Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: John+Tortorella
What I Will Be Watching For This Season with the Rangers
by Patrick Hoffman on 08/03/11 at 12:59 PM ET
Comments (0)
With the month of August finally upon us, that only means that hockey season is getting closer and closer.
With that in mind, here is what I will be watching for this season when it comes to the New York Rangers:
- Brad Richards: This is a no-brainer. Since the team signed him to a nine-year deal, it will be extremely important for Richards to live up to his contract by producing, scoring goals, setting goals up, playing on special teams, being a leader and more importantly, be a true No. 1 center, something the Rangers have lacked for several seasons.
- Marian Gaborik: This is also an obvious choice. After scoring 42 goals in his first season as a Blueshirt in 2009-10, Gaborik slumped to just 22 goals last season. Yes, this was without a true No. 1 center but he was able to score over 40 under the same situaiton in his first season. Hopefully, Gaborik will be ready to pile in goals and stay healthy in 2011-12.
- Derek Stepan: How will the second-year Ranger respond to a terrific rookie season in which he posted 45 points (21 goals and 24 assists)? Hopefully, he will not go through the all too common sophomore slump that plagues many second-year NHLers.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: brad+Richards, Derek+Stepan, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Sean+Avery,
Two Interesting Top Line Options
by Patrick Hoffman on 08/01/11 at 07:00 AM ET
Comments (0)
Now that the New York Rangers have their No. 1 center in Brad Richards, many are wondering what the top line is going to look like.
For starters, everyone knows that Marian Gaborik is going to be one of Richards’s wingers. After scoring 42 goals in his first season as a Blueshirt back during the 2009-10 season, Gaborik has a quiet year this past season. Gaborik scored just 22 goals and had 26 assists for 48 points.
While those numbers would be considered decent for some other players in the National Hockey League, these are not the numbers that the team is paying for. What the team is paying for is what he did in the first season when he scored over 40 goals and had over 80 points. He did that without a true No. 1 center as well.
With Richards in the fold, there is definitely a good opportunity for Gaborik to put up some terrific offensive numbers this upcoming season. Hopefully, that will come in the form of between 35 and 45 goals or so.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brad+Richards, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery, Wojtek+Wolski,
Rubbish/Callahan signed to three-year deal
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/27/11 at 03:49 PM ET
Comments (4)
UPDATE: The New York Rangers signed Callahan to a three -year deal worth $12.875 million, avoiding tomorrow’s arbitration and giving their heart and soul player a solid contract.
Click here for more on the Callahan deal.
Earlier
That should be the exact word to describe the fact that someone in the media said that New York Rangers’ forward Ryan Callahan should not be team captain if the arbitration hearing is held tomorrow as scheduled:
If the parties cannot agree on a long-term deal and Callahan goes through with the hearing for what would automatically be a one-year contract given his status as an impending free agent, he would likely get somewhere around $4.2 million.
Moreover, a one-year contract would likely eliminate Callahan from consideration to succeed Chris Drury as captain. If Callahan’s Broadway future is uncertain, Brad Richards would almost certainly get the “C.”
There is no doubt that Callahan is the heart and soul of this New York Rangers’ club. His absence from last year’s postseason was felt by the whole club, especially head coach John Tortorella.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brad+Richards, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
A Well Deserved Extension
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/24/11 at 10:10 AM ET
Comments (1)
According to New York Rangers’ beat writer Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the Rangers gave head coach John Tortorella an extension a couple of months ago:
The process of building the Rangers so they aren’t left bringing knives to a gunfight, the way they were in this playoff confrontation with the Capitals, will continue with John Tortorella behind the bench, The Post has learned.
Sources have told The Post that Tortorella’s contract, originally due to expire after this season, was extended a couple of months ago.
Garden and Rangers executives cited policy in declining comment, but it is believed that the extension will cover the next three seasons. Tortorella, who was hired on Feb. 23, 2009, has taken the Blueshirts to the playoffs twice in three years, but his teams have gone out in the first round both times, and both times to the Capitals.
Click here for more.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers,
Avery Returns to the Lineup for Game 2
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/15/11 at 12:56 PM ET
Comments (0)
From good friend of the blog Jim Cerny at BlueshirtsUnited.com:
Following Friday’s morning skate at the Verizon Center, Rangers head coach John Tortorella announced that rugged winger Sean Avery—-a healthy scratch in Game One—-would be in the lineup tonight for Game Two against the Capitals, and that Mats Zuccarello would be scratched.
Torts had this to say of Avery: “When Sean is consistent with his play, he can add some forechecking to us. He should also add some energy to our lineup. Hopefully Sean adds some juice.”
Avery’s reaction to playing tonight?: “I’m ready to go. I don’t worry about anything. I am just ready to play hockey.”
Click here for more great Rangers’ content on tonight’s big Game 2.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery, Washington+capitals,
And So It Begins
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/13/11 at 07:00 AM ET
Comments (0)
That’s right folks. The New York Rangers are in the playoffs and tonight is Game 1 between the Blueshirts and the No. 1 seed Washington Capitals.
The Blueshirts are back in the postseason for the first time in two seasons, when, you guessed it, they were knocked out of the first round in seven games by the Washington Capitals. Is this series about revenge?
The answer to that question is no. For the Rangers, this series is about playing to what their identity says there are, which is a hard working hockey club that never gives up.
To get off to a good start in this series, they will need their hard work and resilient style in what will be an extremely loud Verizon Center. For the past couple of seasons, the Washington Capitals have been one of the best teams on home ice (25 victories this season) and their fans can really help in big games.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brian+Boyle, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Vinny+Prospal, Washington+Capitals,
All About Hope Now
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/09/11 at 01:59 PM ET
Comments (0)
The New York Rangers did what they had to do this afternoon in defeating the New Jersey Devils by a score of 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
With the victory, the Blueshirts finished the regular season with 93 points, putting them up two points over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight and should they lose in regulation time or overtime, the Rangers will clinch the final playoff spot and prepare for a first round matchup with the first place Washington Capitals.
