1-1-2: All Hail The King

If you didn't stay up to watch the Rangers play the Canucks tonight, then you missed one of the top-five performances in Henrik Lundqvist's stellar career. Given the number of times he has been outstanding, that is saying something. The King - relying on his superhuman reflexes, his ability to read plays, his great flexibility, his positioning, his rebound control and (honestly) a little bit of luck - was utterly stellar in what was a 40 save effort. He made stop after stop after stop and finally, blissfully his teammates responded and turned around a disastrous showing into a 4-0 victory over Vancouver.

The A that was added to Hank's sweater in Frolunda should be permanently affixed going forward. Not since Mark Messier in the early-90s have the Rangers responded to one of their teammates the way they did tonight. It takes a certain kind of greatness to motivate the troops the way Lundqvist did. His awesomeness shamed them into picking themselves up and proving that they are not just passengers. This is not just hyperbole, Hank was just that good.

It was the 11th time in his Ranger career that Hank stopped 40 or more shots. He did it three times last season and the Rangers won two (the third was the double OT loss to DC in the playoffs). But few of those games saw him under siege the way he was in this one - just one of them immediately comes to mind: the Philly game that ended the Ranger season two years back that the team eventually lost in the shootout. The ending was far, far better on this night.

Late Hits:

*After last year's 1-0 win over the Canucks the Rangers went on a 3-8-1 run. They need do better than that after this win.

*Hank deserves every one of the accolades I laid upon him above but Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi deserve a bit of credit for stalwart performances. McD racked up a pretty goal and a suh-weet assist but he also collected three hits and three blocked shots. As a friend pointed out to me last season, we should be thankful Scott Gomez agreed to be traded to Montreal and we should be thankful the Habs were dumb enough to take him. Girardi played almost 29 minutes in front of Hank and his play allowed his partners to jump up into the play.

*John Tortorella is often (rightfully) raked along the coals in this space but he gets a small pat on the back for the way he sheltered Tim Erixon tonight. It would have been easy to leave the kid out there to fend for himself but the coach kept him away from the Sedins as much as he could. No reason to expose him to that at his age.

*Really Torts, what is the point of dressing Christensen? He shies away from any and all contact and is thus virtually useless. Is he playing just in case games go to a shootout?

*As I tweeted, "Chances of me yelling at Woywitka 'hey Redden, you SUCK!' multiple times this season? 100%" ... Woywitka's No. 6 sweater doesn't help his cause but his huge number of terrible plays sealed the deal. MSG's cameras caught Hank setting him straight so let's hope that he learned his lesson and the Redden slur won't be heard much in the future.

*Mike F-ing Rupp had been absolutely atrocious coming into this game but his shot to open the scoring was outstanding.

*Brandon Prust - two assists and two bad penalties. He is a great grinder but he has to be smarter.

*Dubinsky should also use his brain a bit more - fighting Kevin Bieksa was not wise. It is one thing to stand up for yourself, it is another to throw your life away when your team is up 3-0 with three minutes to go. And was that really a WWE 'suck it' motion to Bieksa as he skated off? Poor form.

*Michael Del Zaster needs to be sent to Hartford the second Staal and Sauer come back. He clearly has not learned a thing about playing defense. Given that he does have decent wheels, good ice sight on the offensive end and a penchant for hitting, perhaps he should get a shot at the LW slot alongside Richards and Gaborik ...

*Very touching pre-game tribute to Rick Rypien by Vancouver. Damn shame MSG didn't show the whole thing (I watched it streaming on the Canucks website). Hard to say if that was the worst thing on their broadcast tonight as Micheletti was his usual mistaken self and Bill Pidto's intermission highlight breaks were just woeful. BZZZZ!

*Love the Defending The Blue Line commercials but they come with a twinge of sadness as Boogaard was not around to take part in the taping. I hope that they are acknowledged when Boogey is honoured at the Garden next week.

*Kris Newbury did add a bit of the promised "jam" but he also lost a big defensive zone faceoff in the first period that nearly led to a Canuck goal. While there is still some sadness to see Zuke stuck in the bus league, there is simply no way in hell that Torts would have given him good minutes in a game like this (or in any other game, but that is something else).

*Fantasy hockey guru Dobber pointed out that Boyle's goal was his first in 27 games. What are the odds that the tally jump-starts a run like Boyler had at the start of last season?

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Brandon Prust - two assists.
2-Ryan McDonagh - one goal and one assist.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 40 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Cally - The captain was ferocious on the forecheck and a big part of the penalty kill.
2-McD - A dynamic performance by the defenseman.
1-Hank - All Hail!

Five For The Future

This season left a bad taste in the mouth, to say the least. The Rangers exited the Garden with a double overtime disappointment and exited the playoffs with an uninspired effort in DC. So rather than concentrate on those two unsatisfactory affairs, how about we look back at five great games that give hope for the team going forward? It was actually tough picking just five as I found seven great candidates so those are the honourable mentions. All - save one of the HMs - were against teams that finished higher than the Rangers in the standings, showing that the Rangers could play at an elite level. If only they could maintain that level over an entire 98 game season (82 + 16) ...

Honourable Mentions: January 9th, 2-1 win over the Blues and Sunday, March 20th, 5-2 win over the Penguins

5 - November 1st, 3-2 win over the Blackhawks: After a mediocre October the Rangers hosted the Hawks at the Garden in what turned out to be a defining game for the team. The Stanley Cup champs - even without Byfuglien and the other guys lost over the summer - were a far more skilled team but the Blueshirts battled and clawed their way to the victory.

4 - March 12th, 3-2 shootout win over the Sharks: After dominating the Flyers 7-0 at the Garden, the Rangers hit the road and ran right into Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and the rest of the Ducks. They lost that one 5-2 and could easily have collapsed against the Sharks but they battened down the hatches and sank the Sharks in a shootout. It kicked off a 6-0-1 streak that actually put them into sixth place in the East.

3 - December 12th, 7-0 win over the Capitals: This was the delightful domination that made it's way onto HBO as part of 24/7. Sure the Capitals were stumbling their way into winter but a seven spot on the eventual first place team was just sweet.

