Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Florida+Panthers
Agent Takes on Panthers’ Fans as Clients
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/30/09 at 01:07 PM ET
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From Greg Wyshynski:
Drew Rosenhaus, the NFL agent whose Miami-based Rosenhaus Sports reps over a hundred names including Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens, had a curious message on his Twitter feed this morning about the NHL:
“I have been hired by the fans of the NHL’s Florida Panthers to negotiate lower season ticket prices. I will keep you posted on the outcome.”
Curious because the Florida Panthers do in fact have tickets of above-average price, according to the 2008-09 Fan Cost Index (.pdf). Curious because Rosenhaus taking on what amounts to a class-action movement on behalf of hockey fans is about as random as it gets.
Click here for more. Interesting, right? Think the Rangers should hire someone?
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Tags: Florida+Panthers,
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,
Puck Daddy: Rangers Have a 50/50 Chance of Clinching Playoff Spot
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/06/09 at 03:10 PM ET
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In his terrific Puck Daddy Blog, Greg Wyshynski puts a death watch on the New York Rangers’ playoff chances.
However, PDaddy does give blueshirt fans some hope with this little tidbit:
“Of course, the Rangers have one significant advantage in this duel to the finish: Both teams have 89 points in 79 games, but the Rangers have 40 wins to the Panthers’ 39. The road isn’t easy at all for New York - a game against the Montreal Canadiens, and then two games against the Philadelphia Flyers to end the season—but technically the Rangers control their own fate.”
What do you folks think of the Rangers’ playoff chances this season?
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, Greg+Wyshynski, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Puck+Daddy+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,
Rangers Reading
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/02/09 at 10:30 AM ET
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Tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes is a huge one for the New York Rangers as they look to increase the space between them, the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers while also shooting for a higher seed in the Eastern Conference.
Check out the links below for more on tonight’s match up:
- Rangers Report
- Scotty Hockey
- SNY Rangers Blog
- NewYorkRangers.com
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, NewYorkRangers.com, Rangers+Reading, Rangers+Report, Scotty+Hockey, SNY+Rangers+Blog,
It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/01/09 at 01:00 PM ET
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While the New York Rangers looked like a playoff team on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils, it certainly does not mean that they will make the playoffs as both the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers continue to make things interesting by winning crucial games down the stretch.
These next two games for the Blueshirts are critical so if they could pick up four points, that would obviously be the optimum but right now, getting three out of possible four points wouldn’t be so bad either.
For some Rangers reading, please check out the following links:
- Newsday
- Ranger Rants
- Rangers Report
- SNY Rangers Blog
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Rangers+Reading,
Where Are They Going?
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/29/09 at 12:30 PM ET
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The New York Rangers dropped their second straight game yesterday afternoon in a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The loss keeps the Blueshirts in seventh place with 87 points. However, the Montreal Canadiens are in the eighth spot just one point (86 points) behind them and the Florida Panthers are in the ninth spot just two points behind (85 points).
The Rangers showed some character by battling back from a two-goal and one-goal defecit while also killing off nine Penguins’ power plays. However, Sid “the Kid” Crosby’s great effort put the Penguins ahead midway through the third period, giving the Penguins a 12-1-2 record in their last 15 games.
As we’ve said on this blog before, the club’s remaining schedule will not make things any easier for the Blueshirts. Tomorrow night, they take on the Atlantic Division leading New Jersey Devils followed by games against the red hot Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and a home-and-home series against the Philadelphia Flyers to close out the regular season.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, Florida+Panthers, Ilya+Kovalchuk, Montreal+Canadiens, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sidney+Crosby,
A Waste of Two Points
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/27/09 at 08:55 AM ET
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As I mentioned in my blog yesterday, yesterday’s game against the Atlanta Thrashers should have been an easy two points. It was a game against a team that was in 14th-place in the Eastern Conference and well on their way to thinking about next season.
So what happened? The New York Rangers blew a three-goal lead and lost 5-4 in a shootout thanks to undisciplined defensive play and some poor goaltending by netminder Stephen Valiquette.
