Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: New+Jersey+Devils
Atlantic Division Report
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/07/09 at 08:38 PM ET
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Last season, the Atlantic Division was one of the best divisions in all of hockey. Four out of the five teams finished with over 90 points – the Penguins, the New Jersey Devils, the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers.
Early into the 2009-2010 season, it appears that history is looking to repeat itself as all four of those teams have winning records just over a month into the season. Even the New York Islanders are trying to get into the act as they are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games.
Let’s take a look at how the division is shaping up as we head towards the middle of November.
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Tags: Atlantic+Division, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Satisfying Start
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/04/09 at 09:37 AM ET
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Good morning folks. I apologize for not having blogged anything Rangers yesterday but I was busy last night at the New York Islanders’ game as part of their media staff. I know, I know...I’m a Rangers fan but if I want to make it in the game as a writer, I have to go with whoever is going to take a chance on me. Plus, it was great to see phenom John Tavares pick up his first two points in the NHL (1g, 1a).
With that said, however, it was nice to see the New York Rangers post a 5-spot on the board last night in defeating the Ottawa Senators. In catching the Rangers in 60 when I got home into the wee hours of the morning, it was nice to see Marian Gaborik pick up a couple of points in his home debut and see players such as Brandon Dubinsky, Michael Del Zotto, Vinny Prospal and of course, Henrik Lundqvist, all play a key role in the team’s first win of the season.
In his first two games of the season, Dubinsky already has four points (2g, 2a). I know that he got off to an extremely hot start last season but may be this season, he’ll be more consistent given the players he is playing with.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tavares, Marian+Gaborik, Matt+Gilroy, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Vinny+Prospal,
Youngsters looking good
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/17/09 at 10:33 AM ET
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The New York Rangers may have dropped their second straight game in pre-season (3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils) but they certainly got impressive performances from some of their youngsters, in particularly defensemen Matt Gilroy and Michael Del Zotto and goaltender Chad Johnson.
It’s nice to see a Ranger blueliner who is not afraid to rush the puck up the ice, show some moves and put the puck on the net. The goal he scored to make it a 2-1 game should show the Blueshirt brass that he has the poise and determination to create offense, something the team has been missing since it lost Brian Leetch in 2004.
Del Zotto also had a strong performance, even showing that he’s not afraid to go deep in the offensive zone in a four-on-four situation. He’s constantly looking to create offense and that is something that head coach John Tortorella likes to see from both young defensemen Gilroy and Del Zotto.
“They make subtle plays,” Tortorella told Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants after the game. “It’s not just always off the glass and giving it back to the other team. They’re looking to make a play out of the end zone so we have control. They’ve done a good job in a lot of minutes that we’ve given them the past couple of games.”
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Tags: Chad+Johnson, Matt+Gilroy, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers,
Rolston to score 30 goals this year?
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/02/09 at 11:55 PM ET
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From Tom Gulitti from Fire & Ice:
What about Lemaire’s style fits you well?
“I don’t think it’s necessarily his style that fits me. I just think that he gave me responsibility. Last year, I didn’t feel like I was given much responibility. At the beginning of the season, it started off great, but after my injury I didn’t feel like I was put into positions to succeed. And I’m just looking forward to that. You know? To have that opportunity. I believe that’s why I was brought here in the first place. I’m just excited about it. I’m excited about being with Jacques and (assistant coach) Mario (Tremblay), guys that I spent probably the majority of my career playing for.”
Do you expect to get a chance to play on the first line?
“You know, here’s the deal. We talked about this at the beginning of last year when I was supposed to come in and be the first-line center. The fact of the matter is Travis...I believe that Zach is one of the best players in the league. Those guys (Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Jamie Langenbrunner) are our first line. They were our first line last year. I don’t know how Jacques is going to do it. A lot of times he’d split guys up to make sure everybody was going. Not that I’m saying that’s going to happen, but I believe that was our first line. I’m just going to try to contribute the way I have in the past. I want to get back to 30 goals and I want to contribute to the team. That’s the most important thing to me right now. Not scoring 30, but I need to get back to that. For us to be successful, I believe I have to get back there and I think I will.”
