Battle Of Hudson

Since the first week of January, the Devils haven’t had many slip-ups, going 8-1-1 in their prior ten games and fanning the ridiculous optomism about making a miracle playoff run. When you’re in the position the Devils are you really can’t afford to give away points. Tonight the Devils did, thanks to a series of mistakes that cost them an overtime loss to a team much closer to a playoff spot in the Panthers. Although it should fairly be said they were also gifted the point they got by some of the weirdest goals you’ll ever see, so perhaps the 4-3 OT loss was a fair result if nothing else.

Yet I’ll admit it, I felt bad about dropping the point. With winnable road games in Montreal and Toronto sandwiching a home game against Carolina the Devils could have really made some hay into doing the impossible this week, or merely the improbable of getting back to .500 (since we’re still eleven under). About the only good things that came out of tonight were we got one point closer to Buffalo – losers in Pittsburgh – and got out of last place in the division completely.

I did partially fear a letdown tonight based on their emotional win at the Garden barely twenty-four hours ago although I’m not sure what happened to the Devils was really a letdown as much as it was breakdowns. Starting with the opening goal by Chris Higgins 6:52 into the first, when defenseman Anssi Salmela fell down while backpedaling, and that created an opening for Higgins to walk in and score. Salmela would continue to make mistakes but because the team was playing a third game in four nights and also plays again Sunday afternoon, Jacques Lemaire didn’t want to shorten his bench so Salmela played on. Not that he would be the only ex-Thrasher to make costly mistakes tonight.

You could pretty much tell what kind of game it would be on the Devils’ two goals in the first period, first when a ridiculous bounce off the backboard victimized goalie Tomas Vokoun, and Travis Zajac tapped in a loose puck for a farcically easy eighth goal of the season. Then, the haunted boards struck one more time for good measure, deflecting a Henrik Tallinder point shot that went wide right onto the stick of Jason Arnott for another tap-in goal at 11:01, Arnott’s 13th. Showing their resiliency – and not for the last time today – the Panthers tied the game less than two minutes later when Dennis Wideman scored through a screen on the power play at 12:35. Florida’s power play was an exercise in futility for the Devils’ penalty killers, as the puck remained in the New Jersey zone for the entire eighty-four seconds of the man advantage, which included a terrible attempt at a clear from Zajac right before the goal.

Amazingly enough, luck proved to be on the Devils’ side one more time in the second period when Mark Fayne‘s twenty-mile an hour high floater of a wrist shot somehow knuckled its way past Voukoun at 6:20 to restore the Devils’ lead. Despite the fluke nature of the goal, the second period proved to be New Jersey’s best, as they controlled the game for the latter part of the second period. Only a predictably inept power play kept the Devils from extending their lead, to say they were 0-3 with the man advantage would be kind omission. We registered few, if any quality chances on those power plays.

And most embarassingly one of those power plays resulted in our losing the lead at 12:52 of the third period, when Ilya Kovalchuk made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone, then a hideously bad one by swinging and missing at a puck on edge, allowing Mike Santorelli to get a shorthanded breakaway. Instead of staying in his net though, Johan Hedberg came way out of it to try a futile poke-check that missed, allowing Santorelli an open net to put the puck in. It wasn’t the first time Hedberg had ventured into no-man’s land to unneccesarily play a puck. To be fair, he did have a nice poke-check on a breakaway in the second period but the second time he tried it he got a tripping penalty and odds are the Panthers realized Hedberg was getting play-the-puck happy so a third poke-check surely wasn’t going to fool anyone.

After the ridiculous breakdowns on all three goals, the end result seemed inevitable somehow although the irony of Rostislav Olesz‘s OT winner after two minutes was that it came on one of the few shots where Hedberg stayed in his net the whole game, and he allowed a softy after he’d been stopping the puck well for most of the night. Still, I was beside myself that the Devils could lose this game with all the good fortune that had gone their way. It kind of seems like a wasted point really, though like I said at the top it was a wasted point that was probably gifted to begin with. Really if you were scoring this game like a boxing match, the Panthers were the better team for much of the night. Not much better, just marginally so – but still better.

And let’s not forget, for the premature talk from Devils fans about getting back into the playoff race – Florida’s already there, five points back of Atlanta for the eighth seed. Not to mention most of the other teams we’re going to be playing are also in the thick of the race, so that makes having a historic run even more of a daunting task. As Lemaire’s been preaching all along though, one game at a time. Hopefully Sunday we have yet another great performance from Martin Brodeur in Montreal, though as we saw with Henrik Lundqvist against the Devils the other night, even when you have another team’s number eventually that gravy train goes missing.

Throughout most of his career, Henrik Lundqvist has owned the Devils. However, that certainly wasn’t the case last night with a rejuvenated Devil club coming into MSG and chasing him in a satisfying 3-2 win before a sparse crowd. The Devils have been playing much better hockey and continued their hot trend with an eighth win in 10 (8-1-1) to pull out of the cellar and into a tie with the Islanders.

Believe it or not, they trail the eighth Thrashers by 18 points with still plenty of time left. Given that Atlanta’s struggled lately and the Hurricanes also lost again, anything’s possible. In the mean time, New Jersey is just focused on playing the kind of hockey that’s produced the turnaround. Sticking to Jacques Lemaire’s strict one-four neutral zone trap, the sharper Devs jumped on the Rangers from the outset with Ilya Kovalchuk wiring one top shelf past Lundqvist’s glove only 64 seconds in. A lot went wrong on the play with three Rangers caught deep leading to a seamless transition with No.1 star Dainius Zubrus dropping the puck for Kovalchuk, who surprised Lundqvist from the right circle for his 15th.

