Battle Of Hudson

At the end of the day, one has to take a look at one of the most divided fan bases in all of sports. The Ranger fan is passionate and loyal to a fault. We are used to disappointment. If we’re really being brutally honest, the franchise we root for is pathetic. They’ve won four Stanley Cups and one in the last 62 years.

Like it or not, James Dolan is living off 1994. Next year marks the 20-Year Anniversary of the Curse being lifted. It’s hard not to reminisce. That was a great time to root for this team. Even though they only won once, those teams led by captain Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves and Mike Richter gave us hope. It’s not unrealistic to think they could’ve won more. But Mike Keenan’s departure and Neil Smith’s mistakes doomed them. I go back to a column Larry Brooks wrote during ’96-97 when a veteran club that featured Wayne Gretzky was struggling. Even though they turned it around and made an improbable run to the Conference Finals, the warning signs were there.

Cablevision made the mistake of letting Messier go to Vancouver. Smith had a great backup plan, offer sheeting Joe Sakic. But when Colorado matched, there was no alternative. Pat LaFontaine came here but concussions doomed him. Instead of building through the draft. Smith tossed dollars at free agents, who basically came here for retirement. The Theo Fleury signing was the biggest failure of all. The Rangers didn’t do their homework on Fleury, who was an emotional train wreck who was doomed the minute he signed. Fleury’s sad tale is told in a courageous book Playing With Fire.

Little changed when Glen Sather took over for Smith. Once, Slats claimed that if he had the Rangers money, he’d win every year. They never made the playoffs once before the lockout. Only when he adjusted his philosophy did our team turn it around. Including a second round exit this year, they’ve made the postseason six of the last seven seasons.

It wouldn’t be possible without Henrik Lundqvist. A seventh round gem former European scout Christian Rockstrom discovered. He’s become the best goalie in the sport, winning a Vezina and backstopping the ’11-12 club to its first Conference Final appearance in 15 years. A year removed from their best season since they won the Cup, expectations were through the roof. The acquisition of Rick Nash was supposed to put them over the top. Instead, a shortened season saw a less cohesive roster never find consistency. Brad Richards wasn’t the same and John Tortorella struggled to find the right combos.

Eventually, Slats was forced to address the Blueshirts lack of depth dealing off top sniper Marian Gaborik to Columbus. In return he got Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and John Moore. A trade many questioned. It was a stunner that changed the dynamic of the team, making it similar to last year. Sather also swung a trade with San Jose for Ryane Clowe. Despite these solid additions, he didn’t do enough. Injuries to Clowe, Marc Staal and Anton Stralman left Tortorella empty. Forced to play Steve Eminger and Roman Hamrlik on the bottom pair, he couldn’t prevent the inevitable. While Eminger was a solid extra who stepped up the past two years, Hamrlik was on his last legs. Two glaring turnovers on the same shift resulted in Greg Campbell’s series clincher.

Perhaps if the roster boasted better quality depth, it would’ve been able to compete with a superior Boston club, who severely outplayed them. If not for Tuukka Rask’s misplay, the Bruins sweep despite some splendid netminding from Lundqvist. The combination of injuries, Richards’ benching and not enough fill ins left Tortorella with AHLers Kris Newbury and Micheal Haley on a fourth line with Dorsett. When facing a legitimate energy line, they were victimized. This isn’t the first time an opponent’s grinders made the difference. The Devils did it last year with Ryan Carter, Steve Bernier and Stephen Gionta.

On a more balanced roster, diligent workers Brian Boyle and Taylor Pyatt play smaller roles. If you stuck them with Arron Asham or Dorsett, that’s a solid energy line. Instead, Tortorella gave them too many minutes. That’s where Clowe’s impact was felt. Only Mats Zuccarello has the skill level to play third line. Ironically, a guy who once was an afterthought finished second behind Brassard in team scoring this Spring with seven points (2-5-7). His skating, play making and edge make him easy to admire. Despite his smallish size, Zuccarello plays bigger and with more guts than Nash showed. Whether it was the pressure or plain inexperience, Nash didn’t play well despite his insistence that he was “good.” A damaging remark that’s dumbfounding.

