0-0-1: The Wrong Richards

Despite ridding himself of that accursed orange, Mike Richards continued to terrorize the Rangers, this time in Stockholm Friday night as he helped the Kings beat the Blueshirts 3-2 in overtime. Sadly, we would turn off Philadelphia games at least knowing that Brandon Dubinsky beat Richards up but this time Dubi was on his best behavior and he didn't take on the former Flyer captain. Damn. Richards had the game-tying goal and an assist on the game-winner while being his usually solid two-way self.

The other side of the coin was the Rangers' Richards, who was virtually useless outside of the faceoff circle. While he dominated at the dot, he didn't show any of the chemistry we hoped with Gaborik and received a charity point on Gabby's goal. He also botched a play to keep the puck deep in the L.A. zone with five minutes left in the third period and Richards scored seconds later on the other end.

It is way too early to call him a bust and too early get too angry at the loss but we watched the same Rangers play the same hockey that failed them last season. Richards was supposed to add a new dimension to the New York attack and he did not.

Late hits:

*I tweeted yesterday "that MDZ is on the roster is an utter franchise failure. Prospects, Sather, Torts, team docs." One game down and the statement holds true. He was a disaster in his own end and a nonfactor on the other side of the ice. Perhaps once Staal gets his head screwed back on right or Woywitka breaks in well or Bickel learns how to skate then MDZ will get sent back to the minors where he can learn how to play right.

*Tim Erixon, on the other hand, was pretty good - especially when you consider he had to cover up for Steve Eminger, who challenged MDZ as worst Ranger on the ice. The kid is smart, decisive and steady. His delay of game penalty was just bad luck for the puck going out of play.

*The other penalties were a mixed bag. Zuke's cross checking was a weak call (the guy was off balance and now the Norwegian is being fined for it?!? No contact hockey, here we come), Eminger and Boyle had theirs come because they were beaten on the plays and McDonagh's never happened. Mac actually had a helluva shift before the ghost call, which ultimately doomed the Rangers.

*If Mike Sauer was still battling a sore shoulder, I can't wait to see how he is at 100%. Rock solid. Between him, McDonagh, Girardi and Staal (when he gets back), the Blueshirts have a great top-4 on their blueline. Add in a maturing Erixon and a decent veteran No. 6 and the Rangers will have a great unit helping out Hank.


*Hank, as always, kept the Rangers in the game while the team in front of him made mistake after mistake. Henke is the king and the Swedish crowd deservedly worshipped him as such. They didn't match the lovefest that took place in Gothenburg last week but they did pull for their favourite son. No Hoppa Henke song though, which was saddening.

*Of course, they did cheer for him in their usual understated Swedish way. It was a pretty quiet audience mostly made up of Ranger fans and curious onlookers. There weren't many Kings supporters at all outside of The Royal Half and a half dozen female Kings season ticket holders that sat in my row. One had purple hair, another an Avery jersey. Yes, I got along with them well - diehard fans are diehard fans (except for Flyer fans, who are subhuman).

*The in-house camera caught several Swedish stars around the arena. Ulf Nilsson (Potvin Sucks!), Anders Hedberg, Mattias Norstrom, Markus Naslund and Kent Nilsson all made it onto the big screen at some point, with Kent getting the loudest ovation of them all.

*Zuke played alright; his linemates didn't do him any favours. Derek Stepan appeared a step slow all night and Wojtek Wolski was good for nothing aside from jabbing at the puck with his stick.

*Dubi needs to be moved back with Arty and Cally, so the other lines can work again. Step and Zuke need Fedotenko, Arty and Cally need Dubi. Considering that Gaborik and Richards are having their troubles, getting two solid lines for a mediocre one is a worthwhile deal.

*Mike F-ing Rupp skates almost as poorly as the late Derek Boogaard did.

*Ryan Callahan's goal was an awesome bad-angle snipe. The captain's persistance and battle level helped keep his team in the game.

*You know who could have helped with that, adding energy with a strong shift? Sean Avery.

*Aside from his staged fight, not sure where Prust was in this one. His partner Boyle looked big and slow.

*Seeing as the Rangers struggled to shut down Kopitar, Williams and Gagne tonight, just imagine what will happen tomorrow against Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan. *shudder* Ed. note: No Peepin' Foes for the Ducks, too tired tonight.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Ryan Callahan - one goal on 11 shots.
2-Henrik Lundqvist - 27 saves.
1-Anze Kopitar - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Cally - The only Ranger forward that came to play.
2-Kopitar - The Swedish-trained Slovenian is definitely one of the most underrated stars in the NHL.
1-Mike Richards - Such a dynamic player, it really isn't fair.

Peepin' Foes: Los Angeles Kings

The 2011-12 Ranger season starts in Stockholm Friday against the L.A. Kings, 1pm Eastern on MSG or Versus.

Where We Are: Trying to cope with a battered blueline. Top defender Marc Staal is out and top defensive defender Mike Sauer has barely played this preseason thanks to a bum shoulder. The team added Jeff Woywitka on Thursday but it is doubtful he will play so we will be submitted to a defensive corps that includes Michael Del Zotto, rookie Tim Erixon and Steve Eminger. Hank has to be King-ly to survive.

Where They Are: Los Angeles is battling one of the most dangerous of calamities - sky high expectations. After putting together a decent season last year, the Kings stole Mike Richards from the Flyers and added his buddy Simon Gagne. They also re-upped Drew Doughty for eight years so they believe they currently have the pieces for success this season and going forward - now they have to show it.

Who To Watch For: Brad Richardson could come out of nowhere to chip in points as the Rangers fight to contain Justin Williams, Anze Kopitar and the rest of the Kings' jewels. Dustin Brown is Ryan Callahan west. Dustin Penner isn't playing. Jonathan Quick is starting in goal and was utterly fantastic at times last season. Richards, Gagne and former Islander Trent Hunter all know how to beat the Rangers.

