Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: New+York+Islanders
Is Lundqvist Back on Track?
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/28/10 at 02:44 PM ET
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After being out of town for the last two days, it was nice to see the New York Rangers get the job done on the road and get back-to-back wins against the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators.
It was even nicer to see that Blueshirts’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist started both games and played well in them. Unfortunately, I did not get to watch either game but just looking at his statistics, it looks like he faced a lot of rubber and was able to pick-up his second shutout of the season against the Panthers and get the shootout victory against the Predators last night by stopping all three Predator shooters.
It may just be two games but for Lundqvist, they should be considered confidence boosters. He had been struggling up until late last week and needed to show his hockey club that he is still the backbone of the team and show them why he is considered one of the top netminders in the National Hockey League.
The Blueshirts have another big week on tap beginning tomorrow night when Sidney Crosby and the Penguins visit Madison Square Garden for a tilt. Later in the week, the Blueshirts will take on the New York Islanders in the beginning of a home-and-home series at the Coliseum on Thursday night followed by a game at MSG on Friday night before closing out the week with a game against the Ottawa Senators at the Garden on Sunday evening.
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Nashville+Predators, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sidney+Crosby,
Not Pretty
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/12/10 at 08:48 AM ET
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The title explains everything about the New York Rangers 6-4 loss to the New York Islanders yesterday afternoon at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The team’s defense was sloppy, the team took undisciplined penalties at crucial points in the game and lastly, they gave away two points that they should have had.
Yes, it’s early on in the season and there is plenty of time to work on these kinds of mistakes but the fact they happened against their rivals in inexcusable.
What’s also inexcusable was the play of the team’s defense. Michael Del Zotto had a tough game and Steve Eminger was often out of position to make the necessary defensive plays to help the team.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
An Interesting Take on New York Islanders Radio
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/09/10 at 12:37 PM ET
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From Eric Mirlis via Mirl on Sports:
As the Islanders, after being backed into a self-constructed corner by first failing on an annual basis to come up with a radio deal to satisfy all of their fans, and then after pulling the plug on a real radio broadcast and going the cheapo route by simulcasting last year, announce that their games will be broadcast on the Hofstra student radio station, I think it might be time to jump off the ship, whether it is sinking or not.
I am a product of college radio and support it to the fullest. I was Sports Director of WNYU my senior year there, succeeding a guy you may have heard of, Kenny Albert. The New York sports media is dotted with other alumni of this program, including C.J. Papa, Rich Ackerman and Steve Cangialosi, with many more having very successful careers behind the scenes. I know how important college radio is to students that want to get into the business, and believe they should be afforded every opportunity available. I called a my fair share of basketball games while at NYU, including one at Madison Square Garden and one at Boston Garden. I had two internships while working there. Both of these internships created relationships that still remain, and have contributed to various opportunities I’ve had in my career. Even with all of that, I could never have fathomed the concept of any of us calling NHL games while still in school. Even Kenny rode the bus in the minors for a couple of seasons before his first NHL gig.
With that said, let’s talk about the Islanders’ amazing decision to place their games on a college radio station. I’ll break it down into different areas, so that all arguments on both sides can be seen:
Click here for more.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders,
An E-mail Interview with a Hockey writer/Author: Brad Kurtzberg
by Patrick Hoffman on 08/05/10 at 08:50 AM ET
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It’s certainly the dogs days of summer as the days/nights are longer, the weather is more than heating up and unfortunately, the hockey season is still a bit away.
However, we here at Kukla’s Korner like to provide you with hockey content every single day and today is no different. I was lucky enough to do an e-mail interview with Brad Kurtzberg, the New York Islanders beat writer for Inside Hockey and author of Shorthanded: The Untold Story of the Seals: Hockey’s Most Colorful Team.
Brad was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to tell us about how he got into the game of hockey, where he’s written, his thoughts on the Islanders and more. Enjoy:
PH: How did you get into hockey?
BK: As a fan, started when I was about 5, watching games on Channel 9 in New York with my dad. I was hooked at an early age and my love for the game just grew as I got older and understood more. The game is so exciting to watch (and play) and I think sometimes we take for granted what a high level the NHL game is played at.
