Battle Of Hudson

Marian Gaborik dekes Nikolai Khabibulin on a breakaway for his second goal. His 11th career hat trick led the Rangers past the Oilers 8-2 for their second straight win.

Marian Gaborik’s back. If the previous game didn’t produce any results, the Big Ticket made sure everyone got their money’s worth, posting a hat trick in leading the Rangers past former coach Tom Renney’s Oilers 8-2 on Kids’ Day at MSG. His first three goals in Game No.5 gave him his second hat trick as a Ranger and 11th career.

“You want to go out there, work hard and be on top of your game. It is definitely good to go out there, score and get one under your belt,” Gabby said after his line with Alex Frolov and Erik Christensen dominated- combining for five goals, six assists with each forward finishing plus-five (+15).

Gaborik and his linemates went to work early with the trio working the puck behind the net until No.10 came out and jammed it past Nikolai Khabibulin at 1:35. While leading in shots 7-4, the Blueshirts killed off a pair of Oiler power plays, holding the 1-0 lead into the locker room. Before they could catch their breath, it was the rebuilding Oilers who grabbed the momentum, scoring twice in a 28-second span. Ryan Jones banged home a Jordan Eberle rebound past Martin Biron 2:45 into the second. On the next shift, Shawn Horcoff’s wrister from beyond the right faceoff circle fooled Biron, suddenly steering Edmonton ahead 2-1.

“I felt like I was in the right place at the right time (on Horcoff’s goal), but I got handcuffed on the shot,” the veteran backup noted after settling down to make 19 saves in his second consecutive start and first ever win over Edmonton. “But, to me, the most important thing is how you respond to that. And fortunately I did not have to respond too much, the guys responded for me which gave me the chance to just settle in.”

That they did. Less than four minutes later, Christensen sprung Gaborik on a breakaway. The crafty Slovak beat Khabibulin with a forehand deke before banging into the left post. Teammates and fans breathed a sigh of relief as he was fine. With the game knotted, Brian Boyle again came through. Off an Edmonton turnover forced by Brandon Prust, he slid the puck to Ruslan Fedotenko who came in with Boyle two-on-one. Fedotenko dished across for Boyle who buried his career best eighth only 25 seconds later to give the Rangers the lead for good. Half of Boyle’s output have come over the past five games.

Alex Frolov celebrates his first goal of two finally ending a 10-game drought.

It would only get worse for Renney’s new club. Less than six minutes later, Artem Anisimov stayed hot when a Derek Stepan centering feed was redirected by his right skate, increasing to 4-2. Sean Avery and Stepan kept the play alive following a sloppy Edmonton turnover with D-Step outmaneuvering an Oiler before setting up Anisimov’s sixth. After a nine-game drought, the improving sophomore has three goals over the last two. His Russian comrade Frolov also finally got into the act in the waning seconds, making it a three-goal lead. The former King’s struggles have been well documented. He entered having not scored since my brother’s birthday (Oct.23 @ Bos). This time, a strong forecheck forced Edmonton into a mistake. Gaborik worked the puck to Christensen, who then perfectly set up Frolov for his first goal in 11 games. His third came with less than five ticks left.

“It’s a great feeling to score, it takes some pressure off,” a pleased Frolov expressed after celebrating like a kid in a candy store. “It was a really good game for our line (Frolov, Christensen, and Gaborik) and now we have to build off this. It was a great two points for the team.”

Following a pair of heavyweight bouts between Derek Boogaard and Steve MacIntyre, it turned ugly when Edmonton took exception to a clean Avery hit on Colin Fraser against the boards. During the momentous shift, his clean check wasn’t met with open arms. Instead, Ladislav Smid immediately challenged him. But with a three-goal lead, Avery didn’t seem eager to oblige. When Smid dropped the gloves with his visor still on, Avery surprised the defenseman with a quick right taking him down. As MSG went to break, chaos ensued with at least three Oilers getting off the bench to start a brawl. At one point, with a linesman escorting our resident bad boy out, Theo Peckham snapped and tried to chase him before being cut off, only escalating matters. Even Ryan Whitney wanted Avery. Zach Stortini took on Prust for 90 seconds along and Boyle and Peckham squared off. The ugliest aspect was when Fraser tugged at Brandon Dubinsky, who John Tortorella made sure to keep on the bench. Somehow, he got a misconduct. Remarkably, it sounds like the league won’t hand out any suspensions. We’ll see.

“It’s a sucker punch, and I hope they look at it,” an irate Whitney said. “Smid asked him to fight. (Avery) was saying wait. Then Laddie turned around and all of a sudden he gets suckered. I don’t know what the league can do with that, but it’s pretty obvious.”

“I thought it was pretty gutless,” added MacIntyre of the melee that saw five misconducts, four ejections along with nearly half the 124 penalty minutes (67 PIM) coming during the fracas.. “It just shows you what kind of guy he is. He’ll get his. Somebody who is bigger and tougher … he’ll get what’s coming.”

The Rangers are greeted by lucky kids as they take the Garden ice on Kids’ Day. They sent them home happy with an 8-2 win.

When the dust finally settled, Renney’s former club responded by scoring three more goals- making it seven unanswered on a football Sunday. Another dreadful Edmonton giveaway led to Frolov scoring his second unassisted when he went high blocker on Khabibulin at 12:14. Forty-five seconds later, Stepan took advantage of another turnover quickly feeding an open Fedotenko for his third, increasing to 7-2. Matt Gilroy also notched an assist for his first point this season. The former Hobey Baker winner also was in on Anisimov’s marker. He hasn’t looked bad even getting a couple of shifts at forward.

By now, the question was would Gaborik or even Frolov get the hat trick? It didn’t take long to answer when Frolov head-manned a flying Gabby who went to his bread and butter, firing low over the blocker as he had against Henrik Lundqvist for his fifth goal in St. Paul a couple of years ago.

