Brodeur Not Amused By Avery's Chicken Dance

Turns out after the Rangers loss on Sunday was only half of the news. The Canadian media has had a field day with Sean Avery's face-to-face shield dance with NJ goaltender Marty Brodeur, and Devils coach Sutter didn't like it one bit.

So much that he personally called NHL Commissioner Bettman to complain about it. And guess what? The League actually created a new rule (from now on) to prohibit such behavior. You can imagine how relieved goaltenders across the world must now feel?

The Avery Rule Principle.

As long as Sean Avery continues to score goals throughout the playoffs (3 goals in 3 games), I don't give a damn at how he embarrasses himself. He is a good hockey player and an exceptional theatrical magician. If players were to avoid him, he wouldn't be effective.

Let them play hockey, Bettman, even if it's at the street level. You are more radical than Avery by bowing to the Canadian press and changing the Leagues laws, and your Utopian self-righteous 'vanilla and honey' hockey league will not hold the fans in the long run. What's next? Ban fighting?

Let 'em play Bettman...let 'em play!!!

TDR

Overtime Goal 'Staals' Romp of New Jersey, NYR 3, Devils 4

Well what can one say about the overtime goal bouncing off of New York Ranger Marc Staal's skate and into our own net? This is the playoffs and any goal is a good one. It was a fluke. It was anti-climatic & it sucked. Move on.... Official recap here.

Disappointment aside, the New York Rangers played with verve throughout the game (with the exception of the second period) and they were a force to be reckoned with. We still go into our second home game on Wednesday with home-ice and leading the series 2-1. Unlike both games in Newark at 'The Pebble', both teams came out strong offensively crashing the net and looking for the right bounces. Not one to complain about the officiating, but in reviewing the broadcast later last night after attending MSG, the calls did not go the Rangers direction and there were questionable & ridiculous calls against my Blueshirts. "Closing the hand on the puck?" -- when was the last time that rule was called? The refs were inconsistent -- at times allowing both teams to physically play post-season hockey and, strangely, at times 'cherry-picking' minor calls that led to power play goals.

Outstanding performances by Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury, Sean Avery and, of course, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist should be celebrated, as they are the ones who will take us as far as we may go... Scotty Gomez was quick as usual, but not the monster we saw in the previous two games in Newark. Brandon Dubinsky continues to amaze me, as he scored two goals and controlled the best of them -- he is strong and I don't think any defensive opponents expect this young-looking lad to beat on them as he does. As sad as Marc Staal must feel scoring the OT winning goal for New Jersey - I have to hand it to the kid -- here we have a 21-year old kid rookie who is playing like a blueline veteran. The Blueshirts need him and we salute him.

Then there were other standouts last night. WE NEED TO SEND HIM 'BACK, MAN.' Christian Backman needs to get off of this team -- his comrades in Blue must be entirely frustrated in his AHL-level of play and his continual stupid mistakes. You can see the penalties coming a mile away, "Oh no....you can see it in his eyes, look ...he's going to push him into the boards head-first.....BINGO." Score for the other team! (I know we have a terrific penalty kill unit, but for crying out loud!)

Wednesday will be the deciding factor in this first-round, as both teams are evenly matched. Whiner NJ Goaltender Marty Brodeur played a solid game -- chants of MAAAARRRTTTTTTYYYYY throughout the Garden were funny until they won in OT, and chants of BOOOORRRIING from MSG fans I didn't understand, as it was one of the most exciting games of hockey I've seen between these two rivalries.

One thing is for sure -- we have ourselves an exciting first-round playoff run (as expected), and The Dark Ranger will take the loss last night. It was good, solid hockey -- though, it didn't go the way we wanted, I still appreciate what both teams brought to the ice.

Let's Go Rangers!!!! Let's Go Avery!!!! Henrik's Better....!!!!!

tdr

Marty Brodeur Still Declares Himself Greatest Goaltender!

Well, wasn't that special? Official recap here.

The New York Rangers continued their goaltender dominance over the New Jersey Devils of Newark as we picked up the second win in the first-round 'Battle of the Hudson' playoff series, (2-1).

NJ goalkeeper Marty Brodeur continues to make excuses for the Blueshirts now winning 9 of 10 games this season thus far, including the two in the playoffs. Not surprising that he called NYR Jaromir Jagr's stunning goal a "lucky goal" and Sean Avery's goal 30 seconds later as "our own defense's fault.".

What a dick.

Our NYR goalkeeper, King Henrik Lundqvist, with the exception of the only Jersey goal given in the last two minutes, played remarkably well. He is now playing up to expectations and, in fact, the entire Rangers squad last night improved their performance by locking 'em down. When some would call it 'boring hockey' as the first two periods went scoreless, The Dark Ranger would call it "giving lucky Lou a taste of his own potions.". At the very least, thank God Lundqvist admits his faults.

Next up home-ice advantage tomorrow night as we take on the third game against the Devils at MSG (7pm EST). The Dark Ranger will be there with black-bells on ready to roll in another peace offering to Marty Brodeur.

"HENRIK's BETTER......HENRIK'S BETTER.....(Repeat until fade after the fourth game)

TDR

The King Rocks The Rock, NYR 4, Devils 1

Well, The Dark Ranger visited The Prudential Center (a.k.a. The Rock) and I couldn't be more thrilled that New York Ranger goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist stole the game away from Jersey in the first of the first-round playoffs this evening. Sha-Bing....!

Before I comment on the game, let me state that Devils fans ought to get out of the house a little more, as 25 percent of the house were Blueshirts (plus one very Dark looking character with a cape near the scoreboard). I bought tickets - really good tickets - yesterday, and a real franchise wouldn't have tickets available to the first home-advantage game. I was surrounded by 'my peeps in blue' and we were 12 rows behind Brodeur chanting loudly, "HENRIK's BETTER, clap, clap.....Henrik's.....(blatantly suggesting to Marty that Henrik is a better goaltender)...you get the idea. Let's just say it irked him! (Enjoy the pix of Marty Brodeur on his ass last half of the game).