You can’t expect to go far when your top finisher has one goal. It doesn’t help that the top line isn’t really one. Derek Stepan, Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin aren’t talented enough to be first liners. In the event they keep Richards, it would help if he regained his form because they were counting on him to center the No.1 line. Instead, Stepan did it out of necessity and fared well. Ultimately, he ran out of gas while Callahan and Hagelin couldn’t maintain pace. Brassard shouldn’t be confused as a one either. As constituted, the Blueshirts must do it by committee.

Even if Chris Kreider gets it next year, the center depth is still a question mark. There’s no guarantee that J.T. Miller will be on the roster. You don’t just hand kids spots. They must be earned. That’s the misconception. Fans are fuming about Kreider without seeing the big picture. He came back stronger, which should bode well for his development. It’s no secret that New York fans have no patience. Look at how many want Tortorella gone. Talk about a short memory. It’s all about what have you done for me lately. Suddenly, he’s a bum and so is Richards. Cut them loose. For the so-called geniuses who want drastic change, what’s your solution? Or is it supposed to fall out of the sky?

Unfortunately, this is what you’re dealing with. An angry fan base who fails to see that the Rangers are not in the same stratosphere as Pittsburgh or Boston. Just wait till Detroit arrives. That’s another team they’re worse then. They got past the more talented Caps on guts and determination plus the big man in net. Unless the talent level improves, it’s hard to see more than another second round appearance next year. 

Brad Richards is one tough decision the Rangers must make this summer.

A day later, here we are without our favorite team. There’s still good hockey being played by the league’s best six remaining teams. The Rangers were a cut below. They never quite lived up to the hype. Instead of Rick Nash being the final piece to the puzzle, we’re left with question marks.

It’s no secret that the 2013 Blueshirts were nowhere near as good as last year’s team which were more than the sum of its parts. The ’11-12 Rangers were classic overachievers who shocked many by posting the East’s best record and making the Conference Finals. Maybe many cynics were too quick in dismissing them. A further look and you’ll notice that the Devils squeezed every ounce of energy to put them away. The emotion and physicality took its toll against the Kings.

A year later, no one cares. In an abbreviated season, the 2013 version never really took off. Instead, they leaked enough for architect Glen Sather to realize he subtracted too much. With the relationship between star player Marian Gaborik and coach John Tortorella running its course, Slats pulled off a stunner at the deadline- moving the two-time 40-goal Ranger to Nash’s former home Columbus for Derick Brassard, John Moore and Derek Dorsett. Most observers scoffed at the deal suggesting that the Rangers didn’t get enough back for Gaborik, who’s a year away from free agency. Who knew Brassard would supplant Brad Richards as the second line center pacing the Blueshirts with 12 points (2-10-12) in the postseason? Nobody could’ve predicted that Richards would wind up a healthy scratch the final two games while Nash struggled to perform on the big stage.

Hockey is a funny game. You never know what’s going to happen. If it was based just on paper, the Rangers would’ve won the East and made their first Cup appearance since 1994. The roster they currently have is different than expected. Even with additions including Ryane Clowe, who barely took part in the playoffs due to a concussion, Slats shortchanged this team. Anyone with a pulse knew that injuries would be their undoing except for a dinosaur of a GM living off the Edmonton dynasty. He never added quality depth following Marc Staal’s eye injury, throwing a band aid on it by claiming Roman Hamrlik. As it turned out, they would’ve been better off with Matt Gilroy. Once Anton Stralman went down, the wheels came off. It was a domino effect with Tortorella forced to lean heavily on Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and an overmatched Mike Del Zotto, who remains an enigma.

Even in an elimination situation, Tortorella eventually had to send out Hamrlik with Steve Eminger. What compromised it further was having AHL lifers Kris Newbury and Micheal Haley out with Dorsett at the same time. The Bruins legitimate fourth line took full advantage with Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille combining with Greg Campbell on the series clincher. It remains one of the worst shifts in recent memory. For a season to come crashing down with at least half the personnel having no business on the ice, it speaks volumes about Sather. His ineptitude did in the Rangers. Afterwards, Tortorella concluded as such by openly admitting that their roster wasn’t as deep as the Bruins.

