Dubi Dubi Doo and a Lundqvist Shutout Too

by Rich Baiocco

Brandon Dubinsky is coming into his own right now. In his 4th full year in the NHL the Rangers power forward surpassed his single season goal total in last night's 1-0 win over the Panthers, tallying his 22nd and also becoming the first on his team to crack the 50 point plateau in 2010-2011. It is modest output, yet in the context of a Ranger team that has struggled to score goals for most of year and a Ranger player that has consistently shown budding signs of breaking out though never really owned the moment, Brandon Dubinsky is taking his game to a new level.
And his teammates are following him.

Dubi was passed over for the US Olympic team in Vancouver last winter and came into the current campaign with a leadership edge to his maturity and a self-imposed imperative to work on his shot. Coach Tortorella moved him to the wing in an effort to free him up in the defensive zone a little and spring some odd-man rushes through the neutral zone. The move has been flexible though as Dubinsky still takes a large percentage of faceoffs and can usually be found leading a streak down the center lane. Lately though he can most often be found in the midst of a celebration with linemates Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov as the trio have emerged as the number one Blueshirt scoring line.

Fans remember a game earlier in the season against Pittsburgh when Dubinsky picked up a puck behind his own net with time dwindling in the 3rd period and the Rangers trailing by a goal and through shear determination powered the play through the neutral zone and pulled a how's-she-going on an unsuspecting Pens defenseman before slipping the puck to Staal who sniped the upper corner and tied the game. The look in his eye was of a man on a mission, and in overtime he hooked up Cally with a 2 on 1 feed that earned the Blueshirts an emotional win. Tortorella gave a rare emotive fist-pump after the victory and Ranger Nation began to recognize the identity of a team that wouldn't quit working hard and making opportunities until the final buzzer rewarded them.

Brandon Dubinsky has that same look in his eye right now. He looks like a man on a mission and a man that won't be denied a battle. His strong play along the walls has overwhelmed other teams and his ability to use his size and strength as leverage and then spin off an opponent to make a play towards the net has resulted in 8 points in the last 7 games. Last night the Dubi line was pounding away all night on the Panther D and with the game resting in a 0-0 balance in the 3rd period and the inkling of a Ranger mishap costing them 2 points creeping into the Garden, the Ranger's top trio found the extra effort and the big reward. Artem Anisimov locked a puck in his skates at the top of the crease as three Panthers fruitlessly whacked at it. Just before falling AA shuffle-kicked the rubber over to Ryan Callahan at the side of the net. Cally drew Volkoun out of the net with a fake pass while Dubinsky--who started the play with a punishing forecheck--crept down the center aisle undetected and made a quick dash to gain position in front of the Panther defenseman in order to tap a Cally pass into a virtually empty net.

It was exactly what we needed and exactly the way we needed it. The Blueshirts dominated a rather bite-less Panther team for the majority of two and half periods but had come up empty on the scoreboard. Thomas Vokoun was sharp but we rarely had him moving with cross ice passes or back-door plays and many of our shots were straight on with no screen in front of him. Steve Emminger--who was +1 and played one of his better games of the season--remarked as much before the 3rd period began saying the Rangers needed to get more bodies in front of the Florida netminder. The Dubi line was all over the puck in the offensive zone and by moving it East West we caught Vokoun out of position and closed out the game.

Henrik Lundqvist notched his 10th shutout of the season and even though he didn't get a lot of work he still had to answer the bell and make 3 or 4 huge saves, one a glove save on sniper David Booth and another being was kick save off a shot from the high slot that was targeted at the lower corner. Vinny Prospal was practically in his lap trying to get a body on a shot block.

It was an important win for the Rangers coming off such an emotional tilt in Pittsburgh on Sunday and an offensive harvest in the last few games because it further solidified that this team is on point with the mission and knows how to win. We're not going to score 6 goals every game, but if keep pursuing scoring opportunities and keep our D-game tight we'll find our way to the Second Season. And right now Brandon Dubinsky is spearing the charge.