NYR Top Post-Lockout Moments #5-1...

And here we are, my personal Top 5 Post-Lockout Moments for the New York Rangers. To recap, this is how we got here...

20) Rangers score 3 goals in 90 seconds, beat Devils.
19) Comebacks against Ottawa and Montreal.
18) Dom Moore scores from behind the net on Roberto Luongo.
17) Sean Avery's 4 point night against Dallas.
16) Scott Gomez traded; Marian Gaborik signed.
15) Mark Messier Night; Jaromir Jagr scores in overtime.
14) Brian Leetch announces Adam Graves Night.
13) Jagr scores 29 seconds into the '06-'07 season.
12) Henrik Lundqvist robs Marc Savard.
11) Michael Nylander's hat trick in the playoffs.
10) Rangers win their first game after the Lockout.
9) Brendan Shanahan fights Donald Brashear.
8) Marek Malik's shootout goal; Jason Strudwick also scores.
7) Jed Ortmeyer's penalty shot.
6) Brian Leetch's only game at MSG as an opponent.

5) Game 3 vs. Buffalo / Game 4 vs. Buffalo
MSG - April 29, 2007 & May 1, 2007
With the Rangers down 2-0 in a series against the NHL’s best team (53 wins, 113 points), did the Rangers need a miracle to get back into it?

No, they just needed some defense. They were up, if you remember, 2-1 in Game 2, but lost it in the 3rd period.

In Game 3, Jagr gave them a 1-0 lead but Danny Briere tied it late in the 3rd. The Rangers and Sabres then played into double overtime before Jagr passed to Michal Nylander who passed it to Michal Rozsival, who actually shot the puck. He rocketed one off the post and past Ryan Miller to give the Rangers a thrilling win - and another chance.

Earlier in Game 3, Karel Rachunek had a goal waved off for using a “distinct kicking motion” which, replays showed, was complete garbage. He was stopping and the puck hit his skate and went in - a completely legal move seeing as there was no “pendulum motion.”

Which leads to Game 4, one of the best games the Rangers have had since 1994.

Jagr and Brendan Shanahan scored to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead and Ales Kotalik cut it to 2-1 with 11 minutes left in the 3rd.

With 17 seconds left, Danny Briere put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist - or did he? A 5-minute video review followed, and it was ruled “inconclusive evidence” - they couldn’t overturn the ruling on the ice, and it was a no-goal. Was it a make-up call for the blown-call on Rachunek last game? Was the puck in the net? I still don’t know, but the refs said it wasn’t, Toronto couldn’t make up their mind, and the Rangers tied the series at 2.

I still have the newspaper cover hanging on my wall in my room: “Replay Says Rangers, Sabres, Even At 2.”



4) Prucha’s Power Play Goal
Nassau Coliseum - March 8, 2007
Three nights before, on a Monday, Rick DiPietro saved 56 shots but lost in a shootout on a Matt Cullen goal at MSG.

On a Thursday, tensions were on fire in Uniondale. The fans were going crazy. Islander fans were buying Ryan Smyth t-shirts and jerseys in the lobby; Ranger fans countered by chanting Henrik Lundqvist’s name.

By the time the 3rd period rolled around, it was 1-1. Chris Simon, yes, Chris Simon, scored early in the 2nd and Paul Mara tied it on a power play midway through the period.

Of course, that’s when one of the most controversial plays in NHL history happened. Ryan Hollweg, in the midst of a decent season after a very good rookie year, boarded (or did he?) Simon. Simon, not known for his good judgement and virtuous patience, swung his stick at Hollweg, knocking him out and earning himself a 25-game suspension.

On the ensuing 5-minute power play, Petr Prucha scored to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead with just over 5 minutes left.

Then, things started getting interesting.

With 20 seconds left, Marc-Andre Bergeron’s shot was stopped by Lundqvist and Trent Hunter slid the puck in the net (or did he?). The ref called “No Goal” on the ice, so sufficient evidence to overturn it would be needed.

After what seemed like an episode of “Friends,” the ref came back and waved his arms - No Goal. And he said what we would yell in the parking lot, and for weeks to come: Inconclusive Evidence.

The two games together were some of the most tremendous hockey I’ve ever seen. And I’ve never seen the Coliseum rock harder for Ranger fans then when Prucha stuffed that shot in on the power play. I hugged the 8-year old next to me, and I’m pretty sure his father got very mad and I then moved my seat. It was such an emotional goal after such a horrific event.

It was, in fact, the essence of The Rivalry.

It wound up being a huge game for the Rangers. While the Islanders stayed at 76 points, the Rangers gained 2 points and ended the night with 73. However, at season’s end, the Rangers had 2 more points and ran through Atlanta in the playoffs, while the Islanders fell to Buffalo, who eventually beat the Rangers, too.



3) Emergence of Henrik Lundqvist
Atlanta - November 24, 2005
His first win was against New Jersey. We were that we had a capable backup for Kevin Weekes. His second win was against New Jersey. We thought it was great that we found someone who could beat Martin Brodeur.

In the following games, we found out what we all know now - that Henrik Lundqvist is one of the elite goaltenders in the league. He was young, he was unknown, he was flexible, he was quick, and he loved New York. However, during the lockout, the one move the Rangers did was sign Weekes, who never had a winning NHL season but was experienced and had had a great postseason in Carolina (3-2, 1.62 GAA).

Tom Renney, never one for change (See: Wade Redden on the Power Play), alternated the two goalies but claimed Weekes was the starter. In fact, in November, Weekes had 8 starts to Lundqvist’s 4, including a Thanksgiving Day night game in Atlanta.

Weekes hurt his leg in a freak incident where the net fell on him. It turned out to be something Ranger fans were thankful for.

Lundqvist took over, not only in the game, but in the season. He started the next 6 games, going 4-1-1, giving up 12 goals. For the rest of the year, Weekes only started 2 games in a row twice, and one of those sets was right after the Olympic break where Lundqvist won the Gold Medal.

