25-18-4: Cally Came Though

Second to last game of the season, against the third-worst team in the LEast, one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL, blown two-goal lead, overtime ... THE RANGERS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to Ryan Callahan the Blueshirts beat the hapless Hurricanes 4-3 in OT on Thursday night to secure a spot in the postseason. Woo hoo and yippee. Many of the Rangers' near-fatal flaws were on display and they nearly sent the season to what woulda been a hellish end against the Devils (because you just know the Jets woulda won). But Dave Cally was there. Dave's Cally's a killer! The Rangers are a mess.

Coming off the failure in Florida the Blueshirts got off to a solid start with two first period goals but after the intermission they stopped play, they stopped skating, they stopped playing smart hockey. And Carolina came back with three in a row. If not for the fortunate bounce off the endboards and Dan Ellis' incompetence, the Rangers would have lost to the Hurricanes - not a good sign with the playoffs starting in just a few days.

But, you have to be in it to win it and all that jazz so at least that mission is accomplished. The next will be far tougher, and this team has to be far better if they are to finish that one ...

Late Hits:

*Zuccarello vs. Skinner was the most adorable puck tussle since this.

*Marek Hrivik missed much of this season due to a concussion but he returned and scored in the Whale's final game. Perhaps giving him a shot would have been a better option than plugging Hobey Gilroy in Arron Asham's spot. Gilroy is incapable of playing at a NHL level on defense, what would possess Torts to put him in on offense? Even Stu Bickel would have been better.

*Congrats to Asham for spawning. Hopefully he will decide to be Mr. Mom and quit his job to care for the baby.

*Dan Girardi, 30 minutes and 32 seconds of ice time. The sad thing is that you can already seeing all of the mileage taking its toll on him - and McDonagh for that matter - but Torts just heaves them over the boards again and again and again. John Moore had another solid start, maybe he should be given more responsibility and ice time.

*If Marc Staal decides to join his brothers - if he ever recovers - the Rangers should try to get Justin Faulk in the deal (if Marc doesn't go the free agent route). That kid can play.

*Del Zaster was listed with two assists for the Rangers, neither of which he particularly worked hard to deserve. There were two shots between DZ's pass and Brassard's goal and on the Richard$, well, Dan Ellis scored that one. The one helper DZ should have been credited with was an assist on Tlusty's go-ahead goal, what a senseless, stupid feed. However, prior to that, DZ was the one Ranger in a good position on Ruutu's game-tying tally - he had the pass locked down on the two-on-one and Hank just bricked on the shot.

*Seriously, a Carolina journalist made DZ one of the stars. Hilarious.

*Also amusing? Dan Ellis. He ranks 41st in GAA out of 45 goaltenders to play 15 or more games this year and 29th in save percentage.

*Car 61, where are you? Would be nice for Rick Nash to come through with a big goal against these bad teams. He has a three game goal drought and is in danger of his first sub-20 goal season since his rookie year.

*Hope Clowe is ok, really hope he doesn't play against the Devils. Staal rushed back after being hit by his brother and it cost him (and the Rangers) down the road. Best to err on the side of caution.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Michael Del Zotto - two assists.
2-Jiri Tlusty - two goals.
1-Ryan Callahan - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Step - Where would the Rangers be without his offensive explosion this season?
2-Tlusty - The same guy who sent out nude pix when he was a Maple Leaf really has had himself a solid season - he has four more goals than Nash.
1-Cally - Really running out of superlatives for this guy. He's good.

19-15-4: Hank Stops The Hurricanes

The Rangers survived quite the storm on Saturday night as Henrik Lundqvist was forced to weather 49 shots in what would be a 4-1 win over Carolina by the Blueshirts. The stellar Swede showed the skills that helped him earn the Vezina Trophy last season and have put him in line for a repeat.

Why is it when the Rangers inflate the save total of opposition goaltenders, it is with low percentage shots but when Hank gets hammered, it is by a continual deluge of scoring chances? And to give up that many opportunities to a sub-par non-playoff team ... ?

Those are rhetorical questions at this point but the real query is what was the cost to the King? Thus far this year Hank suffered headaches (no one wants to call it a concussion) and suffered a sore hamstring in the home-and-home with Pittsburgh. How much more can he handle?

Even in the triple overtime game against Washington last season Hank only faced 46 shots by the time Gabby scored the winner (and stopped 45). It's clear all of the ice time has taken a toll on McDonagh and Girardi, but Hank has been there to bail them out. What will happen should he finally break down? Shudder to think ...

Late Hits:

*Accountability. Brian Boyle takes two terrible penalties and helps Carolina break Hank's no-no. And yet he played over 19 minutes (including three and a half on the power play), never missed a shift and was out on the ice to score an empty net goal as time expired. But Torts will scream at the youngsters and bench the superstars. Just doesn't make much sense.

*John Moore has gone from 14 to 10 to seven minutes of ice time over his three games for no reason that I could see. The kid can skate, move the puck and get out of trouble ... except trouble with Torts. Next time the bench boss will probably banish him to the press box and force us to watch Hamrlik again. Nooooooo!!!!!!

*Two power play goals. In one game. By the Rangers. Whaaaa? Step's strike came off the rush after Richards took advantage of McBain's mistake to find the former Badger alone in the slot. Nash's came on a nice spin-and-shoot after a fine feed from Zuke, moments after the Blueshirts gained the zone. There was no establishing themselves, wasting time and telegraphing passes - they moved in and scored.

*Sure Dan Ellis is awful, but it was still sweet to see Nash pick his pocket and thread a perfect pass back into the crease for Cally to capitalize upon.

*They should claim that it is part of the league's environmental action but the Rangers might as well paint their own blue line green because opponents are free to slide on in. Clowe has brought the advertised toughness but he can't break up rushes on his own.

*Even though he came away -1, Carl Hagelin had himself one of his better games. The kid is relentless and can skate, but he will have to start scoring soon - one goal in his last 19 and one assist in his last nine.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Jeff Skinner - one assist.
2-Rick Nash - one goal and one assist.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 48 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Step - All it took was adjusting back to American ice after his Finnish foray and he's setting himself up for quite the payday this summer.
2-Nash - As many goals as Crosby this season (15), in two less games (thanks to both of their injuries).
1-Hank - Another royal performance by Manhattan's monarch.

14-12-2: Ugly Is OK

During the Ranger game, I had this exchange on twitter:

@scottyhockey Im really starting to think this was a horrible signing. put the rangers in win-now mode a few years too early
— Eric Solomon (@EricSolomon28) March 19, 2013

While I'm not willing to make a final condemnation of the signing at this point - I gave it three years, I'm sticking with three years - but Eric's point about win-now seems correct.

It is not a coincidence that the top players in the Rangers 2-1 win over Carolina on Monday night (and on most nights this season) are home grown. The shootout victory was keyed not by big money mercenaries like Richard$, Nash and Gaborik but by Ranger draft picks Lundqvist, Callahan, Stepan, Del Zaster and Miller. Mercenaries should supplement draft picks, not vice versa.

Monday's win was an ugly win, but it was a win. And this team needs wins. These are the Rangers, we are Ranger fans. We don't need flash, we need substance. We need another Cup.

Late Hits:

*More than willing to take the hit for my comments when Miller was drafted. I was concerned he was just another grinder in an organization full of them but Gordie saw upside and JT is proving Gordie is the best birddog in the biz with his ability and tenacity. Skilled grinders took this team to the ECF last year and they are what we need more of now.

*Good to see Marc Staal was at the game. Wish Mike Sauer was there too.

