Gaborik Hurt? Rangers, Lisin End Losing Streak at 3 Against Coyotes 5-2 - October 26th '09

Game Highlights:


A 4-0 lead against the speedy Coyotes was cut in half after the Rangers experienced a dreadful finish to the second period. Enver Lisin scored a goal against his former team and added an assist, bringing him to a notable 3-5-8 over 11 games this season; seeing him climb the lines on the roster as well. The recent 3-game winless streak (0-2-1) was brought to an end.

* Marian Gaborik (2-1-3) left the third period with about 6 minutes remaining flexing his right leg. He was spotted reaching down on his right side and wincing on the bench, having a brief word with medical trainer Jim Ramsay, and then limping to the trainers room.

Marian Gaborik later specified that it was not related to his groin or hip, from which he received season-crippling surgery for last year, but would not elaborate on the precise problem. Joe Micheletti hypothesized that it may have been a twisted ankle suffered after going toe-to-toe with Petr Prucha while heading to the bench at the end of a shift together with the fact that he was seen reaching on the bench before heading to the locker room.

When the press asked Gaborik if he would be participating in the Rangers' 12:00 practice tomorrow, he responded "We'll see how it is in the morning. I collided with one of their players, but it's nothing major. It happened with about five minutes left and the game was pretty much over."

I am not alarmed with the severity of this "injury" and do not expect Gaborik will miss any games. I think he was just leaving the ice as a pre-caution, and it stirs memories of Jaromir Jagr doing the same, if not impulsively. John Tortorella added that the game was in hand when Gaborik went to the locker room.

* Vaclav Prospal (1-2-3) and Michael Del Zotto (0-2-2) continued their stellar scoring performances. Vaclav Prospal's contract and performance analysis will put a lot of pressure on the underachievers, and Del Zotto is already making a bid for a number of records including Rookie of the Year.

* Chris Higgins came up empty handed again, although he did receive 2:16 of power play time. He did have many great opportunities and played a much more spirited game. Seems like he got the message.

* Donald Brashear scored his first point (0-1-1) as a Ranger and played a solid come-back game [except for his last-minute penalty] following his brief absence from the lineup.

Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Vaclav Prospal, Henrik Lundqvist Post-Game:


John Tortorella Post-Game: