Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Boston+Bruins
Rangers Do It Again Over the Flyers
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/06/12 at 09:09 AM ET
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There is no doubt that the National Hockey League would probably love to have both the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If you are asking yourself why, just look at the four games that have been played between the two clubs this season. The games have had it all from timely goal scoring, big hits, fights, and great goaltending.
Unfortunately for the Flyers, they have lost all four tilts at the hands of the Blueshirts. Yesterday afternoon at the Garden, the Rangers were physical, blocked a ton of shots, got timely goal scoring and clutch goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist.
Playing in their Winter Classic uniforms, the Rangers put on a great show for their fans. The team got solid performances out of guys like Lundqvist, Artem Anisimov, Derek Stepan, Marian Gaborik, Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky.
It was a complete team effort, one that gave them another two points in the standings. With the victory, the Blueshirts remain in first place in the Eastern Conference with 71 points, which is three points more than the second place Boston Bruins and five points more than the fourth place Flyers.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsku, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan,
UPDATE/Back to the Grind
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/31/12 at 10:32 AM ET
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UPDATE: Per Rangers’ beat writer Andrew Gross’s Twitter, Martin Biron will be starting between the pipes tonight for the Blueshirts:
Biron in net tonight vs. Devils. Otherwise same lineup for Rangers.
That is what the New York Rangers will be doing tonight at the Prudential Center when they take on the New Jersey Devils.
Coming into tonight’s tilt, the Blueshirts are on a two game winning streak. Two Saturday’s ago, the Rangers beat the Bruins in overtime by a 3-2 score and then three nights later at Madison Square Garden, the club shutout the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-0.
The Rangers also currently find themselves in the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 66 points and are one point behind the league-leading Detroit Red Wings. For the Rangers to keep up this kind of pace, they are going to have to get things started on the right foot tonight in New Jersey.
Luckily for the Blueshirts, they have several players who have performed well over the last few games. Lundqvist was terrific in Boston and was good when he had to be against the Jets.
Marian Gaborik, the NHL All-Star MVP, scored two goals against the Bruins and picked-up a hat trick and an assist in the All-Star Game. His confidence should be at a high level right now.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Detroit+Red+Wings, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, NHL+All-Star+Game, Winnipeg+Jets,
One more Before the Break
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/24/12 at 08:00 AM ET
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The New York Rangers are back in action tonight to take on the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden before taking a few days off for the NHL All-Star break.
The Blueshirts are coming off a big 3-2 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins thanks to a goal from Marian Gaborik. It was the Rangers’ 30th win of the season and as it stands right now, the team is tied for first in the Eastern Conference with the Boston Bruins with 64 points.
Tonight, the Blueshirts take on a team that they have beaten twice in the Jets. In both of those games, the team got excellent goaltending from Martin Biron. As such, one has to wonder if he will be in between the pipes tonight for the red, white, and blue Rangers.
For the Rangers, tonight’s tilt could be looked at as a “trap” game. As I mentioned earlier, the Blueshirts are tied for first in the East while the Jets are 10th in the East and three points out of the eighth and final spot.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Eastern+Conference, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Winnipeg+Jets,
Rangers’ PP Comes Through in the Clutch In Win Over the Bruins
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/21/12 at 05:47 PM ET
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For much of the season, the New York Rangers’ power play has been lackluster to say the least.
It looked like that was going to be the case again this afternoon against the Boston Bruins until overtime when the Rangers’ were awarded a five minute power play when Andrew Ference hit defenseman Ryan McDonagh from behind. It was then that Rangers’ sniper Marian Gaborik came through by beating Bruins’ netminder Tuukka Rask to give the Rangers a 3-2 victory.
It was Marian Gaborik’s second goal of the afternoon, giving “Gabby” 25 goals on the season. His first of the afternoon came of a blocked shot on Carl Hagelin and he sniped one past Rask to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.
This was a game that lived up to everyone’s expectations. There was lots of hitting, lots of blocked shots, great goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist (32 saves) and Rask (30 saves), and had the feel of a playoff game.
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Tags: Andrew+Ference, Boston+Bruins, Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Madison+Square+Garden, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+McDonagh, Tuukka+Rask, Winnipeg+Jets,
Big Tilt in Beantown
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/21/12 at 12:00 PM ET
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When the NHL calendar came out, there probably were not many people thinking that the game between the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers would mean much on Saturday, January 21.
As it turns out, these people are probably surprised that today’s tilt could end up being one of the best games to watch this season. Heading into the key match-up between the two Original Six franchises, both the Bruins and the Rangers are not only at the top of their respective divisions, but are also number one (Rangers) and two (Bruins) in the Eastern Conference heading into this afternoon’s game.
For much of the season, the Boston Bruins have been the story of the National Hockey League. After starting out the season with what appeared to be a “Stanley Cup hangover”.
However, once November hit, the Bruins started like playing the defending Stanley Cup champions that they were supposed to be. They did not lose a game in regulation and are currently 30-13-1 with 61 points.
The club has offensive depth, a strong defense and possibly the best goaltending tandem in the NHL. Hard to beat, right?
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Tags: Atlantic+Division, Boston+Bruins, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Northeast+Division,
Holding Onto the Top Spot
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/18/12 at 09:24 AM ET
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That is what the New York Rangers continue to do as the team picked-up a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators last night at Madison Square Garden.
Due to playing in a hockey game of my own, I was not able to catch any of the game. With that said, it was nice to see Henrik Lundqvist get another shutout and the team come out with a much better defensive performance than they did against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night in Montreal.
It was also nice to see that John Mitchell scored another goal for the Blueshirts. No one really knew whether or not Mitchell would fit in with this Rangers’ team but he has come in and gotten the job done by working hard every night, forechecking hard, going to the net and cashing in on opportunities when they present themselves.
