Gaborik has a high level of hockey intelligence; he’s not’ just’ all speed and shot. A few weeks ago his cross-ice pass to set up a Rangers goal was spectacular while during the Devils game on Tuesday Gaborik had two assists, primarily because of his ability to carry the puck and create offense himself.

Gaborik has a high level of vision on the ice which aids his line mates as well as himself. As talented as they may be let’s not overlook the fact that Gaborik is having a great season playing with a rookie call-up and a second year 21 year old as his line mates. Not the same proven supporting cast the likes of Giroux or Malkin enjoy.

During his subpar second season with the Rangers it was widely assumed Gaborik needed a quality center to fulfil his talent. While he is certainly no Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin or Claude Giroux in regards to creativity, the assumption Gaborik couldn’t create offensive himself does Gaborik a disservice. A quality goal scorer with defensive-first teams in Minnesota Gaborik has produced without ever having an elite line-mate for an extended period of time.

It’s not all offense with Gaborik though. He’ll never win a Selke trophy but you had to have a defensive ability to play for Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota and while he’s had his share of mistakes in New York, particularly this season Gaborik has shown a willingness to back check and help out defensively. There are not many elite ‘finesse’ players that buy into the team concept the way the Slovak has done in New York. Just look at the list of gaffes Ilya Kovalchuk has on his resume since moving to New Jersey; a classic example of talent isn’t everything.

It was nice to see Gaborik get the All Star Game MVP this season. It was reward for a player that is more than often not given the credit he deserves. Rangers’ fans should appreciate they have a quality goal scorer and a quality player on their club with Marian Gaborik.

The Rangers loss to the Devils; there was still a lot to like. The way they conceded the tying goal hurts, but ask the Phoenix fans about Brad Richards’ game winner a few weeks back and it just shows that luck comes and goes.

The thing that most stood out for me in the Devils game was the amount of high quality chances the Rangers created/had. Credit Brodeur for making several top quality saves but it’s been a while since the Rangers had this many quality chances in one game. Again though it comes down to one thing: conversion.

It’s time to start worrying about Brad Richards. He had a few peaks and valleys through the season but he’s probably playing his worst hockey of the year at the moment. Some people suggest an injury but I’m not sure what to think. One thing is sure though, there’s not a single aspect of his game that’s firing right now. He needs to be better and quickly.

That stag weekend I’m attending? Anarchy is planned. Sunday night will be the peak; Cuban’s, whisky and Superbowl all in abundance. I’m the only Giants fan amongst Miami, Packers, Bears, Buccs and Chiefs fans. Luckily there is no Pats fan although I’m pretty confident my friends will be rooting for the Pats to spite me. And yes, there really is a Chiefs fan here in the UK.

Carl Hagelin has played 15 games less than Brandon Dubinsky this season and is only 3 points behind his considerably richer teammate.

You want an example of how Del Zotto is improving defensively this year? In the first period against the Sabres, his positional play on Kassian was excellent. He kept Kassian out of Lundqvist’s line of sight and allowed Lundqvist to see the shot all the way, making it an easy stop for the goalie. Subtle but solid play from Del Zotto.

How can the Rangers survive subpar seasons from the likes of Anisimov, Richards and Dubinsky? 13 different players have game winners for the Rangers this season. Clutch contributions all over the roster.

Someone had a great statistic on twitter during the All Star game: Marian Gaborik has scored on 8 of his last 17 shots on Henrik Lundqvist. Wow.

Derek Stepan is going through a period recently where he simply cannot get on the score sheet, much like Anisimov. The difference? Stepan is still making plays as evidenced by his great chance in the overtime period against the Devils. How often have you noticed Anisimov make such a notable offensive contribution (regardless of end result). You don’t. I’ve always worried about the influence Anisimov’s fragile confidence has on his game. When he’s on he looks like a potential star but when he’s off, well he’s almost a waste of a roster spot. If this poor stretch goes on much longer his Rangers career may be in threat.

Sometimes it’s the little things that tell you about a player. During the Devils game Ryan McDonagh got to the puck before a Devil to get the icing call. His body positioning was exceptional and there was no way the Devil was getting to the puck first despite coming in quick. McDonagh rarely makes mistakes, is a very heady player and simply put, is a revelation, although you already knew that.

It’s amazing the Rangers haven’t missed Mike Sauer more. Huge credit has to go to the team’s overall commitment to defense– the team wide mindset, as well as the blueline corps. One of the THN writers questioned this week whether this ‘inexperienced blueline’ can keep it going. I have no concerns especially when you factor in Marc Staal getting back to his best.

Mats Zuccarello had a 3 point game in the AHL All Star game. Just saying…..