Sloppy play would be a theme all night as the Blueshirts failed to get the puck deep, often throwing errant passes right to Devil sticks into the teeth of a stingy trap that forced a bakery dozen of turnovers. Unable to break the defense, a flat Ranger team struggled to generate anything for the first half. In fact, before Ryan Callahan surprised Martin Brodeur with a similar shot high glove answering Brian Rolston’s goal which made it 3-zip late in the second, the Rangers had two total chances. Both of which were missed nets with Brandon Dubinsky hitting the post with Brodeur dead to rights and Artem Anisimov missing wildly. As fate would have it, it would foreshadow a cruel ending unless you drink Kool Aid.

For a second consecutive game since the All-Star break, it was evident that Lundqvist was fighting the puck, letting out some juicy rebounds like the one Mike Rupp deposited Tuesday. This time, it was a routine Zubrus shot that squeezed through for an awful second goal following a close call at the other end. Zubrus’ ninth from Henrik Tallinder had the Devils in total control. Bottling up the neutral zone, they pounced on every Ranger mistake. Neither team really forechecked, which probably explains a grand total of 19 shots midway through. David Clarkson tried to liven a dead atmosphere by pounding Sean Avery in a anticlimatic fight if you could call it that which lasted 30 seconds. Avery fell down after one punch and it was over. Something tells us those two aren’t done. Nothing was settled.

Continuing to have the better of the play, the Devils took full advantage of a lazy Mats Zuccarello pass into no-man’s land. After the first-year Norwegian came hard on the backcheck, he simply threw the puck to a blind spot which Patrik Elias was only too glad to dish across for an open Rolston who buried his seventh past Lundqvist- effectively ending his night. The Devils had scored three on a guy they usually struggle just to get to one. Three goals on 12 shots and Martin Biron was in. Right away, he was tested and made an outstanding stop. Though he only faced six shots, at least half were clutch giving his team a chance at another comeback.

Following a timeout in which a furious John Tortorella peppered his team including during a TV break, Anisimov and Callahan hooked up on a nice play, getting one back 81 seconds later. A streaking Anisimov backed up the D before dropping to a cutting Callahan whose slapshot went inside the crossbar past Brodeur’s glove. A similar goal to Kovalchuk’s but from a sharper angle. Neither goalie could’ve been pleased on either even if they were rockets. Callahan’s second goal in two games since returning gave his team life. They pressured the last few minutes but still trailed 3-1 after two.

The Devils ran into penalty trouble early in the final stanza with Zubrus (goalie interference) and Anton Volchenkov (delay of game) in the box 45 seconds apart. Eventually, even our putrid power play had to score. Thanks to returnee Vinny Prospal, they did with Mr.Suntan centering one off Tallinder’s stick for his first of the season. Nice to see him get rewarded in his first game back. Prosp was better than expected taking a team high five shots in 16:33 while nearly setting up Marian Gaborik in the first and narrowly missing a goal earlier. His creativity down low was evident and can only boost our offense. Who knows? Maybe it will rub off on the PP.

Speaking of Gaborik who got a secondary helper on the goal with Zuccarello also assisting, he was invisible. When Kovalchuk who isn’t exactly known for defense takes him off the puck and goes the other way, that’s pathetic. Maybe it’s time for Gabby to play with Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. Find me one good reason why Zuccarello or Wojtek Wolski should play on the fourth line with Avery and Chris Drury. That’s how down I am on Gabby. Start earning your paycheck.

So, with Prospal scoring early to make it one goal, I had to stay just to see our miserable power play fail twice. I needed to catch the local 1 train back to South Ferry for the 10 PM boat. So, when our late man-advantage was about to go empty, I took off for Penn Station hoping I’d make it. As fate had it, I ran into a Devil fan who told me we hit the post with a second left before the train came. Of course, it got to the Ferry terminal with a minute to spare. By the time I and a few others raced upstairs, it was too late. So, I had to settle for the 10:30 boat and didn’t get back till after 11. 😛

Yeah, I was mad. LOL…but the ferry ride back was nice and there were several fans also on it. If only there’d been some actual noise in the building. I’ve never seen such a late arriving crowd for a Battle Of Hudson. I don’t know if it’s the icy weather and all the snow, but it wasn’t close to a sellout. There was no energy in the place. It looks like I’m going to go to my first Rangers-Devils game at The Rock when the rematch takes place two weeks from now on February 18. I have a Devil buddy going, another friend who hates hockey but just wants to torment me and two other Ranger fans. So, it should be quite interesting. If anyone else wants to meet up from the njdevs, let me know.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Patrik Elias, NJD (assist, +3 with great overall play)
2nd Star-Brian Rolston, NJD (GWG-7th of season)
1st Star-Dainius Zubrus, NJD (9th of season, assist)

At times, Martin Brodeur can say too much. That was exactly the case the other day in regards to losing. A term the future Hall Of Fame Devil netminder is unfamiliar with. Unless you count the Devils’ being eliminated by the Senators on the final day of the season back in ’95-96 which kept them from defending the Cup, Brodeur has never known the feeling of missing the playoffs.

