Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: New+York+Rangers
Staal and Girardi: A Terrific Shutdown Pair
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/07/11 at 09:35 AM ET
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Earlier this week, I wrote a blog regarding the New York Rangers’ defense. In the blog, I mentioned how Marc Staal and Dan Girardi should be considered as one of the top shutdown defensive pairs in the National Hockey League.
Well, Jesse Spector, New York Rangers’ beat writer for the Daily News, wrote a great article today explaining that notion:
At the beginning of the season, John Tortorella had Girardi and Staal work together only against elite competition, otherwise preferring to have them skate separately. As the campaign has reached the halfway point, though, the duo is inseparable, and bordering on impenetrable.
“Those guys, to see them grow here, I’ve been here since Staalsie and Danny got here, and every year, you see them get more confidence, and they get more responsibilities,” said Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival. “Right now, this is it. They play against the top lines, and they’re the shutdown guys against top players from other teams. They’ve done an outstanding job. It’s not easy to play against other teams’ top lines sometimes. They have grown so much and become leaders of the team.”
Click here for more on the emergence of Staal and Girardi.
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Tags: Dan+Girardi, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers Win with Youth
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/06/11 at 08:24 AM ET
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For many years, New York Rangers’ fans wanted a team that worked hard every night, won hockey games and had a bunch of young players on the roster.
Believe it or not, Rangers’ general manager Glen Sather has succeeded in making that happen and it showed last night in the team’s 2-1 overtime victory last night over the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.
The key players in last night’s victory are all home-grown Blueshirts and all contributed to a Blueshirt victory. Defenseman Matt Gilroy scored to give the Rangers’ a 1-0 lead off a great feed from Mats Zuccarello.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Dallas+Stars, Glen+Sather, John+Tortorella, Mats+Zuccarello, Matt+Gilory, New+York+Rangers, St.+Louis+Blues,
Rangers’ Defense: Not So Bad
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/04/11 at 06:51 PM ET
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Going into the season, many hockey pundits and fans alike wondered how the New York Rangers’ defense would perform this season.
Well, almost halfway through the season, the team is currently eighth in the National Hockey League in goals against, averaging 2.55 goals against per game. Not bad for one of the youngest defensive corps in the NHL.
When it comes to the team’s defense, one constant has been Marc Staal. He blocks shots, breaks up plays, hits hard, makes great outlet passes and every once in awhile, shows that he has some offense in him. He has been the club’s best defenseman since joining the NHL in the 2007-08 season.
Defenseman Dan Girardi has also been one of the Rangers’ best defenseman since joining the team during the 2006-07 season. He logs a lot of ice, blocks a lot of shots, and has contributed 20 points (3 goals and 17 assists) from the blue line this season. When paired with Staal, they are one of the best shutdown pair of defensemen in the NHL.
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Tags: Dan+Girardi, Marc+Staal, Matt+Gilroy, Michael+Del+Zotto, Michael+Sauer, Michal+Rozsival, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+McDonagh, Steve+Eminger,
Not Just Yet for Ryan McDonagh
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/04/11 at 03:05 PM ET
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According to Peter Botte of the Daily News, recently called up defenseman Ryan McDonagh will not play for the New York Rangers tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was recalled from Connecticut to replace demoted Michael Del Zotto, also took part in practice. He isn’t slated to play against the Hurricanes, with Tortorella again praising Matt Gilroy for working his way back into the Rangers’ top-six.
Don’t worry folks. I have a feeling that Tortorella will get McDonagh in the lineup very soon but right now, the team has a solid defense in Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michal Rozsival, Matt Gilroy, Michael Sauer and Steve Eminger. With that in mind, there is no need to rush McDonagh into a game right now.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Ryan+McDonagh,
Del Zotto Down, McDonagh Up
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/03/11 at 03:33 PM ET
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From New York Rangers’ beat writer Larry Brooks via Twitter:
BREAKING: Post has learned that Rangers are sending Del Zotto to AHL and recalling Ryan McDonagh.
This was a long time coming for Del Zotto. It was apparent that he was not getting it done and struggled by coughing up pucks, not playing his position well enough in the defensive zone while also lacking confidence.
For Del Zotto, getting some time down in the AHL will be a great thing for him. It will give him a chance to get his confidence back, see how the game should be played and allow him to gather the necessary tools he needs to succeed in the National Hockey League.
