Anyway, what I watched was a fiercely disputed game that showcased Toronto’s Vesa Toskala and New York’s Steve Valiquette.

There were plenty of chances at either end of the rink, including several posts by each team. The score could have been much more inflated had the two netminders not been razor-sharp.

Anyway, here’s some things I noticed, from both teams:

• Scott Gomez is ridiculously fast! Unless the Leafs are particularly slow, which they didn’t appear to be save for a few individuals, Gomez is simply lightning quick. I’m surprised he doesn’t score more goals, since he seems to be able to win individual footraces against the likes of Tomas Kaberle… Gomez should definitely be taught to shoot rather than pass…
• Vesa Toskala might blow the Leafs’ chances at landing Tavares or Hedman. Really! He’ll end up winning some of those tight games, and with a bit of improvement on his shootout play, the Leafs will wind up in about 6th from the bottom. Maybe they will go after Brayden Schenn???
• Toronto has no star power up front. This team was full of a bunch of over-hyped youngsters like Nikolai Kulemin and Michail Grabovski, and then you had the third and fourth line type players who filled out the roster. It’s very bad when your marquee forwards are Nik Antropov and uhm…
• Steve Valiquette is capable of starting more games than the Rangers give him. His sheer size is intimidating to shooters, and he covers a lot of the net. I think this is key, to keep Henrik Lundqvist fresh and healthy. It’s nice to see that Valiquette can win a tight game. The Leafs were very intent on winning last night, but Valiquette kept his composure, and was rarely forced to make any “lucky” saves.
• Toronto has a surprisingly good pickup in Johan Frogren. He didn’t figure much on the stats sheet, but he played a very solid defensive game, especially against some of the Rangers’ quicker guys, like Nikolai Zherdev. Frogren seemed to find good lines of attack in his coverage. I’m not sure he can be considered as good of a pickup as that Fabian Brunnstrom guy in Dallas, but it’s a nice move for a rebuilding team…

Anyway, as you can no doubt tell, I’m trying to view things as objectively as possible. The Rangers are having a great season, but last night was a far closer game than I expected. Clearly we still have plenty of room for improvement, mainly in terms of finishing scoring chances. Tonight’s game against Detroit should show if Lundqvist’s presence in goal gives the team more confidence in initiating rushes. I’m predicting the Rangers win 4-2.

Key Players: Lundqvist, Naslund, Rozsival

It’s still weird adjusting to life with no Jagr, but then again, it’s been easy adjusting to the Zherdev era, at least as a fan, as he is clearly not rolling at full tilt yet.

However, despite what someone’s dog apparently told them at some point, Henrik Lundqvist seems fine, and didn’t really look like a player who was ever sore, much less injured.

I still believe it would be more productive to sign Shanahan than Sundin, although it seems neither of them get much mention in the NYR press these days, other than to report that nothing has changed. Realistically, I think the top forward lines are set with Gomez, Drury, Zherdev, and Naslund serving as the core of the offence. Brandon Dubinsky will hope to continue progressing his career, as will Dan Fritsche and Aaron Voros. I think Nigel Dawes will be a fun player to watch this season, as he is turning into a Mike Fisher style player who is all out all the time, and has just enough raw talent to net himself a few 25 goals seasons if he earns a spot in the top lines. A wild card is Ryan Callahan, who like Dawes is a player who thrives on his relentless effort. He’s great on the forecheck, and generates a lot of scoring chances from down low that might be converted on a more potent offensive line.

Defensively, Wade Redden has a lot to live up to in my books – and I live in Ottawa… If Ottawa didn’t think he was worth more than $3.5M per season, then what the hell was Sather thinking by offering $6.5M? Sure, the Rangers needed a puck-moving defenceman… I totally disagreed with that back during the offseason, and I still do. With Michal Rozsival and Marc Staal, you have the foundations of a very good set of powerplay lines, provided you split those guys up. Then you sign Brendan Shanahan, and play him with one of those units, and hope that someone like Dmitri Kalinin can step up to play on the point. Let’s face it, our scoring will mainly come from up front!

