The Sobering Recap: Marian Gaborik needs sidekicks

Wednesday November 18, 2009 9:09 AM By Steve Zipay

                  You can’t blame Marian Gaborik if he’s outside Penn Station this morning wearing a “Help Wanted” sign.
                   The Slovak sniper, who came to New York last summer after eight seasons as the top scorer on a defense-first Minnesota Wild team, has become the Lone Ranger.
                    His 15 goals, including the pair last night in a punchless 4-2 loss to the Capitals at Madison Square Garden, puts him in a tie for the league lead, but the rest of the Blueshirts have netted just 39 through 21 games, and after a brisk start have settled in barely above .500 at 11-9-1.
                     “We’ve got to capitalize and try to score on those hardworking, grinding plays,” said Gaborik, earning every bit of his $37.5 million, five-year contract, with at least a point in 17 of 19 games. “We didn’t generate a lot of shots (16 without Gaborik’s four), that was a problem. We came back in the third, we had some good chances. We need to keep the puck down low more often.”
                     Low and on the net, agreed head coach John Tortorella, who said that the power play, just 1-for-4, needed assistance. “Our biggest weakness is that we are not getting any secondary scoring…We’re not going to be at 26, 27 percent (on the power play) all year,” he said, adding that the players have watched video of how opponents have been defending them. “We need to get five-on-five goals from other people….we can’t get one or two goals and expect to win.” What the club needs, he lamented, is “an even strength-goal by a second or third line guy.”                 
                      That’s exactly what Matt Bradley provided for the Caps, with the score knotted at 2, at 4:51 left in regulation. After Gaborik’s second goal, from a sharp angle to the right of goaltender Seymon Varlamov on a power play at 8:23 of the third, Bradley cashed in his fourth of the season.
                     In a battle along the right boards at the Washington blue line with Wade Redden, the puck bounced off Redden’s raised glove and Bradley was off on a semi-breakaway. Although defenseman Matt Gilroy hounded him, Bradley lifted a shot over the glove of Henrik Lundqvist, who appeared to go down early.
                   “It’s amazing,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said of Bradley. “He did this is Nashville. He got cut pretty good, came back, and was instrumental in us winning. He’s got oodles of character.”
                    Most of the Rangers showed character, if not effectiveness,  in particular Sean Avery, who was his familiar pesky self and provided an assist, and Chris Higgins, who had seven hits, four shots and won seven of 13 faceoffs.   
                    The Rangers came out flying, and Gaborik snuck behind defenseman Jeff Schultz and flicked in a rebound of Dan Girardi's point shot at 1:16.
                     Although aware of the dangers of spending time in the box against the potent Caps, the Rangers took four penalties and reigning MVP Ovechkin, returning after missing 15 days with an upper-body injury, and Brooks Laich, each scored for a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
                    Meanwhile, the Rangers mustered just 11 shots---a season low---in the first two periods. They didn’t have a shot for a 19:20 stretch until Higgins forced Varlamov to make a save at 3:27 of the second.  
                   “I just couldn’t come up with the big save there at the end,” said Lundqvist, referring to Bradley’s goal. He can’t shoulder all the blame. The Rangers couldn’t even threaten Varlamov with an extra attacker and Brian Pothier sealed the win with an empty-netter.

               (Apologies. Thought this was posted last night at 11:15)

The Morning Skate: The Quarter Pole, Tweets, Reminders

Monday November 16, 2009 9:02 AM By Steve Zipay

         Rangers skate today at 11 a.m., so circle back for a dispatch from there. My contribution in today's Newsday:

        After the first quarter of the NHL season, (the quarter pole is actually at the far turn) the Rangers are on a familiar pace: If form holds, they will be gearing up for a battle for one of the last playoff spots in the East.
         With a vastly overhauled roster, the Rangers are 11-8-1 (23 points) over 20 games. Should that pattern continue, the Rangers would compile about 92 points. Through the first 20 games last year, the Blueshirts were 13-5-2 (28 points) and needed a furious finish to grab a slot in the postseason with 95 points.
                    Two of last summer’s free-agent additions, Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal, have provided the bulk of the recently-stagnant offense. Gaborik has 25 points (13-12) in 18 games; Prospal, shifting between center and left wing, is 5-16-21 in 20 games. At this point last season, the Rangers had 52 goals; this year’s squad has 54, and Gaborik close to 25 percent of them.
                   The rest of the forwards? Beyond Ales Kotalik, (6-11-17) who is among the league leaders with 13 power-play points, not so productive. The Rangers have scored just 14 goals in the last eight games and won three of them, including Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win in Ottawa. Centers Chris Drury (concussion) and Brandon Dubinsky (broken hand) have missed the past two games and are out indefinitely.
                  Even the power play, which remains far more effective than last season’s 29th-place finish, has slipped from No. 4 overall to No. 10 in the last two weeks. Throw out a 3-for-7 performance against Edmonton, and the Rangers are 1-for-23 with the man-advantage in the last eight games. The penalty-kill, on the other hand, has remained steady, ranked No. 3 overall.   
              Freshmen Michael Del Zotto, who was the NHL rookie of the month in October, and Matt Gilroy have been pleasant surprises on defense.  In goal, Henrik Lundqvist, (9 wins, 19th in save percentage at .918) seems to be rounding into form. At this point last season, he had won 11 games, including three of four shootouts, with a .929 save percentage. 
             Although Drury and Dubinsky had not been major offensive contributors, with just 16 points between them, they were solid on faceoffs and the penalty-kill. Without them, coach John Tortorella has been forced to use Prospal at center, provide more minutes to rookie center Artem Anisimov and shift Chris Higgins from left wing to the middle. To fill the gap at wing, it appears that AHL callup P.A. Parenteau, who scored the shootout winner against the Senators, will remain with the club for another few games, including tomorrow’s, when Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals arrive to kick off a three-game homestand. 

****

          About twitter.com/stevezipay

         Truth be told, we don’t employ Twitter as a social network. Friends and family generally know what I’m up to---well, some of the time---and have little desire to be interrupted by my declaration of how I rated the BLT at lunch. That’s for old-school, face-to-face conversation.

          Instead, what we provide in Tweets are real-time updates, quotes and commentary from practice and games, news around the league and hyperlinks to new Blue Notes posts. Without the fluff (you’ll have that in my daily ramblings here), we’re closing in on 2,000 followers.

           Must be doing something right. Climb aboard for the ride.  

****

          Reminder: Pencil in Wednesday at 1 p.m. for the next live FWC (Fabulous Weekly Chat) here. Mr. Moderator will be taking attendance, and you don’t want to risk detention before the holidays, do ya?

****

          Speaking of holidays, after the Panthers game on Saturday night, the lovely Mrs. Notes and I are shuttling off for a Thanksgiving journey to London. I am passing the quill to Mr. Staple---or is it the staples to Mr. Quill?---for the games and practices, including the southern swing in Florida, while I’m opening for Them Crooked Vultures at Royal Albert Hall.

           Kidding.

           My version of "Waterloo Sunset" is barely suitable for the shower nowadays.

           Will surely weigh in with virtual postcards from across the pond, so stay tuned, starting on the 23rd.

The Wrap: Lundqvist, Parenteau prevail in Ottawa shootout, 2-1

Saturday November 14, 2009 8:16 PM By Steve Zipay

                 In the course of a season, teams need to grind. Without Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky---and playing on the road---that was the formula for the Rangers today. The odd-man rushes that plagued the Atlanta game were narrowed, although the Senators mustered 36 shots, including two in OT, and then Henrik Lundqvist stopped five of seven in the shootout.

                The King was brilliant, which he has to be over the next stretch, when the Rangers have to be better at creating goals, 5 on 5 and on the power play, which has taken a dive with another 0-for 4 yesterday. Tortorella believes the team "can still score", but has focused on preventing scoring chances, which it did fairly well on the Western Canada swing.

