Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Marc+Staal
Rangers Come Through Again With Win Over Panthers
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/05/12 at 09:55 PM ET
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It seems like every single time the New York Rangers play, they find a way to win.
The team did just that tonight by defeating the Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Marian Gaborik at Madison Square Garden. Gaborik had been buzzing around the Panthers’ net all night long and was finally rewarded when he got the overtime winner, his 23rd of the season.
With the win, the Rangers improved to 25-9-4 to remain in first in the Eastern Conference by 1 point over the Boston Bruins. The win was also the Blueshirts’ 11th on home ice as the team now has a 12-3-2 record on Garden Ice.
Besides Gaborik, the Rangers also got solid performances from Brad Richards (1 assist), Derek Stepan (1 assist), Ryan Callahan (1 goal), Michael Del Zotto (1 assist) and Dan Girardi. It was also nice to see defenseman Marc Staal get a bit more ice time with 12:51 minutes tonight.
Even though the Panthers scored first and also managed to knot the game up at 2-2, the Rangers controlled most of the game. The Blueshirts outshot the Panthers 41-21 and did a terrific job of getting pucks deep, forechecking and going hard to the net.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brad+Richards, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Florida+Panthers, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan,
Rangers Win Classic in Philly
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/02/12 at 06:11 PM ET
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When the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers were a part of the press conference at the Citizens Bank Ball Park to announce that they were the two clubs in the 2012 Winter Classic, Rangers’ general manager Glen Sather said that his team would win.
While it was no Mark Messier-like guarantee, his and head coach John Tortorella’s team did all the hard work to beat the Flyers by a score of 3-2. The win enables the Rangers’ to stay in first in the Eastern Conference while also giving the team a four-point lead over the Flyers in the Atlantic Division.
For the Rangers, this was a typical victory for them. The team overcame a 2-0 lead by working hard, forechecking, getting different guys to contribute and getting timely goaltending from their netminder.
In this particular instance, the Rangers came back from a 2-0 deficit on two goals by Mike Rupp. On both goals, Rupp put two accurate shots through Flyers’ netminder Sergei Bobrovsky and showed that if put on the ice with the right guys, he can provide some offense.
The team’s go-ahead and game winning goal also came from a summer pick-up in Brad Richards. Richards, known for his clutch plays and being in the right place at the right time, did those two things to give the Blueshirts a 3-2 lead 5:21 into the third period.
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Tags: 2012+Winter+Classic, Brad+Richards, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Daniel+Briere, Glen+Sather, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Mitchell, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Mike+Rupp, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan,
Why Now?
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/02/12 at 01:30 PM ET
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From Katie Strang at ESPNNewYork.com:
New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal will make his season debut in the Winter Classic against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Coach John Tortorella delivered the surprising news just hours before the league’s annual outdoor game, after telling reporters Sunday that Staal would not be available to play.
While it was great to hear that Staal is ready to go, I am not sure why Tortorella decided that today was the day to reinsert him back into the lineup? While it is the 2012 Winter Classic game, it is still hockey and it is still between the Rangers and Flyers. As such, it will be rough with hard hitting and one has to wonder if the Flyers will be gunning for Staal since they know it is his first game of the season.
Click here for more on Staal.
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Tags: 2012+Winter+Classic, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
These Blueshirts Are for Real
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/01/12 at 07:20 PM ET
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As the New York Rangers get set to kick of 2012, it might be safe to say that these New York Rangers are for real.
Both team general manager Glen Sather and team head coach John Tortorella had a vision for this team and for once, it was the same. As such, the product on the ice has been quite successful this season so far.
The Rangers’ identity is one that is hard-working, competitive every night, has a never say die attitude and promotes team depth. Put all of these characteristics together and you have where the Rangers are today.
As of this writing, the Blueshirts are first in both the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division with a 23-9-4 record. The team is one point ahead of the second place Boston Bruins and two points ahead of the fourth place Philadelphia Flyers.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Boston+Bruins, Brad+Richards, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan,
Admiring Dan Girardi
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/11/11 at 08:10 AM ET
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When the New York Rangers’ found out that they would be without all-star defenseman Marc Staal for an unknown amount of time, many Rangers’ fans probably cringed.
