Goal Line Report
Going Over the Hudson
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/06/12 at 08:00 AM ET
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This is exactly what the New York Rangers will be doing tonight as the travel across the Hudson River to take on the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.
These two clubs last met last Monday at Madison Square Garden, where the Blueshirts took care of business and shutout the Devils by a 2-0 score. It was not the most exciting game as there was only 28 combined shots.
The Blueshirts are coming off a big 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon at MSG. The team continues to get goal scoring from Marian Gaborik (32 goals on the season) and excellent goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, both of which have contributed greatly to the Rangers’ success this season.
Going forward, those two will have to continue to play better but others must step up and contribute a bit more. There is no doubt that Brad Richards can create scoring chances and setup teammates (27 assists).
With that said, it would be nice to see him do that on a more consistent basis as well as putting the puck in the net a bit more. Yes, Richards has 18 goals and yes, 7 of them have been game winners but this team needs to see a bit more goals from him if they want to have success in the postseason.
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Tags: Anders+Nilsson, Boston+Bruins, Brad+Ricahrds, Brandon+Dubinsky, Henrik+Lundqvist, Madison+Square+Garden, Marian+Gaborik, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Prudential+Center,
Rangers Win Wild One Against Bruins
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/04/12 at 03:42 PM ET
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Going into the afternoon tilt, one probably thought it was going to be a defensive battle for 60 minutes.
Instead, 7 goals were scored with the New York Rangers coming out on top over the Boston Bruins by a score of 4-3. It was not easy but the Rangers did what they had to do to win.
For starters, the team was able to get two big ones in the first period on goals by Ruslan Fedotenko and Carl Hagelin. The goals came 1:10 apart as the team took advantage of a somewhat tired Bruins hockey club coming off a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders yesterday afternoon at the TD Garden.
However, Bruins’ head coach Claude Julien called a timeout after the second Blueshirts’ goal and did not say a word. Sometimes, silence really is golden.
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Tags: Benoit+Pouliot, Boston+Bruins, Carl+Hagelin, Claude+Julien, Dennis+Seidenberg, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jordan+Caron, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Tim+Thomas,
Big Game on Tap for Blueshirts Against The Bruins
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/04/12 at 08:00 AM ET
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That is the case this afternoon for the New York Rangers as they get set to take on the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night in Tampa. The Rangers were able to come away with a point because Brandon Dubinsky scored the game-tying goal with 3:27 to play in the third period.
Up until that goal, it had been an up and down performance for the Blueshirts. They were able to generate several good scoring opportunities, get goals from the likes of Artem Anisimov, Marian Gaborik and Dubinsky while also getting a solid game from Henrik Lundqvist (27 saves) on his birthday.
With that said, the team was a bit inconsistent defensively and allowed the Lightning to get into the slot way too often and force the puck in on Lundqvist. In fact, the Rangers were outshot by a 13-3 margin in the opening period.
This afternoon against the Bruins, the Rangers will go up against a much bigger team with grittier forwards. The Bruins like to throw pucks on the net from anywhere and crash for rebounds, something that the Blueshirts need to try and prevent this afternoon.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsky, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Talking Puck with Terry Mercury of NHL Home Ice
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/03/12 at 03:00 PM ET
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As we all already know, I am a huge fan of Sirius/XM NHL Home Ice channel. I love the content, the hosts, the banter, the interviews, the programs and everything and anything else that has to do with NHL Home Ice.
As you are also well aware of, I have done many e-mail interviews with the hosts of NHL Home Ice. Today, I am proud to bring back Terry Mercury, who has been kind enough to do many of these with me over the past few seasons.
Terry was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to give his thoughts on the recent NHL trade deadline while also giving us his thoughts on the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and what is going on at NHL Home Ice.
PH: With the trade deadline having come and gone, which team (s) do you think improved the most? Why?
TM: The Nashville Predators are a team that no one is going to want to play in the post season. Adding Hal Gill….Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad gives them depth…experience…and more of the physical presence needed to win in the post-season. Add solid coaching from Barry Trotz and company…and the experience of playoff success last season…and this is a team that will give anyone a rough ride in the playoffs.
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Tags: NHL+Home+Ice, Terry+Mercury,
An E-mail Interview with Kent Wilson of Flames Nation, Puck Daddy and More
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/03/12 at 11:16 AM ET
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There is no doubt that sports blogging has come an extremely long way over the past few years.
This is especially the case when it comes to hockey blogs. One example of that is Kent Wilson. Kent has been around the hockey blog world for several years and has written for SBN’s Calgary Flames Blog, FlamesNation.ca, Hockey Prospectus, Houses of the Hockey, and now, the ever popular Puck Daddy.
Kent was kind enough to take time out of his busy blogging schedule to tell us about how he got into hockey, how he became a hockey blogger, how he got involved with different outlets and much, much more.
PH: How did you get into hockey?
KW: I started playing when I was about 8 years old. My dad had been into hockey when he was a kid as well, so like a lot of Canadian kids, that’s why I took it up. I played for about 8 years and eventually coached and scouted players when I was no longer playing.
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team/player? Why?
