Duh-binsky Made The Loss / NYR 2, Montreal 3

"I swear I'm better than Brad Richards!!?"

With the Blueshirts alone on the scoreboard more than halfway through the first period, NYR Brandon Dubinsky gave the turning point for Montreal when he took an adolescent (albeit minor) penalty against P.K. Subban in retaliation for liberties Subban took against the Rangers on home ice earlier in the week.   A complete breakdown by Lundqvist and our blueline followed - lazy, panicking and simply horrible.    So what happens there, Blueshirt's Newbury in his first NHL game decides that he is the schlump to throw some fists and attempt to turn the momentum.  You sure it wasn't Prust or Avery?  No chance.  We were then treated to three Montreal goals in 2 minutes and 44 seconds.  Sound familiar?  Thank goodness this happened in the first period as the forthcoming disappointment was expected for the rest of the game.  At least this didn't happen in the third period. 

Which leads to the second period with only eight minutes left and no change in score, Dubinsky pulls another stupid penalty, this time tripping.  One would naturally believe another Montreal goal was on it's way, but that did not happen.  With the Canadiens power play taking over six pot shots on Henrik and our boys unable to clear, Dubinsky was bailed out by The King, some of the greatest Henrik Lundqvist saves of his career.   The game could easily have been 5-1.   The momentum turned when  Lundqvist was slammed by Montreal's Paccieretti -- and at that point Henrik decided he had enough and jumped him with fists flying.  Goalies that fight.  HEN-RIK....HEN-RIK....  Various penalties were given, but the Rangers were on the power play once again.

Henrik provided more 'turning point' material than Don Rickles at the Flamingo Hilton in his heyday.

So what followed was an anemic power play opportunity with 'zero' shots on goal.  Second period ends with both teams bear hugging each other and no one actually throwing down the gloves.  Emotions running high, frustrations wearing on their sleeves and Torts looking down with one period left, the refs decide the little scrum wasn't worth handing out penalties, the first sign of leniency to our boys in Blue.

For anyone watching the MSG broadcast and interview with Scott Gomez during the break, I have only one thing to say, "You're not funny Scotty...go f*ck yourself!"  Why do we bother?

I hate this P.K. Subban guy.  Cheap shot artist

The third opened as a virtual Montreal shooting gallery against the Rangers, the Montreal defense pushing forward preventing any of the puck-moving-Torts-system to be effective.  At best, the Rangers looked a version of the NJ Devils of years gone by - defensive hockey and stellar goaltending.  But behind on two goals and no shots on the Montreal, oh sorry....one shot that period by Marian Gaborik....(hiccup) we looked like the team that is only capable of scoring one goal a night, as evidenced by our loss to Montreal earlier this week, our win against Vancouver on Thursday and tonight. 

Then off a beautiful Derek Stepan feed, Mats Zuccarrella scored the second Rangers goal to give us hope and life once again.  Whew.

Then something changed the last six minutes of the game.  The Rangers took control and owned puck possession.  Multiple scoring chances, open nets and a new confidence dominated, but still unable to close a tying goal, they were given a gift from the nail-biting Gods, Montreal's Gill committed a bad penalty with a minute and a half left giving our Blueshirts the opportunity needed to tie things up.  Scoring chances a plenty , followed by an incredible Brian Boyle high rising tap toward the Habs net, Montreal goalkeper Carey Price made the best save of his career giving Montreal the win.

What we never saw in the first two periods, we saw in the last minutes of play.  Not quite the three periods of blue collar hockey we've come to expect from this 'black and blue' Rangers squad.  Two losses to the same team in one week marks the spot.  Embarrassment?  Shame?  Nah.  Just suck.

That's how I see it, but if you're interested in how MSG spins it, the Official Recap is here.

While the Rangers were losing in Montreal, the Philadelphia Flyers took to Central Park a day before our meeting tomorrow night and practiced at the outdoor skating rink.  I am sure there were some beautiful photo opportunities, but shouldn't Mayor Bloomberg have something negative to say about Philadelphia pissing in our backyard and marking their territory the day before?   Just sayin...

Maybe it's a foreshadowing of a Rangers / Flyers Winter Classic in New York City!!?

Tomorrow night.  Philadelphia Flyers 7pm.  Pray.

tdr

Injury ReHAB too slow for Rangers

RANGERS START 3rd SLOW; LOSE ONE AT HOME.

