Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Washington+Capitals
Rangers Win Third in a Row
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/08/09 at 09:55 PM ET
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Well that was a barn burner, wasn’t it? The New York Rangers got exactly penalty killing and had timely goal scoring from Marian Gaborik to defeat the Washington Capitals by a score of 4-3.
This kind of game is the reason why the Blueshirts went out and signed a player like Gaborik - his ability to change the game. Not only did Gabby score to knot the game up at 3-3 after the Caps had taken a 3-2 lead, but he then went out and scored the game winner. He was the offensive difference maker, something the team was severely lacking last season.
The team also got some timely saves from their goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, who actually allowed a rare bad goal when Nicklas Backstrom scored from just over center ice. Lundqvist tried to deflect the puck to the corner but simply missed it. However, Lundqvist showed his metal and bounced back to continue to give his hockey team a chance to win the game, which they eventually did.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
A Tough Test
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/08/09 at 10:25 AM ET
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Tonight will be the second test for the New York Rangers - this time against the high-powered offense of the Washington Capitals.
You may be asking yourself “What was the first test that the Blueshirts had?” The first test came against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Friday night and for the most part, the team handled it well and passed it by playing a competitive game against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Sure, the team lost the game by a score of 3-2 but there were a lot of positives to take from that game and the score could have easily been reversed.
Tonight, however, will be a lot different. The team will be facing the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Brooks Laich and others on a team that is off to a 2-0-1 start.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Not bad
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/07/09 at 09:02 AM ET
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I know it is just three games into the regular season but at 2-1, it is safe to say that the New York Rangers are off to a solid start.
They are getting great play from the likes of Marian Gaborik (he needs to stay healthy), Brandon Dubinsky (still trying to prove he is worth the contract he signed a few weeks ago), Michael Del Zotto (trying to play more than nine games this season), Matt Gilroy (a poor man’s Brian Leetch) and of course, Henrik Lundqvist. These guys have stepped up their games and have helped the Blueshirts in their two victories.
The next game for the Rangers will be a real test as they take on the highly offensive Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Alex Ovechkin has been a monster thus far as he has posted nine points (5g, 4a) in his team’s first three games.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Continue Winning Ways in Pre-Season
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/25/09 at 08:26 AM ET
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The New York Rangers won their third straight pre-season game last night by defeating Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals by a score of 3-2 at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts got solid performances from Henrik Lundqvist (he’s already in mid-season form), Matt Gilroy (named best Ranger rookie in training camp), Marian Gaborik (he NEEDS to stay HEALTHY), Chris Higgins (clutch game winning goal with just 1:10 remaining) and Brandon Dubinsky (his usual hard-working self). Big performances from these players during the regular season could help the Blueshirts go a long way come playoff time.
It was also interesting to see the fan’s reactions to tough-guy Donald Brashear, who racked up 12 minutes in penalties. In his first fight of the game, the crowd booed as he lost to Caps’ enforcer Brandon Sugden but cheered him later on during their second bout in the third period. Don’t be surprised if that’s the way it is all season for Brashear.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Grading the Blueshirts on July 1
by Patrick Hoffman on 07/02/09 at 10:09 AM ET
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If I had to grade New York Rangers General Manager Glen Sather on yesterday’s performance on the first day of free-agency, I would have to give him an incomplete. Yes, he signed two players and yes, one of them has a lot of potential to succeed on Broadway but we’ve all seen Sather do stuff like this before and nothing ever come to fruition.
Signing Marian Gaborik was extremely risky. On one hand, Sather managed to sign an offensive superstar who has scored 30-or-more goals in five of his eight seasons, including a career-high 42 in the 2006-07 season. He totaled 437 points in 502 career games, all with the Minnesota Wild, and he’s just 27 years old. If these were the only things that Ranger fans knew about him, there’d be no problems and even Sather thinks that the team improved with this signing.
“Gaborik is an exciting guy to watch play,” Sather told Jim Cerny of NewYorkRangers.com. “He can skate, and he does a lot of great things. He’s a great player, and he’s young. I certainly think he’s in the top ten in this league.”