Click here for more on Brian Rolston.
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Tags: Brian+Rolston, New+Jersey+Devils,
Lou Gets It Done
by Patrick Hoffman on 08/18/09 at 03:25 PM ET
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From Noam Kogen at MaxHockey.com:
Lou Lamoriello isn’t being inducted into The Hockey Hall of Fame for nothing.
Since arriving in New Jersey for the 1987-88 National Hockey League season, the Devils boss turned a once-labelled-by-Wayne Gretzky “Mickey Mouse” operation into one of the league’s most respected franchises.
Yet each year it seems—as training camp approaches—a cloud of doubt hovers over the Garden State skaters and their prospects. Not surprisingly, 2009-2010 is no exception.
Click here for more. I’m not a Devils fan or anything but Noam hits it head on here.
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Tags: Lou+Lamoriello, New+Jersey+Devils,
Who Will be the Next Devils Coach?
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/30/09 at 12:00 PM ET
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From Stan Fischler at MaxHockey.com:
There’s one coaching slot open for grabs—in Newark—and it should be filled while a new coat of paint dries on Prudential Center.
When I interviewed Devils boss Lou Lamoriello in Montreal during the Draft, I simply asked him for some insight on when he’ll make the announcement.
With twinkles in his eyes and a grin on his face, Lou shot back, “In due time.”
Well, “due time” is running out.
Click here for more. Who do you think the next Devils’ coach should be?
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Tags: New+Jersey+Devils,
Free Agency: NYR, NYI and NJD
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/29/09 at 06:04 PM ET
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From Stan Fischler at Game On:
Not that anything too serious should be read into it, but Colton Orr and Aaron Voros accompanied Glen Sather to last week’s Canadian Society annual hockey dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria. Does this mean either – or both – will be back with the Blueshirts? Not necessarily. Now that the hated Flyers have Chris (not so Mr. Clean) Pronger, Orr might be the best bully-deterrent on Broadway.
Lou Lamoriello, to the surprise of most, didn’t demand that former head coach Brent Sutter sit out for a season or ask for anything in return from the Flames. Instead, he had this to say: “Once you give consent, because of the new rules in the NHL there is no recourse and no compensation.”Says Lamoriello, “There should be compensation in situations like this for all the obvious reasons, but there isn’t. That’s a league rule and you accept it.”
Click here for more.
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Tags: Free+Agents, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Stan+Fischler,
Sutter: A Dirty Rat?
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/24/09 at 05:11 PM ET
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From Stan Fischler at MaxHockey.com:
Simply put, Sutter undermined the Devils organization in several ways and put his (former) boss in a most difficult position. To wit:
* CONTRACT: Brent was under contract for three years and ducked out after two. As we say in Brooklyn, “N.G.” NO GOOD! (Although maybe that’s how they do things in Red Deer, Alberta.)
* ALIBI: Sutter acted like a six-year-old, claiming he was homesick for the prairie life. Nonsense. He could have—and should have—brought his family with him to the Garden State. He knew that Alberta was far from New Jersey when he took the job. He knew the score when he signed his New Jersey contract. This blissful ignorance does not work in the East.
* DISRUPTION: Lamoriello had long-range plans for Sutter when he hired the man. Young players such as Zach Parise and Travis Zajac were to be developed under Brent. Free agents were to be lured to New Jersey BECAUSE of Brent. Instead, Lou may not have a new coach in place at the start of Free Agency, July 1st. That could be a major detriment to Devils’ plans.
Click here for more. That’s certainly an interesting take. What do you folks think?
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Tags: Brent+Sutter, Calgary+Flames, New+Jersey+Devils,
Hockey Front and Center Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 02:15 PM ET
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From Shawn P. Roarke at NHL.com
With a heat wave blanketing the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, it may not have felt like a time for hockey.
Yet in two NHL buildings—the Prudential Center here and the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.—there was no denying that hockey was front-and-center.
