Checking Up on Last Year's Schedule...

Well, the 2009-10 schedule will be released very shortly (about 3:00, they say) and I figured what better day to talk about last year's schedule.

Last season, I wound up having a half-season package. I thought I would just have an 11-game plan, though, so I gave every game a "score" from 0 points to 3 points. The Rangers gave me a choice of four 11-game plans, and whichever had the most points, I would pick.

Turns out, they offered me a half-season plan after I already signed up for the 11-game plan, so I took the no-brainer: the plan with Adam Graves night and opening night.

Let's look back on what games I thought would be awesome or crappy, and how they actually turned out, shall we? ... ...

The 4 games I was most excited about were Opening Night vs. Chicago, Sean Avery's return game vs. Dallas in October, and the last two home games of the year, vs. Montreal and Philadelphia. These were the only 4 "3-point games." I did wind up going to all four.

The home opener was excellent, as it always it. Excitement, new players, great crowd, the Molly Wee Pub, a pretzel stick in my beer, and 2 points for a win.

Sean Avery's "return game" was horrendous. My friend Tom and I each had 4 beers on the train in and 4 at the bar. I had 2 at the game and he had 4. He passed out in the middle of the 2nd period, and I didn't wake him because it was so boring. Markus Naslund scored under a minute into the game on the power play, then the Rangers did n o t h i n g the rest of the game and lost 2-1. Horrible game, but we got Avery's autograph later (me on an Avery jersey, Tom on a Ryan Callahan jersey which he stained 10 minutes later with curry from his Halal sandwich).

The last 2 games of the year were great, also. The Canadiens game was good because a regulation win nearly clinched the playoffs for the Rangers. They were neck-and-neck with the Habs, and a big 3-1 win put them in position to clinch in the next game.

The game against Philly saw them clinch, keeping my friend Tom's streak of seeing them clinch in person alive.

So, 3 out of 4 games that I thought would be awesome, were indeed awesome.

(The reason I didn't give Adam Graves Night 3 points is because it wasn't announced when it was at the time of the post. Turns out, the game was horrible but the ceremony was great.)

Of the 3 games I gave no points to, one was a Sunday afternoon game against Philly. I was actually offered a very nice ticket to the game (but very expensive, purple seats, center ice, like $240) which I declined because I couldn't get off work. That game? A 5-2 stinker where Henrik Lundqvist was yanked early and the Rangers went down 5-0. I remember I was watching before I left for work and they were down 2-0. I switched channels, went back a moment later and it was 3-0. I switched channels for 3 more minutes and it was 5-0.

The best game I went to last year, off the top of my head, was a 4-1 win over the same Flyers. About 5,000 Philadelphia fans were in the building but Sean Avery scored 2 goals and those Flyers fans were hushed quickly.

One of my favorite parts of the schedule is seeing the road games and planning trips to see them. Two years ago, I did Boston, Montreal, Jersey, Philly, and of course the Coliseum.

Last year, I only did the Coliseum and Nashville, a game I had planned on going to. This year, they probably won't be there again (should be a home game versus the Predators, unless they play 2 games against them) but if they are, I'll be there. Great city, decent hockey atmosphere, clean building, and good memories since the Rangers won 4-2 after John Tortorella ripped everyone a new defecator after the 1st period. Plus, I was 3rd row from the ice.

Anyway, today should be the last exciting day of the summer for hockey fans until mid-September, when training camp kicks off.

I'll be working later but will probably write a little bit about what road games look interesting around midnight tonight.

Two things to expect? Lots of games against division rivals in the last 10 games (probably 8 of the last 10 will be against the Atlantic division); and no Islander-Ranger games on weekends (atleast not at the Coliseum).

Ridiculous...

We all know that "coach" Tom Renney likes to keep lines intact after a win. Well, apparently he has given up on the team, because he isn't tampering with them after a 10-2 "game."

Okay, that's not entirely true. If the beat writers are to be believed (and they should be), Aaron Voros is down on the 4th line and Fred Sjostrom is up on the 3rd.

Why even play Voros? He was great, great!, in October, and has since faded to obscurity. He can't skate, barely hits, is awful on the power play, and takes bad penalties.

Yet, Petr Prucha sits. What has Voros' "size" given this team? I know I harped on this a few days ago, but it adds nothing to the lineup. It doesn't get them power play goals, that's for sure. They couldn't even score in two games against Boston or Atlanta until the 120th minute. It didn't help them not get slaughtered against Dallas.

Ridiculous.

Once again, I know Tom Renney can't do anything about the players he has on the team. But dictating ice time is his one power tool, and he has lost control of that. 

Regardless of whether he thinks Voros is a good player (and besides Voros' family, he might be the only one... which hurts me to say because I know he grew up a Ranger fan and I respect that he is living his dream in blue), wouldn't he want to shake up the lineup?

Remember when they lost in a matinee to Florida in November? It was a 4-0 horror show, and the next game, he inserted Prucha in. Prucha got the game-tying goal in the 3rd and the Rangers beat the Penguins in a shootout.

Is it really time for Renney to go? I'll give him one more game, but if he keeps deploying the same personnel (aka Voros, Scott Gomez, Wade Redden, even Michal Rozsival on the power play), then yes, it is.

The Return Of Mr. Avery?

We conveniently avoid a discussion of the 10-2 drubbing the Rangers received at the hands of the Dallas Stars tonight. Zach talked a little bit about it in the post just below this one. I'm sure you won't want to hear much more about it than that if you're a Rangers fan. You also might not want to hear about Sean Avery, but that's life. Because this post is about Sean Avery.

Here's a simple question. What do the Rangers have to lose by bringing back Sean Avery?

The team is in shambles. They play the most boring style of hockey in the NHL; they make the Devils look like the Oilers of the 1980s. They're fundamentally flawed and stand at least a decent chance of missing out on the playoffs at the expense of the Florida Panthers, for Christ's sake. Their coach just tried to bag skate the mediocrity out of his team on Wednesday, only to backfire horrifically on this night. Clearly, the Rangers are missing SOMETHING.

