Notes From the Garden...

:: My lead off today was going to be "Chris Higgins couldn't score at a bar near Arizona State University" until about 90 seconds remained in the Rangers/Bruins game tonight.

Still, I guess even the fat mathlete can find the drunk sorority girl every now and then.

:: To the people who said the following regarding my Steve Rucchin jersey...
- "Isn't Prospal number 20?"
- "It must be his own last name."
... is this your first season watching the Rangers? Do you know know who the best - and only competent - second-line center on the Rangers since the lockout is? By the way, both Jason Krog and Freddy Sjostrom wore #20 between The Rucch and our favorite player named Vaclav.

I understand it's an obscure jersey, but when you go to a lot of games, it's nice to dig deep into the closet once in a while.

But to the guy in the Scott Gomez jersey... please... retire it.

:: Best jerseys of the night...
- Marco Sturm #19 German Olympic jersey
- Marc Savard # 33 Rangers jersey

:: Fun game tonight, and it was a relief from the 1-0 Bruin/Ranger games we're used to, but it definitely got a little hazy in the 3rd period. My head still hurts from when I involuntarily hit it after Blake Wheeler scored to tie it 2-2.

:: Paging Sean Avery: Eventually, you're going to have to score. You have still only scored in 2 games this year. I appreciate that in both games you scored 2 goals, but a 5th goal in forthcoming, no?

:: I know it's a little premature, but I'd like to keep Erik Christensen with Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik when Prospal returns. Christensen has found his niche - playing with superstars like Gaborik, Sidney Crosby, and Ilya Kovalchuk - and it's relieving to see him fitting in. When Prospal returns, have him center Ales Kotalik and Ryan Callahan. Have Avery play with Chris Drury and Artem Anisimov, and then have a 4th line that doesn't do anything. I'm never one to speculate on line combinations, but that sounds good, no?

They're Already Starting With This Crap

As soon as the Winter Classic ended, you knew everyone was going to start gushing about what a wonderful event it was - even if there was a whistle approximately once every six seconds during the first two periods. This one, hot off the presses, is entitled "NHL Sets Higher Bar with Latest Classic".

For Marco Sturm, it was his son wanting to stay on the ice at the family skate the day before the Winter Classic.

Doesn't every kid want to stay on the ice when the session is over? I mean, I'm 28 years old, and when the sessions at Cantiague Park end, I start to cry and beg the attendant for five more minutes on the ice.

Maybe it was James Taylor's lyrical version of the national anthem.

Isn't EVERY version of the national anthem performed by a singer considered "lyrical"?

It is not a stretch to suggest that for every Boston Bruins player, every Philadelphia Flyers player, every coach and manager, and the 38,112 who jammed into the Fenway Park stands, there will be a separate memory of the Winter Classic that they will tuck away forever.

OK, first of all, this is a one-sentence paragraph. Second of all, this isn't even possible. Third of all, people are going to have exactly two memories of this game - it was cool to see a rink at Fenway, and the Bruins won in overtime. In that order.

First, would this audacious plan work? The Buffalo experience on Jan. 1 2008, answered in the affirmative.

Fun fact - if the Winter Classic didn't debut in Buffalo, it would NEVER be held there. Somehow, I doubt the allure of Ralph Wilson Stadium could attract non-hockey fans.

Corporate sponsors are clamoring to get on board and NHL teams are now bidding to host the event.

Keep this sentence in the back of your mind.

"It is a cornerstone of the strategy we began over three years ago to build scale and connect with our fans in ways we haven't done before, using all of the platforms available to us," commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday.

Except, of course, ESPN. This game was listed ninth in ESPN.com's top stories just an hour after the game was over, behind non-stop college football coverage. That'd probably change if ABC was airing the game. Not saying it's fair, but that's the way it'd be.

Success is said to breed success, but at the same time, the bar has been set extremely high and the risk of backsliding, of having an event that doesn't measure up and therefore becomes subject to criticism or disappointment, goes up.

The bar was never NOT high. Last year's game set the bar as high as it was going to go. This year's game just happened to have a better finish. Now, every Winter Classic will have to be held at an iconic stadium and feature two major-market, media-friendly teams.

The NHL has for the first time opened up a bid process to come up with a host for the 2011 game.

Hey, this sounds familiar! I think I read this somewhere before.

The process will force teams to think outside the box in suggesting venues and activities that will "wow" the league.

I'd imagine the bids of teams like Nashville and Columbus will be pieces of paper stating simply, "We know we have no chance of ever getting a Winter Classic. However, we're submitting this so we can tell our fans we're in the market for a Winter Classic someday."

The New York Rangers, for instance, are the only U.S.-based Original Six team that has yet to play in a Winter Classic, and it is important they are involved given their heritage and importance to the league.

Wrong. A GOOD Rangers team is important to the league. The current Rangers team doesn't do anything for the casual fan outside of New York. It'd be like putting the Knicks on a Christmas Day game... oh wait, nevermind.

Yankee Stadium may not be a possibility, though, with word college football will be using the facility over the holidays; so, the league must consider ways for the Rangers to host a game somewhere else or invite them to play in the contest as a visiting team.

Let's also not forget that the new Yankee Stadium has been open for exactly one year. A game there isn't what it would have been a year or two ago. I'd rather see a Winter Classic at the decaying carcass of Giants Stadium than at new Yankee Stadium.

One memory many fans will cherish from Friday's Winter Classic was watching former Bruins great Bobby Orr skate onto the ice as the team's honorary captain. Former Philadelphia captain and GM Bob Clarke was the Flyers' honorary captain, and to see the two Hall of Famers skate to center ice together for the ceremonial puck drop was a nice moment.

It was also a "nice moment" when Clarke pulled the ultimate dick move, "winning" the ceremonial faceoff despite being the road team. What a prick.

Are we saying that places like Tampa, Atlanta, Carolina or Phoenix should never have an Outdoor Classic?

What's an Outdoor Classic?

Wrigley and Fenway were no-brainers, but now it becomes more difficult to find those iconic venues.

This is actually a good point. I guess there's a first time for everything.

The game also has to celebrate its biggest stars, and that's why we don't have any problem with Pittsburgh and Sidney Crosby being involved in a second game, or Detroit hosting a Winter Classic in the near future even if the Red Wings have already been in one.

We are guessing it is a formality that wherever the game is held next year, the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin will be involved in some way. It is mystifying that three events have passed without the Caps being involved.

You can bet that Ovechkin and Crosby will each play in three Winter Classics before they retire. God forbid NBC and the NHL promote the other teams in the league.