The all-time leader in wins and shutouts is a winner who’s accomplished everything this game has to offer. Winner of three Stanley Cups, Olympic Gold and the Vezina awarded to the game’s top goalie, he certainly has a lot of pull with the media. A friendly person by nature, he’ll always weigh in on any issue. The man for who those silly lines were painted behind the net restricting him and other effective puckmoving types like Carey Price and Marc-Andre Fleury, is a good source when you want to know what can be done better to improve the game.

In what’s been a tumultuous season uncommon to MB30 and a few of his Devil teammates such as Patrik Elias, Colin White, injured Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, the once proud franchise sits in last place with their 37 points trailing Edmonton by one and the Islanders by two. Despite playing much better lately winners of seven of nine including a 2-1 triumph over Ottawa, the Devils bring a 17-30-3 record into the latest Battle of Hudson installment against the Rangers at MSG. Perhaps because of the unenviable position he finds his team in, Brodeur felt obligated to speak about the differences between the two franchises.

‎”We don’t like not making the playoffs,” Brodeur told NJ.com Wednesday. “It hasn’t happened a lot, but (the Rangers) have been through seven years in a row not making the playoffs. We feel fortunate. We had a great run. This has been a …difficult season but those guys, seven times in a row. That’s tough. I just can’t imagine that.”

While it’s true that the Rangers endured a brutal stretch spanning nearly a decade, why is the past relevant to where the bitter rivals currently are? Entering tonight’s match, the seventh seeded Blueshirts boast a 29-20-4 mark with 62 points- 25 more than Brodeur’s club. Gone are those chaotic days when the club couldn’t get out of its own way. With last year’s exception that saw an inferior Ranger outfit miss the postseason by a point thanks to a shootout loss to Cup finalist Philadelphia, who promptly bounced the Devils out, the Blueshirts have made the playoffs four out of five seasons since the lockout. Something even the all-time great can’t ignore.

“If you miss it by 20 points or miss it by one point, you don’t have a chance to win the Stanley Cup,” Brodeur pointed out. “The first thing is to make it and right now they’re making it.“

Correct. Missing by a point last Spring sucked. Especially losing to the hated Flyers with Brian Boucher of all people besting Henrik Lundqvist in the skill competition. True enough, Philly had better shooters. When you’re relying on Olli Joke-in-en to keep your season alive, you’re screwed. And so, another desperate Ranger push fell short deservedly so even if the shootout is a lousy way to decide such important points. Just ask all the teams Edmonton beat back in ’05-06, coming within a game of beating the Hurricanes for Lord Stanley.

For Brodeur who’ll soon have to make an important decision on his future, it’s got to kill him that his team put themselves behind the eight ball. Unable to string any kind of consistent effort that resembled their team mantra, a good man John MacLean lost his job with Jacques Lemaire returning one final time to at least save face. Ironically, their much more inspired play coincided with the trade of former captain and ’03 Cup hero Jamie Langenbrunner who gets to compete for another with his former team in icy cold Dallas. Home of the Super Bowl. Is it a bit strange that they’re suddenly playing more like the team we’ve grown accustomed to? Just by how they pushed the Rangers the last time before the New Year demonstrated that the Devils wouldn’t be an easy game anymore. Pride has been restored.

What we don’t get is why Brodeur felt obligated to speak about a team he loathes. He’s always commanded the spotlight. Playing in the Garden State hasn’t always been easy. Had the Devils been located in Manhattan, they’d build a statue for him. That’s how great he’s been. That doesn’t mean it’s cool to take subtle shots at the close Hudson rival. Something he’s done throughout his career. Do you ever hear a peep out of nemesis Lundqvist? Only praise when it comes to the opposite No.30 who he has the utmost respect for.

Brodeur is right about one thing. He’s been fortunate to play for a good organization that made winning a priority. For that, he should be grateful. However, a little friendly advice to Marty. Stick to your team. You know plenty of Garden Faithful will let him know about it tonight. Get your popcorn ready!

Sometimes, the game of hockey is quite simple. In the playoffs, it usually comes down to goaltending. In Tuesday’s case between a pair of All-Stars, Marc-Andre Fleury was better than Henrik Lundqvist. The Cup winner bested the gold medalist with Fleury making 26 saves and going seven-of-seven in the Pens’ 4-3 shootout win over the Rangers.

Alright. Say this a few times. The Blueshirts have won 12 of 26 games at Madison Square Garden. Save us the Bettman substandard record of 12-11-3. Our team is really two games under .500 at home which simply is unacceptable. I get that this team gives it all they got every night. I also realize that for whatever reason, they’re far more comfortable winning on the road where they’ve gone 17-10 (17-9-1), translating to Road Warriors. Ah. I do love using the name of arguably the greatest tag team in wrestling. God bless Hawk. It’s fine that John Tortorella’s club wins more away from MSG. But at the same time, at some point they better turn The Garden into a home ice advantage instead of home ice disadvantage. There’s still 16 games left on 33rd and Seventh including tomorrow’s grudge match against the revamped Devils. They better get it together soon.