It was great to see hard-working guys like Chris Drury, Brandon Prust, Ryan McDonagh and Vinny Prospal all beat future hall-of-fame netminder Martin Brodeur. For Drury, it was his first goal of the season and a big one at that. He also did well on face-offs and overall, was a positive factor for the Blueshirts this afternoon.
For McDonagh, it was his first career NHL goal. It could not have come at a better time for the Blueshirts as it gave them a 3-2 lead in the second period as well as a game-winning goal for #27.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Brandon+Prust, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chris+Drury, Dan+Bylsma, John+Tortorella, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+McDonagh, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Vinny+Prospal,
Some Ranger Line-up Updates Via Twitter and Other Thoughts
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/09/11 at 09:50 AM ET
Comments (2)
Here are some Tweets from New York Rangers’ beat writer Andrew Gross regarding today’s line-up in the regular season finale against the New Jersey Devils:
Torts on Drury’s return: “He’ll give us some juice. Our captain’s back in the lineup.”
Torts says tough decision Gilroy over Eminger but thinks Gilroy can help get the puck out of the end zone a little quicker.Drury in, Avery out. Gilroy in, Eminger out. Zuccarello in.
I am not quite sure what to think about the line-up changes that the head coach has decided to implement. While Avery has not played great, he is usually always a factor against Devils’ netminder Martin Brodeur. Yes, Drury is the captain and yes, it will be nice to have him in the game to kill some penalties and take key face-offs but to me, the move is still questionable.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Andrew+Gross, Chris+Drury, John+Tortorella, Martin+Brodeur, Matt+Gilroy, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery, Steve+Eminger,
Matt Gilroy As a Forward
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/07/11 at 11:00 AM ET
Comments (0)
With New York Rangers’ forward Ryan Callahan injured, head coach John Tortorella decided to give defenseman Matt Gilroy a shot at forward.
While this may seem odd, it really isn’t because Gilroy started out as a forward and did not become a defenseman until he went to Boston University. So really, the position should come naturally to Gilroy.
Here is what Rangers’ beat writer Andrew Gross had to say about the switch to forward:
Gilroy has been a healthy scratch the past six games and it would be surprising for Gilroy to log heavy minutes as a fourth-liner - think around 7 or under - though he could see time on the power play.
What will help Gilroy most is his skating ability and coach John Tortorella said Gilroy just needed to keep it simple. Gilroy was a forward through most of his sophomore season at Boston University before injuries necessitated his move to defense, where his game blossomed.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, John+Tortorella, Matt+Gilroy, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
Zuccarello The Healthy Scratch as Avery Returns to the Lineup
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/26/11 at 10:34 AM ET
Comments (0)
According to Jesse Spector of The Daily News, Mats Zuccarello will be a healthy scratch this afternoon when the New York Rangers take on the Boston Bruins.
Replacing him will be Sean Avery, who has been a healthy scratch the last few games:
Mats Zuccarello will be a healthy scratch after sitting the entire third period on Thursday night, then playing just 26 seconds of overtime before missing his shootout attempt. Matt Gilroy also sits out today, his second straight healthy scratch.
This is the first healthy scratch of Zuccarello’s NHL career. The Norwegian rookie has played 40 straight games since making his debut on December 23 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s the fourth time Gilroy has been a healthy scratch in the last six games after playing 30 consecutive games.
Click here for more, including a pre-game press conference between team head John Tortorella and the team’s beat writers.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, Mats+Zuccarello, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery,
Staal to return Tonight Against the Senators
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/24/11 at 03:48 PM ET
Comments (0)
Good news, New York Rangers’ fans. Defenseman Marc Staal will be back in the line-up tonight against the Ottawa Senators after missing a few games with an undisclosed injury.
Here is what Rangers’ beat writer Andrew Gross had to say about it over at Ranger Rants:
Defenseman Marc Staal, who missed the previous two games with what was believed to be a re-aggravation of an earlier left knee injury though the Rangers would not disclose the problem, will be back in the lineup tonight when the Rangers host the Senators. Staal participated in the team’s full morning skate and also skated on his own yesterday when the rest of the team was off. His shot was a little rusty as one of his one-timers rose and hit Henrik Lundqvist in the mask, knocking the goalie over, though he reported he was fine later.
Sean Avery and Matt Gilroy will be the healthy scratches.
It makes sense for Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella to keep Avery scratched as the team has been winning games without him. There is no doubt that what Avery can provide to this team but right now, it is better to be safe than sorry and keep the nonsense on the ice to a minimum.
Click here to read the rest of Gross’s blog.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Matt+Gilroy, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery,
Rangers Look to Extend Winning Streak to Six
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/24/11 at 08:25 AM ET
Comments (1)
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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery,
Avoiding The Trap Game
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/22/11 at 08:21 AM ET
Comments (0)
This is exactly what the New York Rangers need to do tonight at Madison Square Garden when they take on the Florida Panthers.
The Blueshirts are currently on a four-game winning streak and have a four point lead on the eighth place Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The last thing this team needs is to lose to the Florida Panthers, a team that is out of the playoff race and looking to slow down any team that is trying to advance to the Stanley Cup tournament.
In the team’s last four games, they have shown that they can put the puck in the net, score on the power play, kill big penalties and get solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist on a somewhat consistent basis. Every one on the team is stepping up at the right time and one can only hope that it does not stop this week with their game against the Panthers tonight as well as against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sean+Avery, Wojtek+Wolski,
What to do with Sean Avery
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/16/11 at 11:55 AM ET
Comments (3)
When New York Rangers’ forward Sean Avery was scratched on Saturday night against the San Jose Sharks, many pundits and fans alike figured that he would come out and play a heckuva game against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
Unfortunately, both were wrong as Avery struggled in last night’s 6-3 victory over the team’s hated rival. He took three penalties, one of which led to a John tavares power play goal in the third period, and only got just over seven minutes of ice time.
