21-16-4: Rope-A-Dope

Dan Girardi's overtime goal gave the New York Rangers a much-needed victory over the evil Islanders on Saturday night in Nassau. After watching that at the Flying Puck I ventured up to Radio City to watch some boxing, Nonito Donaire vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux. Rigo ended up winning by decision, an upset to uninformed fans of the fight game.

Heading home from the bout I began thinking of the Ranger game as a boxing match and found the best characterization was the classic rope-a-dope. For those who don't know the sweet science, Wiki explains what the rope-a-dope is:

"The rope-a-dope is performed by a boxer assuming a protected stance while allowing his opponent to hit him, providing only enough counter-attack to avoid the referee thinking the boxer is no longer able to continue and thus ending the match via technical knockout. The plan is to cause the opponent to 'punch himself out' and make mistakes which the boxer can then exploit in a counter-attack."

Pretty much sums up the Ranger/Islander game quite well. The Blueshirts largely sat back, outworked and outchanced by the Isles. Hank absorbed punch after punch until the ice opened in OT and Girardi slid down the wing, exploited Josh Bailey's blunder and scored the winner.

It was the necessary result, but it sure wasn't pretty and it doesn't bode well for the future - as we saw last season, all of those punches take their toll. Hank, McD, G, Cally ... all of the principle players are getting ground down long before the final bell and an ugly knockout is on the way unless Torts finds a new philosophy that works.

Just a few Late Hits:

*Both pugilists were saved by the bell once, or rather the ringing of the puck hitting the iron. Ok, I'm done with the boxing analogies - but they do work.

*Girardi's goal came after Derick Brassard gained the blue line and threaded the needle to the defenseman skating down the wing. Re-read that again. Brassard gained the blue line. He didn't throw the puck in the corner, he didn't go for a change ... he used his skill to skate in, draw the defense and make a great feed. Imagine that, a Ranger making the most of his ability rather than letting himself be shackled by the unimaginative system.

*Colin McDonald nails Steve Eminger, Taylor Pyatt comes by and bumps McDonald to let him know it wasn't cool. Penalty is called on McDonald, whistle blows. So my Tw-enemy Arron Asham skates in and slams him against the boards. Doesn't fight him, just gives a late shove. Two minutes for roughing. The message is not sent, the power play is negated. Remind me again what the point of Asham's presence is?

*Then again, the Ranger power play went 0-4. Maybe giving Brian Boyle - he of zero power play goals in his previous 170 games (including playoffs) - three minutes of ice time wasn't a wise move. An aside: why won't Torts try the great-skating John Moore on the man advantage unit?

*Notice that the second period Ranger post hit came off the rush, not once they got established in the zone with their usual tired, predictable power play.

*Love Cally: Lubo nailed Hagelin on the endboards as the first period buzzer sounded and the captain goes over to him. He didn't pull an Asham and do something stupid like slamming the guy from behind, he just let the Slovak know it was uncool. Lubo didn't lay another hit the rest of the night.

*How is Kyle Okposo allowed to talk trash to anyone? He plays on the Islanders, and is not a particularly good hockey player. Just shut up dude. His entire career has been a joke since he left the USHL.

*Darroll Powe really is Blair Betts II. Tenacious, good wheels and absolutely no luck around the net.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Evgeni Nabokov - 19 saves.
2-Dan Girardi - one goal.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 29 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Tavares - Ok, maybe this guy has some skill. Maybe.
2-G - Over 29 minutes of ice time, helped Hank shut the Isles out, had the awareness to break down the wing as Bailey stumbled and scored the game winner.
1-Hank - Any other goaltender and the Rangers lose this one 5-0. Easy. 

12-8-2: Edging The Isles

On Thursday night the Rangers faced the Islanders for the third of four times this season and barely edged the blue and orange, taking a 2-1 overtime win from the Mausoleum.

As has often been the case in matches between the two rivals, the Islanders played above their ability and the Rangers played below. The Blueshirts were largely outhustled and outskated, their team defense resembled Swiss cheese and their offense poor and predictable.

But, blissfully, they managed to edge the Isles in the end and extended their winning streak to four games. Rick Nash's return has powered the Rangers past lesser sides, collecting much needed points along the way. With this asterisk of a season, just making the playoffs gives the team a great chance at making the Cup Finals and the Rangers sit in eighth, two games away from the midway mark.

As mentioned last match, this is just the warm up to the real race. It is a shake-down cruise where we see the problems and work to fix them. As this game showed, there are a lot of issues to deal with but they can win despite them. The trick will be to keep doing that as the opponents get better and the games become more important ... just 26 games to go.

Late Hits:

*After putting together another completely forgettable performance, Marian Gaborik gained redemption by scoring the game-winner in overtime (courtesy of a Ryan Callahan screen). It was his eighth goal of this season, and it snapped an eight game goal drought. Interesting fact, Gabby has 37 points against the Isles in his career - the most against any single team other than Edmonton. He has 45 points in 47 games against the Oilers, 37 in 30 against the Isles. Can't hate on anyone who owns the Islanders ... except for Charles Wang.

*Astounding how many times the Rangers aimed for the logo on Nabokov's chest. They made the Kazakh look excellent until Rick Nash managed to deflect Step's shot down between the goaltender's legs. Great hands by Nash after he wasted a number of good chances earlier on. It appears that, like the Borg of Star Trek, NHL goaltenders are adapting to his one lethal move.

*Nash was one of those responsible for the Grabner goal - along with Eminger, Del Zaster and Hank. But Sather didn't trade for him for his defense so whatever. At least he didn't take any bad penalties for once.

*Stop with the blind passes already. All of you.

*Welcome to the Rangers Vlad Malakhov Karel Rachunek Sandis Ozolinsh Christian Backman Dmitri Kalinin Roman Hamrlik. The Capitals' castoff played his first game as a Ranger and brought exactly what was expected of him - bad decisions, poor positioning and zero offense. Putting him with Steve Eminger was a mistake, as Emmy can't skate particularly well and the Isles abused them both. It was only the fifth appearance of the season for the 38 year old, who was right when he said that time was his enemy during the lockout - the years have not been kind and he has his work cut out to get back into NHL form.

*If Staal can't regain his full eyesight and recover from whatever concussion issues he may have incidentally suffered, the Rangers are screwed. Can't go very far with just two competent defensemen on the roster.

*J.T. Miller looked pretty good with Cally on his wing. Has to be quite the boost for the rookie to look over and know he has the captain at his side.

*A sellout was announced but the Mausoleum looked pretty damned empty on tv. For those that were there, how bad was it? Heard plenty of "Let's go Rangers" chants, heard there was at least one fight in the audience. Anyone get touched inappropriately by that clown Goldie? Or was he being touched inappropriately himself in prison, where he belongs?

*Still sad that the linesman broke up the Bickel/Finley bout; few things are more wonderful to watch than an Islander getting his ass kicked. (Although Stu woulda had his work cut out for him, Finley rag-dolled Pruster earlier this season.)

*Another game against a former team of Arron Asham's. Another game Arron Asham didn't play. Would have liked to see Haley run wild for a while but, after Grabner's early goal, you knew Torts wasn't going to allow that. Too bad.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Evgeni Nabokov - 35 saves.
2-Michael Grabner - one goal.
1-Rick Nash - one goal and one assist.