These same fans may have thought that the team’s defensive corps was too young and that without Staal, may be not as much of a shutdown team. As it turns out, these fans may actually be surprised at this very moment.
One Blueshirts’ defenseman who has always stepped up and been the club’s most consistent player on the back end is Dan Girardi. Girardi proved this in his team’s two games in Sweden by logging over 61 minutes, blocking lots of shots, breaking up offensive chances and being a solid all-around defenseman.
In his 74 on-ice shifts this past weekend, it is easy to see that it might just be Girardi who is the club’s best defenseman. He is smart with the puck, is usually never out of position and is extremely poised playing in front of all-world goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
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Tags: Dan+Girardi, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Update on Marc Staal
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/18/11 at 04:36 PM ET
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From Jesse Spector at the Daily News:
Marc Staal will not play in the Rangers’ three preseason games in North America as the Blueshirts take a cautious approach with the All-Star defenseman, who experienced headaches during offseason workouts after sustaining a previously undisclosed concussion on a hit from his brother Eric in a February game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Staal missed three games after that hit with a sore knee, and two more in March. Rangers coach John Tortorella said today that Staal passed baseline neurological tests before returning last season, and again when he took his pre-camp physical last week.
“Hopefully it’s progressing in the right direction,” John Tortorella said. “That’s what we’re looking to try to get him to, is to start Opening Night (on Oct. 7 in Stockholm against the Kings).”
Click here for more on the club’s No.1 defenseman.
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Tags: Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Staal Suffering from Post Concussion Symptoms
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/18/11 at 12:17 PM ET
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From Larry Brooks’s Twitter feed:
NEWS: Marc Staal being held out of scrimmages because of lingering issues as result of crushing hit from brother Eric in Carolina last 2/22
Hopefully, this is something that will not bother the Rangers’ No.1 defenseman throughout the season.
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Tags: Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Liking This Team
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/29/11 at 06:55 PM ET
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If you are a New York Rangers’ fan, this is how you should feel about the hockey club they love.
Overall, this team has had a really good summer. First off, the team went out and signed the top unrestricted free agent on the market in Brad Richards. With a nine-year pact, Richards is going to have to be a big part of the team’s future and will also be in charge of getting Marian Gaborik going again.
Secondly, the team locked up its two best young players in Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. Last week, the team locked up Dubinsky for four years and just two days ago, the team signed Callahan to a three-year pact. Both of this guys are leaders on and off the ice while one is certainly captain material in Callahan. These two will be expected to carry the Blueshirts into the future and to make them a competitive hockey club for the next few seasons.
Lastly, look at what the team had coming into this season. Players like Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Marian Gaborik, Brian Boyle, Brandon Prust, Derek Stepan, Artem Anisimov, and more. These players, or at least most of them, are young and still have a lot to offer the Blueshirts.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Artem+Anisimov, Brad+Richards, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Brian+Boyle, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
Captain Material
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/17/11 at 09:08 AM ET
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Good morning folks. I am back from my European vacation, where I had a wonderful time in Paris, Venice, Rome and London with my wife. It’s good to be back home!
Well, with Chris Drury out of the picture, the time has come for the New York Rangers to name a new captain. This topic has probably been debated by many other Rangers’ blogs and message boards but I figured I would give you guys my thoughts.
Potential Captains
- Ryan Callahan: No one embodies what it means to be a Blueshirt more than forward Ryan Callahan. Callahan does everything a hockey player should do and he does it the right way whether it is scoring goals, setting up his teammates, forechecking, playing both ends of the ice, killing penalties, sticking up for his teammates and more. Head coach John Tortorella has expressed the same thoughts so this could be a potential no-brainer pick.
- Marc Staal: Since joining the Rangers in his rookie season during the 2007-08 campaign, defenseman Marc Staal has been one of the most consistent Blueshirts. He plays hard, rarely misses any games, hits, sticks up for his teammates and is someone that the team and its coaching staff can rely on.
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Tags: Brad+Richards, Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Dan+Girardi, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan,
And So It Begins
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/13/11 at 07:00 AM ET
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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.