So, how in a game where six combined goals was Fleury the difference? If you saw the goals our team scored compared to the softies Lundqvist let in, it was obvious. For some reason, he just wasn’t sharp fumbling rebounds even in the first where our team led thanks to a Brandon Prust tap-in set up by Brian Boyle and Wojtek Wolski. Our team built a two-goal lead early in frame two when Artem Anisimov did something- batting the puck out of mid-air to notch his 11th from Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik. With Dubi back along with third goalscorer Ryan Callahan, our lineup looked decent considering it was their first games. I really liked how Dubinsky meshed with Anisimov and Gaborik. Hopefully, Tort will keep them together. Callahan played with Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello, who took turns with an effective Wolski.

The fourth line was anchored by Chris Drury who worked with recently demoted Kris Newbury and Sean Avery. I thought they played well forechecking effectively. Newbury may have racked up 32 penalty minutes in his time here but he played with energy and mixed it up. Sure. A few of his penalties were undisciplined and probably explains why he’s been an AHLer. But he worked hard and fit in. Kudos to Ken Gernander and the rest of the Connecticut Whale staff. As for Drury who most figure could be the odd man out when or if Vinny Prospal returns, the captain acquitted himself well putting together a couple of inspired penalty killing shifts. For a guy who gets killed due to his hefty salary, Dru always gives effort. It’s a shame that his body has broken down and he’s likely done after this year regardless of the contract having another year remaining. I’ve seen tweeps ask for him to be stripped of the ‘C.’ But that would be detrimental to the team. I don’t think outsiders realize his importance in the locker room. Intangibles can never be underestimated. It would’ve been nice if Dru had beaten Fleury with a great try that the Pitt netminder gloved for one of his best saves.

As for Boyle and Prust, Batman and Robin did their thing combining on a goal while playing solid all around hockey that we’ve come to expect. I guess Wolski will stick with them as I feel MZA is a better fit with D-Step and Cally. Aside from Callahan’s tying tally with 12 ticks left in the second, the power play stunk. Michael Del Zotto was again shaky despite setting up Cally’s redirect. He also failed to take Ranger killer Mike Rupp on the Pens’ second goal- an awful rebound by Lundqvist on a routine Max Talbot shot. Honestly, he could’ve had all three, including rookie Dustin Jeffrey’s unscreened one-timer for a Pens’ power play goal that gave them life. In a word, deflating. No wonder the Pens soon tied it and then surged ahead on a similar play off a faceoff after Tortorella burned a timeout. Yes. Chris Kunitz tipped home Zbynek Michalek’s blast but there again seemed to be enough time for our two-time All-Star to stop it.

Predictably, Lundqvist took no heat afterwards in a game we should’ve come out with two points in. What do these media people do during games? Yawn when Henrik allows clunkers similar to Martin St. Louis’ in the All-Star Game?!?! Lundqvist has had a great season and I’m not trying to take away from it which includes seven shutouts. However, there are instances where he lets in goals that mystify. For a man praised for consistency, you expect him to make those saves. Especially in a game where Jordan Staal punched Prust following an elbow, earning a major late in the second ending his night. For how Tort felt about his team’s game being good for the first game back, it sure seemed like the Pens were hungrier to the puck. They won most of the battles. In effect, they out-Rangered us without Crosby and Malkin.

Yes, our team dominated the third and overtime outshooting Pittsburgh 13-4 but Fleury wouldn’t have any of it. Aside from Zuccarello trying to go five-hole which nearly worked, it was little shock that Fleury didn’t allow one shot in the seven round skill comp to beat him. He wasn’t losing it. When Lundqvist made the first move against unlikely hero Jeffrey who went five-hole in Round Seven, it was over. Especially when Gaborik was sent out. He simply isn’t good at shootouts. So, Fleury easily padded away his feeble attempt and the Pens had the deserved extra point on a night their goalie was better.

Cookeing Up A Storm: Before I close the book on the other day, one thought on the Pens. Particularly Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke. These two constantly swing their sticks, which is potentially dangerous. While I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to Kennedy who at least attempts to play an honest game most of the time, there’s no love lost over Cooke. A man who continually gets away with garbage and never has to pay the price. At the opening faceoff of the second, he tried to goad Prust into a penalty simply because he chickened out of a fight. A low move typifying what this guy is about. Then, there was a shift where he chased Gaborik around looking to go low on him with the puck nowhere in the vicinity. To top it off, there he was running his mouth looking to instigate stuff at the end of the period with Boyle having none of it. This guy is a flat out embarrassment to the game of hockey and makes Avery look like a Lady Byng candidate. Yeah. I know Sean’s no angel but he’ll never look to hit someone cheap or take it to the level Cooke does. Isn’t it about time someone puts this guy through the glass? The day can’t come fast enough.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brandon Prust, NYR (8th of season, fight vs Deryk Engelland-draw)
2nd Star-Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit (26 saves incl.7/7 in shootout)
1st Star-Dustin Jeffrey, Pit (PPG, shootout winner in Rd.7)

Even the Devils’ 2-1 win against Ottawa isn’t enough to lift the latest dark cloud hanging over the franchise – and no I’m not talking about the dopey icestorm that kept me and thousands home as no-shows for the game tonight, just the latest weather disaster in the Northeast this winter.

After a tranquil five days between Devil games, a bombshell was dropped on Devils Nation early this morning with the news that the team is now being put on the market. First reported by Bloomberg News, the initial story appeared to have been somewhat clarified by Jeff Vanderbeek‘s statement that his partner ‘Brick City Hockey’ (headed by minority owners Mike Gilfillan and Ray Chambers) didn’t share his vision of the franchise and was putting their share of the team up for sale but that he expected to maintain a controlling interest.