*Something has to happen with this defense, Hamrlik is not capable and cracks are showing in the wall that has been Girardi and McDonagh. McD giving Staal so much room to shoot on the first goal was uncharacteristic.

*Yes, credit was given to Del Zaster above. Sure he telegraphed several passes and had them picked off and sure he isn't competent in his own end but he didn't relent.

*Hit. The. Net.

*Also, hit anyone who hits Hank.

*Is it really so hard to drop a puck and get out the way? Did the linesmen think this game was about them?

*The top line had no confidence and no chemistry. That being said, if Torts breaks up Step-Cally-Hagelin to get those overpaid underperformers going it will be a mistake.

*Blow a power play, give up a goal. It happened on the first one and woulda happened on the second had Jamie McBain not blown a gimmie of a goal.

*Richard$ power play ice time total this season: 92:24. Richard$ power play point total this season: 2.

*Much like the St. Louis Blues, Taylor Pyatt was so very much better at the beginning of the season than now.

*Quiet crowd.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Derek Stepan - one goal.
2-Michael Del Zotto - no points.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 29 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Alex Semin - Sure Ovie's old running buddy is the stereotypical enigmatic European but on this night he was a consistent threat.
2-Cally - Good things happen when you go to the net.
1-Hank - I'm willing to bet Charlise has started sleeping better. 

44-18-7: Stars Looking Like The Stars

Last season we saw how someone with wheels could help Marian Gaborik. Gabby was paired with Sean Avery and the two instantly clicked. Unfortunately their on-ice success was cut short by John Tortorella's off-ice hatred for Avery. Torts quickly removed the Grate One from the Slovak's side and that was that. Luckily for us now, the head coach likes Carl Hagelin.

Since his promotion, Hagelin has acclimated himself to the pace and physicality of the NHL. Red Berenson's training in Michigan has served the 23 year old well and he quickly became one of Tortorella's go-to guys. During the coach's incessant line juggling he found that Hags had chemistry some with Brad Richard$ and, with Ryan Callahan out, Torts made Marian the final piece of their troika. Now Gabby has the Swede's speed to help him out and Richard$ is finding his form from last year.

Honestly it should be of little surprise that Richard$ is getting his game together now, getting it back to the level it was with the Stars. During his final campaign in Dallas he combined with Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn in one of the NHL's best lines. Well, right now Gabby is playing the part of Eriksson, Hagelin has replaced Benn and the Ranger threesome has quickly become lethal.

On Tuesday they provided all of the offense as the Blueshirts beat the Hurricanes 4-2 at the Garden. It was a very necessary win for the Rangers, as they continue to work their way out of their recent funk. It should increase their confidence and give them a very necessary boost towards Thursday's massive meeting with Crosby and the Pens.

Late Hits:

*Lost in the mix is Derek Stepan. The kid is sinking down the depth chart like a rock and his play has gone south as well. Hopefully Callahan's eventual return will help fix that but we will have to see. For now reuniting Step with Zuke might be a short-term solution as the two worked well together last season. If you can pry Prust away from Boyle, his grit could give them both a boost.

*Not only is the shot that Boyle once had gone, but the gains from his much-publicized skate lessons also seem to have disappeared. He had one decent backhand but seemed to constantly be chasing the Canes around the ice. And when he doesn't use his size and doesn't win faceoffs, well there isn't much use for him.

*Speaking of useless, perhaps the Museum of Natural History can use Mike Rupp for their early human display because his presence adds nothing to the Rangers on the ice. He may be a great teammate off of it but that's not something we can see.

*Mats Zuccarello had two shots, on the same shift! And one hit the post! Shocking. Zuke had himself a pretty solid game on both sides of the ice, although he couldn't help the power play convert on any of their three opportunities. The tripping call on him was one of the most ridiculous penalties this season. Because someone his size can make someone Tim Gleason's size go flying. Yeah, ok.

*Bobby Sanguinetti, haha. Not quite the folly that was Hugh Jessiman but still a big bust. Bobby looked like an even poorer version of Del Zaster. Perfect example? On the first goal. Watching him chase Mitchell up the boards, slapping the Ranger with his stick like he was trying to swat a fly was hilarious. It achieved nothing, and Mitchell sent it to Dan-O, who took the big shot. Girardi intentionally send it wide, so the ricochet off the end boards ended up on Gabby's stick and the Slovak scored.

*Credit to Marty Biron, for not giving up a goal before Cam Ward did. Biron was barely tested but still managed to make a pair of nice saves that I noticed. Also noticed that he owes Ruslan Fedotenko a nice steak dinner for making a save of his own after the goaltender overcommitted.

*Please Mike Sauer, get well already; Steve Eminger should not be playing regularly in the NHL. Neither should Anton Stralman, although the Swede did have a few really strong, even physical shifts against Carolina. Stu Bickel, on the other hand, is proving he belongs. Stu played nearly 22 minutes and is clearly not chasing the play as much as he used to - not bad for a guy who was in the ECHL not too long ago.

*What are the odds that Callahan's eventual return will transform Brandon Dubinsky back into the player who earned his four-year, $16.8m contract, rather than the one enjoying his four-year, $16.8m contract?

*Justin Faulk was fantastic for Carolina, that kid has a helluva future ahead of him.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Marian Gaborik - one goal and two assists.
2-Carl Hagelin - one goal and two assists.
1-Brad Richards - two goals and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Gabby - How he deals with defenders is impressive.
2-Richard$ - So shooting the puck is a good thing, eh?
1-Bork - The kid makes things happen.

41-15-6: Rangers Win!

Because real life stepped in the way I was unable to watch all of the Rangers' 3-2 win over the Hurricanes on Thursday, so this will be brief. Feel free to fill in the blanks in the comments if you feel so inclined.

Late Hits:

*Astounding how the Blueshirts continue to play down to the level of the worst teams in the NHL.

*Marty Biron didn't give up a goal in the first 10 minutes, a nice change of pace.

*Give Boyle a lot of flak in this space but credit due for a perfect pass to Pruster for the Rangers third goal.

*Brandon Dubinsky felt the wrath of Tortorella for a supposedly stupid penalty late in the first period (didn't see it). Odd how Torts only feels accountability is necessary on rare occasion. DZ wasn't benched for making the same mistake a few games ago...

*Heard Del Zaster re-injured his hip. Boo hoo. Wonder if Rammer jabbed at the injury again, that was hilarious when he did it during the Buffalo game.

*Also odd: how Torts constantly feels the need to follow up a Ranger goal by putting his goon line out there - so they can do their best to give the opposition that goal back. Mike Rupp may just be the most useless player in the NHL right now.

*Delighted and shocked that that shot to Dan Girardi's arm didn't break anything. Starting to think that he is invincible.

*If you drank every time Sam and Joe referred to the Staals being brothers, you wouldn't be reading this right now because you'd be dead.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Eric Staal - two assists.
2-Artem Anisimov - one goal.
1-Marian Gaborik - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3, 2, 1 - Didn't see the whole game, won't judge.

14-5-3: More Rolaids In Raleigh

The current group of cardiac kids that is the Rangers continued to make things as hard as possible on themselves on Thursday night and yet they still managed to escape with a win. They defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 despite committing two of the worse errors teams can make - they spotted the opposition a lead in the first few seconds and then they gave up goals in the waning minutes of not one but two periods. Utterly remarkable.