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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,
Staal to return Tonight Against the Senators
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/24/11 at 03:48 PM ET
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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.
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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
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The New York Rangers will look to win a “trap” game once again when they take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Going into tonight’s tilt, the Blueshirts have won five straight games and have done so with timely goal scoring, smart play in the defensive zone, being disciplined and solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. That has been the winning formula for the Blueshirts all season long and if they use it tonight against the Senators, the team will pick up its sixth straight victory along with points 85 and 86.
The Rangers need to keep winning because the eighth place Buffalo Sabres are just three points behind and are starting to heat up at the right time. With that said, if the Blueshirts continue to win, there is a chance that they could catch the Montreal Canadiens, who are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with 87 points.
It will be interesting to see how the lineup looks for tonight’s game. One question is will Sean Avery be reinserted back into the lineup? If I am Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella, I stay the course and keep him out of the lineup for at least one more game. The team is doing just fine without him and should not want to change much when things are going right.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery,
Lundqvist In, Staal Out Against the Penguins
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/20/11 at 09:36 AM ET
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From New York Rangers’ beat writer Jesse Spector via Twitter:
Staal was cut by Girardi’s stick on the play where Staal got called for high-sticking. Other than that, he didn’t indicate any problems.
No idea what happened to Staal… he did miss his last shift of the Montreal game.
#NYR D-pairs: McDonagh-Sauer, Eminger-Girardi, McCabe-Gilroy ... Lundqvist in net.
#NYR lines: Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan, Prospal-Christensen-Gaborik, Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust, Wolski-Stepan-Zuccarello
When asked if Staal was just out today, or long term, Torts just said “body injury.”Staal has a “body injury.” That’s all Torts would say. Avery a healthy scratch for #NYR
Lundqvist in, Staal out.
Definitely great news for the Blueshirts that Lundqvist will be between the pipes but not great news about Staal missing the game. It should be a dandy this afternoon in Pittsburgh!
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Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers Set to Go Shark Hunting
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/12/11 at 09:23 PM ET
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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.
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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
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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.
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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,
Four Points On the Line This Weekend/Staal Injury Update
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/25/11 at 08:45 AM ET
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UPDATE: From Andrew Gross via Twitter:
Staal out Fedotenko in McDonagh paired with Girardi tonight for Rangers.
From Earlier: The New York Rangers are back in action tonight in Washington against the Washington Capitals after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday night.
It does not have to be said that this is once again a big game for the Blueshirts. The Rangers still sit in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the eighth place Carolina Hurricanes and six points ahead of the ninth place Buffalo Sabres.
At the other end, the Capitals are currently fifth in the East with 74 points and are just three poitns behind the Southeast Division leading Tampa Bay Lightning. As such, this game is just as important to the Capitals as it is to the Blueshirts.
The Blueshirts will be without Marian Gaborik this wekend as it is believed he suffered a concussion sometime before playing against the Philadelphia Flyers last Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants said the following regarding Gaborik:
Marian Gaborik (concussion) has reported he’s feeling better but there’s no timetable for his return. Gaborik did undergo blood work back in New York to see if there were any “deficiencies,” though Tortorella wasn’t exactly clear on what deficiencies they might be testing for.
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Tags: Andrew+Gross, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ranger+Rants, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Pick Up Big 4-3 Shootout Victory over the Hurricanes
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/22/11 at 10:23 PM ET
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There was no question that the New York Rangers needed to come out of Carolina with two points tonight.
The team was able to do just that with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes after Wojtek Wolski tied the game with less than two minutes to go and then scored the game winner in the shootout to give the Blueshirts two big points in the Eastern Conference Standings. With the win, the team now has 68 points and is just one point behind the sixth place Montreal Canadiens.
This was a game that reminded me a lot of how the team was getting all those wins in the first half of the season. They worked extremely hard, threw pucks at the net (43 shots for the game), forechecked, got timely offense, solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist (30 saves) and ultimately, were able to get two big points.
