Battle Of Hudson

Henrik Lundqvist wanted the streak to reach six. Erik Karlsson had other ideas. The fellow Swede beat his countryman in the fifth round of the shootout, giving the Senators a 2-1 win at MSG last night. The loss also snapped a four-game home winning streak. The Rangers still gained a valuable point in the playoff race on the Canadiens, who got demolished in Boston 7-zip in their first meeting since Zdeno Chara ended Max Pacioretty’s season. At 85 points with seven left, the Blueshirts find themselves only two behind Montreal for sixth. They’re four ahead of eighth Buffalo who holds two games at hand with one getting made up tonight against Florida.

The brownie point puts some distance between the club and ninth Carolina, who trails by seven. With a 4-3 win yesterday, the Leafs stayed alive tying the Canes with 78 points but only have seven games left. Carolina has nine including a crucial home-and-home versus Tampa Bay tonight and tomorrow. The Thrashers also earned a 2-1 win over the Islanders with former Isle Rob Schremp getting a measure of revenge with the winner to give Atlanta 74. They and the Devils need a ton of help to have any shot. New Jersey visits Pittsburgh, who notched a shootout win over the Flyers to climb within four of the division lead. So, there’s plenty to play for on both sides.

As for the Blueshirts, the effort simply wasn’t good enough against a pesky Ottawa club that’s taken well to playing spoiler. When you only have nine shots through the first half of a scoreless contest, you’re not getting it done. Following an offensive explosion, it was the second straight lowscoring contest John Tortorella’s club played against a non-contender. Perhaps that’s why after Ryan Shannon’s tally off a nice set up from Bobby Butler that broke the scoreless tie late in the second, Tortorella adjusted all his lines by switching each center with the same sets of wings. Brian Boyle played with Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan while Derek Stepan centered Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik. Artem Anisimov slided between Brandon Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko while Erik Christensen, Mats Zuccarello and Wojtek Wolski went long stretches without seeing the ice.

“We stole a point. We haven’t played without energy many times this year. Tonight everybody did. Even in the shootout, we didn’t look right. So we take the point, stuff it in our back pockets, and move by this,” Tortorella accurately assessed.

It paid off when Prust notched his 12th off a Marc Staal feed. Taking a Fedotenko pass in his end, Staal skated through the neutral zone and was hooked by a falling Chris Phillips but still managed to get the puck to Prust, who went far side from the right circle to tie it at 2:45. The Rangers responded by swarming the Sens the rest of the way but couldn’t find the next goal on Craig Anderson. The recently re-signed veteran matched Lundqvist save for save, denying our club of another point. Though the Blueshirts came close with Dubinsky set up but couldn’t lift the puck.

The first half was about Lundqvist, who was outstanding in making several athletic stops that featured a reflex save with his left leg, keeping Ottawa at bay. It was one of those frustrating nights where his teammates couldn’t score enough to get him the ‘W.’ Even a late power play that turned into a 4-on-3 in overtime produced zilch with the Sens’ aggressiveness the story. There also was some edge with a few scrums as the game wound down in regulation. Perhaps Mike Sauer standing up for Zuccarello against tough customer Zach Smith explained why. There also was an instance where Callahan took two shots from behind with neither detected, which infuriated him. He was ready to go when Dubinsky and Smith got matching roughs along with Boyle and Jesse Winchester.

It may have lacked in the scoring department but the intensity was fun. Despite six shots in OT, the Rangers went to a shootout. Ironically, Tort’s doghouse came out for the first three attempts and not surprisingly were cold. Anderson snuffed out Christensen, Zuccarello and Wolski with ease. But Spezza, Shannon and Marek Svatos couldn’t beat Henrik, forcing sudden death. As fate had it, Callahan broke his stick in the fifth after Dubinsky missed high, setting the stage for Karlsson to outsmart Lundqvist. A nice deke and quick shot just underneath the glove made the Sens winners. That was enough for our goalie to do his patented temper tantrum as he skated off, slamming the stick against the glass in frustration. Every point counts. Even if they deserved none.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brandon Prust, NYR (12th goal of season tied game w/17:15 remaining)
2nd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (29 saves incl. 4/5 in shootout)
1st Star-Craig Anderson, Ott (29 saves incl. 5/5 in shootout)

The King delivered. Sometimes, if you work hard enough, you reach your goals. Prior to this season, Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist had one individual task in mind in addition to backstopping the Original Six club back to the playoffs. Last night, he attained one of those goals by turning aside all 22 Panther shots in a 1-0 home win for his league best 10th shutout. It’s the second time in his career King Henrik’s hit 10 in a season, making it the first year since ’07-08.

“I feel great,” Lundqvist said after his 34th career shutout in only his sixth season. “I don’t think my body felt this great in a lot of years.”

Even with the recently turned 29 year-old Swede having to start almost every game down the stretch minus vet backup Martin Biron, it was just his 60th appearance (59th start) yesterday. The former 2000 seventh round steal has won seven of eight, including a season high five-game win streak that’s seen him post a 1.97 GAA with a .932 save percentage- pushing him into Vezina contention with frontrunner Tim Thomas, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne and Marc-Andre Fleury.

“I keep reminding myself every day that last year was one point. I don’t want to be there and I don’t think anyone else wants to be there. This is a game that could be the difference.”

Even though the Rangers controlled much of the game against a team they have trouble with, they still found themselves locked in a scoreless tie after 40 minutes due to Tomas Vokoun, who made 26 of a game high 32 saves during the first two periods. Instead of getting frustrated, they finally solved the much overlooked veteran thanks to persistence from their hottest line with Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky combining on the winner. After a near miss, Dubinsky tapped home a Callahan pass for his 22nd with 12:11 remaining.

“This was a good test for us—a playoff-type game that you have to grind away,” the club’s leading scorer noted.

“We feel like we are a line that needs to produce and put up points for us to be successful,” Callahan added of the chemistry the reunited Draft Line (Anisimov-Dubinsky-Callahan) have. Lately, they’ve been the difference during a run of seven wins in their last eight, boosting their postseason aspirations. With both the eighth Sabres and ninth Hurricanes also winning, the seventh seeded Blueshirts have 84 points with eight games left. Three better than Buffalo (9 GR) and six clear of Carolina (9 GR). Toronto kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a 3-0 shutout over Minnesota but trail us by eight and the Sabres by five with eight left. With the Devils falling in Boston 4-1, they’ve dropped three of four and are on the brink, nine behind Buffalo and technically trailing Atlanta for 11th due to one more game played.