One has to wonder what team head coach John Tortorella thought of his play last night. If I am Tortorella, I would hesitate to put him in the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night as the last thing you want to do is give the Canadiens a bunch of power plays.
With that said, however, Avery is someone who works hard, can generate scoring opportunities and keeps the opponent on edge. Avery is one of the best when it comes to throwing an opposing team off its game.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery,
Wolski to Be a healthy Scratch Tonight Against the Islanders
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/15/11 at 12:20 PM ET
Comments (1)
According to New York Rangers’ beat writer Jesse Spector, Blueshirts’ forward Wojtek Wolski will be a healthy scratch tonight when the team takes on the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
Wojtek Wolski was one of the Rangers’ heroes on Saturday night in San Jose, scoring the shootout goal that extended the tiebreaker for Brandon Dubinsky to win it in the sixth round. Tonight, he will be a healthy scratch for the first time since the January trade that brought him to New York in exchange for Michal Rozsival.
That might seem incongruous, but not to Wolski, who was disappointed when John Tortorella informed him that he would be sitting out tonight’s game against the Islanders, but understood the reason for the move.
“I don’t think that’s a good enough reason to keep me in the lineup,” Wolski said. “I’ve got to obviously play better. He’s holding me accountable, and the only one I can blame is myself. I’ve got to have more confidence out there with the puck and just play a bigger role, and have a bigger impact on the games.”
Wolski has not exactly been terrible for the Blueshirts. He has four assists in his last eight games and is the team’s forward leader in +/- with a + 12.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Daily+News, Jesse+Spector, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Wojtek+Wolski,
Rangers Pick Up the All-Important Two Points in San Jose
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/13/11 at 10:22 AM ET
Comments (1)
It does not matter how you get them just as long you get them.
That is what the New York Rangers were able to do last night in their 3-2 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks. It wasn’t pretty but the Blueshirts did not allow two deflection goals against to derail them en route to a victory.
At this point in the season, one point is not good enough for the Blueshirts and they showed that last night in San Jose. The team got goals from from Erik Christensen, Michael Sauer and in the shootout, got the winner from Brandon Dubinsky after Wojtek Wolski extended the shootout by scoring on Sharks’ netminder Antti Niemi in the third round of the skills competition.
The Blueshirts also got a terrific performance from their netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist made 31 saves in 65 minutes and then went and stopped five of six shots in the shootout to pick up his 28th victory of the season.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Columbus+Blue+Jackets, Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Michael+Sauer, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, San+Jose+Sharks, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wojtek+Wolski,
Rangers Set to Go Shark Hunting
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/12/11 at 09:23 PM ET
Comments (0)
If you’re still up at 10:30 p.m. tonight, I hope you hockey/New York Rangers’ fans will tune into tonight’s game between the Blueshirts and the San Jose Sharks.
After losing to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night and having a few days off, the Blueshirts find themselves in tied for seventh/eighth in the Eastern Conference with the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately, the Rangers are also just two points up on the ninth place Carolina Hurricanes, making tonight’s tilt with the Sharks even more important.
Over at The Rangers Tribune, Nicholas Montemagno wrote about how he agrees with Rangers’ beat writer Larry Brooks on having team head coach John Tortorella unleash sniper Marian Gaborik. I could not agree more as it is imperative that Gaborik gets his offense going as now is not the time in the season to struggle offensively.
I also agree with head coach Tortorella when he says that it is all about the Henrik Lundqvist show now. Lundqvist needs to bring his A-game the rest of the way if the Rangers want to have any chance of getting into the playoffs. Lundqvist has been quite good over his last few games so hopefully, he will be able to keep it up down the stretch.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Dan+Girardi, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello, Mike+Sauer, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Ryan+McDonagh, San+Jose+Sharks, Vaclav+Prospal,
Rangers’ Shutout Capitals for the Second Time in Big 6-0 Victory
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/25/11 at 09:32 PM ET
Comments (0)
Going into tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals, many New York Rangers’ pundits and fans did not know what to expect. Both parties worried about the team being without Marc Staal and Marian Gaborik as well as facing a potentially potent Capital’s offense.
May be this was a good thing as the Blueshirts dominated the Capitals on the scoreboardc in a 6-0 shutout victory. Believe it or not, this was the Rangers’ second shutout over the Capitals this season as the team shut them out back in December in a 7-0 romping.
Besides picking up the shutout, the best thing to come out of this game for the Rangers’ was their success on the power play. The team went 2-for-3 on the man advantage with goals from Erik Christensen (he had two goals and an assist in the game) and Derek Stepan. Believe it or not, the team’s power play has been a lot better of late and that is because they are being more aggresive and throwing more pucks on the net. Hopefully this trend will continue for the Blueshirts.
Speaking of Christensen, he played like a man on a mission tonight. He had three points, was around the net a lot, he had four shots on goal, played on the power play and was effective. Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella needs more of this from Christensen as the team continues to build their playoff push.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Sauer, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+McDonagh, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
Time to Get The Rangers’ Offense Going
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/22/11 at 08:45 AM ET
Comments (0)
It seems like this has been a key theme for the New York Rangers during the second half of the NHL season.
Unfortunately, the Blueshirts have had trouble doing so on a consistent basis, which will need to change fast especially if the team finds out Marian Gaborik will be out of the lineup for a bit (should know more today). Tonight, the team will need to start up its offense against the eighth place Carolina Hurricanes in Carolina tonight.
The Hurricanes are just two points behind the Rangers in the Eastern Conference standings and are 15-10-3 on home ice this season. With that said, the Rangers will have a hill to climb tonight if they want to get two points before taking on the Washington Capitals on Friday night.
As I mentioned up top, this team needs to start scoring goals. The Blueshirts need guys like Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Wojtek Wolski, Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle, and Vinny Prospal to all start putting the puck in the net with regularity.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brian+Boyle, Carolina+Hurricanes, Jim+Cerny, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Vinny+Prospal, Wojtek+Wolski,
Another Big Victory for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/18/11 at 08:00 AM ET
Comments (0)
Good morning folks. It was great to come home from hockey last night and see that the New York Rangers came away with a big 4-3 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden.
