Where They Are: They lost goaltender Erik Ersberg to a groin injury in their last game, an impressive 3-2 shootout loss to the mighty San Jose Sharks. It is a good thing for the Rangers as the young Swede has been pretty damn good. In his place will be former Ranger Jason Labarbara, who has failed at most every chance to secure the starting goaltender position. But stepping back for a second, they took the Sharks to a shootout! The team many thought would be the worst of the West is actually above .500 (13-12-5) and have just one regulation loss in their last six games.

What To Watch For: Keep an eye on Derek Armstrong. The longtime Ranger farmhand has been their Blair Betts working in the trenches and popping up with big goals. Where we have the enigmatic Nik Zherdev, they have Alex Frolov but Frolov seems to be growing into a more consistent offensive threat and can make the Ranger defense look foolish if they aren't careful.
What We'll (Hopefully) See: While I was a little saddened not to see George Parros' mustache get rearranged by Colton Orr, if Orr doesn't battle Raitis Ivanans tonight I won't lose any sleep. The guy is a monster - in size, not skill - so unless the game play dictates it, there is no reason for Colt to lower himself to goondom.
Also Check Out: The Battle of California, Life in Hockeywood, A Queen Among Kings and the MSM Inside the Kings.
As always, I recommend people check out Sam Weinman's Ranger Report for up-to-the-minute updates on our boys and the latest news on Sundin, who may or may not admit he will be a Ranger on Thursday (damn, I had Friday night in the pool).
2 comments:
Funny, Scotty, our "enigmatic" Zherdev has 31 points, whereas their Frolov has 25. Frolov can score goals but can't pass worth a shit, whereas Zherdev can do both.
Whoops, make that only 22 points for the almighty Frolov. Even better, right?
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