Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Ottawa+Senators
Time to Start Again
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/12/12 at 09:42 PM ET
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That is the kind of attitude the New York Rangers should take after losing to the Ottawa Senators tonight by a score of 3-0 at Madison Square Garden.
After winning five straight game, the Senators brought the Blueshirts back down to earth and gave them only their fourth loss on home ice this season. For the Rangers, it was their second loss the Senators at the Garden this season and like the last time, was probably a game that they could have won.
However, with the way Senators’ netminder Craig Anderson played, it would have been tough for anyone to beat the Senators tonight. Anderson made 34 saves en route to his first shutout of the season and his 22nd win of the season as well.
The Rangers definitely had their chances to put the puck in the net but just could not finish. This was especially the case in the third period as the team was all around Anderson but could not find the back of the net.
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Tags: Craig+Anderson, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Phoenix+Coyotes, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
How About Six?
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/12/12 at 09:32 AM ET
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That is what the New York Rangers will be looking to do tonight against the hot Ottawa Senators.
The Blueshirts have won five in a row and are currently playing a great brand of hockey. The club is getting timely goal scoring, great defense and excellent goaltending from both Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Biron.
The team is also showing that they can win hockey games in many different ways. The Blueshirts can take a team down in regulation, overtime, or a shootout while also being able to come from behind or hold a lead going into the third period.
On the other side, the Ottawa Senators are also playing some great hockey. In their last 10 games, the team is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and has won two straight. Through 44 games, the Senators are 23-15-6, which is good for fifth in the Eastern Conference.
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Tags: Atlantic+Division, Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, Martin+Biron, Montreal+Canadies, New+York+Rangers, NHL, Northeast+Division, Ottawa+Senators, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Rangers Continue to Roll
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/11/12 at 08:34 AM ET
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No matter what the game is or who the team is playing, the New York Rangers always seem to find a way to win.
The team did just that last night in a 2-1 shootout win over the Phoenix Coyotes at Madison Square Garden. The Blueshirts probably could have won the game in regulation time if not for the outstanding goaltending from Coyotes’ netminder Mike Smith (31 saves) but since that did not happen, they won in the “skills competition”.
With the win, the Blueshirts improved to 27-9-4 along with picking up their fifth straight win and their 10th victory in their last 11 games. Not bad for a club that no one really knew how good they were going to be prior to the season starting, eh?
The Rangers really are playing to their identity. They work hard every night, they battle, they stick up for each other and because the team is doing all of this, they are finding ways to win hockey games.
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Tags: Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, Mike+Smith, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Phoenix+Coyotes, Radim+Vrbata, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Rangers’ Winning Streak Snapped by Visiting Leafs
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/05/11 at 11:40 PM ET
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The Toronto Maple Leafs were able to do that to the New York Rangers tonight when they picked up their second regulation win at Madison Square Garden by a score of 4-2.
The Rangers certainly did not play poorly in this game. They were able to generate several good scoring chances (32 shots on goal), found a way to make the game interesting by trying to come back from 3-0 to make it 3-2 on goals by Artem Anisinov and Marian Gaborik, and was a game that they probably could have won had some bounces gone their way.
With that said, it certainly was not pretty for the Blueshirts either. The team hung its goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist (26 saves on 29 shots), out to dry on two of the goals and screened him on the other, and also took some needless penalties.
It is also apparent that Sean Avery’s ice time continues to decrease as each game goes by. Tonight, Avery had 7:32 of ice time and despite not getting a lot of ice, was still able to put three shots on goal. Not sure what team head coach John Tortorella wants him to do so it will be interesting to see how this continues to play out as each game comes and goes.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Rangers Look to Strike Lightining
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/03/11 at 12:00 PM ET
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The New York Rangers will be looking for their fifth straight win when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum.
It is easy to say that the Blueshirts are clicking on all cylinders right now. They are getting scoring not only from their top players, but depth players as well. The club is also playing solid defensively and getting the goaltending they need to win hockey games.
It has pretty much been this way for the Blueshirts ever since the end of October. After losing two straight to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers turned everything around and started looking like the club that many pundits and those in the hockey world thought they could be this season.
With all of that said, however, the Rangers cannot afford to take night’s off, no matter how good the club is playing. Tonight is a perfect example as the Lightning are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 11-11-2 record while struggling to play consistent hockey.
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Tags: Marc-Andre+Bergeron, Martin+St.+Louis, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Vincent+Lecavalier,
Stepan Line Gets it Done in Win Over the Senators
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/10/11 at 12:00 PM ET
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The New York Rangers’ used the offense created by the Derek Stepan line to defeat the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa last night by a score of 3-2.
Derek Stepan picked up a goal and two assists. His other linemates Marian Gaborik had two goals and Artem Anisimov picked-up two assists. In all, the line combined for 7 points and was a threat to score and create offensive opportunities every time they were out on the ice.