Is Avery the answer? Maybe. Maybe not. But we all recall the argument for re-signing him this past off-season. And that argument was based around the fact that the Rangers won a crapload of games when Avery played for the team and lost a crapload of games when he didn't. Now, this is a very different situation than the one the Rangers were faced with on July 1. Avery himself is a different person and may end up being a different player; after washing out of Dallas, he has undergone "sensitivity training", whatever that is, and might have lost a bit of his edge. Besides, we all know Avery has ambitions outside of hockey. Lastly, this isn't Jaromir Jagr's locker room anymore. Can Chris Drury control Sean Avery the way Jagr did? Tough question, one nobody can really answer right now.

For Avery to become Rangers property, he'd have to clear waivers. And as all of us Islanders fans know, the waiver order is determined by point totals; namely, the fewer points you have, the better chance you have of nabbing a player off waivers. The Rangers, for all of their troubles lately, have the ninth-best point total in the NHL. That means 20 other teams (Dallas doesn't count) have to pass on Avery in order for the Rangers to submit their claim. Don't dismiss the possibility of another team claiming Avery and trying to get a draft pick out of the Rangers. No matter where Avery ends up, whichever team claims him will end up paying him half the value of his contract (approximately $2 million per year), and if that team wants Avery for the playoffs, the deal has to be done by the trade deadline.

So, if I'm Glen Sather, here's what I do. I try to bring in Avery. It's good publicity, and it might actually work. I declare Tom Renney as safe until the end of the season; after all, it's easier to bring in one player than to fire a coach at this point in the season. If it doesn't work out, it's okay; after all, Renney is coaching his way out of his job anyway, and there's no way we're beating Washington, New Jersey, Boston, Montreal, or Philadelphia in a seven-game series without Avery, and we're probably not winning these series with him, either. But why not go for broke? It beats trading prospects at the deadline for what will inevitably be a sour postseason.

Having said all of that... one last thing to consider regarding Avery. They're 17-7-3 since Avery's suspension. Make no mistake about it, Avery can cure the Rangers or outright kill them. It'll be interesting to see what happens if he ends up with the Blueshirts once again.

As We Speak...

As I type this, it's the 1st intermission and it's 3-1 Dallas.

Listen, Wade Redden is a bum. We know this. Scott Gomez - he of 36 points and an infalted 6.2 shooting percentage due to his proclivity for empty nets - is a bum as well. Not a surprise. Aaron Voros - he of 3 points since Thanksgiving - is a bum as well. Oh, wait, Voros is big and weighs 215 pounds. The Rangers need size in their lineup. Hey, Tom Renney, I weigh over 215 pounds. I'd be just as useless as Voros is out there.

Listen, Petr Prucha is a strikingly good-looking gentleman. He looks great in a suit and tie, probably better than Voros does.

That said, I hear he also looks good in Ranger jerseys during hockey games. 

The Rangers have had Voros's "size" in their lineup for a bunch of games now. Did it help them beat Atlanta, or even score in Boston? Did it stop them from being crushed in the 3rd period by Pittsburgh?

This team is made up of the parts it is made up of. They aren't a great team. They have a decent core, they don't give up, and they are awful defensively. That's going to be the same every game as long as they have the same players.

However, the way they are deployed and (mis)used falls solely on the soldiers of Tom Renney.

Avery Done In Dallas

I'm not sure what's harder to believe - that Sean Avery's career in Dallas (and perhaps the NHL) has ended because of a stupid remark to the press, or that SportsCenter considered this story breaking news and dropped everything to report it. Either way, the fact remains that Avery's finished in Dallas.

According to the Associated Press, just about everbody in Dallas - from coach Dave Tippett to veterans Mike Modano and Marty Turco - demanded that Avery not be allowed back into the locker room. Even co-GM Brett Hull, who played with Avery in Detroit and was instrumental in bringing Avery into the fold, agreed it was best that Avery plays somewhere else. That's rather telling.

Having said all that, it's hard to say Dallas didn't get what they asked for. Avery had ten points in 23 games, had a positive plus-minus rating on an awful team, and even chipped in three power play assists. He played 15 minutes a game and racked up 77 penalty minutes, agitating opponents all the while. His comments to the media should be no surprise to anybody who's even remotely followed his career over the years. That's part of Avery's package - you get a player whose offensive skills are criminally underrated, but you also get inappropriate comments to the media and more controversy than you've bargained four. And really, if Dallas had any questions about how this would turn out, they should have considered exactly why Avery has been shuffled around the league in such short order before giving him a four-year deal.

Is Sean Avery's career over? Probably not. He's rumored to be seeking help relating to anger management issues (and if the story on Chris Botta's blog is to be believed, that's a good idea). If Avery ever decides he wants to play hockey and not be a total pest, I have no doubt he can score 20-25 goals for a playoff team and be a valuable part of that team. Avery scored 15 goals in 57 games with a Rangers team last year that didn't exactly light up the scoreboard regularly. And we all know about the ridiculous win-loss totals the Rangers accrued when Avery played. Clearly, he's a solid player. If he can tone his act down, he can be a very good player. The problem is, after the ridiculous overreaction to this incident, which team is going to give him a second chance?

One last thing. Look at the turmoil in Dallas regarding Terrell Owens. Look at the Knicks with Stephon Marbury, when the team tried to vote him off the team last year and yet Isiah Thomas played him anyway. Only in hockey could a team effectively banish a teammate because he's not a team-first individual. While I don't agree with the media storm this story created, I think it's a great thing that the Stars were able to handle this the proper way - get the feedback of the team leaders and coach, then act appropriately.

Just Our Luck

If you've ever wondered what it's like to be an Islander fan, look no further than tonight's events.

A few weeks ago, the Islanders signed Mark Parrish to a 25-game tryout deal. Parrish, of course, had his best years on Long Island and came back to his former club for a second chance. The Islanders granted his request, allowing Parrish the chance to rediscover his game in Bridgeport and work toward a potential comeback with the Islanders. It sounded like the makings of a feel-good story, one we all wanted to see happen.

Then, reality set in.

Dallas swooped in and signed Parrish to a one-year, two-way deal worth $500,000. How did Parrish repay his new employers? By netting a hat trick in his very first game with the Stars, of course. And what did the Islanders get for taking a chance on the second half of Parrish's career? Absolutely nothing.

