Battle Of Hudson

Alright. By show of hands, who actually thinks the Canadiens are better than the Rangers? I sure don’t and that’s even after they came into our town and owned the rink earning a 2-1 win to crawl within two of sixth.

Perhaps we’re a bit biased but I digress. Montreal is a well schooled team coached by defensive staple Jacques Martin. So, it was no surprise that the game was tight checking with goals at a premium. What irks me most a day later is that they got away with starting backup Alex Auld, who yes outdueled Henrik Lundqvist despite the King seeing more rubber. Two things that I can’t stomach:

1.When we make a journeyman who had a coffee stint on our roster last year into Patrick Roy.
2.When Lundqvist makes as many great saves as he did and then lets in a traditional stinker he has no business giving up.

That along with the Canadiens’ superior speed and hustle added up to a frustrating loss, halting the club’s three-game win streak. Still no four-game win streak for a team clearly superior to last year. It doesn’t get any easier with the Canucks visiting town and then a rematch up north with a quick turnaround against the Flyers in the Big Apple. A game we’ll be there for.

Simply put, John Tortorella’s crew has to solve the scoring issue which has crept in despite the team’s good play that has it a few points behind the Pens and Caps for fourth and fifth. It’s not that they aren’t generating scoring chances but just aren’t finishing. There were enough opportunities to increase the 1-0 lead off team leader Brandon Dubinsky’s early rush off a brilliant Matt Gilroy bank pass. They controlled the first part of the game, forechecking the Habs to death but couldn’t cash in despite power plays and plenty of buzzing.

That included newest Blueshirt Wojtek Wolski who was around the puck a lot with new linemates Artem Anisimov and Marian Gaborik with the invisible man showing a pulse. Problem is he again couldn’t find twine and neither did Wolski who had a couple of great chances, including the tying goal clanging off the Auld’s best friend, the left goalpost with over two minutes to spare. It was that kind of night for our heroes.

Sean Avery was moved down to the fourth line with an effective Chris Drury and improved Dale Weise. The trio were solid on the cycle generating chances. Their best opportunity came off a rush when Weise took a hit in his end to spring Drury and Avery on a two-on-one. With a chance to draw even, the captain’s slapshot hit the post. If only it had gone in for a player whose role is way different than the hefty check he cashes. Dru puts in a good effort every night. It would’ve been nice to see him rewarded.

Truth be told, Montreal deserved the two points by lifting their game and outworking our team. Particularly Tomas Plekanec who’s line finally created the tying goal on a dominant shift against the Brian Boyle line late in the second. Much credit goes out to goalscorer Jaroslav Spacek for some great keeps and then a wise move to get a sharp angle seeing through shot off with a traffic jam distracting Lundqvist enough for the puck to just cross the goal line. Even if there was a delayed signal, it was obvious by the way the Habs reacted that they scored with conclusive replays confirming it.

Usually, the Rangers respond with their backs to the wall. They’ve owned third periods this season. Not last night as their Original Six opponent came out with more jump, taking nine of the first 11 shots, including Benoit Pouliot’s decider off a rush catching Lundqvist a little off the post. It was a great shot similar to one Ruslan Fedotenko scored last month. However, it also was one Lundqvist admitted he’d like to have back. For as good as the two-time All-Star’s been, he still has the penchant for allowing weak goals at inopportune moments. Unfortunately, his teammates couldn’t pick him up.

Oh. They tried but the stingy Canadien D controlled the neutral zone, making it tough for the Rangers to get a consistent attack going. Auld made a few sparklers including a tricky one with Lundqvist on the bench, just getting a blocker to push it wide. Ultimately, the Blueshirts ran out of time with Dubinsky looking to get one more set up in front as the buzzer sounded.

Maybe Auld’s groovy glove on Mats Zuccarello off a great Derek Stepan set up in the second should’ve told us the story. Journeyman backup comes back to New York and makes good with Carey Price taking it in. Go figure. As Jay Z would say, “Onto the next one.”

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Alex Auld, Mtl (25 saves)
2nd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (36 saves)
1st Star-Tomas Plekanec, Mtl (assist, 6 SOG, dominant)

Just as I had finished yesterday’s post, the Rangers decided to one up me by trading Michal Rozsival to the Coyotes for Wojtek Wolski. As I was singing the vet’s praises for steadier play than the previous two seasons, he became the odd man out after Alex Frolov went down. Considering that the team suddenly had to fill a void up front while also continuing to play well defensively minus the ’05-06 holdover, it made sense to move him.

So, once again Glen Sather hooked up with pal Don Maloney and acquired a player he’d been after for a while. Slats had interest in Wolski last year before the Avs dealt him to the Coyotes in exchange for Peter Mueller. At the time, the cost was too much. So, he held firm. You know how Heinz says good things come to those who wait. In this case, it has merit because following a career best 65-point season (23-42-65) with the Avs and ‘Yotes, Wolski came back to earth dropping to 6-10-16 in 36 contests this year. So, the Rangers got him cheap and saved $1.2 million in cap space by dealing the pricier Rozsival ($5 million) who has another year left on his contract. As for Wolski, he also has one year remaining and is set to earn $4 million in ’11-12.

“It gives us more opportunities to do a few other things that may come up in the future,” Sather noted of more cap flexibility that also includes LTI (Long Term Injury) for Frolov. “It was a situation that was easy for us to make for a lot of reasons.”