Later reports have clouded the picture again though, with speculation that the minority owners can, in fact initiate a sale of the whole team and the Prudential Center arena. If you believe the Post, Vanderbeek only owns 30% of the Devils (if you have enough partners, that could still be enough to own a majority but not enough to ensure the others won’t eventually buy you out of control), other reports have his stake at the team at 50%, with Chambers, Gilfillan and co-owner Peter Simon – who won’t be selling his interest – splitting the rest of the team. If there really is instability with the team, that could further complicate the efforts to give Zach Parise a long-term deal this offseason, among other consequences of whatever nonsense is going to come of this latest spectacle in the days, weeks and months.

Vanderbeek can protest all he wants that nothing’s going to change but in the span of a week I’ve now seen two of my teams be put up for sale and have been doubly lied to. That’s a pretty bizarre coincidence, though the Devils’ problems seem to be coming from left field even more than the Mets. If the Devils were in such dire straits, why exactly did we spend nearly $200 million aggregate in salaries this offseason between the contracts of Ilya Kovalchuk, Henrik Tallinder, Anton Volchenkov and trading for Jason Arnott? Is one bad season at the box office enough to get half of ownership to cry wolf or are they just looking for a profit now that the team’s value has peaked?

At the very least, clearly we haven’t been told everything about Vanderbeek’s agreement with his partners, just like the Mets admitted nothing to us about how Bernie Madoff would affect the team. The shame of it is, Vanderbeek looked like he came straight from central casting as an owner who is a legitimate fan and kept involved on a day-to-day basis with the team and the fans PR-wise but didn’t micromanage the hockey operation a la a Dan Snyder with the Redskins. Although he hasn’t admitted he’s looking to sell yet, his former firm at Lehman Brothers also took a huge hit during the recession but until now money certainly hasn’t been an issue with the team. Who knows if we’ll be as lucky with the next guy or group that comes in, since either way this looks like the beginning of the end of Vanderbeek being the face of the franchise.

It’s too bad that whatever happens in the last 32 games, this will now loom over the rest of the season and the offseason. We really can’t get a break from contreversy, between the Jamie Langenbrunner insubordination towards Jacques Lemaire last year to the Kovalchuk nonsense this offseason and Johnny MacLean‘s ill-fated tenure as coach, probably the worst stint as a coach ever in the NHL since it was so short and a spectacular failure. This is just more nonsense to add onto the pile.

About the only good thing you could say for today is the team won, and played fairly well if a bit uninspired at times against a subpar Ottawa team playing another goalie I never heard of (19-year old Robin Lehner). Of course, the 2009 second-round pick gave us headaches for most of the night – as have most goalies this year – stopping 31 shots, 24 of them in the first two periods with only Nick Palmeri beating him in the first minute of the second period. At least one of our rookie forwards is playing well – Palmeri has four goals in his first eleven games – of course that rookie’s not Matthais Tedenby who was scratched yet again after a subpar game in Detroit last week. And once again I ask, if he’s not going to play here then why is he here?

At least our defense was about as healthy as you could expect at this point, with Colin White‘s return after two games on the shelf with a lower-body injury. For one of the few times all year we had our top four of Volcheknov-Tallinder-White and Andy Greene intact on defense and the two free agent signings both seem to be hitting their stride now after slow starts. Among our top six, only Mark Fayne (flu) missed the game, with Anssi Salmela taking his place.

While defensively and system-wise we looked more like the Devils of the last three weeks of January, offensively we looked like the pre-Lemaire version for the most part. Until the final six minutes, when Danius Zubrus scored on a weird deflection (a break we weren’t getting for the most part earlier this year), which gave us just enough breathing room for a regulation 2-1 win. Our seventh win in nine games was played in front of a crowd who was announced at just over seven thousand but in actuality probably much less due to the icy roads keeping ticketholders away.

Somewhat nonsensically, reporters have been asking the team whether they still feel they’re in the playoff chase and were pestering Lemaire about it during the postgame, as if being some eighteen points back with 32 games left constitutes being ‘in’ it. Rightly the coach poo-poohed the question with this response:

“I never talk about that (with the players),” Lemaire said. “We’ve just got to take it a game at a time and that’s it because it’s nearly impossible, so why are you going to look at the whole picture?”

Really, you can’t look at the playoffs until you get to .500…that should be the first goal and goaltender Martin Brodeur admitted as much on numerous occasions. Not that I want fans to completely give up the ghost, it’s better than all the ‘tank’ talk that dominated December and early January but you’ve got to be somewhat realistic here. For the Devils to make the playoffs they’d have to do something more than twice as improbable as anything that’s ever been accomplished in hockey history. We’re not even out of last place yet.

At least things on-ice are looking a lot better than it is off-ice these days.

Figures, doesn’t it? Right after we bury out of one week’s worth of snow, another big storm’s on the way tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the Devils’ return for the final 33 games of the season in spite of our current position in the standings but I’ll probably have to sit out of going to tomorrow’s home game against Ottawa since it looks like the snow’s going to wreak havoc on attendance yet again (see: December 26 against Toronto). Hopefully none of our players will be sleeping in their cars again tomorrow night.

