Tomorrow...

RANGERS POST by ZACH

I happen to have tickets to tomorrow's Game 4 against the Penguins at The World's Most Depressing Arena. Like my friend who took off of work to play Grand Theft Auto IV, I was super excited. I got the tickets when the Penguins were up 2-0, and I was certain - certain! - that it would be 2-1 for tomorrow's tilt. In fact, I was so sure, that I went to sportsbetting.com and was willing to wager all of the money in my account on the Rangers winning Game 3. Luckily for me, my account was empty. Regardless, I still have no money.

So tomorrow should be interesting. I'll still have fun, and I'll still root my heart out. If they lose, they lose. When they got swept by the Devils in 2006, Game 4 wasn't bad. I saw it coming, cheered when Ortmeyer made it 1-0, smiled when Rucchin scored a useless goal to cut the deficit to 4-2, and clapped when the buzzer sounded. Last year, when they lost to Buffalo 4 games to 2, Game 6 wasn't hard for me. It was like losing a loved one - you're depressed and upset when you find out (Game 3) but you know it's over when it's over (Game 4). Game 5 in Buffalo was the bad game last year (Chris Drury... 7.7 seconds... Blair Betts hooking penalty... Maxim Afinogenov goal). I might have slept two hours that night. Well, Game 3 was like that for me this year. I did sleep last night (about 8 hours), but it hasn't been fun since Malkin's PP goal in the 2nd. 

Yes, tomorrow will indeed be interesting. Jagr was right. This series isn't over. If they hold out tomorrow (entirely possible) and go to a Game 5, that's great, another game for Shanahan, Jagr, and Straka. If they can pull of a win in Game 5 on the road, they sure as hell might have a Game 7 because Game 6 in MSG should go their way. Imagine if this series goes 7 games? Imagine! It will be tough with no Betts on the PK (not that it helps against Pittsburgh), half-a-Drury, half-a-Shanahan, and let's be honest, half-a-Gomez. The biggest loss will also be no Sean Avery, he of 7 points in 8 games. 

If they lose tomorrow, I hope the Garden gives it a "Let's Go Rangers" chant. I also hope Shanny, Jags, and Straka stay on the ice for a lap if they don't plan on returning to the NHL next year (Shanahan hasn't said anything but has definitely lost a step, no doubt he doesn't want to be a 4th liner next year... Jagr is a mystery... and Straka signed a one-year deal to keep it open-ended, but if Jagr isn't back, he won't be). 

I also hope all merchandise is half off. What are they going to do with a #82 jersey if he retires!?

All Is Not Lost

Zach "manned the blog", as he said last night, and wrote a great post after Game 3. Check it out.

Here's the way I see the rest of this series. The Rangers can certainly win tomorrow night in a must-win game. They can win Game 5 in Pittsburgh. They can even win Game 6 at home in front of a boisterous crowd. But Game 7 at the Mellon Arena after winning three straight, against a lineup that stacked? That's a tough one.

But hey, it could be worse. Remember, the Rangers are only the fifth seed in the East. They're supposed to lose, right? Maybe they shouldn't be on the verge of a sweep, but the deck was stacked against the Rangers from the start. It's not as though they're the San Jose Sharks, a team that went twenty straight games without a regulation loss and went into the playoffs as a favorite to win the Cup. Those Sharks, by the way, are in the same predicament as the Rangers, playing a Dallas team that isn't nearly as good as the Penguins. So really, if you think about it, it's not all that bad.

Of course, tell that to a Ranger fan, and you'll hear a different story. And who could blame them? Their team is just one loss away from an early playoff exit. After adding Drury and Gomez, they stand a great chance of finishing exactly as they did last year. Not good.

It's a shame, too. Like Zach said, they were in each of the first three games. In fact, aside from the empty-net goal in Game 2, they were never more than a goal out of it prior to last night's third period. When I heard that stat, I thought about the 1993 Kings - a team that was on the verge of winning the Cup, but lost three games in overtime to the Canadiens. The Rangers haven't been quite as unfortunate - let's face it, they've done their share of gravedigging so far - but they've been right there.

As much as I hate Ryan Hollweg, I hope his penalty doesn't go down as the moment when the Rangers lost the series. Sure, the ensuing power play for Pittsburgh gave them the lead, killed the crowd, and basically ended the game. But the Rangers did lose the first two on the road, they have one power play goal all series, and they haven't exactly gotten stellar goaltending thus far. Unless, of course, you consider five goals on seventeen shots a quality outing.