This is a team that continues to show that it can respond well after a loss. Too many times in the past few seasons would the Rangers follow up a loss with another bad game but this season, team head coach John Tortorella has seemed to keep that to a minimum.
With the win, the Rangers improved to 29-11-4 for 62 points. The team has a one point edge over the Detroit Red Wings for first in the league and a three point edge over the Boston Bruins for first in the Eastern Conference.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Detroit+Red+Wings, Evgeni+Malkin, Henrik+Lundqvist, James+Neal, John+Mitchell, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, Nashville+Predators, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sidney+Crosby,
Rangers Impressive in Shutout win over the Leafs
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/14/12 at 09:57 PM ET
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It may not have been the most exciting game but the New York Rangers got the job done tonight with a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For the Rangers, it was important for the club to get their offense going and for the most part, the team did just that tonight with goals from guys who do not score many of them (except for one guy). The Blueshirts got goals from Mike Rupp (4th goal of the season), Brian Boyle (his first goal in 22 games and 3rd goal of the season) and Derek Stepan (10th goal of the season and an assist).
Rangers’ netminder Martin Biron also had a solid game for his hockey club tonight. Biron picked-up his second shutout and 9th win of the season. While he was not bombarded with shots, Biron was good when he needed to be in making 19 saves and also adding his third assist of the season on Stepan’s goal.
With the win, the Rangers improved to 28-10-4 with 60 points. That has them first in the Eastern Conference (three points ahead of the Boston Bruins) and as of this writing, first in the NHL, one point ahead of the Vancouver Canucks.
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Tags: Bell+Centre, Boston+Bruins, Brian+Boyle, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Joffrey+Lupul, Martin+Biron, Mike+Rupp, Mikhail+Grabovski, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Phil+Kessel, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Vancouver+Canucks,
Rangers In Toronto to Battle the Leafs
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/14/12 at 02:56 PM ET
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Coming off a 3-0 shutout loss to the Ottawa Senators, the New York Rangers will look to turn things around tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.
For the Rangers, their focus has to be on getting pucks to the net and making most of their chances. In their last two games, the team has scored just one goal in regulation while not being able to convert on many scoring opportunities.
The Blueshirts will be without forward Brandon Dubinsky once again tonight as he is nursing a sore shoulder. The team head coach, John Tortorella, wants to be careful with “Dubi” because he knows that they cannot afford to have him out of the lineup for an extended period of time.
“It’s still the same,” coach John Tortorella said of Dubinsky’s shoulder, which was initially hurt on a check by the Coyotes’ Taylor Pyatt in the first period of Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout victory, though Dubinsky finished that game. “We just don’t want it to turn into a bigger problem…We’re just trying to be careful.”
According to Andrew Gross of The Record, back-up netminder Martin Biron will get the start tonight for the Blueshirts. Biron will be looking for his ninth win of the season and more importantly, getting the Rangers back on the winning track.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsky, Eastern+Conference, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Phoenix+Coyotes, Taylor+Pyatt, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Rangers Come Through Again With Win Over Panthers
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/05/12 at 09:55 PM ET
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It seems like every single time the New York Rangers play, they find a way to win.
The team did just that tonight by defeating the Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Marian Gaborik at Madison Square Garden. Gaborik had been buzzing around the Panthers’ net all night long and was finally rewarded when he got the overtime winner, his 23rd of the season.
With the win, the Rangers improved to 25-9-4 to remain in first in the Eastern Conference by 1 point over the Boston Bruins. The win was also the Blueshirts’ 11th on home ice as the team now has a 12-3-2 record on Garden Ice.
Besides Gaborik, the Rangers also got solid performances from Brad Richards (1 assist), Derek Stepan (1 assist), Ryan Callahan (1 goal), Michael Del Zotto (1 assist) and Dan Girardi. It was also nice to see defenseman Marc Staal get a bit more ice time with 12:51 minutes tonight.
Even though the Panthers scored first and also managed to knot the game up at 2-2, the Rangers controlled most of the game. The Blueshirts outshot the Panthers 41-21 and did a terrific job of getting pucks deep, forechecking and going hard to the net.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brad+Richards, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Florida+Panthers, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan,
These Blueshirts Are for Real
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/01/12 at 07:20 PM ET
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As the New York Rangers get set to kick of 2012, it might be safe to say that these New York Rangers are for real.
Both team general manager Glen Sather and team head coach John Tortorella had a vision for this team and for once, it was the same. As such, the product on the ice has been quite successful this season so far.
The Rangers’ identity is one that is hard-working, competitive every night, has a never say die attitude and promotes team depth. Put all of these characteristics together and you have where the Rangers are today.
As of this writing, the Blueshirts are first in both the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division with a 23-9-4 record. The team is one point ahead of the second place Boston Bruins and two points ahead of the fourth place Philadelphia Flyers.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Boston+Bruins, Brad+Richards, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan,
War On Ice: New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/31/11 at 12:00 PM ET
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When it comes to the greatest rivalries in the National Hockey League, many fans will point out the obvious ones whether is the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, and so on and so forth.
One rivalry that deserves attention is one that will get just that on Monday afternoon at the 2012 Winter Classic, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.
When the NHL decided that the 2012 Winter Classic would be between the New York Rangers and the host Philadelphia Flyers, I do not think they thought that at this point in this season, it would end being such a big tilt.
The New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers have one of the greatest rivalries in the league. However, over their 44-year history of playing against each other, it has turned into more than a rivalry.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Prust, Chicago+Blackhawks, Detroit+Red+Wings, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wayne+Simmonds, Zac+Rinaldo,
What Happened to Raycroft?