That’s what happens when you play in a Game 7. And, Tuesday night, the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals are hosts for the only two Game 7s of the first round. First, at 7 p.m., the Capitals host the New York Rangers (Versus, TSN, RDS) in one of the more exciting series in recent memory. Thirty minutes later, in Newark, the Devils face the Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET, Versus, TSN2, RIS) in the definition of a back-and-forth series.
Click here for more.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Who Will Shut Down Staal?
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 02:05 PM ET
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From Colin Stephenson at The Star-Ledger:
The Hurricanes’ top player had two goals and an assist in Game 6, so shutting down his line obviously will be one of the keys for the Devils in Game 7.
“It still comes down to how individuals are going to play against him,” Devils coach Brent Sutter said Monday. “Obviously, it’s different there, because they do have the last line change—and hey, he’s an elite-level player. You have a tremendous amount of respect for how he plays, and you certainly have to pay a lot of attention to him when he’s on the ice.”
Besides having the crowd on their side, the Devils get the advantage at home Tuesday night of having the last line change on play stoppages, which should make it much easier for them to get the matchups they want. In the games at the Prudential Center, Sutter has generally sought to put the line of Jay Pandolfo, John Madden and Brendan Shanahan—and the defense pair of Colin White and Mike Mottau—on the ice every time Staal is out for the Hurricanes.
Click here for more.
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Tags: Brendan+Shanahan, Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal, Jay+Pandolfo, John+Madden, New+Jersey+Devils,
All Eyes on The King
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/14/09 at 09:35 AM ET
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When the puck drops tomorrow night at the Verizon Center, all eyes will turn to New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist as the Blueshirts take on the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
If the Blueshirts are going to advance to the next round, the “King” will need to be at his best when he faces the likes of offensive machines Alex Ovechkin (56 goals, 54 assists, 110 points), Nicklas Backstrom (22 goals, 66 assists, 88 points), Alexander Semin (34 goals, 45 assists, 79 points) and stud defenseman Mike Green (31 goals, 42 assists, 73 points).
Lundqvist will face pucks from all angles and will have to steal at least one of the first two games of the series if the team wants to give themselves any kind of shot when the series shifts back to Madison Square Garden.
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Tags: Alexander+Semin, Alex+Ovechkin, Atlanta+Thrashers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Mike+Green, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nicklas+Backstrom, Washington+Capitals,
This Week’s Questions
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/03/09 at 12:40 PM ET
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Much like I did last Friday, I am going to list a few questions related to what’s going on in the hockey world.
Please feel free to post your thoughts on the following questions in the comment section of the blog:
- Will the St. Louis Blues make the playoffs? Why or why not?
- What is happening to the New Jersey Devils? Why are they struggling so much?
- Is this the last hurrah in Minnesota for Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire? If so, where do you think he will end up coaching next? Why?
- Have the Montreal Canadiens finally righted the ship after a dismal February and early March? What have they done differently?
- Does anyone really believe that Philadelphia Flyers’ netminder Martin Biron can lead his club to the Stanley Cup?
- Are the Chicago Blackhawks good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs?
- Do the Detroit Red Wings have good enough goaltending to get them back to the Stanley Cup Finals?
Let’s hear your thoughts!
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Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, Detroit+Red+Wings, Jacques+Lemaire, Martin+Biron, Minnesota+Wild, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, Philadelphia+Flyers, St.+Louis+Blues,
What’s Going on With The Devils?
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/02/09 at 09:00 AM ET
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The New Jersey Devils seem to do this every single season and now, it may not be hard to think about the reasons why they exit the playoffs in the early rounds.
Last night’s 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins was their sixth in a row. The team didn’t play with any urgency, they had poor defensive zone coverage, they did not generate enough scoring chances and even their future hall of fame netminder Martin Brodeur was less than stellar last night.
So, to my Devil fan readers out there, I have a few questions for you:
- Why does the team seem to go on losing streaks prior to going into the playoffs?
- Should the team consider starting backup goaltender Kevin Weekes? Brodeur has not looked like himself in the past few games.
- Does the team not care anymore about the regular season because they already clinched a playoff spot?