Gaborik is on fire. He now has 9 goals and is playing like he did in his first season as a Blueshirt. He is showing tremendous speed, a nose for the net, and of course, a terrific shot.
Stepan is also starting to put together a solid season. He has a tremendous amoutn of patience with the puck, he drives to the net and is also defensively responsible.
Anisimov has also stepped up his play. He has great hands and a lot of offensive skill to offer. He just needs to do so on a consistent basis.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Carolina+Hurricanes, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators,
Rangers Look to Extend Win Streak to Five in Ottawa
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/09/11 at 01:40 PM ET
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Back on October 29, the Ottawa Senators came back from a 4-1 defecit to defeat the New York Rangers by a score of 5-4 in a shootout at Madison Square Garden.
Fast forward a few weeks later and the Blueshirts are a much different hockey club. The team is currently on a 4-game winning streak and is playing more responsibly in their own zone and when it comes to discipline.
According to Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants, Henrik Lundqvist will be back between the pipes for the Blueshirts. He will be coming off his 5-3 vicotry over the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday night and will more than likely look to bounce back from his average performance against the Senators back in late October.
Last time these two clubs met, there were some questionable hits. One resulted in the loss of Senators’ captain Daniel Alfredsson as Wolski caught him with his head down.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Carolina+Hurricanes, Daniel+Alfredsson, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Wojtek+Wolski, Xenon+Konopka,
Home Sweet Home
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/07/11 at 09:08 AM ET
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Things certainly seem that way for the New York Rangers who finished their homestand by shutting out the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-0.
With the win, the team extended its winning streak at the Garden and its winning streak in general to four games, to improve their record to 7-3-3 on the season. The win also enabled the Blueshirts to finish their six game homestand with a 4-1-1 record and picked up 9 out of a possible 12 points.
Last night, the Blueshirts got solid performances out of Marian Gaborik (2 goals), Derek Stepan (1 goal and 1 assist) and Martin Biron (24 saves). With the victory, Biron improved his record to 3-0 on the season while also picking up his first shutout as a member of the Blueshirts.
After getting off to a somewhat slow start this season, Stepan has really picked up his play. He now has 7 points (2 goals and 5 assists) and has shown that he can do great things with the puck. Stepan is patient, he constantly looks for the open man and he knows how to slow the play down, which he allows him to find an open teammate.
Gaborik continues to shine this season. When healthy, he is one of the best offensive players in the game and right now, he is just that for the Blueshirts. On the season, Gaborik has 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points in 13 games.
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Tags: Derek+Stepan, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Winnipeg+Jets,
A 60-minute Effort
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/01/11 at 10:31 AM ET
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That is exactly what the New York Rangers gave last night in their 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks at Madison Square Garden.
For the first time on home ice this season, there was no third period let down, something the team struggled with in their losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators. Instead, the team’s hard-work and effort lasted the whole game as the the team picked up its first win on the Garden ice in this somewhat young season.
Team captain Ryan Callahan is starting to show his scoring touch as he picked up another two goals last night, giving him five on the season. He is also showing a knack for going hard to the net and being in the right place at the right time, something the team will need from him throughout the rest of the season.
The team also got strong games from Brandon Dubinsky (2 assists), Erik Christensen (2 assists), Dan Girardi (2 assists), and back-up netminder Martin Biron (24 saves), who improved his record to 2-0. It was easily the team’s most complete game of the season.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Brandon+Dubinsky, Dan+Girardi, Erik+Christensen, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Ryan+Callahan, San+Jose+Sharks, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Are the Rangers in Trouble?
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/31/11 at 08:00 AM ET
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The answer to that question is a resounding no.
At 3-3-3, the New York Rangers certainly have not played their best in this young season and at the same time, have yet to click on all levels. That is the good thing.
The bad thing is that the way has played in their last two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, both losses at Madison Square Garden. Their play in the third period in both games is also alarming.
In their loss to the Senators on Saturday afternoon at MSG, the team blew a 4-1 lead in the third period and lost 5-4 in the shootout. In a game that the team scores four goals, gets solid performances from both Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik and is at home, it should have been a Rangers’ victory.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Brad+Richards, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, San+Jose+Sharks, Sean+Avery, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Winnipeg+Jets,
Original Six Tilt in Beantown
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/26/11 at 09:12 AM ET
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That is exactly what will be happening at 1 p.m. today as the New York Rangers will take on the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden in Boston.
The Blueshirts are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden while the Bruins are coming off a big 7-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens. One team will be looking to score more goals while the toher will continue to do the things that made them successful in their last game.
As always, this is an extremely important game for the Rangers. Both the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes won last night so the Blueshirts are now just two points up on the eighth place Sabres. With a win this afternoon in Boston, however, the Rangers could end up tied with the Canadiens for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens take on the Washington Capitals tonight.