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Tags: Donald+Brashear, Free+Agents, Glen+Sather, Marian+Gaborik, Minnesota+Wild, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Who is Better?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/13/09 at 10:37 PM ET
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As you are all well aware of, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are moving onto the Eastern Conference Finals after beating Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals tonight by a score of 6-2.
Now that the series is over, I wanted to ask the readers of Kukla’s Korner a question and we can keep this thread going as long as you want it to go. I don’t want just the answer. I want your full reasons and thoughts. Here we go:
Who is the better hockey player - Crosby or Ovechkin?
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sidney+Crosby, Washington+Capitals,
Best Performance of This Year’s playoffs?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/12/09 at 12:07 AM ET
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As all you hockey nuts are well aware of, there were two Game 6’s tonight in the Stanley Cup playoffs - one between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals and the other between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Capitals were able to once again extend a series to a seventh game (third straight series the team has done that) with a 5-4 in overtime on a goal by David Steckel while the Blackhawks put the Canucks in their place with a high-scoring 7-5 win, thanks to three goals and an assist from youngster Patrick Kane.
With that in mind, was Kane’s hat trick the best individual performance in this year’s playoffs? What do you folks think?
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Tags: David+Steckel, Patrick+Kane, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Vancouver+Canucks, Washington+Capitals, Washington+Capitals,
Living Up to Expectations
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/05/09 at 03:15 PM ET
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Over at MaxHockey.com, I posted a few quick thoughts on the Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins series. Feel free to check it out here.
Also feel free to check out Stan Fischler’s playoff page for his latest rantings.
You should also wander over to Zachary Weinstock’s playoff page to see his thoughts and ravings of this year’s Cup playoffs.
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Tags: MaxHockey.com, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Washington+Capitals,
Thoughts on the Second Round
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/04/09 at 03:57 PM ET
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You can find my thoughts on the second round over at MaxHockey.com. Click below to find out my opinions on each series:
Eastern Conference
- Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes
- Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks
- Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Also feel free to check out Zach Weinstock’s excellent NHL Playoff page.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chicago+Blackhawks, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Vancouver+Canucks, Washington+Capitals,
What’s the Big Deal With Varly?
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/29/09 at 03:40 PM ET
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Over on Greg Wyshynski’s Twitter account, posters are giving him grief because Washington Capitals’ 21-year-old netminder Simeon Varlamov is not on the Conn Smythe list as a potential Stanley Cup playoff MVP thus far.
What I want to know is why are the fans and media over-hyping this young netminder so quickly? Yes, Varlamov had excellent statistics in the first round (4-2, 1.17 goals against average, .952 save percentage, and two shutouts) and yes, he helped his club advance to the next round. However, this was against a New York Rangers team that only took 145 shots against him, many of the low quality variety and against a team that virtually has no offense.
I’m not saying that he’s a bad goaltender nor am I saying that he doesn’t deserve the accolades that he is getting right now. What I am saying is let’s not over-hype this kid until he gets truly tested in the next round against a much tougher Pittsburgh Penguins hockey club. I doubt he’ll be seeing lo quality scoring chances against the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, Sergei Gonchar, Bill Guerin, Jordan Staal, etc.
What’s your take on Varlamov?
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Tags: Bill+Guerin, Chris+Kunitz, Evgeni+Malkin, Greg+Wyshynski, Jordan+Staal, New+York+Rangers, Sergei+Gonchar, Sidney+Crosby, Simeon+Varlamov, Washington+Capitals,
Same Old Rangers Get Knocked Out by the Capitals in Game 7
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 10:00 PM ET
Comments (8)
This was a typical Tom Renney-style of hockey game for the New York Rangers and much like it did during the regular season, it cost them dearly. This time, however, it cost them the season as the Washington Capitals were able to come back from a 3-1 series lead to defeat the Rangers in Game 7 by a score of 2-1.
The Blueshirts looked great in the first period, outshooting the Caps by an 8-2 margin and getting a goal from Nik Antropov. However, they ended the period tied thanks to a fluky goal off the stick of Alexander Semin and from that point on, the Caps took it to the Rangers.
Much like during the regular season, the Rangers struggled to find offense and had to revert to relying on their defense and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to save the day. While Lundqvist was often spectacular in making 22 saves, the game-winning goal he allowed to Sergei Fedorov is one that I’m sure he wants back as he once again got beat high short side, something that happened a lot this series.