Finally, “King” Henrik “Henke” Lundqvist. The dude looked sharp in Europe, save for the goal in the second game, which trickled through the back of his pads after a very nicely designed faceoff play by the Lightning, that was capped off by Adam Hall. He doesn’t appear to have had more than a single cortizone shot over the offseason for his ailing knee, and that is a good sign. I’m hoping the Rangers play him a little less, maybe about 65 games maximum, and give Valiquette some starts against the weaker teams they face over the course of the season. He needs to be sharp for what appears to be a playoff berth that is the Rangers’ to lose…

My prediction? Rangers finish first in the division, third in the conference.

In the Western Conference you will see the Dallas Stars against the San Jose Sharks, and the Detroit Red-Wings against the Colorado Avalanche.

Stars, Sharks: Evegeni Nabokov against Marty Turco. Nabokov is the better goalie this year by far, but Turco has played really well, and didn’t play as many games during the regular season as Nabokov, one would have to think that Nabokov will get tired eventually. Nabokov has the edge as long as he doesn’t get tired. The Stars still don’t have Sergei Zubov, which could hurt them in this series. If the Stars hope to defeat the Sharks they will have to do the same thing as they did against the Anaheim Ducks, as the Sharks are also a physical team, however they might be a little bruised after their last series against the Calgary Flames. Technically the Sharks should win, but then again, everyone had the Ducks winning too, as the Stars had a bad end of the season, and look what happened.

Avalanche, Red-Wings: As much as it pains me to say it, with the recent play of the almost extinct Dominik Hasek, Jose Theodore is the better goalie so far, Chris Osgood is a good goalie, unfortunately Theodore has been standing on his head in the play-offs, the edge to starting goalie goes to the Avalanche. Ian Laperriere, he has got a target on his back after smashing Niklas Lidstrom into cloud nine at the end of the season. The scorers for both teams are about even, the defence however goes to the Red-Wings. This series should go to the Red-Wings, but they didn’t impress too many people in their last series, are they too old? The Avalanche have some speed, but will it be enough to win? Colorado could upset.

In the Eastern Conference you will see the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Rangers, and the Montreal Canadiens against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Penguins, Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist, enough said. Lundqvist is superior to Ty Conklin, and Marc Andre Fleury, by far. Pittsburgh’s offence is better than the Rangers, but, Jaromir Jagr has come out of his shell, that could hurt the Pens. The Pens are all offence, and didn’t have much trouble sweeping the Ottawa Senators in their last series, but the Rangers are not the Sens. The Rangers have Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, to shut down either the Sidney Crosby line, or the Evgeni Malkin line. But will the Pens be able to defend against the re-appearance of Jagr the great, Brendan Shanahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Martin Straka? Fleury, or Conklin will have their hands full in this series. The only factor that will not be one is Sean Avery, yes he can score some nice goals, which he just might, but his intimidation antics will not work in Pittsburgh with big George Laraque on the ice, Avery better hope that those two don’t meet, or else Avery can book his hospital room right now. Besides goal-tending which the Blue Shirts hold the advantage, the Pens have more explosive talent up front, question is, will they be able to explode on the Rangers, the Rangers aren’t the Sens. Keep the Pens in their own zone. I believe that the Rangers could win this one, if they are able to slow down the Pens, if not, the Pens take it.

Canadiens, Flyers: Where to start, well to keep it short, Carey Price is better than Martin Biron. The Flyers defence is slow, and Derian Hatcher has seen better days. These two teams were no.1, and no.2 in the regular season on the power-play, with the Habs being no.1. The Habs had a hard time against the Bruins on the p.p., but if they can manage to bring it back now that Saku Koivu is back then they will do well as the Flyers are an undisciplined team. Daniel Briere will be deaf when he leaves the Bell Centre, and may have to work on his confidence as well as the Montreal fans will let him have it big time. Montreal has the edge in coaching staff, and defence, as well as in between the pipes. With Mike Knuble, and Simon Gagne out, for sure the Habs have the edge in offence as well, question is, will Philly be able to contain it for seven games if necessary? Montreal should win this one, as the Flyers only impressed themselves by winning, but you never know, still the Habs should prevail if their power-play clicks, and they play their game, and don’t play the Flyers way, yes the Flyers have Steve Downie, but the Habs have Steve Begin, Tom Kostopoulos, Francis Bouillon, and Maxim Lapierre to a lesser extent. The Habs two best players in Alex Kovalev, and Carey Price, are better than the two best players of the Flyers in Mike Richards, and Daniel Briere. Should be a good one to watch.