Marc Staal was the only Ranger that I think should have cracked this list.  Staal is one of the best defensive defensemen in the league and has made a career shutting down the league’s best. Obviously Buccigross kept prior seasons in mind when composing this list with some of these rankings.

Marian Gaborik

• Skills Challenge Relay
• Elimination Shootout

Dan Girardi

• Shooting Accuracy (passer)

Carl Hagelin

• Fastest Skater (side note: he only loses if he blows a tire)
• Elimination Shootout

Henrik Lundqvist

• Elimination Shootout

The remaining contest listings can be found here.

• This one now makes 15 of the past 18 games these teams have played each other that has been decided by one goal.
• This game was an incredibly physical one, as expected.  It seemed like Boyle was a Lucic-seeking missile every time he was on the ice, and pretty much everyone had that extra edge this afternoon.
• Once the second period started, the offense began to come through.  4 of the 5 goals came in the second, and had McQuaid’s shot not deflected off of Brian Boyle’s stick, it could have easily been all the scoring.
• Brandon Dubinsky was the one Ranger I felt really struggled in this one.  It seemed like he tried to do too much physically and got thrown off his game.  He missed his coverage on the Ference (more on him later) goal and seemed more or less lost in both ends of the ice.
• I’m going to get all the critiques of the Rangers overall play out in this one bullet.  The power play looked god-awful again today.  If the last one was not a 4-on-3 for 5 minutes, it would have been another wasted opportunity.  I thought the Rangers turned the puck over far too many times at the top of the their defensive zone.  The Bruins point men did a nice job keeping clearing plays in, but too much through the middle and miscommunications on the breakout could have cost the Blueshirts a lot more than it did.  Lastly, they seemed a little soft in the slot area.  Boston does a great job of creating time and space in the offensive zone, but you have to clamp down.  But overall, they played a very solid game in both ends.
• The heart and will that this team has blocking shots is really something isn’t it?
• I fully believe that this game can be played perfectly.  It rarely happens, but you have to strive for it every single time you step on the ice.  I love that Torts has engrained that message in this team.
• I thought Brad Richards played a much better game today.  He had an assist and 6 SOG.  Much more effective than he has been recently.
• Marian Gaborik was obviously the star of the show today.  He had a tough assignment in Chara and managed to put 2 in the back of the net.  He stuck with the goal in overtime, putting the third rebound past Tuuka Rask for the game winner.
• Good call on the musical chair line combos Suit…
• Hank played his usual Vezina caliber game for the Rangers with 32 saves.  He is making all of the saves he needs to and a ton he has no business making.  He very much embodies the success of this team.  I thought Tuuka Rask played an exceptional game as well.  I believe that he is the better goalie in the Boston tandem and kept the Rangers from putting some distance between the teams in the middle of the second.
• There was so much in this game that was worth discussing, but for the sake of keeping the length of the recap reasonable, I’ll close with this.  Ference’s hit on McDonagh was absolutely gutless.  I hope Shanny takes a good long look at this play.  Exactly the type of hit that needs to be removed from the game.

The Rangers need to keep up the intensity from this tilt and prevent a let down game when they return home to host Winnipeg on Tuesday at 7pm.

Marian Gaborik won’t get too much criticism around here just yet because he has still been the Rangers best offensive weapon and more often than not has been the catalyst – along with his line – for many victories this season. However Gaborik has been running on empty in the past few games much like how Brad Richards is in a hole, while Artem Anisimov has completely disappeared and even Ryan Callahan hasn’t been at his best.

This communal meander towards an offensive slump is terrible timing for the Rangers and only emphasises the absence of Brandon Dubinsky and places too much pressure on the young and overachieving defense. Coach Tortorella needs to find a solution to two offensive problems at the same time; the abysmal powerplay and the top six’s struggles. Given the talent at the coach’s disposal you would think one would answer the other.

One solution may be to remove Wolski from the line-up; he hasn’t added much and has detracted from the team first approach. However, whatever the coach tries in order to awaken his offensive weapons, it comes down to the players being responsible for their own play to change the worrying trend that’s beginning to emerge.

Brad Richards needs to be much better, both on the puck and going backwards. His line need to control the puck more efficiently and generate more scoring chances. However, whatever issue you think of it all comes back to the top six as two complete lines, as a unit, needing to be better. The Hagelin – Boyle led line cannot be the Rangers best line on a consistent basis.

The Rangers need more from the top six, plain and simple. They cannot expect to stay near the top of the conference without more from their offensive go-to-players. Looking at the teams atop the East, Boston is getting production from its key guys, Philadelphia is getting production from its key guys and with Alex Ovechkin finally waking up so too are the Capitals. If the Rangers want to keep pace someone needs to re-ignite this offense.

