Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Toronto+Maple+Leafs
A Common Theme This Season: Goaltending Controversies
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/28/12 at 12:59 PM ET
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This is something that seems to come up every season in the National Hockey League.
This season, however, it is something that is running rampant among NHL clubs, particularly the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks.
Philadelphia Flyers
When is there ever not a goaltending controversy with the Philadelphia Flyers?
This has been the norm for the past decade or so and as such, is running its natural course this season. This year, it is between Ilya Brzygalov and Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Flyers signed Bryzgalov to a 9-year pact over the off-season and thus far, the team has yet to see any real reward. In 33 games, the 31-year-old goaltender is 18-10-4 with a 2.99 goals against average (GAA), a .895 save percentage and 1 shutout, which are numbers that are far below what Bryzgalov posted with the Phoenix Coyotes.
The team’s back-up, Bobrovsky, has performed slightly better and has been more consistent thus far. “Bob” is 11-4-1 with a 2.42 GAA and a .919 save percentage in 18 games.
It seems like Bobrovsky should be the main man instead of Brzygalov, right?
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Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, Corey+Crawford, Ilya+Bryzgalov, James+Reimer, Jonas+Gustavsson, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ray+Emery, Sergei+Bobrovsky, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Rangers Impressive in Shutout win over the Leafs
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/14/12 at 09:57 PM ET
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It may not have been the most exciting game but the New York Rangers got the job done tonight with a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For the Rangers, it was important for the club to get their offense going and for the most part, the team did just that tonight with goals from guys who do not score many of them (except for one guy). The Blueshirts got goals from Mike Rupp (4th goal of the season), Brian Boyle (his first goal in 22 games and 3rd goal of the season) and Derek Stepan (10th goal of the season and an assist).
Rangers’ netminder Martin Biron also had a solid game for his hockey club tonight. Biron picked-up his second shutout and 9th win of the season. While he was not bombarded with shots, Biron was good when he needed to be in making 19 saves and also adding his third assist of the season on Stepan’s goal.
With the win, the Rangers improved to 28-10-4 with 60 points. That has them first in the Eastern Conference (three points ahead of the Boston Bruins) and as of this writing, first in the NHL, one point ahead of the Vancouver Canucks.
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Tags: Bell+Centre, Boston+Bruins, Brian+Boyle, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Joffrey+Lupul, Martin+Biron, Mike+Rupp, Mikhail+Grabovski, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Phil+Kessel, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Vancouver+Canucks,
Rangers In Toronto to Battle the Leafs
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/14/12 at 02:56 PM ET
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Coming off a 3-0 shutout loss to the Ottawa Senators, the New York Rangers will look to turn things around tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.
For the Rangers, their focus has to be on getting pucks to the net and making most of their chances. In their last two games, the team has scored just one goal in regulation while not being able to convert on many scoring opportunities.
The Blueshirts will be without forward Brandon Dubinsky once again tonight as he is nursing a sore shoulder. The team head coach, John Tortorella, wants to be careful with “Dubi” because he knows that they cannot afford to have him out of the lineup for an extended period of time.
“It’s still the same,” coach John Tortorella said of Dubinsky’s shoulder, which was initially hurt on a check by the Coyotes’ Taylor Pyatt in the first period of Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout victory, though Dubinsky finished that game. “We just don’t want it to turn into a bigger problem…We’re just trying to be careful.”
According to Andrew Gross of The Record, back-up netminder Martin Biron will get the start tonight for the Blueshirts. Biron will be looking for his ninth win of the season and more importantly, getting the Rangers back on the winning track.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Dubinsky, Eastern+Conference, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Phoenix+Coyotes, Taylor+Pyatt, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
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,
War On Ice: New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/31/11 at 12:00 PM ET
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When it comes to the greatest rivalries in the National Hockey League, many fans will point out the obvious ones whether is the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, and so on and so forth.
One rivalry that deserves attention is one that will get just that on Monday afternoon at the 2012 Winter Classic, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.
When the NHL decided that the 2012 Winter Classic would be between the New York Rangers and the host Philadelphia Flyers, I do not think they thought that at this point in this season, it would end being such a big tilt.
The New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers have one of the greatest rivalries in the league. However, over their 44-year history of playing against each other, it has turned into more than a rivalry.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Brandon+Prust, Chicago+Blackhawks, Detroit+Red+Wings, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wayne+Simmonds, Zac+Rinaldo,
What Happened to Raycroft?
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/30/11 at 07:25 PM ET
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As every hockey fan knows, being a goaltender in the National Hockey League is not an easy job.