               IMO, there has to be more emotional intensity and spark, and shots. And traffic. Brian Elliott wasn't really tested in the first two periods, with 16 shots, mostly clean looks from the perimiter that he absorbed or gloved. Gaborik, who had one shot, provided a lift with is rush and thread-the-needle pass on the shortie, which was the Rangers first not into an empty net this year. (As were Dubinsky's vs Ottawa and Girardi's to cap a 3-0 defeat of the Ducks)

               Back to shots: Del Zotto and Kotalik zero. P.A.Parenteau had three and won his only faceoff. I'll tell you who is really stepping up: Matt Gilroy. Another tough 20 minutes, two shots. And Staal had four shots, but a couple dangerous turnovers. Artem Anisimov won six of 10 faceoffs...Brian Boyle was 0-for-3...Donald Brashear (4:54) and Aaron Voros (3:33) rode pine...Elliott had been 0-1 versus the Rangers...

               Next up, Washington on Tuesday, with AO, of course, expected to play. Just like Kovy decided he was ready to return with the Thrashers.

                Some quotes (some of which will be in the paper as well, catch the gamer on line, plenty on Parenteau and Lundqvist) 

                Parenteau, who played 14:14, missed high with an open net on a power play with 3:02 left in regulation. “I knew I had the empty net all along and the puck rolled on me.” He also took the blame for the sole Senators goal. “One bad backcheck,” said Parenteau, who is from Quebec and had 20 friends and family members in the crowd. “I got beat up the ice by Lee, but I otherwise I was okay, made some good passes. I told myself before the game to hold onto the puck more; I don’t want to dump it all the time.”

****

                Choosing players for the Rangers first shootout of the season was pretty straightforward for Tortorella. “Our top guys are going to go. Gabby’s going to go, Kots (Ales Kotalik, who is better than 58 percent in his career) is going to go, Vinny Prospal deserves to be there. Then we just kept going down the line.”
           Two of those top three scored in the 2-1 matinee win, which snapped a two-game Rangers slide.
           Gaborik stickhandled into Elliott’s pads, but Lundqvist blocked Alex Kovalev’s shot to end the first round.  Kotalik scored high glove side and Daniel Alfredsson roofed a backhander to tie it at 1 after Round 2. Prospal scored stick side, but Jason Spezza scored five-hole for a tie after Round 3. Enver Lisin, Jarkko Ruutu, Anisimov, Mike Fisher, Chris Higgins and Nick Foligno were turned away before Parenteau gave the Rangers the lead and Lundqvist stopped Milan Michalek for the victory.  
 
****
               Although he hasn’t recorded a point in eight games, Sean Avery played 16:26 and drew praise from Tortorella, who had been limiting his ice time. “I thought it was one of Sean’s better games,” he said. “He was involved physically (four hits and one roughing penalty) and was very important on the last power play…Sean is doing his job correctly; he’s not interfering with the goalie, he’s just there in the blue. I thought he played much better in the way he needs to play, with that type of physical presence he can bring and the jam. The stuff with the refs, we might as well stop talking about that. I don’t think they’re calling anything different on him, he just needs to play his game. He took a step in the right direction.”

****
              Left wing turned center Higgins played a solid 19:27, with three shots and some iron on a late-third period power play. “He almost won the game in regulation there,” said Tortorella. “He hits the post, and had a couple chances, so he’s played very well…He was hard on the puck, he’s getting better the last five games, I don’t want to screw him up by playing center because his game has come on, but he’s gonna play there.”
 

Quotes from the Wild West: Byers, Avery, Tortorella, Lisin, Prospal, new lines

Wednesday November 4, 2009 6:22 PM By Steve Zipay

             EDMONTON---John Tortorella’s wallet is a little lighter and Dane Byers’ family is disappointed.
             After practice at Rexall Place today, Tortorella had no comment on either the automatic $10,000 fine assessed by the league as a result of Byers’ instigation penalty with 1:10 left in the Vancouver game on Tuesday or Byers’ one-game suspension. Hard to believe, but Tortorella said he was unaware of the details until told by reporters. “I have no reaction to it,” he said.
            Byers, who fought Canucks forward Trevor Glass, said he wasn’t pleased with the suspension. The scrap, Byers said, “was part of the game…emotions get the better of you. I thought I had given him enough time to get up, but he knew we were going. He had been running his mouth all along and it was 4-1.”
           The 23-year-old, who has played three games, earns $500,000 and his fine is $2,590.67, according to the league. The tougher part, said Byers, who is permitted to practice, was that his parents were driving from Saskatchewan for the game and that his uncle, who lives here, had acquired eight tickets for tomorrow’s game. Instead, Byers won’t dress.

***

         Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik were being treated for minor bumps and bruises and didn’t practice. Tortorella called it “maintenance” and said both were fine. Lundqvist does have a stiff right thigh, however, and backup Steve Valiquette, who hasn’t played since the 7-3 loss to the Sharks eight games ago on Oct. 19, could get the start against the Oilers. Tortorella refused to confirm, but it makes sense.

***
         Left wing Enver Lisin skated for the first time since blocking a first-period Bruins shot with his left instep on Sunday afternoon. "The swelling is down a lot," he said, and figured that he could play Thursday.
 
***
          The Vinny Prospal-Brandon Dubinsky-Gaborik line will be reunited, Tortorella said, because he liked their play earlier in the season and because he wants to get rookie center Artem Anisimov more minutes. Against the Canucks, he said, “I liked the line with (Chris) Higgins, AA and (Ales) Kotalik.”  Lisin could play the left side of with Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan and the fourth line would apparently be Sean Avery-Brian Boyle-Aaron Voros/Donald Brashear.

****

               Avery said he was jabbed with Shane O’Brien’s stick “two or three times” from the bench during the third-period “melee” and smiled when he was told that O’Brien would face a disciplinary hearing. “I’m surprised they haven’t called me,” said Avery, “for being in the area.”
 
***
           Prospal, sporting six stitches around his left eye from a stray stick in Vancouver, said when captain Chris Drury told the team Tuesday monring that Prospal was chosen as an alternate captain, “it was a very proud moment for me.”
          In Tampa, Prospal was occasionally given the “A’ when either Tim Taylor, Marty St. Louis or Fredrik Modin were hurt. “There was a rotation, so it was not very often and not in the last three or four years I was there. So it’s a great honor. I’m very happy…especially when you think of what I went through last summer. I never thought it would turn out like this.”
          In the summer, Prospal, 34, was bought out by Tampa and was concerned about ever playing in the NHL again before being offered a one-year $1.1 million contract by the Rangers.


              
 

The Wrap from Vancouver, a 4-1 loss

Wednesday November 4, 2009 1:50 AM By Steve Zipay

              Numbers first: 4-14-5=23.

               That's the shot totals for the 9-6-1 Rangers against Canucks backup Andrew Raycroft, who made 22 saves.

               The facts: Marian Gaborik: 1 shot; Dubinsky 1, Prospal 0, Anisimov,  Avery 2. Can the Rangers really miss Enver Lisin this much?

               "I think we were passing up shots, sometimes from not great angles," said Chris Higgins, who scored his first goal of the season in Tuesday's 4-1 loss. "But sometimes you get rebounds off those shots and score some more goals up front. I don't think we're scoring enough off rebounds or in front."           

             Or scoring enough at all: Five goals in four games and the Rangers are 1-3.

             "I thought our second period, we started taking over the game, got back into it with a goal," said coach John Tortorella, who declared it a power play goal, but it came three seconds after the man-advantage expired.

            "We just can't make the mistakes we made, on their second goal (by Rick Ripien alone in front just 2:24 after the game was tied), two guys spin off the play. (I'll interrupt: One was definitely Sean Avery). I think we'll get the offense going, but I'm more concerned about positional play. I'm happy the way we defended, we gave up nine scoring chances. But we made some big mistakes."  On the first goal,Wade Redden couldn't clear the puck along the boards and Ales Kotalik didn't tie up Mikael Samuelsson, who also scored the third goal. "Scoring on second chance opportunities was the key," the former Red Wing said.