Last night was the first meeting this season between the Rangers and Habs. Or maybe we should say Hartford and Habs. Don't misunderstand, this isn't a jab at our young players who have been developing nicely in their time with the big club, but the Canadian team might have seen more Rangers last night in civies hobbling around the backstage area, than in uniform.

Read the official Report of Last nights game http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2010020635&navid=sb:recap">here.

Altogether, it wasn't a horrible game as both teams started off with some good energy and worked their advantages. The Canadians for their part showed why they had the second lowest goals against totals in the league. Their high pressure game was difficult one to get past. I was almost sure the style would be a nightmare for our blueshirts and our only consolation would be that former and brief Ranger Alex Auld in net for Montreal and whiles he's no slice of swiss cheese, he's rarely a wall. However, he was made to look like an all star as his team did their best to keep the pressure off him and succeeded. For two periods the teams were neck and neck and scratch and clawing for possession. This was hardly the shooting gallery the Bettman campaigners were looking for when shrinking goalies equipment and thinking up new tippy tap penalties to open up offense and pave the way for higher scoring games. This was essentially a defensive chess match between two teams riding their defense in the absence of some of their more offensive players. It was up to the players left to step up and unfortunately it happened for the habs before it happened for us (last night's Hab nots) as Poullion wristed a beauty of a shot, that dare I say is almost impossible to pick off when when you're trying you make yourself as big as possible in net, as a goaltender.

The other story for us last night was new Ranger Wotjek Wolski. Assumed to be an offensive force, with an underlying motivational defect that saw him moved twice already. He didn't seem to play that bad of a game. Especially considering he showed up shortly before game time and was only given one instruction in a pregame pow wow with Coach Torts: That being "Play...". It was probably best to keep it simple for a guy who probably thought twice about putting his pads on while on the plane if he was going to make the game on time. In between periods we found out a little more about Wolski. One, he's not a heavy accented Polish player who stuck playing a euro perimeter style... He grew up mostly in Canada from an early age and speaks and plays as such. The second thing we found out about him is that thoughts about free agency would have had him looking forward to the possibility of being a Ranger. I know a lot of players have said that before just as their eyes gleem over with Dollar signs and they begin to mull over colors for their new sportscar and Wolski's one game has yet to give him a chance to play like a Ranger, battle like a Ranger and above all BE a Ranger... but I have to say I like what I saw out there for a kid who was simply trying to fit in. He wasn't afraid to use his size and throw the body (God knows we need someone like that), take shots and defer to thoughts of Gabby before winding up and shooting. I think there may be a few more games for him to get into a comfort zone... but he can eventually get there... and show us what he has and whether hes worth hanging on to when his contract ends after next season. At the very least, we might have at least more than a snowballs chance in hell (with Zucc's and Wolski) in the shootout sans Christensen. Let's hope he can get comforted fast as next up is Vancouver and last night's 3rd period shows how much we are missing Callahan's energy.

Confidence Officially Lost!

 NYR 0 / Montreal 6

Could we possibly say anything that we haven't already said, you haven't already read or, more importantly, can anything/anyone provide any stability to a team that hasn't figured out what it wants to be when it grows up?  Herein lies the story of the New York Rangers.

The abomination of a game last night against the Montreal Canadiens exemplified a team that is much like a 100-year old house, rather than franchise -- one desperately in need of renovation, some new plumbing, and a complete internal makeover.  The team is slowly falling apart by the beams, a little crack here and there, and now the weathered Rangers are looking around to see why the roof is caving in.  The house of MSG is an eye sore. 

The Rangers were shut-out for the second straight game and for the fourth time in seven contests.  The Rangers have been outscored 8-0 in their two latest losses after winning their previous two by a combined score of 14-4.  Previously mentioned last post, after two huge wins taking the Canadiens 6-2 last week followed by an 8-2 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Lightning, I think many of us fans were believing that this Rangers team may be turning a corner and a winning streak was foreshadowed.  After a physically limp performance against Philly on Thursday night and now a publicly humiliating undressing in front of the Montreal fans last night, as Rangers fans we find ourselves sitting in the shitter once again -- on that roller  coaster that never goes higher than the drops.  At least when you pay for an amusement park, you generally always get what you pay for.

Here's the horrendous recap (if you are a sick, perverted fan).

Here are John Tortorella's post-game remarks.

Here is a picture of Wade Redden's wedding, to remind us that he's really just a family man and a good guy. 