The 24 year-old Wolski brings size with his 6-3, 210 pound frame talented enough to bolster our offense. On a grinding team that’s been scoring by committee, adding someone like the former Avs’ ’04 No.1 pick should bode well for the Blueshirts. He’s expected to donn the unusual No.86 and debut in tonight’s big showdown versus eighth Montreal, who enters four points behind us for sixth. The two Original Sixes will also be meeting back up north on Hockey Night In Canada following a big test against the Canucks.

When he’s taken part in the playoffs, Wolski’s fared well recently putting up four goals and an assist for Phoenix last year while going 2-3-5 in ’07-08 for Colorado. It wouldn’t be surprising if John Tortorella tries him with slumping star Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov. That would demote Sean Avery, who’s elevated his play the past three games, back to the fourth line with Chris Drury and Connecticut recall Kris Newbury, who KO’d Devil Bryce Salvador back in preseason, concussing him.

For Rozsival who was a frequent MSG target despite contributing on the blueline, he gets a fresh start in the Desert where he’ll bolster a ‘Yotes back end that includes Ed Jovanovski, Keith Yandle, Derek Morris and Adrian Aucoin. Given a chance by Sather following the lockout as a camp invite, Rozsival made the most of it growing into a top four D who worked well with Czech Marek Malik as part of the Euro-Rangers led by Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Martin Rucinsky, Petr Prucha and Michael Nylander. Six Czechs and one Swede led the Blueshirts back to the playoffs where they hadn’t been in nearly a decade.

The most memorable highlight for Rozsival and the same hypocritical Garden Faithful had to be when his one-timer from the point beat Ryan Miller in triple overtime, giving the underdog Rangers life in a dramatic Game Three Eastern Conference Semifinal at a pumped up MSG. As someone who was fortunate enough to be there, it ranks as my best Ranger game. I’ll never forget the animosity towards the refs for screwing us at the end of regulation when a goal was disallowed. The Sabres forced sudden death and could’ve put a stranglehold on the series. Instead, our guys wouldn’t let it happen with Rozy playing the hero. The place just exploded. Everyone mobbed each other in one of the most awesome scenes ever. If you were there, you know how special it was.

It allowed our team to get back in the series, winning Game Four to push it even back to Buffalo. We all know what happened there. Straka scored late in regulation with lone ’05-06 member Henrik Lundqvist on the verge of stealing Game Five. But as fate had it, Chris Drury got to a rebound and buried it with 7.7 seconds remaining. The same amount of time Valeri Zelepukin scored with a lifetime ago for the Devils. This time, there was no Matteau Matteau Matteau. Instead, Maxim Afinogenov broke our backs when his shot deflected off a diving Jed Ortmeyer past King Henrik. The Sabres would win a real shootout in Game Six to wrap up the series. Still, to this day, it’s hard not to go back and contemplate just how close that team was to advancing to its first Conference Final since Messier and Gretzky teamed up with Leetch, Graves and Richter. Oh. What could’ve been.

It’s hard to believe that Rozsival evolved into a reliable defenseman here. I remember laughing at the ’05 signing thinking, ‘The former Pen. Come on.’ Well, the joke was on me. In his first year, Rozsival scored five goals and 25 assists for 30 points while posting a plus-35 rating along with three power play goals. Amazing. Of course, it helped to have No.68 to pass to during his record-breaking season. Still, Rozy proved it wasn’t a fluke by increasing to career highs with 30 helpers and 40 points along with seven PPG, 20 power play points and three deciding markers. In ’07-08, he again had a strong season tallying a career best 13 goals with 25 assists for 38 points along with half a dozen PPG and 18 PPP. Even if he sometimes was an adventure in the corners, one couldn’t dispute his contributions- helping guide Marc Staal and Dan Girardi who now are a shutdown tandem.

It would be foolish not to think Rozsival had something to do with their development. He was the one vet the organization kept. Even if Slats messed up giving him four years, $20 million while foolishly spending a ton on the immortal Wade Redden. His real folly while gambling on Nikolai Zherdev for Fedor Tyutin. True enough, Rozy wasn’t the same after Jagr left becoming overly passive on the power play driving fans nuts with his tenativeness to shoot despite a deadly one when it hit the net. For a year and a half, he struggled badly while playing through injuries- continuing to log big minutes and never complaining once about the unfair treatment from the home crowd. Sure. It was frustrating because of some of the chances he passed up. However, it’s also accurate to say he was our best passer, often making perfect outlets that strung teammates for breakaways.

There also is the notion that Rozsival was soft. While he’ll never be confused with Jeff Beukeboom, the guy always battled and often sacrificed his body to get in front of shots. He was a superb penalty killer and that should be valued in his new home. Under Tortorella, he regained confidence and became more active in all facets. To ignore the marked improvement wouldn’t be fair to the kind of character he had. Rozy stuck up for teammates shoving players away from Lundqvist’s crease. He did have pride and it showed during the final portion of a solid Ranger career. In nearly six seasons, Rozsival finishes with 42 goals and 134 assists totaling 176 points over 432 games. He went 4-10-14 in 31 games during the postseason on Broadway.

“It was a good opportunity for us to get younger and bigger and give the kids the opportunity on defence to play,” Sather said of the change. “I was very happy with the way Rozie played. He’s a good player, he’s durable, he works hard, he played through a lot of pain through his career. We have nothing but good things to say about him. He was treated a little unfairly once in a while, but he was a guy who was the ultimate professional.”