Lundqvist deserves the night, as he made up for every garbled Christian Backman play and a weak defense unable to clear our own zone when it mattered. Thanks Renney! Great system - one built on defense without a Brian Leetch. Needless to say, Henrik made up for all these faults and our forwards managed to make a game of it.

Second honors go to Scott Gomez who not only rose to the resounding "boo's" he received from his former NJ fan base every time he touched the puck, he earned 'an assist hat-trick' - and provided the necessary threat to Marty Brodeur. He knows their tricks.


Special honorable mention to Brendan Shanahan who selflessly gave the open net fourth goal to Nigel Dawes - a gentleman's gesture, All-Star to rookie. Also, scoring the Rangers' second goal, this guy showed his playoff experience tonight - working Marty in net, keeping him on his toes. Thanks Shanny for showing up tonight!

Sean Avery played hard, Captain Jagr was strong and immortal, and the invisible Chris Drury played a great 'behind the scenes' act that allowed for at least two goals. Brandon Dubinsky continues to throw himself physically into impossible plays, and literally Callahan performed a miraculous wrap-around-Brodeur goal, the game-winning goal, which again pissed off Brodeur who subsequently banged his stick on the ice a number of times. Funny. Our section reiterated our "HENRIK'S.....BETTER......." chant again for full theatrical effect.


Four to one is a great start in the series, the second meeting again at The Pebble in Newark this Friday! More to come, on the Path train home bound, and finally....

LET's GO RANGERS!!!!!!!

tdr

Western Conference-Rooting interests

Jibblescribbits here.

I know this is Eastern Hockey territory here, and some of you fine Right coasters will be watching your first bit of Western conference hockey over the next couple weeks. I thought I'd give a quick guide on who to root for in these series (borrowed heavily from my own post on the subject):

#1 Detroit vs #8 Nashville:
This one is pretty easy. Even though the Red Wings are way less hate-able today than they were 10 years ago they are still pretty hate-able. More so though this year's Nashville team is pretty likable. They were gutted in the offseason for ownership issues but have managed to survive and make the playoffs. Almost a real life Major League. Despite having a pretty bland personality (I call them the Beige Wings) they do have Dominik Hasek-The Floppinator who is easy to hate.
Blogs to follow Detroit: Behind the Jersey Nashville: On the Forecheck

#2 San Jose vs #7 Calgary:
Another very easy one to choose. San Jose has Joe Thornton, as humble a superstar as there is. Captain Patrick Marleau overcame a pitiful first half to have a decent season. Jeremy Roenick, like him or hate him, is still entertaining and had a respectable season. They also have Sandis Ozolinch, a guy who nearly threw it all away and overcame some personal demons to be back in the NHL. On the other hand there's the Flames. I am a huge Iginla fan, but Mike Keenan and Dion Phaneuf are enough to make any team pretty despicable. (Personally I like having hockey be a big topic around the water cooler, and since I live in San Jose, it makes rooting for the Sharks easier). To me this one is easy...root for the Sharks.
Blogs to follow: SJ: We bleed Teal Calgary: Five Hole Fanatics

#3 Minnesota vs #6 Colorado:
Everyone knows where I'm going with this so here's why you should make the Avs your Western Conference team: The Avs mirror the Rangers in a lot of ways. They have star power (Sakic, Forsberg, Foote, Hejduk, Smyth Hannan like Jagr, Lundqzit, Shanahan, Drury and Gomez) yet the fate of the team really relies on the young stars that no one pays enough attention too (Wolski, Finger, Stastny, Liles mirror Dawes, Staal, and Dubinsky) and Even though this season the Avs reverted to the trap out of necessity at times, at full power they do play a more exciting brand of hockey. They are at full power now. So the Avs could be kind of considered Rangers-West.

If the Avs are Ranger's West, The Wild are the NJ Devils-West. Jaques LeMaire is the trap czar, and he won a cup with the Devils employing that style. Gaborik is a more talented Elias, Backstrom is Brodeur-lite. Really you could switch the teams uniforms and no one would notice the difference.

Blogs to watch: Minnesota: Wild Puck Banter Colorado: I've pimped my site enough.. so we'll go with In the Cheap Seats

#4 Anaheim vs #5 Dallas:
The Ducks are, quite frankly, the easiest team to hate in the NHL right now. I'll let Greg Wyshanski, from Deadspin, sum it up:

Selanne and Scott Niedermayer are lazy veterans whose procrastination and eventual success may lead to a rewriting of the NHL rulebook; the Ducks are viewed as a collection of physical brutes, led by perhaps the most talented thug this side of Tupac in Chris Pronger; heck, even Parros's mustache doesn't turn the key anymore.

. Brad May, Chris Pronger, Todd Bertuzzi. Add in the most loathsome general manager in sports today (outside Isaiah Thomas I guess) in one Brian Burke and honestly, I can't think of a team I would not cheer for against the Ducks. (I don't really like the Stars either, but the Ducks leave me no choice)
Blogs to watch: Anaheim: Girl with a Puck Dallas: Dallas Stars Hockey Thoughts

The Definitive Playoffs Prediction

Just before the playoffs, there is nothing better than some 'hockey expert' willing to put it all on the line - the loner - who wants to predict who will win it all in the first, second, third and final rounds. Leave The Hockey News, TSN, ESPN on the shelf, because this is the definitive guide to this week. Well, despite this someone being a Leafs fan, this someone also happens to be the guy that won the Grand Prize in my eBay fantasy hockey pool - 1st place out of 92,000 participants one year ago, so The Dark Ranger wanted to introduce a fellow blogger - The Blue Nation Leafs (a.k.a. Adam) and his take on our favorite time of the year....where your team stands in the playoffs. He may be 'dead on'....or he may stand alone. You be the judge:

EASTERN CONFERENCE


Canadians (1) versus Bruins (8) -
Prediction – Montreal in 6
This should be a much closer series than the statistics show. Montreal was undefeated in 8 games this season against the Bruins but that was with a healthy Koivu and Huet between the pipes. Boston is missing their top 2 centers in Savard and Bergeron in addition to their top goaltender and top free agent acquisition in Fernandez. Montreal lacks several key ingredients that lead to a Stanley Cup in a Stud defenseman and a “Canadian” born Captain. Seven players in Montreal with over 50 points and a strong power play are too much to handle.



