Battle Of Hudson

After a summer of nonsense and our fall of discontent, now we’re all finally seeing why the Devils went to such ridiculous lengths to secure Ilya Kovalchuk‘s services this offseason. Kovy’s latest power-play OT game-winner with just 24.9 seconds remaining gave the Devils yet another hard-fought 2-1 win over the Crosby and Malkin-less Penguins, putting them back within nine points of a playoff spot with two games in hand on the eighth-place Canes and three in hand with the seventh-place Rangers. Along with Kovy, our other key players also led the way, as Travis Zajac scored the team’s other goal in the second period and Martin Brodeur won his third straight outing since returning to the lineup, only giving up one goal in each game.

While you may look at the box score and say ‘ho-hum, another 2-1 Devils win’, this game was actually emotional, definitely one of the most satisfying endings I’ve experienced at the Prudential Center since Game 5 of the 2009 playoffs. This game got intense early when Kris Letang of all people started trying to mug Zajac in the corner, far away from where the play went towards his own team’s zone. Finally Zajac took the matter into his own hands and dropped the gloves, outdueling Letang in a junior lightweight bout. Though the officials missed Letang’s obvious roughing before the fight, it still proved costly to the Pens as their defenseman didn’t have his jersey properly tied down and was thus given a game misconduct.

That was one of the last breaks we got from the refs all night, as they missed several offsides on Pittsburgh in the first period, a slew of non-calls during the game (we didn’t get one power play chance in regulation) – and worse than that was to come. Zajac did score a satisfying goal at 3:43 of the second period, though he caught somewhat of a break as he was to the right of Pens goalie Brent Johnson and managed to swat a bouncing puck by him. Fellow linemate Nick Palmeri and defenseman Andy Greene each got assists on Zajac’s tenth goal of the year, which put the Devils up 1-0…but not for long.

Just over two minutes later the Pens scored a somewhat contreversial equalizer to tie it up. Oh there was nothing screwy about Tyler Kennedy‘s shot itself, which cleanly beat Brodeur at 5:58. What really galled me was the cement-footed linesman on the play, who didn’t even attempt to get out of the way of a slow clearance around the boards (I think it was Henrik Tallinder). Kovy was waiting by where the puck should have been, in position to chip it out but instead the puck never got to him, deflecting forward instead to Kennedy, who beat a surprised Brodeur to tie the game.

Honestly, I can’t stand this league right now. I really can’t. It’s not bad enough they tried to make an example of us in the offseason for the Kovy contract and have been doing their level best not to give us any breaks this season but having the Penguins (their golden children) in the building only makes the nonsense that much worse. At best over the last several games we’ve been playing by pre-lockout rules with few power plays for each team, but in situations where we’re clearly dominant and deserve power plays we don’t get them even then. Not that our power play’s been great by any stretch but it would help getting to use it more than once or twice a night.

Not to mention just the general inconstency of the league, refusing to fine the Penguins for losing control of their bench in that mess with the Isles when they had a guy suspended ten games and the Isles didn’t. And the Pens’ Matt Cooke – probably the dirtiest player around – getting only four games as a repeat offender while the Devils’ Anton Volchenkov gets three including a crucial game with Carolina as a first-time offender. Thankfully last night in the end, the game wasn’t about the refs although you’ll probably hear a different tune from Pittsburgh with the sense of entitlement they have as a franchise and fanbase. More on that later though.

I do have to give Pittsburgh credit for this much, they forechecked like crazy – causing numerous mistakes and turnovers by our players and watching some of the replay of the telecast early this morning, coach Jacques Lemaire looked prescient when he was concerned about the pressure the Penguins put on the puck. I actually thought the Pens would try to be more defensive without their big guns but instead of being passive, they were agressive. Still, after a bad first period (by Lemaire’s own admission) the Devils picked it up in the second period and could have had a winner in regulation multiple times, with Palmeri ringing one off the crossbar in the second and Patrik Elias flubbing a two-on-one one-timer attempt late in the third.

Fortunately our defense held, about the only complaint I had from them last night was letting Mike Rupp stand almost skate-to-skate in front of Brodeur on both power plays. Pittsburgh got some of their best chances of the night on those two power plays just by using the big ex-Devil as a screen. Funny how our power play seldom does this, at least not until the nick of time last night. Finally as the game sped into overtime (and I mean sped, it was like 9:10 – usually games end around 9:25, 9:30) the Devils caught one of their few breaks of the game when Zybanek Michalek took a penalty late in the overtime, giving us our only power play chance of the night. While what he did was probably obstruction, it was actually relatively light given the stuff Pittsburgh had done which had gone unpenalized earlier. Still, Michalek’s whining as he went to the box annoyed me, just another sign of the entitlement that franchise has.

Our power play was – for lack of a better analogy – like passing a kidney stone, despite all the open ice on the 4-on-3 there was still too much passing and not enough shooting, except from Rolston who had one or two shots blocked during that sequence. Finally the Devils started to work the puck deep though, and another Rolston shot rebounded to Elias right behind the net. With Johnson still down on the play and scrambling to get back up, Elias alertly found a wide-open Kovy in front and Kovy one-timed it past Johnson for his 23rd goal, nine of which have been game-winners (giving Kovy the league lead along with his bff in Washington Alex Ovechkin).