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Tags: Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+McDonagh,
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,
No Surprise: Del Zotto Scratched For Fourth Straight Game
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/01/11 at 02:26 PM ET
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In what is starting to become a regular occurence this winter, New York Rangers’ defenseman Michael Del Zotto will be scratch tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This is what team beat writer Andrew Gross had to say:
As for news today: Michael Del Zotto will remain out of the lineup for the fourth straight game (the second time as a healthy scratch) as coach John Tortorella continues to go with these defense pairs: Marc Staal-Dan Girardi, Steve Eminger-Michal Rozsival, Matt Gilroy-Mike Sauer. But I don’t think Del Zotto will remain out that much longer. Focus clearly on Rozsival and also probably Gilroy to improve their games from Wednesday’s 3-1 win at New Jersey.
As I have said before, I believe that this is a good wakeup call for Del Zotto. He’s going to be a great defenseman in this league but before becoming one, he needs to learn to be smart, make the right plays and do so on a consistent basis.
What do you folks think?
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Tags: Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Rangers Set for First Game of Tough January Against the Lightning
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/01/11 at 11:16 AM ET
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As the New York Rangers enter 2011, it appears that they are on a similar path that they have been on all season long.
The path I am talking about is one where the Blueshirts put together this two to three game winning streaks and then come out in the third or fourth game with a stinker of an effort, thus ending the winning streak.
The team cannot afford to do that tonight as they take on the second place Tampa Bay Lightning (tied for second in the East and first in the Southeast with the Washington Capitals). The Lightning are led by the likes of Steven Stamkos (31-25-56), Martin St. Louis (16-34-50), Ryan Malone (10-20-30), a now healthy Vinny Lecavalier, and head coach Guy Boucher, who has done a terrific job in making the Lightning a playoff-calibre hockey team.
The Rangers have not beaten the Lightning this season in two opportunities so tonight will be a good chance for the Blueshirts to show what kind of hockey club they really are. Based on the standings, the Rangers have the eighth best record in the National Hockey League and are a serious contender in the Eastern Conference.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Injury Update on Erik Christensen
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/31/10 at 10:35 AM ET
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From Nick Montemagno of The Rangers Tribune:
Reports coming out tonight are that forward Erik Christensen will be out of the lineup four to six weeks with an MCL sprain suffered in last night’s 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. Christensen has registered 14 points in 37 games this season and has also been the Rangers’ best player in the shootout. As reported earlier, Dale Weise has been recalled from Connecticut (AHL) in his place.
Not too sure how I feel about this given Christensen’s inconsistency this season. Some games he looks like he belongs in the NHL while in others, you hardly notice him.
With that said, I am curious to see what this Rangers’ team will be like once everyone is healthy.
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Tags: Dale+Weise, Erik+Christensen, New+York+Rangers,
Christensen Out, Weise In
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/30/10 at 07:06 PM ET
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According to Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants:
Erik Christensen left The Prudential Center wearing a knee brace on his right leg, a lengthy one going from his upper thigh to his lower calf. Coach John Tortorella reported Christensen had suffered a mild sprain at 8:16 of the second period after a collision with Devils defenseman Andy Greene, which led to a collision with the left post.
Christensen said he has not been told yet whether he will be making the Florida trip - the team’s charter leaves tomorrow morning for Tampa - but the Rangers did recall forward Dale Weise from Connecticut (AHL) in order for the 22-year-old to be on the plane. Christensen said he did not have X-rays taken at the arena and was not sure when he would be examined by a doctor. He had his knee iced at The Rock.
In the one game that Weise played in this season (December 18 against the Philadelphia Flyers), he was one of the team’s better places and even had a goal called back. Hopefully this weekend in Florida, head coach John Tortorella will put him in a position to exceed.
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Tags: Dale+Weise, Erik+Christensen, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers,
Rangers’ New Year’s Resolutions
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/30/10 at 12:09 PM ET
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Since 2011 is right around the corner, I figured that this was a good time to blog about some new year’s resolutions that some of the players on the New York Rangers should have heading into the new year.
Let me know what you think:
Michael Del Zotto: To be more consistent with his defensive game, learn how to play in the defensive zone better, stop coughing up pucks and stay in the line-up as an NHL regular. Del Zotto has a boat load of talent and he needs to utilize it more consistently if he wants to get back in John Tortorella’s good graces again.
Marian Gaborik: To start scoring more consistently like he did last season. Sure, he’s battled groin problems this season but if the Rangers want to enjoy success moving forward, Gaborik needs to be a part of the solution.
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Tags: New+Year's+Resolutions, New+York+Rangers,
Even Though They Were Outshot Badly, A Win is A Win for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/29/10 at 09:41 PM ET
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You know the saying “A win is a win”? Well, this saying definitely describes the New York Rangers as they beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 at the Prudential Center to close out 2010.
For one of the worst offenses in the National Hockey League, the Devils certainly did not seem that way against the Blueshirts tonight. In fact, in the second period alone, the Devils outshot the Rangers by a 20-12 margin.