- Lastly, will head coach Brent Sutter still be behind the Devils bench when next season begins?
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Tags: Brent+Sutter, Kevin+Weekes, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/01/09 at 01:00 PM ET
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While the New York Rangers looked like a playoff team on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils, it certainly does not mean that they will make the playoffs as both the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers continue to make things interesting by winning crucial games down the stretch.
These next two games for the Blueshirts are critical so if they could pick up four points, that would obviously be the optimum but right now, getting three out of possible four points wouldn’t be so bad either.
For some Rangers reading, please check out the following links:
- Newsday
- Ranger Rants
- Rangers Report
- SNY Rangers Blog
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Rangers+Reading,
These Guys Can Play
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/31/09 at 09:10 AM ET
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There is no doubt about it - Henrik Lundqvist saves his best games for Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils.
Last night at Madison Square Garden, Lundqvist, who made 38 saves in his third shutout of the season, and the New York Rangers handed the Devils a 3-0 loss thanks to solid goaltending and timely scoring from Brandon Dubinsky, Dan Girardi and Ryan Callahan. The win gave Henrik an 18-6-4 record (regular season and playoffs included) against the Devils but as Henrik told the team’s web site after the game, he was just focused on picking up the two points.
“I am happy for this one because I made up my mind before the third period that I wanted this one, and it worked out,” Lundqvist said.
The Blueshirts knew how important this game was and that certainly showed in the first period as they came out and outshot their Hudson rivals 20-10 in the first period. They were relentless in their forecheck, put traffic in front of Brodeur, crashed the net for rebounds and were solid defensively, all marks of a playoff-caliber hockey club.
For the Rangers to keep marching on towards the playoffs, they will need to deliver the same kind of performance against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night and then again on Saturday afternoon against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins, certainly not an easy task.
However, if last night’s game tells you anything, it should be that when the Rangers are on top of their game, they can be tough to beat.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Dan+Girardi, Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, Ryan+Callahan,
Where Are They Going?
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/29/09 at 12:30 PM ET
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The New York Rangers dropped their second straight game yesterday afternoon in a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The loss keeps the Blueshirts in seventh place with 87 points. However, the Montreal Canadiens are in the eighth spot just one point (86 points) behind them and the Florida Panthers are in the ninth spot just two points behind (85 points).
The Rangers showed some character by battling back from a two-goal and one-goal defecit while also killing off nine Penguins’ power plays. However, Sid “the Kid” Crosby’s great effort put the Penguins ahead midway through the third period, giving the Penguins a 12-1-2 record in their last 15 games.
As we’ve said on this blog before, the club’s remaining schedule will not make things any easier for the Blueshirts. Tomorrow night, they take on the Atlantic Division leading New Jersey Devils followed by games against the red hot Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and a home-and-home series against the Philadelphia Flyers to close out the regular season.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, Florida+Panthers, Ilya+Kovalchuk, Montreal+Canadiens, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sidney+Crosby,
Why the Panthers Deserve to be Where they Are Now
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/18/09 at 12:30 PM ET
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The last time the Florida Panthers made the playoffs, they had some guy named Pavel Bure and had Mike Vernon as their goaltender. This happened during the 1999-2000 season when they were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils.
Nine years later, the Panthers find themselves in unfamiliar territory as March approaches: a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Since the new year, the team is 13-4-2 and is sixth in the Eastern Conference with 66 points, just three points behind the fourth-place Philadelphia Flyers. So, you might ask, how are they doing this?
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Tags: Bryan+McCabe, Cory+Stillman, Craig+Anderson, David+Booth, Florida+Panthers, Gregory+Campbell, Jay+Bouwmeester, Karlis+Skrastins, Keith+Ballard, Michael+Frolik, Mike+Vernon, Nathan+Horton, New+Jersey+Devils, Nick+Boynton, Pavel+Bure, Pete+Deboer, Richard+Zednik, Stephen+Weiss, Tomas+Vokoun,
A King and an Ace
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/14/09 at 12:30 PM ET
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When Mike Richter suffered a concussion early in the 2002-03 season, the New York Rangers knew they were in trouble. Sure, they had youngster Dan Blackburn as a capable backup but nothing close to an elite netminder who could handle everyday life in the National Hockey League.
