Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Marian+Gaborik
The Goal is Simple: Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/13/11 at 11:02 AM ET
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This is exactly how the New York Rangers should look at this afternoon’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Blueshirts are winless in their last six games and the streak has put them dangerously close to falling out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference. The Carolina Hurricanes, who are in the eighth spot, and the Atlanta Thrashers, who are in the ninth spot, are both just two points behind the Rangers and each have games in hand.
The team’s offense must find ways to put pucks in the net on a more consistent basis. Marian Gaborik, and it seems like we have talked about him all season, needs to start scoring goals. He played well on Friday night against the Thrashers but could not score on the penalty shot he was awarded in the third period. Had he scored on the penalty shot, the team may have come away with a victory rather than a 3-2 loss.
The Rangers also need to start finding a way to close out games. During their winless streak, they haven’t been terrible by any means. In fact, they had a chance to win most of the games but simply could not find a way to do so. This needs to change immediately.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Carolina+Hurricanes, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
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,
Is Tonight the Biggest Game of the Year for the Blueshirts?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/11/11 at 08:00 AM ET
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Everyone involved in the New York Rangers’ organization from the brass, to its players and to its fans should answer that with a resounding YES.
The team is winless in their last five games and tonight, take on an Atlanta Thrashers hockey team that is just four points behind them in the Eastern Conference standings. To make things a bit more interesting, the Carolina Hurricanes are only three points behind their Blueshirts with one game in hand.
The Rangers need to stop the bleeding before they have nothing left and find themselves out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. To get back on the right track tonight, the team is going to need some offense, smart play in the neutral zone and strong goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, who should be between the pipes tonight.
When it comes to the team’s offense, Marian Gaborik needs to step up and contribute. This is a guy who can skate and shoot with the best of them and yet, he has not been able to do so this season. If Gaborik can get a goal or two tonight, it should boost his confidence and may be get him going.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brian+Boyle, Carolina+Hurricanes, Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Sean+Avery, Vinny+Prospal,
Rangers Missing the Playoffs: Can It Actually Happen?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/08/11 at 12:00 PM ET
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This is the question that New York Rangers’ fans are asking themselves after a tough 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings at the Joe Louis Arena last night.
After working extremely hard to stay in the thick of the ever tight Eastern Conference playoff race, the team’s current five game winless streak has put them in the seventh spot in the conference. The Blueshirts are just four points in front of the eighth place Carolina Hurricanes and the Atlanta Thrashers.
The team is struggling to score the big goal, having trouble on the power play and not getting contributions from its scoring sniper, Marian Gaborik. All of these things lead to a much less potent Rangers’ hockey club and one that could very well find themselves golfing come April rather than competing for the Stanley Cup.
With regards to the team’s power play, the coaching staff needs to figure out a system that plays to the team’s strengths, which is working hard down lo and scoring the dirty goals. Instead, the team is electing to pass rather than shoot, giving the opponent a very easy read on the Rangers’ power play.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Carolina+Hurricanes, Detroit+Red+Wings, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
Power Play Hurts the Rangers in 3-2 loss to the Wings
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/07/11 at 10:40 PM ET
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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?
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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,
Tough Test on Tap for Blueshirts/Goaltending UPDATE
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/07/11 at 11:30 AM ET
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UPDATE: According to Jesse Spector of the Daily News, New York Rangers’ netminder Martin Biron will get the start tonight in Detroit:
Hello from Detroit, where Martin Biron will make a second straight start tonight as the Rangers try to end their season-long four-game winless streak (0-3-1) and win for the seventh time at Joe Louis Arena since the NHL’s third-oldest rink opened in 1979.
Biron last started consecutive games on November 20 and 22, at Minnesota and at home against Calgary, and won both. The purpose then was the same as it is now, to get extra practice time for Henrik Lundqvist, who now will go more than a week between starts from last Thursday against the Devils to this Friday in Atlanta, assuming he gets the nod against the Thrashers, of course.
Click here for more Rangers’ news and notes from Jesse.
FROM EARLIER: With the New York Rangers taking on the mighty Detroit Red Wings tonight at the Joe Louis Arena, everyone knows how important this game is to the Blueshirts for a variety of reasons.
For starters, the team is winless in its last four games. The team has not played terribly during the streak but it has struggled to put the puck in the net, on the power play and even in goal (Henrik Lundqvist) a little bit. A win tonight against the Wings would get the team back on the right track.
Secondly, two points is two points. The Eastern Conference playoff picture is becoming tighter every day and the Blueshirts cannot afford to go on these kinds of winless streaks down the stretch.
Lastly, these are the kinds of games that show just how far the Blueshirts have come. The Wings have a superior offense and defense compared to what the Rangers have. However, if the Blueshirts can outwork the Wings and get timely goal scoring from players that should score goals, a.k.a. Marian Gaborik, it may not matter how good the Wings are.
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Tags: Detroit+Red+Wings, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers Set to Take on New Jersey Devils Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/03/11 at 08:00 AM ET
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No matter where the teams are in the standings, it is always a good hockey game when it is the New York Rangers vs. the New Jersey Devils.
Tonight’s tilt at Madison Square Garden features two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Blueshirts are fighting in the middle of the pack for a playoff spot while the Devils are out of the playoff picture, despite playing extremely well recently.
