- The scoring has come from all over the place this season, and this is good and bad. First, its good because that means we in fact do have many offensive threats, 3 full lines of them. This can also be bad because not one player is a sure bet to put up points consistently. Overall though, this is a good thing because it exemplifies the Rangers depth, which is key in the playoffs.

- Henrik Lundqvist is playing like the Gold-Medal winning goalie that he is, good timing eh?

- I have a feeling not many players will be rested over the next two games. http://rangers.lohudblogs.com/ reports that Shanny will be back in tonight with Avery and Gomez, while Blair Betts will be sitting out one more game for conditioning reasons.

- One more player to make decisions with is Steven Valiquette. That same site reports that Henrik Lundqvist is starting tonight. I’m liking Renney’s commitment to attempt to grab the 4 seed, as I think we would desperately benefit from home ice, but do you give Vally the start Sunday in the finale with the Devils? You want to keep him sharp, but if the Devils drop their game tonight to the Flyers and we tie them in points, Sunday’s game will be for fourth, at which I can almost guarantee a Henrik Lundqvist start. Valiquette is a class act as many of you know, and he deserves games when Henrik needs rest, but if the difference comes down to rest and 4th place, I think Vally might not touch the ice the rest of the NHL season and post-season.

Islanders @ Rangers, 7 PM, @ MSG. TV is looking like MSG 2 from my sources. The Devils visit Philly tonight, and we are two points behind them for fourth. Here’s to Philly actually helping us for once. - Rob

Now, with only one game left in March and four total, the Rangers need another spark before their (hopefully) playoff run. The candle is still burning, but the wind has been blowing in March. They won 3, lost two, won two, then lost two during a 9 game stretch in the middle of march. Now to be fair, they could have run into some hot teams at the time, but what that tells me that is the Rangers have not been consistent since finding their game in the middle of February. The Blueshirts NEED to win at least 3 of their final 4 games in order to help themselves not end up in the 7 or 8 spot of the Eastern Conference. Not to mention it wouldn’t hurt to play that well at the end of the season for a confidence booster.

Tommorow night is the key time to start this. Today’s game wasn’t what many Ranger fans were hoping for, but their was hope. They outplayed the Penguins in stints (once again, inconsistent), Henrik played great per usual, and Fleury did well too. Tomorrow night is key because we have had the Penguins number at MSG this year, and we need to continue that. Following the Pens Monday are the Islanders on the Island Thursday. The Islanders have been tough this year which is why, in my opinion, we need two points Monday to make up for today. After Thursday its a date at MSG with the Islanders and then the Sunday finale with the Devils at the Rock. All 4 games are cause for concern, which is why the Rangers need another spark ASAP.

As for today’s loss at Mellon to the Pens, I think the Rangers need to have some amnesia. Here is the good, bad, and other:

- The Rangers played ok, in stints. For Example, the Rangers outshot the Pens 11 to 4 in the second period, but really got nowhere with it. Thats how I felt the whole game. The Rangers played ok, but just not well enough. I was only on edge during the game right after Dubi scored to take the lead, I was into it. Past that, the Rangers got nowhere. They didn’t get any really spectacular chances and failed to even produce chances on the PP.

- I thoughts the refs sucked.

- Speaking of the PP, we need someone in front, constantly. It is a big key to any good power play, go take a look at Montreal’s highlights.

- Off Topic: Clarkson loses in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Ice Hockey Tourney, here’s to a good season boys!

Thats it for now, I kind of lost my train of thought as I had to tend to a small issue while I was writing this. Remember, Pens @ Rags tomorrow, 7 PM EST, MSG Network. Look for a post after it! Peace - Rob

- If anyone thinks Brendan Shanahan’s PP goal was an “awakening” of the powerplay, they have another thing coming. Sure, it was a nice pass by Gomez who did some great work behind the net, along with Shanny showing his experience by getting to a great spot and staying open; but it wasn’t because of good Power Play work. The powerplay needs to keep working on getting set up, and then moving to open ice.

- Henrik played a fantastic game last night, obviously. My question is, can he continue THAT level of play. He has always been good, but last night was playoff-caliber greatness. If he continues that level of play for the rest of spring, I feel good about our chances.

- Christian Backman. Now, most of my buddies were not happy with the Parise turnover, which is understandable. The pass choice was an awful choice, BUT, Parise made an absolutely perfect play to bat the hard pass out of mid air, perfectly to the ice without a bounce. AND, not to mention, he had to beat Lundqvist, whom he beat high glove, Hank’s weakness. So as much as it wasn’t a great choice by Backman, it was a great play by Parise. Backman would redeem himself with an absolute beaut of a shot labeled for the top left of the goal in the third to tie it at two.