Last night at Rockefeller Center, the Rangers unveiled their new third jerseys. This is the franchise’s 85th Year Anniversary, which has been a common theme throughout and will continue to be in 2010-11. The Original Six club which started in 1926-27 honored tradition with a classic jersey eerily similar to the one the first ever team donned. The only real difference is that instead of having Rangers across diagonally, it’s New York instead.

So, how does this year’s version compare? See for yourself:

The 1926-27 New York Rangers in the most classic jersey this franchise has ever known. It’s simple with white letters across the familiar blue. I like it. There’s no pizazz. Sometimes, less is more. Try telling the gals who wear too much makeup.

The 2010-11 version is nice. Albeit the more familiar red sticks out around the original white. The New York looks good and is the best aspect. Maybe it’s me but I actually prefer only the white. Though the good ‘ole USA colors are always patriotic and inspire American pride. Worth noting that the original team was the New York Americans. We’ll take a look at them as well. Who’s the babe all over Henrik while Avery stares intently?

Marge Marchand became the first fan to buy the new jersey, pleasing Dolan along with the corporate $tench. Couldn’t resist. Everyone knows it’s just another way for the greedy owner to make more off us. As if renovating MSG weren’t enough heartache after ridiculous increases post-lockout that even have the cheap seats going for more than 40 bucks. I’ve always been on record as saying this team should have just two jerseys. Classic home white and trademark road blue. The NHL needs to go back to it. Is this outfit respectable? No doubt. But we’re an Original 6! Honestly, why not have just made that our home jersey for this year? If they want to honor the past, that would’ve been appropriate.

Speaking of which, here’s unsung hero Brian Boyle (#22) in the classic road blue next to fan favorite and Staten Island native Nick Fotiu (#22), who has on another throwback. Not the prettiest.

Here, we see the New York Americans with plenty of stars around the big NEW YORK with Americans above in a smaller font. Lots of white again along with blue. Stars and stripes would work, eh? The Americans shared the old Garden with the Rangers before fizzling out. That said, what an awesome outfit.

There ya go. Never seen a more beautiful jersey. It really does our flag proud. Imagine if the Rangers went with this look for the Centennial Season. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed for 2025-26.

Behind the original banner at the NHL Store, the new 3rd jerseys can be found. Sadly, I still haven’t gotten out to it. We’ll have to make the trip this winter. Way overdue.

The King and Del Zotto share a happy moment in their new threads.

One of our favorite shots from yesterday shows the franchise’s greatest defenseman talking with young guns Gilroy and Del Zotto. No.2. We need ya to give them some pointers on running the powerless play.

The original franchise goalscoring record holder for a single season Vic Hadfield being introduced to the crowd at Rockefeller. In ’93-94, his record of 50 goals would be broken by Adam Graves (52). His record lasted until ’05-06 when Jaromir Jagr scored 54 and broke the club record for points with 123, leading the team back to the playoffs yet somehow didn’t win the Hart.

Excited fans packed the NHL Store to meet players and get the new heritage jerseys.

Henrik, Dubi, Stepan and Sauer look thrilled here. Haha.

Leetch and Graves on XM rocking the 3rd jerseys. No.2 to No.9 became a theme Ranger fans got used to during the team’s fourth Cup, finally breaking the long 54-year drought. Along with Messier and Richter, the mid-90’s was a great time to be a Ranger fan.

Staten Island’s own Corrine Hogan shows off the fresh jersey she won next to Nicky. Shaolin represented!

Staten Island kid Gregory Nealon shows off an auto’d stick he won giving the honorary stick salute.

A cute pic of Ron Duguay holding a lucky kid. Very cool.

Ranger great Ed Giacomin signing for fans. Oddly enough, that looks to be Anthony from our section 411donning the road Gretzky. Coolness. “Edd—ie, Edd—ie, Edd—ie,” can still be heard at The Garden whenever No.1 is shown on the big screen after being unceremoniously waived by Emile “The Cat” Francis and then showing up and beating the Rangers with his new team, the Red Wings. One of the most memorable moments in franchise history. Sad, ain’t it?

 Vic Hadfield signs away. The original No.11 looks like he can still play.

And finally, our favorite jersey again centers around the New York Americans. Wow!

One thing about the Rangers. They know how to do these kind of big events. It looks like a great time was had by all. Giving fans an opportunity to meet their favorite heroes is excellent PR. Especially when Garden Faithful were coughing up big bucks to purchase the new jerseys. Love the touch of having legends there as well as current players. It really brings a tight knit fanbase closer with the club they love. For families, it’s a chance for Moms and Dads to tell their kids about who they grew up idolizing. Those pics of some of the lucky winners are something they won’t soon forget. And yes, to quote Ranger voice Sam Rosen:

“This one will last a lifetime!“

Kudos to the Ranger organization. For more on this event and other club news, please refer to @thenyrangers on Twitter.

One of the great things about sports – particuarly ones with long seasons like the NHL – is the chance for instant redemption when things turn sour. After a nightmarish end to Wednesday’s shootout loss for Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devils came a dream end to Friday’s overtime win against the Oilers, as the $100 million man once again found the puck on his stick with the game on the line – but this time did not miss, firing a slapshot past Devan Dubnyk with just ninety-three seconds left in OT to give New Jersey a 4-3 win, its first at home all season after an 0-5-2 start in the Rock.

As is usually the case with happy endings, there was very little indication we’d be getting one last night, especially with Jamie Langenbrunner missing the game due to an upper-body injury just as he was starting to get going. Even with the return to the lineup of Martin Brodeur and the embattled Brian Rolston, the team had to come from two goals down early and find a way to win when trailing after the second period (we were 0-10 in such situations before last night).

Edmonton had lost their previous two games by a combined score of 13-3 but they came out flying in this game against what seemed to be a sulking Devils team after the events of Wednesday night. Colin Fraser (former Flyers reject) scored twice in the first ten minutes, the first time after Anton Volchenkov of all people missed a hip check and Fraser went to the net to stuff in a puck. Our second goal given up was even weirder as a puck got dumped into the zone and hung in the air for several seconds before coming down right on an Oilers stick, and eventually Fraser beat Brodeur again with a screened shot. Now down 2-0 to the worst team in the West, I was really worried this would be an ugly rock bottom last night.

