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Dec 28, 2005
Jagr Sidelined in Ranger Loss to Ottowa

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators' power play unit is working as well as ever now that they've got one of their key components back in the lineup.

Wade Redden had two goals and two assists and the Senators scored three power-play goals in the opening period to beat the New York Rangers 6-2 on Monday night.

Redden, who scored a career-high four points, set up power-play goals by Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson before scoring his sixth of the season on another man advantage at 12:27 to put Ottawa up 3-2. He added his second goal of the game -- his seventh of the season -- late in the second.

"I don't think of anything too flashy, just get the puck at the net," Redden said. "We've got a lot of other great players up front, too, that make things happen."

Redden has three goals and six assists in four games since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for the previous 10.

"When he was out you could really tell how much we missed him," Alfredsson said. "He's one of the best defensemen in the world, I think, and probably very underrated. He jumpstarts a lot of our offense, not just our power play, but obviously he's one of the keys on our power play as well."

Jaromir Jagr didn't come out for the third period because of neck spasms after he was involved in a thundering open ice collision with Senators forward Chris Kelly in the second.


Posted at 06:48 am by Pioneertoms7
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Rangers' MVP's Slump

December 28, 2005 -- SO Jaromir Jagr, who left Monday's 6-2 loss in Ottawa following the second period with neck pain in the aftermath of a collision with Chris Kelly, was able to practice yesterday and is expected to be good to go for Rangers-Islanders tonight at the Coliseum.

Now, with the Rangers having lost four of their last five in regulation while being outscored 16-10, there's simply the matter of Jagr being both a pain in the neck and good as he goes, not as good as he's been going.

This is the way it was going to be at the start of the season, remember; the Rangers going only as far as No. 68 could carry them? Well, let's be honest here. Whether a result of an unspecified injury, or fatigue, or simply a slump, Jagr's production has fallen dramatically off the pace he established through Thanksgiving.

And maybe it's no coincidence that his declining output can be traced back to that Nov. 24 date, for it was on that night in Atlanta that Jagr played sparingly due to a strained hip flexor. No. 68 hasn't missed a game, but he has cut short several morning skates in order to get treatment for that problem — at least that's what is believed — and lately he has more often than not been among the first to leave the practice ice as opposed to one of the last, which he was early in the season.

Jagr still leads the NHL in scoring with 55 points (23-32), and he hasn't exactly melted away, either, posting 16 points in the 12 games since Thanksgiving. But Jagr hasn't scored a goal in five straight games, and, indeed, has scored only two goals in the last 12 matches.

What's more, Jagr has gone 14 straight games without a power-play goal — and in that span the Rangers have gone 9-for-80 with the man-advantage, which might make them champions in a two-team division with the Devils, but not much else.

Plus — oh, nothing like piling on the team's MVP, is there? — Jagr has scored only one power-play goal in his last 18 games and two in his last 24 after getting nine in the opening 13 matches. Not that there's any intent to rain on anyone's parade or anything, but six of Jagr's 11 total PPG's have been scored with the Rangers owning a two-man advantage.


Posted at 06:37 am by Pioneertoms7
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Nine Rangers Named On Olympic Teams



New York Rangers' defensemen Darius Kasparaitis and Fedor Tyutin were named to the Russian team's roster for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, on Thursday, joining seven other Rangers players named to Olympic rosters earlier this week for the Feb. 15-26 tournament.

Marcel Hossa, Jaromir Jagr, Henrik Lundqvist, Marek Malik, Petr Prucha, Martin Rucinsky and Martin Straka will also represent their respective countries. Only Colorado (11) and Philadelphia (10) have more players participating in the 2006 Turin Olympics. Along with the Rangers, Detroit and Ottawa each have nine.

Kasparaitis, 33, will be making his fourth appearance in the Winter Games. The 5-11, 218-pound defenseman is a three-time Olympian, appearing with the Commonwealth of Independent States at the 1992 Olympic Games in Albertville, France and as part of the Russian Olympic squad at both the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan and the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. He captured the gold medal in 1992, the silver medal in 1998 and a bronze medal in 2002.

For his career, Kasparaitis has appeared in 20 Olympic matches, recording one goal and four assists, along with 12 penalty minutes. In addition to his Olympic experience, the Elektrenai, Lithuania native also participated in the 1996 and 2004 World Cups of Hockey, won a pair of medals at the World Junior Championships in 1991 (silver) and 1992 (gold) and skated in two World Hockey Championships (1992, 1996). In 36 contests with the Rangers this season, Kasparaitis has registered four assists and 42 penalty minutes, along with a plus-four rating. He currently leads the Rangers in hits (92) and blocked shots (63), and is tied for second on the team in penalty minutes (42).

