Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Tampa+Bay+Lightning
Richards Wins It for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/10/12 at 08:49 AM ET
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When the New York Rangers went out and signed high-priced free agent Brad Richards to a nine year deal during the off-season, it is games like last night that the Blueshirts had envisioned for him.
After Brian Boyle tied the game up at 3-3 in the third period, the Rangers’ assistant captain Richards scored the game winner in overtime off a great feed from Artem Anisimov to give his team a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. For Richards, it was his seventh game winning goal of the season, which is good for second in the NHL.
While Richards may not have the point totals that people expected (17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points), he has certainly come up big when the team has needed him the most. Everyone remembers the goal he scored at the buzzer to defeat the Phoenix Coyotes. Everyone also probably remembers the game tying goal he scored against the Anaheim Ducks over in Sweden at the beginning of the season.
Richards is keeping up his end of the bargain by coming through in the clutch, something he has done throughout his career. Hopefully, he will come up even bigger come playoff time.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Artem+Anisimov, Brad+Richards, Brian+Boyle, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Phoenix+Coyotes, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Blueshirts Looking for Offense
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/09/12 at 08:27 AM ET
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While the New York Rangers may have gotten screwed out of picking up at least a point against the New Jersey Devils in their 1-0 loss on Tuesday night, it still does not change the fact that this team is currently having trouble scoring goals.
Yes, the team put four in on Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers but before that and right now, the offense has been kept quiet. As of right now, Rangers’ forwards Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan seem like the only two players that are consistently generating scoring chances.
However, guys like Derek Stepan, Brad Richards, Brian Boyle and others are struggling to score goals. Prior to these last few weeks, the Rangers had scoring depth and right now, it appears to be missing.
When this happens, it puts a ton of pressure on the team’s goaltenders Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Biron. It is like the goaltenders have to be as close to perfect as possible in order to win a hockey game.
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Tags: Brad+Richards, Brian+Boyle, Derek+Stepan, Dwayne+Roloson, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Mathieu+Garon, New+York+rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
The One That Got Away
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/09/11 at 01:23 PM ET
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That is the perfect phrase to describe the New York Rangers’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night.
The Blueshirts had a 2-1 lead in the third period until former Ranger Dominic Moore tied it up with a shorthanded goal. The club also had several quality scoring opportunities to win the game in regulation and in overtime but unfortunately, were not able to bury their chances.
The team got strong performances from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan McDonagh and Artem Anisimov. Speaking of Anisimov, his goal celebration was completely unnecessary. Yes, it was a great goal but there is no need to taunt or show off. That kind of stuff is just not needed in the NHL and should be saved for the NFL and NBA.
Luckily, the team will be able to quickly forget about this game as they have two tough tilts on tap for this weekend. Tomorrow night, the Blueshirts will take on the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo and on Sunday night, will return home to take on the high-flying Florida Panthers.
With four points on the line and no wins in their last two games, this weekend will be the perfect opportunity for the Rangers to get back on right track.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Buffalo+Sabres, Dan+Girardi, Dominic+Moore, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Rangers Look to Start Another Winning Streak Against the Lightning
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/08/11 at 07:59 AM ET
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Coming off a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maplle Leafs, the New York Rangers will look to get back on track tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden.
Unfortunately, the team will be without Rangers’ defenseman Michael Sauer as he suffered a concussion when Leafs’ defenseman Dion Phaneuf flattened him on Monday night. With the team already missing Marc Staal, this is certainly a blow to the team’s lineup.
With that said, this is a lineup that thrives when they need to step up and one would have to expect the team to do the same tonight. The team’s defensemen will have to step up tonight against the likes of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, Ryan Malone, and others.
With Sauer out, defenseman Anton Stralman will step in for the first time as a Blueshirt. Team head coach John Tortorella said the following to Rangers’ beat writer Andrew Gross yesterday:
“That comes with just not playing, it’s going to take some time as far as the tempo of the game. It’s very difficult when all you do is practice. We’re trying to play with pace and speed and it’ll take some time here. But that’s a concentration. We want him to defend. We know he has some offensive instincts. He’ll probably see some power play time along the way. But the key is just playing fast and trying to get within the tempo of the game as quickly as possible.”
This past Saturday, the Blueshirts won a hard fought game over these very same Lightning. With the Lightning coming off a 5-1 loss at the hands of the New York Islanders, you know they will come out and put forth a much better effort against a better Rangers’ hockey club.
Hopefully, the Blueshirts will get back to “normal” and pick-up two more points on home ice.