Kovy’s goal set off a cavalcade of emotion, from the sellout crowd whose chanting was so loud I basically could hear none of the post-game interview with Kovy on the ice to the players on the ice themselves. Kovy’s goal celebrations are really reminiscent of an Ovechkin, or Jeff Friesen in 2003. Not showing off at all, just a case of someone enthusiastic about helping his team. From all accounts Kovy went just as nuts on Zajac’s goal earlier in the game as he did his own, but I do like watching his voodoo-like celebrations of his own goals.

Last night’s win was the Devils’ eleventh straight home game without a regulation loss (10-0-1) and amazingly it put us just two games under NHL .500 overall, with our next chance to keep the roll going tomorrow afternoon on Long Island. Though the Islanders have probably slipped out of the race by now themselves, you know they’ll still be fired up for the game with kids and vets alike trying to secure jobs for next year. Not to mention that team’s always a pain in the neck for us (especially down there) and has gotten surprisingly good goaltending from ex-Ranger prospect Al Montoya.

While things aren’t going to get any easier, despite much being made of this six-game stretch where we face the Isles, Atlanta and Ottawa twice each (all non-playoff teams) you do start to get the feeling that something magical’s in the air.

They again saw their shadow last night on home ice, disappointing Garden Faithful, whose faith is being severely tested. Simply put, these Rangers can’t win at MSG. Losers of all three games on what was supposed to be a homestand, the now freefalling club that puts out effort daily but lacks finish is on life support in eighth a point behind the Hurricanes and two up on Buffalo with Toronto lurking right behind. The Devils sit 10 back, believing they can win every game and could get even closer if the Blueshirts don’t get a win in Ottawa tonight.

The Rangers have been a better club away from Broadway. Perhaps this is what they need. There’s no time to think about the latest loss- 3-1 at the hands of Minnesota despite outshooting them 41-19. But instead of building on Sean Avery’s first goal in a lifetime three minutes in, the Rangers made life harder on themselves by repeatedly misfiring on power plays. Yes, Jose Theodore made like Dominik Hasek, sprawling across to rob Ryan Callahan of a would be power play goal on the doorstep for a potential two-goal lead. By that point, it should’ve been obvious what would happen next.

Missed chances on one end usually come back to haunt you. Especially when you’re not scoring and finding new ways to lose. Sure. The effort was there as it always is with this younger rebuilding team chalk full of home grown kids trying to get what last year’s team couldn’t. A berth into the playoffs. It’s slipping away from their grips with other teams around them playing better hockey. Unless they find it tonight in Kanata, Ontario, the odds aren’t good. Not with the Flyers next and then San Jose and Anaheim in the Pacific before coming home for the Islanders and Canadiens, who would like nothing better than to further damage their chances.

Erik Christensen, who helped set up Avery’s goal for points in three straight, took a lazy offensive zone high-sticking minor that led to the tying goal. That’s all it took to stem the tide. In a game Minnesota had no life in following a dreadful performance on Long Island the previous night, suddenly they were tied up with Kyle Brodziak tipping one home. It was enough to cast doubt. The Rangers didn’t reply with a goal on Theodore, who looked more like the former Hart/Vezina winner from yesteryear with Montreal pre-lockout. And so instead, here came another first goal for someone with rookie Casey Wellman lighting the lamp with a neat deflection of a Brent Burns point blast. I’ll bet that more players get their first against us than any other team in the league. Like clockwork.

Only down one, the Blueshirts got plenty of Bronx jeers after a disappointing second. They weren’t coming back. Oh. They tried. Gave every ounce to find the equalizer before a putrid Dan Girardi turnover allowed Martin Havlat to find a wide open Pierre-Marc Bouchard in the slot for a gimme. Just like that, the Wild led 3-1 with 11:45 left. It didn’t matter that there was still time as we’ve heard annoying shill Joe Micheletti do time and time again like a parrot. The game was over. Unless Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan score, there’s just not enough. Especially with Marian Gaborik having a setback following a practice with headaches.

On a night Marc Staal returned looking fine, rookie Ryan McDonagh hit a rut in the ice and twisted his ankle. He’s day-to-day. Just great with Mike Del Zotto out four to six weeks in what’s amounted to a rotten sophomore year from Hell. That’s how it’s gone for these Blueshirts, who will die trying until there’s no more time left in their season.

They must do it again tonight against the rebuilding Senators, who have nothing to gain other than team pride. They just beat the Flyers and won again over Atlanta. It won’t be easy. The rest just aren’t because that’s how this league is. Let’s see if the Rangers still remember how to win where they’re more comfortable.

Not long ago, the Devils were a laughingstock having won only 10 of their first 41 games. Now, they’ve won 18 of 22 (18-2-2) climbing within new NHL .500. They still trail the stumbling Rangers by 10 points for the final playoff spot with 19 games remaining. With Carolina defeating the Sabres in one of those dreaded three-point games, the Hurricanes passed the Rangers for seventh with 71 points while Buffalo climbed to 68. The Devils sit 12th and must still quantum leap the slumping Thrashers and sizzling Maple Leafs, who posted a 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers last night to reach 67.

