Goal Line Report
What are The Devils Thinking?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/18/12 at 12:43 PM ET
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From Patrick Hoffman at Sportsnet.ca:
For their Eastern Conference Final with their Hudson River rival New York Rangers, the New Jersey Devils have gone ahead and launched a “No Blue” campaign to help enhance their home ice advantage at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
This campaign is designed to keep Rangers’ fans out of the Prudential Center during the Eastern Conference Finals and get more Devils’ fans in the arena to support their hockey club.
On one hand, it is understandable for a team’s fan base to do whatever it takes to root on their favorite hockey team and utilize home ice advantage to the best of their abilities. On the other hand, this campaign is absolutely ridiculous and when you think about it, embarrassing for an NHL franchise.
What does it say about your franchise that you are still trying to get your own fans into your barn for a playoff game? In most other NHL cities, it is easy to get fans into a building for a Stanley Cup playoff game and have it sell out.
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers,
An E-mail Interview with New York Rangers’ Radio Voice Kenny Albert
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/17/12 at 09:49 AM ET
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For someone that listened to New York Rangers’ game on the radio from the 1992-93 (I was 9 years old) season even up until now, the e-mail interview I conducted below was an absolute honor and pleasure for me to do.
I was lucky enough to conduct this particular e-mail interview with the voice of the Blueshirts on the radio, Kenny Albert. Kenny was kind enough to take time out of his extremely hectic schedule to tell us about how he got into hockey, how he became the Rangers’ radio voice, some of his fondest memories as the Blueshirts’ radio voice and his thoughts on this year’s team.
PH: How did you get into hockey?
KA: I loved hockey from a very young age. I started attending Ranger games as far back as I can remember since my father was the radio voice of the Rangers. I played hockey as a kid, and as a teenager, I would bring a tape recorder to selected Ranger games and would do “mock” broadcasts. My first professional job was radio voice of the AHL’s Baltimore Skipjacks (1990-92).
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team/player?
KA: I was a fan of both the Rangers and Vancouver Canucks as a youngster, although I was definitely rooting for the Rangers in ‘94. I was a big fan of Wayne Gretzky, as well as many of the Ranger players during the 1980’s.
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Tags: Kenny+Albert, New+York+Rangers, Rangers'+Radio,
Rangers Fail To Take Control for Third Straight Round
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/16/12 at 11:19 PM ET
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This is starting to become a familiar story for the New York Rangers in this postseason as the team finds themselves tied with their opponent after two games for the third straight round.
This opponent, the New Jersey Devils, went into Madison Square Garden and played a solid road game in earning a 3-2 victory to even up the series. The Devils got timely goal scoring, got another good game from their goaltender Martin Brodeur and did a good job of closing the door late in the third period to get the big victory.
For the Blueshirts, this was once again a game that they could have won. Rangers’ rookie Chris Kreider scored his fourth goal of the playoffs on a power play that gave the Rangers’ a 2-1 lead with just over 8 minutes left to go in the second period.
With the way Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist has been playing this postseason, one might think that would be enough to get the Rangers a victory and a 2-0 series lead. That did not happen as the Devils’ scored with just over two minutes to go in the second period to tie it (deflection by Ryan Carter) and a goal 2:31 in the third period (David Clarkson) to get a lead they would never relinquish.
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Chris+Kreider, David+Clarkson, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jim+Cerny, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Carter,
Time To Take Control
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/16/12 at 08:00 AM ET
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This is what the New York Rangers need to do tonight in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals series with the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden.
With the Blueshirts coming off a 3-0 victory in Game 1 and the 1-0 series lead, the Rangers should try and do everything they can to take control of this series. Through the first two rounds, it never felt like the Rangers had the series well within their grasp and while this series is in no way easy for the team, they should be able to grab control of this series in a hurry if things go their way.
For starters, Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist is more than just on top of his game. While he did not face as many shots (21) as Devils’ Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur (27) did, Lundqvist made the big saves when he had to and was especially good in the second period when he made 10 saves, many of them of the difficult variety.