Penguins (2) versus Senators (7) -
Prediction – Penguins in 5
This series could be a four game sweep by the offensive giants in the Penguins or a hard fought battle with the Senators Gerber and company stepping up in the absence of Alfredsson and Fisher the team’s top centers. The Penguins are hot; they possess two scoring lines led by Crosby and Malkin. A key deadline deal picking up Hall Gill who has played Jagr well over the years. The return of Gary Roberts can only help. 5 months ago I would have predicted a Senator sweep of the Penguins but this franchise has headed south early this season.



Capitals (3) versus Flyers. (6) -
Prediction – Capitals in 6
Only in the NHL can a team with an inferior record have home ice in the playoffs. The Flyers are hot going 7-2-1 in the past 10 but are in tough with the blazing Capitals going 9-1 in the past 10. Ovechkin locked up the Art Ross trophy and Maurice Richard trophy this season. He will have to wait for the end of the playoffs to be crowned the Hart trophy 2007-2008. Huet has played great since the deadline deal with the Habs, as have Cooke and Federov. Semin and Kozlov make this Russian force deep and tough to beat. Could this be Kolzig’s swan song? The Flyers get great props for the huge changes in 12 months. Well Done! The loss of Gagne with head injuries will be felt in the playoffs although Prospal helps bridge the drop-off. This is a young team with great potential but their team is a season or two away from truly contending. The inexperience of Biron between the pipes could be the difference.


Devils (4) versus Rangers (5) -
Prediction – Rangers in 6
This has the makings of a great battle with Gomez playing a huge role. After a slow start the Rangers are in the zone and Jagr is playing brilliant. I believe that a huge playoff by this first ballet hall of famer will have many critics shaking their heads and apologizing. Youth will be served by the strong twenty something’s and the King will shut the door between the pipes. Jersey struggled all season with the Rangers going 1-7 but won the key final game of the season for home ice advantage. Throw out all the stats because Mr. Brodeur doesn’t lose back-to-back games in the playoffs. Jersey lacks the scoring punch in a long series and if the Rangers stay out of the box they should come through this round.


WESTERN CONFERENCE


Red Wings (1) versus Predators (8) -
Prediction – Wings in 4
A huge shout out to the Predators for coming back this season after an off season sell off by Management. Timmonen, Hartnell, Kariya, Forsberg and Vokoun all left and Steve Sullivan was hurt all season. The Red Wings once again the top team during the regular season have much to prove come the playoffs. Brad Stuart acquired at the deadline brings depth and McCarthy back from retirement returns to the grind line with Maltby and Draper. Will Datsyuk step up this year and contribute offensively? Lidstrom provided 30 minutes a game of great hockey and the depth in goal by Detroit is incredible.



Sharks (2) versus Flames (7) -
Prediction- Flames in 6
The Sharks are once again one of the top 3 teams favored to win Lord Stanley. I believe that this series has all the makings off a big first round upset. Nabakov played much off the regular season without rest and could be tired. Marleau needs to lead or will be gone with the coach Ron Wilson in the off-season. The Sharks gave up some great assets to acquire Brian Campbell who has yet to sign. Mike Kennan has the Flames playing his style of game A big time power forward in 50 goal man Iginla, a minute munching, bone crushing, future Norris trophy winner in Phaneuf and a goalie he can ride in Kipper. If Calgary can get secondary scoring from Lombardi, Huselius, Tanguay and Langkow this team can go far.



Wild (3) versus Avalanche (6) -
Prediction - Avalanche in 5
Another first round upset if you can really consider the Wild to be the favorites. Colorado played much of the season without Sakic, Stastny, Smyth and Forsberg. Ryan Smyth and Adam Foote will bring great playoff grit to the table. Losing Svatos hurts but this team has great depth up front and on the backend with Hannan, Leopold and Salei. Welcome back to the NHL Theodore! It took a while to rid himself of the Paris Hilton fallout but he is back to stay. Look for Theodore to resign with Colorado in the off-season. The Wild are fast and talented but even with one of the best players in the game, Gaborik, it isn’t enough to stop the Avalanche.



Ducks (4) versus Stars (5) -
Prediction – Stars in 7
This will be the best first round series. I hate the NHL format as this could headline the Stanley Cup. The Ducks are so deep on their defense but have some holes up front. Bertuzzi needs to show Brian Burke he was worth his 2-year contract. Corey Perry needs to get healthy and quick. Doug Weight has also not played to expectations and Bobby Ryan has to show his second overall stature. The Stars are also deep with their forwards and defenseman. Landing Brad Richards was the best deadline deal and secures this teams success in the future. Riberio, Morrow and Modano creates two strong lines and Turco proved last season what he can do in the playoffs. 3 shutouts in 7 games – Nuff Said!

"Looking forward to the Playoffs and more to come in the second round!
-BlueNationLeafs

The Marty & Sean Show, Part II

It's playoffs time, folks and coming off a ridiculous SO loss to the New Jersey Devils yesterday, our New York Rangers do not have home-ice-advantage going into the first round this week and we end the regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Official recap here.