Aside from the snow, it will be nice to have real hockey back, whether on TV or in the arena. Yes, I admit the All-Star game was a nice diversion…especially with the unique format of picking teams encouraged by former legend and current NHL exec Brendan Shanahan (can we just nickname him the Mad Scientist now?). Whether it was staged or not, I still got a kick out of Johnathan Toews staring daggers into teammate Patrick Kane – assistant captain for Nicklas Lidstrom‘s team – for bypassing him in the first several rounds.

The shenanigans of the ‘draft’ also included Eric Staal‘s theatrical hold once he indicated a certain pick was going to be from the Rangers, but instead of his brother (defenseman Marc) it turned out to be goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Of course he picked his brother in the next round and made sure to have his other two Canes teammates with him as well – wunderkid Jeff Skinner and goalie Cam Ward, the first draft pick thanks to team colors and the fact the game was going to be in Carolina. Hometown and family blood trumped Lidstrom’s collection of talent in the skills competition and narrowly went down to defeat in an 11-10 shootout during the game itself.

Still, even with the new format (and my personal fave Patrik Elias being the Devils’ only ASW representative) I can’t really get into watching the game. It’s hard to watch a game where teams don’t even attempt to play defense. Then again, I got used to it during the first half of the season – well, at least one team wasn’t playing defense then. Which perfectly segways into my team’s return from the All-Star break tomorrow night against the Senators. To think, eight years ago these teams met in an epic conference final, now they’re among the dregs of the league. Even last year, both teams made the playoffs but were ousted in the first round by Pennsylvania teams.

Thankfully the Devils played their best hockey of the season in the three weeks prior to the All-Star break, but will the long layoff and another tough loss in Detroit (still winless there since ’96) stall the momentum gained by a seven-game point streak? At least the 3-1 loss to the Wings can quell the silly playoff talk for a while, since we’re still twenty points back of a spot. Don’t delude yourselves with futile playoff hopes, Devils fans. At least not until this team gets back to .500. Unlike the playoffs, .500 is at least a semi-realistic goal and I can’t take the playoffs seriously until we at least get to that point since it’s likely going to take being several games over .500 to get the eighth seed.

Even that will be a challenge though, since the team’s overall record is 16-30-3. Can the team go, say 21-7-5 in its last 33 games? That’s what it would take just to get to 82 points and a .500 record. Our last three weeks of January cautiously suggests it’s possible but further complicating the march to respectability is the trade deadline looming at the end of February. Granted, the only likely candidate to be moved is center Jason Arnott, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season – but I certainly can’t picture the Devils adding anyone at the deadline.

Whether this team gets back to .500 or not, at least we’re on our way to accomplishing what should have been the only goal at the halfway point – making the second half of the season fun to watch and worthwhile since we’re seeing vets return to form (Brian Rolston‘s among the hottest Devils, for crying out loud!) and rookies learn from vet coach Jacques Lemaire. Both will serve us well next year, whoever the coach may be since Lemaire’s already ruled out a return.

At least I’m glad I decided to go to the home game against the Panthers before the break, since that turned out to be another winning effort. My only regret was I should have stayed for the third period instead of rushing home to catch the Jet game. Not so much cause I missed anything at the Devil game (we were already up 4-1 when I left, well on our way to a 5-2 win) but because I had to watch the ridiculously lethargic start to the AFC Championship that doomed the Jets. Sometimes things in sports are just unexplainable, like the Jets’ effort level in that game or the Devils’ in Game 6 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals at home.

Maybe the first half of the Devils’ season will fall into the ‘unexplainable’ category if this team returns to its winning ways and gets its pride back over the final two plus months of the season. Or then again, maybe the problems will be far more explainable given the two major changes from the first half of the season till now (offing the coach and captain).

In Inspector Gadget, Dr. Claw was the evil character who he took on and outwitted in the entertaining cartoon when kids could be kids. These days with what passes for TV during the afternoon, there are no Claws trying to ruin Gadget’s day or Lotors seeking to destroy Voltron. Skeletor versus He-Man won’t be happening anytime soon but unfortunately for the Rangers, they felt the Claw last night against their kryptonite in the form of the Panthers, who came into MSG and posted a whacky 4-3 win.

For some reason unknown to the universe, the Rangers simply cannot beat Florida. Throw out the shootout win and we’d be 0-for-3. It doesn’t matter what the records are. Even if half of Connecticut is on our roster, the bottom line is the Rangers are still sending three All-Stars who are thankfully all healthy. That Marian Gaborik isn’t one speaks volumes. Maybe he needs more odd goals like the one that went off his stick and shoulder to tie the Caps, who our team rallied to beat in the skill competition the other day. Where would this team be without Brian Boyle, who will probably get overlooked for the Selke despite leading the team with 18 goals and doing everything the award for game’s best defensive forward details? It’s Boyle who John Tortorella trusts so much to the point that he stuck Gaborik with him and saw Gabby set up the big man’s 18th which tied the game.

In a testament to their character, the Rangers again rallied this time from two down to tie Florida early in the third. One they absolutely owned except for the final tally. Sometimes, you’re unlucky. Just ask goat Artem Anisimov who went from shootout hero to No.1 Star for the Cats in 24 hours. Alright, maybe that’s a bit unfair. But come on. He had not one but two Panther shots go off him past a stunned Henrik Lundqvist for goals, including the bizarre winner off Mike Santorelli’s stick which caromed off No.42’s back and bounced over our helpless goalie. You can’t make it up.