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Tags: Alexander+Semin, Derek+Morris, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Nikolai+Zherdev, Sergei+Fedorov, Simeon+Varlamov, Tom+Renney, Washington+Capitals,
Capitals Win Would be Right Result
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 02:40 PM ET
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From Ken Campbell at TheHockeyNews.com:
But really, is anyone outside the metropolitan New York area even hoping the Rangers win this thing? After all, which would you rather watch in the second round – a slow, plodding, old team with a brilliant goaltender or a dynamic young team with the most explosive talent in the game today? Would you rather watch Ovechkin weave his magic and be a dangerous player every time he steps on the ice or watch Sean Avery be a menace to himself, his opponents and his own team every time he gets out there? Would you rather see a guy such as Bruce Boudreau have some success, or would you like to watch John Tortorella scowl his way through another round and do things that embarrass and hurt his organization?
Click here for more.
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Bruce+Boudreau, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery, Washington+Capitals,
Hockey Front and Center Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 02:15 PM ET
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From Shawn P. Roarke at NHL.com
With a heat wave blanketing the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, it may not have felt like a time for hockey.
Yet in two NHL buildings—the Prudential Center here and the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.—there was no denying that hockey was front-and-center.
That’s what happens when you play in a Game 7. And, Tuesday night, the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals are hosts for the only two Game 7s of the first round. First, at 7 p.m., the Capitals host the New York Rangers (Versus, TSN, RDS) in one of the more exciting series in recent memory. Thirty minutes later, in Newark, the Devils face the Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET, Versus, TSN2, RIS) in the definition of a back-and-forth series.
Click here for more.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Tortorella: What Are We Made Of?
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 02:01 PM ET
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From Dan Rosen at NHL.com:
As he prepares his team to do so Tuesday and then coaches them through the process a few hours later against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center, he’s excited to find out a heck of a lot about the guys he’s got.
“Do they care? Absolutely,” Tortorella said Tuesday morning. “As we go through an experience like this, a Game 7—and, again I’m still learning a little bit about the personnel—there are certain levels of care. This is going to be a great experience for me in coaching this team in a Game 7 to see in this type of situation, with some of the things that have gone on in this series and all the stuff going on around them, how guys handle it.
“I think we have got good people, but I always believe that people can care, and then people can really care,” he continued. “We’ll find out as they go through, but I hope all 20 of them really care. Those are the things I look at as we continue to grow.”
Click here for more.
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Tags: John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Clutch Rangers Reading for Game 7
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 11:45 AM ET
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For New York Rangers news and notes regarding tonight’s crucial Game 7 with the Washington Capitals, please check out the following links:
- Ranger Rants
- NewYorkRangers.com
- NHL.com
- SNYRangersBlog
- Scotty Hockey
- The New York Rangers Blog
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Rangers+Reading, Washington+Capitals,
Time for Game 7
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 11:31 AM ET
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There is nothing like a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Both teams go all out and when all is said and done, leave it all on the ice whether they win or lose.
Tonight, the New York Rangers (seventh seed) look to upset the Washington Capitals (second seed) in Game 7 at the Verizon Center. This was a series in which the Blueshirts led 3-1 but failed miserably in Game 5 and 6, leading to tonight’s do or die match up.
Tonight is also one of the main reasons why Rangers’ general manager Glen Sather signed Chris Drury back in the summer of 2007. Back then, Drury was known for coming up big in the playoffs and scoring goals/points when the team needed them the most. If there was ever a night for Chris Drury to be Chris Drury, tonight would certainly be that night.
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Tags: Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Glen+Sather, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ryan+Callahan, Scott+Gomez, Sean+Avery, Washington+Capitals,
Depressing Rangers Reading
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/27/09 at 10:45 AM ET
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As the New York Rangers prepare for tomorrow night’s Game 7 against the Washington Capitals, here are some news and notes to check out regarding yesterday afternoon’s debacle, Blair Betts’s injury, Brandon Dubinsky’s tetanus shot and of course, more on both head coach John Tortorella and Sean Avery:
- Rangers Report
- Blue Notes
- Ranger Rants
- NewYorkRangers.com
- NHL.com
- SNYRangersBlog.com
- Scotty Hockey
- The New York Rangers Blog
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Tags: Blair+Betts, Brandon+Dubinsky, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Sean+Avery, Washington+Capitals,
Time to Battle
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/26/09 at 10:15 PM ET
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Note: I apologize for not posting this weekend as I was out of town with my fiance this weekend. Looks like I picked a good time to go, huh?