2 - November 15th, 3-2 overtime win over the Penguins: The Rangers entered Consol without a regulation win in their previous 15, 15! games in Pittsburgh. And this looked certain to become number 16 as the Pens struck for two goals in 38 seconds to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. They had the officials helping them all night long and the go-ahead goal was accompanied by a penalty to Hank. So what did the Rangers do? They rallied for their Swedish star, scored shorthanded to force overtime and won in the extra period.

1 - January 13th, 1-0 win over Vancouver: This was the best 60 minutes of hockey that the Rangers played all season. Prior to the game Torts told the media “we’re not going to win a hockey game 1-0 tonight” and yet they did. And - even more amazingly - they did it without Ryan Callahan. The Canucks had earned at least one point in 17 straight games (14-0-3) and they were stymied by a blue wall of battlers. The Rangers played at the same level of the eventual President's Trophy winners and even survived an unfortunate five-on-three on their way to victory. Who says that you have to have scoring to have a helluva hockey game? This one was a sheer delight and certainly shows that the Rangers have it in them to run with the best.

26-16-3: Beating The Best Is The Best

The Rangers played perhaps their best home game of the season on Thursday night, downing the Vancouver Canucks 1-0. This was no spanking the hapless Oilers, no smacking down a slumping Capital team ... this was the Rangers holding their own against the top-ranked team in the NHL. The only games worthy of comparison all happened on the road - surviving the double team of the refs and Pens in Pittsburgh early this season and the two tooth-and-nail victories last weekend against the Blues and Stars.

The wins over Edmonton and Washington brought the delight of sheer domination - a good feeling to be sure - but this victory and the others of its ilk on the road drew that triumphant Tiger Woods fist pump of a battle well won. The Rangers earned these two points and hopefully the victory that they worked so hard for will be emotional lift that will drive this team the rest of the way.

No, I'm not starting to believe that they can contend ... but I want to.

Notes:

*There was a huge contingent of Canuck fans around the arena, something they should be proud of. Of course, once they started their Canadian flag waving bs the rest of the Garden lowered themselves to chanting "U! S! A! U! S! A!", which may be the dumbest thing I've heard - even worse than Potvin Sucks 18 times. Vancouver's best all-around player is American, our best player is Swedish. Yeah. U! S! A!

*Our Captain America needs to be put out to pasture. He did have some late heroics deep in the Ranger end but the rest of his game was utter garbage. Drury has become utterly inept in the offensive zone and, possibly due to his limited ice time, tries to do too much everywhere else. It at least seems like he or the team is acknowledging that his tenure is near its end as Dubinsky was the one to skate to the refs for the controversial calls.

*The officiating handed Vancouver a 47 second two-man advantage in the second period that the Rangers killed off. While the penalties themselves were just atrocious calls, the kill is what's worth talking about. The Blueshirts contained the creepy Canuck ginger twins, kept the Canucks away from the crease and drove the puck out of the zone again and again. Brian Boyle, Dubi, Dan Girardi and of course Henrik did yeoman's work during the kill ... it was perhaps my favourite 'moment' at the Garden since Jed scored a penalty shot against Boston (my dad's favourite team). It was simply awesome.

*Of the officiating issues, the spear was awful and it was the ref outside of the zone who called the trip - he simply didn't see the spearing because there were bodies in the way. Can you blame Stephane Auger for his 'problems' with Burrows? The kid is a dirty player. But the call that I have the biggest problem with was the noncall on interference in the first period. Sean Avery dumped the puck in and was bodied by both Vancouver defensemen with the puck long gone. Marc Staal - the recipient of the spear - was called for an interference the very last game on a very, very similar play.

*Avery should have drawn that penalty, he had a great scoring chance and a few hits. And he had just eight shifts all night. Drury had 19.

*Boyle, Fedotenko and Prust continued their exceptional two-way play that has been the most consistent element to the Rangers this season. HOWEVER, it got to the point where Tortorella was channelling Tom Renney and threw them over the boards every other shift. Remember when Renney did that with Orr, Sjostrom and Betts? It worked just as well but the guys wore out after a while and weren't as efficient. Considering all of the bumps, bruises and outright injuries the current trio have suffered this season, history is sure to repeat itself unless something is done soon.

*For all of the talk about how the Rangers 'got lucky' by facing a backup and not Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider was outstanding. That kid is sure to start somewhere in the not-too-distant future. He had good positioning, good economy of motion and wasn't flustered after the Rangers scored or after Sean Avery made a visit to his crease.

*Of course, the Rangers helped make him look good. For the first time in months Marian Gaborik wasn't invisible or looked like he was injured - he had chance after chance, he just kept blowing them. How a world class player like him blows a breakaway like he did is beyond me. He is clearly working hard and credit must be given to the Slovak for his assist. Gaborik went forward on the faceoff loss to force the turnover and get a chance. Wolski jammed in the rebound and that was the lone goal of the game.

*Please MSG Network, put Joe Micheletti out of my misery.

*And the MSG entertainment staff is really getting worse, if you can believe that. The stupid section vs. section fist pumping garbage, the section trivia - which they intentionally gave the wrong answer to tonight - and the canned music at ear-bleeding decibels is awful. And why did they have some kid give a violin recital during a commercial break? That was just horrid.

*Can we please hook Arty Anismov up with 'I lift stuff up and put them down' guy from those gym commercials? The young Russian had his best performance since Cally went down and yet he still couldn't score. But it wasn't for lack of trying - Arty put himself in good positions, worked to get into the trenches and then the capable Canuck defense knocked him out of the away. Put 15 more pounds of muscle on Arty and he becomes one helluva player; they would give him the confidence in himself that he has found in his tougher linemates.

*Even though they added Ballard and Hamhuis this offseason, I thought that Vancouver's defense was doomed because the cornerstone of the corps (Willie Mitchell) headed to L.A. I was wrong. Kevin Bieksa is finally healthy and he showed on this night at least that he is quite capable of filling Big Willie's shoes.

*On the topic of defense, Matt Gilroy had a very strong game. Hobey has been far better of late with his positioning and timing and it showed. Ryan McDonagh and Mike Sauer were all but invisible, which means they did a fantastic job.

*Hey Vancouver fans, we won in '94 and we won tonight. Haha. After going there for the Olympics and finding out firsthand just how bitter they still are over the Cup loss, I find this victory extra-sweet.

*How stupid is the NHL in that this was the only matchup between these teams this season?