Scott Hockey Three Stars:
3-Grabner - The Austrian scored the first goal and had several other great chances but his abominably penalty in overtime opened the door for the Rangers.
2-Henrik Lundqvist - Sure Nabby made more saves but Hank had to stop far better chances.
1-Stepan - Step not only fired the shot that Nash deflected for the regulation goal but he had a huge hand in the OT winner. He won the offensive zone faceoff (AMAZING!) and he controlled the rebound of Gabby's initial shot that was blocked.

5-5-0: Miller's Moment

The one singular test result that counts - the final score - shows that the Rangers fared better on Thursday then they did Tuesday: they defeated the Islanders 4-1. But it is incredibly hard to say if there was any improvement in their game against the Isles then they did against the Devils. The Isles are a far inferior team to the Devs in terms of quality of players and coaching, and they made more mistakes and weren't as tough defensively.

This was a good win, this was a necessary win and this was a tough win. But, while quality of opponent certainly muddied up the metric a bit, it was clear to see that the Rangers were outplayed physically (despite the ridiculous home hit count), they took bad penalties and gave up a bad goal. Defeating the Isles is always cause for celebration in my book - few folks loathe them as much as I do - but it is worrisome to think that, had the Rangers played a real side we'd be looking a yet another loss.

But they didn't, they defeated the opponent that was set in front of them. Now the trick will be to build upon the victory; the Rangers have gone win/loss/win/loss/win over their last five games. They need to carry the confidence, and the fearlessness of youth, into Sunday night's home leg against the Lightning to buck that back-and-forth trend.

Late Hits:

*Slam the Isles for their awfulness but take nothing away from JT Miller's effort. As I just mentioned, the fearlessness of this youth carried his team to victory. Miller hasn't been cowed by Tortorella's screaming and carrying on yet, the kid just went out there and played his game. He followed up his strong debut at the Rock with another at MSG - a far more intimidating venue. His two tallies were wonderful, and hopefully the first of many. I'm delighted, thus far, to be proven wrong. Miller will just have to keep the wheels going, even after Torts turns his temper in his direction.

*A mistake by the Blueshirt brass not to give him sweater No. 64. Imagine the sales ...

*Miller's second goal came on a power play, off a rush. For years and years - especially those with Perry Pearn in charge - my lament over the man advantage was how stagnant and predictable it was once it got set up in the zone. The smart pass by McD to find Miller was the catalyst, that first feed is just so important and no one has been able to do it well with any regularity since Sergei Zubov was shipped out of town.

*Sure he had nothing to do with the power play goal, but Stralman over Del Zaster on the point? A definite improvement. I was shocked - but delighted - to see DZ didn't have a single second of man advantage time. Let's keep it that way.

*Welcome back Cally, everyone missed you.

*Rick Nash was ineffective, held in check by Travis Hamonic of all people. That is the super power forward who was brought in to save this franchise and bring it the Stanley Cup. Completely rubbed out by a guy who couldn't make a real NHL team's roster. Nash has to be better than that; he should be able to score goals like Miller's on a nightly basis. Size, power, speed and hands.

*Yep, Potvin still sucks.

*Stupid, sloppy penalties. Somethings never change. While Del Zaster is expected to do something stupid, like jumping over the boards early, Darroll Powe can not. Like Bettsy long before him, shorthanded specialists simply can not afford to be stupid.


*Arron Asham needs to follow Rupp out of town, Sather needs to rectify yet another of his signing mistakes. Hagelin was hammered and Hank was slashed and no one bothered to do anything about it, least of all the one clown who's job it was. MSG's cameras even caught him giving Marty Reasoner a pat on the behind after one whistle. Are you kidding me?

*On the other side of the coin, the Taylor Pyatt acquisition is still a winner. Loving this guy, absolutely adoring him. He's big, he plays big, he plays tough, he's effective ... he's everything Brian Boyle has refused to be.

*May Boyle never rejoin the Ranger roster ever again.


*The Rangers lack of injury info is infuriating. What is really wrong with Dan Girardi? Just how bad is  Mike Sauer's situation? Has there been any progress, at all? This team can't take many more nights of Hobey and Eminger dressing and getting so few minutes. It is ridiculous, but absolutely plausible, to think that Torts already burned Girardi out, overplaying him immediately after a lockout where the defenseman was completely inactive.

*Still don't get the Martin holding penalty in the second period. Given Del Zaster's history, you'd think opposing teams would encourage him to play the puck in his end.

*Marian Gaborik's goal? Made me think of this. Haha.

*Can't forget: the Rangers could have signed Mark Streit but instead went with Wade Redden. Whoops.

*Always rail against how horrible Joe Micheletti makes MSG, but serious points to John Giannone for taking one for the team and never stopping. Ripped him a few weeks back for a softball question during an intermission interview but he more than made up for it by still commentating with blood pouring down his face. Beauty.

*PHW Three Stars:

3-Ryan McDonagh - one goal and one assist.
2-Henrik Lundqvist - 27 saves.
1-JT Miller - two goals.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Cally - At no point did you think the captain just came off of a serious shoulder injury, and he clearly made the youngsters more comfortable when out on the ice.
2-Marc Staal - Concussion? What concussion? Staal looks like he's back to the elite level that put him in the Team Canada conversation.
1-Miller - Go kid, go. Now do it again.

Bye, Don't Let The Door Hit You ...

By now you've heard the news: come 2015 the Islanders will be moving to Brooklyn. While it does not bring the sheer joy that folding the franchise or moving it to Quebec or Kansas City would, it is still quite the delight.

This weird feeling I have now - happiness, I believe it is called - is making it hard to compose all my thoughts into one cohesive post so I will just go with my Late Hits-style bullet points:

*First off, if anyone gets on the demolition crew for the Mausoleum, let me know. I will pay top dollar to be the one to press the button to implode that dump.

*They are replacing one vile fanbase with another, as the Jersey Shore wannabe's that wandered the Coliseum concourse will be replaced by Brooklyn hipsters. That is actually great news for the Isles, as hipsters do things ironically, like adoring such awfulness as PBR and UCB. So they should come in droves for at least the opener, before they realize that irony is one thing and idiocy is another. But if Wang decided to bring back the Fisherman sweater? He may have a top seller!

*The stink - and not just the one of failure - may remain the same. The Coliseum had many problems with its piping and many parts of Brooklyn already smell like sewage. Tasty.

*In all seriousness, this could hurt the Rangers a little bit. If the Isles keep prices low to attempt to actually fill the 14,500 seat Barclays Center, it would draw many of the disillusioned hockey fans that have been ostracized by Dolan and company. Bringing in those Blue Bloods - and not just for games against the Rangers - would help a franchise that averaged 13,200 announced fans last season and just 10k two years ago. (In fact, not including last season, the Isles had the lowest attendance in the NHL since the lockout - lower than the Devils, Thrashers and the Coyotes.) I, for one, will be attending more than my usual half-dozen Islander games a year now that the train goes right to the building ...

*But those cheaper prices will be key - the Devils play in a nice new building that is easy to get to but they still barely pull in warm bodies. Then again, they are the Devils and no one wants to go to New Jersey if they don't have to so perhaps that is not the best comparison.