- Once again, Nigel Dawes confirms my opinion on the fact that he is much more deserving of a roster spot than Petr Prucha. His hustle is phenomenal and he creates so much offense.

- The Rangers are one more win away over the Devils for a season sweet of 8-0. They will go for it in the last game of the season, April 6th, at the Rock, at 3 pm. Also its Masters Sunday :D. Next up are the Penguins Sunday @ Mellon, which will be a tough test as always.

Short post, but I watched the game with friends, so I didn’t notice as much as usual. Look for one Sunday night! Peace - Rob

- It looked as though Friday night the Panthers just plain played better than us. They were making great passes and plays to lead to odd-man rushes and wayyyy to many breakaways. I guess the defense had too much fun this break. Anyways the highlights weren’t anything special. They had good goals and we had good goals, we just couldn’t beat them.

- Saturday night looked a little differently. They got their first goal on a crash the net play at the end of the 2nd with Picard jamming it home out front, not much you can really nitpick on that. Same goes for the 2nd by St.Louis, a tip and two bounces gives them a 2-0 lead. The Rangers seemed to play much better after that goal. What can you say when Sjostrom gets absolutely robbed by Smith on the wrap around? Nothing. What can you say when Picard makes a kick save and a beauty at that on Jagr with 6 minutes to go? Nothing. It just seemed like both nights we just weren’t meant to win, so I think the Rangers should take this weekend with a grain of salt and move on to Tuesdays date with Crosby & Co.

- Henrik Lundqvist took his break pretty seriously. He kept the Rangers in it on both games and made some fantastic saves of deflections and breakaways. We need another great performance on Tuesday to stifle the Pens.

- Will Renney change the lines now? Who knows. I didn’t watch the games shift-in and shift-out so I’m not one to judge right now, but I bet you no major changes will be made. Announcers say he was thinking about it after Friday night, but who will he move? You can’t break up Avery-Dubi-Jagr now, and its tough to break up Dawes-Gomez-Shanny, so only time will tell what happens.

- As I said, Pens are up next on Tuesday at the Garden, lets hope we find our touch again. - Rob

- The biggest rumbling and evidence about the NHL Winter Classic this week came out of New York involving the Rangers. The Daily News of NY went as far to say that the Rangers have all but locked up to be the host, but with only the task of finding the right opponent. The game would be at Yankee Stadium, and it would be the last event in its history. And here is more evidence of this:

That photo was taken by a man who was touring the stadium and happen to stumble upon this evidence. Its an interesting placement for the rink. The picture is courtesy of the website NHL Tournament of Logo’s, and you can read the whole story here. I am all for NYR getting an outdoor game as I have said before, but I have a few problems with this idea and situation.

Baseball stadiums are unique venues. As you can see from the photo, the first rows near the dugouts will be closer than a football stadium but will they be high enough to see all of the action? I like how it will be a closer feeling to the rink, but I would rather have the NHL stick to keeping the Winer Classic in football stadiums. Another thing with this photo is that they would almost certainly build makeshift stands in the outfield, bringing the fans even closer. Wikipedia says that the stadium holds just under 58,000 for a baseball game. So an accurate guess with the layout above would be around 60-65,000 due to the fact that most of the outfield seats wouldn’t be used because of the makeshift stands that would have to be created in the outfield. I do not think that is enough people, which is why the Winter classic should stay in Football stadiums, where more people can get through the gate ($$$) and where putting the rink up wouldn’t be a logistical problem. If the Rangers have truly locked up the ‘09 classic, they should attempt to play it in Giants Stadium, which fits 80,000 no problem. I see a couple of advantages and disadvantages.

For one, filling Giants stadium wouldn’t be a problem. 40,000 tickets sold out in Buffalo in 37 minutes, which is a testament to the loyalty to the fans and what a fantastic event this is. Another advantage and disadvantage at the same time is that Giants Stadium is located in New Jersey. Its an advantage because the event wouldn’t be in the Bronx, but its a disadvantage because it might turn away the average fan FROM the Bronx who doesn’t want to travel. Regardless, I’m glad to see that the Rangers are heavily in the talks for the ‘09 classic. Rumored teams to play the Rangers are the Islanders, Bruins, and Red Wings. I believe the best choice would be the Bruins. The media would play off the Boston-NY rivalry heavily. If you chose the Islanders the Buzz might not grow as big because of the game being so local. If you chose the Red Wings it might become to bland. The Bruins play hard and have given NYR great games this season, and all I want is to see a hockey fight outdoors in the Bronx on National TV.