It would be that way for the rest of the season as the Blueshirts became a revolving door for goaltenders such as Blackburn, Mike Dunham and Jussi Markannen. However, when the lockout ended and play resumed in 2005-06, there was a new masked man in town that would change the culture of the Rangers to this day forward.
His name is Henrik Lundqvist, a Swedish goaltender that was drafted 205th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Lundqvist enjoyed much success in Sweden with Frolunda, especially in the season prior to coming to the NHL when he was 33-8-3 with six shutouts and a stellar 1.79 goals against average.
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Chris+Drury, Dan+Blackburn, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jaromir+Jagr, Jussi+Markkanen, Mike+Dunham, Mike+Richter, New+Jersey+Devils, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Scott+Gomez,
Where’s the Spark?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/04/09 at 09:14 AM ET
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Things certainly started right last night at Madison Square Garden when the New York Rangers raised Adam Graves’s No.9 to the rafters. It was a night filled with Ranger stars such as Mark Messier, Mike Richter, Brian Leetch, Rod Gilbert, Eddie Giacomin, Mike Gartner, as well as guys like Glenn Healy, Sergei Nemchinov, Tie Domi, Darren Langdon and Jeff Beukeboom, all there to give praise to one of their greatest mates, Adam Graves.
It was unfortunate that the current Ranger squad had to play afterwards because they put on a dismal performance against the lowly Atlanta Thrashers and lost 2-1 in a shootout. Yes, the team peppered Thrashers’ netminder Kari Lehtonen. Yes, Nikolai Zherdev played a tremendous game by generating many scoring chances. The team also got a good look at Artem Anisimov, who played well but needs more playing time to be effective. And yes, the team got a solid performance, with the exception of the shootout, from their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
However, it still wasn’t enough to be the second worst team in the NHL while also being a game in which they could have gained some ground on the New Jersey Devils as they lost to the Washington Capitals 5-2 last night.
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Tags: Adam+Graves, Artem+Anisimov, Atlanta+Thrashers, Brian+Leetch, Chris+Drury, Darren+Langdon, Eddie+Giacomin, Glenn+Healy, Henrik+Lundqvist, Ilya+Kovalchuk, Jeff+Beukeboom, Mark+Messier, Markus+Naslund, Mike+Gartner, Mike+Richter, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Patrick+Roy, Rod+Gilbert, Scott+Gomez, Sergei+Nemchinov, Tie+Domi, Tom+Renney, Washington+Capitals,
Quick Hits
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/20/09 at 01:45 PM ET
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Tonight, the New York Rangers take on the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden and will look to take over the top spot in the Atlantic Division as the New Jersey Devils currently sit atop the Atlantic thanks to a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators.
According to various beat reporter blogs, Petr Prucha and Lauri Korpikoski will be the scratches. Aaron Voros and Dan Fritsche will take their spots in the lineup.
Now, I know that the Ducks are a physical hockey club but I believe that by taking out Prucha and Korpikoski, the team is potentially sacrificing at least three-five scoring opportunities. When your offense isn’t that strong as it is, why would head coach Tom Renney do something like this?
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Tags: Aaron+Voros, Anaheim+Ducks, Atlantic+Division, Dan+Fritsche, Lauri+Korpikoski, Madison+Square+Garden, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Petr+Prucha, Tom+Renney,
Another Shutout for The King
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/10/09 at 10:30 PM ET
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For the second time in three games, New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist picked up a shutout (his second of the season). This time, it came at the hands of the struggling Ottawa Senators in a 2-0 victory.
This was a game in which Lundqvist had excellent rebound control, was in position for both the first and second shots (if there was one) and more importantly, he gave his club a chance to win a hockey game, which they did thanks to goals by Brandon Dubinsky (finally) and a beauty from Lauri Korpikoski off a great feed from Nikolai Zherdev.