Yet again Ryan Callahan led the way. Just over a minute after Jiri Tlusty opened the scoring Cally planted himself in front on the power play. Not down by the goal line but right at the top of the crease. And being there allowed him to score a Phil Esposito-style garbage goal, after Brad Richard$ shot was stopped by Cam Ward. That goal signaled that the team wasn't about to back down and they didn't, later rallying with three straight goals in the second period. It was an accomplishment made even more impressive when you consider the jump Carolina had with new head coach Kirk Muller. But with Muller making them skate an up-tempo style that was unfamiliar to the Paul Maurice disciples, the Canes simply couldn't keep up with the Rangers.

Hey, there were still issues with the Blueshirts' play but the resolution not to relent was certainly heartening.

Late Hits:

*The talk on the broadcast and in the postgame was all about the shot blocking of Derek Stepan and John Mitchell. That is kind of curious considering that this team has been shot blocking like mad for two seasons. Just because someone other than Dan Girardi or Ryan Callahan gave up their body to block the puck shouldn't make news - especially when we've seen Step and Mitchell go all-in to make plays. The more impressive moment for me was in the final minute. It is a two-goal game, Carolina is pressing in the Ranger end just praying to get one back and Marian Gaborik of all people goes sliding across the ice to knock a loose puck over the blue line. That was remarkable to me.

*Sean Avery played a team-low 8:37 and yet still contributes with a goal and several strong shifts. The goal came during a rare moment when he ended up alongside Marian Gaborik, showing the chemistry that the two have with each other - chemistry that they have shown before. And yet I still have a sinking feeling that Wojtek Wolski will get a game in at Avery's expense, the second he is ready and the second that Sean takes a bad penalty.

*Avery's normal center nowadays, Brandon Dubinsky, still isn't scoring. While it is to the point where the guys are looking for him to get an empty netter, Dubi did make a great feed to Ryan McDonagh that the defender converted into the game-tying goal. The highlight of that play to me, however, was Brandon Prust smartly letting the puck go past him while heading to the net to try to get a deflection or rebound. No nonsense, by-the-book hockey.

*In the 'timing is everything' department MSG showed the age-old video of Jeff Skinner as a figure skater, giving Micheletti an opportunity to talk about what a good skater is and how great his balance is. Seconds later Skinner stumbled and was crushed into the boards by Brian Boyle. Can't make it up.

*Boyle had to immediately defend himself as Anthony Stewart jumped in to defend Skinner's honour. After watching that, you really wonder if his team-listed measurements of 6'7, 244 are correct. You would think that someone that big should be able to throw a punch. But no.

*At least Boyle is complimenting Mitchell and Hagelin well. The trio is playing smart, simple, hard working hockey and it has been paying off. Boyle won 10 of 13 faceoffs, Hagelin was simply wonderful yet again while Mitchell continued to battle for his NHL life every shift. Their efforts allowed Mike Sauer's soft shot to sail through traffic and Cam Ward for the game-sealing goal.

*Del Zaster had yet another secondary assist on the power play. Remarkable. Very tough to decide to pass it to the highest-paid player on the rink who was standing wide open five, 10 feet away. Ball breaking aside, Del Zaster managed not to feed the puck directly to any Hurricanes in the Ranger end so it has to be considered as a good game for him.

*When I saw the home-run pass to Arty Anisimov ahead of the Gaborik goal, I was sure it was MDZ. Instead, Jeff Woywitka. Kinda unexpected to say the least. Arty's feed to Gaborik is amusing because at first glace he looked like he was making a great fake when instead he nearly fell flat on his face when his skate caught a rut.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Ryan McDonagh - one goal.
2-Jeff Skinner - one goal.
1-Marian Gaborik - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-McDonagh - Marc Staal can take all the time in the world to fully recover. Sure it would be nice to have him back and thus limit the ice time Del Zaster gets and remove Eminger from the lineup, but McD has more than suitably filled in for our injured number one defender.
2-Cally - When you add the characteristics of former captain Vic Hadfield to those of Esposito you get something close to what we are seeing from Callahan. It is hard not to head out into hyperbole when describing him after Chris Drury's recent tenure seeing someone live up to the letter is wonderful.
1-Gaborik - The aforementioned play to knock the puck out of the zone was more as impressive than his feed to Avery or his own goal from Arty. Gabby scored five goals against us that one time, we know he has offensive ability. But when the Slovakian Slacker goes all-out to make an important play like that you know things are going well for us.

9-3-3: Friday Fun

The Rangers kept on rolling on Friday night with their sixth win in a row, a 5-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Even though this was the fifth straight win on Garden ice, it probably was the most feel-good of them all. Fan favourite Sean Avery scored, Brandon Dubinsky got off the snide and military members were honoured around the arena.

Was it perfect? Absolutely not. The Rangers were good the first 20 minutes, poor the next 30 and terrific the last 10. Tortorella simply can not get his guys to play a full 60 for the life of him. And that back-and-forth effort came against a Carolina squad that was far less fearsome than the hurricane-that-wasn't this summer Irene. The Canes were not a good team. But, that being said, we should be heartened that the Blueshirts didn't play down to their opponents ... in the end.

Late Hits:

*Sean Avery should not take faceoffs. But he should keep doing everything else he did. Having family members in the audience paid off as Avery put together a heck of a game: he scored a goal, drew a pair of penalties and forced Tortorella to play him more than five minutes alongside players with actual skill and ability. Avery's goal was terrific - he read the clearing pass off the boards perfectly before showing his incredible breakaway speed to beat the defender. Once he had the puck there was no pulling up, no dumping and changing - he just went right at Cam Ward and snapped the puck under the crossbar. It was beautiful. And man, did the Garden go wild. It was delightful.

*Brandon Dubinsky delighted in his goal, with a very Vinny Prospal-esque celebration. The goal was just good fortune as Ward kicked the rebound from Ryan Callahan's shot right into the slot. But hey, a gimmie goal is still a goal and hopefully it will be enough to get Dubi going again.

*I've seen Carolina a good number of times in the last few years and I've never seen Cam Ward implode like he did in the third, allowing three goals in three minutes before gifting Richard$ one of the easiest goals of his entire career.

*Probably the best Garden crowd to date this season, not that that is saying much.

*Joe Frazier got a better, longer commercial break obituary than Derek Boogaard did during the home opener. Boogaard only played for the Rangers.

*Really getting tired of watching Del Zaster. The kid is atrocious on the power play and is virtually incapable in his own zone. Late in the second period the Rangers had a power play that actually looked pretty good. And MDZ blew it - not only did he miss his trademark back-door attempt but his passing was poor to everyone except Tim Gleason.

*The GAS Line looked good again, even if the Canes were able to hold them off of the scoreboard. Arty needs to be more physical and use his size better.

*Speaking of a reluctance to be truculent, Brian Boyle is almost back to being the utterly ineffective player who the L.A. Kings gave up on. He picked up a second assist on the Dubi goal but that had little to do with his work on the play. What he learned from his power skating lessons, the seeing eye shots from the circles, the faceoff ability are all gone. But most of all, I miss Brandon Prust.

*How did Hank miss Alexei Ponikarovsky's shot? The King was so good the rest of the night that allowing the former Leaf to slide a low shot past him was really surprising.

*If the fans didn't boo every time he touched the puck, you wouldn't have known that Eric Staal was playing.

*Anyone else have a bad feeling that the Islanders are going to end this nice ride on Tuesday?

*PHW Three Stars
3-Brandon Dubinsky - one goal and one assist.
2-Sean Avery - one goal.
1-Dan Girardi - one goal.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Avery - Sean edges out Dubi for the final spot because he played for just 10 minutes. He didn't get a single second on special teems
2-Hank - Soft goal by the former Leaf Poni aside, Lundqvist's play kept the Rangers in the game.
1-Girardi - That is future All Star Dan Girardi to you.