*PHW Three Stars
3-Cory Schneider - 34 saves.
2-Wojtek Wolski - one goal.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 31 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Dan Girardi - As I said to a friend, what happened in Philadelphia has been forgiven but not forgotten. Girardi was a rock.
2-Schneider - This big kid has a big future if he can get out of Luongo's shadow and into a city desperate for a starter.
1-Hank - After giving up the softie on Tuesday against the Habs Hank bounced back with a stellar performance. The man is the King and he played his best game of the season, which is saying a lot since he has been so good so often.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Vancouver Canucks

The losers from 1994 just may be contenders in 2010. Vancouver reloaded and reorganized this summer in an effort to push them over the hump and into Cup contention. The biggest move has not been completed as the C was stripped from Roberto Luongo and has yet to find a new sweater. While Lou clearly was capable of dealing with the media crush that comes with a Canadian captaincy, his on-ice play suffered. Now that the responsibility stripped away, the hope is that his game will return to its near-Vezina form.

The Canucks lost in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual Cup winners but Lou allowed 19 goals in the four losses. I still maintain that the result had less to do with his quality of play and the absence of defensive stalwart Willie Mitchell but with Lou wearing the C, he was hung with the disappointment.

Familiar Foes: The Sedin twins still have that creepy telepathic thing going, leading the offense. They combined for 197 points last season despite Daniel missing 19 games. That is just ridiculous. Ryan Kesler finally began getting some of the credit due thanks to a solid Olympic showing and all-around dynamic play. Kesler and Alex Burrows both have the combination of skill and grit that teams - both real and fantasy - drool over. Former Ranger Mikael Samuelsson continues to quietly contribute - he had 30 goals last season - and the speedy Mason Raymond keeps on improving. Mitchell is gone but Kevin Bieksa was not traded (yet) and he and Shane O'Brien bring the toughness to the blueline that skill guys Christian Ehrhoff and Alex Edler lack. Poor Sami Salo is injured again.

N00bz: Even with Salo out and Mitchell in LA, the Vancouver blueline will be alright as they acquired Keith Ballard from Florida and Dan Hamhuis (from Nashville via Pittsburgh and Philadelphia). The Canucks gave our boy Manny Malhotra a big money deal and also brought in former Islander Raffi Torres. Cody Hodgson, Vancouver's top pick in 2008, supposedly is close to returning after dealing with injuries that limited him to just 13 OHL games last season. Once he debuts in the NHL, all of the top 10 picks from the '08 draft will have made the show (just in case you forgot, the Rangers picked MDZ at 20 in that draft).

Last Year: Tuesday, November 3rd 4-1 Vancouver win.

This Year: Thursday, January 13th at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: The Rangers are often in their mid-winter slump in January but this season the month should provide a lot of points for the Blueshirts as they face few top tier teams and only one Atlantic opponent. Vancouver will be in town in the midst of a five game road trip and a rip of three games in four days - Isles on Tuesday, Rangers on Thursday and Caps on Friday of that week. Those factors should set up an easy win for the Rangers but, as we saw last November and I found out at the Olympics, Vancouver is still kinda bitter about the whole '94 thing so they are certain to step up their game in the building where they blew it.

My Wednesday

Roberto Luongo is a dick.

I'm sorry, as you guys know I endeavour to keep the vulgarities off of the blog but it can not be avoided in this instance.

Roberto Luongo, goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks, is a dick.

The high that was watching Vancouver beat up on New Jersey crashed back down to earth thanks to Luongo, who is a dick. That is three times I called him that, and here is why:

Luongo and his teammates ate a postgame meal in the restaurant in the Rock. In the meantime, two dozen or so people waited outside for autographs - kids, fans and collectors alike. The Canucks did not emerge for about 45 minutes to an hour after the game ended. When they did, a good number blew right past everyone - which was fine because, frankly, they were not recognized. Roberto Luongo, however, was - and he was the prime target of every rain-soaked, exhausted person there. Now, I would have little problem if Lou skipped over the collectors and older fans (myself included - wearing an Canucks jersey and hat), but you never turn down kids. He signed two autos right as he came out of the building and proceeded to literally run away to the bus, saying, "sorry guys, it's raining." We know, we were standing out in it waiting for him. At the end of the auto line was a kid with his dad. The kid had an old school Canucks jersey and his father yelled out to Luongo "Please Lou, my son here is 10 years old, a goalie and you are his favourite player!" Luongo didn't stop and just repeated his observation of the precipitation as he trotted to the bus.

This man, who just weathered 90+ mph shots, ignored a kid because it was raining. Are you kidding me? The NHL schedule being what it is, Luongo won't likely be back in New Jersey for two years. In that time the kid could/should have picked a new hero. In that time the kid could have decided not to become a goaltender. Or, even worse, in that time the kid could have decided to give up hockey entirely. Now I know that a superstar like Luongo if often pressed for time and an avalanche of requests. But you just don't ever, ever screw over the kids - the heart of the game. And especially those far away from Vancouver who rarely if ever get to see you and and those that stood out in the freezing rain for over an hour to get 15 seconds of your time so you can write your damned name down.

Dick.

Not as egregious, but annoying just the same, the Rangers rewarded those fans who showed up to their Toys for Tots event early with Michal Rozsival and Chris Higgins. Really.

I had friends stand in line for over two hours and, in return, they got to get autographs from Rozy and Higgins. I think the only way the team could have made it a bigger slap in the face would be Redden and Brashear, but they weren't involved in the event. Gilroy, MDZ, Cally and Girardi all were, but early arrivals got Rozy and Higgins. Thankfully those aforementioned friends of mine were quite generous and brought extra toys and waited in line a second time to get two Rangers who actually contribute, two Rangers who fans actually pay to see, two Rangers with a future with the franchise.

As much of a downer as it was to see that pair, it must be said that Adam Graves was as gracious a host for the event as always. I can't imagine a better, more sincere humanitarian and people person.

I asked him about Valley but he hadn't heard about the waiving as of 5pm. I tried to get a scouting report on Chad NueveSies (or whichever number Mr. Johnson will wear when he gets here) but Gravey didn't want to talk about it, not having heard about Valley being sent away. As I said in the Saturday game wrap, Valley may be a helluva guy but his departure is long past due. We can look forward to seeing what Chad can do, and hope that he is ready for action in time for the back-to-back with the Islanders in two weeks.