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Tags: Anton+Stralman, John+Tortorella, Martin+St.+Louis, Michael+Sauer, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Malone, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Vincent+Lecavalier,
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 Continue to Roll
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/04/11 at 01:12 PM ET
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It seemed to be a solid night for the New York Rangers last night as the team beat the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 4-2 for their fifth straight win.
Unfortunately, I was not able to catch any of the game last night as I was out with my wife and her friends. With that said, it was nice to come home and see the Blueshirts pick up yet another win and also see key guys contributing.
It was nice to see guys like Derek Stepan (1 goal and 1 assist), Brad Richards (1 goal and 1 assist), Artem Anisimov (1 goal and 1 assist) and Ryan McDonagh (2 assists) all have a multiple pint night in Tampa. It was also great to see Lundqvist have another solid performance in stopping 24 of 26 shots for his 11th win of the season.
I wish I could say more about the game but like I said earlier, I did not watch it so I do not want to make assumptions based on the score sheet. With that said, a win is a win and the Blueshirts continue to surprise people in the National Hockey League.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brad+Richards, Derek+Stepan, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+McDonagh, 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,
Rangers Continue to Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/02/11 at 09:44 AM ET
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The New York Rangers are starting to show the National Hockey League that for the first time in years, they have some real offensive depth.
The club’s offensive depth really came out last night in their 5-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. The team had five different goal scorers in Marian Gaborik, Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh, Sean Avery and Michael Sauer.
With the win, the Blueshirts improved to 14-5-3 on the season, good enough for fourth in the Eastern Conference. Believe it or not, the team is also just three points behind the Eastern Conference and NHL leading Pittsburgh Penguins.
For the Rangers, last night’s game could have easily been a trap game. It could have been one where the team played to the level of their opponent and missed the opportunity to pick up the two needed points.
Luckily, the Rangers reversed the trend and played a solid road game to pick up their fourth straight win. On the other side, it was the Hurricanes’ fifth straight loss and second under new head coach Kirk Muller.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Kirk+Muller, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Michael+Sauer, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Ryan+McDonagh, Sean+Avery, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Bruins Headed to Finals For the First Time Since 1990
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/27/11 at 09:45 PM ET
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Many Boston Bruins fans’ probably feel like this was a long time coming but for the first time since the 1989-90 season, the Bruins are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of -0 in Game 7 at the TD Garden.
This Game 7 had it all. For starters, the game had terrific saves from both Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas and Lightning netminder Dwayne Roloson. Roloson did everything he possibly could to give his team a chance to win a hockey game but unfortunately for him, the Lightning were not able to help out on the scoreboard.
Thomas was also solid in picking up the huge victory. He kept things simple, made the big save when his team needed to and of course, ended up with the W.
This game also had lots of guts displayed by both teams. Bruins’ forward Nathan Horton took a nasty shoulder hit in the first period but returned in the second period and scored the game winning goal in the third period.
On the Lightning side, Lightning forward Steven Stamkos took a puck to the nose in the second period. With a huge gash on his nose and with the nose most likely displaced on his face, Stamkos returned and showed what heart and guts he has as a hockey player.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Dwayne+Roloson, Nathan+Horton, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tim+Thomas, Vancouver+Canucks,
Who Would You Want to Play Against?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/27/11 at 09:17 PM ET
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I am just sitting down watching the third period in game 7 between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning and I am starting to wonder the following: if I am the Vancouver Canucks, who do I want to play in the Stanley Cup Finals?
There are good reasons to want to play against both teams. For example, the Canucks may want to play against the Bruins because their playmaking ability will be able to put the puck past Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas. Thomas can be a very aggressive goaltender and if he comes too far out of his crease against the Canucks, the likes of the Sedin Twins, Kesler, Burrows, Raymond, Bieksa, and others will find a way to get the puck to the net and in the net.
With that said, the Canucks may also want to play the Lightning because they are a far less physical team than the Bruins. The Bruins like to hit and hit hard while the Lightning prefer to play a skill-type of hockey game.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Vancouver+Cancuks,
The Best Series of The Playoffs?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/26/11 at 09:27 AM ET
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Is this the phrase that should be used to describe the Eastern Conference Finals’ series between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning?
After six games, I’d have to say yes. This series has really seen it all from lots of goals, lots of checking, big saves, timely heroes and everything else that makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs so great.
Shawn Lavigne of TSN Radio used the term Jekyll and Hyde on Facebook to describe this series and it is easy to see why he would say that. We have seen high scoring games, low scoring games, heroes one game, disappearances the next and so on and so forth.