Reading what beat writers had to say about the big two points, it was nice to see that guys like Ryan Callahan (1 goal and 1 assist), Marian Gaborik (1 goal) and Brandon Dubinsky (1 assist) all stepped up their games and played the way they should play in a playoff run: like the team’s best players.
It was also nice that Henrik Lundqvist picked up his 200th career victory. For someone who isn’t even 29 years old yet (will be in early March), it is quite impressive and also makes you wonder if that win total would be even higher if he were with a somewhat more talented hockey club. I guess that really does not matter so it’s great that our franchise netminder is getting the job done.
With the win, the team now has 66 points and is up four points over the eighth place Carolina Hurricanes and three points behind the sixth place Montreal Canadiens. The win was also important because the team still has two games to play in three days.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Los+Angeles+Kings, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan,
Getting Off to a Good Start
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/17/11 at 08:53 AM ET
Comments (0)
After going three days without a game after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 5-3, the New York Rangers will be back in action tonight at Madison Square Garden against the Los Angeles Kings.
Both of these clubs are in the midst of a playoff race as the Blueshirts currently sit in the seventh spot in the eastern Conference while the Kings sit in the ninth spot in the Western Conference. The margin of error for each team is extremely small as the Rangers are only four points ahead of the ninth place Buffalo Sabres and Atlanta Thrashers while the Kings are just one point out of the eighth and final spot in the West.
With that said, tonight’s game is extremely important for both teams, especially the Rangers who will begin a span of three games in four days against solid hockey teams in the Kings, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers. It is crucial that the Rangers get off to a good start and get as many points as possible so that come April, they’ll be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Buffalo+Sabres, John+Tortorella, Kris+Newbury, Los+Angeles+Kings, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Steve+Eminger, Wojtek+Wolski,
My Oh My How Things Changed on Broadway
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/15/11 at 03:37 PM ET
Comments (1)
Before the NHL Lockout during 2004-05, the New York rangers were all about having veterans and experience on the roster, even if it came at the expense of a younger player or prospect.
Fast forward about seven years later and the Blueshirts have completely changed their philosophy. A lot of this, believe it or not, is due to general manager Glen Sather along with former head coach Tom Renney and new head coach John Tortorella.
Today, the latter was raving about another Rangers’ prospect who he thinks should have already turned pro in Chris Kredier, MVP of the 2011 Beanpot Tournament:
“I wish he’d turn pro last year,” Tortorella said. “I hope he turns pro next year. I hope he’s with us. He’s a sophomore now and we’re anxious to get him involved in pro hockey. We think he’s got some good stuff to offer and we want to get him tracked up here with us as soon as possible.”
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Kreider, Derek+Stepan, John+Tortorella, Mats+Zuccarello, Michael+Del+Zotto, Michael+Sauer, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Ryan+McDonagh,
Rangers Power Play Clicks In Victory Over the Penguins
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/13/11 at 05:40 PM ET
Comments (0)
As our fearless leader Paul Kukla mentioned in my previous blog, I need to start writing about the New York Rangers needing to win now in order to get the team going.
This afternoon at Madison Square Garden, the Blueshirts did just that in a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, snapping their six game winless strerak. The team was also able to get its power play as the team went three for five with the man advantage.
The game certainly did not start great for the Rangers as they found themselves 2-0 after the Penguins scored two goals on their first four shots. After Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella called a timeout, the team responded in a positive manner and exploded offensively.
The Blueshirts got goals from Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan (2), Vinny Prospal and Artem Anisimov with Callahan, Prospal and Anisimov all connecting on the power play. It just goes to show you what a good power play can do to a hockey team as this afternoon, it certainly raised the level of the Rangers.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Atlanta+Thrashers, Brian+Boyle, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Los+Angeles+Kings, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan, Vinny+Prospal,
Time for Dubinsky and Callahan to Resurface as Leaders
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/09/11 at 03:39 PM ET
Comments (1)
With Arthur Staple reporting that New York Rangers’ captain Chris Drury will be out for six weeks after having his knee scoped, it is time for Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan to lead this team into the playoffs.
There are many out there that question why Drury was named captain in the first place but despite not producing, he did try and play hard, he blocked shots, he was great on the penalty kill and he was the consumate professional. Even head coach John Tortorella said he was tired of hearing negative things about Drury:
Tortorella on Drury: “It pisses me off that some things come out about Chris Drury, about him thinking he might be out of the lineup and thinking he’s given in here a little bit…It bothered me. Because he’s not built that way, and we all know that.”
With that in mind, it is time for Dubinsky and Callahan to lead this team both as leaders on the ice and off the ice. When it comes to the on-ice part, they will have to continue to play hard, play on special teams, kill penalties, hit, block shots and produce. The last part is extremely important considering how quiet Marian Gaborik has been.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, John+Tortorella, New+york+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
Power Play Hurts the Rangers in 3-2 loss to the Wings
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/07/11 at 10:40 PM ET
Comments (0)
New York Rangers’ fans probably figured that tonight’s game would come down to the team’s power play and they were certainly right.
Unfortunately for Blueshirt fans, the game did not end well as the team lost 3-2 to the Detroit Red Wings at the Joe Louis Arena while wasting a 5-on-3 turning into a 5-on-4 for the last few minutes of the hockey game. It was a game in which the Rangers’ fired 47 shots on Wings’ goaltender Jimmy Howard but could not get the one behind Howard that would tie the game.
You cannot blame this game on Rangers’ netminder Martin Biron. Biron was stellar between the pipes for the Blueshirts in making 32 saves and once again giving his team every opportunity to win a hockey game.
And yes, the team did get goals from Derek Stepan and Brandon Dubinsky but where was Marian Gaborik? Where was Wojtek Wolski? Where was Vinny Prospal? And again, where the heck was the power play?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Brandon+Dubinsky, Derek+Stepan, Detroit+Red+Wings, Jimmy+Howard, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Vinny+Prospal, Wojtek+Wolski,
Where is the Rangers’ Power Play?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/06/11 at 04:00 PM ET
Comments (1)
In a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens yesterday afternoon, it was the power play that lost the game for the New York Rangers.