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Tags: Brad+Kurtzeberg, California+Golden+Seals, Inside+Hockey, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Christopher Botta: Living the Dream
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/27/10 at 09:03 AM ET
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This professional hockey writer/blogger needs no introduction. He worked with the New York Islanders as a media relations executive for many years before delving into the hockey writing/blogging world full-time for well-known outlets such as IslandersPointBlank.com and NHL FanHouse at AOL. More importantly, he’s doing what he’s always wanted to do in life and that’s be involved in hockey.
He is the great Christopher Botta. Mr. Botta was kind enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to do an e-mail interview with me where he tells us how he got into the game, his time with the Islanders, his experience at IslandersPointBlank.com and Fanhouse, and his thoughts on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Enjoy:
PH: How did you get into hockey?
CB: During my junior year at La Salle University in Philadelphia, I interned at WIP Radio for Merrill Reese - the longtime play-by-play man for the Philadelphia Eagles. I would help him get “sound” for his morning sportscasts by interviewing Flyers, Sixers and Phillies after their games. On the last day of my internship, the Flyers asked me what I was doing during my senior year. (Free help!) I worked the entire 1986-87 season when they went to the Stanley Cup Final. I worked in PR and wrote a lot of stories for their team publications. If you look at the Flyers’ version of their Stanley Cup Final program, I pretty much wrote the whole thing. It was an incredible experience for a young lad.
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team/player?
CB: I became an Islanders fan when they were born in 1972 and I was 7. By the time they won their first Stanley Cup, John Tonelli was my favorite.
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Tags: Christopher+Botta, New+York+Islanders, NHL+Fanhouse,
Dubinsky: “We need to loosen up”
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/30/10 at 10:51 AM ET
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From Michael Obernauer at The Blueshirts Blog:
“It’s interesting what happens when you just play - you get tired of worrying about everything that you do wrong. You just go,” Dubinsky said. “I thought we played loose those last couple games like that, and then in Toronto I thought we maybe got a little bit tight again, because we’d put ourselves right back in the hunt and all of a sudden you’re tighter again. Sometimes if you’re a ways away, you’re just going.”
It would appear that’s how the Leafs (and perhaps the Islanders) are able to play, though Dubinsky said, “I’ve never been in that situation so I can’t speak for how they feel. But I feel like when there’s nothing really to play for because your last game’s going to be the first week in April, they’re just playing for themselves and playing to spoil other people’s chances of making the playoffs.
“We have a lot more on the line, but if we can just loosen it up … not to be tight and be staring at the standings every second of every day and crossing our fingers hoping for things to happen. We’ve got to take care of what’s ours first.”
Click here for more.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers Get Lucky - Live to Fight Another Day
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/30/10 at 10:19 AM ET
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From great friend of the blog Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants:
If the Rangers do make the playoffs this season, it will not be so much because of Henrik Lundqvist, as coach John Tortorella has now guaranteed twice (after Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss at Toronto and again after yesterday’s practice) but because the other Eastern Conference playoff contenders the Rangers are battling are as mind-numbingly inconsistent as they are.
Case in point: last night. The eighth-place Bruins missed a chance to move six points ahead of the Rangers and instead lost, 3-2, at home to the Sabres. Meanwhile, the ninth-place Thrashers missed a chance to tie the Bruins for eighth place as they fell at home to the Hurricanes, 4-1. The same Hurricanes Atlanta just beat in Carolina to start the home-and-home series and the same Carolina that was just in 14th place in the conference before jumping three spots. As of this morning, four of the Rangers final seven games, including tonight against the Islanders, are against the bottom four teams in the conference. Which means the Rangers, despite their season-long attempt at eliminating themselves from the postseason through their erratic play, still have a shot.
Click here for more good stuff from Andrew Gross.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Some Questions and Answers with The Rangers Tribune
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/29/10 at 07:02 PM ET
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Nicholas Montemagno of The Rangers Tribune was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding the state of the Blueshirts as the team heads into tomorrow night’s game against the New York Islanders.
PH: How tough was it for the Blueshirts to lose a point to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night in Toronto?
NM: Not being able to capture a point in that game is already beginning to come back and bite the Rangers in the behind. With the Flyers defeating the Devils on Sunday and moving ahead of the Blueshirts by six points, New York really has to kick it into gear if they want to make it before they fall out of reach. If the Rangers lose against the Islanders, I am pretty convinced that their season will be over.
PH: How does a team recover from a loss like that and keep their confidence up that they can still make the playoffs?