In the end, the challenge of maintaining the Classic's magical spark isn't about being fair, it's about making the right choices.

Awesome. So teams like the Islanders will always be stuck playing second fiddle to the "big" teams and attractive venues. And the "right choices" will always be what yields the biggest TV ratings, not what hockey fans want to see. Get ready for Rangers-Capitals next year, which will be followed by some regurgitation of past Winter Classic matchups. Thank goodness NBC is here to expose the unheralded talent in the NHL.

Ruining A Classic

The 2008 NHL Winter Classic was one of those events we'll always remember. The novelty of an outdoor game, the snow falling, the almost-too-perfect ending with Sidney Crosby scoring in the shootout. The 2009 NHL Winter Classic was no less entertaining, with a resurgent Blackhawks team and the defending champion Red Wings taking over Wrigley Field. The 2009 game showed that the Winter Classic was a sustainable commodity, something that could get the casual sports fan to take an interest in the NHL. Most true hockey fans, though, had the same thought - as great as the Winter Classic is now, if there's a way for the NHL to screw it up, they will certainly do so.

Fast forward to this year. The debate over who would play in the 2010 Winter Classic was red-hot, which is usually a great sign. Hockey fans had high expectations for the third installment of this event, and with good reason. So when the NHL announced that the Boston Bruins would be playing the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park, many were a bit underwhelmed. Sure, Fenway Park is an iconic venue, but Bruins vs. Flyers?

Many have pointed to the Flyers' sorry start to this season - 38 points in 38 games, 13th in the East - as proof that the NHL screwed this one up. My thought is that the NHL didn't screw anything up. Instead, NBC stepped in and got who they wanted - as in, who they thought would pop the best rating. The far more appealing Bruins-Canadiens matchup was shelved, and instead we get Bruins-Flyers, a matchup of two teams who have no rivalry whatsoever and combined to win exactly one playoff series last year.

A Bruins-Canadiens Winter Classic would have done so much to promote the event as a true hockey event. The Montreal Canadiens have one of the richest traditions in all of sports, maybe even more rich than that of the almighty Yankees. Casual fans might not be able to name one player on the Canadiens roster, but they know the team and understand something about the their history. They could come to understand the Canadiens-Bruins rivalry (assuming the NHL and NBC promoted it) and get into this matchup, giving the Canadiens the same respect they'd give to any well-known NHL team. Lastly, and most importantly, including the Canadiens in the Winter Classic would have been a huge bone thrown in the direction of the Canadian teams, who got the ball rolling when it comes to outdoor games and deserves to be part of this event going forward.

Of course, that's when NBC stepped in. I can picture the conversation...

GARY BETTMAN: For the 2010 Winter Classic, I'd like to have the Bruins host the Montreal Canadiens at Fenway Park.

NBC EXECUTIVE: The who?

GARY BETTMAN: The Montreal Canadiens.

NBC EXECUTIVE: What are they, an expansion team?

GARY BETTMAN: No, sir. They've been around for a hundred years. They've won 24 Stanley Cups. They may well be the most famous...

NBC EXECUTIVE: Hold it right there. I don't know what you're talking about with all this Montreal nonsense, but I'm not interested. This is NBC, damn it. We only show games that include the Penguins, Capitals, Rangers, Bruins and Flyers. Hey, Bruins and Flyers, that'd be a great matchup, no?

GARY BETTMAN: Not really.

NBC EXECUTIVE: Well, that's how it's going to be. If you think about it, it doesn't really matter who the Bruins play. ESPN will see that a Boston team is involved and promote the hell out of it, so neither of us will have to do anything.

GARY BETTMAN: Good point. Besides, we don't really care about our Canadian audience anyway.

NBC EXECUTIVE: Then it's settled. It'll be Bruins-Flyers at Fenway, and I'll tell you what. We'll put you in our NFL studio show for Wild Card weekend. We already have 30 analysts on that show, what's one more?

(Both Bettman and the executive laugh uproariously, then roll around in a pile of money.)

OK, so maybe it didn't go exactly like that. But it may as well have. In the mean time, the NHL is already doing everything it can to weaken its "flagship event". (Editor's note: Anytime your "flagship event" isn't your championship game/series, you're in trouble.) Bettman has talked about creating an outdoor game solely for Canada, largely because he knows there's no way in hell NBC is letting a Canadian team anywhere near the Winter Classic. With more than one outdoor game in any given year, the NHL seriously risks ruining the uniqueness of the Winter Classic. It might be running against crappy college football games, but the viewing audience still needs something new and fresh to watch.

Sadly, NBC doesn't do "new and fresh". NBC does "whatever will get us the highest TV ratings possible". So, while the 2010 Winter Classic might be about the Bruins and Flyers on paper, it's a bit different to diehard hockey fans. Years from now, we may look back at the 2010 Winter Classic as the year the Winter Classic changed from a hockey event to a TV event - the year the NHL gave its huge showcase event to NBC in the name of ratings and advertising dollars. You know what the worst part is? The only thing that's surprising is that it took this long.

Isles Lose In Shootout - Again

As the New York Islanders played the kind of third period only they can play - you know, the kind of third period that starts out with a three-goal lead and ends in a tie game - I felt a certain calmness. Maybe it's because I was watching the game with friends. Maybe it's because I'm waiting for my wife to go into labor and hockey isn't as important as it ordinarily is. Maybe it's because I saw it coming from a mile away. But I think it's something different. Namely, I'm cool with losing this game because, quite honestly, wins and losses don't matter right now.

Nobody is going to confuse the 2009-10 Islanders for a great team, a playoff team, or even a mediocre team. This is a young group who's going to have plenty of tough times before things improve. Yes, it's troubling that many of the key players in tonight's loss also blew many third-period leads last season. At the same time, the Islanders' young players need experience when an opposing team finds it second gear and makes an all-out push to preserve one (or two) points. That's what the Islanders saw tonight.

Make no mistake about it, the Bruins thought they were going to get two easy points tonight. We've seen it a million times. Boston started its backup goalie and didn't exactly play with a ton of urgency in the first two periods. Their fans seemed more preoccupied with the floundering Red Sox than anything the Bruins were doing. But when the Bruins needed to turn it on, they did. The Islanders, on the other hand, simply proved what we suspected all along - they aren't at the Bruins' level just yet.

It's one thing to play well when your opponents are barely showing a pulse. It's another to weather the storm when they're playing at full capacity and you've got to take their best shots. Last year, the Islanders were in this position many times, but it happened mainly before injuries forced the team to truly rely on its youth. Now, the young players are the focal point of the team; they will learn more from this loss than they would have learned if they'd won.