*Sure the Isles have a legitimate superstar and a legion of high draft picks in the pipeline but the odds of Charles Wang and his sycophant staff figuring out how to develop those kids into winners is about the same as me replacing Del Zaster on the Blueshirt blueline. The one plus now is that free agents will more more willing to come to town, seeing as they can live in a real city and avoid the traffic on the Meadowbrook.

*But more mercenaries won't be the key - as we've seen with the Rangers. Growing those aforementioned kids into a competitive team is what will truly help the Islanders. They'd be able to fill the falling-apart Fort (UsedTo)NeverLose if the team wasn't such a failure. Hell, they wouldn't need to move to Brooklyn as it would be easier to attract fans, sponsors and voters to help buy Wang that new building he initially wanted.

*The new proximity to the Garden is meaningless for the rivalry - plenty of puckheads rate the Pens and Flyers as the Rangers biggest rivals nowadays over the Isles and Devils. Many times over the last decade it seemed like I was the only one left who still truly loathed the Isles with every fiber of my being.

*This is another slap in the face to Canada, for several reasons. If I recall, Bettman made True North guarantee that they would have 13,000 season tickets sold in Winnipeg before allowing Atlanta to relocate. There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that the Isles could pull that off now. Both Quebec and Toronto could sell 20k tix a night and Bettman would rather wait to rape them for expansion fees rather than give them a broken down, underperforming, mismanaged joke of a franchise.

*It is worth noting that the franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro will still be under contract for the first six seasons that the team is in Brooklyn. DiPietro is currently spending the lockout in the German second division - a league so simple that plugs Chris Stewart and Wayne Simmonds laughed and left to upgrade to the mediocrity that is the Czech Extraliga. And, while in that piss poor German league, DP has played two games and allowed eight goals. Yep. Wonder which will be more rusty in 2015, DP or the exterior of the arena he plays in.

*Bettman saying in the presser that things are coming full circle with the Isles coming into Brooklyn after the long folded Americans (who never played there) is hilarious. The NHL and the Rangers colluded to ensure the Amerks never came back after World War II. The terrific Third String Goalie did a great piece on the history of that franchise.

*This dashes my hopes of a return of the Rovers. The Rangers long-time minor league team used to share the Garden before going the way of the dodo. With the XL Center's lease and AEG's contract to run the building set to expire in August and Barclays sitting empty the elements were there to bring the baby Blueshirts back to the city. Sadly Barclays will instead host a bush league franchise in 2015, rather than a minor league one.

43-18-7: Slump-Buster

After losing three straight road games the Rangers returned to the Garden on Sunday to see if they could snap out of their slump. The evil Islanders stood in their way but proved unable to extend the Blueshirts' run of futility, ultimately falling 4-3 in overtime.

The match was a big test for the one true New York team and they came out of it with solid marks. Sure this one should have been a definitive demolition of Wang's minions but it isn't often that a team simply snaps out of a funk. After the loss to Chicago, I wrote how the Ranger "skill guys rarely come to play, their power play is atrocious, and their grit - their wonderful, endearing and enduring grit - only goes so far." Well, the skill guys came to play, the power play worked and their grit matched that of the Islanders.

Now the trick of this will be for all of those things to keep on clicking so the Rangers can find their groove and stride into the playoffs firing on all cylinders. What a trick that would be.

Late Hits:

*Boyle using his freakish size for once was nice. Twice in the same game? Wonderful! Amazing the things that happen when someone stands in the slot.

*"Shoot the puck! Shoot the puck! Shoot the puck!" Hilarious. This team spends too much time trying to be too cute too often. They aren't good enough to be doing behind the back passes and other nonsense - just shoot the damned thing and good things happen. Look at the mistake that was the Mark Streit shot: the damned thing caromed oddly off of the glass and Moulson was positioned well to pounce on it.

*It is good to know that other teams' tv analysts are as brain dead as Joe Micheletti. About six minutes into the first period Butch Goring said: 'Michael Del Zotto is out and the Rangers really miss that young man - he is a plus 24. The Rangers have so many positive players and Callahan and Richards are minus two and minus three. They need to be worried about how those guys are playing.' Yeah, definitely need to be worried about that Callahan guy...he's like, totally incompetent. Methinks Goring suffered a few too many hits to his head when he played.

*Del Zaster wasn't missed in the least, again. Bickel answered the bell against Haley, Stralman rebounded from a rough start with some of his most solid play in a while and Eminger managed not to suck. And I'd say that the power play was able to survive without Del Zaster, wouldn't you? It was amazing what a decisive, skilled passer could do with the extra ice.

*Speaking of such, Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke. The nano-sized Norwegian was greeted by the fans on his first shift and most of his others as well. The kid needed to be a factor if he was to save his NHL life and he did just that. He skated hard, he was defensively responsibly and his passing was quick and decisive. That being said, the big knock that knocked him into the AHL was his reluctance to shoot and that still remains.

*Andrew MacDonald's breakaway goal ranks among the worst that Hank has allowed this season. The King is definitely slumping of late, hopefully not enough to take away the Vezina Trophy that he worked so hard to earn.

*Hank overcommitted on P.A. Parenteau's initial shot and Dan Girardi's poor positioning gave Tavares the slot, where he was able to kick the rebound in. Like Hank, Dan-O has not been himself of late but at least there has been no let down in his partner's play. Ryan McDonagh had himself yet another solid outing, playing major minutes and coming through with big plays on both sides of the ice. Have to hope that he doesn't burn out the way Landon's dad has.

*Proof that the official scorer is a giving soul? Brad Richard$ skated the entire length of the ice and beat Nabby for the Rangers' first goal and yet the scorer awarded two assists on the play - one to Stralman and one to Hank. Technically they were indeed the last two to touch the puck before RIchard$ but that is just silliness, they had nothing to do with the final result of the play. Actually, I'm surprised DZ wasn't given a helper on that from the press box.

*Asked an Isle fan why Travis Hamonic was wearing a cage and got this reply: "I donno, cause he's gay?" These people are the worst form of life on earth.

*Too many Islander sweaters in the Garden. The ever increasing prices allow that to happen, sapping out the home ice advantage of the building. While that is utterly infuriating, I must admit the Portland Winterhawks Nino Niederreiter sweater I spotted was pretty cool.

*Not saying that Nabby deserved to be Malarchuked for his blocker punches to Prust's head at the end of the second period but he should at least have been ran the way Lucic destroyed Miller, with a nice high head shot. Eye for an eye, if there is to be no proper punishment. Head punches with blockers are pretty far from being ok - that is assault with a weapon. But the NHL is not that serious with their concussion consciousness and Brendan Shanahan doesn't have the gall to make a call on that. Neither did the game's officials, who came up with a mythical slashing penalty on Prust to match the roughing they gave Nabby. Roughing? Should have been attempt to injure. If the Kazakh keeper wants to try to injure a Ranger, a Ranger should try to injure him.

*Shoulda sent Rupp to do it. He was good for nothing (as per usual) and had four minutes of ineffective ice time. Once Cally comes back it should be Rupp who sits, not Zuke - at least the mighty midget can be useful in certain situations.