So, what has to change in Game 4? Simply put, the Rangers need to focus solely on winning Game 4. They can't win four games in one night. The only thing they can do is try to get back to Pittsburgh. Then, once they get there, try to push the series back to New York. It's certainly not going to be easy... but if the Red Sox could do it four years ago, who's to say the Rangers or Sharks can't?

Playing Out the Season...

Game 1 they should have won. Game 2 they could have won. Game 3 was there for the taking, and they battled, but they didn't win.

What I'm getting at is that if you have chances, but you don't finish, you don't deserve to win, and the Rangers don't deserve this series. They played good in the first period today, finally scoring when Marty Straka heaved the puck at the net and a few knocks it went in the net. They played great in the second period, and should have scored maybe 7 goals. Then they mailed in the third.

The second period, let's talk about that for a moment. The power play was like a comedy of errors, blowing golden opportunities. Two 5-on-3s? They had shots, mediocre ones, and great rebound chances, but the puck bounced over sticks, hit skates, went everywhere except where was helpful for them. They couldn't get a hold on the puck to put it in the net, and they eventually scored twice to tie it up. 

Questionable Coaching #1

Let it be known that I believe Tom Renney is a good coach and is the only person who can coach this crop of Rangers. Now, that said...

The Hollweg Penalty, as it will be known, was unfortunate, but shouldn't have been the end of the season, as it probably will be. First off, why was he on the ice? That was his 5th shift of the night (of 6 total), and I assume he was on because there were no set lines. Betts and Hollweg were the official 4th liners, with Shanahan bouncing around. With Blair hurt, Hollweg was brought there to hit and bring energy.

But the Rangers already had momentum. Everything was going their way. They were dominating on shots and attack-zone time, so why throw him out there when he a) doesn't score and b) is a liability. Dawes and Callahan were out there. Since Drury was in pain, wouldn't Avery, Shanahan, or Gomez be a better fit?

Instead, Renney sent out Hollweg to do a scorer's job, leading to a stupid penalty. Maybe this will be the straw that breaks the camel's back and makes Hollweg realize that he only hurts his team when he hits from behind.

Questionable Coaching #2

As I said, Callahan was out when Hollweg took the penalty. So why, if he was already tired, did he start out killing the penalty? By the time that 4th goal was scored, he was on a 3:08 shift. That's a long time, indeed. And there was no chance to change, as the puck stayed in the Rangers' zone.

But you mean to tell me that in a 3-3 game, your team down 2-0, a 22 year-old player can't dive for a puck to knock it out of the zone, and all he can do is half-heartedly reach for it? Once he made no effort to clear the puck and it stayed in, you knew it was going to be 4-3 within 10 seconds. And it was. All the good that he did with his goal was washed away when he made no effort on that play.

He's 22. His stamina is really so small that he couldn't summon a little more courage to dive for that puck?! If it's Marty Straka, I understand. He's a warrior, but he's older, and his gas tank is smaller than Callahan's should be. A 22 year-old can't play for 3 minutes? 

More than Hollweg taking that (awful) penalty, it should have been killed. And it wasn't. People will remember Hollweg's stupidity, and they should, but Callahan not trying should be remembered as well, and it won't be.

* * * 

So, now, they go through the motions, play one last game, maybe even win and bring it back to Pittsburgh, but no way will they win 4 straight against Pittsburgh if they can't finish, take bad penalties, can't capitalize on golden opportunities, and give them great chances.

To be fair, only 2 infractions were whistled against the Rangers to give the Penguins a penalty, but one was a double-minor and the Pens went 2-for-3. 

And yes, they held Pittsburgh to 17 shots, but they were good shots. This game shouldn't fall on Lundqvist's shoulders. He had no part in this loss. Most of those were good shots that they scored on. Three people crashed the net from 3 different angles on the first shot while Michael Rozsival did nothing. What is Henke to do? Maybe he could have stopped the 5th goal, but it was a good deflection and even if he did, did the Rangers score again? No.

If this series was 2-1 Penguins going into Game 4 at MSG, I'd be more positive and wouldn't care about today. But now it's just a waiting game, and they will just be going through the motions Thursday (by the way, I'll be there).

* * * 

Next season's team won't be a different as this year's was from 06-07, because I don't see them making a huge splash on July 1 again (they can't afford it, for one). But certain players will be missing, amongst them Shanahan, Straka, Jagr, Malik, and Rozsival. Just a guess, and I'll explain my thoughts in a post tomorrow.