So far, the Islanders have played three games and have forced overtime in each of these three games. These three games have been against the defending Stanley Cup champions, an improved Ottawa team and a team that finished one point shy of the President's Trophy last year. This is nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, Islanders fans should be proud that their team is pushing elite teams to the brink. They should also be pleased that players like John Tavares and Matt Moulson are contributing right away. Sure, Dwayne Roloson hasn't made a save in five shootout chances, but at least they're getting that far. There's still plenty to be excited about in Islander Country.

Recap: Rangers Preseason Opener

At 4:03 AM, the sound of my cell phone woke me up. Immediately, I knew it was Zach.

At least once a week, I wake up to a late-night text from this site's co-conspirator. It's fun, mostly because I usually sleep through them and they're often humorous. One time, Zach texted me at 3 AM to ask me how to change lines in NHL 09. Zach's off in Vegas, so I wasn't expecting to hear from him, but he said he had his buddy Dan do a write-up of last night's Rangers-Bruins pre-season game for our site. I turned on the game with about a minute left, just in time to hear the entire broadcast crew gush over Matt Gilroy, so I'll take Dan's word for what happened.

And here, my friends, is (I think) the first guest post we've ever done on this site - a look at the Rangers' first pre-season game, completely unedited, courtesy of Dan.

***

Pre-season game 1 summary: Bos. 2 – NY 1
-Valliquette started and already looked in mid-season form, stopped 18 of 19 including some pretty tough shots (Torts plans on him getting about 15-20 starts this year)

-Brian Boyle (even with his 6’7" frame) did not impress, took two dumb penalties in the 1st period, one lead to the B’s first goal

-Brashear was booed heavily the first time he touched the puck, but it lessened as the game went on, esp. after he flattened a Bruin and got some cheers

-Dane Byers hustled, had some good forechecks and didn’t take any stupid penalties like his linemate Boyle, but that was about it

-Alexei Semenov (the kid from San Jose getting a tryout) looked ok, he is massive which means he’s not the quickest guy in the world (Scotty Hockey called him a "traffic cone" on ice), but he cruched a few B’s and got an assist on the only goal by wristing a shot from the point, so there’s maybe some 7th D-man potential

-the Brighton Beach line of Lisin-Anisimov-Grachev looked comfortable together, fast, and aggressive to the net (especially Grachev, Sam & Joe feel he’ll be on the roster), during one hard forecheck in the 2nd they drew a penalty

-Gilroy and DelZotto got the most of my attention, especially on the PP, they both love to jump in the play (with the encouragement of Torts), and don’t hesitate to unload a shot if they have it (Gilroy had about 3-4 shots, DelZotto hit the post on the PP)

-Kotalik will be a point-man on the PP this year, has a rocket shot and fires at will, his pairing on the PP was DelZotto

-Matt Zaba took over in net for Vally around half-way through the 2nd period, made some very good saves also, and wasn’t at fault for the 2nd goal, (defense vacated the crease to go to the corner and hung him out to dry vs. an open man)

-Matt Maccarone (another bruiser) hustled and such, but I had to laugh at the retro 1970’s pornstar mustache he was sporting

-Higgins got our only goal by camping out at the crease and banging in the rebound of Semenov’s shot, he was on a line with Drury and Kotalik for most of the game

-the Rangers came out and controlled play early in the 1st, but then they took 4 penalties which killed their momentum for the rest of the period, they took 6 total in the game (which led to both goals allowed), the B’s were only called for 2 penalties

-MSG showed a taped interview with Sather addressing the Dubi situation, and he basically said that Dubi has no leverage and will have to either give in and accept whatever offer he gets by the RFA deadline or he won’t be playing at all this year, (they also had Boston’s GM live in the studio at intermission talking about Kessel, pretty much the same thing going on up in Beantown)

-Rangers play the Devils wed. night at the Rock, Lundqvist will play half of the game, no mention of who gets the other half (Wiikman? OchoCinco?)

-players who sat out against the B’s and most likely playing against the Devs:
Prospal, Redden, Rosy, Voros, Avery, Potter, Heikkenen, Kundratek

-Gaborik already has a sore groin (go figure), so not sure yet if he’s going to play

Playoff Bet Update; Boston Commentary...

Well, first, an update on the playoff prediction bet between Bryan and myself.

He scored 0 points this round, much like I did last year in the 2nd round. He incorrectly chose Boston vs. Washington and Anaheim vs. Vancouver in the Conference Finals. Disappointing.

I scored 3 points, 2 for guessing Pittsburgh over Washington (1 point for the win, 1 because it was an upset), and 1 for Detroit over Anaheim.

My picks for next round? Pittsburgh in 6. Chicago in 6.

* * *

Two stats I heard that I thought were interesting...

- Carolina's last 4 playoff rounds went 7 games (Buffalo, Edmonton in '06; Devils, Bruins in '09). Cam Ward, for the record, is obviously 4-0 in those games.

- This was the 1st time since 2001 that 3 out of the 4 second round series went to 7 games, and it tied the 1986 record of 27 games in that round.

* * *

The Bruins had a dream season, and I would like to offer congratualtions to the 12,000 faithful fans who went to the games when they were on the playoff-bubble to past few years. To everyone else, well, you seemed to hop on the bandwagon at the right moment. Nice timing!

Be Careful What You Wish For

Last night, as the Islanders game ended, I was in bed sick. I didn't even make it through the end of the game. I guess it's just as well, though - it was pretty clear where the game was going.

Ever since this season began, many Islanders fans have been hoping and praying for a 30th place finish. We've been saying it since last July - the Islanders' 2008-09 season has been all about John Tavares. It didn't pay for the Islanders to battle valiantly for the eighth seed; we've been there and done that.  Similarly, just being bad wasn't going to work for this Islanders team. They had to be historically bad. Before the season, I predicted the Islanders would have 72 points at season's end, and Zach thought I was being much too critical. Guess not. But hey, the Isles' faithful got what they wanted in the end, so it's worth it. Right?

The problem is, as a fan, pride comes into play. Some fans have been rather vociferious about getting having a 48.2% chance at the first overall pick; others, like myself, hoped for the best but didn't want to compromise their fandom. Either way, it's hard for me to come out and state that I'm happy that the Islanders have lost their last two games by a combined score of 15-1. It's certainly nothing to brag about. We knew it wouldn't be pretty. And it wasn't.