Three of the competing clubs are in action later tonight with the Devils taking on the Penguins while the Rangers visit Ottawa and Carolina tries to cool off Chicago. New Jersey has extra games left, which could allow them to get even closer as the frantic race reaches its final month. They’re the subject of our new poll. One we hope you’ll vote on. On such an amazing run with the fitting slogan One Game At A Time, who’s most responsible for the turnaround? Is it Jacques Lemaire or Ilya Kovalchuk? Perhaps it’s Johan Hedberg or even Team MVP Dainius Zubrus. What about the resurgent Brian Rolston, who once again is performing under his favorite coach? Or perhaps it’s overlooked rookie Mark Fayne, whose steady D and offensive contributions have made a difference. What about franchise all-time scoring leader Patrik Elias, who’s been a model of consistency? Or just maybe it’s former captain Jamie Langenbrunner, whose extinction coincided with this run from nowhere. 😛

I wonder what our resident Jersey blogger Hasan thinks. Even if you dislike the Devils, you have to admit that this is unprecedented and deserves our attention. So, go vote or even comment below! We dare ya. 😉

Tonight, the Wild visit Broadway fresh off a 4-1 loss to the Islanders yesterday that featured yet another dumb hit by Trevor Gillies, who senselessly nailed Cal Clutterbuck from behind. A reckless player who doesn’t belong in the NHL is answering some questions today in a meeting with the league. I doubt even he could shed some light on the matter.

Be that as it may, Minnesota had a costly loss which was their second straight. Still in a crowded Western race, the Wild enter with 72 points good for 11th, trailing seventh Dallas and eighth Los Angeles by two with the Ducks and Preds sandwiched between a point off. Calgary is sixth with 75 and Chicago plus Phoenix are both tied with 76. Columbus is hanging in with 69, making this one Wild race.

Can the surprising club from St. Paul recover from consecutive tough defeats against our slumping club that enters 2-4 in its last six, including three gut wrenching one-goal losses that have the Rangers hanging on by a thread with Carolina and Buffalo right on their heels? It should make for an intriguing match if the Garden actually cares about its hockey team when they’re too busy rubbing our noses in it with Knick updates on the scoreboard. I like the Knicks but geez. Could Dolan be anymore of a jackass?

“We haven’t been good the last couple of games,” said Wild forward Kyle Brodziak. “We definitely need more desperation. We’re fighting for our playoff lives here. It’s frustrating. It was a must-win and we didn’t get the job done. It makes (Thursday) that much bigger. We’ve got to stop the slide now and do whatever it takes to turn it around.”

“It’s behind us now,” goaltender Niklas Backstrom pointed out after being chased by the Islanders following three goals on 19 shots. “We have to worry about tomorrow. I’ll try to be better tomorrow.”

Assuming he’s back in because vet Jose Theodore has been superb in relief, it should be a tough game for a team that has no consistent offense. Especially when Brandon Dubinsky is stuck on 19 goals, disappearing for stretches during our slump. Ryan Callahan also hasn’t found the back of the net lately with only one goal over the past half dozen. Sure. Cally always brings it but we need him to finish in front of the net.

More encouraging is that new acquisition Bryan McCabe looked good the other night, picking up his first point as a Ranger on an assist on Erik Christensen’s power play tally. The big man got his shot off plenty, pacing the Blueshirts with six. The only issue is that it can’t just be one guy taking all the shots. At least the power play resembled one, forcing Ryan Miller to come up with tough saves. Hopefully, that will continue tonight with more production.

Henrik Lundqvist gave up three-or-more for the 11th time in 15 games. But anyone who saw it knows he wasn’t the problem. The poor starts have caught up, leaving Callahan baffled as to why they’re not being more aggressive. When our team’s right, they’re an attacking club that gets in on the forecheck and generates off winning board battles. It’s time to get back to that in your face style before it’s too late.

With no margin for error, every game is huge. The Wild have two more points than us. So, it won’t be easy. Marc Staal got through practice yesterday feeling better. Is he back for Martin Havlat and Brent Burns or do they wait until Ottawa tomorrow night? Regardless, they need their top defenseman back for this stretch run. Rook tandem Ryan McDonagh and Mike Sauer have been outstanding and Dan Girardi as well. They’ve gotten good mileage out of Steve Eminger. Matt Gilroy tries. But without the anchor, they’ll be hard pressed to pull this off. Is Ruslan Fedotenko ready to return, solidifying Brian Boyle and banged up Brandon Prust who saw only eight minutes Tuesday? Every piece helps.

Artem Anisimov scored his 14th of the season, which pulled the Rangers within one against Buffalo. His first point in six. The lanky 22 year-old Russian stays put with Glen Sather unwilling to trade him or any of our prospects to Dallas along with a No.1 pick for Brad Richards. The right move considering it would’ve been only as a rental. Artie been up and down most of the season. His 14 goals are two better than his rookie year and the 18 assists also are a couple more than ’09-10. Anisimov’s taken 150 shots or 26 more already with still 17 games to go. His three power play goals and eight power play points are career bests. If he can put it together, it would go a long way to this team making the playoffs. He ranks fifth in team scoring, tied with Boyle.

They also need better from Mats Zuccarello, who remains stuck on three goals in 30 games. It’s clear the Norwegian has talent with superb skating and playmaking capabilities. However, he must be more assertive like the other day when he came close to tying it with 6:00 left. The puck glanced off the post. So, he was a bit unlucky. MZA can be a difference maker. We’ll see if he and the rest of the team can step it up starting tonight.