They are NHL Road Warriors. How else to explain the Rangers’ league best 15 wins away from MSG? After dropping an uncharacteristic two in a row in Florida last week, John Tortorella’s resilient bunch again rose up- stringing together back-to-back impressive wins over the Stars and Blues over the weekend.

That they had to fight back twice against one of the West’s best teams before prevailing in a shootout and then follow it up by bouncing back from a goal down to edge St. Louis 2-1 is indicative of what this team is all about. No matter who goes down, these Rangers fight and scrap their way to two points. They’ve already been without emotional leader Ryan Callahan for 10 games. How have they responded since a dissapointing Florida trip? By winning three straight including an equally satisfying overtime win over ninth Carolina. Three consecutive one-goal triumphs puts them at 6-2-2 since Cally went down at Pittsburgh in the first of ironically a character building 4-1 win that saw the club stun the Pens with four unanswered in the final nine-plus minutes.

It’s that kind of never say die attitude that has these Blueshirts 25-15-3 with 53 points in sixth knocking on the door behind fourth Pittsburgh and fifth Washington. The 15-7-1 road record demonstrates how closely knit this gritty bunch is. Along with an impressive 10-1 mark in the second of back-to-backs, Tortorella’s crew doesn’t know the word quit. Are they perfect? Far from it. Aside from struggling finisher Marian Gaborik, the Rangers lack the big play ability of the Crosby Pens, Ovechkin Caps, star studded Flyers and Stamkos/St. Louis Lightning. They get it done as a group through hard work by outhustling opponents and winning all sorts of battles.

If one player epitomizes the yeoman effort, it’s Brandon Dubinsky. The fourth-year Alaskan has flourished since being shifted to left wing. Dubi as fans and teammates call him is on pace for a career season with his contract up after the season. While it’d be easy for us to concern ourselves with that, that’s for Dubinsky and management to handle. This season, the 24 year-old forward paces the Rangers with 16 goals and 36 points. But it’s more than just the numbers with one of the hardest working players who is a PK fixture hounding opponents and always is willing to sacrifice for the good of the team. Lately, it’s resulted in defining moments like the one where he came off the wall beating two Blues to set up Sean Avery’s winner. Since his running mate Callahan went down, Dubinsky has stepped up contributing nine points (2-7-9) during the latest Ranger run helping put some distance between them and the Hurricanes. Dubinsky is still a little streaky but his constant puck pressure makes him so valuable. It’s why he’ll definitely get extended by Glen Sather, who’ll have to recognize the improvement.

While Dubinsky has led, he’s gotten plenty of help from Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, who have fulfilled their new contracts by becoming the shutdown pair the Rangers envisioned. Not only are they limiting scoring chances against but also assuming more responsibility by performing admirably on the power play and also jumping up more when it’s needed. Perhaps the best example this season came from Staal, who scored a huge shorthanded goal tying the Pens before Dubinsky set up Callahan in overtime for a huge win. That kind of leadership after how Pittsburgh stunned a frustrated Henrik Lundqvist with two straight cannot be underestimated. It’s a play Staal doesn’t make last year. Whether it’s throwing the body, getting in the path of a big shot or warding off checkers for a huge clear, each has grown in stature.

It’s that kind of committment that has this team looking like a dangerous out come Spring. However, they still have plenty of work left with two games against eighth Montreal this week sandwiched around the sizzling Canucks, plus a third meeting against the Flyers. It promises to be tough but one thing about the 2010-11 Rangers. They’ve met every challenge. Whether it’s the constant checking of Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust or the equally surprising Ruslan Fedotenko, they come hard. Rookie Derek Stepan continues to grow all the time, tying the Blues off a nice feed from Mats Zuccarello, who looks like he’ll stay on Broadway even when the Rangers get totally healthy.

Of course, they won’t be that now that Alex Frolov is done for the season with a torn ACL/MCL suffered in St. Louis the other night. A bitter end to probably his only year in the Big Apple. Say what you will about the lack of production from the former King. But he was still trying. His forecheck had improved leaps and bounds after a stint with Boyle/Prust. From that standpoint, they could miss the enigmatic Russian who finishes with seven goals and nine assists in 43 games. Much like it’s been all season, it’ll be up to someone else to step up. They’ll need more goals off the stick of Artem Anisimov, who when he shoots is dangerous. Just ask Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen, who had no chance on an absolute ripper that forced extras last Friday. Arty has taken 97 shots thus far. He needs to shoot more. If he does, 20 goals is possible.

Of course, Tortorella needs more from Gaborik who couldn’t even get a gimme which looked in to snap a slump. Hell. Even Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti were convinced it was in only to have replays confirm his one-timer off Dubinsky’s brilliant feed went off the cross bar before Avery followed it up. At this critical juncture, it’s no longer about who he plays with. I could care less if he doesn’t have the marquee center to play with. Gabby has proven he can finish with Erik Christensen. Another injured player who won’t be back anytime soon. Simply put. It’s time for the Big Ticket to remember who he is. There are no excuses. It looks Avery is finally getting it. Maybe he can rub off on Gabby.