It was interesting to hear the fiery task master reference injuries to Clowe and Staal. Unlike Boston, who was without three key defensemen most of the series before Dennis Seidenberg returned in place of rookie Dougie Hamilton, the Rangers lacked enough replacements capable of playing in such a taxing series. In the end, Tortorella used Brian Boyle too much along with Taylor Pyatt. Each got third line duty with Mats Zuccarello, who’s the only one with an ounce of talent. No disrespect to either as both acquitted themselves well. On a championship caliber roster, Boyle and Pyatt are fourth liners who can provide energy. A perfect scenario would be seeing them with either Dorsett or Arron Asham next year.

Offensive depth remains a serious issue moving forward. Tortorella got everything out of Derek Stepan, Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin, who were by far the club’s most consistent performers. Even Nash didn’t match their intensity. If there is something the All-Star must improve on, it’s his lack of edge. There were too many instances where he got pushed around. Occasionally, we like to see our stars push back. A leadership quality which is admired in cult hero Callahan, who’s the perfect captain for this team. Unfortunately, the Rangers top scorers ran out of gas. Hagelin finished with six points while Callahan, Nash and Stepan had five. An identical amount to Boyle, who always seems to step up in the playoffs. Maybe critics will finally get off his back. Pyatt had four points and Asham scored one more goal than Nash despite sitting out the final two.

For all the deserved criticism Tortorella received for his mishandling of Chris Kreider, the former No.1 pick came back strong after replacing Clowe. Perhaps there was a method to Tortorella’s madness. Kreider looked more confident, making better offensive plays along with using his size. The former BC standout is listed at 6-3, 230. When the organization decided to send him back to Connecticut, it was due to him not being aggressive enough while struggling defensively. The 22-year old showed maturity in his second postseason. His overall improvement allowed Tortorella to move him up to a line with Stepan and Nash. Of the trio, Kreider was the most effective in Game Five delivering six hits. If there’s one positive from this experience, it looks like he should be a factor next year. Kreider’s development gives the Rangers one more offensive player.

The Rangers must make hard decisions on Clowe and Richards. Do they have enough to re-sign Clowe, who’s an injury risk? Assuming he wants to return, hopefully he’ll take a discount. As for Richards, I still believe not having a full camp hurt him. He clearly lost his confidence, making Tortorella’s benching justified. However, this is a former Conn Smythe winner one year removed from finishing second in team scoring over 82 and tops last postseason (2012). If you amnesty him, that’s still a hole to fill. They could do a lot worse than having Richards center the third line with Clowe and Zuccarello, who also must be re-signed. If you let them play together, it just might work.

Much depends on Sather getting McDonagh, Stepan and Hagelin extended. Zuccarello is also a Group II along with Moore and Mike Sauer. Sauer is the forgotten man who has never been replaced. He was their toughest D since Jeff Beukeboom. Unfortunately, it looks like his career might be over. If he were ever able to come back, that would make a huge difference. The last two playoffs, a weaker back end got pushed around by grinding fourth lines. Sauer brought that missing element. A shame. Unless Dylan McIlrath proves ready, it will continue to haunt them.

Last but not least, the Rangers must start discussions with Henrik Lundqvist on a new contract. The game’s best goalie is due $5.125 million in his final year. His current deal averages a cap hit of $6.875 million. Despite a 30-37 playoff record and having been past the second round once, he’s been worth every penny. The affable Vezina winner has taken his place among the game’s elite. Nobody can ever question his desire to win. It was etched all over his face following Saturday. At 31, he’s no longer a kid. The time to win is now. It’s a hard thing when you have to compete with the Pens and Bruins, who should go six or seven next round. Other teams are improving including the Sens and Islanders. With the Red Wings and Blue Jackets coming over, it’ll only get tougher.

