8-7-1: A Win? At Home? Strange ...

The Rangers' fortunes changed for the better on Thursday as the Blueshirts won at the Garden, and in overtime no less. They beat Buffalo 3-2 on an OT goal by Arty Anisimov, his second goal of the game. And it counted, which was almost as surprising as the officials found ways to call two other Ranger goals off.

Two issues before I get to the game:

1- Trading Dane Byers was stupid. The Pack are doing terrible, so they trade the captain? I would gladly watch the Rangers lose a few if it meant that Chris Drury would be dealt... Byers has done everything right on the ice, I can't see the logic in letting him go for a Blue Jacket - especially considering how well the last trade with that franchise went. Unless Hartford goes on a five, 10, 15 game win streak, this trade was a mistake.

2- I want all of your input on this one - do you feel that the Garden needs to be renovated? Does the state of the building keep you from attending games? I had a discussion with my rep and she couldn't comprehend my reluctance. Ticket prices have skyrocketed since the lockout, and who will end up paying for it? Us. And what are we getting out of it? Nothing that I can see. Her rationale was that there would be more bathrooms and more places to buy food/beer. I don't know about you guys, but most Garden regulars I know all have their routines and rarely have problems. So please comment - do you think a new shiny building with a few more toilets is worth paying five, 10, 20 bucks more a night?

Ok, some game stuff:

*Credit to Marty Biron, stepping in last second. He really didn't have to do all that much - Buffalo wasn't particularly good - but goaltenders are creatures of routine and being thrown into the net just before gametime surely was a surprise. Biron's biggest saves were all his own fault as his rebound control was atrocious. If he had allowed Buffalo to take the lead on that third period wrap-around, Alex Frolov may have requested a trade.

*Buffalo was indeed mediocre. The Sabres the Rangers faced last night were far, far different from the team that won the Northeast last year. That team had rock solid goaltending that radiated a confidence that the rest of the players drew off of. They combined skill with effort and great coaching to take the division title. Last night's squad was actually quite like the Rangers - the skill guys can't score and dump and chase is the dull gameplan of choice. They battle but they don't have that extra level it takes to put away scoring chances.

*It is a shame that Pat Kaleta wasn't injured. He lost his balance and fell, then literally cried about it. What a piece of garbage. He is just as despicable as Matt Cooke.

*Seven goals were scored in the game (two didn't count) and six of them were scored within a few feet of the paint. Sometimes you just have to get dirty to get the job done. If the Ranger forwards can keep that willingness to work going forward, and the defense can learn how to do their jobs, the team can be quite formidable.

*The best thing I saw all night was Marc Staal clocking Thomas Vanek when Vanek was jamming at Biron in the second period. Standing up for the goaltender. Second game in a row. Finally.

*Brian Leetch seems to be around a bit this season, perhaps he needs to be hired full time to coach Michael Del Zotto. The kid needs serious tutoring and if it won't come in Hartford, it needs to come at the country club training center. There is no debate left, a blind man can see MDZ has regressed. Something has to be done and throwing him minute after minute of ice time is not it. His mistakes, his indecision and his reluctance to shoot is a massive reason why the Ranger power play is a disaster.

*Marian Gaborik definitely was rusty but his poise with the puck was a breath of fresh air. Unlike many of his teammates, Gabby doesn't panic with he gains possession in the offensive zone. He doesn't immediately throw it behind the net or bounce it off the boards, he takes a second, looks at his options and makes his play. He is kinda good.

*Frolov is not. And that is all I have to say about him.

*Matt Gilroy returned and was quietly effective as he focused on his defense rather than trying to add offense. That being said, he was rarely put under pressure so it may be best to withhold judgement.

*Do the Rangers think that Derek Stepan is in a position where he can succeed while playing with Sean Avery and Todd White? All three are miscast on that line.

*Avery and Brandon Prust need to get things going. Their compete level can not be questioned but they haven't been effective lately for some reason or another - the juggling linemates, the ice time they are getting, the opponents they are facing.

*I still can't decide if I want Prust, Sauer or Cally on the back of the new Heritage sweater. All three had assists in this game, all three always work hard, all three have traits of their game I find admirable and all three easily could be gone by next season.

*I just saw on MSG that Acacio Marques had his 1,000th game last night - it is a shame that he wasn't honoured in the building. Guys like him and Jim Ramsay make the Rangers go.

*There were a lot of Buffalo sweaters at the Garden. It was easy to laugh at them as many were Buffa-slugs but still, in a game that wasn't at capacity, there was a solid number of those people. Mike Grier is a helluva player and yet I didn't see a single one of his jerseys. Stupid Sabres fans.

*Erik Christensen caught Arty's bug - the disease where he can't win a faceoff to win his life. Christy was probably the worst Ranger on the ice in this one, which hurts as the return of Gabby was supposed to energize the waiver wire acquisition.

*It was Steve Eminger's best game as a Ranger. He made smart, simple plays and his positioning was solid.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Mike Grier - one goal.
2-Martin Biron - 29 saves.
1-Artem Anisimov - two goals.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Arty - Right spots at the right times. Credit given.
2-Grier - One of those core lunchpail NHLers who just goes out there and does his job. The BU grad has never been one of the most skilled guys but he has always been one of the hardest workers.
1-Ruslan Fedotenko - Fedotenko was faced without a NHL job this season and was lucky enough to get a tryout with the Rangers. Well, he is rewarding their faith with a willingness to do anything to score. Fedotenko banged home a pair of goals from the doorstep (only one counted) and his efforts resulted in Arty's game-winner.

Peepin' Foes: Buffalo Sabres

The four game homestand continues on Thursday as the Rangers face off against the Sabres at 7 pm sharp on MSG. It is the second meeting between the teams this season, as the Rangers opened their schedule in Buffalo with a 6-3 Stepan-fueled victory.