Every game is big when you’re eleven points out of a playoff spot, but yesterday was particuarly important for the Devils – since they not only had a critical home tilt with the Lightning, but would also get word on whether injured star winger Zach Parise could begin light skating. Doctors gave Parise a thumbs up before the game, and the twelve thousand plus at the Prudential Center gave the Devils team applause after another tight 2-1 win that pulled the team back to within nine points of the eighth-seeded Canes with a game in hand. Almost as importantly the Devils finally jumped a team in front of them, passing Florida to get into 12th place. In spite of our 18-2-2 run that’s pulled the team to within three games under .500, we hadn’t yet gone back above 13th place until last night.

If we’re missing one star though, others are still sparking this run – particuarly Ilya Kovalchuk, whose 22nd goal of the year at 10:10 gave him yet another late winner during this run where he’s already had about three or four similarly crucial goals that tied or won games after the start of the third period. Remarkably, Kovy’s so far removed from his early-season problems coach Jacques Lemaire actually cracked a joke after the game, saying: “He’s got a knack for scoring and making plays. He’s got a touch. That’s why he is making so much money.” Lemaire barely could contain his laughter after the last line, referring to the well-known $100 million of Kovy’s deal.

And HOF goalie-to be Martin Brodeur hasn’t missed a beat, allowing only one goal in each of his two games since returning to the net Sunday in Florida. Yet tonight, and most of this run has been a team effort. And last night, we needed just about everyone to be on the top of their game. As much as Tampa didn’t impress me in January when we skated around their defense to the tune of eleven goals in two games (right at the start of our great run), they’ve earned my resepect the last two games – both tight, patient 2-1 playoff-type games. Could the trade for Eric Brewer really made that much of a difference? Lemaire certainly alluded to it in the postgame as something that’s made their D better.

Despite outshooting Tampa every period, the tone of the night was set when Dwayne Roloson robbed Nick Palmeri several minutes into the game with a quick glove save. For the second straight game against us, Roloson played well making 25 saves. Yet, for most of the game it was hard to break through Tampa’s reconfigured defense. If we were getting chances, they weren’t quality chances for the most part – except in the case of Palmeri early and Brian Rolston later. Rolston put seven shots on net last night, including a breakaway attempt in the second period where it looked as if he was hooked ever so slightly, just enough to cause him to misfire the puck. Despite not scoring, Palmeri and Rolston were among the better players last night, as both were all over the ice creating chances.

Still, both teams tried to out-patient the other, but it looked as if special teams would prove decisive in this one early. While our power play continued to flounder with its two chances, Tampa struck gold on their first try at 4:41 of the second period. After a delay of game by Anssi Salmela gave Tampa the man advantage, a Pavel Kubina shot deflected off Dominic Moore‘s skate for the ex-Ranger’s eleventh goal of the year. Most disturbingly, Tampa got men to the net every chance they had on that power play while as usual we’re averse to getting men in front during the man advantage. For all of Jacques’ great work with the team so far, our own power play needs to get better and could have been costly last night.

Yet, as has been the case a few times during this run the Devils managed to come from behind after giving up the first goal. After some sustained pressure in the Lightning zone, Henrik Tallinder took a Kovalchuk pass and slapped it through a crowd past Roloson at 18:45 of the 2nd to tie the game and awaken the tense crowd. At first, the jumbotron operator throught Vladimir Zharkov tipped the puck in but Tallinder was given the goal, and Zharkov got a secondary assist on the play. Despite tying the game I still felt a bit of a sense of doom when Anton Volchenkov took a charging penalty late in the period, with the memory of how efficient Tampa’s power play was earlier that wasn’t the way I wanted to start the third.

However, our penalty killers did a much better job killing this power play off, forcing several Lightning offsides and the game settled down again. When the game got under ten minutes left and was still tied, it was time for Kovy to do his thing in the clutch again. Also typically, Travis Zajac was a key figure in Kovy’s eventual winning goal, feeding the left winger a perfect pass that Kovy rocketed past Roloson with a one-timer in between the dots at 10:10. Now in front, it was the Devils who could afford to play patient. Despite a possible missed boarding call when Danius Zubrus got shoved into the boards headfirst, the Devils turned the table on a Lightning team who’d won its last two games by that same 2-1 score. As Tampa coach Guy Boucher would say afterward:

“We lost a patience game,” Lighting coach Guy Boucher said. “We won a patience game back home and lost one here. It was who was going to make the last mistake and we did. We turned it over and they capitalized on us.”

With 60 points now and 19 games left in the season, if the Devils are going to get back into things it needs to be now. Five of our next eight are at home, all against other non-playoff teams or teams that are struggling (Pittsburgh, Washington) right now. Not to mention ninth-place Buffalo’s only on the second game of its seven-game road trip, the seventh-place Rangers have their own issues as Derek’s pointed out and we just beat Carolina three straight times, though they haven’t lost too many other games lately.

As the cliched slogan we’ve adopted says, one game at a time. Our next one-game season is Friday against the Crosby and Malkin-less Penguins, in front of what could be a sold-out or very near to it crowd.

In case you’re curious as to where the title is inspired from, that would be courtesy of a good pal of mine who sits one row up in our section. This one’s for you Mikey!

Before we examine the statement he made to me as I angrily pushed the exit door with the Sabres closing out a cruel 3-2 win I sadly predicted over our heroes, let’s vent a little about what bothered me. Here it came. After blowing choking several opportunities to get this all important game tied, something snapped inside. Perhaps it was the harsh reality that another season’s slipping away. I just don’t want any part of another gut wrenching conclusion. I’d rather miss completely. Let the Hurricanes and Sabres cruise past us so we can then fully grasp that this REBUILD isn’t fooling anybody. I made the mistake of getting my hopes up because the Rangers overachieved when most didn’t expect them to be in this position.

