Goal Line Report

Entries with the tag: Eastern+Conference

A Look at Second Round Matchups

by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 03:20 PM ET
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From James Mirtle at From the Rink:

The Ducks and Red Wings will meet in the Conference semifinals (schedule TBA)…the Ducks and Wings are the two most successful teams in the NHL since the lockout (start of 2005-06 season). The clubs have each won one Stanley Cup, while leading the league in playoff rounds won (7) and appeared in (9). The two clubs have met four times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with each team winning twice. Detroit swept Anaheim in 1997 & 1999, while Anaheim beat Detroit in 2003 (sweep) and 2007 (six games).

The Ducks became the fifth team to upset the NHL’s best regular season team (by standings points) in the first round since the Expansion Era began (1967-68 season). The previous four teams to upset the NHL’s regular season points leader (officially referred to as Presidents’ Trophy winner starting in 1986-87):

2006: Edmonton defeated Detroit (56-18-8, 124 pts.), 4-2
2000: San Jose defeated St. Louis (51-19-11-1, 114 pts.), 4-3
1991: Minnesota North Stars defeated Chicago (49-23-8, 106 pts.), 4-2
1971: Montreal defeated Boston (57-14-7, 121 pts.), 4-3

Click here for more.

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 Tags: Eastern+Conference, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Western+Conference,

Antropov Coming Into His Own on Broadway

by Patrick Hoffman on 04/15/09 at 11:00 PM ET
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For what seemed like his whole career in the blue and white in Toronto, Nik Antropov was a guy that the Maple Leafs were looking to unload. He had become known as a player who could turn on a switch a play great hockey whenever he wanted to. However, he didn’t do that often enough with the Maple Leafs and at the trade deadline, he found himself acquired by the New York Rangers.

So far, the move has worked out in spades for the Rangers as Antropov put up 13 points (7 goals and 6 assists) in 18 games and helped a struggling Ranger team clinch the seventh playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference.

What’s more is that he has been consistent on both sides of the puck. Everyone knows that Antropov, 29 years old, is gifted offensively but as a Ranger, he has shown that he can back check, forecheck, give a hit, take a hit and more importantly, play in the last few minutes of the game.

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 Tags: Eastern+Conference, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Washington+Capitals,

Win and In

by Patrick Hoffman on 04/09/09 at 09:30 AM ET
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It’s that simple for the New York Rangers tonight as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden.

It’ll be a playoff atmosphere on the Rangers’ turf as they look to wrap up their regular season on home ice by clinching a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. It certainly will not be an easy task as the team will have to battle with the likes of Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell and Mike Knuble, guys who have consistently put points up on the board.

The Blueshirts will have to find a way to match the Flyers’ offense, which means that guys like Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Markus Naslund, Nik Antropov and Nikolai Zherdev will have to step up to the plate and find a way to lead this team. Drury was able to do so on Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens and as such, needs to repeat performance tonight in a much bigger hockey game.

It’s still tough to think how the Rangers got off to such a hot start, only to find themselves in this kind of situation. However, a win tonight over the Broadstreet Bullies will make it all worth it. 

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 Tags: Chris+Drury, Danny+Briere, Eastern+Conference, Jeff+Carter, Markus+Naslund, Mike+Knuble, Mike+Richards, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Nikolai+Zherdev, Philadelphia+Flyers, Scott+Gomez, Scott+Hartnell, Simon+Gagne,

It Means A Lot

by Patrick Hoffman on 04/07/09 at 01:50 PM ET
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As I pointed out in yesterday’s blog, tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens is absolutely critical for the New York Rangers. The Rangers are currently tied with the Florida Panthers (take on the Philadelphia Flyers tonight) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 89 points.

A win tonight over the Habs and a loss for the Panthers would help the blueshirts because one, it gives them two points and two, it gives them another victory in case the remaining seed comes down to a tie-breaker. Basically put, the team needs to win tonight to help clinch a playoff spot within the next five days.

For more Rangers news and notes, please check out the following links:

- Rangers Report
- Blue Notes
- Ranger Rants
- SNY Rangers Blog
- Blueshirt Banter

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 Tags: Blue+Notes, Blueshirt+Banter, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ranger+Rants, Rangers+Report, SNY+Rangers+Blog,

Biggest Game of The Year

by Patrick Hoffman on 04/06/09 at 10:25 AM ET
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Tomorrow night will mark the New York Rangers’ biggest game of the season to date. After the Florida Panthers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, the blueshirts find themselves tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 89 points.

With three games to go in the regular season, their uphill battle will continue tomorrow night when they take on the Montreal Canadiens, a team that is seventh in the conference with 92 points and is catching fire at the right time (5-3-2 in their last 10 games). The Rangers can beat the Canadiens but again, with the tension mounting and the games becoming more and more important by the day, it is not going to be an easy task.

The team has games with the Habs and Philadelphia Flyers (two) to determine whether or not this year’s Rangers will clinch a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive season. The Panthers, on the other hand, have games against the Flyers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Washington Capitals. Both teams have competitive schedules but now, it will come down to just three games to determine who gets the last playoff spot in the conference. 

