Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Los+Angeles+Kings
A Brief E-mail Interview with Ian Laperriere
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/16/12 at 12:00 PM ET
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With all the concussions that are happening in the National Hockey League this year, I figured now would be a good time to do an e-mail interview with an NHLer who has had one and that is Ian Lapperriere.
Lapperriere has not played in the NHL since the 2009-10 season due to post-concussion syndrome. Ian was kind enough to take the time to tell us about how he got into hockey, how he became an NHLer, why he likes Twitter and more.
Enjoy:
PH: How did you get into hockey?
IL: My parents put me on skates as soon as I could walk. When I turned 5, I joined my first team.
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team/player? Why?
IL: I am from Montreal so the Canadiens were my favorite team. Guy Lafleur and Guy Carboneau were my favorite players.
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Tags: Colorado+Avalanche, Ian+Laperriere, Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers, Pholadelphia+Flyers, St.+Louis+Blues,
It’s Just One Game
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/07/11 at 03:00 PM ET
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I’m not going to lie: I did not watch the New York Rangers lose 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings in overtime today. I was/am at work so instead, I simply followed the box score.
Based on the box score and various Twitter feeds, the Rangers were not great in this game. They were badly outplayed in the first period and really did not wake up until the third period. The team also took a bad penalty that allowed the Kings to score a power play goal in overtime to end the game.
With that said, it looks like team captain Ryan Callahan had a great game, getting 11 shots on goal and scoring his first of the season. It was also nice to see Marian Gaborik get on the board with a goal on an assist from new Rangers’ forward Brad Richards.
It also appears that Henrik Lundqvist was himself in net and did everything he could to get the team two points. That will more than likely be the case throughout the season.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Brad+Richards, Henrik+Lundqvist, Los+Angeles+Kings, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
Scouting the Los Angeles Kings
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/05/11 at 11:00 AM ET
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With the New York Rangers set to take on the Los Angeles Kings for their first regular season game on Friday afternoon, I figured now would be a good time to provide a bit of a scouting report.
Goaltending
- Jonathan Quick is an extremely agile netminder: Quick can go from post-to-post very quickly and while doing so, be in the right position to stop a shot
- Quick struggles with traffic: When there is plenty of traffic in front of the net, Quick tends to struggle a bit. The Rangers should use the points to throw puck towards Quick and crash the net for rebounds. The club should also put a few big bodies in front of Quick.
- Get to Quick early: If the Rangers can get a few goals on him early on, the team might be able to throw Quick off his game.
Offense
- Watch Out for the open ice: With the European rink, the Kings will be sure to use the open ice to their advantage with players like Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, Justin Williams and a few others.
- Good on the forecheck: This season, the Kings are sure to be much better at getting the puck deep and forechecking. Richards is a great forechecker as are players like Brown, Stoll and Penner.
- More Depth: The Kings will be able to roll three solid offensive lines this season so the Rangers need to be prepared to match them line for line.
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Tags: Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers,
Stay The Course Against Anaheim
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/08/11 at 06:30 PM ET
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At this point of the NHL season, every single game matters if you are a team that is fighting for one of eight spots in either the Eastern or Western Conference.
This statement should hit home for the New York Rangers. Going into their game tomorrow night with the Anaheim Ducks, the team holds the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference with 74 points. This puts the team just two points in front of the eighth place Buffalo Sabres and three points in front of the ninth place Carolina Hurricanes.
With the Sabres playing tonight and the Hurricanes playing tomorrow night, a lot can change prior to the Rangers’ tilt with the Ducks tomorrow night. With that in mind, the goal should be the same: get two points at all costs.
The Blueshirts clearly played with that attitude on Friday night against the Ottawa Senators and Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blueshirts went on to outscore the Senators and Flyers by a combined score of 11-1.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Los+Angeles+Kings, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan,
Another Big Victory for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/18/11 at 08:00 AM ET
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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.
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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
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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.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Buffalo+Sabres, John+Tortorella, Kris+Newbury, Los+Angeles+Kings, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Steve+Eminger, Wojtek+Wolski,
Three Big Games On Tap for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/16/11 at 09:02 AM ET
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After snapping a six-game winless streak on Sunday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Rangers are getting ready for three big games during the rest of the week against the Los Angeles Kings (tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden), New Jersey Devils (Friday night at the Prudential Center) and the Philadelphia Flyers (Sunday afternoon at the Garden).