Erik Christensen should be in the lineup ASAP. The waiver-wire pickup from Anaheim is a capable third or fourth liner but nothing special. Christensen, like Colby Armstrong, ceased being anything more when he left Cindy's side in Pittsburgh. Army has more grit and personality but Christensen has more skill. He should be plugged in immediately for whichever piece of roster chaff goes in Torts' doghouse next - Lisin, Voros, Brash, Boyle, Kotalik or maybe Avery or Higgins ... ???

But back to the Canucks/Devils game again - just a few notes:

*It was fun rooting for a team that could cycle the puck, get shots on goal and actually score.

*It is just sad that a hundred or so Canuck fans could be as loud as 8,000 Devil fans. And 8,000 is being generous as the Rock was pathetically empty. The upper end zone sections had six, seven fans apiece sitting in them. Weak.

*The Devils offer $10 tickets in two upper level sections, and with no fans there you can sit wherever you want. Can't complain about that.

*So I spent $10 on the ticket, $8 on the train ticket from NYC to Newark, $8 on a beer and $4.50 on a terrible pretzel. That means I got to enjoy a battle of two of the best goaltenders in the NHL, well one and Fatso, for the grand total of $30.50. Not bad, right?

*Unless he goes on a helluva tear, Mmmmmaaaaarrrrttttyyyyy pretty much lost his Team Canada starting job to Louuuuuuuuu. Luongo was solid, flashing good reflexes and keeping the rebounds to a minimum.

*Then again, Mmmmmaaaaarrrrttttyyyyy shouldn't be allowed to play for Team Canada now that he is an American citizen. He wants the passport, but IIHF rules say that he played for Canada in the past so he can't play for anyone else (like Nabokov being from Kazakhstan but bound for gold with Russia in February). But if Mmmmmaaaaarrrrttttyyyyy wants to be American so badly, he shouldn't want to help a rival country get a gold medal - to his new home's detriment. An American gold would mean a helluva lot more to the U.S. than his one vote in political elections ...

*At least Ryan Kesler will be huge to Team USA. Dude is the complete package. I watched him shift after shift and he never stopped skating - wonderful to see.

*Also wonderful? Watching Vancouver kill over a minute of a 5-on-3. Where a good power play is a work of art, a good penalty kill is a display of selflessness and dedication. That's my kind of hockey right there.

Well, two more days to go before the Rangers can lose again. Try to enjoy them.

9-6-1: Canucked

The Rangers had several chances to grab the wheel of their game against the Canucks tonight and instead played the passenger, ultimately falling 4-1 in Vancouver. The Canucks were missing their two top players but still prevailed over a full-strength Ranger side.

One of my friends placed full blame on the power play's inability to score - both at the end of the second and when Bieksa took his unsportsmanlike - and I can't disagree but I think that the issue is bigger. The Rangers of the last few weeks make mistakes, get outworked and have trouble scoring. They beat the Bruins by matching the B's effort and minimizing mistakes. They didn't do either tonight against a hard-skating Canuck side and lost. That simple, and that sad.

Notes, starting on a high note:

*Chris Higgins scored. A goal. Really. Of course, Rozy had to help give it right back two minutes later but Higgins scored! Finally! ThankyaJesus!!

*Had Rozy played the body or the puck on Ryan Kesler, Rick Rypien wouldn't have scored to negate Higgins' goal. As a defenseman, he has to make the choice and go hard with it - instead he gave lip service to covering Kesler and Kesler swooped past him to grab the puck, go around the boards and find Rypien for the game-winner.

*The third Vancouver goal I won't fault Rozy for. The replays clearly showed that Sedin grabbed Rozy's stick and dived. Clear as day, with the referee watching. That isn't to say that Rozy was competent through the game - far from it - but the penalty wasn't his fault.

*But Wade; Wade, Wade, Wade, Wade. Not even your dad's presence could make you suck less. There simply is no hope. I counted at least two other turnovers by the overpaid putz before he panicked with the puck and fed it to the Canucks, allowing them to score their first goal of the game. It is so sad to think that this franchise has at least two, if not three or four NHL-capable defensemen in Hartford and they have to toil in the bus league while this guy sits on charter planes and counts his money. He makes rookie mistakes despite being a veteran of over a thousand NHL games (including playoffs).

*I guess that that Tortorella accountability thing doesn't extend to guys who make more than three mil. Talk is cheap after all and it is easy to bench newbies, Avery and Higgins; not as easy to bench Redden, Rozy and Dru - yet that is exactly what must be done. He did use MDZ and Hobey with the team down two and Hank pulled but he needs to send Redden and Rozy to the press box.

*The third period tussle certainly was something. Alain Vigneault made the smart move to put Kevin Bieksa out to harass Gabby - really a great hockey move considering Willie Mitchell was hurting at that point - and Dane Byers took exception, setting off a push-and-shove-fest. Credit to Byers for stepping up; you know Brash wouldn't have done a damn thing. And then Byers was beat down by Tanner Glass at the end of the game but at least Byers took him on.

*That little melee and the fallout was exceptional. Dubi holding a guy off with one hand, Aaron Voros looking completely lost looking for a partner. And that Sean Avery/Shane O'Brien business was just spectacular. I would have loved for Avery to hand O'Brien's stick to the fans ... of course, maybe then he would have been penalized but still, woulda been funny. Absolutely unfunny was Sam and Joe's complete and utter confusion. They had no idea whatsoever what was going on, who was involved, what penalties were being awarded. My buddy Pete was watching the TSN feed and said that they had it all down - probably because they are capable professionals.

*Micheletti needs to learn that when he has nothing to say or no clue, he shouldn't say anything at all. Of course then he would never speak but at the least, there is no point in repeating just what Sam just said. Oh, and he is not funny or amusing, at all, so he shouldn't try to be. Cringe-worthy performance, as always.

*On the other side of the coin, all credit given and due to Ales Kotalik. For yet another game he was a huge offensive threat for the Blueshirts. He just needs some bounces to go his way and to get that cannon on net a little more.

*And while I am appreciating some of the few Rangers who played hard, Matt Gilroy was solid yet again. Sure, anyone looks great compared to Rozy and Redden, but Hobey is stepping up his game and playing good hockey.

