An Open-Letter to Gary Bettman...

Dear Mr. Bettman,

If the Pittsburgh Penguins lose again in the Stanley Cup Finals, does it mean that next season is yet another one with an obvious officiating bias against them, especially in the playoffs? It happened brutally last year in the playoffs, it happened heavily this season, and in the playoffs as well this year.

Please, no more. Let the best team win the games!

Sincerely,

Rangers writer Zach, www.nyhockeyrivalry.com

All Is Well On This Night

You could say tonight went pretty well for the New York hockey teams. But that doesn't even begin to describe it.

The Rangers didn't just win tonight. They got a piece of themselves back. Their win tonight, coupled with Florida's loss, gives the Rangers a two-point lead with two games left. In essence, all the Rangers need to do is win one more game. One more win gives the Rangers 93 points and 42 wins; while Florida can still get to 93 points, they cannot win more than 41 games. The Rangers also did themselves a tremendous favor by taking two points from Montreal, as they've given themselves at least a fighting chance of avoiding Boston in the first round.

As for the Islanders... well, it's hard to draw positives out of 9-0 losses. Really, it is. If you listen hard enough, you can almost hear the accusations of tanking from up in Toronto. That's what happens when you get outshot 57-12. It was so bad that Scott Gordon changed goalies; if my memory serves me correctly, the only other time he changed goalies mid-game was during the Black Friday debacle in Boston. In any event, zero points is zero points, and there are some who will be thrilled with this result. As for me, I'm a huge Ric Flair fan, so I was more than happy to hear this over and over again.

So, what do we make of tonight? The Islanders have virtually wrapped up the top seed in the Draft Lottery. Tampa Bay is out of the running. Colorado will certainly fall to San Jose tonight, but it doesn't really matter. Assuming an Avalanche loss tonight, they will have 66 points with three games left. They would have to lose every game in regulation and the Islanders would have to win all of their remaining games to miss out on 30th place. That's not going to happen. So rest easy, Islanders fans. As for the Rangers, their playoff picture is much clearer. Truth be told, if they're truly a playoff team, they should be able to beat Philadelphia in one of two games. At this point, they'd have to be considered the favorites to beat out Florida. The hope now is that the Rangers play well in their final two games not just to get into the playoffs, but to get on a roll so that they can enter the post-season with some momentum.

Having said all of that, we close this entry out by throwing our support behind the Phoenix Coyotes in their game against St. Louis tonight. As much as we love John Davidson and the work he's done in St. Louis, a regulation loss by the Blues clinches a playoff berth for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have never made the playoffs. The Blue Jackets fans deserve a shot to see their play in the post-season, and if they draw Calgary in the first round, anything is possible.

An Open-Letter to Ryan Callahan...

Dear Ryan Callahan,

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

Today, I wish I could rescind my vote.

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

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

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

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

An Alcohol-Fueled Message To New York Hockey Fans

OK, I'll admit - I've been drinking tonight. A lot. But the following message rings true, regardless of whatever state you might find yourself:

CALM THE F*** DOWN.

Rangers Fans: You're fine. You still control your own destiny. In spite of the last two games, you're playing your best hockey of the year. Don't worry about Buffalo, and don't worry about Florida. Yes, I know the Panthers are just two points back with a game in hand. But barring a miracle, you hold the tiebreaker (wins). Two more wins will almost certainly clinch a playoff spot. They might be tough opponents, but these are the teams you'll be playing in the playoffs. And if any eighth seed is equipped to pull a 2006 Oilers, it's the Rangers.

Islanders Fans: Tampa Bay had no hopes of catching you no matter what. Even in light of tonight's result, they're five points back of you with three games to play. In other words, the only way they could catch you is if they win every game and you lose every game. As for Colorado... whatever. The worst team rarely wins the Draft Lottery anyway. All other things equal, karma always wins. Trust me, you'd rather play hard and let the chips fall where they may. Or would you rather the hockey gods exact vengeance upon you for tanking? It's much better this way.

You see? Both teams are fine. The Rangers still have a very good chance of qualifying for the playoffs. The Islanders still have a great chance at nabbing the best seed in the Draft Lottery and the 48.2% chance at the first overall pick that comes with it. There are still eight glorious days of hockey to be played. Let's enjoy it. No sense in worrying about what can't be controlled. Because for at least half of us, the season will be over next Sunday. For the sake of Rangers fans and the NHL in general, let's hope the Rangers get in.

Today's Games

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

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

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

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

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

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

Uh-Oh

This was not a good night for the Rangers to lose.

Zach will have more about this game later. But for now, real quick. The Rangers are still in the playoff hunt, but just barely. Florida is two points back of the eight-seeded Rangers; what's worse is that Florida has one game in hand. Even worse than that, though, is that the game in hand is against the hapless Thrashers. The Panthers play the Thrashers twice in their final five games, though games against the Penguins, Capitals and Flyers ensure that if Florida does qualify for the playoffs, it will certainly be well-deserved.

