2-1-2: Zero-Point-Five

And we thought that Chris Drury's goal against the Rangers with 7.7 seconds left back in '07 was clutch timing. Imagine scoring a game-winning goal with 0.5 left on the clock - well, we don't have to imagine it because Ryan McDonagh did it in Calgary. While tonight's 3-2 win over the Flames certainly lacked the import and emotion of a playoff game, it was a remarkable ending just the same.

The hour is quite advanced so I will leap right into the Late Hits:

*Brandon Prust scored against his old team. And he did it shorthanded. How awesome was that? While we sit back and keep celebrating the acquisition of McD, we need to sit up and rejoice that Calgary tossed Prust in the Jokinen deal. Everything comes back to Bob Gainey - if he didn't send Higgins (and McD and Valentenko) to the Rangers for Gomez then they couldn't have sent Higgins to Calgary for Jokinen (and Prust).

*Tim Erixon deserves some serious credit. The kid, who is already playing above his station, had himself a great game. He didn't make it onto the scoresheet but he played 18 minutes while hearing booing from the Saddledome crowd every time he touched the puck. I truly hope that he can keep it up and the Rangers keep him up on Broadway whenever Sauer and Staal return.

*Ship Michael Del Zaster straight down to Greenville. Skip right over the AHL and send him straight to the E. As Craig Rivet recently explained about ECHLers, "They're missing something, something small. They can skate, they can shoot and they can pass. They're just missing a little bit of the game [mentally] and body positioning." Sounds like MDZ to me.

*Don't look now but the Rangers are sorely missing secondary scoring. We were so used to having secondary and missing primary the last few years that there has yet to be any grumbles about the fact that Richards and Gaborik are the only ones racking up points. Arty, Dubi, Cally, Boyle and Step combined have two goals in 25 games. It not for lack of effort - to be sure - but 64 minutes and 59.5 seconds without a regular strength goal against a inexperienced backup goaltender is slightly disconcerting. It is still early though ...

*Why does it always seem like Cally is skating into the opponent's zone one-on-three?

*Do you think that Erik Christensen was upset that McD scored? The goal robbed Mr. Softie of his lone time to shine.

*Two fights in this one, Kris Newbury standing up for a teammate by taking on Cory Sarich and Mike Rupp trying to justify his paycheque by battling Tim Jackman. One is the kind of fighting that needs to stay in the game and the other is the kind that needs to be weened out. And the fact that Rupp lost makes it even worse. The lone positive is that with Rupp taking the senseless slug outs Prust is freed to be an actual hockey player.

*Steve Eminger quietly had his best game of the season as there were no cringe-worthy moments. I had thought about saying the same about Jeff Woywitka but good ole Redden took a stupid penalty late in the third period.

*Stay in the crease Hank, just stay in the crease.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Mark Giordano - one goal.
2-Brian Boyle - one assist.
1-Jarome Iginla - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Dubi - He did everything but actually score. At some point the pucks will start going in, they have to.
2-Giordano - Strong at both ends of the ice, he showed why he is one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL.
1-McD - Not only did he score with 0.5 seconds left but he did it after skating 26:24 - the third highest total in the game behind Dan Girardi and Jay Bouwmeester.

Peepin' Foes: Calgary Flames

The Blueshirts will battle the Flames tonight in Calgary at 9:30 pm (MSG).

Where We Are: The Rangers have earned four points in four games and are coming off of one of the oddest occurrences in recent history - reanimation. After being fitted for a toe tag through two periods against Vancouver they rose like a George Romero zombie to tear apart the unsuspecting Canucks.

Where They Are: A disappointing 2-3 but coming off of a 2-1 win on Tuesday over their Islanders, the Edmonton Oilers.

Who To Watch For: Try not to laugh at this but Olli Jokinen. Jokinen - and don't snort milk through your nose - is ... get this, Jokinen is averaging a point per game with one goal and four assists. Yeah. Seriously! Perhaps it is because he got rid of that awful mustache and is now seeing a shrink regularly. Alex Tanguay has matching numbers, which is good as Jarome Iginla has just one point so far. Curtis Glencross will be lurking about, looking to injure another Ranger. Actually, Glencross has found a scoring touch and is even with Rene Bourque for the team lead with three goals. Roman Horak, the player that the Blueshirts gave up for Tim Erixon, played in the first four matches but was benched against Edmonton and is unlikely to play tonight.

What To Watch For: Team discipline. Despite racking up just 13 hits against Edmonton, Calgary has checkers like Glencross, Tim Jackman, Scott Hannan and Pierre-Luc Leblond (or Tom Kostopoulos) - I would imagine one of them quickly making themselves acquainted with Erixon to help spark the Saddledome crowd. The Blueshirts have to be careful that their kneejerk reaction doesn't lead them back to the penalty box.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Brad Richards to repeat his Stanley Cup success against Calgary - he had nine points in seven games in the '04 Finals. Brandon Prust bouncing back from his benching to help beat his old team. Marty Biron facing less than 40 shots and coming up with a win like he did last year against them. Jay Bouwmeester, the Flames' Wade Redden, getting forechecked into oblivion by Dubi and Cally.

