Crash and Burn, But They Ain't Dead Yet

It was simply a horrific display of hockey from the Rangers this weekend. They were two huge games, and an even bigger one is on the horizon. The Rangers blew the series lead. Lets just remember that. They blew the series lead, not the series.

The potential suspensions are something to talk about. Clearly the hit from Brashear will result in a suspension. The picture here clearly shows elbow to head. He should get 2 games, one for this hit and one for the contact he initiated with Orr in the pregame warmup. I'm leaving it at that. Although losing Betts, which sounds like it will be the case for Game 7, is a massive blow to the team. Now to the biting incident on Dubinsky by Morrisonn. This should be another suspension given the precedent with Ruutu earlier this season. The question here is whether there is video evidence. If not, then this won't result in a suspension. I will keep you updated if I hear any news on this today.

My take on Game 7 is this: The Rangers need something to light a fire under them. And maybe that something is someone. The team has called up rookie minor league all-star Artem Anisimov, likely since Betts is a no-go for Game 7. Talk about throwing a kid into the fire.

Maybe this will spark the team. If this kid can go out with some jump in his step, something no Ranger has done except for Ryan Callahan, then maybe it will be contagious, for one game at least.

Lundqvist will obviously need to be much better too, but that really isn't the team's problem. It's everything in front of him. The defense has a ton of holes and the offense has no game. That was a concern voiced here before Game 1. Then everything seemed to come together. Our defense was stellar and our offense put 4 goals on the board. Now granted Theodore was a disaster in that game, but if I remember correctly, we had a boatload of offensive opportunities, which hasn't happened in a game since. So if the team can gather the energy to actually put forth a defensive and offensive effort, then they will take Game 7 tomorrow night. Oh, and maybe some suspensions will help too.