Knicks: 22-22
So remember a year ago when New York was at .500, and everyone was elated about the new culture and era that this new core brought in? Well, that was because they had finally aroused from the basement as a franchise, yet here we are at 22-22 once again a year later, and it doesn’t feel too complacent. Yes, RJ Barrett’s week of stardom was fun when he dropped 30+ in back to back games, as the Knicks took down the playoff-contending Dallas Mavericks at MSG(108-85) and upended the Hawks in Atlanta(117-108) in their first game since the Cam Reddish trade. But on Monday, facing a Hornets team in the same tier as they were, they were routed in a slog-fest that amassed a disparity between the two clubs than the 97-87 in print indicated. Miles Bridges had a career night with a 22 point first quarter and finished with 35 for his seventh 30+ performance of the season.
As we approach the second half of the season, I have one question to ask… WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS TEAM?
UPDATE: THIS TEAM STINKS. As this article was being prepped, the Knicks coughed up a late lead, missed free throws, and saw a 40 point outburst in the third stanza go to waste when Alec Burks missed trey from downtown sealed the Knickerbockers 112-110 home loss to the subpar Timberwolves. Unacceptable to inexplicably lose in that fashion.
NETS: 27-16
In their second game with Kyrie, Brooklyn rested James Harden and fell to the Undermanned Blazers 114-108. But two nights later, they took the court for an odd 10:00 start time in Chicago and, with the big three in two, wiped the floor with the #1 seed in the East, using an extraordinary 45-8 second-half run to turn a tie game into a 124-87 lead, before going onto win 138-92. The vibes would only last a day, for the Irving and KD-less Nets were smacked by the Thunder 130-109 before seeing Durant go down with an injury that will sideline him 4-6 weeks in a 120-105 win over the woeful Pelicans. On Monday, Brooklyn received a taste of what life would be like without their MVP, unable to buy a bucket late in a 114-107 defeat to the upstart Cavs in Cleveland.
ISLANDERS:
THEY ARE BACK!
Do they look like Cup contenders again? Not quite, but playing games is better than being sidelined due to COVID, which the Isles were for the last three weeks.
Their return has produced more of the same, with them tackling the bottom feeders but unable to measure up to the nobles of the league. They defeated fellow COVID outbreak members in the Devils 3-2 but were shut out in a 2-0 loss to the Capitals. However, the group did sweep the lottery-bound Flyers 4-1 and 4-3 over the last two days, with Oliver Whalstrom’s lone tally in the ninth round of the shootout securing the win in Philadelphia.
RANGERS: 25-10-4
Greetings and Salutations, everyone(Thanks, BluecollarBlueshirts). Welcome to Madison Square Gardens' current sports darlings section of the article. The youthfulness, vibrant, exuberant, and red-hot New York Rangers. Remember when the team was viewed as a fringe playoff team entering the season? Well, those days are at least temporarily gone, for the Blueshirts have been arguably the most prominent positive surprise in the National Hockey League this season.
In last week's installment, we touched app on the Rangers 1-2 start to the West Coast swing, but how there we no panic needed for their saviors would soon rejoin the team and rescue them from their COVID-plagued roster. Well, on Thursday night at the Shark Tank, New York unleashed superstar goaltender and Vezina candidate Igor Shesterkin, despite having not had a full practice since he last played a game two weeks before this battle in San Jose. The 26-year-old was spry, quick, and as technically sound as he’s ever been in his starstruck season, single-handily putting the crippled Rangers on his back throughout the contest and looking every bit the part as he did in the 38 save masterpiece when he shutout the mighty reigning two-time cup champs Tampa Bay Lightning in his most recent start. While Igor was working on his flawless 37 save outing, Chris Kreider racked up goals 22 &23 on the season(Eclipsing the 200 career goal mark and even bagging his first-ever shorthand goal to begin the scoring). Also chipping in was Braiden Schneider, a 2020 first- round draft pick who replaced Alex Lafreniere in the lineup, after the NO1 overall pick went on the COVID list, recorded his first NHL goal in his first NHL game to propel New York to the 3-0 win. After splitting the contests out West, the team traveled to the East time zone to finish the season-long five-game road trip in Philadelphia against the hapless Flyers. Before the game, it was announced that the Rangers would be receiving head coach and Jack Adams candidate Gerald Gallant back from the COVID-19 list, along with defensive enforcers Ryan Reaves and Julien Gauthier.
Jet-lagged, it took a while for the team to arouse from their slumber. Still, they eventually did by scoring two late goals for a thrilling 3-2 win that saw Chris Kreider notch his 24th tally with the go-ahead score. Igor Shesterkin also reclaimed his rightful place atop the Vezina leaderboard with another spectacular performance.
The team entered Tuesday night atop the Metropolitan Division and have climbed up the pecking orders in betting odds and general power rankings across the hockey world and are now considered a “Playoff lock” by many fans and analysts alike. But it should be a forewarning that extensive tests await this fantastic bunch, who face #2 ranked Vezina candidate Jack Campbell, Austin Mathews, and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, before traveling to Carolina in a first-place battle with the Hurricanes on Friday.
ALL-STAR HATRICK:
The Rangers were one of three teams(Avalanche, Lightning) to have three players selected for this year's All-Star game.
Two were chosen via the media in Adam Fox and Chris Kreider, while Mika Zibanejad won the fan vote for the “Last man in” from
the 11 man Metropolitan division roster. Unfortunately, Mika announced that due to a personal situation in Sweden, he won’t attend the event, which meant runner-up Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburg Penguins would now replace him.
Igor had the merits to be an all-star, but three media selections would’ve been one too many Rangers, as the max per team is two. Tristan Jarry of the Pens and #3 Vezina candidate Fredrick Andreson of the Canes were announced as the division's netminders for the three-on-three tournament, with Alex Ovechkin from the Washington Capitals being named captain.
Due to the fact he declined the invite, Mika Zibanejad will be suspended for the first game following the all-star break per league rules. Mika can take the one game before or after, but he will likely take the latter. The reason for this controversial rule being in place is to enhance the ones who are selected to come out and play come February 5th in Las Vegas. Adam Pelech was chosen as the Islanders representative, as each team must have at least one All-Star per the NHL.
NYCFC:
Still MLS CUP champions !!
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