You can be great for one game, one season etc. and then the next game or season, completely lose it. Just look at what happened to the likes of Jim Carey or Blaine Lacher.
Another goaltender who has had both good times and bad is recently waived member of the Dallas Stars Andrew Raycroft. After winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year in the 2003-04 season, Raycroft has never been the same netminder.
When Raycroft got started in the NHL in the 2003-04 season, he was absolutely terrific. He played big, was confident, did not allow many soft goals and put up great numbers with 29 wins, a 2.05 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and 3 shutouts.
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Tags: Andrew+Raycroft, Boston+Bruins, Colorado+Avalanche, Dallas+Stars, Kari+Lehtonen, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Vancouver+Canucks,
Showdown in Miami
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/30/11 at 09:13 AM ET
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The New York Rangers are set to take on the Florida Panthers, a much improved hockey club this season, tonight at 7:30 p.m.
The Blueshirts are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. It was a game that with a better effort and more of a finishing touch, the team probably could have won.
On the other side, the Panthers are coming off a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. The Cats are third in the Eastern Conference with 45 points and are having one of their best seasons in franchise history.
For the Rangers, this will be a tuneup game for them as they get set to focus on the upcoming 2012 Winter Classic game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, January 2. With that said, this is a tuneup game that the team cannot afford to take lightly.
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Tags: Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Washington+Capitals,
Getting Back on Track
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/10/11 at 08:00 AM ET
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That is something that the New York Rangers (15-6-4) will look to do tonight against the Buffalo Sabres (14-11-2) in Buffalo.
Buffalo is coming off a 2-1 overtime victory over the streaking Florida Panthers last night. It was a hard fought battle so there is no doubt that the Sabres may be a bit tired.
On the other side, the Blueshirts are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. According to team beat writers, the team had a good practice yesterday before heading off to Buffalo for tonight’s tilt.
The Rangers come into this game having not won since last Saturday night when they defeated the Lightning by a score of 4-2. Since that game, the Blueshirts have lost to the Leafs (4-2 on Monday Night night) and the Lightning and picked-up one point in those two games combined.
Even with their recent “winless streak”, the team still sits fifth in the Eastern Conference with 34 points and is two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (fourth in the Eastern Conference) and three points behind the Philadelphia Flyers (first in the Eastern Conference). If the team is able to pick up two points tonight, they will have a chance to move up a bit in the standings, which always feels good to any NHL hockey club.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brad+Richards, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Brian+Boyle, Buffalo+Sabres, Buffalo+Sabres, Florida+Panthers, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Ryan+Callahan, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
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,
Shooting for 6
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/05/11 at 11:29 AM ET
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That is what the New York Rangers will be looking to do tonight as they aim for their sixth straight win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts come into tonight’s tilt on a 5-game winning streak after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 4-2 on Saturday night. On the other side, the Lightning have not been the same team they were last season due to inconsistent goaltending and inconsistent hockey in general.
The Rangers are clicking on all cylinders right now. The Rangers are currently 16-5-3, second in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. There are several reasons why the Rangers have been successful this season so far. For starters, they have shown some offensive depth this season.
While Marian Gaborik (12-9-21) and Richards (10-12-22) are leading the club in scoring, other players have stepped up for the team to provide offense this season. Team captain Ryan Callahan (10-8-18), Artem Anisimov (3-12-15), and Derek Stepan (5-10-15) have done their share of the offensive work to give the Blueshirts some balanced scoring.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, 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,
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,
Rangers Forget Mower In Loss to the the Leafs
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/28/11 at 07:43 AM ET
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In what was suppossed to be an exciting home opener in the newly renovated Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers were flat in a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Playing in the Garden for the first time since April, the Blueshirts struggled to sustain any kind of offense in the Leafs’ zone while also allowing Leafs’ forwards to get open in front of netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Put those two together and it is a losing combination for the Rangers.
While the new look Madison Square Garden was a sight to see with new seats, luxury boxes, concourse, etc., on the ice, the Rangers did not show much after Dan Girardi’s first period tally that gave the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead. From that point on, they proceeded to play on their heels, not generate enough offense, and make life difficult for Lundqvist.
Lundqvist, who made 32 saves in the game, was terrific throughout the first two periods but appeared to have lost a step in the third period. He allowed questionable goals to Clarke MacArthur and Mike Brown but other than those two blemishes, he gave the Blueshirts an opportunity to win.
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Tags: Clarke+MacArthur, Dan+Girardi, Jonas+Gustavsson, Mike+Brown, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Time to Establish Home Ice
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/27/11 at 08:28 AM ET
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For any hockey fan, there is nothing like attending your favorite team’s home opener.
