Happy New Year

Well, the Islanders were able to capitalize on what was a fine effort Monday night, parlaying the strides they made against the Rangers into an impressive 4-2 win against Florida. Here's what stood out to me.

- Mike Comrie is on fire. Over the past three games, he has four goals, two of which were scored in the final minute of regulation in close battles. He had a Gordie Howe hat trick in a losing effort on Monday night. And today, he contributed two goals and was on the ice for a third. It's taken Comrie a bit of time to get back into game shape, but he's been the best player by far over the past three games. Maybe all this talk of being "pain-free" actually has some merit.

- Disappointing crowd of 12,211 on an afternoon day when every kid on Long Island is off from school. You can blame the weather for some of that, but still. You'd like to see a better turnout for an afternoon matinee, especially since nobody does anything on New Year's until later on at night. Anyone who attended the game would have to be impressed with what they saw today.

- I missed the first 15 or so minutes of the first period, so I was surprised to turn on the TV and find Jiggs McDonald doing the game. After a while, I remembered that Howie Rose traditionally takes off when the Isles go out to the West Coast. And who can blame him? With no time off at all between baseball and hockey season, Howie's got to take whatever time he can. Anyway, it was great to hear Jiggs again.

And that's when it hit me. About a month ago, Jiggs McDonald and his wife were being detained in Thailand with a group of tourists. Nobody was sure what would happen, nobody knew when (or if) Jiggs would make it home. Now, not only is he home, but he's calling Islanders games and sounding like he's with the team as often as Howie or Jaffe. What a tremendous broadcaster and man. Those of us who grew up hearing Jiggs call Islanders games are lucky to have heard him for so many years.

- It was nice to see the Islanders put forth a great third period for once. Even though they were only playing Florida (a team Jaffe suggested wasn't giving their best effort), we got to see what might happen if the Islanders could string together 6o successive minutes of quality play. The Islanders got multiple odd-man rushes as the third period progressed; that none of them resulted in goals is no matter. This is the kind of third period the Islanders can build on; the problem is, they're traveling out to the West Coast and might be fatigued before long.

And thus, the Islanders end 2009 having played four good games in a row. Five out of eight points isn't a lot, but it's sure better than the first 20 or so days of December. It's a nice little run that hopefully can be improved upon as January unfolds.

We're obviously going to be watching the Winter Classic tomorrow, as should all of you. January 1 is traditionally a college football day, but hockey is starting to make New Year's Day all its own. Even ESPN.com has the Winter Classic as its headline story right now. Even people who usually hate hockey are sort of intrigued by this thing, so let's hope the Blackhawks and Red Wings give us a good show. I have no doubt that they will. For a lot of people, this is the first time they're seeing this Blackhawks team; I'll be pulling for them. Hockey's comeback in Chicago is one of the biggest stories of 2008, and I hope they can build on that with a big win to kick off 2009.

The Rivalry: Game 3

In response to Zach's post yesterday, I opined that last night's game would be beneficial for both teams. The Islanders would get to put their absolute best face forward against their most hated rival, while the Rangers would learn to push themselves against an opponent that would be playing them extremely tough. It would also represent a chance for both teams to take their frustrations out on each other.

And that's exactly what happened.

Within the first ten minutes of the game, Mitch Fritz took on Colton Orr and Mike Comrie sparred with Nigel Dawes. Both the heavyweight and middleweight bouts were spirited and impressive. They set the tone for a hard-hitting, tightly-played game. But it was the third period when the flood gates finally opened, and unfortunately for the Islanders, the Rangers were just a little better.

Still, if you're an Islanders fan, you have to be pleased with the way your team played, even with the latest Rick DiPietro distractions. And if you're a Rangers fan, you're happy with the win. Maybe you feel like your team could have played better and maybe they should have won by more, but these Islanders give teams fits. In a recent interview, Evgeni Malkin claimed the Islanders were the team that played him the toughest. And make no mistake about it, the Islanders were up for these Rangers, and vice versa.

What's really bad for the Rangers is that they now have a week off. They have no opportunity to build off this win. The Islanders, meanwhile, play Florida tomorrow in a New Year's Eve matinee game. If the Islanders play the way they played last night, they should easily dispose of the Panthers and head into 2009 on a relatively high note. It's just unfortunate that we won't get to see the after effects of these two rivals bringing out the best in each other yet again.