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/30/11 at 07:25 PM ET
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As every hockey fan knows, being a goaltender in the National Hockey League is not an easy job.
You can be great for one game, one season etc. and then the next game or season, completely lose it. Just look at what happened to the likes of Jim Carey or Blaine Lacher.
Another goaltender who has had both good times and bad is recently waived member of the Dallas Stars Andrew Raycroft. After winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year in the 2003-04 season, Raycroft has never been the same netminder.
When Raycroft got started in the NHL in the 2003-04 season, he was absolutely terrific. He played big, was confident, did not allow many soft goals and put up great numbers with 29 wins, a 2.05 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and 3 shutouts.
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Tags: Andrew+Raycroft, Boston+Bruins, Colorado+Avalanche, Dallas+Stars, Kari+Lehtonen, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Vancouver+Canucks,
Average
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/29/11 at 09:33 AM ET
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That is exactly what the New York Rangers were last night in their 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.
The team was not terrible but they certainly were not great either. This was a game that with better defensive coverage and less turnovers could have easily been a much better game for the Blueshirts.
What was interesting to see was how the Capitals played. Their team certainly played with a lot of energy and may have even looked like the Capitals of old.
With that said, the chances were there for the Rangers’ taking. There were plenty of juicy rebounds left by Capital’s netminder Tomas Vokoun but the Blueshirts failed to cash in on them.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Phoenix+Coyotes, Tomas+Vokoun, Washington+Capitals,
Tops in the East
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/27/11 at 09:18 AM ET
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That is exactly what the New York Rangers are after shutting out the New York Islanders last night by a score of 3-0 at Madison Square Garden.
With the win, the Rangers improved to 22-8-4, which is good enough for first in the Atlantic Division and now, first in the Eastern Conference. The team is one point ahead of the Boston Bruins and two points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers.
The team used a solid 60-minute effort to beat the Islanders last night. After coming back from the holiday’s, many wondered how this Rangers’ club would respond due to the time off. The Blueshirts came back, skated hard and showed why they are one of the tops teams in the National Hockey League this year.
For starters, the team got another solid performance out of netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist made 28 saves for his third shutout of the season and how has statistics that make him one of the best netminders in the NHL with 15 wins (6th in the league), a 1.95 goals against average (4th in the league), a .936 save percentage (third in the league) and 3 shutouts (4th in the league.
The club also got another goal from their sniper Marian Gaborik. Gaborik now leads the NHL in goals with 21 and has a 5-game goal streak.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Carl+Hagelin, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Washington+Capitals,
View from the Top
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/24/11 at 02:37 PM ET
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That is exactly what the New York Rangers have after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 4-2 last night at Madison Square Garden.
The team came out and played an almost perfect home game by cashing in on their opportunities, never quitting on plays, forechecking, playing solid defense, and getting terrific goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. Put these all together and you have another solid win on home ice.
With the win, the Rangers are now tied with the Flyers for the Atlantic Division lead and are second in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Boston Bruins. Not bad for a team that no one knew just how good they were going to be or what they were capable of.
For starters, the team was certainly good at deflecting pucks past Flyers’ netminder Ilya Bryzgalov. Derek Stepan did just that on the team’s first goal in the second period when he deflected defenseman Stu Bickel’s shot from the point and surprised Bryzgalov to give the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead. The goal was put under a review but because Stepan’s stick was below the crossbar, the goal counted.
Ruslan Fedotenko did the same thing and his goal was also under review because it was first thought that the team hit the crossbar. However, after reviewing the play, the puck hit the back bar inside the net and the Rangers went up 2-0.
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Tags: Atlantic+Division, Boston+Bruins, Derek+Stepan, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Ilya+Bryzgalov, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Ryan+Callahan, Stu+Bickel, Washington+Capitals, Winter+Classic,
The Marian Gaborik Show
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/21/11 at 09:08 AM ET
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That is exactly what it was for the New York Rangers’ last night in their 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Marian Gaborik picked-up the game winning goal, an empty net goal and added an assist for a three point night. The game before, he picked-up another two goals and now has 19 on the season.
Gaborik looks like the player he was for the Rangers two seasons ago. The puck seems to be following him and he obviously knows how to make things happen.
Not only is he scoring goals and putting up points, he is also playing consistently well on the other side of the puck. He has made some solid defensive plays this season and backchecks a lot more than he used to.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Boston+Bruins, Derek+Stepan, Marian+Gaborik, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Something to Debate on Tim Thomas?
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/28/11 at 06:01 PM ET
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With the Hockey Hall of Fame announcing its inductees today, I figured now would be a good time to bring up a topic that will more than likely spark up a debate both amongst hockey fans and hockey media.
When all is said and done, will Boston Bruins’ netminder Tim Thomas be a candidate to get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame? This is something that is going to be debated by the hockey media and fans alike since Thomas completed one heck of a season in the National Hockey League this year.
Thomas was the netminder to beat this season as he won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender, the Conn Smythe Trophy as the league’s best player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the ultimate trophy in the sport, the Stanley Cup. Easily a goaltender’s dream season, eh?
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tim+Thomas,
Giving Chiarelli his due
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/20/11 at 07:38 PM ET
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Over at RLD Hockey today, I wrote about how some credit should be tossed over to Boston Bruins’ general manager Peter Chiarelli for how he built this team into a Stanley Cup Champion.
You can read it here or continue below:
While a lot of credit has to be given to the play of Boston Bruins players such as Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Mark Recchi and many others for the Stanley Cup victory, general manager Peter Chiarelli deserves a lot of credit as well.
Chiarelli deserves props for not only the moves he made to make the Bruins a formidable threat in the regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he also deserves high marks for not making some moves that could have potentially hurt the team.