*Could John Giannone massaged MDZ's ego any more during the first intermission interview? I half expected John to ask Del Zotto for a date. 'You've been so good, and you're just dreamy, will you watch Chocolat with me on dvd?' At least pretend to be a journalist for a few minutes John.

*How is it possible that Ryan Callahan is so visible, doing so many good things shift after shift and Drury is virtually invisible?? And where was Dubi in this one? He tempted us with big play early this season and has fallen well short lately.

*Finally, since I'm tired and annoyed, I know it sounds like boasting but they mentioned the Olympics throughout the broadcast so I want to mention again that I'm gonna be there for a bit of it. Got tix to five games, can't freakin' wait!!!!! Definitely expect to see better efforts out on that ice when I go than what I watched tonight, that's for sure.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Andrew Raycroft - 22 saves.
2-Mikael Samuelsson - two goals.
1-Ryan Kesler - three assists.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Byers - It is about time that the Rangers have a player who will stand up for his teammates. You take liberties, we are going to get you - that's how it should be. Byers skated hard for his five minutes and he cared; it's not rocket science. Admittedly, I wanted to give Higgins this spot but he was a big part of the power play's failure so he lost star power.
2-Kesler - Kesler grabbed three helpers playing with linemates who can seal the deal. Cally played alongside Chris Drury.
1-Willie Mitchell - I've professed my appreciation for Mitchell's hard work in the past and it really find it a treat to watch a defensive defenseman of his caliber. Marian Gaborik wasn't the world class threat he normally was, and that was all courtesy of Mitchell.

Peepin' Foes: Vancouver Canucks

Get ready to stay up late boys and girls as the Rangers open their western Canada kick in Vancouver tonight at 10pm eastern.

Where We Are: Coming off a good grind-it-out 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins. Sure they were without their best players, but it was a big win for the Blueshirts, seeing as their previous two lack-of-efforts were so horrific.

Where They Are: Without the injured Roberto Luongo and Daniel Sedin (in addition to a half dozen other players). But still somehow capable of putting up a 3-0 win over the red-hot Colorado Avalanche. Granted, that came two days after a 7-2 shellacking by the Ducks, but still impressive.

Who To Watch For: Well, Toronto's favourite five hole Andrew Raycroft put up that donut on the Aves - shocking the world - so maybe he has figured out what it takes to stop a puck. I doubt it, but it's possible. Henrik Sedin is leading the team in points but hasn't been the same with half his brain sitting up in the press box. Former Ranger Mikael Samuelsson has shown he has some goals let in the tank, which is surprising considering that Detroit rarely gets rid of talent before its expiration date. Ryan Kesler, or Ryan Callahan West, has shown that persistence pays off with a good season so far.

What To Watch For: Rangers discipline; even without half of the Sedin Twins, the Vancouver power play is quite capable - especially with Christian Ehrhoff and a healthy Matty Schneider back on the blue line. And with that, intelligence; Kesler and Alex Burrows playing hard, physical, pestering hockey and the Blueshirts have to find a way to shut them down without losing tempers. Rangers getting the puck on the net; if Raycroft does start, perhaps a lot of rubber will remind him that he is a sieve (he only had to stop 18 in that Aves game). It will take a big effort to do that, what with Kevin Bieksa, Willie Mitchell and Alex Edler in front of Razor, but the Rangers have to try - and the same goes if the Canucks start the inexperienced and overhyped Cory Schneider.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Some Ranger goals scored by someone other than Marian Gaborik. No one get their ass kicked by little Rick Rypien. The Rangers not to catch the injury bug from the Canucks. Cally and Dru to get a nice feel for the ice where they will lead the U.S. team to glory in February. Donald Brashear to remember that he liked it in Vancouver and stay there after the game, never to return to Broadway (hey, I can dream).

Also Check Out: Waiting for Stanley went and joined SBN, selling out to become Nucks Misconduct, Heated Skates is normally good but hasn't been updated in a week and Tom Benjamin and Orland Kurtenblog are two of the best in the business - must reads for hockey fans.

It's The Most Wonderfuuuuul Time Of The Year

It was wonderful tonight, being able to root against the Islanders and watch them lose 2-1. Ah, the cool smell of fall, the warm feeling of hatred.

The Isles helped open the NHL preseason with a game against the Vancouver Canucks in a small Canadian town named Terrace, British Columbia. Terrace won a contest put on by the Kraft cheese people and was named Hockeyville as the top small town that is dedicated to pucks as a way of life. You have to imagine the conversation that was had when they found out:

"Terrace, congratulations! You are Hockeyville!"
"Thanks! So ... what do we get for this honour?"
"Well, some money to help revitalize your arena?"
"That's swell!"
"Oh, and that's not all! You will get to host a NHL hockey game!"
"OMFG!!!"
"Ok, ok, calm down, it's only a preseason game."
"Well, still! That's fantastic, eh? Who's coming?"
"We are going to send you the Vancouver Canucks!"
"That's ah-may-zing! Roberto Luongo is my hero!"
"No, no Roberto Luongo. Andrew Raycroft. It is a preseason game."
"That sucks, eh? But how about Cody Hodgson? Heard he's tryin' to make the team and he's mighty skilled!"
"No, no Hodgson. Got some other prospects though that I'm sure you'll love."
"I'm sure I will. So who are they going to play?"
"The Islanders."
"But you said it was NHL! Gee ... at least we get to see that Jon Tavares. I watched the World Juniors and that goal he scored - heck, that was stellar."
"No, no Tavares. But there will be another Jon there! Jon Sim!"
"God dammit."

Despite the possible disappointment, it truly was a great event for the NHL and the town. As they said constantly through the broadcast, many of the 1,400 1,200 1,100 fans were kids and they got to see (semi) professional hockey played in person. That really has to be a dream come true for those kids and when you combine the game with the time they got to spend with the players off the ice, you have memories that last a lifetime. As for the pros, the Canucks were able to spread goodwill within their home province and the Islanders were able to have their prospects get used to playing to a small audience, and to losing.

Hahahahahaha!!

Man, I'm so happy hockey season is here!

Link Of The Night

You would think that a Vancouver fan would do a nice tribute to Markus Naslund retiring. Yeah, you would think that. Instead, James at Cycle Like The Sedins decided to take a look at what Glen Sather will do with the cap space. It really is priceless, hilarious and sadly, quite possibly going to pass.