The team has no one to blame but themselves for being in this situation. Problems with consistency, the power play, line juggling, personnel changes, etc. have all contributed to the team’s issues this season. Now, however, is the time to put those off to the side and go out there and get the job done because the last thing the team wants to do is miss the playoffs and disappoint the thousands of Ranger fans that will be at the Garden both tomorrow night against the Habs and Thursday night against the Flyers. 

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 Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Washington+Capitals,

Some Gloomy Rangers Reading

by Patrick Hoffman on 04/03/09 at 09:45 AM ET
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With a tough game against the Boston Bruins slated for tomorrow afternoon, the New York Rangers are in an extremely difficult position.

If the Florida Panthers beat the Atlanta Thrashers tonight, they will be tied for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference and should the Rangers lose tomorrow afternoon and the Panthers win again on Sunday evening against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they’ll be in ninth place heading into the final week of the regular season.

For more on last night’s 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, check out the following links:

- Scotty Hockey
- Ranger Rants
- SNY Rangers Blog
- New York Post

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 Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, New+York+Post, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ranger+Rants, Scotty+Hockey, SNy+Rangers+Blog,

These Guys Can Play

by Patrick Hoffman on 03/31/09 at 09:10 AM ET
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There is no doubt about it - Henrik Lundqvist saves his best games for Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils.

Last night at Madison Square Garden, Lundqvist, who made 38 saves in his third shutout of the season, and the New York Rangers handed the Devils a 3-0 loss thanks to solid goaltending and timely scoring from Brandon Dubinsky, Dan Girardi and Ryan Callahan. The win gave Henrik an 18-6-4 record (regular season and playoffs included) against the Devils but as Henrik told the team’s web site after the game, he was just focused on picking up the two points.

“I am happy for this one because I made up my mind before the third period that I wanted this one, and it worked out,” Lundqvist said.

The Blueshirts knew how important this game was and that certainly showed in the first period as they came out and outshot their Hudson rivals 20-10 in the first period. They were relentless in their forecheck, put traffic in front of Brodeur, crashed the net for rebounds and were solid defensively, all marks of a playoff-caliber hockey club.

For the Rangers to keep marching on towards the playoffs, they will need to deliver the same kind of performance against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night and then again on Saturday afternoon against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins, certainly not an easy task.

However, if last night’s game tells you anything, it should be that when the Rangers are on top of their game, they can be tough to beat.

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 Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Dan+Girardi, Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, Ryan+Callahan,

Two Out Of Four Ain’t Bad

by Patrick Hoffman on 03/22/09 at 09:45 PM ET
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Going into this weekend, all the New York Rangers were focused on was their game. They weren’t focused on who was in front of them, behind them or looking a few games down the road. The team was focused on the here and now.

Their intense focus certainly showed last night at the Garden as the team beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-3. Tonight’s game, against the Ottawa Senators, on the other hand, ended in a 2-1 loss, which means that the team remains in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference.

While four points would have been great, the team should be satisfied with their play this weekend. They put pucks to the net, used their speed well, did a great job killing penalties (now first in the league) and were competitive in both games. Some other notes from the weekend:

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 Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Eastern+Conference, Jim+Schoenfeld, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Ryan+Callahan, Wade+Redden,

Give It Some Time

by Patrick Hoffman on 02/26/09 at 10:00 AM ET
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I hope New York Rangers fans weren’t expecting the team to come out and fire in four or five goals last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs because if they were, they had to be disappointed.

In last night’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Leafs, the Rangers dominated the first 40 minutes of the game as they got to loose pucks, put pucks on goal, crashed the net for rebounds and played tight defense. However, due to John Tortorella’s attacking style, the team got tired and simply ran out of gas in the third period and the OT. This is obviously something that the team will need to adjust to if they want ot have any kind of success going forward.

As Tortorella mentioned in his post-game press conference, this team obviously has trouble finishing and it’s definitely hurting their confidence right now. When they get the chance to shoot it, it either gets blocked or they pass it off. They have pucks bouncing over sticks in front of the net, they’re hitting posts and they’re making every goalie look like the second coming of Patrick Roy. 

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 Tags: Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,

Rock Bottom

by Patrick Hoffman on 02/17/09 at 09:45 AM ET
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With the way the New York Rangers are playing, it’s hard to believe that they still hold a playoff spot. Currently, the team is tied for the fifth place with the Montreal Canadiens in the tight Eastern Conference.

The truth is that they really don’t deserve to be where they are right now. The team had the benefit of an easy schedule in the regular season, which allowed them to pick up a ton of points and build a solid cushion. Most fans and pundits alike figured that this cushion would be enough to help the team to solidify a playoff spot.

Unfortunately, they were wrong as the Blueshirts are currently up just five points over the ninth place Carolina Hurricanes, a lead that is quickly evaporating as the team continues to drop games left and right, much like they did this weekend with losses to the Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues.