Hockey fans have now been rewarded with a Game 7 in Boston on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. If you’re a Bruins fan, I’m sure you’re nervous about missing out on a tremendous opportunity to go to the Cup Finals. If you’re a Lightning fan, I’m sure you’re just happy to have forced a Game 7.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Thoughts on Tonight’s Game 5 Between the Bruins and Lightning
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/23/11 at 09:13 AM ET
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Here are my thoughts for tonight’s Game 5 between the Bruins and Lightning:
Keys for the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Start Dwayne Roloson: While Lightning back-up netminder Mike Smith certainly made a case to get the start for tonight’s Game 5 in Boston, it would be smart for team head coach Guy Boucher to go with the guy that got them there, Dwayne Roloson. Yes, Roloson has struggled a bit in this series but when it comes down to it, Roloson gives the Lightning the best and most consistent chance to win a hockey game.
- Establish a Net Presence: The Lightning need to continue to put bodies in front of Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas. On the Lightning, guys like Ryan Malone and Dominic Moore are the best at creating havoc in front of the Bruins’ net and should do double tonight in Game 5.
- Make Tim Thomas Play the Puck: While Thomas is great at stopping pucks, he is quite the opposite when it comes to handling the puck. He helped create the first Lightning goal in Game 4 and was partly responsible for getting the Lightning rally started.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
A Quick Observation
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/22/11 at 06:00 PM ET
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Looking at the four starting goaltenders for the remaining teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it is easy to see that a few of them have had trouble handling the puck in the Conference Finals’ series.
In Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks’ goaltender Roberto Luongo put a pass right on Joe Thornton’s stick and Thornton than put it past a diving Luongo to give his team a 1-0 lead.
In Game 4 against the Lightning, there was a miscommunication between Bruins’ netminder Tim Thomas and Bruins’ defenseman Zdeno Chara that led to Lightning forward Teddy Purcell’s first goal of the game. Had Thomas just moved it away from Chara, the play would have been over and done with and the Bruins would have more than likely gotten out of their own end.
In that same game, there was miscommunication between Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson and his defenseman, leading Bruins’ forward Patrice Bergeron to to wrap the puck around the net and put it through Roloson’s legs to give his team a then 1-0 lead.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Dwayne+Roloson, Joe+Thornton, Roberto+Luongo, San+Jose+Sharks, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tim+Thomas, Vancouver+Canucks, Zdeno+Chara,
Who Should The Lightning Go With in Game 5?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/22/11 at 11:36 AM ET
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After watching yesterday afternoon’s Game 4 between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning, I am sure that many of you would go with Lightning back-up goaltender Mike Smith.
You folks would choose him with good reason. Smith stopped 21 of 21 Bruins’ shots and was also good in Game 2 after Roloson was pulled. Smith has looked calm and poised in net and has shown the coaching staff that he can be relied on when things get tough.
With that said, however, I am of the belief that you need to go with the guy that got you to this point. For the Lightning, that’s Dwayne Roloson.
At 9-5 with a 2.51 goals against average, a .925 save percentage, and 1 shutout, Roloson has been the man more often than not for the Lightning this postseason. He has made many big saves, has helped his team rally in this year’s postseason and has been extremely reliable.
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Tags: Dwayne+Roloson, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Familiar Story?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/15/11 at 02:49 PM ET
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If you are a New York Rangers’ fan and you watched Game 1 between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning last night, then you must know that I am referring to the Bruins’ power play.
In last night’s 5-2 Game 1 loss to the Lightning, the Bruins’ power play was simply atrocious. They were not enough pucks thrown on net and there was certainly way too much puck movement. All in all, it led to an 0-4 night with the man advantage on what could/should have been a difference maker for the Bruins.
While the Lightning certainly did a good job of blocking shots last night when they were killing penalties, the Bruins did not throw enough pucks on net with the man advantage. Too often, they either missed the net, had trouble handling the puck in the slot or at the point or they simply chose to pass instead of shoot.
This led to the other problem: too much puck movement. While it is important to move the puck around to help get guys open whether it is at the point or in the slot, the Bruins’ overdid it and practically wasted their time on the power play and hurt themselves by not being able to do anything with the four power plays they were given.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Nice to See Some Scoring
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/14/11 at 08:04 PM ET
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As I am sure many of you folks are, I am watching Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning and it’s great to see some scoring, isn’t it?
Many pundits and fans alike predicted that because of the goaltending and defensive systems, this was going to be a low scoring series. Well, here we are at the end of the first period and it is 3-1 Lightning at the end of the first period in Boston.
