Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Washington+Capitals
Well Deserved Playoff Berth and What They Need to do to Win
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/10/11 at 12:19 PM ET
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This can definitely be said when it comes to this year’s New York Rangers.
It was a roller coaster season for the Blueshirts that featured lots of injuries, some untimely losses as well as some inconsisten play. With that said, however, there was a lot more good than bad from the Rangers this season, which is why there is a possibility that they can make a long run in this year’s postseason.
To beat the No. 1 seed Washington Capitals, you have to first look at Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist. It is more than likely that Lundqvist will face a barrage of shot in the first round from the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Jason Arnott, Mike Knuble, Mike Green, John Carlson and others. Luckily for the Rangers’, Henrik was quite good against the Capitals this season in shutting them out twice and winning another.
The team will also need to get timely goal scoring. Guys like Brandon Dubinsky, Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal, Artem Anisimov, Derek Stepan, Brian Boyle and even Brandon Prust will have to do everything they can to put the puck in the net.
This is especially true because the team will be without their heart and soul player, Ryan Callahan. Callahan was instrumental on the team’s power play, penalty kill and knew how to score when the team needed it the most. Certainly a big piece of the puzzle to replace at such an important time.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Alex+Semin, Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Dubinsky, Brandon+Prust, Brian+Boyle, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jason+Arnott, John+Carlson, Marian+Gaborik, Mike+Green, Mike+Knuble, New+York+Rangers, Nicklas+Bakcstrom, Vinny+Prospal, Washington+Capitals,
Original Six Tilt in Beantown
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/26/11 at 09:12 AM ET
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That is exactly what will be happening at 1 p.m. today as the New York Rangers will take on the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden in Boston.
The Blueshirts are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden while the Bruins are coming off a big 7-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens. One team will be looking to score more goals while the toher will continue to do the things that made them successful in their last game.
As always, this is an extremely important game for the Rangers. Both the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes won last night so the Blueshirts are now just two points up on the eighth place Sabres. With a win this afternoon in Boston, however, the Rangers could end up tied with the Canadiens for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens take on the Washington Capitals tonight.
It will be interesting to see if Rangers’ forward Sean Avery will be in the lineup this afternoon. Based on reports from team beat writers at yesterday’s skate, it appears that there is a good chance that Avery will be back in the lineup. However, nothing was confirmed.
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Tags: Boston+Bruins, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Henrik+Lundqvist, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Sean+Avery, Washington+Capitals,
Goals A Plenty in Rangers’ 6-3 Win over the Canadiens
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/19/11 at 12:14 PM ET
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This may be hard to believe but the New York Rangers’ have won three straight home games by outscoring their opponents by a 19-6 margin.
The Rangers’ latest victim was the Montreal Canadiens in a 6-3 victory. The team scored five goals in the first period with five different goal scorers in Artem Anisimov, Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik, and Brian Boyle. Vinny Prospal scored the team’s sixth and final goal in the third period.
With the win, the Rangers hit the 80-point mark and remain four points up on the eighth place Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes, who had a huge OT win over the New York Islanders last night.
For a team that struggles with offense, they certainly know how to beat up on team’s when given the opportunity to do so. Last night, the team took advantage of a Montreal Canadiens’ team that played the night before against the Tampa Bay Lightning and a somewhat tired Carey Price, who was yanked after allowing the fifth Rangers’ goal. It certainly was not Price’s fault as he had no help out there.
The team also got a strong performance from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who picked up his sixth consecutive 30-win season. With the 30th win, Lundqvist became the first goalie in NHL history to 30 or more games in his first six seasons in the league.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Benoit+Pouliot, Brian+Boyle, Buffalo+Sabres, Carey+Price, Carolina+Hurricanes, Dan+Girardi, Evgeni+Malkin, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Ryan+Callahan, Sidney+Crosby, Vinny+Prospal, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers’ Shutout Capitals for the Second Time in Big 6-0 Victory
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/25/11 at 09:32 PM ET
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Going into tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals, many New York Rangers’ pundits and fans did not know what to expect. Both parties worried about the team being without Marc Staal and Marian Gaborik as well as facing a potentially potent Capital’s offense.
May be this was a good thing as the Blueshirts dominated the Capitals on the scoreboardc in a 6-0 shutout victory. Believe it or not, this was the Rangers’ second shutout over the Capitals this season as the team shut them out back in December in a 7-0 romping.