Goaltending has been a strength. When you have Henrik Lundqvist, it should be. He’s been more consistent lately and even is contributing offensively. It was his brilliant pass that caught the Stars changing, allowing Anisimov to wire his 10th for the equalizer. As scary as he is playing pucks which led to a goal against over the weekend, believe it or not King Henrik leads all goalies with three assists. Let’s just hope he minimizes the adventures. What’s even better is the way backup Martin Biron performed Saturday, making key stops in the second to give his teammates a chance. The ex-Sabre has already started 11 games and won seven posting a respectable 2.26 GAA and .920 save percentage. Exactly what Tortorella was looking for to keep Lundqvist fresh down the stretch. Just maybe it’ll make a difference.

You can’t forget the contributions from Mike Sauer, who’s become the team’s third best blueliner. Credit goes out to the Sauer Man on persevering despite injuries to finally work his way into our top four. He rarely makes mistakes and is rock solid in his end. The kind of sturdy defender we’ve always needed. Then there’s Matt Gilroy, who has gone long stretches sitting in the press box but never complained. And now, he’s being rewarded and rewarded the coach with better play by getting involved offensively while playing stronger defensively. Enough can’t be said about both these two who have made a huge impact to boost our back end. Michal Rozsival probably will miss more games this week but the vet’s had a better year. And there’s not enough praise for Steve Eminger.

It’s been an exciting season for our Blueshirts. One which they have earned.

For those of you who don’t know, DEFCON 1 is a national defense condition that indicates World War III is imminent, as depicted in the ’80s movie WarGames. How does that apply to the Devils season? Well when you have just ten wins and 22 points in 41 games, good for last place in the NHL (a full ten points behind the 29th place Islanders) with a team that was supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender after the post-July 1 signings of Ilya Kovalchuk, Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder, that pretty much qualifies as a situation which needs the most drastic measures available to fix.

When I talk about fixing the Devils it certainly isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight or be evident in this year’s results. Obviously, the Devils are going to miss the playoffs for only the second time in the last two decades and are somehow managing to cement even finishing in dead last below the AHL-quality Islanders – despite the Isles shedding players left and right (goaltender Dwayne Roloson and defenseman James Wisniewski in trades, as well as fellow goalie Rick DiPietro with another predictable injury).

Clearly the first step toward fixing the problem is to figure out how things got so bad so fast. I mean just last April the Devils were winning their ninth division title in the last thirteen seasons. To have such a pronounced dropoff from that to now being in the middle of what could be a franchise-worst season recordwise, and one of the worst offensive outputs in league history is still inconceivable to me. Especially with expectations going through the roof after retaining Kovalchuk and adding defensemen Volchenkov and Tallinder.

Such unfulfilled expectations and dissapointment has led to a two weeks unlike any other in franchise history. To wit: Coach Johnny MacLean was axed two days before Christmas, captain Jamie Langenbrunner was traded two days ago and future Hall-of-Famer and multiple Vezina winner Martin Brodeur was demoted to second-string goaltender last week. All in two weeks! I can’t exactly accuse GM Lou Lamoriello of sitting on his hands anymore, although it appeared as if he was for the longest time – since his lone move before December 23 was the futile gesture of putting Brian Rolston through waivers, then re-entry waivers – only for the $5 million man to go unclaimed.

About the only thing I’m sure of is there’s no one single reason you could point to for this kind of a meltdown in record time. Are there talent deficiencies? Sure…after all, not having a puck-moving defenseman is a big reason the offense has been stuck in neutral for most of the season. Coming into the year the only defenders you could describe as adequate puck-movers were Andy Greene (who is looking more and more like a three-month wonder), and Matt Taormina – who had never played an NHL game till this season. While Taormina was one of the few pleasant surprises for the team early, he’s all but dissapeared after a high ankle sprain and multiple setbacks have left him in limbo, with a return date unknown.

Even with Taormina, this D’s a far cry from the Scott Niedermayer-Brian Rafalski-Paul Martin days of having guys who could skate and move the puck. Not to mention the defensive talent is lacking as well, what with playing green kids such as Mark Fayne, Matt Corrente, Alex Urbom and Anssi Salmela for long stretches and frequently having two or three of them in the lineup at once. Hold-the-fort vet Mike Mottau leaving due to cap concerns and Bryce Salvador getting a career-threatening concussion on the eve of the season downgraded the defense from passable to troublesome, even with the additions of Volchenkov and Tallinder – though the latter’s been an utter disaster so far (four points in forty-one games with a -26) as the ‘replacement’ for Martin.

If our defensive woes were somewhat predictable, our offensive issues have been downright mind-boggling. Yes, Zach Parise got hurt before the season and after playing through it for about a month has basically been shut down for the duration after surgery (he won’t even skate till the beginning of March). Clearly missing our best player doesn’t help. Still, the offense should at least have been respectable with fellow ZZPops members Travis Zajac and former captain Langenbrunner, $100 million man Kovalchuk, all-time franchise leading scorer Patrik Elias and other complementary pieces like one-time A-line member Jason Arnott also returning via trade. Heck, even Rolston was a 30-goal scorer multiple times although he’s never come close to showing that kind of form here.

Not only has the offense been dissapointing, they’ve been historically bad with just 70 goals in 41 games (the standings say 72 but two of those ‘goals’ are due to shootout wins). Our leading point-getter – Elias – has just 27 in half a season. Despite being the only player to get to double-digits in goals Kovalchuk’s season has been a disaster with just ten in forty games despite getting the second-most icetime in the league behind Sidney Crosby, and has a ghastly -30 to go along with his unfathomly bad shooting this season. Talented centerman Travis Zajac had 66 points last season and just 21 so far this year. No Devil has twenty assists halfway through the season.