If not for Lundqvist, where would the Rangers have ended that season? Jagr was incredible as well, you can’t deny that, but we’ve seen what can happen to teams with just scoring and no goaltending. In fact, when Lundqvist was injured in the playoffs, the Rangers were swept by the Devils (Jagr was hurt as well).

Weekes never was mad, either. In one interview, he said he couldn’t possibly be mad. He knew how good Lundqvist was, and he knew he would lose his starting job as soon as the rest of the league found out.

Where would the Rangers be any season without Lundqvist? For the past 4 seasons, when the scoring faltered, Lundqvist kept the Rangers in nearly every game. And if I was starting a team today, he would be the first goaltender I pick.

2) Avery vs. Brodeur
New Jersey - February 20, 2007
I remember being at the Monday night game when it was announced that the Rangers acquired Sean Avery for Jason Ward and March-Andre Cliche (who people were mad about trading, but, uh, where is he now?). It was a game against Detroit that the Rangers lost 4-3 to fall to 25-24-4, with the playoffs fading out of reach.

The next day was a Tuesday, and Avery’s debut. I remember watching on TV (it was in New Jersey) and being impressed at the fact that Avery actually had skill, unlike all the bitter fans of other teams were saying. He had a great play to win the puck and pass it to Michael Nylander, who passed to Karel Rachunek, who scored a goal. And he got in Brodeur’s face. Interesting, I thought. The Rangers lost that game in a shootout.

Fast forward two weeks later. The Rangers had gone 4-1-1 with Avery (including the shootout in Jersey). Another Tuesday night, another trip to New Jersey. Another Devils victory.

With 1:16 left in the 2nd period, Avery got by Colin White, gets a shot off, doesn’t stop, and knocks into Brodeur, knocking his helmet off. Brodeur shoves Avery, Avery shoves back, and Brodeur jumps down as if he’d been shot.

What was so big about this was that it has started one of the biggest storylines for the Rangers since the Lockout ended. There have been fights, dives (by Brodeur), refused handshakes, a few incredible goals that led into huge celebrations, a war of words, a great playoff victory by the Rangers, cheap shots by both players, and even an entire set of rules dedicated to goaltender interference based on how Avery screened him during the 2008 playoffs.



1) Clinching the Playoffs
MSG - April 4, 2006
Remember how I earlier said that Lundqvist took a break after the Olympics and Weekes started 2 straight games? Well, the first of them was one that actually made me, a cold-hearted male, shed a few tears.

In a home game against the Flyers, the Rangers needed 1 solitary point to clinch the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Rangers scored early in the 1st, but Philadelphia scored twice in the 2nd to take a lead. However, Martin Straka scored early in the 3rd to tie it at 2, and it eventually went to overtime, and then a shootout.

It didn’t matter. All they needed was to take it to overtime, and with 7 games left in the 2005-06 season, the New York Rangers clinched the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Those tears washed away years of bad memories - Mark Messier leaving; the disappointment of Eric Lindros; the promise of Pavel Bure only to be seen as the tragedy when he got injured; trading away 1st round draft picks in 2000 and 2002; trading away Brian Leetch; drafting Jamie Lundmark and Pavel Brendl; drafting Hugh Jessiman over Zach Parise and Ryan Getzlaf; the Mike Richter career-ending injury; the Dan Blackburn career-ending injury; years of free agent busts; a last place prediction by most “experts” in the preseason; Marty McSorley; seven seasons without a playoffs; and a Lockout that caused us fans to lose an entire year.


But then again, maybe that’s what the Lockout brought us. New hope. New players, new blood on the team. If it wasn’t for the Lockout, who knows what this team would look like now?

And, just like that, all of that was washed away with a 21-save performance by starter-turned-backup Kevin Weekes.

It was just icing on the cake that the Rangers won in the shootout. The real battle was won when regulation ended.

Prucha Scores on His Back...

"It's a power play goal! Petr Prucha!"

Last night, the Phoenix Coyotes went into Pittsburgh and took on the Penguins, and they won 3-0. What's more impressive is that it was a power play goal. What's more impressive is that he scored it while on his back, laying on a Penguin.

Check out the video of Prucha scoring while lying on Mark Eaton.

Happy Thursday to everyone.

On Ryan Callahan & Lauri Korpikoski...

I am happy with both news items that came out of Madison Square Garden yesterday.

First, Ryan Callahan re-ups for 2 years at an average of $2.3M per year. Considering Callahan had 40 points last year (22 G, 18 A) and earned his raise. Yet, if he was a veteran, he would be making a boatload of more money. For comparison, Ales Kotalik had 43 points in each of the past 2 seasons, and he got paid $3M. Chris Drury had the same number of goals (but 18 assists more) and is making over $7M. Scott Gomez had 58 points total and was making $7.357M. So would you rather have 3 Callahan's scoring 40 points each and playing hard every shift, or 1 Gomez scoring under 60 points while coasting through life?

As for Lauri Korpikoski being traded for Enver Lisin: Good riddance! I had nothing in particular against Korpikoski, except for the fact that he wasn't that good. You would think that 5 years after being drafted 19th overall in 2004 (1 spot before Travis Zajac and 10 before Mike Green), he'd start to fill in already. Some might call him a "late bloomer" and some might say he was "mis-used by Tom Renney and John Tortorella." But if you want the truth, he never was primed to be a top-line player.

Is Lisin going to be? Probably not. But he had 21 points in only 48 games last year, and he is blazing fast. He is so quick with the puck that he fits in perfectly with Tortorella, as opposed to the slower Korpikoski.

Korpikoski averaged less than a shot per game (63 shots, 68 games) while Lisin averages over two. For those who love Phil Esposito, you might remember that he always said that you can't score if you can't shoot.