NM: They need to forget it right away. That game isn’t going to help them anymore and all that is important right now is theirmatch-up with the Islanders. Henrik Lundqvist is mentally stable and has a focused train of thought, so I am not too worried about him as far as letting in the flukey tying goal to Tomas Kaberle on Saturday goes. As for the defense, they need to regroup and play much better in the final seven. The Rangers blue-line had a complete collapse in overtime, which led to their downfall.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Nicholas+Montemagno, The+Rangers+Tribune,
Shifting Focus to the Islanders
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/29/10 at 02:56 PM ET
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From good friend of the blog Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants:
Tortorella repeated the team needs more from its top guys. The coach didn’t add this but he could have also said, first and foremost, Marian Gaborik. Still, Tortorella said the Rangers didn’t play as badly in Toronto as he believes the media portrayed. Which brought about his second great line of the day.
“The boys are loose,” Tortorella said. “There are breakdowns as you go through, not nearly as many as everybody tends to talk about (with) this club, like we’re just a bunch of idiots out there playing.”
It will take a team effort to be the usually-scrappy Islanders tomorrow night. Tortorella confirmed that Ryan Callahan (right leg), Sean Avery (left leg) and Brian Boyle (left ankle) will all be out (Vinny Prospal and Henrik Lundqvist did not practice today for rest purposes). Tortorella also said rookie defenseman Matt Gilroy will be out of the lineup for the second straight game in favor of veteran Anders Eriksson, who made his Rangers’ debut Saturday.
Click here for more great stuff from Mr. Gross!
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers Crash Back Down to Earth
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/28/10 at 10:49 AM ET
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I’m back folks and unfortunately, so are the New York Rangers as they blew a 2-1 lead and lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist allowed a suspect goal that allowed the Leafs and then in OT, the Leafs made the Blueshirts’ defense all go to one side so that one of their players could tuck in a wraparound past a stretched out Lundqvist.
The point the Rangers got now gives them 76 points on the season and puts them eight points behind the eighth place Philadelphia Flyers, who are dropping games left and right. This means that the club is still alive in the playoff hunt but a loss hereor there could set them back even further.
The team has a chance to pick up a valuable two points when they travel to Long Island on Tuesday night to take on the New York Islanders, who they defeated on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden by a score of 5-0.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Just a Tease
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/24/10 at 08:51 PM ET
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After watching the first two periods between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders (not in 3-D), I realize just how much the Blueshirts like to tease their fans.
Going into tonight’s tilt with the Isles, the team had dropped three straight to Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins. These were games in which the Blueshirts turned in sub-par performances.
So, what do the Rangers do tonight? They score three goals in the first period to go up 3-0 on goals from Artem Anisimov, Marian Gaborik and Michael Del Zotto.
The team has that lead going into the third period and they’re doing it with hard work, putting the puck on net, getting physical and playing good team defense. When a team can do this on a consistent basis, it usually leads to wins.
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Tags: New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Busy At Work - Something to get You Through the Afternoon
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/24/10 at 12:47 PM ET
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Good afternoon folks. I am swamped at my day job but figured I’d give you something to check out to get you through the afternoon.
This comes from great friend of the blog Nicholas Montemagno at The Rangers Tribune:
Much of the media and many other private sites covering the team, including myself, have written off the Rangers chances of making the playoffs. We have said it is close to impossible and we have said that the team does not have the desire or will to paarticipate in the postseason. We say this for good reason, because what this team has showed us as of late has been embarrassing and clearly they do not know the meaning of life and death. However, what we say and what the beliefs are in the locker room are most often contradicting, which is why the players are beginning to install a “circle the wagons” atmosphere in which they lean on each other and ignore what is said out on the Internet and in the newspapers.
The main difference between a writer’s opinion and a player’s opinion is that the writer is going to base his/her statements on facts and probability, and they aren’t afraid to face reality and admit to it. The players, on the other hand, are always going to have hope and tell us that they believe, because really, at this point, they cannot do anything else but believe, otherwise they might as well just not even play the remainder of the season.
Click here for more great material from Nicholas.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Who is the best in NY and NJ?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/16/10 at 04:06 PM ET
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Over at MSG.com, they are running a “Best On Ice” poll that celebrates local players from the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils.
Fans debate these kinds of things here on KK, on other hockey sites, message boards and at games themselves so MSG decided to bring this promotion to the Interweb and make it a lot more fun.