Beyond that, the game was a wash - a preemptive look at what this first-round NY Rangers/NJ Devils will look like: defensive hockey, stellar goaltending, and Sean Avery grating on Marty Brodeur! Though Avery was 'below the radar' during most of the game, this week should see the return of the most famous instigator/goaltender rivalry we've ever seen between these two organizations. We should also look toward some pretty hard hitting from the start. The first period of yesterday's game the Devils dominated with physical force, which the Blueshirts immediately adjusted to come the second period.

With the Blueshirts winning 7 of the 8 meetings this season against the NJ Devils, and with Marty Brodeur looking mortal lately, it should be a fantastic series in the world of professional hockey. With the first games in Newark this upcoming Wednesday, April 9 (first game) and Friday, April 11 (second game), MSG will look forward to it's first home games on Sunday, April 13 (third game) and April 16 (fourth game). Hopefully, the Rangers will not need more than the first four games to close out the series (IT'S OKAY TO BE WILDLY OPTIMISTIC......WE MADE THE PLAYOFFS FOR GOD'S SAKE). Let's go Rangers!

As The Dark Ranger is wildly bias these days, especially at the opening throngs of the first round - I share with you a terrific hockey blogger Faux Rumors' comments that put into perspective how Rangers fans are feeling these days:

Faux says, "If we were Ranger fans we'd be happy with our matchup. Sure we'd be wary of any team led by Brodeur, but he's human. Just do what worked 7 times this year. Also, last year Marty started to look a bit weary from all the work. Perhaps it'll happen again? This Ranger team is NOT the same as last season. Drury is on your side this time, AND there are some very hungry young guys. Should be a great series!"

It is exciting stuff and I am confident that Coach Tom Renney will remember to bench Marek Malik (after slamming our own goaltender Henrik Lundqvist yesterday) and, mostly, allow our forwards to break from the defensive posture and score some goals (exactly what they did after our system broke down after the first horrible period yesterday). The young guys will give it their all - we can count on that - the veterans have decided something is worth fighting for (i.e. Chris Drury body checking to make a point & Jagr scoring goals lately) and our goaltender has recently found his old self in net - the key to our Stanley Cup run. There.....I said it. The SC words.

Possible? Simply, yes.

tdr

Eight Is Enough (for now)

After a much needed Marty Brodeur benching after giving up three goals against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night, and after losing to the Rangers seven times this season alone, we can expect in our final and eighth meeting this afternoon (3pm EST) a New Jersey goaltender with something to prove. When the heat is up is when Marty comes alive!

This is why our kick-ass New York Rangers need to deflate him fast, taking it to their home net quickly, outnumberring them with shots on goal and take our Blueshirts message to Brodeur. Make him understand that when you whine about losing, it doesn't get you 'wins', when you complain to the press, it doesn't get you sympathy from the fan base.

In our final regular season game in NJ at The Prudential Center and home-ice advantage against this very team in the first round at stake, this game may come to symbolically represent how both teams will meet later in the week.

All cylinders ahead Rangers young and old. Today is when it means the most and it all starts with hitting Marty over the head! With the playoffs ahead, eight wins will not be enough.

TDR

Pinch Me! NYR ...THREE, Isles......ZERO!

We clinched it.

The Blueshirts are going to the playoffs for the third year in a row - thanks to the "off/one-again" hustle from our Captain Jaromir Jagr, with the Rangers currently sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand. Tonight we will play the second in a row of the Islanders home-and-home, this time at MSG -- so the Garden should be psyched! We dominated play at all times against the Isles, not much more to say about the non-qualifying and ailing AHL NY Islanders. Though, ten shutouts for The King! Bravo! Official recap here.

With the 'anything can happen' playoff race happening over the next three days, it is looking likely that we will be meeting the NJ Devils of Newark in the first round of playoffs. Assuming everyone continues to win games - home ice advantage will come down to our beating the Islanders again tonight and capturing our eighth of eight meeting on Sunday, our final game of the season...against the Devils. With the Rangers 7-0 against New Jersey this season, one would think this is a good thing - unless you've ever played against Marty Brodeur during the playoffs. With the exception of last year, Brodeur is one of the most consistent goaltenders in the league, especially during the playoffs - someone to fear. Home ice advantage with Brodeur in net would be thrilling as we all know how much he hates the Rangers, and even moreso, the fans.

"Hey Marty, your left knee pad is loose..." or "Hey Marty, how many Vezina's does it take to win a game against the Rangers?....." will be heard from every angle, so it will be up to The Dark Ranger and his minions to shake things up a bit. This 'aint no job for Dancing Larry/Grandma -- this is real business, true hockey. Some other things...

Coach Tom Renney needs to allow our players to offensively throw themselves into the Devils defensive system -- let them loose and make the dirty goals. Most of our meetings this season were due to our penetrating their defensive system -- allowing our rookies and sharpshooters to get into the net, get Sean Avery back into Marty's face, shaking them up in their zone, etc. If Renney employs our defensive zone system against the 'king of defensive zone' Devils - then we will be at a disadvantage throughout the first round.

It is time to let loose and play some playoff hockey. Dark lurks above the Garden, ready to take on anyone at the Garden wearing red & white, but let's sweep these Isles and build up a tad more confidence for Sunday.

tdr

"All Hail The King & Our New Captain!" NYR, 2, Pittsburgh 1 OT

With four minutes left in the third period, after watching the New York Rangers play an electric game of playoff-style hockey against the Pittsburgh Penguins last evening (their second meeting in two days) - hard checking, smashing hits, breakaways, super duper goaltending, post-hit shooting, Avery fighting giants - a familiar feeling was creeping into The Dark Ranger's belly, that feeling that something was going to go wrong and the Penguins were going to capitalize on some Backman or Rozzy turnover....

I couldn't have been more wrong. Official recap here.