Islanders DVD Game Listing

Sorry to usurp Zach, but I've stumbled across the list of games that will be included on the upcoming Islanders DVD, to be released on March 3, 2009. We've been all over this from the start, and Amazon has posted a picture of the DVD box, which includes the list of games that will be included. Here are the games that will be included:

5/24/80: Game 6, Islanders vs. Flyers (First Cup win)

5/21/81: Game 5, Islanders vs. North Stars (Second Cup win)

4/13/82: Game 5, Islanders vs. Penguins (Tonelli's OT winner)

5/16/82: Game 4, Islanders vs. Canucks (Third Cup win)

5/17/83: Game 4, Islanders vs. Oilers (Fourth Cup win)

4/10/84: Game 5, Islanders vs. Rangers (Morrow's OT winner)

4/18/87: Game 7, Islanders vs. Capitals (Easter Epic)

5/14/93: Game 7, Islanders vs. Penguins (Volek's OT winner)

4/24/02: Game 4, Islanders vs. Maple Leafs (Bates' penalty shot)

11/3/07: Islanders vs. Penguins (Arbour's 1500th game)

Here's the games I would have picked. There are some similarities, but I have to say I like my list better. For example, the Isles-North Stars game shown is an Islanders 5-1 blowout win. Is this really a great stand-alone game? Same for Isles-Oilers in '83, when the Islanders pretty much won the game in the first period. I also have a bit of an issue with the Al Arbour game; I understand it's a big moment, but it's not exactly the kind of thing I'm going to show my kids when I try to teach them about Islanders history. It reeks of the way WWE loads their DVDs with recent matches just to make them seem more relevant.

Either way, I'll be buying this set. For the price Amazon is showing ($36.99), you do get quite a bit of content. The back of the box doesn't show anything about bonus features, and it also doesn't state how they plan on fitting a six-hour game (the Easter Epic) onto one disc. But this does look like quite the buy. And from the looks of things, this is as close as we're going to get to watching Islanders hockey this spring.

Regulation Wins...

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, the Rangers beat the Coyotes 4-1. Since then, they have had one regulation win, and that was against Anaheim on December 16.

Since Thanksgiving, there have been 3 shootout wins, 3 overtime wins, 6 losses, and 1 overtime loss (Capitals game last week where they blew the 4-0 lead to Alexandre Ovechkin).

And their power play has fallen to 25-11. That's 25 goals while on the PP, and 11 shorthanded goals against.

Yes, they are in first place. That 5-0 start was fantastic and it's the reason they are still kind of in first place (they are first in points but have played 2 more games than Philadelphia and 4 more than New Jersey, both of whom are nipping at their heels). Besides that fast start, the two reasons that they are in a decent position are Henrik Lundqvist and the fact that Gary Bettman hates games that end in a tie. Don't worry, Mr. Bettman, I do too. I enjoy the shootouts and what they've done to my team.

Let's hope a game against the Islanders breaks them out of their stupor, although the Islanders always, always play the Rangers tight, even with nothing on the line. 

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Don't forget to vote for us at The NHL Arena.

Battle Of The Blogosphere, Round 2

Some of you may remember we were part of a contest at The NHL Arena called The Battle Of The Blogosphere a while back. We took on a formidable blog called Ranger Pundit. At the time, we were just happy to be there, but much to our surprise, we ended up taking it to the Pundit. Which was awesome, because that's a pretty good blog. The final score: The Rivalry 15, Ranger Pundit 7. If this were a seven-game series, we'd have won in six games.

As we skate down the handshake line with the Pundit, we are presented with our second-round challenge. This is Scarlett Ice, an Ottawa Senators blog. Like this fine blog, it's a blog written by two writers; unlike this fine blog, both of them are Senators fans. One of them, Dany Heatley Speedwagon, frequents the comments section of Deadspin, which is always a good thing. They do a pretty good job over there - hey, if they can support the Senators in this awful season they're having, they deserve a look.

You can make your opinion known at The NHL Arena, a quality forum for hockey talk. I haven't gotten to post on the Islanders forum in a while, but it's a great place; I cannot recommend it enough. Feel free to check out Scarlett Ice as well as The NHL Arena. Thanks.

A Silver Lining

I haven't posted in a while. These are the things that happen when your team has earned four points out of a possible 24 in the month of December. It's hard to get behind your team when it's a lost cause.