Also Check Out: Hit The Post, SBN's Matchsticks & Gasoline and the Red Mile Blog (which is sadly missing topless luscious young ladies).

Erixon To The Rangers

In case you haven't already heard/read it, the Rangers traded for Tim Erixon today:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Tim Erixon and a fifth-round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft from Calgary in exchange for forward Roman Horak and two second round draft picks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers also announced today that the club has signed Erixon to an entry level deal.

Calgary had to make the deal as Erixon was about to re-enter the draft and had told the team that he was not about to agree to play in Abbotsford next season. The Rangers, well, I guess they decided Hobey Gilroy isn't good enough to come back and aren't sold on Michael Del Zotto's future after a season and a half of horrible hockey. Can't disagree on either count.

Now, you know you are old when the kids of the players you cheered for are entering the league. I could cope with Stastny but Erixon ... Jan was a personal favourite (along with Beezer). Now Tim is a far different player than his dad but you can be sure that the kid will have a good grasp on the game. Tim has said that he patterns his game after Nick Lidstrom but from what I've seen he has a lot of qualities that Brian Rafalski displayed during his now-concluded career, just in a bigger body. He sees the ice well, can carry the puck, has a decent shot and is capable in his own end.

The cost, in my opinion, was high. Roman Horak is a legitimate NHL prospect averaged better than a point per game on a middling WHL team and is adept in the faceoff circle. Scoring and draws are two major deficiencies on the Rangers right about now. However, Jess from The Prospect Park pointed out a few weeks back that the Rangers didn't invite Ethan Werek or Horak to the Whale after their junior seasons ended and now both have been traded. Jess saw Horak a bit this year and wrote that the kid needs to fill out a bit and may spend next year in Europe. But the two second round picks is what gets me, considering the talent they have found in that round in recent years: Dubi, Sauer, Arty, Step, Werek and Christian Thomas - a far better haul the first round selections. The fifth rounder that they received from Calgary is all but worthless - in the last 20 years they have developed just three players from there: Dale Purinton, Tomas Kloucek and Nigel Dawes (the jury is still out on Scott Stajcer, Horak and Jason Wilson).

Many have immediately awarded this as a win for the Rangers (especially Flames fans) but I am not that quick to jump for joy. Erixon has played with men, he has been proven competent and he should get an immediate shot on Broadway. If it motivates MDZ to act like a professional and make him a decent hockey player or it sets him on the road out of town, I am all for it. But if this kid thinks that he deserves a spot (and acts like that) then the Rangers could have pissed away a useful player who was needed and two picks that could have eventually contributed for another arrogant child with a dubious future.

12-9-1: It Wasn't Pretty But ...

... the Rangers won at home. So at least we have that going for us.

The Calgary Flames came into the Garden on Monday night exhausted and emotionally drained after a hugely disappointing loss to Detroit on Sunday and yet were able to carry the action for much of the night. The Rangers started with a jump but didn't score and caved after that, allowing Calgary to dictate the play. The Blueshirts scored a pair of lucky goals and were able to make them stand up against a Flames squad that just couldn't get any flow going to their game.

Basically, the Rangers played a good road game, and escaped with two points. It wasn't pretty, it was hardly entertaining, but now the boys can head out of town on a high note. Not bad.

Notes:

*Yes, both Ranger goals were soft. Boyle's unintentionally came off a defenseman's skate and Girardi's was a wide open shot that Kipper simply couldn't catch.

*All of the rough stuff came because Brent Sutter and Jarome Iginla insist on a high level of pride. Calgary may lose on the scoreboard but they will not be pushed around doing so. The Flames took exception to every hit they absorbed and it resulted in two fights and a scrum. All of those hits, by the way, were legal - even the initial boarding called on Mike Sauer and especially the one that knocked Matt Stajan out of the game.

*Curtis Glencross did not get his comeuppance after clocking Chris Drury, further showing how little the team cares about Dru. The only bit of revenge that was served was the power play goal scored on Glencross' second period penalty, but that didn't have the same impact as it was a soft goal allowed by Kipper.

*Depending on how you look at it, Derek Boogaard is either very good or very bad at what he does. After the third period fracas, Torts put the big man on the ice for the next shift. Boogey missed his first hit attempt by a few feet, tried to pick a fight, lumbered around a bit, was hit from behind, lumbered towards the bench, tried to pick a fight again and sat down for the rest of the night. On one hand, he couldn't get anyone to dance with him but, on the other, after that shift the Flames did not try to exact any extra revenge for the Staal/Stajan hit. Now, would Calgary have attempted to do that, down by just one goal in the third period? And that is why the question remains, what good is Boogaard?

*Martin Biron was not really forced to make many big saves but he got the job done. Considering there is something hugely wrong with Hank - you don't just decide to take the night off to 'practice some things' when you are a top-5 goaltender on the planet - having Biron come in and do the job was nice to see. But I will not cheer "Marty, Marty, Marty" in MSG. I don't care that it is a different Marty, one on our team who hasn't had relations with his wife's sister, but it is just not going to happen.