Crazy as it may sound, the hot streak has the Rangers just three off sixth Montreal who were blanked by Ryan Miller 2-zip on a pair of Nathan Gerbe markers. Both Original Sixes have eight games to go but the Habs own the season series (3-1-0) and probably have the edge in the new tiebreaker excluding shootouts. The Lightning sit fifth with 89 after falling to the Islanders 5-2 highlighted by 36 saves from Al Montoya and rookie goal leader Michael Grabner’s 31st (ENG).

The hot play couldn’t have come at a better time for a club that has given fans plenty to cheer about. When you put out a consistent effort, you deserve to make it. The journey is far from over with the pesky Senators paying MSG a visit tomorrow. All Ottawa’s done is essentially knock out the Devils with two backbreaking stunners in which each goalie (Craig Anderson and Curtis McElhinney) took turns stifling them. Jason Spezza’s playing his best hockey of the season and Erik Karlsson’s been on fire. By no means will it be easy. Especially if McElhinney continues his strong play in net.

The Rangers are aiming for six straight and five overall at MSG. We’ll see if they can keep it going.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brandon Dubinsky, NYR (game-winning goal-22nd at 7:49 of 3rd)
2nd Star-Tomas Vokoun, Fla (32 saves incl. 17/17 in 2nd)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (22 saves for season best 10th SHO-34th career)

Being out all night at the movies, I had hopes that when I came home to see the NHL scores, the Devils would be within five of a playoff berth. After what’s happened in the second half of the season part of me still felt there was more excitement to come and Buffalo did have a tough game in Montreal. Instead though, the Devils’ playoff run is all but over now after a 4-1 loss to a slumping Bruins team that came to play and the Sabres’ 2-0 shutout in Montreal. Not to mention the Rangers, Carolina and Toronto also winning in front of us.

Really you had to figure Boston had too much talent to go on stinking up the joint the way they have the last couple weeks. As Chico Resch adroitly pointed out in the pregame the start of their slump coincided with the Zdeno Chara–Max Pacioretty incident. And now it’s obvious the Devils have finally run out of gas after not only having a Game 7-like intensity to every game for two months, but taking just about every game down to the wire in the process. I know theoretically the team can still win nine in a row and make it interesting, but it just ain’t happening. Even if it does, I’m not sure we get in with how the teams in front of us are playing anyway.

I should feel happy that the Devils didn’t give up on a season that was an utter embarassment halfway through and from that we managed to restore the pride in the uniform. And really you can’t expect to come back from a 27-point deficit to make the playoffs, not when the largest deficit overcome was 12. Even getting that 27-point deficit down to six (with a game in hand) and having a chance to finish over .500 is a tremendous feat in itself. Many good things happened in the second half, from the development of the rookies to the resurgence of Ilya Kovalchuk as an elite player and improvement of the defense as a whole.

Yet, right now I’m sitting here in a melancholy mood like I would at the end of a playoff series. I guess part of it is you do get greedy when you have a chance to make all-time history, and another part of it is just the fun coming to an end after the two best months of being a hockey fan outside of our three Stanley Cup runs. Arguably, even those runs didn’t have the sheer excitement or the number of dramatic finishes that we’ve seen the last two months. MSG+ showed a montage of all of our critical goals recently before one of the games last weekend and that made me want to stand up and cheer.

However part of my sadness is also for reasons having nothing to do with this improbable playoff chase. Due to issues beyond my control this season might be my last as a Devils season ticket holder. I’ve loved having the seats in 208 for each of the four years in Prudential Center history, especially given the people around me in that section and the $15 price of the seats. I’ll never be able to thank the buddy enough who’s let me have the seats (they were in his name but he couldn’t use them since he had to move out of the state) but he no longer has the time to help me out, and it’s been a hassle trying to get season ticket holder rights transferred from him to me.

That’s a long story in itself but suffice it to say, if we’re not able to do it within a couple weeks I doubt I’ll be able to continue getting season tickets there since there is a deadline of April 1 to retain your rights to a specific seat. And if I’m not an sth there I probably won’t be one anywhere else since there are numerous discounts available elsewhere in the building and cheap tickets on the secondary market. Needless to say I figured if this was going to be my last season as a season ticket holder I wanted to go out with a bang but it looks like that won’t be possible. Our last five games will mean little other than playing spoiler to the Leafs maybe and perhaps affecting division and seeding races against the Flyers, Bruins and Canadiens.

Oh, don’t get me wrong – I still want to finish above .500 and with nine games left it’s very possible the Devils finish above 82 points, which would be a tremendous tangible achievement after the start we had. And one other thing I want to get out of this last nine games is to see Zach Parise return. I know the school of thought probably will be don’t risk his health now but I honestly think if there’s no danger of reaggravating his injury then he should play, even if we’re just playing out the string. He hasn’t played since Halloween, it would do his own psyche good to step on the ice at least once or twice before this season’s over with. Not to mention we’re gonna need to figure out how he and Kovy can share the ice sooner or later.

And playing spoiler is a new role for us, I don’t know whether we’ll embrace it or not but my hope is with so few games left in the season that we – players and fans alike – give it all we’ve got the last several games. I mean the players’ll have long enough to rest after the next two and a half weeks and the fans’ll also get a well-deserved rest after we had our offseason hijacked by the Kovy contract nonsense and with the wild roller-coaster ride of this season. Plus, sportswise there’s really little else for me to look forward to until the Jets come back…assuming no NFL lockout into September anyway. Well nothing except for this weekend when I’ll be attending the NCAA tournament regional games at the Rock, after taking advantage of a presale last year and winding up with a seat in section twelve for a reasonable price ($200 for the three games).

Another day and another time I’ll write a post on how the second half was good for us, on and off the ice. I do have a lot to say on that end too, from the strides the Devils have made in public relations off the ice to the growth that this second half has shown in the team. Right now I’m still too depressed about everything, and determined to enjoy my final three or four home games as much as possible given the circumstances (I won’t be at the game on the 30th and might not be at the one on the 2nd next month but will be at every other one). After all, it’ll be another six months until the Devils play their next meaningful game.