Plus, he will be cheaper than Korpikoski to re-sign, if only by $100-200K. Still, every little bit of Cap room helps the Rangers.

Was Korpikoski mis-used? Not really, atleast not to the extent that Petr Prucha was while he was here. Korpikoski is an adequate checking-forward and penalty-killer, but he didn't have much more in his bag o' tricks.

While I'm not saying Lisin will be the Restricted Free Agent Who Saved the Franchise, atleast he's an upgrade over Korpikoski. Lisin has Nik Zherdev's potential, even though he might never use it. Korpikoski had Nigel Dawes's potential, even though he might never achieve such grand heights.

Plus, it's nice to see Glen Sather using the same game plan he had in the Summer of '08 - get as many 3rd and 4th line players under contract if necessary.

Rangers Beat Devils...

Am I really hearing positive things coming out of the hosts' mouths on the NHL Networks On the Fly?

He really was disciplined tonight, and got the same treatment from the refs that he normally does. David Clarkson attacks him, he gets a penalty. Martin Brodeur chops him in the crotch, no penalty, of course. Those just aren't Avery Rules, those are Marty Rules. He has immunity.

I liked Chris Drury hitting his stick along the boards in approval of Avery not being goaded into a fight. Avery was right - the Rangers were up 3-0 and a fight wouldn't have done anything to help them further... especially if he lost it.

Regardless, here's how the Rangers stand after a thrilling 3-0 win over the Devils...

They have 89 points. The most they can get is 99 (5 games left).

Buffalo has 82 points and can get 96 at the most (if they go 7-0 to end the season). Forget Buffalo, they might make 8th on a long shot but won't overtake the Rangers.

Florida Panthers, possibly in a last-ditch effort to save a crappy franchise (which I hope moves), might be the only team who currently sit outside of the top 8 who might crack the playoffs. They have 85 points and can get 97 total.

Say the Panthers get to 94 points. The Rangers in their 5 games left, would have to go 3-2 or 2-1-2 in their remaining 5 games to avoid a tiebreaker scenario (although they currently have 3 more victories, the first tiebreaker).

I didn't get to watch the whole game tonight because of work, but I watched some there and highlights online and on TV, so I apologize if my normally dead-on analysis is lacking tonight. But how about that diving pass from Nik Antropov to Dan Girardi on the 2nd goal of the game? Fantastic.

Should be an interesting 5 games against playoff contenders (Canes, Bruins, Habs, Flyers, Flyers). That Montreal game on April 7 will be huuuuuge.

* * *

For those keeping track of past Rangers, Petr Prucha scored the game winner in overtime today against Dallas, and also had 2 assists in a 6-5 win for the Coyotes.

Rare MSG Guests: Minnesota Wild...

The last time the Rangers played the Minnesota Wild, it was a disastrous occasion that culminated in Marion Gaborik scoring 5 goals and being desperately fed the puck for a sixth goal that never actually happened. That was December 2007 in Minnesota.

Tonight's game (on Versus, don't forget) marks only the 3rd time since the lockout that these two teams are going to meet. It's the second time since then that the Wild will be at Madison Square Garden.

As it happens, I will be at tonight's game (thankfully, so I won't have to watch the Versus telecast... someone please inform me who the Bud Light Drinkability Player of the Game is). And as it happened, I was at MSG the last time, as well.

Since that game was in December 2005, let me remind you how it went down...

... Dwayne Roloson was in net for Minnesota. He nearly won a Cup later that season with Edmonton.

... Henrik Lundqvist had just starting playing regularly when Kevin Weekes got injured in November.

... Petr Prucha (remember him?) had 2 power play goals, his 8th and 9th goals of the season.

... Martin Rucinsky had 3 assists.

... Martin Straka scored the other Rangers goal (an empty-netter)

... Future and former Ranger Pascal Dupuis scored the lone goal for Minnesota. Alexandre Daigle (remember him?!) had an assist during his short-lived comeback tour.

... Mikko Koivu, far and away the team's leading point-getter this year, was a healthy scratch. he will miss tonight's game as well with a knee injury.

... And my $36 seats in Section 333 are now closer to $60.

* * *

It doesn't matter if the Rangers win tonight in regulation, overtime, or the shootout, so long as they win. Giving an extra point to Minnesota doesn't hurt them at all, they just need 2 themselves.

The Wild sit in 10th place. Two points tonight puts them tentatively in 8th place, as Nashville and Anaheim will have a game in hand.

Both teams desperately need a win tonight, the Wild maybe a little more, so I expect a pretty fast moving game. It should be more like last season's game as opposed to the 2005 Neutral Trap Game I witnessed.

Nashville...

One of my favorite things in life - besides Americanized Mexican food, Internet pastimes not including this blog, and TV shows on DVD - is going to Ranger games outside of New York. I go to enough Ranger games at MSG (I have a half-season package) and I go to a few at the Coliseum every year (although this year I've only been to one, the January 13 2-1 win).

In 2006-07, I went to Boston. The Rangers killed them, 6-1, on a Monday night. Petr Prucha had 2 goals, and the Prucha-Jed Ortmeyer-Matt Cullen line all had 3 points. I also would have gone to both playoff games in Atlanta that year, but I owned a business at the time and couldn't just up and leave, although I was tempted to (and good seats were available in that hockey hotbed the day of both games).

In 2007-08, I planned a 3 in 4 Extravaganza. Three games, 4 nights. The Rangers were playing Wednesday in New Jersey, Thursday in Philadelphia, and Saturday in Pittsburgh. We ended up just going to the first 2, because Pittsburgh is 5 hours from Philadelphia and 7 from NY.

So me and 3 others went to the game in Jersey, which I believe was the 3rd at the Rock ever. Nice place, though it was unfinished then (I have since returned for a Metallica concert, and while the drinks are crazy expensive, it is a nice place... but $10 for a shot of Jameson is nuts). The Devils scored 35 seconds in, Nigel Dawes scored 50 seconds later, the crazy fans behind us shouted "Die, Scotty, Die!" the whole night, two of us moved to very nice seats to see Marc Staal score his first ever NHL goal, and the Rangers won 4-2.