What To Watch For: Richards vs. Dubi V - love that these two dislike each other so. Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik being checked very tightly as the Kings shut down the two free agents who spurned them so famously. A Ranger power play is always an experience worth taking in, like a train wreck. See if Zuke can carry his preseason success over, especially when saddled with Wojtek Wolski. How Arty will cope with Torts moving Dubi to the top line and leaving him with Feds instead. Mike Rupp trying to goad Kevin Westgarth into a fight to make an impression on his new teammates (or maybe he will wait for Saturday and take on George Parros' mustache).

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Sean Avery making a grand WWE entrance in the middle of the first and throwing Tortorella against the turnbuckle. Speaking of farcical things, how about MDZ not screwing up anything in his own zone? Dubi destroying Richards yet again. A far, far different team then the one that was smacked by EV Zug earlier this week. Tim Erixon having a quite but capable first NHL game. Facing the team that drafted him, Brian Boyle finding the form that saw him turn into a goal scorer in the first half of last season. Cally not to get hurt. Hank to out-save Quick in front of a loving crowd.

Also Check Out: The Royal Half, Surly & Scribe, SBN's The Battle of California and Jewels From The Crown, and Rich Hammond's Kings Insider.

31-24-4: Rangers Win But Found LacKing

The Rangers blew two third period leads but managed to beat Los Angeles 4-3 thanks to a shootout. Two points against a tough Western opponent are great but the way the Blueshirts got them is best left forgotten.

John Tortorella's Tampa team won to spite him, and tonight the Rangers won in spite of him. As per usual, Tortorella didn't get his team to start the game well - giving up chance after chance before allowing a goal. Later in the frame the Rangers were on the power play and Torts somehow put Zuccarello in front - apparently thinking Jonathan Bernier would be screened by a guy who is barely tall enough to ride rollercoasters. In the third period the coach didn't have the team play smart hockey after taking a 2-1 lead, letting them fall right back into their own end instead of pressing the advantage. And, after the team regained the lead 10 minutes later, Torts inexplicably gave the Kings a breather and a chance to compose themselves by calling time out - perhaps the dumbest thing he has done this season.

Tortorella had better get his game together quickly because he is going up against Jacques Lemaire tonight, and the former Hab has been hugely impressive turning the Devils season around. If Torts lets the Rangers play the same undisciplined, loose game then they will be destroyed by the Devils.

Some notes on the win over L.A. first:

*Perhaps we should just start calling Callahan the captain and eventually Acacio will sew that letter on his sweater. Cally brought the Rangers back into the game in the second period with the goal and some utterly spectacular penalty killing. His goal proved that going to the net pays off, and his killing proved that hard work pays off. The goal was Graves-esque - meaning not pretty but effective - while the penalty killing was spectacular. He blocked a shot, lost his stick, stuck with the play, tried to block another shot, stuck with the play, laid a check, picked up his lost stick, got back into position and took advantage of fumble by the L.A. point man to take the puck out, carried it deep and allowed his teammates to change. The Garden went wild and deservingly so, it was awesome.

*Dustin Brown is the Los Angeles version of Callahan, but a version who has been justly rewarded with the captaincy. Brown scored the first goal of the game on a great turnaround shot in the slot on a Kings power play. His second goal was blown coverage by Staal and a smart shot up top that snuck past Hank's shoulder.

*How anyone is blaming Hank for what happened is beyond me. He made big save after big save in this one, keeping his team in it. All three goals against came when his teammates were outhustled and outskated.

*Not too long after I mocked a guy for wearing a Los Angeles Frolov sweater, Dubi scored on a wrap-around. Something karmic about that. Box scores have Arty getting credit but I haven't seen a replay yet that showed his stick making contact. Either way, the goal was all thanks to Cally as he had forced a turnover, put the puck off the boards and out before carrying it down the ice.

*Gabby scored! He pulled his best Boyle impression and simply shot the puck ... and it went in! How about that? I pulled out the classic "that's what you're paid for Braden!" and was met with blank stares from the folks around me. Astounding.

*Nice of Christy and Zuke to score in the shootout because they contributed nothing else the rest of the game. And credit to Bernier because after Christy beat him backhand and Zuke beat him forehand, the rookie just said screw it and poked the puck away from the Polish putz Wolski - another offensive player who struggled during the first 65 minutes.

*The officiating was questionable. Dubi was called for goaltender interference when he was pushed into the L.A. crease and yet a King escaped unscathed after the same thing.

*Anisimov ... well, what can I say that I haven't? He skated directly into a King, lost the puck and bounced back five feet. It was hilarious and pathetic. Put 15, 20 pounds of muscle on him and we might have a player. And someone teach him how to properly block a shot. Nice of him to put up some points (the second assist on Cally's goal and the Dubi wrap-around that he was credited with) but they will only prove problematic this summer as his agent will use the numbers to undeservedly inflate his salary.

*Torts brought MDZ back and the kid rewarded him with a weak effort and stupid penalty. Sadly the coach will simply see his third period benching as punishment enough instead of sending him to Hartford where he belongs.

*It really is a shame these teams will only play once this season but at least we got a chance to see them in person - something we didn't with Detroit. Both the Rangers and the Kings have good, young players but does either one of them have the building blocks of a Stanley Cup winner? Tough to say.

*Just saw the Hockey Night Live promo with the Stayin' Alive remake. Horrific. Why MSG would want to show that their analysts are trapped in the past - one that is really far from golden - is beyond me.

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

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-McDonagh - The kid played a good, consistent game and thus gets the star. Girardi logged more, tougher minutes but was on for two goals against. Gabby got lucky on his shot and was dreadful the rest of the time. Kopitar was dangerous but took a bad penalty. Dubi was pretty good but spent too much time in the box.
2-Brown - The perfect combination of power, speed, skill and drive. The exact kind of player I want leading my hockey team.
1-Cally - See above.