             More Torts: "The work ethic is acceptable for most people, totally unacceptable for some people and some of it is not working smart. There are some areas and some people we need a better effort from."

            Sometimes the opposing coach sums it up the best:  "The thing that changed the momentum was the four-minute power play we killed at the end of the second period," said Alain Vigneault.  The Rangers are 0-for-15 in the last four games on the power play.

               Said Higgins: "I'd rather score when we win, but it's the only goal we score and we lose. We gave up three and they were preventable. We can sharpen up in our own end a little bit; it's tough when Hank plays so well and you don't help him out on the offensive end as well."

                For the record, Dubinsky, with the pass, and Drury, assisted on Higgins' goal....Dane Byers collected 29 minutes in third period penalties. 

              The Rangers left immediately for Edmonton after the game. Guessing it was not a pleasant flight.       

Game Day: Rangers in Vancouver

Tuesday November 3, 2009 11:47 AM By Steve Zipay

                 OK, Rangers haven't won in this soon-to-be Olympic City since 1997. Throw that stat out. A little bit skewed, given the changes in the NHL. On top of that, the Canucks are banged up and jet lag should not be an issue. (Although I almost put some salt in my first cup of coffee this morning, so beware...)

                This year's squad apparently gathered for a team dinner last night, and as written here yesterday,  the No. 1 line will almost assuredly have a different third party, with the arrow pointing to LW Chris Higgins.  Unless Enver Lisin's left instep improves dramatically, I doubt he'll dress.

               Speaking of the Olympics,  the three U.S.-born Rangers who have a chance of making the American team will need some quality November play: Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury,  Brandon Dubinsky.  Just throwing darts here, think Callahan has a shot at being a fourth-liner when roster (20 skaters, 3 goalies) is announced Jan. 1

            Did you know:  Only 11 Canucks have played in 14 or 15 games. Rangers have 15, and Marian Gaborik has been in 13 as well.

              Rangers skate 11:30 (2:30 ET) so circle back for updates. And here's another open invitation to follow me at  twitter.com/stevezipay

Rangers 1, Bruins 0

Sunday November 1, 2009 6:23 PM By Steve Zipay

                  In warmups, Henrik Lundqvist wore a special mask to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Jacques Plante donning a mask for the first time in an NHL game. Then he went back to his usual attire.
                   “I wore it twice in practice,” said Lundqvist. “I hope they took pictures of it. I just wasn’t comfortable with it.”
                    Against the Bruins, Lundqvist was comfortable enough, worthy of a comparison with Plante, stopping 29 shots for his first shutout of the season in a gritty 1-0 victory. Marian Gaborik, returning to the lineup after missing two games with a sore knee, scored the game-winner on a one-timer from the slot at 15:51 of the second period.                    
                  “It was just a matter of me making the pass (from the left boards) and him hitting the shot,” said Vinny Prospal, who has developed some chemistry with Gaborik. “Even though it wasn’t a rocket, it found a way through traffic and into the net. Maybe if it somebody else shot it, maybe it would go somewhere else.”
                      But it was the Slovak right wing, with 11 goals and tied for third in the league with 19 points, who has cashed in for the Rangers this season.  He has points in 12 of 13 games this season, and without him, the Rangers scored three goals in losses to the Islanders and Wild.
                     “I think everybody feels a little more confident with a guy like that in the lineup,” said Lundqvist, who made two key stops on Mark Recchi on a second-period power play backhander and in the final minute to preserve his first whitewash since a 3-0 defeat of the Devils here on March 30.  “He’s been hurt here and there, but he has been very focused when he came back.” The Blueshirts are 9-3 with the Slovak sniper in the lineup.
                      “Halfway through the warmup, I felt good enough to play,” said Gaborik. “I’m not where I want to be but I will go out there and help anyway. It was a huge team effort and started with Hank. We have a tough road trip coming up, so this was a huge two points.”                    
                       With Chris Higgins (foot) and Sean Avery (knee) returning as well, the Rangers (9-5-1) left last evening for the longest trip of the season, a week-long, three-game journey into western Canada to face Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.
                      “It needed to be a patient, grinding-type game,” said coach John Tortorella, whose team was 1-4-1 coming in. “We almost tried to dumb it down a little bit and simply play up the wall and grind with them. They force you to play that way, so we said ‘Let’s join them’ and maybe it will cure some of our problems.”

****
                 Ryan Callahan played a rugged 17:46, with five hits, battled with 6-foot-7 Zdeno Chara, and had a team high six shots. “Cally was a warrior tonight,” said Prospal…The Rangers are 6-2 at home and 3-3-1 on the road…It was Lundqvist’s 20th shutout and 150th career victory…When scoring first, they are 7-0…Enver Lisin was hit in the foot by a shot and played just 1:55 in the third period. Center Artem Anisimov moved between Prospal and Gaborik on the No. 1 line…Rookie LW Dane Byers played a team-low 5:57 in his second Rangers game…Donald Brashear (right wrist) and Aaron Voros (healthy scratch) did not dress.
 

Marian Gaborik after skate: "I tried to push myself..."

Friday October 30, 2009 1:33 PM By Steve Zipay

             "...in order to have a good feel, but I don't think I would be a piece to the puzzle tonight. It's disappointing, but I can't do anything about it. Just have to focus on getting better for the next games."

              Here in St. Paul, Gaborik, who hadn't skated in three days after sustaining what is believed to be an injury to his right knee on Monday, had been ruled out at before the skate by coach John Tortorella, but he gave it a whirl. "Obviously this would be a special game to be out there to help the team," he said. "I tried to warm it up it felt a little better when it was warm, but not the way I was hoping it was going to feel." 

             Chris Higgins (lower body injury) and Sean Avery (right knee) also are out, and hard nosed Dane Byers was en route from Hartford to fill out the 12 forwards. P.A. Parenteau will play his second consecutive game and Donald Brashear will be back in the lineup. Aaron Voros, who joked that his Wild jersey was the best-seller in the Hockey Lodge store while he was here, also will play.

             Henrik Lundqvist will be in goal.

             More from Minnesota in a bit....

Greetings from murky Minnesota

Friday October 30, 2009 9:42 AM By Steve Zipay

            ....where I was out among the stars (the celestial variety) last night as our Continental flight lazily circled over Eau Claire and east of the city for 45 minutes thanks to a runway closure that had caused a domino effect of "saturation". Hey, at least the fellas in the cockpit didn't overshoot the airport.

              Taking no chances, I confiscated their laptops when boarding.

             Last time I was here, Dec. 20, 2007, Marian Gaborik torched the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist for five goals. I remember telling former Daily Newser John Dellapina after No. 2, "think they better put a guy on No. 10, no?" Oh, by the way, Gaborik also had an assist. He was the first player in 11 years to put up a quintet. 

             Remote chance of that happening tonight. Not even sure if Gaborik will skate this morning. I'll grab some coffee, drive over, and fill you in. Also, remember to follow me on twitter.com/stevezipay

           Later....

Morning Skate: Gaborik out, Parenteau will debut, Lundqvist in

Wednesday October 28, 2009 12:50 PM By Steve Zipay

              Marian Gaborik, injured in a collision against the Coyotes, will miss his first game as a Ranger tonight here at the Coliseum. He did not skate for the second consecutive day and coach John Tortorella would not say if he would play against his former team, the Wild, in Minnesota on Friday.

              "On the power play, we're going to have to put someone in there," said Tortorella. "Obviously we're gonna miss him."  It's an opportunity, he said, for four or five guys to get going offensively with increased ice time. 

