48-21-7: Nothing Wild About That Win

It would be easy to re-write the usual rant about the Rangers playing down to the level of their opponents. It would be easy to talk about how the man advantage is no advantage for the Rangers. It would be easy to attack a Ranger team that played grinding, boring hockey on their way to a grinding, boring 3-2 win over a bad Wild team.

Instead I'll rant at the fact that neither MSG nor the Rangers made any mention of Mike Sauer or Derek Boogaard. For all of the talk about the team being in Minnesota and all of the homecomings for the guys, both were ignored.

Sauer's serious concussion has kept him away from the ice and - guessing here because the team releases no information - will keep him away from it for a long, long time. But he is still a member of the franchise and it should have at least been mentioned by MSG (or by his teammates) that he is from St. Cloud, Minnesota. As we heard in the sad story of Boogaard, being away from the guys makes the injured player feel like he isn't a part of the team and adds to the depression they already feel. So certainly being ignored as being one of the Minnesota-born Rangers stung Sauer.

As for Boogaard, you just have to shake your head. The Rangers were partly culpable in the Boogeyman's demise and have done their best to sweep everything about his death under the rug. First they give it lip service in the home opener, then they decide not to wear patches this season but to put helmet stickers on - stickers that are almost impossible to see, even with HDTV. And when the team stepped into the XCel Center, they didn't do anything publicly to honour the man. Perhaps a player or two stopped by the memorial in the arena but as a team - nothing. I tweeted yesterday that a simple, classy gesture like sending the guys out in sweaters with Boogey's name and number would have gone a long way. But that would have been a salute to a player the team helped kill (with all of the prescriptions), and they couldn't have that. Sad.

The boys are back in action tomorrow so just a few Late Hits:

*Gabby's goal was sexy. Fedotenko's goal was not. But both were from the same basic play - get the puck deep along the wall and blindly fire it to the slot, (hopefully) to a cutting teammate. Richard$ won the faceoff and ended up making a beautiful pass to Gabby, who fired across his body to beat Harding. Feds forced the turnover, the puck swung all the way around the ice and Feds slid backwards out into the slot, where McDonagh's feed found him. Nice to see something that Torts has done has worked.

*Del Zaster played 7:10 of the eight minutes of power play time; the power play went 0-4.

*Hank made 24 saves and could hardly be faulted for the two goals against. It would nice to give him credit for a return to form but this was against Minnesota and they are terrible. Let's see what happens against a good team.

*It is really easy to forget how fast Dubi is when he is tied to ponderous linemates.

*Speaking of, Brian Boyle had one of his better games. Goal aside, things just seemed to work better for him - perhaps because the Wild aren't a quick team, or perhaps just because it was his night. As was observed to me, he may struggle quite often but he always tries his hardest - something several of his teammates does not do.

*Arty was all but invisible.

*Ryan Callahan is such a great captain. Just sayin'.

*Always brings a smile to see Jed Ortmeyer doing what he does in the NHL. Not the biggest guy, not the most skilled guy, but guts count and guts has given him a NHL career. Definitely glad Stu decided not to kill him in the third period.

*Anton Stralman returned and collected an assist on the Boyle goal thanks to his shot from the blueline. Nice to see him contribute, but would have been nicer to get Timmy Erixon more experience.

*Marc Staal played just 12:28. Huh?

*PHW Three Stars
3-Kyle Brodziak - one goal.
2-Marco Scandella - one assist.
1-Ryan McDonagh - two assists.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Harding - Nearly gave this star to Brodziak for his goal and his penalty killing but Harding was capable and hardly culpable for the goals against.
2-McDonagh - Mac's two assists helped offset the two Minnesota goals he was on for.
1-Boyle - The big man won faceoffs, fired the puck freely and skated away with a goal. Dubi deserves some recognition but he saw nearly three minutes of power play time so he can''t escape that ineptitude.

Sayonara Softie

The Rangers rid themselves of Mr. Softie The Backstabber today, dealing Erik Christensen to the Minnesota Wild for Casey Wellman. Sure they had to sweeten the deal with a seventh round draft pick but, hey, even the sanitation workers need to get paid for taking the garbage.

This is another win by Obi-Wan Sather. Glen turned a waiver acquisition into a decent scoring prospect who, at the very least, will be a huge help for Hartford. And he got rid of Christensen. Woo ha. It is absolutely delightful to see yet another smug, self-serving, slothful, so-called scorer dealt away for a useful asset. While Wellman is no Ryan McDonagh (not many are), he is quite capable.

Wellman - who scored in his lone career game in Madison Square Garden - can put the puck in the net. He will come to Connecticut well aware of the organization, having been a teammate of our boy Jed Ortmeyer in both Houston and Minnesota. On the other side of the equation, the Rangers are well aware of him and his abilities. They saw him long ago, back in his UMass Amherst days while watching his teammate Danny Hobbs - who they drafted back in 2007. Like the man he was dealt for, Wellman is a top-six or nothing guy - there is no point burying his ability on the third or fourth lines. It will be quite interesting to see what the Whale power play looks like with him on the same unit as Zuke and JAM.

