Last week, both Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury scored goals that may have saved the Rangers season. Last Monday against the Boston Bruins, with the Rangers down 3-0, Prospal netted two goals to close out the second period, giving the Rangers hope for their season. The Rangers went on to win 5-3, capping perhaps the biggest comeback of the season. Two games later, in his first game back in the lineup since knee surgery, Drury delivered a goal in the first period that answered the Devils’ first goal. That goal set the tone for the Rangers that they would not give up. Without those goals, the Rangers would not be in the playoffs.

Now that two of the leaders in the locker room have delivered, it’s time that the Rangers most skilled player follows that lead and delivers on the scoreboard. The Rangers will live and die by the offense produced to match the Washington Capitals relentless attack, and Marian Gaborik will bear the burden of that responsibility. The Blueshirts are missing their second leading scorer, and heart of the team in Ryan Callahan, and Gaborik is going to be counted on to match and exceed the production that will be missing with Callahan out of the lineup.

The 2010-2011 season was an off year for Gaborik, netting just 48 points (22-26-48) in 62 games, while missing 20 games with a shoulder injury and a concussion. Gaborik looked a lot better after returning from the concussion in March, netting five goals in five games to start the month, but hasn’t scored since the 3/20 game against Pittsburgh, a slump that spans nine of the most important games of the season. That simply will not do against a Washington Capitals team sporting Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin.

Although Gaborik’s play wasn’t terrible –he was creating a lot of scoring chances–, he will need to do a lot more for the Rangers to be successful. He needs to start turning chances into goals, and start being a little more selfish. He is the sniper, the elite talent on the team, and he needs to start showing why the Rangers invested so much money in him. Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers young defense can only do so much against a team that can be lethal on offense. It will be up to Gaborik to make sure that Lundqvist doesn’t have to do it alone.

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