Then, the next day, we went to Philadelphia. Prucha scored on a great shot to make it 3-2 in the 3rd, but the Flyers tied it and the Rangers won in a shootout on a Brendan Shanahan goal.

We didn't go to the Penguins game, but they won 4-3 in overtime on a Jason Strudwick goal. The weird thing about this game was that all 4 goals were by defensemen. Michal Rozsival scored 2 within 4 minutes (one shorthanded), Dan Girardi had one, and then Struds got the winner.

On Super Bowl Sunday, the day the Giants beat the Patriots, I was in Montreal for the NBC game - along with 35 other Ranger fans. The Habs were up 3-0, and then the Rangers scored 5 straight for the great win. I'm pretty sure you could hear the Ranger fans on TV that day. Ryan Hollweg got crushed by Alex Kovalev at one point, then boarded (of course) one of the Flying Kostitsyn Brothers (Sergei?) and got tossed from the game, and I think suspended.

Great city, that Montreal.

* * *

Point being, Thursday is a jumping off point for me. I haven't been to many games this season, for a few reasons. 1) The economy stinks, so if I'm supposed to work a day when I have a game, I sell the tickets to friends so I can work and make money. 2) The team has been mediocre, which I can watch, but for a while the team wasn't even likable, so I didn't want to spend the money (train, bar, food, tickets, etc.) to go.

Thursday, though, I'll be at the game, then I'll be at Sunday's game vs. Philly, then a game March 24th vs. Minnesota, and finally April 7 vs. Montreal.

Thursday's game is in Nashville, Tennessee, marking my 2nd foray into Music City, and first for a Predators game. We got very good seats, and I'm jazzed. Okay, to be honest, I'm not sure if the seats are good. It's a goofy system they have, with row A, then row AA somewhere. I think I'm in row CC, which is either 3rd row or like 14th row or something. Couldn't make sense of floor plans there, and I'm not an idiot either. Hockey hotbed, it is not.

Nashville is a great city though, and I'm very curious to how their fanbase is. I think they have a good core of fans, somewhere around 12,000 season subscribers, but they only sell a little over 13,000 tickets per game, so the city isn't rabid about the Predators. I do also hear people from Nashville calling the XM Home Ice channel (channel 204) once in a while.

They also have a good team who is hot. They've won 6th straight although they didn't get any help at the trade deadline.

Please answer the poll question on which jersey I should wear to the game.

If I'm lucky, I'll get to see Hugh Jessiman's first NHL game! (No, that's not true, he won't be there.)

* * *

By the way, 78 goals were scored in the NHL tonight! Not one of them was a shootout goal, either! The Islanders beat the Devils 7-3; Carolina won 9-3 over Tampa Bay; Columbus beat the Wings 8-2. Crazy night. There was also only one 1-goal game (LA over Minnesota, 4-3).

Day in the Life...

The NHL Network has a show entitled "Day in the Life," which follows a player around from morning to night on the day of a game. Most episodes are pretty cool, and show a player at home with his family, eating (creepy, I know), going to morning skate, going to lunch, interacting with fans, taking a 2-hour nap (they don't show that), then playing in the game.

The Shea Weber episode was boring. I think he lives with his parents - I could be wrong there. For the most part, that episode was them sitting in meetings and Nashville Predators' coach Barry Trotz warning the team that Zach Parise is a good player. (Uh, yeah, he is.)

The Ryan Clowe episode also was boring, because they were on the road in Columbus so we saw nice shots of him eating eggs in the hotel (he also eats oatmeal sometimes). Clowe also has the personality of a pineapple.

Right now, I'm watching Derek Morris. I know that it sucks that Petr Prucha was traded for this guy, who is going to be an unrestricted free agent in less than 4 months, but he is a good player. He also has a big, big, big shot from the point. (His oldest son also has a huge slapper... I think the kid is like 8). He's got a good personality and he seems like he cares about winning. Ah, if only Don Maloney was stupid enough to take Aaron Voros instead of Prucha.

Anyway, point of the story is 1) I think Morris will really help this team and 2) to tell you to TiVo this show. They show random episodes at random times. I know Mike Green is sometime this week.

Oh, and Scott Hartnell's wife is really hot.

Trade Recap via Zach...

Now we know why Petr Prucha has been in the lineup for the past few games. A showcase. But does Don Maloney really need to know what Prucha brings? He was a big proponent of him in NY. Did Tom Renney pull the strings on this deal?

The Rangers effectively sold the heart and soul of their team (along with sporadically-gifted Nigel Dawes and always-horrendous Dmitri Kalinin) for Derek Morris.

They tell me Morris is going to QB the PP. For those who actually watch hockey, Morris has 12 points in 57 games this year. Not one of those is on the power play. He has 35 career power play points. Petr Prucha had 16 power play goals in 2005-06 alone, as a rookie.

The one bright spot is that now atleast Prucha will get ice time.

* * *

My computer were haywire before. I was typing letters and they would end up in random spots on the screen. Not fun. So I closed the laptop, shut it down like Vesa Toskala this season, and so I couldn't post.

I do indeed like the Nik Antropov deal. I think he is going to be good in NY. Maybe he can play with Zherdev. He is a UFA next year as well and if he re-signs (I realize we are talking about this before he even plays a game in NY) he will come around $3M.

Best deal of the day? I don't know. Seems like Boston stole Mark Recchi along with a 2nd round pick. Then again, Buffalo got a 2nd round pick for former Ranger Dom Moore? Uh... 12 goals (a career high), 41 points (same), and a shutdown center for a 2nd round pick in a deep draft? Get real. I'd rather have Antropov, for sure. (Granted, Buffalo basically sent the 2nd round pick they received for Ales Kotalik.)