That was not even the worst statistic in tonight’s tilt when it comes to shots against for the Blueshirts. They were also outshot badly in the first period as the Devils fired 16 shots while the Rangers only put five on goaltender Martin Brodeur.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog today, this was definitely a trap game for the Rangers. They were playing the worst team in the NHL and yet, the Devils threw everything they had at them but failed to get the victory. Sounds like the Devils’ story of the season, eh?
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Brian+Boyle, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Brodeur, Michal+Rozsival, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Blueshirts Set To Take on the Devils
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/29/10 at 12:02 PM ET
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Looking to repear their Monday night performance over the New York Islanders (7-2 win), the New York Rangers are set to take on the New Jersey Devils tonight at the Prudential Center.
What is amazing is that the games between these two clubs used to mean a lot when both were competitive. Unfortunately for the Devils, they are currently last place in both the Eastern Conference and the entire NHL.
What does this mean for the Blueshirts? Well, knowing the Rangers, it could be a trap game where the team gets outplayed by a far-lesser hockey club and misses out on picking up two crucial points.
With that said, this year’s version of the Rangers appear to be a much different hockey club. They work hard every night, they have stayed in most games they have played and believe it or not, they have won more often than they have lost this season.
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Tags: John+Tortorella, Mats+Zuccarello, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers,
Groin Injury Comes at the Right Time For Del Zotto
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/28/10 at 04:21 PM ET
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According to the Daily News’s New York Rangers’ beat writer Jesse Spector, defenseman Michael Del Zotto will miss tomorrow night’s game due to a groin injury:
The Rangers had a very long practice today in Greenburgh, starting with 10 players on the ice spending 45 minutes working on the power play, then a full team session for an hour. Michael Del Zotto sat out with a sore groin, and will not play when the Rangers face the Devils tomorrow night in New Jersey. The 20-year-old defenseman, scratched the last two games – once with the flu and once technically healthy – had a cortisone shot and should get back to work quickly.
A trip to Connecticut of the AHL is a possibility for Del Zotto, whose repeated mistakes trying to make the big play when a simple one will do have become a point of concern for John Tortorella.
The Blueshirts should really consider sending down their young defenseman to the AHL. It is obvious that he has lost some of his game and confidence and some time in the AHL may help him regain both.
What do you folks think?
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Tags: AHL, Connecticut+Whale, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers,
Gilroy Stepping Up for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/28/10 at 11:11 AM ET
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In the last week or so, there has been a noticeable difference in New York Rangers’ defenseman Matt Gilroy’s game.
Gilroy has appeared to be more confident, poised, willing to jump into the play, make smart plays in the defensive zone and more importantly, a steady presence on the club’s blue line.
According to Rangers’ web site beat writer Jim Cerny, Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella went as far to say that Gilroy was the club’s “sixth defenseman”:
Great stuff from Boyle and Gilroy…by the way Torts called Gilroy “one of our six (defensemen) right now”...hmmmmm…
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Tags: John+Tortorella, Matt+Gilroy, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers,
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,
Not a Game to Take Lightly
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/27/10 at 02:35 PM ET
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Tonight’s game at Madison Square Garden between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders is one that the Blueshirts cannot afford to take lightly.
Believe it or not, the Islanders are 3-0-1 in their last four games and have won games the right way. They have worked hard, won battles in the corners, threw pucks to the net, scored the dirty goals and got terrific goaltending from Dwayne Roloson.
With that said, it will be up to rangers’ head coach John Tortorella to get the team prepared for a game that they should win, considering that they have taken two of three from the Islanders already this season.
As was reported last night, Rangers’ defenseman Michael Del Zotto will be a healthy scratch while Mats Zuccarello will once again crack the line-up and get a chance to add on to his solid performance in his first NHL game last week against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Tags: Mats+Zuccarello, Michael+del+Zotto, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
Sending a Message to Del Zotto
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/26/10 at 08:00 PM ET
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While New York Rangers’ defenseman Michael Del Zotto has recovered from the flu, it appears that team head coach John Tortorella will scratch the defenseman for the team’s game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders.
Del Zotto has clearly struggled this season. He gives up the puck way too much, has not contributed as much offensively as he did last season and also does not seem as confident as he used to. Unfortunately, this has cost the Blueshirts in various games throughout the season.
As such, it is apparent that Tortorella is trying to send the youngster a message. Andrew Gross reported as much from the team head coach in his blog earlier today:
Tortorella said this shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing regarding Del Zotto, noting he’s still a 20-year-old defensemen who needs to go through the “process” of learning how to be a rock-steady NHL defensemen. But Tortorella did admit that, last season, had the team been carrying seven defensemen instead of the bare-bones six, he likely would have scratched Del Zotto at times during the second half of the season.