- Moving on to Franchise relocation. Being an old-tyme (get it, with a y!) Hockey-ist, I’ve never liked the rapid expansion into the Southern part of the US by the NHL. And to begin, if the NHL decides to expand past 30 teams they will surely regret it. The NHL has planted the seeds of the “New” NHL, now they need to water it from time to time and let it grow. I feel like the NHL is trying to “grow” hockey upon markets instead of trying to find Hockey markets and place teams there. There are many rumbles of possible cities for relocation above the Mason-Dixon line involving Kansas City, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, and moving into Canada with Hamilton, Quebec City, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. Teams that are involved in moving rumors are Florida, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Nashville, Atlanta, and Phoenix. First I will Rank each team in my opinion on who should move ASAP from 1 through 6.

1. Nashville. As much as Business is reportedly coming back, the franchise is in trouble. Bettman did now allow Basile to buy the franchise because of his intentions to move it to Hamilton in Ontario. I have a feeling this franchise will be on the move in the next five years though. The following isn’t enough to support a franchise with greater market opportunities out there.
2. Florida. Florida for this season so far is ranked last in % filled in total attendance. (ESPN) Although you don’t hear about many problems from Florida, you don’t hear much of anything either. When your home city is named Sunrise, your just not a hockey town. Its bad enough Florida has two teams, and at least one has to go. Sorry Panthers, but you don’t have a cup unlike your in-state foes on the west coast.
3. Next up would be Columbus, who edges out Florida in total attendance by 1.2%. The same goes here. As much as there aren’t many problems, there also aren’t many positives coming out of Ohio.
4. Phoenix. A move back to Winnipeg could be in the cards for the former-Jets. Winnipeg is pressing hard for a franchise and Phoenix hasn’t enjoyed much success in the desert since its move. There are two problems though. First, Jobing.com arena is almsot brand new and in sparkling condition. Second, Winnipeg needs a new arena. Don’t look for this to happen anytime soon.
5. Atlanta. The All-Star game might not have been a big hit on TV, but fans packed Phillips Arena all weekend. Phillips arena is another obstacle as it too like Jobing.com is in fantastic shape. Atlanta will still be around past 2015 but if its still below the 90% mark after that, they could be moving.
6. Last is Tampa Bay. Again, hockey and Florida don’t really mix, but the league will be reluctant to move Tampa as it in its short history the already have a ring on their fingers. Plus as I watched the Islanders visit them, there was a good show in the stands, especially in the 100 seats.

So basically I want to obliterate the South-eastern division, but its just a clear fact that Hockey isn’t America’s sport, so why should the NHL try to force it in area’s where Ice doesn’t even form once a year? Hopefully in the next ten years we see a northern migration. My top US cities would be Salt Lake and Las Vegas. My top Canadian cities would be Winnipeg and Quebec/Hamilton. I just worry about the affect of putting a team in Quebec city due to the strong Montreal following.

There’s a little rant for you. I’ll be doing more of this over the summer. Rangers at Panthers, Friday night at 7:30, let’s go Rangers. - Rob

All it took was 16 seconds to make this Empire State matchup really, really interesting. Buffalo gained the zone first right off the faceoff and a battle ensued in the far corner. Both Rozival and Staal chase into the corner, trouble already. This leaves Dubinsky alone, who is just below and right of the slot. Pominville is fighting for the puck in the corner. The puck ends up on Hecht’s stick, who throws a blind backhander into the slot. Pominville streaks for the net while Staal is busy sightseeing in the corner with Rozival. Pominville for Buffalo, 1-0. A rare mishap by Staal, but I’ve noticed NYR defensman making coverage mistakes more often lately. I guess thats ok, because that means that physical mistakes aren’t our problem right now, just mental, which can be fixed with coaching.

What was best is how the Rangers managed to strike back ASAP. Jagr jumped off the faceoff and got a good shot. Line change and we have Shanny-Gomez-Dawes. Shanny works it deep to Dawes who looks trapped by two Sabres. He threads a needle to a cutting Tyutin who almost mis-handles it. To Tyutins credit though, he setteled it quickly and snapped it, not holding onto it long. Miller mis-plays it and it sneaks through his blocker. A soft goal, but credit Tyutin for a quick shot and not letting Miller set-up longer. And another showing of why Dawes is a playmaker and a great passer, and easily outplays Prucha.

Past the two goals the first was filled with good action, but nothing really notable besides a couple of “routine” Henrik Lundqvist saves. It was a game the NHL must have loved. Close game, fast paced, with great scoring oppurtunities along with a little rivalry. One thing the Rangers did was spend too much time in the box. This was evident as 4 minutes in the Rangers were down 2. Henrik stole the show again with a great right pad to absolutely stuff a Sabre on the back door.

This eventually led to a huge hit in the close corner by Avery, who sent Dmitiri Kalinin flying into the boards hard. He then acquired the puck behind the net and sent a pass to the slot, where a lone Jaromir Jagr stood and fired to make it 2-1 half way through the game.