KW: I have always been a Calgary resident and therefore Flames fan, so most of my favorites come from the crop of elite teams Calgary put together in the late ‘80s. Lanny McDonald was an iconic figure in Calgary, so I liked him when I was a new Flames fan, but then I eventually moved on to Theoren Fleury. His skill level, tenacity and success against long odds made him a natural choice.
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Tags: FlamesNation.ca, Hockey+Prospectus, Kent+Wilson, Matchsticks+and+Gasoline, Puck+Daddy,
Three In a Row for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/01/12 at 09:47 PM ET
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With starting netminder Henrik Lundqvist given the night off, and team captain Ryan Callahan, out day-to-day with a bruised foot, back-up goaltender Martin Biron needed to give the New York Rangers a strong start against the Carolina Hurricanes, especially considering the way he had played in his last few starts.
As it turned out, Biron came up big for the Blueshirts in a 3-2 victory in Carolina. After allowing the Hurricanes’ only goal of the game in the second period, Biron really shut the door and played a solid game in making 21 saves.
For Biron, it was his 11th win of the season. In 17 games, Biron is now 11-3-2 and continues to show team head coach John Tortorella that it is okay to rest Lundqvist.
The team also got a solid performance out of the Marian Gaborik, Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov line. Gaborik picked-up his 30th goal of the season as well as an assist for points 54 and 55 on the season. Stepan also had a strong game in adding two assists while Anisimov scored his 12th goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 in the second period.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Daniel+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan, Ryan+McDonagh, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Going to Carolina
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/01/12 at 10:39 AM ET
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The New York Rangers will be in Raleigh tonight to take on the Carolina Hurricanes as the team looks to extend its winning streak to three games.
The Blueshirts are coming off a 2-0 shutout win over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. The team allowed just 13 shots in Henrik Lundqvist’s eighth shutout of the season, which is just two more than their lowest recorded total on home ice back in 1981 against the Calgary Flames when they only allowed 11 shots.
It will be important for the team to play a full 60-minutes as things do not get any easier for the Blueshirts heading into the stretch. They take on the Hurricanes tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night and the Boston Bruins at MSG on Sunday afternoon.
Luckily for the Blueshirts, this team has played as a cohesive unit all season long. They battle for each other, they stick up for each other, they play together as a team and because of this, have been one of the league’s top teams all year.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Calgary+Flames, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Trade Deadline Review with @SnowdenNHL
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/29/12 at 11:40 AM ET
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Now that the 2012 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, I figured now would be a good time to reach out to someone who follows the NHL very closely as a fan and is someone who knows his stuff inside and out, Lee Snowden.
@SnowdenNHL was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to share his thoughts on the trade deadline, including his thoughts on what his favorite team, the Calgary Flames, did or did not do at the deadline this year.
PH: With the trade deadline having come and gone, which team (s) do you think improved the most? Why?
LS: You have to like what the Predators accomplished. First off, bringing in Hal Gill is looking great already. Obviously, Gaustad brings the big body and face-off skills, and if Andrei can elevate his game the way Sergei did when he arrived in Nashville, the Preds have to be happy. David Poile surely sending notice to Shea Weber and Ryan Suter that they will do what it takes to make the Predators a winner.
PH: Were you surprised that Columbus Blue Jackets’ franchise player Rick Nash was not moved at the deadline? Why or why not?
LS: I’m surprised he didn’t go based on the rumored packages that were offered. Glen Sather offered up a ton for Nash and Howson didn’t run with it. That would have given the Jackets 3 first round picks, getting the re-build off to a quick start. Now they have to play the final month and a bit with a unhappy captain. What a mess.
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Tags: 2012+NHL+Deadline, @SnowdenNHL+Twitter, Lee+Snowden,
Should the NHL Go “Silent” on Trade Deadline Day?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/28/12 at 12:00 PM ET
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This is exactly what the NHL should consider doing when it comes to its trade deadline day.
No, I am not talking about having no rumors or trades on this particular day in the season. Instead, I am talking about having NO practices and games on this peculiar day.
To me, this would make the most sense for the players. For starters, this is a day where a LOT must be going through a player’s mind.
As such, going through a practice on the day of the trade deadline must be extremely daunting and even nerve-racking. It has to be extremely tough for the player to concentrate knowing that he might not be with his current team in the next few hours and might be off to a team in a much different situation than the one he is currently on.
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Tags: NHL+Trade+Deadline,
Not the Most Exciting But a Win Is A Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/28/12 at 10:14 AM ET
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This is exactly what can be said of last night’s 2-0 shutout by the New York Rangers over the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden.
The team’s combined for just 28 shots on goal (yes, you read that right) with only two finding the back of the net. Luckily, it was the Blueshirts that found the back of the net on goals by Carl Hagelin and Ryan Callahan.
Callahan and Hagelin have become quite the dynamic duo for the Rangers since being put on the same line. They both hustle, they both forecheck, they both go hard to the net and they both have the offensive ability to create offense.
With his goal last night, Callahan now has 25 on the season. While Callahan was a scorer in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Guelph Storm, no one was quite sure what he would be able at the NHL level. Now, it looks like he may be able to crack the 30-goal mark.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Carl+Hagelin, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Ilya+Kovalchuk, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
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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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