“He should get a message just being out,” Tortorella said. “He’s healthy and this is a coach’s decision. He’s been inconsistent. Michael will have to wait his turn.”
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Tags: John+Tortorella, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
The Norwegian Hobbit Is Back!
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/26/10 at 06:32 PM ET
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From Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants:
Mats Zuccarello will be recalled for tomorrow night’s game against the Islanders after playing for Connecticut (AHL) today. That would have happened regardless of Marian Gaborik’s health and coach John Tortorella said, after talking to trainer Jim Ramsey, all indications are that Gaborik will be good to go tomorrow night. Tortorella added he’s not sure where he’ll put Zuccarello and Gaborik in terms of lines: he might be leaning toward keeping Zuccarello with Derek Stepan and Brandon Dubinsky because he liked the way that line played together in the 4-3 shootout loss to the Lightning.
“I thought he played well,” Tortorella said of Zuccarello’s game against the Lightning - two shots and an early do-or-die goal in the shootout plus a great backhand pass to set up Dubinsky. “There’s always that adrenaline. But he ups the talent level on our club. We have to give him another look based on the way he played.”
This is well deserved. Zuccarello played a solid first game of his NHL career on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He skated hard, generated scoring chances, showed some speed and scored, at the time, a critical goal in the shootout.
It’ll be interesting to see how he plays in his first experience with the Rangers-New York Islanders rivalry.
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Tags: Mats+Zuccarello, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
A Deserved Point by the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/24/10 at 10:14 AM ET
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While the New York Rangers did lose 4-3 in a shootout last night at Madison Square Garden to the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was a game in which the Blueshirts worked hard, brought a lot of energy and had plenty of chances to win the hockey game.
This is a loss that the Blueshirts should be able to deal with. They battled back to tie the game with less than nine minutes to go in the game when Derek Stepan scored a great goal, they generated plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the game and for the most part, played solid defensively.
With that said, however, it was two giveaways that cost the Rangers’ on two goals. In the first period, the Blueshirts’ Michal Rozsival coughed up the puck to Lightning superstar Martin St. Louis and St. Louis beat Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead. After the Rangers went up 2-1 on goals by Ruslan Fedotenko and Alex Frolov, St. Louis victimized the Rangers’ again on a turnover and the Rangers’ once again gave away the puck to St. Louis who this time made a between the legs pass to sniper Steven Stamkos and Stamkos buried it to tie the game up at 2-2.
One of the stories of this game was the play of Rangers’ rookie Mats Zuccarello Aasen. Zuccarello played a solid game, brought a lot of creativity to the offense and looked good playing with Stepan and Brandon Dubinsky. Even Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella had positive things to say about the Rangers’ youngster.
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Tags: Alex+Frolov, Derek+Stepan, Glen+Sather, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jim+Schoenfeld, John+Tortorella, Martin+St.+Louis, Mats+Zuccarello+Aase, Michal+Rozsival, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
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,
Lots to Be Learned
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/18/10 at 07:36 PM ET
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When you have a second year 20-year-old defenseman who has a lot of talent and potential, you have to take the good and the bad.
That is what the New York Rangers are doing when it comes to defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who was a -3 in this afternoon’s 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
He continues to be victimized in his own zone, he gives up the puck and defensively, he seems to find himself out of position more often than not. In today’s game against the Flyers, all of these weaknesses were present and it hurt the Blueshirts as they were beat by the best team in the Eastern Conference.
Obviously, the game was not all his fault as his teammates could not bail him out when he made a mistake. Hockey is a team game and more often than not, one cannot pin a loss on a specific individual.
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Tags: Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
Biggest Game of the Year?
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/18/10 at 10:43 AM ET
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It can be said that this afternoon’s game between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers is by far and away one of the team’s biggest games this season.
With one of the Eastern Conference’s better records, the Blueshirts have been somewhat of a surprise this season. When team captain Chris Drury and sniper Marian Gaborik went down with the injuries on opening night at Madsion Square Garden, many thought that the team would go down in a hurry.
However, that did not happen and the team survived in fine fashion and finds themselves with a 20-13-1 record and a hold of the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. Not bad for a team that does not have many superstars, eh?
Now, the team will have to do it again without Ryan Callahan for the next six to eight weeks and today’s game against the Flyers will be a good test to see what the Blueshirts are capable of. The team will need to stay out of the box, force the Flyers to shoot from the outside, clear out the front of the net and play a smart road game.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers,
Three In A Row and Looking for Four
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/17/10 at 08:37 AM ET
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With their 4-3 shootout victory over the Phoenix Coyotes last night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers have won three straight games and have improved their record to 20-13-1.