Truth be told, I love this team. I enjoy their grit and willingness to compete till the final buzzer. Our guys are never out of a game. Even with all the agitating slow starts which have become increasingly  too common during a stretch that’s seen them drop eight of 10 one-goal decisions, coming back to the pack. Heck. It wouldn’t be all too surprising if both Toronto and New Jersey finished ahead of us. There’s only so much my stomach can handle. The very thought that the Devils, who appeared to be tanking before the craziest role reversal hands down, could wind up with a better record than our team is inconceivable. It defies logic. But then again, when did that ever apply to a league that rewards mediocrity? Maybe all the three-point wins we benefited from have caught up. The Rangers don’t win in regulation anymore. So, it was either miraculously beat Ryan Miller and steal the extra point or have nothing to show for their effort.

There’s the buzz word Mikey used to describe the New York Rangers history. As I stormed out, he said:

“Why do you even get mad anymore? Eighty-six years of mediocrity.“

How could one debate such an accurate statement? When it comes to our franchise, since breaking The Curse in ’94, the Blueshirts have been past the second round once when Messier and Gretzky reunited some 14 years ago. In fact, our team has qualified for the postseason seven times total. There was ’95-97 and then a giant hole in the middle before returning from ’06-09. Horrible would be a way to describe it. At what point do we Garden Faithful finally get fed up? Less and less true fans are showing up lately. Every year starts out the same. With promise like Lindros’ first year that had us in first before one phantom hit and a Brian Leetch injury derailed that season. The only time we really could get excited was that little run they made to the Conference Semis, having rallied from 0-2 down and were 3:00 away from bringing it back to MSG for a chance at a dream. Then Tom Renney happened and it fell apart.

So I ask as this 85th Year Anniversary season is in limbo, who thinks this nuts and bolts team is capable of one more push in its final 17 games to become what one Lightning Tweep termed as a “dangerous opponent” come Spring? I wish I had belief. Yesterday was the first time I felt sad walking out of the Garden. Almost resigned to our fate. Sure. As excellent Daily News team reporter Jesse Spector put, it’s not about this year. It never has been. I know that. However, there’s something cool about this team. Seeing mostly homegrown kids wearing the logo with pride as they try to pull this off. No longer are we fat cat$. A term passed around like a Kick Me sign in grade school. This is bigger than Marian Gaborik feeling better after one practice today.

Instead, it’s about Dubinsky. Callahan. Staal. Girardi. Lundqvist. McDonagh. Sauer. Gilroy. Anisimov. Stepan. Zuccarello. Del Zotto whenever he gets back. Count ’em up naysayers. Toss in heart and soul warriors like Boyle and Prust and that’s 14. For those that thought it couldn’t be done in these parts, that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Defiance and resiliency are two terms that have epitomized this 85th Ranger version. They’ve battled through injuries and beyond to get where they are. In the standings, the 70 points are still good enough for seventh with the Hurricanes right behind with extra games and Buffalo three out with the same edge.

How many games will it take for our guys to get back in? I always believed they’d need 92. But 90 is probably the cutoff. Can a team that’s played its butt off for John Tortorella all year win 10 of the final 17? I still think so. There’s enough character in that room to get it done. Time to rise up.

This deadline was a dud. Perhaps due to so many teams still in contention, there wasn’t much activity, disappointing puckers around the stratosphere. With most big deals taking place prior to today with big names Tomas Kaberle (Bruins), Kris Versteeg (Flyers), Erik Johnson (Avs), Chris Stewart/Kevin Shattenkirk (Blues), Francois Beauchemin (Ducks), Bryan McCabe (Rangers), James Wisniewski (Habs), Dwayne Roloson (Bolts) and Brad Boyes (Sabres) all finding new homes, it didn’t figure to be that busy.

Instead, calculated trades were the story with the exception of the Kings getting their big forward Dustin Penner for the steep price of D prospect Colten Teubert, a first round pick and a conditional ’12 third rounder. A move which they needed once the Stars took big fish Brad Richards off the market, which in our opinion is the right decision for a dangerous club who if B-Rad comes back healthy could make some noise if they get in this Spring. The Kings and Rangers were Richards’ chief suitors with Dallas very interested in Artem Anisimov, a 1st round pick and a prospect. Eerily similar to what we proposed the other day. Our guess is they coveted Brayden Schenn from Hollywood. But at the end of the day, with Richards still yet to return from a concussion despite being symptom free for five days, they probably couldn’t maximize the potential free agent’s value, making the choice very easy. If it works out, they take their best shot which is good news for Star fans like Twitter favorite starsfan10_91 who celebrated by re-changing to richardsfan91. 🙂 Why else do you go out and trade James Neal and Matt Niskanen for Alex Goligoski?

While the Stars are now all in, it left the Rangers with little alternatives. So, Glen Sather turned to Toronto pal Brian Burke, acquiring forward depth in John Mitchell for a seventh round pick. The 26 year-old was decent his first two seasons used in a checking role, supplying energy for the Leafs. He’s a good enough skater if the former ’03 fifth round pick actually stays up with his likely destination Hartford. Not much else to say following another nail biting one-goal defeat to Kryptonite Tampa yesterday with two one-timer goals by Martin St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier the difference- keeping the Rangers from gaining ground and only three up on Carolina, who added blueline help by swapping Sergei Samsonov to the Sunshine State for Bryan Allen.