Man, that really is gonna be a long wait.

With only a handful of games left in the season, I’ve added a new poll. Who deserves to be named Battle MVP? What we did is took two candidates from each of our four teams (Buf, NJD, NYI, NYR). Seven are traditional in the sense that they’re players. Renarkably, we decided to include a coach for one of the best turnarounds in league history regardless of how it plays out. The choices are as follows:

Sabres-Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford

Devils-Ilya Kovalchuk, Jacques Lemaire

Islanders-Michael Grabner, Matt Moulson

Rangers-Ryan Callahan, Henrik Lundqvist

What you have here are in my opinion, the best eight in what’s been a crazy season for every club. All have had incredible peaks and valleys highlighted by the Devils’ first half ineptitude to an incredible run which is still alive. That can be attributed to Jacques Lemaire, who turned Ilya Kovalchuk into a better player and got everyone to buy into his defensive oriented system. Never an easy thing to do midseason. The Islanders are right behind thanks to a similar transformation under Jack Capuano, who amazingly still hasn’t been named head coach. What are they waiting for? While Blake Comeau and John Tavares have made improvements, the nod still goes to Calder candidate Michael Grabner, who became only the third Islander rookie to score 30 goals, joining Islander greats Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier. Matt Moulson was an easy choice because he’s the glue of the club, scoring 30 a second consecutive year to prove last season wasn’t any fluke. Representing the Rangers are the team’s heart and soul Ryan Callahan and the backbone Henrik Lundqvist. It’s impossible to ignore Callahan’s stellar play down the stretch. He’s already got 14 points (7-7-14) in the month featuring his first career hat trick- a virtuoso four goal, five-point performance in a 7-0 rout of the Flyers, which sparked the club to six wins in seven including the current four-game win streak they bring into tonight versus Florida. He already has new highs in goals (23), assists (23) and points (46) despite missing 20 games. As for Lundqvist, since Martin Biron went down, all the King has done is elevate his play winning six of seven while recording a record sixth straight season of 30+ wins and pacing the league with nine shutouts. He definitely should be included for the Vezina.

There were other choices that could’ve been selected. But we tried to limit it to two. So, who deserves to be the first ever Battle MVP? It’s up to you! Not Frank Sinatra.

Sometimes, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while. Make that one for NHL Deputy Colin Campbell, who got this one right by suspending controversial Penguins forward Matt Cooke the rest of the season along with the first round of the playoffs, stemming from his blindside elbow of Ranger rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh yesterday.

The 32 year-old Cooke is quite familiar to illegal hits that can hurt opponents such as the unpenalized one he committed on Marc Savard last year, whose career might never be the same. The Boston center suffered a concussion and then another one in his return that derailed his 2010-11 season. Last year, the Pens’ pest was banned two games for knocking out Artem Anisimov, which was his third suspension. Following a four-game sentence for a dangerous hit from behind on Columbus blueliner Fedor Tyutin, a month later Cooke struck again when he stuck out his elbow with McDonagh in a prone position. Fortunately, the former Badger was alright. However, he did sit out team practice as a precaution today.

Following Mario Lemieux’s heavy criticism of the league’s mishandling of the Pens-Islanders brawl that included 19 games for Trevor Gillies and a mandatory 10 for Eric Godard along with a single digit ban for Matt Martin and a hefty $100,000 fine for the Islanders, the league had no choice but to severely punish one of the Pens’ own. Cooke is a repeat offender who hasn’t gotten the message. Yesterday’s latest incident, a blindside hit to the back of McDonagh’s head, was potentially dangerous. These are the type of cheap shots that have no place in the game and must be phased out. In a statement from Campbell, he said:

“Mr. Cooke, a repeat offender, directly and unnecessarily targeted the head of an opponent who was in an unsuspecting and vulnerable position. This isn’t the first time this season that we have had to address dangerous behavior on the ice by Mr. Cooke, and his conduct requires an appropriately harsh response.”

Oddly enough, I said I wanted 10 games plus Round One. Something that at least would put some emphasis on the postseason. If you look past Cooke’s record, he’s a valuable player to the Pens who is a chief penalty killer, able to contribute offensively. In 67 contests this season, the former Canuck has 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points along with three shorthanded goals while racking up 129 penalty minutes. Considering that Sidney Crosby’s return is still questionable despite practicing, it’s a huge loss for a team that plays on the edge. Pittsburgh leads the league with 72 majors. Even if you’re the biggest Cooke detractor, he’s a solid player despite his idiocy tendencies. Explained Penguins GM Ray Shero of a suspension that was “warranted because that’s exactly the kind of hit we’re trying to get out of the game:

“Head shots have no place in hockey. We’ve told Matt in no uncertain terms that this kind of action on the ice is unacceptable and cannot happen. Head shots must be dealt with severely, and the Pittsburgh Penguins support the NHL in sending this very strong message.”

“I don’t think you can talk about eliminating head shots from the game, as we have as an organization, and not expect (Cooke’s hit) to be examined,” Pens coach Dan Bylsma said following yesterday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers. “It’s what looks to be a contact right to the head on the play, so the league will look at that and treat it as such.”

This is a step in the right direction for a league who too often looks the other direction when these types of illegal hits take place. Hopefully, it will set a precedent and further discourage players from taking part in such actions. Let this be a lesson. Further perpetrators will be properly disciplined.

Even in a year which he missed time, Ryan Callahan has managed to set new career highs across the board. The next captain delivered big time with his career best 23rd goal and two assists in a Matt Cooke induced 5-2 stirring comeback win over the NHL’s dirtiest team, the Pens yesterday. In 53 games, the ’04 fourth round gem from Rochester now has 23 goals and 23 assists for 46 points, putting him only behind scoring leader Brandon Dubinsky, whose three-point outing (ENG, 2 A) finally allowed him to reach 50 on the season.

It was another game where our Blueshirts dug in, showing tremendous heart in bouncing back from a dismal second in which they were outshot 19-7 to pull out a season high fourth straight win. Combined with Buffalo’s stunning overtime loss to Nashville that featured rookie Blake Geoffrion’s first hat trick, the Rangers gained a point on the seventh Sabres- extending to a three point lead and five better than ninth Carolina. Toronto trails by eight and the Devils, who hung in on yesterday’s 13 save Martin Brodeur shutout, are 10 back.