Sure, you can say the lack of puck-moving defensemen is a factor in the offense’s woes and age is also no doubt a factor in the performance of players like Elias, Arnott, Langenbrunner and Rolston (with desire also lacking in at least the latter two). How to explain the struggles of guys like Kovy and Zajac though? Not to mention David Clarkson, who looked like a 20-goal scorer in the making in ’08-09 but has become more finesse and less gritty despite a dramatic downturn in his goals from the 17 of two years ago. I guess like a bad virus, when so many people are playing way below par, it eventually eats away at your team until everyone gets sucked down into the same bottomless pit.

That might also apply to Brodeur, who was a Vezina finalist this year and has AHL-quality numbers this year. Some, but not all of his decline can be traced to the defense in front of him. After all, Marty propped up an average defense just last year to win a division title with a 2.24 GAA and .916 save percentage in 76 starts. This year, Brodeur has an unghastly 3.15 GAA and .882 save percentage. Maybe in his case age really is catching up, after all he missed a month with what was described as an elbow bruise. For someone that has been extremely durable in his career perhaps that was the biggest sign that we can’t count on Brodeur to be a high-quality performer from here on in.

In what seemed like a mutual decision, Brodeur even acquiesed to going to the bench last week in favor of Johan Hedberg. Predictably the results were no better as Hedberg’s lost all three of his starts and was pulled this afternoon against the Flyers in the first period after giving up odd deflection goals in back-to-back games. At least it was a good sign that Brodeur came in and shut out the Flyers the rest of the way, so maybe extended practice time has enabled him to find some of his old form. Tomorrow’s game against the high-powered Lightning should tell a lot about what to expect from the legend going forward.

Having an inexperienced coach like MacLean didn’t help either, he sure didn’t have the answers once things started getting rocky (which was basically the latter part of Opening Night when we blew a two-goal lead against Dallas). Nor did he seem inclined to do anything to put his foot down, other than his well-publicized scratching of Kovy for missing team meetings in October. While it’s almost unprecedented to fire a coach thirty-three games into his tenure – Barry Melrose is the only quicker one I can think of in the NHL and he was a known quantity – things had gotten so bad that despite the hopeless predicament the team found itself in by early December, Mac just had to go. When you lose three games in a row by 7-1, 5-1, 5-1, that’s a pretty good indicator that the team isn’t trying.

Even with all that, you have to say in hindsight a bad feeling existed in the room from the outset both because of the Kovy fiasco this summer and the resulting cap elephant in the room, which was never solved by Lou until it got ‘solved’ for him with early-season hernia surgery for Rolston and the more serious injuries to Parise and Salvador. I was never in favor of leaving our homework till the last minute, so to speak but maybe we would have done something earlier if the Kovy contract had been resolved in July. Still, you have to blame Lou for giving everyone an out to stink by the resulting distraction of trade rumors and speculation swirling nonstop.

For a team which had such a bad finish to last season, I was dissapointed more people weren’t moved out of the locker room regardless although one of the byproducts of the recent Langenbrunner trade was the revelation that in fact, Lou did attempt to trade Jamie in the offseason but the captain used his NTC to nix the deal. While on the one hand that makes me feel better that Lou did recognize Langs needed to be moved, on the other when you have a captain of the team knowing the GM wants to trade him before the season and it never happens that’s a definite black cloud in the room. Especially considering Jamie’s insubordination towards coach Jacques Lemaire created a black cloud over the locker room last year.

Not that I resolve Lou or Lemaire from any blame, on the contrary. Bringing Lemaire back to coach much the same team that tuned him out last year was unconscionable. And Lemaire’s own treatment of some players (specifically Jay Pandolfo and Nicklas Bergfors) last year was ridiculous, while he too often let Kovy have free rein to do what he wanted. Maybe the Kovy fiasco this offseason wasn’t Lou’s fault, if that’s the case owner Jeff Vanderbeek definitely deserves his share of the blame as well.

Now for the $64,000 question, how do we get out of this hole we’ve dug for ourselves? Well if you mean getting out of the hole to get to the playoffs that isn’t happening. Based on current projections, we would literally have to go 37-4 just to have a chance at a playoff berth. About the only team who could put that kind of a stretch together was the ’76-77 Canadiens. What the rest of the season should be about is putting the team in the best possible position to win next year and beyond. Here’s my checklist of ‘to-do’ things to ensure that happens (in no particular order of importance after #1):