What is it about Florida that makes them such a thorn in the Rangers’ side? Even when we win, it’s by the slimmest of margins. Granted. Tomas Vokoun is a good goalie who never gets his due playing in obscurity. Now, he knows how Roberto Luongo felt all those years before forcing a trade to Vancouver. Sometimes, people forget that the former Predator is a top 10 netminder who can steal a game. So, losing to the Panthers isn’t as humiliating as our favorite Ranger blogger Scotty Hockey makes it. What can you do when two shots go off a player for goals? What can be done when the Blueshirts dominate the third but the Panthers’ only shot resembles Adam Sandler’s winning shot in Happy Gilmore? Like all games, hockey’s a funny sport. If bounces don’t go your way, sometimes you lose.

Tortorella wasn’t disappointed with the team’s effort mostly because of how they responded after seeing Lundqvist give up a klunker that deflated the building. To those wagoners who gave him a Bronx cheer when it was 3-1, find another team to latch onto. Such childish behavior is inexcusable. You aren’t real fans. Anyone who acts like that should be tossed from the building by the dopey Dolan security and never be allowed to attend another game. I’ve gotten on Lundqvist plenty in this space but without him, we’re simply not a playoff team. He’s played his ass off and deserves better than that garbage. His team didn’t help much either being lazy on a pair with even Boyle’s line getting victimized.

Of course, they’d atone later with warrior Brandon Prust igniting a rally and then Boyle depositing loose change in front for a power play goal. See how easy that is? Stick your hardest working player out with size and grit and watch him get dirty to score a PPG. That’s how it’s done folks.

So, am I upset about the bitter loss ending our team’s play prior to the break? Of course. Losing to the Panthers irks me. Especially when they beat us in the flukiest way possible. But hey. Couldn’t we say the same thing for Gaborik’s goal that allowed us to steal two points in DC? Case closed.

Immediately following the game, the Rangers designated Mike Del Zotto, Kris Newbury, Chad Kolarik, Evgeny Grachev and Brodie Dupont for assignment so they could stay fresh in Connecticut. Enough can’t be said about the play of Newbury and Kolarik whose hustle is indicative of what this team is all about. They fit right in. Big kudos to Ken Gernander and Jim Schoenfeld.

Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan were bright spots again last night with MZA dishing out three assists and Stepan tallying his 14th and 30th point. Not bad production from the 20 year-old out of Wisconsin. Oh btw, Zuccarello’s up to 3-8-11 in 17 games proving he’s going to stick. It won’t be long before the little engine that could is scoring big goals. He’s a keeper.

When they return for the Feb.1 home game against the Pens with probably Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin back, figure Ryan Callahan to be there for his teammates which should be a big lift for a team that’s struggling to score goals. Brandon Dubinsky won’t be far from behind. All things considered, Tortorella has done a superb job keeping our team in playoff position with a 29-20-3 record for 61 points, good for sixth seed- two ahead of Montreal and two behind Washington.

I’d say you got a Jack Adams candidate there. Hope the break treats our players kindly. They’ve earned it.

Over the weekend, the Islanders put in a claim on free agent goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who had signed for the rest of the season with the Red Wings. Obviously looking to cash in and win a Cup after a failed stint with SKA St. Petersburgh of the KHL in which five years, $25 million weren’t enough, the former Shark has put himself in an unenviable situation.

By rejecting the Islanders after agent Don Meehan said his client would report anywhere for work, it reflects poorly on the 35 year-old Nabokov who guided San Jose to the Conference Finals twice. Even worse, if he did hang up on Islander GM Garth Snow and then speak to ESPN afterwards, it’s very unprofessional. The rules are what they are. It wouldn’t be fair to the other 29 teams if he just chose Detroit without the waiver rule in place. After all, he did leave the NHL to play in Russia before getting released by SKA. Even the veteran netminder was aware that this could happen.

“I understand the rules,” Nabokov told ESPN.com. “We’re not stupid. We knew what was going on before we made the decision. But I made this decision because the goal was to play with Detroit.“

If only it were that simple. You can’t just choose your destination without teams with poor records identifying if they want to pick the player up. The Islanders have a unique situation with Rick DiPietro in and out of the lineup and rookie Nathan Lawson on the mend with a left knee sprain. The organization doesn’t want to rush Kevin Poulin, wisely deciding to keep the 20 year-old former ’08 fifth round pick in Bridgeport where he can develop. So, it makes all the sense in the world for a team short on goalies to want Nabokov.

“I think I’m going to stay home for now, I’m sticking with my decision,” Nabokov echoed yesterday. “It’s nothing against the Islanders and their organization. It’s nothing to do with that. It’s just that I’m at the point in my career where I want to help a team win in the playoffs. I don’t see how I could help the Islanders or what I could do for them. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. And I hope they understand that.

“I was surprised they picked me up. I was like, ‘Wow, what’s the point?”‘

While it’s understandable why Nabokov doesn’t want to report due to the Islanders’ place in the standings, it is still blatant disrespect and lacks class. It shouldn’t be that easy for a player who returns to play on a winner with a chance. This isn’t fantasy. Mr. Nabokov needs a reality check.

“It’s a situation where I feel we got a talented player off waivers and we’d be thrilled to have him part of the organization,” Snow said. “He has a standard player’s contract with our organization.”