Or is it?

Let's look at the other teams around here. Traditionally, the breakdown has always been Islanders, Jets, and Mets, with everyone else siding with the Rangers, Giants, and Yankees. It's not always the way it goes, but it's the stereotype. You could view it as new vs. old, second-rate vs. first-rate, any way you want to. But I do root for the Islanders, the Jets, and the Mets. I'm not sure which order I'd rank the teams, except that I'd rank the Islanders ahead of any of them.

If you're a Jets fan, you saw the end of yet another disappointing season today. And if you're a Jets fan, you aren't remotely surprised that they ended up blowing this opportunity to make the playoffs. If you're a Mets fan, you're excited about the moves they made this off-season, but you're still extremely skeptical of your team. You still feel like they haven't proven a thing until they get into the playoffs and make a run at the World Series.

Let's look at these two teams a little deeper. If you're a Jets and Mets fan, the last two years have brought you one utter collapse (2007 Mets), one slightly less appalling collapse (2008 Mets), one unfathomable collapse (2008 Jets), and one horrendous 4-12 season (2007 Jets). These teams promise you the moon each year, only to let you down each and every time. Can you really blame people for saying the only reason the Jets got Brett Favre was to help sell personal seat licenses? Can you really blame people (I'm one of them) who refuse to spend a dime on Mets merchandise until they prove they're not going to choke again? It's a contentious team-fan relationship, one that's growing to extreme degrees as both teams jack up their prices without, aside from their new buildings, any justification for doing so.

So what does this have to do with the Islanders? Everything. The Islanders haven't teased us with catchphrases like "Your Season Has Come", nor have they jumped out to an 8-3 start just to go 1-4 down the stretch. And they sure as hell haven't been up by seven games with 17 left to play. And for you Yankees fans out there, they don't have a $200 million team that can't even make the playoffs. In short, the Islanders have promised us nothing aside from a potentially brighter future. If anything, they've gone above and beyond to deepen its relationship with fans, as opposed to just about every other local team which takes their fans for granted.

Look at what the Islanders have done since the lockout. They've introduced the Blog Box, a truly innovative development that gets the team tons of free publicity in exchange for a little access. They've created a variety of affordable ticket plans and promotions. They've made their players very available in the community, and they've even tried to swing for the fences with the Ryan Smyth trade. And even then, they made no guarantees. Hedging their bets? Maybe. But at least the Islanders were being honest, something the Mets were undeniably not when they claimed that only full season ticket holders would be able to get into CitiField.

Sure, the Islanders rank 30th out of 30 teams in the NHL. I'm sure we could all live with the team being a little better. But at least we can watch this team grow and develop and not feel like we're being let down. And if you watched the Jets choke away yet another golden opportunity today, or if you've still got a bitter taste in your mouth from the past few years of Mets baseball, you owe it to yourself to give the Islanders a fair shake. They're not a Cup contender or a playoff team; they don't pretend to be. But they're competitive most nights and will occasionally make us fans proud. That's all we can really ask. I, for one, am glad I can watch the Islanders and not be stressed out about them blowing their season anytime soon. It's a refreshing departure from the teams that never fail to let me down.

Glen Sather Should Read This Blog...

Here's what I wrote about Wade Redden in June 2008, when he technically was still under contract to the Ottawa Senators...

June 27 - "Don't be duped by him."

June 30 - "Wade Redden was bad at 31. How bad is he going to be at 35?"

And in July...

July 1 - "A history of injury? A poor work ethic? Oh but don't worry, he had one point in the playoffs last year. This is disgusting. It's an insult to the fans. You know ticket prices are going up again this year. This is why. So a player who doesn't want to work can make his guaranteed money."

"I declare this the worst day to be a Ranger fan since Brian Leetch was traded."

Before and during the free agent period, me and my Islanders-counterpart Bryan spoke about how bad Redden was. Yes, I also lamented the Michal Rozsival signing as well, but 1) he isn't making as much money as Redden and 2) we all knew Rozsival was bad, but some fans (and apparently Sather) thought Redden was good based on past performances.

When bloggers and beat reporters are begging for a 24-year-old rookie (Corey Potter) to stay in the lineup so that Redden can take a seat, I think it's fair to say he is a bust, and he will never be a good player in New York. People can tell me that it's only half-of-a-season, but really, do you want to see how bad he can become in the next 5 and a half seasons?