Redemption seemed to be the theme of the night in general though, with the first case being after rookie Alexander Vasyunov found the puck on his stick on a two-on-the goalie breakaway, which should have been almost an automatic goal, or bare minimum a shot on net. Instead Vasyunov made a terrible pass behind the other skater and the play died without even an attempt on net. Vasyunov would only have to wait minutes for his redemption though, as he did score on a terrific one-timer in front for his first goal in the NHL. Travis Zajac had the primary assist on the goal, with Patrik Elias also recording a point on Vasyunov’s goal at 15:43. Although the Devils dominated the final minutes of the first period the score would remain at 2-1 going into the locker room.

In the second period, the Oilers withstood our early surge out of the locker room and restored their two-goal lead just after the five-minute mark when they took advantage of a two-on-one, even though Henrik Tallinder actually made a good play to stop the initial pass and Brodeur made the save off the rebound it seemed like too many Devils were spectators, content with being in the right position instead of stopping the play itself and eventually Sam Gagner finally put the puck in, silencing the 14,650 at the Prudential Center once again.

Showing the patience of a Tom Renney team, the Oilers sat back and waited for us to keep self-destructing. And it did seem like for most of the period we were sulking on skates yet again, cursing our bad luck as the Devils showed absolutely no signs of life until just over three minutes remained in the period, when Rolston would get his first of the season off a rebound in front. Our line of Rolston-Danius Zubrus and David Clarkson looked pretty decent for the most part with all getting points on the Rolston goal, (and they played together some last year, which helped) even though Clarkson had yet another meltdown when we were down two goals in the first period, taking an instigator penalty and ten-minute misconduct trying to fire up the crowd with a fight against the Oilers’ Zach Stortini. At least in that case Clarkson had the right idea, just hideous execution as he jumped the Oiler enforcer, who wanted no part of a road fight when his team had the lead.

Still, even after Rolston scored we were down 3-2 going into the third period against the only other team in the NHL with as few as ten points on the season. With just nine minutes remaining in the game though, another rookie got his first NHL goal as Mattias Tedenby scored on a deflection of an Andy Greene point shot on the power play. Jason Arnott also recorded an assist on the goal, which tied the game at three and ensured a memorable night for two kids who both had excellent games and deserved to score. Indeed, Tedenby could have had the winner late in the third but was robbed off an excellent glove save from Dubnyk.

Then came the dreaded overtime where the Devils were just 1-3 so far this season, with the only winner being scored from Kovy – in Buffalo ironically enough. While we dominated overtime, it took a Dustin Penner tripping call resulting in a power play for us to achieve the final breakthrough. Just when it looked like we were going to be guilty of overpassing away the 4-on-3 advantage Kovy got the puck near the half-boards (after passes from Tallinder and Elias), ripped a slapshot past Dubnyk and set off a mass celebration in the crowd and on the ice.

Maybe in the grand scheme of things last night’s game will be irrelevant if we don’t do well on this upcoming three-game road trip to Boston, Toronto and St. Louis – at least a couple of them are winnable games with the Bruins missing top centers Marc Savard and David Krejci and the Leafs having come crashing to earth after their little winning streak to open the season. We do end the road trip playing the Blues, who have looked surprisingly good so far this season and as one Ranger fan I work with put it, they looked like the old Devils playing defense after beating the Rangers in a 2-0 shutout last week.

Still, last night was a much-needed event at the Rock, with fans hooting and hollering after the game as if it was a playoff game, although the Friday night crowd probably contributed to it since there tends to be more alcohol involved at the end of the week when you don’t have the kids in the stands that weekend games provide. Certainly, Kovy needed that goal (in front of his supporters at home) to move forward after a tumultous offseason and start to his ‘real’ Devils tenure this year. Having the kids contribute and Rolston be in the mix was also important for us going forward.

If I had one complaint about last night, it was that our bench seemed to mistime our line changes way too much, particularly in the second period when Johnny MacLean sent on our fourth line just as the officials were dropping the puck, we were lucky all that happened was the play being blown dead and the three forwards going back to the bench before they could change. Later in the period we made an even more egregious mistake as everyone changed off just as Kovy found himself with a potential two-on-one or even partial breakaway chance. With nobody to help him out though and all the Oilers still on the ice, eventually the play died.

I’m also not a fan of our current defense pairings, instead of keeping Colin White with rookie Matt Taormina which was actually a pretty decent pairing, White got put with Greene, and Taormina with Tallinder. Maybe the idea is to split up what’s been a hideous pairing of Tallinder-Greene but I don’t understand why you can’t just put Greene with Volchenkov and then have Tallinder play with Magnan as our third d-pairing. Plus the staff bingo-balls the forward lines too much though last night the combinations worked and stayed together much the whole game.

At least last night’s win buys some much-needed breathing room for the heavily criticized MacLean, who basically half the fanbase expects to get fired and I heard from two different season ticket holders last night rumors that he may well get the axe if play didn’t start to pick up. Although I still don’t think Lou Lamoriello would pull the plug on Johnny Mac after seven years of getting him ready for the job, he (Lou) is really responsible for all of the fans’ assumptions in his case with some of his random firings in the past – the Claude Julien fiasco comes to mind – and general instability of the Devils job.

Still, there’s a lot of work to do before we’re out of the woods in any case…at 5-10-2 we really need a winning streak, that we haven’t had all season. After getting the weekend off we try to win two in a row for the first time Monday in Boston, against Julien’s Bruins. Hopefully we’re up for the challenge and start to get back in the playoff race here.

