Willkommen » of the night and went straight toward the net. Jam

With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the New York Rangers, looking to go one step further after losing in the Stanley Cup Final last season. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Metropolitan GM: Glen Sather Head Coach: Alain Vigneault 2013-14: 45-31-6 (2nd in Metropolitan) Playoffs: Lost in Final to Los Angeles. Goals For: 218 (18th) Goals Against: 193 (4th) Powerplay: 18.2% (15th) Penalty Kill: 85.3% (4th) That Was Then: It might be simplistic to suggest that a teama€?s entire season hinged on a single trade, especially one at the deadline, but the acquisition of Martin St. Louis was the catalyst for the Rangersa€? first Stanley Cup appearance in two decades. When it became obvious that Ryan Callahan and the team couldna€?t come to terms on a new deal and that the Blueshirtsa€? captain would test the free agent market, GM Glen Sather acted swiftly and dramatically in trading for the aging sniper, who himself had sought a change of scenery after initially being left out of Boltsa€? GM Steve Yzermana€?s Canadian Olympic squad. If the fact that the Rangers were trading for a player a decade older than their captain didna€?t make it obvious that the team was moving into a€?win nowa€? mode, the addition of two first-round draft picks into the deal hammered that home. And that they did, improbably emerging from the Eastern Conference and leaving the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens in their wake. Alain Vigneault - the fall guy in Vancouver after coming ever so close, but failing to win the Stanley Cup - came to Broadway. Effectively having switched places with John Tortorella, Vigneault got his charges to buy into his program after a rocky start. Henrik Lundqvist was his all-world self between the pipes. Benoit Pouliot and Derrick Brassard proved a lethal combination on the power play. Speedy winger Mats Zuccarello had a career year and led the team in points (59). Anton Stralman was seventh in Corsi among defencemen, played crucial minutes and emerged as a guy who could handle the pressure of being in the top pairing. A year away from the game following personal tragedy, Dominic Moore returned to the NHL and was a key playoff contributor. Ryan McDonagh might have been the teama€?s best player, rounding into one of the finest all-around defencemen in the entire NHL. There was also a total team effort to rally around a tragedy: the untimely death of St. Louisa€? mother during the playoffs. Rather than leave the team, St. Louis soldiered on with the support of his teammates in tribute to his mother and helped get the team into the Stanley Cup Final. Though they couldna€?t overcome the Los Angeles Kings to claim hockeya€?s ultimate prize, last seasona€?s Rangers were a rousing success. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.30 2.65 5.4% .921 51.2% .500 21-41 2.52 2.95 6.2% .916 51.1% .524 42-62 3.24 2.43 8.0% .935 53.9% .643 63-82 2.85 1.85 7.0% .945 53.7% .675 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Slow out of the gate with nine straight road games to start the year. Games 21-41: Both shooting and goaltending were below average, offsetting decent possession stats. Games 42-62: Everything better in the new year, with percentages and possession climbing dramatically. Games 63-82: Dominant finish to the regular season, with excellent possession and goaltending. Key 2014 Additions: D Dan Boyle, LW Tanner Glass, C Matthew Lombardi, D Mike Kostka, RW Chris Mueller, D Matt Hunwick, F Lee Stempniak Key 2014 Subtractions: C Brad Richards, C Brian Boyle, LW Benoit Pouliot, RW Derek Dorsett, D Anton Stralman This Is Now: Though most of last seasona€?s team is intact, the Rangers have to weather through some key departures and hope that the players brought in can effectively replace the lost contributions. Veteran centre Brad Richards was a cap casualty, bought out after only three seasons into a nine-year, $58.5 million deal. Richards simply didna€?t live up to his contract. Then again, few could live up to such a price tag. Stralman left to join Callahan in Tampa Bay and, even if the Rangers might have not used him to his full potential, his minutes were still significant and will be missed. Pouliot headed to Edmonton and gone are his joint-team-leading seven power-play goals. Brian Boyle is also headed to the Lightning and, with him, his shutdown checking presence. Dan Boyle is the biggest off-season acquisition and - despite being 38 years-old and his offensive output finally showing signs of slowing down - hea€?s going to assume much of Stralmana€?s role. The drop-off here is in terms of possession, but Vigneault knows what hea€?s getting in the veteran and will likely give him power play time to build on last seasona€?s 12 goals. As for the rest of the new additions, none is exactly a sexy pick-up and the Rangers added depth more than anything else. The likes of Matt Lombardi, Tanner Glass and Lee Stempniak are serviceable players and should fill in where needed. In terms of pure talent, the Rangers likely lost more than they added, but the players in question are mostly on the periphery. With King Henrik in goal, the Rangers have a chance to win every night (and when he isna€?t, Cam Talbot is a more-than-adequate back-up) and even with the loss of Stralman, the defensive corps are still young and one of the leaguea€?s best with room to improve. It might be a big ask to expect the Rangers to replicate the highs of a season ago, but the team is equipped to make sure that they can give it a shot. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Mats Zuccarello Derick Brassard Rick Nash Chris Kreider J.T. Miller Martin St. Louis Carl Hagelin Dominic Moore Lee Stempniak Tanner Glass Kevin Hayes Jesper Fast Ryan Malone Chris Mueller Anthony Duclair Matthew Lombardi Derek Stepan Ryan Haggerty Defence Left Right Ryan McDonagh Daniel Girardi Marc Staal Dan Boyle John Moore Kevin Klein Matt Hunwick Mike Kostka Conor Allen Dylan McIlrath Goaltenders Henrik Lundqvist Cam Talbot Cedrick Desjardins Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Anthony Duclair is an elite talent. As a Quebec teen track star, Anthony was fast, but on the ice he has blurring speed. That alone wona€?t carry a player but when you combine excellent puck handling skills, the ability to play successfully at a high pace and with a dangerous scoring ability, defenseman will not be eager to a match up versus him. Aside from the speed, he is very quick in traffic with the puck & can make plays in tight areas. Offensive talents like Anthony are special but when you think about him being the eightieth overall pick in the 2013 draft, the Rangers have to be thinking they won a lottery. One that should be paying out for years to come. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Chris Kreider Following a rookie season in which he scored 37 points in 66 regular-season games, before suffering a broken hand, Kreider returned to the lineup and contributed 13 points in 15 playoff games during the Rangers run to the Stanley Cup Final. A 6-foot-3, 230-pound winger, Kreider creates chances with his rare combination of size and speed and should be expected to play a bigger role in his second full season with the Blueshirts. Kreider played 15:44 per game last season, so if he adds a couple of minutes of ice time per game, and stays relatively healthy, a 50-point season could be within his grasp. Clayton Thorson Womens Jersey . The Raptors second-year forward has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the early-season trade, breaking out and becoming a vital part of his teams success on both ends of the floor. Around the league, teams are starting to take notice and feature Ross more predominately in their pre-game scouting reports but its not just the opposition that hes impressing. Nick Foles Eagles Jersey . In the late match, Shinji Okazaki scored two goals to pace Mainz to a 3-2 victory at Werder Bremen. Goals from Milan Badelj, Maximilian Beister and Hakan Calhanoglu ended Hamburgs two-match losing run and kept Hannover winless in seven games. http://www.theeaglesshoponline.com/Youth-Seth-Joyner-Eagles-Jersey/ . The Padres made the moves before Fridays game at Washington. They promoted infielder Jace Peterson from Double-A San Antonio and right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso. Wilbert Montgomery Jersey . James Jones got his turn Sunday. And the lift he brought, combined with the expected playoff showings from LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, have the Heat off and running in these playoffs. Brian Westbrook Youth Jersey . Tottenham claimed top spot in Group K by winning 2-0 at Tromso after defender Adnan Causevic scored an own goal before Mousa Dembele put the result beyond doubt. Valencia made sure it will finish first in Group A with a 1-0 win at Swansea thanks to an early goal from Dani Parejo. SAN JOSE, Calif. -- John McCarthy and Tommy Wingels sent the San Jose Sharks into a nearly three-week Olympic break on a winning note. McCarthy scored his first goal since 2010 and Wingels had the game-winner for the second straight night to help the Sharks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Friday. "You feel the atmosphere now," San Jose captain Joe Thornton said. "Guys are excited for the break. Its always nice to win before things like this or Christmas. The guys will enjoy the break and come back ready to work for the second half." Patrick Marleau also scored for the Sharks, who won three of four following a three-game losing streak to reach the break in second place in the Pacific Division. Antti Niemi made 19 saves. The Sharks will be a different team when they next play Feb. 28 in Philadelphia, with the expected return of injured players Logan Couture, Raffi Torres, Matt Nieto and Tyler Kennedy. "Were 80 points at the Olympic break," coach Todd McLellan said. "We would have been probably pleased with that at the beginning of the season considering some of the players we lost over and throughout the year. We go into the break satisfied. Coming out of it we have work to do." McLellan also broke Darryl Sutters franchise record by coaching in his 435th game. He already is the franchise leader in wins with 257. Ryan Johansen and Boone Jenner scored for the Blue Jackets, who trail Philadelphia by one point for third place in the Metropolitan Division after losing tight games on consecutive nights in San Jose and Los Angeles. Sergei Bobrovsky made 44 saves. "Obviously, you dont want to go into a break with a loss but we have been playing great hockey the past few games," Johansen said. "The boys battled hard and we just fell a little short." Columbus got worn down in the third against the more-rested Sharks, especially on an extended shift early in the period that led to Wingels goal. With the Blue Jackets unable to change a tiring unit under relentless pressure from San Jose, Wingels knocked in a rebound of Jason Demers shot for his second goal in two games to make it 3-1.dddddddddddd "The third goal was obviously the big one," Columbus coach Todd Richards said. "They had momentum at that point. If its a one-shot lead, its something we can do." Jenner scored midway through the period on Columbus second shot of the third when Johansen set him up following a turnover by Demers. Columbus took advantage of a San Jose turnover to get on the board 18 seconds into the second. Thorntons clearing attempt from the corner was knocked down just inside the blue line by Johansen, who quickly flipped a wrist shot past Niemi before he could react to cut the Sharks lead to 2-1. Bobrovsky, starting on back-to-back nights for the first time since the opening two games of the season, fell into a 2-0 hole less than halfway through the first period. McCarthy, who cleared waivers and was sent to the minors last week, made the most of his opportunity in his return after an injury to Nieto. McCarthy won an offensive zone faceoff against Brandon Dubinsky to start his second shift of the night and went straight toward the net. James Sheppard came up with the loose puck and fired a shot from the faceoff circle that deflected off McCarthys stick and past Bobrovsky for the opening goal. It was McCarthys first since Nov. 6, 2010, against Tampa Bay, ending a drought of 73 games. "Its been a long time and it felt really good to get one," McCarthy said. Marleau struck less than 5 minutes later with his first goal in seven games. Bobrovsky made a sprawling save to rob Brent Burns in front, but the rebound went to Scott Hannan at the point. He fired a slap shot that Marleau deflected for his 23rd goal. The Blue Jackets had their chances in the first period, but Johansen missed the net on an early breakaway and they failed to convert a pair of power-play chances. They also had an apparent goal waved off when Jenner knocked in a rebound with a high stick. NOTES: Referee Mike Hasenfranz left the game with an apparent injury, and the third period was played with only one referee. ... The Sharks lead the NHL with 60 goals in the first period. ... Demers returned to the lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury. ' ' '