I think we can all say with certainty that our team has lost their confidence -- coach Tortorella has lost faith in just about everyone on the squad, which potentially puts him at risk for 'how long can Torts sustain' this level of accountability to his players and at what point will the players turn around and blame the coach.   Time will show.  Who else can you blame when you're stuck with Redden, Rozsival, and Chris Drury contracts? 

Goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist is not to blame.  He was let down by his defenders.  Pulled after three goals, Matt Zaba debuted as a New York Ranger and played well.  Not well enough as three-goals were to follow.  Again, the D-sucked the biggie.

Pest Sean Avery was probably one of three players that actually worked harder than any last night, along with his CRASHmates Brian Boyle and Aaron Voros;  Ryan Callahan continues to work harder than anyone around him, our D-men were nothing but disappointing begging for the MSG brass to trade away one of our bloated Redden-Rozzy contracts (plus Dubinsky, etc) for a blueliner such as Sheldon Souray or Dion Phaneuf to provide stability to our blueline.   Dan Girardi and Rozzy were horrible last night.  If they can convince one of these veterans that NYC and the MSG-first-class treatment is enough to play for a hopeless team, more power to them....because SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.  

For those reading this blog for the first time, note that this is a nice post after what we've lived through this season, so rest up readers of Blue, an easy team named the Pittsburgh Penguins await us tomorrow night at the Garden --- not a test of whether or not this is a turning point, but a test of scoring a goal and avoiding another shut-out.  We don't expect to win at this point, but only to survive.  At least we spend our evenings supporting Blue with low expectations --- because when they win, we begin to take back a little of that belief system we crave every time they deliver.

Happy Sunday and LET'S GO "J"....."E"....."T"....."S"...........JETS!!!

tdr

Blueshirts Actually Make Larry Brooks Say Nice Things

Sat.  NYR 1, St. Louis Blues 4

Sun  NYR 6, Montreal 2

Take a breather folks and fellow Blueshirt Groupies, if your weekend was at Bernies like mine then you've arrived back to a hairball of emotions.  Having traveled the last six days (and missing posts -- sorry fans, it won't happen again - I promise) I woke up this morning to Larry Brooks of The Post saying great things about The Rangers after their blitzkrieg of goals against the Montreal Canadiens last night.  When have you heard the 'Torts-busting-his-chops-unhappy-since-1994' Rangers columnist says nice things like the following?:

"First the Rangers rocked.  Yes, the Rangers. And then the Rangers rolled to six consecutive goals over the final 40 minutes to bury the Canadiens at the Garden 6-2 in a rollicking game of old-time hockey. Yes, the Rangers." -Larry Brooks, NY Post

So there you have it from our creepy hockey uncle of The Post.  Take a breath.  Relax.  Enjoy.  Keep him away from your kids. 

Saturday official recap here (no need because the game sucked)
Sunday official recap here.  (no need...just believe!)

Having only seen the Rangers in 60 late last night post-game, I cannot speak to much of the above with authority, but friends at The Garden last night proclaimed it even more exciting than the shootout loss to New Jersey last week -- two equally exciting games, but this time with goals!!!!   Sam Rosen of the MSG network declared post-game the 'end of the Rangers drought', which frankly is jumping a little ahead of himself.  Yes...we are hopeful fans and it is optimistic to think our Boys in Blue have gained back a smidgen of confidence in their skate -- LOOK MA, THEY CAN SCORE!, but another 3-4 games of scoring more than 2 or 3 goals would be worthy of such proclamation. 

So for fun here's a friend's take on last night at The Garden (not a literal translation, but I tried best to articulate):

"First period, F*ck this shit, Michael Cammaleri and Brian Gionta score first period goals - that was a high-stick goal...friggin refs...calling it their way, Henrik is off his rocker again.  What is it with this team already?  Next thing you know Mara and Gomez are going to score against The King, I mean...the Prince....  (Second period & third period) Wow Callahan just scored from a delicious Gaborik feed....maybe there's hope, but another one of these merry-go-round games when.....Mama help me, Dubinsky just scored throwing himself to the net...and another....WHAT?  Lisin defending himself AND WADE REDDEN DROPPING THE GLOVES??????  AM I DREAMING?  WHAT IS HAPPENING?  CAN YOU FRIGGIN BELIEVE THIS?  GRIND MY GEARS, TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!  ANOTHER SWEETIE BY CALLAHAN... ANOTHER BY GABORIK..... PULL MY FINGER, CAUSE I GOTTA SHIT SO BAD I CAN TASTE IT!  LET'S GO RANGERS!!!  (air drum, air drum, air drum)....LET'S GO RANGERS?   WHAT?  CHRIS DRURY SCORED 2 ON 1?  THE CLUTCH MAN ROCKS.....send this guy to the Olympics!"