The game belonged to Chris Drury and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

Drury scored a power-play goal 1:46 into overtime, giving the New York Rangers a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday night. Drury has scored in overtime four times and has notched 44 NHL game-winners, including seven this season. The Dark Ranger declares Chris Drury our unofficial Captain of the New York Rangers, as he is someone to build the franchise around. Many in the blogosphere criticized Dark for breaking ranks and celebrating Drury and his potential mid-way through the fall -- at the time, he wasn't scoring goals, but he was doing everything else that didn't register in the stats. He remains the ultimate playmaker and, most likely, our future "Captain of the Blueshirts" (no relation to another Rangers superhero - The Dark Ranger).

"The King" was the master yesterday. It is obvious Henrik's magic is gaining momentum and hopefully he will sustain it through a successful playoff run. (crossing fingers) I am beginning to believe again, willing to go on the edge and wait. Hank...don't let me down!

Our Blueshirts (41-27-11) were eliminated from the division race Sunday when they lost the opener of the home-and-home series in Pittsburgh, after last evening's victory we jumped to fifth in the Eastern Conference - one point ahead of the Ottawa Senators. We are tied in points with the fourth-place New Jersey Devils, but are behind because they have two fewer wins.

This week we go to the Island to capture two more wins (optimism, folks!) and ending the regular season against our cross-Hudson rivals, The NJ Devils of Newark. We are 7-0 against NJ this season and another win would likely just piss-them-off going into a potential first-round playoff run against them. It's possible and that would make for some great hockey.

Three more to go....we might actually do something right this week.

tdr

The Playoffs Are Ours To Lose, NYR 1, Pittsburgh 3

It's a four team race for three slots -- The New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins are all tie with 91 points, respectively holding the final 6th, 7th and 8th (last) slot for the playoffs. Washington is sitting with 89 points and four wins, racing up the rankings. With one week left of the regular season - the Rangers have a game in hand over most of them, one of them will be left out of this game of musical chairs.

Official recap here.

Yesterday, the Rangers poorly lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins -- I wanted to say the 'red hot' Penguins, but that wasn't the case. Yes...they are on top of the standings. Yes...with Crosby, Hossa and Malkin in the lineup they are on fire. Yes...they are a perfect blend of rookie and veteran power. But...the Blueshirts contained them most of the game and this is the problem.

The first goal scored by Ranger's Brandon Dubinsky was followed by our famous Coach Tom Renney defensive system, the system where we allow the opposing team to abuse our goaltender - Henrik Lundqvist - who, by the way, made some marvelous stops. Our defense should never allow so much penetration into our zone - Michal Rozsival remembered to start playing defense half-way-through the third period and the defense in general was tragic from start to finish. Our forwards played stronger defense, which is part of the larger problem I see with how Tom Renney is running this team. (What else is new?)

There seemed a point in time in February when all defensive laws were broken and the Rangers went on a scoring spree every game, uninhibited playmaking over three periods. We let in more goals, but we became the power scoring team we were supposed to be in the pre-season. We once again need the first two lines to go straight into the net and look for the dirty goals - the Drury goals. It's all looking a little too pretty out there again -- they must be listening to Jagr once again. Crap.

Our perimeter power play is 'Punked' - no helping it. We scored 1 for 3 yesterday, a huge improvement over all of January, February and March, but we allowed double digit penalties and now have to rely on killing penalties to be competitive. If one were to consider what it will take to exceed and excel in the playoffs, our power play unit is the greatest obstacle. We might as well put Christian Backman, Colton Orr and Ryan Hollweg in the power play unit -- sounds outrageous, but ironically and sadly, it couldn't get any worse (I DON'T MEAN IT EITHER!)

Four more games - another Pittsburgh game tonight -- this time at MSG -- two against our bitter rival and non-playoff nemesis NY Islanders and our final eighth meeting against the NJ Devils next Sunday. That closes the season, folks. A strange season at that.

I keep thinking we're a 'shoe-in' for the post-season. Then I think the teams behind us keep winning games and we don't. Tonight is a deciding factor in all of this, so until then....

tdr

It's That 'Ole Devil Magic, NYR 3, Devils 2 - in regulation!

Official recap here.

The New York Rangers have taken seven wins out of seven meetings this season against our rival across the Hudson. Not since the 1967-68 season have the Rangers beaten the same team in one season seven times in a row (then against the Toronto Maple Leafs).

Special thanks go to Scott Gomez's sore ribs who allowed him to keep his former comrades playing chase all game long. The Dark Ranger gives a huge 'shout out' to Chris Drury who miraculously anticipated the game-winning 'human-shuffleboard-goal' by Nigel Dawes - a goal that will remain a masterpiece. 'You Go, Christopher!" As Rangers Coach Tom Renney pointed out "As ugly as it was, it was pretty."

For anyone that missed this one.... A pass by Chris Drury, who assisted on every New York goal, hit the skate of Devils defenceman Sheldon Brookbank and caromed in on Brodeur. He steered the puck into the onrushing Dawes, on the ice after being knocked down by Travis Zajac. Both players barreled into the crease, with Dawes pushing the puck over the line with his shoulder with 3:06 left. A work of art.

New York Ranger Goalkeeper "King" Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves for his 35th win, earning back his royalty for a night. His nemesis, Devils goalkeeper Marty Brodeur, on the other hand, is a whiny little bitch who again post-game decided not to take any responsibility for the seven out of seven losses to the Rangers. Even last week's win against the Devils, Marty-the-Whiner lost in a shootout -- again to Nigel Dawes -- and suggested to the press that Nigel never meant to shoot in the direction he did, therefore, declaring it was luck that gave the goal to rookie Dawes. How dare him! Last night - the 'sliding win-goal' was the work of The Dark Ranger and my spells, and to Mr. Brodeur.....pure karma!

