If tonight’s game against Montreal was a movie, people would’ve left 10 minutes in. There was no reason for popcorn or beer. Absolutely zero entertainment value. Considering how much I love seeing the Canadiens play our team, thank God I didn’t go. They put everyone to sleep and proved again how different the Rangers are. They blew another lead and lost 3-1 at MSG. Inexcusable.

I feel sorry for those who paid good money to see that crap. It was a snooze fest. Between the Habs repeatedly icing the puck and the Rangers’ failure to generate anything, it’s one of the worst games MSG has seen since the Dark Ages. You know. Those teams that didn’t have a prayer no matter who Slats overpaid. This one’s not on the GM. It’s on the coach. For whatever reason, John Tortorella refuses to reward players who work their asses off. 

In a shortened season where every point is precious, Tortorella is more concerned with appeasing Brad Richards. Richards was abysmal again. He was a big reason our Blueshirts made the Conference Finals last year. He’s as big a reason for the team’s inconsistency. Since a good start, he’s done absolutely nothing. Either there’s something wrong with him or he shouldn’t be playing. Yet Tortorella had him out there along with Mike Del Zotto for another power outage. 

Sometimes, a coach has to be willing to make adjustments. Tortorella seems more intent on riding the same guys even if they’re not all on the same page. When Tomas Plekanec tugged Derek Stepan, he should’ve given J.T. Miller and Anton Stralman shifts. Stralman scored their only goal and Miller had one of his best efforts since his two-goal Broadway debut. Instead, Richards and Del Zotto fumbled and stumbled- destroying any chance of forcing overtime. 

The coach is hurting the team more than helping. On a night where Rick Nash was sorely missed, Tortorella needed to do whatever it took even if it was unconventional. Stepan and Carl Hagelin can’t do it alone. Ryan Callahan always gives everything but sooner or later, he has to do more offensively. Marian Gaborik must finish to be effective. Otherwise, it doesn’t work. It’s still inexcusable to lose to a tired team that benefited from a call to tie it. 

The Canadiens remind me of last year’s Rangers. Team try hard. They aren’t the most talented. But Michel Therrien squeezes every ounce. As dull as he is, he has them overachieving. No surprise that Brandon Prust has been a key part of their turnaround. In his MSG return, Prust’s line was the Habs’ best. He was on for every Montreal goal, including a nifty set up on rookie Alex Galchenyuk’s winner. On a night they set a record for icing the puck, Prust’s unit got the job done. 

It’s hard to say what happened to the Blueshirts. Maybe they were just lulled to sleep. Even if fans and bloggers want to use the Nash alibi, he’s scored three goals. Hardly the dominant player they need him to be. Of course, he makes a difference. His presence creates room for Hagelin and Stepan. Outside of Callahan, none of our big guns have finished on the power play. They’re already 15 games in and neither Gaborik or Nash have a power play goal. Tortorella continues to blindly use Del Zotto and Richards at the points. Why?I’m all out of answers. 

The first period was one of the ugliest ever in the modern era. The teams combined for eight shots. Our team took five. Montreal didn’t get a shot until there was less than five minutes. Stralman scored his second thanks to a brilliant pass from Stepan on a delayed penalty. Hagelin got the secondary helper. But they didn’t build on it. Instead, the D gave it back. Brian Boyle missed a chance to put them up two. 

Then came the controversy. With Del Zotto expecting an icing, it never came. The ref at center ice had his hand up until the last second. The Habs clearly dumped the puck in from behind the red line. Why it wasn’t icing remains a mystery. Like good teams, they took advantage. Josh Gorges found an unguarded Pacioretty for a laser that Henrik Lundqvist never picked up. Lundqvist wasn’t the same following taking a high riser from P.K. Subban in the shoulder. He was down on all fours on Galchenyuk’s game decider. 

Lundqvist is hardly to blame. Two defensive breakdowns proved costly. Even with the missed call, there’s no way the Rangers should’ve lost. It was an embarrassment. 

3rd Star-Derek Stepan, NYR (primary helper on Stralman’s tally, playing his best hockey)

2nd Star-Carl Hagelin, NYR (assist, 3 SOG in 21:33-easily our best forward)

1st Star-Brandon Prust, Mtl (assist, plus-3-plays same role for new team and sparked)

Notes: Chris Kreider played for Nash. He saw time throughout (14:37) and had one nice chance on an early power play. But Carey Price (24 saves) denied him from the left circle. He also delivered a hit at the end of the second which drew a crosscheck from Pacioretty. … In his Ranger debut, Brandon Mashinter looked decent. Too bad Tortorella hardly used him. After using the fourth line recently, he went back to his old habit and ignored them. Foolish. … Matt Gilroy was one of the few D who created offense. Where was he in the third? … 

Rangers (8-6-1) travel to Ontario to face Ottawa. Maybe Del Zotto will have a big game. They then visit Montreal for an Original Six rematch on Hockey Night In Canada. House of horrors.