Of course, that would mean Sather would have to admit to making a mistake. However, as past examples Jamie Lundmark and Hugh Jessiman taught us, it takes him a minimum of four years for Sather to admit he erred.

Some Christmas-Related Hockey Literature...

Merry Christmas from our blog to yours.

Feel free to take a look at this video of a bunch of Santa Clauses at an Islanders game and what happens when a Ranger appears!

Now see the opposite in this NHL.com commercial of a Ranger Family and their Flyer fan son, now airing on the NHL Network.

Just a Thought...

This is just what I've been thinking for the past 24 hours. It's not something I read on a fake-rumor site or something I heard elsewhere, just me coming to a conclusion myself that I think would be interesting.

This week, Derrick Brassard, a rookie on Columbus who was having a great season, got injured in a fight and is out for the entire season. Now, I did hear that Columbus is going to be looking for a forward to replace him, because they think this might be the year that they actually make the playoffs.

My belief is that this forward might be a Ranger. Rangers GM Glen Sather doesn't vary his trading partners around a lot. Remember last season's trade deadline, when he made two moves? He traded with former Assistant GM Don Maloney, and former announcer John Davidson.

This year, he already traded with Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson. Maybe Sather has already put a call in to Howson letting him know which extra forwards are available.

The oft-scratched but entirely capable Petr Prucha would thrive in the midwest on a team that doesn't have a ton of veteran forwards to steal his ice time. Maybe Coach Ken Hitchcock would trust him enough to put him on the power play.

Or maybe it would be Dan Fritsche, a native Ohioan (first time I've ever used that word!), and former Blue Jacket himself who would love to get back in the lineup.

Just guessing here, but it would definitely make sense for Columbus to send a draft pick or two to New York to bolster their offense after the holiday roster freeze ends.

I Love Late Night Games...

:: I said it the other day, I'll say it again. I love these West Coast Ranger games that start at 10 or 10:30 p.m. because I can do whatever I need/want to during the nighttime and still watch the games. Now I know what it feels like to be a baseball fan when the Yankees are playing 3 in Oakland or the Mets are blowing a series in San Diego.

:: Telling commentary on Dmitri "With Some Help, He Could Be as Good as Marek Malik" Kalinin. I was driving home from work, listening to the beginning of the Kings game Wednesday night, and Dave Maloney was doing color commentary. Listen to his stunning endorsement of Kalinin: "This is the first time in a while I can remember Kalinin having two mistake-free opening shifts." That's $1.05M for every mistake-free shift, I guess.

:: Imagine what would happen if the Rangers played every game like they played the last 8 minutes of the San Jose game?

:: For all you - for lack of a better word - "haters" who "hated" on Blair Betts in the offseason (calling for him to not even make the team), witness the first period of the Sharks game and see what happens to the penalty kill when he is in the box. Incase you deleted your Rangers in 60 from your TiVo already, let me recap: Betts is in the box, giving the Sharks a 5-on-3 advantage. Two goals are scored.

That's it for me. It's already late and I have a game or two of NHL 09 to play still before I rake in 6 hours of sleep. Hey, busy shopping day tomorrow.

OK Then

When Zach pontificated this afternoon about what the Rangers should do to accomodate Mats Sundin, I don't think any of us expected to have the point become moot within ten hours. And yet, that's exactly what happened. The headlines are stating that Sundin "snubbed" New York, sort of in the same vein that every free agent "snubs" the Yankees by going to a different team. Did he snub the Rangers? Not as much as he snubbed the NHL in general; however, the NHL gets what it deserves for letting Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer pull this same stunt last year.

When I first heard Sundin was headed to Vancouver, I was shocked. It seemed like the Rangers were a much better fit for Sundin, and all indications were that he'd be willing to wait for the Rangers to clear out cap room. But it's all for naught, and it'll be interesting to see how the Rangers respond. Do they take this subtle message from Glen Sather, the message saying he thinks they're fine the way they are, as a positive sign? Or do they let this become a distraction to the point that Sather is stuck overpaying for a Sundin-type impact player who happens to have an expiring contract? Only time can tell the answer to these questions.