Said it before, will say it again: Trader Sather is a genius. Signer Sather not so much, but Trader Sather = brilliant!!!!!!!!!

33-29-4: Home Sweet Dreadful Home

Home ice proved to be no advantage for the Rangers yet again as they lost to the Minnesota Wild at the Garden 3-1. Even when the team went up 1-0 in the first period there was a sense of dread in the air in the Garden and it proved justifiable as the Blueshirts proceeded to fall apart.

Where the loss to Tampa was acceptable because the boys clearly played hard but lost to a better team, this one was not. The Rangers not just played down to Minnesota's level but they played below it and they barely seemed to care. There was zero physical play - when the team was winning games and skating hard, they finished their checks and did what they had to to get to good areas of the ice. There was none of that this evening. This was a team that was happy to finally get a goal and sat on that, hoping it would hold up. When it didn't, they threw their hands up and went through the motions until the final buzzer.

It was a failure in leadership and a failure in coaching, yet again. Saying "well, we didn't score - we need to score goals" is a cop out when the team isn't doing the good things to earn those goals. Jose Theodore made 40 saves, maybe a half dozen were difficult and just one was even the least bit impressive. Sure you need to shoot a lot to get out of a slump but you need to follow those shots, get in that paint and make life difficult for the other team. The Rangers didn't.

Said it before the season and will hold onto the assertion now: the Rangers just aren't that good of a team and they will battle for a low playoff spot right to the very end. Like a mean girl, they tease you and tempt you and leave you standing there holding wilted flowers while some other guys have all the fun.

Notes:

*The Rangers being so bad at home is really starting to hurt the fans. There were wide swaths of open seats and several people who were there showed up only because they couldn't get anyone to take their tickets.

*The one thing I personally was looking forward to was seeing Jed Ortmeyer but the Wild decided to send him down for Casey Wellman - a move that worked out as Wellman scored. It also probably worked for us because seeing Jed play as he always has would just have shown the contrast to the Rangers weak-willed effort.

*Wellman's goal was pathetic as all five Ranger skaters were inside the circles, between the dots. The Blueshirts simply collapsed down low and it gave Brent Burns all the time in the world to find Wellman for the goal.

*Brent Burns physically abused someone behind the Wild net in the second period and the Rangers never responded. It was awful.

*Brandon Dubinsky has been on the slow slide back to the lost little boy that he was after Jagr left for Siberia. He couldn't win faceoffs, he couldn't win physical battles and he tried to get rid of the puck every time it came to him. How he goes on a shorthanded two-on-one with Callahan and only manage a weak wrister wide shortside is utterly dumbfounding. No surprise that moments after he blew that opportunity Minnesota tied the game.

*Brian Boyle appeared to have taken some lessons on how to be soft from Arty Anisimov. The big man could barely hold on to the puck and was pushed around several times. Boyle botched the play that led to Pierre-Marc Bouchard's goal, slowly skating into the corner to double team Brodziak, leaving Bouchard and Havlat open to make the play. Horrific.

*The lack of success on the power play is unacceptable. 0-4? Seriously? Yet again everyone tried to set up McCabe for the shot and it didn't take rocket science for the Wild to figure out where the puck was going and how to stop it.

*Yay Sean Avery scored! It's about time! Too bad that was one of just two times you could tell he was on the ice all game - the other being his late attempt to catch up to Bouchard after Boyle left him open.

*Derek Stepan has now played 25 more games than he did last year and you have to wonder if the extra games are finally getting to him. Now it could just be that the team relied upon him more when everyone was out with injury and he answered the bell but who knows? All that is apparent is that he isn't getting it done lately - much like many of his teammates.

*Paging Misters Zuccarello, Christensen, Wolski and Prospal. Wolski had 18 points in the 18 games after his trade from Colorado to Phoenix last season. He has 13 in 23 since the Rangers grabbed him from the desert. Zuke, who was manhandled by Burns late in the third and just went looking for the ref instead of standing up for himself, has an 18 game goal drought.

*Nice to see Marc Staal back but he clearly wasn't at 100%, just like Prust and Fedotenko.

*The MSG transformation is deeply underway and the lower concourse is all but closed off. All of the regular concessions have been closed but - not so shockingly - they managed to keep the sushi stand open. There is also one of the food courts but it was a madhouse even 45 minutes before puck drop. We are all being inconvenienced by the change and what will we get out of it? The honour of not being able to afford to come back anymore. Then again, if these aren't just growing pains that the Rangers are going through this season, plenty of tickets will be available for below face for years to come.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Pierre-Marc Bouchard - one goal and one assist.
2-Jose Theodore - 41 saves.
1-Kyle Brodziak - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-John Madden - It was like old times watching the former Devil have little problem shutting the Rangers down.
2-Brent Burns - The big Burns was good on both sides of the ice. He manhandled the Rangers and swiftly moved the puck around with smart passes.
1-Brodziak - Ryan Callahan, but with a goal.