Okay I admit it, I’ve finally gone off the deep end with this Devils team. How else can I explain actually being excited for the return of one Brian Rolston tonight? Yes, the same cap-killing Rolston that’s been a massive dissapointment in his first two seasons back with the Devils. Of course, beggars can’t be choosers and absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder when your team’s 4-10-2. However, just from his play in the preseason and some of the things he’s said recently, you do get the feeling he’s out for a little redemption this year. Almost any professional athlete has some pride somewhere, and his had to be hurt by all the Kovy-speculation in the offseason and how his deal was our main obstacle to getting under the cap. Not to mention being shelved for thirteen games after sports hernia surgery as this team continues to sink faster than the Titanic.

All that said, we don’t need words at this point, we need action – from Rolston or anyone else who wants to step up. In a normal year, rebuilding 4-8-2 Edmonton would be an easy game at best and a letdown game at worst. However, this year it’s a big game period, vital for this team if they’re going to make a run back to a playoff spot, which they need to make soon. Not to mention the 0-5-2 embarassment that is the Devils’ home record so far. Once again the team was booed off the ice after a shootout loss to a Sabres team that was struggling almost as much and icing a third string goalie, to boot.

Granted though, most of the boos Wednesday were directed at one Ilya Kovalchuk for obvious reasons – Derek’s YouTube of the humiliating shot ‘attempt’ that ended our shootout against the Sabres and has been mocked endlessly in the last twenty-four hours on numerous sports shows that almost never talk about hockey being chief among them. Not to mention a partial breakaway which our $100 million man put into the stands with just under two minutes left in regulation. Perhaps that wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that the star sniper hasn’t scored period in his last seven games and has eight points with a lovely -7 fifteen games into his 15-year Devils contract.

Sure, Kovy is far from the only underachiever here. It just stands out more when you spend a whole offseason to get him, in the process handing Kovy double the richest total contract in team history. Especially when he’s supposed to pick up the slack for the injured Zach Parise. It would be nice if some others got going too. Maybe Jamie Langenbrunner‘s two goals – one in the shootout – Wednesday help the captain get in gear since he only has nine points with a -8 through 16 games. Of course the Devils being the Devils, the captain is now questionable for Friday’s game after a hit he took early on in the loss to the Sabres.

At least it was nice to see David Clarkson finally remember where the front of the net was. His tap-in goal in the second period Wednesday was just his second goal and third point to go along with a -8 over 16 games. Patrik Elias‘s two goals and -8 isn’t cutting it either. Neither is Travis Zajac‘s seven points considering he’s supposed to be the first-line center though to his credit he’s one of the few pluses on the team somehow (+1). I could go on and on…Andy Greene and his -12, Henrik Tallinder‘s horror show, etc.

You get the picture. At least some good news is that our walking wounded on defense are slowly coming back. Anton Volchenkov‘s off the shelf, Colin White‘s over the flu and Matt Corrente is about ready to return too. Shoot, even the immortal Anssi Salmela is skating again, how about that? Doesn’t look like Bryce Salvador will be ready anytime soon unfortunately but having some reinforcements should help a defense that has been playing three rookies in the starting lineup for most of the season.

And maybe, just maybe Martin Brodeur will make his return tonight after missing the last three games with a ‘bruised’ elbow. Part of me’s still skeptical enough to think that the injury to Brodeur is more serious than the Devils have let on, especially since Brodeur doesn’t miss games with bruises. It wouldn’t shock me if we withheld that kind of info long enough to sell (or give away) tickets to the two home games this week. If you take the Devils at their word though, at least it looks like all systems are finally ago for our franchise goaltender. At least Johan Hedberg played credibly in his two and a half games filling in though he seems to have a quota of giving up one bad goal a game, he’s had to make his share of highlight-reel saves too.

Speaking of the homestand, it’s really shameful that the Devils have already had to resort to flat out giving away tickets to inflate attendance…in NOVEMBER! Okay, I realize that giving out free tickets for the two games this week was part of the Jersey’s Tour promo where the Devils went all over the state during the summer interacting with fans but in a game that probably would have had just over 10,000 in attendance otherwise the Devils had around 15,000 in the building Wednesday and probably will have over that amount tonight when the Devils haven’t drawn even 13,500 for a non-Opening night game yet. Did we really give away that many free tickets?! There was also a ticket giveaway that was supposed to be for thirty fans before the first Sabres game a few weeks ago and wound up being for more than three hundred.

As a season ticket holder, I don’t mind if the Devils have to do certain things to pump up the attendance and get people in the building but giving away so many tickets so early in the season is just totally counterproductive and devalues all the non-$15 season tickets. And it’s only going to get worse if the team continues to struggle. Wouldn’t it just be easier for the Devils to admit that their pricing of certain sections (corner uppers being $37 face, $31 for seasons, the mezz level which never sells period and the lower corners) are ridiculously out of whack instead of having to scramble to fill the seats later with promos and giveaways? I mean this isn’t a Canada-NYC-Minnesota fanbase that will sell out no matter how badly overpriced the tickets are in relation to the market and the economy.

Anyway, I’ve said my piece for now…hopefully all of us in attendance tonight really see a sign of the apocalypse tonight – a Devils home win!

Artem Anisimov’s second goal won the game for the Rangers at 1:32 of overtime over the Sabres 3-2.

This time, the Rangers weren’t going to allow another blown call to cost them on home ice. Instead, they stuck with it, prevailing over the Sabres 3-2 in overtime thanks to hero Artem Anisimov, who got to a loose puck and wired his second of the night past Jhonas Enroth at 1:32.

Arty’s big night along with a strong game from ex-Sabre Martin Biron allowed the Blueshirts to prevail in Marian Gaborik’s return. He may not have scored and who could playing with Alex Frolov and Erik Christensen but at least his guarantee was backed up. In his first game back since the third game of the season, Gabby looked decent missing on a couple of chances while showing the acceleration that makes him a threat. He nearly helped setup a goal but as usual, Frolov choked with a gaping net drawing boos. We’ll try not to dwell too much on that or Christy’s bad turnover that nearly led to Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy sealing it. Why Vanek didn’t shoot we’ll never know.