That's what it's like to be an Islander fan. You get your hopes up thinking about the best possible scenario, only to see things fall apart in the most painful fashion conceivable. Sure, most of us are happy to see Parrish succeeding in the NHL once more. But we have to ask ourselves the question we've asked so many times - if Mark Parrish can fill a role on one of the NHL's best teams in Dallas, why exactly couldn't the Islanders find a spot for him? The same can be said for Dick Tarnstrom, Eric Godard, Denis Grebeshkov, Petteri Nokelainen, and the endless list of former Islanders who couldn't find a niche here, but ended up having decent careers elsewhere. And when was the last time the Islanders unearthed an unheralded player? That would be seven years ago, when Radek Martinek came up. That was a long time ago.

Bottom line, it's no given that Mark Parrish would have been a star once again with the Islanders. But I'm sick of seeing the Islanders do charity work for the rest of the league. They were the only team willing to throw a bone to Parrish, and now that Parrish is the toast of the town, the Islanders are left with nothing. I guess I should be used to this by now. But it's still frustrating.

Islanders Notes

After watching tonight's abomination, I'm sort of at a loss for words. But being the trooper I am, I'll try to talk about what we've just seen.

• Tonight was supposed to be my first night in the Blog Box, but I had to work late, so I couldn't do it. Turns out I picked a good night to put in some extra time. While tonight's game was all Dallas, the Stars won tonight's game as soon as the buzzer ended last night's game. After allowing five goals to the Devils, you knew the Stars would come out and destroy the Islanders. And that's exactly what they did.
• While I couldn't make tonight's game, my brother went to his first game of this young season. His thoughts? "The game sucked, but the pretzel twists were amazing." That's exactly what I'd say if I were there.
• The NHL tries pretty hard to keep stats that account for the intangible aspects of hockey. Plus/minus, blocked shots, and hits are among these stats. But there are a few stats that, quite frankly, need to be tallied. Chief among those stats are a stat for penalties drawn. And if penalties drawn was a stat, Sean Avery would be a star. He drew two penalties tonight that led directly to two Dallas power play goals. And maybe if stats like penalties drawn were kept, people wouldn't say stupid things like, "Avery doesn't do anything out there." He does. It's just that it doesn't show up on the stat sheet. And God forbid a player be considered elite without being elite on paper.
• If I have to see that stupid f'ing Nissan Versa commercial one more damn time, I'm going to throw a brick through my TV.
• So you know how the Islanders had like five enforcers in training camp? And you know how not one of them has so much as dressed for this team yet? Well, maybe they could have used one of them tonight. The Isles stunk up the joint in the first period, went down 3-0, blew four consecutive minutes of power play time (including two minutes of a 5-on-3), ended up down 4-1 midway through the second... and nobody even tried to start anything by being physical. In front of their own home crowd, the Islanders sat there and took the beating without fighting back. It doesn't take much to get the crowd going at a hockey game. In an instance like tonight's game, you're looking for a fight, but it doesn't even have to be that drastic. But then again, it's not like the Islanders have a line of big hitters they can throw out there to get the crowd back into the game. It's funny how all these other teams have room for fighters and checkers, and yet the Islanders don't. It's worth questioning.
• I'm not sure what that C.J. Papa soapbox thing was at the end of tonight's broadcast... but I liked it. I could have done without the egregious Lighthouse propaganda like ten times in tonight's game, but Papa's trashing of Gary Bettman is always nice. See, these are the things Deb Kaufman/Placey didn't give us last year. Besides, C.J. Papa is almost as corny as Howie and Billy, and that's tough to do.
• The next time someone trashes the NHL and their TV deal for being fan-unfriendly, point them to the events of tonight. As I write this, it's 10:10 PM, and the World Series game that "started" at 8 PM is in the fifth inning. We're looking at yet another MLB post-season game that will end after midnight. The NBA does this too, starting their Finals games at 9 PM, but nobody questions it because it's ESPN. However, the NHL begins their Finals games at 8, and all you hear is, "Nobody watches hockey anymore, who cares?". That's not fair. The triple-overtime Detroit-Pittsburgh Game 5, probably one of the five most exciting games played in any sport in 2008, ended at approximately the same time all these nine-inning baseball games are ending. Explain that one, MLB.

So that's our game. We've got the Hurricanes on Saturday. Say, when a hurricane comes to town, you're pretty scared. Now, imagine twenty of them! It's Hurricanes-Islanders, on MSG Plus! (Or C-Span 2, or wherever they decide to stick the Islanders. Because, you know, Islanders hockey can't possibly compete with re-runs of "The Game 365 With Fran Healy".)

Notes From the Garden, 10/20/08...

A few notes from the Garden after a stinker that saw the Rangers play two spirited minutes and 58 boring ones.

1) First of all, kudos to the people who still wear the Charlestown Chiefs jerseys, 31 years after the movie Slap Shot was released. 

2) I don't think the guy in the Fedor Tyutin jersey liked me joking that "My Christian Backman jersey is at home."

3) Sean Avery gets crap from the fans when he wanted to remain a Ranger but they didn't return the favor. If Eric Lindros returns, will he get the same treatment for his mediocre play that Avery got for his inspired play over 2 seasons? Fact is, Avery and Henrik Lundqvist were the reasons this team made the playoffs in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

4) I think the girl who I drunkedly called "a dirty wh**e" on Saturday attacked me more than the Rangers attacked the Dallas Stars tonight. The scoreboard said 27 shots for the Rangers. How many of those were actual good shots? There was the Markus Naslund goal, the Brandon Dubinsky play where he toe-dragged then took a shot, and maybe one or two others that I don't remember. 

The games the Rangers won were good. The Detroit OT loss was acceptable because they gave a strong effort after a game the night before and a long plane flight. But the two losses - Buffalo and tonight - were utterly atrocious. The only bright spot is that they have exposed holes that Tom Renney can fix.

5) Chris Drury once again made his case to be captain of the Hartford Wolf Pack. Sixteen minutes of ice time, one shot, one shot that missed the net, one blocked shot, no takeaways, no hits. What exactly did he do when he was on the ice?

6) The only players who played well today were Lundqvist, Dubinsky, Dan Girardi, and Paul Mara. Both Mara and Girardi crushed Avery with checks. Naslund's goal was a good goal, but can you tell me he played good the rest of the game? He had 4 other shots, but once again, those were bad shots and not scoring chances.