With the cap expected to go down, the Blueshirts have a lot of work to do the next two summers. Callahan and Girardi can also turn unrestricted in 2014. So can Brassard, Boyle and Stralman. Del Zotto and Kreider are restricted. Managing the roster will be quite a challenge for Slats and assistant GM Jeff Gorton. The heat is on.

Greg Campbell is congratulated by teammate Nathan Horton after his empty netter sealed the Bruins five-game series victory over the Rangers. Getty Images/Charles Krupa

The Boston Bruins finished off the New York Rangers eliminating them in five games. The lights were turned out on a disappointing 2013 season that never lived up to expectations. However, they lost to a better team. There’s no shame in that. The Bruins rebounded from a goal back to defeat the Rangers 3-1 at a revved up TD Garden- advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Penguins.

Boston used the same recipe. They continued to attack until New York relented. Their size, speed and strength proved too much in the first playoff series between Original Six rivals in 40 years. A dominant second period was the difference. After permitting a Dan Girardi power play goal midway through an even first, a more determined Bruins beat Henrik Lundqvist twice. Unsung hero Torey Krug scored a power play goal and Greg Campbell notched the series clincher over a lengthy 20 minutes which seemed to last forever. The Bruins outscored the Rangers 2-0 and outshot them 15-9.

One major difference in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series was Boston’s superior depth. It wasn’t their top scorers who did in the Rangers. But rather a strong supporting cast featuring Campbell, Daniel Paille and enforcer Shawn Thornton, who not only fought Derek Dorsett but contributed offensively assisting on Campbell’s winner. Campbell also erased any doubt when he scored into an empty net with under a minute to play. The winning combination of Campbell, Paille and Thornton proved large. Ironically, a similar energy line did in the Rangers last year. That’s two straight Springs where their D wasn’t able to handle hard forechecking pressure from a fourth line. That might be an eye raiser for the offseason.

Unfortunately, a great goaltending performance was wasted. Facing shot after shot through a maze of traffic, Lundqvist was superb making 29 saves. Most of those were spectacular with the Bruins generating a plethora of scoring chances. Under such duress, he put on a clinic robbing Milan Lucic following a dreadful Mike Del Zotto giveaway and later had a sequence where he made four straight saves off a Boston flurry. When Campbell backhanded his second of the game into a vacated net, an emotional Lundqvist had his head buried on the bench. Even in a five-game series, he performed like a Vezina winner who carried the team here.

It just wasn’t to be. Despite a good first in which Girardi took a Mats Zuccarello feed and beat Tuukka Rask through a perfect Brian Boyle screen, the Rangers couldn’t get a second goal. Perhaps if they were able to build on it, we might be talking about a set of different circumstances. Instead, a Zuccarello hooking minor led directly to Krug’s fourth of the series. The poise of the rookie defenseman was something nobody could’ve predicted. Much like Chris Kreider did for the Rangers during last year’s run, Krug has been unbelievable for Boston. His perfect release on a Tyler Seguin cross ice feed blew past Lundqvist’s glove tying it 1-1 at 3:48 of the second. Brad Marchand added a helper.

It was the beginning of the end for the Blueshirts, who continued to compete hard despite not having enough. The Bruins kept pressing until two costly Roman Hamrlik mistakes led to Campbell’s winner. A failed outlet pass resulted in a turnover that allowed the B’s to get the puck through the neutral zone. Hamrlik made a second poor read when he turned it over, allowing a bull rush from Paille and Thornton, who wreaked havoc while an unchecked Campbell deposited an easy put back that gave Boston a 2-1 lead with 6:19 remaining in the second stanza.

The Rangers had to kill consecutive undisciplined penalties from Dorsett spanning the second and third. Though he played with edge, those minors took time off the clock. The Bruins power play might not have scored but it allowed them to keep momentum. Lundqvist came up with a glove save on former teammate Jaromir Jagr, who was snake bitten. Without our goalie, it would’ve been a Boston Tea Party. Instead, he gave them an opportunity to comeback.