You have the opportunity to see your favorite club play for the first time in several months. You get to see your favorite players back in action, your season ticket friends and of course, you go into it with nothing but the highest expectations for a good season on home ice.
That will be the case tonight for the New York Rangers as they get set to play their long awaited home opener tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not only is this the first game for the Blueshirts, but it is also their first game in the newly renovated Madison Square Garden.
If the Rangers want to have any sort of chance of finishing in the top half of the Eastern Conference, they need to establish themselves on home ice this season and make Madison Square Garden a very difficult place to play. It was this way back in the early 1990’s and has never really come as close to being like that in a long time.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Time to Go Home
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/25/11 at 08:05 AM ET
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That is probably what every New York Ranger player was saying last night after beating the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 2-1 and ending their seven game roadtrip.
For the Blueshirts, last night certainly was not pretty but because they got great goaltending from Martin Biron and some lucky bounces, the team was able to come away with the all important two points. With the win, the Rangers improved their record to 3-2-2 on the year.
Again, this was not a great game for the Blueshirts. There was not a whole lot of offense generated by the team and in the third period, they were running around in their own zone, causing a lot of scary moments for head coach John Tortorella.
With that said, it was still a win and a win that enabled them to go 3-1 on their Western Canada road trip. This trip has always hurt the Rangers’ in seasons past so that is definitely a positive.
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Tags: John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Phil+Kessel, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Winnipeg+Jets,
Timing is Everything
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/21/11 at 07:27 AM ET
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That was certainly the case last night for the New York Rangers as they scored with just over a second left in overtime to defeat the Calgary Flames by a score of 3-2.
Brandon Dubinsky did all the work to get the puck into the offensive zone and feed the puck to defenseman Dan Girardi, who then fired the puck wide off the boards for defenseman Ryan McDonagh to come in and put the puck into the open side of the net. Some might say it was a set play but it was really all about the timing.
In the team’s second straight win, the Blueshirts got solid performances from the likes of Marian Gaborik (1 goal and 8 shots), Brandon Prust (shorthanded goal), and of course, Henrik Lundqvist, who made 33 saves. The club also got a terrific game out of their penalty killing unit as the team was once again somewhat undisciplined.
The Blueshirts find themselves with two straight wins on this four game Western Canada road trip and should be feeling pretty good about themselves. With that said, there are still a few things that the team needs to work on such as staying out of the box, not allowing high quality scoring chances and getting scoring from their second line.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Calgary+Flames, Dan+Girardi, Edmonton+Oilers, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Ryan+McDonagh, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Winnipeg+Jets,
The Pressure is on For Reimer and Crawford
by Patrick Hoffman on 08/23/11 at 09:35 AM ET
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Over at TheGoodPoint.com, I wrote a piece on how there will be a lot of pressure on goaltenders James Reimer (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Corey Crawford (Chicago Blackhawks) to have solid follow-up seasons this year for their respective hockey clubs:
Ever since Toronto Maple Leafs’ former netminder Ed Belfour left Toronto, the franchise has struggled to find themselves a true No. 1 goaltender and get into the postseason.
One problem was solved when goaltender James Reimer, 23, burst onto the scene and had an above average rookie season for the Leafs. In 37 games, Reimer went 20-10-5 with a 2.60 goals against average, a .921 save percentage, and three shutouts, bringing back days of Felix Potvin to the Leafs’ faithful.
Click here for more.
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Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, Corey+Crawford, James+Reimer, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Blueshirts Shut out the Bruins in Important Road Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/26/11 at 02:35 PM ET
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Believe it or not folks, the New York Rangers are now tied with the sixth place Montreal Canadiens after shutting out the Boston Bruins in Boston by a score of 1-0.
Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist was solid once again in picking up his 11th shutout of the season. Lundqvist finished the game with 26 saves and was especially good in the third period when his team was outshot by a 12-1 margin.
The team also did a terrific job of blocking shots. At one point on the broadcast in the third period, Rangers’ announcer Sam Rosen said the team had blocked 25 shots. They probably finished with close to 30 in the game and showed just how important blocking shots can be, especially since the Bruins have guys who can fire the puck frome the point.
Offensively, the Rangers were quiet once again. Yes, they got a goal from Derek Stepan in the first period (his 20th goal of the season) but other than that, they were shut down by the Bruins’ defense and Bruins’ netminder Tuukka Rask, who had 22 saves on the afternoon and was the victim of a helpless offense.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Tuukka+Rask,
Rangers Pick Up the All-Important Two Points in San Jose
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/13/11 at 10:22 AM ET
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It does not matter how you get them just as long you get them.