Where is this fist going?  It wasn't pretty, but Redden dropped 'em (I mean the gloves)

You have to appreciate die-hard Rangers fans.   I know, just like the guy who sits next to your seats.

Here's an alarming fact from last night. The Rangers snapped a goal-scoring drought at home of 147:02. The six goals were one more than they had in the previous five games combined, five more than they scored over their 0-2-1 run in the previous three games and the most since they had seven against Columbus at home Nov. 23. So there is much to be done and much more to prove to themselves before we can rejoice our new scoring Blueshirts of 2010. Against an Original Six rival like the Montreal Canadiens, a blowout of this magnitude was atypical of how we've historically played this team -- a role reversal, so we will watch with enthusiasm as we play the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night (Tuesday). As both teams have shown 'the skids' over the last months, the Rangers sit with a 23-19-7 record sitting unstable in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. We are dreadfully two losses away from 11th place in the standings so a win tomorrow night would be nice to further the distance from the non-playoffs.

Sean Avery rocks.  Brushed off two penalties in the first period, shouted back at Torts and ignored him and lit it up to defend everyone on the team.  He defies his reputation and plays great old time hockey.  Dubinsky and Callahan are two of the hardest working guys on the team --- we are finally seeing the potential....may it continue God willing.

So that's the crude recap from a killer game folks.  Check in post-Tuesday as J_Undisputed will hopefully say 'Larry Brooks'-like things about our beloved Blue-Men post-game.

tdr

Tortorella Speaks

If you missed it and you're reading this post, go here for mandatory reading. Jeff Klein of the New York Times interviewed 'Coach Torts' and we get honesty like we haven't heard since the days of Mike Keenan (the similarities are uncanny).

I do think Tortorella is a 'tone-setter' for training camp, someone who cares about the team as much as we do as die-hard fans. Even during the playoffs, it felt that Jaromir Jagr and Tom Renney left their marks on the franchise -- inconsistent style of play, tired, lazy, 'looking for the perfect shot', horrible power play, etc.

A month from now, these things will be addressed and we can thank the new coach for the attitude change.

Though, we can only hope this season he'll resist throwing chairs at fans that have a quicker wit than he does...

tdr

I'll Give You a 'Chris Draft' For a 'Chris Trade' ?

The New York Rangers drafted a 'Chris' and the Philadelphia Flyers traded a 'Chris' tonight during the NHL draft. One will make a huge difference in the short term. The other remains to be seen.

Few trade deals were made during the first round of the NHL draft in Montreal tonight. There were brief encounters between our very-own-cigar-stub-sucking-general-manager Herr Glen 'Slats' Sather and Ottawa's Brian Murray in getting Dany Heatley to New York (apparently, Brian Murray was seen sitting down at the Senators table after speaking with Slats and screaming, "No, no, no..."), but one trade overshadowed the draft for those of us living in the Atlantic Division of the NHL; a massive trade between Philadelphia and Anaheim that brings the Duck's blueline-monster Chris Pronger to the City of Brotherly Love, in exchange for Jeffrey Lupul and 2 first round picks. Tonight, Philadelphia established themselves again as a major contender, one of the strongest defensive teams on paper in the Eastern Conference. Ouch.

And then there's our new 'Chris'....

The New York Rangers, with the 19th pick in the first round, drafted an unexpected choice, yet again, defying anyone's pre-draft picks. Chris Kreider was the lucky draftee for the Blueshirts, born of Massachusetts - I wondered if there was a slight disappointment he hadn't been passed over for his home-state Boston Bruins. "HEY KID, MAYBE YOU SHOULD SMILE A LITTLE MORE WHEN YOU PUT ON THAT Rangers JERSEY....?"

I don't know much about Chris, but he seems to be lauded in the few scouting reports I've been able to dig up. He's big (6'2", 201lbs), and described by some scouts as the best skater in the draft. One anonymous scout quoted by THN said that he's "not sure there are many guys in the NHL now who skate better than this guy". Eyes on the Prize and Matchsticks and Gasoline have both done previews of Kreider; the former being rather complimentary and the latter being far less so.