Uh, Houston, we have a problem. 

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 Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Sean+Avery, St.+Louis+Blues, Tom+Renney,

Pressure?

by Patrick Hoffman on 01/24/09 at 04:45 PM ET
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Talk about pressure. You are the starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens, a team that has an unbelievable history of producing great netminders such as Georges Vezina, Jacques Plante, Gump Worsley, Ken Dryden and of course, Patrick Roy. This weekend, you are the starting goaltender for the Eastern Conference All-Star team at the Bell Center in Montreal. Not only that, but 16 years ago, Roy was the starting goalie for the Wales Conference at the Montreal Forum and later that same season, won the Stanley Cup.

Do you think that current Canadiens’ and now all-star netminder Carey Price is feeling the pressure? Well, if he is, he’s certainly not showing it as the 21-year-old masked man is having a fine season for Les Canadiens. In 27 games this season, he has 16 wins, a 2.35 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and one shutout. Not bad for someone who has the ghosts of past Canadien teams looking down at him.

Price also went into the break on somewhat of a role as he won three out of his last four games and in those games has a goals against of 2.00, certainly not a bad way to go into the grueling second half of the season, a half that could determine just how far the Habs will be willing to go come spring time. Again, you think Price has a lot of pressure?! 

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 Tags: Carey+Price, Eastern+Conference, Georges+Vezina, Gump+Worsley, Jacques+Plante, Ken+Dryden, Montreal+Canadiens, Patrick+Roy, Wales+Conference,

The Good Old Days

by Patrick Hoffman on 01/23/09 at 08:00 AM ET
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I was on my way back from a men’s league game (I’m a goaltender) last night and was listening to NHL Home Ice on XM. Fittingly, they had on a classic All-Star Game.

The game that they replayed was the 1996 All-Star game in Boston and I have to say that that was probably the best All-Star game in the last 13 years. Not only did the hometown hero Raymond Bourque score in the closing minute to give the Eastern Conference a 5-4 victory but it was just good all around hockey in general.

It was a competitive 5-4 game. There weren’t a lot of goals scored so the ones that were ended up being extremely important and that’s what fans like to see in All-Star games.

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 Tags: Eastern+Conference, Gary+Bettman, NHL+Home+Ice+on+XM, Raymond+Bourque,

The New Season

by Patrick Hoffman on 01/03/09 at 12:00 PM ET
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The New York Rangers will look to put up their second straight win tonight when they take on the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.

In the team’s last meeting, the Capitals overcame a four goal deficit to defeat the Rangers 5-4 in overtime thanks to the play of their fearless superstar, Alex Ovechkin. It was a real gut-check moment for the Blueshirts that showed them that they still have a lot of work to do before being considered one of the NHL’s elite teams, despite being tied for third place with the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference, who each have 49 points.

In order for the Blueshirts to get back to playing consistent hockey, a lot of things have to happen. 

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 Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Chris+Drury, Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Scott+Gomez, Washington+Capitals,

A Brand New Day

by Patrick Hoffman on 12/26/08 at 04:00 PM ET
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First off, I hope you all had a happy and safe holiday, especially you New York Ranger fans out there who were looking to shake off Tuesday night’s terrible loss to the Washington Capitals.

Tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils should be looked at as a fresh start for the Rangers. Again, they’re coming off a terrible collapse against the Caps’ and have displayed rather inconsistent hockey over the past month or so.

So what better way to shake off the cob webs and play the best hockey they can play than by beating their Hudson River rivals?

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 Tags: Andrew+Gross, Blue+Notes, Blueshirt+Bulletin, Chris+Drury, Dubi+Silverstein, Eastern+Conference, Glen+Sather, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ranger+Rants, Rangers+Report, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gomez, SNY+Rangers+Blog, Steve+Zipay, Washington+Capitals,

Dynamic Duo

by Patrick Hoffman on 11/27/08 at 08:00 AM ET
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Throughout training camp and preseason, New York Rangers’ head coach Tom Renney had Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev together.

During this time, the two found instant chemistry by being able to find each other on the ice, utilize their speed, jump into open holes and more importantly, create scoring chances.

Two months later, the two players are doing it again and last night’s 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning was a perfect example.

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 Tags: Eastern+Conference, Markus+Naslund, Mike+Smith, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tom+Renney,

Valiquette to Start

by Patrick Hoffman on 11/22/08 at 12:00 PM ET
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According to Sam Weinman of The Journal News, the New York Rangers have elected to start Stephen Valiquette this afternoon against the Ottawa Senators.

Valiquette played half the game on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks and stopped all 15 shots he faced after Henrik Lundqvist was pulled by Rangers’ head coach Tom Renney (five goals allowed).

However, according to Weinman, Valiquette had been penciled in for this game for a long time and it’s not just a coincidence that he is starting after Lundqvist’s struggles on Wednesday night. 

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 Tags: Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sam+Weinman, Stephen+Valiquette, The+Journal+News, Tom+Renney, Vancouver+Canucks,