Where We Are: Actually in a decent position all things considered. According to all of the beat reporters, Marian Gaborik will return to the lineup. Without him the team treaded water, breaking even at 6-6, which would be almost acceptable but when you look at the fact that the Gaborik-less Blueshirts went 2-5 at the Garden during that span, it is inexcusable. Also returning to the lineup will be Hobey Gilroy, who will take Michal Rozsival's spot. After Rozy's awful performance sank the team on Tuesday, it came to light that he had been dealing with a long term shoulder injury. What a coincidence!

Where They Are: Buffalo is one of the worst teams in the NHL thanks to their home record, a horrid 0-6-1. On the road, however, they are 5-3-1. They have a two game win streak (both shootout victories) and will be playing on the back end of a back-to-back. The Sabres beat the Devils on Wednesday night in a ridiculous shootout that saw Ilya Kovalchuk blow a breakaway late in the third period and then have a shameful shootout attempt.

Who To Watch For: The goal scorers in that one are always dangerous when they face the Rangers - Jason Pominville, Derek Roy, Tyler Myers and Tyler Ennis. Roy is red hot with 17 points in 16 games; he had a regulation goal and an assist, along with an effortless shootout goal. Myers was horrible in his game against the Blueshirts but against the Devils he played just over 22 minutes, had a goal and two assists on three shots while going +3. Perfect timing (ugh). Thomas Vanek is pointless in his last six games but he scored a nice goal in the shootout so that may boost his confidence and get things started for him. Pat Kaleta is sure to cause some chaos and attempt to injure a few Blueshirts while grinders Paul Gaustad, Mike Grier and Rob Niedermayer are always tough against the Rangers.

What To Watch For: Buffalo's grinders making life difficult for MDZ and Gilroy. Myers and Leopold to spend a lot of attention on Gaborik. Faceoffs: the Rangers suck in the circle but the Sabres weren't particularly good themselves at the Rock, losing 38 of 60. Whoever plays goal for Buffalo: Enroth looked jumpy, stopping 28 of 32 shots and two of three New Jersey shootout attempts. Patrick Lalime had been held out of the game because of abdominal pain and Ryan Miller has been rehabbing a knee injury. Enroth could want to prove himself against Lundqvist, Lalime has a good career record vs. the Rangers and Miller is Miller. The Sabres power play: they have just one goal with the man advantage over their past six games, going 1-22 in that span. A large part of that is due to bobblehead Tim Connelly attempting to quarterback the unit and not doing particularly well, while Vanek's cold streak hasn't helped.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: More of Tuesday's first period, less of Tuesday's third. Gaborik to ignite Frolov and turn him into an acceptable hockey player. The Rangers to come up with something that isn't dump and chase, since they dump better than they chase. Derek Stepan to find the magic that gave him a hat trick in the first game against Buffalo. Ryan Callahan to snap his three game pointless streak (where he has also gone -1 in each of the three). Brandon Dubinsky to do something better with his hands then to fight a clown like Mike Green for no reason. Derek Boogaard to keep Kaleta in line and keep his scoring streak alive.

Also Check Out: Sabres Edge, Shots off the Crossbar and SBN's Die By The Blade.

7-7-1: Sad Kitty

I don't know about you but I love the Big Bang Theory. Utter hilarity. I bring that up because in it, Penny (the hot chick) sings to Sheldon (the lunatic genius) when he is sick a song called Soft Kitty. The start of it is 'soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur ...' Well, change that to 'happy kitty, shocked kitty, little ball of rage' and you have my emotions after the three periods of the Rangers 5-3 loss to Washington on Tuesday night.

The happiness in the first period came not necessarily from the 2-1 lead but the fact that the Rangers finally, finally stood up for each other. Three times. Brian Boyle went after Jason Chimera after a hit on MDZ, Mike Sauer went after Matt Hendricks after a hit on Steve Eminger and several Rangers jumped on a Cap after he got too friendly with Henrik Lundqvist. It was all that I wanted to see, all that this Ranger team had to do to re-new my faith.

The shock came in the second period when Derek Boogaard scored on a Mighty Ducks-esque knuckle puck. He ran out of gas at the blueline, wound up and fired a slow shot that seemed to dip, throwing off Neuvirth. Even with the puck's movement, how a goaltender who has won the last two Calder Cups and accumulated a 8-3 record entering the night allowed that shot to go in was stupefying. Also stupefying? While his teammates were standing up for each other he was nowhere to be found and didn't even both to tangle with DJ King, one of the only other goons in the league willing to take him on.

And the rage, well that came when the Rangers didn't bother to come out for the third period. All of the fire from the first period was gone and it was blatantly apparent that they were just waiting for the Caps to take the lead. And once they did, the Blueshirts called it a night. They had five shots after Hendricks gave Washington the lead, just one of which came in the final five-and-a-half minutes. Teams are supposed to 'defend the house' and play with an extra level of ferocity on their home ice. The Rangers simply don't do that and, as a fan and season ticket holder, it is utterly infuriating.

Now I didn't get a chance to watch a re-air on tv and am writing this at 6am after a night out but these are my notes - feel free to comment if TV showed/explained something better:

*The Rangers scored three goals, two of which were pretty much flukes - a lucky turnover and quick shot was Boyle's second goal and the atrocity that was Boogaard's shot was, well, highly unlikely. A lot is to be said about the lack of Gaborik but there should be a few other guys on the roster capable of scoring a skill goal. Dubi, Fedotenko, Christy, Frolov ...

*Dubi is a clown, having a meaningless tussle against that faux-hawked clown Mike Green - a meaningless tussle he lost too. As my buddy Eric said, the Rangers missed Dubi far more than the Caps missed Green during the ensuing five minutes and, frankly, the rest of the game. The Pack Line's inability to get a puck in the net sank the Rangers. Arty Anisimov, who seemed to lose the puck the second a brisk breeze hit him, can't win a faceoff if his life depended on it. There were several shifts where they were outworked by Washington's fourth line - which is utterly unacceptable.