The game tonight also marks the return of Rangers’ forward Vinny Prospal. It will be Prospal’s first game of the season and it could not come at a better time as someone needs to help get Marian Gaborik’s game clicking on all cylinders. No one is sure if it is going to be Prospal but given the success the duo had last season, it is not hard to imagine that being the case.
The Blueshirts are coming off a tough 4-3 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at the Garden. Given that the Penguins were without the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as well as Jordan Staal for 25 minutes of the game, the Rangers’ should have been able to pick up for two points but had to settle for one.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Vinny+Prospal, Washington+Capitals,
Blueshirts Get the Job Done Against the Capitals
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/25/11 at 08:20 AM ET
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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.
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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,
A Deeper Look at what the Brandon Dubinsky Injury Means
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/20/11 at 03:00 PM ET
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Over at RLD Hockey today, I dove deeper into what the Brandon Dubinsky injury means for the New York Rangers and more importantly, the club’s sniper Marian Gaborik.
Feel free to click on the link above or continue below:
When it comes to injuries this season, there has been no shortage of them for the New York Rangers.
Unfortunately for the Blueshirts, one of their best players in Brandon Dubinsky will be out for the next three to four weeks with a stress fracture of the fibula in his left leg. For a team that is struggling to score goals, this certainly came as bad news for the team and its fans.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, RLD+Hockey,
Another Injury for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/20/11 at 10:42 AM ET
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According to Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants, New York Rangers’ forward Ruslan Fedotenko is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with an injury:
Ruslan Fedotenko will miss 2-4 weeks with a second-degree AC sprain in his left shoulder so in addition to calling up Chad Kolarik from Connecticut (AHL), the Rangers have also recalled Brodie Dupont.
So, let’s recap which Blueshirts have been injured this season: Chris Drury, Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal, Ryan Callahan, Erik Christensen, Brandon Dubinsky and now Ruslan Fedotenko.
One would figure that with all these injuries, the team should be out of playoff contention. However, the Blueshirts have responded in a big way to the various injuries and find themselves right in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff pack playing solid hockey.
Hopefully, they will be able to keep it up long enough to stay in playoff contention come April.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Erik+Christensen, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+rangers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Ryan+Callahan, Vinny+Prospal,
Gaborik shines in Rangers’ Victory
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/20/11 at 08:43 AM ET
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When we first heard that New York Rangers’ forward Brandon Dubinsky was going to be out with an injury for the next three to four weeks, Blueshirt fans probably wondered who was going to step up and provide the offense.
As it turns out, the player that should have been supplying offense all season long stepped up in a big way last night with four goals and an assist for five points in a 7-0 white-washing of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The player I am talking about is Marian Gaborik.
Gaborik was simply an offensive force last night. He hustled, had a nose for the net, put pucks to the net and the puck always seemed to find him at the right time. These were all the things that he did last season that allowed him to score over 40 goals.
This is the Gaborik that team needs to have on a consistent basis. With someone like Dubinsky out, goals are going to be a bit harder to come by but if Gaborik can play like he did last night going forward, the team will be a lot better off.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Time to Start Going Goals
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/19/11 at 08:29 AM ET
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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.
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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,
Third Goal Hard to Come By for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/17/11 at 12:22 PM ET
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For the second straight game, the New York Rangers had trouble getting the tying third goal in a 3-2 loss, this time to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Down 3-0 going into the third period, the team got goals from Wojtek Wolski and Derek Stepan before Flyers’ goaltender Brian Boucher and the rest of his hockey club shut the door and skated off the Madison Square Garden ice with two big points, handing the Blueshirts their second consecutive loss of the weekend.
The Blueshirts lack of offense is becoming a growing concern in 2011 as the team has yet to score more than two goals. One player that is really having trouble is Marian Gaborik.
Gaborik is not finishing his chances, is having trouble getting the puck to the net and is being made an example of by head coach John Tortorella, as the coach benched him for part of last night’s tilt with the Flyers.
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Tags: Brian+Boucher, Brian+Boyle, Derek+Stepan, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Sean+Avery, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wojtek+Wolski,
Rangers Set to Take on the Best Team in the NHL
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/13/11 at 10:30 AM ET
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Games against playoff-caliber hockey teams are always challenges for any hockey club.
Tonight will be no different as the New York Rangers get set to take on not only a playoff-caliber hockey club, but a team that is first in the entire National Hockey League in the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden.
The Canucks are coming off a shootout victory over the New York Islanders while the Blueshirts will try and bounce back from a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
The Rangers battled hard in their last game but were just not able to finish when it mattered most. This is something the team cannot afford to do tonight as the Canucks boast an extremely offensively-talented team that has the ability to score in bunches.
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Tags: Daniel+Sedin, henrik+Lundqvist, Henrik+Sedin, Marian+Gaborik, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Vancouver+Canucks, Wojtek+Wolski,
Rangers Get the Job Done on the Road Again/Lose Frolov for the Season
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/09/11 at 07:17 PM ET
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The New York Rangers continue to find ways to win on the road.
In their 15th road victory (league leader) of the season. the Blueshirts defeated the St. Louis Blues by a score of 2-1 by playing a perfect road game. The team got timely goals from Derek Stepan and Sean Avery, solid defense and excellent goaltending from back-up netminder Martin Biron (25 saves).
With that said however, it was reported today that the Rangers will be without forward Alex Frolov for the rest of the season with the following:
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that Alex Frolov has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a second degree sprain of his medial collateral ligament and a medial meniscus tear in his right knee, and will undergo season-ending surgery.