The game had a playoff-like feel to it and the Blueshirts treated it as such. The team is going to have to do this for the rest of the season as the games are only going to get tougher as we get closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals, Wojtek+Wolski,
Winless Streak Hits Six for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/12/11 at 11:45 AM ET
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Last night’s game against the Atlanta Thrashers was one that the New York Rangers needed to come away with two points.
Simply put, they did not and managed to extend their winless streak to six games. It was a game that was essentially worth four points because it was against the Thrashers. With the loss, the Carolina Hurricanes are only three points behind in what has become an extremely interesting Eastern Conference race.
In their winless streak, the Blueshirts have lost four in a row. The team still holds the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference but are now just two points in front of the Thrashers, who hold the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
With a 2-1 lead in the third period, all the Rangers needed to do was play tight defense, stay out of the box, get big saves from Henrik Lundqvist and at the same time, push for an insurance goal. The Rangers were able to do three out of four and the one exception was one that hurt them the most.
Rangers’ defenseman Michael Del Zotto took a tripping penalty in the third period when he was not able ot control a bouncing puck along the boards behind the net and had to trip Nik Antropov as he came in alone on Lundqvist. The Thrashers were able to get a power play goal from Evander Kane, his second of the game, which gave the Thrashers a 3-2 lead and ultimately, the hockey game.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Brandon+Dubinsky, Evander+Kane, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ondrej+Pavelec, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Where is the Rangers’ Power Play?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/06/11 at 04:00 PM ET
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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.
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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,
Lundqvist and Staal Together at the All-Star Game/Stepan a Foe
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/28/11 at 11:20 PM ET
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Good evening folks. I was out so unfortunately, I was not able to catch any of the All-Star Draft. How did Versus do covering it? How was the event as a whole?
It is nice to see that New York Rangers’ defenseman Marc Staal and Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will both be on Team Staal for the weekend. They obviously work well together as Staal is one of the league’s best shutdown defensemen and Lundqvist is easily one of the league’s top netminders.
On the other side, Rangers’ rookie Derek Stepan will be on Team Lidstrom during the skills competition.
It should be an interesting weekend for all those involved in the NHL and hopefully for the Rangers as one would hope that neither Staal, Lundqvist or Stepan gets injured during the festivities.
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Tags: Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, NHL+All-Star+Weekend,
Rangers Pull Out Gutsy Win in Dallas
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/08/11 at 11:13 AM ET
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Facing one of the league’s best teams is always a daunting task in the National Hockey League for any hockey club.
With that said, the New York Rangers have proved to folks this year that they can work hard for their victories and they did just that in a 3-2 shootout win over the Dallas Stars last night in Dallas. For the Blueshirts, it was their league leading 14th road victory of the season and a victory that should prove to Ranger fans that this is a much different hockey club than last season.
Once again, the Rangers’ won with youth last night contributing in a big way. Artem Anisimov scored the tying goal mid-way through the third period with a terrific wrist shot that beat Stars’ netminder Kari Lehtonen and then in the shootout, Mats Zuccarello came through once again and scored the winning goal.
Folks, this Rangers’ team does not back down. Sure, there may be games where they are clearly outmatched but these Blueshirts always put in a good fight and do whatever they can to come away with at least one or two points. Last night, the Rangers’ were not overmatched but they were definitely facing one of the upper echelon clubs in the NHL.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Dallas+Stars, Dan+Girardi, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Mats+Zuccarello, New+York+Rangers, St.+Louis+Blues,
Staal and Girardi: A Terrific Shutdown Pair
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/07/11 at 09:35 AM ET
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Earlier this week, I wrote a blog regarding the New York Rangers’ defense. In the blog, I mentioned how Marc Staal and Dan Girardi should be considered as one of the top shutdown defensive pairs in the National Hockey League.
Well, Jesse Spector, New York Rangers’ beat writer for the Daily News, wrote a great article today explaining that notion:
At the beginning of the season, John Tortorella had Girardi and Staal work together only against elite competition, otherwise preferring to have them skate separately. As the campaign has reached the halfway point, though, the duo is inseparable, and bordering on impenetrable.