For a look at someone who actually celebrated Nazzy's accomplishments, check here, to see other Vancouver fans pay tribute head over to SBN and to look at Naslund's place in history, there is no one better to turn to than Joe Pelletier.

This Is Not Sour Grapes ...

... But it will sound like it. Mats Sundin's statement that "the Vancouver opportunity was simply the best overall fit" is a complete and utter lie. If I was a Vancouver fan, I would be upset. Sundin is a mercenary trying to ride into town as a hero.

He is not.

While I certainly wouldn't have minded seeing the big Swede in a Ranger sweater, I have maintained throughout this saga that the Blueshirts' biggest priority needed to be their defense. You can't win a championship with a blueline that is as underachieving and overpriced as the Rangers'.

Perhaps Sundin agrees with that. But nonetheless, his motivation towards picking the Canucks was about kroner, not Cups.

Most of the write-ups are saying that the deal he made with Vancouver is in the $5 million range for the rest of the season. For the Rangers to accommodate that, then Scott Gomez would indeed have been the best candidate to go (too bad that didn't work out, as I dislike the Mexican't). But Vancouver was one of the few teams that could fit in a contract that size and they weren't willing to commit to Gomez for that much money for six seasons, especially with the Sedin twins both up for free agency after this year, as are about a dozen other 'Nucks ... Plus what better way to follow up Trevor Linden's retirement than to bring in Sundin? His presence - or even the fact that the team was willing to go get him - may entice the Sedins to re-sign (even if Sundin is only around this season).

And to continue the Linden comparison, Vancouver is bringing in another old warrior who is well respected and will retire without winning a Stanley Cup. Sundin would have had a better chance in the weaker East, he would have had a lighter travel schedule, been a continent closer to Sweden and had a goaltender behind him that has already earned him Olympic gold.

This really is a good thing ... for the Rangers. Sundin and the Canucks will be under more pressure than ever to get results, especially with the Toronto media following their former captain. Meanwhile, the Rangers can look around the locker room and know that these are the guys that they are going to war with. It should strengthen team chemistry, give them something to prove (that they don't need Sundin to win) and it shouldn't lead to complacency - or at least any more than there already is.

Remember, the trade deadline is just over two months away ...

Oh Well ...

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis today announced that the team has signed free agent centre Mats Sundin.

We didn't need him anyway, we need defensive defensemen.

But it certainly woulda been nice to see him don a Blueshirt...

14-6-2: Don't Believe The Hype

The standings show the New York Rangers in first place of the Eastern Conference. While I have pointed out the deficiencies of this team, people keep throwing that fact right back at me - first place, first place, first place. They neglect to point out that the Rangers have played at least two, if not three games more than anyone else. They neglect to point out that most of those points have come from beating bad teams.

Tonight the Rangers played a good team. Not a great team. A good team. And they were blown out of the water 6-3 in a game that wasn't even that close. Vancouver even had a clear goal waved off by the officials due to a bad call by the ref and a replay that didn't prove beyond a shadow of the doubt that the puck went across the goal line. But they didn't need it. The Canucks put the Rangers on their heels early and dictated the play for much of the night on their way to a solid win to bounce back from their defeat at the hands of the Islanders. That's right, the Islanders beat the Canucks and the Canucks hammered the Rangers. Not good. So, so very not good.

*The crutch was kicked out from under the Rangers as Henrik Lundqvist played a pedestrian game. Hank gave up five goals before giving himself the hook and heading to the bench. It is hard to blame him for at least three of those five but with a incompetent defensive corps and a offense that has trouble scoring, Hank has to be great - and he wasn't. It is a shame that he will shoulder so much of the blame for this loss but the Rangers need perfection from him to succeed and they didn't get it.

*Apologists for the offense will point out that the power play went 2-6 in this one but the turning point came in the first period. Shane O'Brien took the first of his many penalties in the game and the Ranger power play couldn't put the puck in despite getting acres of landscape to shoot at. Instead, Alex Burrows scored a shorthanded goal and the snowball started rolling down the mountain.

*Chris Drury did what he could to stop the avalanche but even his pretty goal wasn't enough. What gets me is that he was signed for his leadership, not because of his scoring ability - where are the guys who were signed for those skills??

*Willie Mitchell had a helluva game - six blocked shots, four hits, and +1 in 25:23 of ice time. He makes $3.5 million a year. Think they will trade him? We could use an actual defensman ...

*That is because the Rangers waste salary cap space and roster spots on Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden - the two biggest wastes of money in the NHL. Neither one proved to be capable of anything in this game, failing on both sides of the ice. When you invest $10.5 million in two players, you expect some things in return and three shorthanded goals against on their turnovers certainly isn't one of those things. They are horrid and yet Tom Renney does nothing to motivate them. I was asked if it was too early to buy out their contracts and I tendered the idea that they should be lent to the Russian League, just to get them out of the Garden. Neither one is a realistic option and we will just have to sit and hope that they remember how to be top flight defensemen - even if neither one ever achieved that level of skill.

*Nik Zherdev's level of skill is scary. Z made some stellar moves, as per usual, but either he deked around two guys just to lose the puck to a third or he couldn't get off a shot after making a stunning move.

*The heavyweight battle between Darcy Hordichuk and Colton Orr never materialized. The two chatted over the red line during warmups but Orr took a bad penalty with the team down 4-1 in the second period and never saw the ice again. Why carry an enforcer if you aren't going to use him to spark your team when needed?

*Why haven't the Canucks retired Pavel Bure's number? Even without it being in the rafters, I was surprised to see No. 10 out on the ice (Ryan Johnson? who?).

*The game started at 7:30 to accommodate Canadian broadcaster TSN and that led to the sign of the night. There was a woman holding an oaktag that said:
Thank you
So very much
Nazzy!!
There was a surprising number of Vancouver fans and they all seemed to be cheering for their former captain in addition to their own team. Seeing that kind of love and respect makes you appreciate having him more. I just hope he shows us the kind of effort that he gave to them; he hasn't come close yet. He had a few good moments, skating nearly 23 minutes, but doesn't have the jump or strength that he once did and had trouble getting into good scoring positions.