Besides picking up the shutout, the best thing to come out of this game for the Rangers’ was their success on the power play. The team went 2-for-3 on the man advantage with goals from Erik Christensen (he had two goals and an assist in the game) and Derek Stepan. Believe it or not, the team’s power play has been a lot better of late and that is because they are being more aggresive and throwing more pucks on the net. Hopefully this trend will continue for the Blueshirts.
Speaking of Christensen, he played like a man on a mission tonight. He had three points, was around the net a lot, he had four shots on goal, played on the power play and was effective. Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella needs more of this from Christensen as the team continues to build their playoff push.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Dan+Girardi, Derek+Stepan, Erik+Christensen, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, Michael+Sauer, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Ryan+McDonagh, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
Four Points On the Line This Weekend/Staal Injury Update
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/25/11 at 08:45 AM ET
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UPDATE: From Andrew Gross via Twitter:
Staal out Fedotenko in McDonagh paired with Girardi tonight for Rangers.
From Earlier: The New York Rangers are back in action tonight in Washington against the Washington Capitals after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday night.
It does not have to be said that this is once again a big game for the Blueshirts. The Rangers still sit in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the eighth place Carolina Hurricanes and six points ahead of the ninth place Buffalo Sabres.
At the other end, the Capitals are currently fifth in the East with 74 points and are just three poitns behind the Southeast Division leading Tampa Bay Lightning. As such, this game is just as important to the Capitals as it is to the Blueshirts.
The Blueshirts will be without Marian Gaborik this wekend as it is believed he suffered a concussion sometime before playing against the Philadelphia Flyers last Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants said the following regarding Gaborik:
Marian Gaborik (concussion) has reported he’s feeling better but there’s no timetable for his return. Gaborik did undergo blood work back in New York to see if there were any “deficiencies,” though Tortorella wasn’t exactly clear on what deficiencies they might be testing for.
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Tags: Andrew+Gross, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Marc+Staal, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Ranger+Rants, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Pick Up Big 4-3 Shootout Victory over the Hurricanes
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/22/11 at 10:23 PM ET
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There was no question that the New York Rangers needed to come out of Carolina with two points tonight.
The team was able to do just that with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes after Wojtek Wolski tied the game with less than two minutes to go and then scored the game winner in the shootout to give the Blueshirts two big points in the Eastern Conference Standings. With the win, the team now has 68 points and is just one point behind the sixth place Montreal Canadiens.
This was a game that reminded me a lot of how the team was getting all those wins in the first half of the season. They worked extremely hard, threw pucks at the net (43 shots for the game), forechecked, got timely offense, solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist (30 saves) and ultimately, were able to get two big points.
The game had a playoff-like feel to it and the Blueshirts treated it as such. The team is going to have to do this for the rest of the season as the games are only going to get tougher as we get closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Eric+Staal, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marc+Staal, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals, Wojtek+Wolski,
Gaborik Update: Disappointing 4-2 loss for the Rangers
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/20/11 at 03:23 PM ET
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Marian Gaborik Update: From NBC’s NHL Extra Twitter Account:
An update on Marian Gaborik from earlier today, he left the game with a concussion.
From Earlier: In a game in which the New York Rangers outshot the Philadelphia Flyers 39-24, the Blueshirts managed to lose the game 4-2 at Madison Square Garden this afternoon.
A lot of credit has to be given to Flyers’ netminder Brian Boucher. Boucher was on top of his game in making 37 saves and was especially big in the third period when he stopped 14 of 15 Ranger shots.
With that said, however, this game was once again a perfect example of how the Blueshirts still lack some finish to their game. In the third period, Rangers’ forward Artem Anisimov could not get his stick on a cross crease pass on what could have been an easy goal.
Overall, it wasn’t a terrible game for the Blueshirts. They put plenty of pressure in the Flyers’ zone, put plenty of pucks on net but just couldn’t get the goal that mattered in the third period.
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Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Atlanta+Thrashers, Brian+Boucher, Buffalo+Sabres, Carolina+Hurricanes, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Tampa+Bay+Lightning, Washington+Capitals,
Some Thoughts on Ovechkin
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/03/11 at 04:30 PM ET
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Over at RLD Hockey, blogged about Washington Capitals’ sniper Alexander Ovechkin and his struggles.
You can either click here to go to the site and read it or you can continue below. Let me know what you folks think:
When talking about the game’s best players this season, hockey fans will hear names like Sidney Crosby, Steve Stamkos, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Martin St. Louis, Tim Thomas, Ryan Kesler, etc.