When it comes to moves Chiarelli made, picking up forward Nathan Horton and defenseman Dennis Seidenberg immediately come to mind. The 26-year-old Horton finished with 53 points (26 goals and 27 assists) and was having himself a terrific first postseason until he was knocked out by Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome. Up until that point, Horton had 17 points (8 goals and 9 assists) in 21 games and was making a case for himself to be a potential Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Peter+Chiarelli,
Canucks Under Pressure To Get it Done Tomorrow Night
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/12/11 at 05:32 PM ET
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When it comes to an elimination game in any series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, many hockey fans figure that the pressure is on the team that is one loss away from being knocked out.
While that is certainly an understandable point, that will not be the case in tomorrow night’s Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. Tomorrow night, the pressure belongs to Roberto Luongo and the rest of his Canucks’ teammates.
For starters, the Canucks have clearly struggled at the TD Garden in this series. In Games 3 and 4 in Boston, the Canucks were outscored 12-1 despite putting a combined 79 shots on goal. While in Boston, Canucks’ defenseman Aaron Rome was suspended for the rest of the series for his hit on Bruins’ forward Nathan Horton while Roberto Luongo had plenty of trouble keeping the puck out of the net.
Secondly, Luongo still has to shake off the choke label both the media and fans have placed on him. Yes, Luongo has two shutouts in this series and yes, Luongo was terrific in Game 5. With that said, he still needs to show that he can get it done when it matters the most and tomorrow night, that will certainly be one of those situations for Luongo and the rest of his mates.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Vancouver+Canucks,
Why Thomas Should be the Conn Smythe Winner
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/11/11 at 09:40 AM ET
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When all is said and done with the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, the Conn Smythe Trophy as the league’s best player in the playoffs should go to Bruins’ 37-year-old netminder Tim Thomas.
Win or lose, Thomas has been by far and away the best player in this series, which is surprising considering that other big players that are involved in this series such as the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler, Patrice Bergeron, Roberto Luongo, David Krejci and more. With that said however, there should be no doubt when all is said and done.
Looking at Thomas’s numbers in this series, he has gone above and beyond in between the pipes. He is 2-3 with a goals against average of under 2 and a save percentage hovering around 97 percent.
In each game of the series, Thomas has been the best player on the ice not only for the Bruins’, but between the two clubs as well. Sure, there have been some other players in this series who have stepped up but none have stepped up to the degree that Thomas has.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tim+Thomas,
Keys to Game 4
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/08/11 at 12:05 PM ET
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When looking at tonight’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, there are a few things that each team needs to do or needs to have happen in order to come out of it with a victory.
Boston Bruins
1) Stay The Course: The Bruins need to play the exact same way they did on Monday night in their 8-1 victory. That means they need to be physical, need to forecheck, need to get the puck deep and need to throw lots and lots of pucks on Canucks’ goaltender Roberto Luongo.
2) Do Not Retaliate: Yes, Canucks’ defenseman Aaron Rome knocked out Bruins’ sniper Nathan Horton for the rest of the series but that is no reason to play without discipline. The Bruins need to get the Canucks where they got them on Monday night and that is the scoreboard.
3) Get a Strong Game from Thomas: Something that was overlooked in the game 4 blowout was the play of Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas. Thomas made 40 saves, several of them of the spectacular variety, and played until the final buzzer sounded. Another performance like that tonight and this series might be tied heading back to Vancouver for Game 5.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Stanley+Cup+Final, Vancouver+Canucks,
What Happens Next?
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/07/11 at 06:49 PM ET
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That is what everyone from fans and media members in the hockey world are wondering as the Stanley Cup Final goes to Game 4 tomorrow night in Beantown.
Last night was obviously a whomping by the Boston Bruins over the Vancouver Canucks. With that said, one has to wonder if this was simply a case of the Bruins winning just one game in the series and then the Canucks winning the series in five.
On the other hand, one has to wonder if the Bruins have finally woken up and are playing the way they are used to playing and that is by forechecking, going hard to the net and being physical. The Bruins have been successful with that kind of hockey all postseason long.
The Bruins are now also playing for one of their own, Nathan Horton. Horton suffered a severe concussion after getting hit in the head by Canucks’ defenseman Aaron Rome and the organization found out today that Horton will be gone for the rest of the series. The Bruins will certainly use that as motivation going forward in the series.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Vancouver+Canucks,
Where is the Bruins’ Power Play?
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/06/11 at 07:54 PM ET
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Over at NHL Fan Chat, a site created by Patt Leggs I blogged about the Boston Bruins’ struggles on the power play.
You can click here to read it or continue below:
When a team is given a five-minute power play, one figures that the team with the power play would be able to put the puck in the net a few times or at least come close to doing so.
This does not appear to be the case with the Boston Bruins. When the Bruins were rewarded with a five-minute power play in the first period when Vancouver Canucks’ defenseman Aaron Rome laid out Bruins’ forward Nathan Horton, they showed exactly why they were struggling with the man advantage.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Vancouver+Canucks,
In The Bruins’ Hands
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/02/11 at 01:00 PM ET
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That would be one way to describe last night’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins.
The end result was a 1-0 win for the home team Canucks but in reality, this game could and should have been different for the Bruins if they had not squandered their opportunities on the power play.
In the first period, the Bruins were rewarded with a four minute power thanks to a Canuck high sticking penalty. While the Bruins were able to put some good rubber on Canucks’ netminder Roberto Luongo, none of them found the net and many were from the outside in inopportune scoring areas.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Vancouver+Canucks,
Who Do Ya Got?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/29/11 at 11:58 AM ET
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Here we are folks, the Stanley Cup Finals.
This is something all of us hockey fans hope our respective teams make it to at the end of the season but unfortunately, all of our wishes regarding our favorite teams cannot be answered.