When one thinks about it, this is quite an accomplishment for a team that does not have many superstars or snipers and is getting it done the hard way. The Blueshirts are working hard, showing their grit and are making sacrifices night in and night out to pick up two points on a somewhat consistent basis.
These characteristics were present last night at MSG as the Blueshirts battled back from two goals down to force overtime and then a shootout, where Rangers’ forward Erik Christensen scored the winning goal and netminder Martin Biron (30 saves) went three-for-three en route to the victory.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Phoenix+Coyotes,
A Win and a Loss In One Game
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/16/10 at 08:39 AM ET
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Going into Pittsburgh last night, the New York Rangers had a tough task ahead of them in tyring to beat one of the best/hottest teams in the National Hockey League: the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Down 1-0 going into the third period, the Blueshirts found their game and scored four goals en route to their league leading 12th victory on the road. Obviously, it is a two huge points for a club that has a game tonight at Madsion Square Garden against the Phoenix Coyotes and a game on Saturday in Philadelphia against another one of the league’s top teams in the Philadelphia Flyers.
Unfortunately for the Rangers, they did manage to lose something last night. Ryan Callahan broke his hand blocking a shot.
This is a huge loss for the team as they were finally on the path to having a healthy team as team captain Chris Drury returned to the lineup in last night’s tilt with the Penguins.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan,
Two Points on the Line Against One of The League’s Best
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/15/10 at 08:16 AM ET
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If there was ever an opportunity for the New York Rangers to make a statement, tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins would be it.
The Penguins are coming off a 12-game unbeaten streak where they played some of their best hockey in franchise history. Yes, the team lost it’s winning streak last night when the Philadelphia Flyers beat them 3-2 but that does not erase everything that the Penguins accomplished during their winning streak.
The Rangers simply need to take advantage of the fact that the Penguins are probably still a bit stung from last night’s loss to their arch-rivals and do everything they can to make it a two game losing streak for the home team. With that said, however, it is certainly not going to be an easy thing to accomplish.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Chris+Drury, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Phoenix+Coyotes, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Blueshirts Week Ahead
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/13/10 at 08:00 AM ET
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At this point in the season, it is great to see that the New York Rangers are in the thick of the Eastern Conference early season playoff race and are getting solid performances spread throughout the season.
In this installment of “Blueshirts Week Ahead”, I’d like for you folks to keep an eye on several players as well as give you a look at who the team will be facing off against this week.
Players to Keep An Eye on
- Michael Del Zotto
It will be interesting to see how Del Zotto performs after being scratched last week in the team’s 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. Team head coach John Tortorella gave him a homework assignment to see how the club’s power play performed along with what he should be doing on defense.
Remember, Del Zotto is only in his second season and at the age of 20, still has a lot to learn.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Frolov, Michael+Del+Zotto, Michael+Sauer, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Phoenix+Coyotes, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Rangers Look to Bounce Back at Home Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/12/10 at 11:22 AM ET
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With the New York Rangers coming off a very disappointing 3-1 road loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets last night, the team will need to get back up on the horse quickly as they have a tough game tonight at home against the struggling Washington Capitals.
What was disappointing to see was that the Rangers’ had trouble scoring goals against a struggling Steve Mason. Mason had allowed less than two goals three times this season in 17 prior appearances this season.
It was also tough that goaltender Henrik Lundqvist allowed a particularly weak goal when Blue Jackets’ captain Rick Nash scored from below the goal-line and banked in a shot off Lundqvist’s skate and into the net. Up until that point, Lundqvist had been playing extremely well and was giving his team every chance to win a hockey game.
The Blueshirts didn’t stink in the game. They had plenty of chances to put the puck past Mason but unfortunately, were not able to finish, which is obviously important in the National Hockey League.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Columbus+Blue+Jackets, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Steve+Mason+Washington+Capitals,
Questions for Rangers’ Fans
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/10/10 at 07:58 PM ET
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Goos evening folks. With the season just about 1/3 of the way though, I figured I’d reach out to you fans and get your thoughts on all things New York Rangers.
I want to hear from you folks and hope that you will take the time to read this blog and leave your comments as us bloggers here at Kukla’s Korner appreciate hearing from you.
So, put your thinking/analyst caps on and let me know what you think:
- If you could get rid of one New York Ranger at this time, who would it be? Why?
- If you were head coach John Tortorella, how would you handle the playing time of forward Alex Frolov?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Rangers,
Gutsy Win by the Rangers over the Senators
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/10/10 at 01:57 PM ET
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Before I begin this post, it should be noted that I did not catch any of the New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators game last night because I had a men’s league hockey game.
With that said, it was nice to find out that the Blueshirts came out with the 5-3 victory and got the game winning goal from rookie defenseman Michael Sauer, who apparently had a terrible blunder that lead to the Senators’ first goal in the first period.
I also know what happened between Rangers’ enforcer Derek Boogaard and Senators’ enforcer Matt Carkner but that really does not matter to me too much. It’s just important to know that the Rangers picked up two more points before heading into a big weekend with games against the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow night and the Washington Capitals on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators,
UPDATE: Del Zotto a Healthy Scratch Tonight/Big Three Games in Four Nights for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/09/10 at 11:24 AM ET
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UPDATE: According to Ranger beat writer Andrew Gross’s Twitter, New York Rangers’ defenseman Michael Del Zotto is a healthy scratch tonight in Ottawa and that defenseman Matt Gilroy will be inserted into the lineup:
Michael Del Zotto a healthy scratch tonight for #NYRangers, Gilroy in. Henrik Lundqvist will be in net.
The New York Rangers have a busy next couple of days coming up with three games in four nights on tap for the Blueshirts.
It begins tonight in Ottawa where the Rangers will take on a Senators’ team that beat them at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night by a score of 3-1. It was a game in which the Rangers did not come out with the intensity that is needed to win a hockey game and it ended up costing them in the end.
What was also disappointing about that game was that the Senators were coming off a 1-0 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres the night before. The Blueshirts did not take advantage of the opportunity to beat a tired team and it’s a game that they needed to pick up two points in.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Frolov, Columbus+Blue+Jackets, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Washington+Capitals,
Frolov Has No Right to Complain
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/07/10 at 03:28 PM ET
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Apparently, New York Rangers forward Alex Frolov complained about his ice time to a Russian media outlet.
Beyond the Blueshirts translated the interview and here is some of what Frolov said:
It’s absolutely unacceptable to me that that I spend 7-8 minutes a game on the ice, especially on an energy line. It’s just not my game, which I told the coach candidly. But there are no personal problems between me and him. I’m not a quarrelsome person. Even in our recent conversation there was no swearing or raised voices. Nobody blamed anyone, we simply discussed the situation. The coach promised that soon everything will change, I just need to be a little patient and work harder in practice.
Excuse me, Mr. Frolov, but when you have just 11 points (5 goals and 6 assists) and have been given multiple opportunities on productive lines, you should not be complaining about the ice time you have been given from head coach John Tortorella.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Frolov, New+York+Rangers,
Playing to a Weaker Opponent’s Level at MSG
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/06/10 at 09:04 AM ET
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How did most New York Rangers’ fans know that a game like last night’s loss to the Ottawa Senators was going to happen?
Unfortunately, they knew because this is how the Blueshirts play sometimes. When a weaker opponent comes into Madison Square Garden, the Rangers will often play down to their level and often either lose or win a close game.
Last night, the Senators came into MSG not having scored in their last nine periods and yet, the team managed to put in three (one empty net goal) against the Rangers in winning the hockey game 3-1.
Early on in the game, one could tell that the Rangers were going to struggle given that they were badly outplayed by a team that had played the night before in a 1-0 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Yet, the Senators were all over the puck in the Rangers’ zone and also played tight, defensive hockey.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Prust, brian+Boyle, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Ruslan+Fedotenko,
A Snore Fest But a Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/03/10 at 10:52 PM ET
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It certainly was not the most exciting New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders game but it was a 2-0 shutout win for the Blueshirts and a sweep of the home-and-home series.
For Henrik Lundqvist, it was his fourth shutout of the season and his third career against the Islanders. He did not need to be terrific but he was able to get the job done and that’s all that should matter when it comes to Lundqvist and the Rangers.
The team got a great power play goal from defenseman Marc Staal who took a nice pass from Derek Stepan and rifled one over the shoulder of Islanders’ goaltender Dwayne Roloson. Brian Boyle added his 11th (no…I am not kidding) of the season when he put one into the empty net with less than a minute to go in the game.
Other than that, there wasn’t much to this game. Yes, the Rangers dominated a good portion of the second period and had some power play opportunities but they were not able to generate a lot of quality scoring chances. Luckily, they were playing against the Islanders so with a solid Henrik and defense in tact, not a lot of goals should be needed.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brian+Boyle, Derek+Stepan, Dwayne+Roloson, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers,
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?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Erik+Christensen, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Scotty+Hockey, Sean+Avery,
An E-mail Interview with Scotty Hockey: The New York Rangers at the Quarter Point
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/01/10 at 09:57 PM ET
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Scotty Olivenbaum, a.k.a. “Scotty Hockey”, is one of the best New York Rangers’ bloggers out there. He writes well, he’s brutally honest and he knows his Blueshirts and hockey in general.