*As good as Henrik Lundqvist is - and he was stellar outside of the Erskine goal - he can't win games on his own when he has a bunch of idiots in front of him. John Tortorella, in his infinite wisdom, put MDZ on the ice with Rozsival. His lack of faith in Sauer and Eminger caused the combination as Torts was forced to put Girardi with Staal to handle Ovie's line. So that left the two worst defensemen on the team playing together and it didn't work out. Rozy, perhaps channeling his departed teammate Tom Poti, had his worst game of the season, going -3 while gifting the Caps the go-ahead goal.

*Sadly little can be done about the Czech vet but MDZ needs to be banished to the bus league, and fast. The kid is atrocious in his own zone, his passes are off the mark, he panics with the puck and is often too afraid to shoot the damn thing. This marked the second straight game where the opponent shined a mirror on the Rangers, showing the mistake they made with bringing MDZ into the NHL too soon. Alex Pietrangelo on Sunday and John Carlson tonight were both more rounded, smarter, steadier kids who were drafted in the same class but had an extra season of development. As mentioned here before, if Phoenix's Dave Tippet can send Kyle Turris to the AHL, the Rangers can do it with MDZ.

*Poti, by the way, was nowhere to be found. I had a friend look for my 'old friend' by the press box to try to finally get my "Dear Scotty, I hate you too, love/hugz/xoxo, Tom" autograph, but to no avail. Damn.

*Back to Hank for a second. He gave up the Erskine goal because he was already down in the butterfly when the Washington defenseman took the shot. When Hank loses track of the puck, he tends to drop down to take away the bottom of the net, leaving the top wide open. I mean, it isn't as if Erskine realized that or that he actually tried to go top shelf but that is why he scored.

*If someone find's Sean Avery's jock, please return it to him; Ovie made him look stupid on the Knuble goal. The fact that Avery was out there at all when Ovie was out shows one of the underlining problems with the Rangers now: they don't have a shutdown line. Long gone are the days when Betts, Sjostrom and Orr could be counted to get out there and quiet Ovie or Cindy while the top line took a rest. Perhaps that will change when Drury comes back and Torts jumbles the roster.

*What is it about Washington that makes Torts lose his cool? First the debacle during the playoffs and tonight a senseless 'abuse of officials' penalty? Yes, the referees made questionable calls on Christy and later Girardi but the coach has to cope with it. Acting like a jackass won't get him anywhere (or at least it hasn't since 2004). Luckily he doesn't buy his own talk about accountability so he will be right back at his antics next game.

*It was nice to see Derek Stepan finally get some more ice time, and even a few moments of extra man action. He wasn't perfect (far from it) but he played good minutes and gave it a good effort. We can live with his ups and downs as he grows into a NHL player.

*At this point we can only pray that Marian Gaborik's return will spark Alex Frolov, because the Russian is awful. Some folks, especially after preseason, saw Frolov returning to his 30 goal form. Well, as things are now, we will be extremely lucky if he gets half that.

*I enjoy watching Mike Sauer work and he is only getting stronger as his comfort level raises.

*Caps fans, if you aren't going to have the good sense and decency not to get hammered and act like a jackass in an away arena, at least don't do it while wearing a Semin jersey ... the jokes wrote themselves for one particular double-fisting jerk in my section, who luckily (for him) calmed down before I beat him senseless, threw him down the stairs and had him removed from the arena. Likely in that order.

*There is no shame in losing to Washington - they are a far, far better team - but when you have the lead and can put them on the ropes, well, it's just maddening to see the Rangers piss the opportunity away (night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night).

*PHW Three Stars
3-Alex Ovechkin - two assists.
2-Brian Boyle - two goals.
1-Matt Hendricks - one goal and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Jason Chimera/Matt Bradley - Not a whole lot of skill between the two of them but they are relentless and they make things happen.
2-Boyle - Before anyone goes wild over Susan's seven goals, remember that two seasons ago Aaron Voros had nine points in the eight games starting the season. But, that being said, Boyle's skating has improved and so has his confidence, allowing him to use his body better, to be in better positions and to have no qualms with simply shooting the damned puck.
1-Brooks Laich - Laich is what secondary scoring looks like. Fedotenko has a lot of the same qualities but he just can't get the puck in right now. Hopefully that will change, and soon.

Peepin' Foes: Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin and his entourage will be in the Garden on Tuesday night to face off with the Rangers at 7:30 (damn you Versus).

Where We Are: Sitting at .500 with seven wins and seven losses, coming off of a 2-0 failure against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday evening - the opener of a four game homestand. That defeat dropped the Blueshirts to 2-4-1 at the Garden, which would be nauseating if you didn't consider that the Devils are 0-5-1 at the Rock and the Sabres are 0-6-1 at HSBC.

Where They Are: Washington is tied for best in the league with 20 points, holding a record of 10-4-0. They have a +13 goal differential - the Rangers are flat at 0. The Caps enter the game having won four in a row after Mike Green scored a power-play goal 29 seconds into overtime for a 3-2 victory over Philly on Sunday.

Who To Watch For: Green has goals in four straight games, as does the other Alex, Alexander Semin. The Ovechkin fellow has 18 points this season, 10 of which came in the last six games. His center Nicklas Backstrom 'only' is averaging a point per game and had two assists in each of his last two games. Semyon Varlamov is injured so Left Wing Lock has Michal Neuvirth starting across from Hank after getting the Philly game off. Who the hell is he? Well Neuvirth has played just 35 games over the last three seasons while winning two Calder Cups in the AHL and is 8-3-0 this campaign. He was drafted in the second round in 06, 13 picks after Bobby Sanguinetti and 20 ahead of Arty Anisimov. Real American Hero John Carlson - the guy I wanted the Rangers to draft instead of MDZ in '08 - has been quite good, especially for a rookie, and has eight points. The latest Ups & Downs at Japer's Rink says that he is playing at a high level now that Green is relatively healthy after a shoulder injury (nine points in 11 games). Sadly my buddy, my pal Tom Poti is out with a lower-body injury, a bad groin ... which lends itself to just so many jokes ...