I am not sure exactly what any of that is but it is obviously bad enough to keep Frolov out the rest of the season.
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Tags: Alex+Frolov, Chris+Drury, Marian+Gaborik, Montreal+Canadies, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, St.+Louis+Blues, Vancouver+Canucks, Vinny+Prospal.+Ryan+Callahan,
Where Has the Offense Gone in 2011?/Fedotenko Update
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/02/11 at 07:52 PM ET
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UPDATE: According to Jesse Spector, New York Rangers’ beat writer for the Daily News, Ruslan Fedotenko’s hand is not broken:
Fedotenko’s hand is not broken. He’s day-to-day.
FROM EARLIER: I know, I know, the New York Rangers are just two games into the new year but nevertheless, they are 0-1-1 with only one goal scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.
Last night against the Panthers, the team was lucky to get a point as Marian Gaborik tied the game up at 1-1 with less than a minute go before the Lightning won 2-1 in overtime. Up until that point, it looked like Lightning netminder Cedrick Desjardins was going to shutout the Rangers and the Blueshirts were going to come away with nothing.
Against the Panthers tonight, the team delivered another lackluster effort and this time, came up with nothing as Panthers’ goaltender picked up his fifth shutout of the season with a 3-0 win over the Rangers. If not for the solid goaltending of Rangers’ netminder Martin Biron (33 saves), this game could have actually been a lot worse.
With that said, however, the team did lose Ruslan Fedotenko hurt his hand after blocking a Bryan McCabe slap shot. Hopefully for the Rangers, he will not have to miss a lot of time as the Rangers are already hurting with injuries to both Ryan Callahan, Vinny Prospal and Erik Christensen.
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Tags: Bryan+McCabe, Cedrick+Desjardins, Erik+Christensen, Florida+Panthers, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Ryan+Callahan, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tomas+Vokoun, Vinny+Prospal,
All About Hard Work for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/27/10 at 09:27 PM ET
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It may have been a 7-2 drubbing of the New York Islanders, but the New York Rangers certainly worked hard for their 21st victory of their season.
For starters, defenseman Matt Gilroy had a terrific game for the Blueshirts. He picked up his first two goals of the season, played well on both sides of the puck and looked poised and confident on the blueline. This is something that Gilroy needs to do conisistently but he certainly seems to be getting his game together at the right time for his hockey club.
It was another excellent game for grinders Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. Boyle picked up his 13th goal of the season and added two assists for three points. As always, Prust worked hard, battled in the corners and generated several scoring opportunities for the Blueshirts.
The same can be said of Brandon Dubinsky and Derek Stepan, who are both having quite a season for the Rangers. Dubinsky scored his 15th goal of the season and added an assist while Stepan extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with his 11th goal of the season as well as picking up an assist.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Brian+Boyle, Chris+Drury, Derek+Stepan, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello, Matt+Gilroy, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Mats Zuccarello Aasen to Make Debut Against The Lightning Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/23/10 at 08:21 AM ET
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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.
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Tags: Brian+Boyle, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello+Aasen, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Looking at a Few Players Who Need to Step Up
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/20/10 at 12:35 PM ET
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This is what the New York Rangers are faced with as they do not play a game until Thursday night at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Blueshirts’ had their three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia when the Flyers beat them by a score of 4-1. The team did not play terribly but it is apparent that some players have a few things to work on before their next game.
- Michael Del Zotto
Del Zotto needs to get his defensive game in order. He has an abundance of offensive talent but since he is a defenseman, he should concentrate on making that part of his game better.
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Tags: Erik+Christensen, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
A Win is a Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/03/10 at 08:13 AM ET
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Before getting into the details of the blog, I first must admit that I was not around to watch the New York Rangers defeat the New York Islanders by a score of 6-5 as I had a men’s league hockey game.
With that said, however, it was nice to see the Blueshirts get strong performances from their “first line” of Erik Christensen, Sean Avery and Marian Gaborik. Each had multi-point nights and was a big part of the Rangers’ offense last night.
It was even better to see that Gaborik picked up his second hat trick of the season. It seems his goals come in bunches so Ranger fans are probably hoping they’ll see more from him in tonight’s tilt at Madison Square Garden in the second game of the home-and-home series.
I also saw that back-up goaltender Martin Biron was pulled after the Islanders took a 3-2 lead in the second period. Was he really that bad or did head coach John Tortorella make the move just to wake up the team a bit?
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Tags: Erik+Christensen, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery,
Rangers’ Home-and-Home With Isles Begins Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/02/10 at 08:38 AM ET
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Any time a team plays their rival, the club wants to put their best forward and do everything they can to win the hockey game even if the said club isn’t doing well in the standings.
This is especially true for tonight in tonight’s tilt at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders. The Islanders may be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings but you know that tonight, they will bring their A-game and do everything they can to beat the Blueshirts.
With that said, this is a game that the Blueshirts cannot afford to take lightly, especially since the Islanders scored six goals on them in a 6-4 loss back in October. The Islanders are a young hockey club that certainly has the opportunity to exploit the Rangers’ weaknesses.
According to team beat writer Andrew Gross of The Record, team head coach John Tortorella tinkered with the lines in practice yesterday and could use them in tonight’s game.