Well, folks, here we go. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals are headed to a Game 7 on Tuesday night at the Verizon Center, thanks to huge back-to-back wins for the Caps by scores of 4-0 and 5-3, respectively.
It’s easy to see why the Caps won these last two games by a combined score of 9-3: they know how to put the puck in the net. Alex Ovechkin is heating up, the Caps power play is converting and getting more dangerous by the game and more importantly, they are making Rangers’ superstar netminder Henrik Lundqvist look human.
Through the first four games, Lundqvist had stopped an amazing 141 of 148 shots and was the main reason why the Blueshirts were up 3-1. However, in Game 4 and 5, Lundqvist was shaky, allowing four goals on 14 shots in Game 5 on Friday night and five goals on 20 shots this afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
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Tags: Note:New+York+Rangers, Alex+Ovechkin, Henrik+Lundvqist, Vancouver+Canucks, Washington+Capitals,
UGLY
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/21/09 at 10:30 AM ET
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Last night’s 4-0 loss in Game three to the Washington Capitals brought back memories of Tom Renney’s New York Rangers.
The team failed to score on the power play (what else is new?), failed to create quality scoring chances, left their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist out to dry and made Caps’ rookie netminder Simeon Varlamov look like the second coming of Patrick Roy. It was a game in which the Blueshirts had the chance to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Instead, they have given the Caps’ some life and this could end up hurting the Blueshirts in the end.
It’s been said by many hockey pundits that special teams are crucial come playoff time. Well, the Rangers realize this when it comes to penalty killing but when it comes to power play, they do not seem to get the point. The team is still trying to look to make the perfect play more often than not and when they do get into prime scoring areas, they shoot the puck right into the goalie. What happened to the club that scored two power play goals in Game one?
Secondly, where was the defense? They allowed the Caps’ to fire at will (40 shots) on Lundqvist and many times, left Lundqvist all alone out there. What happened to the ‘d’ that tightened up for their goaltender and protected him when he needed it the most?
Third, captain Chris Drury should not be in the lineup. It’s obvious that he’s playing hurt and that the injury has something to do with his arm or wrist as he looks scared to shoot the puck, cannot take any face-offs and played the game with one hand on the stick.
Lastly, this team needs to start scoring goals. They were able to get four in Game one and then one early in the first period in Game two but since then, have been kept off the board. If you can;t score goals, you’re not going to win. It’s that simple.
Be back with more later, hopefully.
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Tags: Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Patrick+Roy, Simeon+Varlamov, Tom+Renney, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Not Flustered By AO and the Capitals
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/20/09 at 05:16 PM ET
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From Dan Rosen at NHL.com:
“Over on the Capitals side, they know they have to play with more of an edge if they’re going to avoid the dreaded 0-3 hole. That means going harder to the net and paying more of a price in their battle to get Henrik Lundqvist off his game even the slightest little bit.
Even Lundqvist hinted that he hasn’t been flustered yet in this series and Rangers defenseman Derek Morris went as far as saying, “They’re trying to get there, but maybe we’re just outworking them a little bit.”
Click here to read more.
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Tags: Derek+Morris, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Keep it Going
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/19/09 at 01:20 PM ET
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Many hockey pundits and analysts figured that the Washington Capitals’ offense would dominate the New York Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, with two games in the books, the Blueshirts are up 2-0 with the next two games at Madison Square Garden.
Surprised? I’m actually not because I’ve written before that if the team could shut down the Caps’ big guns and get timely goal scoring against the Caps’ suspect goaltending, this team would have a chance win.
Through two games, the Rangers have gotten 67 saves (on 70 shots) from their star netminder Henrik Lundqvist, lots of blocked shots by forwards and defensemen alike, and timely goal scoring from their young guys (Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan). For the Rangers, this spells s-u-c-c-e-s-s.