What To Watch For: The Pack line of Arty-Dubi-Cally to have a bit of an easier time than in recent games as Washington lacks tough, shutdown defensemen (sorry, plus-minus machine Jeff Schultz doesn't count). On that same note, Staal vs Ovechkin is always wonderful to watch. DJ King to help justify Derek Boogaard's paycheque by renewing their relations. Tomas Fleischmann to set up a Washington goal - he had four assists in his three games against NY last season.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: The Rangers standing up for each other. That's all I ask, that's all I want to see at this point.

Also Check Out: The Caps have a really strong blogosphere but I just head to Japer's Rink for all my info.

7-6-1: When Does It End?

I can accept that Michael Del Zotto can't keep the puck in the offensive zone and passes to the other team as often as he does his own.

I can accept that Derek Boogaard is a liability on the ice who's mistake led to the three-on-two that St. Louis scored on.

I can accept that the Rangers get no favours from the officiating, it isn't like they are the Canadiens or the Penguins.

I can even accept the fact that the Rangers blew a five minute power play for the second straight game.

I can not accept the fact that a Ranger was hammered by a member of the opposition and NO ONE DID ANYTHING. As his teammates went for another of their poorly-timed line changes, Derek Stepan chased down the puck in the Blues zone and was railroaded by B.J. Crombeen. Dubi rushed over and let himself get picked off by a linesman while the other Rangers stood around. They stood around. Crombeen had four shifts on the ice after getting out of the penalty box and not a single Ranger went after him. Sure they would have gotten a penalty and threatened whatever slim possibility they had to tie the game but so what? So the hell what? A two minute instigator or even a early November loss is a infinitesimally small price to pay to show the NHL that the Rangers are a team. A team of honour. A team of pride. A team that fights for the city, the fans and for each other. But they're not. As I have no wish to spark the ire of any female or homosexual readers, I will avoid using the abundance of slurs that are appropriate for this bunch of Blueshirts but just know they aren't flattering.

Notes:

*The punchless Ranger play with the man advantage is sure to be a talking point but it is of little surprise. How can it be? The Rangers actually carried the puck over the Blues blueline once during the five minute major. ONCE. The talent-less Rangers and their dump-and-chase philosophy depends on the team out-hustling the other team and winning battles. Well, J.D. built himself a largely talentless hard-working team that wins those battles. They are bigger and they are stronger and they play a helluva lot more determined.

*Someone get Alex Frolov away from Sean Avery please. After Frolov tried - and failed - at a wrap around (shocker), Avery tried it twice. Ty Conklin isn't a very good goaltender, but he isn't a bad one. Even though New Jersey is a Mickey Mouse organization again, this isn't 1983. Halfhearted wrap-arounds rarely work so to use it every single time is utter stupidity.

*Avery has one goal this season and took seven shots on goal. Brandon Dubinsky has 10 goals and had one shot. One.

*For those that want to refute my earlier rant, saying that the two points are too important for someone to stand up for Stepan, well do you think that the coach really had the two points in mind when he started Marty Biron, a goaltender who had never beaten St. Louis in his career? You can't blame Biron for this loss, that is for sure, but it isn't like Tortorella is doing anything and everything to win.

*MDZ was drafted 16 spots after Alex Pietrangelo in the 2008 draft but was playing in his 95th NHL game while Pietrangelo was playing in just his 30th, as St. Louis held him back a season. Well, J.D. clearly beats Glen Sather in this battle because giving Pietrangelo an extra year in junior has resulted in a much more complete, much more polished player.

*At the faceoff dot the home side is allowed to get their stick down first, giving them an advantage. So how is it exactly that the Rangers were utterly dominated? They lost 38 of 54 faceoffs. That's pathetic and that allowed St. Louis to carry the play. David Backes, technically a right wing, went 11-1.

*Geno Grachev's hard work and good timing nearly earned him a breakaway (that was broken up by a great defensive play). So, when the Rangers were desperate to create anything offensively, why wasn't he on the ice? Grachev played 4:10 in all, not a second of which was on the power play - one of only two Rangers not to get on the ice with the man advantage (Boogey being the other). Considering this guy was hyped as a big scorer that will make up for the loss of Alex Cherepanov who was supposed to make up for the loss of Jaromir Jagr, don't you think he should get a few seconds to show what he has? Grachev and Stepan are not being placed in a position where they can succeed when they are saddled with Boogaard on their line.

*You know your team is wracked with injuries when Brian Boyle plays 16-and-a-half minutes, over three of which were on the power play. I know he has potted a career-high five goals this season, but let's get serious - it's Brian Boyle.

*On a night where Derek Boogaard's former teammate John Scott utterly annihilated Zack Stortini, Boogey didn't drop his gloves; he punched a guy with them on and took a bad penalty for it. The one so-called fight in the game came between Brandon Prust and Tyson Strachan and it was over fast. It looked impressive in the Garden but, watching the video, I'm pretty sure Prust didn't land a single real punch until after Strachan actually slipped and fell. Damn shame.

*Mike Sauer looked pretty good and he managed not to take a stupid penalty like Steve Eminger did but, when Torts decides to re-insert Matt Gilroy into the lineup any day now, it is safe to say he will take Sauer out.

*Nice miss Arty. Anisimov tried to be cute and, instead of jamming the puck through the extended leg of Ty Conklin, butchered an open net after getting it to his forehand.

*Ty Conklin was NHL on the Fly's Performer of the Night and the first star of the game, proving my theory that the professional media don't actually watch the game but instead glance at the numbers before making their decision. Conk made 27 saves but none of them were impressive. The Blues backup was barely tested and yet the MSM guys fawned over the shutout.

*Upon seeing the re-air of the game on MSG, Joe Micheletti sucks. But you knew that already. What I wanted to say was that it is pathetic that Joe and the crew decided to dwell on the Frolov goal that was waved off. Yes, that sucked. But to keep going back to that again and again while the team is playing piss poor puck on power play after power play is just wrong. The high sticking wasn't what doomed the Rangers on this night ...