Tim Thomas, although he cannot be faulted for all three of the goals, has not looked comfortable in between the pipes for the Bruins thus far so it’ll be interesting to see how he plays in the second period. On the other end, while Tyler Seguin’s goal, his first career NHL playoff goal in his first career NHL playoff game, was a beauty, it was a shot that Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson might have been able to stop.
These teams both have guys that can put the puck in the net and both have guys that will go hard to the net for deflections, rebounds and loose pucks. The Lightning certainly showed that in the first period.
The puck, no matter how good Thomas and Roloson, will go in the net plenty of times this series. You’ll see.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Dwayne+Roloson, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tim+Thomas, Tyler+Seguin,
A Brief Look at Two Warriors
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/07/11 at 08:17 PM ET
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I’m obviously talking about the upcoming “battle” between Boston Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas and Tampa Lightning netminder Dwayne Roloson.
With Thomas at 37 years old and Roloson 41 years of age, it will be a battle between two goaltenders who are looking to win their first Stanley Cup. Roloson had a good crack at it back in 2006 when he was between the pipes for the Edmonton Oilers until he got injured in Game 1 and never returned to the crease.
Both of these goaltenders are similar when it comes to playing styles. When looking at Thomas, it is easy to say that he is the modern day Dominik Hasek. He may not have Hasek’s stature but what he does have is a terrific compete-level and a willing to do whatever he can to stop the puck. One can easily see this when looking back at some of Thomas’s highlight saves from this past season.
Looking at Roloson, it is almost the same thing. He never gives up on a play but unlike Thomas, Roloson seems to be more of a positional goaltender. Yes, he lunges at pucks sometimes but after making the first save, he usually finds himself in good enough position to make a save on the rebound as well.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Dwayne+Roloson, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tim+Thomas,
All About Hope Now
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/09/11 at 01:59 PM ET
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The New York Rangers did what they had to do this afternoon in defeating the New Jersey Devils by a score of 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
With the victory, the Blueshirts finished the regular season with 93 points, putting them up two points over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight and should they lose in regulation time or overtime, the Rangers will clinch the final playoff spot and prepare for a first round matchup with the first place Washington Capitals.
It was great to see hard-working guys like Chris Drury, Brandon Prust, Ryan McDonagh and Vinny Prospal all beat future hall-of-fame netminder Martin Brodeur. For Drury, it was his first goal of the season and a big one at that. He also did well on face-offs and overall, was a positive factor for the Blueshirts this afternoon.
For McDonagh, it was his first career NHL goal. It could not have come at a better time for the Blueshirts as it gave them a 3-2 lead in the second period as well as a game-winning goal for #27.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Brandon+Prust, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chris+Drury, Dan+Bylsma, John+Tortorella, Martin+Brodeur, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+McDonagh, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Vinny+Prospal,
Out of Their Hands
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/07/11 at 10:38 PM ET
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That is exactly what it has come to for the New York Rangers after being shutout tonight by the Atlanta Thrashers by a score of 3-0 at Madison Square Garden.
Since it is Thursday night, that means I did not get to watch the game as I had my weekly men’s league hockey game. With that said, it was extremely disappointing to come home and see that the blueshirts lost to a team that is not even fighting for a playoff spot.
With that said, and based on the highlights on NHL on the Fly, it appears that the Thrashers got the better of the scoring chances and that the Rangers were flat. This is somewhat surprising considering the huge effort they delivered on Monday night at the Garden when they defeated the Boston Bruins by a score of 5-3.
Now, prior to the team’s regular season finale against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon, the Rangers will be scoreboard watching tomorrow night. The ninth place Carolina Hurricanes, who are just two points behind the Rangers, take on the Atlanta Thrashers tomorrow night in Atlanta with an opportunity to tie the Rangers in points heading into Saturday. The Hurricanes then close out their season on Saturday night with a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Rangers Win By Playing Rangers’ hockey
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/06/11 at 03:52 PM ET
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In today’s 7-0 white-washing of the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Rangers won by playing the kind of hockey that made them so successful earlier on in the season.
They forechecked, they hit, they blocked shots, they allowed their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to see the puck, they cleared rebounds and they got timely goal scoring. Normally, this is a good recipe of success for any team in the NHL but for the ost part, this has been a big part of the Rangers’ identity when they have won games this season.
This afternoon’s Ranger of the game was easily Ryan Callahan. Callahan picked up his first career hat trick en route to a 4-goal and 5-point game for the Blueshirts. He drove hard to the net, used his quick release to beat Flyers’ netminder Brian Boucher and with his hard work, managed to crack the 20-goal mark.