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Tags: Erik+Christensen, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Scotty+Hockey, Sean+Avery,
Blueshirts Week Ahead
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/29/10 at 08:00 AM ET
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I would like to introduce you folks to a new feature here at the Goal Line Report: Blueshirts’ Week Ahead.
I do a similar feature over at RLD Hockey. However, unlike RLD Hockey, this feature will focus on the New York Rangers and will include players to keep an eye on and the team’s games of the week.
This is something I will do every Monday morning from here on out.
Players to Keep an Eye on
- Henrik Lundqvist
Coming off two straight wins, it will be interesting to see if New York Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist can carry it into this week against the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders (2) and Ottawa Senators.
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Tags: Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Rangers With Great Response in Minnesota
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/21/10 at 05:36 PM ET
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After losing to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, the New York Rangers were an entirely different hockey club on Saturday night in their 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
It was a 60-minute effort that saw timely goal scoring, solid defensive play and a good game from back-up netminder Martin Biron (25 saves). None of these things were present in Colorado on Friday night.
The Blueshirts got goals from Arterm Anisimov, Michael Del Zotto, Alex Frolov, Brandon Dubinsky, and Ruslan Fedotenko en route to the team’s seventh road victory (7-3).
Many fans were probably surprised that Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella went with Biron in goal, especially since Henrik Lundqvist only played a little more than half the game in Colorado on Friday night. However, Tortorella made the right decision in starting the back-up netminder and Biron responded by picking up his fourth victory of the season (4-2-0, 2.33 goals against average, .907 save percentage).
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Tags: Alex+Frolov, Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Calgary+Flames, Derek+Boogaard, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Michael+Del+Zotto, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers, Ruslan+Fedotenko,
Gaborik Shines in Rangers’ Explosive Offensive Output Against the Oilers
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/14/10 at 06:43 PM ET
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While it was against a weak Edmonton Oilers hockey club, the New York Rangers flexed their scoring muscles in the name of Marian Gaborik in an 8-2 victory on home ice.
Gaborik had a hat trick and an assist in a game that was his coming out party for this season. Remember folks, this was really Gaborik’s fourth game of the season as he missed close to a month with a shoulder injury.
Two of Gaborik’s three goals came on breakaways where he made Oilers’ goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin look foolish. The first breakaway, he deked Khabibulin out of his pants and on the second breakaway, he ripped a shot past him to pick up his second hat trick as a Ranger.
His linemates, Alex Frolov (two goals and two assists for four points) and Erik Christensen (three assists) also had solid games for the Blueshirts in what was a dominating game. For Christensen, it was a huge game because he could potentially be the odd man out when injured captain Chris Drury comes back. However, if Christensen continues to play like he did this afternoon against the Oilers, he may make it hard for both head coach John Tortorella and general manager Glen Sather to send him down.
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Tags: Alex+Frolov, Boston+Bruins, Colorado+Avalanche+and+Minnesota+Wild, Edmonton+Oilers, Erik+Christensen, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Don’t Rely on Gaborik
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/11/10 at 10:00 AM ET
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New York Rangers forward Marian Gaborik will return to the lineup tonight for the first time since October 15th and will take on the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden.
The team’s offense has played pretty well without the offensive talent that is Gaborik but will certainly welcome him back into the fold with open arms. With that said, however, the team cannot rely on him to do everything and will need to do their part to contribute offensively.
The reason I am saying this is because when a superstar returns to any kind of team, that said team will more often that not slip back into old habits and rely on the superstar to pick them up and carry them on his shoulders. The Blueshirts simply cannot afford to do this with Gaborik.
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers Getting It Done on the Road
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/06/10 at 10:34 AM ET
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For the longest time, the New York Rangers used to be a solid team at home in Madison Square Garden.
This year, the story has been quite different as the team extended its record to 5-2 after shutting out the New Jersey Devils by a score of 3-0 at the Prudential Center.
For the Blueshirts, it was quite simple. Throw pucks to the net, finish your checks, block shots, let Henrik Lundqvist see the puck and play disciplined. When the Rangers are able to do that consistently, they are usually able to pick up two points.
Brandon Dubinsky had another great game for his hockey club as he picked up two goals, giving him 10 goals in 14 games. Believe it or not folks, that’s good enough to be tied for first in the NHL with Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos and Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, St.+Louis+Blues, Vinny+Prospal,
Without Gaborik and Drury, Who Will Step Up for the Blueshirts?
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/17/10 at 07:10 PM ET
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After losing both Chris Drury and Marian Gaborik to injury in Friday night’s home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs, I pondered over at RLD Hockey which New York Rangers’ players would step up and provide offense and all-around solid play in their absence.
I will now share it with you:
Normally, home openers in the National Hockey League are suppossed to be ones where the home team comes out on top by playing a terrific brand of hockey.
Unfortunately for the New York Rangers on Friday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the home opener was anything but that. The team not only lost to the Leafs 4-3 in overtime, but also ended up losing forwards Marian Gaborik (seperated shoulder, 2-4 weeks) and Chris Drury (broken finger, 6 weeks) for extended periods of time.
While team captain Drury brings hard work, a super shot blocking ability and a timely goal here and there, it is the loss of Gaborik’s offense, particularly his goal-scoring, that will hurt the Rangers the most.