There is one key player that is not being talked about as much this season as he has been in past seasons: Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin.
This is quite a surprise given how he and Crosby are the faces of the ‘new’ NHL. For Ovechkin, it has been a rather unusal quiet season for someone who has 52 points (19 goals and 32 assists) in 51 games. Obviously, the glaring stat when it comes to ‘Ovie’ is his 19 goals. He’s on pace for just 30 goals, which would be the lowest total of his career.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Set to Take on New Jersey Devils Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/03/11 at 08:00 AM ET
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No matter where the teams are in the standings, it is always a good hockey game when it is the New York Rangers vs. the New Jersey Devils.
Tonight’s tilt at Madison Square Garden features two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Blueshirts are fighting in the middle of the pack for a playoff spot while the Devils are out of the playoff picture, despite playing extremely well recently.
The game tonight also marks the return of Rangers’ forward Vinny Prospal. It will be Prospal’s first game of the season and it could not come at a better time as someone needs to help get Marian Gaborik’s game clicking on all cylinders. No one is sure if it is going to be Prospal but given the success the duo had last season, it is not hard to imagine that being the case.
The Blueshirts are coming off a tough 4-3 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at the Garden. Given that the Penguins were without the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as well as Jordan Staal for 25 minutes of the game, the Rangers’ should have been able to pick up for two points but had to settle for one.
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Tags: Marian+Gaborik, Montreal+Canadiens, New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Vinny+Prospal, Washington+Capitals,
Some More Observations from Last Night’s Win Over the Capitals
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/25/11 at 02:00 PM ET
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On this somewhat snowy day, I figured I would give you some more of my observations from last night’s 2-1 shootout victory by the New York Rangers over the Washington Capitals:
- New York Rangers’ netminder Martin Biron was calm, cool and collected in goal last night. Made the big saves when he had to and more importantly, was able to help his team pick up two points.
- Washington Capitals’ superstar Alex Ovechkin seems to be getting his game together. You could see it in his speed, the way he put pucks to the net and his overall effort. It would be nice to see him start scoring goals again on a consistent basis.
- The goal that tied the hockey game up for the Rangers was the perfect example that goals do not have to pretty. Just put the puck on net and anything can happen.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Blueshirts Get the Job Done Against the Capitals
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/25/11 at 08:20 AM ET
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When New York Rangers’ fans heard that Martin Biron was starting last night against the Washington Capitals, they all thought that head coach John Tortorella was giving the game away and hoping to pick up two points tonight against the Panthers.
As it turns out, they were wrong and the Blueshirts came away with a 2-1 shootout victory, thanks partly to some timely goaltending from Biron and a terrific defensive effort. The defense held the Capitals to just 23 shots and did a solid job of keeping the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Mike Knuble and others quiet on their way to another road victory.
Fifty-two minutes into the game, the Rangers were down 1-0 until Marian Gaborik tied it up when a Dan Boyle shot ffrom the top of the circle hit off Capitals’ netminder Braden Holtby and then deflected off Gaborik’s shoulder and in. It may not have been Gaborik’s prettiest goal but it was a goal that the team needed and a goal that will hopefully get Gaborik going offensively on a consistent basis.
In the shootout, the team got two great goals from Mats Zuccarello (4/4 in the shootout this season and in his career) and the eventual game winning goal from Artem Anisimov, his first ever shootout goal, giving the team its second straight shootout victory.
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Artem+Anisimov, Brandon+Holtby, Dan+Boyle, Florida+Panthers, John+Tortorella, Marian+Gaborik, Martin+Biron, Mats+Zuccarello, Mike+Green, Mike+Knuble, New+York+Rangers, Nicklas+Backstrom, Washington+Capitals,
Lineup UPDATE/Another Tough Test on Tap for the Blueshirts Tonight
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/24/11 at 08:57 AM ET
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UPDATE: Per New York Rangers’ beat writer Andrew Gross, goaltender Martin Biron will start tonight against the Washington Capitals:
Biron playing because Torts refuses to play Lundqvist 5 games in 7 nights. Why tonight vs. Caps and not tomorrow vs. Panthers? “Why not?”
To clarify: Marty Biron starting tonight vs. Capitals. Lundqvist should play tomorrow at MSG vs. Panthers.
EARLIER: It seems like every game these days is a test for the New York Rangers.