The Islanders' season is essentially over, with only two meaningless games left - an afternoon game tomorrow against Philadelphia and a 5 PM game against Boston on Easter Sunday (who scheduled that one?). Just about the unanswered question is whether Kyle Okposo will score two goals to ensure that this won't be the first season in Islanders' history without a 20-goal scorer. (He probably won't.) The Islanders have done a great job of showing most nights in the second half, the last two games notwithstanding, so look for the Isles to make life very difficult for their far more skilled opponents. While Sunday's game means nothing to a Bruins team who clinched the East forever ago, imagine what a win over the Bruins in the season's final game would do for the Islanders.

Fedor Tyutin...

The Columbus Blue Jackets clinched a playoff berth today when their game against Chicago went to overtime. They sealed the deal with a shootout win. Rick Nash, Jonathan Toews and Pat Kane missed, but Fedor Tyutin, the second Columbus shooter, scored.

Also, today, I was listening to NHL Home Ice 204 on XM and they were listing the nominations for the Espo Awards, their yearly award ceremony. I highly disagreed with their list for Michel Bergeron Trophy (for Coach of the Year).

They had: Andy Murray (Blues); Barry Trotz (Predators); Claude Julien (Bruins); Brent Sutter (Devils); and Paul Maurice (Hurricanes). Phil Esposito added Ken Hitchcock (Blue Jackets) to the list.

Uh, where is John Tortorella in this list?!

No, kidding, but seriously, where is rookie coach Todd McLellan? The Sharks are far and away the best team in the league this season. While having Joe Thornton, Rob Blake, Danny Boyle, and Evgeni Nabokov helps, are you telling me he doesn't belong in the top six of all coaches this season?

If I had to pick a top 3 to nominate, I would say McLellan, Julien, and probably Hitchcock. All are good choices, and I think Julien would/should win the real award, the Jack Adams Award. He has taken a ragtag group of players and turned them into dominant forces.

Ahh, remember the good ol' days in the year after the lockout, when Lindy Ruff (Sabres), Pete Laviolette ('Canes), and Tom Renney (Rangers) were nominated? After this season, all 3 might not be on those teams anymore, especially if the Sabres miss the playoffs again.

An Open-Letter to Ryan Callahan...

Dear Ryan Callahan,

I know you're young. You just turned 24. You were 3 when Mark Recchi was drafted into the NHL. However, despite your age, you've been one of the few bright spots on a team that has been free-falling since November. In fact, I voted twice for the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award - once for Blair Betts, once for you.

Today, I wish I could rescind my vote.

This team can't score. Markus Naslund had a chance early in the game but was too close to Tim Thomas to do anything. Scott Gomez can pass pretty well, but that's about it. Brandon Dubinsky scored 3 goals in March, so you know he's tapped out. Nik Zherdev hates John Tortorella and won't play for him. Chris Drury isn't as "clutch" as his $7M salary tells you. And the defense scores so rarely that they show stats about how rare a defenseman's goal is when it happens.

We need you. We need you to SHOOT THE PUCK. When Sean Avery throws you the puck on a 2-on-1 and you're in a building where you routinely play 1-0 games, deep into the season, with an inept Wade Redden-esque power play, with a playoff spot on the line, SHOOT THE PUCK. If the rubber disc is bouncing, SHOOT THE PUCK anyway. If you see the goalie slightly out of position, SHOOT THE PUCK.

I keep watching the replay of when Avery gives you the puck, and it baffles me the amount of time you give Thomas to get back into position. You give him atleast 2 and a half seconds, and then you SHOOT THE PUCK right into him. Not above his head, not to the side of the net, right to him.

Next time you have a golden opportunity to tie the game against the best team in the conference, on the road, with 4 games left in the season, with a playoff spot not entirely guaranteed, please, please, Ryan, please SHOOT THE PUCK!

Today's Games

It wouldn't be a stretch to proclaim today as the biggest day in New York hockey so far this season.

Last night, the results went the way of the local clubs. The Rangers were spared a huge blow when the Panthers inexplicably lost to the Atlanta Thrashers at home. The Islanders' faithful are more than happy with the point Tampa Bay picked up last night against the Devils. The events of last night only serve to make today's action more interesting - as if things weren't already interesting enough.

Boston will have plenty to play for against the Rangers this afternoon - while home ice in the East seems a certainty for the Bruins, they'd love to nab the President's Trophy from San Jose. The Rangers were hardly inspiring on Thursday night, but perhaps last night's debacle in Florida will inspire the Blueshirts. Not only do they control their destiny once again, but a tie in points between the Rangers and Panthers will almost certainly result in a Rangers playoff berth, as Florida would have to make up two wins in four games. If the Rangers can pull off a win today, they'll be infinitely more secure in the top eight.

As for the Islanders, this one is going to be ugly. Both teams will obviously play hard. The Islanders have not laid down for anybody, while Tampa Bay silenced any talk of tanking with a valiant effort against the Devils last night. The atmosphere of the Coliseum will be bizarre, as Islanders fans will be rooting for the home team, but secretly hoping for a Lightning win. How will it play out? Only time will tell. But if the Lightning win, the Islanders will only have to "beat out" Colorado for the first seed in the Draft Lottery. In reality, the odds of the Islanders losing their spot to anybody are extremely long, but for Islanders fans who feel they've earned their crack at John Tavares or Victor Hedman, nothing is secure just yet.

By night's end, we'll know a lot more about the fates of both the Rangers and Islanders. Until then, though, this is going to be one exciting day of hockey.

EDIT, 12:35 PM: Odds are pretty good that I'll be doing a live blog of tonight's Islanders-Lightning game. If any of the other Blog Boxers are doing a live blog, I'll post a link to it later. Either way, this game promises to be excruciating, so there will be plenty of booze involved. There has to be.

0-4-1...

Let me regale you a tale about a fellow hockey fan - and hopefully, avid reader of this blog - named Lou.

I’ve known Lou since 1997 or 1998, and while I don’t follow other sports as much as hockey, we share the same teams in all sports (Rangers, Mets, Jets, nobody likes basketball).

I like Lou, and consider him a good friend. However, we have one problem: We have never been together at MSG to see the Rangers win a game, and we try every year. 

Sure, we’ve had our successes alone. We’ve been to the Coliseum a few times when the Rangers beat the Islanders (including the game where Jaromir Jagr broke the Rangers’ points record with a slew of first period assists). 

Oh, we’ve even seen wins at MSG when we were both there but not together. We both saw the shootout victory on Brian Leetch Night, and we both were at a Penguins game where they won 4-2 (his seats were much better than mine).

But together, we are the Buffalo Bills of Ranger games - there once a year, can’t win.

And they lose in majestic fashion as well. This tradition started in 2002-03 and here are the games...