It will be interesting to see if Rangers’ forward Sean Avery will be in the lineup this afternoon. Based on reports from team beat writers at yesterday’s skate, it appears that there is a good chance that Avery will be back in the lineup. However, nothing was confirmed.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery, Washington+Capitals,
Good, but not Great
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/25/11 at 06:56 AM ET
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Good morning folks. Unfortunately, I did not get to catch the New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators game last night as I had a hockey game of my own to play in.
With that said, I was somewhat disappointed to come home and see that the Blueshirts lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Senators, snapping the team’s five game winning streak. Yes, the Blueshirts were able to pick up an important point but as always, there were two points to be had in this game and the Blueshirts failed to get the other one.
It was nice to see that Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist had another solid game between the pipes in making 29 saves. He seems to be on top of his game and right now, that is a very good thing for the Blueshirts.
It was also nice to see Rangers’ forward Brandon Prust pick up his 12th goal of the season. Prust works hard, is not afraid to go into the corners, sticks up for his teammates, goes to the net and has shown that he can contribute offense to this hockey club.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Prust, Buffalo+Sabres, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators,
Staal to return Tonight Against the Senators
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/24/11 at 03:48 PM ET
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Good news, New York Rangers’ fans. Defenseman Marc Staal will be back in the line-up tonight against the Ottawa Senators after missing a few games with an undisclosed injury.
Here is what Rangers’ beat writer Andrew Gross had to say about it over at Ranger Rants:
Defenseman Marc Staal, who missed the previous two games with what was believed to be a re-aggravation of an earlier left knee injury though the Rangers would not disclose the problem, will be back in the lineup tonight when the Rangers host the Senators. Staal participated in the team’s full morning skate and also skated on his own yesterday when the rest of the team was off. His shot was a little rusty as one of his one-timers rose and hit Henrik Lundqvist in the mask, knocking the goalie over, though he reported he was fine later.
Sean Avery and Matt Gilroy will be the healthy scratches.
It makes sense for Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella to keep Avery scratched as the team has been winning games without him. There is no doubt that what Avery can provide to this team but right now, it is better to be safe than sorry and keep the nonsense on the ice to a minimum.
Click here to read the rest of Gross’s blog.
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Tags: John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Matt+Gilroy, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery,
Rangers Look to Extend Winning Streak to Six
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/24/11 at 08:25 AM ET
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The New York Rangers will look to win a “trap” game once again when they take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Going into tonight’s tilt, the Blueshirts have won five straight games and have done so with timely goal scoring, smart play in the defensive zone, being disciplined and solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. That has been the winning formula for the Blueshirts all season long and if they use it tonight against the Senators, the team will pick up its sixth straight victory along with points 85 and 86.
The Rangers need to keep winning because the eighth place Buffalo Sabres are just three points behind and are starting to heat up at the right time. With that said, if the Blueshirts continue to win, there is a chance that they could catch the Montreal Canadiens, who are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with 87 points.
It will be interesting to see how the lineup looks for tonight’s game. One question is will Sean Avery be reinserted back into the lineup? If I am Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella, I stay the course and keep him out of the lineup for at least one more game. The team is doing just fine without him and should not want to change much when things are going right.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery,
Rangers Blank Panthers in Big Win on Garden Ice
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/22/11 at 08:40 PM ET
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It certainly wasn’t the most exciting hockey game but the New York Rangers did what they needed to do in shutting out the Florida Panthers by a score of at Madsion Square Garden.
The win gives the Blueshirts points 83 and 84, is their fifth straight victory and also marks Henrik Lundqvist’s 10th shutout of the season as well as his 32nd win on the year. All big things happening for the Blueshirts right now and with the way the team is playing, it is certainly well deserved.
The Blueshirts had plenty of scoring chances throughout the game but Panthers’ netminder Tomas Vokoun was up to the task time and time again. That is, until Rangers’ forward Brandon Dubinsky put in a great pass from Ryan Callahan and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead close to eight minutes into the third period.
The team also got strong performances from the line of Brandon Prust-Brian Boyle-Ruslan Fedotenko as that line peppered Vokoun all night long, forechecked hard, generated scoring chances and play well on both sides of the puck. Marian Gaborik also had another strong night as he had four shots on goal, showed a lot of speed and looked more and more like the Gaborik of last season.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Buffalo+Sabres+and+Montreal+Canadiens, Carolina+Hurricanes, Dan+Boyle, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Ryan+Callahan, Tomas+Vokoun,
Avoiding The Trap Game
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/22/11 at 08:21 AM ET
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This is exactly what the New York Rangers need to do tonight at Madison Square Garden when they take on the Florida Panthers.
The Blueshirts are currently on a four-game winning streak and have a four point lead on the eighth place Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The last thing this team needs is to lose to the Florida Panthers, a team that is out of the playoff race and looking to slow down any team that is trying to advance to the Stanley Cup tournament.