Peepin' Foes: Carolina Hurricanes

The Rangers will bring their five game win streak back to the Garden Friday for a game against the Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes. It is a 7pm start and, for those stuck at home, you will be subjected to Micheletti on MSG.

Where We Are: On a roll. The Rangers are finding ways to win despite the many flaws in their game and crippling inconsistencies.

Where They Are: Losers of three straight and seven of their last nine. To brighten their spirits they spent Thursday at Ground Zero.

Who To Watch For: In typical fashion the Rangers will face a scorer coming back from injury - Jussi Jokinen. The shootout specialist missed three games after a bad fall against Tampa and is still in second on his team with nine points in 12 games. First is Jeff Skinner, who is showing no signs of a sophomore slump this season (14 points in 15 games) while Jamie McBain has been slumping his way to the press box. Our pal Tuomo Ruutu hasn't been particularly good this season, which means he should get hot against the Rangers. Tomas Kaberle and Alexei Ponikarovsky have been busts.

What To Watch For: Eric Staal. The elder brother has been atrocious this season with just five points and is an awful -16. It would appear that he is suffering mentally for the physical pain he gave unto his brother. While it would just be ceremonial, watch to see if anyone will go after him. Olympic teammates Ryan Callahan and Tim Gleason going hit for hit. Chad LaRose walking around Del Zaster as he powers to the net.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: The Ranger forecheck making life tough for the Canes quarterback Joni Pitkanen. Hell, hopefully we will just see the Rangers forecheck. It would be too much to ask Boyle to find his scoring touch but his checking line needs to pick up the checking part of their job. Dubi to get off the shnide. The GAS line to keep up their GAG ways. Andre Deveaux to beat up Jay Harrison.

Also Check Out: Red and Black Hockey just called it quits but there is still Canes Country, the Cardiac Cane and Canes Now.

TC: Hurricanes 4, Rangers 3 (Double OT)

You knew it was too good to be true. A Ranger team that can fly, that goes to the net, that battles whistle to whistle and can score seemingly at will? Yep, too good to be true. The Baby Blueshirts played a lot like the big boys when they faced the Hurricanes on Tuesday afternoon: they blew a lead, blew power play after power play, took bad penalties and played down to their opponents. The box score of the 4-3 double OT loss is here.

Some credit should go to Carolina for weathering a 23-5 storm in the third period but for all of the Ranger shots, few challenged the Canes kid in net. However, we need to be pleased that the Rangers put on that onslaught as it shows they responded to Ken Gernander's intermission speech. While Gernander offered a stern message to the guys to pick up their play, you can be sure John Tortorella would have lost his top - and just imagine how they might have turned things around.

Player notes:

*Christian Thomas had a great first period but ultimately gave the game away with his giveaway in the second OT. Trying to pull-up at the blueline on sloppy ice while being closely covered in a three-on-three situation was just dangerous. Thomas is a solid sniper who needs to be smarter.

*J.T. Miller got a ton of ice time and clearly gave it his all every second he was out there. It amounted to nothing. His senseless post-whistle fight was as punchless as his shot. If he can keep his intensity up while refining his game over the next two, three seasons we might have a player there. Might.

*Shane McColgan was a constant threat but sadly did not get a shot to decide it in the overtime. Not sure why.

*My fav Dylan McIlrath was among those who responded to Kenny G for the third period but his penalty in the overtime was inexcusable. Mac is big and he is tough but he can not be reckless.

*If there was any doubt Carl Hagelin and Tim Erixon sealed their spots in the big training camp by singlehandedly dominating action at times.

*Jonathan Audy-Marchessault continued his outstanding tournament but I stand by my Corey Locke comparison. A quick, tenacious offensive player who needs to be better defensively to make the next step.

*Sam Noreau - the kid who is supposed to be this big project - was the most solid of the Blueshirt blueliners. Jyri Niemi - who has a full year of North American experience - has done nothing to stand out in this tournament to date.

*Michael St. Croix and Collin Bowman were both awful. St. Croix seemed utterly lost out there again while Bowman just couldn't handle the competition.

Despite the disappointment the boys have a chance for redemption in tomorrow night's final. Let's hope they can bounce back and take home the title.

32-26-4: Rangers Survive The Storm Without Staal

The nickname 'Heart Attack Kids' has been used on teams across all four major sports many times and the latest squad to deserve the moniker is proving to be the Rangers. The young Blueshirts blew a 2-1 lead against the Carolina Hurricanes but rallied to tie the game in the final two minutes and win it 4-3 in a shootout.

If was far from the first late rally for the Rangers this year but it was one of the few that resulted in victory. And it certainly caused more than a few heart palpitations. The incredible range of emotions is astounding considering how many games in recent years simply drew dread, anger and sadness. This is an interesting turn of events and one that must be suffered through until it can be replaced by the expectation and thrill of domination. Let's hope the suffering doesn't last too long, my ticker can't take it.

That being said, it is certainly astounding and encouraging how these kids play their best after they see one of their own go down. Marc Staal's exit just 40 seconds after the Canes took a 3-2 lead seemed to spell doom and yet, there the Rangers were - tightening up and powering on. There has been much said and written about this team finding its identity this season and this was the latest, clearest indication that they have gotten a clue themselves: this is a young, tough, resilient bunch with a big future.

Notes:

*Staal going down scared the bejesus out everybody. He has been the cornerstone of this team and if his knee is really hurt, so are the hopes for the Rangers. The hit by his brother surely has been debated but, in this writer's opinion, it was a good, clean hit. No matter how Micheletti howled that it was a hit to the head, the replays did not show that Eric tried to decapitate his sibling. The Carolina captain could have and should have eased up, seeing as we live in a day and age where most good hits are bad hits, but it was an attempt to remove the player from the puck - it is just a shame that player had been twisted around by an illegal hook.

*Hank bounced back from some disappointing goals against in the Garden on Sunday with a great performance. Lundqvist matched Ward save for save before edging out the former Conn Smythe winner in the shootout. The duel between the two was quite special, as any meeting of two of the top five goaltenders in the league should be.

*The Rangers scored three goals and Brandon Dubinsky had virtually nothing to do with them. And yet, he had a pretty effective game. Imagine what this team will be like once Dubi combines his success away from the puck with some success with it.

*Why in the world would Michael Del Zotto be on the ice in overtime? Especially when he wasn't so good during regulation. For his two perfectly timed flops to the ice, MDZ made mistake after mistake and even handed Carolina one goal. Yes he is young, yes he will make mistakes ... he should be making them in Hartford where it won't cost us real wins.

*And, while questioning the moves made by Tortorella, why bench Prust, Avery and Newbury for much of the second and third periods? The three of them came out of the gates flying, scoring a goal two minutes into the first and pressing the action for the rest of the frame. Prust saw a bit more ice than the other two but that was because of his penalty killing duties. It makes no sense to unplug the energy unit while keeping the ineffective, soft Erik Christensen in regular rotation.

*Speaking of soft, Arty Anisimov. Ok, that is unfair, he isn't soft ... he's just weak. The kid gets a great opportunity to score breaking down the wing but the least amount of contact throws him off and allows Ward to make the save. On the rare occasions where he tries to set up near the slot, he is quickly pushed away. Meanwhile, Mats Zuccarello holds his ground late in the third period, occupying a defender, distracting Ward and allowing Wolski to score the equalizer.

*On Zuke, well, the novelty of his move has officially worn off. While that would be cause of concern, the way he played over the rest of the evening squashes any questions. The Norwegian skated hard, saw the ice well and had no problems shooting. Sooner or later those pucks will end up going in.