*And finally: why yes, Potvin does suck.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Marian Gaborik - one goal and one assist.
2-John Tavares - one goal and one assist.
1-Brad Richards - two goals and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Bork Bork Bork - Hagelin couldn't get the puck past Nabby and he wasn't on the ice for a single goal for or goal against. But he was utterly relentless every second that he was out there. Would have loved to give this to Zuke but the little guy was saddled with some poor linemates during five-on-five play.
2-Tavares - His goal was nice, his assist was nice, his dive to draw a boarding call on Boyle was nice.
1-Richard$ - That's what you're paid for Braden.

37-30-4: One Odd Evening

Tonight's Ranger game was completely atypical of the team that we have grown to know over the course of this season. Playing a young, hard-skating team the Rangers matched their opponent's effort. Coming off of a big, emotional win the Rangers didn't have a let-down. Drastically outshooting the opponent didn't result in the glorification of a mediocre goalkeeper. Getting a two-man advantage actually resulted in a goal. Dominating at the faceoff dot actually allowed them to control play. Wearing the Blue Shirts at the Garden wasn't a curse. Granted all of those atypical things happened against a hapless Islander team but still, it was quite the night on Broadway as the Rangers beat the Islanders 6-3.

If they can make the atypical typical by doing it again on Friday, then I will really be impressed. Big if.

Notes:

*As Mr. X from the Blue Seats said to me, 'good effort, except for those first five minutes in the second period.'

*Decent showing of Islander fans but just one minor scrum in the crowd that I caught. The fans in general were a little bit louder than usual but the building really didn't have the emotion and animosity that it used to. This is definitely far, far away from the heyday of this rivalry. And there have been more Potvin Sucks whistles in random games against Western Conference teams than there were on this night, which is just pathetic. Loved the "Season's Over" chant late in the third though.

*Definitely understand those that have to run for a train or have work early the next day but this was yet another win that saw the final buzzer sound in a half-empty arena. Frankly it takes away from the joy of the moment.

*There have been few bigger Avery apologists out there than me and even I have to throw up my hands after this one. A perfect opportunity to do what he does so well and he goes out there with no control. Instead of a trained police dog being allowed off the leash to go after the bad guys, we had a rabid animal who turned and bit us in the hand. So disappointing.

*That being said, his boarding call came from Micheal Haley (who can't spell his own name right) intentionally turned towards the boards to wait for the puck. Avery didn't expect Haley to stand there in a vulnerable position and he finished his check (to which Haley milked the moment, exaggerating his "injury' in an attempt to draw a five minute major - didn't work).

*Yay Marian Gaborik scored two goals. Let's see him score when the team really needs him to. He had a perfectly good breakaway to open the scoring and he blew it. Once Cally put the Rangers back into the lead at 3-2, then Gabby was able to break through for a goal.

*Woulda loved if Ruslan Fedotenko's iron shot had gone in. Been loving his play the last few games and it would be nice to see him rewarded with a goal.

*Still have yet to figure out what Mike Sauer has against Matt Martin. Stupid kid shouldn't be fighting without cause. What happens if he breaks his hand on the other guy's face? Sauer's partner Ryan McDonagh was great for much of the evening, the first Isles goal aside. He went chasing after an Isle behind the net abandoning the slot and allowing Matt Moulson tipped home Jack Hillen's shot. A rare rookie mistake by the kid.

*Seeing how good those two have been and how solid a veteran pairing as McCabe and Eminger can be (at times), Torts should lessen the ice time for Staal and Girardi. They certainly appear to be overworked.

*Anyone else enjoy seeing Arty get angry in that third period scrum?

*PA Parenteau's goal was pretty.

*The Garden music was even more obnoxiously loud than it usually was, making it quite difficult to hold a conversation. Utterly infuriating.

*Larry stumbled down the stairs, too bad he didn't go over the railing so we can do without his idiotic dancing henceforth.

*Congrats to Bryan McCabe on scoring his first goal as a Ranger. It was spectacular - not by the means how it went in, but in that it came on a 5-on-3 power play. As mentioned above, usually you can immediately mark those two man advantages as wasted opportunities.

*Zenon Konopka skated just over 10 minutes for the Isles. Is there anyone out there that thinks Derek Boogaard, when finally healthy, will be able to come anywhere close to that?

*Brandon Prust = 2011 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner. Well not yet, but if not, it will be a criminal oversight. Bum shoulder and all and he still put up a shorty and nearly added another if not for the iron.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Erik Christensen - one goal and one assist.
2-Ryan Callahan - one goal and one assist.
1-Marian Gaborik - two goals.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Gaborik - Gabby pulled a Boyle and just shot the damned puck. Good things happen when you do that, you know.
2-Christensen - Mr. Softie has nine points in his last seven games. Seriously. Colour me surprised.
1-Cally - Captain Callahan went to the net all night long and the Rangers were rewarded for the effort. He was the screen on the first Gaborik goal, the screen on the McCabe goal and he was swarming around the net to score the go-ahead goal.

21-14-2: A Sad Seven

Condemning one's self to little sleep and no shower facilities for several days in the name of hockey sounded a bit foolhearty to me but it wasn't just hockey - it was Rangers vs. the Islanders. Hate the Pens, hate the Flyers, hate the Devils ... loathe the Islanders. It is a deep-seated hatred that was ingrained over years of grade school abuse. So every victory has been a delight and the vindication that came with the sweep in '94 drew outright euphoria.

But after watching the Rangers annihilate the Islanders 7-2 on Monday night, there are few happy feelings. If anything there is an emptiness, a sense of melancholy.

How can you despise the current crop of orange and blue? Sure there are despicable players like Trevor Gillies but as a whole, you just have to feel bad for them. The Rangers beat up an exhausted team of mediocre AHL talent ... so what? It wasn't a gauge of ability, merely a exhibition in the Blueshirts ability to show up to work. They did. Yay. They didn't play particularly well in the least and they still scored seven goals, whoopa dee doo. I mean, sure past incarnations of this franchise would have played down to the Isles level, but it is hard to imagine any current Ranger, any NHL player playing that poorly - outside of Michal Rozsival.

So we take the two points and move on to the Devils on Wednesday. But let's face it, a repeat of tonight's performance will not be impressive as it will be expected. The question is this: has the bar been raised for the Rangers, or has it just been lowered for our atrocious enemies?

Notes:

*The Rangers came out from their Christmas break lethargic and unimpressive. Despite outshooting the Isles in the first 18-12, they were lucky to be tied at two. But once the second period hit, the Blueshirts realized that shooting the puck directly at old man Roloson wasn't getting them anywhere so they mixed things up and started scoring. By the third period, Rolo needed the Rolaids as his team completely abandoned him and he finally looked every second of his 41 years.

*If MDZ was benched because of some sense of accountability, then he should be brought back to the lineup because of one. Rozsival is an outright liability and his continued presence hurts the team in the short term (goals against on a nightly basis) and in the long term (development of the youngsters). He has never won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold or World Championship gold - why is his experience be so treasured when his abilities have never helped a team win?

*Alex Frolov averages 2:14 of power play time per game and saw nearly two minutes on the man advantage in this one. And yet he has no power play goals and just one power play assist. Perhaps it is time to try Prust, Avery or even Fedotenko on the unit - at least you know they will battle around the net.

*Totally random but I spotted Dru, Boyle and Girardi walking in Penn Station after the game, followed by MDZ and Prust - who were accompanied by a pair of young ladies. I said 'good win' and Dru shot me a nasty look. How could he know I dislike him so? Think he remembered my Redden sign? Haha. Ok, enough stalking talking.