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Tags: Alexander+Frolov, Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
Uh Oh
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/16/10 at 10:42 AM ET
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Not only did the New York Rangers lose their home opener in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 4-3, but they also lost Chris Drury (6 weeks due to a broken finger) and Marian Gaborik (2-3 weeks with a separated shoulder) to injuries.
The Blueshirts lost Gaborik after Leafs’ winger Colby Armstrong hit Gaborik hard into the boards. Not too long after that happened, the team lost Drury when he broke his finger again. Not exactly the way to start the season at home, eh?
What’s concerning here is the loss of Gaborik for a few weeks. Coming into the season, Gaborik was expected to pile up the points like he did last season and be a scoring threat on a line with Alex Frolov, who has yet to score a goal in the team’s first three games.
Where is the offense going to come from? There are not going to be too many games where your club’s goal scorers are Michal Rozsival and team fourth-liner Brian Boyle.
For the next few weeks at least, others are going to have to step up, especially in the month of October since November looks like it is going to be one of the toughest months for the team.
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Tags: Chris+Drury, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Good Start To Pre-season
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/24/10 at 08:46 AM ET
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Good morning folks. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils pre-season game last night because I had a hockey game of my own to play in.
However, it was nice to come home and see that they won 4-3 in overtime and apparently got strong efforts from Marian Gaborik and Alexander Frolov, a combination that team head coach John Tortorella will more than likely have play together to start the season.
Gaborik finished the night with two goals, including the overtime winner, while his linemate, Frolov, finished with a goal and two assists. Certainly not a bad start for what could be a dynamic duo for the Blueshirts.
The team also got a solid effort from prospect Derek Stepan, who is doing everything he can to show the team that he belongs there as team web site beat writer Jim Cerny reported the following in his game recap last night:
Stepan logged over 18 minutes of ice-time, playing on both specialty teams as well as at even strength. He won 50 percent of his faceoffs and fired four shots on goal, just behind Frolov and Ruslan Fedotenko, who each had six, for the team lead.
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Tags: Alexander+Frolov, Derek+Stepan, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Pre-season,
Blueshirts Looking Towards Tomorrow Night
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/22/10 at 03:32 PM ET
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Well wouldn’t ya know it? The New York Rangers will be back in action tomorrow night in their first pre-season game against the New Jersey Devils.
While the pre-season doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, it is a good chance for the team and its fans to see how players have either progressed or not improved, get a look at some potential lines and more importantly, it’s a great opportunity to see some hockey again since the Blueshirts haven’t played since losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout back on April 11.
According to Jesse Spector of the Daily News, Blueshirts prospect Mats Zuccarello is expected to make his Madison Square Garden debut tomorrow night against the Devils. It also sounds like Zuccarello is primed and ready to make an impression:
“On the first day, I felt like it was tough, and I wasn’t used to this stuff,” Zuccarello said. “After the first day, I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve done. I think the scrimmages have gone well. I’ve had some good passes, made some good plays. It will be nice to play a game.”
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Tags: Alexander+Frolov, Derek+Stepan, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers,
A Look at Erik Christensen
by Patrick Hoffman on 08/23/10 at 10:00 AM ET
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When the New York Rangers acquired forward Erik Christensen from the Anaheim Ducks, many fans and pundits were shaking their heads.
Both were wondering what Christensen had done to merit GM Glen Sather’s attention as well as playing time rather than look inward and use someone from their farm team down in Hartford. In fact, both fans and media are still wondering that today but we’ll get to that later.
As it turned out, Christensen had a solid season on Broadway with 26 points (8 goals and 18 assists) in 49 games. In fact, a lot of his time was spent on the team’s “first” line with Marian Gaborik and they seemed to have some chemistry.
With all that said, is Christensen really the answer as a top-flight player for the Blueshirts? Looking at his track record, it does not seem that he would be.
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Tags: Alexander+Frolov, Erik+Christensen, Glen+Sather, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
Where Will They Finish?
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/30/10 at 09:35 PM ET
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When it comes to hockey, it’s obvious that every team focuses on winning the Stanley Cup.
As such, GM’s from all 30 clubs build their teams so that they can qualify for the playoffs in order to get closer to their gaol of one day winning the Cup. So, where does this leave the Blueshirts?
If I had to look into my crystal ball, it is very possible that the 2010-11 version of the New York Rangers may not even make the playoffs. I know, I know, the season hasn’t even started yet but let’s take some time and look at the reasons why this club may not make the postseason for the second straight year:
- Scoring: While the team may have Marian Gaborik and have added Alexander Frolov, the team is still missing a sniper. This team struggled to score goals at crucial times last season and if Gabby and Frolov cannot do it this season, fans can expect much of the same.
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Tags: Alexander+Frolov, Glen+Sather, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
Should the Rangers Go After Brad Richards?
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/23/10 at 05:46 PM ET
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Last season, it was obvious that the New York Rangers lacked a true No. 1 center and in the end, it hurt them.
The team had Brandon Dubinsky, Erik Christensen and others try to play with Marian Gaborik and while there was some chemistry here and there, there wasn’t enough to scare teams or produce points consistently. In fact, you can say that the team’s best No.1 center in the last five seasons was former Blueshirt Michael Nylander.
One number one center that has been floating around Rangerland is Brad Richards. Richards is a proven point producer who last season, scored 91 points (24 goals and 67 assists) in 80 games with the Dallas Stars. The season before that, he had 48 points in 56 games so as you can tell, Richards is good for about a point a game.
