Comments on: Rangers may have Dubinsky and Zuccarello available tonight

By: jkay1818

jkay1818 — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:16:47 +0000

everyone already considered Prust in the lineup. There is no way theyd bench him. He hustles, hes an excellent penalty killer and plays the body. They missed him in game 4. Hagelin hit a post the other night and also had the deflection that almost went in towards the end of the 3rd. He provides a spark for the NYR when NJ has them pinned deep with their forecheck, he also does a great job grinding behind the net and forcing turnovers. Cant really go by what the writers on this site say, half the time it seems like they just watch highlights or bits and pieces of each game. Mitchell as i said earlier seems like an easy choice, but he has been playing well. He has won numerous faceoffs in big spots and has done a really good job at carrying the puck into the zone and keeping it in there for a good 30 seconds, similar to what he did in game 3. Anisimov might be a choice, i dont know why, he’s a good player but hasnt been getting minutes out there.

By: stakex

stakex — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:54:23 +0000

Lets not forget that Prust needs a spot as well… so in the event both Dubinski and Zuccarello are coming back tonight, three players would be sitting from the last game.

My guess is that Prust will get his spot back from Bickel, and Dubinski (if ready) will get Hagelins spot. Sure Hagelin brings a lot of speed and energy, but right now its all about finding the net… and hes isn’t getting it done. As for Zuccarello, John Mitchell might end up sitting. He is a +/- -2 with just one assist in the playoffs… so hes clearly not helping the offense starved Rangers right now. I also really wouldn’t be shocked to see Rupp, Boyle, or even Prust end up sitting for the game. They have all played solid at times, but again… its about goals right now, and none of them have anything close to a hot stick at this point.

Of course it is a huge risk throwing two guys who haven’t played in a long time into the lineup. They might have some extra jump, but they might also have some rust… and one bad game at this point could be the season. Should be very very interesting to see what Torts does.

By: bdfools

bdfools — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:26:07 +0000

While they mostly play only 5 defensemen, I can’t see dressing only 5. If one gets hurt early, you’d be down to 4 and screwed.

Eminger has looked solid while Bickel has made a few costly mistakes. Fedotenko did finally score last game (a meaningless goal, but still) and has played decent lately in terms of board battles and defensively. Torts trusts him, so I doubt he sits.

I’d say Prust back in for Bickel and Dubi in for Boyle (who is CLEARLY not close to 100% right now).

By: challer9

challer9 — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:47:57 +0000

I don’t really think Bickel has played that bad, I’d like to see him in there. Eminger could def sit but it might get a little chippy tonight and that’s right up Bickel’s alley.

By: jkay1818

jkay1818 — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:20:40 +0000

eh, they pretty much go with 5 guys on D anyway, sit both eminger and bickel and get those two in there.

By: jkay1818

jkay1818 — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:04:39 +0000

thats 2 guys on D though. The only reason both were in the lineup was because they used bickel as a fwd with prust suspended. My guess is dubinsky will be back and theyll wait for zuccarello. Mitchell is the easy choice because dubinsky can play center, but mitchell has actually been good.

By: tone279

tone279 — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:01:14 +0000

You’re crazy if you think Feds or Hags is sitting. If he is 100% Dubi will come in for one of Bickel or Eminger. Maybe they add some life to the PP with Zucc and sit Boyle who is nowhere near 75% anyway but that is a long shot.

By: jkay1818

jkay1818 — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:53:44 +0000

thats a tough call because hagelin adds a lot of energy, grinds and creates chances. Should be interesting who sits. dubinsky is really needed for his forecheck, PK and hustle and zuccarello is really good on the PP.

By: cruuuzcontrol

cruuuzcontrol — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:53:38 +0000

These two would never be categorized as saviors… But adding them and subtracting maybe a Fedotenko here or a Bickel there and adding Dubs or Zucc will provide a little pop into the Rangers 3rd an 4th line. I don’t think the Rangers’ 3 & 4s have necessarily been bad… But look at what Gionta and Carter are doing for the Devils and you can see an edge that these guys may add for the Rangers that can help. Dubs had an awful season, but I do kinda miss him.