For those counting, that is a crucial six points on the line for the Blueshirts and an opportunity to put a tighter hold on one of the top eight spots in the Eastern Conference. For the Rangers to go six for six, a few things will need to happen: the top nine forwards will need to build on their performance from Sunday afternoon, they cannot back down and they need to get strong goaltending whether it is from Henrik Lundqvist or Martin Biron.
Let’s look further into those three key details:
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Tags: Los+Angeles+Kings, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Rangers Power Play Clicks In Victory Over the Penguins
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/13/11 at 05:40 PM ET
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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.
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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,
An E-mail Interview with a California Hockey Writer
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/27/10 at 07:34 AM ET
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It’s time for another e-mail interview, this time with J.P. Horrnstra. Hoornstra is a hockey writer who covers the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and the Ontario Reign, which is an ECHL club.
Hoornstra was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to tell us about how he got into hockey, how he got into covering the sport, his thoughts on the Ducks and Kings and of course, his thoughts on the Stanley Cup Playoff action.
PH: How did you get into hockey?
J.P.: As a journalist, I got into hockey by accident. Through a series of re-arranged beats within the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, I was assigned to cover the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. I knew the sport plenty having grown up in San Jose with the Sharks, but I had covered almost everything—baseball, football, basketball, soccer, NASCAR, NHRA, IRL, AMA, golf, tennis, boxing, softball, wrestling, track, swimming, volleyball, gymnastics, lacrosse, snowboarding, sports media, performance-enhancing drugs and baton twirling (literally)—before I covered hockey.
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team/player? Why?
J.P.: Like I said, I grew up around San Jose, so naturally Jamie Baker and Arturs Irbe and 1993 all hold a special place in my heart. I spotted Jeff Odgers at a recent function and blushed. You couldn’t tell me as a 10-year-old that teal didn’t look good on a jersey. We all get into hockey somehow, and for me it had nothing to do with playing on a frozen pond, Wayne Gretzky, or an original six franchise. (Only later did I realize that without frozen ponds, the original six franchises, or Gretzky the San Jose sharks would be nothing more than a surfer’s nightmare).
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, J.P.+Hoornstra, Los+Angeles+Kings,
Not Bad, but Not Great Either/A bit more on Jokinen
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/03/10 at 09:40 AM ET
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Good morning folks. As I am sure all of you New York Ranger fans know by now, the team dropped last night’s tilt to the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 2-1.
I didn’t catch much of the game but reports seem to indicate that this is a game that the Blueshirts could have won and picked up a big two points heading into a home game against an unbelievably hot Washington Capitals hockey team.
However, I can’t sit here and pretend that I watched last night’s game. As such, I suggest you check out friend of the blog Scotty Hockey, who, as always, had some interesting thoughts on the game:
Olli Jokinen had the first shot of the game with a shot late in the first period. Sure it was just a low shot but 1- it wasn’t right into Quick’s glove and 2- Jokinen followed it to the net. Too often this season Rangers are lettin’ ‘em fly and going for a change or pulling up and waiting for teammates. Throughout the night he went to the boards, tried to fight through traffic and seemed more than willing to let it fly so let’s hope this is the start of something good.
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Tags: Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers, Olli+Jokinen,
Finally!
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/01/10 at 09:59 AM ET
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The New York Rangers were finally able to bust their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche last night in Colorado.
Chad Johnson made 34 saves in picking up his first career NHL/Rangers victory while Marian Gaborik scored a hat trick, giving him 33 goals on the season. His last hat trick, believe it or not, came in December of 2007 when he scorched the Blueshirts for five goals as a member of the Minnesota Wild.
This was exactly the kind of game the Blueshirts needed. Sure, Gaborik scored all of the team’s goals but the team had plenty of other opportunities to put the puck in the net but were foiled by Avalanche netminder Craig Anderson.
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Tags: Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers,
Not Pretty but A Win is a Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/15/09 at 10:23 AM ET
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Despite being outplayed by a hungry and fast Los Angeles Kings hockey club last night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers were once again able to come away with two points in a 4-2 victory.