5 minutes later on another Buffalo PP the puck was being worked around. Vanek set up in front as the puck got to the left point. He deflected a waist-high shot past Hank to tie it at 2. There wasn’t much the Rangers could do here besides to not take the penalty in the first place. Later on Dawes fought for the puck behind the Buffalo net and successfully took it. He then found Gomez streaking down the far side while cutting to the net, who couldn’t finish the point-blank opportunity. If Gomez had the same touch with his shots as he does with his passes, he would be an even more lethal player.

Gomez would eventually redeem himself in the shootout later after another Shanahan snipe high glove side. Someone will eventually figure him out haha. I feel like I’m summarizing so here are some things I would like to see as the Rangers go on a mini-spring break down in Florida this week before they visit the Panthers and Lightning on Friday and Saturday night.

- As stated yesterday, our king Henrik is back. He put up another great showing in Buffalo last night. The two goals were good plays and finishes, and nothing short of a miracle such as the one he pulled on Boston Sunday would have stopped those. I have a hunch Vally will see ice in the weekend dates with Florida and Tampa Bay, bet on Florida for me.

- Penalties. I would like to see them clean up the box. I don’t mind the fighting by Orr or some of the roughings, but the trippings, hookings, and interference’s need to stop before we run into a team such as Montreal, who can kill you with their PP. I have a feeling this will be looked at by the coaches. Maybe the Rangers were just a little slow after the Sunday game. Who knows.

- The Rangers Penalty Killers need to lay off the points. We don’t have a crease-clearing defenseman like Chara who can handle two guys at once. I see this when a winger pinches out and a D man has to cover on the wing for one of the wingers. This leaves the lone D in front along with usually two opposing attackers. The Rags seem to have a habit for blocking shots and clearing the net when they have the bodies in their, so keep doing it.

Thats all I have for now, expect one before the weekend. - Rob

I didn’t catch the whole game, as I missed most of the third while shoveling the car out (unsuccessfully). But here are some thoughts:

- As stated, the king is back. He made some fantastic saves on point-blank shots and deflections, sometimes double deflections. To top it all off he absolutely robbed Glen Metroplit from an easy chip-in and then 2-pad stacked his way to another save on David Krejci. Hopefully this was not a one-afternoon stand for Hank, as it would be a great time to get hot with 3 favorable games for winning on the schedule this week. Here’s to Hank’s performance yesterday and continuing success against the Buffa-slugs tonight.

- Jagr, Jaromir. Jags looks like he is 29 again. He is cutting into seams and he is taking the puck to the net with authority. He led the team with 6 shots yesterday, but none hitting the net. Once again, it would be a great time for Jags to get hot and carry the team through the week. Lets hope he can net some tonight.

- On the other end of the spectrum is Brendan Shanahan. He looked BRUTALLY slow yesterday. If it wasn’t for his wrist shot and the cup rings, in my opinion, there wouldn’t be much use for him. Let’s hope he can prove me wrong.

- What I have noticed over the past 10-13 games is that everyone is contributing. Some may not be as noticeable on some nights, but then the minute you wonder where, for example like I did, Gomez is; he tips a huge goal in against the Isles. This, my friends, is an attribute to the Rangers depth. And Depth in a hockey team is a key ingredient as we begin the chase for Stanley’s Goblet.

- Sabres fans are basically conceding this game all over the internet today. Although this brings me joy to see Sabres fans in disgust, I always worry about Buffalo. They have a knack for winning against streaking teams. But as long as we take care of what we control (aka our level of play), I won’t be that worried. What I’m really worried about is finding the link I had last time to the game on the computer, because I don’t get versus. I will be watching this game intensely so expect a nice post after this one. Until then, stay classy. - Rob

- Henrik was sketchy Tuesday, but dominant Thursday at Nassau. He played an absolutely spectacular 2nd period to keep the Rangers in it as they decided to take a cat-nap for twenty minutes. People were questioning his confidence and abilities after Tuesday, but I trust him. I believe he is slightly fatigued, but when it counts down the stretch and in the playoffs in 2-3 weeks, he’ll be right there being the backbone he has always been. Plus, to defend Hank, 3 of the Islander goals over the home and home were deflection goals that went of two players before getting to Lundqvist.

- Avery, my boy. Tuesday he was missing in action, but he redeemed himself Thursday with a big goal in the 2nd and the empty netter to ice the game. I’ll let the picture speak for itself relating to his performance Thursday:

- With the increased offense lately, the solid defense has become slightly sloppy. Puck control and defensive coverage has been very spotty at times, which has led to trouble getting out of the zone. Look for the defense to return Sunday though for a complete game.

- Looking ahead: After Sunday with the Bruins, the Rangers go visit the third Empire State team out in Buffalo. Finally, after that they travel to Florida to visit the Panthers and the Lighting for spring break. Look for Valiquette to get his final ice of the season unless Hank chokes against the Flyers again.