In the team’s last four games, they have shown that they can put the puck in the net, score on the power play, kill big penalties and get solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist on a somewhat consistent basis. Every one on the team is stepping up at the right time and one can only hope that it does not stop this week with their game against the Panthers tonight as well as against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sean+Avery, Wojtek+Wolski,
Stay The Course Against Anaheim
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/08/11 at 06:30 PM ET
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At this point of the NHL season, every single game matters if you are a team that is fighting for one of eight spots in either the Eastern or Western Conference.
This statement should hit home for the New York Rangers. Going into their game tomorrow night with the Anaheim Ducks, the team holds the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference with 74 points. This puts the team just two points in front of the eighth place Buffalo Sabres and three points in front of the ninth place Carolina Hurricanes.
With the Sabres playing tonight and the Hurricanes playing tomorrow night, a lot can change prior to the Rangers’ tilt with the Ducks tomorrow night. With that in mind, the goal should be the same: get two points at all costs.
The Blueshirts clearly played with that attitude on Friday night against the Ottawa Senators and Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blueshirts went on to outscore the Senators and Flyers by a combined score of 11-1.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Los+Angeles+Kings, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan,
Rangers Continue to Get it Done on the Road
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/05/11 at 10:49 AM ET
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While the New York Rangers’ have struggled at home this season, there is no doubting that things have been quite the opposite for the team on the road this year.
Last night, the Rangers went into Ottawa and defeated the Senators by a score of 4-1 for their 20th road victory of the season. For the Blueshirts, they were obviously able to put the puck in the net, cash in on their chances, play smart defense and get great goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, who made 28 saves on 29 shots to earn the No. 1 star of the game.
The team got goals from Vinny Prospal, Mats Zuccarello, Artem Anisimov, and Derek Stepan. These are players that the team needs to have score more and they were all able to come through last night, especially Prospal as he now has points in his last three games and has six points in his last six games as he looks to provide his team with improtant offense down the stretch.
This game showed that the Rangers can indeed get the important goals when they need to do. For example, after Zuccarello made it 2-0 in the second period, Anisimov went in and scored to make it 3-0 just 12 seconds later. The team never allowed the Senators to get back in the hockey game.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Mats+Zuccarello, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Philadelphia+Flyers, Vinny+Prospal,
WIN - Nothing Else Matters
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/04/11 at 01:00 PM ET
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This is how the New York Rangers should approach tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
After dropping a 3-1 contest to the Minnesota Wild last night at Madison Square Garden, the Blueshirts now find themselves in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, just two points ahead of the ninth place Buffalo Sabres and three points in front of the tenth place Toronto Maple Leafs. With that in mind, the Rangers’ have once again forced themselves to be in a tough situation tonight in Ottawa.
The Senators have nothing to play for. They pretty much know that they are not going to make the playoffs this season and as such, have been playing extremely loose and have become a tough team to play against. The Senators’ victory last night over the Atlanta Thrashers is a perfect example of this.
The Rangers, on the other hand, can feel the pressure mounting as April gets closer and closer. Every single game they play from hear on out is important and the team cannot afford to be giving points away. The team has to go into Ottawa tonight with a “WIN” mentality and except nothing less.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jose+Theodore, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Philadelphia+Flyers,
Rangers Set for Minnesota Wild
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/03/11 at 08:33 AM ET
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Once again, the New York Rangers head into tonight’s game with the Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden needing to come away with two points in order to separate themselves from the eighth and ninth seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
Unfortunately for the Blueshirts, both of those teams, the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres, play each other tonight so no matter what, someone is going to come away with two points and inch close to the Rangers. With that said, if the Blueshirts can come away with two points themselves, they will certainly be in better position and have a bit of insurance.
The Rangers need to come out and set the tone early. They need to throw the puck on net, finish their chances, protect the lead if they get one and do everything they possibly can to win a hockey game because if they cannot, they could be in trouble when they take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night in Ottawa and the Philadelphia Flyers at home on Sunday afternoon.
For the Rangers, it will be important that players such as Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Wojtek Wolski, Mats Zuccarello, Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle and Vinny Prospal step up offensively. With Marian Gaborik still expected to be out of the lineup, these seem to be the guys that can put the puck in the net. Now, they need to do it on a consistent basis.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brian+Boyle, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan, Vinny+Prospal,
Not Great but Not Bad
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/02/11 at 08:40 AM ET
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That would be the phrase to describe the play of the New York Rangers last night in their 3-2 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden.
The team got off to a great start and was up 2-0 in the second period on goals by Brandon Prust and Artem Anisimov. However, the Penguins scored three goals to take the lead before Ryan Callahan tied it up with a power play goal on Jordan Staal’s five minute penalty (he got tossed from the game).
This was a game that the Blueshirts should have been able to pick up two points but instead, come away with one. They had trouble finishing both in the third period and in the shootout and ultimately, that is what did them in as they had numerous chances to get the game winning goal.
