It's a wrap: Friday's scrimmage, shootout
In his first four-on-four group scrimmage (featuring very little D), Marty Biron looked pretty relaxed, leaning back with glove arm or stick resting on the crossbar when the play was down ice. Turned out he may have been pretty warm, later asking Henrik Lundqvist in the locker room whether the temperature was high for the rink. After all, he practiced in a damp, chilly rink in Syosset last season, as he explained to reporters.
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After Ryan Callahan had scored twice on Biron, Drury beat Henrik Lundqvist with a low slapper under the skates from the left circle…Humorous moment: Lundqvist fell backward and snatched a floating puck out of the air above the goal line, and Wade Redden looked to a group behind the corner glass for a ruling. I waved it off. Play continued….Lots of players clanged iron, especially Brandon Dubinsky and Matt Gilroy. Sounded like a bell tower on Sunday….At one point, three of the four blue skaters with Drury were defensemen: Del Zotto, Gilroy, Valentenko….After Drury’s scrimmage-winner---he wired a shot just under the crossbar coming into the right circle---Dubinsky’s hug near the bench nearly turned into a mugging….
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In shootout practice at the end, four players lined up against Lundqvist. Zuccarello scored three straight, all with moves close in. Lundqvist made his share of saves on Avery, Evgeny Grachev and Steve Eminger.
“He has really quick hands,” the King said of the Hobbit, “and a long stick. He sees the game really well. This was half-speed.” In camp, the speed and intensity will be higher, and “good players look better.”
Zuke might really be a plus in shootouts, as should Alexander Frolov (8-22 lifetime).
Remember, P.A. Parenteau, who had three shootout goals, two of them game-deciders, signed a one-year deal with the Islanders. And Ales Kotalik had one in four attempts. ). Of the other players who are gone, Higgins, Lisin, and who can forget Olli Jokinen, were 0-for-3.
The Rangers had seven overall in 27 attempts (Prospal, Christensen (18-35 lifetime and with a game-decider against the Devils) and Gaborik were the other successful scorers. The Rangers were 3-4 in shootouts, including Chad Johnson’s loss against
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Todd White had an icepack on his left shoulder (surgery in June) afterward, but in good spirits…Michal Rozsival will skate with the team next week; he was working out and on the bike today….
Enjoy the holiday weekend everybody, fire up the tunes, training camp's approaching
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