At least new addition McCabe looked good in his debut, getting better as the game went on with the ex-Panther crunching Steve Downie against the boards and nearly tying it in the waning second with Henrik Lundqvist on the bench. Unlike a Post columnist who doesn’t have a clue on why overpaying for a potential rental made no sense, the Rangers are better off waiting to take their shot at B-Rad come July 1. It’s nothing like trading for a superstar who wanted New York, with Carmelo Anthony forcing his way out of Denver to come to the Knicks.

So, our team basically stands pat with hopefully Marian Gaborik able to return in a few weeks. Don’t bank on it. Ruslan Fedotenko and Marc Staal are close to returning with the team’s next big game against the Sabres, who actually made a real trade- sending a second rounder to St. Louis for Brad Boyes. Nice boost for Brian’s team and even he was pleased sending me not one but two texts last night just as I was texting him. Haha. Buffalo trails eighth Carolina by two and us by five with games at hand on each. So, tomorrow’s contest at MSG looms large.

Biron Done For Year: In the mean time, the Rangers got terrible news when valuable backup Martin Biron was struck by a puck during team practice and broke his collarbone. The former Sabre’s been a great addition, providing superb goaltending, allowing John Tortorella to rest Lundqvist. He got into 17 games making 15 starts, posting an 8-6-0 record with a 2.13 GAA and an identical save percentage (.920) to our Vezina candidate.

Ironically, Lundqvist had started the last eight, going 4-4-0 with a 2.22 GAA and .922 save percentage while recording his league-leading eighth shutout in a 6-0 win at Washington Friday. Interestingly, Henrik has permitted three-or-more in eight of his last 11 starts. Encouraging is he gave up only two yesterday following a 35-save shutout. Dating back to Jan.20, he’s allowed three+ in 10 of the last 14. All the more reason Biron’s injury couldn’t be worse timing, with it discovered too late. Unless they are lucky enough to find someone on the waiver wire, unknown Cam Talbot will backup Lundqvist starting tomorrow. In 13 starts with the Connecticut Whale, the 23 year-old undrafted free agent went 8-3-2 with a 2.42 GAA, .919 save percentage and two shutouts. How many starts are you going to trust in a rookie who’s never been up before? A potential big problem for the final 18.

Arnott dealt to Caps: In a deal already mentioned in these parts by Hasan, the Devils unloaded Jason Arnott to the Caps for David Steckel and a second round pick in ’12. I’m only going to echo what he already said about this move, which is an absolute steal for the Devils. Steckel is a great faceoff guy and will fit right in on a gritty New Jersey club pushing hard for the playoffs. He also is an effective forechecker who Devil fans will take to. That Lou Lamoriello also got a second round pick tossed in like it was Panther-esque speaks volumes. Between the trade for Dennis Wideman and this Arnott one, I frankly don’t get what George McPhee’s doing. He also gave away Tomas Fleischmann for Scott Hannan. Unfortunately for Fleischmann, he suffered a pulmonary embollism and is done for the year in Colorado.

One other deal of interest was Max Lapierre going to Vancouver along with former teammate Chris Higgins with both now adding character to a serious Cup contender. This is the Canucks’ best shot. It’s now or never for a team that has everything. The pressure’s on.

Finally, Columbus and Phoenix hooked up on a two-for-two with the ‘Yotes acquiring original Jacket Rotislav Klesla and ex-Ranger Dane Byers who of course winds up on Rangers West for Scottie Upshall and Sami Lepisto. Looks like a good deal for both clubs with Phoenix adding blueline depth with Ed Jovanovski still sidelined and the Blue Jackets acquiring a guy who can find twine to relieve pressure from Rick Nash, RJ Umberger and rookie Matt Calvert.

Before closing, Niclas Bergfors was packaged with Patrick Rismiller for Radek Dvorak. Guess the key piece to last year’s Ilya Kovalchuk deal just didn’t fit in Craig Ramsay’s system. He was in the doghouse often, scratched several instances despite totaling 11 goals and 29 points. Oddly enough similar to his 13-14-27 output in Newark. So much for the talented Swede becoming an Atlanta fixture.

Like most everyone else I was getting impatient at hearing no word about any Devils moves before the trade deadline ended at 3 PM. Obviously some deals can still be announced for the next couple hours afterwards but you had to figure there would have been a deal in place for Jason Arnott before his meeting with GM Lou Lamoriello last night to discuss which teams he would waive his NTC for. So when no deal was announced I started to get nervous there would be no trade at all.

Then finally at around 3:20 word came down that Arnott was in fact, dealt to the Caps for David Steckel, a role player who’s a faceoff dynamo and signed for the next two years at $1.1 million per. I admit I was somewhat bemused, trading player for player seemed like a lateral move at best and I was dissapointed there was no pick involved…until I got home and found out there was a pick involved – a 2nd rounder no less. Granted, the 2nd rounder isn’t till 2012 but it’s actually better in a way since that draft is supposed to be deeper.

When I heard the full terms of the deal I was astonished really, I figured Arnott would still fetch a 2nd rounder in spite of how underwhelming he’s been lately but to get that and a nice role player signed on the cheap for the next couple years as well?! Not to mention getting a supposedly more valuable 2nd rounder, though it would have been nice to have one this year since we dealt ours to acquire Arnott from Nashville in the first place…funny how life works.