Ryan Callahan had the best chance when a Stepan tip pass put him on a breakaway. With back check pressure coming from behind, he tried to go to the backhand but a sliding Rask got just enough to push it wide, earning loud cheers from the crowd. Previously, Rick Nash had an opportunity off a faceoff win but Rask also made a big stick save. In his first postseason with the Rangers, Nash struggled finishing with a goal and four assists. Despite not being able to finish, he was better in this series tallying a goal and two helpers including a great pass on Chris Kreider’s OT winner in Game Four. Kreider was arguably their best forward. He forechecked well and delivered some crunching hits including a pair on Dennis Seidenberg during one shift.

When push came to shove, the Bruins were a more complete team from top to bottom. Claude Julien’s trust won out over John Tortorella, who admitted that he didn’t have as deep a roster. There definitely must be changes for next year. We’ll cover that during the week.

Congratulations to the Bruins on a hard fought series. They earned it. Indeed, they were Boston Strong. Best of luck in the next round.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Greg Campbell, Bos (2 goals incl. series clincher-+2 in 10:44)
2nd Star-Tuukka Rask, Bos (28 saves incl. 12/12 in 3rd-came up with 2 gems to protect a one-goal lead)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (29 saves-he was amazing. A shame that he still doesn’t have the team in front of him.)

By showing determination and guts, the Rangers get another elimination game against the Bruins. It won’t be any easier in a hostile environment. They’ve only won once on the road this postseason, entering 1-5. The one was facing elimination at Washington and making franchise history by winning the first ever Game 7 away from MSG. Recent history shows that under John Tortorella, the Blueshirts don’t give up easily. Dating back to last year’s run to the Conference Finals, they’re 6-1 when facing elimination.

That’s precisely why Tortorella refers to this team as a good group and further explains why you never hear anything negative from our players. By getting to Tuukka Rask, it should give them confidence. They’ll need to get off quickly. Scoring early would go a long way to getting this series back to the Garden. It might create some doubt for an opponent familiar with blowing a 3-0 lead. The Bruins were victimized by the Flyers in this very round three years ago. Since, they’ve won a Cup and stunned Toronto to get here. They understand the situation. Look for them to be even more desperate. No way do they want Game 6.

If the Rangers are to make it to Monday, they must stay disciplined. A couple of the penalties they took the other day were unacceptable. The B’s essentially scored all three on Henrik Lundqvist due to their power play. Definitely not a strong suit but they took advantage and almost sent our team home. Special teams have had an impact. For once, the Ranger power play came through when Brian Boyle beat Rask to force extras with 10 minutes left in regulation. Derek Stepan responded with a strong third stripping Zdeno Chara and tying the game 2-2 and then threading the needle to Boyle. He also won a huge defensive draw that led to Kreider’s heroics. Step is proof that players do develop under the guidance of Tortorella. He’s made tremendous strides.

With Anton Stralman likely out, Roman Hamrlik will probably play again. Though shaky in his return, he provided decent short shifts. Obviously, it’s a tough situation for the vet. Tortorella will lean heavily on Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. Mike Del Zotto’s received a ton of minutes playing even more than Girardi in Game 3. While true enough he’s struggled, the coaching staff trusts him enough under pressure. Both MDZ and John Moore have panicked with the puck, coughing it up. They must limit those mistakes. Steve Eminger has given the Rangers valuable time, playing physical. They’ll need it again.

If they are to win today, Nash must continue to be aggressive. He’s skated better as the series has gone on and looked dangerous in Game 4. It’ll be interesting to see if Tortorella puts him and Kreider back with Derick Brassard or keeps them with Stepan. Brassard continues to impress tallying a pair of assists in our win. He has been unafraid to make plays and hasn’t backed down. It would be nice if Ryan Callahan scores a goal. He does everything else. They could use one of his gritty specials. Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello are other candidates. Our team will need to be hard on the puck, finishing checks. Exactly why Tortorella inserted grinders Kris Newbury and Micheal Haley. Newbury better stay out of the box. I wouldn’t mind seeing Arron Asham in for Derek Dorsett, who hasn’t been effective. Asham is a better skater and has a cannon of a shot that’s produced two goals.