*How the hell did the puck not go in for Vinny Prospal? The Czech vet was all over the ice, earning chance after chance and he couldn't beat Carolina's keeper. Now Ward deserves a lot of credit but Vinny should have been able to get at least one of his 11 shot attempts into the goal.

*Micheletti and Rosen were woeful. Joe, well, he is just awful - worse than listening to the tone that goes with colour bars. Sam is usually good to listen to but it took him half the game to realize which Ruutu played for Carolina.

*Newbury went 5-0 at the faceoff circle. Is there really any need for Chris Drury to ever return?

*Pointed out the many flaws of MDZ earlier but his partner Matt Gilroy was just as bad. If Hobey was getting extra ice time in an attempt to be showcased for scouts, it is easy to believe he played his way out of any trades. You just have to hope that he wasn't bad enough that Sather will overspend for someone to come in and replace him.

*For how annoying "Potvin Sucks" has become in the Garden, it is still awesome hearing it in away arenas. It sounded like there was a large contingent of Ranger fans in Raleigh ...

*Erik Cole deserves some serious credit. This guy came back from a broken neck and is still one of the most dangerous players on the ice for the Hurricanes. Carolina has to be thankful to have him around to help guide Jeff Skinner through his rookie campaign.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Wojtek Wolski - one goal.
2-Jay Harrison - one goal and one assist.
1-Jussi Jokinen - two goals.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Callahan - Captain Cally is laying it on the line every second of every shift in every situation.
2-Wolski - All credit given to Jokinen for his two regulation goals but the game-tying tally and the game-winner tilt the scales in Wolski's favour.
1-Sauer - Sauer has been good this entire season. He has been great at times this season. Tonight, after Staal went down, Sauer was stellar. Like Hobey and McD, Sauer saw a mistake of his end up in the back of the net but his work late in the third period more than made up for it.

Peepin' Foes: Carolina Hurricanes

The Rangers are deep in NASCAR Nation right now for tonight's game against the Carolina Hurricanes (7:00pm, MSG). For anyone who may be in the Raleigh area, bring a few extra bucks with you as the Canes are hosting St. Baldrick’s Night, a great fundraiser where guys get their heads shaved to earn money for childhood cancer research.

Where We Are: As mentioned in the last game wrap, the Blueshirts are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, and 2-7-1 in Michael Del Zotto's last 10 ... just sayin'. But as easy as it would be to beat up the kid, the lack of success hasn't been his fault. The cause of the slide rests entirely on the shoulders of the head coach, as John Tortorella couldn't bring the injured vets back into the lineup smoothly enough to keep the team's momentum going. He jumbled lines and altered ice times, screwing up all chemistry and sending this team into a nosedive that he seems to have no way to stop.

Where They Are: Carolina is going through a rough patch as well - going 2-2-1 in their last five (with both regulation losses coming against the Devils) and 3-5-2 in their last 10 - but they remain two points behind the seventh place Rangers with a game in hand. The Buffalo Sabres have three games in hand on the Rangers and are bearing down on the Hurricanes, four points back.

Who To Watch For: Calder candidate Jeff Skinner has five points in the Canes three games against the Rangers this season so he leads the way. The former figure skater has been a revelation this season and is dangerous every time he steps on the ice. Tuomo Ruutu, Sergei Samsonov and Erik Cole have historically had success when facing the Blueshirts and Marc's brother Eric is always tough but our Staal should be able to handle him.

What To Watch For: Cam Ward breaking his 13 game streak of allowing two or more goals - he has allowed less than two just once in his last 22 and that once came ... you guessed it, against the Rangers on January 20th. The Rangers to go back to a real north-south offense without Marian Gaborik and to pick up their forecheck as Carolina will be without the injured Joni Pitkanen and the traded Ian White and they still employ Uh Oh Corvo. No fisticuffs - Troy Bodie and Jay Harrison are pretty much the only ones to throw down for Carolina and they don't do it on daily basis.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: The Rangers to get an early lead and keep pressing the advantage. No soft goals allowed by Hank. With Kris Newbury around, the team to win some more faceoffs. Without Gaborik the team to shoot more on the power play instead of looking for the Slovak sniper. Boyle, Prust and Avery to get back some of the ice time they have worked so hard to earn. Cally to out Chad LaRose Chad LaRose. And, if it comes down to it, our shootout specialist (Mr. Softie Erik Christensen) to score while theirs doesn't (Jussi Jokinen).

Also Check Out: Red and Black Hockey, Canes Country and Canes Now.

27-19-3: Sad Loss Down South

The Blueshirts were battered by the Hurricanes on Thursday night 4-1. At some point people are going to start hanging every loss on the rash of injuries but the fact is that the Rangers actually had a chance to win this one, or at least make it far more of the game it became.

The difference was tactical, as Tortorella's decision to start Hank for a second straight night backfired. After all of that talk about saving Lundqvist for the games that matter, Torts went with the King against the loser Leafs. When he made that call, he had to back it up by using the backup against the more important Carolina team ... but he didn't. Instead Hank was back in the crease and the goaltender gave up the all-important first goal, one that was simply soft. The Rangers had had the energy and the momentum and it all drained out as the puck trickled through his legs. Zook had a good chance six, seven minutes later but the full-team pressure that the Rangers had put on Ward was gone.

And, of course, not too much time passed before Mike Sauer got called for a bad penalty. And, of course, the usually-diligent Ranger PK went into a diamond that was sliced in half by the laser of Uh Oh Corvo. Sure the shot was tipped but it shouldn't have gotten to the slot - Boyle gave him too much room and too much time. Conn Smythe winner Ward was able to calm things down and hold the Blueshirts at bay, showing that he is still one of the best in the business. Hank is too, but he was lulled into complacency by the pop-gun attack of the Leafs the night before.

Hopefully this was a wake-up call for the King as the Southeastern swing continues with games in Atlanta (Saturday) and Washington (Monday).

Notes:

*How can you not love Brandon Prust? Seriously? Bad shoulder and all, the guy refuses to relent. He blew an early breakaway but kept on battling. He fought Jay Harrison and too a few good shots before turning the tables. And then he nearly lost the puck in traffic but kept with it and scored in the third period ... what more can you want from a guy? Heart and soul. With Cally, Dubi and Prospal all out, it would be great if Prust was rewarded with an A - even if it is temporary.

*From a guy deserves a letter to one who doesn't: nice of Chris Drury to contribute nothing, again. He has to took around and see that he is skating alongside Dale Weise and Kris Newbury - a far cry from Hejduk, Forsberg, Briere, Vanek, etc. Wouldn't that motivate him to be better?

*Marian Gaborik scores four goals against the hapless Leafs and yet doesn't even manage four SHOTS in this one. I said it yesterday, "the guy shows up when there is a dog to kick but when a real opponent comes around this season he has been the dog."

*Nice fight by Newbury. One day after making Sloppy Seconds look stupid Newbury engaged in a good battle with former Duck Ryan Carter. I knew I remembered his name from somewhere - Carter was beaten up by Ryan Hollweg at the Garden a few years back. Newbury, by the way, won eight of 10 faceoffs. Not too shabby.

*Derek Stepan needs to find his consistency. His skill level is unquestioned but some mental mistakes are sneaking through, as one did tonight on Skinner's goal. Step hasn't quite hit the College-Kid Wall but he is showing signs - hopefully the All Star break will do him well.

*So Sean Avery slashes Erik Cole and is penalized. Cole slashes Avery and is not penalized. Cole chases down Avery and both are equally penalized even though Cole initiated the contact. And the officials step in to break up what could have been a good fight. Ok then, that makes sense, right?