Clearly the acquisition of Steckel along with holding on to fellow UFA’s Andy Greene and Johan Hedberg sent a message loud and clear that the Devils were in fact, all in for the last twenty games of the season. Amazingly the Devils may have actually gotten better this year with the trade, since Arnott was playing like a fish out of water for the last three months and Steckel should fit in nicely to the third-line center role, perhaps finally filling a John Madden -type role on the third line.

You really have to wonder what George McPhee and the Caps were thinking here, clearly they were desperate to get more offense from their center position but can Arnott give it to them? They paid a high price to find out. Heck, I’m sure Steckel himself wasn’t thrilled, going on a team that’s clearly in the playoffs to one that needs almost divine intervention to make it. At least he’s got two more years here to win and is on a team that should appreciate his talents.

Not surprisingly (for once), the rest of the deadline came and went with only a few mid-level deals, nothing particularly earth-shattering. I suppose that’s one price of the NHL’s ridiculous parity, not many teams feel they’re out of it but also some GM’s got smart and did their dealing earlier than the last minute – although I suppose the Rangers’ acquisition of Bryan McCabe and the Sabres’ suprising trade for Brad Boyes all but counted as deadline day deals.

Now, the waiting can begin for the Devils – at least until 3 PM tomorrow when the trade deadline passes. The team’s done all it could with its play the last few weeks (17-2-2) to discourage GM Lou Lamoriello to be a seller at the deadline, a task that Lou hasn’t had to worry about for almost two decades. Sure, the weekend could have gone better if the team didn’t give up two goals off of faceoffs Friday in a tough loss at Tampa but you can’t expect to literally win every game. And with all the close games we’ve had it’s amazing the team’s even had the record it does…it seems like every game comes down to one goal, for a team with no margin for error in its season or each individual game to only have one regulation loss in a month is remarkable.

So what happens now? Most of the players after the team’s 2-1 win against the Panthers this afternoon didn’t want the team to be broken up. Brian Rolston, among others was the strongest in his comments during the postgame interview with Steve Cangelosi when he admitted he’d be disappointed if anything happened. However, goalie Martin Brodeur was more realistic in his postgame press conference, alluding to the fact the team gave up a lot this offseason (in the Ilya Kovalchuk deal) and if they could get something back for their future – i.e. a draft pick – it would no doubt be a consideration. However, Brodeur also said he didn’t expect the nucleus of the team to change.

Given the fact Brodeur’s one of the few people outside of Lou’s office who could give an educated guess on what the GM would do, Marty’s comments seem to point to an obvious solution to the deadline dilemma…dealing Jason Arnott but nobody else. And really Arnott’s expendable since he has just four goals from December 2 on and twenty-two points on the season. Yet, his value will probably be inflated because of the lack of centermen on the trade front so if you could get a second-round pick for a guy that’s basically getting third-line minutes with limited production, it’d be more than understandable to do that move. However, dealing someone like David Clarkson or even Andy Greene (though I’m not sure we re-sign him this offseason) I don’t think would be on the table at this point.

Speaking of the Hall-of-Fame goaltender, he played his first game in three weeks this afternoon and was tested right from the hop, as the Panthers outshot the Devils 9-2 early, getting five pucks on net in the first couple minutes. It was as if the Panthers were determined to test Brodeur’s sharpness early, not to mention his movement on that sprained MCL but as usual Brodeur was up to the task. And Brodeur’s return also ensures the Devils have two veteran goalies at the top of their game as they head into the final twenty games of the season. After he held the fort, the team gradually settled down and gave a workman-like performance for most of the game with second-period goals coming from Clarkson and Rolston to give the team just enough to withstand a late Cats surge after Marty Reasoner‘s goal with four and a half minutes remaining.

That final, frantic minute included no fewer than three icings and irony of ironies, Arnott was on the ice for the last important faceoff of the game. During the postgame, Arnott tried to conceal his intentions as to whether he would waive his no-trade clause but admitted ‘we’ll see what teams are interested’ when he met with Lou later on, a meeting that’s probably happening as I’m typing. Owner Jeff Vanderbeek also accompanied Lou down to Florida as there are just nineteen hours left before the deadline. Honestly at first I’d forgotten it was Monday this year, usually the deadline has been on a Tuesday in the past but putting it on Monday is a bit of a welcome change given the light schedule of NHL games tomorrow night. It’s always been a bit problematic for teams to trade for players and not have them available for that night’s game, or be the trading team and wind up short of players because of guys you’ve dealt off.

Ironically there might be fewer deals than normal this year, both because of the number of teams who still have a chance to make the playoffs in each conference and also because some big deals have already been made. More and more, GM’s are agreeing with the Leafs’ Brian Burke, that it’s in your best interests to get business done early and it seems this year that business is getting a bit more staggered. All through this last month there’s been one deal one day, another couple of deals the next day. Yet there is definitely suspense around the Devils and what Lou will do. Giving up and tanking are two phrases not in Lou’s vocabulary but I don’t think dealing Arnott will fall under either category, so my prediction is that’s what will happen tomorrow.

Yesterday, the rumors of Bryan McCabe coming to Broadway finally stopped with the Rangers finally acquiring the vet blueliner from the Panthers for a bargain basement price of AHLer Tim Kennedy and a third round pick. Before we add anything on how the 35 year-old can help our power play while adding much needed experience, I am dumbfounded that Dale Tallon, who already made one crazy deal with his former club, could only get that low return for a valuable player who still had something left.