The Rangers' upcoming schedule? At Boston on Saturday, where the Bruins are making a push for the President's Trophy. Tuesday, they host the desperate Canadiens. The final two games are a home-and-home against Philadelphia, who will surely bring its A-game as the Flyers attempt to earn home ice advantage in the first round. To say that none of these games will be easy is a huge understatement.

You figure Florida will beat Atlanta in both matchups and should be good for three points in their games against Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington. That would leave them with 94 points. The Rangers would need five points in their final points to match that total. If the Rangers and Panthers tie for the eight seed, here's how the tie would be broken:

 - Total Wins. The Rangers currently have 40, while Florida has 38. Though those two games against the Thrashers makes this differential much more surmountable.

 - Points Earned In Head-To-Head Competition. The Rangers are 1-2-1 against Florida this year. So if there's a tie and the teams have the same number of wins, Florida gets the nod.

 - Goal Differential. It won't come to this, but Florida has an even goal differential while the Rangers' differential is minus-11.

Make no mistake, not qualifying for the playoffs would be a disaster for the Rangers. But it wouldn't diminish the fact that Florida is a pretty good team and has earned its place in the playoff picture. Part of me hopes they get in because it would help the franchise exponentially. But a Rangers team in the playoffs is good for ratings and publicity, things the NHL needs desperately. That path to the playoffs would have been infinitely easier had they beaten Carolina tonight. Now, they don't even control their own destiny.

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.

Playoff Tickets...

I got my playoff ticket invoice today. Madison Square Garden is telling me that for $3,888, I can 2 tickets to 16 home playoff games. That assumes that not only will they have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, but that every series will go 7 games. 

Home ice advantage? They aren't even technically in the playoff picture. They had two objectives today - get 2 points, and stop the Carolina Hurricanes from getting any points. They failed in both.

But don't worry. If I pay nearly four grand, anything left over from games not played or series (don't know the plural of "series") not played goes towards my tickets next year. 

All of this on a day when the offense thought Tom Renney was behind the bench. And to be honest, with all the ice time - and power play time - that Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden had, I thought Tom Renney was behind the bench. Wasn't one of his biggest problems his over-reliance on players who didn't ever help the offense? John Tortorella comes in claiming "change" and "hope" and "a better economy" and we get #33 passing the puck continuously and #6 getting busted on goals time and time and time again.

The first period of tonight's game was sporadically exciting but mostly boring. The second period I enjoyed, very fast, up-and-down. Steve Valiquette was excellent for most of the game. Sean Avery was a monster all game, especially on one shift when he left the penalty box and rocked 3 hits in 10 seconds. The 3rd period made me wish I hadn't napped earlier in the day. It was boring, horrendous hockey with uninspired play.

Wade Redden is making $6.5 million dollars this year (or enough to buy 3,433 people playoff tickets for all 16 home games). Maybe he can take some of that money, catch up with Dorothy, go to Emerald City, and buy some heart.

* * * 

I must say, as much as I hate the Hurricane's "cheerleaders," I hate the Versus broadcast even more. I appreciate that they take on hockey and lead in with shows about dead deer, but every Monday night game on that channel makes me cringe. The first 3 minutes were like watching a stop-motion movie (I think Coraline was more fluid than the Versus' choppy camerawork). I knew before the game that the Canadiens fired Guy Carbonneau, I didn't need everyone to tell me throughout the whole game and intermission. I can't stand hearing Eddie Olczyk being referred to as "Edzo." 

But above all else, I wish they would leave a non-commercial-time-out alone. Every time the whistle blew for an icing, penalty, or offsides, we were treated to the Marines.com Player of the Game (where you could find out for the 8th time that Rod Brind'amour was in his 600th game as a Hurricane). Or maybe it was the Bud Light Drinkability Stat of the Game. 

Ridiculous. Thankfully they only have 2 games left on Versus, and I'll be at one of them so I won't have to watch it. 

An Interesting Night Of Hockey

There are a handful of times each year when fan loyalties are put aside in favor of certain results that are favorable to playoff position. This is one of those nights.

The free-falling Rangers face those juggernauts from the West, the Colorado Avalanche. Meanwhile, the Islanders face the Buffalo Sabres, who are 8th in the East with 69 points, just one behind the Rangers. It's too early to be doing all this, right? Wrong. If the Sabres beat the Islanders and the Rangers don't take advantage of two gift points againt an awful Colorado team playing 2000 miles from home, the Rangers are in deep trouble. Because if these things happen and if Pittsburgh beats Dallas, the Rangers will find themselves out of the East's top eight. That might not sound like a big deal, but Rangers fans are furious and the players are under a ton of pressure. They don't need to add to this by dropping out of a playoff spot, something that will surely get the fans even madder than they already are. Islanders fans, on the other hand, would love nothing more than to put the screws to their biggest rivals; with a considerable cushion at the bottom of the league, this is a win they'd love to have.

Again, another quality night. It's always awesome to see these teams play on the same night. I just wish they'd start 30 minutes apart so they wouldn't go to intermission at the same time.