*Hey Cally, I know you saw Frolov score on a wrap-around against Minnesota but that move doesn't work 99% of the time. This isn't a video game, this is real life and a All-World goaltender like Miikka Kiprusoff isn't going to give up a goal that way. And is it a coincidence that after Cally was shafted by the scorer in Minnesota that the guy here in NY awarded him an astounding 11 hits? Hmmm ....

*Frolov, you suck. The Russian clearly has some offensive instincts, he just hasn't shown the drive or ability to capitalize on them. The same can almost be said for young Anisimov. Calgary played a tough, physical defense and Arty became invisible. While Frolov's day is done, there is still hope for Arty; let's hope he realizes that.

*Sean Avery saw the second least amount of ice time, getting just three shifts in each of the last two periods. Was Tortorella afraid that Avery would take a bad penalty? Was Tortorella afraid Avery wasn't defensively responsible enough to get more time in a tight game?

*MDZ didn't make many mistakes and had a quiet game, which is exactly what he needed. Perhaps it was because the Rangers had just two power plays or because it was a tight game but giving the youngster less than 20 minutes was a good thing - he still saw action but he didn't have to overextend himself. Another reason why MDZ saw last time was because Torts put Sauer and Gilroy out there more and they rewarded his faith with solid defense.

*Credit to Calgary for shutting down Gaborik completely and credit to the Rangers for winning anyway.

*Nice of the Rangers to have a remembrance of Pat Burns. In my opinion the true testament of a man is not the amount of love his friends and family have for him but the amount of respect he has earned from his enemies. Burns may have made the Blueshirts' lives miserable while with the Devils but he was a helluva coach.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Brian Boyle - one goal.
2-Dan Girardi - one goal and one assist.
1-Martin Biron - 31 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Iginla - Can you imagine how good Iginla would be if he played on a real team?
2-Biron - The Islander didn't give up a single soft goal and gave the Rangers a chance to win - all you can ask for from your backup goaltender.
1-Staal - Girardi is getting all of the press for his two points but it was Staal who made several stellar defensive plays - laying out to break up a 2-on-1 being one of them - and it was Staal who had a beautiful open ice hit on Stajan.

Peepin' Foes: Calgary Flames

For the second straight game the Rangers will get the Red Wings' sloppy seconds when they face off against the Calgary Flames at the Garden Monday night (7pm, MSG).

Where We Are: After the pleasant surprise of the win over Minnesota, the Rangers are returning to the Garden where they are 4-6-1 this season. Perhaps the young roster has been enjoying Manhattan a bit too much and, while they are enjoying their nights out, they are ruining ours by showing up to work in less than top form. The best we can hope for is that after playing back-to-back Friday and Saturday, they took Sunday night easy.

Where They Are: On Thursday The 4th Line Blog wrote: "They’re ... a completely apathetic team. Well, maybe not completely, but not far from it either. They’re making bizarre trades, the coach is shuffling lines seemingly out of boredom, and fans are simply angry. This is the point where GMs and coaches are often fired..."

Since then the Flames beat the hell out of Chicago 7-2 behind a hat trick by Jarome Iginla and choked against the Wings 5-4. Iggy had two goals and an assist but it wasn't enough. A bad penalty and a broken stick allowed Henrik Zetterberg to force overtime with three seconds left in the third and Nick Lidstrom won it in the four-on-four. Who knows what the sudden meltdown will do to the team - it could strengthen their resolve or send them into a death spiral. Let's hope for the latter.

Who To Watch For: Iginla is red hot right about now. After the team went 1-7 in the eight games before Chicago, the "Trade Iginla" wagon was brought out again and folks in L.A. started drooling. The classiest captain in the league, Iggy is the total package as a player and can take over games. Alex Tanguay came back from a terrible season in Tampa and has recaptured some of his old form while Rene Bourque continues to be a regular threat. Calgary's gamble on re-signing Olli Jokinen has unsurprisingly failed while the addition of Brendan Morrison has proved brilliant; Morrison just seems more comfortable in Western Canada. Jay Bouwmeester has been a bust so the GM traded his own kid to bolster the blueline, adding Carolina's Anton Babchuk.

What To Watch For: Miikka Kiprusoff to give up just two goals as the fine Finn has allowed two goals in five of his last eight starts. Then again backup Henrik Karlsson hasn't played once this month maybe Kipper won't start ... yeah right. Robyn Regehr, if he is able to go after taking a bad fall last night in Detroit, making himself quite familiar with Gabby while Mark Giordano and Cory Sarich do their best to clog the middle on the Pack line. Matt Stajan keeping his five-game assist streak going. Alex Frolov trying his wrap-around more often now that it actually worked.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Hank to step back into the lineup and not give up a single soft goal. Even though Drury is out, hopefully someone showing a good memory by getting Curtis Glencross back for that bad hit last year. Raitis Ivanans is concussed so there is no one for Boogey to dance with but a Prust vs. Tim Jackman battle might be nice - it's always a pleasure to see a former Islander get his ass kicked - but Tom Kostopoulos has yet to fight for his new team so the pressure is on there. Derek Stepan to shrug off the pressure and have a good game at home for once. Brian Boyle to snap his second four-game goal drought of the season.