That is what the New York Rangers were able to do last night in their 3-2 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks. It wasn’t pretty but the Blueshirts did not allow two deflection goals against to derail them en route to a victory.
At this point in the season, one point is not good enough for the Blueshirts and they showed that last night in San Jose. The team got goals from from Erik Christensen, Michael Sauer and in the shootout, got the winner from Brandon Dubinsky after Wojtek Wolski extended the shootout by scoring on Sharks’ netminder Antti Niemi in the third round of the skills competition.
The Blueshirts also got a terrific performance from their netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist made 31 saves in 65 minutes and then went and stopped five of six shots in the shootout to pick up his 28th victory of the season.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Columbus+Blue+Jackets, Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Michael+Sauer, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, San+Jose+Sharks, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wojtek+Wolski,
Old Time Hockey, Eh?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/10/11 at 03:00 PM ET
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The game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night is the perfect example of why hockey can be so great.
It had big hits, plenty of fights, highlight-reel goals and it was one of the best rivalry games of the season between two Original Six franchises. It was old time hockey at its absolute best.
With that in mind, the National Hockey League needs to find a way to take advantage of the Original Six Franchises and give them more games to play against each other. Just look at the rivalries that are available to showcase:
- Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
- Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers
- Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Chicago+Blackhawks, Detroit+Red+Wings, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Original+Six, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Gaborik shines in Rangers’ Victory
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/20/11 at 08:43 AM ET
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When we first heard that New York Rangers’ forward Brandon Dubinsky was going to be out with an injury for the next three to four weeks, Blueshirt fans probably wondered who was going to step up and provide the offense.
As it turns out, the player that should have been supplying offense all season long stepped up in a big way last night with four goals and an assist for five points in a 7-0 white-washing of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The player I am talking about is Marian Gaborik.
Gaborik was simply an offensive force last night. He hustled, had a nose for the net, put pucks to the net and the puck always seemed to find him at the right time. These were all the things that he did last season that allowed him to score over 40 goals.
This is the Gaborik that team needs to have on a consistent basis. With someone like Dubinsky out, goals are going to be a bit harder to come by but if Gaborik can play like he did last night going forward, the team will be a lot better off.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
An E-mail Interview with Hockey Blogger Brian Huddle
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/19/11 at 08:37 PM ET
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With the 2011 NHL Draft about five months away, I figured now was a good time to check in with a hockey blogger who covers junior hockey and prospects as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs.
His name is Brian Huddle. On the night of the CHL Prospects game at the Air Canada Centre, Mr. Huddle was kind enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to tell us about how he got into hockey, how he got into blogging, which outlets he blogs for as well as his thoughts on junior hockey and the Leafs.
PH: How did you get into hockey?
BH: The story is the same as any other Canadian boy from Ontario. My dad loved hockey and had me put into skating fairly young. I was put into an actual league by the age of 6. Played most of my life at various levels of the sport, and just fell in love with the freedom of being on the ice.
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team/player?
BH: Before people boo me, yes, I did grow up a Leafs fan. I’m from Toronto and it’s just how you get raised—especially when Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clarke, Mats Sundin were all here around that time. Toronto was buzzing with Leafs Pride, and so it felt right for my parents to raise me that way.
However, I fell in love with defensemen pretty early on; specifically Scott Stevens. I liked tough hockey, and guys like him portrayed that well.
To this day, I consider Stevens and Doug Gilmour my favorite players to play the game.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brian+Huddle, CHL, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Time to Start Going Goals
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/19/11 at 08:29 AM ET
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With the New York Rangers having dropped three of their last four games all by one goal, the time has come for the team to start putting the puck in the net at the right time.
The team will get the chance to do that tonight when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in an original six matchup at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts need to come out and be offensive and aggressive for a full 60 minutes rather than just the last period of the hockey game, which was the case in back-to-back losses this weekend to the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. Had the team played the way they did in the third period on both nights, we could easily be talking about a three game winning streak.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Andrew+Gross, Artem+Anismov, Atlanta+Thrashers, Carolina+Hurricanes, Derek+Stepan, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ranger+Rants, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Washington+Capitals, Wojtek+Wolski,
Third Goal Hard to Come By for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/17/11 at 12:22 PM ET
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For the second straight game, the New York Rangers had trouble getting the tying third goal in a 3-2 loss, this time to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Down 3-0 going into the third period, the team got goals from Wojtek Wolski and Derek Stepan before Flyers’ goaltender Brian Boucher and the rest of his hockey club shut the door and skated off the Madison Square Garden ice with two big points, handing the Blueshirts their second consecutive loss of the weekend.