Eat it Jersey! A couple in Pittsburgh to go, a couple more on the Island and then one more to go at the end of our season -- Rangers vs. Devils -- so don't you worry Mr. Self-Proclaimed Marty Greatest Goalkeeper in the World......after eight losses to the Blueshirts, they don't let you back in Manhattan if you lose one more. You only get nine lives you big whining pussy.

tdr

The Ying & The Yang, NYR 1, Flyers 2 OT (UPDATED)

So perhaps New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather was right in not giving Sean Avery everything he asked for in their contract extension talks? With Sean Avery a free agent come July 1, there is little question that Sean Avery brings an atmosphere to the game that benefits the fans and the Rangers -- his track record when he plays severely outweighs the negatives, but... Last night was one 'hellava' negative.

Official recap here.

Reaching overtime for the second consecutive and back-to-back meetings against the Philadelphia Flyers, this time it was our 'wonder-kid' Sean Avery delivering a horribly misguided pass to Flyer Jason Smith that led to Phillys' Mike Richard's game winning breakaway. The Flyers dominated the OT and the Rangers were a victim of their own system; there were few opportunities to score to take the game. It was Sean Avery who made himself available on a 3-on-2 in the Philly zone when he made the lethal pass to Smith. He knew it. You could see it in his face after Philly scored, further evidenced by his broken hockey stick after subsequently slamming it down into pieces.

It can be argued that this was only one major mistake in a long season, but it can also be argued that when you are playing playoff hockey at the end of the season that these are the meaningful moments, when everything counts. Sloppy play is not tolerated when you are a 'loss and a half' from not qualifying for the playoffs. We gained a valuable point, but we ate two in a row to the Flyers. Damn it!

Last night Sean Avery lost some negotiating leverage come the off-season. Last night we lost the game because of (UPDATED)....Sean Avery, Marek Malik, Henrik Lundqvist, Bucklehead Backman and the entire team for their laziness, shortsightedness and lack of passion!!!!!!!!!!

tdr

It's Like Tin Foil On Your Cavity, Flyers 4, Rangers 3 SO

How else to describe a loss to Philadelphia? The matchups between the Flyers and The New York Rangers are always the good ones - the rivalry, the brutality, the real hockey of it all. Watching the game felt like a really bad date that ended with disappointment, or better yet, after a night of drinks, with the stomach churning, you're leaning over the toilet bowl staring at the water and nothing is coming out. , but needless to say we took a point in our standings maintaining the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference - still four points ahead of the Flyers eight spot.

Official recap here.

It was a hell of a third period. Three goals in the last eight minutes and an overtime that actually made me think we might win the game and pull out another 'steal' during our run to the playoffs. The first and second periods, the New York Rangers were lifeless as the Philadelphia Flyers put up a defensive zone and neutered our offense. Mind you, there were plenty of opportunities to score. We just didn't....until the third BONANZA!!!! With a scoreless overtime, we were left playing a team with one of the worst shootout records in the league....and our backup goalie. I wasn't confident with this and my instincts were correct. He failed miserably -- our King Henrik Lundqvist was sorely missed (Scotty Hockey suggests in his recap that Renney should have, perhaps, put Lundqvist in for the shootout -- I think a great idea on paper, but not the right thing to do as Valiquette deserved every fair opportunity to play it through. Well, Scotty was right.)

Scott Gomez took an alarming "Brian Boytano" (sp?) slide into the boards leaving him out for the rest of the game and perhaps the next week or so (some undisclosed upper body injury). Stephen Valiquette played a fairly solid game in goal for the Rangers, a great coaching choice by Tom Renney - as he has only found success playing against Philly this season.

Rematch against Philly this Tuesday. Feeling good....despite the lack of sleep.

tdr

The New Jersey Devil Caught, NYR 2, NJ 1. SO

Breaking news that the once rumored monster that roams The Pine Barrens, a.k.a The Jersey Devil, has been caught and tamed and now housed in a brand new facility in the middle of a dump of a city, a.k.a The Prudential Center/Newark.

The Rangers, of New York, crossed state lines to shutdown this Devil, shame it and suppress it's appetite by whipping it six times. Though the Beast remains a threat to all, and especially the mortal Rangers, it is the first time in 15 years these Devil catchers have been able to beat The Devil himself at every encounter in one season.

The people of New York can now grow the barley, seed the corn and drink the meed in peace knowing The Beast is in containment. Though still a threat, there are well documented diseases associated with this monster; one should dread a case of "parisse" or "elias", or the lethal "hanus-Brodeur", also strangely named 'Marty.'. If you come into contact with any of these bumps on the skin or anyone sympathetic with the treatment of the wretched monster, laugh at them in public and call them names, such as 'Gomez' or 'Rafalski' to get under their skin.

Do not fret, they will know the sins of sinners - they will soon come to know that supporters of 25 dollar parking are abusive folk and not worthy of social recognition. While you are at it, strike them down with a club or kick at their shins. This will remind them they are the lowest of society and it's charms.

The Devil will remain beaten, so no worries, folks!

TDR

Jagr's Invisible Triumph, NY Rangers 5, Penguins 2

Official recap here.

When you are not able to score traditional goals, why not take the non-traditional approach by lifting the net and scoring on your opponent from behind the net? Such was the case last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins and it didn't count. Damn those replay cameras.

Here is the story of Jaromir Jagr, our dear Rangers Captain, who is unlikely to hit the minimums required to re-sign him after this season and will most likely become a free agent this upcoming July if the Blueshirts do not make it past the first round of playoffs (or the playoffs themselves for that matter). The latter part of this season, we've seen a solid Jags (albeit slow) who is contributing to the team as a whole as opposed to his historical dominating the team in number of points; for example, last evening at the Garden, Jagr set up a brilliant pass to the Sean Avery goal - which was followed by a "Re-Sign Avery, Re-Sign Avery" chant throughout the Garden loyal. In some ways he has become the invisible player -- sometimes actually invisible and non-present and more recently the player willing to make the plays to win games. He is uninterested in the stats, the glory - but you can bet come July 1 he is damn interested in that $7 million dollar paycheck!