Through the first two periods, the team seemed to be doing everything right. They were getting contributions from their big guns, scoring on the power play, killing penalties and playing a sound defensive game.
Unfortunately, this worked for the first 40 minutes of the game and then things fell apart as the team missed defensive assignments, failed to score on a two-man advantage, and Valiquette allowed two soft goals to allow the Thrashers to get right back in the game.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Carolina+Hurricanes, Florida+Panthers, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Stephen+Valiquette,
Big Two Points
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/18/09 at 10:10 AM ET
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Last night’s game was the kind of game that the New York Rangers may have lost under Tom Renney. However, it was a much different outcome for the Blueshirts under new guy John Tortorella, who overcame some bad bounces and bad goals allowed to beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in a shootout at the Bell Centre.
Yes, I know that the team needs to continue to learn how to win games in regulation but let’s face it - they need all the points they can get and last night’s two points put them in sixth place in the ever-increasing tight Eastern Conference.
Nik Antropov continues to show the Blueshirts that he was worth getting at the deadline as he added another goal in regulation while also putting one in in the skills competition. He’s a big guy who has soft hands and a powerful wrist shot and is still working towards being a more consistent player with each passing game.
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chris+Drury, Colorado+Avalanche, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Tom+Renney,
Crucial Tilt Against The Predators
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/12/09 at 10:20 AM ET
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As of this morning, the New York Rangers were ninth in the Eastern Conference with 76 points, just one point out of the 8th spot (currently held by the Florida Panthers) and two points out of the 7th (currently held by the Carolina Hurricanes) and 6th (currently held by the Pittsburgh Penguins). This makes tonight’s game against the streaky Nashville Predators extremely important and much like the Blueshirts, the Predators are doing everything they can to stay in the thick of the playoff race (currently 8th in the Western Conference with 71 points).
Another reason why tonight’s tilt in Nashville is important is because of what a win would mean for Blueshirts’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist. The “King” is one win away from establishing a new NHL record by becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to win 30 or more games in each of his first four seasons. That should show you just how valuable Henrik is to this team and that he is one of the major reasons why the team has qualified for the postseason in each of their last three seasons.
While Monday’s night 3-0 loss to the Hurricanes wasn’t pretty, the team still looks like they are close to where they need to be in order to make the playoffs. They’re scoring more goals (except for Monday), going harder to the net, getting goals from guys that should be scoring, still playing sound defense and getting great goaltending from Henrik.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Nashville+Predators, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sean+Avery,
Same Team, Different Day
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/27/09 at 11:30 AM ET
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Much like the team did on Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers dominated the first two periods of their game against the Florida Panthers and still managed to find a way to lose 2-1 in regulation.
The Blueshirts outshot the Cats’ 41-22 and yet, only got one past Panthers’ netminder Craig Anderson. Though, Brandon Dubinsky had a goal waved off early in the first period and after reviewing the play over and over, it’s clear that Dubinsky’s stick was below the crossbar so once again, the Blueshirts caught a tough break.
It really is amazing how this team can’t score. Last night, they had trouble lifting the puck, they missed open notes, they shot right into Anderson, etc. They did all the things that’s been killing them this season and got a typical Blueshirt result over the past couple of months: a loss.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Colorado+Avalanche, Craig+Anderson, Florida+Panthers, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
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,
Why the Panthers Deserve to be Where they Are Now
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/18/09 at 12:30 PM ET
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The last time the Florida Panthers made the playoffs, they had some guy named Pavel Bure and had Mike Vernon as their goaltender. This happened during the 1999-2000 season when they were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils.
Nine years later, the Panthers find themselves in unfamiliar territory as March approaches: a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Since the new year, the team is 13-4-2 and is sixth in the Eastern Conference with 66 points, just three points behind the fourth-place Philadelphia Flyers. So, you might ask, how are they doing this?