             Twenty-six-year-old right wing P.A. Parenteau, who has 14 points in Hartford, will make his debut.  Henrik Lundqvist is in the net and Donald Brashear is scratched. On the Isles side, veteran Doug Weight is expected to play.

             Quotes from Parenteau in a few......

P.A. Parenteau recalled as possible sub for Gaborik (UPDATED)

Tuesday October 27, 2009 4:11 PM By Steve Zipay

                P.A. Parenteau has been summoned from the Hartford Wolf Pack as a potential replacement for Marian Gaborik against the Islanders tomorrow night.

               Parenteau, like Gaborik, a right wing, is the team's leading scorer; Gaborik, who injured his right leg in a collision late in the game against the Coyotes, did not practice today.

                Presumably, the Rangers are being cautious with Gaborik, who had termed the injury as "nothing major" and unrelated to groin and hip issues from the past.  Head coach John Tortorella said that today after practice as well.

                 Gaborik left the ice flexing his right leg with about five minutes left in the 5-2 defeat of the Coyotes at the Garden on Monday. My guess? He likely won’t face the Islanders.

                 Gaborik, 27, was receiving treatment this morning and in the afternoon, Parenteau was called up. The Slovak sniper underwent hip surgery last season---performed by Dr. Marc Philippon, the same surgeon who operated on Alex Rodriguez---and played just 17 games.

                   It would not be surprising for the Rangers to be cautious with Gaborik, who was tied for the league lead in goals with 10 and tied for second in points with 18. Gaborik---a free agent who signed a five-year, $37.5-million contract in July--- had been held out of preseason games with groin soreness. Tomorrow would be his first regular-season scratch.

                 “He got into a collision (with Petr Prucha near the boards) late in the game, he was a little sore and we just got him off the ice,” Tortorella said after practice.  The coach, who would not be more specific about the injury, said he was not too concerned and was simply keeping Gaborik off the ice again. 

              Parenteau, the AHL’s leading goal scorer with eight and tied for fifth in points with 14, was called up several hours later.  Parenteau, and possibly Gaborik, depending on how he feels, will participate in the morning skate at Nassau Coliseum.
              

               The 26-year-old Parenteau, who scored twice Sunday night, was one of the last cuts in training camp and has recorded multiple points in three straight games with the Pack. Last season, Parenteau had 29 goals and 78 points, and was named a First-Team AHL All-Star. In 2007-08, he scored 34 goals and added 47 assists. He played five games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006-07 before being acquired by the Rangers.
                   
****
                   Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, driving to practice here on the wet and slippery Saw Mill River Parkway, dinged a guard rail and missed practice as well. Lundqvist, who has won seven games for the Rangers (8-3-1) was uninjured and could start tonight. He sports a 2.61 goals-against-avergae and a .915 save percentage.







                       

 

Practice report: Gaborik, Callahan under the weather

Wednesday October 21, 2009 2:13 PM By Steve Zipay

                 Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan, the team's top two right wings and integral parts of the power play, were sent home, even before meetings this morning. "They were sick, colds or something, and we wanted to get them out of here to keep them away from the other guys," said coach John Tortorella.  How they feel tomorrow will determine whether they face the Devils.

               "We're not gonna overreact after one loss," Tortorella said after a fast-paced hour, which featured one drill where after a rush, the backcheckers skated hard down the ice and took a knee in the slot. "The middle of the ice is the most important part and it's to make sure they stop there," Torotorella said.

              With the RW pair missing, the lines were Prospal-Dubinsky-Lisin;  Avery-Drury-Kotalik,  Higgins-Anisimov-Voros; Brashear and Boyle were spares. This could totally change tomorrow, depending on Gaborik and Callahan, although there were no callups at the moment.

             Dubinsky, for one, enjoyed the Tuesday off as a mental break from work. "We came back strong today....we don't want to lose two in a row especially on home ice," he said.

              Lisin, who has two goals in the last two games, said he prefers to be on the ice every day. "I'm used to it," said Lisin, who grew up in Moscow. "When I was little, we would be outdoors playing or watching from like 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.," he said. Instead, he used the day to sign a lease for an apartment in White Plains.

Live game thread from Toronto: 1990s Night

Saturday October 17, 2009 6:22 PM By Steve Zipay

                 It’s 1990s Night here at the ACC. So far, waiting for warmups. I’ve heard “Comfortably Numb”, “Brown Sugar”, "Love Lies Bleeding"  and watched some clips from the Leafs 92-93 season. Not too shabby. But are any of those tunes from the 90s?

                 This from a wary John Tortorella:

                "You chip down a little bit in this league and people are gonna come and get you. It’s how you handle success. And that’s a key thing. We’re just starting this season. I’m not sure how we’re gonna react to all this stuff. We still have to work at it.... Sometimes you just lose a little bit of that edge and it can snowball on you. So that’s what we try to guard against. ....We know what’s gone on around them (the Leafs) and they’re going to be a very difficult team to play tonight, so we know that, our players are smart enough to know that."

                Some numbers.

                Marian Gaborik (6-4-10) scored and had an assist in the 7-2 battering of the Leafs at the Garden five days ago and has a point in seven straight games. Dave Creighton opened the 1955-56 season with eight points, which is the record for a 1st year Ranger. Rod Gilbert  recorded a point in the first 14 games in 1972-73.

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             Chris Drury, who will play the 800th game in his career against San Jose Monday, has 14 goals in 36 career games against the Leafs… Wade Redden, the former Senator, has 42 points in 59 career games against Toronto…Tomas Kaberle leads all Leafs in career points against the Rangers with 28.

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            Leafs won both games here in 2008-09 and three of the four games were decided by a goal, two in the shootout and one in overtime. But these are different teams.
             Joey MacDonald has played 67 career games with a 3.33 GAA. This is his second start of the season, he surrendered four goals on Oct. 13 against Colorado. The Rangers power play ranks 10th at a 26.5 rate (9-34); the team is eighth at 86.1 percent on the PK and scored two shorthanded goals.

             Join in here as the game unfolds and follow me on twitter.com/stevezipay
 

 FIRST PERIOD

            Starters: Same five skaters for third consecutive game: Redden, Gilroy, Gaborik, Prospal, Dubinsky. Redden-Gilroy have staretd four straight.

            Leafs: Komisarek, Kaberle, Mitchell, Wallin, Stempniak

            As reported: Lundqvist-MacDonald

            Among the honorees introduced: Felix Potvin, Bill Berg, Mark Osborne.

            With 13:04 left, Dubinsky whistled for interference on John Mitchell, who was trying to chase the puck along the boards in the Rangers zone. PP Leafs. Shots, 4-2 Rangers.

             First Rangers PP, Blake goes in for slashing 11:28

             Dubinsky scores with four minutes left on 4-on-4. coming down right side and banking one off near post and past MacDonald.

             END OF FIRST,  RANGERS 1-0

            Goals by Staal and Del Zotto give Rangers 3-0 lead. Ian White answers after Lundqvist stops three close-in chances. Rangers being outshot 25-19, but seems like a larger margin. Lundqvist and MacDonald traded superb glove saves: Lundqvist knocks away a deflection on a rush by Viktor Stalberg; MacDonald robs Gaborik with 5:19 left. If the Leafs had a better power play, this would be closer.

             END OF SECOND, RANGERS 3-1

             Enver Lisin's score at 2:26 starts the booing from the rafters. That makes it 4-1 and that's really all she wrote, folks. The Leafs hustled, but the Rangers countered. If they had a good power play (0-for-6), this might have been closer.  The Rangers were 1-for-4 on their ops. 34 saves for Henrik. 30 hits for the rangers to 17 for Leafs, 15 giveaways for Leafs, seven for Blueshirts. And the faceoffs? 61 percent to 39 percent, Rangers.

            FINAL, RANGERS 4, LEAFS 1   

Midnight---nah, earlier---wrapup for Sunday

Sunday October 11, 2009 9:38 PM By Steve Zipay

                     Bring on the Leafs.