A fiercely competitive game that was closer than the final score got marred by the latest Cooke shenanigans. With the game still tied at one thanks to a standout performance from gutsy Henrik Lundqvist (38 saves) battling pest Max Talbot and a stiff neck, Cooke deliberately elbowed rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh from behind in the head. Precisely the kind of blindside hit the league wants out of the game. In light of all the concussions due to such disrespectful cheap shots, it was another strike against a player who either won’t get it or doesn’t seem to care about the livelihood of his peers after hockey. Just ask Keith Primeau, who still has days where he can’t get out of bed five years after retiring. Luckily, the future shutdown Ranger blueliner was okay enough to return and contribute on Derek Stepan’s insurance marker that erased all doubt.

“I didn’t see him coming. I know it hurt, that’s for sure,” McDonagh said of Cooke’s vicious elbow that forced trainer Jim Ramsay to use protocol by asking him three questions before allowing the University Of Wisconsin product to return. “I would hope it wasn’t his intent. It’s a tight game. I’m sure he’s not trying to get his team a five-minute penalty. He’d probably just trying to finish his check and just caught me wrong.”

“I don’t think you can talk about eliminating head shots from the game, as we have as an organization, and not expect (Cooke’s hit) to be examined,” Pens’ head man Dan Bylsma stated without remarkably defending the latest action from his controversial pupil, who actually is an effective player when he isn’t injuring opponents. “It’s what looks to be a contact right to the head on the play, so the league will look at that and treat it as such.”

Of course, it would occur on NBC with Pierre McGuire and Ed Olczyk at a loss for words. A rarity for the do everything TSN analyst who loves chiming in. Astonishingly, with Cooke immediately ejected for an elbowing major, the Penguins No.1 penalty kill struck when Chris Kunitz took advantage of some sloppy Ranger play in the neutral zone to tally shorthanded. After a couple of minutes of zilch, Kunitz stole the puck and used Dan Girardi as a screen, going high stickside on Lundqvist for a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead with 13:34 left. On a day Lundqvist responded to John Tortorella’s challenge to play following Benoit Pouliot running him over in Friday’s rout of Montreal, perhaps he could’ve had it. But it was a great individual effort by the Pens’ most underrated player and perfect shot.

With it looking like the major penalty would go to waste, Matt Niskanen who Lundqvist denied twice, took an undisciplined double minor after high sticking Callahan, who returned with a bloody beak. Finally, rejuvenated Marian Gaborik got to some loose change in front, burying his fifth goal in five games. The goal was set up by Bryan McCabe, whose low one-timer through heavy traffic caromed off Marc-Andre Fleury right to Gaborik for his 21st. Still on the power play, Callahan cashed in thanks to a broken play. Mats Zuccarello’s shot went wide behind the net to ex-Pen Erik Christensen, who also missed. But the puck caromed right to Callahan who noticed Fleury down and immediately fired his 23rd upstairs for two goals in 11 seconds, suddenly moving the Rangers in front.

“It’s pretty easy to get down on ourselves (and) hang our heads after letting up a goal on the power play like that,” said Callahan, who extended his goal streak to three straight. “But to our credit, we showed a lot of character coming back and still working.”

Not surprisingly, in a game where the Pens benefited from two generous penalties, they finally got a legit one when McDonagh lost position and tripped Kris Letang,who had a path to the net. Ironically, the stripes ignored a Dubinsky chop that broke a stick on one of those earlier power plays. Go figure. In any event, Pittsburgh had a great chance to tie it with 3:25 remaining. They pushed hard, getting all sorts of pressure on Lundqvist, who made a sprawling pad save with at least three Pens searching for the rebound. On a day where they were minus Marc Staal, the Rangers stood up for their goalie with Callahan roughing up Talbot earlier even though it was okay for him to get an extra shot in on Lundqvist. This time, Mike Sauer pushed Kunitz down and Tyler Kennedy was shoved away by teammates with the puck lying right next to our goalie.

The critical moment was the best shot Pittsburgh had. Our penalty kill got the job done. Just after it expired, Lundqvist made one more difficult stop on a tricky offering from Dustin Jeffrey. Able to kick it out to McDonagh, who pulled away from a couple of Pens for a mini-break. With the chase on, McDonagh forced Fleury to make one save and then followed up his rebound which then sailed out to Stepan, who deposited his 19th at 18:45 to salt it away. All too fitting that the recipient of a Cooke elbow that the league actually got right suspending him the rest of the season (10 games) plus the first round, was involved in the finish.

With Fleury off for an extra attacker, Callahan found Dubinsky for an empty netter that put the exclamation point on the latest huge win.

Earlier, Artem Anisimov traded first period goals with Jordan Staal in a well played stanza that saw each Patrick rival take turns controlling the action. Anisimov, who also added an assist for another multi-point effort, benefited from a nice Callahan feed from the right corner- steering home his 18th with 9:40 left in the first. However, the Pens bounced back thanks to a great James Neal outlet that sprung Staal, whose forehand deke beat Lundqvist clean 4:39 later. On the play, Girardi was exploited with fill-in partner Steve Eminger. Each were too close when Neal threaded the needle for Staal’s 10th. Rookie Ben Lovejoy added a helper.

Girardi and Eminger struggled all day but Tortorella kept them intact while utilizing go-to rookie tandem McDonagh and Sauer, who were strong again finishing plus-four with an assist. The Pens generated plenty in the middle frame but couldn’t solve Lundqvist, who was at his best.

“Hank played with some (guts), didn’t he?” praised Tortorella. “He played very well right on through. He gave us a chance … and then we capitalized on their penalties in the third period.”

“Right now it’s fun,” Lundqvist added with his club’s next big one tomorrow against the Panthers at home. “When you’re winning, everybody’s having fun.”

Who could disagree with that?