Round 2... So Far

It's a bit early to make judgments about the second round. But why not make them anyway?

- Detroit-Colorado: This series is pretty much done already. Jose Theodore's magic is gone, and I don't mean Propecia. Peter Forsberg is injured yet again, and the only thing that could save the Avs is a big win at home in Game 3. However, I'm not too optimistic. I can't see Colorado winning more than one game the rest of the way. They sure as hell aren't going to be winning any games at Joe Louis Arena anytime soon.

- Montreal-Philadelphia: It's a shame this series isn't getting more publicity. It's going to be a good one. Montreal's offense vs. Philadelphia's physical play. You can tell that even though this series is going to be a war, the goaltending is what's going to decide it. Montreal might have won tonight if not for the stellar play of Martin Biron. Similarly, Carey Price will most likely be stealing one for the Habs at some point in this series. It's very possible that the winner of this series will have the Token Hot Goalie required to make a Cup run.

- Pittsburgh-Rangers: The aforementioned Habs-Flyers tilt might actually be the more competitive series, but this is the one that NBC and Versus are creaming their pants over. We already explained the appeal of this series, and it's great that we get to see it. The blood is already starting to boil, and it might not be long before the chippiness reaches the levels we saw in the Rangers-Devils series. This is one of those series where it's not going to really matter who wins to the neutral observer - it's just great to see these two teams beat the hell out of each other, making the young guys on both teams better and watching this become a big-time rivalry. You just hope the refs don't become bigger stars than the players, as was the case in Game 1.

- San Jose-Dallas: I can't get into Dallas for some reason. But I love watching the Sharks play. And if the Sharks want to reach their potential this year, they will have to dispose of a tough Stars team. Most people expected San Jose to take Game 1 at home, but they lost it in overtime. They should bounce back; however, this series is far from a cakewalk. Hell, everyone thought Calgary would be easy pickings for the Sharks, and look at how that turned out. I still see the Sharks winning this series, but it's going to test their mettle big-time. After all, it's hard to imagine San Jose doing well against Detroit coming off two slugfest series. As for Dallas, now that they've captured home ice, you never know... but I don't see the Sharks going down too easily.

Now that Versus is showing nearly every game, my Center Ice package is pretty much useless. It's been a good run. It's also really hard to watch hockey in bed while considering the needs of a sleeping (or crying, as the case may be) baby. Anyway, we'll see about re-upping on Center Ice next year - I really enjoyed seeing the West Coast games I never would have seen otherwise. One thing's for sure, though - I absolutely cannot live without the NHL Network.

Jaromir Jagr, Psychic?...

No, I'm not blaming the referees for the loss last night, I'm just saying that when the Rangers ask the league to watch Cindy Crosby's dives, maybe they should heed the warning.

But you can't blame the refs for the good guys blowing that dreaded 3-goal lead. Blame deflections. The Penguins scored 2 real goals, had 1 goal go off of Evgeni Malkin's shin, and had 2 hit off of Rangers. In the Devils series, NJ scored 11 goals, 6 real shots, 5 off of Rangers.

The Rangers have to be wary of this. They draw players to the outside, which is good, but then the guys throw pucks at the net, they pinball around, and past Henrik Lundqvist. What can they do about this? I don't know, but then again, I'm not the coach. Tom Renney has to do something about it, because they do play fairly decent defense, and then the other team scores a garbage goal to go up 5-4 with 1:41 left.

Once again, not blaming anyone. Just saying that they need to address this issue.

* * * 

An excerpt from a blog by Sam Weinman last year, after Game 4 of the Rangers/Sabres series...

“I made a great pass,” `Lundqvist pleaded.

“Yeah, but it was to Chris Drury,” Jagr said. “Maybe next year. But don’t pass to him yet.”

Well...

Too drunk and angry to write... so I need help, Bryans's or otherwise. Was Straka's interferenece penalty a good call or a weak one, as Shanahan said?

They didn't show  replay on Versus (hmmm...) and MSG didn't have a Rangers in 60 as far as I know so...

Bryan's Second Round Predictions

Real quick, here are my thoughts on the second round...