2002-03 :: 3/26/03 :: A game against the Penguins (we had a total of 3 Ranger fans and 1 Penguins fan with us) where the Rangers got thoroughly outplayed by the equally-crappy Penguins (Rangers ended the year with 78 points; Penguins had 65). The Penguins didn’t have Mario Lemieux, hadn’t won a game in over a month, and had Sebastian Caron in goal. Of course the Rangers would lose this game. PIT 3, NYR 1

2003-04 :: 1/20/04 :: We lost the Penguins fan, and me, Lou, and another Rangers fan went to see Boston on Vintage Night, where both teams wore retro 1970s jerseys and prices on cotton candy and popcorn were rolled back to 75 cents. Disco music even played during the game. Apparently the Bruins beat the Rangers a lot in the 70s, because it happened this night too. The one saving grace was me yelling “SHOOOOT!” (which, ironically, I don’t like when people yell that now) when Leetch had the puck, and he shot, and scored the Rangers lone goal. Joe Thornton didn’t play in this game. BOS 4, NYR 1

2005-06 :: 3/12/06 :: The Rangers were beating the Thrashers 2-0 entering the 3rd (on goals by Jagr and Marty Straka), and then gave up one midway through the period. “Sweet Caroline” came on with 5 minutes left in the game, Ilya Kovalchuk scores, and the Rangers lose in overtime. Quite a depressing ending, and if the Rangers had won the game, they would’ve had an extra point in the standings, and at the end of the season that would’ve translated to home ice advantage in the 1st round. One point. ATL 3, NYR 2 (OT)

2006-07 :: 2/5/07 :: Okay, so seeing Detroit play probably wouldn’t help our winless streak, we admitted, but we wanted to see an Original Six matchup, as well as Brendan Shanahan’s first game against his old club. Two red-clad females sat in front of us and asked us not to hurt them (we didn’t). I was on the phone with my friend Dan, talking about the Sean Avery trade that just went down, when I saw Shanahan skate down the wing and I said, “I’ll talk to you later. Shanny’s about to score.” Shanahan actually scored 2 minutes in and then 13 seconds later Michael Nylander followed suit. A Marcel Hossa goal gave them a 3-1 lead after the first period.

In the third, the Wings made it 3-2, and the whole place fell silent. When it was 3-3, we knew what was happening. Keep in mind, the Rangers weren’t on their “run to the playoffs” yet, and they had blown mutliple 2-goal leads. They lost 4-3 in regulation, dropping their record to 25-24-4. DET 4, NYR 3

2007-08 :: 12/6/07 :: Desperate to break the streak, we picked an easy game. A slumpbuster, if you will. Toronto. One of the worst teams in the league. How could they not beat Toronto? This was also the 3rd Original Six matchup we'd gone to.

Tied 2-2 after one, Nik Antropov took over and scored 3 straight goals. The final was 6-2 Toronto, and the Rangers completely mailed in the 3rd period. I have memories of Michal Rozsival giving up (what? him?) and having Alexander Steen ravage him for the 6th goal. Toronto actually only had 10 shots in the first 2 periods, yet had 4 goals. TOR 6, NYR 2 

* * * 

So the point of the story is that me and Lou will be going to the matinee against Philadelphia at the Garden today, carrying an 0-4-1 record when going to a game at the Garden together. If the Rangers lose, please blame us (unless it's squarely Wade Redden's fault - entirely possible), and we promise we’ll pick a game against Tampa Bay next year.

Aggravation...

It's aggravating when the Rangers put forth a decent effort and still come up blank - and they have now been outscored 8-0 in their 3 afternoon games this season (4-0 to Panthers, 3-0 to Penguins, 1-0 today to Bruins). You will see other writers and media-types call this a "good game" where they "played well" and were "shown up by a rookie goalie." All the while they were "playing down a man."

That said, my doctor told me I had high blood pressure (slightly), so I won't dwell much, but I will say a few things. (To be sure, I did enjoy this game. I thought it was great back-and-forth action, and very exciting. Another Bruins-Rangers 1-0 game that I enjoyed, I just wish the score was reversed. Since they were again shutout, a lot of flaws came to light.)

"Good game" - How good of a game could they have had if they scored 1 goal? They couldn't break through the Bruins' defense, they had no answer for Zdeno Chara's size and wingspan, and while they won a lot of battles along the boards, the one big one they lost turned into a goal.

"Played well" - Again, they couldn't penetrate the Bruins D. They'd try to split the defenders and get stood up, and Tuukka Rask would clear the puck away easily.

"Shown up by a rookie goalie" - Was Rask good? Indeed. Was he great? Not nearly. He made a few good saves, for sure. And when Michal Rozsival hit the post, he was forced to shoot at the post because Rask gave him nothing else to shoot at. But for the most part, the Rangers shot directly at him. Markus Naslund gets a rare rush, shoots right at the "B" on the goalie's chest. Same for Nikolai Zherdev in the 3rd. Earlier in the game, Zherdev has a slight 2-on-1, and instead of passing with a 50% chance of scoring, he shoots from a poor angle and reduces his chance of scoring to about 5%.

Remember when Rick DiPietro made 56 saves against the Rangers in March 2007? People hailed DP as incredible, when in fact he only had a 60-second period in which he made great saves. The rest were right at the logo or right at his pads, where a Shooter Tutor could've made the saves. The Rangers do this all the time - take a lot of crappy shots and turn the opposing goalie into an NHL Star of the Night.

"Playing down a man" - To be honest, they were better off without Dmitri Kalinin. Even Wade Redden had a decent game (sans his awful penalty when the Bruin player - I think Phil Kessel - was already past him because of his poor play).

* * *

Some of the post-game talk and nighttime talk centered on calling up Artem Anisimov because he is doing really well in the AHL for Hartford. I'm a big Anisimov fan and have been ever since they drafted him in 2006. He should've been a 1st round pick but teams were afraid he would never come over from Russia. The Rangers took a chance and it will probably pay off.

But will it pay off this year? If he comes up, who does he replace? He could take Aaron Voros's spot, but Voros plays with his heart a lot and I would rather see Petr Prucha in instead of Anisimov.

You can't sit Blair Betts or Fred Sjostrom. They are invaluable penalty killers who rarely make a mistake 5-on-5 either.

Does Colton Orr take a seat? Maybe, as he is the worst technical player on the roster. But then you call up a player from Hartford and give him 7 minutes a night? And you need Orr on the team most nights (he wasn't needed against Boston but would you like to face Philadelphia without him on the ice?).

The real culprits in today's shutout loss were Naslund, Scott Gomez, Zherdev, and Chris Drury, who was nearly invisible all day. They are relied upon for scoring and couldn't break through the defense or take shots that had any intention of going in the net.