“Those guys, to see them grow here, I’ve been here since Staalsie and Danny got here, and every year, you see them get more confidence, and they get more responsibilities,” said Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival. “Right now, this is it. They play against the top lines, and they’re the shutdown guys against top players from other teams. They’ve done an outstanding job. It’s not easy to play against other teams’ top lines sometimes. They have grown so much and become leaders of the team.”
Click here for more on the emergence of Staal and Girardi.
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Tags: Dan+Girardi, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers’ Defense: Not So Bad
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/04/11 at 06:51 PM ET
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Going into the season, many hockey pundits and fans alike wondered how the New York Rangers’ defense would perform this season.
Well, almost halfway through the season, the team is currently eighth in the National Hockey League in goals against, averaging 2.55 goals against per game. Not bad for one of the youngest defensive corps in the NHL.
When it comes to the team’s defense, one constant has been Marc Staal. He blocks shots, breaks up plays, hits hard, makes great outlet passes and every once in awhile, shows that he has some offense in him. He has been the club’s best defenseman since joining the NHL in the 2007-08 season.
Defenseman Dan Girardi has also been one of the Rangers’ best defenseman since joining the team during the 2006-07 season. He logs a lot of ice, blocks a lot of shots, and has contributed 20 points (3 goals and 17 assists) from the blue line this season. When paired with Staal, they are one of the best shutdown pair of defensemen in the NHL.
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Tags: Dan+Girardi, Marc+Staal, Matt+Gilroy, Michael+Del+Zotto, Michael+Sauer, Michal+Rozsival, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+McDonagh, Steve+Eminger,
A Snore Fest But a Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/03/10 at 10:52 PM ET
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It certainly was not the most exciting New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders game but it was a 2-0 shutout win for the Blueshirts and a sweep of the home-and-home series.
For Henrik Lundqvist, it was his fourth shutout of the season and his third career against the Islanders. He did not need to be terrific but he was able to get the job done and that’s all that should matter when it comes to Lundqvist and the Rangers.
The team got a great power play goal from defenseman Marc Staal who took a nice pass from Derek Stepan and rifled one over the shoulder of Islanders’ goaltender Dwayne Roloson. Brian Boyle added his 11th (no…I am not kidding) of the season when he put one into the empty net with less than a minute to go in the game.
Other than that, there wasn’t much to this game. Yes, the Rangers dominated a good portion of the second period and had some power play opportunities but they were not able to generate a lot of quality scoring chances. Luckily, they were playing against the Islanders so with a solid Henrik and defense in tact, not a lot of goals should be needed.
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Tags: Brian+Boyle, Derek+Stepan, Dwayne+Roloson, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Getting Set for Two-games Against Northwest Division
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/19/10 at 10:39 AM ET
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Two games on the road might be just what the New York Rangers need to start another multi-game winning streak.
Tonight, the Blueshirts will take on the Colorado Avalanche. If you remember, Marian Gaborik recorded a hat trick last year in the leading his club to a win. With the way Gaborik is finding the net now, is another three-goal game out of the question?
The Avalanche possess a good, young, and fast hockey club that is coming off a big win against the San Jose Sharks that saw them rally from two goals to win it in overtime. They’ve been playing solid hockey for a team without starting netminder Craig Anderson.
Unfortunately, the Rangers generally struggle against teams that bring a lot of speed so it will be interesting to see how head coach John Tortorella plans to counter that. Obviously, defensemen Marc Staal and Dan Girardi will continue to be the club’s shut-down defensive pairing with Michal Rozsival still out with an injury.
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Tags: Colorado+Avalanche, Craig+Anderson, Dan+Girardi, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Michal+Rozsival, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers Get it Done in Pittsburgh
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/16/10 at 09:24 AM ET
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Going into last night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Consol Energy Center, New York Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist knew that he would have to be at his best.
He was just that last night for the Blueshirts who escaped Pittsburgh with a 3-2 overtime victory on a goal by Ryan Callahan off a great move and pass from Brandon Dubinsky. It was a game that would test the Rangers’ mettle and while not passing with straight A’s, they were able to pick up two points.