*One of the Zambonis broke down right at the start of the second intermission. I hope the kid who was supposed to ride it will get another shot. That looks like fun; I wanna ride the Zamboni!

*There was a surprisingly solid crowd - not the sellout listed on the Game Summary but well over 10K. Amazingly there were numerous Islander fans as well but there weren't any fights that I saw; must be the holiday spirit.

*Oh, season ticket reps said that they had no plans to do anything for those who couldn't make it. They just put a note or complaint on the account and claimed that they may address it at a future date. Not give a ticket back for a future date but deal with the complaint at a future date. Stay classy Dolan.

*Maybe BJ Wisniewski was just rehearsing for his future career when he made that gesture at Avery earlier this season. Because he certainly did not look like someone who is capable of making money playing puck for much longer in this one. Had his shot late in the first not hit the post and gone in, it would have made it 3-1 Isles and a totally different game.

*Brian Boyle's short side goal was exactly the kind of softie that has plagued Henrik for years, so it was nice to see it scored for us rather than against. And Boyle had yet another big game - when he simplifies things he does so well because he constantly works hard. And hard work pays off, as Ruslan Fedotenko can attest to. Tank is older, slower and doesn't have the hands he once had but he keeps plugging and has been a delightful surprise of a training camp invite.

*Gillies vs Prust. What the hell?

*MZA had another solid performance but, as I said after his first NHL game, he needs to work on his play away from the puck. As a forward, you can't just stand around waiting for the play to come to you (unless you are Jaromir Jagr).

*Arty needs to work on most everything, but his strength - or lack thereof - is his biggest issue. Anisimov is consistently knocked off the puck, knocked to the ice or knocked away from scoring areas.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Brandon Dubinsky - one goal and one assist.
2-Brian Boyle - one goal and two assists.
1-Matt Gilroy - two goals.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Derek Stepan - The kid's confidence has finally gone up and it shows.
2-Boyle/Fed/Prust - A line that has remained together for more than five minutes? They must be good!
1-Hobey - The kid is definitely making a case to stay in the lineup, and it is about time.

16-11-1: No Style Points For This One

The Rangers finished off a home and home sweep against the Islanders with a 2-0 victory on Friday night. It was perhaps the worst hockey game in terms of skill and quality of play since I covered the BC Icemen of the UHL. Both teams were atrocious, the officiating was inexplicable and the crowd was dead. On evenings like this you just have to pray that it wasn't someone's first hockey game because they will never come back. Horrible.

But the Rangers were on the good side of the scoreline. Woo hoo and yippee! Let's take the points and - after this post - never speak of this game again.

MSG-Plus re-aired the Knicks game this early morning instead of this so this is based on my observations in the building itself ... which is probably better because I would fall asleep witnessing this affair for a second time:

*The only thing that would make one believe that the Rangers are capable of making the playoffs are the two points. The Rangers beat a team they were supposed to. That is it. The team from Mystery, Alaska had more talent than the Islanders - and I mean the actors, not the characters they were portraying. For the Blueshirts to have such a tough time against a bunch of players barely fit for the ECHL is horrifying.

*Not a single Ranger had a good game. Not one. Hank pitched a shutout but was barely challenged - hell, he didn't face a single shot over the first 15 minutes of the match and three the entire first period. As for everyone else, they were disjointed and sloppy yet again. Passes were off, shots were off, they didn't play like a unit. Just atrocious.

*The lone real goal was a bomb by Marc Staal that Dwyane Roloson never saw. Just as I was raging how Alex Frolov skated behind the Islander net, he came around and slid right in front of Rolo - setting a perfect screen. He still sucks, but at least he contributed something. It was a power play goal that looks good in the number column and betrays the fact that the special team isn't special in the least. They have trouble gaining the zone, their passes are telegraphed, they have trouble holding the blueline and no one is willing to take any kind of punishment in the slot. Frolov slid in there untouched as the Isles didn't bother to concern themselves with him - can you blame them?

*Even with catching NHL on the Fly, I still have yet to see the Ryan Callahan "elbow" on Frans Nielsen. It was included in the highlight but certainly did not look like an elbow to me and the replay was unclear. The NHL Network did not include the Avery roughing and ensuing misconduct, both of which seemed completely unfounded. If the league doesn't want this guy to play, just ban him for life. Letting him play and then sending him to the box on trumped up charges just helps folks shape their tin foil conspiracy hats.

*What do you think the conversation was like when Torts sent Mr. Softie the Backstabber into the box to serve Avery's rough?

*Jesse Joensuu going after Cally for the aforementioned elbow was unnecessary and the ensuing fight was woeful for the Islander but great for the Ranger. Cally smartly tied up the Finn and didn't waste his hands beating on a clown in a visor.

*It boggles my mind how the stripes will call a diving penalty and yet still penalize the alleged infraction that caused it. And they always seem to do it; I don't recall a single unsportsmanlike conduct diving that wasn't attached to another penalty. Ever.

*How Madison Square Garden Music Director Ray Castoldi still has a job is beyond me. The music was especially awful on this evening as it centered around Ray jamming on his keyboard with a below-par guitarist, a drummer and a mop-haired DJ chick who just seemed to hit play and gyrate. My ears objected.

*Back-to-back games and no Main Event between heavyweights Boogaard and Konopka. If there ever was a dull game that could have used the excitement of a big bout - even one that was pre-arranged - this was it. What a tedious affair.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Dwayne Roloson - 19 saves.
2-Marc Staal - one goal.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 17 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
Not a single player deserves to be honoured after this one; maybe give Dolan some props because he was able to take back a big league gate receipt for a minor league match.

15-11-1: Well That Doesn't Happen Often

The Blueshirts blew two two-goal leads during a sloppy game against a hardworking rival ... and they won anyway. How about that? The Rangers prevailed over the Islanders 6-5 in a disjointed affair on Thursday night.

Just going to jump into it:

*It was the opener of a home and home, which is so properly named as the Rangers are playing a pair of home games. There were more people rooting for the team playing against the Rangers when the Pens were in Garden on Monday than there were in the Mausoleum on this evening. The Ranger goal song was sung, Potvin Sucks was whistled and 'DP Sucks' thundered around the building. The mass of True Blue, combined with the fact that it wasn't a sell-out, really shows what a horrible franchise the Islanders are. They should move. Or fold. Either or.

*The goaltending was atrocious but neither netminder received much help. We got to see just how 'good' Biron truly is when the team isn't the shot-blocking, defensive dynamo in front of him. It was mentioned in this space that he would be nothing without the boys playing the way they had in front of him and he proved it on this evening. Point for me. Point for John Tortorella too as somehow seeing Biron yanked reinvigorated the Rangers.

*The two soft Russians have been busted down the lineup and they have yet to show they care about it. They are both playing on the periphery and spending more and more time on the bench. Rightly so. How soon until Frolov and Anisimov are benched? If you ask me, the sooner the better. Perhaps an injection of Whale will help invigorate the roster ... Dale Weise anyone?

*Speaking of pulpous people, I saw Mr. Softie The Backstabber staring daggers at his linemate Sean Avery on several occasions but the addition of the Grate One was perfect on this night. The 'top' line is balanced with a grinder, a playmaker and a sniper. Avery made things happen and made room for his new mates and, in turn, his new mates had the speed and skill to keep him onsides. They accounted for four goals and five assists. Not too shabby.

