13-11-2: Winless Vs. Winnipeg

It is getting quite difficult to do these game wraps as the team keeps repeating their former failures. On Thursday night the Blueshirts soiled the bed yet again, falling to Winnipeg 3-1 - their second loss to the Southeast squad since the lockout. It's a good thing they don't meet again in this asterisked season.

In an all-too-familiar script, our side fell behind at the start. Of no surprise, Ryan Callahan's hard work got them back in the game but his teammates refused to follow his example and they ended up losing to a far inferior team for the third time in their last four games.

Really not going much deeper into this one as it was a sad, inexcusable story we've seen before, and only a few Late Hits:

*Del Zaster's usual ineptness in his own end gave Winnipeg two goals - bad penalty at the start, utter awfulness on the Miettinen tally. So unsurprising. And he still saw 27:41 in ice time. Love that accountability by the Blueshirts' bench boss.

*Step took a big, shorthanded defensive zone faceoff against Antropov and lost it. And Borat went on to score the power play goal, just two minutes into the match.

*Step took two huge, offensive zone faceoffs against creepy Olli Jokinen at the end of the game. And Step lost both. And Andrew Ladd sealed the game with an empty netter.

*Remember when Borat was too soft for a player with his big body. Sure glad Brian Boyle is still around.

*No blame to the King on this one, little he could do on either of the goals that got past him and he made that terrific save on what appeared to be one hard shot by Evander Kane to keep his team within one.

*Sure glad Marian Gaborik was 'back' when he scored that goal against the Islanders. That one goal in his last 13 games really showed us haters out there that he is stil l33t. What an awful excuse for a penalty shot in this one. Sure glad to see him blame the stick afterwards. Because it was the stick's fault. Stupid unskilled stick, why you deke in slow motion?

*Nashty miss on a breakaway.

*Haley's little bout was nice, senseless but nice.

*Powe, who Torts was raving about just days ago, barely left the bench. Apparently he tries too hard every shift to warrant ice time. And Roman Hamrlik has been out of shape so he was, of course put back in the lineup.

*Bet going to a game in Winnipeg is a nice experience, when it doesn't include the Rangers.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Henrik Lundqvist - 30 saves.
2-Dustin Byfuglien - two assists.
1-Ondrej Pavelec - 28 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Ladd - A hard working captain that battles every shift and scores a much needed goal. Sounds familiar...
2-Hank - Hard to hang Lundqvist for this recent slump.
1-Byfuglien - Sure he gave Gaborik a penalty shot but better Gabby than someone the least bit competent going one-on-one with a goalie. And he did set up the two Jets' goals too.