7) I was told today by someone very high up in the Rangers organization that Petr Prucha is being actively shopped and the reason he is not in the lineup is so he doesn't get injured or lessen his value with a poor performance. The source is extremely credible, you would know his name if I said it, and it depresses me that he is the one to be moved because of the plethora of forwards on the team.

* * * 

Not to beat a dead horse, but a note on Bryan's Rick DiPietro post below: If DP is somehow a relevant starting goalie until the end of his career, then $4.75M will look like a steal 9 or 10 years down the line. However, with every head injury or skills competition injury, that looks less and less likely.

New Banner, Same Old Islanders

Our friend Kristine came through once again with a new banner. This time, we didn't even have to ask for it. The old banner, which prominently featured Sean Avery, unfortunately became outdated on July 2nd. Not only is this one current, but it also looks even better than the old one did. We would like to publicly thank her for her efforts, as well as for putting up with hours of hockey talk she probably couldn't care less about.

As for the Islanders. Last night, I told Zach he could bet on the Islanders with confidence. After all, they were playing a horrible team in Florida. Rick DiPietro returned. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a bit, apparently.

I know the statsheet says that the Islanders lost by only two goals and were outshot by only five. But that was quite the egg they laid last night. It didn't seem like they were ever a threat to an awful Panthers team who let up six goals to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. You could say that the Panthers were "up" for the Islanders, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Despite being down by two goals, the Islanders managed just six shots in the third period. It's also worth noting that Florida only had seven. Now, some might say that's good, because it meant the Panthers weren't scoring again. But to me, it shows a stubborn refusal to open the game up when it needs to be opened up. That one's on the coaches.

If you're looking for positives, there were a few to be had. DiPietro seemed pretty solid in net and recovered well from letting up a goal in the first minute of the game. That's hard to do. Also, for those of us who worried about the young players not getting any playing time, everyone's playing for this team. With the exception of Nate Thompson, every player played between 11 and 21 minutes. Not bad. But when these are the things you try to reassure yourself with, that's a bad sign.

Still, look at it like this. Five games, four points. Most of us would have taken that before the season started. And even more of us would have taken that if they knew DiPietro would miss the first four games of the season. The truth is, this is the first game the Islanders have lost against a team that's on their level. You can take the losses against New Jersey and Buffalo because those are better teams. It's the games against Florida that you have to win. These are the games where you learn what you're all about so that when the Devils and Sabres come back to town, you can show you've improved. That's what this 2008-09 Islanders season is all about. It's not about winning the Stanley Cup or getting 92 points. It's about learning and about consistent improvement. This is a game where I thought we'd see more than we did. It happens.

Now, the Islanders get a nice five-day break between games to figure out what went wrong. They also get a wonderful test inthe Dallas Stars, a team that many have earmarked for great things this year. Let's hope they learn something in these next four days. This could be the first game I do from the Blog Box, and I'm not really sure what that means, but we should have something fun in store if things go as planned.

Zach's 2008-09 Predictions...

Much like my counterpart Bryan (and every fan with a computer and a knowledge of the game), I present to you my 2008-09 NHL predictions... exactly 67 minutes before the puck drops on the season.

EAST

1. Montreal

2. Pittsburgh

3. Tampa Bay

4. NY Rangers

5. Washington

6. Boston

7. Flyers

8. Buffalo

9. Ottawa

10. NJ Devils

11. Carolina

12. Florida

13. Toronto

14. NY Islanders

15. Atlanta

1) Montreal still has the best power play in the game. Remember how they lost Sheldon Souray and were still the best one? Losing Mark Streit is nothing to them. Someone else will step up. 2) It takes a lot for me to not pick my Rangers as 1st in the division, but for the first year in 3 seasons I'm taking the high road and going with my head and picking the Penguins. 3) Tampa Bay is the best team in that division. Steven Stamkos will score 40 goals. 4) Vastly improved defense should keep the Rangers in games while the offense scores 2.5 goals per game. 5) Theodore is a weaker goalie than Huet, Federov is a year older, and their one solid d-man is a kid who has had one good year. Yes, Ovechkin is the best player in the world, but Washington will win and lose 6-5, 5-4 games all year. 6) Don't know why I picked Boston over Ottawa. I love Tim Thomas. This is probably a mistake, I admit it. Maybe a trade deadline pick-up of a defenseman will help. 7) Flyers are a solid team with questionable goaltending (Marty Biron) who play in a tough division. 8) Buffalo is fast, has good goaltending, and manageable defense. I think they'll sneak in.

9/10) I think this might be the year Ottawa and the Devils miss the playoffs. The East is very tough to pick this year (as it was last year). If Ottawa doesn't shore up their goaltending, they have 2 backups leading them this year. Brodeur, on the other hand, is a year older and still have weak defense in front of him. The Devils always pull out wins, but they didn't improve in the offseason and I see them missing the playoffs. 11) Carolina is stuck with a small budget, making acquisitions hard. Cam Ward hasn't proven anything since the Cup run in '06. Erik Cole is gone. Eric Staal is fantastic. Brind'Amour is hurt. Pitkanen is a step up on the PP though. 12) Florida is one of the worst organizations in sports history. While Cory Stillman is a great acquisition and Tomas Vokoun is a Top 5 goalie in the NHL, Bryan McCabe has nothing left besides a big contract, and the rest of the team (except Bouwmeester and Horton) are busts. 13) Besides Antropov and Blake, who's going to score in Toronto? Ryan Hollweg? Jeff Finger? Their saving grace is Vesa Toskala (no pun intended). 14) The Islanders won't be as bad as everyone thinks. Okay, they might. Doug Weight can no longer carry the weight of a team on his shoulders (pun sort of intended). Okposo, Comeau, and and Tambellini should have good starter years. Maybe Josh Bailey sees action. Atleast they won't be as bad as 15) Atlanta. A question mark in goal, two good defenseman (one of whom even the Kings didn't want to trade for), and a skilled forward do not a playoff team make.

WEST

1. Detroit

2. Anaheim

3. Colorado

4. Dallas

5. Chicago

6. San Jose

7. Edmonton

8. Phoenix

9. Minnesota

10. Vancouver

11. Calgary

12. Nashville

13. St. Louis

14. Columbus

15. Los Angeles

1) Let's face it: Detroit never gets bad. When a Federov or Shanahan leaves, a Zetterberg and Datsyuk steps up. When they're gone, Filppula and Helm are ready. Adding Hossa is huge for the offense. 2) Anaheim has improved over last year and should win a dogfight in the Pacific. They had a great regular season last year, just started slow. 3) If healthy, Colorado has a dynamic offense. Sakic, Svatos, Wolski, Stastny, Smith, Guite, even Darcy Tucker. They have 7 serviceable defensemen, although no studs. Maybe with Raycroft and Budaj splitting time, their goaltending holes won't shine as brightly. 4) A great goaltending, 3 stud d-men, and a great offense are going to lead Dallas. 5) Years of horrendous hockey has finally paid of for Chicago. Pat Kane, Jon Toews, and a strong D will help this team beat up on the weakened Central division. If Huet fails in goal, Antti Niemi is ready to go in his stead. 6) San Jose is again good, and with a much better, Dan Boyle-Rob Blake duo on the blueline. Nabokov might wear out at the end from too many games, but they'll easily make the playoffs. 7) Edmonton plays in a weak division, and did improve greatly. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano should be great, as should Ales Hemsky, Cole, and a returning Shawn Horcoff. What? Souray is back? Pick him up on your fantasy team since everyone else forgot about him. Dustin Penner is an overpaid bum, but he has a supporting cast that overshadows him. 8) I'll go out on a limb and say the Coyotes, led by Olli Jokinen, Peter Mueller and Shane Doan will have a great offense. Dan Carcillo is not just a fighter, he can score. Marty Hanzal and Daniel Winnik also should have breakout years. And with rookies Mueller, Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov, and Mikkel Boedker (who I don't know if he made the team or not... I know Tikhonov did), I get overwhelmed thinking of the young guns on this team. Their D isn't that good (Jovanoski is one of the most overpaid players since Penner. Sauer, Hale, and Morris are good but not stars). However, Ilya Bryzgalov is a gem in net for them. Oh, and you can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas at their home opener for $79 total.

9) I hate Minnesota. I hate their ugly, Christmas-inspired uniforms. I hate their coach and I hate his trapping system. I hate Marion Gaborik. I do love Brent Burns though. And I think these guys might sneak into the playoffs due to the insane parity in the Northwest division. They have a few good forwards (Mikko Koivu, P.M. Bouchard, and don't forget Owen Nolan), and decent D led by Burns, and 2 overrated but alright goaltenders. However, I see them on the outside looking in this year. Originally I had them as 8th, but am moving them down. 10) Vancouver has an amazing goaltender, a good D, and no forwards. Unless they win every game 1-0 or 2-1, I don't see them making the playoffs. 11) Nashville has nosedived. Yes, Dan Ellis is good in goal, but they really put all their eggs into one inexperienced basket when they traded Chris Mason to St. Louis. Radulov was their star playmaker, and he will be scoring tons of goals in Russia this year. 12) When will St. Louis make the jump? Maybe next year, guys, maybe next year. Chock full of 1st round picks, including Erik Johnson and his torn ACL. Legace/Mason make a good team, but I'm afraid that while they will be competitive, it won't be the year for them. 13) Trust me, Blue Jacket fans, Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman are not great players. While Pascal Leclaire is a fantastic goalie (as is waiting-in-the-wings Steve Mason), the team only has a few good forwards (Nash, Husselius) and a very porous backline. 14) A star goalie, a star D, and a star forward. Didn't the Rangers have that every year they missed the playoffs in the 1990's and 2000's? Sorry, Flames. Your ship sailed in 2004. 15) The LA Kings might not even have enough salary on the books to be able to field a team in 2008-09. Their goaltending fleet is led by Jason LaBarberra, and their best D (Jack Johnson) is a year away from being great. Frolov, Kopitar, and Dustin Brown are excellent, but one line won't win you that many games in the new NHL.

Playoffs

In the East, I see the Rangers or Canadiens escaping. The Rangers have a better goalie (although Carey Price might have the Patrick Roy-like season everyone up in Quebec wants him to have), but they Habs have a great offense. Montreal has also one a Stanley Cup in every decade except this one. So as not to seem like a homer, I'll pick the Montreal Canadiens to win the Eastern Conference, although if the Rangers make the Finals I'll give myself credit as well.

It doesn't matter though, because no one is beating the Sean Avery's Dallas Stars en route to the Stanley Cup. Avery is a great addition to the team. He is like Steve Ott, except he scores. Avery, Brendan Morrow, Mike Modano, Brad Richard, Lou Erikkson, Fabian Brunnstrom, Jere Lehtinen, Joel Lundqvist, Mike Ribeiro. That's 9 awesome forwards. Imagine what a deadline pick up can do for them? Phillipe Boucher, Sergei Zubov, and Stephane Robidas get the job done on D, and they have 4 to 5 other guys who are solid NHL players ready if anything happens to one of them. Marty Turco is vastly underrated, and while Tobias Stephan (one NHL game) is an inexperienced backup, Turco should carry the weight of the team.

Stars over Canadiens/Rangers in 6. Mark it down!

How Good Are Predictions?...

We know the gig. Everyone from a famous magazine, to a beat writer, to a blogger, to a hack buying a sandwich at Hot & Crusty before a Rangers' game makes predictions on the season before the puck drops, based on trades, offseason signings, and personal biases. Yes, personal biases. How else do you explain me picking the Rangers to make the playoffs in 2005-06 when everyone had them as dead? How else do you explain me and Larry Brooks both proclaiming them Stanley Cup champions in 2006-07, or me sending them to the Finals again last year?

Well, ever wonder just how accurate these predictions are? Before last season, I wrote down predictions from 4 sources - me, Newsday's beat writer Steve Zipay, Eklund from that rumor website, and ESPN (don't know who wrote the article, though).

After the season, I wrote down the real finishing order of both conferences, compared, and contrasted. I gave 2 points if the team finished in the exact spot predicted, and 1 point if they finished in or out of the playoffs as predicted, but with a different finishing order. For Newsday, he just listed "playoff teams" without a specific order, so I gave him 2 points for every team that made the playoffs that he predicted. Okay, without further ado, the results...