At the very least, it allowed the Rangers to come down and score with some good work done by Fedotenko to help keep the play alive following Dan Girardi’s shot which was blocked by Buffalo defenseman Jordan Leopold. However, before he recovered the puck Anisimov snuck in and surprised Enroth top shelf for the game-winner. That both Fedotenko and Arty were in on it was well deserved for both as each played excellent games and got rewarded. Nice to see. Especially for Fedotenko who ended a 10-game drought when his hustle allowed him to poke home a loose puck for the lead in the first period. Unfortunately, another inadvertent whistle robbed him of a second which probably would’ve made things easier.

Instead, it was another one of those seesaw struggles for John Tortorella’s club at home. They came out forechecking strong in the first, getting particularly effective play from newly formed checking unit Fedotenko, Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. Their hard work led to one of two power plays, which both looked good with Gabby back in. The club kept pucks alive and generated chances but couldn’t beat Enroth. It was the extra effort of the new grind line that resulted in Fedotenko’s first in 11 games. A strong Boyle forecheck kept the play alive and then Prust and Mike Sauer combined to get the puck to the net where Enroth couldn’t hold on before Fedotenko chipped it in at 14:04.

After dictating much of the play, the Rangers fell back a little in the second with Sauer pushing pest Patrick Kaleta from behind for a boarding minor, which saw Paul Gaustad come to the aid of his fallen teammate. They gave Gaustad and Fedotenko matching roughs while Sauer served his two. His teammates picked him up with outstanding work done by Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Mike Del Zotto and Steve Eminger. The forwards also helped with Boyle, Derek Stepan, Callahan and Dubinsky all making good reads, preventing Buffalo from getting a sniff. However, the Sabres gained momentum from it, forcing Biron to make a few tough stops. His rebound control was good. Especially considering that he was not told he was starting until Henrik Lundqvist arrived sick, basically putting it on Marty’s shoulders.

Another failed five-on-three kept Buffalo afloat. On it, Tort used his timeout only to see Tyler Myers use his reach to clear the zone. At five-on-four, they didn’t get much done, increasing the frustration level. The powerless play went 0-for-5, getting worse as the game progressed. When you blow a big chance like they did, it usually comes back to bite you. A fluky play allowed Buffalo to tie it when on a delayed penalty, rookie Tyler Ennis chipped a loose puck past a protesting Biron, who thought he had possession for a whistle. However, replays showed he never had control which is why Ennis was able to convert at the doorstep. His second in 24 hours. Roy and Vanek drew the helpers.

The second’s conclusion was wild. First, following an icing in which Lindy Ruff burned his timeout, Brandon Dubinsky won the draw. The puck eventually came around to Callahan who chipped it back to Dubinsky, who quickly centered for Anisimov in front for a gimme. His third ended a nine-game drought, giving the Rangers back the lead with 48 seconds left. We’re safe, right? Not so fast. On the very next shift, the Sabres came right back scoring another weird goal thanks to grunt work from their fourth line. Cody McCormick and Rob Niedermayer combined to get the puck to Mike Grier, who buried it with 2.8 seconds left stunning MSG and sending me into a Tweetfest. 😛 Here were a couple summing up my thoughts as to how such a play occurred:

Rant One


Rant Two

Rant Three

Yeah. I was not pleased. Staal didn’t play poorly by any stretch. But I just can’t comprehend what he and Danny G were doing on that play. Callahan was the only guy in front. One concept which has to change for this team is this business with opposing players cruising through our crease and running our goalies. Would it kill one of our D to actually get in front of them and push them out? Rant over.

Early in the third, more controversy happened when Fedotenko looked to have restored our lead. This time, he steered home another loose puck with the whistle coming some five seconds later. Three games in a row, this team loses out on a goal. One because Bill McCreary thought there was a hi-stick on the Blues. Fine. He made an honest mistake. They lost by a goal and had plenty of time to tie it. Then you had the atrocity the other night in which Fedotenko put us ahead only to be called for incidental contact. Perhaps but it seemed pretty shady. Tonight’s took the cake. It definitely should’ve counted. When will this disorganized league change that rule. It’s awful.

With the game still up for grabs, Gaustad took a minor with under nine left in regulation. Absolutely zilch got done. Del Zotto in particular stunk, fumbling the puck at the point. Sure. He got one or two shots through but his confidence isn’t there. Anyone can see it. Still can’t get over Matt Gilroy getting one PP shift. What in God’s name does Tort have against Hobey, who actually was solid in his 13+? I just don’t get it.

As if the refs weren’t bad enough, they invented a call on Boyle for tripping when he did no such thing. I guess aggressiveness isn’t allowed in this wussified league! Someone should send 100 copies of Slap Shot to Bettman making him cry in his panties. The game is regressing. Dial up The Beatles HELP! At least the Rangers killed it, forcing OT. The four-on-four was fun with each New York club going for it. First, a lousy turnover by Christy led to a two-on-one for Vanek and Roy. After Vanek faked out our D, he had the puck in the same position as his shootout winner past Johan Hedberg. But he opted not to shoot, instead passing for an open Roy at the side, who never got off a shot. If that epic fail doesn’t sum up Vanek’s career, my name’s not Derek Felix.

The missed opportunity allowed the Rangers to come down and earn the decider off what else but hard work. Fedotenko and Anisimov combined to work the puck to Girardi, whose shot was blocked by a sliding Leopold. But Fedotenko didn’t give up and when Leopold missed, Anisimov quickly fired past Enroth for an exciting finish that saw an emotional Tort pump his fist and probably say, “Hell yeah!” Or something to that effect. A much needed home win, ending a two-game skid and putting us back over .500 (8-7-1) with Tom Renney’s struggling Oilers visiting Sunday afternoon. Let the ass kissing begin. 😛

3rd Star-Artem Anisimov, NYR (2 goals incl. OT winner at 1:32, 5 SOG, 3-2 draws, +1 in 14:49)
2nd Star-Martin Biron, NYR (29 saves incl. 10/10 in 3rd, 1st win as Ranger-2nd overall at MSG)
1st Star-Ruslan Fedotenko, NYR (2nd of season, assist, 4 SOG, hit, +2 in 15:52)

There’s really not much you can say about this attempt in the shootout by Ilya Kovalchuk. Oh. I’m sure our Devil blogger can find many adjectives for it but probably quite a few which are derogatory. The $100 million man is snakebit and obviously can use some new lumber. It just ain’t working. He and the Devils have plenty of time to figure it out. Rick Jeanneret’s call here summed up Kovalchuk’s struggles. He remains stuck on 3 goals. Will he find chemistry with anyone? It better happen soon for Jersey.