The Blueshirts had four power play opportunities and were only able to put one shot on Canadiens’ netminder Carey Price. Yes, the Canadiens’ penalty kill was very aggressive and did a terrific job in clogging ...up othe defensive zone but the Rangers need to be heckuva lot more effective with the man advanatge going forward.
The Rangers may not have the most talented group of forwards but they do have guys that can shoot the puck such as Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, and Artem Anisimov. They also have some talent at the points in Dan Girardi, Michael Del Zotto, Marc Staal and Matt Gilroy who can get pucks to the net.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Carey+Price, Dan+Girardi, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborki, Matt+Gilroy, Michael+Del+Zotto, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
Tortorella has a Tough Goaltending Decision to Make For the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/06/11 at 01:51 PM ET
Comments (0)
With New York Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist “struggling” a bit and Martin Biron playing extremely well yesterday afternoon against the Montreal Canadiens, it will be interesting to see who head coach John Tortorella decides to start in goal tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings.
It is very easy to make a case for both. Starting with Lundqvist, he is clearly one of the league’s best goalies and as a head coach, you want your best players to play against one of the best teams in the NHL.
Yes, Lundqvist has not been great in his last three or four games but he hasn’t exactly been terrible either. With him sitting out against the Canadiens, Lundqvist will more than likely return between the pipes and have a strong performance. What better team to do that against than the Detroit Red Wings?
As for Martin Biron, he was extremely strong yesterday afternoon against the Canadiens in making 27 saves. He gave his team every chance to win a hockey game, which is really all you can ask of your backup netminder.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Detroit+Red+Wings, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, Montreal+Canadiens,
Rangers Look to Get Back on Track Against the Canadiens/Update
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/05/11 at 10:51 AM ET
Comments (0)
UPDATE: According to web site beat writer Jim Cerny, New York Rangers’ head coach has elected to go with Martin Biron in goal against the Canadiens this afternoon:
Quick pre-game media session with Torts: Marty Biron start in goal and same defensive pairings, meaning Steve Eminger remains out.
From Earlier
The New York Rangers need to stop this losing skid before it keeps growing.
The team will get that opportunity this afternoon when they take on the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens are on a two game winning streak while the Blueshirts have not won in three games.
Looking at the positives during the winless streak, the Rangers were in all three games and probably should have won all three games. They put pucks to the net, they kept the games close, they battled back and they worked hard, all things that will keep a head coach happy.
What won’t make a head coach happy is inconsistent goaltending, which is what Henrik Lundqvist has provided over the last three games. He hasn’t been terrible by any means and has made some terrific saves but unfortunately, he has not made the saves that have ended up helping the team win.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Detroit+Red+Wings, Erick+Christensen, Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers,
Is Captain Drury Hurt or Is He Just Struggling?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/04/11 at 06:48 PM ET
Comments (1)
Well, according to New York Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella, he is.
Tortorella reported earlier today (view it on the team’s twitter account here) that Chris Drury will not be making the road trip with the team due to the following:
“He has had cranky knee and has progressively gotten worse…gone a few weeks and flared up last night.”
Chris Drury has had one heck of a disappointing season on Broadway this season. He’s been hurt and his play has not been the best since rejoining the lineup.
In my opinion, I think it’s the latter reason that Drury is out of the lineup. The organization and its head coach is trying to diffuse any sort of negativity surrounding the captain and is painting a somewhat rosy picture when in reality, his play has been terrible this season.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Chris+Drury, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers,
Blueshirts Lose Two Valuable Points/You Tell Me…
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/03/11 at 11:31 PM ET
Comments (0)
Good evening folks. I am sorry to say that because I was playing hockey tonight, I was not able to catch much of the New York Rangers vs, New Jersey Devils game tonight.
With that said, I was disappointed to come home and find out that the Blueshirts lost two valuable points in a 3-2 loss to the team’s Hudson River rivals. Yes, the team is still not fully healthy and yes, the team almost came back from a 3-0 defecit but in the end, it is two points that are out the window.
Every game means something and the Blueshirts do not exactly have a firm hold on a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference. With a big game coming up on Saturday afternoon against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, it would have been better for the team to go into the game on a winning note. Instead, the team goes into it having not won in three games and also having lost to the 14th place team in the Eastern Conference.
Now, that is nothing against the New Jersey Devils. I may have not seen the game but I know that the Devils came into it having played some of their best hockey over an eight or nine game stretch. As such, they probably earned the victory tonight against the Blueshirts.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Vinny+Prospal,
Blueshirts Get the Job Done Against the Capitals
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/25/11 at 08:20 AM ET
Comments (0)
When New York Rangers’ fans heard that Martin Biron was starting last night against the Washington Capitals, they all thought that head coach John Tortorella was giving the game away and hoping to pick up two points tonight against the Panthers.
As it turns out, they were wrong and the Blueshirts came away with a 2-1 shootout victory, thanks partly to some timely goaltending from Biron and a terrific defensive effort. The defense held the Capitals to just 23 shots and did a solid job of keeping the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Mike Knuble and others quiet on their way to another road victory.
Fifty-two minutes into the game, the Rangers were down 1-0 until Marian Gaborik tied it up when a Dan Boyle shot ffrom the top of the circle hit off Capitals’ netminder Braden Holtby and then deflected off Gaborik’s shoulder and in. It may not have been Gaborik’s prettiest goal but it was a goal that the team needed and a goal that will hopefully get Gaborik going offensively on a consistent basis.