Worst deal? Why would LA trade Patty O'Sullivan? Boston receiving Steve Montador for someone who couldn't stick on the Islanders roster? A win for the Bruins. In fact, Anaheim made a lot of bad trades today, trading Travis Moen, Montador, Sam Pahlsson, and others for a bunch of nobodies. The only one that might stick is Nick Bonino, a late-round pick from 2007. They did also receive Erik Christensen.

This Toronto/Tampa Bay deal sending Jamie Heward, Olie Kolzig, and others for some guy seems ridiculous, and I have to check on this one.

Favorite trade? Antoine Vermette for Pascal LeClaire. Helps everyone, and I am rooting for Columbus whole-heartedly.

Someone should re-name the Hurricanes to the Carolina Rentals. (Bad joke, I know.) In 2006, they traded for Doug Weight and Mark Recchi. Both players won the Cup with them, then re-signed in their respective cities (St. Louis; Pittsburgh). Then, Matt Cullen signs in NY. He later gets traded back. Over the summer, Erik Cole went to Edmonton. Today, he came back to Carolina. What, was Aaron Ward not available today?

Calgary and Phoenix definitely won today, though. Calgary got Jordan Leopold, Olli Jokinen, and a 3rd round pick, automatically strengthening them this year. Phoenix nailed Prucha, Dawes, Scott Upshall, Matthew Lombardi, and a slew of picks including a 1st round pick, helping them now and in the future.

Teams that stood still in the past few weeks: Vancouver (although they did get Glen Metropolit off waivers; they considered Mats Sundin their trade deadline deal); Nashville (no improvment and no fire-sale means they will probably miss the playoffs and not get a good draft pick); Washington (I guess that they wanted Bill Guerin but couldn't trade Michael Nylander's $5M contract). Am I missing anyone? A few teams, like the Devils and Canadiens, made moves in the past 2 weeks so I didn't count them.

* * *

I know it's wishful dreaming, but how sweet would a Wade Redden for upcoming UFA Jay Bouwmeester be?

Trade Deadline Wrap-Up

The post directly this one was truly exhausting. What you see on this page is the result of five hours of rumor scouring, quick posting when the boss wasn't looking, and general hockey obsession. We got a ton of hits for it, which is awesome, but that's not the point. Instead, the point is that this was a pretty unique trade deadline. We didn't see any superstars move; hell, we barely even saw any good players dealt. Probably the biggest name dealt today was Olli Jokinen, he of his zero games of playoff experience.

So what did we see? Glad you asked.

 - There were something like 25 teams buying and 5 teams selling. So we had the usual assortment of "veteran role player for premium draft pick" deals.  We expected this. But one thing we didn't expect would be this little nugget - not one first-round pick was traded today. In fact, the only first-round pick dealt in this entire trading season is the one the Islanders received for Chris Campoli and Mike Comrie.

EDIT: Zach - Olli Jokinen fetched a 1st round pick from Calgary to Phoenix. Phoenix sent Jokinen and a 3rd round pick for a prospect, Matthew Lombardi, and a 1st rounder.

 - There wasn't a single trade made today that helps both teams win now. Similarly, there weren't any "my problem for your problem" trades, unless you count Derek Morris for Petr Prucha. Most of these trades were horribly lopsided - and the vast majority of those deals favored the teams getting good picks for rental players.

 - Let's get into the local teams for a second. A lot of Islanders fans are already killing Garth Snow, not just for failing to get more for Bill Guerin, but for only making one deal today. We'll respond to each of these gripes individually.

Regarding the Guerin deal, I am convinced that the deal the Islanders received on Saturday - assuming this deal actually existed - was far better than the deal the Islanders made with Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, all the buzz regarding this mystery trade caused everyone to, pardon the expression, shoot their collective loads and quickly sour on the idea of a Guerin trade. And when that initial deal fell through, Snow was kind of stuck. But here's the thing. Everyone's complaining that it's a fifth-round pick. It isn't. The Penguins are going to make the playoffs. And they learned enough last year to steal a round. So it could easily end up being a third round pick. If it's not, does it matter? Not really. It's still a crapshoot; even a second or a first round pick doesn't guarantee a future NHL player. So let's back off Snow on this one. He got what he could; outside of the Dominic Moore deal, it's not like any other teams got much better picks for their rental players.

Sure, Snow only made one deal. But what people seem to forget is that next year's team will not be comprised entirely of kids. You still need veterans to lead the team. Brendan Witt is signed to a reasonable contract. Doug Weight could be resigned. And you never know, Guerin could end up back here next year. The point is, Snow is aware that guys like Weight and Witt have value, and that's why he kept them. Hockey is not just about sticks and pucks; there's a lot of stuff behind the scenes we never see. And Weight is reportedly as good as they come in the clubhouse. Besides, the same people who bash Snow for not being active are the same people who bitch about the Islanders never having a consistent core over a number of years. If there was a deal to be made, the Islanders would have made it. It's over now. Let's move on.

EDIT: Zach - I think the deal was to Washington, but Washington had to make room and couldn't move Michael Nylander and his $5M contract.

 - As for the Rangers... um... it's almost as though Glen Sather found out it was the trade deadline at about 2:30 and hastily threw together some Sather Staples (TM) - you know, the type that makes the team a little better now, but at a great future cost. Nik Antropov is a good pick-up - if you can sign him. The Rangers are screwed cap-wise from now until eternity. Derek Morris isn't a bad rental, but at the cost of Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes, two of the better players to come out of the Rangers' organization in recent years? Prucha should fare very well with a change of scenery, and Dawes will probably out-perform Morris this year alone. But hey, least they addressed a need instead of picking up yet another anonymous forward.