The big thing is, in my eyes, Sundin showed that he isn't overly concerned with winning the Stanley Cup. Should he be? I mean, he didn't grow up in Canada salivating over the chance to hoist the Cup one day. Instead, he grew up in Sweden, with the NHL a pipe dream until Europeans like Jari Kurri paved the way, showing that the European game translates well to North America and, more importantly, that the NHL is the top place in the world to play. So forgive Sundin if he isn't exactly committed to winning now. This is something we all learned when he refused to waive his no-trade clause while with the sinking ship that was Toronto last year. Obviously, Sundin would have a much better chance reaching the Cup Final with the Rangers than with Vancouver. The West is loaded with great teams; San Jose, Detroit, and Anaheim are just three of the legit Cup contenders out West. Not that the Rangers are a much better team than the Canucks (they're probably not better at all), but the Rangers would only have to go through Pittsburgh and Boston - and the jury is still out on how long the Bruins can keep up their current pace.

In the end, Vancouver is the perfect place for Sundin. He gets to continue to be a high-profile idol in Canada, something that's apparently very important to him. He gets to play in a place where winning a Stanley Cup isn't the be-all and end-all; remember, a second-round finish is progress in Vancouver, while with the Rangers it'd be considered a failure. And hey, if it doesn't work out with the Canucks, he can resume jerking teams around next fall when he pulls his Brett Favre routine yet again.

Having said all of that, the Rangers' outcome this season will always be tied back to the decision Mats Sundin made to spurn the Rangers in favor of Vancouver. If the Rangers manage to stay atop the Atlantic and make a deep playoff run, it'll be because the team bonded in the wake of Sundin's decision and realized their potential. And if they fall apart, it'll be because Sather couldn't get the job done. It's rare that a team's turning point occurs before Christmas, but it appears as though that's exactly what's happened to this Rangers team. Their response will be very, very telling.

Will He, Won't He, Will They, Won't They...

In a month - or hell, even two days from now - this all could be seen as stupid speculation, but it's worth bringing up.

Questions:

1) Is it worth trading a player valuable to the Rangers for the next 5 seasons today to acquire Mats Sundin for (at most) a year and a half?

2) Is it worth trading a few interchangeable parts to get Sundin for this year and maybe next year?

 

Answers:

1) Absolutely not.

2) Absolutely.

Let's start with the second question. Right now, Petr Prucha and Dan Fritsche are in limbo. They aren't playing, when they do it's 10 minutes or less a night, and they don't get valuable shifts. Getting rid of them (although I do have a man-love with Prucha) is a simple solution and we would hope they find success elsewhere.

Waiving Dmitri Kalinin also wouldn't hurt the team. Corey Potter could step in, and honestly, I don't think there's any way he could be worse than Kalinin has been unless Potter breaks his leg (and then he would still only be slightly worse than a healthy Kalinin).

But say Sundin wants more than that could free up. Should Scott Gomez or Chris Drury be traded? (Let's be honest here, there will be no takers for Wade Redden or Michal Rozsival - even after Rozy's incredible penalty shot goal.) Absolutely not.

The Rangers of the past would mortgage their future for a jaded shot at a Stanley Cup. It worked in 1994 when Tony Amonte, Todd Marchant, and Doug Weight were traded away. It failed every single year since. Remember when Marc Savard was traded for Jan Freakin' Hlavac?

Gomez and Drury make up the core of this team, like it or not. They might not always produce incredible numbers on this low-scoring team, but they are the leaders. Gomez is the playmaker and one of the only players who can move the puck up ice and not give it away. Chris Drury is there for the playoffs. Okay, maybe last year wasn't a great example, but still.

Plus, when you take one of them away, this team is not a real Cup contender if they even are with them on it. Why would Sundin be brought in to REPLACE one of them (unless it's to remove them from the salary cap - highly unlikely though). He is there to COMPLIMENT them, to relieve pressure on their lines so they can score more easily. 

Getting rid of bit players makes sense, especially ones who aren't playing now (or Nigel Dawes) but Sundin is not a replacement for a major player.

But hey, he might choose Vancouver, or Toronto, or Montreal, and this post could get deleted.

A Bit Disillusioned

Our buddy Jason from 3rd String Safety left us this comment last night regarding the Islanders-Capitals game...

Excuse this comment for being totally irrelevant to the post but I went to a hockey game for the first time in a while tonight and I had several observations.

- The Nassau Colosseum is a dump. A total dump. Sitting in my row I felt like a prisoner, I couldn't lift my hands to clap because my arms were wedged in between my body as my friends had jacked the arm rest space.