Peepin' Foes: Los Angeles Kings

The Rangers will hopefully have recovered from their Casino Night hangovers by the time the puck drops tomorrow night at the Garden. The Blueshirts will face off against the red-hot Los Angles Kings (7pm, MSG).

Where We Are: Coming off of a good win over the Wilkes Barre Penguins on Sunday but 1-5-1 in the last seven games. After three days off last week, the Rangers stumbled against Atlanta and they are coming off of three days off this week - facing a far tougher foe. Seeing as Carolina is two points behind the seventh-place Blueshirts and are playing the Devils tonight, the teams could be even at 64 points come the mornin'.

Where They Are: The Kings could be undefeated in regulation in their last 10 when the clock hits midnight. Los Angeles is 7-0-2 in their last nine and is playing in Columbus tonight. Luckily for the Rangers, the Kings are 3-5 this season in the back half of back-to-backs. Going into tonight's game, L.A. has played two less games than the Rangers and have one more point but aren't even in the top eight in the West; they are even with Minnesota one point behind the eighth place team - Olli Jokinen's Calgary Flames. (Update: LA beat Columbus in a shootout, 4-3, to go to 8-0-2 in their last 10. They moved two points over the Wild but remain one behind Calgary.)

Who To Watch For: For all of their perceived offensive ability, the Kings don't have a single point-per-game player or a single 20 goal scorer yet. All of their stars have suffered slumps this season - from Anze Kopitar to Drew Doughty to Dustin Brown to to Ryan Smyth to Wayne Simmonds - but that doesn't make them any less dangerous; remember that the Rangers are great slump-busters. Jason Williams has played more games this season than he has the previous three and is back to being the dangerous player he was on Carolina coming out of the lockout. Alexei Ponikarovsky, L.A.'s replacement for Alex Frolov, is indeed replacing Frolov well with just one goal in his last 18 games and four all season. Young Andrei Loktionov is coming on strong of late and should have a big NHL future. And Jarret Stoll, who called off his marriage with Avery's sloppy seconds Rachel Hunter, is an impressive 56.8% at the faceoff dot and has been on a bit of a hot streak as well; he could be dangerous.

What To Watch For: With Jonathan Quick due to start against Columbus, Jonathan Bernier will likely be the man between the pipes. Yes, he is the backup but he has been outstanding of late, allowing just five goals over his last four starts - see if he can keep it up. L.A. doesn't have a power play goal in their last three games, mostly because the QB Doughty, has zero assists in his last seven games (but has three goals, including the game-winner against Philly). Seeing as the Rangers are young and soft in the back, expect the Kings to come hard. Simmonds and Brown will throw their bodies around, as will tough guys Kyle Clifford and Kevin Westgarth.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Prust not fighting either one of them. Boyle showing Los Angeles exactly what they traded away. Avery also making a statement against his former team. The Rangers going to the net the way they did against Pittsburgh, even though Willie Mitchell, Rob Scuderi and Johnson will make them pay. Brown and Cally going hit for hit. Michael Del Zotto doing something, anything to justify Tortorella's faith. Gaborik scoring a goal ... hey, I said hopefully.

Also Check Out: The Royal Half, Surly & Scribe, SBN's The Battle of California and Jewels From The Crown, and Rich Hammond's Kings Insider.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Los Angeles Kings

As another unfortunate spin of the NHL scheduling wheel, Alex Frolov will face his former team just once this coming season and it will be in New York. While the L.A. fans won't be able to give him any kind of reception, at least that means that we will get to see one of the most exciting young teams in the league. Los Angeles seemed to feel they were just a superstar scorer away from Stanley and went hard after Kovalchuk. That sales pitch failed and it lost them Frolov in the process. Their loss is (hopefully) our gain. But even without the one-way Russian, the Kings are still pointed towards the top with a fantastic core of young players and a few wiley vets.

Familiar Foes: Ahn-Jayyyyyyy! Anze Kopitar keeps getting better and better, bringing the skill while Dustin Brown wears the C and brings the grit. Ryan Smyth will look to have a healthy campaign and Wayne Simmonds still hasn't found the ceiling of his capabilities. Sloppy Seconds Jarrett Stoll and former Flyers Justin Williams and Michal Handzus also wear the purple, black and silver. St. Anthony's finest hockey player Rob Scuderi came to the Kings last year and helped solidify a defensive core long on talent but short on experience. Team USA's Jack Johnson and Matt Greene are both quite capable and then the Kings have that Drew Doughty kid, who's name will soon be synonymous with Norris.

N00bz: As if Doughty needed any more support, Los Angeles added Willie Mitchell (a Scotty Hockey favourite) this summer. Blue chippers Tom Hickey and Colten Teubert should both push for the final spot on the defense while hopefully another young stud, Andrei Loktionov can push for a position up front. As if Jon Quick wasn't good enough racking up 39 wins in 72 games last season, he will have tough competition from Jon Bernier this fall. Aside from the aforementioned Big Willie signing, the Kings were only able to grab consolation prize Alexei Ponikarovsky in the fight for left wing talent.

Last Year: Wednesday, October 14th 4-2 Ranger win and Tuesday, February 2nd 2-1 Kings win.

This Year: Thursday, February 17th @ MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: A look at what the Rangers may have been like had they foregone the Drury/Gomez free agent route as Jagr's NY career began to come to a close. And a good late-winter test at the start of the inevitable push for the playoffs.

25-25-7: My Kingdom For A Goal

There are a lot of ways to look at the Ranger 2-1 loss to Los Angeles tonight. You could say they played a tight road game against a red-hot young team and only lost by a goal. You could say that the power play cost the Rangers the victory. You can say that the Rangers picked up their game and got great chances late but couldn't solve an Olympic goaltender in Jonathan Quick. You could say the Rangers made two bad mistakes and they ended up behind their Olympic goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. You can say that the pucks didn't bounce the Ranger way as they hit the post twice and got a puck through Quick that didn't go in. You could say that a loss is a loss and the Rangers lost.