The team also got solid performances out of Vaclav Prospal (2 assists), Mats Zuccarello (2 goals), Artem Anisimov (1 goal and 1 assist) and Lundqvist (24) saves, who picked up his league-leading ninth shutout of the season.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Artem+Anisimov, Brian+Boucher, Buffalo+Sabres, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Mats+Zuccarello, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan, San+Jose+Sharks, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Vaclav+Prospal,
Rangers’ Shutout Capitals for the Second Time in Big 6-0 Victory
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/25/11 at 09:32 PM ET
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Going into tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals, many New York Rangers’ pundits and fans did not know what to expect. Both parties worried about the team being without Marc Staal and Marian Gaborik as well as facing a potentially potent Capital’s offense.
May be this was a good thing as the Blueshirts dominated the Capitals on the scoreboardc in a 6-0 shutout victory. Believe it or not, this was the Rangers’ second shutout over the Capitals this season as the team shut them out back in December in a 7-0 romping.
Besides picking up the shutout, the best thing to come out of this game for the Rangers’ was their success on the power play. The team went 2-for-3 on the man advantage with goals from Erik Christensen (he had two goals and an assist in the game) and Derek Stepan. Believe it or not, the team’s power play has been a lot better of late and that is because they are being more aggresive and throwing more pucks on the net. Hopefully this trend will continue for the Blueshirts.
Speaking of Christensen, he played like a man on a mission tonight. He had three points, was around the net a lot, he had four shots on goal, played on the power play and was effective. Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella needs more of this from Christensen as the team continues to build their playoff push.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Sauer, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+McDonagh, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
Four Points On the Line This Weekend/Staal Injury Update
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/25/11 at 08:45 AM ET
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UPDATE: From Andrew Gross via Twitter:
Staal out Fedotenko in McDonagh paired with Girardi tonight for Rangers.
From Earlier: The New York Rangers are back in action tonight in Washington against the Washington Capitals after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday night.
It does not have to be said that this is once again a big game for the Blueshirts. The Rangers still sit in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the eighth place Carolina Hurricanes and six points ahead of the ninth place Buffalo Sabres.
At the other end, the Capitals are currently fifth in the East with 74 points and are just three poitns behind the Southeast Division leading Tampa Bay Lightning. As such, this game is just as important to the Capitals as it is to the Blueshirts.
The Blueshirts will be without Marian Gaborik this wekend as it is believed he suffered a concussion sometime before playing against the Philadelphia Flyers last Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants said the following regarding Gaborik:
Marian Gaborik (concussion) has reported he’s feeling better but there’s no timetable for his return. Gaborik did undergo blood work back in New York to see if there were any “deficiencies,” though Tortorella wasn’t exactly clear on what deficiencies they might be testing for.
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Tags: Andrew+Gross, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ranger+Rants, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Pick Up Big 4-3 Shootout Victory over the Hurricanes
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/22/11 at 10:23 PM ET
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There was no question that the New York Rangers needed to come out of Carolina with two points tonight.
The team was able to do just that with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes after Wojtek Wolski tied the game with less than two minutes to go and then scored the game winner in the shootout to give the Blueshirts two big points in the Eastern Conference Standings. With the win, the team now has 68 points and is just one point behind the sixth place Montreal Canadiens.
This was a game that reminded me a lot of how the team was getting all those wins in the first half of the season. They worked extremely hard, threw pucks at the net (43 shots for the game), forechecked, got timely offense, solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist (30 saves) and ultimately, were able to get two big points.
The game had a playoff-like feel to it and the Blueshirts treated it as such. The team is going to have to do this for the rest of the season as the games are only going to get tougher as we get closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals, Wojtek+Wolski,
Gaborik Update: Disappointing 4-2 loss for the Rangers
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/20/11 at 03:23 PM ET
Comments (2)
Marian Gaborik Update: From NBC’s NHL Extra Twitter Account:
An update on Marian Gaborik from earlier today, he left the game with a concussion.
From Earlier: In a game in which the New York Rangers outshot the Philadelphia Flyers 39-24, the Blueshirts managed to lose the game 4-2 at Madison Square Garden this afternoon.
A lot of credit has to be given to Flyers’ netminder Brian Boucher. Boucher was on top of his game in making 37 saves and was especially big in the third period when he stopped 14 of 15 Ranger shots.
