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| Bruce Bennett/Getty Images |
The
New York Rangers forward core is not the most skilled group in the league. The group is one that has few dynamic players
capable of creating consistent offense for themselves and instead relies on the
team’s grinding system to put them into a position to garner results. Brandon Dubinsky can certainly play the
grinding game and is at his best when he does so, but he also has a different
level of skill to make him one of the few forwards the Rangers have that can
true difference maker up front. He was
that player in Game 3.
For
the first two games of their playoff series against the Washington Capitals he
failed to do so and his team was down 0-2 in the series. After a career regular season in which he
recorded 24 goals and 30 assists, Brandon Dubinsky had been a complete
nonfactor in to start the playoffs. That
changed in Game 3 of the series and with it, potentially, so did the Eastern
Conference Quarterfinal series.
At
different points throughout the season it has been Dubinsky who has stepped up
to lead the Rangers to victory. Some
night he has done it with his goals.
Other nights he has been the playmaker for a critical tally. On all of those occasions he has led most
through his will and that is what was on display Sunday as much as anything
else. The game winning goal was
certainly not the prettiest and will never be mistaken for a highlight reel
quality tally. What the goal did show
was the dynamic play that he is capable of and the impact he has when he plays
with a level of determination and confidence in his game that was lacking to
start the series.
Dubinsky
did much more than just score the game-winner on Sunday. In 25:45 of ice time for New York, he had the
goal plus an assist, and a game-high seven hits. He along with Brandon Prust and Sean Avery
set the tone for a physical game that would bring the Rangers back to the style
they must play to be successful. Beyond
just the style, this season has shown, especially in the absence of Callahan,
Dubinsky is the only Rangers forward capable of leading the way for this
team.
The
playoffs are the time where a team’s best players must step up to the challenge
and carry them through. While he likely
would not be a star on a skill laden team like the Capitals, but for New York
he is the star they need on the offensive end of the ice. Sunday afternoon was one of those games for
Dubinsky as he breathed life into his team by getting them back in the series
against Washington with a chance to even the proceedings on Wednesday night. Now the Rangers need him to show the way
again.