Scotty was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to give us his thoughts on the Rangers’ play through 26 games.
PH: Since we’re just over 25 games into the season, what are you general thoughts on the New York Rangers at the quarter point?
SH: With or without the injuries, we are who we have always been, a mediocre team that will battle for a low playoff spot. The boys in blue have managed to deal with the injuries and a supremely heavy schedule and have accumulated a record that is just above .500. Not bad, but not great. Considering they have gotten off to good starts the last few years, what has happened to date can almost be disregarded as how they do through the December/January/February doldrums will really define the team.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Rangers, Scotty+Hockey,
Blueshirts Miss Opportunity to Defeat Penguins
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/30/10 at 12:37 PM ET
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The scoreboard may have read 3-1 at the sound of the Madison Square Garden buzzer but this was a game in which the New York Rangers could have beaten the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won their seventh straight game last night.
They had a several-minute lapse in the second period that really cost them the game as the Penguins scored two quick goals off the sticks of defenseman Kris Letang and forward Chris Connor. Other than that lapse, however, it was a solid game for the Blueshirts.
Now, I know that you folks probably want me to mention the Sidney Crosby “slue-foot” or however you spell it, but I am not going to talk about that here. It is what it is and it does not even matter as the Rangers probably would have lost with or without it.
What I will talk about is the Rangers missing the net. The team had several scoring chances in the third period and they just could not hit the net for one reason or another. Blueshirts’ forward Alex Frolov is a player that sticks out in my mind when it comes to this as is defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who has a great shot but has trouble finding the net with it.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Frolov, Chris+Connor, Henrik+Lundqvist, Kris+Letang, Michael+Del+Zotto, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Rangers’ Rookie Turning It Around
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/28/10 at 04:57 PM ET
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After scoring a hat trick in the New York Rangers’ first game of the season, rookie Derek Stepan went quiet.
It was not from a lack of effort or anything like that. Instead, it was due to bad luck, being bounced around from line to line, and ultimately, may be getting into his own head a bit.
However, it appears that Stepan has turned it around in a big way and now finds himself three points behind rookie scoring leader Jeff Skinner (Carolina Hurricanes) with 14 points (six goals and eight assists).
Stepan is working hard, crashing for net in rebounds, putting pucks on the net and doing everything that a professional hockey player should be doing to be successful. However, as is the case with every rookie, it will be up to him to keep up the same consistency on a game-to-game basis.
Ryan Porth over at RLD Hockey, conducted a great interview with Stepan prior to last night’s game with the Predators and Stepan had some interesting things to say.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Derek+Stepan, New+York+Rangers,
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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Nashville+Predators, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sidney+Crosby,
The Enigma that is Erik Christensen
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/26/10 at 12:00 PM ET
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When it comes to the New York Rangers’ offense this season, the names that automatically come to mind are obviously Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, and Artem Anisimov.
These three Blueshirts have produced on a consistent basis, create scoring chances and also play well on the defensive side of the puck. They may not have the skills of a Marian Gaborik but nevertheless, these three have been getting it done for the Rangers this season.
One player that has been extremely inconsistent and tough to figure out this season on the Rangers is Erik Christensen. According to team head coach John Tortorella, Christensen is one of the most offensively skilled guys the team has along with the best passer on the club. However, the consistency simply isn’t there for Christensen.
In 22 games this season, Christensen has three goals and five assists for eight points. What’s even more disturbing is he picked up three of those points in an 8-2 rout of the Edmonton Oilers back on November 14.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Erik+Christensen, New+York+Rangers,
Start Biron Tonight Against the Panthers
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/26/10 at 10:53 AM ET
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Good morning folks. I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and that your Black Friday’s are off to a great start.
As you recall, I am heading to Newport, RI with my wife in a few hours so I figured I would post something before leaving.
I will say this again before getting into the subject of this blog: there is NO goaltending controversy when it comes to the New York Rangers.
It is apparent that starting netminder Henrik Lundqvist is struggling. He is not coming up with the big saves when he needs to, he is allowing soft goals and more importantly, he is not winning hockey games for his team.
With that said, however, it appears that the team is playing much better defense in front of their back-up goaltender, Martin Biron while leaving Henrik Lundqvist out to dry. While this may make some sense because Biron is the back-up, it should never be the case because the team should play the same way regardless of who is between the pipes.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Biron, Nashville+Predators, New+York+Rangers,
I’m Hitting the Road for a Few Days
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/24/10 at 08:48 AM ET
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Good morning folks. I wanted to let everyone know that I won’t be posting for the next few days as I have an extremely busy Thanksgiving planned and then I’m going to Newport, RI for a few days with my wife.
