8-6-1: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Two teams stepped onto the MSG ice last night. One was playing on their home ice, carrying a 4-0-1 streak after a day off. The other had a 4-0 streak, playing less than 24 hours after a physical win in Carolina. Neither team played particularly well, but one appeared utterly exhausted and lifeless. Yep that one was the Rangers.

The Blueshirts sleepskated through one of the dullest affairs in recent history, a boring game largely devoid of displays of skill or physicality. For two Original Six teams, there was no sign of any rivalry in this one but - like the vast majority of their matches over the last 86 seasons - Montreal ended up on top. The Habs came from behind to beat the Hab-nots 3-1, helped by the one guy who played like he wanted to be there: Brandon Prust.

Pruster threw his body around, checking his former teammates and blocking their shots. He played at even strength, on the power play and (of course) shorthanded. And he had a big hand in the game-winning goal, making a brilliant backhanded pass across the slot to untouched rookie Alex Galchenyuk. It was a triumphant return for the former Ranger, as he showed his old team exactly what they were missing.

It is long past time to lament the loss of Sean Avery, who became persona non grata the second John Tortorella was mistakenly hired. The team went on without him and still had sparkplugs in Cally, Dubi, Fedotenko and Prust. Three of those four are now gone and their replacements on the roster could not get anything going last night. Pyatt was tightly checked, Miller was invisible and Asham was utterly ineffective (as per usual).

The Blueshirts have won most of their games this season because of their skill, not their grit - a reversal from last year. But when the Richard$ plays piss poorly, Gabby allows himself to be marginalized and Rick Nash doesn't even bother to show up, the grit guys have to pick up the slack and that did not happen. More of the current crew need to learn that "it's just pain" and play their hardest.

A few Late Hits:

*Maybe they should re-paint the red line green, because the Rangers concede passage into their own end every rush. Where is the forecheck?

*After being utterly delighted by a perfect power play goal on Sunday the man advantage regressed back to its utterly awful self. Normally a team down 2-1 in the third period that gets a power play would get a chance to tie things up. For the Rangers it only brought them two minutes closer to the final buzzer.

*Mentioned Pruster's pretty feed before but credit is due to Step's stellar set-up - he threaded the puck under the defenseman's stick right to Stralman for the slam dunk.

*The game-tying goal was thanks to Del Zaster. He allowed his man to get behind him and turned to watch the play. McD had to skate over to try to clear the Canadien from the crease and, timing being every thing, he screened Hank. DZ's utter lack of defensive ability strikes again.

*Boyle has come out of the gates strong the last two games but is still not a good hockey player. The majority of his hits don't achieve anything and he still avoids screening the goaltender.

*Had hoped to see more from Mashinter but he was shackled with Asham on his line so it is of little surprise he saw little ice time and was unable to do anything with it.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Carl Hagelin - one assist.
2-Carey Price - 24 saves.
1-Alex Galchenyuk - one goal.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Step - The kid is picking up some of the slack as Richard$ skates around collecting his paycheque.
2-Galchenyuk - Young American clearly has a bright future ahead of him.
1-Prust - He had a point to prove and he did just that. 

The NYR Facts Of Life: #8 Brandon Prust

For each player who suited up in a Blueshirt this season we will take the good, we will take the bad and take them both and see what we have. And this time around we started with the high numbers and are up (or down) to #8, Brandon Prust.

#8's #s: 82 games, 13 goals, 16 assists, +2, 160 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, one assist, even, 4 PIM).

Take the good: Brandon Prust earned the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. The throw-in to the Olli Jokinen deal busted his ass and became an indispensable part of the roster this season. Prust was the prototypical modern-day enforcer - a guy who could fight and a guy who could play. He threw down the gloves 18 times and came away with an 11-5-2 record. He had the respect of his teammates and the fear of his opponents: he fought in the first two minutes of a game four times, and his team went on to win that game all four times. With his gloves on Prust paired with Brian Boyle to become a shockingly difficult pairing for opponents to deal with at even strength and shorthanded. When combined with Ruslan Fedotenko, the three made for one of the best checking lines in the NHL. They forechecked, they backchecked and then they checked some more, wearing down opponents and forcing turnovers. Prust surprised with his speed and it helped him to tie for third in the NHL with five shorthanded goals.

Take the bad: "It's only pain" is one spectacular motto and it endeared him even further to fans and teammates alike. But there is being brave and there is being stupid - there were multiple games where Prust was clearly playing with one arm because his shoulder was so screwed up, limiting his effectiveness.

Take them both and then we have: A tough guy for the rebuilding Rangers and a fan favourite for the Garden faithful. Prust drew a legion of fans with his work and set career numbers for the low, low price of $800,000. He raised expectations playing with Shelley and Anisimov immediately after the Jokinen trade and he blew them away this season. Prust has raised the bar and he will have to keep on working hard to reach it going further. Just think of what he will do next season when he is in a contract year ...

Catching Up

Hey folks, sorry this space has been quiet for a few days. While I was otherwise occupied (Faith No More is an incredible live band), several puck matters have come and passed so I figured I'd chime in on a few ...

Dan Girardi has elected to go to arbitration:
This one is quite interesting as Girardi is setting himself up for what is sure to be a ugly hearing, if Avery's detriment to the team hearing was any kind of indicator. Danny G is said to be asking for $12 million over four years, doubling his salary from last season. Let's take a quick look at what each side could present at the hearing...