1. Re-sign Parise to a long-term deal this offseason, if that isn’t accomplished nothing else really matters cause this team’ll be screwed big-time if he walks after next year.
2. By hook or by crook get at least one more quality NHL defenseman in here who can skate and move the puck, probably two if I’m being honest. Volchenkov and Colin White fill our quota of stay-at-home guys and you can add Salvador to that mix if he returns, what we really need is mobility back there.
3. Do what you should have done this offseason and bring in an outsider to coach the team, let him pick his own assistants and run a progressive system that accentuates the talents of Parise, Kovy, Zajac and Elias.
4. Play the younger forwards and see just how much NHL-ready talent we have in the organization. Sorry Jacques, your ‘tough love’ with Matthais Tedenby doesn’t fly with me when vets don’t get punished for their screwups.
5. Get another NHL-caliber center in here, for too long we’ve been trying to make do with converted wingers centering a top two line, this year’s acquisition of Arnott was supposed to alleviate the problem at least temporarily but it hasn’t.
6. Clear out Arnott and other expendable players before the trade deadline to continue recouping some of the draft pick value we lost this offseason – both in the initial trade for Arnott and the Kovy contract penalty. Not having our 2nd and 3rd this season proved to be more disasterous than anyone could have predicted considering we’re likely to have a top three pick at worst.
7. Clear out Rolston this offseason as an expiring contract.
8. Play to compete and win the second half of the season. Yeah you have the weenie Devil fans who want the team to lose to secure the best chance for the #1 draft pick (not even the pick itself, just the best chance to win the lottery) and we’re gonna have to trade a couple impending UFA’s in all likelihood but really a lot of these guys are going to be here next year as well, either because of talent or contract. You can’t expect to be successful next year if we never get out of this constant state of misery the franchise is now in. Especially since any improvement the second half of the season will likely be tied into both hungry kids and vets who prove they want to stay and be part of the solution.
9. Make the vets accountable as well as the rookies. Including the $100 million man. We might not be able to change all the players but we can certainly change the atitude around here and that starts with accountability.
10. If we’re not going to find a future goalie next year at least we have to find one capable of starting 20-30 games minimum to protect a declining Brodeur as much as possible, while still giving him the respect he deseves and allowing him to finish out his contract.

At least part of one step has already been done in the trade of Langenbrunner. How much of the rest of my list the Devils can accomplish is anyone’s guess but if they don’t accomplish most of those steps, you can count on an extended rebuild in the very near future. Since Lou detests the word rebuilding, odds are it would happen without him.

It’s Back To The Future for Jamie Langenbrunner. The two-time Cup winner who was scratched last night in anticipation of a trade finally got word earlier today that he’d be returning to the Stars. So, the original Star who was drafted in the second round back in ’93, comes back to the franchise he helped win its only Stanley Cup with in 1999 on a loaded team that featured Mike Modano, Ed Belfour, Jere Lehtinen, Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull, Sergei Zubov, Derian Hatcher and Richard Matvichuk.

Sometimes, life comes full circle. In Langenbrunner’s case, that holds true for the gritty American who’s had an outstanding career highlighted by a more prominent role in the Devils ’03 championship- scoring 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points on a shutdown line with former Selke winner John Madden and PK fixture Jay Pandolfo. Not only did he achieve ultimate success in New Jersey but also was recognized as one of the best players in our country, captaining Team USA to Olympic silver last year in Vancouver. It’s the classic case of an overachiever who got the most of his talent. Just ask former ZZ Popps linemates Zach Parise and Travis Zajac how much No.15 meant to their careers.

And so a solid nine-year career in Jersey comes to an end with them getting a conditional third round pick that might become a second rounder.

Word has come down over Twitter that Jamie Langenbrunner is a scratch tonight against the Flyers. The Devil captain who came over from the Stars along with Joe Nieuwendyk in a trade for former Cup hero Jason Arnott and Randy McKay helped lead the franchise to its third Stanley Cup in 2003- stunning the hockey world by upsetting Ottawa in a great Conference Final before taking the Mighty Ducks in seven games.

Langenbrunner teamed with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo to form the top checking line in the game, stifling opponents’ best while also contributing offensively. Though none of the trio won the Conn Smythe which was rewarded to losing netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere, any of the three easily could’ve won it for their outstanding play. Perhaps a boat load of candidates that included Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens worked against the best T-E-A-M, which better explains why Giguere won it. However, it doesn’t take away from what made that Devil team so special- only further illustrating why they overcame the odds to lift Lord Stanley for great coach Pat Burns.

It’s already been almost a decade since Lou Lamoriello pulled the trigger on the deal which turned his team into one of the NHL’s best during this era. Langenbrunner has been an integral part of a run that’s seen the Devils qualify for the playoffs 13 consecutive times. He’s filled whatever role needed. Whether as a top checker, penalty killer or a scorer teaming alongside Travis Zajac and Zach Parise to form ZZ Popps, the 35 year-old two-time Cup winner has been a good Devil. Even if controversy has surrounded him since last year baffling our chief New Jersey resident Hasan, he’ll arguably go down as a better No.15 than recently fired coach John MacLean.

If this is indeed it for Langenbrunner’s time in Jersey, he should be remembered for all the good things he did to help make the Devils one of the best teams on the ice.

Okay, we’re kidding with that fancy title. In all seriousness, we like Mats Zuccarello Aasen. Not just because the gifted 23 year-old Norwegian who looks strikingly similar to Marty St. Louis notched an overtime winner in a thrilling Ranger 2-1 home win over the Hurricanes. Sure. It was mighty impressive for the diminutive winger to pull off a tough wrap around finding twine from a small angle over Cam Ward, giving the Rangers a huge victory over a team chasing them.

It’s just that there’s so much to like about MZA, who also set up Matt Gilroy’s third midway through the third in a scoreless tie. The kid who surprised many with a breakout ’10 Olympics in Vancouver has plenty of tools. Something our No.1 Star Brandon Dubinsky was quick to point out after being involved directly in both goals, including a yeoman effort that created enough havoc for Zuccarello to score his first career NHL goal in style, touching off a St. Louis-esque celebration on the ice.