- 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

One must wonder why the Panthers really just have such a hard time winning against such a depleted team. The fact is, even when they are depleted, they still seem tough as ever. That’s with losing Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore to trade, Rod Brind’amour to injury and Justin Williams, others as well. Yet they keep moving along like nothing has ever happened. Quite amazing to me. A team so injury plagued, they still put up a fight each night and victorious on most. Even new comers to the team like Patrick Eaves and Joe Corvo look like they could have been there all season. Is it Peter Laviolette? Or is it just the amount of skill and experience the team itself has. I’d think its both, they don’t get rattled by much. The worst can happen and they will still play their system the best they can and keep doing what they do best. Sometimes thats all they need to win games they shouldn’t be in, too.

After being denied a history making eight game winning streak, the Panthers decided to start another winning streak by beating Tampa Bay. If they want to make the playoffs they need to get about 10 more points and rely heavily on teams out of the playoffs to put up a fight with the seventh and eighth spot holders.

Unlike other teams, the Panthers have a schedule that is heavily in their favor. Tampa Bay Lightning twice, Washington Capitals twice and the Hurricanes twice. Tampa Bay, I don’t see being a problem but the Capitals and the Hurricanes just might be a thorn in the side. The Capitals aren’t that same team that you just look at and expect them to fold to teams that are making a playoff push. They are right in it as well and needless to say a much better team on top of it all, than they used to be. Olaf Kolzig? Good goaltender but Huet I believe is more consistent, Sergei Fedorov definitely helps them and I believe Matt Cooke has a bit of an edge over Matt Pettinger. With Bruce Boudreau coming in as well and doing a wonderful job, I just don’t think winning against Washington will be all that easy.

I already talked about how we can’t seem to have any luck against Carolina, to begin with. Winning against the Capitals will be the MOST important objective to get into the playoffs, winning both games eliminates them from the playoff race because ideally Florida and Washington are chasing the same spot. Both games are must win scenarios for the Panthers. The Panthers also need to at least win one game against Carolina to stay in the chase. Although the schedule looks easy, to me, it really isn’t. The Panthers need to come out and play some of the best hockey they could ever imagine playing to make it that far. There is no other way around it. This roster on paper, wouldn’t make the playoffs. They are playing with their hearts and souls into the game. Thats the way they need to play to win. Thats the only way. Florida just does not have the Michael Frolik’s and the Shawn Matthias’ ready for the club yet.

I personally could not fathom the feeling of seeing the Panthers in the playoffs, in my opinion they have every right for being there as much as the next team. It would just be so nice to overcome the “laughing stock” that the Panthers are, in the NHL. Its never easy or nice to hear, “They haven’t made it into the playoffs in over six years.” Over and over again. I blame that on the endless ring of coaches and general managers that Mr. Alan Cohen felt was needed to make this team into a winner.

Olli Jokinen has certainly stepped up his game. After the Zednik incident he went into a prolonged slump. Something not good for this club that already has horrible troubles trying to score. Not only that but its like dressing a player that is injured. He was close to useless for that time. It took him to score against Henrik Lundqvist in a Panthers win to snap out of it, and ever since he has been back to the captain clutch, that he is. That the Panthers need. That the team relies on. If there is no Jokinen leading the way and helping the team. There is no playoffs. There is no leadership. There is no hope. Most of all, everybody in that locker room loves that guy. If there isn’t Jokinen doing what he does best, there isn’t a Panthers team that has desire to do much.

- 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

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

The Islanders took the first game of a “Home and Home” series against the archival Rangers in a thrilling 4-3 shootout win last night. Wade Dubielewicz started in goal in place of All Star Rick Dipietro (who is away from the team due to the passing of his grandmother) and made 27 saves to lead Ted Nolan’s crew to victory.

The Rangers had all the momentum early but couldn’t capitalize due to the man they call Dubie’s fine play. The Islanders, who recently set a record for being shut out while posting 53 shots against Florida, didn’t record their first shot on goal until 13:20 of the first period. However, goals by Blake Comeau, Sean Bergenheim and Trent Hunter stood up until the Ranger’s Ryan Callahan scored a shorthanded marker early in the third period to tie the game (The Islanders have now given up 14 shorthanded goals this season.) The game stayed tied until overtime then went a 6 round shoout that saw both teams score once until Jeff Tambellini sealed the win by beating Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

Despite the team’s roller coaster season, fans of the Islanders have to feel good about the future of the franchise. Tambellini, Comeau, Bergenheim, Jeremy Colliton and Frans Nielsen all have played well with the big club and should form a good part of the core next year. Garth Snow may not have to be as active in the Free Agency market as he was last year.