This year, we have the Vancouver Canucks, a team that has been terrific over the past decade or so but has finally found themselves where their fans think they belong, and the Boston Bruins, an Original Six franchise that was robbed by the Philadelphia Flyers last season in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
Each team has stories worth rooting for. For the Canucks, it is looking at a guy like Manny Malholtra who may return to play this series after severely injuring his eye. A leader on the ice and in the locker room, he would certainly be welcomed back into the fold this series.
On the Bruins, it is Tim Thomas. Thomas, who took the long and hard road to get to the NHL, has proved all his doubters wrong by winning a Vezina Trophy a few seasons ago, being a finalist for the same trophy this season and taking his team to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Vancouver+Canucks,
Bruins Headed to Finals For the First Time Since 1990
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/27/11 at 09:45 PM ET
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Many Boston Bruins fans’ probably feel like this was a long time coming but for the first time since the 1989-90 season, the Bruins are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of -0 in Game 7 at the TD Garden.
This Game 7 had it all. For starters, the game had terrific saves from both Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas and Lightning netminder Dwayne Roloson. Roloson did everything he possibly could to give his team a chance to win a hockey game but unfortunately for him, the Lightning were not able to help out on the scoreboard.
Thomas was also solid in picking up the huge victory. He kept things simple, made the big save when his team needed to and of course, ended up with the W.
This game also had lots of guts displayed by both teams. Bruins’ forward Nathan Horton took a nasty shoulder hit in the first period but returned in the second period and scored the game winning goal in the third period.
On the Lightning side, Lightning forward Steven Stamkos took a puck to the nose in the second period. With a huge gash on his nose and with the nose most likely displaced on his face, Stamkos returned and showed what heart and guts he has as a hockey player.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Dwayne+Roloson, Nathan+Horton, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tim+Thomas, Vancouver+Canucks,
Who Would You Want to Play Against?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/27/11 at 09:17 PM ET
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I am just sitting down watching the third period in game 7 between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning and I am starting to wonder the following: if I am the Vancouver Canucks, who do I want to play in the Stanley Cup Finals?
There are good reasons to want to play against both teams. For example, the Canucks may want to play against the Bruins because their playmaking ability will be able to put the puck past Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas. Thomas can be a very aggressive goaltender and if he comes too far out of his crease against the Canucks, the likes of the Sedin Twins, Kesler, Burrows, Raymond, Bieksa, and others will find a way to get the puck to the net and in the net.
With that said, the Canucks may also want to play the Lightning because they are a far less physical team than the Bruins. The Bruins like to hit and hit hard while the Lightning prefer to play a skill-type of hockey game.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Vancouver+Cancuks,
The Best Series of The Playoffs?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/26/11 at 09:27 AM ET
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Is this the phrase that should be used to describe the Eastern Conference Finals’ series between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning?
After six games, I’d have to say yes. This series has really seen it all from lots of goals, lots of checking, big saves, timely heroes and everything else that makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs so great.
Shawn Lavigne of TSN Radio used the term Jekyll and Hyde on Facebook to describe this series and it is easy to see why he would say that. We have seen high scoring games, low scoring games, heroes one game, disappearances the next and so on and so forth.
Hockey fans have now been rewarded with a Game 7 in Boston on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. If you’re a Bruins fan, I’m sure you’re nervous about missing out on a tremendous opportunity to go to the Cup Finals. If you’re a Lightning fan, I’m sure you’re just happy to have forced a Game 7.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Thoughts on Tonight’s Game 5 Between the Bruins and Lightning
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/23/11 at 09:13 AM ET
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Here are my thoughts for tonight’s Game 5 between the Bruins and Lightning:
Keys for the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Start Dwayne Roloson: While Lightning back-up netminder Mike Smith certainly made a case to get the start for tonight’s Game 5 in Boston, it would be smart for team head coach Guy Boucher to go with the guy that got them there, Dwayne Roloson. Yes, Roloson has struggled a bit in this series but when it comes down to it, Roloson gives the Lightning the best and most consistent chance to win a hockey game.
- Establish a Net Presence: The Lightning need to continue to put bodies in front of Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas. On the Lightning, guys like Ryan Malone and Dominic Moore are the best at creating havoc in front of the Bruins’ net and should do double tonight in Game 5.
- Make Tim Thomas Play the Puck: While Thomas is great at stopping pucks, he is quite the opposite when it comes to handling the puck. He helped create the first Lightning goal in Game 4 and was partly responsible for getting the Lightning rally started.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
A Quick Observation
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/22/11 at 06:00 PM ET
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Looking at the four starting goaltenders for the remaining teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it is easy to see that a few of them have had trouble handling the puck in the Conference Finals’ series.
In Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks’ goaltender Roberto Luongo put a pass right on Joe Thornton’s stick and Thornton than put it past a diving Luongo to give his team a 1-0 lead.
In Game 4 against the Lightning, there was a miscommunication between Bruins’ netminder Tim Thomas and Bruins’ defenseman Zdeno Chara that led to Lightning forward Teddy Purcell’s first goal of the game. Had Thomas just moved it away from Chara, the play would have been over and done with and the Bruins would have more than likely gotten out of their own end.
In that same game, there was miscommunication between Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson and his defenseman, leading Bruins’ forward Patrice Bergeron to to wrap the puck around the net and put it through Roloson’s legs to give his team a then 1-0 lead.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Dwayne+Roloson, Joe+Thornton, Roberto+Luongo, San+Jose+Sharks, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tim+Thomas, Vancouver+Canucks, Zdeno+Chara,
Seguin Is The Man in Boston Right Now
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/18/11 at 11:02 AM ET
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It is very rare that a 19-year old NHLer has a tremendous impact in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the most important time of the hockey season.