You can say all of those things and you would be completely right on all counts. But the simple statement is Rangers 2, Kings 1. And that is what matters. The Blueshirts went 1-2 on the three game western swing and will come back to the Garden to face Washington and New Jersey later this week. This is not an easy stretch but with the playoff race being what it is, if the Rangers can keep treading water with occasional wins until they get their ship together it will be enough to keep them in the hunt. Notes for now:

*I've mentioned it here before, Christensen should not have been removed from Gabby's side when Prospal returned. The two have chemistry, which seems to be a dirty word to john Tortorella but in actuality something good for a hockey team. What a sexy goal by the two of them. And Cally came oh-so-close to redirecting in that Prospal feed that it makes you wonder how these lines should be fleshed out.

*Olli Jokinen had the first shot of the game with a shot late in the first period. Sure it was just a low shot but 1- it wasn't right into Quick's glove and 2- Jokinen followed it to the net. Too often this season Rangers are lettin' 'em fly and going for a change or pulling up and waiting for teammates. Throughout the night he went to the boards, tried to fight through traffic and seemed more than willing to let it fly so let's hope this is the start of something good.

*Everyone has been focusing on Jokinen's magnificent biker mustache but anyone notice his eyes? All I could think about was the line from Jaws, "Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living." They were kinda creepy but hey, if it works for him ....

*Here is a question for the Meigrey folks out there - did Jokinen get a new jersey or just a Kotalik with a new nameplate sewed on top?

*Joe Micheletti is a tool. Saying the Rangers are skating well after they were pinned in their own zone for four minutes is just dumb. Talking about the good, young Kings defense while the truck is airing a highlight from 38 year old Sean O'Donnell also isn't good television. His continual apologizing for Redden and Rozy is just shameless PR to boot. I mean, most people forget that the TV announcers are not real journalists but team employees and the constant positive spin for these colossal failures is just ridiculous. Who are you trying to fool? Not a single word as how Rozy stood frozen while Brown passed the puck right through him to Smythe for the second Kings goal.

*Playing the part of incompetent fourth liner who makes a mistake on the power play that results in a shorthanded goal? Chris Drury, aka the worst Ranger captain ever. And, going back to the whole MSG as a extension of the team's public relations, Ron Duguay hangs the mistake on the new guy Jokinen instead of the captain. If Drury wasn't holding onto the boards to stay on his skates far away from the action, the Kings wouldn't have had the width of the ice to pick off the pass. And later, with the game hinging on an offensive zone faceoff with seconds left, Drury couldn't get the puck - instead he stood there tying up his opposition and praying someone else comes in. You had to know this was coming: Blair Betts > Chris Drury.

*I watch a significant amount of hockey and it appears to me that the Rangers, more than most other teams, rely upon dumping and chasing to gain the zone on a power play. It doesn't work when they can't regain possession. And it definitely doesn't work if Chris Drury is a part of it.

*Not to disparage the MSG guys, but missing the first fight of Brandon Prust's Ranger career sucked. I understand that they want to get into the replay as quickly as possible so they can get the analysis in before the puck is dropped again but damn, it was a bang-bang kinda thing and all of a sudden we see the guys falling to the ice. Even with the replay, we didn't see what led to Prust throwing down the gloves - the bad angle replay cut in with him spinning in the zone and going over to the guy.

*On Prust, I have already heard one comparison to Ryan Hollweg after this performance. I think it is mistaken, and I think Prust showed why in the third period with smart, good play and a good scoring chance.

*Not Rangers but Dion Phaneuf also fought in his first game with his new team tonight and Dion, who many of us would have loved to have in NY, fought and kept his helmet (and visor) on while fighting. Classless. Also in that Leafs' game, Freddie Sjostrom was the third star after getting the primary assist on the game winner. Miss you Sjo.

*Talking with friend of the blog Andrea, we decided it would be utterly incredible if Sean Avery had "BITE ME" written on the front of his mouth guard. Of course, you would rarely see it as he has his mouth open yapping so often, but it would be hilarious nonetheless. MSG caught Sean yapping at fans coming off the ice after the first period and with Kings after most every whistle. Love that guy.

*If Michael Del Zotto can develop as quickly and as well as Drew Doughty, we will have one helluva defenseman on our hands. He continues to make amazing long-distance passes and shows a willingness to hit, we just have to get the rest of his game together.

*Totally random but do you think that James Patrick cursed the number three when he was dumped by the Rangers? Since him Stan Neckar, Kim Johnsson, Tom Poti and Michal Rozsival all wore it. Ok, so Johnsson wasn't terrible but he was dealt for the concussed, clueless Eric Lindros so it's still a loss.

*Funny how during his second intermission interview Brian Boyle pointed out that it was sad saying goodbye to Chris Higgins, oh yeah, and Kotes too, but really Higgins. Ha. Guess Kotalik didn't make many friends on the team ...

*Ranger fans are great - anyone else catch the Potvin Sucks whistle midway through the third period? It may be a nuisance at the Garden every game, multiple times per game, but once, loudly, in an away arena? Awesome.

*Last game I mocked the third jerseys of the Avalanche but I only have praise for the Kings. Throwback black-white-silver colour scheme and clean, simple design. That's a nice sweater.

*Jack Johnson will be playing on Team USA in Vancouver but after watching this one, you just have to question why? I don't know about you guys but I was completely unimpressed. I thought that his teammate and fellow American Matt Greene was far better in this one.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Henrik Lundqvist - 19 saves.
2-Jon Quick - 20 saves.
1-Anze Kopitar - one goal.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Wayne Simmonds - I initially wanted to give this start to Kopitar but you expect the young superstar to have the speed and hands he showed. And Anze beat Hank gloveside, which we know is no big accomplishment. But Simmonds really impressed me with smart, responsible play on both sides of the ice.
2-O'Donnell - The old guy is exactly what the Rangers need: a steady, physical, crease-clearing defenseman. Exactly what Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival (and Hobey Gilroy and Dan Girardi of late) are not.
1-Quick - As Andrea said to me, USA would be better suited going with Quick right now instead of Tim Thomas. Of course, neither one will start over Ryan Miller but Quick is certainly making his case for it; the kid is good.