With that said, however, this game was once again a perfect example of how the Blueshirts still lack some finish to their game. In the third period, Rangers’ forward Artem Anisimov could not get his stick on a cross crease pass on what could have been an easy goal.
Overall, it wasn’t a terrible game for the Blueshirts. They put plenty of pressure in the Flyers’ zone, put plenty of pucks on net but just couldn’t get the goal that mattered in the third period.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Atlanta+Thrashers, Brian+Boucher, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
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,
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,
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,
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.
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, Nashville+Predators, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Should the Rangers Go After Brad Richards?
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/23/10 at 04:46 PM ET
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Last season, it was obvious that the New York Rangers lacked a true No. 1 center and in the end, it hurt them.
The team had Brandon Dubinsky, Erik Christensen and others try to play with Marian Gaborik and while there was some chemistry here and there, there wasn’t enough to scare teams or produce points consistently. In fact, you can say that the team’s best No.1 center in the last five seasons was former Blueshirt Michael Nylander.
One number one center that has been floating around Rangerland is Brad Richards. Richards is a proven point producer who last season, scored 91 points (24 goals and 67 assists) in 80 games with the Dallas Stars. The season before that, he had 48 points in 56 games so as you can tell, Richards is good for about a point a game.
If the Blueshirts found a way to get him, he’d be a lock to play with Marian Gaborik. Gaborik would have himself a pure No. 1 center and someone that can feed him the puck or he can feed the puck to. They would certainly become a dangerous combinatio n and right now, the Rangers need all the offense they can get.
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Tags: Brad+Richards, Dallas+Stars, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Nylander, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Looking for Fans Reactions To a Few Questions I have
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/23/10 at 07:00 AM ET
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Good morning folks. The dog days of summer really are here and as such, I want to help keep hockey on your minds.
As such, I would like to get your thoughts on the following questions:
- Will Kovalchuk still end up being a New Jersey Devil? Why or why not?
- Was the NHL right to reject the Kovalchuk contract? Why or why not?
- Does this whole Kovalchuk saga prove that the league could be headed for a lockout in the next few seasons? Why or why not?
- How will the Chicago Blackhawks be next season after losing several key players due to salary cap problems? Why?
- Where will UFA goaltender Marty Turco end up signing? Why? How about UFA netminder Jose Theodore?
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Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, Illya+Kovalchuk, Jose+Theodore, Marty+Turco, Michael+Leighton, New+Jersey+Devils, NHL, Philadelphia+Flyers, Steve+Yzerman, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
It’s Hard to Believe But…
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/02/10 at 07:32 AM ET
Comments (2)
The New York Rangers are still alive in the playoff hunt as they continue to have good luck when it comes to scoreboard watching.
Last night, the Blueshirts saw the Atlanta Thrashers, Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins lose their games. This gives the Blueshirts a HUGE opportunity to go into Florida and pick up four points from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, respectively.
We all thought, myself included, that this team was done a few weeks ago. In fact, I think many of us were hoping that the Blueshirts would put us out of our misery and just miss the playoffs so that may be some wholesale changes would occur throughout the organization.
Now, however, it seems many of us still want this team to clinch a spot. So, folks, what do we want to happen?
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
On the Right Track
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/15/10 at 09:05 AM ET
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That’s exactly what the New York Rangers did yesterday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 5-2.
Sure, the team got off to a terrible start in going down 2-0 in the first period but after that, both the team and its goaltender Henrik Lundqvist settled down and took care of business at home heading into a two-week Olympic break.
The team got goals from Sean Avery (penalty shot goal in the second period), Vinny Prospal, Erik Christensen (2) and Chris Drury while also getting 27 saves from Henrik Lundqvist, including a few splendid ones in the second period when the Blueshirts got themselves back into the hockey game.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Last Tilt before the Break
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/14/10 at 09:52 AM ET
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Coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night at the Mellon Arena, nothing would be better than for the New York Rangers to win this afternoon against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. This would put the Blueshirts on a two game winning streak heading into the Olympic break and may even help build up the team’s confidence.
This is obviously an important game (when is it not?) for the Rangers, who are 11th in the Eastern Conference but just two points out of the eighth and final playoff spot, currently being held by the Lightnining. A win this afternoon would put the Rangers in a much better spot before coming back to a grueling schedule after the break, which will begin with a game against the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa on March 2nd.
In Friday night’s game, the team lost both Michael Del Zotto and Marian Gaborik to injuries, forcing the team to shorten its bench and play a smart and disciplined hockey game. Fortuntaely for the Blueshirts, they did just that and came away with two important points.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Another Two Points Out the Window
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/11/10 at 09:39 AM ET
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I am not going to lie - I did not watch the New York Rangers vs. Nashville Predators game last night. I was busy shoveling and getting my car out of the snow last night.