In this poll, fans choose the best local player at each position so feel free to check it out here
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Tags: New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
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,
Looking at Rick DiPietro
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/26/10 at 01:05 PM ET
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From Frank D at From the Rink (Mike Chen’s new abode):
Long-term, big-time contracts will put (and keep) any player in the spotlight. For good or bad, this no doubt subjects a player to endless criticism. Have a good game, and you’re worth every penny. Battle through a slump, and you’re overpaid.
But when that player is repeatedly injured and out of the lineup for months at a time, there is suddenly a new label you can throw into the mix. All the talk of what was accomplished in the past or may be accomplished in the future transcends into one mantra: I guess we’re stuck with him either way.
For Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro, now three seasons into his 15-year, $67.5 million deal, it’s hard to really say where fans stand. After two knee surgeries, two hip surgeries and a concussion or two thrown into the mix, the Islanders faithful have every right to be skeptical.
Click here for more. It will be interesting to see what the Isles’ end up doing with Martin Biron. Dwayne Roloson has certainly earned the right to stay on Long Island with his MVP-like first half of the season.
The question is - will Roloson be happy in a backup role should DiPietro get hot?
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, Rick+DiPietro,
Back to the Grind
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/26/09 at 04:13 PM ET
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I hope everyone here at Kukla’s Korner had a great Christmas. I certainly did as I finally got a PS3 and NHL 2010, which is amazing by the way.
Anyways, the New York Rangers are back in action tonight as they take on the New York Islanders at the Garden, in what should be a chance for the Blueshirts to pick up another two points. It will also be a chance for the team to extend their winning streak to five games.
Many fans out there are probably expecting this team to put on a disappointing display tonight against the boys from Long Island as the team is coming back from a few days off and will probably be looking to do too much to spread more holiday cheer. On the other hand, there is a good reason to believe that the Rangers will make it five straight tonight, given the way the team has played over the last week.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
More to Come or SSDD?
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/18/09 at 10:47 AM ET
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The New York Rangers found a way to snap out of their funk last night by defeating the New York Islanders by a score of 5-2. Yes folks, you read that right - the Rangers scored 5 goals.
Even more noteworthy is that Chris Drury scored his third goal of the season and that Artem Anisimov also had a terrific goal in the third period.
However, this game was all about the play of guys like Ryan Callahan (2g, 2a), Marian Gaborik (1g, 2a) and Henrik Lundqvist (35 saves). These players stepped up in a huge way last night and prior to the game, Lundqvist sat the team down and held a players only meeting along with Sean Avery.
Looks like something clicked, right?
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
A Quick One before Rangers-Isles Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/17/09 at 06:30 PM ET
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Good evening folks. Sorry I wasn’t around today but I was busy at one of my part-time/freelance jobs.
I’m sure you didn’t miss me too much since there wasn’t exactly much to say after last night’s loss to the New York Islanders. The team was absolutely dreadful and showed the Isles no respect. In the “new” NHL, anyone can beat anybody so the Blueshirts should not exclude themselves from that.
Both teams are back at it again tonight with a new wrinkle for the Blueshirts: both Ales Kotalik and Wade Redden are healthy scratches. Kotalik has been inconsistent, at best, while Redden has been horrible since joining the Blueshirts in the summer of 2008.
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Tags: Ales+Kotalik, Glen+Sather, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Wade+Redden,
They Can Do It!
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/16/09 at 10:54 AM ET
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According to friend of the blog Stan Fischler, the New York Rangers should be able to come away with four points in their next two games against the New York Islanders tonight at the Garden and tomorrow night at the Coliseum.
I’m not so sure I agree. Yes, the Rangers played well on Monday night against the Atlanta Thrashers but again, they were only able to skate away with one point rather than two, which is the name of the game. Let’s also not forget the Isles beat the Rangers in the team’s first meeting of the season.
Here’s more from the Maven:
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
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,
Somewhat Different Without Gaborik
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/29/09 at 10:57 AM ET
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Without Marian Gaborik last night due to a lower-body injury, the New York Rangers fell flat to the New York Islanders by a score of 3-1.
The Islanders were all over the Blueshirts, beating them to lose pucks, generating more quality scoring chances, being more physical and in general, the Rangers made themselves an easy team to play against last night.