Secondly, the team has its forechecking game going again. This was evident on the team’s first goal by Dan Girardi when Chris Kreider got to the puck first and fed Girardi for the one timer and it was also apparent as the team won many puck battles along the boards.
It should also be mentioned just how good the Rangers’ defense has been in their last two games. The team held the Devils to just 21 shots in the game and 4 in the last period on Monday night in Game 1 and in Game 7 on Saturday night against the Washington Capitals in the third period, they held up the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson, and Mike Green and gave them very little room to maneuver or shoot the puck.
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Alexander+Semin, Alex+Ovechkin, Brooks+Laich, Chris+Kreider, Dan+Girardi, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marcus+Johansson, Martin+Brodeur, Mike+Green, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nicklas+Backstrom, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Take Game 1
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/14/12 at 10:45 PM ET
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If you are or have been a fan of either the New York Rangers or New Jersey Devils for the past 20 years or so, than Game 1 between the two clubs in the Eastern Conference Finals was a very familiar story.
The Blueshirts were able to come away with a 3-0 victory thanks to third period goals from defenseman Dan Girardi, fresh out of college winger Chris Kreider and Artem Anisimov and solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. For the Rangers, it was the fifth time that the team has shutout the Devils in the postseason as Rangers’ great Mike Richter shut out their Hudson River rivals once in 1992 (Game 4), once in 1994 (Game 2) and twice in 1997 (Games 2 and 4).
This was a typical Rangers’/Devils’ game. There was lots of tight checking, lots of blocked shots, and with the exception of the third period, not a lot of goals were scored. It was like a regular season game except for the fact that this is now the Conference Finals.
For the second time in as many games, the Blueshirts outplayed their opponent in the third period. The team forechecked hard, threw plenty of pucks on Devils’ Hall of Fame netminder Martin Brodeur (25 saves) and were able to not only get the first goal of the game, but they followed it up with an insurance marker just a few minutes later.
Rangers’ rookie Chris Kreider was involved on both goals. On Girardi’s goal, it was Kreider who carried the puck into the Devils’ zone and was able to feed Girardi, who was coming off the bench on a line change, with the puck who buried one past Brodeur’s right pad.
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Artem+Anisimov, Chris+Kreider, Dan+Girardi, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Brodeur, Mike+Richter, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers,
Battle of the Hudson Part 6
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/14/12 at 10:13 AM ET
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For hockey fans in New York and New Jersey, the Eastern Conference Finals could not be a more perfect scenario.
Tonight, the Eastern Conference Finals get underway between the No. 1 seed New York Rangers and No. 6 seed New Jersey Devils. This will be the sixth time the two Hudson River rivals go at it in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Rangers winning four of the five series’s.
The Blueshirts are coming off their second Game 7 victory of the 2012 postseason as they were able to finally knock out the Washington Capitals in the postseason after failing to do so in 2009 and 2011. The Rangers came through when they needed to and showed that when they are under a ton of pressure to win a hockey game, they can come through with flying colors.
Across the river, the New Jersey Devils just shocked the No. 5 seed Philadelphia Flyers by beating the Broadstreet Bullies in just five games. The Devils’ defense was tremendous in shutting down one of the top offenses in the league and are now in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2003 season when they won the Cup.
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Washington+Capitals,
That Old Feeling: Rangers Advance to Conference Finals to Take on The Devils
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/13/12 at 10:33 AM ET
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I am sure that this is something many of you New York Ranger fans are getting after the team defeated the Washington Capitals in Game 7 last night to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will take on the New Jersey Devils.
Obviously, this is similar to 1994. While it did not take 7 games in 1994 to knock out the Capitals in the second round, the Rangers still came through with the win to advance to take on Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils.
18 years later, Brodeur is still the man between the pipes in New Jersey and has three Stanley Cups on his Hall of Fame resume. With that said, the Rangers team he will be facing this season is much different than the one he faced as a rookie in 1994.
Back to the Blueshirts. The Blueshirts have shown time and time again this season that when they need to win, they get it done.