The Rangers are taking a huge risk. You could make the argument that since Prucha is a healthy scratch most nights and Kalinin is horrendous, it's not really a risk. That line of thinking is incorrect. The Rangers, who should have had a playoff spot sewn up months ago, had to give up a second-round pick, a conditional pick, and two young players just to get into the playoffs, where there are few guarantees. It's one thing to sacrifice a bit of the future for the present, but it's much easier when there's a good chance of success.  The Rangers, not unlike the Islanders of two years ago, stand a great chance of getting into the playoffs and being unceremoniously bounced in the first round. The Rangers obviously feel they can make a run, and good for them, but now would be a good time to start thinking about the future. Especially since the present isn't all that much to write home about.

EDIT : Zach - The only thing that this does for the Rangers is clear cap room for next year. Antropov and Morris are both UFAs on July 1. Prucha and Dawes were RFAs, and Kalinin is a UFA.

---

All in all, a trade deadline that wasn't super-exciting, but had its share of interesting trades. Only time will tell how the Rangers' deals will work out. But if you're an Islanders fan, just be happy you got anything for Bill Guerin. Given the quality of players who were waived just this week, it sure beats the alternative.

Mark Bell...

So John Tortorella thinks Sean Avery should "stay home" because of a bad joke he made about an ex-girlfriend (comments he made on TSN), but apparently being arrested for a hit and run made while driving under the influence is perfectly acceptable.

Why do the Rangers need another 3rd/4th line winger? Are Nigel Dawes, Lauri Korpikoski, Ryan Callahan, Petr Prucha, Colton Orr, Fred Sjostrom, and Aaron Voros not enough? Not to mention Avery in the wings if he doesn't get picked up by another team on his way up.

Were Theo Fleury and Sandis Ozolinsh not available?

Unless he goes straight to the AHL, or unless this is a prelude to a trade where the Rangers unload a bunch of players, this makes no sense at all. It's not like he's a great value. For Christ's sake, Toronto didn't want him!

Wasn't this the Rangers' problem in the beginning of the year? Too many forwards signed for no reason (Voros, Pat Rissmiller) that there wasn't room for everyone?

* * *

And for the record, I'm not picking on someone who made a mistake once in his life. I'm pointing out that he's a jerk - for lack of a dirty word - and he's always been, on and off the ice.

* * *

Bell was chosen 8th overall in 1998 by the Chicago Blackhawks, 7 spots after Vinny Lecavilier, two spots after Calgary took Rico Fata, one spot after the Rangers chose Manny Malhotra, and 19 spots before New Jersey took Scott Gomez.

Breaking News...

WESTCHESTER, NY - It was leaked today from a source inside the New York Rangers organization that Petr Prucha is responsible for shooting and killing Tom Renney’s dog, Scratch. The accidental killing of the Bullmastiff happened in mid-October, but details started emerging Thursday.

Coach Renney, when confronted by reporter Dan Pagano, immediately confessed that this news is indeed true. In retaliation, Mr. Renney said, he has been benching Mr. Prucha often since the incident.

Mr. Renney has claimed that he will only put Mr. Prucha in for sporadic, three- or six-game stretches throughout the season, regardless of performance.

Certain members of the team, including captain Chris Drury and defenseman Michal Rozsival, have spoken directly to Mr. Renney, clamoring for Mr. Prucha in the lineup and offering to pay for grievance sessions for Mr. Renney. Thus far, the four-and-a-half-year coach has refused.

“We need his enthusiasm, spirit, and offensive skills playing for us every night. I believe Coach Renney knows this, but he is refusing to play him,” Mr. Drury said before the Rangers game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.

Mr. Rozsival added, “I think he knows we need [Mr.] Prucha in uniform, but he keeps going back to Aaron Voros. I don’t understand.”

Mr. Rozsival and then Mr. Drury then debated on if Mr. Renney really believed Mr. Voros adds to the team, even though his stats (1 point, minus-6 in the last 20 games) stand firmly against that standpoint.

On the contrary, Mr. Prucha has 2 points in his last 4 games, although he is a minus-1 in the same span. In a span of 6 games from December 29, 2008 to January 10, 2009, he notched 2 goals, 3 assists, and was a plus-1.

Mr. Renney also confided to Mr. Pagano that to spite Mr. Prucha, he will play Mr. Voros on the power play. This drew the ire of players, as well.

“It’s bad enough that I get put on the power play. What business does Aaron Voros have being out there, especially with the game on the line? Scratch was a good dog, but Coach Renney is going to lose his job if we keep losing,” said Wade Redden.

As is his nature, Mr. Prucha politely declined being interviewed for this story at first, but later changed his mind. He said, “I know what I did was wrong, and Coach knows it was an accident. However, this team is starved for offense and passion, both of which I bring every single night. I have bought him three other dogs. I don’t know how [many more I have to buy] him before he does what is best for this team and sits Aaron. Putting him on the power play, a position he can’t play at all, is like spitting in my face.”

Mr. Prucha has admitted to his mistake, and he - and the team - hope Renney can admit his and fix it. The Rangers next play in Toronto on Wednesday, and the players all individually told Mr. Pagano that they hope Mr. Prucha plays instead of Mr. Voros.

The preceding story was a work of fiction. The writer of the story has no connections to the New York Rangers or any of the real-life people mentioned in it.

Ice Time...

Ice time on the power play tonight (of the Rangers' 4:35 total)...

Wade Redden - 2:30

Marc Staal - 9 seconds

Scott Gomez - 2:31

Chris Drury - 2:53

Petr Prucha - nothing

Lauri Korpikoski - 22 seconds

I'm not saying Prucha is the be-all-and-end-all of the New York Rangers. I'm not saying Korpikoski is worth the 2004 1st round draft pick. But Gomez has done nothing - in an incredible fashion - on the power play lately. Redden has done nothing the entire season, on the power play AND even strength. Drury - eh, nothing, at least Drury wants to play for the Rangers.