Also Check Out: Sadly Five Hole Fanatics has called it quits but Hit The Post, SBN's Matchsticks & Gasoline and the Battle of Alberta continue to bring the news.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Calgary Flames

Oh, thank goodness for the Calgary Flames. Last season they took Higgins and Kotalik and gave us Jokinen and Prust. And then they took Jokinen back. Aaaaaand they still have Kotalik around (even though they passed him through waivers). It is truly amazing how they can have such a brilliant talent as Jarome Iginla and such a clueless brain trust as the Sutter brothers.

Familiar Foes: Iginla is a Scotty Hockey Hero - the best combination of offense, defense, toughness, class and leadership in the NHL. After him, well, things drop off. He still doesn't have a center, leading the Flames to bring old Craig Conroy back yet again. Rene Bourque has some talent but the Flames fortunes rely on Alex Tanguay, Jay Bouwmeester, Robyn Regehr, Daymond Langkow and Jokinen to find their long-lost form. Kipper will be a work-horse for yet another year with no real backup under contract and we know how well that has worked out for Calgary since the lockout ...

N00bz: The Sutters took Nik Hagman, Matt Stajan and Ian White back from the Flames in return for Dion Phaneuf and added Steve Staios from Edmonton at the deadline last season. The big splash in free agency was the stupidity of bringing back Jokinen for another run. But the most important n00b could be another Scandic player - young Mikael Backlund. Backlund had 10 points in 23 games last season, including five in a four game span right before the end of the season. He could be quite the fantasy sleeper ...

Last Year: Saturday, November 7th, 3-1 Flames win in Calgary.

This Year: Monday, November 22nd @ MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: We will get to see just how long the Ranger memory runs. Should they do the right thing, Derek Boogaard will beat the living hell out of Curtis Glencross for his dirty hit on Drury last year - as no one got retribution that night.

The Deal Is Done

Of course, not long after I finished the Peepin' Foes and watched the rest of the Calgary game, the trade we've all been waiting for has finally gone through: the Rangers have dealt Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins to the Flames for Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust. Sorry to see Higgins go but this trade is a win for the Blueshirts. Kotalik's New York experiment was not unlike Valeri Kamensky's at the turn of the millennium - the guy put up points but that contribution wasn't enough to overcome his defensive weaknesses and he didn't get the ice time he wanted. As for Higgins, as I have always said, at least he tried. Smithtown's hustle was admirable, but his inability to score was distressing (at best).


So in return for those guys, the Rangers add a playmaking center in Jokinen who clearly needed a change of scenery. The guy had been a all-world talent for a span but somehow lost that of late. But if there is a single coach in the NHL who believes that Olli Jokinen can still be a star, John Tortorella has to be it. Post-lockout, Tortorella saw Jokinen skate against his Lightning on Florida 23 times and Jokinen scored 33 points in those games, including six three-point nights. The last two times he played against the Rangers, he grabbed an assist in each game (one with Phoenix on Nov. 24, 08 and one with Calgary Nov. 7, 09).

Now Torts can slot Jokinen in the middle between Prospal and Gabby, and can slide Dubi down to the second line. A second unit of Dubi, Cally and Avery could be outright scary. Dru or Arty can get slotted out on the wing on the third line with Lisin while you put Boyle, Prust and @Voros34 out as a don't-f@#k-with-us, grind-it-out fourth line. Or mix them in with the third line "talent" to balance the bottom two lines out. Seeing as Prust can fight, this could also hopefully be the end of Brashear's stay on Broadway, which would make this deal an outright victory - even if Jokinen never scores a single point.


Sorry for the Photoshops, they were quite rushed.

10-7-1: Rough Ride In The Saddledome

The Rangers lost to the Flames in Calgary on Saturday night 3-1. They had no right being in the game at all against a bigger, strong team and with their backup goaltender in net yet still was an Ales Kotalik miss away from forcing overtime.

That's pretty impressive.

Well, it is either that or a clear indication that Calgary is suffering heavily from the off-season loss of Mike Cammalleri. While I hope for the former, I believe it was the latter.

*Everyone wants to talk about the Chris Drury hit and seems to be calling for blood. Not me. How would suspending Glencross help the Rangers? Sure the hit was a few seconds after the puck was floated away down the ice but Dru had his head down and stick out like he was going to receive a pass. He wasn't paying attention and he paid the price. And, let's face it, it isn't a huge loss to the team. Should he go on long term IR, his $7 mil salary could be better spent than on a 50 point player who kills penalties. We watched a real captain out there on the ice leading the other team and he was far from meek.

*And while there is so much outrage focused on Glencross, it should be double towards the Rangers because no one bothered to get any vengeance. No crying for Brashear because anyone/everyone should have done something. Girardi jawed at him or something on the next shift but that was it. Pathetic. Of course, it doesn't help when Dane Byers is playing scared after being suspended, Sean Avery is in his happy zen place and big Brian Boyle is too dumb to know that he should do something.