The Blueshirts lack of offense is becoming a growing concern in 2011 as the team has yet to score more than two goals. One player that is really having trouble is Marian Gaborik.
Gaborik is not finishing his chances, is having trouble getting the puck to the net and is being made an example of by head coach John Tortorella, as the coach benched him for part of last night’s tilt with the Flyers.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brian+Boucher, Brian+Boyle, Derek+Stepan, Marian+Gaborik, Mats+Zuccarello, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Sean+Avery, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wojtek+Wolski,
An E-mail Interview with Steve Dangle of YouTube and Leafs TV Fame
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/05/10 at 08:05 AM ET
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As we all know, YouTube is extremely popular with all the kinds of videos you can imagine.
Steve Dangle is a hockey personality that used YouTube to his advantage to talk about all things Toronto Maple Leafs/hockey while also helping him to get a job with Leafs TV.
Steve was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to tell us about how he got into hockey, how he started video blogging, what he does for Leafs TV and his take on this year’s Leafs team.
PH: How did you get into hockey?
SD: Ever since I can remember I’ve known hockey! I don’t remember anybody going “Steve, this is what hockey is” so it feels like it’s always been there. It’s engrained in Canadian culture. I was really little for the Leafs’ in the early 90’s, but I still remember some games, especially the Leafs-Kings series… but I won’t get into that.
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite Toronto Maple Leaf? Why?
SD: Felix “the Cat” Potvin. I wanted to be him so badly as a kid. Every road hockey game I wanted to be goalie because of him. He was always coming up with the big saves and he was always exciting. Goal-scorers are exciting, but if you score once every two games you’re considered an elite scorer. Goalies stop like 30 shots a night. That’s why I idolized Potvin.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Steve+Dangle, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Rangers’ Shut Out Leafs
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/30/10 at 08:56 PM ET
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As I mentioned in my previous blog, the New York Rangers needed to go out and play a perfect road game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mission accomplished as the Blueshirts shutout the Leafs 2-0 thanks to terrific performances from the likes of Henrik Lundqvist (36 saves), Ryan Callahan (penalty shot goal), and Brian Boyle (1 goal). and Bradon Prust.
What else is left to say about Lundqvist? He played great last night in a losing effort and tonight, he absolutely shut the door on the Leafs, especially in the second and third periods when the Leafs had sustained pressure in the Blueshirts’ zone. Yes, he allowed four goals last night but ever since making the start in Boston a week ago, Henrik has been on top of his game.
Ryan Callahan has also been terrific for the Blueshirts. With his penalty shot goal tonight, Cally now has 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points in 10 games. Not only is he contributing offensively, but he also throws a lot of hits, blocks a lot of shots and creates plenty of scoring opportunities.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brian+Boyle, Chicago+Blackhawks, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Tough Loss Despite Great Effort From Team’s Top Line
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/30/10 at 05:06 PM ET
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The New York Rangers played a solid enough home game last night to win.
Unfortunately, they came up short in losing the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 4-3, despite taking 43 shots and Hurricanes’ netminder Cam Ward.
The team got a terrific performance out of the Brandon Dubinsky (1 G, 1A), Ryan Callahan (1G, 1A), and Artem Anisimov (1A) line. Both Dubinsky and Callahan scored goals while Anisimov showed great support by going after the puck, taking hits, getting the pukc to his linemates and putting himself in good scoring position to create opportunities.
This continues to be the top line for the Blueshirts and it shows by how much head coach John Tortorella is putting them out there. The head coach said the following to team web site beat writer Jim Cerny after the game:
“They continue to be our best and most consistent line night after night,” Rangers head coach John Tortorella said. “I liked a lot of what I saw from our team (Friday) night. There are things we have to fix, but there are a lot of good things there.”
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Uh Oh
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/16/10 at 09:42 AM ET
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Not only did the New York Rangers lose their home opener in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 4-3, but they also lost Chris Drury (6 weeks due to a broken finger) and Marian Gaborik (2-3 weeks with a separated shoulder) to injuries.
The Blueshirts lost Gaborik after Leafs’ winger Colby Armstrong hit Gaborik hard into the boards. Not too long after that happened, the team lost Drury when he broke his finger again. Not exactly the way to start the season at home, eh?
What’s concerning here is the loss of Gaborik for a few weeks. Coming into the season, Gaborik was expected to pile up the points like he did last season and be a scoring threat on a line with Alex Frolov, who has yet to score a goal in the team’s first three games.
Where is the offense going to come from? There are not going to be too many games where your club’s goal scorers are Michal Rozsival and team fourth-liner Brian Boyle.