“He has so much talent. He is going to be really special for us from his talent alone.”

With emotional leader Ryan Callahan out for at least another three weeks, John Tortorella who knows a thing or two about coaching talented undrafted smallish forwards, wants to find out about Zuccarello. Already we’ve seen the skills he possesses. The 5-7, 174 pound Nord isn’t afraid to go into high traffic areas and will battle anyone as evidenced by his staredown with former Swedish Elite League teammate Victor Hedman. There’s a reason he was named League MVP last year. These days, MZA seems more willing to do what it takes than ghost Marian Gaborik. Perhaps that’s because of where he’s come from. It doesn’t excuse the Rangers’ most talented player for why he remains stuck on 11 goals, unable to finish plays like the pass Artem Anisimov made in the third.

It’s way too early to proclaim Zuccarello a Broadway hero. He’s only played six games and is 1-2-3 with 13 shots thus far. As he continues to adjust to the best league along with whatever wrinkles Tortorella throws him, the mature Norway talent should be able to handle it. Especially how modest he was after scoring such a big goal.

“I got lucky,” he chimed before noting the obvious about his size:

“I have been like this for 23 years. I have had a long time to practice being small. I have to use being small to my advantage.”

“I don’t think he lacks confidence,” Tortorella assessed. “Creative people need that.”

In any sport, mental toughness is essential for performing at the highest level. It won’t get any easier for MZA or his teammates who now must go to Dallas and St. Louis Friday and Saturday before returning for two big games against Montreal sandwiched around the hottest team in the league Vancouver paying a visit to the Big Apple.

“It’s huge. We wanted to come out and play the way we’re capable of,” leading point getter Dubinsky pointed out after snapping a two-game skid. “We found a way.”

Exactly what epitomizes this scrappy bunch who continue to bounce back from tough defeats and overcome adversity. A huge part of that is their goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who matched save for save with Ward in a highly entertaining affair that wasn’t lacking quality scoring chances until Gilroy and Eric Staal exchanged goals, forcing extras. Both were outstanding with King Henrik making 31 stops while the former Conn Smythe winner countered with 33, including a highlight reel glove save on Dubinsky that him and Sean Avery looking skyward. In an important game against one of the league’s best, Lundqvist was there for his team until their latest hero won it.

“We’re not the most talented group in the world, but the thing that is going to carry us through is to play as a team,” Tortorella remarked after his team improved to 23-15-3 at the halfway point, which is good for the East’s seventh seed one behind Atlanta and just four off fourth Philly despite playing two more games. “That’s what has given us our first-half start.”

“We are halfway through now, and you can see the standings,” Lundqvist added. “It’s getting tighter and tighter. Coming off two losses, it was important to come back with a win.”

Exactly what the doctor ordered with an assist from MZA.

Through all of the turmoil that has befallen the Devils this season, from the summerlong saga that was the Ilya Kovalchuk contract to the nightmare start from him and the rest of the offense not to mention the clueless AHL defense, one thing seemed to be a given. Well, besides GM Lou Lamoriello firing yet another coach.

When healthy, Martin Brodeur would be in net and Johan Hedberg would get the occasional game every two months just like every other Marty backup. Despite Brodeur’s elbow injury in November, when he returned to the lineup in December he went right back to starting every game – until his ill-fated start in Carolina on Saturday where he gave up three goals in eight minutes and got the earliest hook from a game that anyone could ever remember.

Now, for the first time since 1994 the starting goaltender for the Devils is in doubt, as Hedberg will be making his second straight start at home against the Flyers Thursday, a game which is usually a must-play on the Brodeur schedule. More telling, after he was asked last Friday on whether it was time to get Hedberg more games, coach Jacques Lemaire said ‘not yet’. It took only eight minutes of hockey for him to reverse course after Saturday’s loss in Carolina, stating that Brodeur and Hedberg would be co-number ones.

It’s been six years since a healthy Brodeur has sat two games in a row, and when that happened in 2004 it took two different goalies to replace #30 – Corey Schwab got a rare start, then was hurt and Scott Clemmensen took the next game between the pipes on the front end of a back-to-back. How long this stunning change of fortune lasts, who knows – a day, a week, a month or longer? For his part, Brodeur admitted that he didn’t deserve to play since the team wasn’t winning.

“I think in a season like (this) probably,” Brodeur said of spliting starts with Hedberg. “In a different season maybe not. We’ll see how it goes. I want to play a lot like always. That will never change. But it’s got to be fun for me to play hockey and not winning is not fun. So, we’ll get back winning and I’ll play more.

“But I don’t deserve to be in there when you don’t win. That’s the bottom line. I’ve been winning all of my career and now it’s been a little tougher, so it’s normal that somebody (else starts). If it works, good. It’s all about the team.”

Hedberg’s tenure as the starter got off to an inauspicious beginning Tuesday, as he lost a tough 2-1 game to Minnesota where a simple dump-in by Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner took a ridiculous carom and deflected past Hedberg (who had gone to play the puck behind the net) and in for the winning goal. Of course there was blame to go all over the place, as usual. Kovalchuk, though he scored the only goal also gave up one by falling down (as did defenseman Anssi Salmela later on the same play) and letting Cal Clutterbuck streak in on Hedberg for a breakaway goal.