EASTERN CONFERENCE
- Montreal (1) over Philadelphia (6) in 6
- Rangers (5) over Pittsburgh (2) in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE
- Detroit (1) over Colorado (6) in 6
- San Jose (2) over Dallas (5) in 6

If these predictions come true, we should be in line for some excellent conference finals. Though I wonder if Pittsburgh-Montreal would be a better matchup than Rangers-Habs. Either way, as long as Philly, Colorado, and Dallas are eliminated, I'll be pretty happy.

Quick Predictions...

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

East

Montreal over Philadelphia is 6.

Rangers over Pittsburgh in 5.

West

Colorado over Detroit in 6.

San Jose over Stars in 7.

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

* * *

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

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

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

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

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

So Long To The Bottom Eight

The first round is complete. We began with sixteen teams; now, only eight remain. So, what of the other eight? We won't be hearing from these teams until the Draft (unless any of them fire their coaches), so let's devote some space to where they may be going from here. Think of it as sort of a eulogy for those teams who couldn't make it out of the first round.

---

EASTERN CONFERENCE
- 3)Washington (Lost to Philadelphia in 7). Heading into these playoffs, I saw the Caps as this year's version of last year's Penguins - a young team that had the potential to be great, but wasn't ready to make a playoff run just yet. I can't say I saw the Capitals and Flyers going at it in overtime of Game 7, but that's hockey for you. It's a shame that the Caps lost, but they have a tremendous future ahead of them.

- 4)New Jersey (Lost to Rangers in 5). The Devils seemed to think they'd be able to beat the Rangers if they simply pounded them into submission and let Martin Brodeur take care of everything else. Maybe they could have done better with a more offense-oriented philosophy. But it doesn't matter now. Brodeur wasn't as sharp as he needed to be, and maybe that's because he's played over 70 games in every season but one since the lockout - and I mean the lockout in 1995.

- 7)Ottawa (Lost to Pittsburgh in 4). What can you say about Ottawa that hasn't already been said about the 2007 Mets? The latest in Ottawa is that Ray Emery is on the trading block - tell us something we don't know, Bryan Murray. He's a lock to end up going somewhere else and excelling. Anyway, it's hard to imagine the Senators bringing back the same team next year. Something's got to change.

- 8)Boston (Lost to Montreal in 7). The Bruins had a great season, especially given their talent level, so you really can't fault them for going out in the first round. Who knows where they go from here. In my eyes, the most important thing they did (aside from getting three home games worth of playoff revenue) was generate a good amount of interest in hockey in Boston. Milan Lucic seems perfect for Boston, and if they can build around him, they may have a winner sooner rather than later.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
- 3)Minnesota (Lost to Colorado in 6). The Wild seem to have settled nicely into the "Great Regular Season, Lousy Playoff Team" mold. It's a shame that Marian Gaborik's prime has been pretty much wasted in Minnesota - he's one of the league's best, and yet nobody knows about him. Minnesota deserves a great team; you'd hope the Wild can acquire the pieces necessary to make a Cup run before Gaborik's best years are behind him.

- 4)Anaheim (Lost to Dallas in 6). So it turns out that Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne impersonating Roger Clemens had the same effect - a first-round exit. I still can't figure this team out. J.S. Giguere is unstoppable in the playoffs in odd-numbered years (2003, 2007), yet is absolutely a sieve in even-numbered years (2006, 2008). If the NHL is serious about reducing the size of goaltender equipment, Giguere may be in serious trouble next year.

- 7)Calgary (Lost to San Jose in 7). In March, I predicted Calgary as a sleeper in the playoffs. In April, I picked the Sharks to beat the Flames in five games. I guess I should have stuck with my gut. The Flames did a tremendous job against the Sharks, and they very nearly pulled off the upset. They sort of remind me of the Islanders in that they play teams tough, but don't seem to ever be able to put forth a serious Cup threat. One thing to watch this off-season is a potential feud between coach Mike "Captain Hook" Keenan and goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. Kiprusoff was benched twice in this series; I'm sure he didn't appreciate that.

- 8)Nashville (Lost to Detroit in 6). Another team that always gets in, draws a crappy seed, and gets bounced in the first round. It's unfortunate because even though people love to trash Nashville and its fanbase, they draw 17,000 a game and probably could get behind a great team. The problem is building that team. This is a team that has brought in Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya, and countless others over the past few years; none of them could get the job done. What's the answer? They may find it on July 1.