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Tags: Alexander+Semin, Alex+Ovechkin, Brandon+Dubinsky, Henrik+Lundqvist, Mike+Green, New+York+Rangers, Nicklas+Backstrom, Ryan+Callahan, Simeon+Varlamov, Washington+Capitals,
Thoughts Heading Into Game 2
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/17/09 at 12:00 PM ET
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Tomorrow afternoon at the Verizon Center, the New York Rangers look to go up 2-0 in their first round series against the Washington Capitals.
While the Blueshirts were able to pick up a 4-3 victory in Game one on Wednesday night, there are a few things that the team will most likely look to improve upon:
- Limiting Alex Ovechkin. In Game one, Ovechkin fired 13 shots at Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Luckily, the “King” was on his game.
- Staying out of the box. Markus Naslund was guilty of taking three penalties on Wednesday night. The last thing the Rangers’ want to do is give the Capitals power play time with lethal weapons such as Ovechkin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, and Sergei Fedorov.
- Face-offs. The Caps’ outclassed the Blueshirts in the face-off circle on Wednesday night. Hopefully, the return of captain Chris Drury will change that.
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Tags: Alexander+Semin, Alex+Ovechkin, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Markus+Naslund, Mike+Green, New+York+Rangers, Nicklas+Backstrom, Rangers+Reading, Sergei+Federov, Washington+Capitals,
Antropov Coming Into His Own on Broadway
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/15/09 at 11:00 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,
The Right Stuff
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/15/09 at 10:00 PM ET
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Without their captain in the lineup, the New York Rangers went out and defeated the Washington Capitals by a score of 4-3 at the Verizon Center. They did it with timely goal scoring, great defense in the last few minutes, solid goaltending and a good power play (I’m not kidding).
Chris Drury skated in the warm-ups and realized that he couldn’t go and in the first few minutes of the game, it didn’t look like the Blueshirts were ready to go as they took a penalty 18 seconds into the game. However, the team killed it off and settled down into a barn-burner of a game with the Caps.
The Rangers got great performances from Scott Gomez (1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points), Nik Antropov (1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points), Markus Naslund (1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points...needs to stay out of the penalty box though) Brandon Dubinsky (game-winning goal) and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 32 of 35 shots, 13 of which came off the stick of Alex Ovechkin.
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jose+Theodore, Markus+Naslund, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Scott+Gomez, Verizon+Center, Washington+Capitals,
All Eyes on The King
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/14/09 at 09:35 AM ET
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When the puck drops tomorrow night at the Verizon Center, all eyes will turn to New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist as the Blueshirts take on the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
If the Blueshirts are going to advance to the next round, the “King” will need to be at his best when he faces the likes of offensive machines Alex Ovechkin (56 goals, 54 assists, 110 points), Nicklas Backstrom (22 goals, 66 assists, 88 points), Alexander Semin (34 goals, 45 assists, 79 points) and stud defenseman Mike Green (31 goals, 42 assists, 73 points).
Lundqvist will face pucks from all angles and will have to steal at least one of the first two games of the series if the team wants to give themselves any kind of shot when the series shifts back to Madison Square Garden.
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Tags: Alexander+Semin, Alex+Ovechkin, Atlanta+Thrashers, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Mike+Green, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nicklas+Backstrom, Washington+Capitals,
Biggest Game of The Year
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/06/09 at 10:25 AM ET
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Tomorrow night will mark the New York Rangers’ biggest game of the season to date. After the Florida Panthers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, the blueshirts find themselves tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 89 points.
With three games to go in the regular season, their uphill battle will continue tomorrow night when they take on the Montreal Canadiens, a team that is seventh in the conference with 92 points and is catching fire at the right time (5-3-2 in their last 10 games). The Rangers can beat the Canadiens but again, with the tension mounting and the games becoming more and more important by the day, it is not going to be an easy task.
The team has games with the Habs and Philadelphia Flyers (two) to determine whether or not this year’s Rangers will clinch a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive season. The Panthers, on the other hand, have games against the Flyers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Washington Capitals. Both teams have competitive schedules but now, it will come down to just three games to determine who gets the last playoff spot in the conference.