In the shootout, the team got two great goals from Mats Zuccarello (4/4 in the shootout this season and in his career) and the eventual game winning goal from Artem Anisimov, his first ever shootout goal, giving the team its second straight shootout victory.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Holtby, Dan+Boyle, Florida+Panthers, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Mats+Zuccarello, Mike+Green, Mike+Knuble, New+York+Rangers, Nicklas+Backstrom, Washington+Capitals,
Lineup UPDATE/Another Tough Test on Tap for the Blueshirts Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/24/11 at 08:57 AM ET
Comments (0)
UPDATE: Per New York Rangers’ beat writer Andrew Gross, goaltender Martin Biron will start tonight against the Washington Capitals:
Biron playing because Torts refuses to play Lundqvist 5 games in 7 nights. Why tonight vs. Caps and not tomorrow vs. Panthers? “Why not?”
To clarify: Marty Biron starting tonight vs. Capitals. Lundqvist should play tomorrow at MSG vs. Panthers.
EARLIER: It seems like every game these days is a test for the New York Rangers.
The test consists of questions such as:
- Can they overcome injuries to win a hockey game?
- Can they score enough goals to win a hockey game?
- Can head coach John Tortorella keep the lines consistent?
Well, more than half way through the season, it is easy to say that the team has passed each test they have been given. With that said, will the team pass the test they face tonight against the Washington Capitals?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Andrew+Gross, Atlanta+Thrashers, Brandon+Prust, Dan+Girardi, Evgeny+Grachev, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, Michael+del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Better Defensive Effort Needed Tonight Fron the Rangers Against the Thrashers
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/22/11 at 12:00 PM ET
Comments (0)
After losing to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Thursday night, the New York Rangers have to put in a much better defensive effort in their game tonight against the Atlanta Thrashers.
The team allowed 39 shots on Thursday night, did not break up enough plays, and were often caught out of position. Had the team performed better on the defensive side of the puck on Thursday night, we could be talking a 4-1 win rather than a loss.
In looking at the Rangers vs. Thrashers game preview on the team’s web site, it seems that the team will be ready to deliver a much better defensive performance tonight against an offensive Thrashers hockey club.
“If we’re going to compete, especially in the second half of the season, we have to defend the proper way,” said Tortorella. “It has to be of the utmost importance to us. We have to defend first, and then work from there. So we have some work to do.”
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Sloppy Defensive Effort Hurts Blueshirts in Loss to the Hurricanes
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/21/11 at 11:06 AM ET
Comments (0)
After pounding seven goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, the New York Rangers were held to one goal in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center.
Specifically, they were held to one goal by the terrific netminding of Cam Ward, who made 39 saves in the game. The Rangers had their chances to score a bunch of goals by time and time again last night, Ward was able to make the save.
If you’re a die-hard Blueshirts’ fan, I am sure that you expected the team to deliver that kind of effort last night after scoring a bunch of goals the night before. With that said, however, the team had a lot of opportunities and had those chances gone in, we could be talking about another big win.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Cam+Ward, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers,
Time to Start Going Goals
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/19/11 at 08:29 AM ET
Comments (0)
With the New York Rangers having dropped three of their last four games all by one goal, the time has come for the team to start putting the puck in the net at the right time.
The team will get the chance to do that tonight when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in an original six matchup at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts need to come out and be offensive and aggressive for a full 60 minutes rather than just the last period of the hockey game, which was the case in back-to-back losses this weekend to the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. Had the team played the way they did in the third period on both nights, we could easily be talking about a three game winning streak.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Andrew+Gross, Artem+Anismov, Atlanta+Thrashers, Carolina+Hurricanes, Derek+Stepan, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ranger+Rants, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Washington+Capitals, Wojtek+Wolski,
Henrik Sticks Up For Himself in 3-2 Loss to the Canadiens
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/16/11 at 11:12 AM ET
Comments (1)
A National Hockey League goaltender can only take so much some times.
The perfect example of this is New York Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who threw some punches at Montreal Canadiens’ forward Max Pacioretty after Pacioretty crashed into Lundqvist in the second period. Lundqvist had clearly had enough as he was being bombarded by Canadiens’ shots (38 saves in the hockey game) and players.
Lundqvist’s punches manage to wake up his hockey club but it was too little too late as the Blueshirts fell to the Canadiens by a score of 3-2 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella said the following to Rangers’ web site beat writer Jim Cerny after the game regarding Lundqvist:
Tortorella had no issues with what his goalie did.
“I loved Hank doing that,” said Tortorella. “I loved his emotion.”
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Carey+Price, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
Who the Rangers Are
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/14/11 at 02:18 PM ET
Comments (0)
Today on MSG.com, New York Rangers’ blogger/writer Rob Simpson penned a piece on how Blueshirts head coach John Tortorella has his hockey club playing hockey “the Ranger Way”.
Isn’t it great? For the longest time, Rangers’ fans have been wanting to see a team that works hard every night and is rewarded for it. It appears that Tortorella has the team doing that this season.
“The most important part of this year is that we’re a team,” Torts said after practice Monday. “We’re finding ways to win hockey games with everyone contributing.”
The perfect example of this was last night. It featured great goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, a timely goal from Blueshirt newcomer Wojtek Wolski, excellent penalty killing, a lot of shot blocking and in the end, it allowed the Rangers to shutout the best team in hockey in the Vancouver Canucks.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, MSG.com, New+York+Rangers, Rob+Simpson, Wojtek+Wolski,
Trophy Nomination for John Tortorella
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/12/11 at 07:47 PM ET
Comments (13)
Over at RLD Hockey today, I talk about how New York Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella deserves some consideration for the Jack Adams Trophy as one of the league’s best coaches.
You can either click on the links above to go read the article or you can read it here on Kukla’s Korner:
Tortorella for Jack Adams?
As I was listening to NHL Live! earlier today, host Don LaGreca mentioned that New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella should get some consideration for the Jack Adams Trophy as the league’s coach of the year.
Believe it or not, Tortorella has been one of the best coaches in the league this year. Yes, guys like Craig Ramsey, Guy Boucher and Marc Crawford also deserve to get considered for the award; but before giving those guys the keys, let’s take a look at why Tortorella should get some recognition for a job well done this season.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Jack+Adams+Trophy, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers,
My Rangers’ All-Stars
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/12/11 at 10:26 AM ET
Comments (0)
With the NHL announcing the rest of the All-Star selections yesterday, I figured now would be a good time to look at the players who have been all-stars for the New York Rangers this season.