If this was last season, I believe that they would have lost the game. They would have trouble putting the puck in the net, generating offense, and playing smart hockey. This season, however, head coach John Tortorella has them playing well as a cohesive unit and bearing down when things are not going their way in a game.
One of the main reasons why the team won last night was because of their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. He had two deflections beat him for goals but other than that, he was terrific. This team will go only as far as he can take them and so far throughout his young career, Lundqvist has shown what he can do for his hockey club.
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Tags: Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers,
Weekend Update
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/09/09 at 02:27 PM ET
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Good afternoon folks. Just wanted to give you all a heads up that I will be in Massachusetts/New Hampshire this weekend for a wedding so unfortunately, I will not be able to update the blog.
With that in mind, I figured I’d take a brief look at this weekend’s game for the Blueshirts. In my mind, the game on Sunday against the Ducks will be a tough one but with the Rangers’ newly found offense and forechecking skills, they should be able to pick up two points.
It’s my guess that they’ll go with Henrik Lundqvist in that game and than use Steve Valiquette on Monday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, another team that the Blueshirts should be able to beat. The Leafs are struggling left and right and not getting the goaltending they need from starter Vesa Toskala, which is unfortunate since the “Monster” Jonas Gustavsson is out with a groin injury.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Pressure is on Kopitar To Get Kings Rolling
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/01/09 at 08:59 AM ET
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From Chris Botta at AOL NHL FanHouse:
Table tennis controversy aside, no one engages in debate when it comes to Kings hockey. The success of LA’s roster overhaul of the last three years hinges on Kopitar rising from anonymous all-star to breakout superstar. No pressure, Anze.
“He’s a point-a-game player, a true No. 1 center—no question in any of our minds,” said assistant general manager Ron Hextall. “It’s only an issue of whether Anze will become one of the top 10 centers in the league.” A pro scout from one of the Kings’ division rivals raises the stakes: “We view Kopitar as someone on the verge of stardom.”
The fourth-year pro embraces the challenge.
“It’s fun,” said Kopitar. “I like it. This is not pressure. It’s an honor to hear that kind of talk. I came here to play in the best league in the world and hopefully be considered as one of the best players. Most of all, I want to win. I want the responsibility.”
Click here for more from AOL FanHouse’s new national hockey writer.
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Tags: Anze+Kopitar, Los+Angeles+Kings,
Wishing the Rangers Had a GM Like This
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/17/09 at 03:50 PM ET
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Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Puck Daddy made reference to Rich Hammond’s excellent Los Angeles Kings blog today.
Why does this matter? Well, it matters because it shows New York Ranger fans that Kings’ General Manager Dean Lombardi is everything that Glen Sather isn’t.
Click here to find out why.
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Tags: Dean+Lombardi, Glen+Sather, Gregy+Wyshynski, Los+Angeles+Kings, Rich+Hammond, Yahoo+Puck+Daddy,
Let Valiquette Play
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/31/08 at 12:05 AM ET
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While New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist might be one of the world’s top goaltenders, he certainly hasn’t played like it lately.
In the last nine games, he’s allowed 36 goals, which means he is allowing four goals a game, well above his career average of 2.33.
Furthermore, his goals against average for the season continues to rise (now 2.67) and his save percentage continues to drop (.908).
So what gives?
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Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist, Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers, Stephen+Valiquette, Washington+Capitals,
All About Two Points
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/17/08 at 09:50 PM ET
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The New York Rangers hope to extend their win streak to three tonight when they take on the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.
The Blueshirts are coming off an impressive 3-1 win last night over the Anaheim Ducks, getting goals from Chris Drury, Nigel Dawes and Nikolai Zherdev. The team also got another strong performance from their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 19 of 20 shots.
It doesn’t appear that the whole Mats Sundin situation is a distraction to the team as all they are focused on is winning.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Atlanta+Thrashers, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Los+Angeles+Kings, Mats+Sundin, New+York+Rangers, Nigel+Dawes, Nikolai+Zherdev, San+Jose+Sharks, Steve+Valiquette, Steve+Zipay, Tom+Renney,