As a team, the Blueshirts were disciplined, tough in front of their own net and made the game easy for Lundqvist. When they do things like that, it’s easy to see why they would win.
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Tags: Bobby+Sanguinetti, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brendan+Shanahan, Brian+Elliot, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Lauri+Korpikoski, Michal+Rozsival, Nassau+Veterans+Memorial+Coliseum, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Petr+Prucha, Scott+Gomez,
An Interview with a Rangers Blogger
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/28/08 at 10:57 PM ET
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Since I’m sure all you die hard New York Ranger fans know what happened last night and know what this team needs to do to be better on a consistent basis, I figured I’d forget about talking about last night’s debacle against the New Jersey Devils and instead post an interview I did with a Rangers Blogger: Scotty Hockey.
Scotty was kind of enough to take time during this holiday season to tell us how he fell in love with the game and the Rangers, how he got into writing/blogging about hockey, what the future of hockey blogging will bring and of course, his outlook on the Blueshirts.
Enjoy and remember to visit Scotty Hockey for thoughts and opinions on the Broadway Blueshirts.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Chris+Drury, Colton+Orr, Dallas+Stars, Dmitri+Kalinin, Glen+Sather, James+Patrick, Jan+Erixon, Jaromir+Jagr, John+Vanbiesbrouck, Madison+Square+Garden, Markus+Naslund, Marty+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gomez, Scotty+Hockey, The+Hockey+News, Wade+Redden,
Ranger Reading
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/27/08 at 01:00 PM ET
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Tonight, the New York Rangers (22-12-3) return from their two-day holiday break to take on the New Jersey Devils (19-11-3) at Madison Square Garden.
Luckily for the Blueshirts, the Devils played last night and got shutout by the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-12-4) so they may a bit tired. The Devils also haven’t scored a goal in regulation in seven period. On the other hand, that’s never stopped the Rangers from losing before so why should these be considered factors now?
The main note for tonight’s game is that defenseman Michal Rozsival is out tonight because of what the team is describing as family reasons. In his place will be Corey Potter.
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Tags: Andrew+Gross, Blue+Notes, Corey+Potter, Dan+Fritsche, Michal+Rozsival, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Petr+Prucha, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ranger+Rants, Rangers+Report, Sam+Weinman, Scotty+Hockey, SNY+Rangers+Blog, Steve+Zipay,
A Brand New Day
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/26/08 at 04:00 PM ET
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First off, I hope you all had a happy and safe holiday, especially you New York Ranger fans out there who were looking to shake off Tuesday night’s terrible loss to the Washington Capitals.
Tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils should be looked at as a fresh start for the Rangers. Again, they’re coming off a terrible collapse against the Caps’ and have displayed rather inconsistent hockey over the past month or so.
So what better way to shake off the cob webs and play the best hockey they can play than by beating their Hudson River rivals?
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Tags: Andrew+Gross, Blue+Notes, Blueshirt+Bulletin, Chris+Drury, Dubi+Silverstein, Eastern+Conference, Glen+Sather, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ranger+Rants, Rangers+Report, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gomez, SNY+Rangers+Blog, Steve+Zipay, Washington+Capitals,
All I want for Christmas Is…
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/24/08 at 08:05 AM ET
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Well, a win last night over the Washington Capitals would have been nice but unfortunately, the New York Rangers blew a four-goal lead and allowed the Caps’ to score five unanswered goals to beat the Blueshirts 5-4 in overtime at the Garden.
Figures, the Rangers actually score close to a handful goals at home and still cannot come away with a victory. Hopefully, this loss won’t stick in their minds too long as the team has an important tilt with the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night at MSG followed by a game against the New York Islanders on Monday night, also at MSG.
With all that said, here is my Christmas wishlist for the New York Rangers for the rest of the 2008-09 season:
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Tags: New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Devils are Impressive
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/21/08 at 01:05 PM ET
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I’m getting ready to watch the New Jersey Devils take on the Philadelphia Flyers in a Sunday afternoon matinee at the Prudential Center and figured that this would be a good time to reflect on what the Devils have done this season.