*The opposition may hate him, his teammates may not like him but Avery is more important to this team than anyone outside of Henrik Lundqvist. When Avery is Avery the Rangers are winners. It has been this way since he came to New York (the first time) and is the reason why us fans adore him so. So all of you fine fans of other franchises, hate him all you want because we will take him being ... acerbic ... any/every time.

*It was amusing watching that fat troll of a AHLer Jon Sim try to goad Sean into some kind of stupidity and credit to Sean for avoiding it.

*But the funniest moment was between Michal Rozsival and P.A. Parenteau. Late in the third period the two went back and forth deep in the Ranger zone and the whistle blew. They got together on the endboards checking and shoving before the midget Parenteau looked up at Rozy and the two broke into a smile and laughed. "Oh, I didn't know it was you, sorry bout that." He also lined up across from Brandon Prust at one point and the two started jawing, then giggling.

*Sadly Derek Boogaard fought Trevor Gillies instead of Zenon Konopka, because Konopka would have fought like a man. Gillies challenged the champ and clearly couldn't keep up and inflict his share of damage. The guy is a joke - a pretender - while Konopka is a top-five tough guy. Sadly Boogaard has never shown Mike Sauer how to properly defend himself. Sauer now has three NHL fights and zero wins. But good for the kid for trying. Of course, when his team is setting up in the offensive zone probably in't the best time to do so but he is a rookie.

*The other rookie, Derek Stepan, needs to be a bit more proactive himself. Now paired with Dubi and Cally, Step seems to spend too much time watching them work rather than helping out. The kid has poise beyond his years, that is for sure, but if he raises his battle level to match the other Blue Bloods we will have one helluva line.

*I was at the game working as a photographer and if I can get permission from the publication, I will post some of the shots here one of these days. Surely there is more to talk about tonight but the boys are right back in action Friday night so we will call it here. See you at the other Ranger home ice, the Garden.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Blake Comeau - one goal and one assist.
2-Sean Avery - three assists.
1-Marian Gaborik - three goals and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Parenteau - P.A. played with a chip on his shoulder against his former team, even if he couldn't keep a straight face.
2-Gaborik - Hat tricks are awesome.
1-Avery - That hat trick wouldn't have happened had Gabby not lined up alongside Avery, who played one of his best games of the season.

1-1-0: No Holiday At All

For all of you younger folks who believe that the Devils are the biggest rival of the Rangers - imagine a game like this afternoon's every time and with more fighting. That was how it was for years and how it will be again. The Devils are irrelevant - they are the sullen little brother who wishes they were us, the Islanders are the competitive bratty brother who will do anything to beat us. And you could see that this afternoon.

It was a wildly entertaining, ultimately heartbreaking disastrous 6-4 loss for the Rangers. It had 10 goals, a fight, a blown penalty shot, some gamesmanship ... the only thing else would could ask for was for the score to be reversed. And it should have been. Much like in Buffalo, the Rangers had control of the game and they opened the door for their opponent. This time they only had a one goal lead instead of two, and they blew it.

This one is quite painful now, and could be even more migraine-inducing come April. Some notes:

*If not even a Ranger game can bring the Islanders close to a sellout on a school holiday, when does the league step in and say enough is enough?

*I'm not linking the 'gesture' but if slagging French Canadians sends the NHL Wheel O' Justice spinning, homophobic nonsense like Wisniewski's deserves a suspension and sensitivity counseling. Now do I think that NHLers should be sensitive when trash talking? No. I think everything should be fair game. But if a making fun of French Canadians or throat-cutting gestures get suspensions in today's NHL, well this should too.

*MDZ, well, what can I say other than I told you so? Yes he is young, yes he is skilled, yes he has an upside that we can hardly imagine. But no, he has no idea how to play defense just yet. He was just plain bad inside the Ranger blueline and that shouldn't be acceptable. But in Torts' world of accountability, the kid didn't miss a single shift and will start next game.

*This 'Eminger needs to play because he is a left-handed shot' nonsense is just that. Nonsense. He shouldn't start next game as he is just horrible. I don't care if he is a lefty or a righty or an Aquarius or whatever, he is a liability and should not be a NHL regular. He has little toughness and little upside. We would be better served dealing with the mistakes of younger players than keeping this clown employed.

*But that is just one of the issues I have with Torts' decisions. His personnel selection was questionable most of the game - after goals and at the end. Maybe it is a philosophy thing, I don't know - I think that when you are down one and desperate, you put the players will battle in there. No Arty, no Frolov, no MDZ. I would have had Avery, Fedotenko and Girardi. Avery has been around the net every shift, Fedotenko has a knack for scoring big goals and Girardi was the best Ranger blueliner - finally unleashing that shot of his.

*And Frolov, don't celebrate until you actually score. Clown.

*Did anyone think that P.A. Parenteau would have a great game while Marian Gaborik would disappoint? I figured P.A. would get up for the affair but Gabby was invisible for much of the game. And his bungled penalty shot, oy. Where was Olli Jokinen when you wanted him? I kid, I kid ...

*For as physical as the game was, the only battle was the tussle between Brandon Prust and Zenon Konopka. I think that there should have been some kind of retribution when Stepan was run in the third period but Torts wanted to keep discipline - which ultimately was what cost them anyway. Better to send a message at that moment and risk losing than to look soft and still lose.

*Boogaard played a grand total of 1:34. That signing is looking worse and worse. Having Kennedy and his energy level would have been much more meaningful than having a minute and a half of a useless goon. As I said before though, Boogey's big moment will be Friday. If he doesn't fight Orr, then he is dead to me.

*While looking at ice time - Rozy skated for 27:38. You know there is something wrong when ...

*Mike Sauer was quietly solid yet again. I'm really liking what he brings to the blueliners, hopefully he will be able to take more responsibility soon.

*It has always amazed me how former Ranger Mike Mottau could do so many good things defensively and so many bad things defensively - often on the same shift.

*I'm sure there is more but this one hurts too much to talk about anymore. I hate the Islanders so much.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Brandon Dubinsky - one goal and one assist.
2-Josh Bailey - one goal and one assist.
1-Blake Comeau - two goals and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Girardi - Dan-O hit, blocked shots, took shots, killed penalties ... nice reliable play. Perhaps soon we will be able to forgive him for the Carcillo/Gaborik incident. Never forget, but forgive ...
2-PA Parenteau - Is there anything more satisfying than sticking it to your old team?
1-Comeau - Two goals, one assist and an Oscar for his performance on the Staal "high stick." Comeau always kicks his game up a notch against the Rangers and you have to respect that.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: New York Islanders

My loathing for the Islanders knows no bounds so I will try to temper my blind hatred enough to actually provide a reasonable preview of them for you guys. It will be tough ... so very, very tough; just remember I did this the next time you guys get mad at me.