11-9-1: Reboundin' Like Rodman

After the Rangers choked in the thin air of Denver on Friday night, hopes were not particularly high for Saturday evening's tilt against the Minnesota Wild. As the Rangers often prove, if you set the bar low then they can mostly get over it. But on this night, it wasn't even close as the Blueshirts blew out the Wild 5-2.

Now, It would have been nice for Gabby to return to the Xcel Energy Center and put up five but it was just as enjoyable to see the Rangers as a team do it, in a much-needed victory. Everything went right for the Rangers and they head back to the Garden on a high note. This win was huge because they will face a desperate Calgary team before heading out on another short road trip to complete a six-games-in-nine-days rip.

Some notes:


*One of the best parts of this win? The goals didn't come from the team's primary scoring. No Gabby, no Boyle. (Yes, I just included Brian Boyle in the team's primary scoring but that is how things have fleshed out so far. He did get an assist, his first of the season.) The Pack guys accounted for a pair, Ruslan Fedotenko was finally rewarded for his hard work with a goal and MDZ and Frolov set pigs'a flyin' with a goal apiece.

*Brandon Prust = Warrior.

*Mike Sauer was the guest during a intermission and he spoke just like he plays - calm, cool and to the point.

*Micheletti and Kevin Weekes both attributed the Arty goal to Boogaard's big hit - something the big man should have been penalized for. He nailed Robbie Earl high, something that surely should have been penalized. But, perhaps O'Halloran received an e-mail after the Pittsburgh affair so he swallowed his whistle. In fact, O'Halloran (along with partner O'Rourke) called four of the first five penalties against Minnesota ... hmmm ... how about that? What a co-in-key-dink.

*Not that there is any competition or anything but Minnesota's official scorer gave Cally just one hit in the game while awarding Cal Clutterbuck with six. And it was enough to put Clutterbuck in first in the NHL by two hits over - who else but - Cally with a total of 82 in 19 games.

*The Rangers still suck on faceoffs.

*How great was it to hear Micheletti rave about Del Zotto being the 'best player on the ice' right before he helped Matt Cullen (of all people) break Biron's bid for a shutout with his missed hit and then took a late penalty? MDZ did score a goal - something to be thankful for - but it really wasn't anything special as Backstrom was caught grossly out of position. The kid is still struggling in his own end, he is struggling making passes and one goal into a mostly empty net doesn't change that. Even with the goal, he still finished a -2 in a 5-2 win.

*Alex Frolov scored on a wrap-around. That pretty much sums up just how woeful Backstrom was in this one.

*As mentioned on twitter, "Can't decide who is/was more despicable - Matt Cullen or Aaron Ward ... no love lost for either."

*For all of the talk about how great the fans are in Minnesota, that building sounded dead - even before the Rangers went up four-zip. Were they all in awe that they received Gaborik bobbleheads? I know I would be, our owner is too cheap to give those out nowadays.

*Now there is no reason to demean Derek Stepan's mother by subjecting her to a physical review but she deserves inclusion in this because her presence at the games clearly has an impact on her son. Stepan is simply more comfortable playing with her in attendance. He doesn't seem to grip his stick as tight and just plays, and the Rangers are a better team for it. Perhaps the team should give her one of those season tickets that they are still advertising in late November.

*Matt Gilroy, frankly, was hardly noticed despite playing more than 16 minutes and getting the helper on the Arty goal. And that is a good thing.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Brent Burns - one assist.
2-Marc Staal - no points.
1-Dan Girardi - two assists.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Greg Zanon - Zanon is just so insanely underrated that it is criminal. He blocks shots, he makes good hits and he is right where he needs to be. And, on a night where the usually-stable Nick Schultz is a minus-three and the team allowed five goals, Zanon skated off with a plus-two rating.
2-Fedotenko - The Ukrainian foot soldier keeps fighting the good fight, continually proving the Ranger brass right to have given him a training camp tryout. He goes to the tough parts of the ice and often comes out with the puck and on this night came out with a goal.
1-Staal - Staal didn't score, he didn't even collect an assist in his 25 minutes of work. But he did play some strong hockey on both sides of the ice. Staal showed he can be part of - if not lead - the rush while still making it back to keep up his defensive responsibilities. Last season he over-extended himself trying to do both but he is gradually finding the right balance and is morphing into the No. 1 defenseman he has been forced to be the last few seasons.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Minnesota Wild

After missing last year's lone tilt at the Power Station (Xcel Energy Center) with an injury, Marian Gaborik should hopefully make his Minnesota return in late November. And he won't be alone as Wild folk hero Derek Boogaard will hopefully not have played himself out of the lineup by then. Hopefully.