*What also was odd was the complete inability of the Rangers connect on their passes and get out of their zone in the first period. It looked like the Canucks were playing the little Rangers, completely dominating the Rangers. Maybe it was that 7:30 start: the Rangers just thought it was the second period so they didn't really try.

*Is Dmitri Kalinin the best Ranger defenseman right now? Rozy and Redden are awful, Mara is playing frustrated, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are trying to do too much ... while Kalinin has been almost solid. I'm scared!!

*There was a new logo on the ice - that of Vitamin Water. They have tried to do more subtle advertising before by getting Hank to wear their hat during interviews but now there is a bottle painted on the ice. It looked quite weird and, unfortunately, didn't make me want to drink their product seeing as the Rangers soiled the ice it was advertised on with this stinker of a game.

*Why would Tom Renney call a timeout with two minutes left in the game trailing 5-3? Wouldn't it have made more sense earlier, when the Rangers actually had a realistic chance of catching up?

*The kids - Lauri Korpikoski, Dan Fritsche, Nigel Dawes and Brandon Dubinsky - all put together mediocre, inconsistent efforts and the door is now open for Petr Prucha to return to the ice.

*Speaking of returns, when Scott Gomez "returns from his vacation" (as my buddy Jay phrased it), here is a thought: play him on defense. Gomez knows how to play in his own zone - thank you Lou - and he can skate the puck across the neutral zone to jumpstart the rush. He can't be any worse then Redden or Rozy in the Ranger zone and his passing and skating skills are miles above both ...

*PHW Three Stars
3-Jannik Hansen - two assists.
2-Kyle Wellwood - one goal.
1-Alex Burrows - two goals.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Stephen Valiquette - Valley came in and stopped all 15 shots he faced to give the Rangers a chance to battle back. They didn't, but it wasn't his fault.
2-Burrows - Burrows is a role player but man can his wheels roll. He showed off lightning fast speed that allowed him to blow by the slow, soft, out of position defenders.
1-Hansen - The Dane, a 2004 9th round draft pick, continued his stellar start to the season with a few points but the reason he gets the top star is because he also went down to block a big shot in the late second period and got nailed up high. But, like Braydon Coburn in that Versus commercial, he came back.

Peepin' Foes: Vancouver Canucks

Two of the best goaltenders, probably the two best goaltenders in the NHL will stare at each other across the Garden ice tonight as Captain Roberto Luongo leads the Vancouver Canucks against King Henrik Lundqvist's New York Rangers. Seeing as a King is better than a captain, we should be in good shape ...

Where We Are: The Rangers have won three straight games including back-to-back shootouts. Monday's was a boring affair that saw more power play woes and more late heroics - and, of course, more stellar goaltending. Nik Zherdev and Aaron Voros were chastised for lack of effort, while Colton Orr, Fred Sjostrom and Nigel Dawes were rewarded for their play.

Where They Are: Vancouver has lost two shootouts in their last three games and are coming off of the second one - a 2-1 loss to the Islanders. (What is it with the Rangers picking up their trash?) The Canucks are 10-6-2 and trail the Wild by one point in the Northwest (but Minnesota has two games in hand).

Who To Watch For: Pavol Demitra returned from a rib injury and collected four points in his last two games - if he wasn't so fragile, he would be a top player in the league. The Nucks also have the creepy identical Sedin twins, the speedy Mason Raymond and the resurgent Kyle Wellwood. I always liked Wellwood in Toronto but the Leafs let him go and all he has done for Vancouver is score seven goals in 13 games. Luckily they are without defenseman Kevin Bieksa, who broke his foot, and they will have a tired Alex Edler, who went out in the storm last week to start his car without his jacket on and missed several games with the flu.

What To Watch For: The Vancouver line of Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler and rookie Jannik Hansen plays with an edge and can get creative at times. They will certainly press the action and keep the inadequate Ranger D on their heels. At the same time, they will run into Hank and that should be that. The Sedin twins may beat him for one or two but, with Callahan playing the Burrows role for the Rangers, the Blueshirts should be able to cause enough chaos in front of Luongo to tame the former Panther.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: The Ranger power play do something, anything good. A standout performance from former Canuck captain Markus Naslund (preferably on the aforementioned power play). Michal Rozsival remember how to play defense and not get booed the entire night. A heavyweight bout between Colt and Darcy Hordichuk and a middleweight between Pyatt or Burrows and Voros. Voros had three fights with Canucks last year but all three opponents are no longer on the team.

Also Check Out: Waiting For Stanley and Canucks and Beyond.

As always, I recommend people check out Sam Weinman's Ranger Report for up-to-the-minute updates on our boys. Sam really is the best of the beat guys covering the Blueshirts and today he took a deserving look at the relationship between Travis Roy and Chris Drury. Thanksgiving may be a week away but if Roy's story doesn't make you appreciate all you have, I don't know what will.

NHL Four-cast: Vancouver Canucks

1 - Why is this team worth watching? I don't know about you, but identical twins always trip me out but I have to say, Vancouver's pair is pretty damn good at hockey. Roberto Luongo, despite a 'down' season of 35 wins, 2.38 gaa and .917, is still one of the best goaltenders in the league. As I've mentioned before, I personally enjoy watching Willie Mitchell work. And it will be interesting to see if Kevin Bieksa can recapture his form from two years ago.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Hard to say, because you just don't know which Pavol Demitra is going to show up - is he the slick playmaker that worked so well with Marian Gaborik, or is he a regular member of the injured reserve? He will expected to replace the oft-injured Brendan Morrison, just as Steve Bernier will be counted upon to replace Markus Naslund's offense - as limited as it was last season. Losing Matt Cooke to free agency will hurt but they still have the agitating Alex Burrows. They also brought in goon Darcy Hordichuk and former Leaf Kyle Wellwood, neither of whom will be counted on for anything more than minor roles.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy?Luongo is the only player worth a damn for your first round. The Sedins should offer up a point per game, especially of they mesh well with Bernier but they can slip as far as the third or fourth rounds. Don't get suckered in by Mattias Ohlund or Sami Salo ... trust me, I have - several times. They are just injured too often to be relied upon. If Bieksa can recapture his form then he will get you solid stats across the board. Two interesting youngsters to follow are defenseman Alex Edler and winger Mason Raymond. Edler will get you 25, 30 points but he needs to find some consistency and Raymond is fast as hell and a former college scoring star - with the right linemates and some power play time, he can reach 60 points. Burrows likely won't reach the 179 PIM he had last year with Hordichuk on board so don't waste your time drafting him, just grab him for Vancouver's grudge matches against Minnesota.