Familiar Foes: Rick DiPietro. Hahahaha. Just like last season, they think he is healthy enough to play and this time he may very well be able to play on Columbus Day. Anything beyond that, well, don't place any bets. That being said, even if DP does go down we've seen how Dwayne Roloson can singlehandedly keep the clowns competitive. Doug Weight - the Rangers second round pick in 1990 - returns to keep the C warm while John Tavares keeps learning the ropes. Trent Hunter and Jon Sim are somehow still in the NHL, even if their long-time runningmate Richard Park has headed overseas. Speaking of wingmen, Matt Moulson will be back attempting to show he wasn't a one-year wonder and Josh Bailey is going to try to start fulfilling his potential. Meanwhile, Mark Streit continues to be a slap in the face to Glen Sather. Yeah, goin' with Wade Redden was a muuuuuuuch better idea.

N00bz: Streit will be joined on the blueline by three new faces this fall - James Wisniewski, Milan Jurcina and Mark Eaton. It is hard to laugh at Snow's selections as the three vets can stabilize the back end. Up front Snow added PA Parenteau and Zenon Konopka. On one hand, you have to be happy that PA is going to get that fair NHL shot he has worked so hard to get but on the other hand, he is now the enemy so screw 'em. Konopka kills me as he is the first respectable enforcer the Isles have had since Mick Vukota (not that Mick was that respectable but whatever).

Last Year: Wednesday, October 28th 3-1 Isles; Wednesday, December 16th 2-1 Isles; Thursday, December 17th 5-2 Ranger win; Saturday, December 26th 3-2 OT Isles; Wednesday, March 24th 5-0 Rangers; Tuesday, March 30th 4-3 Ranger win.

This Year: Monday, October 10th at the Mausoleum; Thursday, December 2nd at the Mausoleum; Friday, December 3rd at the Garden; Monday, December 27th at the Garden; Tuesday, March 15th at the Garden; and Thursday, March 31st at the Mausoleum.

What They Mean To Blue: The bratty brother we never wanted always goes above and beyond to make us look bad. And sadly they do, pretty often. The Isles always step up their game when facing the Rangers and many times the Rangers don't respond in kind. But then again, the games against them are the best efforts we will get from Chris Drury all season long and the only times that Potvin Sucks can appropriately be whistled ...

Are You Kidding Me?

"This season, the Islanders are looking to create an even better Blog Box and are looking to add three established bloggers. If you would like to be one of the newest Isles bloggers, auditions will be held at the 2010 Islanders Draft Party on Friday, June 25 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The selected bloggers will then be interviewed by the Islanders communications staff and the winners will be notified.

We are looking for you, so come on out to the 2010 Draft Party and show us what you can do!"

If you can dance, juggle chainsaws, cut DP in half, guess Doug Weight's real age, then you're in!

Kidding aside, you have to imagine that they meant interview rather than audition, right? Or is this another stab from the 'establishment' that bloggers are shaved monkeys on typewriters in their parent's basements?

Seriously, WTF?

RANGERS ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN JYRI NIEMI
Rangers and Islanders Complete First Trade in 37 Years

New York, May 25, 2010 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Jyri Niemi from the New York Islanders in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers and Niemi have agreed to terms on a contract.

Niemi, 19, skated in 50 games with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) this past season, registering eight goals and 21 assists for 29 points, along with 67 penalty minutes and a plus-nine rating.

The 6-3, 210-pounder has appeared in 159 career regular season contests for Saskatoon, registering 29 goals and 66 assists for 95 points, along with 198 penalty minutes and a plus-27 rating.

Internationally, Niemi has represented his native country in several international tournaments, most recently serving as Captain for Finland at the 2010 U-20 World Junior Championship. He finished the tournament tied for second among all defensemen and ranked second among Finnish skaters in goals (three), and tied for third on the team in points (five).

The Hameenkyro, Finland native was originally selected as the New York Islanders’ third round pick, 72nd overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers and Islanders last completed a trade on November 14, 1972, when the Rangers sent right wing Ron Stewart to the Islanders in exchange for cash.

If the Flames and Oilers can make deals, then I guess anyone can but someone is going to have to give this guy a radiation shower to scrub the Islander stink off of him. I will leave it to Jess at Prospect Park to write up something about Niemi's upside (EDIT: and he did) but I have a hunch good ole Glen has this guy mistaken for the Blackhawk goaltender. If this guy isn't good enough to make the Islanders ...

Nothing Like Planning Ahead

Think the Rangers are planning on having a draft party for the fans with Marian Gaborik? Yeah, I don't think so either ...

32-32-9: Beating The Isles Is Always Good

What a bittersweet victory. The Rangers beat the Islanders 5-0 on Wednesday night in the Garden and I can't think of a better way to describe it: bittersweet.

The sweet part comes from ...

... beating the Islanders. For some folks, like myself, there is nothing more gratifying outside of winning the Stanley Cup.

... the scoring-ly challenged Rangers posting a five-spot. Two games after needing a lucky bounce just to get on the scoreboard against a weakened team, they scored again and again and again and again and again.

... Henrik Lundvist posting a clean sheet. Not a single softie allowed by the King.

... winning at home. The Blueshirts have been dreadful on Broadway and had already allowed the Isles to come into the building and take two wins away.

... Brandon Prust fighting Trevor Gillies and not needing the boards to hold him up.

... the Islander fan in front of me getting up after the second period and leaving, feeling no hope and having no reason to stay.

Now, the bitter part stems from ...

... the team simply playing themselves farther down the draft board and keeping foolish post-season hopes alive.

... a two minute five-on-three where the Rangers couldn't score. Two full minutes of bad passing and ill-advised shots. Sure they scored right after with the man advantage but they

... three, four breakaways and a pair of posts. If the Rangers were a better team, they would have won 10-0, not 5-0. And 10-0 is an estimate that even takes into account Rolo's impressive performance.

... the motivation, energy and ability shown on the ice that hasn't been there for 95% of the games to date this season.

... outshooting the Isles 17-3 in the second period and having no goals to show for it.

If it was the spirit of the rivalry or the 'desperation' they claim to have that sparked this win, then the Rangers should be able to keep rolling over Fatso tomorrow. We'll just have to see.

Some random notes:

*The article I quoted from yesterday was blissfully wrong as the number of 3d camera locations were fewer and didn't block too many people.

*Of course, there weren't that many people in the Garden. Attendance peaked at maybe 17,000. Maybe. At the opening faceoff it was probably closer to 12, 13k and by the time the final buzzer sounded was around 10. I just read that there were around 2,500 folks at the 3d viewing; I wonder how many were given free tickets.

*Prust was one of the best Rangers on the ice. He isn't a pretty player or a particularly good fighter but the kid doesn't stop skating.

*What was more ridiculous: Tim Jackman's cage or Trevor Gillies' biker 'stache? Who does Jackman think he is? Stephane Robidas?

*As can be expected, my love for Sean Avery continues. I don't see how someone could be a Ranger fan and not love him. He is entertaining. That is what hockey is supposed to be, entertaining.

*On the flip side of the coin is Olli Jokinen. Jokinen was horrid for yet another night, missing chances, bumping into his own teammates and losing faceoff after faceoff. The best thing about him is that his salary will come off the books after the season. So he has that going for him.

*There are no redeeming factors for Jon Sim. I don't like that guy.

*If I didn't see Kyle Okposo's name in the box score, I wouldn't have believed you if you said he played.

*Brian Boyle was not missed. Boyle was bounced from the lineup for Enver Lisin, who continued to show he is a lesser version of Petr Prucha.

*Enver's bff Arty Anisimov scored a goal, getting a gift rebound that he converted with a nice wrister. His skills have never been in doubt in this space - it is everything else that has been questioned.