For the next few weeks at least, others are going to have to step up, especially in the month of October since November looks like it is going to be one of the toughest months for the team.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Chris+Drury, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Playing with Pride at Home
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/14/10 at 12:23 PM ET
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Last week over at RLD Hockey, I blogged about how the New York Rangers need to take pride in the fact that this season mark’s the club’s 85th Anniversary and that to honor it, they need to play with pride all season long.
I figured that since tomorrow night is the team’s home opener at Madison Square Garden, I would share with you some of what I blogged over at RLD Hockey that is relevant for tomorrow night and going forward in 2010-11:
- The New York Rangers are one of the Original Six franchises in the National Hockey League, which is something that the team should take pride in. This season marks the 85th Anniversary for the Blueshirts; and in order to make it a good one, the team needs to make things happen and get off to a good start.
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Tags: Madison+Square+Garden, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
The Stage is Set
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/08/10 at 08:02 AM ET
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One knew that the Blueshirts would come out with a much better effort last night against the Maple Leafs than the one they gave in Buffalo the night before in a 5-2 loss.
The effort produced big results for the Rangers as the team secured a 5-1 victory and kept themselves very much alive in the playoff hunt, which will come down to the home-and-home series with the Philadelphia Flyers beginning tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden.
It’s pretty simple for the Blueshirts - win both games and you’re in the playoffs. The Flyers don’t play again until this home-and-home series and as such, do not have a chance to gain ground on the idle Rangers tonight.
If you’re the Rangers, you want to play these next two games like you played last night - scored early, played solid defense, was disciplined and left it all out on the ice. Obviously, the Flyers are a much tougher opponent than the Leafs but nevertheless, the goal is still the same.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Do or Die Tonight at the Garden for Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/07/10 at 03:59 PM ET
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From Don LaGreca at ESPNNewYork.com:
The Rangers host the Leafs tonight in the biggest game the Garden has seen in the last 10 years. They don’t have to win, but a loss would put them on brink.
Here’s the reason: A loss would mean the most points the Rangers could finish with would be 86. The Flyers and Canadiens would clinch and that would leave just the Bruins within reach. All Boston would need is two points in the final three games. Death!
Now a win would be great but don’t wait on line for tickets just yet. The max points the Blueshirts could get would be 88. The Bruins would need four points to hold off NY and the Flyers would need just two. The good news: The Rangers play their last two games vs the Flyers this weekend.
Click here for more good stuff from Donnie Pucks!
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Rangers Crash Back Down to Earth
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/28/10 at 09:49 AM ET
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I’m back folks and unfortunately, so are the New York Rangers as they blew a 2-1 lead and lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist allowed a suspect goal that allowed the Leafs and then in OT, the Leafs made the Blueshirts’ defense all go to one side so that one of their players could tuck in a wraparound past a stretched out Lundqvist.
The point the Rangers got now gives them 76 points on the season and puts them eight points behind the eighth place Philadelphia Flyers, who are dropping games left and right. This means that the club is still alive in the playoff hunt but a loss hereor there could set them back even further.
The team has a chance to pick up a valuable two points when they travel to Long Island on Tuesday night to take on the New York Islanders, who they defeated on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden by a score of 5-0.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
A Brief Interview with Millian of “The Blue Line: Hockey Talk Radio”
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/07/10 at 10:56 AM ET
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Millian, the host of “The Blue Line: Hockey Talk Radio”, was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk about the trades that took place in the past week as well another thought on our favorite sport:
PH: What do you make of Kovalchuk landing in Jersey? Does the deal automatically make them Cup contenders?
M: Kovalchuk, IMO, is going to be a rental player, and I feel he is is going to see what the KHL has to offer. Not many teams will be available to offer $101M dollars, so there is definitely more to that story. A lot is going to hinge on what happens in the Olympics as well. One twisted knee and he is out for the remainder of the year, and NJD gave away players for nothing.
I worry about the Devils chances in general simply because of the amount of Olympians they have, including their star goalie, who has been having a rough time lately. With Kovy, they add another Olympian to that equation.
Also, I am not sure how Kovy is going to mesh with Lemaire, both in terms of playing styles and of butting heads. Kovy does not really play defense, nor backcheck, and I dont see Lemaire looking the other way too much. If he butts heads with him, Ilya has no ties to NJ, and therefore, no reason to stay. In the KHL, they will be happy to smooch his rump, and in my estimation, he will command near $20M per year.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Blue+Line:+Hockey+Talk+Radio, Calgary+Flames, Millian, New+Jersey+Devils, NHL, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: NHL, Northeast+Division, Ottawa+Senators, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Luck Number 7
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/18/09 at 03:33 PM ET
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Last night, the New York Rangers won their seventh straight game of the season by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time in a span of five days by a score of 4-1. The usual suspects were at it again for the Blueshirts as the team got strong performances from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, Vinny Prospal, and Michael Del Zotto.
Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the game last night because I was at the New York Yankee game. With that in mind, check out the links below for the latest news, notes, and opinions from last night’s victory:
- NewYorkRangers.com: Rangers Plow Through Leafs; Streak at 7
- Rangers Report: Rangers-Leaves in Review
- Blue Notes: The Wrap from Toronto: Rangers Streak Best since 2006
- Ranger Rants: Rangers 4, Maple Leafs 1: Postgame Wrapup
- Scotty Hockey: 7-1-0: Beating the Beatable
- Blueshirt Banter: Rangers News and Notes from last night’s win over Toronto
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Rangers Look to Pounce on Leafs tomorrow night
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/16/09 at 11:28 AM ET
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Tomorrow night, the New York Rangers take on the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre as the Blueshirts look to extend their winning streak to seven games.
This should be an easy task, considering the Leafs are the only winless team in the National Hockey League. They’ve struggled with everything from offense (13 goals for), defense (28 goals allowed), bad bounces and of course, goaltending.
The Rangers, on the other hand, are clicking on all cylinders right now as they lead the league in goals (that’s not a misprint), points, and are tied for the league lead in wins with six. The team is getting scoring up and down the lineup, playing solid defensively, clicking on the power play and penalty kill, and getting timely saves from both Henrik Lundqvist and Steve Valiquette.
However, do any of you Blueshirt fans out there see tomorrow night’s game as a potential trap? I know it is the lowly Leafs but that has never stopped the Rangers from blowing a game before. Hopefully, Tortorella will have them ready to go for what should be a great crowd in Toronto and lots of viewers on Hockey Night in Canada.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Your thoughts on this year’s start and last year’s start
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/13/09 at 06:34 PM ET
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The New York Rangers have jumped out to a 5-1 record through their first six games this season. Last night, they crushed the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 7-2, feasting on poor goaltending from Vesa Toskala and a struggling Leafs team.
As most of you knowledgeable Ranger fans know, the team was 5-0 to start last season before dropping the sixth game of the season. What I want to know is which record do you folks think is more impressive - this season’s or last season’s?
In my eyes, it has clearly been this season. The Rangers are getting contributions from everyone, putting the puck in the net, converting their power play opportunities, playing solid defensively and of course, getting great goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist.
Last season, although the team started out 5-0, I believe that it was due to their excellent defensive play, strong penalty killing and outstanding goaltending from Lundqvist. This year, however, it’s been more of a team effort and that’s exactly the way Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella wants it.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Weekend Update
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/09/09 at 02:27 PM ET
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Good afternoon folks. Just wanted to give you all a heads up that I will be in Massachusetts/New Hampshire this weekend for a wedding so unfortunately, I will not be able to update the blog.
With that in mind, I figured I’d take a brief look at this weekend’s game for the Blueshirts. In my mind, the game on Sunday against the Ducks will be a tough one but with the Rangers’ newly found offense and forechecking skills, they should be able to pick up two points.
It’s my guess that they’ll go with Henrik Lundqvist in that game and than use Steve Valiquette on Monday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, another team that the Blueshirts should be able to beat. The Leafs are struggling left and right and not getting the goaltending they need from starter Vesa Toskala, which is unfortunate since the “Monster” Jonas Gustavsson is out with a groin injury.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Interesting Take on Gustavsson
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/06/09 at 09:36 PM ET
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From Scotty Wazz at The Strangest One of All:
Gustavsson is the prized Swede of the summer, following Fabian Brunnstrom last season, which could spark warning signals considering how inconsistent Brunnstrom was with the Stars. It’s a risk/reward situation when you bring a European trained goalie into the NHL. By all accounts though, Gustavsson will be fairing just fine in his new dig wherever they may end up being. Plus, since he’ll be seen as a franchise goalie, the odds are that the team will build around him and give him what he needs to feel protected. That was the main issue why he said he was going to wait until after July 1st to sign with a team, in order to see which of his suitors would give him the most help in his first years over in North America.
Cue Brian Burke’s signings.
You can bet that after hearing that news, any kind of other plans the Leafs had on the free agent market went into the can when they heard that news and focused on giving their goaltender some help, whoever it may be. However, to say they aren’t hoping for Gustavsson to sign in Toronto is silly. That’s the main thing they are gunning for, it seems, with the signing of two defensemen of the “shut down” style of play. Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin will provide grit and solid defensive play for whoever is in the Leafs net this season, and if it happens to be a rookie Swede who was wooed by the two signings….sobeit.