It just absolutely boggles how the Panthers can be so inept. Almost as if they’re still in the past trading away Roberto Luongo for a package that included Alex Auld, who was the winning goalie in Montreal’s 4-3 home win over Carolina. The lopsided trade then orchestrated by current MSG analyst Mike Keenan also featured Todd Bertuzzi, who then bolted. Oh. And they also gave away Cory Stillman for a song back to the Candy Canes and already he’s dialed up the time machine in a familiar setting. Speaking of bargains, the Pens won a wild 6-5 shootout thanks to their own Back To The Future character with Alex Kovalev wiring one past rookie James Reimer in Toronto. A conditional seventh round pick which potentially could turn to a sixth was all he could muster for desperate Ottawa, who wanted him gone.

I guess that makes a pair of teams who will do anything to rebuild. Jarkko Ruutu for a sixth rounder?!?!?!?!?! As much as I hate him, that was an absolute steal for Anaheim, who are locked in a ridiculous playoff chase that includes the Stars, who have been without Brad Richards a couple of weeks. The potential free agent just started skating as he recovers from a concussion. Will he stay or will he go? If I’m the Stars, obviously I don’t want to lose such a great player for nothing due to question marks with ownership. Supposedly, that’s going to get resolved at some point. The question is with less than 48 hours until Monday’s 3 PM deadline, how does it impact the Stars, who have reeled off their last two to hang in a steeple chase of West clubs that even includes the red hot Jackets, who won again Friday.

It’s extremely hard to document the West race when so many teams are bunched up with as many as 13 teams still in the hunt, including the defending champion Blackhawks on the outside a point behind. If the season ended today, Dallas would make it with their 72 points good for seventh while the unbelievable Flames would squeak in with 71. The Hawks and Preds each have 70 while the Ducks and Wild are tied with 69 with Columbus at 68 and the Blues creeping in with 65. Would the Avs like a do over on that Erik Johnson trade? Good God.

If you’re the Stars, getting in the playoffs should be priority. That’s a team that if they make it could be a tough out as long as Kari Lehtonen plays like he’s capable of. Plus Jamie Benn is finally back healthy and doing his thing. There’s also Mike Ribeiro, the vastly overlooked Loui Eriksson, Brenden Morrow and Jamie Langenbrunner. If Alex Goligoski fits in on a blueline that features vet Stephane Robidas and one of my faves Trevor Daley, who says Dallas can’t be a sleeper? However, it all depends on what they do with B-Rad, who’s been as much an MVP on any team. Enough can’t be said about Mr. Richards’ production before he went down that had him pacing the club in points (65), assists (39), power play points (25) and shots on goal (215) despite missing the past six counting Saturday’s big win over Nashville. You simply can’t replace that type of production along with the leadership the former Conn Smythe winner provides.

Are the Stars really prepared to sell their best player, who loves the area and the fans want more than anything to re-sign? It has a similar feel to Cliff Lee, who bolted Texas and dissed the Yankees for the Phillies. Will it be another bitter conclusion for Texas sports fans?

While Dallas must concern themselves with that dilemma, the Rangers who bolstered their back end for essentially zilch, can turn their attention to Richards. Rumors have circulated that Glen Sather is working the phones in an attempt to deliver the hot commodity to former Lightning Cup coach John Tortorella. While it would be great to bring Richards in, two questions that must be asked:

1.At what cost? If it means Derek Stepan, Mike Del Zotto and say Evgeny Grachev, pass. But if Sather can get them to take Artem Anisimov, Matt Gilroy and another prospect or No.1 pick package, great. With McCabe’s $4.5 million salary on the cap, the Rangers must clear room to make such a blockbuster transaction. Is B-Rad merely a rental because if he is, they should stand their ground with July 1 around the bend.

2.Does anyone know when Marian Gaborik will return? He’s been a colossal disappointment following a 42-goal, career best 86-point debut season in the Big Apple. Concussions are nothing to mess with. So, if that means holding him out the rest of the year, so be it. Look no further than what’s going on with Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh, who still hasn’t returned since being concussed by the combo of David Steckel and Victor Hedman.

These are the questions Sather and his brass must answer before making such a risky move when Richards can walk free. The intriguing aspect is both organizations are faced with tough propositions as neither is a playoff lock. The Rangers bolstered their chances by stringing together consecutive wins, including an impressive 6-0 domination of the Caps with Erik Christensen amassing a career best four points and Brian Boyle notching his team-leading 20th goal while D-Step added his 17th.

With McCabe in and Marc Staal not returning tomorrow for Ranger Kryptonite, Tampa Bay in one of those dreaded Sunday matinees, evolving rookie tandem Ryan McDonagh and Mike Sauer must continue to step up while savvy vet Steve Eminger stays in with McCabe arriving and Del Zotto going down to Connecticut. The Rangers also hope Ruslan Fedotenko is healthy enough to play after leaving in his first game back, possibly re-injuring the same shoulder he separated.

While the team will have its hands full with the first place Lightning who finally halted the Devil win streak at eight, it won’t be easy to win three straight against a team they haven’t beaten all year- entering 0-1-2. This is the last game before the deadline, which could loom large. Are they all in? Let the chips fall where they may.