*The other big injury of the game was to Brandon Dubinsky. Replays showed that he blocked a shot with his hand, so if it is busted or cracked, then the team should sue Bauer because gloves are supposed to protect players from something like that.

*Does everyone else think that Kipper was Calgary's saving grace? Because I certainly don't. Most of his big stops came from the puck hitting him - he left plenty of space but the Rangers couldn't get their shots to go there.

*Credit for that does to the Flames defense because, wait for it, they play the body! What a concept! Defensemen closing spaces and playing the body! Had Hobey Gilroy played the body on little Nigel Dawes, Dawsie couldn't have found an open Iginla to score the second Calgary goal. Sure Wade Redden takes some blame for hanging out in the crease watching the play but Hobey is better than that. Wade isn't.

*It is easy to jump on Valley because he is the backup but he really can only be faulted for one of the three goals - the first was a deflection, the second a one-timer but the third just blew right past him. It did come on a bad play by the Blueshirts but he saw the shooter, he should have made the stop.

*Back to Boyle for a second, he went 0-10 in the faceoff circle. 0-10. Anyone else miss Blair Betts?

*Enver Lisin played like he was still hurt; that jump in his step clearly wasn't there. And I wasn't sure if Arty Anisimov was there at all. The box score says he played but I don't remember him doing a single damn thing.

*What happened to Olli Jokinen? Once a regular threat when we played him on the Panthers, he was woeful on this occasion. And I hear that that is the norm for him this season; I wonder what went wrong as he couldn't have forgotten to play over the summer ...

*PHW Three Stars
3-Dan Girardi - one goal.
2-Nigel Dawes - three assists.
1-Miikka Kiprusoff - 32 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Dawesie - Gotta give credit to him for getting revenge.
2-Girardi - Best Ranger on the ice. Sure Higgins and Cally skated hard, Gabby got some good shots off and Dubi finished his shift before going to the bench injured but Dan-O was all over the place. His goal was lucky - multiple deflections - but he stopped several goals with good shot blocks (and I'm pretty sure the last goal against didn't came off his stick but I didn't catch the replay).
1-Jay Bouwmeester/Robyn Regehr/Dion Phaneuf - JayBo killed off all three Ranger power plays seemingly by himself. Regehr made stop after stop, was hurt and missed some time, but still played almost 24 minutes. Sloppy Seconds had big hits, big shots and big stops - probably the best game I've seen him play in quite a while.

Peepin' Foes: Calgary Flames

The Rangers are headed to the Red Mile Saturday night to face the Calgary Flames at 10pm on MSG Plus (stupid Knicks).

Where We Are: Playing one last road game before four days off, coming off of a power play-fueled win against the Oilers.

Where They Are: Impervious to the H1N1 flu. Oh, and as the winners of back-to-back one-goal games.

Who To Watch For: The classy captain Jarome Iginla may be the best all-around player in the NHL. Rene Bourque is riding shotgun and averaging more than a power per game while Ollie Jokinen has disappointed. Sloppy Seconds, Double-R and JayBow make the best top-three defensemen in the NHL (Phaneuf, Regehr, Bouwmeester) and they play in front of a pretty damn good goaltender - Miikka Kiprusoff. Even Kipper's backup has looked good, with Curtis McElhinney making 38 saves in Wednesday's win over Dallas.

What To Watch For: Freddie Sjostrom and Nigel Dawes to do their damnedest to score against their former team. Calgary's big three D to keep tight wraps on Gabby. Dane Byers, Ryan Callahan and Brian Boyle to attempt to match the physicality of the Flames. Iginla and Bourque to make mincemeat out of Redden and Rozy by powering to the net. Curtis Glencross and Mark Giordano also using their size to their advantage on both sides of the ice.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Captain Clutch to snap out of his funk and start playing good hockey for the first time this season, if only because he is shamed by the Calgary captain's effort/skill/talent. Sean Avery to be Sean Avery, minus the inflammatory public comments that get him suspended. Another strong game by Hobey Gilroy. Eric Nystrom to not hurt the Rangers the way his dad used to. More of Ales Kotalik's booming slapshot. Chris Higgins' goal-scoring streak to continue. No Rangers having to tussle with the alcoholic goon Brian McGrattan, especially with Brash expected to be out nursing the emotional scarring from losing to Colton Orr. It is too bad, seeing as McGratton won both of their two meetings, including this doozy.

Also Check Out: The capital letter-challenged Hit The Post, the fantastic Five Hole Fanatics, SBN's Matchsticks & Gasoline and the uber popular Battle of Alberta.

Good Luck Freddie

As you may have seen, Freddie Sjostrom got picked up by Calgary today.

Sjostrom's departure became an inevitability when he didn't start scoring at the end of last season despite a move to the third line. Regardless, it is still sad see him go as he was one of the few who truly gave the Rangers everything that he had. Through the blood, sweat and bruises, Sjostrom hustled every moment of every shift and became a huge part of the team - as great as Bettsy was, the combination of the two is what made the penalty kill the best in the NHL.