Could it really hurt the Rangers to put Prucha or Korpikoski on the power play? (Ryan Callahan played just over 2 minutes today on the PP). Korpikoski has 3G, 1A in the past 4 games and, along with Callahan, Prucha, Henrik Lundqvist, and Paul Mara, appear to be the only Rangers interested in playing past early-April.

Listen, I love Tom Renney. He will go down in history with Lester Patrick, Emile Francis, and Mike Keenan as the most important coaches in Ranger history. But, he has an over-reliance on these bums - for lack of a better word. Gomez and Redden don't perform. Why keep putting them out there? 

I sincerely think that Renney won't get fired, because either GM Glen Sather is clueless, or he is out on vacation somewhere. He is an absentee GM, and because Jim Dolan will make money on the Rangers (and Knicks) regardless of how they finish, he has no need to change things.

It makes me angry just typing this. Redden either needs to refrain from showing his loyalty so much, or he needs to step away from the bench and move to a cozy office a few floors below ice level at MSG.

Rangers Finally Score Goals...

The Rangers didn't play great last night, but they outplayed Washington, finally scored more than 2 goals in a game, didn't play atrociously, and got two points out of the deal.

I wonder if Scott Gomez has watched the replay of Paul Mara's goal a few dozen times. If Tom Renney still had control of this team, he would probably make him do that to show him what can happen when you fire from in front of the net as opposed to a crappy, low-angle shot from the boards. (He also should be force-fed replayed of Ryan Callahan's, Lauri Korpikoski's, and even Markus Naslund's goals so he can learn to crash the net/shoot from the slot to score goals).

Gomez's play has gone from serviceable to inconsistent to poor to horrendous. Nobody making $7M/year should be described as "horrendous" now that we have a salary cap in place. It was different when Eric Lindros and Val Kamensky ate up money, because it only affected the wallet. Now, it affects the entire team like an 800-pound gorilla in the room. As opposed to when it used to just cost money, it now handcuffs the team from making other moves because they have a non-performing player with an un-trade-able contract.

He's not just a non-performer. He actually hurts the team with his giveaways near his own goal, in the offensive zone, and his blown coverages that lead to goals (namely, when he was staring at Henrik Lundqvist instead of the man who eventually scored the Capitals' 2nd goal last night).

Between him and Wade Redden, $13.8M in salary cap room is alloted to players who actually help the other team. For the next 5 years after this year, as well.

Think these two are bad now? Wait to see them slower and older in 2013.

* * * 

I want you to look, next time the Rangers give up a goal, at where the players are standing/looking. Nearly every goal they give up, including the first 3 last night, the players were looking at the puck-carrier and not paying attention to the rest of the ice. Joe Micheletti brought it up on the first goal, where everyone (biggest error was Redden) was staring at the puck. 

It was also evident on Mike Green's goal to make it 3-2 Capitals, when he was alone just above the right circle. Four Rangers were "hounding" the puck-carrier - who in reality wasn't pressured at all - and Green was wide open as the 5th Ranger was nearer to him but was also staring at the puck.

* * * 

Aaron Voros was in the lineup presumably because Renney likes his "size" and ignores the fact that he is a poor skater, doesn't punish people with body checks like a man his size should, and doesn't put pucks in the net. 

I've been harping on the fact that his size hasn't given the team anything lately except a blowout loss, a bunch of shutouts and one near shutout.

Well, I stand corrected. Last night, he correctly demonstrated to all those in the system how to effectively lose a fight to someone you tower over. 

Not sure, but I think even Petr Prucha would've stood a better chance against Matt Bradley.

Drop the Axe...

Aaron Voros's size, Chris Drury's leadership, Scott Gomez's incredible shots from the boards, Wade Redden's fantastic play from the point on the power play, and Petr Prucha looking snazzy in a suit and tie brought the Rangers another shutout - the 2nd in 4 games (and almost the 3rd if Markus Naslund didn't connect with 10 seconds left on Adam Graves Night).

Yet, the "coach" deploys the same players in the same situation, night after night. Gomez played 19:49 tonight, nearly an entire period of uselessness.

I can hear the axe coming for Tom Renney's head. The hammer should be falling sometime this week.

* * * 

Oh, and was that not the most boring fight you've ever seen between David Clarkson and Eric Reitz?

Henrik Lundqvist was sharp tonight, whcih was the one saving grace for them.

But seriously, Tom Renney's time is up. He's lost this team.

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.

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.

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.

A Successful Night in Nassau...

Mark down January 13, 2009 as a success for me.

Awkward moment involving a young child and myself during the game: CHECK

Almost get into a fight in the bathroom: CHECK

A delicious pretzel twist: CHECK (although around the midway point of it, it magically turned from very hot to ice cold)

Two points for the Rangers: CHECK

An All-Star performance from Henrik Lundqvist: CHECK

Islanders coming hard at the Rangers: CHECK

An awful third period by the Islanders: CHECK (excluding the last 94 seconds)

An Islander getting injured: CHECK (be sure to note that I don't wish them injuries - far from it - but it seems that every game or every two games, someone is getting hurt)

Rangers shooting from the perimeter and making even 3rd-string goaltenders look like Jacques Plante: CHECK

Guy next to me commenting if Scott Gomez was still a Ranger: CHECK (hey, Gomez had one good shot today, that's a start)

A spirited effort by Petr Prucha: CHECK

An abundance of Nikolai Zherdev jerseys: CHECK

Me and the lady in front of me decreeing that Martin Straka was a warrior: CHECK

Guy behind me yelling "SUCKS" after we chanted "Hen-Rik!": CHECK

Me saying that he did not indeed suck, and that he was a top 3 goalie in the league: CHECK

On a different note, does anybody want to assist me in a letter writing campaign to Newsday? Now, I know that the print media is nearly a dead form because of the Internet, and to be honest, I don't read the hockey articles much because I know what they'll say. However, today's Newsday featured about 4 pages on the Knicks, 4 on the Giants, 2 on the Jets, and articles on the Mets and a full page devoted to Ricky Henderson and Mark McGwire. Uh, is this 1998?