Marian Gaborik returns for the Rangers tonight. Can he wake up invisible Russian Alex Frolov from the doldrums?

 
When the Rangers attempt to snap a two-game losing streak in the third game of a four-game homestand tonight versus the Sabres, Marian Gaborik returns. After missing the last dozen with a separated shoulder, the Big Ticket is back even if it’s less than 100 percent.

“I’m good to go,” Gaborik told the Rangers’ official website. “It’s feeling confident enough and comfortable enough to jump back into things, and after (Wednesday’s practice) I feel that way. It’s been awhile since I played and I am very anxious to get back in there.”

“I’m not a big guy about he’s 100 percent or he’s 95 percent,” John Tortorella said. “Can you play or not? And Gabi knows that, and he came to me after practice and said he’s ready to play. And I said ‘OK!’”

Gabby’s return comes at a good time with the Homegrown Line finally hitting a wall after carrying the load. No doubt the club needs leading goalscorer Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan to get untracked. Perhaps Gaborik can relieve some pressure. It would be refreshing if he lit a fire under Russian enigma Alex Frolov, who remains stuck on two goals. Does slumping Erik Christensen anchor them or will Tort give rookie Derek Stepan another shot since he’s been playing better? Who comes out? Maybe Christy or snake bit Ruslan Fedotenko.

Following another tough loss at MSG this time to the Caps 5-3 in what was a winnable game, the Blueshirts need contributions from others aside from revelation Brian Boyle (2nd two-goal gm for career high 7 goals) and Derek Boogaard with his best Fulton Reed impersonation, stunning everyone for his first goal in 234 games. The best part was Bruce Boudreau’s Tinman look behind the Washington bench which Versus caught perfectly. I was getting a brew when it happened just after the Caps tied it. And then checked the replay and stood in shock. Haha.

Unfortunately, the Rangers didn’t win. Michal Rozsival got double teamed into a turnover which led to the winner. If only Frolov wasn’t so lazy on the backcheck. He also failed to clear the zone the first time Rozy sent the puck around. The lack of attention to detail proved costly. As for Rozsival who had a forgettable game going minus-three, he’ll sit out for at least a week due to a shoulder injury he’d been nursing. Replacing his minutes won’t be easy. Especially with Steve Eminger stepping up while Matt Gilroy gets another chance. The pressure will be immense for Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and slumping Mike Del Zotto, who looks like he needs to be sent down. The confidence just isn’t there. Might an extra junior year have helped? Look what it’s done for Alex Pietrangelo. John Carlson also spent time in the AHL. The Rangers are stuck because no one’s ready. That means living with DZ’s mistakes.

Can this team bounce back and get another win in a place they continually disappoint fans? The 2-5-1 record is ugly despite the last two efforts being satisfactory against better clubs. If you can go toe to toe with the talented Caps, you should be able to pull it out. As a frustrated Henrik Lundqvist pointed out the other night, they have to find a way to win. Something that hasn’t been an issue on the road (5-2-0). He’ll likely see Buffalo rookie Jhonas Enroth, who was good enough to hold off the Devils in a 5-4 shootout- their second consecutive win via the skill comp. Only 22, Lundqvist’s countryman should be motivated if he gets the call. Patrick Lalime has been banged up. With Ryan Miller expected to miss a sixth consecutive game, it could be an all Swedish affair on Broadway.

As for the Sabres, they’re finally winning. Albeit two late goals allowed them to rally past the Leafs and Devils to get out of the cellar. They’re now tied for 12th with Florida with 12 points, trailing the eighth Rangers by three. Most of the conference is bunched up. So, these games take on a whole new meaning. We’re sure Bettman is pleased with the parity. Night to night, you never know.

Buffalo is led by Derek Roy, who’s been putting the puck in with regularity. Jason Pominville notched his first goal last night and Tyler Myers is scoring despite continued struggles in his end, which started in a Ranger opening 6-3 win at Buffalo on Oct.9. Thomas Vanek is always dangerous despite only four goals. Keep an eye on rookie Tyler Ennis, who got his third goal and ninth point, forcing overtime yesterday. Grinders like Ranger killer Patrick Kaleta, Mike Grier and Paul Gaustad usually give our D fits. Hopefully, the new look blueline will be up to the challenge.

After six games, forward Evgeny Grachev was sent back down by the Rangers.

Today, the Rangers sent forward Evgeny Grachev back to Hartford. The ’08 third round pick, who was recalled a couple of weeks ago got into six games.

The 20 year-old Russian had no points with three shots and seven hits while posting a minus-two rating. He saw limited duty and didn’t even get a shift on a dreadful Rangers’ five minute power play in yesterday’s 2-0 shutout loss to St. Louis. In fact, Grachev got only eight shifts for 4:10, going minus-one thanks to Derek Boogaard’s boneheaded play that led to Alex Steen’s winner.

While it’s true the kid isn’t ready, he showed good instincts forcing a couple of turnovers that led to scoring opportunities including a near break-in last night. The size (6-3, 202 pounds) is there. However, he’s still getting acclimated with the pro game in Year Two. The Rangers must be careful not to hurt his development. Something The Prospect Park’s Jess Rubenstein believes they already did by rushing him to the AHL following one year of junior. What Grachev learned in his brief stint on Broadway could be vital to his future. We’ll have a more definitive answer next year.