Thursday’s game on Long Island is just another in a string of “Must Win” games for the Isles as they make a last ditch run at the 8th playoff spot. Beating the Rangers would just make it that much sweeter.

- 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

Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that the Rangers should trade for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle to quarterback their struggling power-play.

While rumors persist that the Rangers might move forward Jaromir Jagr before the February 26 trade deadline, Lynn Zinser of the New York Times believes that is unlikely since New York is bracing for a playoff run.

Jagr could become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end if he does not reach 84 points in order to automatically receive an extension of his contract.

Sportsnet’s Pierre LeBrun reports that many GM’s around the league are leery of trading draft picks and prospects for pending UFAs.

“When you look at how [last year's acquisitions] worked out for [the Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders, and Nashville Predators], you have to wonder if some teams now think it’s really worth it,” one NHL GM told Sportsnet.ca. “Especially with a deeper draft this year.”

Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette doesn’t believe that Pittsburgh Penguins goalies Dany Sabourin and Ty Conklin wouldn’t grab much in a trade if the club decided to shop them.

“There’s no truth to it,” Waddell told TSN. “None at all.”

In fact, word is that Waddell has been working this week towards re-signing Hossa. Expectation is that the Thrashers to know by early week whether a deal can be reached.

Should the Thrashers fail to extend Hossa’s contract past this season, it’s believed the club will trade him before the February 26 trade deadline.

Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon tells Chris Kuc of The Chicago Tribune that he is actively looking to improve his roster as trade talks “are starting to pick up. There’s a lot more conversation.”

“Until Feb. 26 we’re going to put our nose to the grindstone every day to improve,” he said.

However, Tallon says that making deals is easier said than done.

“With the [salary] cap, terms, lengths of contracts and all that stuff it is difficult,” he said. “We have to find a way around it.

Especially when teams will undoubtedly target the Blackhawks’ top prospects.

“There probably will be conversations with guys looking for some of our younger players,” Tallon added. “We have a lot of them, but it will have to knock our socks off to get rid of them.”

New York Rangers pending unrestricted free agent goaltender Henrik Lundqvist tells John Dellapina of the New York Daily News that his agent and GM Glen Sather are close to agreeing to multi-year contract extension.

“They’re getting close,” a smiling Lundqvist said.

Don Meehan, Lundqvist’s agent, will meet with Sather today to continue negotiations.

Meehan said: “I just got back from Europe and I’m going to talk to Glen (today). He’s my first call in the morning. I feel positive about the tone of the discussions, but we’ve got work to do.”

Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald reports that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell has turned down a $5 million a year offer from the club.

Speculation is that if the Sabres can’t re-sign Campbell by the February 26 trade deadline, he will be dealt.

A number of scouts were at the TD Banknorth Garden watching the Boston Bruins host the Sabres Tuesday.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that the Ottawa Senators need to acquire a goaltender before the February 26 trade deadline to to the inconsistent play of goalies Martin Gerber and Ray Emery.

Their expensive salaries and long-term deals make them virtually untradeable.

Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are trying to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Jan Hejda to a long-term contract.

Still from Matheson, he reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are pursuing Colorado Avalanche pending UFA defenseman John-Michael Liles to bolster their blueline.

The Hurricanes are said to be offering forward Andrew Ladd or defenseman Tim Gleason in return.

Matheson also suggests that UFA Teemu Selanne will return to the Anaheim Ducks in early February for a $1 million salary.

Lastly from Matheson, he speculates that the agent for pending restricted free agent goalie Henrik Lundqvist, Don Meehan, is trying to get his client an average of $6 million per season on a contract extension.

“[We've received] four or five inquiries from Stanley Cup contending clubs looking to solidify their back-up position.”

Meehan would not divulge which teams have come calling, but did say that the New York Rangers were not among them. Neither were the Ottawa Senators, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Meehan, who also represents Rangers pending restricted free agent goalie Henrik Lundqvist, said Lundqvist’s new contract will be “of the conventional variety,” rather than the double-digit monster deals other players have received.

Garrioch also reports that the Senators have started to shop controversial goaltender Ray Emery, though not many teams are biting at the moment.