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Tags: Bryan+McCabe, Cory+Stillman, Craig+Anderson, David+Booth, Florida+Panthers, Gregory+Campbell, Jay+Bouwmeester, Karlis+Skrastins, Keith+Ballard, Michael+Frolik, Mike+Vernon, Nathan+Horton, New+Jersey+Devils, Nick+Boynton, Pavel+Bure, Pete+Deboer, Richard+Zednik, Stephen+Weiss, Tomas+Vokoun,
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,
Carpiniello Gets It Right
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/14/09 at 02:20 PM ET
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In assessing last night’s loss to the Florida Panthers, Journal News New York Rangers’ beat writer Rick Carpiniello does a great job in pointing out this team’s flaws.
Here’s a sneak peek:
“This team lacks skill. You can argue all you want about the system being stifling, or the coach making bad personnel decisions, or whatever. And I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you.
But who is transporting the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone? Who? Gomez is capable of doing it, and in fact that’s one of his strengths when he’s playing well. Zherdev can do it. Callahan once in a while. That’s really all, and the transportation of the puck from defense to offense is a crucial element in any attack, whether the attack is passive or aggressive. It is a terribly under-appreciated facet of a good power play, and thus one of many reasons the Rangers’ power play stinks. And it truly does stink.”
To read more on the Rangers’ troubles, click here
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Rick+Carpiniello, Ryan+Callahan, The+Journal+News,
Records can be Deceiving
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/01/08 at 09:30 PM ET
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With a record of 17-8-2 and sitting first in the Eastern Conference, one would have to think that the team and its fans would be happy.
In the case of the New York Rangers, not so much. Looks can be deceiving folks and yesterday afternoon’s 4-0 clunker at the hands of the Florida Panthers proves that point.
Over at Sam Weinman’s (The Journal News) Rangers Report Blog, MSG’s John Giannone points out that of the club’s 17 wins, six have come in the shootout. If there were no shootouts, the team would have a substantially lower record and would be 11-7-8.
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Tags: Calgary+Flames, Chris+Drury, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Giannone, Markus+Naslund, Michal+Rozsival., Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Phoenix+Coyotes, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gomez, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Wade+Redden,
Skills Competition Bails out Rangers
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/29/08 at 11:00 AM ET
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For the second straight game, the New York Rangers needed a shootout to pick up two points, this time against the Florida Panthers.
It was also the second straight game that both Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev scored in the “skills competition” to give the Rangers a 4-3 victory.
Unlike there many other games that went to the shootout, it was the opposing team that tied up the game with just over a minute to go in the tilt as David Booth ripped in an in-tight shot past Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (38 saves) with 1:33 left to go in the hockey game.
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Tags: Craig+Anderson, David+Booth, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Petr+Prucha, Stephen+Valiquette, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tom+Renney,
Prucha to Play tonight in Miami?
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/28/08 at 01:40 PM ET
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Sam Weinman of The Journal News reports in his Rangers Report Blog that New York Rangers forward Petr Prucha may be in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers.
Prucha has played just eight games this season, his last one being on November 8 against the Washington Capitals. In those eight games, Prucha has no points and just ten shots on goal.
For Prucha, tonight is an opportunity for him to show that he belongs in the league and with the Rangers. However, if he doesn’t contribute offensively or looks out of place, he could find himself right back in the press box.
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, Hartford+Wolf+Pack, New+York+Rangers, Petr+Prucha, Sam+Weinman, The+Journal+News, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers on the Prowl in Miami
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/28/08 at 11:30 AM ET
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The New York Rangers continue their two-game road trip in the South with a matchup against the Florida Panthers tonight at the BankAtlantic Center. A win would give them 36 points on the season and a chance to keep their lead in the Eastern Conference.
One would have to expect that Rangers’ head coach Tom Renney will implement the same lineup he used on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, which includes keeping the line of Markus Naslund, Brandon Dubinsky and Nikolai Zherdev together.
Last season, the Blueshirts were 2-1-1 against the Panthers. This season, the Panthers have struggled under new coach Peter Deboer, going 8-11-2 with a minus- 12 goal differential, scoring just 48 times in 21 games and allowing 60 goals.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, David+Booth, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Peter+Deboer, Stephen+Valiquette, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tom+Renney,