The team has no one to blame but themselves for being in this situation. Problems with consistency, the power play, line juggling, personnel changes, etc. have all contributed to the team’s issues this season. Now, however, is the time to put those off to the side and go out there and get the job done because the last thing the team wants to do is miss the playoffs and disappoint the thousands of Ranger fans that will be at the Garden both tomorrow night against the Habs and Thursday night against the Flyers.
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Tags: Atlanta+Thrashers, Eastern+Conference, Florida+Panthers, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Washington+Capitals,
Where’s the Spark?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/04/09 at 09:14 AM ET
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Things certainly started right last night at Madison Square Garden when the New York Rangers raised Adam Graves’s No.9 to the rafters. It was a night filled with Ranger stars such as Mark Messier, Mike Richter, Brian Leetch, Rod Gilbert, Eddie Giacomin, Mike Gartner, as well as guys like Glenn Healy, Sergei Nemchinov, Tie Domi, Darren Langdon and Jeff Beukeboom, all there to give praise to one of their greatest mates, Adam Graves.
It was unfortunate that the current Ranger squad had to play afterwards because they put on a dismal performance against the lowly Atlanta Thrashers and lost 2-1 in a shootout. Yes, the team peppered Thrashers’ netminder Kari Lehtonen. Yes, Nikolai Zherdev played a tremendous game by generating many scoring chances. The team also got a good look at Artem Anisimov, who played well but needs more playing time to be effective. And yes, the team got a solid performance, with the exception of the shootout, from their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
However, it still wasn’t enough to be the second worst team in the NHL while also being a game in which they could have gained some ground on the New Jersey Devils as they lost to the Washington Capitals 5-2 last night.
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Tags: Adam+Graves, Artem+Anisimov, Atlanta+Thrashers, Brian+Leetch, Chris+Drury, Darren+Langdon, Eddie+Giacomin, Glenn+Healy, Henrik+Lundqvist, Ilya+Kovalchuk, Jeff+Beukeboom, Mark+Messier, Markus+Naslund, Mike+Gartner, Mike+Richter, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Patrick+Roy, Rod+Gilbert, Scott+Gomez, Sergei+Nemchinov, Tie+Domi, Tom+Renney, Washington+Capitals,
The New Season
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/03/09 at 12:00 PM ET
Comments (4)
The New York Rangers will look to put up their second straight win tonight when they take on the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.
In the team’s last meeting, the Capitals overcame a four goal deficit to defeat the Rangers 5-4 in overtime thanks to the play of their fearless superstar, Alex Ovechkin. It was a real gut-check moment for the Blueshirts that showed them that they still have a lot of work to do before being considered one of the NHL’s elite teams, despite being tied for third place with the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference, who each have 49 points.
In order for the Blueshirts to get back to playing consistent hockey, a lot of things have to happen.
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Chris+Drury, Eastern+Conference, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Scott+Gomez, Washington+Capitals,
Let Valiquette Play
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/31/08 at 12:05 AM ET
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While New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist might be one of the world’s top goaltenders, he certainly hasn’t played like it lately.
In the last nine games, he’s allowed 36 goals, which means he is allowing four goals a game, well above his career average of 2.33.
Furthermore, his goals against average for the season continues to rise (now 2.67) and his save percentage continues to drop (.908).
So what gives?
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Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist, Los+Angeles+Kings, New+York+Rangers, Stephen+Valiquette, Washington+Capitals,
A Brand New Day
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/26/08 at 04:00 PM ET
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First off, I hope you all had a happy and safe holiday, especially you New York Ranger fans out there who were looking to shake off Tuesday night’s terrible loss to the Washington Capitals.
Tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils should be looked at as a fresh start for the Rangers. Again, they’re coming off a terrible collapse against the Caps’ and have displayed rather inconsistent hockey over the past month or so.
So what better way to shake off the cob webs and play the best hockey they can play than by beating their Hudson River rivals?
