Battle Of Hudson

The Rangers struggles on the power play have been well documented. They signed Brad Richards with the notion he could fix an area that’s been powerless since No.68 dominated in ’05-06. Sixty six games later, it’s the same old song that’s driven our fanbase batty. The ineptitude of a first place team with a five-on-four, four-on-three, etc. is mind boggling. So too is the disappearance of Brandon Dubinsky, who sat out with a “sinus issue.” Right.

For as good as this season’s been, the Blueshirts are on the verge of one bad losing streak from losing the top seed and falling right back into the pack. You know. The Pens are six out and also play tonight like our team who visits the Windy City. The Flyers suddenly are getting solid netminding from our favorite philosopher Ilya Bryzgalov and the Devils are playing well. In other words, the teams behind us are coming. It’s the wrong time for this team to go through a slump. But that’s exactly the case after last night’s 4-1 loss to the Senators. Ottawa took the season series 3-1, getting it done with Ben Bishop.

Sadly, Bishop was hardly challenged despite four power plays. Even worse, the Rangers only allowed seven shots through two periods but still trailed 2-1 thanks to more futile play. The evening started out okay with Richards actually finding Ryan Callahan for his 26th that gave us the lead. From there, it went downhill as the Kanata hosts scored four unanswered on Marty Biron. Biron hasn’t been getting it done, allowing too many back breaking goals that put us behind. This time, Callahan gave him a lead and before you knew it, Zach Smith took advantage of both Marc Staal and Stu Bickel to tie it on an unscreened shot from inside the blueline. Rocket or not, Biron needed to have that.

With Sam and Joe going ga ga over our defensive improvement, John Mitchell’s failure to clear the zone resulted in the Sens’ second goal on just their fourth shot. This time, Biron leaked a rebound which Nick Foligno deposited after beating Staal to the spot. Yes. Staal had a tough night. It happens. For all the good our team did limiting Ottawa’s shots, they made the most of their opportunities. Imagine if our team could do that. The gang that can’t shoot straight. All those power plays went to waste as they took too long to get set up. Sure. Richards shot more and even got a couple through which forced Bishop to make stops but there was no traffic nor enough desperation. If you don’t make the goalie move, the power play is useless. No wonder it’s at basement level.

Oh. The Senators gave us chances in the second, almost as if they were saying, ‘Here. Take it.’ But our team never gets anything accomplished, making you long for the days of Leetch and Zubov with Graves in front. Maybe we can unretire them in time for next month. It’s hard to see this team going far without a power play. The way they have to grind to win games is starting to wear down. More glaring mistakes are noticeable with even guys like Dan Girardi having off nights like at Jersey. Despite a strong middle stanza, the Rangers still trailed by one. The shots were 17-7 and we weren’t even.

Did they expect the Sens to mail in the third? Instead, it was a repeat of the other night with a more determined Ottawa coming with better urgency. The Sens wanted to keep pace with the Devils, who on the strength of an Ilya Kovalchuk hat trick, destroyed the Islanders 5-1. So, Ottawa wanted to stay a point behind for sixth and did with a great period, outscoring the Rangers 2-zip. They more than doubled their two period shot total with 15 to our nine. Again, defensive deficiency allowed the Senators to increase their lead. This time, Daniel Alfredsson abused Anton Stralman, taking the puck to the net while our players watched him easily find Kyle Turris on the doorstep with Michael Del Zotto out of position. It was a two-on-three. Embarrassing.

Why John Tortorella had those two together I’ll never comprehend. They’re our worst two defenders on the rush. Sure. Del Zotto’s progressed but that’s when he’s set. He still has a ways to go when it comes to preventing players from going around him. So, perhaps the end result was predictable. Stralman’s lack of effort was far worse. He’s a better option than tortoise Steve Eminger or Jeff Woywitka but the matador D he displayed can’t sit well with the coaching staff. If they’re going to make it work without Mike Sauer (missed more by the day) Tort has to break up Girardi and Ryan McDonagh and stick Staal back on the top pair. Put McDonagh with Del Zotto. That way you have a healthy balance. That leaves Stralman and Bickel. Problem is they’ll never be partnered. I like Bickel’s physicality. He plays with edge. That’s what Tort’s trying with Staal. But long-term, it won’t work. The hope is that Tim Erixon comes up and helps solves this weakness. For now, the ice-time will continue to go to the top four.