Second Place (tie)

In last place was ESPN, who only predicted 2 out of 6 division winners correctly (San Jose and Detroit). They thought both Atlanta and the Southeast-winning Capitals would be worse than actual worst-in-the-league Tampa Bay. They did have a lot of playoff teams, especially in the West, where the only team they overlooked was Minnesota (giving the nod to the Canucks, instead). 

24 points

Second Place (tie)

The bronze medal goes to The Rivalry's own Zach, who homered like no other, picking the Rangers to win the Atlantic (2nd overall in the east behind Ottawa), then winning the Stanley Cup by beating Calgary. Wow. Both of my Finals teams were out by the 2nd round. I also only had two spots dead-on, as I correctly predicted the Red Wings-Predators first round match-up that was. I as well had Tampa Bay to win their division, but I also had Washington making the playoffs. Uh, I also had Toronto in the playoffs and conference-winning Montreal on the outside looking in. Predicting the Flyers and Bruins to miss the playoffs? My bad. Like ESPN, I had 7 of 8 playoff teams in, only choosing Vancouver over the Wild.

24 points

Second Place (tie)

Newsday's correspondent Steve Zipay decided to not list an order and just put in who he thought would skate in the playoffs. His East was not too good, picking the Leafs, Hurricanes, and Sabres over actual-playoff teams Boston, Montreal, and Washington. In the West, he redeemed himself, going the ever-popular 7 of 8. The only blemish on his record their was Vancouver's missing of the playoffs. The team he left out - Nashville.

24 points

First Place

As much as it pains me, that Guy from the Site that announced "rumors" came in first place last year. He predicted the Penguins to come in 2nd in the East, the Capitals to come in 3rd, the Red Wings to win the West (easiest and most popular pick there was, apparently). He also capitalized on being from Philadelphia by picking the Flyers to make the playoffs. His only two mistakes in the East were Buffalo and Toronto, as he left out the Bruins and the Devils. He actually predicted the Devils to finish in 14th, with only Atlanta below them. In the West, his one mistake was, yes, Vancouver. He left out Dallas, who ended up 5th and dispatched the defending champion Ducks. He had Dallas coming in 13th, behind lottery teams St. Louis and Los Angeles.

27 points

So, what did we learn here? It's pretty tough to accurately predict, which is why we can't take them too seriously. The time will come on this blog when me and Bryan will make predictions, and both will put our favorite team way too high on the list. Well, at least he will. I'll put the Rangers where they will be at season's end - 1st, and he'll put the Islanders where he hopes they'll be - 9th. 

And the moral of the story is not to pick the Vancouver Canucks to do anything except lose, a tidbit I should've remembered from the year after the lockout, when I predicted them and Ottawa to be in the Stanley Cup finals, only to have them not make the playoffs.

2008-09 Rangers Schedule...

Every year, when the schedule comes out, I write down all the home games, catergorized by month. I write down who they're playing, the date, and the day of the week. (Okay, I did this last year and I did this today for next season, as well.)

I then award each game 0, 1, 2, or 3 points. When I get my choice of packages, I count up the points, then whichever package has the most points, I get.

Oh, and by the way, I lied to everyone. I will be getting a package this year, if only so I don't lose my place in line in future seasons. See, when I first signed up for a ticket package right after the lockout, I got my choice of anything I wanted, any package (I picked the 7-game plan, now non-existant), any seat (mostly any seat, I picked blue line seats where the Rangers shot twice). The next year, the seats got worse, and last season, they improved, but barely. It's also nearly impossible to upgrade from my current 11-game plan to a half-season or full-season plan. So for those wanting tickets now, there is a wait.

Seven years of futility and a lost season means there's no waiting for tickets. Three straight playoff appearances and a team that isn't in it just for the money means you wait. Take the good with the bad, eh?

Anyway, I only originally gave 4 games 3 points. The home opener versus Chicago; Sean Avery returning with Dallas in October; and the last two home games of the season, against Philadelphia and Montreal.

I then figured out a few dates where Adam Graves' number 9 might be retired, and bumped any 1s to 2s, and 2s to 3s.

A few games got the dreaded "zero points." Those include Devil, Penguin, and Flyer games on Saturdays, when I wouldn't miss going to work and making $250 for a game I could catch any other time.

I remember one game in November of 2006, I had 2 tickets to a Devils game at MSG, and I sold them to a friend. The Rangers were losing 2-0, scored 3 goals in 90 seconds, and won. On my drive home from work, people on Steve Somers' show on WFAN were calling it the greatest regular season game in history. A text message from my friend concurred this non-exaggerated statement.

* * *

As far as road games go, I will be traveling to see the Blueshirts play this year. Probably a Saturday game in Boston, definitely one or two games in Philly (hopefully including the last game of the season). I'll probably go to atleast two games at the Coliseum and one game in Newark. Nice stadium. Frightening area.

Both games in Montreal are weeknights, which is kind of weak. Last year, me and some friends got there on Saturday, saw the Rangers' 5-3 win on Super Bowl Sunday, and came home on Monday.

I won't be going to their California swing, where they play the Ducks and Kings on back to back nights, but it's nice to dream.

Last year, I went to a Wednesday game in Newark, and a Thursday game in Philly. That was a lot of fun, but the schedule doesn't allow that this year.

However, the highlight of my schedule will be going to Nashville for the March 12 game.

Inside the Sommet Center, home of the Predators.

Formerly known as the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

I could probably get front row seats day of the game.

Four More Years...

While the Rangers now have four more years of a pass-first, clear-the-crease-last blueline, we also have four less years of Sean Avery.

Wait, did that make sense?

You get the gist of it. You know my view. The Rangers needed Avery just as much as he needed the Rangers. Once an outcast in LA, he came to NY for relatively nothing (Jay Ward, a pick, and a swap of prospects who will never skate in the NHL) and revived a franchise... twice. They made the playoffs the past two seasons because of him and Henrik Lundqvist.

You know how angry I am about him being in Dallas. However, I was on the golf course while this all happened (hey, let's be honest, Glen Sather probably was too). Luckily, I had a stream of texts coming in announcing it. 