*PHW Three Stars
3-Marty Biron - 20 saves.
2-Alex Steen - two goals.
1-Ty Conklin - 27 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-TJ Oshie - Oshie looked like Ryan Callahan out there. High praise indeed.
2-Erik Johnson - The young American and his partner Eric Brewer played more than six minutes shorthanded and handily kept the Rangers away from the puck. Johnson has good size and good hands and, it seemed to me, has yet to tap his offensive potential. He ripped one point shot that was wide but his form was perfect.
1-Steen - Steen, technically a center, played alongside Backes and read off of the Olympian perfectly. While he will never be as good as his father, Alex does have some of the old man's instincts and got into the good positions that allowed him to score twice - once on a feed from Brad Boyes on the 3-on-2 and once in an empty net on a feed from MDZ. Whoops.

Peepin' Foes: St. Louis Blues

The Blueshirts face the Blues on Sunday night at the Garden, 7pm on MSG-Plus. While it is sure to have more excitement than the morning's marathon, it looks like many Ranger fans have little interest being around for it - TicketExchange has over 1,500 tickets available right now (2am the night before). Sure Sunday's game is just hours away but just for a reference, that is 400 more than are available for this week's Caps game and almost twice the amount available for next Sunday's matinee against the Oil. Somehow a Western Conference team devoid of 'name' stars playing on a Sunday night at 7 isn't all that appealing ... but I'll be there, of course.

Where We Are: In shockingly good shape considering the team is still missing Marian Gaborik and has been outplayed in nine of their 13 games. Last game they were a snapping turtle - the hard shell of Henrik Lundqvist protecting the important parts while Brandon Dubinsky represented the powerful jaws that snapped at the weak spots of the predator.

Where They Are: J.D.'s bunch are red hot at 8-1-2, carrying a six game win streak into the Garden. St. Louis will be playing their third game in four nights after beating San Jose at home on Thursday before topping the Bruins in Boston Saturday.

Who To Watch For: Jaro Halak had a shutout streak of 150 minutes and three seconds snapped on a one timer by Greg Campbell in Boston. He may very well play in the Garden as he played both games of a back-to-back two weeks ago and Ty Conklin has played just one game this season. Then again, Conk-blocker is 3-1 in his career against the Rangers so either way, the Blueshirts will face good goaltending. As I mentioned above, there aren't any 'names' on this team but the Blues are still getting things done - they have only scored four or more goals three times this season and no one has more than five and no player is averaging a point per game. David Perron, arguably their top scorer, didn't play against Boston as he was still dazed from the Thornton incident. Perron has five goals, as does former Hab Matt D'Agostini. Brad Boyes and David Backes have underperformed while a personal favourite of mine, former roller hockey star T.J. Oshie, is leading the team with 10 points.

What To Watch For: A grinding, back-and-forth game with the Blues matching the Rangers hit for hit. The Rangers to be outshot, as St. Louis has done that to their opponents in each of their last four games. Former Devil d-bag Cam Janssen to play his second straight game and his third of the season, just to start stuff with Avery. Young Patrik Berglund stepping up his game against our Swedish King. A St. Louis power play that is 0-13 in the last three games. J.D. to stop by the MSG booth to remind us just how great he and Sam were as a team and just how horrible Joe Micheletti is on the air.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: A healthy Ryan Callahan (and the A taken off Rozy's sweater). MDZ to look across the ice at his old peewee teammate Alex Pietrangelo and outplay him. The Rangers to take advantage of Barret Jackman's injury to set up camp near the St. Louis crease. Fedotenko to break his two game streak of getting crushed in what should have been highly penalized, illegal hits. Boogaard to keep Janssen, B.J. Crombeen and Backes in line. Barring the Boogeyman actually doing his job, Prust to take on Janssen to re-new a rivalry that goes back to their OHL days. Hockey Fights has three NHL battles between the two of them, with Cam winning all of them so hopefully Prust will get the edge this time ... as long as it isn't some preplanned, meaningless dance.

Also Check Out: SBN's St. Louis Game Time is the top St. Louis site IMO but you can also stop by Let's Go Blues and Jeremy Rutherford's MSM blog Morning Skate.

7-5-1: Heh, How About That?

A team is outshot 33-20.

A team loses 41 of 59 faceoffs.

A team blows a five minute power play.

That team wins the game 3-0.

What in the hell? But it is true, as the Rangers beat up on the Devils in a game that was missing serious star power: Parise and Mmmaaaarrrtttyyy for the Devs; Gaborik, Prospal, Drury and Callahan for the Rangers. Perhaps what pulled it through for the Blueshirts was the ability to dress Hank and Dubinsky as they had the biggest impact in the game, Hank with 33 saves and Dubi a pair of goals. One-Way Kovalchuk was -2, had four shots and a dumb penalty.

Haha.

Some quick, stream-of-consciousness notes:

*Rozy wearing Cally's A was just sickening. It is understandable as he is the longest tenured Ranger but c'mon, it is Rozsival! Sure he has been better of late but he still is a failure when you factor in his contract. Rozy took a terrible penalty that the Rangers were able to turn into a shorthanded goal, so that's a plus I guess. I'm not sure how that is leadership though. And his reaching/diving after Kovy that led to the Zajac chance on the doorstep in the third period? Ugh.

*Despite the Devil domination at the faceoff dot, it was a rare Ranger win that proved the most meaningful. Dubi took the offensive zone draw at the end of the second period to get the puck to Girardi for the shot that Boyle tipped in to make it 2-0.

*It just isn't the same beating the Devils without them beating Fatso. Mmmmaaaarrrtttyyyy. And, while Avery had a decent game, Sean wasn't Sean without Tubby to taunt.

*I feel bad for Doc Emerick as he is saddled with the doofy court jester that is the homer Chico. Doc does such a spectacular job and Chico is a clown, it's a shame. Doc even dropped a John Ogrodnick reference!

*Stepan looked more comfortable than he has in a few games while Todd White didn't play like a guy on waivers. Both looked better than Erik Christensen, who really looked like he missed Gabby.