Unfortunately, I’ll miss two of the three New York Ranger games so feel free to post your comments on the games in the comment section of this blog as I’m sure there will be things to talk about.
Much like myself, the Rangers will be on the road the rest of this week with games against the Tampa Bay Lightning (tonight at 7:30 p.m.), Florida Panthers (Friday night) and the Nashville Predators (Saturday night) before heading home to take on the streaking Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that the team could win all three games but considering how tough the Lightning can be, picking up four points with wins over the Panthers and Predators seems a lot more realistic right now.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, Nashville+Predators, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Biron Getting the Job Done
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/23/10 at 10:24 AM ET
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I want to start out this post by saying what I did in a blog I wrote yesterday: there is NO goaltending controversy.
What the New York Rangers have right now with their goaltenders is a terrific thing. Back-up Martin Biron was terrific between the pipes in beating the Calgary Flames last night at Madison Square Garden by a score of 2-1. He did not allow any soft goals, made the big saves when the team needed to and most importantly, he picked up the win, which is what the game is all about, right?
As I mentioned yesterday, it is obvious that starter Henrik Lundqvist is struggling. However, that does not mean that he has been replaced by Biron. It simply means that Lundqvist is being given the right around the time to fix his game so that he can be the backbone of this hockey club, something he has been since joining the National Hockey League in the 2005-06 season.
With that said, however, it sure is great to see that a Rangers’ back-up netminder is getting the job done for his team. In seven games, Biron is 5-2 with a 2.15 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. Based on those numbers, Biron certainly deserves to start a bunch of games this season.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers,
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).
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
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,
Defense and Suspect Goaltending Hurt Rangers in Loss to Avalanche
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/20/10 at 10:30 AM ET
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In hockey, it’s a well known fact that turnovers often lead to offensive opportunities against.
Unfortunately for the New York Rangers, defensive turnovers did them in last night in a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Not only did defensive turnovers hurt the club, but so did the goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist (3 goals allowed on 16 shots) and Martin Biron (2 goals allowed on 10 shots).
It was a game in which despite being tied in shots, the Rangers looked overmatched. Their forwards had trouble putting the puck in the net on Avalanche netminder Craig Anderson. The team’s defense was sloopy with the puck and in their own zone and the goaltending was not there to cover up the team’s mistakes.
One particular player that had a tough game was defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Del Zotto was a -4 and his pinching in the Avalanche zone in the second period led to the first goal of the game and ultimately, was the start of a horrific period for the Blueshirts.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Colorado+Avalanche, Craig+Anderson, Detroit+Red+Wings, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Biron, Michael+Del+Zotto, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers,
Getting Set for Two-games Against Northwest Division
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/19/10 at 10:39 AM ET
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Two games on the road might be just what the New York Rangers need to start another multi-game winning streak.
Tonight, the Blueshirts will take on the Colorado Avalanche. If you remember, Marian Gaborik recorded a hat trick last year in the leading his club to a win. With the way Gaborik is finding the net now, is another three-goal game out of the question?
The Avalanche possess a good, young, and fast hockey club that is coming off a big win against the San Jose Sharks that saw them rally from two goals to win it in overtime. They’ve been playing solid hockey for a team without starting netminder Craig Anderson.
Unfortunately, the Rangers generally struggle against teams that bring a lot of speed so it will be interesting to see how head coach John Tortorella plans to counter that. Obviously, defensemen Marc Staal and Dan Girardi will continue to be the club’s shut-down defensive pairing with Michal Rozsival still out with an injury.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Colorado+Avalanche, Craig+Anderson, Dan+Girardi, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Michal+Rozsival, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers,
Tim Thomas is for Real
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/17/10 at 09:39 PM ET
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In their new heritage jerseys, the New York Rangers came out and played a pretty good hockey game despite losing to Tim Thomas and the Boston Bruins by a score of 3-2.
The Bruins’ netminder Tim Thomas was terrific in this game in making 34 saves. He was especially good in the third period as the Rangers outshot the Bruins 16-5 but were only able to put one goal by him, which came off the stick of Marian Gaborik.
After playing through an injury last season, Thomas has come back this season and is playing like the Vezina Trophy winner he was in 2009. He looks fast, is seeing the puck well, is giving many second and third efforts to stop pucks and is winning hockey games for his hockey club. With the win, Thomas is now 10-1 so if there are any Thomas doubters out there, one would think that they are singing a different tune right now.
Thomas and the B’s managed to kill off a 5-on-3 Blueshirt power play with less than five minutes to go in the game. He made an unbelievable save on Ryan Callahan and after that save, the Bruins’ settled down and shut the door on the Rangers for the victory.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, David+Krejci, Marco+Sturm, Marc+Savard, New+York+Rangers, Tim+Thomas,
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