In the mean time, he goes back down while Boogaard likely goes unpunished for a brutal game Sunday. In his latest post, Scotty Hockey was all over the Rangers for not going after B.J. Crombeen for his ferocious hit from behind on rookie Derek Stepan that led to a major the club never came close to capitalizing on. Something we neglected to mention. You might say John Tortorella preferred to get the game tied rather than seek retribution. However, they don’t see the Blues again. So, Crombeen went unscathed. What if D-Step had been seriously hurt? Scotty is justified in his notion that the team rarely stands up for teammates. Even if this bunch is more together, you’d like to see that important element added.

With Grach back to the ‘A,’ does this mean more games for vet Todd White, who was good against the Devils, assisting on Brandon Dubinsky’s shorty? Likely until Marian Gaborik, Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal return. One other note on White. We erred in a post the other day saying he was placed on waivers. Our sincerest apologies. Per Rubenstein’s tweet, we originally were correct, making it all the more confusing. Wonder what poor Tim Kennedy thinks about this?

It was the Blues tonight at The Garden for the Rangers literally as they were blanketed by a good team 2-0. So much for getting back to .500 on home ice. It wasn’t for lack of effort. Simply put, St. Louis is just a better team. Stellar defense, physicality, a great penalty kill and faceoff dominance allowed John Davidson’s club to rebound from a shootout loss in Beantown despite little offense.

Alex Steen’s second period tally off a three-on-two rush stood up as the winner in a throwback game that saw little time and space for either side to make plays. In a battle of backups, Ty Conklin outdueled Martin Biron, repelling all 27 his way en route to the shutout. Biron, who had little chance on Steen’s perfect wrister high blocker, also was solid turning aside 20 of 21 in his third start.

It just came down to a foolish mistake by enforcer Derek Boogaard, who with rookie linemates Derek Stepan and Evgeny Grachev in on the puck behind the net, went for a big hit catching all three deep. Had he backed up instead, there’s probably no odd-man break with Brad Boyes dishing across for Steen, who used Dan Girardi as a screen for his second of the season. He would also score into an empty net with four seconds left, sending a disappointed crowd home.

Frustrating, yes. But the Rangers did some good things, competing hard and playing perhaps their best D so far. There’s still plenty to work on for John Tortorella’s club before hosting the Alex Ovechkin Caps Tuesday and the Sabres Thursday. Figure it to center around faceoffs where they again were victimized badly, losing 38-of-54 (70 Pct). Even a legit boarding major on human wrecking ball B.J. Crombeen with over 12:00 left when he crushed Stepan, who still cameback for his next shift, wasn’t enough to get it tied. They couldn’t win any draws and never got set up. The best opportunity came late with Artem Anisimov blowing a gimme with Conklin out of position. He didn’t realize how much time he had, firing too quick and hitting the side of the net. That was the chance.

Save us the build in MSG excuse about vet ref Bill McCreary erring on a hi-stick call which negated an actual Alex Frolov goal. Yes, the puck probably never touched any Blue and they never gained clean possession before Frolov put in an errant Conklin clear attempt. However, mistakes happen all the time. Too much so these days as I debated with plenty of #NYR Tweeps before. McCreary is one of the best officials out there. He simply missed it. There was enough time for our team to score one measly goal. It just never came with Boogard’s boneheaded play costing us at least a point. Speaking of Boogey Man, he also took a needless rough in the offensive zone. If he’s not scratched next game, something’s wrong. That cannot happen. Cam Janssen was out too. God forbid he challenge him. It’s already Brashear II.

As for the five minute power play from Hell, we don’t have one PP QB right now, especially with Mike Del Zotto struggling. At least he was stronger in his end. Michal Rozsival was the only consistent defenseman who pinched effectively. Outside of one nice Marc Staal rush, there just wasn’t enough aggressiveness. Dan Girardi had another stellar game. He really should have Staal’s ‘A,’ but I get why they’re doing it.

As far as Tort’s employment of forwards, I felt he didn’t use Brian Boyle enough up front and never even gave Grachev a sniff in the third despite another decent outing. In the second, Grach had a nice takeaway and almost broke in clean using his size and reach. Only a hustling defensive play by Vlad Sobotka prevented the big chance. Is eight shifts (4:10) enough for the 20 year-old Russian? No but this stint should benefit his development. When Marian Gaborik returns which might come next week, he’ll go back down to Hartford. I don’t view him as Jessiman II as some have already unfairly labeled. The instincts are there. He just needs more time to develop offensively.

Frolov had one of his better games. He was more involved on the cycle which included a nifty Stepan backhand pass which Fro fired into Conklin. I get the feeling he’s gonna get one soon and that should open the floodgates. D-Step played better, looking more confident with the puck and was rewarded with more ice-time, playing with Frolov and Ruslan Fedotenko in the third. He had one sneaky try from behind the net along with a couple of good passes but as teammates did, was brutal in the dotted circle losing six of seven faceoffs. Insert classic Don Cherry HNIC rant here. If only I could find it.

One other parting shot before we finish up. Fedotenko was properly called for a late hit after a whistle. Fine. But how come a punk like Daniel Carcillo gets away with it against the Islanders in a tie game late in the third yesterday? Simply amazing.

3rd Star-Michal Rozsival, NYR (2 takeaways, 4 blocked shots, hit in 21:23)
2nd Star-Alex Steen, Stl (2 goals incl. decider in 2nd, 7 SOG, +2 in 18:07)
1st Star-Erik Johnson, Stl (2 hits, 2 blocked shots, +1 in 25:47-simply dominant)

Star Note: Neither goalie earned a star because they didn’t have to make many tough saves.  

While Alex Frolov celebrates Brandon Dubinsky’s goal, the looks on Travis Zajac and Johan Hedberg sum up Devil frustration in loss to Rangers last night.

When it comes to winning, there are no style points. Somebody might want to clue the Devils in following their latest disappointment- a 3-0 shutout defeat at the hands of their bitter Hudson rival, the Rangers last night at The Rock. The loss dropped New Jersey to 4-10-1 overall. They’ve yet to win at home falling to 0-5-1. The next opportunity comes four days from now against equally struggling Battle brother Buffalo, who also have yet to win on home ice.