The test consists of questions such as:
- Can they overcome injuries to win a hockey game?
- Can they score enough goals to win a hockey game?
- Can head coach John Tortorella keep the lines consistent?
Well, more than half way through the season, it is easy to say that the team has passed each test they have been given. With that said, will the team pass the test they face tonight against the Washington Capitals?
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Tags: Andrew+Gross, Atlanta+Thrashers, Brandon+Prust, Dan+Girardi, Evgeny+Grachev, Henrik+Lundqvist, John+Tortorella, Martin+Biron, Michael+del+Zotto, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Better Defensive Effort Needed Tonight Fron the Rangers Against the Thrashers
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/22/11 at 12:00 PM ET
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After losing to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Thursday night, the New York Rangers have to put in a much better defensive effort in their game tonight against the Atlanta Thrashers.
The team allowed 39 shots on Thursday night, did not break up enough plays, and were often caught out of position. Had the team performed better on the defensive side of the puck on Thursday night, we could be talking a 4-1 win rather than a loss.
In looking at the Rangers vs. Thrashers game preview on the team’s web site, it seems that the team will be ready to deliver a much better defensive performance tonight against an offensive Thrashers hockey club.
“If we’re going to compete, especially in the second half of the season, we have to defend the proper way,” said Tortorella. “It has to be of the utmost importance to us. We have to defend first, and then work from there. So we have some work to do.”
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Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, John+Tortorella, Montreal+Canadiens, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
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.
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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,
NHL Home Ice Producer and Host Shawn Lavigne’s Experience at the Winter Classic
by Patrick Hoffman on 01/08/11 at 04:05 PM ET
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Shawn Lavigne, a host/producer of Hockey This Morning on XM NHL Home Ice, was kind enough to take time out os his busy schedule to tell us about his experience at this year’s Winter Classic in Pittsburgh.
PH: First off, tell us about your thoughts when you were first told that you would be covering the Winter Classic for NHL Home Ice?
SL: Well when the game was announced for Pittsburgh, I said no matter what I could not miss it! I love watching both the Capitals and Penguins and wanted to be part of the best rivalry in the league right now. I will call my experience a great working vacation.
PH: What was it like seeing one of the NFL’s better stadiums turned into a hockey rink/arena for a few days?
SL: I arrived in Pittsburgh on Thursday morning and immediately I saw a huge Winter Classic banner on the outside of Heinz Field. The stadium looked incredible inside and out. It is a great facility and the NHL did an outstanding job converting the stadium into a hockey environment. Heinz Field had a more intimate feel to it compared to Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo when I was there for the first Winter Classic.
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Tags: Hockey+This+Morning, NHL+Home+Ice, NHL+Winter+Classic, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Shawn+Lavigne, Washington+Capitals,
UPDATE: Del Zotto a Healthy Scratch Tonight/Big Three Games in Four Nights for the Blueshirts
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/09/10 at 11:24 AM ET
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UPDATE: According to Ranger beat writer Andrew Gross’s Twitter, New York Rangers’ defenseman Michael Del Zotto is a healthy scratch tonight in Ottawa and that defenseman Matt Gilroy will be inserted into the lineup:
Michael Del Zotto a healthy scratch tonight for #NYRangers, Gilroy in. Henrik Lundqvist will be in net.
The New York Rangers have a busy next couple of days coming up with three games in four nights on tap for the Blueshirts.
It begins tonight in Ottawa where the Rangers will take on a Senators’ team that beat them at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night by a score of 3-1. It was a game in which the Rangers did not come out with the intensity that is needed to win a hockey game and it ended up costing them in the end.
What was also disappointing about that game was that the Senators were coming off a 1-0 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres the night before. The Blueshirts did not take advantage of the opportunity to beat a tired team and it’s a game that they needed to pick up two points in.
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Tags: Alex+Frolov, Columbus+Blue+Jackets, John+Tortorella, New+York+Rangers, Ottawa+Senators, Ruslan+Fedotenko, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Look To Keep Capitals’ Offense in Check
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/09/10 at 09:32 AM ET
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Everyone knows what the Washington Capitals are going to come at you with: lots of offense, lots of shots, solid special teams and more often than not, two points at the end of the hockey game.
Tonight, the New York Rangers will try stymie the Caps’ offense at Madison Square Garden when the two clubs go at it at 7:30 p.m. For the Blueshirts, it’s going to take a huge team defensive effort to win this hockey game. They’ll have to do everything they can to allow their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to see the puckm force the Caps’ to shoot from the outside and not put themselves in a vulnerable position by taking penalties.