If the Blueshirts found a way to get him, he’d be a lock to play with Marian Gaborik. Gaborik would have himself a pure No. 1 center and someone that can feed him the puck or he can feed the puck to. They would certainly become a dangerous combinatio n and right now, the Rangers need all the offense they can get.
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Tags: Brad+Richards, Dallas+Stars, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Nylander, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
What’s Next?
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/11/10 at 10:11 PM ET
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Many Ranger fans are wondering the same thing that I am: what will GM Glen Sather do next to help make this a better hockey team?
At this point, and may be every other point for that matter, it’s tough to read Sather. Sather will say all the right things to the press and the things he says make sense as he mentions giving the prospects a chance to play and trying to grow the team from within.
With that being said, he does things to the contrary and goes out and signs deals that don’t make too much sense, a.k.a Derek Boogaard. Yes, I know that Boogaard was not signed to put pucks in the net but the amount of money and years for a third/fourth line player do not make sense to me.
One thing all Ranger fans that Sather must do is find a way to get rid of defenseman Wade Redden. Sather needs to admit that he made a mistake and move on whethere that’s finding a way to trade him or even demote him to the Hartford Wolf Pack. If Sather can do that, in their heart, Ranger fans may find a way to forgive him for that.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Erik+Christensen, Glen+Sather, Illya+Kovalchuk, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Sean+Avery, Vinny+Prospal,
Gaborik is The Centerpiece
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/20/10 at 09:01 AM ET
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From great friend of the blog Nicholas Montemagno at The Rangers Tribune:
With that, the focus needs to shift to the lack of skill and ability up front, and that means no longer building the roster around Lundqvist, but building it around the club’s top forward in Marian Gaborik.
Erik Christensen and Vinny Prospal were arguably the only players that gelled with Gaborik on the first line this season. And really, that was just pure luck since Prospal was pulled randomly from the free agent market and Christensen the waiver wire, both being given a chance just for the sake of doing so. These guys were not brought to New York to center and wing a line with Gaborik. In fact, at the time of the acquisitions, I can almost guarantee you that the thought of either of these individuals playing with Gaborik did not even cross Glen Sather’s mind.
Click here for more.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
All About Gaborik
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/17/10 at 11:08 AM ET
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From great friend of the blog Jim Cerny at NewYorkRangers.com:
Coming off major surgery which limited him to only 17 games played with the Minnesota Wild in 2008-09, Gaborik did not know if his recurring hip and groin issues were a thing of the past or if the surgery had corrected these problems for good.
And heading into unrestricted free agency Gaborik, the face of the Wild franchise since its inception in the fall of 2000, had no idea where he would be bringing his plethora of talents, only that it would not remain Minnesota because the Wild had decided they could not afford to re-sign their signature player.Now firmly entrenched as a New York Ranger, coming off a sterling, and healthy, first campaign on Broadway, Gaborik heads into a much more settled off-season.
Click here for more on the superstar Blueshirt.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
Is Torts blaming Gaborik for Team’s Offensive Woes?
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/10/10 at 11:53 AM ET
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One blogger certainly seems to think so. Good friend of the blog Nicholas Montemagno at Rangers Tribune wrote the following:
I think it has become quite clear that Rangers leading scorer Marian Gaborik has not been playing at 100 percent since returning to the lineup in Washington on Saturday. There is no question that he is not himself when playing with an injury. Especially when that injury is involving his leg, handicapping him in a way, being that his main strength is his speed. So when taking all of that into consideration, how on earth can head coach John Tortorella blame Marian Gaborik for the 2-0 loss to the Capitals on Sunday, and then once again make another relating comment after the overtime loss to Buffalo? Is Gaborik seriously the only scapegoat Torts can come up with?
Nicholas is right in his assessment that Gaborik is not 100 percent. He’s lost a step in his game, is not creating as many scoring chances and ultimately, it is leading his line and may be even the rest of the club’s offense to struggle.
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Tags: Erik+Christensen, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Vinny+Prospal,
The Top Line Needs to Produce
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/09/10 at 02:00 PM ET
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From good friend of the blog Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants:
Stop us if you’ve heard this one but plenty of discussion today about the Rangers need to generate offense while, critically, maintaining a good defensive effort as they head into the season’s final 16 games battling for a playoff spot. The top line of Vinny Prospal-Erik Christensen-Marian Gaborik, off the scoresheet in the two games since Gaborik’s return, will be given “another whack” at trying to create some scoring chances tomorrow but it doesn’t sound like coach John Tortorella will have much patience if the line isn’t producing.
Quite frankly, he doesn’t have the time. Tortorella acknowledged that, at this point in the season, he can’t stick with a player in a game if he’s not producing as long as he might have earlier in the season.
“We can’t die on the vine,” said Tortorella, adding this stretch of season is also critical for off-season evaluation purposes.
Click here for more on the Blueshirts including a practice update, a look at the playoff race and more.
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Tags: Erik+Christensen, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Vinny+Prospal,
Another Day, another two points Gone
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/07/10 at 09:51 AM ET
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I know that the title is extremely negative but let’s face it folks, the New York Rangers have a tough task ahead of them when it comes to making the playoffs.
In last night’s 2-0 loss to the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals, the Blueshirts played well enough to win but unfortunately, were not able to put the puck in the net. When your backup goaltender (Alex Auld) makes 26 saves on 28 shots against an offensive team like the Caps, the least you can do is score a few goals for him.