Not much for now, but I had a busy week. More after Sunday against the Bruins. - Rob

Why the Fuccillo metion? Well because tonight’s ice-dance at the Garden with the Islanders is:

Yea, it’s huge.

Now I’m not a fan of calling games HUGE for a couple of reasons. For one, while the calendar turns from winter to spring, every game becomes “HUGE”.

Another reason why I hate calling games HUGE is because the term starts to be used about mid-January. Now when you start calling games HUGE then, what in gods name are you supposed to call them in march when you are playing nothing but divisional foes while you fight for a playoff spot?

But, I’m going to put aside my opinions on tonight’s game, because it is HUGE.

While we were idle last night, Boston got spanked by the Washington Ovechkin’s, Ottawa lost a cup-rematch to the Ducks, and Montreal lost a shootout to San Jose. That puts us in prime position to pick up some real-estate, and along the way possibly bury the Islanders a little more below the line.

Also, tonight the Bruins play the Panthers, Philly plays the Buffalo Slugs, NJ plays the Leafs, and the Pens are down in Tampa Bay.

All of those are favoring wins to all the teams we are fighting for a spot from. So that is why tonight’s game is HUGEEEEEEEEE-uh.

Plus Henrik needs his 30th win.

- Avery and the contract issues: ugh. I heard this first on HNIC HotStove. I have a couple of problems with this.

1) I would really like to NOT re-stich my less-than-a-year-old Avery jersey.

2) Bad time for contract talks. Yea we are on a great run, but its the last thing the team needs to worry about. Funny thing is it is probably driving Avery in his recent point streak.

3) Finally, the numbers. Many are saying don’t pay a cent over 3 mill a year or let him walk. I say give him 3.5-3.8 a year without a problem.

Many youngsters will be trying to come up next year with small contracts, which will make room. Also, what he brings to the ice really can’t be replaced. The closest replacement we have on the team right now would be Fredrik Sjostrom, but he would have to improve his English and smack talking :D.

But in all seriousness, its a tough situation.
I have a feeling he will sign before July 1st though.

Have a HUGE Tuesday, enjoy the game. 7 PM on MSG - Rob

- Happy 26th bday to Henrik Lundqvist; 8 shots, 5 saves. Too much fun last night? I’m just kidding. I’m gonna go over his 3 goals and why the three he gave up wasn’t really his fault.

1. Goal 1: Umberger was carrying the puck up the left boards with Dawes and Girardi trailing. He passed Prospal and dropped the puck to him. Girardi decided that Dawes couldn’t handle Umberger, who is now puckless, and chases with Dawes. This sets up Prospal for a wide open pass to Briere, who gets absolutely STUFFED by Hank, but an unlucky rebound allows Prospal, who just hops around a statue standing next to the crease named Fedor Tyutin, to poke it in to make it 1-0 early. Verdict: Girardi mental mis-hap.
2. Goal 2: Backman gives Briere a mouthful of his nice Synergy, PP Philly. Crazy PP allows Timmonen to get a soft wrister off from the point, with Knuble crossing in front. The shot hits Knuble’s right skate and karams to the left to a wide open Coburn, who roofs it with no problems. Verdict: Defensive mis-hap. why? If you watch the highlight Tyutin chases into the corner leaving the front wideeeee open. 3 guys on one side of the zone during a PK is asking for a rebound goal.
3. Goal 3: 4 on 4 hockey. If you watch the highlight at the bottom of your screen you see Malik check-up on Carter to shorten his gap on him. Timmonen throws a cross-ice pass to Upshall and Girardi pinches. Girardi gets his stick lifted by Upshall who then leads Carter, who swung cross-ice and easily beats Malik with his speed, who closed the gap on him and can’t touch him now without a penalty. Carter puts in a short-side backhand without a fake. Verdict: Half Defense, Half Henrik. Girardi had a brutal first period, im gonna leave it at that. Malik had a good idea closing the gap, but obviously he isn’t a speedster and would have been better off laying back. Now this goal probobly led to Renney’s pulling of Hank, because it looked soft, but I’m not in goal either.

So I don’t really feel that Hank should have been pulled, but Vally played fine. He made a clutch save in the shoot-out on Timmonen and didn’t give up great rebounds the rest of the game. I’m not worried about Hank, he just struggles against Philly.

- Sjostrom and Backman get their first Blueshirt goals, congrats! Sjostrom looks good. If you noticed the 4th line was not called upon as much as previous games by Renney, but they did a good job when they were out there. Look for Sjostrom to stay in the lineup against the Isles. His goal was a showing of speed and determination, which is what I love. Backman’s goal lifted a huge monkey off his back in my opinion. He started to receive boo’s only after being in a NYR uniform for 70 minutes. After his goal he played fine, including a nice open-ice hit on one Flyer at the NYR blueline in the third. Overall, the pickups are starting to gel fine.