*Not sure who is dumber, Carcillo or Clarkson, but I loathe them both.

*That first Ranger goal came off a bad play. While Frolov thankfully decided not to do his stupid wrap-around, his pass out front to Arty was off the mark. Arty swung and couldn't make full contact, accidentally getting the puck to Dubi for the dunk.

*MDZ had six and a half minutes of power play time with which he did ... nothing. The kid has been given every opportunity to step up and he hasn't. His passing has been piss-poor (feed the guys with RANGERS on the sweaters kiddo), he had just one shot on net (with four minutes left and the score already 3-0) and his defense is atrocious. A reality check in Hartford - not just a seat in the press box - would serve him well.

*Over 27 minutes for Dan Girardi is too much. It is nice to see the youngster stepping into the role but it is a long season and he just isn't that kind of elite player. Credit should be given as he was reunited with Staal and the two shut down Kovalchuk admirably.

*Some quickies for the Devils: Matt Taormina was the best Devil on the ice, while their team captain Jamie Langenbrunner needs to be let go - he doesn't seem to have it anymore and he doesn't look like he is playing with/for the team. I don't like Stephen Gionta any more than his midget brother Brian. Travis Zajac is underrated, perhaps because of the shadow cast by Zach Parise (when healthy). Zajac was a constant threat and he went 16-3 on faceoffs. Domination!

*Derek Boogaard needs to realize he is not a scorer. Sure Torts and company want him to be a more complete player, but why doesn't he work on doing his job first, before working on skills? When the Rangers are getting shoved all over the ice and pinned in their own zone, when Boyle is boarded and Fedotenko is attacked, that is when you realize that the team needs an enforcer. And Boogaard hasn't been it.

*Didn't notice Grachev at all, which is good and bad - good in that he didn't make any mistakes under the Jersey pressure and bad in that he couldn't use his size to create some offense on the awful Devils.

*How sad are they? Or even more to the point, how sad is their fanbase? The team is 4-10-1 and you barely hear a peep. If the Rangers were failing at that rate, there would be outrage.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Artem Anisimov - two assists.
2-Brandon Dubinsky - two goals.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 33 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Girardi - The Devils didn't get a lot of second chances and a lot of that has to be due to the diligence of the Ranger defense, specifically Girardi (and Staal and Sauer and even Eminger). And, unlike MDZ, Girardi had the gall to shoot when he had a look at the net from the point.
2-Dubi - He has the hot stick right now and it is fantastic to see. Let's hope he doesn't cool off anytime soon because the team will be that much stronger when Dubi and Gaborik are both putting pucks in the net.
1-Hank - It is hard to chant Henrik's Better! when Fatso isn't filling the net across the ice but it wouldn't have mattered if he did, Hank woulda made him look bad too. The Moose wasn't even that bad, but Hank was just outstanding. He even managed to stop that bad-angle shot in the first period (by Langenbrunner?)!!

6-5-1: Philly Physicality Wins The Day

Perhaps the Rangers don't grasp what it is to be physical. Being physical is not sending out your goon to fight another goon and then getting in a few cheap shots behind the plays. Being physical is forechecking, putting the guy into the boards, forcing the play and standing up for your guys.

Physicality is what the Flyers do, and they did it to near perfection in their 4-1 win over the Rangers tonight. The Blueshirts didn't have the size or the smarts to break through the Philly toughness and it cost them.

I'm still shaking with rage so I'm just gonna start firing them off:

*Cally gets thrown head-first into the boards by Kimo Timonen and the Rangers do nothing. After a whistle, the play goes deep in the Ranger end and Marc Staal bumps Nik Zherdev from behind - not even a full check - and gets penalized. There are good penalties and bad penalties kids. The Rangers missed the chance to take the good one and took a stupid one instead.

*And the Flyers didn't take any even though Dirtbag Dan Carcillo tried to remove Ruslan Fedotenko's head from his shoulders with a leaping illegal hit. No penalty was called, and no Ranger did anything. Prust eventually treated Carcillo like a man and honoured him with a fair fight but it was several minutes later - after Prust took a dumb penalty on Zherdev and Pronger scored on the ensuing power play. It was way too late.

*Eye for an eye folks - the Flyers went after two skill guys and the Rangers didn't touch Carter or Richards. That's pathetic. Our all-so-intimidating Derek Boogaard didn't do squat. He had a meaningless fight against Shelley to justify his paycheque and some hits late in the third when the damage was already done. He did get the better shots in in his pre-planned, pointless fight against Shelley, but, as I tweeted 'people wonder why hockey players are deemed barbarians. A stupid fight between stupid players for a stupid reason.' Like Brashear before him, what is the point of having an enforcer if he doesn't enforce anything? He looked oh-so-scary in warmups stepping between Avery and Carcillo and yet he did NOTHING to defend his teammates after the puck dropped.

*I would give credit to Shelley for drawing the penalty on Boogaard and a pretty solid effort but his slew foot against Grachev - called a trip - was cheap and classless.

*Here are my notes on the goals: 1-0 Rangers power play wears down the Flyers, Blair Betts loses his coverage. 1-1 Flyers power play keeps puck low, three Ranger killers descend on one Flyer and no one bothers to cover Richards, leaving him wide open for the slap dunk. 2-1 MDZ strikes again with a horrific defensive play. 3-1 Hank softie - Z from the goal line; replay shows Hank in a good spot, hard to really get on him as his positioning was sound, just a bad bounce. Still a softie. 4-1 Pronger ppg long bomb after stupid cheap shot.

*Bettsy and Zherdev both scored against the team that dumped them - guess they will go to bed with a smile tonight.

*Two dump, pointless little retaliations that didn't physically achieve anything resulted in two power play goals against. Horrendous.

*Against Toronto I wrote "we have reached at the point where I wonder if a little time with JJ Daigneault might do MDZ some good." If Phoenix can send '07 No. 3 pick Kyle Turris to the AHL after a full season in the NHL, the Rangers can send MDZ down. And he needs to be sent down or benched. We need the kids to play and there are growing pains to be dealt with when we do but this kid's play has regressed; he needs to be put back on track.

