New York Rangers Daily: Learning from Flames blueprint; Gabe Perreault not Hobey Baker finalist
The New York Rangers have the blueprint in front of them, how to respond from an embarrassing defeat. Those of a sarcastic nature might point out that the Rangers should have that blueprint embedded in their brains because the Blueshirts have had so many embarrassing efforts this season that they’ve needed to bounce back from.
That’s actually true.
But it’s not what I’m referring to.
The Calgary Flames just showed the Rangers how you respond from a crappy effort. The Flames were mauled by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night and responded 24 hours later with a 60-minute clinic against the Rangers.
A bunch of things came into play there. Pride. Hunger. Execution. Learning a lesson. Total team commitment. Trust in your leadership core — coaches and players.
It was all there with the Flames on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. That’s how you respond when completely outplayed and embarrassed. They never took their foot off the Rangers’ neck once they seized control and dictated how that game was going to be played after the Blueshirts scored the early goal 1:13 in.
The Flames never wavered in their commitment to executing the game plan. They imposed their will and played with the hunger of a team not giving up on their season, just one night after looking like they’d be headed a third straight finish outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It sure helped their cause that the Rangers pulled a no-show Tuesday. But the Flames deserve their fair share of credit.
Now, it’s the Rangers’ turn Thursday at home against the Maple Leafs, a better team than the Flames, yet another opponent that played the night before and arrived into New York in the wee hours of the morning.
The Rangers have the blueprint. Let’s see if they have the will to follow through on it.
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New York Rangers news
Mike Zibanejad might want a mulligan on a postgame comment he made after that shameful loss to the Flames.
The Rangers turned the page quickly Wednesday on their terrible performance against the Flames. “It’s all about how we respond.”
WFAN morning host Boomer Esiason is a passionate Rangers fan and he made no bones about who he blamed most for the Flames debacle Tuesday, saying coach Peter Laviolette “has to go.”
Nice work by Dane Walsh compiling a list of the 10 worst Rangers defeats of 2024-25 …. so far. Check it out to see where this Flames game ranks.
Our Tom Castro makes a strong argument that the Rangers should pair Adam Fox and Braden Schneider for the rest of this season and see if that’s viable option moving forward next season and beyond.
If you’ve got the stomach for it, here’s three Rangers takeaways from that game Tuesday night.
NHL news and rumors
The Top 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, presented to the top men’s college hockey player, were named Wednesday. Top Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault did not make the list, though his Boston College linemate Ryan Leonard, a Washington Capitals draft pick, did.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman met with reporters at the conclusion of the general managers meetings in Florida and spoke on a whole host of topics. Notably, he discussed the chance that the format for 2026 NHL All-Star Game will be “reimagined” ahead of the League’s participation in the 2026 Milano Olympics and due to the success of the recent 4 Nations Face-Off. The Islanders will host the All-Star Game next season at UBS Arena. Also, the commissioner said that talks with the NHLPA on a new collective bargaining agreement will commence in April. The current CBA runs through September 2026.
The Dallas Stars could remain without star defenseman Miro Heiskanen when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in April. He had knee surgery on Feb 4 and likely won’t be ready for the first round of the playoffs. Stars coach Peter DeBoer did say Wednesday that forward Tyler Seguin, who had hip surgery in December, should be back in time for the playoffs.
Dmitry Kulikov is week to week with an upper-body injury for the Florida Panthers, though the defenseman is expected to return before the regular-season ends.
One early winner from the NHL Trade Deadline appears to be the New Jersey Devils, who are reaping the benefits of acquiring forward Cody Glass, in an under-the-radar move.
Marco Rossi sustained a lower-body injury when struck by a shot Wednesday and left the Minnesota Wild’s game against the Seattle Kraken.
Filip Gustavsson made 34 saves to lead the Wild to a 4-0 win against the Kraken.
Kraken forward Chandler Stephenson left that game for an undisclosed reason.
A gritty effort and a crazy sequence that involved an on-ice official falling to the ice to set up a short-handed goal that proved to be the game-winner, led the Maple Leafs to a 2-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche.
You MUST WATCH Steven Lorentz’s shorty for the Maple Leafs and how referee Kelly Sutherland helped (by accident) to set it up.
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