He will be missed.

18-10-2: Goin' Down In Flames

Now you folks are starting to see everything that I pointed out once the season started: this New York Ranger team is deeply flawed. The shine from the easy wins against poor teams has finally dimmed and the many fault lines running through the team are deeply exposed for opponents to see and exploit. On this night the light-in-talent-yet-deep-in-effort Calgary Flames shut out the Rangers 3-0.

Everyone that I spoke to, with the exception of Mr. X from the Blue Seats, thought it was a dreadfully dull affair with the home side looking like they were ready to turn in for the night. Mr. X held up the 14 minute long stoppage-free streak in the first period as exciting end-to-end hockey. I countered that it appeared that the Rangers started playing for the shootout after they blew the power play that Ryan Callahan drew on the opening shift of the game. Neither one of us would budge but this being my blog and all, I will chalk that up to a victory. And onto more of my views from Section 329:

*How soon until Tom Renney starts getting some heat for the team's struggles? Renney may be lauded for being a great teacher but he clearly isn't the best motivator out there and he seemingly doesn't want his boys to be comfortable. Renney changes up the lines continually throughout the games so there is virtually no chemistry, and thus no scoring.

*Line of the night, during one of the four power plays that the Rangers blew, from someone in the section next to me: "We need Plaxico on this team! At least you know he shoots!"

*Somehow our chants of "Sloppy Seconds" didn't throw off Dion Phaneuf. Not that the overhyped defenseman played a good game, but he definitely played a part in stifling the Rangers over his game-high 24:30 of ice time.

*The Flames fans seemed to appreciate his efforts, and there were a lot of Flames fans. Considering Calgary is a far ways away from New York, it was strange to see a solid compliment of red jerseys around the Garden. This wasn't the first game that opposing fans have made their way into our arena; there seems to be more this season than in recent years.

*Yet again the Mexican't, Scott Gomez, led the Rangers with a -3 rating. Gomez was horrid; he missed easy shots and blew pass after pass. He would come flying across the blue line into traffic before sending the puck Nik Zherdev's way but his feed was either off the mark or too hard for Z to handle. Z, by the way, had several moments of stickhandling brilliance followed by careless turnovers ... Alex Kovalev anyone?

*One of the few bright lights on this night was the first period play of Aaron Voros. Voros played up to his size and worked the crease like he did way back when against Tampa when he drove Mike Smith crazy. During that win, Voros harassed the Lightning paint all night. During this loss, he disappeared.

*Another good thing to take out of this debacle? Michal Rozsival had one of his best games of this season. He made two really good defensive plays and even played the body a few times - what a concept!!

*Sadly, even without Wade Redden's negative influence on the ice with him, Dan Girardi played another poor game that saw him out of position or a step too late several times. Last season he worked flawlessly with the Fedor Tyutin. Toots was a strong defensive player and he complimented Girardi well. Playing Redden has made the former ECHLer try to do too much; perhaps a trip back to the E will help him simplify his game. Maybe it's time to try him out there with the ever-improving Marc Staal?

*Or perhaps Corey Potter could step in alongside Girardi? The kid acquitted himself quite well in his NHL debut. Potter showed little hesitation going into the corners to dig out the puck and none in snuffing the Flames out along the boards.

*Petr Prucha and Colton Orr both showed their desire for more ice time in their hard work. Of course, neither one can score, but they battled harder than the other Ranger forwards.

*I have to say that I was pleased to see Orr not justify Andre Roy's salary by lowering himself to fighting the brainless goon. There was no reason to fight early on and later it was too close to send in the clowns - not that Orr has been a clown of late, but you know what I mean.

*There was no Rangers Rewind at 1 a.m. on MSG due to the Knicks game so feel free to fill in anything I may have missed down in the comment section.

*PHW Three Stars
3-David Moss - one goal.
2-Jarome Iginla - game-winning goal.
1-Miikka Kiprusoff - 31 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Corey Potter - Welcome to the NHL kiddo. Other teams will score from time to time, but if you avoid bad influences (primarily those named Redden, Rozsival and Kalinin), keep working hard and keep your head about you, you'll do just fine.
2-Mark Giordano - He spent last season in Russia. Russia! Both he and Cory Sarich brought their lunchpail to the office tonight and put in a good game's worth of effort swatting away the punchless Ranger offense and getting the puck up-ice.
1-Rene Bourque - It really isn't a big accomplishment to score a shorthanded goal against the Rangers anymore but his was a doozy. He hustled down the ice and beat Paul Mara on the outside to get off a shot, then beat Mara again on the boards to collect his own rebound before coming around the net to rifle a shot under the crossbar. Pretty stuff.

Peepin' Foes: Calgary Flames

I can't decide on if I should bring a sign to Sunday's 7:30 pm game against the Calgary Flames. And if I do, which to bring? What do you think? "Rangers Get 'Em First," "Sloppy Seconds," "Sloppy Defense," "You ARE Boring Iggy," "Play Like Prucha" ???