- Our friend Anthony didn't know the "Don't leave or go back to your seat" until there's a whistle etiquette rule. It was amusing to watch him get yelled at for walking up the stairs as he's holding his $18 nachos.

- I would describe the atmosphere as dead. Bryan I am truly sorry you're an Islander fan. The crowd cheered more for the Ice Girls (who I would compare to the WCW Nitro Girls) than anything else. When the game went into OT it just seemed everyone was waiting for inevitable gut wrenching loss.

These are points I'm not prepared to argue right now. Why? Because he's right.

OK, the $18 nachos is a bit inaccurate. (Though they are really good.) But he has every right to take these shots at the Islanders. Sure, it's annoying that everybody dumps on the Islanders. Then again, they're a bit of an easy target these days.

I'll be completely honest and state that I didn't even watch the final two periods of last night's game. The first period was everything I thought it would be. I assumed the Coliseum would be half-empty, and I was right. I assumed Scott Gordon would stubbornly stick with Joey MacDonald, even though he has a 4.67 goals against average in December, and I was right. I assumed the Islanders would fall behind early, and I was right. Does assuming the worst make me a bad Islanders fan? Probably.

In my defense, it was my first night off in a while, and I wanted to spend time doing rather than watching. So I fired up the 360 and played some NHL 09. Is that so wrong? I don't know. But I wasn't too keen on clearing out an entire night to watch a loss. Turns out I missed quite a game. I guess I got what I deserved.

Now, having said all of that, I'm not about to take all the blame here. I, for one, am absolutely sick and tired of hearing the same old crap about the Islanders. For starters, how they're only losing because of injuries. I call BS. The same people who were thrilled that Mike Comrie got hurt are now complaining because half the team is hurt. Oh, and for the record, the whole team was hurt last year, too. You can only blame bad luck for so long before you have to look at what's really going on with this team. (Before you take the easy way out and call the Islanders a team full of graybeards, realize there are only seven players on the active roster older than thirty.)

The other thing I'm sick of hearing about is Scott Gordon's system. I swear, the next time I hear the phrases "overspeed", "Scott Gordon's system", or "the new system", I'm putting a brick through my TV. Never in my life have I ever heard a coach's philosophies get so much press. This isn't football, where coaches call all the plays. Gordon can only do so much; ultimately, it's the players who have to win the games. Do you realize the Islanders have only one player, Andy Sutton, with a positive plus-minus rating? That's awful.

And awful is what the Islanders were supposed to be this year. This has turned into the season we all expected - lots of competitive games that end in losses. Now that the bottom is really starting to fall out on this team, it's easy to get discouraged. It's times like these when we're supposed to remind ourselves that the Islanders are rebuilding, that there are better times ahead for this team. However, it's not that easy. The question we're asking ourselves - and if we aren't, we should be - is, "When this team gets better, will they still be on Long Island?"

I've said before that I believe the Islanders will be moved off the Island within five years. And why shouldn't they be? The Lighthouse is not happening. Nobody really has $400 million lying around to get this thing going. Furthermore, now that it's become a political issue, you know nothing is ever going to get done. Look at the Jets' proposed West Side stadium for proof of what happens when politicians get involved in something started with good intentions. The team is losing money left and right. Nobody is going to the games because the team's not very good and nobody has money. It's a losing situation all around. At this point, the question really isn't if the Isles will be shipped off to Winnipeg, Hartford, or some other hockey-starved city, but when the move will take place.

If you're as cynical as I am, you're convinced this will happen just before all the young players turn the corner and start to become great players. This way, the new city gets all the glory we've earned.

You know, I was totally on board with rebuilding the Islanders the right way before I realized just how dire this whole situation was. Now, I'm not sure what to think. I want to see a successful Islanders team before they're eventually moved out. Will it happen? I sure hope so. Those of us who are still left certainly deserve it.

If you've followed me this far, I do appreciate it. I'm not even sure if I'm following myself at this point. I know this holiday season is supposed to bring about hope and all that, but it's hard to be so positive when evidence suggests things will get even worse. Here's hoping for a holiday miracle that not only keeps the Islanders on Long Island, but puts them on the path to their former glory.

What is This, October?...

A full 60-minute effort; clean line changes; a low-scoring game; backchecking and forechecking.