Peepin' Foes: Los Angeles Kings

Prepare to stay up late Tuesday night because the boys are out West for a 10:30 start on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings (MSG).

Where We Are: Coming off of four periods of inspired play. Of course that came after many more periods of uninspired play but let's not think about those. Having won three of the last 11 games kinda shortens the memory.

Where They Are: Flying. L.A. has won eight of their last nine and six in a row - five on a road trip capped off with a wonderful come-from-behind beating of Mmmmaaaarrrrtttyyyy that had two goals in the final 1:46 turn the tables on the Devils. They are young, they are exciting and they may fly all the way up to the Olympic break ... unless the Rangers can stop them now.

Who To Watch For: Ahn-Jay Kopitar is a superstar and has only been helped by the presence of (former) Captain Canada Ryan Smyth. The Slovenian - not to be confused with Slovakian - has great wheels, sick hands and hockey smarts. Sloppy Seconds Jarret Stoll and a rejuvenated Michal Handzus add depth down the middle. I heart Dustin Brown, a kid who hits everything that moves and has no issue with working in the trenches. He is like a cleaner version of Pat Verbeek or the Western version of Ryan Callahan. Alex Frolov has been under-whelming but Wayne Simmonds is developing into a good player. Oh yeah, and they have Drew Doughty, who doesn't get the credit he deserves out East. Forget sophomore slump, Doughty is flourishing into Ray Bourque.

What To Watch For: People harped on Craig Anderson's omission to the Olympic team because of the hot season he is having. Well, Jon Quick has been just as good and is still getting better. I watched Quick shut down Ovechkin and the Caps in early January and he was utterly astounding. See if he is jut as astounding against the Rangers. See if Hank is healthy enough to start or if Chad (and the rest of the Rangers) can keep their momentum going after the win in Colorado.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: The Kotalik trade saga come to a close. Callahan to be better than his future Olympic teammate Brown. Any Ranger defenseman keeping Smyth away from the crease. A power play goal ... by the Blueshirts.

Also Check Out: The Battle of California, Life in Hockeywood, A Queen Among Kings sold out and moved to SBN at Jewels From The Crown, Purple Crushed Velvet and Rich Hammond moved over to Kings Insider.

6-1-0: Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

I am not a believer. Not yet. It is simply too early. But damn, what a win. A visibly tired Rangers trumped the Kings 4-2 on Wednesday night for their sixth victory in a row. The Blueshirts didn't have the jump that Los Angeles did. They did have Henrik Lundqvist, and that made all the difference. The King shut down the Kings. Hank was huge from buzzer to buzzer and the Blueshirts offense didn't have too much trouble finding the holes in Erik Ersberg's armour.

*Ersberg wasn't bad - his rebound control was great early on - he just didn't win the game for Los Angeles. It is hard to say he lost it for them when they outshot the Rangers 10-1 in the third period and yet couldn't come back - but I'm sure he wants Gabby's goal back.

*Gabby's goal was his sixth of the young season and all of them came in the third period - a interesting stat that surely was mentioned on the broadcast as it was relayed to me by a half dozen people at the same time after his goal. It was a superstar's kind of goal too: take control of the puck with one hand, tempt the defenseman by moving slowly across the blue line and then kick it into that other gear before rifling a shot into the net. He's good. He's really good.

*And so is Hank. That awesome save on Teddy Purcell right after the first Ranger goal was a thing of beauty. And the rest of the game he was the cool, collected rock in net. He could hardly be faulted on the Ryan Smyth goal and the power play goal against was a deflection as well.

*You would think that Torts and his staff would do something (anything) to try to get some protection for Hank. Smyth was allowed to hang out around the slot and Hank was ran a few times yet again. Between the contact in the Leafs game and tonight, it is a good thing that the Rangers are off until Saturday so he can nurse his bruises.

*The official scorer should be given more than a little time off. It was hugely annoying to hear them announce corrected scorings for almost all of the goals. The Garden takes forever to announce the scoring as is, the least you can do is get it right.

*Did anyone else get a pain in the pit of their stomach when Sean Avery went off in the third period? Avery wasn't a huge factor against his former team but he is still a huge part of this team and needs to stay healthy and in the lineup. As my friend Andrea pointed out, the MSG promo with him (In your face, on the scoreboard) is a great one of the Grate One.

*Torts has been laying down the law pretty hard lately - MSG caught a rant on the bench during a second period tv timeout - which brings up the question, how long will the Rangers listen?

*To the NHL,
Please let me score. Pretty please? I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog-gone it, people like me.
Love,
Chris Higgins

*I'm not sure anyone likes Michal Rozsival anymore. The only thing saving him from being booed every time he touches the puck is the huge level of suckitude exhibited by Wade Redden. After Torts came out and raved about Redden after his three point performance against the Leafs (a team that is neck and neck with Redden in terms of disappointing the fans), the defenseman had a horrific game. Bad turnovers, bad positioning, bad decisions ... Torts had to blow his timeout in the second period for no other reason than Redden moronically icing the puck despite being under no pressure whatsoever. That the two are paired together on the penalty kill is just offensive to me. Sure Torts doesn't have much of a choice but if they can use to forwards and one defenseman on 5-on-3s, they could go three and one on a regular kill too, right?

*Without the signing of a seventh defenseman, you can pretty much be sure that MDZ will be here past the 10th game this season. The kid netted a pair of assists and certainly has carved out a position as a power play specialist. It is a great spot for him to be in as he develops his game - less defensive responsibility and more talent to pass to. Hobey Gilroy, on the other hand, has been thrown right into the fire and has had his ups and downs. Mistakes have been made but they haven't ended up in the back of the net so that's a plus.