I told my golf partner two things. 1) I'm not re-upping my subscription package this year. I was on the edge, and it hindered on Avery's re-signing. I have no problem paying his salary. I will not pay Wade Redden's salary. 2) I'm going to buy a Dallas Stars fallopian tube jersey with "AVERY 16" on the back.

Now, the trade. Nik Zherdev (#13, above) came alive last season for the Blue Jackets, especially at the end. His 61 points and -9 were career bests (hey, give him a break, he played in Ohio). Should be a good trade. Dan Fritsche (#49, above) is a decent player, definitely the throw in to make it an even 2-for-2 trade. To be honest, I thought he was a defenseman until just now. The Rangers don't need another 3rd line center, although he isn't a bad player at all.

The Rangers' biggest problem was defense. 

Now, they have 4 defensemen - Michal Rozsival (overpaid), Redden (grossly overpaid), Dan Girardi, and Marc Staal. Now, they have about 15 or 16 forwards, including one first line winger (Zherdev), and two first line centers (Scott Gomez, Chris Drury). Everyone else is a depth player, or an "energy" player. 

Who's going to score? Who's going to stand in front of Henrik? 

Zherdev is a $2.5M cap hit; Fritsche is well under a million. If memory serves me correct, Fedor Tyutin is making $2.75M against the Cap, and Christian Backman's hit is around $3.3M. While this does give the Rangers a scoring threat, it also opened up a lot of cap room.

Too bad Sean Avery won't see any of that money

* * * 

Do you think Doug Weight will fetch the Islanders a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd round draft pick at the 2009 trade deadline? 

Avery To Dallas

Just like that, the Rangers' job just got tougher. Sean Avery signed with Dallas; four years, $15.4 million. That's less than what the Rangers have reportedly offered. Hmm.

Zach, the floor is yours. Mr. Sather, time to get to work on signing people who aren't defensemen.

Jerseys...

Sean Avery, fresh off his gig as an intern at Men's Vogue, edited an article about the 20 worst sports uniforms of all-time.

One of them highlights the Dallas Stars third jersey, as modeled by Marty Turco, which includes a bull's head (because of Texas) with varying stars inside and one flying star on the outside. The jersey is a pretty poor concept for two reasons. One, it doesn't make much sense, and in fact in no way resembles anything close to hockey. However, the real reason is because it's obscene.

Don't see the resemblance to a woman's reproductive system? Let's just say that the only NHLer who should have worn this jersey was Filip Kuba, because his name bears an uncanny resemblence to Fallopian Tube.

By the way, we now have our own domain name, so please bookmark (CTRL + D) http://www.nyhockeyrivalry.com. If you go to the old blogspot site, it will redirect you here.

Dubie Revisited...

ISLANDERS POST by ZACH

I refer you to my March 27th blog entitled "What to Du?" that predicts Wade Dubielewicz will not return to the Islanders for the 2008-09 season.

It is now official, reported by Greg Logan in Newsday, that Dubie won't be returning as an Islander next season, I move I predicted well over two month ago. While this isn't as grand as my correct prediction of Petr Sykora scoring in triple overtime, it is still worthwhile, and I want to make some predictions of where he will end up next season. 

I think the best choice for him would be Carolina, who will be needing a backup goaltender next year for Cam Ward. Ward had 2 good months in his career, spanning from Game 3 of the first round of the 2006 playoffs until Game 7 of the Finals that year. He is unproven, and with a worthy backup, his job could be in jeopardy. Last year was indeed the best regular season of Ward's career, but as Marc Denis, John Grahame, and Antero Niittymaki taught us, one decent regular season does not a career make.

Vancouver is an option as well, especially seeing how Dubie is from British Columbia. However, I believe he would want a chance to play 20 games, give or take a few, as a backup, with the option of usurping the starting goaltender. Roberto Luongo, when on his game and caring about hockey, won't play less than 75 games and certainly won't have his plush position overtaken by an uppity youngster.

Calgary is also an option, but he wouldn't be playing more than 11 or 12 games with Miika Kiprusoff in net. With Curtis Joseph possibly not returning next year, they might have a spot open. I assume they'll offer him a contract but it might only be his last resort.

What about Dallas? Marty Turco had a real solid playoffs, but his regular seasons have been borderline for a few years. It could be an opportunity for the backup to overtake the starter, but I see Dallas re-upping unreliable Johan Holmqvist for atleast one more year.

Detroit and Tampa Bay are also two strong options for him. Detroit will probably not re-sign Dom Hasek, and who wouldn't love the chance to play in Detroit? Chris Osgood will be the starter regardless, but he's getting older and Dubie would play atleast 20 or 25 games. In Tampa, there are two goaltenders who have never been starters, Kari Ramo and Mike Smith. Signing Dubie would create a 3-way competition for the starting job, much like Phoenix had before getting Ilya Bryzgalov in November.

Should be interesting to see where he goes, atleast for us on Long Island. My money is on Carolina and Tampa, though I wouldn't be surprised to see him land anywhere else on my list.

American Idol...

Syesha was kicked off of American Idol on Wednesday after delivering better performances than both of the other contestants.

For those who don't watch AI, or wish they didn't (like me), let me explain. Syesha is a girl. And black.

Now, there are only 2 contestants left: David Cook and David Archuleta. Both male, both white.

If I was a black girl rooting for Syesha, why would I continue to watch two white men fight for something that shouldn't be theirs?

Last Sunday, the Rangers lost to the Penguins. Regardless of whether or not there was some big conspiracy, the 3rd round of the playoffs featured two Pennsylvania teams, a team that has won 3 Stanley Cups since 1997, and a team that won it in 1999. Both series went 3-0 (before Dallas won last night).

Why, as a Ranger fan, would I continue watching?

Different shows, different performers, different sport, different stage. 

Same results.

Get rid of the only black performer, lose their ratings. Get rid of the female, lose some of them. Get rid of the Rangers, lose a lot of ratings.