As I mentioned above, this game was all about Lundqvist. Lundqvist made 37 saves in stopping the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and others. He was lass than three minutes away from a shutout until Chris Kunitz tied the game up at 1-1 and then Matt Cooke made it 2-1.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsky, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan, Tim+Thomas,
Rangers Look to Extend Winning Streak to Three tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/24/10 at 10:29 AM ET
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Last night was a great example of a perfect road hockey game displayed by the New York Rangers.
They got two quick goals from Artem Anisimov and Alexander Frolov and an insurance goal by Marc Staal in the second period to defeat the Boston Bruins by a score of 3-2. With that said, the win would not have been possible if not for the play of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
Lundqvist made 35 saves on the night and did everything he could to make sure that his hockey club came out of the game with two points rather than one. This was a game where Lundqvist put it all together and finally had the support in front of him to be able to do so.
For the Blueshirts, it’s two straight tough road wins against formidable opponents and in this league, we all know that every two points matters.
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Tags: Alexander+Frolov, Artem+Anisimov, Boston+Bruins, Henrik+Lundqvist, Illya+Kovalchuk, John+MacLean, Marc+Staal, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers,
Staal In the Fold with Ranger Blue
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/15/10 at 12:08 PM ET
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As reported by TSN Hockey analyst Bob McKenzie, the New York Rangers have locked up defenseman Marc Staal for the next five years at $3.975 million per year.
This was obviously the right move for the Blueshirts. Staal has been the team’s best defenseman over the past three seasons and has continued to get better each year. He’s tough, he blocks a lot of shots, he protects his goaltender and he definitely has some offesnive upside in him that has yet to be fully realized.
McKenzie also tweeted the following:
Seems fairly obvious that unless Wade Redden plays terrific in camp/pre-season, NYR will get req’d cap relief by assigning him to Hartford.
I’m sure Blueshirt fans won’t mind this as they have been clamoring for his head since he joined the Blueshirts for the 2008-09 season.
Overall, a good day for the Rangers, right?
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Tags: Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Some Ranger Tid-bits
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/14/10 at 11:08 AM ET
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Good afternoon folks. I apologize for not having posted here in the last few days. Things have been busy on the home/family front and I’ve also been busy at work.
Have no fear though, I hope to be posting somewhat regularly once training camp/pre-season gets underway with my thoughts on all things Blueshirts.
For now though, it appears that the team is getting closer and closer to an agree with RFA defenseman Marc Staal, the club’s best defenseman (IMO). Sather apparently said he offered Staal a lucrative deal so we’ll see what that means in the coming days.
It also appears that not only are Garnet Exelby and Ruslan Fedotenko trying out for the Blueshirts, but defenseman Alexei Semenov is also trying out with the club. Not sure what will become of these three but it is certainly curious, eh?
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Tags: Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Good news on Broadway?/Update/Update 2
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/08/10 at 01:55 PM ET
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UPDATE 2: From Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants:
Perhaps some good news on the Marc Staal front as an NHL source told me today the Rangers and the restricted free agent defenseman are getting “closer” on a new deal.
When I asked the source whether the issue was more length of contract, as I’ve been speculating, or the money aspect, the source replied, “It’s always about the money.” However, it still seems like length of contract was a negotiating point as that ties into the money aspect. As stated before, Staal likely wants a shorter-term deal so he can get to unrestricted free agency quicker while the Rangers likely would like to lock their No. 1 defenseman up for a longer period.
(Update) A second NHL source has confirmed that progress has been made between the sides, though there’s no timetable for actually coming to an agreement. Source wouldn’t rule out a deal getting done tonight but also wouldn’t rule out it taking another week or so.
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Tags: Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
A Look at The Blueshirts With Scotty Hockey
by Patrick Hoffman on 08/24/10 at 07:27 AM ET
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With hockey season right around the corner, I figured that now was a good time to reach out to Scotty from Scotty Hockey to see what his thoughts are regarding the off-season for the New York Rangers.
Scotty was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions regarding the Blueshirts and how they’ve done heading into the new season.
PH: Overall, how do you think the Rangers’ did this off-season? Why?
SH: The Rangers did fine this offseason, to date. I qualify that due to Marc Staal still being unsigned at the moment. They didn’t give Ilya Kovalchuk a 17 year deal and they got rid of Donald Brashear. Sure, they outright lied to us by saying that the kids in the system would get a chance to break in to the roster and then went out and added Biron, Frolov, White, Boogaard and Eminger. But they got rid of Donald Brashear. Did I mention that already? Well it was worth mentioning twice. Or three times - they got rid of Donald Brashear. Sure the contract given to the Boogeyman was ludicrous of Reddien proportions but Brashear will never wear a Blueshirt again. Losing Jody Shelley to free agency while adding Boogey could very well hurt the team in the locker room and on the ice but ... you guessed it, no more Brashear. I’m clearly quite pleased with that.
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Tags: Alexander+Frolov, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Off-season,
Ranger Fan Feedback
by Patrick Hoffman on 08/03/10 at 08:48 PM ET
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It appears that New York Rangers’ General Manager Glen Sather has been busy over the last week or so.
First, he goes out and signs Alexander Frolov to a one year deal and then, gets rid of Donald Brashear and Patrick Rissmiller and acquires veteran Todd White. As such, Ranger fans cannot say that he hasn’t done anything this off-season.
I wanted to get your thoughts on a few things related to the Rangers:
- What do you think of the Todd White signing?
- What kind of player will Todd White be for the Blueshirts?
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Tags: Donald+Brashear, Glen+Sather, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Patrick+Rissmiller, Todd+White,
Checking In With The Rangers Tribune
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/30/10 at 11:13 AM ET
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I thought that this would be a good time to get some thoughts on all things Rangers from Nicholas Montemagno of the terrific Rangers blog The Rangers Tribune.
Nicholas was kind enough to take time out of his summer schedule to give us his thoughts on the Alexander Frolov signing as well his thoughts on other Blueshirt topics:
PH: What do you think of the Alexander Frolov signing?
NM: I think the signing of Alexander Frolov was something that GM Glen Sather had to do in order to get his team (possibly) in the playoffs. Without him this year’s team would be fairly identical to that of 2009-10. As far as terms go, Slats got him at a bargain price and signing him for just a year was also a clever move.
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Tags: Alexander+Frolov, Glen+Satherm+Wade+Redden, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Nicholas+Montemagno, The+Rangers+Tribune,
Too Much Waiting and Not Enough Doing By Sather
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/24/10 at 12:27 PM ET
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In the dog days of summer, many NHL general managers and their teams are waiting and looking.
Waiting and looking to sign a free agent, make a trade or do anything they can to make their team better. While that’s what most GM’s are doing this off-season, one has to wonder what New York Rangers’ GM Glen Sather is trying to do with his hockey team.
Yes, he went out and signed/re-signed players such as Marty Biron, Derek Boogaard, Vinny Prospal, Erik Christensen, Vinny Prospal and Daniel Girardi. While that’s great, with the exception of the somewhat questionable Boogaard signing, one has to wonder what’s next for Sather.
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Tags: Daniel+Girardi, Derek+Boogaard, Erik+Christensen, Glen+Sather, Marc+Staal, Marty+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Vinny+Prospal, Vinny+Prospal, Wade+Redden,
Checking In
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/15/10 at 09:45 AM ET
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Good morning folks. I haven’t posted here in awhile so I figured I’d check in.
Unfortunately, not too much is going on in Ranger-land these days. Sure, they had a minor league signing in Jeremy Williams but other than that, it’s been pretty quiet.
One would have to imagine that GM Glen Sather is trying to get a deal in place for RFA defenseman Marc Staal while also trying to figure out a way to waive defenseman Wade Redden. Pretty good, right?
Hopefully, I’ll have more to check in with next time but feel free to check out my work over at Hockey Independent and RLD Hockey whenever you get a chance.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Glen+Sather, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Wade+Redden,
Quiet in Rangerland
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/06/10 at 02:39 PM ET
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Good afternoon folks. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday weekend in the States.