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (assist, 2 PIM, +2 in 28 shifts-18:09)
2nd Star-Anisimov-Dubinsky-Callahan, NYR (3-5-8, +3, 9 hits, 3 blocked shots, Dubi 11-6 draws)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (38 saves incl. 19/19 in 2nd)

I admit, I thought our semblance of a playoff chase was done Thursday when we lost for a second time to Ottawa. Some more dirt got shoveled onto our grave the next night when we somehow managed to lose 3-0 to the Caps despite outshooting them 33-12 and generally outplaying them on Retro Night. Despite the shot advantage of that game though, it seemed as if every chance the Caps got was perfect while when we got chances they were hurried, low-quality or turned out to be excellent saves by Caps goalie Michael Neuvirth.

Thankfully the Devils got a rare easy win in Columbus to break the mini-losing streak, shutting out the Jackets 3-0 with Martin Brodeur getting his 115th career gooseegg, only having to make thirteen saves to do it. Although Ilya Kovalchuk had another frustrating afternoon (getting stopped on one more breakaway and hitting a post), David Clarkson continued his recent resurgence with two goals and Nick Palmeri finally broke out of a slump – two goals in his previous twenty-one games – with a third-period tally that essentially put the game away.

Despite our win, with the Rangers winning three in a row and the Sabres destroying the Thrashers last night, it looked as if the bubble teams were pulling away from us, especially when Buffalo took a 3-1 lead on Nashville at home this afternoon. However, the Preds’ late rally and OT win restored a glimmer of hope, if only because the Sabres also have a tough game in Montreal Tuesday and play us on Saturday. If we can win in Boston and Pittsburgh (no easy task) we have a decent shot to be within five before our showdown in Buffalo.

That’s still far away though, and yet the end of the season’s closing in with just ten games left. The fact we’re even talking about meaningful games at this point is remarkable. As is the fact we’re again at NHL .500 with 72 points in 72 games, after starting with just 20 in our first 41. If we’re going to find a way to finish the job though, the offense needs to keep improving. Even with this stretch, the Devils have by far the worst offense in the NHL, averaging barely two goals per game. For a time, Kovy was carrying our offense but despite getting insane icetime the last two games he’s gone cold again.

Fortunately, another line seems to be picking up the slack – Clarkson and fellow rookies Mattias Tedenby and Jacob Josefson. Clarkson – who had two goals this afternoon – looks reborn with the kids, finally playing as well as he did in his breakout 2008-09 season before injury last season and a general malaise this year contributed to him being overpaid and underperforming. Both of the kids chipped in, with Tedenby getting assists on both of Clarkson’s goals and Josefson firing the inital shot on net that Clarkson swatted in a rebound from to open the scoring at 9:24 of the first with his eleventh goal of the year.

Remarkably, Clarkson almost had a hat trick – after scoring again in the second period, he got a breakaway in the third, but lost the puck off his stick. Fortunately Palmeri put the game away with his seventh goal of the season at 3:22, giving the Devils a rare third period with breathing room. Yet after the Rangers’ comeback (aided by Mario’s favorite goon Matt Cooke) and the Sabres’ early lead, it looked like today was going to be another total wash for our playoff chances. That is until Nashville scored twice in the final two and a half minutes of regulation, then won in OT to give themselves two important points in their own playoff race and deny the Sabres one.

#InPrustWeTrust. That’s become a familiar rallying cry over on Twitter between Ranger tweeps. It sticks for good reason. Gritty Blueshirt Brandon Prust has been a constant from Day One of the season. When it came to choosing who deserved the Extra Effort Award, there were only two choices for myself between Prusty and running mate Brian Boyle. I voted for Boyle, who carries more responsibilities anchoring our grind line that’s back intact with Ruslan Fedotenko finally healthy. It’s no secret that this trio has been the club’s most valuable due to the relentless forecheck and battles they win, injecting energy.

In a game versus another team we hadn’t beaten in God knows how long, John Tortorella started their line against the Canadiens last night. Prior to the final regular season meeting which included a strong contingent of roughly 5,000 screaming Montreal fans (never seen anything like it), the Rangers had dropped the previous three all by a goal. Bad starts were the theme before in each, our team rallied only to fall short. Ironically, that had been an Achilles heel on home ice till blowout wins over the Flyers and Islanders. At the most critical time of year, suddenly our guys are coming out flying. In winning convincingly over the Habs 6-3, the start once again reigned supreme. Not shockingly, Prust got the Original Six contest that was like a playoff atmosphere by challenging Travis Moen off the opening draw. They talked right away with a buzz and then each danced for what felt like forever with Prust landing a couple of better shots before a takedown- setting the tone for the evening.

You had to know Tortorella was in their ear about the other three games. When you see our warrior start off by beating their similar rugged vet, it sends a message. It didn’t take long for Prust’s teammates to follow suit in what amounted to the best period of the season. The Rangers responded by putting a five spot, chasing Carey Price, who really was blameless in the second of a back-to-back. Our guys came ready and won every single battle. The five-goal explosion happened methodically with the fireworks in the second half, highlighted by an odd Ryan Callahan tally that took several minutes up in Toronto before touching off a three-goal barrage in 67 seconds.

Artem Anisimov has made improvement during this critical stretch. In his second season, the lanky Russian has probably blown almost as many chances as Marian Gaborik. After he missed from 12 feet out, I overheard Anthony and his buddy discussing how Arty could have 30 goals. The talent’s there and was on display when minutes later, he broke in on Price and went backhand deke, steering the Rangers ahead. The unassisted tally was his 17th.

But before we could breathe, the Canadiens came right back when loathed rookie defenseman P.K. Subban wisely waited before firing a laser thru a double screen to tie it 1:43 later. The controversial talented blueliner then ran Prust from behind, leading to a scrum post-whistle. They nabbed Prust for a questionable interference taking both players off after Subban refused to fight. Playing four-on-four, the Habs’ Roman Hamrlik was taken off for a cross check, handing us an unconventional four-on-three power play. On it, our guys got looks but couldn’t beat Price. However, after Prust and Subban returned, they kept the puck alive. After it expired, a mad scramble ensued with Price kicking out an Erik Christensen shot right to Dan Girardi, who made no mistake burying it upstairs as our section was screaming for another penalty for a hit from behind in the corner. No one cared anymore with Christensen and Mats Zuccarello setting it up for 2-1.