The expected number one pick for the Islanders was (and was always going to be) John Tavares, the 'wonder kid' scouts have been drooling over for the last four years (look out Sid). Tavares was immediately flown by jet to the Loooooong Island (compliments of Waaaaang) to meet the thousands of desperate Islanders fans hoping for a spark. With the top pick and trading up for more of them, the Islanders look to be a contender once again.

Two of our rivals improved dramatically in one evening. Hey guys in Rangerland...! We are ready. Make the changes promised in the season-ticket letter. You got us into this mess. Now get us out and surprise us. Heatley would look good in Blue. Redden would look good in Leaf.

You know what to do.

tdr

The Habs and the Habs Not!

So The Dark Ranger is vacationing in Habs country throughout the week, staying in a lovely resort on the lake at Mont Tremblant. Subtly, I wear dark vintage clothing with New York Rangers logos carefully printed designs to remind these loyal French Canadiens that it is possible to worship another team. I regret to admit that I am somewhat jealous at the vast Quebec province of hockey followers with this team; now, the Blueshirts have always had/have a strong, loyal and important following - but we are smoked by these hockey fans in how far they are willing to go for their beloved hockey Habs. The fans wears the logos, the fans are everywhere and the province is practically governed by the NHL game of hockey.

Even the nickname "Habs" for the Montreal Canadiens was created to differentiate themselves from the other "secondary" Canadian hockey teams. Why couldn't they simply be called The Canadiens? Well, Habs is derived from "The Habitats du Quebec", that's why! We are French. Not Canadien! Retarded and cliche'.

A side story while here......I spoke with this one French-Canadian Hab lover, kids face painted with the logo, himself wearing the jersey in 75 degree weather on a random day, actually found it insulting that I would wear a blue shirt with a NYR in the middle of Habs country. True story. Why couldn't we all just get along and enjoy that we're both hockey fans and we like to dress our kids up in hockey gear?

Like ex-Ranger Sean Avery, The Dark Ranger is not a fan of the French-Canadien hockey fans as they choose to fit the negative French stereotype. Boo, boo Dark-fella you may say!!?

I personally feel that Habs fans have their heads so far up their French-Canadian arses; in love with their own team. They haven't seen a Cup since 1992 and they carry their French ancestry elitism throughout the entire league. If only non-Hab fans actually listened to them it might mean something to the outsiders. These Montreal hockey lovers hold dear to their hockey superiority like they hold onto their culture and everything else. When their team loses playoff games, these Habs fans destroy their own arena. When they play a non-Canadian team, their commentators remark on how Americans don't care about hockey followed by the redundant speech of how they've won more Cups than anyone else in the history of the NHL. Culture snobs and this level of hockey nationalism (or provincialism in Canada for that matter) creates prejudice in the NHL and life in general. These English-Hooligan-Mirroring Habs destroy their own cars & break into local businesses when they lose. The City of Montreal had to double security throughout the entire season last year in order to deter the fans from creating havoc. One might say this is a minor group of fans that is not representative of the fan base as a whole, and I accept that -- but it is shameful that the authorities, the majority of fans allows this mentality. 'Idiot behavior.' 'Idiot Habs.'

Now come on....did the Quebecios really think St. Hubert could ever truly go head-to-head with Swiss Chalet? HA! Ignorance. (I am obviously spending too much time in Canada these days, especially coming from an American hockey blogger making Province jokes).

I admit to my hockey racism.. I don't like Habs. Note I also don't like Leafs, Flyers and Devils too. I am and will always be a New York Ranger fan, and will celebrate and be critical of my team winning or not -- and I will NOT always love them, kind of like family. So if you are the Montreal Canadiens playing at home and you lose a game, head to the hills up in Mont Tremblant because a little resort on a lake might put things into perspective.

Word.

TDR

Chris Drury & NY Giants Win SuperBowl XLII

It was a 'Super' Sunday for New York yesterday as The New York Rangers defeated the red-hot Montreal Canadiens 5-3 and the New York Giants delivered one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, humiliating the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14. Both games were terrifying and exciting. Official recap here.