---

Now that we've gotten all that out of the way, let's look at the first round predictions. To make things easier, let's do this with a points system. We'll give one point out for picking the winning team, and four extra points if the correct number of games were picked. If the number of games is only one off (i.e. picking Pittsburgh in 5 games), that gives out three points. Within two games, that's two points. One point would be given if a sweep was predicted and the series went seven games, or vice versa. And, just to be fair, we'll give one point if a seven-game series was predicted and actually happened, but the wrong team won. Got it? Good.

In the East, Zach had Montreal in 5 (three points), Ottawa in 7 (zero), Washington in 7 (one), Rangers in 7 (three). That's seven points. Out West, he had Detroit in 5 (four), San Jose in 5 (three), Colorado in 7 (four), and Anaheim in 6 (zero). Eleven points in the West means Zach gets a score of 18.

For the East, Bryan had Montreal in 6 (four points), Pittsburgh in 4 (five), Philadelphia in 7 (five), Rangers in 6 (four). Eighteen points so far. In the West, he had Detroit in 6 (five), San Jose in 7 (three), Colorado in 7 (four), and Anaheim in 7 (zero). Twelve points out West gives Bryan a total of 30.

So, for the first round, the final ends up being 30-18 in favor of yours truly. Let's see how the second round shapes up. We should have predictions up sometime soon. Or at least Zach will. The new baby runs my life. Tonight I got a taste of what's in store for me - I wanted to get home from the hospital in time for Sharks-Flames. So I told my wife I'd stay until she fed the baby one last time. Of course, it took two hours for the baby to stay awake long enough to be fed. Then, we had to change her, wheel her down to the nursery, get my wife into bed, get dinner for myself, then get home. I turned on Versus just in time to see the intro to WEC Wreckage. How nice.

A Question...

It appears I'm all alone here as Bryan welcomes a newborn into his family. 

But really, I've been all alone since the playoffs started. Ay-oh!

It's set. Penguins/Rangers and Montreal/Flyers. If the Rangers win and the Flyers win, does Tom Renney start Stephen Valiquette in Game 1 of the Conference Finals?

P.S.: It's a bad night to be Tom Poti. The refs, whistle-swallowing all night, called him for a trip (and it should indeed have been a penalty, as Ranger fans know all to well) which led to the power play goal to knock the Caps out in Game 7 overtime.

P.P.S.: "Is this the year" for Jeremy Roenick? 2004 had Dave Andreychuk, '05 had Tiger Woods winning the Masters, '06 had Rod Brind'Amour and Glen Wesley, and last year we had, well, no one really, but Daniel Alfredsson almost won it. So, is this his year?

Second Round Knockout...

RANGERS POST by ZACH

The Rangers will play Montreal in the second round if Washington wins and Pittsburgh if Philadelphia wins. Much to my dismay, they will not be playing Philadelphia, meaning I will not go there, catch 2 games at the Wach, and eat cheesesteaks at Pat's, Gino's, and Tony Luke's.

I think they would rather see Montreal in the next phase of the Journey to the Cup. For the following reasons:

:: Pittsburgh seemed to be better in the first round, dispatching of Ottawa with ease while the Habs were almost on the ropes against Boston.

:: Montreal is beatable without a power play. Look at Boston, who didn't beat them in the regular season, then could have won the series if they happened to win in overtime in Game 2. They were (I think) 3-for-33 on the power play this series, and the Rangers already went 3-0-1 against them (Montreal was 1-2-1 against the Rangers).

:: Montreal played 7 games and will be on 3 days rest instead of over a week for Pittsburgh. The stress of a 7-game series is much more intense than the cakewalk through a four-game sweep. Think if the Islanders took Buffalo to the brink in the first round in 2007 that they would have beaten the Rangers last year?

My fourth point was going to be about the Flyers beating on the Penguins, and how violent that series would be, then I realized that's an impossible outcome, and if the Rangers play Montreal, the Caps would play Pittsburgh. The Penguins would probably sleepwalk through that series.

Regardless, even if the Rangers meet Sidney, Evgeni, Petr, Ryan, Ryan, the other Hossa, and Marc-Andre, I think they could beat them. They were 5-3 against them in the regular season, including 2 wins after the trade deadline. (Pittsburgh was 3-4-1 against the Rangers.) Plus, to get to the Cup, you have to beat everyone, right?

Bring on Round 2. 

* * * 

Congratulations are in order to my Islander fan blogger. No, not for the 5th overall draft pick (and the next Scott Scissons, hopefully, yeah!), but for the birth of his daughter, Kylie, at 9:33 tonight. 