The question remains on if the young Swede will go to a place where the defense is better or if it’s a balanced system. There’s the flaw by the Leafs, who do have a solid defense now, but the fact remains they don’t have many guy who can bury the puck in the back of the net. If Gustavsson cares about goal support, that could be a detriment to the Leafs push in signing him.
Click here for more. A few questions from my end:
- Are people making too big a deal about someone who hasn’t even played in an NHL game yet?
- If he does go to Toronto, what kind of pressure will he face? We all know how impatient Leafs’ media/fans can be.
- What happens if he goes to Toronto, starts and fails? What will become of the big Swedish netminder?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Jonas+Gustavsson, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Thoughts on Orr (not that one)?
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/01/09 at 01:21 PM ET
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As you read it here on KK, Colton Orr has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which makes sense since Leafs’ GM Brian Burke loves that kind of player.
What do you think this means for the New York Rangers? Who is going to step up and be their enforcer? Sure, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan can hit but I’m not sure Blueshirts’ head coach John Tortorella wants them fighting.
What do you think?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Colton+Orr, Free+Agents, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+Callahan, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Antropov Coming Into His Own on Broadway
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/15/09 at 10:00 PM ET
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For what seemed like his whole career in the blue and white in Toronto, Nik Antropov was a guy that the Maple Leafs were looking to unload. He had become known as a player who could turn on a switch a play great hockey whenever he wanted to. However, he didn’t do that often enough with the Maple Leafs and at the trade deadline, he found himself acquired by the New York Rangers.
So far, the move has worked out in spades for the Rangers as Antropov put up 13 points (7 goals and 6 assists) in 18 games and helped a struggling Ranger team clinch the seventh playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference.
What’s more is that he has been consistent on both sides of the puck. Everyone knows that Antropov, 29 years old, is gifted offensively but as a Ranger, he has shown that he can back check, forecheck, give a hit, take a hit and more importantly, play in the last few minutes of the game.
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Tags: Eastern+Conference, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Washington+Capitals,
Thoughts on Antropov
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/04/09 at 03:05 PM ET
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The New York Rangers picked up Nik Antropov from the Toronto Maple Leafs this afternoon.
He currently has 21 goals (which actually leads the Rangers) and 25 assists for 46 points in 63 games.
He’s struggled with consistency and seems to be a player that can turn it on when he wants to. Hopefully, under fiery head coach John Tortorella, he’ll learn to play with passion, hustle and produce on a nightly basis.
What do you folks think about this one?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Same Team, Different Day
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/27/09 at 11:30 AM ET
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Much like the team did on Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers dominated the first two periods of their game against the Florida Panthers and still managed to find a way to lose 2-1 in regulation.
The Blueshirts outshot the Cats’ 41-22 and yet, only got one past Panthers’ netminder Craig Anderson. Though, Brandon Dubinsky had a goal waved off early in the first period and after reviewing the play over and over, it’s clear that Dubinsky’s stick was below the crossbar so once again, the Blueshirts caught a tough break.
It really is amazing how this team can’t score. Last night, they had trouble lifting the puck, they missed open notes, they shot right into Anderson, etc. They did all the things that’s been killing them this season and got a typical Blueshirt result over the past couple of months: a loss.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Carolina+Hurricanes, Colorado+Avalanche, Craig+Anderson, Florida+Panthers, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
Give It Some Time
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/26/09 at 10:00 AM ET
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I hope New York Rangers fans weren’t expecting the team to come out and fire in four or five goals last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs because if they were, they had to be disappointed.
In last night’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Leafs, the Rangers dominated the first 40 minutes of the game as they got to loose pucks, put pucks on goal, crashed the net for rebounds and played tight defense. However, due to John Tortorella’s attacking style, the team got tired and simply ran out of gas in the third period and the OT. This is obviously something that the team will need to adjust to if they want ot have any kind of success going forward.
As Tortorella mentioned in his post-game press conference, this team obviously has trouble finishing and it’s definitely hurting their confidence right now. When they get the chance to shoot it, it either gets blocked or they pass it off. They have pucks bouncing over sticks in front of the net, they’re hitting posts and they’re making every goalie look like the second coming of Patrick Roy.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Toronto+Maple+Leafs,
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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, Kalinin, Michal+Rozsival, New+York+Rangers, Rietz, Steve+Zipay, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Toronto+Maple+Leafs, Wade+Redden,