Okay, so Chris Drury had nothing to do with the football game, but the kind of press Drury is getting of late suggests that we might finally be seeing a little of the six million bucks the Rangers are footing this season for the renowned 'Clutch-man'. The Dark Ranger has received numerous emails criticizing my position that Drury is an "asset about to come alive" -- and I steadfastly maintain that this guy is going to contribute to the Rangers rebound this spring. My position is not a 'love-fest' (as one email suggested), it is just taking a position on someone I think will help to turn the team around. Jagr hasn't done it. Shanny hasn't done it. The standouts this season are simply: Brandon Dubinsky, rookies Dan Girardi & Marc Staal, resident instigator Sean Avery (when playing), Henrik Lundqvist (until recently) and now rightfully his turn, Chris Drury.

Yesterday when the Rangers were down 0-3 halfway through the second period (and yes, I gave up too!), Drury, who was 1-1-2 for his third consecutive two-point game, capped the comeback by scoring the eventual game-winning goal at 10:09 of the third period. All in all, and down by three, the Blueshirts led five unanswered goals and stole the game from Montreal. This was the most exciting game of the season - and they earned it. Even our coach has nice things to say.

“This guy’s been phenomenal lately. He’s been a great man all year long anyway, but it’s nice to see him get what he deserves and our team get the residuals of that.” — Rangers coach Tom Renney on the recent play of center Chris Drury.

Not that Tom Renney is the voice of reason, but he, along with the team, are looking for that someone who is going to step it up and lead by example. Drury is doing that for now. Other outstanding 'kudos' go to Brandon Dubinsky and his level of play. This kid is duping veteran All-Stars, outplaying his fellow players and, despite his inexperience as a rookie, plays with heart and tenacity. In fact, he is all heart and it shows. Sean Avery, once again, demonstrated grit and protecting your team. Fantastic show, folks -- a comeback game like this reminds us to never give up -- never say never.

On the football side of things, if we were to look at our 'Super Sunday' yesterday, you have to consider the underdog approach in sports and how the NY Giants were just able to make it into the playoffs and stage the greatest and unexpected of championships. The Giants had the perfect answer for the suddenly imperfect Patriots: a big, bad defense and an improbable comeback. Such could be said of our New York Rangers against Montreal and even larger, our Rangers against the rest of the season. The last three improbable Blueshirts wins puts us six points ahead, only three points from the division leader. In the end, we only need to qualify to get our shot in the playoffs. The NY Rangers are sitting seventh in the conference. Surprised? Stranger things have happened, but it does give The Dark Ranger hope.

So hang in there Rangers fans -- this may be the beginning of something very Dark.

tdr

What We Expect Of Our Team, Rangers 4, Habs 1

It's too bad every game cannot be against Montreal.

It was a celebratory night as The New York Rangers ended their five-game winless streak, and knocked out the Montreal Habs with four-sucker punches, 4-1. New York is 2-4-1 in its last seven games, with both wins coming against our favorite opponent at the Garden -- four wins in the last four home meetings with the Habs. It was the Canadiens' first regulation loss since Dec. 23 (5-0-2), despite eight power plays.

The system works when you play disciplined hockey.

Similar to the Rangers previous game (and loss) to Philadelphia, it was a game full of penalties by our Blueshirts, including two 5-on-3's, the difference this time our special team built for killing penalties managed the job - all of them. The defense finally played defense for a change, with the exception of a ridiculous Marek Malik turnover that could have changed the tone of the game, had the Canadiens delivered on the shot. Lucky for us.

Despite his -12 for the season, newcomer Chris Drury delivered on the first goal and looked strong as he buried himself into Habs goalkeeper Christobal Huet's far post throughout the game. It is a pleasure to see a consistent player, like Drury, playing the post looking for dirty goals. Jaromir Jagr actually skated hard throughout, Martin Straka, Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes delivered on excellent goals, and our mentally ailing goalkeeper Henrik Lunqvist looked sharp, focused and unstoppable.

May this all continue 'hopeful Rangers fans' as it feels good seeing the win; it is what we expect of our team when we are on the verge of making/breaking the playoffs.

Currently The Rangers are in last place in the Atlantic Division and ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings (21-19-5). We are four wins away from the top division seed and four losses away from the worst team in the Conference, so needless to say, the race will be a close one. In order to secure and guarantee a spot in the playoffs, the Blueshirts will have to win two of every three games for the remainder of the season - a streak we haven't seen since this time last year.

Can history be repeated? Better yet, can last night be repeated?

tdr