*Right after the Rangers opened the scoring, they came back down the ice and put on the pressure. Bobrovsky made two utterly outstanding saves back-to-back and the Flyers marched back to score four straight. That was the play of the game.

*Wow are Sam and Joe horrible at times (Joe alone is horrible all the time). With play going on in the first period they spent more than 30 seconds talking about Boomer Esiason. A former quarterback with an obnoxious radio show who has nothing to do with the team other than the fact that he gets free tickets and nothing to do with the game action whatsoever.

*Erik Christensen had a really good game but just couldn't get the puck in. He could be quite the weapon if he recaptures his chemistry with Gabby. We can only pray that the Slovak's return turns Frolov into a useful player because he isn't. He has one move - a wrap-around - that just doesn't work against most goaltenders.

*Mike Sauer's slashing penalty or his part in the Richards goal could very well get him bumped from the lineup on Friday and that would be a shame. He was strong in the Ranger zone - miles ahead of MDZ and even better than Rozy, who wasn't completely incompetent. Eminger probably had one of his best efforts as a Ranger and yet he still stinks. Dan Girardi can't play 25 minutes a night.

*Sean O'Donnell is exactly the kind of defenseman that the Rangers need. He signed with Philly on July 1st. The Rangers traded for Eminger on the 9th. Too bad Dylan McIlrath is still a season or two away from the NHL.

*Proof that the 'hits' stat is arbitrary? The Flyers were credited with just 15 in the game.

*Cally, Dubi and Arty were good again but the tough Flyer defense was able to key in on them and shut them down. Dubi, who scored the lone Ranger goal, had a sick move later in the game to get inside on the Philly D but couldn't finish.

*I think it is set; next week I will order a Prust throwback sweater. It's down to him, Cally and Sauer but Prust has the edge. He did eventually fight Carcillo and can you imagine if he hadn't hit the post in the first period?

*PHW Three Stars
3-Blair Betts - one goal.
2-Sergei Bobrovsky - 20 saves.
1-Claude Giroux - two assists.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Hank - Aside from the freaky bounce soft goal, Hank was solid. He had no chance at stopping the other three Philadelphia goals and he gave the team a chance to win that they really didn't deserve.
2-Bobrovsky - As I said, those two saves turned the game towards his team. He didn't get the clean sheet and made just 20 saves but it was enough.
1-Chris Pronger - The former Norris winner is the anchor of that Flyer defense, which may very well be the best in the NHL one-through-six.

Peepin' Foes: Philadelphia Flyers

The Rangers return to Philly tonight for a 7pm tilt against the Flyers (on MSG). All of the hype is on the fact that it is the first game back since the Blueshirts shootout loss at the end of last season. But, despite many of the same names, these two teams are not the same as those that had that memorable 2-1 tilt.

Where We Are: On a two game win streak, playing the first of back-to-back and the opener of three in four days. In typical fashion, after choking in two lesser games against Southeast Division opponents, the Rangers bounced back against a pair of Original Six rivals. Now they are trading historical rivals for a current one with the Flyers.

Where They Are: Coming in on a four game win streak that raised their record to 7-4-1 and put them in first in the Atlantic. The Broad Street Bullies are playing their style of game, power hockey with the inevitable fisticuffs mixed in.

Who To Watch For: Sergei Bobrovsky. The young Russian has gotten off to a great start as the stater in the Philadelphia crease. He took over for the injured Mike Leighton and has allowed more than three goals just once in eight starts this season (6-2). Most Flyer fans I know are not yet sold on this kid, having been jaded by good bursts of play by many a netminder over the last 15, 20 years but we may very well be hoping he drives a Porsche in the near future. Claude Giroux has been red hot with seven points (four goals and three assists) over the four wins. That muppet Scott Hartnell has buzzed his fur but has eight points in his last eight games and the oft-rumoured-to-be-traded Jeff Carter has eight points over his last four. The Rangers often have to worry about their former players coming back and haunting them but Philly is realizing Nik Zherdev is a lazy, soft, one-way player and have busted him down the lineup after two points (both goals) in 10 games and a lot of lackadaisical play. Another former Ranger, Ian Laperriere, won't be playing and sadly may be forced to call it a career as he is still dealing with serious post-concussion symptoms.

What To Watch For: If the Rangers stick to their block party game, which likely won't work against the Flyers. Unlike the last two opponents, the orange and black follow their shots with physical play and the Rangers would be hard-pressed to stand up to the deluge of bodies. The battle that is sure to ensue between Dubinsky and Pronger and how Arty handles the more physical Flyers. Some Flyer (Leino?) stepping up to fill the void left by the suspended Danny Briere.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Someone, anyone standing up for Henrik Lundqvist. Hank admitted after the shootout loss that he was utterly exhausted and that was because the Flyers spent much of the game within a few feet of his crease. Well, that can't happen. Boogaard was signed for this game and he needs not to just have some meaningless, preplanned tilt against Jody Shelley - he needs to be the intimidating enforcer that Sather claimed he was. Avery to do that voodoo that he does so well against Hartnell. Someone, anyone to keep Dirtbag Dan Carcillo at bay. Mike Sauer to have another strong game and Grachev to finally use his size to stand up and make an impact.

Also Check Out: Flyer Files is a MSM blog, SBN hosts Broad Street Hockey and you can stop by The 700 Level.

6-4-1: Did My Eyes Deceive Me?

Is it possible that the Rangers truly beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in an exciting back-and-forth battle at the Garden? I mean, c'mon, no way that happened ... right?

Well, it was real and it was spectacular. Ok, spectacular may be a little strong but it conveys the delight at watching the Rangers find some success on home ice. But then again, I wouldn't be me if I didn't point out that the Hawks are the kind of opponent that the Blueshirts get their game together for - a top flight team that is an Original Six rival to boot. If they do it again on Sunday against the Blues, then I will be seriously impressed (they should put up a good fight Thursday and Friday in Philly and Jersey, respectively, so Sunday will be the true test).

