Explosive...

Marian Gaborik is a scorer... he's a sniper.... he's a game-breaker. The Rangers have not had this type of player in their prime in a long time if ever. Jaromir Jagr was up there but played a completely different style of game. Jagr liked to control and dominate the puck, slowing the game down to his speed to make plays whereas Gaborik takes the puck and simply explodes.

Two games into his Ranger career he has 2 goals and 2 assists factoring into each goal in the Rangers 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals last night. The release of his short-handed breakaway goal in the second period rendered Jose Theodore almost motionless as the puck blasted through his legs. He added a top shelf rebound goal later in the period on a delayed penalty against the Caps.

Brandon Dubinsky played in his first game and looked solid. After swapping with Vaclav Prospal to center Gaborik and Christopher Higgins, he made the pivotal play in the third . Dubinsky took a Gaborik feed through center taking Matt Bradley wide before cutting to the net. Milan Jurcina hammered Dubinsky but not before he slid the puck to Higgins who popped it in for the winner with 1:10 to go.

Enver Lisin and Evgeny Grachev continued to play well but where do you put them when Avery comes back? Matt Gilroy and Michael Del Zotto look the part. At least with Del Zotto the Rangers have 9 regular season games to decide whether he's the real deal or should head back to juniors. Aaron Voros looks great where he belongs which is the fourth line. However the fourth line is not where Artem Anisimov belongs and it's a waste to have him there.

Bobby Sanguinetti, who has been "a step behind" according to John Tortorella, was sent down to Hartford before the game.

The refs continued to embarrass themselves as Brandon Sugden dropped his gloves to fight Donald Brasheer for the second time in the third. Brasheer didn't see this guy skating after him with no gloves on for about :05 seconds. Brasheer eventually obliged but somehow Sugden didn't get an instigator penalty... hysterical.