As of right now, all is quiet in Rangerland. Yes, defenseman Dan Girardi has filed for arbitration and yes, things are still stalled when it comes to defenseman Marc Staal. Obviously, most Blueshirt fans are more concerned with getting Staal in the fold for the next several years as he has been the team’s most consistent defenseman since joining the league in the 2007-08 season.
When it comes to Girardi, it’s a tough call. There has been a steady decline in his play but with a new season on the horizon, may be he can turn things around and be one of the club’s better defenseman.
One thing both Girardi and Staal need to do is increase their offense. Girardi has produced for this team before and according to head coach John Tortorella, there is so much potential for Staal to do the same.
I wish there was more to report but right now, it’s quiet. I will make sure to stay on top of things for you puckheads out there.
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Tags: Dan+Girardi, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Two More Blueshirts Headed to the World Championships
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/30/10 at 07:54 AM ET
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It looks like the New York Rangers will be well represented at the World Championships as it was announced yesterday that both Team USA and Team Canada added a Ranger to their roster. Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants has more:
Rangers prospect Chris Kreider, so good in leading Team USA to the gold at the World Junior Championships, was among 11 players added to the roster by USA Hockey for the IIHF World Championships, May 7-23 in Germany.
Kreider will join Brandon Dubinsky (who turned 24 today) and Matt Gilroy on Team USA.
Meanwhile, Canada general manager Mark Messier announced Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto as one of four players added to his roster today. Del Zotto (who remains a teenager until June 24) is one of six players on the Canadian squad under 20. Rangers teammate Marc Staal is also on the Canadian roster.
Click here for more on the upcoming tourney.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Kreider, Marc+Staal, Matt+Gilroy, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers,
Report from Rangers’ Prospect Camp
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/02/09 at 01:47 PM ET
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From Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants:
Based on this week, it’s looking like the Rangers had a good draft in 2008. Defenseman Michael Del Zotto (20th overall), center Derek Stepan (51st), left wing Evgeny Grachev (75th) and defenseman Tomas Kundratek have all stood out at different times for different reasons. Del Zotto displays that same poise that marks Marc Staal’s game, though he needs to manage the puck better at times. That, no doubt, will come with age/experience. Stepan showed good anticipation in both the offensive and defensive zones. Grachev is just a fluid skater/shooter with obvious goal-scoring instincts. At the end of the session, with a group of players including this year’s picks Chris Kreider and Ryan Bourque taking penalty shots on Cornell goalie Ben Scrivens, all but Grachev tried to impress with dipsy-does and other unnecessary moves. Grachev just skated in - repeatedly - and simply flicked puck after puck past Scrivens. Kundratek, paired the last two days with Del Zotto, showed good offensive instincts and an ability to move the puck, plus a hard shot. In one drill, though, Stepan beat Kundratek with a quick move then roofed a goal off the goalie’s mask.
Click here for more on prospects. Nice to hear about the potential the Rangers’ prospects have and hopefully, they’ll be on Broadway in the near future.
Also, click here to read about Marc Staal’s invitation to Team Canada’s camp.
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Tags: Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Four Big Points on the line this weekend and some Ranger Notes
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/19/09 at 09:50 PM ET
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With the Eastern Conference standings changing every day, every game from here on out means something for the New York Rangers.
This would especially be true for the two games they have this weekend at home against the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators. In actuality, the Blueshirts should be able to come away with four points but since the Sabres are still battling for a playoff spot and the Senators are playing better hockey under their new coach, four points are certainly not guaranteed.
The good news? The Rangers are finding ways to win, getting their offense into high gear and looking like a team that deserves to be in the playoffs.
Other notes:
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Dan+Girardi, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Ryan+Callahan, Scott+Gomez, Sean+Avery,
Officially a Losing Streak
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/22/08 at 07:30 PM ET
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While they may have only dropped their last two games, the New York Rangers played like they were in the midst of a two-week slump in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators this afternoon.
They had no jump in their legs, didn’t get pucks to the net, had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone and looked generally disorganized for 60 minutes.
So my question is: What’s going on?
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Colton+Orr, Jarkko+Ruutu, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Paul+Mara, Phoenix+Coyotes, Stephen+Valiquette,