Obviously, if Gaborik gets injured again and ends up being out for a more significant amount of time, this team will need to learn to win without him. They will have to learn how to match the other team’s intensity and ultimately, goal-scoring capabilities as last night’s loss to Isles bought back memories of last season.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
“Bourne” to blog
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/12/09 at 03:43 PM ET
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Good afternoon folks. I’m back from my weekend in MA/NH and while I would definitely like to acknowledge that the New York Rangers picked up their fourth victory of the season last night, I would like to go in a different direction today.
When you’ve been a hockey player almost all of your life, it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. However, one such player, a young one at that, had his jaw wired shot after taking a slap shot to his face, realized that there was other ways to be involved with the game other than playing. For this particular playing, that avenue was writing.
With that in mind, I’d like to introduce readers of Kukla’s Korner to Justin Bourne, son of former NHLer Bob and engaged to HOFer Clark Gilles’ daughter. Justin was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to share his thoughts on how he got into the game, how he started writing/blogging and his thoughts on the current season. Enjoy after the scroll below.
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Tags: Justin+Bourne, New+York+Islanders,
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,
The Latest on the Lighthouse Saga in Long Island
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/02/09 at 09:52 AM ET
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From Randi F. Marshall at Newsday:
Lighthouse partners Charles Wang and Scott Rechler said Thursday they are no longer willing to change their plans to develop the land around Nassau Coliseum.
“This is not the point to start negotiating anything,” Wang said Thursday, five years after unveiling the project. “It’s yes or no.”
Even amid the fanfare of Thursday’s agreement on a proposed lease between the developers and Nassau County, anger and frustration took center stage. Wang, Rechler and County Executive Thomas Suozzi pointed fingers at Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and the town board for delaying the project and not trying to meet Wang’s Oct. 3 deadline for significant progress on the project.
“Shame on those folks who would stop this project from getting done,” Suozzi said.
Click here for more about what is going on regarding the Lighthouse.
Wang said if Murray, a Republican, and the board did not give any answer, he “would construe that as a no.”
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Tags: Lighthouse, New+York+Islanders,
Cutting Back Hockey Coverage
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/05/09 at 09:56 PM ET
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From Jeff Kline at The New York Times:
When some 10,000 fans showed up at Nassau Coliseum on June 26 to watch on the video scoreboard as the Islanders chose John Tavares No. 1 at the N.H.L. draft in Montreal, it showed there were a lot more loyal Islanders supporters than most outside observers realized.
Loyal fans were up in arms in late July when the Islanders, who had been making budget cuts since January, told Botta they would reduce their financial commitment to Point Blank. After Botta announced it on the blog, there were online petitions supporting him that had more than 1,500 total signatures.
Last week Botta began a freelance assignment that he said he owed to the popularity of Point Blank, writing regularly about the N.H.L. for AOL FanHouse.
Dey said that the Islanders hoped Botta could find backing for Point Blank because “we’d love to see it continue with Chris’s commitment, passion and insight.” But if not, Dey added, there “might be an opportunity for another entrepreneur to cover the Islanders in a similar manner.”
Click here for more.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, NYI+Point+Blank,
No More Point Blank
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/29/09 at 11:11 PM ET
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From Chris Botta at NYI Point Blank:
Islanders Point Blank is no longer the “team-sponsored blog.” As a result, Point Blank may not be around much longer.
Like just about everything in sports, it’s only business. Nothing personal, and it’s certainly not about anything I’ve written that the franchise may not have loved.
The Islanders were my employer for more than 20 years. Last summer Chris Dey came to me with the idea to have this former longtime team exec blogging 24/7/365 about the Islanders. Quickly, the hockey fans responded and I am forever appreciative. Even before the Islanders drafted John Tavares, Point Blank was receiving in excess of 400,000 unique visitors a month. With the expectation the young players will develop and not come in last in the league again, those numbers would only grow in seasons to come.
We praised, criticized and tried to hold the Islanders accountable in a fair manner. We tried to tell every side of the story and elevate the discussion. We were relentless. You and I know about all the stories discussed here first and most often - about the Lighthouse and the draft and prospects and everything else the mainstream media wasn’t covering. No need to list all the stories we broke, often readers and editor in partnership.