Tyutin, 22, will make his Olympic debut with the Russian team in Turin. At 6-2, 209 pounds, Tyutin has appeared in 32 games with New York this season, totaling two goals and six assists, along with 28 penalty minutes. The Izhevsk, Russia native is currently tied for team lead in goals among defensemen (2) and is tied for fourth among all NHL rookies in game-winning goals (2). Internationally, Tyutin represented his country in the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Championships, helping Russia capture a gold medal in both.

Jagr, 33, will compete for the Czech Republic and will be making his third appearance in the Winter Games. The 6-3, 245-pound right wing participated in each of the last two Olympics (1998, 2002), helping the Czechs capture a gold medal in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. For his career, Jagr has appeared in 10 Olympic matches, recording three goals and seven assists, along with six penalty minutes. In addition to his Olympic experience, Jagr has represented his country in several other international competitions, including four World Championships (1994, 2002, 2004, 2005) and two World Cups (1996, 2004). In 35 contests with the Rangers this season, Jagr has registered 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points. His 51 points currently lead the NHL, while his 23 goals are tied for second in the league. A native of Kladno, Czech Republic, Jagr will be playing alongside fellow Rangers Marek Malik, Petr Prucha, Martin Rucinsky and Martin Straka in Turin for the Czechs.

Malik, 30, will make his first Olympic appearance for the Czech Republic, as will 25-year-old rookie, Petr Prucha. At 6-6, 245 pounds, Malik has appeared in 34 games with New York this season, totaling one goal and seven assists, along with 38 penalty minutes. The Ostrava, Czech Republic native is currently second on the team with 59 blocked shots and a plus-eight rating. Internationally, Malik also represented his country in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Prucha, in his first season with the Rangers, has appeared in 29 games, registering 15 goals and four assists. The 6-0, 170-pound native of Chrudim, Czech Republic currently ranks third among all NHL rookies with 15 goals and is tied for the league lead among all rookies, with eight power play goals. Prucha’s international experience includes appearances in the 2004 World Championships, where he tied for third on the team with three goals in seven games, and also the 2002 U-20 World Championships.

Rucinsky, 34, will be returning for his third Winter Games as a member of the Czech team. In 10 games of Olympic competition, Rucinsky has recorded three goals and four assists, helping his country win the gold in 1998. Despite missing 15 games with an MCL sprain, the Most, Czech republic native has registered eight goals and 13 assists in 20 matches with the Rangers this season. The 6-1, 207-pound center is currently tied for third on the team with eight goals. In addition to his experience at the Winter Games, Rucinsky skated with the Czech team at the World Championships in 1994 (four points in six games), 1999 (10 points in 12 games) and 2000 (six points in nine games), the 1996 World Cup, 1991 Canada Cup and the 1991 World Junior Championships.

Straka, 33, will be making his second Olympic appearance for the Czechs. The 5-9, 174-pounder skated in six contests in the 1998 Nagano Games, recording one goal and two assists en route to the gold. In 35 games this season for the Rangers, the Plzen, Czech Republic native has registered four goals and 26 assists. His 26 assists and 30 points rank second on the team. Straka’s international experience, aside from the Olympics, includes appearances in three World Hockey Championships (2003, 2004, 2005), two World Cups (1996, 2004) and the 1991 World Junior Championships.

Lundqvist, 23, is making his first appearance in the Olympics for Sweden. The 6-1, 194-pound rookie goaltender from Are, Sweden has appeared in 21 games for the Blueshirts this season, posting a record of 12-5-2, along with a 2.11 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. His goals against average (2.11) and save percentage (.927) currently rank third in the NHL, while his 12 wins are tops among all rookie netminders. Internationally, Lundqvist has represented his country on several occasions. As a member of Team Sweden at the 2004 World Championships, he backstopped the club to a silver medal finish. In the tournament, he appeared in all eight contests, posting a 5-1-2 record, along with a 1.64 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

Following the 2004 World Championships, he was named to the Media All-Star team, as well as one of Sweden’s top three players for the tournament. He also represented his country at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and two other World Championships (2003, 2005). In addition, Lundqvist participated in the 2000 (U-18), 2001 and 2002 World Junior Championships.

Hossa, 24, will be making his first Olympic appearance with the Slovakian National team. In 32 games with the Rangers this season, the Ilava, Slovakia native has accumulated five goals and six assists, along with 14 penalty minutes. The 6-3, 220-pounder currently ranks fourth on the team with a plus-six rating. Internationally, Hossa has skated for his native Slovakia in several tournaments, including the 2000 and 2001 World Junior Championships. Most recently, he wore his country’s colors in the 2005 World Championships in Austria, appearing in two games for Slovakia.

Posted at 06:33 am by Pioneertoms7
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