                     Henrik Lundqvist will be back in goal against Toronto and G Vesa Toskala, who is expected to play on Monday.  Steve Valiquette will have a puck from tonight's win for his four-month old son, Dalton, who was at the Garden last night.

                    Good night for he and Avery in their first appearances this season. Avery's line: 10:42, three shots, two misses, five hits, and a secondary assist while falling behind the net to get the puck to Vinny Prospal on the boards, who found Artem Anisimov in front on the PP at 14:22 of the third for a 2-0 lead.

                   Some numbers:

                   The Rangers are 2-0 at home and have a six game regular-season home winning streak going back to last year.

                   Going 2 for 4 on the power play put the Blueshirts at 5 for the last 14, a blistering 35.7 percent rate.

                    Ales Kotalik has three goals in his last three games; Anisimov's goal was the first of his career. He had his first assist against Washington.

                    Marian Gaborik had an assist on Kotalik's goal: He is 4-3-7. Mike Del Zotto (2-3-5) and Prospal extended their point streaks to four games. 

                    Much more tomorrow, when Colton Orr returns, starting with the morning skate at the Garden.

Avery close, his line uncertain

Friday October 9, 2009 3:08 PM By Mark Herrmann

Live from Newark: Tortorella on Gaborik, Del Zotto, Anisimov, the PK

Monday October 5, 2009 1:19 PM By Steve Zipay

                 Same lines, d-pairs as against Ottawa in the home opener....

                 Here's the coach on Marian Gaborik's skills, fitting in and demeanor on the bench:

                 "He disguises it (his release), and its tough. It’s a situation where he always has it out there, you’re not sure if he’s gonna pass or come back and pass or is he gonna shoot it, his hands are quick. He’s as advertised."

                 Tortorella said Gaborik was well-coached by current Devs bench boss Jacques Lemaire (formely of the Wild). "He’s bought in to the way we’re gonna play....the thing that's very important is that he’s joining his teammates. He’s a guy that’s easy to like and he’s buying into the team concept with the other parts, not just the scoring. He asks questions, he’s inquisitive. I know he wants to play because he’s staring at me all the time on the bench and that’s a good thing. Rather have them burn through you than looking down at the water bottles. I’m always looking down the bench for him too. You know how I feel about the top players, they’re going to be a big part of the decision each night, win or lose."

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                    Wade Redden has several stitches above and below his left eye but reports no blurred vision....

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                   On third-line center Artem Anisimov:  "He’s a guy trying to find his way away from the puck as all young guys are this time of year who are cracking into the National Hockey League. Had a really good camp, scored some goals, did some good things for us. he needs to be stronger in certain areas, on the puck, and a lot of that is away from the puck.  But he’s a promising young guy."

****

                   On Michael Del Zotto: "There are some plays that he could get away with when he was playing in junior, a couple seam plays where he burned a hole through it and they were waiting for him. But for a 19-year-old kid, putting the pressure one him to be the quarterback on our power play, he’s handled it pretty well."

****      

                So far, the penalty kill---without Blair Betts and Fredrik Sjostrom from last season---is 5-for-6.  "It's been good. We were a little bit more aggressive (against Ottawa). With Gaborik, Dubinsky and Callahan, I’d still like to see more pressure up the ice and try to create more havoc up the ice."

*****

               Partial playlist heard while driving in on WBGO-FM. Ella Fitzgerald's  "Autumn in New York,"  John Coltrane's "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes", with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones and pianist Steve Kuhn's terrific "Sunny" and Bobby Matos live, "The African Queen."Very cool. If you want jazz on free radio to survive, send them a $20 or so.

Steve Zipay's Z-List: Five for Friday

Friday September 25, 2009 11:17 AM By Steve Zipay

             Dave Edmunds'  "Here Come The Weekend" is in the air at Chez Zipay. But let's raise the Rangers curtain with five issues, inside topics, rumblings. It's Five for Friday before we head to D.C. late tomorrow for the Sunday pre-season finale .


1. If the Rangers keep Michael Del Zotto (a no-brainer for at least nine games) and 13 forwards (reassign Grachev---$933,333 plus a bonus), Voros, Anisimov and Boyle, there remains about $1.124 under the cap to sign tryout D Alexei Semenov. Does he get $550,000? $600,000?  Dispatching one of those three forwards (to get to 12) breaks down like this: Voros, $1 mil; Anisimov, $821,600; Boyle $550,000. Grachev, 19, can be assigned to Hartford; as a Russian, he’s age-eligible. Believe Voros would have to clear waivers and then he possibly could be grabbed on recall by someone for $500,000. Still not sure Torts is sold on him, but Boyle/Anisimov are both centers. Could be Boyle (no points in four games) on way down. Unless there’s the move of Prospal to left wing, which would correctly (IMO) put Anisimov on third line and Boyle fourth line C. Which wouldn’t be good news for Voros (one assist in five games), but give the Rangers a little more wiggle room. Rosters have to be finalized and cap-friendly on Thursday, Oct. 1.


2. The Disappearing Drury. If you know him, you like him, but something’s up. The captain is rarely  available at his locker after practices---to talk baseball or camp or anything----or the games in which he’s played. Realize that he said “Shut up and play” was the new mantra, but he’s scoreless in three games and some observers are starting to wonder if he’s letting the room develop or isn’t comfortable with his role on the team and the coach. I think it’s just an aberration, but….


3. Tortorella and sparring with the media. None of the half-dozen beat writers covered the preseason game in Detroit and the next afternoon, in Boston, Andrew Gross and I lined up for the brief pregame QnA with the coach. Asked if he enjoyed the previous evening’s post-game presser without the daily chroniclers, he called it “the best bleepin hour of my career…It’s not just you guys, I hate all the bleepin’ media.” After two innocuous questions yesterday afternoon, he told Larry Brooks to “stop coaching” and chastised me for worrying too much about the lines. No prob, we’re big boys. Some of this is a yen for confrontation and because he’d rather not publicly divulge his ideas---except on his own terms, when he wants to send a message. (See: Defending Brashear in the post-game soiree last night, alleging that the booing was generated by “disrespect” from the press when the enforcer was signed in July.) Truth be told, only some of the press raised eyebrows about Brashear; others took a wait-and-see stance. At any rate, opinions on Brashear were formed long before July; fans don’t easily forget, although they will, as displayed by the Garden cheers after his second bout with the Caps’ Brandon Sugden. 

4. Some other moves could be coming, if not by Oct. 1, soon after. The Rangers are stocked with forwards and D in Hartford and could dangle some for a NHL defenseman and/or a draft pick. You get the sense that Tortorella has figured who he likes among the prospects and minor-leaguers as keepers. The question: Does that jive with Assistant GM/assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld’s assessments, as well as that of the rest of the front office?

5. Alternate captains. As written and also discussed on our weekly live chats (next one is Wednesday 1 p.m.), I think Marian Gaborik is a lock for one A. Could the other be Chris Higgins? Or is it Ryan Callahan, who seems like the hardest worker out there night in and night out?

Opinions? Reactions? The Friday floor is yours.

Reminder: Follow me (twitter.com/stevezipay) and all the Newsday sportsfolk out there as well. Good stuff daily. Last promotion: Check out the four-page Rangers/Isles/NHL preview in Sunday's paper.
 