If Renney would sit a Top 6 forward for Anisimov, I say bring him up. But don't bring him up to toil for 6 or 8 or 10 minutes a night.

Plus, like I said, Petr Prucha is waiting in the wings.

"Rangers Eager to Rise to Moment Today"...

Yes, I completely ripped off that headline from the Rangers' official web site, but it sums up what I'm thinking.

It seems that no matter what happens with this team, some problems don't go away. I'm not talking about just this year or since the lockout, I'm talking about since 1997-98 and until today.

Examples, you say?

1) The power play features too much passing and not enough shooting. This was a problem with Brian Leetch. This was a problem with Petr Nedved. This was a problem with Tom Poti. Jaromir Jagr did the same thing. Marty "The Warrior" Straka (the nickname will stick) did it, mostly to Jagr, who would pass back. Michal Rozsival, Wade Redden, Scott Gomez, and Dan Girardi do it now.

2) The Cracker Jacks at MSG are awful. All of the peanuts settle to the bottom, and by the time you've eaten that much caramel popcorn, you feel ill and don't even want to look at a peanut. This has happened from the Gretyzky-Graves era up of yore until the Gomez-Girardi era today. (I'm a little young, but I would like to know if this awfulness happened during the Giacomin-Gilbert era of the 1970s.)

3) The play poorly against bad teams. How else do you explain a decimated Islanders squad beating them last year and nearly beating them again two-and-a-half weeks ago?

4) The Rangers rise to the occasion against good teams. Okay, okay, maybe this wasn't true in 2003-04, when lost points to bottom-feeders like Atlanta, Florida, Pittsburgh, and Washington solidified their place on the outside of the playoff race (and as big-time sellers at the trade deadline).

It's like they rarely ever crush an opponent. When's the last time they scored 7 goals in a game? Without searching for game results for the past years, I can name three games. There was Game 3 against Atlanta in 2007 when they won 7-0. Earlier that year, I think on St. Patrick's Day, they scored 7 against Boston, and in January of 2006 they beat the Penguins 7-1 and had 55 shots on net, which I believed tied a 1970s team record.

But they never just beat up on a real weak team. They don't beat the Islanders 5-0, 6-1. They lose 4-3 or squeak out a 2-1 win at home on a Matt Cullen shootout goal. They don't pulverize Tampa Bay. They outshoot them 41-21 and 39-19 and win 2-1 games. You get the point.

Yet, they often play very well against good teams. This year, they even almost beat Detroit, a very rare feat for them in the past decade.

They've only played Boston once this year, and it took a Nigel Dawes goal late in the third, a Markus Naslund goal in the last minute, a nice Chris Drury shootout move, and a patient Henrik Lundqvist in the shootout to get two points. Yet, they did technically win the game.

They seem to be playing Boston at the right time right now. They were 12-1 in December, but are "only" 7-3-2 this month. One of those wins was a shootout, one was a David Krejci overtime goal, one was against an awful Ottawa team, and one was a 2-1 win against the Islanders.

Boston might be looking pedestrian (a phrase I enjoy using but do not fully understand) right now, but don't be fooled. They are a scary team. They have a solid group of role players - Krejci, Blake Wheeler (who I heard the Rangers were in on, but he chose Boston in the off-season), Milan Lucic - who never take a shift off. They have a few superstars who've bought what Claude Julien is selling, including New York castoffs Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara, and a some guys on the brink like Phil Kessel, Patrice Bergeon, and Marco Sturm who chip in points every game. Add in a very Lundqvist-like goalie in Tim Thomas (and a 1A goalie in injured Manny Fernandez), and they are dangerous. Oh, and who could forget Aaron Ward?

By the way, that photo up top is Marc Savard, not Nigel Dawes.

It should be a real good game. I hope the Rangers "rise to the moment today" and play this like a playoff game, because it could win up being a playoff preview.

And I hope Tom Renney doesn't inform them that they have been outscored 7-0 in afternoon games this year.

What A Ridiculous Night Of Hockey

It's going to be a busy night in the NHL On The Fly studios...

 - In Boston, the first period ended 4-3 Bruins. After two, it was 6-4 Boston. It's currently 7-4 with 12 minutes left.

 - At the Garden, the Canucks scored two first-period goals. They quickly scored two more to make it a 4-0 game. The Rangers got one back. Vancouver had a near-goal which got reviewed and was called a no-goal, then scored like five seconds later. Lundqvist pulled himself from the game. The Rangers got another one, making it 5-2 at the intermission.

So that's two games. Roughly five and a half periods played. Eighteen goals.

I'm a total dork for statistics, so I follow this stuff a lot. Goals per game are up this year. A lot of people love to dump on the current state of the game, stating that goals are only up because power plays are up. That's probably true. But who cares?

Heading into tonight, teams scored an average of 2.92 goals per game, which means the average game features 5.84 goals. That's up from last year's numbers, according to Drop Your Gloves. Goals per game were over six at one point, but have taken a bit of a dip lately. It's all good. Scoring isn't as high as it was just after the lockout, but it's nice to see scores like 5-4 in at least a couple of games most nights. The truth is, hockey needs goals to keep the non-diehards interested.

The other big thing this year is for people to criticize the shootout. Why? You're telling me you liked tie games? I know a lot of traditionalists don't like giving out an extra point for a "skills competition", and that's fine. But as long as they're going to give out points just for getting to overtime and allow the first team to score on a four-on-four to take a point - because, you know, teams play so much hockey at four-on-four - why not have the shootout? It's exciting, it keeps viewers glued to their TVs, and it rewards teams with dynamic offensive players and clutch goalies. How is this a bad thing?

Long story short, there's too much good in the game to nitpick over stupid things. According to Hockey-Reference, 35 players that have played ten or more games are averaging a point a game right now. That's pretty good. Of those 35, eight are on pace for 100-point seasons. Last year, there were two 100-point players, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. This year, guys like Ryan Getzlaf and Patrick Kane are poised to join their ranks. It's a great time to be a hockey fan, and more offense can only help our game.

Notes Not From the Garden, 11/15/08...

A few things were apparent at the onset of the Rangers-Bruins game on Saturday night. First off, it was going to be a goaltending duel (much more exciting to watch than a pitching duel in baseball). Second, it was probably going to be a shootout (I prematurely predicted a 2-1 final score). Third, these two teams with their matching styles (speedy, good forwards, mediocre defense made better by excellent goaltending) would make for an intense, incredible playoff series. 