On the heels of Captain Jagr is our newest hero Chris Drury who continues to give everything he has to our Rangers -- the Drury investment is paying off as he creates scoring opportunities, makes defensive iron curtains when our own defense does not and is not afraid to place himself in harm's way with seconds left. He is undoubtedly our greatest asset in the long haul and last evening was again not recognized for his efforts in bringing home the win against Pittsburgh.

The NY Rangers remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, only three points from not making the playoffs, but last night was pivotal in maintaining our place as all teams competing are five to six points away from each other and all winning games. The Rangers have nine games left, all against division rivals -- which is good news as the Rangers have won more games in our division versus the rest of the NHL.

Last night the score should have been 5-0, as the two goals scored against goaltender Henrik Lundqvist were soft -- both scored on silly mistakes, one by a shift change where not one Blueshirt was available for defense (idiots!) and the other blamed on Tyutin near our own net (but I think it was Henrik's fault for keeping the puck in play with a Penguin on our back). Nice to see Crosby out again and the NHL spending time on other players and, better yet, terrific to see our guys shutdown Malkin (for one game at least).

With less than a month left in the season prior to the official playoffs, we are symbolically already in the playoffs as the race is on. Two losses in a row - as demonstrated this past weekend against Florida crap teams - will be the end of the road for NY, so we will need to see at least five or six wins in the next nine games to ensure our playoff ticket (and the charge to The Dark Ranger's credit card).

Tonight we hit the division leading and top conference NJ Devils of Newark at 7pm. For whatever reasons, we beat them a lot this season and may the trend continue. Onward Fair Rangers!!!

tdr

At Least Ecklund Thinks The Rangers Will Make the Finals...

At least someone thinks we can win the Cup...

Dark here, folks, coming off little sleep with the birth of my newest Blueshirt fan. Having not watched the games against Tampa and Florida this weekend, I thought it was just sleep deprivation when I read that both games against the worst teams in the NHL resulted in tragic, lazy losses ending our long awaited 'turn around to the playoff' run. Schucks.

It also seemed odd to me that mini-Dark's dirty diapers looked strangely like the NY Islanders' new jersies, but so I digress. When reality set in, I didn't have it in me to watch the recorded games and comment on them. Rather, it was probably more productive to forget these weekend games and pretend like they never happened because it seems strangely parallel to much of the earlier criticisms we've all shared regarding the drive and wants of this Blueshirt squad. The Ranger bloggers have done a fairly consistent, positive assessment of Henrik Lundqvist, goaltender of the stars (okay..People Magazine), on getting his 'mojo' back as we approach this season's potential playoff period. I say "potential" because if the team continues to exhibit this level of play with only three points from not making the playoffs, we will earn the ninth or tenth spot in the conference to the horror of all that love and cherish the Rangers legacy.

Short and sweet, but a huge 'shout-out' to Jibblescribbits, Pucks on Broadway and The High Flier for covering last week and continuing the Dark-ness of hockey around the NHL. The posts were great and a pleasure to have writers contribute to the site. Keep writing, keep reading and all posts are welcome.

Cheers readers and Dark-ness is back -- and hopefully, that means wins.

tdr

The Rangers, at Yankee Stadium, is a great idea.

Jibblescribbits here

Since The Dark Ranger is taking care of TtDR (The Tiny Dark Ranger, the small "t"is to highlight the tiny) on paternity leave, I thought I'd come in and throw some of my thoughts around. Since reports have surfaced that the NHL is in discussions to play an outdoor game at Yankee Stadium, I thought that would be as good a place as any to start.

To my surprise not everyone that (presumably) is in the NY area is on board with this idea, so I'll give my thoughts and respond to some of the doubts I've seen:

Sometimes I think you NYC folks must think anyone on the Pacific coast. west of the Mississippi, left of Pittsburgh must think the rest of us are a bunch of whiners. Why? well because we invoke the "East Coast Biased media" saying a lot, especially when we feel like our teams aren't getting the respect (i.e. coverage) they deserve. For the purpose of this discussion let's assume (accurately!) that there is an East Coast media bias, especially in sports media, and that it's especially concentrated in the D.C.-Philly-NYC-Boston corridor.

Now if you are trying to increase your media coverage, which the NHL is, why not have the showcase game, in the showcase American market, with it's showcase team (which happens to be steeped in tradition). Normally the NY showcase team is covered to the point it makes everyone else nauseous (See: Yankees) however since hockey isn't covered at all that overexposure contempt isn't really anywhere to be found for the Rangers. If you happen to have them playing in the most famous stadium in the country, the one the national sports media has crammed down our throats for the last 50 years, it gains even more exposure.

But the goal isn't just to get the NE involved in hockey, but everyone. Like it or not Yankee Stadium is the most famous stadium in the country right now. If the NHL can swing a game to be there, the last game ever there, it would get more attention than the NHL has had in the last 5 years... combined. The novelty alone is worth front page on the Times, Post, and every other NY-centric paper. That link, that familiarity, will get fans outside of the NE to feel at home too, watching a game in a stadium that everyone is familiar with.

As long as they pair the Rangers with a non-NY based team, with a star or traditional rival. (My picks, in order: Washington, Philly, Boston, Detroit, Whoever the Rangers play in the playoffs this season,Toronto) It will generate a ton of buzz, which is exactly what the purpose of the game is.

I don't think anyone is arguing the above points, I see mot people arguing against Yankee stadium specifically, so I'll go over my responses to the two main arguments that I have seen.