*Also a plus was that Brian Boyle got a goal against his old team. More power to him. But I think he needs some kind of mirror system or something so he can find all of those pucks that get lost in his feet.

*Donald Brashear can get lost. He wasn't missed. L.A.'s resident Neanderthal Ivanans took a bad penalty early on and hardly played the rest of the way. The only fisticuffs was a silly fight between Aaron Voros and Sean O'Donnell right after Boyle scored. Voros managed to not block that many punches with his face but it had to be ruled a draw at best.

*After the Rangers get through the Leafs/Sharks/Devils, perhaps they will consider benching both Voros and Brash. They will have the Habs/Yotes/Isles on the slate and the lack of a tough guy won't necessarily hurt them. They could bring up Geno Grachev again and give him a shot on the ice - Lisin and Arty certainly seem to be missing his presence. They don't have much chemistry with Avery or Kotalik so if one personnel move can get you three players back in return, why wouldn't you?

*I ragged on Kotalik during the game but re-watching the match on Rewind I have to admit that he wasn't that bad. Alice still has his troubles but his effort (and his shot) can not be denied.

*The MSG "talent" (and I use that word loosely when Micheletti is involved) have said a few times that Team USA could/should just utilize the Rangers second line of Cally, Higgins and Drury. While I will not refute the merit of that, the thought of seeing Cally playing across from L.A.'s Dustin Brown is quite tantalizing.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Marian Gaborik - one goal.
2-Vinny Prospal - two goals and one assist.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 34 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Cally - He doesn't take a shift off. His hard work gave Prospal his second goal of the game and he simply never stopped going to the net.
2-Gabby - I knew he was a great player but the things he does are just incredible. I was quite perturbed when Torts put him on the penalty kill but Gabby proved that was quite capable of playing in all situations. And, as I said when he scored, 'wow!'
1-Hank - The King showed that L.A. were just pretenders to the thrown.

Peepin' Foes: Los Angeles Kings

Where We Are: Five dolla, five dolla, five dolla footlong. Five wins, five wins, five wins and countingggggg.

Where They Are: They are hot, having won four in a row - vs. San Jose, Minnesota, St. Louis and the Islanders. This will be game three of a six game road trip - not late enough for them to be tired. Perhaps having a night on the town between their win over the Isles and the Ranger game will knock them off their games. The allure of New York and all its vices ...

Who To Watch For: Ryan Smyth, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams are every bit as good as Prospal/Dubi/Gabby. Shocking, right? You could say that Drew Doughty is avoiding a sophomore slump. You could also say that he is turning into a bonafide star. He certainly deserved the Calder last year but 20-plus minutes of solid play as a rookie isn't as sexy as a few shutouts for a good defensive team with a great coach. Oh yeah, and there is Alexander Frolov in a contract year, hit-factory Dustin Brown and goaltender Jon Quick. Quick turned some heads last season and has been stellar so far. Edit: but thankfully, we won't have to face him. The guys at HFBoards saw that LA is planning on starting young Swede Erik Ersberg. Ersberg made some hugely great saves at times last season but gave up plenty of softies behind a weak D. It will be interesting to see how he fares in his season debut.

What To Watch For: The Kings won't come out flat. The Kings won't be tired. The Kings won't be intimidated. They are young and motivated and exciting. It could be one helluva track meet. Then again, the Rangers showed they could play slow-it-down, grind it out hockey against the Caps so perhaps they will be able to/be willing to do it here.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Someone to knock Ryan Smyth on his rear end when he sets up camp in the slot. The Ranger horses to outrace the Kings kids. Chris Higgins to finally score. Donald Brashear to do something productive.

Also Check Out: The Battle of California, Life in Hockeywood, A Queen Among Kings, Purple Crushed Velvet and Rich Hammond moved over to Kings Insider.

Dealing The Devil

My dislike for Scott Gomez is well know around these parts. First I disliked him because he was a Devil, then because he got a huge contract, then because he completely failed to play to said contract. He couldn't find chemistry with anyone. He couldn't score on his own. He couldn't maintain puck possession. He couldn't stay onside. He couldn't maintain any intensity when he was playing teams other than New Jersey.

MexiCan't.

While my thoughts of a deal to Colorado were quickly shot down in the previous post here, Pierre LeBrun of ESPN said today that Gomez may be welcomed in Lala Land (h/t to Kukla and PD).

Kings search for a star
The Los Angeles Kings have been linked all spring to Tampa Bay star Vincent Lecavalier, but we're told those talks have cooled off for now. One Eastern Conference source told us Saturday the New York Rangers have made Scott Gomez available around the league, but we're not sure how interested the Kings are in him. It's a heck of a big contract.

Now that is an understatement but the Kings have the cash. Despite the nasty looks that Mr. LeBrun seemed to give me for no apparent reason in Detroit and Pittsburgh (I even held an elevator for him), I have to say I like his proposition as it make sense on many levels outside of money. The Kings would get a Latino player to market to the nation's largest Latin population. They would also get someone who instantly would gain locker room respect with two Cups under his belt. And, finally and most importantly, he would help take some of the heat off of Anze Kopitar, who faltered a little bit last season after gaining so much attention with a 77 point 07-08 season.

Just how could this deal be made to work? I have my idea - which I'll pitch in a sec - but use the comments to take the cigar from Sather's mouth and make your proposal.

Now, get ready to rip me, but how about Gomez and a second round pick for the right to negotiate with RFA disgruntled defenseman Jack Johnson and a fourth round pick (LA has three)? We might have to pick up Tom Preissing as well as he has a long contract and was banished to Manchester but the Rangers can afford to pay him to play in Hartford. Of course, seeing as I can't find any indication of a prior relation with Glen Sather, I can't imagine Dean Lombardi making a deal with the Rangers but you never know! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed ...