Auld was solid last night and did everything he could to give his team a chance to pick up two points. He was poised, played the puck well and stopped the ones he needed to stop. Right now, he is certainly a better option than Chad Johnson or Steve Valiquette.
Marian Gaborik returned to the lineup and for someone who is not 100 percent, looked pretty darn good as he logged over 25 minutes in ice time and generated several scoring opportunities. However, when your star player is not 100 percent, your team needs to have other guys step up and put the puck in the net, something that did not happen last night.
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Tags: Alex+Auld, Buffalo+Sabres, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Auld, Gaborik in for Big Game Vs. the Caps
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/06/10 at 05:58 PM ET
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Good evening folks. The New York Rangers are back in action tonight as they take on Alex Ovechkin and the Caps.
The Blueshirts have shown that they can skate with the Caps this season and will be looking to do the same in tonight’s tilt in D.C. However, they will have to do it with Alex Auld in goal as he makes his Blueshirt debut.
Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella told the following to the team’s beat writers regarding Auld:
“It’s time for him to play, that’s a good way to put it,” Tortorella said. “This is a guy that has played in the NHL. The situation we had with our backups (rookies Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba), it’s best that we get them down there (to Hartford) to develop and in the stretch run here I think it’s a good thing for us to have a veteran guy we can use.”
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Tags: Alex+Auld, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Uh Oh: Gabby Out tonight Against Pens
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/04/10 at 04:42 PM ET
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From friend of the blog Rick Carpiniello at the Rangers Report:
Meanwhile, the Rangers return home, winners of three straight (including one at Pittsburgh) and still on the outside of the playoff picture, but just one point out of seventh place with 19 games left.
They face the Pens without Marian Gaborik, whose groin injury could keep him out a while. Michael Del Zotto returns.
Click here for more.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Quick Rangers News Update
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/02/10 at 12:22 PM ET
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From New York Rangers MSG broadcaster John Giannone via his twitter account:
Tortorella just said both DelZotto and Gaborik are out tonight. Lundqvist will start, of course.
Click here for more morning skate updates from a solid Rangers’ broadcaster.
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Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers,
Thoughts on Gaborik
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/01/10 at 06:34 PM ET
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From good friend of the blog Nicholas Montemagno at Rangers Tribune:
Gaborik, along with players like Vinny Prospal, Olli Jokinen, and Ryan Callahan, is going to be relied on heavily going down the stretch here. The Blueshirts will play the remaining twenty games in just 41 days, which is an extremely compact schedule compared to what these players are used to during the months of March and April. It is a scary though to think that there is only a month and a half left until the regular season concludes and the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
That being said, this compact schedule is gong to take a lot out of these players as we near the end. Coach John Tortorella’s claim to fame is the way in which he conditions his teams in training camp, so hopefully it will not become much of a problem for this squad, but for Gaborik personally, it may present him with some difficulties.
Click here for more from our good friend Nicholas.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Rangers+Tribune,
Thoughts on Turco, Gaborik and Biron
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/10/10 at 02:15 PM ET
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From good friend of the blog Jim Cerny at Rink Rap:
The Dallas Stars made an interesting trade yesterday, picking up injury-prone goaltender Kari Lehtonen from Atlanta for defense prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 4th round draft pick.
My immediate reactions were: Marty Turco (above photo) is playing his final days in Dallas, and Don Waddell better have a game plan for all the young defensemen he is stockpiling in Atlanta because he sure isn’t filling the club’s biggest need, offensively-capabale forwards.
Turco, at age 34 and with a salary of just under $6 million, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. His play has declined the past few seasons, though it should be noted he was tremendous in the playoffs just two years ago leading the Stars to the Western Conference Finals. Once a Vezina Trophy-candidate, now Turco is a good goalie who is not considered good enough for a legit contender.
I think Turco will go, but will it be now—-prior to the trade deadline—-or as a free agent this summer? Not sure the market is hot for Turco right now, especially with cheaper options like Martin Biron available.
Click here for more of Jim’s thoughts on Turco, Marian Gaborik and Martin Biron.
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Tags: Dallas+Stars, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Marty+Turco, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Gabby Likely to Sit Out Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/10/10 at 01:57 PM ET
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From Larry Brooks at The New York Post:
But even if tonight’s match is played, Marian Gaborik is not expected to be in the lineup after sustaining a deep laceration in his right thigh that required stitches following a practice mishap with Henrik Lundqvist in which the winger was sliced by the goaltender’s skate.
Indeed, Gaborik, fourth in the NHL with 35 goals, is questionable for the Blueshirts’ final three games before the Olympic break—tonight, Friday, and back home on Sunday afternoon against the Lightning.
Gaborik is on Slovakia’s Olympic roster. Team Slovakia’s first game is next Wednesday against Jaromir Jagr and the Czech Republic.
Click here for more on tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
Gaborik Suffers Laceration at Practice
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/09/10 at 10:43 PM ET
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This goes to show that accidents happen in hockey even if it seems like a harmless play. Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants reported the following:
The report, via Rangers assistant GM/coach Jim Schoenfeld, is that Marian Gaborik suffered a laceration when Henrik Lundqvist’s skate cut him as Gaborik jumped over the goalie in a breakaway drill. Gaborik went for stitches after leaving the ice and was not made available to the media.
