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HEAD COACH
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John Muckler
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ROSTER
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C - Wayne Gretzky, Manny Malhotra, Petr Nedved, Marc
Savard. LW - Brent Fedyk, Adam Graves, Darren Langdon, Kevin
Stevens, Eric Lacroix. RW - Todd Harvey, Mike Knuble, John
MacLean, Niklas Sundstrom, Mike Maneluk. D - Jeff Beukeboom,
Brian Leetch, Stan Neckar, Peter Popovic, Ulf Samuelsson, Mathieu
Schneider, Ruman Ndur, Chris Tamer, Rich Brennan. G - Mike
Richter, Dan Cloutier.
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INJURIES
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Wayne Gretzky, c (protrusion of the vertibrate 2-4
weeks); Ulf Samuelsson, d (concussion, day to day); Jeff
Beukeboom, d (concussion, indefinite); Peter Popovic, d (eye,
day-to-day); Todd Harvey, c (thumb, day-to-day).
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TRANSACTIONS
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Mike Maneluk, rw, claimed off waivers from Chicago
Blackhawks.
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GAME RESULTS
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2/26 Phoenix W 3-0
2/28 Philadelphia W 6-5
3/02 Dallas T 2-2
3/04 at Washington W 4-2
3/07 at Boston W 3-1
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STANDINGS
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Atlantic Division GP W L T PTS GF GA
New Jersey 64 35 21 8 78 191 161
Philadelphia 64 30 19 15 75 192 150
Pittsburgh 62 32 21 9 73 194 172
NY Rangers 64 28 28 8 64 181 177
NY Islanders 65 19 38 8 46 152 197
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TEAM NEWS
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by Gregg Jensen, New York Rangers Correspondent
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SPARK IT UP!
For two seasons, they have been billed as the worst team that
money could buy. Suddenly, pulling together despite an avalanche
of injuries, the Rangers have become scrappy underdogs.
They are finally playing with emotion. Maybe that's due to
desperation, maybe due to the loss of Wayne Gretzky, or maybe it'
because there are only 19 games left and they are fighting for
their playoff lives.
Whatever the reason, they are playing like a team on a mission.
They are 4-0-1 in their last five. It seems like they are
starting to gel...finally. Adam Graves, in his option year,
continues to tear it up as he notched his 31st goal of the year
against Washington on Thursday. He is a workhorse that is nearly
impossible to knock off the puck. Mike Richter continues to
stand on his head every night, and Brian Leetch is logging 30+
minutes a game in what could be a Norris Trophy season for the
Captain. The veterans are starting to lead this team forward.
If Neil Smith can continue to stay away from making any deals
that would disrupt the chemistry, this team will be the 8th seed.
WAYNE'S WOES
The Great One's misses his first game as a Blueshirt.
Gretzky finally gave in to a nagging neck and back problem. An
MRI discovered that he has a protrusion between the 5th and 6th
vertebrate. Gretzky is on the shelf for the first in 223
straight games, including 222 since becoming a Ranger.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
I applaud John Muckler's decision to play the younger guys. The
Rangers have cut their average age from 30 this time last year to
25. Manny Malhotra, Marc Savard, Christian Dube, Scott Frasier,
and Rich Brennan have all provided a much needed spark. Malhotra
and Savard have really stepped up in Gretzky's absence. The team
finally seems to have the right mix of veterans and youth. They
are still a player or two away from being a legitimate contender,
but the infusion of youth looks to be just what the doctor
ordered.
TOUGH ROAD TO HOE
The Blueshirts have five games in eight days, including one
against Washington and one against Boston. It's do or die for
this team. Can they continue to hold it together despite all the
injuries? We shall see. Hopefully, the report I file in two
weeks will be filled with talk about who the Rangers will play in
the first round of the playoffs. Out of the 19 remaining games on
the schedule, 13 are against .500+ teams. No easy task at all.
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