While the Tampa bay Lightning were interested at one point in the season, they club is currently being hampered to deal due to the fact they are for sale. The Penguins could use an upgrade in net, but they may wait for closer to the February 26 trade deadline to make a move.

Now that the Anaheim Ducks have traded defenseman Shane Hnidy and cleared the $760,000 he was supposed to make next season, Garrioch points out that the club can start negotiating a contract extension with pending RFA forward Corey Perry.

Lastly from Garrioch, he reports that the Colorado Avalanche are looking to acquire a front-line forward to replace the injured Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth. Word is that the Avalanche would be willing to part with pending UFA defenseman John-Michael Liles in exchange.

Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont reports that recent trade talks halted between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Rangers when the Blue Jackets asked for forward Brandon Dubinsky in exchange for forward David Vyborny.

“My guess,” agent Don Meehan told the Daily News Tuesday, “is that Henrik will be under contract to the New York Rangers by the end of this month.”

Meehan goes on to say that he plans on phoning Rangers GM Glen Sather today to start negotiating a long-term contract for Lundqvist.

“I spoke with Glen just before Christmas and he and I have an understanding that, right after the World Junior Championship, we would sit down and discuss this,” said Meehan, who just returned from that 20-and-under tournament in Prague. “I’d expect that at the start of business (today), I’ll give Glen a call and we’ll get to work on it.”

Meehan and Sather, who are old friends, have apparently kept up discussions on the Lundqvist front for a while.

“We’ve had discussions, surely,” Meehan said. “Because I think it’s important for a player of this magnitude that everybody understands where they’re coming from.”

As for Lundqvist, he admits that he enjoys playing for the Rangers and would love to continue doing so.

“Of course, I like it here, no question about it,” Lundqvist said after practice yesterday. “I don’t just like it, I love it.”

Still, it’s unclear if the 25-year-old Swedish goaltender will offer his current club a so-called home-team discount.

“I just think everybody wants to get paid what they think they’re worth,” Lundqvist said. “No matter what you do, you look at what other guys are making doing what you’re doing.”

“But let’s say it like this: If I would sign a longer-term deal and then the cap goes up, I won’t be worried about it. If we get a good deal here and everybody’s happy right now, I don’t worry about what’s going to happen in five years or 10 years.”

Since it’s past January 1st, the Rangers are now free to sign Lundqvist without him counting against their salary cap hit this season.

The Lightning would gladly move forward Brad Richards and the $23.4 million they owe him for the next three years. And according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Lightning have shopped goaltenders Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis but were unsuccessful in trading them.

There is also word that Lightning GM Jay Feaster would like to re-acquire goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks. The problem is that Feaster was told by Lightning ownership he is not to add salary until the team is sold.

As for the Kings, the only untouchables on their roster are forwards Anze Kopitar and Mike Cammalleri.

Garrioch also notes that both the Lightning and Kings may put in offer sheets to New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist should he become a restricted free agent July 1st. Both clubs are in dire need of improvement in net, and Lundqvist would provide that and more.

It could cost upwards of $8 million to ink Lundqvist.

Having Lundqvist reaching free agency would be an unwelcome scenario in New York since a number of teams will likely try to sign Lundqvist to an overly expensive offer sheet, one that could cause the Rangers salary cap problems if they match. Should he hit free agency, Lundqvist may “receive an offer sheet for at least $9M per” season.

The Rangers already have about $19.74 million committed for 2008-09 to 8 forwards and one defenseman. And because of bonus payouts to Brendan Shanahan, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, the Rangers will have $2.5 million less in cap space to spend. That’s about $22.24 million gone from next year’s projected cap of $54.07 million.

Then of course, pending RFA forward Sean Avery still needs to be signed. That could take up a further $4.2 million a year for what could be a long-term deal.

And, so, if Brooks is right in speculating that Lundqvist could earn as much, if not more, than the $6.75 million that Vancouver Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo is making this season, the Rangers would be left with around $20 million to fill eleven roster spots, including “a first-line left wing, a first-line right wing, a second-line right wing, a first-pair defense and one second-pair defenseman.”

Bottom-line, the Rangers need to to move fast in re-signing Lundqvist in order to avoid potential cap hell. But they will have to wait just a longer. Under the new CBA, the Rangers are not allowed to initiate contract negotiations with Lundqvist until 2008, “and when it does, they will.”