Goal Line Report
King of The Hill
by Patrick Hoffman on 03/29/12 at 12:04 AM ET
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That is exactly what the New York Rangers are tonight after their 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg.
This was a gutsy performance by a team that never quits. Tonight, the Blueshirts came back from a 2-0 deficit on goals by defenseman Michael Del Zotto (1 goal and 1 assist) and team captain Ryan Callahan (1 goal and 1 assist).
After that, it was the team’s scoring depth that took over the game. Brian Boyle (1 goal) scored the game-winning goal just over three minutes into the third period followed by a power play goal from Derek Stepan (1 goal).
It is performances like tonight that the Blueshirts are going to need if they want to succeed in the postseason. There could be nights when the likes of Marian Gaborik (2 assists) Brad Richards (1 assist) and even Callahan (1 goal and 1 assist) are shut down so when that happens, the team’s scoring depth needs to step up and take care of business.
Speaking of taking care of business, Rangers’ starting goaltender Henrik Lundqvist did that tonight by stopping 22 of 24 shots for his 38th victory of the season. It was his 250th career win, which puts him tied for 44th on the all-time wins list by a netminder with the legendary Johnny Bower.
For the Blueshirts, it was their fifth win in six games. The team now has 105 points and has a five point lead in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Rangers will be back in action on Friday night to take on the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden. It should be a pumped-up crowd as the Rangers are playing good hockey as they get set for the postseason.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: brian+boyle,
derek+stepan,
henrik+lundqvist,
johnny+bower,
michael+del+zotto,
montreal+canadiens,
new+york+rangers,
pittsburgh+penguins,
ryan+callahan,
winnipeg+jets
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About Goal Line Report
Patrick has a tremendous passion for hockey. Besides covering the Rangers and the NHL for Kukla's Korner, you can also find Patrick's work over at Sportsnet.ca, The Red Light District Hockey Blog, NHL Home Ice, and Liam Maguire's Ultimate Hockey web site.
Prior to writing for the above mentioned outlets, you could find Patrick's musings at hockey web sites/outlets such as TheHockeyNews.com, TheFourthPeriod.com, Spector's Hockey, Hokeja Vestnesis, Blueshirt Bulletin, SNYRangersBlog.com and many more.
For questions, comments and hip checks, feel free to e-mail Patrick at patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com.