I have personally not watched any of the Penguin/Flyer series. Not a second. I watched the 3rd period of Game 3 of Detroit/Dallas and the 2nd period of Game 4. That's it. A lot has to do with work schedule, but to be honest, I haven't had much interest. The past few years, I watched with interest as Tampa beat Calgary (I rooted for the Flames), Carolina beat Edmonton (I rooted for the Oilers), and Anaheim beat Ottawa (I rooted for the Senators). This year, I don't know if it is because Pittsburgh is in it, because the Rangers lose in such a disgusting, controversial manner, or because the officiating is deciding games when they should just be fair (half the Rangers losses in the 2nd round; tonight's "no goal" call on the Red Wings), but my viewership is down.

If the Rangers were still in, I'd watch both series keenly. But they took away my Syesha.

Which of the Four? (Or: An Overuse of the Semi-Colon)...

NHL POST by ZACH

So, which of the four will be the Conn Smythe winner? Marty Biron (the nicest NHL player I have ever talked to, followed closely by Brendan Shanahan, with Martin Brodeur a distant last); Brendan Morrow; Evgeni Malkin; Johan Franzen

At the start of the playoffs, I would have said Henrik Zetterberg - the MVP of the first half of the regular season - would have the hardware at Second Season's end. Now, not so sure.

However, I have him on the top 3 plays of the playoffs so far. In no order, his XBox 360-like goal against the Avalanche; R.J. Umberger's second-chance effort against Montreal, and Evgeni Nabakov's then-season-saving save in the 1st overtime period against Dallas in their elimination game. That save was nuts.

Predictions

Pittsburgh in 6. Detroit in 7. Isn't that everyone's prediction?

I successfully predicted no correct series in the 2nd round. James "Boomer" Gordon on XM got them all right (albeit in the wrong number of games). I am no expert, folks, but atleast I have a nice ass.

Why Detroit? Because they outscored Dallas 12-5 in the regular season. Because they have the best collection of Swedish players assembled since they won the Gold medal in 1994 when (unknown) Peter Forsberg beat (highly touted Rangers prospect) Corey Hirsch (35-4-5!!!) in a shootout. There are so many people who can score on Detroit. If Zetterberg or Franzen aren't doing it, Tomas Holmstrom, Nik Lidstrom, or Mikael Samuelsson (also once a Ranger, remember him?) can do it. What I love most about this team is that Dom Hasek had a bad game and hasn't gone back in yet. Seriously. I like Chris Osgood a lot more than Hasek.

Why the Penguins? Because Gary Bettman said so. Personally, I hope it's Flyers in 4 and that Marty Biron outplays M.A. Fleury. I hope Randy Jones knocks Sidney Crosby off of his game and that Riley Kote beats Gary Roberts back into 1989.

Bryan's Third Round Predictions

We've got a good final four, so we should be in store for some good games. And, if last round was any indication, we should be in store for many, many incorrect picks. Here are my stabs at doing a little better than that.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
- Pittsburgh (2) over Philadelphia (6) in 7. Looking at this matchup on paper, you'd think the Penguins would dominate. Not so fast. The Flyers are as defensively sound a team as you'll find in these playoffs, as evidenced by their victories over Washington and Montreal. People love to point to Martin Biron's GAA as "proof" that he's not that great, but the reality is that he's probably been the best goalie in the playoffs so far. Besides, when not surrounded by goalies with 1.75 GAAs, a 2.75 GAA isn't that bad. Don't forget that the Flyers can score goals, too - R.J. Umberger might not keep up his current pace, but Daniel Briere is only starting to play to his potential in Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is the NHL's Great Hope. While the rumors of a conspiracy against the Rangers are patently ridiculous - why on Earth the NHL would want to screw over its' top media market is beyond me - the Penguins are the NHL's chance at pulling a great rating in the Finals. Clearly, they've earned their right to do the NHL proud; say what you want about the competition they've faced, but losing only one game in the first two rounds is quite impressive. We all know what the Pens can do offensively, but they can play both ways. And against the Flyers, they'll need to. I just think the Penguins are better defensively than the Flyers are offensively, and that's going to be the difference in this series.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
- Detroit (1) over Dallas (5) in 6. What can be said about Detroit that hasn't already been said? Simply put, they're the most complete team in the playoffs. The way they steamrolled over the Avalanche was no fluke. You don't have to worry about rust with a team this good. Hell, even if Chris Osgood falters - and he won't - the Wings have an extremely capable backup in Dominik Hasek. Sure, Johan Franzen isn't going to score nine goals this series, but the beautiful thing about this team is that you know someone's going to score goals. Oh, and they have tons of solid two-way players and grizzled veterans with Stanley Cups on their resume.

Dallas was written off by many before the puck even dropped in San Jose, which proved to be a big mistake. The playoff choker tab can safely be removed from Marty Turco's resume after yet another spectacular performance. He might be the biggest reason the Stars managed to defeat the high-powered Sharks. Brenden Morrow is turning into one of the league's premier clutch performers; it's no coincidence that he scored the goal in the fourth overtime of Game 6. Like Detroit, they have plenty of vets with plenty of experience. However, Nicklas Lidstrom is better than Sergei Zubov, and Pavel Datsyuk is better than Mike Modano. Dallas will certainly give Detroit a run for their money, but the Wings will prevail and give NBC the best possible Finals matchup.

Sharks-Stars, Game 6

One more for tonight, then I'm off...

Even though today was my first day back from "paternity leave", I stayed up until 2:30 last night to watch the end of the instant classic that was Sharks-Stars. I have to say, that first overtime period was probably the best period of hockey I've seen since the lockout, if not longer. Just all-out intensity throughout, not to mention maybe the nicest save I've ever seen (Evgeni Nabokov on Brad Richards). I still wish the Sharks had won, if only so I could hear the Dallas fans applaud the effort they had just seen.

Speaking of Dallas fans, people who say the Lone Star State isn't a hockey hotbed would do well to take a look at last night's game. Not only did nobody leave early, but the crowd stood for all four overtimes. I wouldn't be doing that at the Coliseum.

I was impressed by Glenn Healy's analysis on the TSN feed. I'd heard mixed reviews about him (mainly, that he was bitter about the Islanders dumping him after the '93 playoffs and routinely went out of his way to bash the organization), but he did a great job. That said, only one more thing could have made last night's game perfect - Gary Thorne and Bill Clement on commentary. Could you imagine Thorne doing those overtimes? It would have been amazing.