22-11-2: Check And Mate

The Los Angeles Kings are everything you want in a young team. They are hard working and unrelenting and they took advantage of a tired New York squad playing for the second night in a row to attack, attack, attack. Luckily for the Rangers, their top young goaltender didn't play and the warm body that did fill the crease was terrible, allowing the Blueshirts to escape from L.A. with a 3-2 overtime win.

Actually, what let the Rangers finish the SoCal sweep was a stellar performance by Stephen Valiquette. Valley played every inch of his 6'6 frame and stood tall in the net despite the usual defensive deficiencies in front of him. He showed no signs of the mental lapse that hit him in Toronto and he stopped 39 shots.

*The Kings wore their new third jerseys and they are beautiful. While the black trend has been overdone in the new NHL, the Kings made it famous first and these jerseys give a nod to their old sweaters with a simple black, silver and white design. I half expected to see Gretz and Lucky Luc jump over the boards; great work by L.A.

*If Santa Claus wants to be kind, he will give Ranger fans the gift of a new colour announcer on MSG. Man oh man is Joe Micheletti annoying!! Someone took the time to explain just why he was so bad over on the HFBoards and the fact that there are people actually standing up for him disgusts me. He is atrocious and his mistaken analysis does a disservice to viewers. Dave Maloney has proven that he is capable; it is long past time to make the switch.

*Hey Joe, when Ryan Callahan was hauled down midway through the second period it wasn't close to a penalty shot, it was the definition of a penalty shot - Cally had a clear advantage; it's your job to point that out. Then on the ensuing power play, the absolute confusion as to why the next play was deserving of a penalty shot was infuriating. And that was BEFORE Micheletti admitted to not paying attention and missing the play entirely!!! Later, when MSG showed replays after the next break, Micheletti claimed he just had thought it was a innocent looking play. How did he think it was an innocent looking play when he didn't see it in the first place?

*As for the penalty shot that was awarded, it was not a "great, great goal" by Rozsival as Micheletti said. It was a whole lotta flash and a backhand that barely cleared LaBarbara's goal pad. Let's face it, any capable goaltender would have poked the puck off of Rozy's stick as the Czech was skating in slow motion. Now his goal in overtime, now that was an impressive shot. It was hard, it was through traffic, it was pinpoint perfect. And, if anything, it justified the Garden's pleas for him to just put his head down and shoot!!!

*Oh, Dmitri, you truly are horrible. Mr. Malik Kalinin took a bad penalty in the first period and the Kings took advantage by opening the game's scoring. Then he stood impotently as Dustin Brown tied the game at two. Kalinin turned the puck over time and time again and played his usual soft brand of defense. If the Rangers aren't willing to waive Redden and send him to Russia, why not Kalinin? At least Dmitri speaks the language there and can rejoin his old team. He proved that he still can pass the puck to them with a few nice feeds during the Victoria Cup ... And banishing him to Metallurg would clear up $2.1 million of cap space, as opposed to the $1.6m of Petr Prucha.

*Although I can't fully blame Kalinin for Brown's goal as he was standing right next to Rozy ... but the bigger issue is that if there was no instigator rule, Brown wouldn't have been on the ice. He deserved to get his ass kicked for running around hitting people and yet the instigator rule (and Renney's innate pacifism) let him get away with it. For shame.

*Perhaps it was because they were playing other skilled youngsters, but Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi both played better than they have in weeks. They were more involved, they were more physical and they were more fun to watch. I wasn't as impressed with Nigel Dawes as the Ranger broadcasting crew was, but he did play inspired hockey.

*On the other side of the coin, Wade Redden and Aaron Voros didn't seem capable of keeping pace. Redden was caught flat footed on several occasions and it boggles my mind that Voros got more ice time than Colton Orr, who can skate harder and faster while providing more physicality. And where was the Mexican't??? Blair Betts was a bigger offensive threat than Scott Gomez ...

*Stat of the night: Brandon Dubinsky was awarded nine hits, while Brown had seven. Was the off-ice official actually watching the game? And on that note:

*PHW Three Stars
3-Kyle Calder - one assist.
2-Michal Rozsival - two goals.
1-Patrick O'Sullivan - one goal.
(What the hell were they smoking?? Even if they made their picks before the end of the game, and even if you are a homer, how do you pick these three guys in this order to boot?)

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Rozy - He made these stars and it is not in a sarcastic manner, who'da thunk it.
2-Valley - A phenomenal display of Benoit Allair's hybrid style of goaltending. And he is the backup goaltender. The backup!
1-Marc Staal - Staalsie was the only Ranger to battle back against Brown, he pressed the action throughout the game and was the catalyst for the game-winner.

Peepin' Foes: Los Angeles Kings

Where We Are: It seems like it was only hours ago that I was watching the Rangers 3-1 win over the Ducks on a snowy VHS record of the game. Oh wait, it was. No time to rest on the laurels of an actual regulation win ...

Where They Are: They lost goaltender Erik Ersberg to a groin injury in their last game, an impressive 3-2 shootout loss to the mighty San Jose Sharks. It is a good thing for the Rangers as the young Swede has been pretty damn good. In his place will be former Ranger Jason Labarbara, who has failed at most every chance to secure the starting goaltender position. But stepping back for a second, they took the Sharks to a shootout! The team many thought would be the worst of the West is actually above .500 (13-12-5) and have just one regulation loss in their last six games.

Who To Watch For: Where the Rangers pretended to rebuild through youth, Los Angeles really did it so there is a LOT of good, young players. There is the older kids - skillful Anze Kopitar and the rough and tumble captain Dustin Brown - and then there is the younger kids - Calder candidate Drew Doughty, the surprising Oscar Moller and the recently recalled Teddy Purcell (who has three points in three games since he was recalled last week). L.A. also got the biggest steal of the season in defenseman Kyle Quincey, who was left out in the numbers game in Detroit and picked off of the waiver wire by the Kings.