Lundqvist confirmed his skate hit Gaborik’s right knee and, like most observers, he thought Gaborik was messing with him at first.
The Rangers said Gaborik remained at the Madison Square Garden Training Center to receive stitches and was not taken to a hospital for X-rays or an MRI.
“Right now, that’s all we think it is,” said Schoenfeld, who ran today’s practice along with assistant coach Mike Sullivan with coach John Sullivan in Massachusetts attending the funeral of Toronto GM Brian Burke’s son. “It’s not like it’s a twist to the groin or the knee, it’s just a laceration.”
Hopefully, Gaborik won’t miss tomorrow night’s game against the Nashville Predators as the team needs all the help they can get on offense while also needing to get some wins.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
An Interesting Perspective
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/04/09 at 12:59 PM ET
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Over at New York Rangers blog The Rangers Tribune, Nick Monte talks about how the New York Islanders passing the Blueshirts in the Atlantic Division is a good thing.
Nick believes that this is a big kick in the pants for the Rangers and that this will motivate them to get it going and start winning hockey games. I happen to agree with Nick and believe that if the team uses this as motivation, they may be able to to get themselves going in the right direction.
However, a lot needs to be done in order for that to happen. The team still needs secondary scoring and needs to stop relying on Marian Gaborik to score all their goals.
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Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
One Bright Spot in the Month of November
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/01/09 at 03:20 PM ET
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While the New York Rangers struggled throughout the month of November, there was one Blueshirt who excelled and did his job by contributing offensively while also making smart plays on the other side of the puck as well.
Of course, you all know who I am talking about now - Marian Gaborik. Here is what the team’s web site had to say:
Rangers forward Marian Gaborik’s big month of November didn’t go unnoticed by the NHL on Tuesday, as the NHL’s goal-scoring leader and co-leader in points was named by the league as its No. 3 Star for November.
Gaborik capped off his month of November with two goals against Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. He now has a league-high 21 goals—three more than the two players tied for second-place on the list. Gaborik also is tied with San Jose’s Joe Thornton in the race for the Art Ross Trophy. Both Thornton and Gaborik have 37 points.
Thornton was named the NHL’s No. 2 Star for November. Jarome Iginla of Calgary, who had 20 points in November, was the No. 1 Star.
At his current pace, Gaborik could become the first player in Rangers history to score 60 goals in a season. He also ahead of where Jaromir Jagr was in his record-setting 2005-06 season. Jagr scored 54 goals that year and also had 21 through the first 27 Rangers games, but he did not get his 22nd goal until several more games had passed. Gaborik can exceed Jagr’s pace with his next goal.
Click here for more on Gabby.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers,
Who is the League’s MVP 1/4 Through?
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/24/09 at 09:52 PM ET
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From friend of the blog Jim Cerny at Rink Rap:
There are a host of players off to great starts this season. But who is most valuable to his own team? I’d have to say Marian Gaborik of the Rangers.
Gaborik’s numbers certainly back this argument. In 21 games played (he missed two because of an injury), Gaborik has 18 goals—-nearly one-per-game—-and 32 points. He is tied with Heatley for the league lead in goals, and is second behind Kopitar in points. He has also scored at least one point in 19 of the 21 games in which he has played, showing tremendous consistency this season.
Dig deeper and you find out that Gaborik has also been a workhorse, averaging more than 22 minutes of ice-time, among the leaders for all forwards in the NHL. He has also been an excellent penalty killer, while thriving on the power play with seven power play goals, second most in the league.
But dig some more and you find out the real reason why I think Gaborik is the MVP of the first quarter of this season.
Gaborik has put up these elite-level numbers with little-to-no help from his teammates. In fact in a stretch that spanned more than 200 minutes of hockey and ended in the first period of last night’s victory over the Blue Jackets, the Rangers did not have a goal scored by a player not named Marian Gaborik or Vinny Prospal. That’s a total of six goals, and Gaborik either scored or assisted on all six.
Click here for more on the top stories, teams and players from Cerny’s eyes.
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Tags: Jim+Cerny, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Rink+Rap,
Will he or Won’t He?
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/30/09 at 10:06 AM ET
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That is the question on every New York Ranger fans mind when it comes to the status of Marian Gaborik tonight as his team gets set to take on his former team, the Minnesota Wild.
As you all know, Gaborik was out of the lineup on Wednesday night against the Islanders and it certainly showed as the Rangers had trouble putting the puck in the net. Against a struggling Wild team (only 6 points this season), may be the team will find a way to put more pucks in the net but remember, most of us thought that on Wednesday night as well.
According to Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants yesterday, Gaborik sounded doubtful about playing tonight against the team that broke him in in the National Hockey League:
Marian Gaborik certainly didn’t sound hopeful today that he’d be able to play tomorrow night, which would ruin his homecoming to Minnesota. The short version: He’s going to make the trip, he’s still sore, he lists himself as day to day, he’ll try to skate tomorrow morning and see how he feels, he won’t try to rush himself back and put himself at further risk for injury.
Still not definitive word on what his injury his but there seems little disputing that it’s a right leg issue. Gaborik had some ink marks just above his right knee, indicating perhaps a thigh or a hamstring problem. His right knee was not wrapped but it could be a knee issue. Gaborik said he was hurt in a collision in front of the net, not along the boards as first believed, and he played a shift after hurting himself. He initially thought the injury was worse.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers,
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