Game On: Rangers Battle Sabres Tonight In Important Game

Hockey is great this time of year.  There are so many big games being played night after night, and none have been bigger for the New York Rangers than the one they have against Buffalo tonight.  Last night, we saw two teams at the top of the Eastern Conference battling for supremacy.  Tonight, it’s all about making the dance and securing the right matchup.  The outcome of tonight’s game could help determine which one of those top teams the Rangers will face in the first round.

Ryan Callahan called tonight’s game the most important game of the year, and he is correct.  The Sabres are just two points behind the seventh place Blueshirts, and the Rangers would love to gain a little more separation from them and that final playoff spot.

The Rangers lead the series two games to one against Buffalo this year, and have been on fire of late, going 8-1-1 over their last ten games.  Buffalo enters tonight’s contest a very respectable 6-3-1 over their last ten.

It will be interesting to see how the Rangers perform in a game of this magnitude.  It has all the atmosphere of a playoff game and it will be a true test to the Rangers spirit.  Spirit and character have been the buzz words surrounding this team all year.  They never quit, rarely fail to show up for a game, and are the best in the league when leading after two periods.

Tonight’s game features two of the best goaltenders in the world.  Last year, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller won a Silver Medal as the goalie for Team USA as well the Vezina Trophy, the NHL’s Goaltender of the Year Award.  He has won his last three starts, and boasts a .976 save percentage over the three game span.  Henrik Lundvist, Olympic Gold in 2006, has also been red hot of late.  He has a league-best eleven shutouts, and recently became the first goalie in NHL history to collect 30 or more wins in six consecutive seasons.

The stage is set for one of the most exciting games of the Ranger’s season.  It’s a game with two evenly matched teams, all-world goaltending, and serious playoffs implications.  Ryan Callahan called it the most important game of the year and it is one that cannot be missed.

Dante Vassallo