With that said, however, the team will also obviously need to put the puck in the net. As Blueshirts’ head coach John Tortorella pointed out on Sunday night after the team’s 2-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues, when opposing teams are able to stop the line of Brandon Dubinsky-Artem Anisimov-Ryan Callahan, then they could go on and win the hockey game.
As such, especially tonight, the team will need to come out firing on all cylinders and do everything they can to score the game’s first goal. If they are able to accomplish that, they’ll most likely go into defensive mode and focus on keeping the Caps’ at bay. Remember, the Caps’ boast offensive talents Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, John Carlson, and even Brooks Laich.
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Rangers Singing the Blues
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/08/10 at 10:16 AM ET
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In what was supposed to be a game in which the New York Rangers took advantage of a team playing in back-to-back games, it was instead a 2-0 shutout loss to the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts looked very out-of-sync and one has to wonder if that was due to the shape of the Garden ice or to the team’s actual play. I would say it was a little bit of both as the puck was bouncing all over the place and the team had trouble getting the puck on their stick.
Unlike his first game at MSG, this loss cannot be blamed on back-up goaltender Martin Biron. Biron was strong between the pipes and did everything he could to give the team in front of him a chance to win the hockey game.
It must be said that guys like Derek Stepan, Derek Boogaard and Evegny Grachev did not play strong hockey games. Stepan looks snake bitten while Boogaard and Grachev look lost. It may be time to go back to the drawing board with these guys.
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Tags: Derek+Boogaard, Derek+Stepan, Evgeny+Grachev, Henrik+Lundqvist, New+York+Rangers, St.+Louis+Blues, Washington+Capitals,
An e-mail interview with a Washington Capitals Writer - Ted Starkey
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/28/10 at 08:57 PM ET
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This evening, I was lucky enough to do an e-mail interview with a writer who covers the Washington Capitals for The Washington Times, Ted Starkey.
Starkey has covered the game for awhile under various outlets and was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to tell us about how he got into the game, how he got into covering the game, and his thoughts on this year’s edition of the Caps.
PH: How did you get into hockey?
TS: My father was from Buffalo, and he had played hockey growing up, so he took me to a Capitals-Sabres game in 1980 at the old Capital Centre when I was eight, and I was hooked. I ended up starting to play when a year later in Fairfax, Va., and then ended up playing travel hockey for the Northern Virginia Hockey Club through high school.
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Tags: Ted+Starkey, Washington+Capitals,
Another Day, another two points Gone
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/07/10 at 09:51 AM ET
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I know that the title is extremely negative but let’s face it folks, the New York Rangers have a tough task ahead of them when it comes to making the playoffs.
In last night’s 2-0 loss to the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals, the Blueshirts played well enough to win but unfortunately, were not able to put the puck in the net. When your backup goaltender (Alex Auld) makes 26 saves on 28 shots against an offensive team like the Caps, the least you can do is score a few goals for him.
Auld was solid last night and did everything he could to give his team a chance to pick up two points. He was poised, played the puck well and stopped the ones he needed to stop. Right now, he is certainly a better option than Chad Johnson or Steve Valiquette.
Marian Gaborik returned to the lineup and for someone who is not 100 percent, looked pretty darn good as he logged over 25 minutes in ice time and generated several scoring opportunities. However, when your star player is not 100 percent, your team needs to have other guys step up and put the puck in the net, something that did not happen last night.
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Tags: Alex+Auld, Buffalo+Sabres, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Auld, Gaborik in for Big Game Vs. the Caps
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/06/10 at 05:58 PM ET
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Good evening folks. The New York Rangers are back in action tonight as they take on Alex Ovechkin and the Caps.
The Blueshirts have shown that they can skate with the Caps this season and will be looking to do the same in tonight’s tilt in D.C. However, they will have to do it with Alex Auld in goal as he makes his Blueshirt debut.
Rangers’ head coach John Tortorella told the following to the team’s beat writers regarding Auld:
“It’s time for him to play, that’s a good way to put it,” Tortorella said. “This is a guy that has played in the NHL. The situation we had with our backups (rookies Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba), it’s best that we get them down there (to Hartford) to develop and in the stretch run here I think it’s a good thing for us to have a veteran guy we can use.”