Jason Spezza added an empty netter late to seal it. Oddly enough, they video reviewed the previous sequence with the Rangers thinking they’d scored. However, the puck never crossed the line. Bishop really wasn’t tested despite facing 26 shots. If there was a semblance of a power play, who knows. Utterly powerless.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Rob Klinkhammer, Ott (1st NHL point-assist, 2 takeaways in 12:31)
2nd Star-Kyle Turris, Ott (8th of season, 7-for-12 on draws, +1 in 16:41)
1st Star-Zach Smith, Ott (goal, 6 hits, decision over Prust late)

Occasionally, Hockey Night In Canada’s Coaches Corner flies off the handle due to the wrath of Don Cherry. This past Saturday, Grapes lost his mind while blasting Leafs GM Brian Burke about a controversial topic among Canadians. Of the 30 NHL rosters, Toronto is the only one without an Ontario born player. With the Maple Leafs right smack in the middle of Ontario, you just knew that Cherry wouldn’t let this one go. Especially against a guy he has no love for.

During his rant, Cherry accused Burke of trying to get him fired twice, including with the Board Of Governors due to his take on recently fired Ron Wilson, who was hired by the Toronto executive three years ago. A move Grapes criticized. Here we are a few years later and after a great start, the Leafs’ recent tailspin cost Wilson his job. Considering how Leaf Nation acted, Burke had little choice, opting to bring in former Duck coach Randy Carlyle, who teamed with him to win the Cup.

Even more bizarre was Grapes’ disdain for American players. In case he hadn’t noticed, our country has gotten much stronger, taking Canada to sudden death at  the 2010 Vancouver Games. Perhaps he needs to remember that the Leafs’ best player is from the USA. Without Phil Kessel, the Leafs would be battling Montreal for last in the East and maybe even Columbus. Toronto boasts eight American kids. Interestingly enough, the Rangers who have a healthy balance between Americans and Ontario kids that comprise half the roster.

Ontario-6 (Del Zotto, Eminger, Girardi, Mitchell, Prust, Staal)
USA-7    (Bickel, Boyle, Callahan, Dubinsky, McDonagh, Rupp, Stepan)

Note: Injured Mike Sauer would count as the eighth.

Total: 14

Here are how the other Battle clubs stack up:

Devils

Ontario-2 (Clarkson, Henrique)
USA-6 (Carter, Fayne, Greene, Janssen, Parise, Taormina)

Total: 8

Islanders

Ontario-6 (Bailey, Cizikas, Martin, Moulson, Staios, Tavares)
USA-6 (Eaton, Montoya, Okposo, Pandolfo, Reasoner, Reese)

Note: Rick DiPietro would make it seven.

Total: 13

Sabres

Ontario-5 (Boyes, Ellis, Hodgson, McCormick, Roy)
USA-8 (Gerbe, Kaleta, Leopold, Miller, Myers, Stafford, Tropp, Weber)

Total: 13

Brad Richards had a lot to say following Tuesday’s 4-1 trouncing at the hands of the Devils. The top center who Glen Sather brought in for offensive help and leadership wasn’t wrong in his assessment regarding some inconsistent play that’s crept into the Rangers, who could have the Penguins breathing down their necks if Pittsburgh beats Toronto later tonight. The Pens trail the top seeded Blueshirts by eight for the division with Sidney Crosby on the horizon.

“They [Devils] wanted to beat us really bad; you could feel that from the start, and I can’t say for sure that we felt the same way,” Richards told NY Post beat writer Larry Brooks following a third straight game in which they permitted three-or-more goals.

For the bitter Hudson rival, it’s true there was more urgency due to their playoff positioning. The Devils entered yesterday having dropped five of six, including a few on home ice. Their lead on eighth Winnipeg was five and still were eight clear of ninth Washington. Aside from needing the game, it was evident that they were out to prove a point to their blood rivals, who have gotten all the ink this season.

“They came at us like they knew they had to win the game because of the playoff battle they’re in, but if we don’t turn this around in a hurry we’ll be down there in that seven-eight spot before you can blink,’’ Richards added.

It was the Devils who responded to the Blueshirts’ challenge with a dominant third, outscoring New York 3-zip while winning every battle against a lethargic club who didn’t match their intensity. Like Ilya Kovalchuk did at the outset, the guys in red and black cashed in on Ranger mistakes with both cult hero David Clarkson and Ryan Carter scoring back-to-back to give their fans plenty to get excited about. They wanted it more and when it was over, the Devs had improved to 3-2 against the Rangers. Albeit one came in the shootout but the last two New Jersey wins were in regulation, including a 1-0 shutout at MSG last month. Proof that Pete DeBoer’s club can play with a despised rival who they could see this Spring. A second or third round match-up would be supreme. For now, the two clubs will continue to try to rack up as many points and let it all play out.