And fourth, we knew it would be a good game because I sold my tickets. I wind up going to stinkers like Dallas's crappy, sleepy win over the Rangers, and sell my tickets to Chris Drury's hat trick game against Tampa Bay and this exciting game

Ok, so a few notes. I'll keep it short so as not to bore anyone, and I'll try to keep it interesting since I assume most of you have seen the game already...

Dmitri Kalinin - Growing up, I wonder why Kalinin chose to be a defenseman. He is labeled as an offensive defenseman, has a pretty nice shot, always pinches on the point or brings the puck in deep on the rush, and he has shaky-at-best defensive ability. I think he would make a good 3rd or 4th line winger. That said, his defensive play has improved a lot since the first few games of the season, and he had a nice breakout pass on the game-tying goal.

Henrik Lundqvist - No goalie goes post-to-post quite as well as Lundqvist. And if given the choice in the shootout, there's not a goalie I would pick instead of him. He cannot possibly be faulted for Zdeno Chara's goal. He made a great save, then almost made a second.

Boston 2, Rangers 0 - There were 3 goats on the second goal by Boston. One obviously is Michal Rozsival, who is now responsible for another shorthanded goal against. Why is he still playing the points? His PPG to SHG ratio is now horrible, at atleast 2:3 or 2:4. The second goal was Kalinin, who is apparently afraid of the puck. Does he know his paychecks come at the same frequency regardless of whether or not he is injured? Instead of dropping down to block the puck like a real defensmen would do, he half-heartedly stuck his stick out. The shot still got off, and passed Lundqvist (aka goat #3). Again, Hank dropped too soon and the puck went over him. Again.

Zdeno Chara - As I once made fun of Chara, a friend of a friend who works for the Bruins told me how dedicated he is to his body. He is truly a mountain of a man. He works out religiously, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke. And it shows. For a big man, he is incredible flexible. However, Aaron Voros got by him today, and he took a necessary penalty. What is a necessary penalty? The answer is two-fold: It is one that saves a goal from possibly being scored and it is something the Rangers never take. A hooking call because Marek Malik is too slow (an outdated reference, I know), or a holding call because someone blows by Rozsival is not a good penalty. But Chara's slash on Voros might've saved a goal, and the Rangers power play is anemic anyway, so he had nothing to lose.

Ya know, Mike Milbury never should've traded him (and the second overall pick in 2001) for Alexei Yashin.

Tim Thomas  - I man-love Tim Thomas. He came into the league for 4 games at 28, then returned full-time at age 30, after hearing all of his life he would never be an NHL goalie. Then, he played great for Boston and they repaid the favor by signing Manny Fernandez. However, Thomas is still starting and is one of the best in the league this season.

Second Period - Regardless of the 2-goal defecit after the 2nd period, it was still a greatly exciting period. Of course, if the outcome of the game didn't give two points to the Rangers, I would not be saying that.

Chris Drury - I give him credit for taking abuse in front of the net. It's a necessary position for him to be in and he does it well. However, he needs to whip out that yellow board again in practice and try shooting OVER it instead of INTO it. He could've scored in the 2nd but instead shot it right at Thomas's pad. 

However, I fully retract my statement that he should be sent to Hartford. He played good all game, and his overtime pass to Ryan Callahan was why he was signed. He got knocked down, and stole the puck from 3 standing Bruin players, and passed it perfectly to Callahan. That was an All-Star play.

Wade Redden - The Rangers paid for a fast car and got a safe car instead. He has very few points and only 2 goals (none since 10/10 against Chicago), but he is a good first-passer, and has anchored the defense. Still, you can get the safety of a Volvo without paying for a Ferrari, knowwhatI'msayin? (He's overpaid. And 6 years is an awful long time.)

Dave Maloney? Really? - If Dave Maloney was chiming in on Sam and Joe's broadcast, who was doing the radio commentary? Hey, I get mad if John Giannone is filling in for Sam Rosen. I don't want Maloney filling in for... nobody. C'mon, Dave. I just want to see you talking to Ken Daneyko in the studio after the game.

Dan Marouelli - is a scumbag. Remember when Hank was continually crashed into in Washington and no penalties were given out but goals were scored on the same play? First off, his throat must be huge if he can swallow his whistle and not choke. Overtime, same play. Chuck Kobasew buzzsaws through Henrik and no penalty is called. Then, in the shootout, the puck clearly didn't cross the line, but he called it a goal. It wasn't even close. It hit the post and ended up in the crease. 

Come on, Dan. We know you hate the Rangers (maybe he's mad that Glen Sather, then-GM of his hometown Oilers, traded away Wayne Gretzky in 1988?), but like I said all of last season, don't make it so obvious. Don't force the game.

Rangers-Bruins Tonight

We're probably due for a Rangers post right about now. But before we get to that, I just want to point out the sheer absurdity that is the Islanders' 2008-09 schedule. Now, when the schedule came out back in July, I pretty much trashed it. But I actually missed something in my initial run-through. It turns out the Islanders only have one home-and-home this entire year... and it's this weekend. Against Ottawa.

That's right. Islanders-Senators, home-and-home. Because, you know, us Islander fans are still bitter about losing to the Senators in 2003. Oh wait, we're not? Oh yeah! We're not! So why is it that we're deprived a home-and-home with a divisional rival and instead, we get this crap? Great job, NHL. I swear, if the NHL did the opposite of everything they actually end up doing, we'd have a great injury policy and a schedule that makes sense. Go figure.

Anyway. About that Rangers post... the Rangers play Boston in what should be a very good game. The Bruins have played extremely well of late, not just taking the top spot in the Northeast, but moving up to second place in the East... right behind the Rangers. How good are these two teams? They're 1-2 in the conference, but that doesn't tell the story. The Rangers are 2nd in the conference in goals scored; the Bruins are 4th. The Bruins are 1st in the conference in goals allowed; the Rangers are 3rd.  And you can say all you want that the Rangers are only first in the East because they've played more games than anyone else, but thar argument holds no water because these Rangers are great. Right now, so are the Bruins. And to be honest, I'm probably more excited about this game than the Islanders game I'm attending tonight. Here's hoping for a good show by both teams. 

These are two teams that need to be good all year long for the media to take notice of the NHL. And that's not because ESPN worships Boston, even though it does, but because the Original Six are still the top draws in the league and in a perfect world, they'd be the six best teams in the league. The Bruins and Rangers could be neck-and-neck for the East lead for much of the season. Let's see a good start to what could become a pretty good rivalry.

Tampa Bay Rays

So I was watching TBS a little while ago (sorry, Frank TV wasn't on) and watched the Tampa Bay Rays finish off the Chicago White Sox to win the American League Division Series. After recording the final out, the Rays rushed out of the dugout and started doing that thing where everybody jumps up and down and smacks each other on the head. After that, they retreated to the clubhouse for a champagne celebration.