However, one such youngster that has bucked the trend is Boston Bruins’ forward and rookie Tyler Seguin. Seguin, who was a healthy scratch during the first two rounds of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, was inserted into the lineup by Bruins’ head coach Claude Julien in Game 1 and things haven’t been the same since.
Seguin has come out and has been confident, shown his speed, a knack for having the puck on his stick and an ability to produce points. Everyone in the hockey world has known that Seguin can be like this but many pundits figured it would take some time for it to come to fruition.
It certainly showed in last night’s 6-5 Bruins’ victory in Game 2 when Seguin had 2 goals and 2 assists, all in the second period. On the first goal, Seguin showed tremendous speed in getting through the neutral zone and around two defenseman to then beat Lightning netminder Dwayne Roloson with a backhand.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tyler+Seguin,
Familiar Story?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/15/11 at 02:49 PM ET
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If you are a New York Rangers’ fan and you watched Game 1 between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning last night, then you must know that I am referring to the Bruins’ power play.
In last night’s 5-2 Game 1 loss to the Lightning, the Bruins’ power play was simply atrocious. They were not enough pucks thrown on net and there was certainly way too much puck movement. All in all, it led to an 0-4 night with the man advantage on what could/should have been a difference maker for the Bruins.
While the Lightning certainly did a good job of blocking shots last night when they were killing penalties, the Bruins did not throw enough pucks on net with the man advantage. Too often, they either missed the net, had trouble handling the puck in the slot or at the point or they simply chose to pass instead of shoot.
This led to the other problem: too much puck movement. While it is important to move the puck around to help get guys open whether it is at the point or in the slot, the Bruins’ overdid it and practically wasted their time on the power play and hurt themselves by not being able to do anything with the four power plays they were given.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Nice to See Some Scoring
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/14/11 at 08:04 PM ET
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As I am sure many of you folks are, I am watching Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning and it’s great to see some scoring, isn’t it?
Many pundits and fans alike predicted that because of the goaltending and defensive systems, this was going to be a low scoring series. Well, here we are at the end of the first period and it is 3-1 Lightning at the end of the first period in Boston.
Tim Thomas, although he cannot be faulted for all three of the goals, has not looked comfortable in between the pipes for the Bruins thus far so it’ll be interesting to see how he plays in the second period. On the other end, while Tyler Seguin’s goal, his first career NHL playoff goal in his first career NHL playoff game, was a beauty, it was a shot that Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson might have been able to stop.
These teams both have guys that can put the puck in the net and both have guys that will go hard to the net for deflections, rebounds and loose pucks. The Lightning certainly showed that in the first period.
The puck, no matter how good Thomas and Roloson, will go in the net plenty of times this series. You’ll see.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Dwayne+Roloson, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tim+Thomas, Tyler+Seguin,
A Brief Look at Two Warriors
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/07/11 at 08:17 PM ET
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I’m obviously talking about the upcoming “battle” between Boston Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas and Tampa Lightning netminder Dwayne Roloson.
With Thomas at 37 years old and Roloson 41 years of age, it will be a battle between two goaltenders who are looking to win their first Stanley Cup. Roloson had a good crack at it back in 2006 when he was between the pipes for the Edmonton Oilers until he got injured in Game 1 and never returned to the crease.
Both of these goaltenders are similar when it comes to playing styles. When looking at Thomas, it is easy to say that he is the modern day Dominik Hasek. He may not have Hasek’s stature but what he does have is a terrific compete-level and a willing to do whatever he can to stop the puck. One can easily see this when looking back at some of Thomas’s highlight saves from this past season.
Looking at Roloson, it is almost the same thing. He never gives up on a play but unlike Thomas, Roloson seems to be more of a positional goaltender. Yes, he lunges at pucks sometimes but after making the first save, he usually finds himself in good enough position to make a save on the rebound as well.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Dwayne+Roloson, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tim+Thomas,
The Bruins Deserve it
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/06/11 at 10:15 PM ET
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There is no doubt that the Boston Bruins deserve to be where they are right now and that is in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Bruins were the better hockey team in their 4-0 series win over the second place Philadelphia Flyers. The Bruins had the better offense, defense and goaltending in showing their fans and the rest of the hockey world that this is a much different hockey club than last season and years past.
Offensively, this Bruins’ club is extremely deep and has been so in this year’s playoffs. Guys like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic, who finally picked up sone goals in scoring two tonight in the Bruins’ 5-1 Game 4 victory, have all stepped up their games and have helped their club move onto the third round.
Unfortunately for the Bruins’ offense, they lost Bergeron tonight in the third period after being hit by Flyers’ forward Calude Giroux. Hopefully, the team will not lose him for the long-term as Bergeron has been dynamite offensively (12 points), defensively, on the penalty kill and has also been absolutely terrific in the face-off circle.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins,
A Potential First Round Matchup for the Ages?
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/09/11 at 08:00 PM ET
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Over at RLD Hockey today, I blogged about which two teams I’d like to see go at it during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
You can either click here to go to the blog or continue below.
The historic rivalry of Boston-Montreal
By Patrick Hoffman
The best matchups in the Stanley Cup Playoffs usually feature two teams that are rivals and have a history of playing big games against each other as well as games during the season that were exciting with great goals, saves, hits and of course, fights.
Based on these elements, it is easy to see which two teams would provide the best first-round matchup of this year’s postseason: the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Montreal+Canadiens,
Out of Their Hands
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/07/11 at 10:38 PM ET
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That is exactly what it has come to for the New York Rangers after being shutout tonight by the Atlanta Thrashers by a score of 3-0 at Madison Square Garden.
Since it is Thursday night, that means I did not get to watch the game as I had my weekly men’s league hockey game. With that said, it was extremely disappointing to come home and see that the blueshirts lost to a team that is not even fighting for a playoff spot.