When Martin Broduer went down with an injury in early November, many hockey pundits and fans thought that the Devils were done. They weren’t scoring a lot of goals, they weren’t really winning and lastly, they would have to rely on Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen.
Well, a month and 17 days later, the Devils are 18-9-3, good for third in the Atlantic Division and sicth in the Eastern Conference. They’ve also won 11 of their last 14 games. Not bad, huh?
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Tags: Brian+Gionta, Kevin+Weekes, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, Patrik+Elias, Philadelphia+Flyers, Scott+Clemmensen, Zach+Parise,
Where’s The D?
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/13/08 at 11:00 AM ET
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In a surprising turn of events last night, the New York Rangers finally lost to the New Jersey Devils by a score of 8-5.
Yes folks, you read that right: the Blueshirts allowed eight goals to the Devils.
For the past few weeks, the Rangers have struggled to keep the puck out of the net. On Thursday December 4, they allowed six goals in a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Last Sunday night against the Calgary Flames, they allowed three goals in a 3-0 loss and obviously, last night wasn’t so pretty.
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Tags: Calgary+Flames, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Scott+Gomez, Tom+Renney,
Skills Competition Bails out Rangers
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/29/08 at 11:00 AM ET
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For the second straight game, the New York Rangers needed a shootout to pick up two points, this time against the Florida Panthers.
It was also the second straight game that both Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev scored in the “skills competition” to give the Rangers a 4-3 victory.
Unlike there many other games that went to the shootout, it was the opposing team that tied up the game with just over a minute to go in the tilt as David Booth ripped in an in-tight shot past Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (38 saves) with 1:33 left to go in the hockey game.
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Tags: Craig+Anderson, David+Booth, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Petr+Prucha, Stephen+Valiquette, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tom+Renney,
True Test for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/15/08 at 11:00 AM ET
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Just over a month into the season, the New York Rangers will have their toughest test of the young regular season campaign tonight at Madison Square Garden: the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins are just three points behind the Blueshirts and are coming off an impressive 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. They’ve gotten strong play from guys like Phil Kessel (7 goals), former Ranger Marc Savard (17 points) and from their netminder Tim Thomas, who has a goals-against average of under two goals per game and a save percentage that is close to 95 percent.
It should also be noted that the B’s are tied for the fewest goals allowed, something that could impact the Rangers tonight who typically don’t score a lot of goals on Garden ice.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Lauri+Korpikoski, Michal+Rozsival, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Phil+Kessel, Tim+Thomas,
The AHL: A Bargain for Great Hockey
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/11/08 at 10:30 PM ET
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For a person that has seen many, many National Hockey League games, it will probably come as a surprise to some of you that I had never been to an American Hockey League (AHL) game before, especially since I live within 150 minutes of two American Hockey League franchises: the Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers farm team) and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (New York Islanders farm team).
As I mentioned this past weekend, that all changed on Saturday night when I went to the XL Center (formerly the Hartford Civic Center) to take in a Wolf Pack vs. Springfield Falcons (Edmonton Oilers farm team) game. However, as you also all know, I wasn’t able to enjoy the game from a fan’s perspective.
Instead, I got to enjoy it as a credentialed member of the media, covering the game for the Wolf Pack web site and boy was the game ever good. This game had it all: speed, great puck movement, solid goaltending, a fight, and hard hitting. All in all, it was just as good as an NHL game.
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Tags: Corey+Perry, Dan+Girardi, Hartford+Wolf+Pack, Hershey+Bears, Jaroslav+Halak, Lowell+Devils, Marc-Andre+Fleury, Mike+Green, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Springfield+Falcons, Washington+Capitals,
Drury Breaks Out
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/07/08 at 06:00 PM ET
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This may be his second season as a New York Ranger but in last night’s 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chris Drury finally broke out.
He helped the team’s power play break out of its funk with two goals with the man advantage. Drury also scored the team’s first shorthanded goal of the season.
All in all, not too shabby for the Trumbull, CT native.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Chris+Drury, Edmonton+Oilers, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Steve+Valiquette, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tom+Renney,