 

Rangers 4, Red Wings 2; Avery sprains right knee

Monday September 21, 2009 10:21 PM By Steve Zipay

                  Just under nine minutes into his first appearance as a Ranger last night, Marian Gaborik gave fans a glimpse of what they might expect from the speedy Slovak---if he can stay healthy.
                   On a first-period power play, the 27-year-old right wing---who had been held out of the first four pre-season games while nursing a sore groin---collected the puck at the right point and drove down the boards and behind the Red Wings net with defenseman Brad Stuart harassing him the entire way,              
                 Using his body, he curled to the boards by the left circle and backhanded a pretty cross-ice pass to wide-open Enver Lisin, who buried an easy shot from the slot.
                 Gaborik finished with 19:38, the most for any forward, a team-high five shots, 1:49 on the penalty kill and was named the second star in the 4-2 pre-season win at Madison Square Garden.
                   But the two-time All Star who underwent hip surgery last season and played just 17 games was tested just 24 second after the puck dropped.
                   “First shift I got leveled by (Johan) Franzen,” Gaborik said afterward. “I haven’t got any games under my belt, so everything was flying around. I think it woke me up a little bit. As the game went on, I got used to things. I haven’t played at all, so…I think it went pretty good. It’s going to take some time.”
                  The Rangers (2-2-1) hope he adjusts quickly. In dire need of a game-changer on offense, the Rangers took a risk and signed Gaborik, who played eight years in Minnesota and netted 219 goals and 218 assists, to a five-year, $37.5 million deal.
                 “I thought he did some good things,” said coach John Tortorella, who pencilled in Gaborik to the right of center Vinny Prospal and Christopher Higgins. “Obviously you can see his talent. He did some good things in our own zone, he did some lousy things in our own zone. I think he’s gonna add a dimension to our team that you need in winning and that’s his creativity and just the dynamic player he is. I’m sure it was hard for him; he wants to be healthy and I thought he gave us some good minutes.”  
 
****
                 Sean Avery, who sprained his right knee in a collision with Ryan Callahan during a drill in the morning skate in Westchester and limped off the ice, will be out for at least a few days. “It depends on how quickly guys heal,” said Tortorella… Brandon Dubinsky, who skated with the team for the first time since signing a two-year deal worth $3.7 million on Saturday, watched from a suite but hopes to play against Washington on Thursday…Prospal, Callahan and Artem Anisimov (empy-netter) had the other Rangers goals…Tortorella said he might trim the roster from 25 to 23 today. My guess is that forward Pierre Parenteau will be one of the cuts.

Gaborik: I'll be on trip, doubt I'm playing

Thursday September 17, 2009 1:28 PM By Steve Zipay

                Marian Gaborik, who said his groin soreness was "improving every day", told me that he would make the trip to Detroit and Boston this weekend, but likely wouldn't play. He is a possibility for Monday's game at home against the Red Wings. If not, assume he will make his first appearance at the Garden versus the Capitals next week. 

Scrimmages, cuts to 29, 30 today

Thursday September 17, 2009 8:44 AM By Steve Zipay

                 The scrimmages are at 9 and 1, cuts late afternoon.

                 Unless something happens today, here's one (semi-alphabetical) school of thought on the 29-30 initial keepers:

                 Upfront: Artem Anisimov, Sean Avery, Tyler Arnason, Donald Brashear, Brian Boyle, Dane Byers, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Christopher Higgins, Marian Gaborik, Evgeny Grachev, Ales Kotalik, Enver Lisin, Jordan Owens, Vinny Prospal, P.A. Parenteau, Aaron Voros

                 Defense: Michael Del Zotto, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Corey Potter, Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Marc Staal, Bobby Sanguinetti, Mike Sauer, Nigel Williams

                  Of course, Henrik Lundqvist, Steve Valiquette (and maybe Chad Johnson)

                  Back later....

Shorts from Torts....

Wednesday September 16, 2009 5:39 PM By Steve Zipay

                  From the coach:

                  Lundqvist/Chad Johnson will play 30 minutes each tonight here at The Rock... "Vinny Prospal will center (Sean) Avery and (Enver) Lisin and you may see Grachev a little on the right side"...Only switch is Jordan Owens in tonight for Dan LaCouture. "We wanted to see him in a National Hockey League game..."I thought Anisimov played well (vs Bs), the line struggled at certain times, but played pretty well. Brian Boyle? Much better second half, good shifts in the third period." He said Boyle won't be on the roster as a swing C/D. "If he's gonna win a job on the team, it's gonna be there (at center)..."  Sanguinetti: "I want to see more of Del Zotto and Gilroy right now, but that doesn't knock him out. He's gonna get a game." Seemed lukewarm on Heikkinen...Marian Gaborik: "He skated again today. I haven't thought about him or anybody else as far as Detroit/Boston games...He had another hard skate today. Hasn't been any complaints."

Gaborik: No scrimmage, but he'll skate

Monday September 14, 2009 2:08 PM By Mark Herrmann

          Marian Gaborik was getting ready to go on the ice, just not as part of a scrimmage in which his group was taking part at camp. Team 2, the one with the depth chart that listed  Gaborik on the right wing with Sean Avery and Vinny Prospal, scrimmaged in the afternoon session and is ready to do its conditioning work afterward. A team spokesman said that Gaborik, off the ice as a precaution the previous two days, is expected to skate, a taem spokesman said.

Gaborik rests again, Dubinsky still holding out

Sunday September 13, 2009 2:26 PM By Steve Zipay

 
                        The Rangers are still minus-2 for training camp.
                        Winger Marian Gaborik, with what is believed to be a tweaked groin, was held off the ice for the second day and out of a grueling 45-lap skate. And center Brandon Dubinsky, entangled in a contract dispute, missed his second day. Gaborik left the training center without speaking to reporters.               
                        Defenseman Alexei Sememov , 28, joined the squad for a tryout on an invite, flying in from Florida last night. “I’m a big body (6-foot-6), so I just want to go out there and play good defense, I’ve got a heavy shot,” said Semenov, who was 2-10-12 in 69 games over two seasons with the Sharks. “I feel I have a good chance.”
                         The smoothest skaters in today’s drills so far: Sam Klassen, Roman Horak, Tomas Kundratek, Sean Avery and Ilkka Heikkinen… There will be two scrimmages Monday
 

Rangers Already Cautious with Marian Gaborik

Saturday September 12, 2009 2:40 PM By Steve Zipay

                Marian Gaborik, who received a five year, $37.5 million deal this summer, is already a little achy.

                Gaborik was excused from the first day of 18 laps with the team at the training camp in Westchester, and will be on the bike instead of joining tonight's 3-mile-run.

                 “He was skating everyday, it’s was just a little sore from that," said head coach John Tortorella. "We don’t want to do anything stupid here. We want to make sure he’s ready to play when the regular season starts. We have to manage that.”

                 Tortorella said the Sloavak right wing might skate tomorrow, when aerobic drills take center stage.
 

Tortorella on Dubinsky, Prospal, Gaborik, Brashear

Friday September 11, 2009 2:08 PM By Steve Zipay

                 The jury remains out on Brandon Dubinsky.  His agent, Kurt Overhardt, is talking with Rangers brass today, but here's Torts' take:

                    If Dubinsky is not in camp tomorrow: "I can't speak for Dubi, but for us, this kind of thing happens, I'm not sure where it's gonna go. It's not like we hold grudges....that needs to play out. It will not affect our camp, we're going to go out about our business as a team."

                  In discussing Vinny Prospal, he noted that he can play left wing and center, and  "who knows what happens to the center position in the next couple of days..."

***

                  Torts said that Gaborik and a few other players will not make the 3-mile runs to limit the chances of incurring injuries, in Gabby's case, groin/hip surgery. He said like the Yankees are doing with ARod, the Rangers staff will keep in touch with his surgeon throughout the season. "We have to manage that situation," Torts said, indicating that Gaborik would likely be held out of some practices."The games are what's important," he said. 

****

                  The coach declared that Donald Brashear's blindside playoff hit on Blair Betts "was dirty", but that the pressure and emotion of the moment was a factor. He said the value of Brashear is that he is a better offensive player who could be used in different combinations than Colton Orr. But he complimented Orr for trying to improve his overall game.  One flaw: He didn't handle reduced fourth-line ice time well.