Judging by the outcome of the game though, it would appear that I might have worked as hard as the Rangers did. However, the difference is that I didn’t end up losing two crucial points in a playoff race.
Looking at the box score, it would appear that the Blueshirts peppered Nashville netminder Dan Ellis (38 shots), only to be stopped time and time again (37 saves). This happens often to the Rangers but at this point in the season, this is something that the team should avoid at all costs.
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Tags: Nashville+Predators, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Rangers vs. Lightning Conclusion
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/19/10 at 10:19 PM ET
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First Period
The New York Rangers have picked up right where they left off against the Montreal Canadiens and have stormed out to a 3-1 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning after the first period. The team got goals from Brandon Dubinsky, Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury and hopefully, their strong play will carry over into the second period.
Again folks, every point is crucial as each team (with the exception of a few) begins their march towards the Stanley Cup playoffs. As long as the Blueshirts continue to pick up points, they should be in good position come April.
May be I’ll be back with more after the second period but if I’m not, here’s hoping that the team continues to pile on the offense.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Rangers Ready to Strike Lightning Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/19/10 at 04:07 PM ET
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As I have said time and time again, every point is important when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff race. Tonight, the New York Rangers look to pick up two at Madison Square Garden as the Tampa Bay Lightning come into town hoping that there are no power outages.
The Blueshirts are coming off a 6-2 thrashing of the Montreal Canadiens and are looking to stay in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. Currently, the Rangers are in seventh place with 53 points, two points from having sole possesion of fifth place in the Conference.
This is certainly a reachable goal for the Blueshirts and if they’re smart (which we sometimes question here and on every other Rangers’ blog), they’ll play the way they did on Sunday night against the Habs, with the exception of the first period.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
So Much for Mediocrity
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/18/10 at 03:23 PM ET
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Now, that is exactly what the New York Rangers needed to do.
Last night at Madison Square Garden, the team scored the Montreal Canadiens for six unanswered goals and went on to win by a score of 6-2. The Blueshirts got terrific performances from the likes of Brandon Dubinsky (3 points), Ryan Callahan (4 points), Marian Gaborik (3 points), Vinny Prospal (2 points) and Chris Drury (2 points).
The six goals obviously ended the goalless drought at MSG and could prove to be a tremendous confidence booster as the team gets ready to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night at MSG and the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night in Philly.
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Tags: Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Turning it Around
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/27/09 at 09:39 AM ET
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Coming off two straight wins - one a 7-4 drubbing of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the other a 2-1 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers - the New York Rangers (7th in the Eastern Conference) appear to be taking steps towards righting the ship.
Tonight, they’ll look to extend their winning streak to three straight as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (10th in the Eastern Conference) at the St. Pete Times Forum. The game marks head coach John Tortorella’s first time coaching against his former team since taking over as the team’s head coach last February.
However, tonight’s focus will be on the team playing solid road hockey and doing everything they can to pick up two points before facing off against the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night in Pittsburgh. Torts said as much to Jim Cerny in a game preview article for NewYorkRangers.com:
I have no time to think about anything else,” said Tortorella. “It’s not about me. It’s not fair—I’m the coach of a hockey team trying to win a game, that’s all.”
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Lightning Quietly Going About Their Business
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/08/09 at 08:08 PM ET
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From Kevin Allen at USA Today:
In the midst of the Tampa Bay Lightning ownership’s very public and messy squabble over control of the team, general manager Brian Lawton has made noise in the free agent marketplace without drawing much notice.
With training camp just around the corner, the Lightning have a new goalie in Antero Niittymaki, a new top-six scorer in Alex Tanguay and the possibility that the team will start the season with four new defensemen.
“Quite frankly, we have tried to operate quietly,” Lawton said. “When you have finished 30th and 29th (over the past two seasons) there’s no reason to draw any attention to yourself.”
Click here for more.
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Tags: Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Tocchet To Return to Lightning Bench for the Next Few Years
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/11/09 at 03:50 PM ET
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From the staff at TSN.ca:
The Tampa Bay Lightning are holding a press conference this afternoon where they will announce a new multi-year deal for head coach Rick Tocchet.
Tocchet and Lightning general manager Brian Lawton have been working on a new contract since the beginning of May, with the holdup being nothing more than finishing the details.