In other Devils news, Danius Zubrus now has an undisclosed injury and will miss his second straight game tomorrow. Brian Rolston after being put through ‘conditioning’ was back in the lineup Monday as crickets could be heard chirping all over New Jersey. And after admitting benching rookie Matthais Tedenby was a mistake Saturday he scratched the flashy Swede on Tuesday and benched fellow youngsters Vladimir Zharkov and Salmela for long stretches of the game…typical. We can’t even let young players develop when the team’s thirty points out.

Today, the All-Star teams are named. Figure there to be a few surprises with a new way of selecting the squads for the game in Raleigh. Be that as it may, here’s how my Eastern Conference team would look:

EAST

G Tim Thomas, Bruins
G Carey Price, Canadiens
G Ondrej Pavelec, Thrashers

D Dustin Byfuglien, Thrashers
D Tobias Enstrom, Thrashers
D Kris Letang, Penguins
D Zdeno Chara, Bruins
D Erik Karlsson, Senators
D Dan Girardi, Rangers

F Sidney Crosby, Penguins
F Steven Stamkos, Lightning
F Martin St. Louis, Lightning
F Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
F Mike Richards, Flyers
F Eric Staal, Hurricanes
F Claude Giroux, Flyers
F Andrew Ladd, Thrashers
F Alexander Semin, Capitals
F Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
F Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
F Brandon Dubinsky, Rangers

WEST

G Jonathan Quick, Kings
G Jonas Hiller, Ducks
G Jaroslav Halak, Blues

D Nick Lidstrom, Red Wings
D Brent Burns, Wild
D Niklas Kronwall, Red Wings
D John-Michael Liles, Avalanche
D-Ryan Whitney, Oilers
D-Keith Yandle, Coyotes

F Daniel Sedin, Canucks
F Henrik Sedin, Canucks
F Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings
F Brad Richards, Stars
F Corey Perry, Ducks
F Anze Kopitar, Kings
F Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks
F Matt Duchene, Avalanche
F Loui Eriksson, Stars
F Jarome Iginla, Flames
F Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks
F Ryane Clowe, Sharks

The encouraging news is the Islanders continued their impressive play last night, posting a 5-2 win over the Flames at The Saddledome. John Tavares tallied twice and set up another matching a career high three points and Matt Moulson added two goals as the Isles won for the seventh time in nine games (7-1-1). But while Tavares followed up his second three-point effort with No.3 this season, the club again lost Rick DiPietro to an injury.

Leading 4-1 thanks to a nifty Moulson deflection of rookie defenseman Travis Hamonic’s right point shot off a Zenon Konopka faceoff win, the battered club saw their franchise goalie bent over in pain after stretching out to make a save during a Calgary power play. The trainer immediately came out and after a few minutes to see if he could stick it out, the ultracompetitive DiPietro finally was helped to the locker room to treat a groin strain.

“I don’t know if a man’s body is supposed to be contorted in those kind of positions,” the former 2000 No.1 overall selection said. ” I felt a twinge and hopefully it’s nothing serious.”

With DP again sidelined, 27 year-old rookie Nathan Lawson fulfilled a childhood dream coming in relief to play the hero in front of the hometown crowd. The undrafted free agent from Alberta had previously debuted against Phoenix on Dec.18 making 32 saves in an overtime defeat. Here he was two weeks later forced into action under anxious circumstances. Not surprisingly, the Flames crept within 4-2 when David Moss converted at the doorstep for his second of the game. Pressing for more late in the second, Moss nearly had the hat trick if not for a clutch leg stop from Lawson, keeping his team comfortably ahead.

“I know what a competitor he is and he came in on a power play, too. Pretty rough go for it there but he accepted the challenge,” pleased coach Jack Capuano pointed out. “I thought he was square to the puck, played the rebounds pretty well, and he battled for us tonight.”

“It feels good to get a win and get a few games under my belt now,” the excited netminder expressed after turning aside 28 of 29 shots after the Flames came at him from every direction. “It’s a dream come true. I just want to keep rolling with it and prove myself now.”

The power play was a big factor early on with the Islanders connecting twice in a three-goal first. Both times, Tavares struck. He opened the contest by beating Jay Bouwmeester in front for a gimme rebound off a P.A. Parenteau shot. After Moulson and Moss traded goals, the emerging sophomore pivot took a Andrew MacDonald cross ice feed at the left circle and wired one upstairs past Calgary backup Henrik Karlsson, restoring order less than two minutes after Moss tallied.

“A good all-around game for us,” Tavares noted after staying hot with 13 points (5-8-13) over his last nine. “Great for Lawson to get in there and do his thing, coming in cold. Everyone did their role and we handled the lead well and the pressure when we needed to.”

Despite outshooting the Islanders 15-3 in the final stanza, Calgary couldn’t draw closer thanks to Lawson who brought tears to his family. With Karlsson pulled, rookie Michal Grabner sealed it with an empty netter from Mark Eaton with 66 seconds left. It was his ninth goal. MacDonald and Parenteau each had two assists.

The Islanders (12-19-6, 30 Pts)have today and tomorrow off before visiting Edmonton Thursday night (9 ET) and Colorado Saturday afternoon (3 ET). The five-game Western trip concludes in the Windy City on Sunday.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Nathan Lawson, NYI (28 saves in relief for 1st career NHL win)
2nd Star-Matt Moulson, NYI (2 goals-13, 14)
1st Star-John Tavares, NYI (2 PPG-12, 13/ assist)