Last night, the Rangers played “Ranger hockey” and got timely goal scoring, great goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, played great defense, got in on the forecheck, blocked a lot of shots and won the game. This is what made the team so successful in the regular season and when they have played this way in the postseason, they have been able to come through with a victory.
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Brad+Richards, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Brodeur, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Why the Rangers Will Win Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/12/12 at 10:00 AM ET
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When it comes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there is nothing like the excitement, nervousness and other emotions that come to life in a Game 7.
Tonight, the New York Rangers and their passionate fans will be experiencing all kinds of feelings when they take on the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden.
For both the Rangers and Capitals, this game marks the second seventh game of the postseason that they will be participating in. The first time around, the Rangers were able to beat the No. 8 seed Ottawa Senators by a score of 2-1 while the Capitals, the No. 7 seed, were able to beat the No. 2 seed Boston Bruins in overtime by the same score of 2-1.
While the Capitals’ have had success against the Rangers in Game 7’s before, this year will be different and for the first time since the 1996-97 season, the Blueshirts will be headed to the Eastern Conference Finals. Here are the reasons why:
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Boston+Bruins, Brad+Richards, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
Quiet on The Offensive Front for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/11/12 at 08:00 AM ET
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As everyone knows, goals are at a minimum in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With the exception of the first round between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, there have been many low scoring games in this postseason. This is due to tighter defenses, players diving all over the place to block shots and great goaltending.
While these things have certainly been a factor for the New York Rangers, they are not the only reason why the team’s offense has been very quiet in their second round series with the Washington Capitals.
For starters, the Rangers are not getting any secondary scoring. Guys like Ruslan Fedotenko, Brian Boyle, Brandon Prust, Derek Stepan, John Mitchell, Carl Hagelin, Mike Rupp, and others have all been stymied and have not been able to put the puck in the net.
This is a problem because it ends up putting a ton of pressure on the likes of Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik, and Ryan Callahan to put the puck in the net. While it is right to expect them to be able to put the puck in the net because of what they accomplished in the regular season or in past postseasons, that does not mean that they can come through whenever the team needs them to.
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Braden+Holtby, Brad+Richards, Brandon+Prust, Brian+Boyle, Carl+Hagelin, Derek+Stepan, John+Mitchell, Marian+Gaborik, Mike+Rupp, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Ryan+Callahan,
Game 7 It Is
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/09/12 at 10:08 PM ET
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With their 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 6 at the Verizon Center tonight, the New York Rangers now have to prepare themselves for their second straight series with a Game 7 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
This should not come as a surprise given the way the Blueshirts played tonight. There was not enough urgency, some sloppy play in their own zone and overall, it did not look like a full team effort tonight.
It also did not help that the team was put behind the eighth ball just over a minute into the hockey game when Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin scored a power play goal. Just 1:13 into the tilt, Capitals’ hard-working forward Jason Chimera was taken down by Rangers’ defenseman Anton Stralman, which led to the Capitals’ power play and ultimately, the 1-0 lead.
Chimera was a factor on his team’s second goal as he picked up his fourth goal of the postseason. This is a player that plays hard all of the time, has terrific speed, and has shown that he has some offensive skill, something that the Rangers’ pluggers need to start showing like they did during the regular season.
The only player that seemed to show up tonight for the Blueshirts was goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist made 21 saves in a losing effort and did everything he could to give his team a chance to win a hockey game.
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Tags: 2012+Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Alex+Ovechkin, Anton+Stralman, Braden+Holtby, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jason+Chimera, New+York+Rangers,
About Goal Line Report
Patrick has a tremendous passion for hockey. Besides covering the Rangers and the NHL for Kukla’s Korner, you can also find Patrick’s work over at Sportsnet.ca, The Red Light District Hockey Blog, NHL Home Ice, and Liam Maguire’s Ultimate Hockey web site.
Prior to writing for the above mentioned outlets, you could find Patrick’s musings at hockey web sites/outlets such as TheHockeyNews.com, TheFourthPeriod.com, Spector’s Hockey, Hokeja Vestnesis, Blueshirt Bulletin, SNYRangersBlog.com and many more.
For questions, comments and hip checks, feel free to e-mail Patrick at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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