Familiar Foes: The two Finns, Mikko Koivu and the other Nik Backstrom, still lead the Wild. They will be helping for a little help this season as the team looks to bounce back into the playoffs. That assistance should come from Martin Havlat, who should be over his new-contract hangover, and a healthy Brent Burns. Nick Schultz continues to be one of the NHLs best defensive defensemen and he is joined by Greg Zanon, one of the best shot-blockers. Feisty winger Cal Clutterbuck was one of just two players (Dustin Brown) to have more hits than Ryan Callahan last season. And it is easy to overlook Andrew Brunette but the player who was too slow for the NHL 15 years ago in Washington has had himself quite the career and should easily pass 1,000 games this season (he enters at 950, with 660 points).

N00bz: Guillaume Latendresse headed to Minnesota in one of the most even trades I've ever seen (from Montreal for Benoit Pouliot) and immediately took to his new surroundings. If he can keep it going he will be quite dangerous. Scumbag mercenary Matt Cullen decided to take the Wilds' money this season, perhaps he will actually show up and play for them. The Wild also took on former Devils and Hawks Cup-winner John Madden as well as San Jose's Brad Staubitz, who will take on the Boogeyman's old fight load. Jarod Palmer and Casey Wellman both helped beat up the baby Rangers in Traverse City and both should make this season's roster.

Last Year: Friday, October 30th, a 3-2 Wild win.

This Year: Saturday, November 20th in Minnesota and Thursday, March 3rd at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: The first game will be another gut check for the Rangers - will they step up for their teammates to make sure their 'homecoming' is a successful one. The second will be another stretch-run necessity.

Thanks, Dude ...

Because of my unhealthy jersey habit, I am a huge fan of the blog Third String Goalie. Jeff does a helluva job with hockey history and linking it to the massive sweater collection he owns (and dreams about owning). He puts up a new post every day and is the first blog I check every morning afternoon when I wake up.

He is a Minnesota man, something I would not have a problem with ... except that in today's case, he selected a special moment in Wild history to honour: the anniversary of Marian Gaborik's five-goal game.

Bastard.

Funny how my (now pic-less) take on it back then hasn't changed. But then again, how can I be mad? Gabby is ours now, so we've won in the end. Right??

8-5-1: Another Day, Another Loss

If I was John Tortorella, I don't put my team on the ice on Saturday. For the final day of Hockey Fights Cancer month, I take them to Schneider's or Sloan Kettering or any number of the great hospitals in the New York area. Bring the boys to trick or treat with some of the real sick kids. The children would love it, and the team could see what it really means to fight. The patients battle every day for every day, and perhaps the Rangers would realize that the least they could do is play their game as hard as they can.

The Blueshirts turned in another half-hearted performance against a bad team on Friday night, losing to the Minnesota Wild 3-2.

There are no excuses to be had. The injury bug strikes every team and it took Marian Gaborik, Sean Avery and Chris Higgins (allegedly). The remaining roster still could have won, easily. Instead they cruised around the nice Xcel Center ice, making the home team look good while leaving their goalie out to dry time after time.

*How or why do you match the Andrew Brunette, Mikko Koivu, Petr Sykora trio with the fourth line? They don't have the speed, they don't have the skill and, frankly, they don't have a clue. The mismatch allowed Sykora do do what he does best - get the Rangers back for unceremoniously dropping him after a good season just after the lockout. In addition to a second assist on the Belanger goal, Sykora finished the tic-tac-toe passing play that opened the night's scoring. He did it against us on Pittsburgh, he did it against us again.

*That play was started by Donald Brashear. For all of those folks out there who called me out on the carpet for badmouthing Brash, are you starting to realize why yet? Not only is he inept with a hockey stick, he is a big, dumb coward who doesn't help his team in most any way. The Rangers lacked energy, the Wild dressed not one but two over-sized tough guys and yet Brash didn't dance with either. Derek Boogaard is one of the top five, if not top three fighters in the league and caused havoc around the Ranger crease every chance he got. Brashear? Nowhere to be found. Now for all of you apologists out there who want to throw the mystery injury out there, if he was too "sore" to fight, he shouldn't have been playing. If Dane Byers can make it to the arena in time to play, surely another of his teammates could have made the journey.

*And Byers scored to boot. How pathetic is it that Hartford players account for two of the three Ranger goals in the last two games? I like Byers - I think he has a future in the NHL - but the fact that he can get the puck in and Callahan/Prospal/Dubinsky/Drury/Kotalik can not is kinda sad.

*Being outshot 25-13 over the first two periods is outright inexcusable.

*Enver Lisin showed off some of that world class speed in the loss. Damn shame his linemates couldn't keep up with him.