With that said, and based on the highlights on NHL on the Fly, it appears that the Thrashers got the better of the scoring chances and that the Rangers were flat. This is somewhat surprising considering the huge effort they delivered on Monday night at the Garden when they defeated the Boston Bruins by a score of 5-3.
Now, prior to the team’s regular season finale against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon, the Rangers will be scoreboard watching tomorrow night. The ninth place Carolina Hurricanes, who are just two points behind the Rangers, take on the Atlanta Thrashers tomorrow night in Atlanta with an opportunity to tie the Rangers in points heading into Saturday. The Hurricanes then close out their season on Saturday night with a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Another Day, Another Big Game for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/07/11 at 07:36 AM ET
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The Carolina Hurricanes continue to put pressure on the New York Rangers for one of the final playoff spots in the tight Eastern Conference as they shutout the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 3-0.
With the win, the Hurricanes have pulled to within two points of the Blueshirts. The Rangers will have a chance to increase that lead to four points tonight when they take on the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Rangers are coming off an extremely emotional win over the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The team fought from three goals back to win the game 5-3. Unfortunately, they lost Ryan Callahn, the heart and soul of the team, to a broken ankle in the process.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Boston+Bruins, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan,
Prospal Becoming a Strong Leader for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/05/11 at 10:02 AM ET
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With the way that the New York Rangers dealt with injuries this season, I am not quite sure anyone thought about how much Vinny Prospal meant to the Blueshirts.
Well, they certainly do now as Prospal has been one of the most consistent Blueshirts since returning to the lineup. In 27 games this season, Prospal has 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points, which is almost good for a point a game.
Prospal was especially good in last night’s 5-3 emotional win over the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden. When the team was down 3-0 in the second period, Prospal scored the team’s first two goals en route to closing out the period down by one goal.
He (Prospal) got the team going and enabled them to carry the momentum he generated in the second period into the third period. The team then went on to have one of their best periods of the season in one of the most important game of the year.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, New+York+Rangers, Vinny+Prospal,
A Tale of Two Games
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/05/11 at 07:00 AM ET
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I was lucky enough to be at last night’s game between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins and let me tell you, it was like watching two different games.
In the “first” game, the Rangers were flat, did not generate many scoring chances, had terrible defensive coverage and trailed 3-0. It could have been more if not for the solid goaltending of Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist.
The second game was the complete opposite. The Blueshirts played with passion, forechecked, threw pucks to the net and cashed in on their scoring opportunities. In this particular game, the Blueshirts outscored the Bruins 5-0.
In the end, it was a 5-3 Rangers’ victory in one of the most exciting games of the season at Madison Square Garden. It was a game in which the team trailed 3-2 with less than four minutes to go, only to score three goals in the final three minutes as Brandon Dubinsky tied the game, Michael Sauer scored the game winner and Derek Stepan sealed it with an empty netter.
Truth be told, may be it was expected that the Blueshirts would come out flat. They played an extremely tough and grueling game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon and were obviously out of synch and tired.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsky, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Michael+Sauer, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
Pressure On in a Must Win Game
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/03/11 at 09:51 AM ET
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Losing two straight games will do that and the New York Rangers now find themselves in a must win situation in Philadelphia this afternoon against the Flyers.
The ninth place Carolina Hurricanes find themselves just one point behind the Blueshirts after beating the New York Islanders last night and look to be getting hot at the right time. On the other hand, you have the Rangers who are coming off a 6-2 loss at the hands of the New York Islanders and are now heading into two extremely tough games against the Flyers this afternoon and the Boston Bruins tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden.
This afternoon’s tilt will have a real playoff feeling and the Rangers will need to treat it as such. The Flyers have not been playing great of late but will be looking to improve their play heading into the first round of the playoffs.
If the Rangers want to have any kind of success this afternoon, one thing they will have to do is get their offense going again. The team has scored three goals in their last three games and have not done enough to generate the kind of offense that is needed to put the puck in the net.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
A Wake Up Call
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/31/11 at 10:00 PM ET
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That is exactly what you can call the game between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders tonight.
I had men’s league hockey tonight so I did not get to watch much of the game, so it was extremely disappointing to come home and see that the Blueshirts lost 6-2 to a team that is not contending for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. With that said, I am NOT taking anything away from the Islanders because they have come a long way in the last few months and have played some excellent hockey.
Based on reading the game reports, it appears that an Islanders’ 4-goal second period did the team in and put them behind the eight ball for the rest of the hockey game. What is even more concerning is the team’s recent struggles on offense as they only scored two goals tonight, none yesterday in a 1-0 shutout loss to the Buffalo Sabres and one in a 1-0 shutout win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
This is not the time to be struggling to put the puck in the net. The team still has four games left to play and their not exactly easy opponents as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon, the Bruins next Monday night at Madison Square Garden, the Atlanta Thrashers next Thursday night at the Garden (the Rangers SHOULD win that one) and the New Jersey Devils next Saturday afternoon at the Garden.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, BOston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
Another Big Game on Tap for the Rangers
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/30/11 at 07:58 AM ET
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Coming off a big 1-0 shutout win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternnon, the New York Rangers will be back in action tonight when they take on the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo in what is an important game for both clubs.
The Blueshirts are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference but are just two points up on the eighth place Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers are also now two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for sixth place.
The key for the Rangers will be to stay the course. They will need to continue to get balanced scoring, play disciplined hockey, play smart defense and get goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist if they want to have any kind of success against a very good Sabres hockey club.