Leading by one, the Rangers asked Henrik Lundqvist to make a few important stops, which he obliged. The eerie period got even wilder when Brandon Dubinsky outmuscled Scott Gomez and tried a stuff in which caromed out to Ryan Callahan, who seemed to score through a maze of players only to have the refs blow it dead. They couldn’t tell if the puck was in, going upstairs for a lengthy review. From our vantage point, it had to cross the line because the puck bounced and Price was inside his net. As it took longer and longer to determine, I wondered if we’d get the shaft due to no conclusive replay. Instead, they managed to get it right, giving Callahan his career tying 22nd from Anisimov and Dubinsky at 17:09.

That’s when the real fun began. With fans mocking “Go Habs Go,” Gaborik scored for a second straight off a broken play, taking a Christensen pass and roofing it past Price 32 seconds later. Vinny Prospal also assisted, extending his point streak to eight (2-8-10). Before the Habs could breathe, an odd-man rush led by Prust and Marc Staal allowed Boyle to join the party for his 21st 35 ticks later. Prior to the game, he mentioned to Larry Brooks that he had gotten away from what had worked when he was scoring regularly. It was nice to see one of our hardest working players get rewarded. Price’s night was over, allowing five on just 12 shots. He really was hung out to dry as his team fell apart following the Callahan review.

Replacing Price was one-time backup Alex Auld, who played strong finishing with 18 saves including a stone job early in the second that would’ve made it a laugher. Instead, a sharper Habs team warmed to the task courtesy of former Islander James Wisniewski’s right point blast eluding Lundqvist, cutting it to three with plenty of time left for a comeback. Having reminded a few buddies along with a very nice couple from Sudbury, Ontario where Marc Staal starred about the ridiculous five-goal comeback a couple of years back, I didn’t like what I was seeing. Montreal was quicker to the puck and forcing Lundqvist to come up big. You knew the Canadiens wouldn’t quit because they’re a good team. In a period they played better even getting a couple of power plays, they were only able to get one with our goalie and the PK doing the job.

Of course, Subban ran into Lundqvist for an obvious goalie interference, drawing a crowd that included Mike Sauer, who immediately challenged him. In typical punk fashion, Subban skated away hiding behind the refs who didn’t want any part of it. Considering that the Pens and another talented douche Kris Letang are next, it felt appropriate. Sauer is the kind of defenseman we haven’t had since Jeff Beukeboom. No. I’m not comparing the two as there’s only one Beuke and Sauer has a long way to go. But in a year it wasn’t even a given he’d become a regular, he’s our toughest blueliner, never putting up with any shenanigans. This kid is the most overlooked rookie in the league. Thank God Slats at least held onto him. The last link to the unpopular Brian Leetch deal looks like he’ll stick around a while.

In the second, the Rangers didn’t play smart with both Christensen and even Callahan taking offensive zone penalties with the latter roughing up a Hab with under a minute left. As predicted, the Canadiens finally made it 5-3 thanks to a nifty tip-in by American captain Brian Gionta off a Wisniewski shot. The little engine that could got position in front and I knew it was coming. He’s always killed us since the Devil days. It was his 26th of the season from Wiz and Hamrlik that made it 5-3 with still 19:06 left.

A once potential rout became a hockey game with each team taking turns attacking. Our cycle came back with some effective shifts, stemming the tide. However, Lundqvist flat out robbed a Hab on the doorstep with a sliding glove stop that had everyone chanting, “Hen-rik, Hen-rik, Hen-rik.” The biggest save of the night allowed his teammates to breathe easier. When Prospal converted at the doorstep on a late power play for 6-3, the Rangers had their biggest win to date, allowing them to move four points up on both Buffalo and Carolina, who rallied past the Islanders 3-2 to stay in the race.

The reason for the power play was Benoit Pouliot running over Lundqvist, who was shaken up and stayed down for a while before getting up to cheers. For a goalie that is extremely popular and has the GQ look ladies can’t get enough of, the King is also tougher than he looks. He stayed in for his record-setting sixth straight season of 30 victories or more to start a career. Even if shootout induced, it’s still impressive and speaks to the competitiveness of a guy who was stolen in the seventh round, becoming our franchise netminder. Sometimes, you luck out. Hopefully, he’ll be alright.

Lundqvist is usually a regular after each win or loss but suffered from a stiff neck and didn’t partake afterwards. Tortorella wouldn’t rip the Canadiens for going hard to net, terming it a “hockey play.” He’s not wrong here. Every team does it. Lundqvist is questionable for tomorrow versus the Pens. If he can’t go, former Pittsburgh draft pick Chad Johnson will get the call. A pretty interesting development with 10 games remaining. If it comes to that, it would be nice to see Ocho Cinco stun his former club. We’ll just have to wait and see.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: With the Caps shutting out the Devils 3-zip for a crushing defeat Friday, the Devs now need a miraculous 10-1 stretch to reach 90 points. Here’s how the race looks.
              
              GP  Pts   GR
*1.Flyers  70   94   12
*2.Caps    73  94    9
*3.Bruins   70  88   12
4.Pens      71  90  11
5.Bolts     71  88   12
6.Habs     72  85   10
7.Rangers 72  80   10
8.Sabres   70  76   12
9.Canes    72  76   10
10.Atlanta 71  72   11
11.Leafs    72  72   10
12.Devils   71  70   11
13.Florida  71  67   11
14.Isles      72  66   10
15.Sens      71  61   11

*Division leaders

Saturday: CBJ 4 Min 3 3rd 
               NYI @ Fla 7 ET
               Atl @ Buf 7 ET
               Bos @ Tor 7 ET
               TB @ Ott 7 ET
               Det @ Nsh 8 ET
               Phi @ Dal 8 ET
               Col @ Edm 10 ET
               Ana @ LA 10:30 ET
               Stl @ SJ 10:30 ET

Sometimes I’ve heard the phrase ‘woman’s intuition’ to describe something that you feel in your gut and can’t explain why, it’s just there and more often than not the feeling turns out to be correct. Maybe for a man it’d be called a premonition, I don’t know…whatever it is I just really felt with every fiber in my body like I should avoid tonight’s Devils game in Ottawa. I don’t know why, there was no earthly reason to think Ottawa would shame us again, especially when I heard that Craig Anderson (a tormentor for us) was out with a hand injury and the immortal Curtis McElhinney would be in net tonight.