Click here for more on NYI Point Blank. It was certainly a prime-time stop for New York Islander and hockey fans alike. Chris Botta did tremendous work for the organization and we here at Kuka’s Korner wish him nothing but the best going forward.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, NYI+Point+Blank,
Islanders Ready To Turn the Page
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/24/09 at 02:13 PM ET
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From David Kolb at MaxHockey.com:
The Biron signing tells you nothing about Dipietro’s current or future status, but the decision to bring Biron in after already signing Dwayne Roloson on July 1 simply reflects DiPietro’s track record.
What Islander fans should really take from this signing is that their g.m., Garth Snow both runs the team, and is doing a heck-of-a job doing it.With $1.4 million dollars he made a bold statement.
No longer are the Islanders going to hope their franchise player can carry them, nor will they hold out hope for DiPietro to be a team leader. As a matter of fact, the Isles and fans alike can now enter the 2009-2010 season not even thinking about the whereabouts of the wandering netminder. I mean for God’s sake, a Roloson-Biron tandem is more than adequate for not only cellar dwellers, but for a top quality NHL team as well.
Click here for more on Rick DiPietro and the New York Islanders. It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out come October.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, Rick+DiPietro,
Rangers News, Notes and Opinions
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/23/09 at 01:52 PM ET
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Figured I’d change the wording around in the title to get your attention better. As has been most of the summer, not too much news floating around Rangerland these days besides the impending Nikolai Zherdev arbitration hearing. At this point, I’m ready to say good riddance to the Russian, who is asking for more money than he is worth, especially with the way he played this season. If he does not end up coming back to the Blueshirts, which team will be gullible enough to sign him?
I also think it’s pretty interesting that the New York Islanders decided to sign goaltender Martin Biron yesterday. It’s quite obvious that “franchise” netminder Rick DiPietro will not be ready to go come October and who knows how much longer after that. With Dwayne Roloson and Biron between the pipes, the Isles’ actually now have stability in net. Who would have thunk it?
Click on the links below for the latest New York Ranger news, notes, and opinions:
- Rangers Report
- Ranger Rants
- NewYorkRangers.com
- SNYRangersBlog.com
- Blueshirt Banter
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Rangers+Reading,
An Interesting Take on DP
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/22/09 at 11:47 AM ET
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From Chris Botta at NYI Point Blank:
Consider this our injured goalie version of John Tavares-Victor Hedman-Matt Duchene, except this will be our one and only segment.
* DiPietro will not begin skating in early August. In fact, he may not even begin light skating on his own until late August at the earliest.
* As the team has said, he absolutely will be with the team for training camp in Saskatoon. Note that the Islanders never said anything about being a regular participant. I don’t expect DiPietro to take part in any Saskatchewan scrimmages or pre-season games. You’ll more likely read about him in Newsday working one-on-one with his goalie coaches.
To summarize, I guess what I’m saying is the original Islanders timeline, which the club had starting in August, will likely be pushed back at least one month. This is no longer Rick DiPietro’s team, and that’s good for everybody - especially Rick DiPietro.
Click here for more on the Isles’ supposed “Franchise” netminder. What do you folks think?
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, Rick+DiPietro,
Roloson Signing Doesn’t Make DiPietro Look Any Better
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/01/09 at 03:45 PM ET
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From Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy:
On Sept. 12, 2006, the New York Islanders signed goalie Rick DiPietro(notes) to a 15-year contract worth $67.5 million. Anyone else want to climb into the time machine to tell them they’d be desperately signing a soon-to-be-40-year-old starter to a two-year contract worth $5 million in 2009?
Dwayne Roloson(notes) joins the Islanders, and if that doesn’t speak volumes about their concerns about DiPietro’s heath then nothing does.
Click here for more. Why can’t the Islanders just come out and say what is wrong with DP? Would that be so hard to do?
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Tags: Dwayne+Roloson, Free+Agents, New+York+Islanders,
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,
Islanders: Keep an Open Mind
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/24/09 at 05:30 PM ET
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From Zachary Weinstock at MaxHockey.com:
Team projections on the collection of masochists set to slither into Nassau Coliseum Friday night indicate that at least as many Islander fans are willing to come watch their club draft an NHL talent with one sentence as are willing to come watch their club lose to NHL talent for 60 minutes.
And incase you haven’t heard, the building will be torn to crumbs if the Islanders don’t select John Tavares.
This might not even be a joke. Area lounge R.C. Dugans is offering $1 pints until midnight if the London Knights winger goes first overall. They’ll be 25 cents if he doesn’t!