- Straka and Callahan had the other two NYR goals. Glad to see Straka get one, a PP goal. He made great use of his space getting an absolute beauty of a shot off using the post for help. He then set up Cally nicely out front, who headed straight for the net and stood his ground for an easy chip-in. Malik also had two assists, making him an absolute fan-favorite right? haha.

- Orr v. Boulerice. I see the fight in 3 parts. First part was all Boulerice. He landed some good ones that Orr just shrugged off. This allowed Orr to get some really good ones in and win part 2. He kept the momentum going trying to win the end of the fight, but Boulerice made some nice comeback haymakers and took Orr down. Slight edge to Boulerice but a nice fight for the fans on national TV.

- I hate the shootout. I always have. Ties are better than the SO. Shanahan needs to start working on a deke. If any team was smart they would have their goalies sit down and watch the endless attempts by Shanny to pump-fake and shoot high. Dawes had a nice fake and a nice finish with the backhand, but going 5-hole while the goalie is moving side to side is always risky because its just a bit easier for him to trap it. But hey, 2 points right?

My final thoughts on this game relates to the title, burn the game tape. Take the two points that we just absolutely STOLE and get ready for Tuesday at the Garden against the Islanders. Until then, stay classy. - Rob

- For the love of god, and myself, Nigel Dawes proved once again why he cannot be replaced by Prucha in the lineup. Two assists, including a goregous pass across zone to Shanahan for the goal to put the game on ice, gives him four points in three games. This offense, which is finally looking threatening and potent, needs him in the lineup. The only viable option to get prucha in the lineup is to take out Callahan, who has been playing solid Defensive hockey along with providing good forechecking and hitting. If Prucha gets another crack at the lineup, he better get his money’s worth, because he’s not touching the ice in playoffs if this team keeps rolling.

- Lundqvist stopped 26 shots, and really only got beat once, the first goal, which was a nice tip in. The second goal was an unlucky bounce by a good poke-check by Blair Betts that happened to bounce in. The King is looking extremely solid as of late. Which begs the question…. Does Vally play at all this month? The only opportunity I see him playing is March 14th or 15th, when the Rangers take a spring break down in Florida to visit the Panthers and Lightning, respectively. After that its all Hank.

- Many are wondering why Drury is playing on the 3rd line. The way I look at it, the Rangers have finally found their match ups for lines. I don’t expect many changes for the rest of the year. It really is a perfect setup because Renney can now roll 3 lines and be very very effective. The only liability is Shanny, if he gets run down. But Sjostrom showed that he can sub in for any line at any time and keep up with their pace. What a great move by Sather. ANY WHO, Drury got the Game-Winner, his 21st. He now as 9 goals in his last 13 games, along with a 7 game point scoring streak, tying his career high. Hopefully he can get one Sunday. Captain Clutch is getting hot at the right time.

- Shanahan notched the goal which stopped Carolina’s momentum. It was a HUGE goal to me because it seemed Carolina was having its way for a while. Shanny will be a huge part of this teams playoff quest and run. He might get run-down, but he’s got the experience, and he can finish. He had 3 good chances last night which Ward either made good saves on or the puck was deflected. Shanny also has a 6 game point scoring streak as well.

- What can you say about Sean “heart of the team” Avery? My boy has 6 goals in 7 games and is flying out there. His talking to the press embargo has slightly lifted, but lets hope he can shut Riley Cote and the Flyers up.

- After watching Brandon Dubinksy absolutely undress Cam Ward, I decided for my birthday this summer I’m getting Jersey #2: Brandon Dubinky - 17. His first goal was a beaut. If he had put up points like this all year, its no doubt he would have gotten Calder consideration. He has 31 total points, 7 in the last 5 games. Here is the game highlights with the goal: http://www.nhl.tv/team/console?hlg=20072008,2,966

- The two newbies played well. Freddy Sjostrom showed great speed breaking into the zone and cutting to the net, with Drury almost putting home the rebound. He also showed his physical play, and had some great puck control with the 4th line. He’s a good addition and it will be interesting to see what Renney does when Orr is back healthy. Backman played ok as well. Many are upset with his multiple penalties, but I think its ok. He knows he took too many, but a little physical presence on the blue line doesn’t hurt. Isn’t that what we all wanted the Rangers to pick up anyways?

- One thing that worried me as I was watching was the amount of time Carolina could control and retain the puck in our zone. Numerous times it looked like a Penalty Kill in our zone when it was 5v5. Another scary thing was our wingers constantly just tried to throw the puck out without looking, and got caught doing it. A team with better puck-moving defense than Carolina will kill the Rangers if they continue that charade.