Now, I'm happy for the Rays and all; seriously, who wouldn't be? This is a team that never even won 75 games in a season before this one, and yet they're now just four games from the World Series. They were left for dead while the arrogant fans of the Yankees and Red Sox proclaimed their overpriced teams as the best. And yet, Tampa Bay has had the last laugh; they'll be playing yet another $100 million payroll team in the ALCS despite having a payroll that roughly matches the combined annual wages of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.

Here's where I'm going with this. The Rays did a big celebration when they clinched a playoff spot. They did the same thing after clinching the AL East. Tonight, they did yet another celebration. That's three pileups on the mound. That's three champagne-soaked celebrations. And all the Tampa Bay Rays have done is win three lousy playoff games against a team that didn't even have a playoff spot until two days after the season ended.

Could you even imagine a hockey team acting like this? Let's pretend hockey players acted like baseball players. Let's rewind to last year's playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens have just defeated the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. It went seven games, but the top-seeded Habs came out victorious, almost in spite of themselves. Instead of congratulating their goalie and forming the traditional handshake line, they rush over to their goalie and mob him, jumping all over him in the crease. They skip the handshakes, then rush off to celebrate with their booze in the locker room, even though they've got a tough series against Philadelphia in two days. Never mind that the Canadiens had ten more points than Boston and probably should have beaten them in five games at the absolute max. They've got to have a party! After all, we need Fox Sports Montreal to be able to air their own post-game show in the contrived party so their quirky sideline reporter can be doused in champagne every two seconds.

Of course, the champagne-soaked spectacle is what TV wants. The handshake line, while extremely classy, doesn't get covered. Wait till the Red Sox win their series and ESPN jizzes all over themselves. You're going to see that damn celebration 8000 times over the next few days. Meanwhile, when a hockey team wins the right to play for the Stanley Cup and doesn't even crack a smile? Good luck finding highlights of that one.

Islanders Win Preseason Opener

The Islanders started their preseason on a positive note, beating the Bruins 2-1 in overtime. While it doesn't really mean anything, it never hurts to see the young guys playing well and beating another team, even if both teams were about a 50/50 split between NHL and AHL players.

Of course, since the game wasn't on TV last night - we wouldn't want anything to get in the way of the 2007 boxing match MSG Plus showed instead - we didn't get to watch this one. However, The Rivalry has come through with the real scoop on what happened last night. And away we go!

- The Islanders are back to their old tricks again, putting 38 shots on goal but only scoring twice. You have to applaud the effort that yields 38 shots, though you'd like to see more goals scored, especially against the likes of Tuuka Rask and Kevin Regan.

- The Islanders' winning tally was scored by Trevor Smith, which is all well and good. However, the Islanders have given him #77 for training camp. With all due respect to Mr. Smith, that number will always belong to Pierre Turgeon. Fun Fact: The last Islander to wear #77 was Cliff Ronning in 2003-04. Yes, I'd forgotten all about him as well.

- Jon Sim, the Isles' big catch on the first day of the 2007 free agent signing period, scored a power play goal. Everyone's already forgotten about Sim, but he should be able to do some pretty neat things on the Island. Sim also wore an A last night, apparently because there was nobody else better to wear it.

- New coach Scott Gordon claims he was expecting a "laundry list" of problems, but was pleasantly surprised. On one hand, so am I; on the other, it's a preseason game against the Bruins. It's not going to hold much water when they play real teams. Still, a nice starting point to be sure.

- New signee Yann Danis - remember that name - posted a clean sheet (or, as they say in America, a shutout) for the half of the game he played. Something tells me Danis is going to be on the big club before long. He's absolutely sick in NHL 09; in my Be A Pro season, his GAA is less than 1.

So, a quality opener for the Islanders, who could use a solid preseason to show their fans that the season isn't over before it starts. The Isles play again tomorrow night against the Flyers in London, Ontario. Again, no TV for this one, as the NetJets Showdown between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer is simply a must-see.

Hello, Aaron Voros...

... Goodbye, Ryan Hollweg? Or maybe, "Hello, Aaron Voros... Goodbye, Colton Orr?" Essentially, the Rangers now have 3 players in the exact same mold. 

To be fair, Voros actually is more offensive, even on a tight Wild team. He was 7-7 with 14 points last season, and 141 penalty minutes. 

With a glut of forwards already, maybe this means Glen Sather knows Sean Avery isn't coming back.

If the uncredible reports are true, and the Bruins really are offering Marian Hossa over $11M per season for 7 seasons, they should read my blog from yesterday where I mentioned his 66 points in 72 games are equivalent to Jason Arnott and Ales Hemsky, not Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin.

Quick Predictions...

Watching Deal or No Deal and might make room for a quick porno, and don't want to bore anyone, so let's do this quickly. Like I like it...

East

Montreal over Philadelphia is 6.

Rangers over Pittsburgh in 5.

West

Colorado over Detroit in 6.

San Jose over Stars in 7.

In my original playoff predictions, I had Colorado over Detroit in 4. I was hesitant to add any sweeps in there. Always tough to predict a sweep. And I still say if you replay that Sens/Pens series from round 1, it would be Ottawa in 7.

* * *

So what happened to Washington? Alex Ovechkin was held nearly shotless in the early games, Philadelphia scored two overtime winners, and Tom Poti committed the worst-timed 2-minute infraction of his career (and there have been many infractions). Plus, when they won 11 of 12 to make the playoffs, they were beating Carolina, Florida, Atlanta, and the team with the #1 overall pick in 2008. Philly played the Rangers, Devils, and Penguins in 24 games this year and held their own.

Calgary and Anaheim's inabilities to score all year caught up with them. And Miikka Kirprusoff played like he never would have in his magical run to the Finals in 03-04.

Boston gave it their all, but mailed in the final 2 periods in Game 7. Chara was hurting badly, Tim Thomas couldn't do it all himself, and they couldn't score. When you're shutout 1-0, it's not your goalie's fault.

The Devils... no, I promised no more Devils talk. Ottawa self-destructed, and Bryan's cross-sport reference to the 2007 Mets was half there. Atleast the Senators made the big dance. The Predators were overmatched from the beginning, but they put up a fight and should be proud, especially for a team that thought its days were numbered in Nashville 8 months ago.

And the Wild, aka the Central Time Zone Devils, just couldn't beat a healthy Avalanche team. Their unproven goaltending and weak offense won them their division but couldn't put the puck past a rejuvenated Jose Theodore.