While the Devils can feel good about themselves, it’s back to the drawing board for Richards and his teammates, who’ve looked lethargic recently. Bad habits are becoming a bad spell with more pucks to be had for opportunistic opponents and lax coverage in front of meal ticket Henrik Lundqvist, who was under siege last night. Even the return of captain Ryan Callahan couldn’t prevent it. Richards continued:

“We’ve lost some of our desperation over the last while and we have to get it back. We have to get back to playing with the emotion and commitment that got us the lead in the division. Our intensity, our attention to detail and our preparation has kind of been on and off and that’s not something we can accept or allow if we want to be a great franchise.”

Part of becoming great is battling adversity along the way. It’s the Rangers who now have the collective target on their back. An area this Original Six club hasn’t been used to in quite some time. No longer are Messier, Graves, Tikkanen, Larmer, Kovalev, Nemchinov, Leetch, Beukeboom, Zubov, Lowe and Richter around to save them. It’ll be up to a new collection that includes Callahan, Gaborik, Richards, Dubinsky, Stepan, Anisimov, Hagelin, Staal, Girardi, McDonagh, Del Zotto and Lundqvist to rise up to the challenge that lies ahead.

Amazingly, almost every name listed is home grown with only Ryan McDonagh coming in a trade they’ll talk about for ages in Montreal, Gaborik in his third year in Manhattan and Richards the meal ticket they paid handsomely to leave Big D. The latter has had an interesting first year on Broadway. It started out well enough with Richards doing in the hated Pens. Even though he didn’t find chemistry with top sniper Marian Gaborik, who works best with super soph Derek Stepan and Anisimov, the former Conn Smythe hero who helped Tampa Bay and familiar coach John Tortorella lift the Cup was doing fine between do everything leader Callahan and Hagelin, who’s constant energy is too hard to favor Brandon Dubinsky with last year’s top scorer having a tough time despite the Rangers’ success. Fortunately, he caught a break during his scrap with Carter, which Tortorella updated today as being sinus related. Maybe it’s a good omen.

One can’t debate Richards being instrumental in the locker room with a very young nucleus. From all accounts, he’s been a good teammate. The consumate pro, which kinda reminds us of Chris Drury. With 17 games left, Richie as they call him ranks third in club scoring with 45 points. The 18 goals (third), which include a team-tying seven game-winners are respectable for a man who’s never scored 30. Ironically, he came closest in his contract year getting 28 with Dallas.

Richards wasn’t brought in for his goalscoring prowess. But rather his acumen for setting up teammates and adding to a pedestrian power play that’s driven Ranger fans nuts for years. Even with the team on its way to a sixth postseason over seven years post-lockout, the man-advantage has been a sore spot. It didn’t matter who they tried after Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan. There’s still no trigger. Richards was supposed to fix that along with revitalized Mike Del Zotto, who will never remind anyone of the No.2 that hangs in the rafters. No disrespect to the third-year blueliner who’s still learning but he rarely shoots and when he does, let’s just say they remind of a former defenseman known for hitting an advertisement by the corner.

Last year, the 31-year old from Prince Edward Island tallied seven PPG while adding 22 assists. Solid numbers. It should be pointed out that in ’09-10, he put up 40 power play points including 13 power play tallies en route to a career tying 91 points. You don’t have to be a math expert to figure out the percentage. Granted. There’s less talent to work with here. But a paltry three PPG and 13 PPA aren’t enough. It can’t happen when it all turns real in mid-April.

There have been too many stretches where you don’t notice Richards. Another example in a huge game against the Devils. He is spending too much time on the perimeter while hesitating to shoot. Overpassing is something that’s sickened the true blueseaters for years. It’s time for Richie to step up his game. Without him, the Rangers are sunk.

Copyright Getty Images

They met again for the fifth time this season. This one went to the team from Newark, who backed up home turf with a thorough performance. David Clarkson scored as did Ilya Kovalchuk in the Devils’ 4-1 win over the Rangers at Prudential Center tonight.

It was a game New Jersey needed to give themselves more cushion in a tight playoff race with Ottawa and Winnipeg. Only their second win in six, the Devils came out flying against their Hudson rival. Kovalchuk scored 49 seconds in as the Devs never trailed in this one. Playing with more urgency, they fired pucks at Henrik Lundqvist from everywhere and had success. Four went in on 28 shots. A much better night than last Monday’s 2-0 blanking in which they could only muster 13 on the Vezina frontrunner.