So either way, it’s a night for George Washington adorned currency.
Click here for more. Who do you folks think the Isles are going to take? Why?
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, NHL+Entry+Draft,
Taking It To the Max
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/04/09 at 09:20 PM ET
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Here at Kukla’s Korner, we like to promote all things hockey whether it’s news sources, blogs, team sites, player sites, etc.
With that in mind, here is an e-mail interview I did with Dave Kolb, Director of Operations and Managing Editor of MaxHockey.com, a site dedicated to hockey news and columns by writers from around the league.
Continue below for the interview:
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Tags: Dave+Kolb, MaxHockey.com, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
A Day In the Life of a Hockey Player
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/30/09 at 03:11 PM ET
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As some of you are probably aware of, Justin Bourne, a hockey player in the New York Islanders’ system has done some serious blogging this season.
Currently, on MaxHockey.com, he is penning a series: “A Day in the Life of a Player.” Feel free to check out the links below:
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
Interesting, right?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Justin+Bourne, MaxHockey.com, New+York+Islanders,
The Latest Rick DiPietro Rumors
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 05:26 PM ET
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From Chris Botta of NYI Point Blank:
In 2009, it’s impossible for just about anyone to go unnoticed. When you’re Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders and the U.S. Olympic Team, forget about it. It used to be everyone on Long Island knew someone who knew Bobby Nystrom. Now it seems everyone knows someone who has seen the Islanders’ franchise goalie hopping around the last few weeks.
Click here for more.
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Tags: New+York+Islanders, Rick+DiPietro,
Rangers With Avery : Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/06/09 at 05:00 PM ET
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All the New York Rangers do with Sean Avery in the lineup is win.
Last night’s 4-2 win over the New York Islanders extended the team’s record to 50-23-13 in the regular season when Avery is in the lineup. He had just over 10 minutes of ice time and was rather effective as he forechecked, stirred it up without crossing the line, generated a few scoring chances and in general, gave the team an extra spark.
Yes, the win came over the last place Islanders and yes, the team wasn’t great but in the end, they did what they had to do to win and even managed to get goals from Nikolai Zherdev, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Markus Naslund, guys that need to step it up down the stretch in order to help get this team into the playoffs.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Chris+Drury, Derek+Morris, John+Tortorella, Markus+Naslund, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Nikolai+Zherdev, Scott+Gomez, Sean+Avery,
A New Beginning
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/05/09 at 02:30 PM ET
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In their first game after the trade deadline, the New York Rangers will have all their new guys in the lineup tonight against the last place New York Islanders.
With Nik Antropov, the team now has some size on the wing as well as a guy who can score goals (21 goals this season). If head coach John Tortorella can light a fire under this guy, the team may finally see more power play goals for. Newsday Rangers’ beat writer Steve Zipay believes that he’ll skate with Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky’s and Antropov’s size should open up the ice more for Drury.
Zipay thinks that Sean Avery will skate with Ryan Callahan and Lauri Korpikoski, forming a small but very aggressive line. As most knowledgeable hockey/Ranger fans know, Avery can be tenacious on the forecheck and that is exactly what Tortorella wants him to do.
New defenseman Derek Morris will be paired with one of his former partners from the Phoenix Coyotes, Paul Mara. He gives the backline some added size as well as another player that can play the point on the power play. This is another player that Tortorella needs to light a fire to help be more consistent.
This team definitely got a bit better at the trade deadline and now, they need to show it by clinching a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Derek+Morris, John+Tortorella, Lauri+Korpikoski, Newsday, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Paul+Mara, Ryan+Callahan, Sean+Avery, Steve+Zipay,
A New Season
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/20/09 at 10:45 AM ET
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When the New York Rangers beat the New York Islanders on Wednesday night, Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist said it was a good start to the new season.
It’s a good thing that the Blueshirts are looking at this as a new season since more than halfway through this 2008-09 campaign, a season that has been mired with a lack of scoring, a lack of finish, a terrible power play and overall, inconsistency.
This weekend, the team looks to continue its perfect new season with games against the Buffalo Sabres (tomorrow night in Buffalo) and Toronto Maple Leafs (Sunday night at the Garden). To pick up four points, the team will need to do the following:
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Scott+Gomez, Stephen+Valiquette, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wade+Redden,
Look at the Bright Side
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/19/09 at 02:35 PM ET
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Yes, yesterday afternoon’s 3-0 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins certainly stings but look on the bright side: the New York Rangers picked up points in four of their five road games, including wins against the Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders and the talented Chicago Blackhawks.