With that said, there were some positives in the game. For starters, it was great to have Callahan (1 goal) and Brandon Dubinsky (1 assist) back in the lineup. These are two of the hardest working Blueshirts and it showed last night as they generated several scoring opportunities. Callahan definitely showed some rust but since he had not played for over a month, it is excusable.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Jordan+Staal, New+Jersey+devils, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan,
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.
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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.
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Tags: Alex+Frolov, Columbus+Blue+Jackets, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Washington+Capitals,
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.
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Tags: Brandon+Prust, brian+Boyle, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Ruslan+Fedotenko,
Blueshirts Week Ahead
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/29/10 at 08:00 AM ET
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I would like to introduce you folks to a new feature here at the Goal Line Report: Blueshirts’ Week Ahead.
I do a similar feature over at RLD Hockey. However, unlike RLD Hockey, this feature will focus on the New York Rangers and will include players to keep an eye on and the team’s games of the week.
This is something I will do every Monday morning from here on out.
Players to Keep an Eye on
- Henrik Lundqvist
Coming off two straight wins, it will be interesting to see if New York Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist can carry it into this week against the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders (2) and Ottawa Senators.
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Tags: Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
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,
Back in the Saddle
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/03/10 at 06:09 PM ET
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Good evening folks. Sorry for not posting anything this weekend but I was in Massachusetts for alumni weekend at my college.
While I was away, it seems liked I missed quite the pre-season game last night between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators. I know the Blueshirts suffered an 8-5 loss but it’s nice that at least during the pre-season, the team scored some goals.
The question, however, is will they be able to score goals once the regular season begins next Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres? Only time will tell but until then, it appears that both head coach John Tortorella and general manager Glen Sather have some tough decisions to make when it comes to selecting the team’s roster, something I am sure I will be writing about this week as the start of the regular season gets closer and closer.
Thanks for understanding and I look forward to bringing you the best Rangers’ coverage I can during the season. If there is anything that you would like me to do to make the blog better, please do not hesitate to tell me by either leaving me a comment or dropping me an e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Glen+Sather, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators,
Rangers Take on Sens Tonight at The Garden
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/01/10 at 07:35 AM ET
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The New York Rangers will finish up it’s last games of the pre-season over the next couple of days. They’ll take on the Senators tonight at Madison Square Garden and then again tomorrow night in Ottawa before preparing for next season’s regular season opening game in Buffalo next Friday night.
It appears that Henrik Lundqvist will get the full game between the pipes tonight for the Blueshirts while according to Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants, back-up netminder Martin Biron will more than likely get the full game in Ottawa tomorrow night.
Tonight’s pre-season tilt marks the return of Blushirts’ forward Vinny Prospal, who was the club’s second leading scorer last season with 58 points. Steve Eminger, who is in NY on a try-out contract with the Blueshirts, has only played one pre-season game due to a sore grain but will be in the lineup tonight.
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Tags: John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Steve+Eminger, Vinny+Prospal,
Three In A Row = Somewhat of a Winning Streak
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/02/10 at 11:15 PM ET
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It feels weird writing that considering that this was the New York Rangers’ first game since returning from the break. However, the Blueshirts came out and played a solid road game in defeating the Northeast-leading Ottawa Senators 4-1 to pick up a crucial two points and their third straight win in as many games.
Ryan Callahan, despite not really having a break since he was on Team USA, had a terrific game in scoring two goals while also being his all-out hustling self. The team also got solid performances from the likes of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (24 saves), Erik Christensen (2 assists), Brandon Dubinsky (1 goal), Sean Avery (1 goal, 1 assist) and a few others.
The team was able to score four goals without it’s leading goal scorer and point getter, Marian Gaborik, who was out with a lower body injury. This should show you that when the team plays the right way, it can score goals without having to rely too heavily on its superstar.
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Tags: Glen+Sather, New+York+Rangers, NHL+Trade+Deadline, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Senators and Leafs Highlight Northeast Division
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/03/10 at 12:22 PM ET
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From good friend of the blog James Murphy at NHL.com:
The Ottawa Senators will try to stretch their franchise-record winning streak to 10 games Wednesday when they take on the Northeast Division-leading Buffalo Sabres. But as coach Cory Clouston pointed out Tuesday, there’s always room for improvement even when everything seems to be going right.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect game or perfect team,” Clouston told the Ottawa Sun. “There are always areas to improve on. We’re playing well (but) you can’t get complacent. You can either move forward or backward. We want to continue to move forward. To just say one or two areas, it doesn’t work that way. There are a lot of areas where we’ve got to get better.”
Jason Spezza also has a streak of his own going as he has scored a goal in seven straight games; he can break former teammate Dany Heatley’s club record with a goal against the Sabres on Wednesday. Spezza, though, ruled out superstition as the secret to his success.
Click here for more from our good pal Murph.