*Hopefully that same break won't break the momentum that Zuccarello has built up. The little man is playing big and getting in good spots to score. At some point more of those great chances will go in and when they do ... look out. Torts will want to re-unite Cally with Arty but with Dubi out, perhaps Zook could be a good fit with them.

*While I am still sad we didn't get to see Brodie Dupont make his debut, Chad Kolarik fared well in his first foray in a Blueshirt. He made some mistakes and seemed to struggle with the pace once or twice but he does have good offensive instincts.

*What the hell is that Tarzan cry that they kept playing in Carolina? Ugh.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Cam Ward - 39 saves.
2-Jeff Skinner - one goal and one assist.
1-Chad LaRose - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Prust - It is becoming cliche but In Prust We Trust. If there is one blue collar Blueshirt who this city could/should be proud of, it is Prust.
2-Skinner - MSG may love to get a laugh out of the kid's figure skating background but it is the former (Kitchener) Ranger who will have the last laugh. With Logan Couture's injury issues many may Believe in Bob for the Calder but my money is on this Carolina kid.
1-Ward - Is it the fact that he plays in Carolina that keeps him out of most people's minds when they name the top goaltenders in the league? I myself have left him out of the conversation in the past but certainly won't do it again ...

23-15-3: Storhet!

Many will find it hard to believe but there are Ranger fans out there more miserable than even the author of this blog. One of those despondent souls walked into the Garden this evening ranting about how the game against the Canes was a must-win. 'Lose this game, might as well not play anymore because it is over.'

The reasoning behind his ranting was that, by his calculations, Carolina is the team most likely to be battling the Rangers for the final playoff spot. They have a young, hardworking team that includes two of the best players in the game (Staal and Ward) and were missing two major parts in Finns Jussi Jokinen and Joni Pitkanen. So the Rangers just had to beat them - the two points were huge and the tiebreaker even bigger.

And, much to the miserable man's delight and shock, the Rangers did beat them - downing the Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime. It was a back-and-forth, grinding affair that seemed to go quite fast and yet be dreadfully boring at times. There were chances to be had on both sides but the goaltenders were up to the task and, in the end, the Little Rookie That Could concluded the evening in exciting fashion. No skills competition, just a perfectly placed shot and that was it. The Blueshirts won their must-win game and live to play another day ... and perhaps that day will be in May. Ok, the rhyming was nice but let's not get crazy now. There is a lot of time left and a lot of games left to be played but the team showed they could find a way to win a tight one - and they did it at home for once; even the most pessimistic of Ranger puckheads can appreciate that.

It's late so onto some notes:

*Zooooooooook. What a great way to score your first NHL goal, huh? Overtime, game-winner at the Garden. Wow. Love this kid and what he brings but, it should be said, he is still new to the league and may need more time back down on the farm before the season is through. How funny was it to see him be embraced by Brian Boyle after the goal? Over a foot difference there but it showed the sheer joy the kid had and joy his teammates had for him. It seemed to be more than just a celebration of a overtime tally, but the delight of older brothers for a younger sibling's success. Storhet = Greatness in Norwegian.

*On the brotherhood theme, Eric Staal vs Marc Staal was an epic battle. Good genes in that family, huh?

*The Rangers dominated in the faceoff circle and it showed in the amount of pressure they were able to put on. It was interesting to see how, after Boyle was beaten on the play that led to the Carolina goal, Drury took his spot in the next defensive zone faceoff before curling back to the bench to change for Boyle.

*When will the Blueshirt brass put Rozy and Frolov out of our misery?

*Mike Sauer's rock solid play has freed Hobey Gilroy to concentrate on his offense and it paid off in a see-ing eye shot to open the scoring. Sauer won't enter anyone's rookie of the year conversations but his play this season has been a delightful revelation.

*Did not spot a single Hartford Whalers sweater in the crowd. Made me sad.

*And FYI, Denis Potvin did not play for the Whale, so there is no reason to chant that he sucks 18 times.

*Marian Gaborik once scored five goals against the New York Rangers. There is a guy wearing a sweater with Gaborik on the back but it surely can't be the same guy. This poor facsimile was actually better than he has been in recent games but that isn't saying much at all.

*For all of the Torts talk about accountability, Steve Eminger took a bad penalty at the top of the third period and was not chastised for his mistake. Instead he had seven more shifts after leaving the box, including one that lasted more than a minute of overtime. Granted, he broke up a three-on-one with a perfectly-timed fall but still - he didn't miss a beat. Dale Weise dressed but that may be it as he was never on the ice (the official sheet has him at three minutes but they must have been quite quiet because they weren't noticeable).

*Anyone know what happened to Sergei Samsonov? The wily Russian vet barely saw the ice - was he busy watching his country upset Canada? Can't blame him if so ... (Canada: the only country in the world that cares about the tournament gets embarrassed in the final for the second straight year, nyeh nyeh).

*Staal, Dubi and Stepan all deserve attaboys for good performances. All three drafted by the Rangers, all three in the franchise's core. Once Cally rejoins them and the team drafts/trades for/signs a scorer, the Blueshirts will be one tough team to face.

*Also helping to make the team tough, Brandon Prust. Prust fought former Duck Troy Bodie in a fun fight near center ice. The two pugilists were pretty evenly matched, making for an entertaining battle.

*Just once it would be nice to see one of the Three Stars throw his puck higher up into the crowd. Sure there are no Nick Fotiu's anymore but c'mon, sending it up to the yuppies behind the bench most of the time is no fun.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Mats Zuccarello Aasen - one goal and one assist.
2-Matt Gilroy - one goal.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 31 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Hank - As always, the defense left the Swede out on his own a few too many times and yet Hank held firm. He took a few too many hits from the physical Canes but he didn't let the contact throw him off his game.
2-Sean Avery - The best Ranger on the ice, by far. Every time he was on the ice he made things happen, whether it was setting his linemates up or going to the net himself. It is just a shame that he couldn't finish.
1-Cam Ward - It is almost impossible to hang Ward out for the two goals against. The first was a shot through traffic and the game-winner came right after he absorbed a hit from Dubi and was a perfectly placed shot under the crossbar. As the miserable man said to me, Ward never enters the 'best goalie in the game' conversation and yet he has never lost a Game 7.

4-4-1: Another Home Disaster

Eight-plus hours removed from the final buzzer and it is still hard to think about the 4-3 loss by the Rangers tonight to the Hurricanes. After a bit of soul searching I have found some peace in this: as pathetic a piss-poor game as the Blueshirts played, they still came within a few posts of victory. That has to be heartening, right?

As the boys will be back in action in a few more hours, I'll just keep this brief:

*It is my sincerest wish that all of you MDZ apologists and fanboys at the start of the season are finally seeing the gaping holes in his game. Mike Sauer should be re-inserted into the lineup, not for Eminger (who is, indeed, not particularly capable himself) but for Del Zotto. The kid is incompetent in the Ranger end and his offense hasn't been good enough to make up for it. He is taking the extra slack Torts is giving to defensemen who want to pinch and helping tie the noose that is hanging the team. Time to teach the kid accountability.

*Nice goal by Staal though.

*Grachev played, supposedly. I noticed two shifts of his, one of which was passable with a hit but he turned the puck over.

*Anisimov can be knocked off the puck with a stiff breeze and is running around seemingly by himself half the time. That is better that Frolov, who isn't running around much at all. His halfhearted skating, shooting and passing are utterly infuriating.

*The officiating wasn't particularly pleasing either. But when you have to blame the refs ...