The only mention of the Islander-Ranger game was an advertisement put in by the Islanders. Not one beat writer had a story published about the game. Not one. Yet, the Knicks, the laughingstock of a stupid, corrupt, boring league, get back AND front page mentions and multiple pages.

You KNOW that the well-fought rivalry game that happened tonight will not be back-cover-worthy tomorrow and instead it will be Eddy Curry thinking about suing the driver who claimed he was sexually harassed by Curry.

Despicable. We have a good sport here that is infinitely more entertaining that baseball and basketball. Ah, if only fantasy hockey was as fun as fantasy football. Imagine that?

Back to the original topic. A good night at the Coliseum, and the only thing missing was a vocalist during the National Anthem. That silent version was sort of awkward.

* * * 

If you click this link, you will see a picture of my friend Tom (in the blue Drury jersey) and me (in the white Girardi). For some reason, the Islander site wanted our picture, and some kid questioned it. We offered him to sit on my lap for a photo and smile, and he obliged. Quite happily, as well. (I'm pictures 19 and 20.)

I would've put the picture on this blog but I'm having trouble doing it.

Coming Soon...

To be honest, I was going to write a little entry here about how important Johnny Tavares would be to the Islanders, and how much pressure it is on an 18-year old who isn't really thinking yet that he will have to be a savior for a franchise, but Bryan hit the points pretty well on his last post. Since he's the Islander blogger, I'll leave it at that for now. 

I also hope that this isn't a point that we write about and look back on and realize it never mattered at all. In that bucket are posts about acquiring Marian Hossa and Mats Sundin, Mike Comrie and Miro Satan being traded at the 2008 trade deadline, Petr Prucha being traded, and Brendan Shanahan/Sean Avery/Jaromir Jagr/Marty Straka returning.

Yes, as a devout, lifelong Rangers fan, I wholeheartedly hope the Islanders get Tavares. For the past 3 years, I had hoped the Rangers tanked the 2008-09 season so that they could get the #1 overall pick, but now that they have no chance at being in the lottery, I really wish the Islanders get their chance.

* * *

By some divine streak of luck - aka my friend Tom texting me today - I will be at the Coliseum for the first time since the Rangers clinched the playoffs last year with a decisive victory.

In truth, it will only be my 4th game of the season, which is weird for me. Last year, I hit like 14 or 15 Ranger games (and one Islanders/Coyotes game as well). Most were at the Garden, but I traveled to New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Montreal as well to see them. This year, I saw "Opening Night" against Chicago (a victory), Avery's return against Dallas (a game in which my friend Tom passed out in the 2nd period, and the Rangers were playing so bad that I didn't wake him), and Petr Prucha's game-tying third-period goal against Pittsburgh in December (a shootout win). I'll probably be at 8, 9, or 10 games this year when all is said and done, including in Nashville in March.

Should be fun. I love going to the Coliseum for Ranger games. I like drinking in the parking lot and being in a 50/50 split. 

My hope is for some quality "Let's Go IslandersLet's Go Rangers!" chants (not a typo). My prediction is a Rangers overtime victory... not shootout... overtime! And as always, I predict Prucha scoring 2 goals.

Rangers Blank Senators...

Can I tell you how relieved I am that the Ottawa Senators weren't wearing those atrocious jerseys that say "SENS" in big letters across the front? (The jersey is a second-cousin of the "BOLTS" jersey in the hockey hotbed of Tampa Bay, and hopefully their family doesn't grow to include an "ISLES" jersey in Uniondale.)

Ottawa played woeful as their record (1-6-1 on an 8-game road trip, now 2-7-1 in their last 10) indicates. What happened to this team? No defense is one, I assume, but the big guns aren't playing well. Daniel Alfredsson was called out by his coach after their loss in Boston the other night. Dany Heatley has done nothing lately except earning an unearned spot on the All-Star team, and Jason Spezza threw the puck out of the zone and down the ice with 2 minutes left in the game and the team down two goals.

It was said today that Dmitri Kalinin is now a +6 in his last 8 games. While he is now an impressive -10, let it be known that Dave Maloney said this about him during a broadcast last week (and I'm paraphrasing since it was a week ago): Kalinin is having another good game for him. He'll never play mistake-free hockey, but he has been better as of late.

I love how Steve Valiquette stepped in against Buffalo and played a great game. I was nervous to have him in after he got bombed on with 5 straight goals against Toronto a few months ago, and I think Tom Renney was also because he didn't play for a long time after that. However, when called upon every other time, he has played nearly lights out.

Two shutouts for Lundqvist in 3 games is good form, and I'm glad he got the first out of the way, much like Brandon Dubinsky's goal will hopefully knock down the dam and more can come.

This blog lobbied for Petr Prucha from the beginning of the season, and I'm glad to see that crow is not on my dinner plate for tomorrow. He has 5 points in the 6 games since he's been back in the lineup. Oddly enough, the one game in which he was blanked (Friday vs. Buffalo) was the one in which he played the most, getting 17:23 in ice time. Words can't express how happy I am to see him playing well.

I don't know if they still put missing people on milk cartons anywhere except in cartoons, but if they do, can someone put a picture of Scott Gomez on one for me?

* * *

Brendan Shanahan, a Devil? What's next, they re-sign Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik? Exactly. This in no way shores up the Devils team, even if people say he is a "born leader" and a "locker room presence". Did the leadership and playoff experience of Shanahan, Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury, and Gomez get the Rangers anything except an early playoff exit last year?

Shanahan had nothing left in the tank as of mid-January 2008. He was hurt in his knee and his back, he was slowing down, and he brought nothing to the table. I hate to say that because he is a legend and was a great guy in New York, but he was just a waste of ice time at the end of last season, and unless a great cure for old age and creaky bones was discovered in late-2008, then I'm afraid it's more of the same.