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Tags: NHL, Northeast+Division, Ottawa+Senators, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
A Better Description of Last Night’s Loss to the Sens’
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/15/10 at 12:15 PM ET
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From Andrew Gross of The Record and Ranger Rants:
As was to be expected, descriptions such as “awful” and “horrible” floated around the Rangers room to describe this lame loss. Lame because they should have been on edge not to take the slumping Senators lightly. Lame because the Rangers are again having trouble generating offense just two games after a 3-1 win at Boston that was the third time in four games they had scored three or more goals.
Asked why it happened, John Tortorella, who broached the subject of not falling into this trap at least twice with his team before the game, said, “I can’t answer that, I’m not in their heads. I don’t understand it. It’s a team we’re fighting against for a playoff spot. We know they were embarrassed the night before (a 6-1 loss at Atlanta on Tuesday). We tried to guard against it. But I guess they weren’t listening.
Vinny Prospal said it couldn’t only be the coaches screaming, the players needed to take some ownership in motivating and correcting themselves.
Henrik Lundqvist looked like he wouldn’t have minded doing some yelling, saying four goals in the last four games “is obviously not enough.”
Click here for more. Hopefully, the team will be able to put the puck in the net this weekend. If not, who knows what the consequences will be.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators,
What a Game!
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/13/10 at 04:53 PM ET
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I was lucky enough to attend last night’s New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils game at Madison Square Garden and all I can say is WOW!
This game had it all from lots of offensive opportunities, hits, to great team play and unbelievable by goaltending by Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist and Devils’ netminder Martin Brodeur.
If you’re a Blueshirt fan, there really should not be too much, if anything, to complain about. The team threw pucks to the net, protected Lundqvist and did just about everything they could to win a hockey game. On the other hand, may be the power play could have been better but other than that, this was a terrific game for your Rangers.
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Tags: New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators,
A Start
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/14/09 at 07:02 PM ET
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This game had shootout written all over it. There were many missed scoring chances, big saves by each goaltender, and quality special team’s efforts.
Fortunately, this ended with a 2-1 shootout win for the New York Rangers over the Ottawa Senators. Surprisingly, the game-winning shootout goal came from P.A. Parenteau, recently called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack.
However, this game was all about the big-time effort from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who made 35 saves in the game and made some huge stops in the skills competition. After reading yesterday’s papers and listening to him during the post-game on Thursday night after the team lost to the Atlanta Thrashers, it was easy to see/hear that Lundqvist was frustrated and wanted to get things back on the right track.
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Tags:
New+York+Rangers
, Ottawa+Senators,Satisfying Start
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/04/09 at 08:37 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,
Another Blogger’s Opinion on Why Moving Heatley is Going to be Difficult
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/26/09 at 02:26 PM ET
Comments (2)
From Ryan McFadden at Blueshirt Banter:
It seems like Murray is refusing to allow the market to set the price for Heatley. The Senators need to come to grips with the fact that Heatley is not going to return equal value before or after July 1st when the $4 million in salary to him is due. Not in a salary capped league and not in a recession.
Every since the news of Heatley wanting a trade broke, I have been saying over and over that it is not going to be easy for him to be moved. I’ve beaten the proverbial dead horse saying that Heatley is not going to return equal valuefor four reasons:
1) They don’t have much leverage at the draft with the $4 million that Heatley is owed hanging over their heads.
2) That sum will immediately eliminate a number of teams from pursuing him until after July 1st when the amount is to paid to Heatley.
3) There is the limited number of teams which Heatley will accept a trade too.
4) The number of potential trading partners dwindles even further as some are not willing to take on a large contract during this economy.
Click here for more. I’m tired of all this Heatley talk. How about you?
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Tags: Dany+Heatley, Ottawa+Senators,
Two Out Of Four Ain’t Bad
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/22/09 at 08:45 PM ET
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Going into this weekend, all the New York Rangers were focused on was their game. They weren’t focused on who was in front of them, behind them or looking a few games down the road. The team was focused on the here and now.
Their intense focus certainly showed last night at the Garden as the team beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-3. Tonight’s game, against the Ottawa Senators, on the other hand, ended in a 2-1 loss, which means that the team remains in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference.
While four points would have been great, the team should be satisfied with their play this weekend. They put pucks to the net, used their speed well, did a great job killing penalties (now first in the league) and were competitive in both games. Some other notes from the weekend:
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Eastern+Conference, Jim+Schoenfeld, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Ryan+Callahan, Wade+Redden,
Four Big Points on the line this weekend and some Ranger Notes
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/19/09 at 09:50 PM ET
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With the Eastern Conference standings changing every day, every game from here on out means something for the New York Rangers.
This would especially be true for the two games they have this weekend at home against the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators. In actuality, the Blueshirts should be able to come away with four points but since the Sabres are still battling for a playoff spot and the Senators are playing better hockey under their new coach, four points are certainly not guaranteed.
The good news? The Rangers are finding ways to win, getting their offense into high gear and looking like a team that deserves to be in the playoffs.