Maybe next time I’ll listen to my own premonitions. Oh, I did avoid the first fifteen minutes of this game since I was enjoying the weather and out at the mall though I could have gotten back in the car and listened to the radio. Unfortunately the roof didn’t start falling in until after I started listening to and watching the game as Ryan Shannon scored a power play goal in the final minute of the first period, Chris Neil scored in the first minute of the third and McEhlinney turned into the second coming of J.S. Giguere circa 2003, making 33 saves in what would turn out to be a 3-1 Devils loss. For all the good the Devils managed in their 22-3-2 run, they’ve practically undone it with two losses to a terrible Ottawa team in the last nine days where they could only muster a combined two goals.

Of course no matter how accurate my premonition turned out to be I just couldn’t avoid this game entirely. Not with what was on the line for the Devils – a chance to pull within four points of eighth-place Buffalo and complete a six-game stretch against non-playoff teams at 5-1 before getting into the death valley portion of our remaining twelve games. From what it sounded like via Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross on the radio, the first ten minutes or so was a feeling out period with not much action until the Devils started peppering the former Duck scrub and making him look like so many goalies did in the first half of the season against us.

Then, back-to-back penalties by Patrik Elias and Anton Volchenkov gave the Sens lots of power play time towards the end of the first period, and eventually they took advantage when Shannon scored just after the short 5-on-3 expired. Perhaps the second period was the most maddening of all, as the Devils outshot the Sens 11-3 but still could not solve McElhinney. It’s proving about as hard for me to spell his name right as it was for us to get a goal on him tonight. Still, only being down one there was some reason to hope things would turn in the third, that we would continue to dominate and finally get a bounce that would turn the game.

Unfortunately that never happened…instead it was Ottawa who got a bounce when Neil scored at fifty-five seconds on a play where I still don’t know how Martin Brodeur lost the puck. It seemed to be a popup that spun out of his grasp, whatever the reason it was his second questionable game-losing goal against Ottawa in nine days. Perhaps we finally left February hero Johan Hedberg on the bench one day too long.

Although Colin White did score shortly after that, the goal was eventually waved off due to ‘incidental contact’ by Adam Mair. This is a hockey rule I still don’t understand…how can you wave off a goal on something that isn’t a penalty? By that theory a defenseman should always be able to throw a forward into his goalie and get a goal disallowed. To me either it should be a penalty (and it did look like Mair hit the goalie’s skate or pads before the puck got there) or it should be a goal.

Be that as it may, we did still have our chances in the third period, finally converting on a powerplay when Brian Rolston scored his thirteenth at 5:02 on (what else?) a slapshot from the blueline. Rookie Jacob Josefson and vet Elias got the assists on what turned out to be our lone goal of the night. And we’d have opportunities to tie the game after that, most notably when seconds after coming out of the box, Ilya Kovalchuk got sprung for a breakaway…but unlike the game against the Rangers a month ago, he would not convert on this golden opportunity to get a tie and perhaps at least a point out of this game. Instead, Neil put it away with an empty-netter in the final minute.

This loss was so crippling I’m barely upset at the Flyers’ continued tank job against all of the teams we need them to beat to continue our improbable run (losses to the Canes, Sabres, Rangers, Leafs and Thrashers twice, all in the last month). When the Panthers are giving you more help than the Flyers that’s just…telling. But whatever, they probably won’t have to worry about tanking much longer to keep us out of the playoffs if we have even a couple more losses. As it is, the Devils need to go 10-2 in their last twelve games just to get to ninety points and that might not even be enough.

That’s presuming we can even get to 90. When you lose twice in nine days to the worst team in the conference, then have to play the Caps, Blue Jackets, Bruins, Penguins and Sabres in your next five with the latter four being on the road…well you’re just not leaving yourself any margin for error. Realistically, if you can’t beat Ottawa one out of two games you probably don’t deserve to make the playoffs anyway. All along I’ve always been more reserved about our playoff chances than most, though it’s gotten to a point where I was starting to think some divine intervention was going in our favor I don’t think I lost sight as to just how improbable this run would be.

Still, hopefully the team cranks it up one more time and gives the fans at least a final glimmer of hope tomorrow night against a Caps team that was white-hot until Detroit finally dulled their long winning streak last night. I’ve taken this stretch in groups of games…as in I hope we’re alive through this homestand or going into the next homestand. If we’re fortunate enough to win tomorrow I’ll say well, I hope we’re still alive after our four-game road trip. Even then it won’t get any easier with home games against the Isles, Flyers (watch them crank it up for us if we’re still in it somehow by then) and Habs at home before their final four games at Pittsburgh, against Toronto, at the Garden and against the Bruins. But hey, at least we don’t have to play the Sens again since they love sticking it to us – see ’96, ’98, ’06 and this year with ’03 being the lone exception.

If this roller-coaster is going to come to an end tomorrow or on the upcoming trip, well at least the team made it fun for a couple of months in a season that was a death valley and with the younger players producing as well as having Kovy being fully assimilated, there’s even more hope for the future than ever. That’s for this offseason though – right now, tomorrow’s game is the season. Lose and it’s pretty much over realistically.

Call it an early St. Patty’s delight. As I erred repeatedly on thinking the fun Irish holiday was yesterday instead of tomorrow (March 17-duh), well the Rangers were ready to get the party started by crushing the Islanders 6-3 for their second straight win at the chaotic World’s Most $hameless State Of The Art Arena. Al Rotwig sucks. I digress. 😛

Another game they had to win due to Hasan’s Devils latest improbable ‘W,’ which sounds even wackier than we perceived over at 33rd and Seventh. While they cameback from two to prevail over Atlanta, the Rangers took care of business against the pain in the ass Long Island rival in what amounted to an exciting night. Yes, John Tortorella isn’t wrong that they got into too much of a run ‘n gun with a dangerous opponent who can pick you apart. From that standpoint, I appreciated his Jacques Lemaire-esque warning about the team needing to be more defensive oriented in the final 11 games. The offense was a welcome sight with Marian Gaborik once again beating up his favorite opponent. The Great Gabby reemerged with two power play goals, making him the fourth Ranger to reach 20 this season. All the more amazing since leading scorer Brandon Dubinsky has disappeared.

“It was a big win,” Gaborik said. “We had a tough couple of games on the West Coast so it was nice to come back and score a couple of goals on home ice.”