Where We Are: Hmm, let's see ... our last five games were a blown lead but a shootout win, a blown lead but a shootout win, an utter embarrassment, a come-from-behind shootout win, and another utter embarrassment. Not really a reassuring record heading into a game against a strong, hardworking team that is 6-2 in their last eight games.

Where They Are: After beating Vancouver (the team that trounced us last month at the Garden) in both legs of a home and home, Calgary fell to Dallas in a very disappointingly uneventful game (thanks Gary Bettman). They bounced back with a come-from-behind, hard-fought 4-3 overtime win in St. Louis. That is overtime, not shootout. See, not all the teams in the NHL play for the skills competition, some actually like to win fair and square.

Who To Watch For: Dion "Sloppy Seconds" Phaneuf assisted on all four goals against the Blues. Somehow he didn't record a single hit in 29 minutes on the ice but we all know the kid is a freight train. Sloppy leads a solid defense that includes one of the most underrated blueliners in the NHL - Robyn Regehr. Their offense is underwhelming but Mike Cammalleri scores pretty regularly and they still have the snoozefest that is Jarome Iginla. While he comes across like he has no personality, Iggy is debatably one of the top five talents in the NHL and certainly is one of the classiest. I still get choked up watching him lead the Flames back out to shake Trevor's hand. Daymond Langkow is also one heckuva hockey player and Curtis Glencross is red-hot of late with 12 points in his last 10 games.

What To Watch For: See if the Ranger fans still remember the Steve Moore incident. The building booed Todd Bertuzzi the last time he came through but back then we had Moore's brother. Sadly, I don't think they will. Also keep an eye out for Mark Giordano and former Islander Adrian Aucoin shutting down Z and locking the Mexican't Gomez out of the Calgary zone.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Colton Orr beating the hell out of upstart heavyweight Brandon Prust. A Swede (Hank) out-dueling a Finn (Kipper) for Scandic pride. The Rangers showing some heart and pride by coming out of the gates flying. And if the game is tied going into the third period, a Ranger team actually attempting to win rather than killing the clock until Hank can do his skill competition magic.

Also Check Out: The capital letter-challenged Hit The Post, the fantastic Five Hole Fanatics and the uber popular Battle of Alberta.

And, as always, head over to Weinman's Ranger Report for the latest in Blueshirt news, even if Sam has (understandably) dedicated a lot of time and space lately to the Sean Avery story.

Sean Rocks!!

From the awesome Eric Duhatschek of the Globe today (h/t to Kukla):

As [Sean Avery] emerged from the dressing area at the back of the visiting dressing room, he asked if a TSN camera were present.

When he saw that it was, Avery stepped in front of the microphones, didn't wait for a question to be asked and started talking.

“I'm really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada,” began Avery. “I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my (former girlfriends).

“I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight.”

And with that, Avery walked away and didn't stick around to explain any further.

This guy sells hockey better than the Cindy and Gina show in Pittsburgh. There is nothing, NOTHING like injecting some hate into hockey and Sean has done it better than anyone this millennium. This sport has gone far towards Gary Bettman's ideal of a corporate, clean, midwest soccer mom-approved game between robots and Avery's antics help us remember how wonderfully entertaining it could be.

If seeing him face Elisha's new boyfriend Dion (and the "boring" Jarome Iginla) doesn't get you to tune into tonight's Dallas/Calgary game, I don't know what will.

Now This Is Hockey!

"He watches a lot of hockey, so he knows about Milan. We said we're going to set up a Lucic-Phaneuf fight. When we go to Calgary, Jarome said he's going to do his part to get Dion all fired up. We'll get Looch the same way. No problem."

- Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, speaking of former Calgary teammate Jarome Iginla and joking about scheduling a Milan Lucic-Dion Phaneuf bout when the Bruins play the Flames Oct. 30.

The NHL needs more stuff like this to not only happen, but to come to light. It builds rivalries and draws fans. Thanks to the Boston Globe for it.

NHL Four-cast: Calgary Flames

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Jarome Iginla is one of the most dynamic players in the NHL. He scores, he passes, he hits, he fights and he oozes class. What he did for Trevor Linden at Linden's last home game was one of the most impressive, wonderful gestures I have ever seen in the sport. He is worth the price of admission on his own and getting Dion Phaneuf and Mike Keenan too is just a bonus.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Worse. They lost Kristian Huselius, Alex Tanguay and Owen Nolan and replaced them with Mike Cammalleri, Todd Bertuzzi and Rene Bourque. Camms flashed his potential getting hot out of the gates last season but fought injury and inconsistency after that. Bert ... well, he hasn't been the same since he mugged Steve Moore. And Rene Bourque is a depth guy, nothing more. Huselius, while enigmatic, could create offense off the wing, Tanguay was a good soldier who also went through good offensive stretches and even in the twilight of his career Nolan was a solid lower-line power forward.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Iggy and Phaneuf are no brainers. Miikka Kiprusoff gets wins but last season his numbers dropped to 2.69, .906 - on par with Ryan Miller, who I said watch out for. I would give Kipper the edge between the two of them but he isn't the top-five or even top-10 pick he once was. Daymond Langkow quietly puts up solid numbers and should be around in the middle rounds. If you find yourself desperate for defense, after two injury-filled, disappointing seasons Adrian Aucoin bounced back last year and should even do better this year. You can pencil him in for 40 points with a solid plus/minus.