*That the game was telecast on the Armed Services Networks is even worse. The Rangers were not just embarrassed in Minnesota, but worldwide. High class move by Brandon Dubinsky to thank the soldiers during his intermission interview. Now if he could have just scored a goal for those servicemen ... They are risking their lives every day overseas and the government 'rewards' them by making them listen to Joe Micheletti? Now that is waterboarding in it's worse form.

*Something else that really isn't funny is Chris Drury's continuing presence in the lineup. It was his ghost of a stickcheck that allowed Antti Miettinen to score what proved to be the game-winner. Accountability. Heard the word a hundred times. Sitting the captain now would show that it means something.

*Micheletti can rave all he wants to about Wade Redden's pinch on Byer's goal but if the defenseman missed it, it would have been an odd man rush the other way. There is a difference between being lucky and being good and we have learned the hard way that Redden is far from good. Granted, he wasn't particularly bad either.

*MDZ also had that kind of take-it-or-leave-it performance, which is sad seeing that he got so much ice time. His long, bouncing pass started the play that Marc Staal scored on but it was inches away from being picked off for what would have been a three-on-two. He is still a kid and still has a lot to learn.

*Did Matt Gilroy play? I couldn't tell.

*The Blueshirt blueline sure could use a Greg Zanon or a Nick Schultz. Staal and Girardi are close in capability but not as experienced. Perhaps it is time to split them up?

*I have to admit to my ears perking up every time they said Scott. They were talking about Minnesota's John Scott but still. I remember when the Blueshirts called up that goon Richard Scott from Hartford and wanting his jersey. Ah, memories.

*There surely is more worth talking about in this fresh memory but dwelling on another debacle such as this is pointless. The Rangers have a great chance to rebound with a game on home ice before heading west again, let's hope they make the most of it. I don't think they will, but you never know.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Antti Miettinen - one goal.
2-Mikko Koivu - two assists.
1-Petr Sykora - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Hank - Without the bevy of kicksaves early and a good glove in the second, this game could/should/would have been much worse. The Rangers did little to clog up the shooting lanes and it showed.
2-Sykora - Nothing like a little vengeance. Too bad Aaron Voros couldn't pull something like that off.
1-Koivu - You had to diminish his brother's rock-solid career but Mikko is much more talented. He has all of the tools and once he gets them working with linemates that are up to speed, he will be outright awesome.

Peepin' Foes: Minnesota Wild

The Rangers are back in action tonight in Minnesota, facing the Wild. The good news is that they don't have Marian Gaborik on their side. The bad news is that neither will we. Andrew Gross said Gabby was doubtful yesterday so I can't imagine much would change to get him to play against a struggling western team but who knows with our genius head coach.

Where We Are: Attempting to pick ourselves up out of the sewage of Long Island and clean ourselves off. With just one win in the last five games, things have got to turn for the better soon ... right?!?!?

Where They Are: Hoping things turn for the better as well. A new GM, a new coach and a new superstar hasn't been the recipe for success as of yet. Minnesota is 3-9-0 and coming off of two loses, the most recent being a 4-3 loss to Nashville on a third period shorthanded goal against. Eesh. At least they have those sexy new jerseys ...

Who To Watch For: The Wild brought in Martin Havlat to replace Gabby and it hasn't worked so far. Havlat is -10 in 10 games with just one goal. He is too good of a player to be this bad so the Rangers will have to keep close tabs on him. Brent Burns is slowly turning his bad start around and new captain Mikko Koivu is more than capable of racking up points. Personally, I also love watching Nick Schultz, one of the best shut-down defensive defensemen in the NHL.

What To Watch For: Cal Clutterbuck to go hit for hit with Ryan Callahan. Nicklas Backstrom to go save for save with Henrik. The Rangers to have to work harder to get shots through shot-blocking genius Greg Zanon and on net. See if the Blueshirts can actually win some faceoffs.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: The Boogeyman vs. Brashear, if Brash's "soreness" goes away in time. If not, Aaron Voros to step up and do something against his old team. Chris Higgins to score - I am going to keep hoping for that one, it may be a fool's errand but perhaps not - he does have the skill. PA Paranteau to go two-for-two. Redden and Rozy to grow a pair and play the body.

Also Check Out: I'll be honest, I haven't had a chance to check these since last season but they rocked then so why not now? View from Section 216, Hitting The Post, 18,568 Reasons Why and SBN's Hockey Wilderness.

39-27-8: Not So Wild But Still Two Points

Quick note: this was written on the train ride home as I have a quick turnaround for work and there is no Ranger Rewind when games are on Versus. Booooo Versus.

It is amazing how a game with three nice goals, two fights and several solid hits could be as dreadfully boring as Tuesday night's 2-1 tilt between the Rangers and the Wild was.

But that should be expected given the Wild. They play smart, low risk hockey while consistently falling back with a 1-3-1 or 2-3 defense. The Rangers were lucky two get two past Nicklas Backstrom and the Minnesota defensive and reversed Sunday's result against the Sens to take two big points away.