4 - Does any other NHL team have a worse reputation? Think about it, most every memorable Vancouver moment is negative - Roger Neilson surrendering (and thus starting the annoying towel waving phenomenon), breaking the Rangers' 54 year curse, Todd Bertuzzi ... having the ugliest jersey in history (I admittedly and proudly own a yellow Flying V myself). I mean, the only positive thing I can recall is the sendoff for Trevor Linden which, to me, was as much about Calgary's class as it was anything else. These guys need something good to happen, and soon ... perhaps Roberto Luongo will break Sam LoPresti's record 83 saves in a game?

20-17-4: Canuckleheads Top Aenimic Rangers

I had really wanted to go out to Vancouver for tonight's game against the Canucks but extraordinary prices for airfare kept me watching the game on my couch. And its good, because I would have been really disappointed by the 3-0 result if I had spent over a grand to fly out there. Some of the things I saw from my living room:

*Ok, so Ryan Hollweg took on Mike Brown right off of the opening faceoff. It was a good lightweight bout without a clear winner and without any real explanation. If there was some kind of bad blood between the two, it isn't from their history because as near as I can tell, Hollweg never played against Brown before. My guess is that Brown had read something about Hollweg coming back to town and playing in front of his family and he made a bad Yo Momma joke (although I couldn't find anything in the Vancouver papers). Hollweg said during the intermission that he wanted "to get things going." I don't remember a time in recent memory when Renney gave his guys the green light ... bizarre.

*Another game, another disaster by Marek Malik. As regular readers can tell you, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, and even complimented him when he played well. But I also am one of the first to boo him because he is so soft. Against Vancouver he was his all-too-often terrible self: he let the puck bounce past him at the point on the Rangers first real pressure of the game, then took a dumb holding penalty a few minutes later. Oh yeah, and he took another dumb penalty immediately after the Rangers fell behind 2-0, which gave Vancouver the power play to score their third goal. Glen Sather definitely has to pull the trigger on a deal sooner rather than later, if only to keep the big idiot from being lynched on 34th Street.

*I loved the retro Canucks jersey and logo but using the retro colours throughout the new RBK uniform system was a mistake. On my old tv the Vancouver players looked like blue blobs. Why can't they go back to the Flying V??

*Geez, what is it with bad angle goals and the Rangers? First Huselius on Hank in Calgary, then Ryan Kesler on Vally tonight. Weak!

*You know I truly love Bettsy (as a player; get your mind out of the gutter). But seriously, dude, duuuude, he is just horrible within 10 feet of the opposing team's goal. The scary thing is that he had a better chance to score than anyone of the guys on the second line got all game.

*Speaking of lack of scoring chances, they were there for the rest of the offense. The Rangers outshot Vancouver 28-17 and couldn't get a single goal in. Roberto Luongo is good, but not that good. The chances were there but they did not take advantage of them (damn you Marcel Hossa).

*So Pam Anderson was in a private box (there is a joke in there somewhere); I wonder if she was getting ready to add her name to the list of blondes that Sean Avery defiled. No wonder he is the most hated player in the NHL.

*Will wonders never cease!! Jagr ran to Prucha's defense midway through the second period when Mr. Fantastic (from the Fantastic Four - made of rubber - get it?!) was being mauled along the boards by several Canucks. I never, ever, ever would have thought that Jagr had it in him. Colour me impressed/shocked.

*I am one of the old school guys who think that guys with visors are predominantly sissies but you have to consider them wise when you see stupid high sticks like when Ryan Kesler clipped Dan Girardi. One inch higher and Girardi would have been turned into Bryan Berard. But Girardi got himself sticked up and was back for the third period. Have I mentioned lately that he is my favourite Ranger? He is.

*Totally random but I just read my way through a fantastic wrap of the Winter Classic by those pompous Pens fans over at The Pens Blog. I highly recommend reading it.

*Another nice link to look at is here. It's a piece from the Toronto Globe & Mail on how good Marc Staal has been. Its nice for people outside of New York to finally appreciate the youngster's poise and contributions.

*Trevor Linden was interviewed during the second intermission and showed the class that has made him one of the true elder statesmen in the NHL. I am a big fan of his, even if he made an unfortunate visit to Long Island for a season and a half.

*You know, this subject has been broached before and will again, but the NHL needs to do something with the way points are given out. There is no reason for some games to be worth three games in the standings and others two. Either make regulation wins worth three points or do away with the charity point for overtime/shootout losses. This is ridiculous and unfair; the Islanders get a point for losing to the Panthers in overtime tonight. The Panthers!!

*Seeing Renney giving the HBO line more ice time really makes me smile. For once hard work is rewarded, rather than hard cash (as in big contracts, not bribes, lol).

*The makeup of the Canucks is really intriguing. They essentially have one scoring line and three checking lines and yet it works. Their stars are dangerous every time they are on the ice and their foot soldiers bust their behinds every shift and create offensive opportunities with a great forecheck. Kesler, Cooke, Pyatt, Burrows ... nobodies who are somebodies to the Vancouver franchise and have helped them to become one of the top teams in the West.

*Maybe its me, but I am pretty sure I heard a "Rangers Suck" chant with four minutes left in the game. As someone who has been known to harass opposing teams, even I have to say that the chant was entirely unwarranted in a clean, back-and-forth 1-0 game (at the time).

*I made Willie Mitchell one of my Scotty Hockey First Quarter All Stars and he really showed why in this game. A defensive defenseman, he made a lot of really good defensive plays while making that all-important first pass out time and time again during his 25 minutes of ice time. And I typed that before he took the shot that was deflected for the Canucks' third goal.

*And speaking of stars ...
PHW Three Stars:
3-Mitchell - one assist.
2-Kesler - one goal.
1-Luongo - 28 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Rangers penalty killers - they killed off six power plays before a deflection tally on the seventh made it 3-0.
2-Luongo - he wasn't all that flashy but he got the shutout.
1-Kesler - he was all over the ice all night long pestering, grinding, checking, scoring; a really good effort.