Luckily for the Rangers, this is a road game and the Blueshirts have been one of the league’s best away from home ice. The team currently has 23 wins on the road and seem to play with a lot more confidence when not in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Blueshirts Shut out the Bruins in Important Road Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/26/11 at 02:35 PM ET
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Believe it or not folks, the New York Rangers are now tied with the sixth place Montreal Canadiens after shutting out the Boston Bruins in Boston by a score of 1-0.
Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist was solid once again in picking up his 11th shutout of the season. Lundqvist finished the game with 26 saves and was especially good in the third period when his team was outshot by a 12-1 margin.
The team also did a terrific job of blocking shots. At one point on the broadcast in the third period, Rangers’ announcer Sam Rosen said the team had blocked 25 shots. They probably finished with close to 30 in the game and showed just how important blocking shots can be, especially since the Bruins have guys who can fire the puck frome the point.
Offensively, the Rangers were quiet once again. Yes, they got a goal from Derek Stepan in the first period (his 20th goal of the season) but other than that, they were shut down by the Bruins’ defense and Bruins’ netminder Tuukka Rask, who had 22 saves on the afternoon and was the victim of a helpless offense.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Tuukka+Rask,
Original Six Tilt in Beantown
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/26/11 at 09:12 AM ET
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That is exactly what will be happening at 1 p.m. today as the New York Rangers will take on the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden in Boston.
The Blueshirts are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden while the Bruins are coming off a big 7-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens. One team will be looking to score more goals while the toher will continue to do the things that made them successful in their last game.
As always, this is an extremely important game for the Rangers. Both the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes won last night so the Blueshirts are now just two points up on the eighth place Sabres. With a win this afternoon in Boston, however, the Rangers could end up tied with the Canadiens for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens take on the Washington Capitals tonight.
It will be interesting to see if Rangers’ forward Sean Avery will be in the lineup this afternoon. Based on reports from team beat writers at yesterday’s skate, it appears that there is a good chance that Avery will be back in the lineup. However, nothing was confirmed.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery, Washington+Capitals,
Good, but not Great
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/25/11 at 06:56 AM ET
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Good morning folks. Unfortunately, I did not get to catch the New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators game last night as I had a hockey game of my own to play in.
With that said, I was somewhat disappointed to come home and see that the Blueshirts lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Senators, snapping the team’s five game winning streak. Yes, the Blueshirts were able to pick up an important point but as always, there were two points to be had in this game and the Blueshirts failed to get the other one.
It was nice to see that Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist had another solid game between the pipes in making 29 saves. He seems to be on top of his game and right now, that is a very good thing for the Blueshirts.
It was also nice to see Rangers’ forward Brandon Prust pick up his 12th goal of the season. Prust works hard, is not afraid to go into the corners, sticks up for his teammates, goes to the net and has shown that he can contribute offense to this hockey club.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Prust, Buffalo+Sabres, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators,
Rangers Look to Extend Winning Streak to Six
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/24/11 at 08:25 AM ET
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The New York Rangers will look to win a “trap” game once again when they take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Going into tonight’s tilt, the Blueshirts have won five straight games and have done so with timely goal scoring, smart play in the defensive zone, being disciplined and solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. That has been the winning formula for the Blueshirts all season long and if they use it tonight against the Senators, the team will pick up its sixth straight victory along with points 85 and 86.
The Rangers need to keep winning because the eighth place Buffalo Sabres are just three points behind and are starting to heat up at the right time. With that said, if the Blueshirts continue to win, there is a chance that they could catch the Montreal Canadiens, who are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with 87 points.
It will be interesting to see how the lineup looks for tonight’s game. One question is will Sean Avery be reinserted back into the lineup? If I am Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella, I stay the course and keep him out of the lineup for at least one more game. The team is doing just fine without him and should not want to change much when things are going right.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery,
Big Original Six Matchup on Broadway Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/18/11 at 08:52 AM ET
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There is nothing like an Original Six mtachup in hockey. There is the history between the two teams, a sense of rivalry, a game of importance and much more.
That will be no different tonight when the New York Rangers take on the Montreal Canadiens tonight at Madison Square Garden in what is a big game for both clubs. The Blueshirts are still seventh in the Eastern Conference with 78 points, just two points up on the eighth place Buffalo Sabres while the Canadiens currently hold down the sixth spot in the conference and are now just three points behind the Northeast Division leading Boston Bruins.
The Rangers have dropped their three previous meetings to the Canadiens so tonight will be important for the Blueshirts to beat the Canadiens. The Rangers come into this game having won four of their last five and having won two straight games on home ice.
The team is obviously playing with a lot of confidence now. They are putting the puck in the net, blocking shots, throwing the body, getting solid goaltending and playing a winning style of hockey.
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Tags: Alex+Auld, Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, Carey+Price, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers,
Old Time Hockey, Eh?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/10/11 at 03:00 PM ET
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The game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night is the perfect example of why hockey can be so great.
It had big hits, plenty of fights, highlight-reel goals and it was one of the best rivalry games of the season between two Original Six franchises. It was old time hockey at its absolute best.
With that in mind, the National Hockey League needs to find a way to take advantage of the Original Six Franchises and give them more games to play against each other. Just look at the rivalries that are available to showcase:
- Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
- Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers
- Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Chicago+Blackhawks, Detroit+Red+Wings, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Original+Six, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Boston Bruins Look Like Contenders This Season
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/04/11 at 03:17 PM ET
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Heading into the month of February, the Boston Bruins continue to show the National Hockey League that it has what it takes to contend for the Stanley Cup this season.
Coming into the season after blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Philadelphia Flyers last season, not many hockey pundits or Bruins’ fans knew what to think of this hockey club. That is no longer the case as the Bruins have those in and out of the league believing that this could be a very big year for one of the league’s Original Six franchises.
You may ask yourself why that is the case but looking at the team, it is easy to see why they have what it takes: goaltending, depth and experience.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
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