More than that, the Devils threw the kitchen sink at the league’s best and were rewarded. Kovalchuk got things started early when he cashed in on a Marian Gaborik turnover and then beat a falling Ryan McDonagh before launching his 26th past Lundqvist. It snapped a nine-game drought for the Russian sniper, who dominated with his blazing speed and accuracy. He matched a season high with eight shots. All missiles. If not for some splendid stops from Lundqvist, Kovalchuk easily could’ve had a hat trick. He caught the Ranger D flatfooted.

Aside from the sloppiness that’s crept into the Blueshirts, who’ve allowed three-or-more goals for three consecutive games, they were a step behind most of the game. Though they did pick it up in the middle of the first with a better forecheck, for the most part the Devils were better at attacking. However, the Rangers came out with a strong second, outshooting the Jersey hosts and out-chancing them. Rookie Carl Hagelin set up Derek Stepan in the slot for his 15th, tying it 1-1 at 6:56 of the second. An effective pinch from Dan Girardi allowed Hagelin to recover the puck and find Stepan unchecked. He quickly deposited it past Martin Brodeur. It was the only one that got by Brodeur, who made most of his 25 saves in a busy second. That included a couple on Marc Staal and one denial on a Ryan Callahan mini-break.

If the Rangers were fortunate to get out of the first trailing by one thanks to some large stops by Lundqvist on Kovalchuk, the Devils were equally as lucky after two. They played a great third, taking it to the Eastern leader. A week ago, Clarkson lost his mind taking 19 penalty minutes in the second, hurting his team. Tonight was a different story with the Devil antagonist wisely ignoring Mike Rupp and hurting the Rangers early in the third on a bit of a break. Off a three-on-two rush that saw Mike Del Zotto and Steve Eminger screen their own goalie, a routine Petr Sykora shot deflected off Clarkson past Lundqvist for a 2-1 lead at 2:27 of the third. Call it being in the right spot at the right time as Clarkson got credit for his career best 27th with Sykora and Patrik Elias assisting.

Before the Blueshirts knew what hit them, it was 3-1 less than two minutes later when fourth liner Ryan Carter beat Lundqvist thanks to a sweet dish from Jacob Josefson. Once again, the play was made possible due to a Ranger mistake. A theme on a night that saw them take not one but two bench minors. With the puck in the neutral zone, Girardi passed it right to Kovalchuk, who then fed Josefson who found Carter all alone for a gimme. It was his third of the season. Considering that a grinder more known for his penalty killing work and fists had already eliminated Brandon Dubinsky during a first period scrap, he probably has never had a better game. Why Dubinsky decided to drop the gloves and get pounded still boggles the mind. Making it worse, he stopped throwing and never returned with the injury in all likelihood, a fracture which could sideline him indefinitely. He took only two shifts (42 seconds).

With John Tortorella scratching John Mitchell in favor of pugilist John Scott and also reinserting Steve Eminger for Anton Stralman, the Rangers had no depth. It showed in the final stanza when they suddenly were down two. You’ll have to ask Tortorella why on earth Scott and Rupp were out following Clarkson’s goal. They just fell behind and the Devs had all the momentum and he somehow puts two guys who can’t skate or contribute outside of their fists. A bad decision by the coach, who’s done such a good job.

If not for Lundqvist, the game easily could’ve been 8 or 9-1. He continuously bailed out teammates following dreadful turnovers. Lundqvist robbed Kovalchuk at least four times, stoned Adam Henrique shorthanded and denied Clarkson off another miscue. The Devils were persistent, getting inspired efforts from their D who pinched effectively. The Rangers best chance to go ahead was when Adam Larsson got caught by Marian Gaborik, who head manned Callahan. But the puck never settled, allowing Brodeur to shut it down.

The Rangers had one power play with less than 12 minutes left, nearly cutting the deficit to one. But the backdoor to Stepan went off the right post before Brodeur calmly tucked it away. Brad Richards again was too predictable, never looking to shoot. If he doesn’t regain his confidence by the Spring, the Blueshirts will be hard pressed to go anywhere.

With Lundqvist off for an extra attacker, Elias salted it away with 1:53 left, finishing off a deserved win for the Devils.

