determine CONSCLUSIVELY that Rachunek's intention, while being hooked and driven into the net, was to kick the puck in and again overrule the original call on the ice. I can't imagine these were the types of calls envisioned when video review was instituted. I consider myself a pretty objective fan, but no matter how many times I watch the replay of that no-goal, I can't see anything there that should justify the goal being waved off.
The "War Room" in Toronto was wrong, Rachunek was stopping so he didnt run into the net, he missed the puck with his stick and it went off of his stopping foot. And, Callahan didnt dive for a penalty, he dove for the puck. People mis-interpreted it.
fake jim from woodbury,
your take isnt warrented, so shoo fly...shoo!...u said if there was 6 pps in a row for rangers what would we say?...obviouly nothing, CUZ IT WONT HAPPEN IN THIS SERIES!..it was a goal and every 1 knows it. prucha gets close lined, no call. pominvilles hand ball goal is allowed (in game 1), shannys cross check..just a few instances where the refs/leauge should be questioned...100 more could be brought up. buffalo is playing scared, and the rangers have all the momentum...there heart, soul and character were so evident yesterday, by beating 3 teams...buffalo, the refs and the leauge.
LI Den:
"Jim from Woodbury (the second): Nothing personal, but you gotta wonder who has no life if you are responding to the purported 'imposter' withing 7 minutes after his post"
What the eff are you talking about, I, logged in this morning and the first thing I saw was someone posting under my name.
Was I supposed to wait awhile before I said something?
Shut the eff up.
dam, el duque is on the DL..friggin bursitis...oh, my bad wrong blog..lmao!
LETS GO RANGERS!!
Logged in? I didn't know you needed a username and password to post comments here. Your responding to my posts within 10 minutes is well documented. Your such a tough guy dropping the "eff" bomb.
Logged into the computer ya d**khead.
Why don't you tell me what name you usually post under when you aren't using my name?
My God, you be so bored.
psst..theres a new story...its quite laughable
Actually it's a bit of an honor when your posts touch such a nerve that people feel the need to post under your alias.
Obviously my posts have touched this d**khead's nerve one too many times.
2 minutes!!! 2 minutes after my post and this clown responds. A new record. Congrats. You know what else is 2 minutes? A minor penalty, which the Rangers are all too familar with due to undisciplined play. Oh wait, according to Zipay, Rosen and the rest of the Rag homers, there should never have been any penalites called against the Rangers ever.
Yeah, you have touched a nerve on me, that's why I'm the one yelling the "eff" bomb at other people and calling other people d-heads. Nice job! Zipay won't delete the posts though because you're a Ranger fan just like him.
I get under your skin so much, I'm sort of like a MUCH better looking Sean Avery. Except I don't have attention deficit disorder and don't yell racial insults at people.
Why are you afraid to post under your own name?
What are you so afraid of?
Afraid you know so little about hockey you are emabarrassed?
That 3rd tripping call on Jagr was crap.
Buffalo is very good at skating onto player's sticks and then falling.
That was exactly what happened on that 3rd Jagr penalty.
Yes, I am afraid of your superior hockey knowledge. For instance, I couldn't find such astute analysis on Buffalo's ability to skate on the Ranger's skates and fall anywhere else but this blog.
I could have brain damage and still know more about hockey than you.
You're on the clock but I'm sure it will take you less than 3 minutes to respond.
"I could have brain damage and still know more about hockey than you"
Now I get it, you have brain damage, that explains it.
I forgive you for being a moron.
the fake jim,
its the penalties that WERENT called against the sabres, you brain damaged douche...if ur a islander fan, you should be on our side...u ppl had the same b.s. happen to you..unlike them tho, rangers overcame the adversity like a champion would..are u jealous?
the fake jim,
plz make a duplicate of my name, cuz ur brain damage will show even more. this is tj in rangerville btw...howd u get brain damage..avery slash u across the head or sumpthin?