****

                    On when he'll have a better sense of the final squad: 

                    "My focus is those last three exhibition games, you're pretty much down to your team. It's hard to teach with big numbers. Those (three) games are spread out and we have a lot of teaching days there. Not just conditioning, but speed." 

Day 3 report: Dubinsky sharper after Drury surprise

Wednesday September 2, 2009 12:39 PM By Steve Zipay

                    About 10:20 a.m., after 20 minutes of skating, Brandon Dubinsky, in the center ice faceoff circle for the white team, was balancing a puck on his helmet, getting ready to drop it to open today's informal scrimmage.

                    Captain Chris Drury was in blue across from him and No. 23 won this one with a veteran move.

                    Rather than wait for Dubinsky to lean forward and let the puck fall, Drury reached up and slapped it off and behind the young center, starting a blue team rush the other way that finished with Drury roofing a close-in shot over Steve Valiquette's left shoulder.

                     Dubinsky, still unsigned but his upbeat self, rebounded nicely. He scored twice on the same shift later---granted, these are long shifts, several minutes each. He lasered a shot under the crossbar past Matt Zaba from the left dot and then scored again from in front to trim the Blue lead to 4-3....He also set up Brian Boyle with a backhand pass earlier, but Zaba stabbed Boyle's rising shot from the slot.

                    Bits and pieces: Donald Brashear set up Patrick Rissmiller for a high backhanded flick past Zaba from in tight...Corey Potter zipped a wrister past Zaba as well....Dan Girardi was paired with Potter... Evgeny Grachev played back on D for awhile near the end of the workout...Marian Gaborik took in some evening matches at the U.S. Open Tuesday night and said he hoped to see more...Wade Redden stayed off the ice for weight room work....Boyle---who worked out this summer in Foxboro with a trainer for the Patriots---drove an hour from his home every morning. "Needed that coffee," he said...Now, he's been serving as chauffeur in White Plains, picking up six players at various hotels in his Tahoe to drive to the rink...Plenty of U2 playing in the locker room...Drury, Gaborik, Chris Higgins, Brashear and Ales Kotalik (due to arrive this afternoon from Europe) will appear from 7 to 9 in the MSG Theatre lobby at an introductory event for season-ticket subscribers. We'll be there, check Twitter.com/stevezipay and also back here for comments on the scene...

Scenes from pre-camp Day 2....

Tuesday September 1, 2009 2:14 PM By Steve Zipay

           From behind the glass, scribbling away and now the translation:

           Chris Drury, Sean Avery and Steve Valiquette (absent yesterday) were on the ice for the loose, close to two hour-session....Vinny Prospal eventually will be en route from Tampa,  Ales Kotalik due in tomorrow....Drury at one point was centering Marian Gaborik (on the left) and Ryan Callahan...Avery moaned when he clanged a wrister off the crossbar behind Matt Zaba...In one of the lighter moments, Avery was flying toward Dan Girardi down the left wing when Girardi tumbled. As Avery flashed by, Girardi snapped his skate with a stick and Avery splashed, complaining and gesturing from his back for a penalty call while Girardi laughed...No refs, Sean!...From the left side, Gaborik ripped a wrister that beat Valiquette stick side about an hour in....Valiquette and his wife, FYI, welcomed a son, Dalton Robert, on June 1....Girardi was paired with Wade Redden for part of the skate...Michal Rozsival skated on his own afterward...Dubinsky centered Brashear and Pat Rissmiller...Aaron Voros was helping out, arranging for a car wash service after the workout.... Spoke briefly with speedy Enver Lisin, who reminds me a little (OK not the speed part) of Fedor Tyutin...Check back here for that and thoughts from Marian Gaborik....

At the Rangers scrimmage...

Monday August 31, 2009 2:56 PM By Steve Zipay

                  Okay, away we go...

                  Today's morning on-ice scrimmage was organized by the players---no coaches are allowed there yet---and had one goaltender: Matt Zaba. The other net was protected---except for the corners---by the canvas shooting cover.

                   Among the defensemen taking shifts: Marc Staal, Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Dan Girardi, Bobby Sanguinetti, Matt Gilroy, Corey Potter, Michael Del Zotto, Ilkka Heikkinen. Pulled in a tad late, may have missed a few who were in the facility for workouts or testing...

                  Wrote about Dubinsky previously. Other forwards: Marian Gaborik, Chris Higgins, Donald Brashear, Ryan Callahan, Evgeny Grachev, Pat Rissmiller, Brodie Dupont, Andres Ambuhl, Brian Boyle, Enver Lisin, Jordan Owens, Dane Byers. 

                Unseen for today (but will be around later in the week apparently): Lundqvist, Valiquette, Drury, Prospal, Kotalik, Avery....

****

                Main locker room layout has changed:  Drury's spot has shifted away from the crowded main entrance a couple spots to the left,  Higgins is in Orr's ex-locker next to Drury, Staal is in Gomez' slot a few down....Brashear's space is across the room next to Dubi and near Lisin...Gaborik is in Naslund's old space, next to Prospal; Kotalik's No. 12 is in Staal's old spot; Rissmiller wearing 19; Potter (44) is in Sjostrom's former locker; Arnason (39) in Betts'....One of the informal lines was (don't read anything at all into it): Brashear-Dubi-Lisin...        

****

                   Not a lot of access, some introductions, but gave players their space. Many left right after the skate..Had short conversations with Staal, Redden, Potter, more on that coming up

State of the Union: John Tortorella

Wednesday August 19, 2009 7:53 AM By Steve Zipay

                 The Rangers coach held court at the U.S. Olympic orientation camp and weighed in on Vinny Prospal, Marian Gaborik, Scott Gomez, Mark Messier and other topics. Jeff Klein (not me) over at The Times was there and has a good summary here:

Chris Drury: Healed and, as always, hopeful

Wednesday August 5, 2009 7:06 PM By Steve Zipay

                Chris Drury shook my extended hand with his right one today and autographed photos for youngsters at the Rangers training complex. He didn't wince doing either. The fracture that hamstrung him in the playoffs healed after three additional weeks in a brace. "No golf, couldn't do anything," he said and declined to have cosmetic surgery to improve the appearance of his mitt.

                 In an interview, Drury, the captain of a surgically-recrafted team for the second consecutive season, offered some thoughts on former teammates (he and Paul Mara had spoken earlier about the upcoming Yanks-Red Sox series), and ex-Sabres teammate Ales Kotalik, with whom he will be reunited; speedy Marian Gaborik, Donald Brashear and his own participation in U.S.A. hockey's Olympic training camp.

                 Essentially, he said the issue of insurance for American players has been resolved and had been told that the U.S. invitational camp (starting Aug. 16 in Woodridge, Illinois and which Ryan Callahan also will attend) was more of a teaching session than a tryout. "No one's going to be trying to knock people off the team," he said. Drury has played in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics and predicted that coming back to the NHL after the two weeks in Vancouver wouldn't be as much of an adjustment for him because the games will be on NHL-sized ice.

                How much the Games might affect the sharpness of Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is another issue.

                More on this on newsday.com later and in the paper tomorrow.