3rd Star-Ryan Carter, NJD (3rd of season, decision over Dubinsky)
2nd Star-Ilya Kovalchuk, NJD (26th of season, assist, game best 8 SOG, dominant)
1st Star-David Clarkson, NJD (GW w/17:33 remaining, 26th, 5 SOG, +1 in 18:42)

Notes: Scott renewed acquaintances with Cam Janssen in a second period draw with the smaller Janssen hanging in there despite an eight inch difference. They fought twice last year when Scott played for Chicago and Janssen for St. Louis. … In another surprise, Rangers had only 12 hits while the Devils finished with 18 paced by Marek Zidlicky (4) of all people. … Total shots: NYR-26 NJD-29 Teams totaled 55 which was 27 more than the paltry 28 eight days ago. Faceoffs were nearly even with the Devs holding a 30-29 edge led by Elias (10-of-19) and Josefson (8 and 4). Brian Boyle lost 12-of-22 and Richards was .500 (8 and 8). … Despite finishing minus-two due to teammates, Staal had his best game making several good defensive plays and pinching effectively. He took 24 shifts (21:25) with two blocked shots and two takeaways.

… Somewhat astonishingly, Zach Parise was invisible with only one shot. … Devils honored Sykora and Elias before faceoff due to milestones with each reaching 1,000 games. With a goal and assist, Elias surpassed his ’10-11 total of 62 with 63 points (22-41-63). In 1,026 career games, the Devil all-time leading scorer is 357-522-879. … Rangers (42-16-7, 91) lead Bruins and Pens by 10 points with 17 games left. They play Ottawa Thursday. Devils (37-24-5, 79) are sixth in East, trailing Flyers by two with 16 to go. They host the Islanders in two days and then visit Nassau Coliseum Saturday concluding NHL oddity in which the Isles play the Devs three consecutive times.

They’re all tied up. It’s 1-1 after two at The Prudential Center. The Rangers controlled most of the second, scoring the only goal in a strong period.

–Derek Stepan tallied his 15th from Hagelin to knot it. A great play by the Swede rook, who continues to impress.

-Staal had another strong period. He’s been the Rangers’ best by far, denying a Henrique bid to untie it late.

-Devs came on last few minutes, getting a late power play on a questionable call on Gaborik. Kovalchuk was dominant getting shots through but again was denied by a sharp Lundqvist, who’s made several big saves including a denial on Carter.

-Brodeur’s best came against Callahan on a mini-break following a Gaborik forced turnover on Larsson. Puck never settled and Marty closed the door. He also denied a couple of strong shots from Staal.

-No rough stuff in second. Just good old fashioned hockey!

-Shots are 23-18 Rangers.

In the fifth installment of the Battle Of Hudson, the Devils lead the Rangers 1-0 after one period. Unlike the last game which featured 28 total shots, the first over at The Rock had a combined 20 with the Devs holding an 11-9 edge.

–Ilya Kovalchuk has the lone tally, ending a nine-game drought thanks to a neutral zone turnover which allowed the Russian sniper to break in and beat Henrik Lundqvist only 49 seconds in.

-The Devils controlled the early portion, getting more shots on Lundqvist with a quicker attack that included their D. Notably Marek Zidlicky, who looked good in the first 20.

-The Rangers finally got their forecheck going over the next several minutes and forced Martin Brodeur to make eight stops, including one close call when he didn’t have a tricky Carl Hagelin shot covered with Ryan Callahan close to stuffing it in.

-As has become tradition between these two bitter rivals, fists were exchanged with Ryan Carter and Brandon Dubinsky going at it and big John Scott battling gutsy Cam Janssen. Carter handled Dubinsky while the old Central rivals basically gave as good as they got. Mike Rupp and David Clarkson also exchanged barbs but nothing yet with Clarkson putting together a strong shift in the first that helped the Devs draw a power play.

-The Rangers were 0-1 on the PP with the best chance of course shorthanded by Adam Henrique, who Lundqvist denied. He also robbed Kovalchuk point blank on the New Jersey man-advantage before the end of the period. The Devs still have 27 seconds left on it as the second begins.

There’s still a month to go but don’t tell the Blueshirts. Despite a poor effort against Boston yesterday, John Tortorella’s club still found a way to edge the Bruins 4-3 at The Garden- extending the division lead to 10 over Pittsburgh and pulling 12 up on the defending champs.