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Tags: Andrew+Gross, Blue+Notes, Blueshirt+Bulletin, Chris+Drury, Dubi+Silverstein, Eastern+Conference, Glen+Sather, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ranger+Rants, Rangers+Report, Sam+Weinman, Scott+Gomez, SNY+Rangers+Blog, Steve+Zipay, Washington+Capitals,
This Is Your Captain Speaking
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/24/08 at 09:15 AM ET
Comments (2)
After blowing a four goal lead last night and losing in overtime to the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers team captain Chris Drury had the following to say:
- “That could be the point that gets us home-ice advantage. “I’m certainly not going to let it ruin my Christmas and I don’t think anyone here is going to let it ruin their break, either.”
- “There are 24 others teams in this league who would be dying to have our record, with all the points we’ve accumulated over a tough schedule. It’s certainly not a good way to get a point. But it’s over and done with. It’s already in the garbage can as far as I’m concerned.”
What do you folks think about this?
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Tags: Chris+Drury, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
All I want for Christmas Is…
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/24/08 at 08:05 AM ET
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Well, a win last night over the Washington Capitals would have been nice but unfortunately, the New York Rangers blew a four-goal lead and allowed the Caps’ to score five unanswered goals to beat the Blueshirts 5-4 in overtime at the Garden.
Figures, the Rangers actually score close to a handful goals at home and still cannot come away with a victory. Hopefully, this loss won’t stick in their minds too long as the team has an important tilt with the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night at MSG followed by a game against the New York Islanders on Monday night, also at MSG.
With all that said, here is my Christmas wishlist for the New York Rangers for the rest of the 2008-09 season:
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Tags: New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Close But No Cigar
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/21/08 at 12:15 PM ET
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In what was the team’s biggest test of the season, the New York Rangers passed with flying colors despite losing to the league’s best team, the San Jose Sharks, 3-2 last night at the HP Pavilion Center.
Despite a poorly played first period, last night had to be one of the team’s best efforts all season. They were especially good in the third period, when they controlled play and dominated the Sharks, outshooting them 17-7. Unfortunately, the Blueshirts were unable to get one by Sharks’ netminder Evgeni Nabokov, who played well after dropping his previous two decisions to the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Yes, the team lost a valuable two points last night but this was a game where the Blueshirts proved that they are not far off from being considered one of the league’s top teams this season.
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Brandon+Dubinsky, Columbus+Blue+Jackets, Detroit+Red+Wings, Evgeni+Nabokov, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, Nikolai+Zherdev, Ryan+Callahan, San+Jose+Sharks, Washington+Capitals,
Prucha to Play tonight in Miami?
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/28/08 at 01:40 PM ET
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Sam Weinman of The Journal News reports in his Rangers Report Blog that New York Rangers forward Petr Prucha may be in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers.
Prucha has played just eight games this season, his last one being on November 8 against the Washington Capitals. In those eight games, Prucha has no points and just ten shots on goal.
For Prucha, tonight is an opportunity for him to show that he belongs in the league and with the Rangers. However, if he doesn’t contribute offensively or looks out of place, he could find himself right back in the press box.
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Tags: Florida+Panthers, Hartford+Wolf+Pack, New+York+Rangers, Petr+Prucha, Sam+Weinman, The+Journal+News, Washington+Capitals,
The AHL: A Bargain for Great Hockey
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/11/08 at 10:30 PM ET
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For a person that has seen many, many National Hockey League games, it will probably come as a surprise to some of you that I had never been to an American Hockey League (AHL) game before, especially since I live within 150 minutes of two American Hockey League franchises: the Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers farm team) and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (New York Islanders farm team).
As I mentioned this past weekend, that all changed on Saturday night when I went to the XL Center (formerly the Hartford Civic Center) to take in a Wolf Pack vs. Springfield Falcons (Edmonton Oilers farm team) game. However, as you also all know, I wasn’t able to enjoy the game from a fan’s perspective.
Instead, I got to enjoy it as a credentialed member of the media, covering the game for the Wolf Pack web site and boy was the game ever good. This game had it all: speed, great puck movement, solid goaltending, a fight, and hard hitting. All in all, it was just as good as an NHL game.
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Tags: Corey+Perry, Dan+Girardi, Hartford+Wolf+Pack, Hershey+Bears, Jaroslav+Halak, Lowell+Devils, Marc-Andre+Fleury, Mike+Green, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Islanders, New+York+Rangers, Springfield+Falcons, Washington+Capitals,