Two bigger points await in Atlanta and John Tortorella and company have to do their damnedest not to play down to the Thrashers level. No one said this playoff run would be easy and taking on a team with nothing to lose is a dangerous thing.

Minnesota had most everything to lose and played like that. Jacques Lemaire runs a tight ship and has a lot of the perfect personnel to carry it out. Sure, it hurt that Mikko Koivu and Brent Burns weren't there to supplement Marian Gaborik's offense and sure it hurt that Lemaire scratched Derek Boogaard but the Wild didn't play poorly. They minimized mistakes and were edged out by the slimmest of margins by a team more willing to shoot the puck. Sucks to be them.

*Mr. X from the Blue Seats pointed out that Scott Gomez barely played the final minutes. Whatever kept him off the ice led to Tortorella utilizing a power play unit of Markus Naslund, Ryan Callahan and Nik Zherdev. Needless to say, they didn't score and the unit went 0-5 on the night.

*Cally also didn't score, which is a shame. He had an empty net and instead tried to feed a covered Gomez instead of taking the gimme goal. It ended a six game point streak that proved that he is a capable and valuable member of the Rangers. Not that he wasn't before, but points are quantifiable.

*Zherdev's goal will help add to his final total and future contract offer but what wasn't recorded was the impressive angle from which he shot it. He showed remarkable patience before calmly firing the puck almost at the goal line over Backstrom's extended glove and into the net. It was purty.

*So was Gomez's shot from the slot. Why he wasn't able to convert more chances like that earlier this season is beyond me. A quick wrister put the Rangers ahead and proved to be the game winner. As they say - shoot early, shoot often.

*Freddie Sjostrom got off several good shots. He seemed poised to tuck the puck in on several occasions but just couldn't finish. The experiment of using him on the third line just hasn't worked out. He has no chemistry with them while continuing to play top notch shut-down pucks with Blair Betts on the penalty kill.

*The third member of the former fourth line, Colton Orr, had a good game. Torts utilized his size and energy and it resulted in some fine play. Granted, he beat up a senior citizen but the Irishman was asking for it.

*Cal Clutterbuck also asked for it and Sean Avery answered the bell. Finally. Avery picked his spot well, taking on someone of pretty much the same size and aptitude. The Garden roared after the first period fight and Avery went on to add another assist. It is interesting that when he is involved in the game, banging bodies and doing whatnot behind the play, the Rangers step up their game and get more offensive chances. When Avery steps back, so do the Blueshirts ....

*The Garden was half empty. Considering the dog fight the team is in for the playoffs, it was pathetic. And the idiots that showed up and kept doing 'Potvin Sucks' were just as terrible - except for the one appropriate time, when Ulf Nilsson was shown on the big board.

*Michael Sauer should have been recognized more. The youngster played in his first NHL game and acquitted himself quite well. Sauer played the puck smoothly with good accuracy on his passes and he picked his spots to go lay hits wisely. He was rarely caught out of position and had a better game than Wade "Put and Drown" Redden, who was mediocre at best (at BEST).

*Oh, a little off topic, I got my 'Please Sens, Take Redden Back' sign back. The security guard who took it away on Sunday was kind enough to return it at the end of this one. According to him, some of the Rangers came out for warmups, spotted it and complained to staff, who ordered him to take it away in the first place. I am thinking it was Gomez and Drury ...

*Drury, by the way, was a ghost in this one. Dru did absolutely nothing of value. No killing penalties, no big faceoff wins, no big shot blocks and certainly nothing on the offensive side of the puck. He has to be a factor if the team is to win in the long run - the captain can't disappear like Z does for games at a time.

*Again off topic but I won't have time before Monday to make another sign but if anyone feels so adventurous, I had an idea: one side says "Marty Want A Donut?" and the other side says "How About An Alimony Sandwich?"

*If there was any doubt that Dan Girardi and Marc Staal were the top defensive pairing, then it should be gone by this point. Torts used them in all situations and they didn't disappoint. They moved the puck well, stepped up at good times and were rock solid in the Ranger end. Should the Blueshirts manage to keep them together on the blueline for a long time, then these two could go down as one of the top pairings in team history. Girardi played more than 26 minutes and was fantastic.

*Who lost the shoe? Anyone out there know the story of the sneaker that was thrown onto the ice late in the third period?

*PHW Three Stars
3-Henrik Lundqvist - 18 saves.
2-Sean Avery - one assist.
1-Nik Zherdev - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Sauer - The kid was thrust into the Ranger lineup and never looked out of sorts or out of step. While I am not a huge fan of a defenseman who wears a visor, I can understand why kids today wear them and hopefully this performance will be the first of many on the Garden ice for him.
2-Zherdev - Z popped up to make some big plays. It is nice then that happens but is a complete shame he isn't motivated or capable of doing so for more than a game a month.
1-Gomez - As bitter as I was about the sign thing, even I can recognize that Gomer had a strong game. His puck handling skills shone as he slipped around and through the stout Wild defense and his goal was perfect place at perfect time.