The trip saw Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist return to form, especially his statistics: 23 wins, a 2.54 goals against average, a .913 save percentage and two shutouts. These numbers certainly show why he is attending this year’s NHL All-Star game in Montreal.
The team’s recent road trip also saw Chris Drury come alive as well as the continued strong play of Ryan Callahan and Nigle Dawes. Hopefully, these three will continue to play well because they are the only ones that are performing consistently on an offensive level in the past couple of weeks.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Buffalo+Sabres, Chicago+Blackhawks, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Madison+square+Garden, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, NHL+All-Star+Game, Nigel+Dawes, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan,
Rangers in Chi-Town
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/16/09 at 10:45 AM ET
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Tonight will be an important test for the New York Rangers as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. The Blackhawks are currently fourth in the Western Conference and sport an impressive home record of 16-4-3.
Back on October 10, the Blueshirts defeated the Blackhawks in their home opener at Madison Square Garden but this is a much different Hawks team than the one that was on the ice three months ago. They have a new coach in Joel Quenneville, are getting scoring across the board from the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Martin Havlat, playing solid defensively and are getting excellent goaltending from both Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet.
“Outside of the skill they were able to exhibit back then, I think they will be pretty different (tonight),” Rangers’ head coach Tom Renney told the team’s web site. “I think there is a level of commitment and discipline to their game now.”
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Tags: Aaron+Voros, Chicago+Blackhawks, Cristobal+Huet, Dan+Fritsche, Joel+Quenneville, Jonathan+Toews, Martin+Havlat, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Khabibulin, Patrick+Kane, Patrick+Sharp, Tom+Renney,
We’ll Take It
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/14/09 at 03:45 PM ET
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It certainly wasn’t one of their best games of the season, especially against one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League, but the New York Rangers were able to come away with a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders thanks to the play of Henrik Lundqvist and a rather successful power play.
Lundqvist appears to be returning to form as he posted his third solid performance in a week by making 33 saves en route to his 22nd victory of the season. He was especially good in the first two periods, stopping 24 of 25 shots and enabling his club to hold onto a 2-1 lead going into the third period, a lead that they would not relinquish.
“We knew we would create some chances against them, and it finally paid off in the second period, and then we locked it down the rest of the way,” Lundqvist told the team’s web site. “It was a great effort, and we are definitely on the right track here.”
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Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, National+Hockey+League, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Nigel+Dawes, 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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
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,
The New Season
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/03/09 at 12:00 PM ET
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The New York Rangers will look to put up their second straight win tonight when they take on the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.
In the team’s last meeting, the Capitals overcame a four goal deficit to defeat the Rangers 5-4 in overtime thanks to the play of their fearless superstar, Alex Ovechkin. It was a real gut-check moment for the Blueshirts that showed them that they still have a lot of work to do before being considered one of the NHL’s elite teams, despite being tied for third place with the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference, who each have 49 points.
In order for the Blueshirts to get back to playing consistent hockey, a lot of things have to happen.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Chris+Drury, Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Scott+Gomez, 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:
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Deserving the Boos
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/22/08 at 10:00 AM ET
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It looks like New York Ranger fans have found themselves a new Marek Malik to boo in defenseman Michal Rozsival, a guy the team signed a $20-million contract extension over the summer.
This is something that the Rangers cannot afford to have and Rozsival needs to change things fast or else he is going to make Rangers’ management look extremely stupid for resigning him over the summer.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Marek+Malik, Michal+Rozsival, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Tom+Renney, Vancouver+Canucks,
Never Say Die
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/15/08 at 11:45 PM ET
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It was just four weekends ago that the New York Rangers were down 2-0 in third period and managed to come back and win the game 3-2 in a shootout over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It was deja vu all over again tonight as the Rangers were down 2-0 in the third to the Boston Bruins, only to tie the game in the third period with 53 seconds to go and win it in a shootout thanks to a goal from captain Chris Drury.
Welcome to the new NHL folks.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Chris+Drury, Fredrik+Sjostrom, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Nigel+Dawes, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Tom+Renney,
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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
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,
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