It didn’t seem to matter that the B’s doubled the Rangers in shots and chances in Sunday’s NBC matinee. One which Dad and Justin attended in our seats with buddy Mike. This team finds a way. Something that you couldn’t always say prior to this season. I refuse to say it’s special until we see if they can replicate it this Spring. But it still amazes that a team with a very young core is where it is, fighting the Canucks, Red Wings and Blues for the league’s best record. While winning the President’s Trophy would be nice, let’s focus on winning the division. There’s still a couple of games left against the Pens, who don’t lose much anymore. And they handled us the last two times. There’s plenty still to play for.

A lot can change in a few weeks, which is why Tortorella will continue to hammer the point home. I doubt he was thrilled with yesterday and probably reminded them about not getting lazy. Granted. The Bruins are still the team to beat until proven otherwise. With their bruising style and aggressive attack, they will be a handful in the playoffs. Zdeno Chara gives them an edge and Milan Lucic is a royal pain in the butt as he proved at the game’s conclusion, delivering a hit from behind on Ryan McDonagh, who went right back at him. Exactly the kind of response you want to see.

The game between the Original Six old hat featured three first period fights, including a pounding Lucic gave Brandon Prust following a Bruins goal. I love Prusty and what he stands for but that wasn’t the wisest move challenging the big power forward, who’s out of his class. Prust will take on anyone, even if he’s playing on guts as when he gradually accepted Eric Boulton’s challenge last week against the Devils. Sometimes, I’d like to see Prust stick to hockey. He’ll be needed the rest of the way and supplies energy along with Brian Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko. Our bottom lines boast plenty of grit with revelation John Mitchell along with bigs Mike Rupp and John Scott, who of course Boston didn’t rile up.

Brandon Dubinsky responded well to Tortorella’s benching by forcing overtime at Tampa with a blistering wrist shot top shelf. As our fiery coach alluded to prior to that match in which he admitted the struggling ’10-11 team leading scorer wouldn’t have even played had Ryan Callahan and Steve Eminger been healthy, Dubinsky needs to be part of this. Even if it’s in a supporting role with Swedish rookie Carl Hagelin continuing to hold down a spot on the second line, the Rangers need the enigmatic Alaskan to be at his very best in April and May if they are to go anywhere.

While that works itself out, leading sniper Marian Gaborik continues to play more in the trenches, getting another garbage goal for his fifth over his last six Sunday. After a forgettable second year on Broadway, the Slovak has bought into Tortorella, who deserves some Jack Adams consideration even if there are better cases in St. Louis, Ottawa and Florida. Gaborik’s adjustment has made us a believer. He continues to play more physical and has been the perfect complement for super soph Derek Stepan, who notched the game-winner some 38 seconds following David Krejci’s goal that knotted it. Stepan has been instrumental all season. He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time kind of like a former captain from Trumbull, Connecticut who had a great career.

Even more encouraging has been the reemergence of Artem Anisimov, whose skillset is finally noticeable. He’s scoring again and also one of our best defensively. Indeed, Artie always hustles back and makes good reads. So much of what happens depends on two/thirds of last year’s Draft Line. You know what you’ll get from Callahan, who is the unquestioned leader. In the three games without Captain Cally, the Rangers have won two but aren’t as effective overall. Callahan is that one constant.

The Blueshirts are still waiting on Brad Richards, who despite a team-tying seven game-deciders, has been too much on the perimeter. He also isn’t shooting the puck enough, particularly on the power play where he was supposed to help. Richie needs to find that extra gear and kick in when the games mean more. Our team can’t go far without him.

The defense remains steady thanks to the reemergence of Marc Staal, who’s seen increased minutes due to Mike Del Zotto, who returned Sunday after missing two with a bad hip. Staal’s confidence is growing, which bodes well for the club. With ultimate warrior Dan Girardi finally springing some leaks, it’ll allow Tortorella to reduce Danny G’s ice-time along with Ryan McDonagh, who’s been nothing short of brilliant. The last thing Tort wants to do is run his top pair into the ground. So, if the minutes go from 27-28 to 22-23, it’s all the better in the long run.

As for Henrik Lundqvist, he continues to be the Vezina frontrunner despite an oddity. Consecutive games of three-or-more allowed. Expect him to be sharper when the Rangers pay a visit to Newark tomorrow night against Martin Brodeur and the Devils. The Battle Of Hudson always brings out his best. Plus the games are usually great theater. Figure it to be another barn burner with more at stake for the Devs, who haven’t been firing on all cylinders. They still are in good position but need to tidy up.

The Rangers continue to impress with their resiliency. It’s been a trademark this season. That’ll be the key if they are to finish atop the East and give the Garden Faithful a fun ride this Spring.