Yes, the Devils competed for the most part unless you watched mega million star Ilya Kovalchuk basically watch as Brandon Dubinsky followed up a Todd White weird carom for the backbreaking shorthanded tally that finished the Newark hosts. The player Lou Lamoriello’s building around also took a mindless penalty 15 seconds into the third. On a night his team desperately needed him to show, the former Thrasher played like he still was in Atlanta, partially responsible for all three goals against while finishing minus-two with four shots. The problem was none of the offerings fooled Henrik Lundqvist, who recorded his second shutout in three games, improving to 20-7-5 versus his favorite target.

“I thought we were the better team, dominating the play for most of the game, and then we don’t give ourselves a chance to get back in the third period,” an exasperated Patrik Elias said essentially throwing Kovalchuk under the bus. “We lost the game right there.”

“We played hard. We competed hard. We’re just not generating enough offense,” first-year coach John MacLean echoed despite his team holding a 33-20 edge in shots. 

Remarkably, they trailed by two despite outshooting the Blueshirts 23-12 through 40 minutes. Something Devil buddy Rob “Kraze” Davis texted while I was watching Procal Harum. When you’re going bad, this is what happens. One of the Ranger four first period shots went in with Dubinsky finishing off his ninth. The Devils took 11 but none found twine against Lundqvist, who was a vacuum a day removed from a forgettable showing in a 4-1 loss in Philly.

“After last night, it was important for me and for all of us to get a good solid game,” he said. “I don’t think we played all that bad, but I felt that I had to play a lot better.”

That’s what you expect from your leaders. In this early season, the Rangers have gotten it from Dubinsky, Lundqvist, revelation Brian Boyle, Dan Girardi, Michal Rozsival, Sean Avery and Ryan Callahan, who missed last night with a sore neck due to a cheap Kimmo Timonen hit from behind. With injuries to Marian Gaborik, Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal, they’ve stepped up. By contrast, their archrivals haven’t gotten any yet despite enough talent to push on without Zach Parise and an injury list that’s growing as long as Pinocchio’s. The Devils are still searching for an identity. While the 5-3 win over the Blackhawks temporarily cured their offensive fallacies, they simply couldn’t carry it over against a better goalie. Part of the issue which Davis alluded to was the lack of bodies in front of Lundqvist. You have to be willing to pay the price.

“Lundqvist played a great game and we didn’t have any traffic in front of him,” Kovalchuk pointed out after remaining stuck on three goals. “All the shots were from outside, and you know we are not going to score like that.”

“We’re disappointed after a loss every time,” added Elias. “You cannot go into a hockey game down all the time. You have to clear your minds and go into a game with a clear head.”

It’s never easy when you lose players. The Devils severely missed Anton Volchenkov, who finally returned Friday from a broken nose. The former Senator shot blocking specialist missed a dozen games. He’s easily the Devs’ toughest and should only bolster a blueline, which was without Colin White (flu). Young Swede Alexander Urbom was recalled from Albany. It’s really tough to compete when half your back end consists of rookies. Matt Taormina has been a nice find and Olivier Magnan hasn’t struggled as much as former Sabre Henrik Tallinder, who fans probably want to send over Niagara Falls. Maybe Volchenkov can boost Tallinder and Andy Greene, who’s a team worst minus-12 following a breakout ’09-10. Bryce Salvador won’t return anytime soon. Neither will Anssi Salmela. That leaves Mark Fraser, who despite limited skills always is willing to go.

It’d be easier if Kovalchuk was finishing and Travis Zajac remembered who he was. Instead, they’ve combined for five goals and only 14 points with no power play goals. Jason Arnott, who’s been benched at times- paces them with four markers. Elias remains in a funk stuck on two goals. Dainius Zubrus gives max effort every night but simply doesn’t possess the hands. The captain everyone wants to get rid of, Jamie Langenbrunner actually is tied with Kovalchuk for the club lead with eight points. The stat lines are as ugly as it gets. Halloween already passed but you wouldn’t know it in Jersey. Perhaps Jimmy Hoffa’s ghost is at work.

Then there’s David Clarkson, who continues to let Sean Avery get the best of him. For the most part, he tries. But as soon as he sees No.16, the Devil antagonist becomes possessed. He lost his head again taking a five-minute penalty for boarding Boyle, which erased any chance of a miraculous comeback. But hey. The way the Devils were firing blanks, it probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway. You expect better from a player who seemed on the upswing not long ago. Twenty goals and 40 points seemed possible. Now, he finds himself stuck on one goal and one assist with a minus-nine and 34 penalty minutes. What happened? The same thing that’s gone so wrong for the Devils thus far. The sum not equaling the parts. Langenbrunner on their ineptitude:

“It’s getting frustrating. We all can read the standings and see where we are and the games we’ve played and the games in hand teams have on us and where we could be when it’s all sorted out. But we can’t concern ourselves with that so much. We need to find a way to get some wins ourselves, keep the effort where it’s been, but learn to play a little bit smarter.”

When Martin Brodeur doesn’t suit up for the Rangers, something’s wrong. Perhaps he just decided that extra rest would be wiser than rushing back from a bruised elbow that forced Johan Hedberg into action the other day. For his part, Hedberg wasn’t bad despite only making 17 saves with a few sparklers which at least kept his team afloat. Chalk up the third goal to bad luck. You don’t expect a deflected shot to take a funny carom back to Dubinsky, who was only too happy to tie Steven Stamkos and Patrick Sharp for the league lead in goals (10).

Sometimes, it’s just not your night. Now, it’s almost a month with the quarter mark approaching. Are the Devils really this bad? Well, to borrow a phrase Hasan used from Bill Parcells, “You are what your record says you are.” They have nine points in 15 games, digging themselves an early hole along with Buffalo (8 in 14 entering tonight vs Toronto). Ironically, both trail first place by similar margins. The Devils are eight out while the Sabres trail by nine. There’s plenty of season left to make up ground. It has to start soon.