So the Rangers go back to the Garden and wait for Sunday. They are playing solid hockey right now, and that’s all we can ask for. I guess I want to give a warning to Ranger fans: we will not win-out the rest of the season, we will lose at least once. So be prepared. Yea its great to see us 5-0-2 in our last 7, but when we lose don’t act like the sky is falling. We are putting ourselves in great shape here, and our record versus Atlantic teams makes March and April very, very appealing. Have a good day and look for another post between now and Sunday. - Rob

1. G Al Montoya and LW Marcel Hossa to Phoenix for RW Fredrik Sjostrom, G David LeNeveu, LW Josh Gratton and a conditional pick in the 2009 Entry Draft.
2. St. Louis traded D Christian Backman to NY Rangers for the Rangers’ 4th-round pick in the 2008 Entry Draft.

Now, the initial reaction among many is somewhere along the lines of; huh? what? or ugh… But if we dig into these, Sather actually pulled out solid deals. Lets analyze the first.

- Montoya is finally gone. To me, we didn’t get enough for him. He finally gets a change of scenery but he steps into almost the same situation in PHX. Bryzgalov isn’t going anywhere and they have another hot prospect as well fighting for the backup spot. Tough luck for Al. Hossa is gone, and lets just say I wont miss him. I still think we could have got more for these two. Now we got Frederik Sjostrom in return. Sjostrom was a 3rd liner (probobly 4th here) grinder in PHX with some offensive upside. He will have to fight to get into this lineup though. Look for him to get a shot though. David LeNeveu is a young goaltender with a little NHL experience. He will probobly be down in Hartford backing up Wiikman. And finally, Josh Gratton, an enforcer type who will be down in Hartford as they need a phsycial presence. He could get called up if Orr or Hollweg go down to injury or poor play. The pick in ‘09 is always good as well. So this trade gets a B- from me. We should have gotten more for Montoya but the Rangers are gelling and Sjostrom gives us good Depth up front.

- Backman for a 4th was a better deal than the PHX one. Backman is a solid veteran defensive defensman. He won gold with Sweden at Turin ‘06 on the second D-pairing. Expect him to jump right in and give Strudwick a rest as Mara recovers from his facial injuries. I’m sad to see Strudwick get the crap end of this deal but Backman is definitly an improvement. Backman will probobly compete with Malik for ice-time. I give this trade a B+ because the 4th rounder isn’t that much and were still in good shape.

Overall, I give the Rangers a B grade for the deadline. We didn’t lose any important youth, and we added depth to a team that finally looks like it is coming together for good. Remember, we didn’t make any crazy moves at the ‘94 deadline :D. Plus Sjostrom and Backman are Swede’s - it gives Henrik someone to hang out with as he knows them well from the Olympics and World Championships.

As for Thursday, it will be a test. Everyone will be excited to see the lineup and especially Backman, who will be most evident in the lineup. I hope Renney doesn’t switch things up too much. Backman will be wearing #55 and Sjostrom will be wearing #20, meanwhile Gratton and LeNeveu are down in Hartford as expected (http://rangers.lohudblogs.com/). This is my best guess at what the lineup will/should be:

Avery-Dubi-Jags
Dawes-Gomez-Shanny
Straka-Drury-Cally/Sjostorm
Hollweg-Bets-Orr

Staal-Rozi
Toots-Girardi
Malik/Mara-BackmanScratched: Prucha, Struds.

Thats my best guess. I’m looking forward to Tommorow. Look for a preview post. - Rob

Richards is apparently heading off to the Dallas Stars, in exchange for forward Jeff Halpern, backup goalie Mike Smith and young defenseman Mark Fistric.

Meanwhile Hossa looks to be headed off to the Montreal Canadiens in return for at least one forward, thought to be Michael Ryder perhaps.

More to come…

- I’m really liking how disciplined the team is. Without Dubinsky’s and Hollwegs fighting penalties, the Rangers took a total of 3 penalties, one in the second period and two in the third. That’s great discipline. That means they are moving their feet and playing good positional hockey. Our power-play might not be the best in the league but I’d rather watch that than a PK.

- Jagr has two goals in two games. Lets hope he’s getting hot.

- Sean Avery should not talk to the press more; Since the Feb. 5th loss to LA, He has 9 points in 9 games, 6 of them being goals. There is no doubt this guy is a deep part of the team. Look for him to get his contract done soon or maybe put it off until the off-season. But I have no doubt the Rangers and Avery will get it done. He loves the city and the city loves him. And he has finally found a place where he hasn’t worn out his welcome.

- Hossa returned to the lineup with Orr back out. He was pretty physical and had a nice chance in the third that went off the crossbar. I don’t mind platooning him for Hollweg, but I think we need Orr in the lineup come March and April for his enforcer presence.

