 |
| Chris Trotman/Getty Images |
It took a lot longer than anyone expected, but New
York Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky has finally tallied his first goal of the
season. The level of relief on the face
of Dubinsky immediately following the puck hitting the back of the net showed
just how much the drought was weighing on the 25-year-old forward. As he said postgame
“Picture’s worth a thousand words, isn’t that the phrase? If you take a still shot of me with my head back, my arms up, it was just like ‘mercy, finally, thank God. Something gave.’ That’s what you need,” Dubinsky said. “Puck going off my butt or something, it was pretty dang close with a puck on my stick and an empty net in front of me 15 feet away.”
For some the tally will validate Dubinsky’s effort on
the evening, but for those who understand the way the team needs him to play
the Rangers fourth goal was even better. Dubinsky’s work along the way fighting
off multiple defenders, drawing a penalty and then getting the puck to the
front of the net in what was eventually Ryan Callahan’s goal off a scramble was
pure Dubinsky at his best. That is the
kind of work that Dubinsky has been doing for much of the early season, but the
focus has been on the zero he had in the goal department. Now that he has broken the seal, look for
Dubinsky to go on a run here as he has always been streaky when it comes to
goal scoring.
There is no denying that the Rangers need Dubinsky to be
a part of the goal scoring if they are to maintain their current level in the
standings, but they need him to play the way he has even more. Goals will come and go as you will get lucky
on a few and lose some you certainly deserve, but the effort is what makes
Dubinsky the player he is; the vital part of the Rangers core.
His position in the core of the team was stunningly
evident with the pure joy of everyone else on the ice the moment he scored and
as they continued to mob him along the wall afterwards. The crowd joined in providing arguably the
loudest cheer of the season to let the forward know the love never left even if
his goal scoring did to start the season.