Obviously, to win Hank must be Hank. He’s certainly capable of stealing a game. Lundqvist has made a lot of difficult saves against a feisty Boston team that’s made life difficult. Our guys need to push them out. If he can see the shot, he’ll stop it. Another positive is that three of the four games have been decided by a goal. Even with the Bruins controlling much of the play, our goalie’s been the equalizer. Had they prevailed in Game 1, it’d be tied. If they pull it out, it’ll be close.

OT Hero: Excited Rangers come over to mob Chris Kreider following his Game Four overtime goal that forced Game Five. Getty Images/Frank Franklin II

The Rangers needed a miracle of sorts. They got it thanks to a bizarre play from Tuukka Rask. Already down two with nothing going, Carl Hagelin’s harmless backhand roller got by a fallen Rask to breathe life back into an eerily quiet MSG. The Bruins led on a pair of power play goals from Nathan Horton and Torey Krug. Krug had just scored to put them ahead two. But instead of burying the Rangers for good, Rask’s fall sparked an improbable comeback. They rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits, finally winning on Chris Kreider’s goal 7:03 into overtime to prevail 4-3 over Boston in Game Four.

Astonishingly, the Rangers are still alive. It took one of the oddest goals in the playoffs along with a lot of determination and guts. But they finally solved Rask, beating him four times including a fancy Kreider finish off a great feed from Rick Nash to extend the Eastern Conference Semifinal series. There’ll be a Game Five at TD Garden Saturday. The task doesn’t get any easier with the Bruins having the chance to close it out in front of their fans. The Rangers will look to avoid elimination and force Game Six back at home.

Much like the first three games of the series, the Bruins spent most of the first period attacking the Rangers with a relentless forecheck, outshooting them 12-4. They took the crowd out of it early by continuing to mount pressure. Only Henrik Lundqvist prevented them from surging ahead. He stopped all dozen shots keeping it scoreless.

The Rangers ran into penalty trouble in the second. Consecutive penalties by Kris Newbury and Mike Del Zotto put them in a deep hole. After Newbury was called for goalie interference, the Bruins connected when Nathan Horton cashed in on a loose puck that deflected off a sliding Del Zotto. He caught Lundqvist off balance for his fifth. David Krejci and Brad Marchand helped set it up. Already up one, they scored a second straight power play goal. This time, Del Zotto was the guilty party for interference. It was more conventional with Krug continuing his assault by firing a laser top shelf for his third of the series. Horton and Tyler Seguin added helpers.

At that critical point, the Rangers had nothing going. They had only eight shots and couldn’t sustain a consistent attack. That’s when the hockey Gods gave them a boost. Taking a pass from Derick Brassard, Hagelin flubbed a weak backhand towards a stumbling Rask. The play seemed to be in slow motion. Unable to recover in time, Rask watched helplessly as the puck went into the net. Suddenly, MSG was alive. In a role reversal, the Blueshirts started taking it to the Bruins. They came close to tying it a couple of times. With Jaromir Jagr off for tossing Derek Stepan down, Nash was thwarted twice by Rask. The Bruins nursed a one-goal lead into intermission.

The third very well could’ve been their last. But the Rangers weren’t ready to die. Some hustle from Stepan resulted in him tying it 1:15 in. Off strong pressure from Nash, Stepan snuck up and stripped the puck from Zdeno Chara stuffing in a wraparound past Rask for his fourth. The unassisted tally got MSG buzzing. They nearly went ahead on a Brassard try that drew iron. Instead, an unpredictable game saw the Bruins basically cash in on a Ryan McDonagh goaltender interference. Following a strong Ranger kill, Chara and Dougie Hamilton combined to set up Seguin’s first. They led 3-2 with 11:54 remaining.

But as they had proven already, a determined Blueshirts rose up again. Boston was called for a bench minor. To that point, the Ranger power play had fired blanks. They were down to 2-for-40. For once, it came through when Brian Boyle finished off his third from Stepan and Brassard. Brassard dropped for Stepan in the corner, who found Boyle wide open in the slot for an actual power play goal, which tied the game 3-3 with 10 minutes left in regulation. Each team tried to go ahead but to no avail with both netminders making big stops, forcing sudden death.

