As promised...

A formal congrats again to TDR on his new draft pick! Hopefully I got this day right to help fill in here. The Rangers took another two points to the standings last night in a shootout victory against the Buffalo Sabres, 3 - 2.

Like TDR, I won't bother with the recap so here is the official one.

What is perhaps most interesting is that the Rangers really haven't played a full 60 minute game, but are finding ways to get two points. Perseverance is essential! Henrik Lundqvist has had a lot to do with that, taking the brunt of this workload and shining when it counts most.

The first trio of Jagr - Dubinsky - Avery has been solid and , even though Dubinsky looks tired of late, have really established themselves as the team's top weapon. Who would have thought an agitator, aging veteran, and baby-faced kid would be leading this Ranger revival?

There has also been a lot of success by the penalty killers of late. Before this streak, the Rangers PK was very up and down, but now has settled into a nice groove and killed off some integral penalties.

But what about the defense?

It seems that Backman is what he is, a decent offensive presence culpable to a few giveaways in his own zone. At least the penalty train has slowed down. Malik, Staal, and the Tyutin-Girardi combo have played solid in their own zone, but I question what has come of Michal Rozsival?

At times he seems lost, not confident, and even overwhelmed. Why? He is not relied on as heavily given the success of the other pairings and he has Lundqvist back to form behind me. He needs to kick it into gear.

Finally, the power play (or power-less play). Bottom line: more traffic in front and much less puck possession. In fact, the only real issue the Rangers offense is having is with the offense carrying the puck too much, perhaps making an ill-advised pass, and losing the puck without an opportunity to show for it.

But hey, 10 - 0 - 3 in the last 13? I'll take it.

Jump on over to Pucks On Broadway for some other news and notes.