*The big swirl that makes up the logo of the Hurricanes must have looked like a target to the Blueshirts because it seemed like they were aiming for it - hitting Cam Ward in the chest time after time after time.

*Jeff Skinner is good.

*Brian Boyle was not. Up there with his worst efforts as a Ranger. And Brandon Prust needs to heal faster because his game is just not the same. His effort can not be questioned, but that extra spark is just not there.

*The only two Blueshirts to show legitimate chemistry is Avery and Fedotenko - and they have been together almost exclusively since preseason. Hmmm, playing together and staying together develops chemistry, which is good? What a concept? Too bad they were saddled with Susan on this evening.

*I said in Peepin Foes that the Rangers needed to limit the amount of space Anton Babchuk would get and they didn't, and it cost them.

*Good crowd but not a whole lot of Whalers jerseys (if any). A shame.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Ryan Callahan - one goal and one assist.
2-Erik Cole - one goal and one assist.
1-Jeff Skinner - two goals and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Tuomo Ruutu - He hit, he was a pain in the ass and he collected a goal and two assists.
2-Hank - He was ran multiple times, he had no help whatsoever and he still kept the Rangers in it until the bitter end.
1-Skinner - So when your team sucks, you get higher draft picks, and high draft picks often turn into better players? How about that? Al Montoya what?

Peepin' Foes: Carolina Hurricanes

The circus may not come to town for a few months but the Garden is sure to be filled with clowns and animals as the Rangers have a Friday night home game to open Halloween weekend. The Blueshirts will face off against the Hartford Whalers, who will be dressed as some made-up team called the Carolina Hurricanes. Like they would put a real hockey team in Carolina. Haha.

Where We Are: The Rangers are 4-3-1 on the season and 3-1 in the last four - but sadly the second 1 was a hugely disappointing home loss at the hands of the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday.

Where They Are: The Canes are 4-4, coming off of their home opener on Wednesday, a 3-0 loss to the Caps. Carolina, lest you have forgotten, opened their season in Finland (with a pair of wins over Minnesota). They will face the Rangers tonight before heading right to Pittsburgh for Saturday night against the Pens - that means they will have one home game in their first 10; that's gotta suck for their 15 fans in Raleigh. (Yes, I know there is a dedicated fan base, no I don't care. Our Original Six status lets me look down on Karmanos' Folly. I miss the Whalers!)

Who To Watch For: After facing the No. 8 selection in the 2010 draft on Wednesday (Alexander Burmistrov), tonight brings No. 7, Jeff Skinner. Where Burmistrov collected his first point against us, Skinner already has a goal and three assists over Carolina's eight games. The other young stud, Jamie McBain, has been a disappointment with just two assists so far - killing me in fantasy. Eric Staal is still Eric Staal, Chad LaRose is still Chad LaRose. As usual, the Finnish contingent is dangerous in Jussi Jokinen, Joni Pitkanen and Tuomu Ruutu. Sergei Samsonov is scoring at a goal-every-other-game rate, which should put him in line for a goal tonight.

What To Watch For: Well, without the "intimidating" Derek Boogaard playing, watch for Ruutu to do his best impression of his brother and drive the Rangers crazy with dirty play. If Cam Ward starts, look for him to get on a roll - even though the Canes lost against the Caps, Ward was quite good. See how Geno Grachev fits into the Ranger roster and how much ice time Torts will be willing to give him. See if Frolov shows up for once, if Stepan can finally get over his Garden jitters and how Arty and Rozy fare despite their injuries.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: A Ranger team that plays 60 minutes. Not five, 10, 20, 40, 59 ... 60. Someone to step up if Hank gets hit. Our Staal to outperform theirs. Hobey Gilroy to finally get a point and prove he is worth a damn. An aggressive checking system that limits the amount of time Anton Babchuk, Uh Oh Corvo and Pitkanen have the puck.

Also Check Out: Red and Black Hockey, Canes Country and Lord Stanley's Blog.

24-23-7: Beer Me

In the seminal movie Animal House, John Belushi turns to Flounder after Flounder's uncle's car has been wrecked beyong belief and utters perhaps the soundest words that every Ranger fan should abide by: "My advice to you is to start drinking heavily."

Because alcohol is about all that can make watching hockey at MSG tolerable right about now. The team is a rudderless ship stuck in the doldrums of mid-winter hockey. How a squad that can put up 14 goals in two games a week ago can lose all that momentum and collapse so completely is the fault of the so-called leadership. From the Stealth GM (thanks Ranger Pundit) to the Screamer coach to the Little Leaguer captain, this team doesn't have anyone who can pick the team up, say 'let's go' and carry them to victory.

Sather is an unfriendly ghost who appears in public about as often as Haley's Comet. Tortorella would rather tangle with beat writers than tangle with the issues plaguing his team. Marian Gaborik has the skills but not the means to carry the team on the ice. Ryan Callahan has the means but not the reputation. Chris Drury has the reputation but not the skills nor the means. This team, as it's built, is better off being razed than being patched before the deadline. There are no players available that can completely change the losing identity of the team. The change needs to start at the top and it needs to happen soon.

Without the leadership pointing the team in the right direction, they have become awash in lackluster play. Their leaders aren't leading, their stars aren't starring, and their role players are being stuck in roles beyond their means. That Enver Lisin and Arty Anisimov are playing on a plane high above that of Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik is just horrifying.

I don't want to belittle the Canes because they did what they had to to win; all credit given to them for the victory for the simple reason that they didn't shoot themselves in the foot. They gave the Rangers some chances but they allowed their goaltender to see the puck and the goaltender stopped the puck. 37 times. Admittedly Cam Ward made maybe a half dozen saves that were really quite impressive - side to side slides, quick gloves or that stick sweep that had half the arena crying for replays. Six, out of 38 shots against. His counterpart wasn't as lucky. Henrik hardly saw the shots that went past him and when he did, it appeared that he couldn't be bothered to stop them - that second goal? Ugh! Even a hungry donkey will stop going after the carrot if the load he is pulling is too great.

Very quick notes:

*Tom Renney and John Tortorella couldn't be more different in terms of temperament and primary coaching philosophy. So why do both juggle as much as clowns in the circus? Torts follows Renney in arbitrarily changing the lines multiple times over the course of a game? If he can't figure out what works through the first, sayyyyy 50 games of the season, what makes him think that putting different people over the boards now is going to strike gold?

*The old hockey adage is that your team is most vulnerable in the five minutes after they score a goal. When it comes to the Rangers, it has been the next minute (singular) in the last two games. Again, it comes back to leadership as these guys are complacent even for a second and the opponent jumps all over it.

*Ales Kotalik, welcome back to the lineup. Games may change but the story remains the same - loved the turnover that led to a shorthanded Carolina breakaway. Clown.

*Why did Hank start? If the franchise really thought he deserved to get some rest this season, starting Chad Johnson would have been a much wiser move for a home game against the Canes. And, frankly, NueveSies would have been much better. There are no excuses for three of the five goals Hank allowed.

*How does Wade Redden spend time stuck on the bench while Drury keeps getting regular shifts? MDZ was atrocious but at least he has the excuse of youth and overuse - the veterans have been horrid all their Ranger careers.

*Anyone else get some perverse satisfaction in seeing reverse carpetbagger Aaron Ward writhing on the ice in pain?

*Far less than a full Garden tonight but luckily not many Carolina fans. A smattering of Hartford jerseys and you can't begrudge them their fandom. Hartford? The Whale? That is hardcore.

*How do the refs call playing with a broken stick on a Cane when a Ranger blatantly did it a period earlier and skated off scot free?