4 - Red Mile girls (NSFW), where have you gone? No, really, I want to know!

20-16-4: Rangers Burned By Flames

And now back to your regular programming ... the Rangers started their western swing with a game against Mike Keenan's Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

*In Mike Keenan's first game back to the Garden after he left the Rangers for St. Louis, I yelled at him "Keenan You Suck!" and he turned around and gave me a nasty look. That has little to do with the game tonight, I just wanted to share.

*Marek Malik is a disaster. The Rangers need to make a move and get him off of the roster asap. Listed at 6'6 235, Malik was bumped off the puck by Craig Conroy (6'2, 193) to set up Calgary's first goal. Four inches, 42 pounds; that's just pathetic. Watching the Flames skate around him at will is embarrassing.

*Speaking of the 'superstar' defenseman, for some reason Tom Renney decided to evenly rotate the defensive lines through the first two periods. That is just ridiculous when you consider how utterly inferior Malik and Paul Mara are in footspeed, strength and defensive acumen, particularly when facing a fast, strong, physical team.

*I don't remember any individual incidents that Sean Avery had against Calgary as a member of the Kings, but I gotta say it made me laugh to hear how the Flames fans booed and jeered him every chance they got.

*Hank officially got six shots against in the first period but virtually every one was a good scoring chance. If not for the King, the Rangers would have hobbled off for the intermission down 3-0 instead of 1-0. Of course, the fourth goal against was an utter embarrassment so for all of the good he did, Hank was just as guilty for the loss as anyone else.

*Well, of no surprise to me, when the Rangers put both Malik and Marcel Hossa out on the ice to kill a penalty and face Jarome Iginla - one of the top five players in the NHL - the Rangers got scored against.

*Hossa worked himself into several scoring positions but the magical touch that he had for six games last season is clearly gone, he can't do anything anymore. As some friends say every time he steps on the ice "TRADE BAIT!!" (although I can't imagine any NHL team wanting him).

*I loved the graphic they posted on how Rozy has matched his goal total from last year with his tally that made it 2-1. Unfortunately it comes at the cost of his defensive responsibilities. He has been better on offense, but much worse on defense - which should be his first priority. Seeing him skid across the ice without a stick during Calgary's third goal made my stomach turn. Calgary made a great play, but watching him made me want to yak. He is supposed to be the Rangers top defenseman and yet there he was, ineptly diving to get himself back into position.

*Are you kidding me? With a minute and a half left in the second period Marty Straka had a clear lane to the net on a break and he instead swung a pass to Jagr on the far side?!?!? That is just retarded. So instead of having a good scoring chance for the Rangers, the Flames get a boost from an easy save. I thought getting rid of Nylander would curtail the insane desire to put the puck on Jagr's stick every moment of every one of his shifts.

*The NHL is making a huge mistake not promoting Iginla more. He did a intermission interview with Sam and Joe and was charming and well spoken. He smiled, he answered the questions asked ... despite his unfortunate address (Calgary), he should be a major part of every PR scheme/ad campaign the league has. I've loved watching him play over the years but never knew he was such a good interview. I'm impressed.

*According to the box score, Brendan Shanahan played more then 15 minutes of the game. I don't know about you, but I barely noticed him out there. I know he is getting old but the Rangers need him to make his presence known if they are to have any success. A garbage goal with time winding down isn't enough.

*From the old guard to the new, watching the second Rangers goal seemed to be a glimpse into the future of the Rangers: Avery skating alongside Callahan and Dubinsky with Girardi and Tyutin on defense. I have to say, I liked what I saw. I liked it even more when Dubi scored - a reward for his hard work all game long.

*I know that the Rangers were working from behind, but putting the HBO line on the shelf wasn't the best idea. Aside from being solid checking, Betts and Hollweg are two of the Rangers fastest skaters and they could have ran with the speedy Flames.

*The stellar speed and puck movement of Kristian Huselius propelled the Flames to victory. At the same time, where the hell was Scott Gomez throughout the night? Yes he put two assists on the board but he was almost as invisible as Shanny. He needs to be a dynamic puck carrier. Especially when you consider how Jagr played his halfhearted game once the Rangers started losing. You can't take anything away from Straka, outside of his illogical obsession with taking himself out of scoring situations to give the puck to his buddy Jagr.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Dubi- one goal.
2-Iginla- two goals.
1-Huselius- goal and three assists.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Dubi- I have to agree with Sam and Joe, he was the best Ranger on the ice all night.
2-Conroy- he did the dirty work to get room for, and the puck to Iginla and Huselius.
1-Huselius- a truly impressive performance.