The Scarborough, Ontario native was given the ‘interim’ tag in November when the club fired Barry Melrose following a 5-7-4 record. Under Tocchet, the Bolts were 19-33-14 and finished the season 24-40-18 for 66 points; enough to finish second-last in the league.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing for the Lightning? Why?
Click here for more.
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Tags: Rick+Tocchet, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Change on the Way?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/25/09 at 04:30 PM ET
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With John Tortorella making his season debut as the New York Rangers head coach tonight against the Toronto Maple leafs, many fans are hoping that this will signal lots of positive changes.
Based on what Tortorella told the press corps yesterday, he wants to instill confidence in his troops and give them the creativity that they need to play effectively. At the same time, however, he also mentioned that he does not want to fall into the same trap he did last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where his team went all out on offense and suffered on the defensive end.
With that said, Tortorealla is going to do everything he can to get some offensive chemistry into this lineup. For one thing, expect to see a lot less of the fourth line and more of the top three lines as Tortorella believes in playing his best players as much as possible in order to give the team the best chance to win a hockey game.
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Tags: John+Tortorella, Kalinin, Michal+Rozsival, New+York+Rangers, Rietz, Steve+Zipay, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wade+Redden,
Mike Ross of NHL Home Ice: Spreading the Word About Hockey
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/11/08 at 10:00 AM ET
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As we all know, hockey is a fledgling sport in the U.S. It doesn’t get the coverage it deserves and when it does press, it’s usually for something negative (ahem, Sean Avery).
However, one radio channel/network that steps up when it comes to hockey coverage is XM’s NHL Home Ice Channel. Day in and day out, the channel provides great hockey content to fans all over the world and always has them coming back for more.
Recently, I had the opportunity to do an e-mail interview with one of the channel’s hosts and producers, Mike Ross. “Rossy” tells us about how he fell in love with the game, how he got involved in hockey radio, the channel’s future, this season’s surprises/disappointments and of course, his Stanley Cup predicition.
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Tags: Adam+Proteau, Barry+Melrose, Boston+Bruins, Brian+Duff, Canadiens, Dean+Brown, Gord+Wilson, Len+Barrier, Manny+Fernandez, Maple+Leafs, Mats+Naslund, Mike+Ross, Milan+Lucic, Oren+Koules, Patrick+Marleau, Phil+Esposito, Phil+Kessel, Rick+Vaive, Rocket+Richard, San+Jose+Sharks, Sean+Avery, Steve+Lloyd, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, The+Hockey+News, Tim+Thomas, Todd+McLellan, Vincent+Damphousse, Wayne+Gretzky, XM+NHL+Home+Ice,
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,
Skills Competition Bails out Rangers
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/29/08 at 11:00 AM ET
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For the second straight game, the New York Rangers needed a shootout to pick up two points, this time against the Florida Panthers.
It was also the second straight game that both Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev scored in the “skills competition” to give the Rangers a 4-3 victory.
Unlike there many other games that went to the shootout, it was the opposing team that tied up the game with just over a minute to go in the tilt as David Booth ripped in an in-tight shot past Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (38 saves) with 1:33 left to go in the hockey game.
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Tags: Craig+Anderson, David+Booth, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Petr+Prucha, Stephen+Valiquette, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tom+Renney,
Rangers on the Prowl in Miami
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/28/08 at 11:30 AM ET
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The New York Rangers continue their two-game road trip in the South with a matchup against the Florida Panthers tonight at the BankAtlantic Center. A win would give them 36 points on the season and a chance to keep their lead in the Eastern Conference.
One would have to expect that Rangers’ head coach Tom Renney will implement the same lineup he used on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, which includes keeping the line of Markus Naslund, Brandon Dubinsky and Nikolai Zherdev together.
Last season, the Blueshirts were 2-1-1 against the Panthers. This season, the Panthers have struggled under new coach Peter Deboer, going 8-11-2 with a minus- 12 goal differential, scoring just 48 times in 21 games and allowing 60 goals.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, David+Booth, Florida+Panthers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Peter+Deboer, Stephen+Valiquette, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tom+Renney,
Dynamic Duo
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/27/08 at 08:00 AM ET
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Throughout training camp and preseason, New York Rangers’ head coach Tom Renney had Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev together.
During this time, the two found instant chemistry by being able to find each other on the ice, utilize their speed, jump into open holes and more importantly, create scoring chances.
Two months later, the two players are doing it again and last night’s 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning was a perfect example.
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Tags: Eastern+Conference, Markus+Naslund, Mike+Smith, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Steven+Stamkos, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Tom+Renney,