*How pathetic is it that people still clap when the Rangers get power plays? When I see an opposing player skate into the penalty box, all I can think is 'no shorties, no shorties, please no shorties...'

*I said it in Peepin' Foes and stick to it - Eric Staal is playing up to the responsibility that the captaincy brings him. Making the switch from Rod Brind'Amour to Staal was a great move by Carolina management; too bad it happened two months too late to make a difference.

*I sit next to a season ticket holder of 20 years who happens to hate the Rangers; he is a Flyer fan who just happens to live in NY. But even he said that he was sick of seeing the Rangers skate into the zone with one hand on their stick, only to lose the puck.

*The Garden ice has a terrible reputation, one that is quite deserved, but it must be pointed out that both teams have to skate on it. So how is it that the Rangers are the ones that seem incapable of connecting on the majority of their passes?

*Free tee shirts for those who attended the game! Nice to see a real giveaway at the Garden. Sad to see a less than real NHL hockey team.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Sergei Samsonov - two goals.
2-Eric Staal - two goals.
1-Cam Ward - 37 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Tom Kostopolis - The Carolina tough guy collected two assists and killed penalties. Not that that is a big achievement against the Ranger power play, but to see a fighter capable and trusted to do that is impressive.
2-Ward - That reach-back sweep was pretty awesome.
1-Eric Staal - If giving him the captaincy is all it took to get him to step up his game, perhaps the Ranger C should go to his little brother? Actually, I want it to go to Cally but Marc wouldn't be a bad alternative. Any of the real Rangers would be better than Drury or the other old, overpaid mercenaries.

Peepin' Foes: Carolina Hurricanes

After an actual practice day yesterday, the Rangers will see if it pays off when they face off against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at the Garden (7 p.m., MSG).

Where We Are: Six losses in the last eight games but no longer on a ridiculous shutout streak after scoring two against the Pens in the latest heartbreaking loss. To recycle a line from the wrap, up 2-1 the Rangers managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when a slashing penalty got the snowball rolling for Pittsburgh. That is how slim the mistake margin is for the Blueshirts nowadays, they have to be as close to perfect to get two points. And that is pathetic with their payroll. But whatever, we're getting used to it, right?

Where They Are: Carolina is the least in the East but have won two of their last three games, setting New York up for a big bad loss tonight. The Canes just beat up the not-so-big, not-so-bad Bruins on Monday 5-1.

Who To Watch For: Unlike our captain, who seems to have gotten even worse since the letter was stitched on his sweater last season, Eric Staal has gotten better. The Canes took the captaincy away from Rod Brind'Amour, who seemingly has passed his expiration date. He has 19 points in his last 12 games but what shutout by his brother Marc in the 2-1 Ranger win back on January 2nd. Shootout star and Olympic oversight Jussi Jokinen is proving the Finns wrong with 12 points in his last eight games. Chad LaRose has done very little since starring during the Carolina Cup run but also has been good lately. And the eternally young and underrated Ray Whitney is still around working his magic. No Tuomu Ruutu or Scott Walker, thankfully as both are injured.

What To Watch For: The Rangers played a prety decent first period against Montreal before falling apart in the second. Carolina kicked into gear against Boston and scored three goals in the second period. So 1+1=2 and the second period tonight could be very ugly.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Marian Gaborik to slip out of his slump. Our Staal to play as physical as he did against the other brother on Monday. Arty Anisimov to prove that those two goals weren't a fluke. Ales Kotalik to come back and blast that cannon through Cam Ward. Tom Kostopoulos vs Aaron Voros.

Also Check Out: Red and Black Hockey, Canes Country and Lord Stanley's Blog.

19-17-5: There's No Place Like Home, Right?

After winning six of their first eight games at the Garden this season, the Rangers fell to 1-5-3 in their last nine by losing 2-1 in overtime to the worst team in the NHL.

Yeah. No place like home.

Aside from the one victory, they scored two or less goals in the other eight games and only managed one this afternoon despite chance after chance after chance. These guys oughta pay dues to Ironworker Locals 40 & 361 for all of those shots that hit post or crossbar. It was bad. So very, very bad. (Like that half-hearted joke.)

But at the same time, it is hard not to be a little happy with the game. The Rangers got a point, and they did get one puck in ... showing just how low the bar was dropped with the Philadelphia debacle last week. Things are not good in the Garden right now but there are signs of a better future. The question is, will we get there before it is too late?

There were more shots on goal, there were a few cohesive attacks and the defense didn't do too many dumb things. Of course, the majority of the shots weren't good, many of the drives were offsides, the power play was atrocious and defensive lapses allowed the two goals against but it's a new year so let's not think of those things. At least until they start outright losing and getting embarrassed by teams that are above .500.

Teams like, say, Boston on Monday.

But seriously, if I did that, I wouldn't be able to put together many observations from this game for you guys so perhaps I will put the whole 'look at the bright side' outlook on hold for a few minutes:

*The Rangers had several good rushes but aborted them themselves by pulling up short and looking for passes. That shows just how low the confidence level is at this point and but it takes just one herculean effort to turn it around with so many games this month.

*Brian Boyle (of all people) came out of the gate on fire during the Rangers strong start with several hits and nearly a fight but, like most of his teammates, he faded to obscurity as the grind of the afternoon went on.

*Aaron Voros wasn't even given that chance. I remember seeing him all of once in the game even though the event summary says he got four shifts for 2:18 of ice time. Really, for that much, what's the point of dressing him at all?

*Chris Drury proved most skeptics correct by showing that he is incapable of doing much outside of the Ranger end. And, even then, he panicked twice in the Ranger zone and threw the puck over the boards once and down for an icing the other time. Ladies and gentlemen, your Ranger captain and member of Team USA.

*The standard NHL goal is four feet high, six feet wide Chris Higgins, try to shoot the puck inside it.

*While we may doubt the effort from Redden at times ... ok, all the time ... let it be said that MDZ has not let up one bit. The kid is one of the few Rangers consistently getting involved in the action chasing the puck, playing the body and getting himself into good positions to move the puck. He is making a slew of mistakes but that comes with the territory; he is a teenager.

*I felt Hobey fared better but the coaching staff isn't putting him into many big spots. He had one great rush down the ice but went into traffic and ended up being below the goal line before trying to take a shot. Oops.

*Going to the net, however works. For everyone. The curious question is why the Rangers don't realize that. Dubi scored that way in Carolina, Gabby scored that way in this game. And yet power play after power play is spent with the players out on the perimeter ... I just don't get it.

*Erik Christensen is settling in to the first line pretty well but it appeared that Torts was already shuffling him to the wing and putting Dubi back in the middle. It doesn't seem to work for either of them.

*I counted just two Whalers jerseys in the crowd, which I find quite disappointing. I mean, it was nice to have a crowd made up primarily of Ranger fans but the lack of flow and lack of goals kept the audience hushed for most of the afternoon.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Marian Gaborik - one goal.
2-Ray Whitney - one goal.
1-Cam Ward - 27 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Cam Ward - Dude made two goos saves I remember but was beat six seven times; he got the win because of Ranger incompetence, not because of stellar netminding.
2-Gabby - It is like he is playing in a void. There is Gaborik and then there is everyone else.
1-Aaron Ward/Matt Cullen - It is remarkable how well these guys play when they face the Rangers when you consider how poorly they played while they were Rangers. What could they possibly have against the organization that gave them outrageous multi-million dollar contracts despite being completely mediocre players? And yet they are all over the ice, pressing the action, playing physically - doing everything they didn't while wearing Blueshirts. Bastards.