That  brings us to Girardi, who garnered a lot of attention when Tortorella ripped the fan ballot, as Girardi’s name was not on the ballot initially. The fan write-in campaign fell short, but never fear, the selection process was fair and Girardi was elected to the All Star Game, and deservedly so. Girardi does not have the flashy numbers, nor does he have the big game physical presence that others bring.

No, instead Girardi led the young Rangers blue line that was without Marc Staal and Mike Sauer for extended periods. Girardi became the rock on the blue line that the Rangers needed during that time period, and helped lead them to an NHL best 27-9-4 record through the first half of the season.

Girardi’s selection means that Michael Del Zotto, having an All Star caliber season himself, was left off the roster. It’s tough to call Del Zotto’s omission a snub, considering the rest of the All Star’s selected.

Overall, the selection process was pretty fair when looking at the rosters, but there will always be people that have issues with it.

Marian Gaborik. In December we discussed the possibility of whether Gaborik was the league’s best right wing this season. That kind of says it all about the year he’s having. On pace to establish a new career high in goals, Gaborik is flirting with the magical 50 mark. Despite occasional stretches without production he’s been remarkably consistent and blew past his subpar 10/11 season goal total with less than half the season gone. Gaborik is the Rangers best offensive talent and he’s showing it. Fully healthy, he looks explosive; the sky’s the limit this season. A+

Ryan Callahan. The most underrated captain in the league? The best player in the league no one ever talks about? The Rangers captain does it all. He’s 4^th in the league in hits, was on course for a 30 goal season and gives 100% every single shift. Seven power play goals, three game winners and a short-hander suggest Callahan produces in every scenario. If there was any kind of criticism of Callahan it may be that he’s taken a few too many penalties this season but that would be nitpicking in a brilliant season for the best Rangers captain in several seasons. A+

Brandon Dubinsky. This is a tough grade because it depends what your expectations are for the talented Alaskan. Dubinsky has had a pretty rough first half even though he’s clearly improved recently. The bottom line however is that for a player making around $4m annually, counted on to be an offensive contributor, a physical leader on a blue collar team then 5 goals and 21 points do not cut it. Nor does the 6% shooting percentage or the meagre 76 shots. Luckily for Dubinsky, the team has great depth and have coped without consistent production from him. Slowly turning his year around, it’s almost like a new addition making the Rangers potentially even more dangerous. C-

Derek Stepan. Please remember this kid is 21. He’s centering the top line on the NHL’s best team (points wise), is likely to comfortably surpass his rookie totals and doesn’t look out of place at all. Stepan was an eagerly anticipated prospect but I’m not sure many people thought he would be this good, this quickly. He still has some developing to do, like his shot selection, but when his contract expires he’ll likely be a lot better financially next time he signs on the dotted line. Stepan is scoring important goals (but not enough), playing a pivotal role in Gaborik’s bounce back year and is growing up right before our eyes. Rarely do you see Stepan make a bad decision and his passing ability is incredible, as we saw once again throughout the Coyotes win last night. A huge future lies ahead. B+

Artem Anisimov. The Russian is another player showing solid progression this year. Unfortunately he has cooled off lately; pointless in eight games. Anisimov has a tendency to be streaky, and he needs to score more goals but a lot of the work Anisimov has done this season has not shown up on the score board. He’s a nice fit on the top line with Gaborik and Stepan and has handled his move to the wing nicely. His play along the boards has improved immeasurably and don’t forget Anisimov is also still young at 23 and figures to have room to develop offensively. If his production ever catches up to his talent then he could be a monster. B-

Brad Richards. Like Dubinsky, critiquing Richards’ season so far depends on what your expectations were. If you judge Richards with the massive contract in mind or place much emphasis on the relatively small stretch where he wasn’t contributing offensively then it may not look that impressive. If you measure the impact his presence has had on the rest of the roster (depth), the clutch goal scoring or the way he has influenced players like Del Zotto then Richards has been a great addition and has had a fine beginning to his Rangers tenure. That said, one of the key reasons for his signing was to help fix the powerplay and he hasn’t managed to help turn it into a more effective unit.

Despite being on course for his first 30 goal season he’s also on course for his lowest points total since 08/09. Of course that total would have led the Rangers over the last few years but it’s a different measuring stick for an elite player. Richards’ faceoff results have been quite inconsistent this year too, much like his production. Richards has improved defensively as the year has developed which no doubt helps his game when not scoring. The best part of Richards’ year is that there should be more to come. Lined up with Callahan and Dubinsky, the Rangers now have two quality scoring lines. When was the last time they could say that? If Dubinsky really has turned his year around, expect more from Richards as a result too. B-

In case you missed it. We also wrote report cards for our bottom six forwards, defense, & goalies.