Peepin' Foes: Minnesota Wild

The Rangers are back in action on Tuesday, taking on the Wild at the Garden on Versus. Feel free to drink along.

Where We Are: There are just four home games left including this one and nine left overall. Dammit. What the hell are we going to do after that? Well, maybe playoffs. The Rangers sit three points clear of Montreal in seventh place but the Habs have a game in hand. Luckily the two teams in front of the Rangers - the Canes and the Pens both have played more games than the Rangers. After playing so many games early in the year, this is a nice change.

Where They Are: Minnesota is one point shy of the eighth spot out West. Just as the East is bunched up at the bottom, the West is and the Wild are fighting tooth and nail to get in. They beat Edmonton 3-0 on Sunday in a huge game but it was coming off of a sad 4-0 loss to Mmmmaaaaarrrrtttttyyyyy and the Devils - in New Jersey.

Who To Watch For: Well, Mikko Koivu is out but Marian Gaborik finally returned - the same Marian Gaborik who dropped five on the Rangers once upon a time. Irishman Owen Nolan has proved he is quite capable despite being as old as the Blarney Stone, as is the evergreen (and ever slow) Andrew Brunette. Marek Zidlicky is a good puck moving defenseman and Nick Schultz is one of the most underrated blueliners in the league. And finally, Cal Clutterbuck and Stephane Veilleux are edgy forwards with grit and I'm a big fan of Veilleux because he plays with his heart on his sleeve and he has a sense of humour.

What To Watch For: See if the Rangers get the jump back in their step and play a quick power game that puts pucks on the net. Then again, it would be just as possible that we will see a boring ping-pong game between two of the best goaltenders in the game - Hank and Nicklas Backstrom. Dan Fritsche might also have an extra spark playing against the team that threw him away like a losing lotto ticket.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: A strong effort from the Rangers, who looked tired and almost bored during points of the mediocre Sens match. More than three goals. A statement from Michael Sauer that he belongs in the NHL. The heavyweight event of the season between Colton Orr and Derek Boogaard. The Boogey Man is a monster but if Colt can get inside on the 6'7 monster, he can do some damage.

Also Check Out: View from Section 216, Hitting The Post, 18,568 Reasons Why and SBN's Hockey Wilderness.

Stay Classy San Diego Voros

According to the Pioneer Press, Aaron Voros sent his former coach a thank you note. Voros has been the biggest contributor to the Rangers success so far who isn't named Lundqvist and he apparently wrote a letter to Jacques Lemaire to voice his appreciation for the Wild coach making him into a NHL player.

It is all too rare that nice stories like this come out and we should appreciate the athletes who do them. Sadly, in today's day and age, the athletes are hired guns who go out, earn their paychecks and go home but for one to acknowledge how he got there is really nice to read.

NHL Four-cast: Minnesota Wild

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Marian Gaborik can put the puck in the net, at least when his groin is feeling alright, Brent Burns is growing into a all-around defensive dynamo and you just can't beat the Boogeyman.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Worse. Andrew Brunette is solid but no Brian Rolston and they didn't even bother replacing Pavol Demitra - a player who Gabby clearly enjoyed playing with. Marek Zidlicky should add to an already mobile defensive corps but who knows, he could get injured early and often like Kim Johnsson or Kurtis Foster. Antti Miettinen, Mark Parrish and Owen Nolan will be fine additions to their system but none of them bring anything new to the table. Edmonton should give them a run for the division title this season.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? Even without Demitra, Gabby is good for a point per game. He has all-world talent and one shudders to think what numbers he would put up away from Lemaire's system. Burns will get you points and PIMs from the blueline, while Zidlicky and Foster should just get points (figure 40 or so each). Mikko Koivu was headed for a huge season before the Ohlund incident last year so who knows just how high he can go? I will definitely be targeting him in some of my drafts. Pierre Marc Bouchard also has a ton of offensive skills but he signed a big deal so beware of complacency. Niklas Backstrom is one of the top goaltenders in the game and has the assistance of the Wild's not-so-wild system so he should be among the first goaltenders taken (Brodeur, Giguere, Lundqvist, Nabokov, Osgood and then him).

4 - Will the Wild ever be as beloved as the North Stars? Inside Minnesota, sure. The team sells out every game with what I hear is a fantastic crowd of hockey fans. But outside of Minnesota? Notsomuch. They play some pretty boring hockey and have no characters. There is no boy model Modanos, no gold medal Brotens, no missing Links and no tit f--ker Bellows. Sorry guys, we still love the North Stars.