What To Watch For: Keep an eye on Derek Armstrong. The longtime Ranger farmhand has been their Blair Betts working in the trenches and popping up with big goals. Where we have the enigmatic Nik Zherdev, they have Alex Frolov but Frolov seems to be growing into a more consistent offensive threat and can make the Ranger defense look foolish if they aren't careful.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: While I was a little saddened not to see George Parros' mustache get rearranged by Colton Orr, if Orr doesn't battle Raitis Ivanans tonight I won't lose any sleep. The guy is a monster - in size, not skill - so unless the game play dictates it, there is no reason for Colt to lower himself to goondom.

Also Check Out: The Battle of California, Life in Hockeywood, A Queen Among Kings and the MSM Inside the Kings.

As always, I recommend people check out Sam Weinman's Ranger Report for up-to-the-minute updates on our boys and the latest news on Sundin, who may or may not admit he will be a Ranger on Thursday (damn, I had Friday night in the pool).

NHL Four-cast: Los Angeles Kings

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Dustin Brown is six feet tall, two hundred pounds and hits like a Mac Truck, Patrick O'Sullivan has some serious skills and Anze Kopitar is growing into the roll of a NHL superstar. Oh yeah, and they have the next generation's Scott Stevens in Jack Johnson.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? You know, I think they got better. Sure they shed proven scorers Mike Cammalleri and Lubomir Visnovsky but they brought in decent young talents Matt Greene and Jarret Stoll as well as solid defenseman Denis Gauthier. They also sucked bad enough to get Drew Doughty in the draft, who scouts have raved about and expect to contribute immediately alongside '07 pick Thomas Hickey.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? If you play in a league that has plus/minus, you might want to look elsewhere - even though Kopitar put up 77 points, he was -15. You can expect him to top 80 this year while Brown and O'Sullivan will come in around 70. Alexander Frolov was shockingly +1 while putting up 67 points in 71 games so he is the closest thing to a safe bet on this squad. While it would seem like common sense to avoid their goaltenders at all costs, Swedish netminder Erik Ersberg showed up late last season and played in 14 games. I watched several of them and can say that he played even better than his impressive numbers showed - two shutouts, a 2.48 g.a.a. and a .927 save percentage. If he can bring back the same poise and maintain it over 45 or 50 games, than the Kings won't suck as bad as everyone is saying they will.

4 - How can the Kings become relevant again? Let's face it, falling short to the Habs in '93 signaled the downfall of this franchise. John LeClair's overtime heroics helped get the ball rolling that ended up in Wayne Gretzky and Barry Melrose leaving a few years later. Once Luc Robitaille retired, this team hit rock bottom. Having a terrible team in a major market like LA hurts the NHL as a whole so what can be done? They are on a good track with solid young talent coming through the system but that doesn't mean fans will come. So how to make them relevant? Play 10, 20 regular season games in Las Vegas. They have played preseason games at the MGM Grand for years, so it isn't like they are unfamiliar with the town. Less games in L.A. should result in higher demand for the ones still there and the team expands their fanbase to another big city. Offer free bus service to Vegas for season ticket holders or just cut those games off of their packages. The NHL has flirted with the idea of a Vegas franchise for years, so why not?

27-23-6: Drowning In The Pacific

First came the joke of an effort against the Stars, then was the Phoenix embarrassment, and tonight was a debacle against the Kings. I can't wait to play the defending Stanley Cup champions (now with Teemu back) and the Sna Jose Sharks (one of the top five teams in the league). It is really difficult to find anything positive in a 4-2 game against the worst team in the NHL. I'll see what I can do:

*Ooo! Right off the bat I thought of something: being at the game I didn't have to listen to Joe Micheletti. Of course, I am watching Rangers Rewind now to double my misery, but at last I could endure the pain the first time around.

*Ranger scouts can feel better in the fact that they discovered Jason LaBarbera. The Kings goaltender played big, even bigger than his 6'3, 230 frame.

*Dane Byers did ok, at least until Blair Betts went off with a knee injury. Once Betts went down, Byers and Orr were glued to the bench. Don't worry folks, the NHL screwed up yet again and Hollweg was suspended just one game for his insane hit so he will be back. Let's just hope Bettsy will too ...

*For the Tom Renney haters out there, there was penty of good news as he showed his incompetence yet again. The Kings were a young, fast team that used both qualities to their advantage. The Rangers went down early, and instead of countering with their young, fast forwards, they used Straka and Gomez for nearly 25 minutes each, with Jagr getting 22. I didn't even realize Jagr played the second period, that is how invisible he was. Dubinsky, Dawes, Callahan and Avery all saw less than 14 minutes. Avery I understand as he was clearly frustrated out there and took a bad penalty but the other three should have played more; hell, they've earned more ice time.

*Leetch and Richter were in the building but the Rangers didn't acknowledge them. Why would they? There is no money in it ... Something to ponder: Can the Rangers be less fan friendly? I'm not so sure ...

*Well, after a nice run of spectacular efforts, Hank wasn't that great. He wasn't that bad - certainly not four goals against bad - but he didn't make any game-saving stop either. He was the victim of the Rangers bad defense, yet again, and couldn't bail them out, yet again.

*Miika Wiikman took the starting goaltender position in Hartford from Al Montoya. So that begs the question, should we deal Monty? And, even more importantly, who would take him? Will Tampa take him and will they give us Dan Boyle? Is Boyle worth it? I would love to see Mattias Norstrom return but I don't think Dallas wants another goaltender.

*Making things even worse is that Tom Poti played for the Caps and scored a goal and an assist as Washington beat Columbus in OT. God, I hate that guy.

*One last good thing - at least we aren't Toronto ...

*PHW Three Stars
3-Kopitar - goal and an assist.
2-Frolov - goal and an assist.
1-LaBarbera - 39 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Hank - admirable effort considering he was the only player doing anything defensively.
2-Jack Johnson - 25 minutes, +2 ... and he is a rookie.
1-Frolov - he seemed to be everywhere out there, and often he was ...