Girardi's side: Danny brings consistency to a blue line that has been anything but. He can be counted on for at least 21 minutes a night, 20+ points a season and a pair of hits per game. On a team that was not nearly as successful as the season prior, Girardi's +/- improved to -2 (from -14) in this last year and he was +13 on home ice. Out of his 24 points, nine came in the last 16 games when the team made their futile push for the playoffs. After not seeing power play time for the majority of the year, three of those nine points came with the man advantage. After taking flak for not jumping in on the Carcillo/Gaborik tussle, Girardi learned and came to Arty's defense after Scott Hartnell hit him.

Sather's side: Girardi shouldn't have had to learn. You just don't let your star player fight someone like Dirtbag Dan. It is utterly inexcusable. Girardi had 10 games where he was -2 and one at -3. His shot total has decreased each of the last two seasons, a time where he should be gaining confidence in his skills, not hemorrhaging it. Even for a defensive guy, in Tortorella's system no blueliner should go a span of 54 games with just one goal. Unless you are Wade Redden, but that guy's excrement isn't malodorous, and neither is his contract. Please ignore the 800 pound gorilla in the room. No, not Marek Malik, Redden's contract. Nik Kronwall, Colin White, Fedor Tyutin, Jordan Leopold, Toni Lydman and Tim Gleason makes at or under $3 million a year, does Girardi really think he is as good as them? (Toots makes 2.8, Gleason 2.75; all salaries from Capgeek.) And, finally, who the hell does Girardi think he is? He wasn't drafted and everything he has in the NHL is thanks to the Rangers so what kind of thanks is it to play hardball? Especially - ESPECIALLY - when he couldn't score the game-winner against Philadelphia in the final game of the season? That is sure to be Sather's ace in the hole for everyone on last season's squad. 'Cause he is not pleasant like that.

Brandon Prust re-signed for two seasons:
If not for Sather's resolute refusal to give Shelley a three-year deal, the Rangers would be bringing back their best line from the stretch run. Oh well. Hopefully, unlike Anisimov, Prust can succeed without the big man around and doesn't get relegated to spot fourth line duty with Boogey and Boyle. Was that an unfair stab at Arty? We will find out this fall but after the kid admitted he needed the safety of the tough guys, I don't have high hopes. Add the loss of Shelley to a sophomore slump ... well we were talking about Prust. If the former Flame can continue his progression from dime-a-dozen tough guy to power forward then the Blueshirts will have quite the asset.

Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh both decided to leave college and come to the Rangers:
As someone who loved his time in college and would kill to be able to re-live those days, the thought that these kids are giving up at least a year of full-ride fun is horrifying to me. That being said, why risk injury playing against kids when you can start setting yourself up for life in the pros? Stepan leaves Wisconsin as a winner - having taken gold at World Juniors - while McDonagh, well, he just leaves Mike Eaves ... one of the top coaches in college puck (who seemed to have seen the decision coming). Both Stepan and McDonagh will get long looks this fall, which is fantastic for those of us hoping for a legit rebuilding season. It must be cautioned that, like Hobey Gilroy, they could find that Broadway is a far ways away from the comforts of campus. Perhaps this season there will be less hesitation for Torts/Sather to send them to Hartford to adjust to the pro game or to just ride out the rough spots (please, please, please). Who knows what damage was done to Hobey by last season? I guess we will find out ...

Ilya Kovalchuk still has not signed:
No link necessary on this one. The guy is an all-world scorer, there is no denying that. But he isn't a winner - World Championship aside - and he avoids playing in his own zone at all costs. Not to mention that he has a bad temper that the Rangers are quite good at igniting. As long he doesn't somehow end up being another salary albatross around our necks alongside Dru, Rozy and Wade, we should be alright.

And finally, Bob Probert passed away:
It is really hard to articulate the sadness that comes here. Probie was just 45. And he was one of my all-time favourite players; what kid growing up in the late '80s, early '90s didn't love catching a Red Wings game to see him and Joey Kocur ruining guys' lives? I own a copy of The Bruise Brothers book, signed by both guys ... one of my most treasured pieces of memorabilia. As I tweeted, the book was published by Immortal Investments Publishing. That was what Probert was, not a Hall of Famer but a hockey immortal. No matter his off-ice troubles, Probert will go down among the toughest s-o-bs to ever play the sport. Sincerest condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #8 Brandon Prust

For each player who suited up in a Blueshirt this season we will take the good, we will take the bad and take them both and see what we have. Today we look at tougher-than-Turcotte #8, Brandon Prust.

#8's #s: 26 games (with NYR), 4 goals (2 gwg), 5 assists, +3, 65 PIM.

Take the good: Prust went from a throw-in on the Jokinen deal to being one of the best Blueshirts down the stretch. He seemed to evolve from a one-dimensional goon to a forechecking power forward over the short span he was on Broadway and was 1/3 of the so-called "fourth line" that carried the team. His hard work at even strength and on the penalty kill earned him more minutes and he made the most of them. And he did it all for the sum total of $178,756; he made $500,000 on the year.

Take the bad: Prust is an RFA this summer and surely will command interest around the league. He was tied with Lappy for the second-most fighting majors in the NHL with 25. Seven of those fights came after the trade and Hockeyfights has him 3-2-2 which is certainly debatable. His tendency to reach behind him with his loose hand to hold onto the glass or boards was utterly infuriating. Before being paired with Arty and Shelley, he chugged along as a third line nothing or fourth line thug; what happens when he is lined up with other players and/or the ice time goes away?

Take them both and then we have: Someone who should be qualified as soon as possible. Say what you want about Sather, acquiring this kid was huge as he provided a spark and a toughness that Donald Brashear never did. Seeing that he is just 26, he certainly can grow to be a part of the young core of this team ... if he can maintain the same level of desire and effort, something we all know is difficult to do in New York City.