“I’m not going to speculate,” he added of whether Nabokov changes his mind a la Adam Banks in The Mighty Ducks. “I’m looking forward to having him in an Islanders uniform. We can cross those bridges when we get there. I’m not there yet.”

Do you think a kid who gets traded midseason would not want to play hockey? Come on. The Islanders can toll the contract and have Nabokov owe them a season next Fall or place him on waivers again. I’d suspend him without pay. It’s not right what he’s doing and childish.

We’ll see what happens.

Meet the walking wounded. Or in the Rangers’ case, the skaters who are piling up on the IR. Injuries are part of sports. The Pens are dealing with life without the game’s top player Sidney Crosby and finding out it ain’t so grand. Yesterday, the Bears had to play the second half without Jay Cutler yet emergency third string QB Caleb Hanie nearly played unlikely hero with Chicago falling just short against archrival Green Bay.

There are always injuries which make life more challenging. Only the really good teams can overcome them and keep winning. Before the Ranger roster resembled the Connecticut Whale with Michael Del Zotto and Evgeny Grachev being summoned the other night with Dan Girardi going down and warrior Brandon Prust nicked up, they already were without key cogs Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky with spare parts Ruslan Fedotenko and Erik Christensen also out, plus Alex Frolov done. That John Tortorella’s club have been able to keep it together is a tribute to this team’s character which will keep getting tested with what’s sure to be a tough visit to the nation’s capital tonight with suddenly surging Alex Ovechkin and the Caps seeking revenge for a 7-0 humiliation last month.

So, it continues for the seventh seeded Blueshirts, who again found a way to win Saturday coming back twice in stunning the Thrashers 3-2 in a shootout with Selke candidate Brian Boyle tying it and shootout sniper Mats Zuccarello playing hero by faking Ondrej Pavelec out for the only goal, which Henrik Lundqvist made stand up. For a team that’s scored two-or-less in 11 of their last 12 since the start of the month, the Rangers have managed to survive bringing a 6-5-1 mark into tonight’s Versus showdown with the puck drop at 7:30.

“We had many guys out,” Vezina hopeful Lundqvist stated after finishing with 20 saves including a stone job on Atlanta captain Andrew Ladd late in regulation to give his team a shot. “We tried to rebuild the team a little bit. We’re trying to get everybody on the same page.

“We’re not in an easy spot, but we’re doing the best we can now to get points.”

With a lineup that now features former Whale Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh, Kris Newbury, Chad Kolarik, Jeremy Williams, Brodie Dupont or possibly Grachev who’s fresh off a hat trick, these Blueshirts bend but don’t break. No matter the adversity, they respond. Especially after a poor defensive effort that saw the Hurricanes blitz them 5-2 last Thursday with All-Star Marc Staal and Danny G with a rare dreadful showing. Not surprisingly, the Rangers were more focused and played with better intensity against another team trailing them in the standings.
 
When you twice battle back from one-goal deficits and allow only 20 shots with dangerous All-Star duo Tobias Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien hardly factors, it speaks to the committment of your team. One that never quits nor backs down from any challenge. Even if Girardi got tagged by Ladd after stepping in for Staal following a clean hit that caught his partner turned the wrong way stumbling into the boards, it was another team building moment. So, Girardi sits out tonight with bruised ribs and probably a busted nose from his scrap. Just last year, he watched Flyer fodder Daniel Carcillo suck Marian Gaborik into a one-sided fight. A humiliation he took a lot of heat for. Those days are over. These Rangers fight, claw and scrap.
 
With two more huge games before the break including the Caps later with backup Martin Biron getting the call against Braden Holtby before Tortorella comes back with Lundqvist versus the Panthers in a Garden match tomorrow, it’s important for the Blueshirts to finish the month strong. They know they’re in a heated race with sixth place Montreal, eighth Atlanta who were routed by Tampa Sunday and ninth Carolina who you never can can’t out as long as Eric Staal, Cam Ward and Calder frontrunner Jeff Skinner have anything to say about it.
 
Every point is so valuable. The Rangers are finding a way not using the injuries as a crutch. They’ve rallied around each other to make sure a bitter ending last year doesn’t get repeated. So, they’ll skate, check and sacrifice until Callahan returns with target date Feb.1 versus the Pens likely. They’ll continue to plug away until Dubinsky’s ready. Girardi and Prust will be back because they’re leaders who exemplify what it is to be a New York Ranger. An identity formed under one of the league’s best coaches in Tort who’s handled things much better this time. Even he gets it. It’s about keeping everyone on the same page and having them ready to work. That’s why they’re one of the hardest working teams in the NHL despite the lack of finish with Marian Gaborik using most of his ammunition against lesser lites Edmonton, the Islanders and the Leafs.
 
At some point, Gaborik must pick it up and carry the load. Putting it on the shoulders of kids Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov won’t work. Neither should Wojtek Wolski who’s been good since he arrived from the Desert going 3-3-6 over seven contests. On this team, everyone contributes. McDonagh already evolving into a steady defenseman since Michal Rozsival exited stage left. Mike Sauer logging big minutes in place of Girardi to get the Rangers a ‘W.’ Newbury playing gritty bumping into anyone in his way while winning board battles. And Kolarik notching his first NHL point.
 
In every sense, this is a T-E-A-M. Exactly how Tortorella wants it. One True Blue faithful can be proud of. The job isn’t done.

Courtesy of the MSG broadcast…see how many mistakes you can find in this one screenshot!