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Tags: Alex+Auld, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
AO and the NHL: Made for each other
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/26/10 at 03:08 PM ET
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From good friend of the blog JP and Japers’ Rink:
“Every Canadian dreams of playing like Ovechkin” - Bobby Clarke
“He plays like a Canadian!” - Don Cherry
“Ovechkin does not play like a Russian. He plays like an NHL player.” - Vladislav Tretiak
Three quotes from three men who have each logged more than forty years in the game of hockey, all saying the same thing: Alex Ovechkin doesn’t play the game like any Russian they’ve ever seen. And while Clarke’s and Cherry’s quips were clearly intended to convey a level of admiration and respect, Tretiak’s observation came across as anything but complimentary; Tretiak’s comment was a warning..
Click here for more from JP.
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Washington+Capitals,
More Attention on Kovalchuk than Ovechkin Last Night at MSG
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/05/10 at 01:45 PM ET
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From good friend of the blog Jim Cerny at Rink Rap:
Just 24 hours prior Thrashers GM Don Waddell had released information that Kovie rejected a pair of mega-deals—-$101 million over 12 years, $70 mill over seven years—-and was opting to head to UFA status this summer. As a result, Waddell announced that Kovie would be traded.
But to whom? And how soon?
Speculation flew around the press room at The Garden as reporters checked in with sources, shared what they had heard, and probably made up a few rumors, as well. I made a note to myself that it just seemed funny there was little to no chatter about the upcoming game at MSG, and Kovie’s name was mentioned a heckuva’ lot more than Ovie’s.
What followed was one wild night, just a great fun night to be a hockey reporter. The Rangers and Caps played an exciting seesaw contest where goals and the power play ruled the day in a 6-5 Washington victory.
Click here for more thoughts on the Kovalchuk deal.
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Atlanta+Thrashers, Illya+Kovalchuk, Jim+Cerny, Rink+Rap, Washington+Capitals,
More Positives Than Negatives
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/05/10 at 08:55 AM ET
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Last night’s New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals game was a barn burner, eh?
The Blueshirts were able to put five past Capitals’ netminder Jose Theodore and yet, still came away with a 6-5 loss.
This was a game where offensively, the Blueshirts were clicking. They scored four power play goals, they put pucks to the net, went to the dirty areas to score and looked confident, something Ranger fans have not seen in the past couple of months.
This is a game that the team should definitely be able to build off of going into another tough tilt tomorrow night, this time against Illya Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils. It will be interesting to see what kind of offensive dynamic Kovalchuk brings to the Devils. It certainly will not make them any easier to play against.
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Tags: New+Jersey+Devils, New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
Do They Have a Chance?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/04/10 at 09:05 AM ET
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This game could not come at a worse time for the New York Rangers as tonight, they take on the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden.
As most of the hockey world knows, the Caps’ are the NHL’s hottest team right now, winning 11 straight games. The Caps’ will obviously be looking to feast on the Blueshirts’ tonight with their high-powered offense.
Unfortunately, the Rangers do not have anything close to match the Caps’ offense so if the team is going to win tonight, they will have to do it with incredibly strong goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist and a strong defensive game.
What would be nice is if Olli Jokinen had is coming out party on Broadway and lit the lamp a few times tonight while other players such as Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal, Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky also put the puck in the net. Obviously, asking for five goals is crazy but hey, this team needs to do whatever it can to win a hockey game, right?
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Tags: New+York+Rangers, Washington+Capitals,
An Interview with Japers’ Rink
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/02/10 at 08:43 AM ET
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If you are a Washington Capitals fan, you know who this blogger is. If you visit SBN Nation, you know who this blogger is. If you follow Greg Wyshynski via Twitter, you know who this blogger is.
This blogger needs no introduction as he is J.P. from the well known Japers’ Rink blog on SBN Nation. J.P. was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to tell us about how he got into the game, the Capitals, blogging about hockey, his thoughts on the industry as well as his take on the current Capitals team. Thanks, J.P.!
PH: How did you get into hockey?
JP: Such an easy question, but one for which I don’t have a good answer. My dad started taking me to Caps games out at the old arena in Landover when I was seven or eight, and I have been a fan ever since.
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Tags: Japers'+Rink, 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
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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.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Brandon+Dubinsky, Chris+Drury, Henrik+Lundqvist, Jose+Theodore, Markus+Naslund, New+York+Rangers, Nik+Antropov, Scott+Gomez, Verizon+Center, Washington+Capitals,
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