*Has there been a better waiver wire pick-up this season than Erik Christensen? Christy was cast-off from Anaheim and has been a solid top-six forward on this team - he nearly had a goal to go with his two assists but Rolo made a nice save on Christy's breakaway. I had thought he tipped home Girardi's shot on the power play to make it 5-0 but he hadn't - still, his screen gave the defenseman the goal.

*Oh, to the Islander fans out there: woooooooooooooo!!!!!!

*PHW Three Stars
3-Henrik Lundqvist - 27 saves.
2-Sean Avery - one assist.
1-Marian Gaborik - two goals and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Marc Staal - Sure it wasn't too hard containing the pop-gun Islander offense but Staal showed a good poise and moved the puck cleaner than he has in a while. He was stoned on a great scoring chance but grabbed an assist on the play thanks to Dubi getting the rebound over to Gabby to make it 2-0.
2-Gabby - Man, it woulda been nice to see him get a hat trick. So close. But he looked in his best form since his time with Slovakia so that is definitely a plus.
1-Avery - Did you expect anyone else? Sean managed to distract the entire Islander squad and drew several penalties. He did his job and he did it quite well.

Kyle Are You OK?

Kyle are you ok?
Kyle are you ok?
Are you ok Kyle?

Kyle are you ok?
Kyle are you ok?
Are you ok Kyle?

You've been hit by ...
You've been hit by ...
Sloppy seconds.

Kansas City Drylanders

Brilliance by Kyle L., courtesy of Puck Daddy:

"I dabble around with Photoshop type programs often, and had created the KC Islanders logo as an avatar for a NY Rangers board I frequent. When I saw the article about The Sporting Store, I figured it was time to slap it on a jersey. It's similar to the current Islanders jersey, just with trim that is slightly crooked as an ode to John Spano.
"By the way, that's not Missouri in the logo, it's Kansas which is exactly the kind of mistake the geographically challenged NY Islanders would make." --Kyle

Personally, I love it - even if it renders the hockey card I created for an earlier Puck Daddy contest obsolete:
Man, do I hate the Islanders ...

31-22-6: Pruuuuu!

My deepest apologies folks, this will be it for the game; I have the flu. Hope to return to normal programming for Saturday and Sunday game wraps.

For the second straight game the momentum was changed by a fight and this time it was in the Rangers favour. But if I was to tell you it was Petr Prucha, who not only actually dressed for the game but was the Rangers best player, you would have thought I was out of my mind. And you would be right.

But the kid won the tussle against Sean Bergenheim and he pretty much sent a message to his coach that he doesn't quite 'wear down' when he actually sees the ice. A great effort by Pru and a solid, if not convincing win over the evil Isles.

23-13-3: Mixed Emotions At MSG

The Rangers defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers New York Islanders 5-4 tonight at Madison Square Garden in an eventful, exciting game. I really should be quite pleased.

Should.

Unfortunately there were as many negatives to come out of this match as there were positives. Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes played the games of their lives. Yay! Henrik Lundqvist and the Ranger defense ... well .... boooo, The Rangers played their rivals and won a huge game on home ice. Yay! The Rangers played down to the level of their injury riddled opponent and nearly lost. Booooo.

It was a huge game because Tom Renney called out his team prior to it and the final result shows they answered it. And many of his players did, or did just enough not to be called out again. Markus Naslund was invisible until he popped up with that goal. Michal Rozsival was terrible defensively but he scored so he leaves with a par on his card. Wade Redden? He got himself a second assist. Woo hoo!! An assist, poor defensive play and the continual degradation of Dan Girardi's game just doesn't seem worth $6.5 million. Several people turned around to me saying the Mexican't Scott Gomez had a great game but despite collecting two points, there were at least three, four other scoring opportunities he blew to go along with multiple turnovers.

At the end of the night, the Rangers played just well enough to beat the worst team in the league. Let's hope they play better next time. Some notes:

*My buddy the Gregger mentioned before the game that he thought that Valley should have started instead of Hank and he was certainly proved right. Valley, like Prucha, has played well when given an opportunity to play and needs to be given more opportunities. Hank isn't playing himself out of this rut - he is making poor decisions and is getting beaten on shots that he clearly is capable of stopping.

*On the other side of the ice, we were surprised to see Joey Mac lead the Isles out for warmups. He acquitted himself pretty well but I am admittedly thankful because I truly believe that DP's presence would have resulted in an Islander win.

*Petr Prucha put on a stellar performance for his first start in ages but do you really think that it earned him a position on the roster? The first time the Rangers play a 'tough team' you can be assured that he will be back on the bench so Renney can bring in the "physical presence" of Aaron Voros.

*On the physical note, the game did feature one helluva heavyweight bout in Colton Orr vs. Mitch Fritz. While Fritz did land some good punches with his outrageously long arms, Orr landed the big blows and bloodied the big man, sending him back to the trailer park with his tail between his legs and blood running down his face. None of the Islanders were particularly physical after that solid display of fisticuffs. (Of course, there was no reason for it other than to justify Fritz being in the NHL - he did skate for 1:40 of ice time total - but I am tired of fighting that battle... and why did Versus switch to the wide camera in the middle of the fight??? Wow are they terrible.)

*Not even Mike Comrie, who went to aid Kyle Okposo after Nigel Dawes knocked the wind out of him with a fantastic check. The Garden did roar at the mighty mites duking it out but Dawes really should have taken his helmet off. Fighting with a visor is just wrong. Then again, Comrie didn't attempt to get Dawsie's bucket off and just resorted to Street Fighter-esque uppercuts so who's fault is that?

*But back to Dawes, who definitely played his best game as a Ranger. He kept his skates moving throughout his shifts, he was physically involved, he swarmed around the Islander net and he scored. Outside of the scoring, the same could be said for Ryan Callahan and Lauri Korpikoski ... youth was served. The problem is that there just aren't enough kids on this roster and the ones we have aren't really game-breakers.

*Nik Zherdev should be considered both as he is still on the near side of 25 and he has skills most people can only dream of. After his time in Columbus we were warned about his enigmatic play and yet this team still had him penciled in for 30 goals. On this night he was horrid. Z skated into traffic and turned the puck over, wasted power play time skating around without creating anything and was a nonfactor - certainly not something you want from your first line winger.

*I would love to espouse more on the shortcomings of the overpriced players or the 0-for-5 power play but, alas, I have to get some sleep before heading to Chicago for Thursday's Winter Classic. Like with last year, I plan on reporting back so keep tuning in!!

*Oh, before I finish off with the stars, I want to reiterate that Dmitri Kalinin's salary would be better spent paying him to play in Russia. He has reached his peak and makes mistakes left and right. Corey Potter will make mistakes but he is young and has a much higher upside than Kalinin's current level.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Ryan Callahan - one assist.
2-Scott Gomez - one goal and one assist.
1-Petr Prucha - one goal.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Cally - The kid was a wrecking ball, as usual. He nearly killed Trent Hunter with one helluva check and continually forced the action deep in the Islander zone.
2-Pru - He played like he had something to prove and it showed. It is amazing how wonderful motivated hockey looks ...
1-Dawsie - Was there anything Dawsie didn't do in this one? Best game of his career to date ... but can he keep it up? Hopefully!