Some of my selections were baded on point-production while other selections were due to their overall fine play in the first half of the season.
Let me know what you think:
- Brandon Dubinsky: The Rangers’ 24-year-old has been by far and away the team’s best offensive player this season. In 44 games, Dubinsky has 37 points (17 goals and 20 assists) and has shown those throughout the organization that he has the potential to be a 30 to 35-goal scorer. Not only does he contribute offensively, but “Dubi” also plays well on the other side of the puck and is used in all game situations whether it’s power play, penalty kill, the extra man, etc. He’s done it all for the Blueshirts this season and hopefully for the Rangers, he will do much of the same in the second half of the season.
- Ryan Callahan: Before suffering a broken hand against the Pittsburgh Penguins in December, Rangers’ forward Ryan Callahan was also making a name for himself to be the top Rangers’ player. In 32 games, the 25-year-old had put up 23 points (10 goals and 13 assists) and also become the perfect role model for the Blueshirts. He sacrificed his body to block shots, he skated hard at both ends of the ice, he played on the power play and penalty kill and he was a leader on and off the ice. While the Blueshirts have played well without him, he will certainly be welcomed back into the lineup with open arms.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Brian+Boyle, Dan+Girardi, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
Big Week Ahead for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/10/11 at 01:23 PM ET
Comments (0)
Sitting at 25-15-3, the New York Rangers find themselves sixth in the Eastern Conference with 53 points, just one point behind the fifth place Washington Capitals, three points behind the fourth place Pittsburgh Penguins and believe it or not, four points behind the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Flyers.
With that in mind, the Rangers have a tough eight points on the line this week with games against the Montreal Canadiens (2) Vancouver Canucks and Phildelphia Flyers. These teams are currently all playoff hockey clubs and will present a tough challenge for the injury-plagued Blueshirts.
In order to be successful this week and pick up some valuable points, the Rangers will need to do the following things in no particular order:
- Stay Healthy: With injuries to Ryan Callahan, Erik Christensen, Vinny Prospal and now Alex Frolov (out the remainder of the season), the team cannot afford any more injuries. Sure, the team has responded well to injur-adversity this season but right now, the focus should be getting everyone healthy prior to making a playoff run.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Frolov, Erick+Christensen, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan, Vancouver+Canucks, Vinny+Prospal.+Henrik+Lundqvist.+Martin+Biron,
Rangers Win with Youth
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/06/11 at 08:24 AM ET
Comments (0)
For many years, New York Rangers’ fans wanted a team that worked hard every night, won hockey games and had a bunch of young players on the roster.
Believe it or not, Rangers’ general manager Glen Sather has succeeded in making that happen and it showed last night in the team’s 2-1 overtime victory last night over the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.
The key players in last night’s victory are all home-grown Blueshirts and all contributed to a Blueshirt victory. Defenseman Matt Gilroy scored to give the Rangers’ a 1-0 lead off a great feed from Mats Zuccarello.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Dallas+Stars, Glen+Sather, John+Tortorella, Mats+Zuccarello, Matt+Gilory, New+York+Rangers, St.+Louis+Blues,
Not Just Yet for Ryan McDonagh
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/04/11 at 03:05 PM ET
Comments (0)
According to Peter Botte of the Daily News, recently called up defenseman Ryan McDonagh will not play for the New York Rangers tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was recalled from Connecticut to replace demoted Michael Del Zotto, also took part in practice. He isn’t slated to play against the Hurricanes, with Tortorella again praising Matt Gilroy for working his way back into the Rangers’ top-six.
Don’t worry folks. I have a feeling that Tortorella will get McDonagh in the lineup very soon but right now, the team has a solid defense in Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michal Rozsival, Matt Gilroy, Michael Sauer and Steve Eminger. With that in mind, there is no need to rush McDonagh into a game right now.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Ryan+McDonagh,
Christensen Out, Weise In
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/30/10 at 07:06 PM ET
Comments (0)
According to Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants:
Erik Christensen left The Prudential Center wearing a knee brace on his right leg, a lengthy one going from his upper thigh to his lower calf. Coach John Tortorella reported Christensen had suffered a mild sprain at 8:16 of the second period after a collision with Devils defenseman Andy Greene, which led to a collision with the left post.
Christensen said he has not been told yet whether he will be making the Florida trip - the team’s charter leaves tomorrow morning for Tampa - but the Rangers did recall forward Dale Weise from Connecticut (AHL) in order for the 22-year-old to be on the plane. Christensen said he did not have X-rays taken at the arena and was not sure when he would be examined by a doctor. He had his knee iced at The Rock.
In the one game that Weise played in this season (December 18 against the Philadelphia Flyers), he was one of the team’s better places and even had a goal called back. Hopefully this weekend in Florida, head coach John Tortorella will put him in a position to exceed.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Dale+Weise, Erik+Christensen, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers,
Blueshirts Set To Take on the Devils
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/29/10 at 12:02 PM ET
Comments (0)
Looking to repear their Monday night performance over the New York Islanders (7-2 win), the New York Rangers are set to take on the New Jersey Devils tonight at the Prudential Center.
What is amazing is that the games between these two clubs used to mean a lot when both were competitive. Unfortunately for the Devils, they are currently last place in both the Eastern Conference and the entire NHL.
What does this mean for the Blueshirts? Well, knowing the Rangers, it could be a trap game where the team gets outplayed by a far-lesser hockey club and misses out on picking up two crucial points.
With that said, this year’s version of the Rangers appear to be a much different hockey club. They work hard every night, they have stayed in most games they have played and believe it or not, they have won more often than they have lost this season.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, Mats+Zuccarello, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers,
Gilroy Stepping Up for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/28/10 at 11:11 AM ET
Comments (0)
In the last week or so, there has been a noticeable difference in New York Rangers’ defenseman Matt Gilroy’s game.