17-14-3: Marian Gaborik Goes Wild

So I am really not sure how I can sum up the Rangers 6-3 loss. I will try, in one word ... undisciplined? nah ... Oscar-worthy? nah, just Josh Harding is deserving there ... exciting? mmmm, not if you were a New York fan, since it was obvious the outcome early ... ok, I have it ... Gaborik!

*Dude, Marian Gaborik had a six point game with five goals. Wow. He played a helluva game, and I don't want to take anything away from that, but at the same time, it was Ranger breakdowns that put him in the position to rack up that many points. He just took advantage of the situation ... again and again and again and again and again.

*Jagrsupporter, MinnesotaMatt, all of you blind supporters of the Rangers fair captain: OPEN YOUR EYES. Jagr's laziness and lack of passion for play embodied itself yet again, as he gave the puck over to the Wild and then stood there as they scored their first goal of the game. I can overlook a captain who doesn't speak much if they lead by example - Steve Yzerman, Nick Lidstrom, Joe Sakic, Brendan Morrow, Guy Carbonneau, etc. But I can't find anything of worth in Jagr's game and thus his leadership. Wearing the C brings with it responsibility and yelling at Rozy once and sulking the rest of the time doesn't quite do the trick.

*Ok kids, for those youngsters out there, take a look at the performance by Gaborik. Jagr used to be able to do that. A long, long time ago. Nowadays Gaborik is a dynamic scorer while Jagr has to rely on lucky bounces to put up points. No, I am not giving him any credit for his assist on the Rangers second goal, I don't think he was trying to get it to Straka, just to the crease. Straka did the work on that one.

*I said it many times at the end of last season and the beginning of this one, I am definitely in the Dan Girardi fan club. I will be getting a jersey of his in the near future (once I get some overtime pay for these holidays). I still have love, even if he blew it in front on Gabby's fourth goal. But that was as much Drury's fault as Girardi's.

*I have had this battle a number of times, but I really do think that Minnesota's Christmas coloured jerseys are rather awesome. They look like old school sweaters and go well with the wilderness-themed squad ...

*You know, I already can't stand Joe Micheletti but for MSG to waste trivia with such a stupid question as who scored more as a Gopher - him or his two brothers - really, really pisses me off. Trivia has become a tradition with my dad and I but we didn't even waste our time on this one. Who cares? Its a Rangers game, not the Joe Micheletti show.

*Poor Petr Prucha. The guy can't find his scoring touch yet continues to excel in his role as the NHLs punching bag. Even though Renney actually yelled at the refs for once, he was wrong, there was no intentional elbow on the play. Its nice that Renney did it, but it cost the Rangers a stupid penalty and a second stupid power play goal.

*Brent Burns, who hammered Pru, showed the entire NHL how to beat the Rangers. He used his big size to his advantage, knocking the puck off Rangers sticks with ease while hitting everything that moves. As the Isles showed earlier this year, if you are more physical than the Rangers it takes them out of the game. Burns did it by himself, standing out on every shift.

*You know, you have to admire Jason Strudwick's heart and dedication. I really think he should be made a player/coach. But I do think that its sad that he is the one who has to stand up for his teammates, especially as he isn't much of a brawler. His battle with Voros was painful as Voros clearly didn't want to fight.

*I'm happy for Nigel Dawes, he scored with his dad in the crowd. That must have felt nice for them.

*Keep an eye out on The Dark Ranger's "Tom Renney Danger Meter" because it is going to go up. The Rangers took a ton of terrible penalties and undisciplined play like that is the fault of the coaching staff. You have to keep your team composed and he could not do that. He did have them playing solid hockey at even strength but at the end of the day the Rangers are the team that gave up five goals in one game to one guy.


*If Gabby can put up six points, I am scared to think about what Paul Stastny will do tomorrow ... oy ...

*And for once, these stars lists are nearly the same:
PHW Three Stars
3-Burns - one assist, one helluva hit on Pru
2-Demitra - two assists
1-Gabby - five goals, one assist

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Demitra - picture perfect passes, all night long.
2-Burns - singlehandedly got the Rangers off their game and sparked his team.
1-Gabby - he got six points in one game. SIX!!!!!

Best Wishes Wes

The Minnesota Wild's Wes Walz announced his retirement today, marking the end to a solid professional career that started back in 1990. If you have a few minutes, click ont he first link and watch the presser. Its six minutes of Walz saying goodbye and its pretty impressive.

One of the more classy, underrated players of the last decade, Walz found his niche in Minnesota and became a fan favourite. And its of little wonder why:

"I wish that fans could experience just once what I felt as a professional hockey player when they would announce my name over the PA system. It's something I'm going to miss. I'm really going to miss that and I'll never forget those feelings." -- Wes Walz

Now he will never make the Hall of Fame or anything like that, but Walz should be remembered for making the most of a good situation, his hard work and his passion for the game. Good luck to him in his future endeavors.