Other notes:
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Dan+Girardi, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Ryan+Callahan, Scott+Gomez, Sean+Avery,
Avery Gets It Done
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/15/09 at 07:30 PM ET
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NBC promoted this afternoon’s game as “Sean Avery’s New York Rangers” against the Philadelphia Flyers. It was only fitting that Avery and the Blueshirts went out beat the Flyers by a score of 4-1, with Avery scoring two goals, getting into a couple of scrums and causing the Flyers to focus on him rather than on playing the game.
What’s more is that the Rangers actually scored three power play goals and once again peppered the Flyers net with 39 shots on goal and this time, were rewarded for it.
The win puts the Blueshirts in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with the Montreal Canadiens, a team they will take on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, a place that has been a nightmare of sorts for the team the past couple of visits.
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Montreal+Canadiens, NBC, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Philadelphia+Flyers, Sean+Avery,
Clemmensen Proving His Worth
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/15/09 at 08:29 AM ET
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When Martin Broduer went down with an injury in early November, many hockey pundits and fans thought that the New Jersey Devils were done. They weren’t scoring a lot of goals, they weren’t really winning and lastly, they would have to rely on Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen.
Well, just over four months later, the team is near the top of both the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division thanks to timely goal scoring from the likes of Patrik Elias, Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner, solid defense from Colin White, Bryce Salvador and Paul Martin and solid special teams.
However, one area that everyone is overlooking is the solid goaltending from Clemmensen. The 31-year-old netminder from Des Moines, IA, is proving to folks around the club and the league that he can play with the big boys and that ultimately, he can play well. Through last night’s game against the Boston Bruins, Clemmensen has compiled 24 wins in 37 games while posting a 2.23 goals against average and a .922 save percentage with two shutouts (both happened this week against the New York Rangers and Bruins).
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Bryce+Salvador, Colin+White, Jamie+Langenbrunner, Kevin+Weekes, Martin+Brodeur, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Patrik+Elias, Paul+Martin, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Scott+Clemmensen, Zach+Parise,
Some questions before taking a break
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/25/09 at 10:30 PM ET
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Good evening folks. I hope all you hockey nuts enjoyed the NHL All-Star festivities this weekend. I particularly enjoyed Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin’s rekindled friendship, Alexei Kovalev’s hometown showing and a pretty high scoring All-Star game. Do I think that changes need to be made? I sure do but for now, I wanted to give the NHL a good old pat on the back for their good work this weekend.
I wanted to let you know that I will not be blogging much this weekend because I will be on vacation in Puerto Rico playing some golf. I am returning on February 1 (Super Bowl Sunday) and will get back to blogging on the 2nd. However, feel free to drop me an e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to let me know what’s going around the league and of course, with the New York Rangers.
However, before I left, I wanted to get your thoughts regarding the league’s second half of the season:
- Which teams will round out the top eight in the Eastern and Western Conferences?
- Which player will score the most points in the second half of the season?
- Which player will have the biggest fall in the second half of the season?
- Which coaches, if any, will get fired?
- Will Pat Quinn be joining the Ottawa Senators at any point?
These are just a few questions that I have regarding the second half of the season and I’m sure that more will emerge as the NHL resumes play this week. Let’s hear your thoughts folks!
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alexei+Kovalev, Alex+Ovechkin, Evgeni+Malkin, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pat+Quinn,
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.
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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,
Another Shutout for The King
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/10/09 at 10:30 PM ET
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For the second time in three games, New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist picked up a shutout (his second of the season). This time, it came at the hands of the struggling Ottawa Senators in a 2-0 victory.
This was a game in which Lundqvist had excellent rebound control, was in position for both the first and second shots (if there was one) and more importantly, he gave his club a chance to win a hockey game, which they did thanks to goals by Brandon Dubinsky (finally) and a beauty from Lauri Korpikoski off a great feed from Nikolai Zherdev.
As a team, the Blueshirts were disciplined, tough in front of their own net and made the game easy for Lundqvist. When they do things like that, it’s easy to see why they would win.
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Tags: Bobby+Sanguinetti, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brendan+Shanahan, Brian+Elliot, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Lauri+Korpikoski, Michal+Rozsival, Nassau+Veterans+Memorial+Coliseum, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Petr+Prucha, Scott+Gomez,
Will He Actually Play and other Ranger Musings
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/10/09 at 04:30 PM ET
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As Sam Weinman reported in his blog, the New York Rangers have called up defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti in the event that defenseman Michal Rozsival cannot play tonight after suffering a facial injury in last night’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
The question that both Weinman and I are wondering is what does this say about Corey Potter? Potter played with the Blueshirts a few weeks ago and did just fine and yet, when the team is in a bind like they could be tonight, they potentially look to Sanguinetti. Yes, Sanguinetti is an all star in the AHL and leading the Hartford Wolf Pack with 20 points in 39 games, but is he ready to step in against a potentially potent offense in the Ottawa Senators?