Since there is plenty to talk about, let's just jump into it:

*There were a lot of Hawks fans in the crowd. Credit would be given if you couldn't still see the tags on most of their jerseys. I think I saw one Chelios and one Belfour, and the guy wearing the Belfour left early. All aboard the bandwagon boys!

*You know how the Rangers played? Just like the Islanders did against them. Facing a more talented team, the Blueshirts worked harder, hustled, crashed the net, kept the pressure on the Hawks and got the end result. A little grit goes a long way.

*A lot of grit goes even longer and Ryan Callahan has it. There were plenty of examples of it in this game but the pinnacle for me was his defensive work at the end of the second period. Cally made a shot block that clearly hurt like hell and Chicago was able to retain possession. Cally got up, limped into position, followed the play, tried to block another shot and ultimately cleared the puck. No wonder he wears a letter.

*Alex Frolov would be wise to learn something from the eventual captain. It is easy to see how the Russian was dropped to the third line and eventually just dropped by L.A. Grachev looked far better than his fellow countryman and he saw nine less minutes of ice time.

*The Dave Mathews jangling guitar line with "Woo!" interspaced in it was an utter failure by the in-house"entertainment" staff. That was almost as bad as the abomination that is the techno remix of Danzig that they insist on playing.

*Just put on the re-air on MSG and it is remarkable how Sam said Anisimov scored, Joe said Cally scored and Dubinsky was the one who put the puck in to tie the game at one. Joe then goes on a rant how no team has been able to stop their line ... except somehow the team has lost five games this year. Huh, how about that?

*That goal was a duplicate of a play earlier in the period, with one major difference. The Rangers get the puck deep, Cally gets possession and Arty goes to the far post. The first time Dubi swooped in and curled through the circle, waiting for a one-timer out at the hashmarks. That time the feed was tipped and the puck went out of the zone. On the goal, however, Dubi stayed low, camping out at the top of the paint and jammed in the puck. On his second goal he was heading right for the crease with a man on him and still redirected the Cally feed past Turco. Good things happen when you pay the price kids.

*I gave Arty some credit several times during the game and I have witnesses to vouch for me. The kid played well on both sides of the ice, complimenting his linemates. A friend foresees the three of them growing into another GAG line and, while I initially laughed, it isn't unpossible. (Me fail English?)

*When Brian Boyle realizes he isn't a skill player and simplifies his game, he is a far more useful player.

*I paid extra attention to Mike Sauer on defense and he was nearly perfect playing smart, simple defense. His coverage was solid, his passing was crisp and when he had to get rid of the puck, he did it. His partner Steve Eminger was not nearly as good and should be replaced henceforth. For all of his "experience" and "toughness," Eminger simply grabbed his man several times - narrowly avoiding more dumb interference penalties. Sure he had a decent hit or two but when the Hawks had the puck along the endboards behind Hank in the Ranger end, Eminger wasn't strong enough to win it. He can't stickhandle, he isn't a particularly great skater, his passing is dubious at best and he has no future with the franchise; I fail to see the point of keeping him around. The team would be better suited giving one of the kids the ice time - McDonough, Valentenko or even Gilroy depending on the opponent.

*It would be nice for some of the guys to help Henrik out a little bit. We know he is one of the best in the business but he really can't do everything. And he is Swedish so he isn't about to pull a Billy Smith when a guy like Kopecky sets up in front.

*Derek Boogaard? Not missed.

*Some quick notes on the Hawks: Patrick Sharp is underrated. Troy Brouwer has the makings of a really good, really strong player. Chicago hasn't adjusted to Turco's puck handling abilities. Super Nintendo Hjalmars really deserves more credit. Brian Campbell didn't show any rust for all of the time he missed. Duncan Keith likes to shoot the puck. A lot. For all of his skill, Pat Kane can be awfully invisible when the opponents limit his time and space (and yet he still scored a goal, albeit a softy that wasn't unlike his Cup winner vs Philly).

*It is amazing just how thin the line is that Sean Avery has to toe. He accidentally tipped the puck over the glass and clearly ended up in Tortorella's doghouse. When the bench got called for the too many men on the ice, it was Avery who was sent to serve it. And that came after Avery drew the penalty that the Rangers turned into the go-ahead goal in the beginning of the third.

*Hard to say who was more invisible, Derek Stepan or Todd White. Don't particularly care about White but Stepan has to get over his Garden jitters.

*Erik Christensen's goal was pretty. Many have been willing to toss away the waiver-wire pickup but he does have offensive ability. Christy had chemistry with Gaborik last season so once the Slovak somes back, he might be able to add the consistency that has escaped him so far this campaign.

*Brandon Prust is delightful to watch play, at least for me. Skate, skate, skate, hit, get the puck, chip the puck, shoot the puck, hit. It was scary to see him go down the way he did after that big hit on Hjalmarsson; luckily he was alright.

*Before we get too giddy over the Rangers, there is still plenty of work to be done. They were pinned in their own end twice during the game for more than a minute at even strength.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Artem Anisimov - two assists.
2-Ryan Callahan - two assists.
1-Brandon Dubinsky - two goals.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Girardi - More than 27 minutes of ice time, six blocked shots ... Girardi put forth a stalwart performance. When the Rangers were clinging to the lead late in the game, he was reunited with Staal and they were fantastic - that penalty he took had to be taken. The Blueshirts need to make a move to get someone else to babysit MDZ so they can keep those two together without leaving the kid alongside Rozy, no matter how the Czech has played at times this season.
2-Dubi - The pieces are finally starting to fall into place for Dubi - he is using all of the tools he has to become a strong hockey player. While I envisioned him as an Arnott-esque center, the wing has been better for Dubi and he is growing as a power forward - something you could clearly see on this night.
1-Cally - There are many words that encapsulate his effort on this night but I think one sums it up best: warrior.