This will be a brief post as I’m on the way to London to get to the airport to get to New York. Am I excited? Did the Rangers win the cup in 1994? Exactly! I can’t believe the next home game I’ll be there (in a Rangers jersey which I have yet to buy and whose name on the back I’ve yet to determine!). This is about Marian Gaborik. Gabby cannot buy a goal and cannot, it seems, even string together a few solid performances in a row. I recently mentioned how he needs to throw the puck at net as much as possible yet in the Dallas game he had one shot and played tentatively on the power play. But Rangers fans don’t need to panic. Why?

This is a player that will always score goals and he’ll find his form again, I know everyone knows that – or they should – but what’s a key difference from team’s of old is that the Rangers are a good team without getting much from their best skater. They are finding ways to win and are never out of any game and I’m hoping the coaching staff are telling Gaborik to relax and just focus on himself because the rest of the team can support him. This is a major difference. During the Jagr years, If Jagr would have had a first half like Gaborik has had (wildly inconsistent, underwhelming, injury filled) there would be no chance the Rangers are almost 10 games above .500. However if anything, Gaborik’s subpar season is merely highlighting the new found depth and development of the kids who are able to carry the Rangers through such a promising season. The Rangers never had any of this during the Jagr years where they relied on a small nucleus (of mainly veterans) to get them to the playoffs. All this bodes well for the Rangers. It’s why Gaborik can afford to find himself, although the sooner the better obviously.

Gaborik needs to shoot more, he needs to show his old confidence on the puck and he needs to take the occasional risk and fly into the offensive zone with the puck regardless of the defenseman who is waiting for him. Gaborik needs to try to be the Gaborik of old, all the while the Rangers are the Rangers; a new, young, promising bunch able to carry their elite scorer when needed. Promising times.

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