- Mara is still day to day with a probable concussion and facial cuts according to ESPN.com. Strudwick played a solid game Sunday, but I still think he, Mara, or Malik will be moved. Personally I’d like to see Mara moved out of all three of them, but we will see.

- Petr Prucha is still out with his shoulder problems, with a targeted return for Thursday in NY. The only problem with this is that the only person he can replace is Callahan, who has been a breath of fresh air. I’m not sold on Prucha this season, he is starting to look like Jagr. He has had trouble finishing this season, which is supposed to be his best attribute. You can’t take out Dawes because he has been creating offense and gelling well with Gomez and Shanny. We will see what Renney does.

- And finally, there is a lot swirling around about Al Montoya. Montoya is having another great season with Hartford and is a great asset for the Rangers on Tuesday. Steven Valiquette has proven himself a valuable backup, one that I trust. I just have such a hard time letting go of Montoya because of his potential. If the Rangers deal him though, look for Sather to get his moneys worth.

And that’s that. Look for a post somewhere between now and Thursday to break things up, but otherwise lets “spank” those Hurricanes out of NY on Thursday. - Rob

- I thought Lundqvist was his solid self as normal. The goals Buffalo got were nice goals, ones that any goalie would have trouble with without a miracle save. He played huge roles in the game with the breakaway save along with a blind save with his right pad by a tip-in attempt (sorry I forgot when these occurred).

- Drury seemed like he got the Boo’s - Thats two for me so far - At the same time he was nowhere to be found this game.

- Avery gets his 5th goal in 5 games, with a perfect pass from Shanahan right? ;D

- Mara is being called Day to Day by ESPN.com - Hopefully he gets back soon, he had a good game, along with all 5 defensemen. I saw 3 times alone Girardi broke up odd-man rushes, he’s my boy. Look for Strudwick today though.

- And Finally the game itself was a good one. Even chances and even stats. I’m loving the results around the league. They are all one or two goal games, which means every game is being competitive. Some say that the “new” NHL needs more goals, which in my opinion isn’t true. The close games builds excitement, which will put butts in the seats. And only New Jersey was a 2 pt winner along with the Rangers Saturday night, while the Isles lost their winning streak and the Flyers dropped their 10th straight (haha).

Hope you enjoy, I will probably be back later with the Panthers game tonight. Have a nice Sunday - Rob.

Well it seems everyone is moving forward from Tuesday, which is great. The papers Wednesday obviously called it choke but we’re surprisingly optimistic. Some quick side notes to look forward to:

- Drury returns to Buffalo for the first time since last season. Will there be Boo’s or Cheer’s? My gut says Cheer’s but the last time I was in Buffalo (Game 5, Drury tie, OT loss, Rangers jersey spit on.) says that they will Boo because Buffalo sports fans seem to be not the brightest bunch.

- Rumours of Handzus and Guerin are popping up. They are both in the midst of 3 year contracts with NTC’s, which is interesting. I’d pass on Handzus, we dont need another Center in this mix and he’s nothing special. Guerin for me is interesting. Although supposedly the Islanders are buyers, Guerin is a veteran leader with size and presence on the wing. But, where would we put him? Callahan, Dawes, or Straka would have to be scratched, so I have to pass on Billy as well.

- As this is not new, but the Rangers front office has acknowledged that they have created levels for its prospects for the trade deadline. The A group is quarantined and contains the likes of Asminsov, Staal, Girardi, Cherepanov, and Sanguinetti. The B list looks like Moore, Bourret, and some are saying Montoya.

- Look for the lines to stay the same Saturday in my opinion. Don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken right?

- I think we will see Valinquette in against Florida Sunday. And it might be the final time he sees ice all season.

- Prucha skated yesterday and took contact:

“It’s still sore,” Prucha said. “I can’t shoot 100 percent but the last few days it’s gotten much better. I wish I could play on Saturday, but I don’t know yet.”

Personally though I would rather see Prucha rest to a 100% and let Dawes continue to play. He might not be on the scoresheet as much as he’s been before but he still creates offense, which is what this team needs.

- Martin Straka’s status with the 08-09 New York Rangers is up in the air. A lot depends on whether Jagr returns and if Straka’s admits he hasn’t been playing like his old self.

- Finally, don’t expect major moves by the Rangers at the deadline. The only way I see a good deal going down is if the opposing team doesnt ask for major youth in a rental trade. If a deal is made, look for it to be a defensmen. The forwards have shown in the past week that they can get the job done if they forecheck hard. Jagr is here to stay, so lets hope he can keep dishing out assists to Dubinksy and Avery. Dubinsky is also my next choice for a jersey the moment he signs a long-term deal.

Small Update: Murmurs of Koivu and Naslund to NYR are being heard. Source: http://faceoffcircle.net/2008/02/22/big-talent-blitz-rumors-for-today/