Sean Avery on Donald Brashear, accountability, offense and the Olympics

Tuesday August 4, 2009 3:12 PM By Steve Zipay

                  Between working out with noted trainer Pat Manocchia at La Palestra, travelling, and spending some evenings at his Warren Street club, Sean Avery today joined youngsters on the ice at a youth camp at the Rangers training complex in Greenburgh, N.Y., Before lacing up his skates,  Avery talked about his newest teammates, his coach and the upcoming season: 

                  On Donald Brashear: “I know he’s a scary dude…I’ve never fought him; I’ve never been dumb enough to do that… It’s always good to have a presence physically on the team, whether it’s a guy on the back or a guy upfront, I think it’s something that’s important, and as much as people say it’s not a part of the game, it is. It was certainly bittersweet to see Colton (Orr) go, I’m happy that he got a nice contract and he definitely deserves it. But it’s a new season and Brash will definitely be welcome in this dressing room and be part of our team for sure.” When reminded that Brashear---a former Flyer---had received tips from Joe Frazier during the lockout, he said: “I don’t know if Joe Frazier has enough left in the tank, I know Brash does, that’s all I’m worried about “

                 On the Olympics and the two-week break in February: “Personally, I don’t ever really probably have to worry about it, because if they ever asked me, I probably would…well, who knows (laughs), but that’s so far away…I’m pretty sure about that (not happening). It’s good for some of us to rest…Obviously, Henrik’s gonna be there, Gabby and maybe Dru…that’s just something every team’s gonna have to deal with, let’s get through training camp first.”

                  On camp, which opens Sept. 12: “The biggest thing is the opportunity everyone’s gonna get coming into camp, nothing’s set in stone as to who’s gonna play where and who’s gonna play with who. I think everyone is going to have to come in and earn a job. It’s just gonna be a fresh start…. I’ve been in contact with Torts quite a bit over the summer. He’s laid it out to us that we’ve got to be prepared to come and work. That’s exactly what this team needs, it hasn’t been a precedent as much as it could have been in the last couple years. Conditioning and being prepared mentally are probebaly the two biggest things he’s talked to me about.”

                  On the season: “There’s gonna be a lot of accountability, whether its Game 2 or Game 80…(his benching in the playoffs)  was just kind of setting the precedent and laying the groundwork…. When you get on the phone with guys, there’s an excitement and I think we’re intrigued with what he’s gonna bring…This is gonna be a team that plays hard together….I know that’s the way I would like it to be.”

                 On Marian Gaborik: “That’s a whole different level. He’s the guy we’re gonna count on and I think he’s prepared for that, he’s get some of the supporting cast from us. But it’s gonna be exciting to watch him every night because there’s a few guys in the league that are at his level and it’s gonna be fun to play with him.”

                  On whether the team has enough offense: There’s lots of lines that don’t have the most skilled guys in the world who get the job done, score goals. I don’t think that’s gonna be the biggest issue: it’s how we come together as a team. I think they talked about how everyone liked each other some much on the team last year. I don’t know what happened there but, it’s about playing hard together, that’s the most important thing. I think if we dictate the tone early in camp and we change the identity of this team, that’s what’s gonna help us score goals.”

                  On Chris Higgins: “Higgins is gonna be a big part of out team; playing against him the last couple of years, I know he’s a real solid player and is probably gonna fit in our system and Torts’ system pretty well.”

                 On younger players: “I don’t know a lot of them but obviously (Matt) Gilroy, they’re gonna want him to step in and play…It’s easy for a young guy to come in and work hard. I hope all the kids come into camp and I hope they push us. That’s important too, they better give us a run for our money.”

        

 
 

By the numbers....10, 87, 21, 12 (UPDATE)

Sunday July 19, 2009 9:07 AM By Steve Zipay

Questions as a busy day draws down....

Monday July 13, 2009 11:36 PM By Steve Zipay

Random thoughts in the mist before calling it a night:

Did Ryan Callahan cash in by an extra $500,000 a year? Maybe. But assume the Rangers look on it as an investment.

Prediction: I don't think the dough goes to his head.

Enver Lisin for Korpi. If Lisin can rachet up his D, I'm told, he will be a keeper. If not here, elsewhere. One thing: Korpi should get more minutes in the desert than in the Apple, maybe with Petr Prucha.

Some intriguing possibilities in the Garden with Marian Gaborik, Artem Anisimov, Ales Kotalik, Lisin, and down the pike, Evgeny Grachev.

Just read some comments around the ether-sphere. Had to chuckle at the couple who moaned that now the Rangers have too many shooters and not enough passers. The polar opposite of the wails last year. Can't please everybody.

Tomorrow, if I feel the urge (maybe one of you perfessers out there will grab the torch), just total the shots from last year's roster before the trade deadline to this year's roster so far. If the Rangers proved anything last year, it's that you can't pass the puck into the cage. Unless it's vacant.

Oh yeah, what pulled me through the brutal traffic yesterday? Darden Smith's "Native Soil"; Roger McGuinn, who turned, my god, 67, and the underrated Guy Clark.

"The shrimpers and the ladies

Are out in the beer joints

Drinkin' em down, for they sail with the dawn

They're bound for the Mexican Bay of Campeche

And the deckhands are singing "Adios Jole Blon...."

It's a wrap for UFA Day 1: Marian Gaborik and Donald Brashear

Wednesday July 1, 2009 10:29 PM By Steve Zipay

Put it in the books.

Free-agency Day 1 is over for the Rangers and with these results: Marian Gaborik and Donald Brashear, about as different as two players can be.

A day after the Rangers created some salary-cap space by trading Scott Gomez and the remaining five years on his $51.5-million contract to Montreal, general manager Glen Sather used the dough to land Gabori, the legitimate sniper that the offensively-challenged team desperately needed.

Gaborik, a 27-year-old Slovakian right wing who played his entire career with Minnesota and was considered one of the top free agents available, agreed to a five-year, $37.5 million contract.

“He’s certainly in the top ten” among elite forwards in the league, Sather said of Gaborik, who has scored 30 goals five times in eight seasons, including 42 in 2007-08. In contrast to the Wild’s defense-first philosophy, Sather said, “We’re going to have a very up-tempo speed game and this guy fits the bill to a T.”

I can attest to that. I was in St. Paul the night he torched Henrik for five goals. Dec, 21, 2007.

At 6-foot-1, 200, Gaborik is not as imposing as the last right wing on Broadway of this stature: Jaromir Jagr. “Gaborik gets by with smarts and quick,” said Sather. “Great shot, has tremendous acceleration. Jagr in the late stages, slowed the game down. But I think Gaborik is quicker than Jaromir was when he was young.”

One glitch in the picture could be Gaborik’s health. In four of the last five years, he has played 65 games or less. But Sather said the team’s doctors had evaluated him and spoke to the surgeons who performed hip surgery last season.

“The first game he played against us, he was dangerous anytime he was on the ice,” said Sather. “We looked at medical reports, he’s very healthy.” Mario Lemieux and Michal Rozsival had the same surgery,” Sather said. “We don’t expect any problems.”

In the early afternoon, the Rangers were in discussions with Ottawa for disgrunted winger Dany Heatley, who had requested a trade but only to certain teams. So when the Senators brokered a swap with Edmonton, he refused to waive his no-trade clause, and the talks with the Rangers continued.

Although reports indicated that the discussions ended when Ottawa insisted on including Brandon Dubinsky in the deal, Sather asserted that the talks “didn’t fall apart. We ha d to have more than one ball in the air and we had to wait until today to talk to Gaborik, I had a pretty good idea that he was interested in coming to New York, Gaborik was the guy we had targeted from the beginning… I’m not gonna get into what they were asking for, we didn’t have to give up anybody in our lineup, the money’s the same, the term is the same,”

Earlier in the day, knowing that unrestricted free agent Colton Orr wouldn’t be back (he signed a four-year, $4-million deal with Toronto) the Rangers dropped $2.8 million over two years on veteran enforcer Donald Brashear, who last played for Washington and blindsided Blair Betts in the playoffs and broke a bone near his eye. Sather said he had “no concerns. I think our players will be excited to have him in the room, they know he’s gonna be the man…He’s quicker (than Orr), he can get in on the puck a little faster, and under the style of the game we’re gonna be playing, we just think he’s gonna be a little more effective for us.”

Among the other players whom the Rangers contacted were Ottawa forward Chris Neil and Nik Antropov, who finished the season in New York after being acquired from the Leafs at the trade deadline. The Rangers avoided Marian Hossa, who persuaded Chicago to give him $62.4 million over 12 years.