Unlike Game One, OT was more even with the Rangers getting plenty of opportunities to win it. In fact, both sides had a pair of seven shots. But it was the Rangers Lucky 7 that proved to be the difference. Following a Bruins flurry that included a huge Lundqvist pad denial on Jagr, Stepan beat Krejci on a defensive draw and McDonagh sent Nash in with Kreider. Nash went around Chara and made a sweet dish for a cutting Kreider, who beat Hamilton for a neat redirection for his first of the postseason. That finally got the monkey off the back for the Rangers’ first OT win of the playoffs.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Rick Nash, NYR (set up Kreider’s winner, 5 SOG, +2 in 22:59-made a big play)
2nd Star-Chris Kreider, NYR (scored OT winner at 7:03-was flying all night and deserved it)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (37 saves incl. 12/12-Hank made it possible)

At some point, you have to make necessary changes. Even when Rangers coach John Tortorella decided to healthy scratch Brad Richards for tonight’s do or die Game 4, it couldn’t have been easy. The coach and player have a longstanding relationship dating back to better days when a younger Richards helped lead Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004. He won the Conn Smythe posting 26 points (12-14-26) including seven power play goals and seven game-winners. 

Too often, Henrik Lundqvist has been left alone to stop chances like Tyler Seguin’s breakaway. He hasn’t gotten the support from a flawed roster that isn’t as good as last year. Getty Images/Seth Wenig

Sometimes, it’s as simple as match-ups. Simply put, the Rangers are outgunned in the second round series. They just don’t have enough muscle to match the Bruins. Boston’s a much deeper team and that’s what we’re seeing. Toss aside two one-goal defeats including tonight’s crusher with fourth liner Daniel Paille notching the winner with 3:31 left in regulation that propelled the Bruins to a 2-1 Game Three triumph- putting the Blueshirts on the brink. 

I don’t always agree with him on his philosophy, personnel decisions and commentary. For better or worse, he’s gotten the Rangers to buy in. Last year’s team was a spitting image of Tort. They grinded out the first two rounds after posting the East’s best record. Eventually, they ran out of gas in the Conference Finals. That btw was our franchise’s first Final Four appearance since ’97.

A year later, they’re in a tough spot against the Bruins. Being in an 0-2 predicament is tough enough. They won four of the last five to eliminate the Caps in the first round. In that series, they exorcised a lot of demons, including winning a deciding Game 7 on the road against a team that owned them. Our offense stepped up. You heard me right. In three of their four wins, the Blueshirts scored three-or-better. That featured consecutive 4-3 decisions sweeping Games 3 and 4 to even the series. They’ll need to summon a similar effort starting tonight.

Nothing this team ever does is easy. Why should it be? While true they’re facing a better opponent, they’re more than capable of coming back against Boston. Nobody’s talking about the weak defense we’ve seen. The focus as usual is either on our hopeless power play or Tortorella’s silly commentary on Carl Hagelin being taken out of context. NBC stinks. You’d think Pierre McGuire would come up with better questions. Between that and Mike Milbury’s shenanigans, it’s fairly obvious who NBC favors.

I get it. The Rangers aren’t fun to watch. They don’t play an exciting style that captivates audiences. Tortorella doesn’t make friends with anyone. We’re universally hated for these reasons. That’s fine. I don’t want anyone playing the whole NBC caters to us crap. That’s garbage. They only care about RATING$. Even during the second round, you have to hear constant banter about the Penguins. Sidney Crosby is the best player in the sport. How about finding something else to discuss during this series. It’s New York versus Boston. A compelling match-up even if neither coach wins style points.

I could do without all the nonsense. Let’s just play hockey tonight. No team has ever rallied from a 2-0 deficit in consecutive series. The Rangers can make playoff history. It’s not what any Ranger fan hoped for. If you bleed blue and are at MSG, do everyone else a favor. Let your voices be heard. Our team needs you more than ever. They also better deliver a clutch performance. It’s time to hit back.