But the Yankee Stadium should be closed out by a baseball game. Bah! Sentimental Rubbish! I get the sentimentality of it, but "last event in a stadium" doesn't really matter. The most meaningful stadium to me, ever, is Mile High Stadium. My dad had season tickets during the 80's Super Bowl seasons and I remember going to nearly every home game for the better part of 4 seasons as a 6-9 year old kid. That stadium is like a football holy site, in my mind. But the funny part is, now that it's gone, I don't care what the last event there was. It may have been a Broncos game, it may have been a Rapids game, more than likely it was a concert for some washed up pop-rock band from the 60's. It doesn't matter though. That "last event", whatever it is, doesn't diminish my memories of watching the Broncos there. It doesn't diminish the "holyness" of it. Just as a Rangers game at Yankee Stadium won't diminish any of the baseball memories made there over the years.

And let's face it, even if the Winter Classic doesn't happen there, the Yankees are not going to close it out anyways. If Hollywood can get Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore on the field to "celebrate" the Red Sox first World Series win in 86 years, they damn sure are going to be able to get into Yankee Stadium after there are no more baseball games to be played there. Yankee Stadium's last hurrah is bound to be some crappy movie with B-B+ list actors. Why not have a great hockey game instead.

Yankee Stadium is a dump, And the sitelines won't be good for a hockey game. Poppycock! (You can see my theme for the day is stereotypical British dismissive exclamations) Having never been to NY, and obviously the stadium, I can't argue this, I've only seen this response. However it doesn't much matter. If you are attending this game in person you aren't going to watch a normal hockey game, you are going for a giant party that surrounds a hockey game. The game in Buffalo this season was exactly that. It's tailgating (which is probably hard in the Bronx, like I said I wouldn't know), drinking off your hangover from the night before. It's an event. You don't go to the Superbowl to watch the game you go for the atmosphere. What provides a better party atmosphere than Yankee Stadium on New Years Day?


Here's a longer blog post that agrees with me as well.

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.

Someone Had to Win, Rangers 3-2

Welcome Rangers faithful, The High Flyer here sitting in for TDR, you may also know me as F-Da-Rangers, Bitter Dave, or even as little bro to Dark himself. I know hockey enthusiasts may wonder how two brothers who grew up in the same household could end up rooting for rival teams such as The Flyers and Rangers? Well, I’ll cut Dark some slack on the eve of the birth of his second boy, being a nice Uncle and all, and just say that he was born in NYC, I in South Jersey, and we remain loyal to our birthplaces to this day. I wonder what TDR would say about that…
And wow can loyalty sure be brutal for a Philadelphia fan, as it’s been 25 years since a championship in any of the major sports (’83 Sixers if you’re counting, and no one really cares about basketball - no, Rocky doesn't count). Always a contender, the Flyers have made the playoffs an impressive 34 of their 41 years, but mostly as a pretender, with only 2 Cups in the trophy room. So here we find ourselves in the same familiar place, on the eve of the playoffs, waiting to see if they will step up and shine like they’ve shown at times this year, or limp through their remaining 13 games, planning tee times on April 7 instead of post-season travel.

That’s the mindset of THF going into tonight’s Rangers/Sabres contest, that of “how can this game help the Flyers?” Considering the Rangers have officially gotten their act together, it only makes sense that we assume they’re in (reverse jinx) and hope for Buffalo to get the goose-egg. So go….Sabres. Yup, I can’t help it, as soon as the puck dropped and Pomanville scored 16 seconds in, I knew that emotion would overtake logic, sorry Blueshirts. So then Tyutin’s soft goal and a fairly interesting fight between Peters and Orr and I’m thinking “alright, this game has some real potential.” Well, clearly I was wrong. About ten minutes into the 1st when the ice in the neutral zone melted and the game become sloppy with limited scoring chances. Turnovers galore. The snooze-fest carried on until the last 5 minutes of the 3rd when Buffalo started to remember that they’re not in the playoffs yet. In fact I began anticipating the game finishing and catching my 15th viewing of Roadhouse (after the game on Versus).

So here are some observations in no particular order, as a bitter, jaded Flyers fan trying my best to be objective:

1) Lundqvist is rock solid. Preaching to the choir here. When there was that breakaway against him late in the 3rd, you know he’s going to save that 2 out of 3 times. Other goalies it’s 1 out of 3. TDR says Lundqvist will steal a couple of games in the playoffs due to his ability to dominate in the pipes, and I agree, but, your Rangers defense is gonna have to tighten come playoffs when there aren’t shootouts to ensure the W, and points don’t exist.
2) Chris Drury played tough on the penalty kill, cleared it twice on that 5 on 3, and hustled throughout every PK. He and Gomez played quiet, solid hockey tonight.
3) Sean Avery should have gotten two assists on Jagr’s goal. It was literally adding insult to injury when he maimed that defender into the boards leading up to the goal, and it made up for the dumb penalty he took causing that 5 on 3. Plus he used to bang Elisha Cuthbert (still?), so that’s extremely impressive. I go back to hating him tomorrow.
4) The officiating was poor, favoring the Sabres. Ample opportunities for makeup calls that never happened. When Andrew Peters sucker-punched Colton Orr from the bench at the end of regulation in front of everyone, only 10 minute misconducts were given to both players. I woulda been livid at Ref McCreary during the TV timeout for missing the instigator (from the bench!), and what’s his nuts Ranney didn’t appear affected.
5) Jagr looked sssslllloooowwww out there.

So that’s the scoop from The High Flyer. I do hope the Rangers continue to climb in the Eastern Conference, as it would be sweet to be the underdogs against a hated rival come playoff time. Just like I know Ranger fans secretly want the Flyers there too, I mean who really wants to play a 7 game series against Carolina or Montreal when it could be a bitter rival. I mean, c’mon, didn’t you miss us last year? Dark, keep up the great work, good luck tomorrow (and the next 18 years) to you and J. Go Flyers, take 4 against the Leafs on the home and home!!!