• It took the Rangers about 10 minutes during the first period to find their legs, but once that happened they really took it to the Panthers.  There were long stretches during this game that I completely forgot Marty Biron was playing.
• The Rangers had a huge shots advantage in this one, outshooting the Cats 41-21.  It could have been over 50 if the Rangers could just hit the net a little more.  Obviously, to find major negatives with this team right now is nitpicking, but I just wish they would hit the net when they have a clear lane.  Make the goalie work for it.
• The Dubi-Richards-Cally combo was the best line on the ice tonight.   They were working down low and moving the puck well.  It seemed like every time they were on the ice Clemmensen had to deal with a puck bouncing around his crease.  Getting garbage to the net is a huge part of this unit’s game and as the Winter Classic confirms, it is quite effective when you can create that kind of havoc in front.
• Gabby was missing from about the first half of the game, but really came on in the third period and launched that beauty in overtime.  Bad gap control by the Florida defenders on that one.
• I thought Prust, Fedotenko and Rupp all played tremendous games.  Feds had all kinds of snarl in his performance tonight and Rupp and Prust showed some serious chemistry out there.
• One thing that played a huge role in the Rangers’ success tonight was the presence of an aggressive forecheck.  Not only does this kind of pressure lead to turnovers and offensive zone chances, but it also tires out the Florida defenders and keeps the puck out of the Rangers’ defensive zone.  It was the main reason the Panthers were held to 21 shots.
• Speaking of which, another very solid game for the defense.
• Marty Biron played a solid, if unspectacular game tonight.  The first goal was a beauty, so no fault to Marty there.  The second one, on the other hand, could have sent the momentum right back to Florida.  He got caught leaning/thinking pass and got beat on a shot I’m quite sure he’d want back.  Fortunately, the Rangers held it together and came away with a nice win.  Biron plays such a stoic, calm game, it is sometimes difficult to appreciate him for how easy he makes difficult saves look.  Nothing more you could ask from a backup.
• As I mentioned before, Clemmensen played a very solid game and controlled rebounds nicely.  I would have loved to see the Rangers challenge him up high more, if nothing else just to change his eye level.  He was the only reason this game made it to overtime.
• As for any potential bad blood after the Kopecky/Del Zotto incident from the last time the teams met, there was only one notable scrum during this one.  Looks like both teams decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

Right back at to tomorrow as the Rangers travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins at 7pm.

To alleviate some of this we figured it’s about time we get back to basics and open up our hockey systems playbook. Today we will focus on executing 2-on-1s, since they often produce plenty of tweets that will read, “OMG! Dubi should have shot the puck!” or “Why the **** did Richards pass?”

In today’s NHL, an odd man situation is often a team’s best chance to score, thanks to an ever increasing sophistication to team defense & penalty killing. That’s why it is crucial these rushes be executed to perfection.

The most important aspect to getting a good quality shot on net in these situations is reading the defender. First you have to read the defender’s body position. Is he cheating toward you or his playing the pass? Defenders are taught to take away your “time and space.” This means if he’s cheating towards you, then his goal is to force you wide and eliminate your shooting angle. You also have to be cognizant of the defender’s handedness. Is his forehand facing you or is his backhand? His stick angle will tell you if he’s playing the shot or the pass.

For example, in this image below Cally and Dubi are on a 2-on-1 rush that ends with Cally putting a soft wrister right into the keeper’s belly. Looking at the photo and his options. Do you think he made the right decision?

Secondary forwards will typically skate stride for stride with a defender, which makes the d-man’s job a lot easier if the puck carrier and the open man are all on the same plane. However, if you watch odd man rushes by Stepan, Ansimov, Gaborik – or other players with a high hockey IQ for that matter – they will often stagger their stride or put a move on to create a passing lane over their inside shoulder. This can take the d-man out the equation altogether. Gaborik has scored plenty of goals this season in this fashion. Check out this one from an Arty feed below.

Perhaps one of the best transition rush players in the league is Zach Parise. If you watch him on 2-on-1s or 3-on-2s, you’ll notice that he’s awesome at driving to the net for deflecting fake shots/hard passes at the far post. When executed right, it’s an easy tip in and another great offensive tool he has in his arsenal.

Ultimately, whether the correct play is to pass, shoot for a goal, shoot for a rebound, or fake a shot, it all comes down to reading the defensemen (and reading the goalie, though at the NHL level they don’t typically give you much). Point is, nothing should ever be automatic. So remember that next time you’re about to throw a brick at your television.