Gilroy has appeared to be more confident, poised, willing to jump into the play, make smart plays in the defensive zone and more importantly, a steady presence on the club’s blue line.
According to Rangers’ web site beat writer Jim Cerny, Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella went as far to say that Gilroy was the club’s “sixth defenseman”:
Great stuff from Boyle and Gilroy…by the way Torts called Gilroy “one of our six (defensemen) right now”...hmmmmm…
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, Matt+Gilroy, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers,
Sending a Message to Del Zotto
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/26/10 at 08:00 PM ET
Comments (1)
While New York Rangers’ defenseman Michael Del Zotto has recovered from the flu, it appears that team head coach John Tortorella will scratch the defenseman for the team’s game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders.
Del Zotto has clearly struggled this season. He gives up the puck way too much, has not contributed as much offensively as he did last season and also does not seem as confident as he used to. Unfortunately, this has cost the Blueshirts in various games throughout the season.
As such, it is apparent that Tortorella is trying to send the youngster a message. Andrew Gross reported as much from the team head coach in his blog earlier today:
Tortorella said this shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing regarding Del Zotto, noting he’s still a 20-year-old defensemen who needs to go through the “process” of learning how to be a rock-steady NHL defensemen. But Tortorella did admit that, last season, had the team been carrying seven defensemen instead of the bare-bones six, he likely would have scratched Del Zotto at times during the second half of the season.
“He should get a message just being out,” Tortorella said. “He’s healthy and this is a coach’s decision. He’s been inconsistent. Michael will have to wait his turn.”
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
A Deserved Point by the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/24/10 at 10:14 AM ET
Comments (0)
While the New York Rangers did lose 4-3 in a shootout last night at Madison Square Garden to the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was a game in which the Blueshirts worked hard, brought a lot of energy and had plenty of chances to win the hockey game.
This is a loss that the Blueshirts should be able to deal with. They battled back to tie the game with less than nine minutes to go in the game when Derek Stepan scored a great goal, they generated plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the game and for the most part, played solid defensively.
With that said, however, it was two giveaways that cost the Rangers’ on two goals. In the first period, the Blueshirts’ Michal Rozsival coughed up the puck to Lightning superstar Martin St. Louis and St. Louis beat Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead. After the Rangers went up 2-1 on goals by Ruslan Fedotenko and Alex Frolov, St. Louis victimized the Rangers’ again on a turnover and the Rangers’ once again gave away the puck to St. Louis who this time made a between the legs pass to sniper Steven Stamkos and Stamkos buried it to tie the game up at 2-2.
One of the stories of this game was the play of Rangers’ rookie Mats Zuccarello Aasen. Zuccarello played a solid game, brought a lot of creativity to the offense and looked good playing with Stepan and Brandon Dubinsky. Even Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella had positive things to say about the Rangers’ youngster.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Frolov, Derek+Stepan, Glen+Sather, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jim+Schoenfeld, John+Tortorella, Martin+St.+Louis, Mats+Zuccarello+Aase, Michal+Rozsival, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Mats Zuccarello Aasen to Make Debut Against The Lightning Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/23/10 at 08:21 AM ET
Comments (0)
Going into a crucial game at Madison Square Garden tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the odds are already stacked against the Blueshirts with both Marian Gaborik (groin) and Michael Del Zotto (flu) out of the lineup.
To help fill the void, the team has called up Mats Zuccarello Aasen to take Gaborik’s spot. In 32 games with the club’s American Hockey League farm team, the Connecticut Whale, Zuccarello Aasen has 24 points (13 goals and 11 assists) in 32 games.
While he has been somewhat inconsistent at the AHL level, Zuccarello Aasen had recorded points in five of his last six games with four goals and four assists and has also put up 22 points in his last 20 games. As such, he is coming to the Blueshirts having played some of his best hockey in the AHL.
With that said, however, the NHL is a different animal and it will be interesting to see what Zuccarello Aasen does to adjust his game to fit the NHL style. According to Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants, Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella knows that he needs to put Zuccarello Aasen in a position to create offense.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brian+Boyle, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello+Aasen, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Two Points on the Line Against One of The League’s Best
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/15/10 at 08:16 AM ET
Comments (0)
If there was ever an opportunity for the New York Rangers to make a statement, tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins would be it.
The Penguins are coming off a 12-game unbeaten streak where they played some of their best hockey in franchise history. Yes, the team lost it’s winning streak last night when the Philadelphia Flyers beat them 3-2 but that does not erase everything that the Penguins accomplished during their winning streak.
The Rangers simply need to take advantage of the fact that the Penguins are probably still a bit stung from last night’s loss to their arch-rivals and do everything they can to make it a two game losing streak for the home team. With that said, however, it is certainly not going to be an easy thing to accomplish.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Chris+Drury, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Phoenix+Coyotes, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
UPDATE: Del Zotto a Healthy Scratch Tonight/Big Three Games in Four Nights for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/09/10 at 11:24 AM ET
Comments (0)
UPDATE: According to Ranger beat writer Andrew Gross’s Twitter, New York Rangers’ defenseman Michael Del Zotto is a healthy scratch tonight in Ottawa and that defenseman Matt Gilroy will be inserted into the lineup:
Michael Del Zotto a healthy scratch tonight for #NYRangers, Gilroy in. Henrik Lundqvist will be in net.
The New York Rangers have a busy next couple of days coming up with three games in four nights on tap for the Blueshirts.
It begins tonight in Ottawa where the Rangers will take on a Senators’ team that beat them at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night by a score of 3-1. It was a game in which the Rangers did not come out with the intensity that is needed to win a hockey game and it ended up costing them in the end.
What was also disappointing about that game was that the Senators were coming off a 1-0 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres the night before. The Blueshirts did not take advantage of the opportunity to beat a tired team and it’s a game that they needed to pick up two points in.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Frolov, Columbus+Blue+Jackets, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Washington+Capitals,
« Previous 1 2 3 4 Next »