When you look at our point leader who hasn’t hit 50 yet after looking like a lock for 60, it’s amazing this team finds itself in an enviable position- two points up on Buffalo for seventh after Cam Ward (40 saves) closed the door in a 1-0 blanking that put the Canes just two back of eighth. The one thing about the Blueshirts is they do it by committee with Gaborik, Dubinsky and Brian Boyle each having 20 goals while new leader Ryan Callahan notched the all important 21st that stemmed the tide after they blew a 2-0 lead. If you count Derek Stepan (18) and Artem Anisimov (16), it’s possible we could have half a dozen reach 20 by season’s end.

Most impressive was the continued positive play from Erik Christensen, who scored for a second consecutive game and also set up another- giving him five points (3-2-5 in 5 GP) for the month. In fact, if you go back to a 6-0 rout of the Caps in which Christy had a two goal, two assist effort, that’s five goals and four helpers including three power play goals along with a plus-six rating during a seven-game span. It speaks to the streakiness of a gifted player who if he showed any consistency, would be a steal. They’ll certainly take what they’re getting lately as the games become more crucial down the stretch. Christensen is one of eight Rangers with at least 10 goals, which brings me to fan favorite Brandon Prust, who did it again last night. Prusty has been the epitome of this hard working group. A heart and soul guy who never asks out even if he’s nicked up like yesterday.

There was our No.8 following up Ryan McDonagh’s rush for a huge shorthanded goal to steer his team in front. Nearly half his 11 markers have come while shorthanded. Not bad for a guy who was viewed as a throw in last year with Olli Jokinen in the Ales Kotalik salary dump. Sometimes, it takes a guy a couple of organizations to really get a fair shake. With Phoenix and Calgary, Prust was known as an enforcer who would go with anyone. A winning characteristic we still get to see. Only now, he picks his spots because he has a larger role, playing alongside running mate Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko on the checking line while also leading the penalty kill. Who knew? Off a nice follow up on a sliding Al Montoya, Prust notched his team-leading fifth shorthanded goal. He is tied for the league lead with Islander Frans Nielsen. Not bad for a guy who always gives an honest effort.

Even though I didn’t vote for him for the Steven McDonald Extra Efford Award, it was between Prust and the guy I chose, Boyle as both exemplify what this team is all about. When Callahan went down, the dynamic duo stepped up. Who ever would’ve thought one would have 20 goals while the other 11. Their season totals are very similar with Boyle tallying 32 points (20-12-32) and Prust notching 25 (11-14-25)- each posting career highs across the board while being the ultimate Rangers. Where would they be without them?

Montoya got a rude welcome by the team that drafted him first round. He was chased before two periods were complete, having allowed five goals on 36 shots. Unfortunately, his team hung him out to dry, getting whistled for several penalties which allowed our power play that scored three times (Irish luck). Al was peppered. Already ahead by one, Christensen took a nice Mats Zuccarello feed and blasted one high stickside for his 11th. Dan Girardi also got an assist. By the end of one, our team had 21 shots. So, Montoya did his best to keep the Islanders in. When Matt Moulson (30th) and P.A. Parenteau (17th) scored 2:29 apart off nice set ups from John Tavares, it could’ve got ugly. Instead, Henrik Lundqvist responded with some timely stops before Callahan had an easy tap-in courtesy of a beautiful Anisimov backhand pass behind Montoya for No.21. The future captain is one shy of matching his career high established the last time we made the playoffs (’08-09). Callahan is 21-21-42 in only 51 games with nine PPG, two shorties and four game-winners. The two-time Extra Effort recipient is what a Ranger should be.

Following Cally’s tally, the Islanders fell apart literally. A penalty fest allowed our team to increase the margin to 5-2. First, Gaborik atoned for an easy miss by taking a Bryan McCabe feed and streaking up ice for a halitzer Montoya had no chance on. Then on a five-on-three, it was the original Islander who got into the act with his first as a Ranger- blasting one through a Callahan screen that ended Montoya’s night. Both Callahan and Vinny Prospal drew assists. The play of Prospal can’t be understated. In what’s been a trying year which could be his last due to his knees, the alternate captain has shown a lot of heart coming back to try to get our team in. His assist gave him points in seven straight (1-7-8). Over the last 10, Mr. Sunshine has two goals and nine helpers along with a plus-four rating. Prospal makes a difference. Gaborik and Christensen are more comfortable.

“We were just getting pucks through,” McCabe said of a power play that’s now victimized the Islanders nine times. “Traffic is the key to success.”

“It was against my former team that I started with,” he noted of the goal. “It was nice to get a win here.”

With Stepan’s line struggling lately, Tortorella reinserted Sean Avery for Wojtek Wolski, who understood the benching. Unfortunately, Avery was called for three minors with only one questionable. His last came after Gaborik’s second, which was off a nifty Christensen feed for another rocket. With the Rangers closing in on an easy win to get back to NHL .500 on home ice (16-16-3), Avery was nabbed for a needless rough. Making it worse, Tavares scored his 26th off it which had the coach fuming. Moulson and Parenteau assisted. Afterwards, when asked about it, Tortorella opted not to discuss it, indicating “That’s my business.” Uh oh.

Also returning last night was vet Steve Eminger, who gave his usual steady game while paired with McCabe. Eminger knows how to play and did a solid job forcing Tavares wide on one rush where it looked like he had a step. Who knew that he could be such a reliable extra D? To think Slats got him for Aaron Voros, gotta give kudos there. It’s not everyday we can praise our GM, who’s also made his share of deals that didn’t workout (E.G. Korpikoski for Lisin).

What was nice is that the Rangers came home from a split against Anaheim and San Jose and didn’t look sluggish. Instead, they were ready from the drop of the puck and when it got a little dicey, responded immediately. They don’t play again until Friday against another foe that’s given them fits. You know there’ll be an infusion of Habs supporters coming in busloads. It’s high time our team sends them back to Montreal quiet. If they’re serious about making it back, then let’s show ’em.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Bryan McCabe, NYR (PPG-1st as a Ranger, assist-1st multi-point game since 12/20 with Fla)
2nd Star-Ryan Callahan, NYR (team-leading 21st, assist-5-2-7 in last 2 MSG games-both wins)
1st Star-Marian Gaborik, NYR (2 PPG-19th, 20th-3-1-4 over last 3)