The only thing thing that would lead me to believe that I wasn't watching a tape from early October is the fact that Chris Drury scored a goal.

The first period was a little boring, but the next two were exciting, and watching Henrik Lundqvist shut the door was fantastic. Nigel Dawes had a good game even before making the violent criminal Chris Pronger look stupid. No, the Rangers weren't perfect against Jonas Hiller and the Anaheim Ducks tonight, but it's a far cry from letting in 8 against New Jersey or leaving it all up to Henke against Carolina. 

My personal highlight of the night was seeing Nik Zherdev score on one of my favorite rules in hockey: if you are taken down from behind on a breakaway to an empty net, you automatically are awarded a goal, making it a goal where technically a shot is never taken.

Not much to say as it's 2:36 in the morning here in the Eastern Conference, and I have less than 5 minutes left on my laptop battery. I will say, however, that I love these late starting games. I go out and do stuff during the evening and then I get to still watch the game. Today I went shopping for Christmas presents and tomorrow I'll work then get home to watch the game or watch it at my Wednesday night bar. Very exciting stuff. This also would've made a good road trip: 3 games in 2 and a half California cities in 5 nights.

Anaheim was the easy game this week; the Rangers always play them well (who could forget Blair Betts' stunning end-to-end goal in Anaheim in 2006-07?). LA is tough just because they are an unpredictable team and the Rangers traditionally play poorly against poor teams. San Jose is the real test. Beat them - in San Jo, no less - and you are worthy.

Until then the real question is whether Mats Sundin will do what Markus Naslund did and forsake Vancouver for Broadway.

Is Tom Renney's Time Up?...

I was discussing Tom Renney with a native of the Czech Republic the other day (the one man from there I have ever met who was not on the Rangers in 2005-06).

He said that Renney's time is up and he should be replaced. I said that we should give him to the end of the season, partly based on past performances. 

I don't think you should replace a coach mid-season when they do happen to have a good record (thanks to an early hot streak, a great goalie, and the addition of the shootout to the NHL), and I also think that Renney is on a good level with the team. They respect him and trust him.

Plus, honestly, I don't think GM Glen Sather is going to pull the trigger this early. However, if Renney and the Rangers fizzle in the 2nd round of the playoffs again, I think an unceremonious firing might happen. What's the point of keeping a coach around if he cannot bring his squad past the 2nd round of the playoffs in 4 full seasons (not counting when he took over from Sather in 2004).

As for past performances, what he did with the team the past few seasons can't be disputed. He took a Jaromir Jagr who was seemingly past his prime, got him on board with a new system, and got 123 points out of him. He took a team of misfits (Steve Rucchin, Jay Ward, Blair Betts, Ville Nieminen, Jason Strudwick) and Czechs and made them part of a dream season in his first full year behind the bench at MSG. He has made the playoffs in every season he's had, and truthfully, they could've beaten both Pittsburgh last year and Buffalo two years ago. 

 

If it does happen, though, I can't entirely say I disagree with it. At some point, the coach has to accept responsibility for what is happening with this team. (And remember, they didn't beat the Penguins and Sabres.)

Now, as for this year, it is his fault that the power play isn't working. What's that, you say? He doesn't play on the PP or even really coach it? That's true, but doesn't he tap the players on their oversized shoulder pads to go out on the ice?

What justification does he have to keep sending Michal Rozsival out on the ice. The man doesn't shoot (probably for a reason, as when he does it goes wide) and has more shorthanded goals against than he has power play points this season. Renney puts too much trust in Wade Redden, also responsible for shorthanded goals, while not scoring a goal himself since very early in October. 

Is it stubbornness or does he think these broken parts will actually work if he uses them enough?

Petr Prucha is another example. Nigel Dawes gets Prucha's spot in the lineup after Prucha scored a goal in his three-game audition. Dawes has 6 points this year in 23 games, on par for a huge 21-point season spread out over 82 games. Yes, I know Prucha's numbers are even worse, but he is viciously under-utilized. No power play time, 4th line minutes. And did I spot Renney call Prucha a "Jack@$$" when Prucha stood up for himself and his teammates in Montreal?

There are probably more examples, but I'm tired now and I think I've typed enough. For the record, I'm in favor of sticking with him for the remainder of the season, but if Renney can't lead this team to the 3rd round or later, than it's time for a fresh face back there.