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Tags: Bobby+Sanguinetti, Buffalo+Sabres, Corey+Potter, Hartford+Wolf+Pack, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jim+Cerny, Michal+Rozsival, New+York+Rangers, Nigel+Dawes, Ottawa+Senators, Rangers+Report, Ryan+Miller, Sam+Weinman, Stephen+Valiquette, Tom+Renney,
Time to Step Up
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/08/09 at 09:15 PM ET
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As I’m sure all of you New York Ranger fans are aware of, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was named to the Eastern Conference All Star team. He’s been a Vezina Trophy finalist in each of his three seasons in the National Hockey League so it’s nice that he finally got recognized by the league as one of the game’s elite netminders.
With that being said, if NHL management based their selections on the last two months, Lundqvist would not be on the team. Much like he did in 2006-07 and last season, Lundqvist is having trouble finding consistency. Just take a look at this week, for example. On Monday night, he stymies the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-0 shutout and last night, he allows five goals in a 6-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The team’s beat reporters went about as far to say that Lundqvist was one of the main reasons why the team lost last night. I’m sure most of you would agree.
This weekend, the team takes on the Buffalo Sabres (Friday night, 7:30 p.m., at the HSBC Arena) and the Ottawa Senators (Saturday night, 7 p.m., at Scotiabank Place). These are four points that the Rangers should be able to get so hopefully, Henrik will be on top of his game in the tilt he starts (assuming that backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette will start one of the two) because as Henrik goes, so do the Blueshirts.
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Tags: Buffalo+Sabres, Eastern+Conference+All+Star+Team, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Stephen+Valiquette,
Records can be Deceiving
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/01/08 at 09:30 PM ET
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With a record of 17-8-2 and sitting first in the Eastern Conference, one would have to think that the team and its fans would be happy.
In the case of the New York Rangers, not so much. Looks can be deceiving folks and yesterday afternoon’s 4-0 clunker at the hands of the Florida Panthers proves that point.
Over at Sam Weinman’s (The Journal News) Rangers Report Blog, MSG’s John Giannone points out that of the club’s 17 wins, six have come in the shootout. If there were no shootouts, the team would have a substantially lower record and would be 11-7-8.
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Tags: Calgary+Flames, Chris+Drury, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Giannone, Markus+Naslund, Michal+Rozsival., Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Phoenix+Coyotes, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gomez, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Wade+Redden,
Officially a Losing Streak
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/22/08 at 07:30 PM ET
Comments (1)
While they may have only dropped their last two games, the New York Rangers played like they were in the midst of a two-week slump in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators this afternoon.
They had no jump in their legs, didn’t get pucks to the net, had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone and looked generally disorganized for 60 minutes.
So my question is: What’s going on?
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Colton+Orr, Jarkko+Ruutu, Marc+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Paul+Mara, Phoenix+Coyotes, Stephen+Valiquette,
Valiquette to Start
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/22/08 at 12:00 PM ET
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According to Sam Weinman of The Journal News, the New York Rangers have elected to start Stephen Valiquette this afternoon against the Ottawa Senators.
Valiquette played half the game on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks and stopped all 15 shots he faced after Henrik Lundqvist was pulled by Rangers’ head coach Tom Renney (five goals allowed).
However, according to Weinman, Valiquette had been penciled in for this game for a long time and it’s not just a coincidence that he is starting after Lundqvist’s struggles on Wednesday night.
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Tags: Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sam+Weinman, Stephen+Valiquette, The+Journal+News, Tom+Renney, Vancouver+Canucks,
Embarassing
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/20/08 at 05:30 PM ET
Comments (3)
Last night’s 6-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks can be described in one word: embarrassing.
Through the first 30 minutes of the tilt, the New York Rangers were nowhere to be found, especially in the defensive zone as Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was hung out to dry.
That brings me to my next point: Lundqvist did not pull himself from the game last night.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gomez, Stephen+Valiquette, Tom+Renney, Vancouver+Canucks,
Underappreciated
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/18/08 at 09:30 PM ET
Comments (1)
In the Rangers’ 2-1 shootout victory over the Ottawa Senators last night, players such as Chris Drury, Markus Naslund, Nikolai Zherdev (with the exception of the lone shootout goal), Brandon Dubinsky or even Dan Girardi were not the team’s best players. Far from it, in fact.
In my eyes, it was Blair Betts, Fredrik Sjostrom and Lauri Korpikoski that shined as they got the team back in the game by scoring a goal in the third period. Not only that, but they kept the game simple, something that the other lines have not learned how to do yet.
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Tags: Alex+Auld, Blair+Betts, Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Dan+Girardi, Fredrik+Sjostrom, Lauri+Korpikoski, Markus+Naslund, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ottawa+Senators, Vancouver+Canucks,
Never Say Die
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/15/08 at 11:45 PM ET
Comments (2)
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.
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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,