I can't wait to get her one of those little pink jerseys with the Rangers symbol on it for her 1st birthday!

An Uncrowned King Among Us...

And for the 9th time in the last 9 seasons, we will have a new Stanley Cup Champion this year, with Dallas's 6-game victory over Anaheim and their "unstoppable defense." Someone should check their penalty killers for porous body parts, as they gave up 10 power play goals this series.

I love when we have new champs in any sport (not that I really like any other sport). A changing of the guard is good for the game. Dynasties like the Lakers, Celtics, Canadiens, and Patriots are great when looking back at the record books, but they are pretty freakin' boring while they are going on. (Plus, I hate Tom Brady for being better looking and more athletic than me. He also dates hotter girls.)

Detroit, of course, was the last team to repeat as champs. Their bid to 3-peat ended to the Avalanche in the 2nd round in 1999. Dallas made 2 straight Finals appearances, winning in '99 and losing in '00 to Jersey. The Devils were the last team to make 2 straight appearances in the Finals as they lost to Colorado in 2001. 

The Avalanche lost in the 3rd round to Detroit in 2002. Then it gets dicey.

The year after the Red Wings won the Cup, they got swept by Anaheim in the first round. The Devils won the Cup in 2003 then lost to Philadelphia the next year in the first round. However, the teams they beat, Carolina and Anaheim, didn't even make the playoffs after making the Finals the season before.

Stats are skewed with the Tampa Bay Lightning because of the lockout, but they did make the playoffs in the first two seasons after winning the Cup, bouncing in the first round each. 

Carolina and Edmonton both made the Finals in 05-06, and both haven't seen the postseason since. Last season, Anaheim and Ottawa battled into June. Both teams might battle this year (cliche alert!) for tee times in May.

What is my point? None, really. I was just excited to have a new champion this year and decided to write about how the teams who have made the Finals (and won the Cup, as well) have been doing poorly the next season. On the radio, they make it out to be because they are drained from the long journey to the Finals, which may be true. I think it's not so much the journey, it's the fact that there are only 70-some-odd days to rest up before training camp and the next season as opposed to an extra month or two that some other teams enjoy having. 

Could just be random events conspiring. With the Ducks, they had a magical run. J.S. Giguere wasn't as incredible the next season as he was in the '03 playoffs. Paul Kariya left for Colorado (failed). They needed time, but they eventually got their prize. So did Carolina.  Maybe Ottawa will next year (probably not). New Jersey lost their core. Scott Stevens played less than half the next season, including no playoff games. Ken Daneyko retired after listing the Cup a 3rd time, Joe Nieuwendy left, Jeff Friesen realized he was awful, Fatso was human, and Jamie Langenbrunner got hurt. They, however, haven't been the same since that season.

* * * 

In any event, let's hope you all are rooting for Boston to win tomorrow night over Montreal, in the first Game 7 since Dallas beat Vancouver in last year's first round. I'm actually shocked that this is the game Versus is featuring since they have an apparent love affair with the Capitals. 

We should also hope Philadelphia loses Game 6 to Washington then wins in Game 7, thus giving Jagr, Shanahan, and Straka more time to heal (as well as Gomez, Staal, Mara, Orr, Rozsival, and Lundqvist), all while cementing me eating cheesesteaks next week.

It's 3:30 a.m., give me a break!

* * * 

The Rangers portion of The Rivalry wholeheartedly endorses Forgetting Sarah Marshall, gratuitous penis scenes and all. 

The NHL's Dilemma

I know a lot of Ranger fans aren't exactly looking forward to a potential first-round matchup with Pittsburgh. You may have read Zach state earlier that he's hoping for a date with the Flyers. Maybe some others are hoping to see the Capitals or Canadiens; they'd probably really like to meet Boston, but it's not feasible at this time.

Pittsburgh would probably be the toughest matchup for the Rangers. But it'd be a dream come true for the NHL, not to mention those of us who live and breathe the game. Imagine the marketing fiesta the NHL would have with this one. The biggest U.S. market takes on the biggest star in hockey. Two of the league's best young goalies in Henrik Lundqvist and Marc-Andre Fleury. Hell, most people would be entertained by Sean Avery and Jarko Ruutu trying to kill each other. Can't miss, right?

Well, that's part of the problem. If you look at this situation from an objective perspective, you might say to yourself that you'd rather see the Rangers and Penguins meet in the conference finals. After all, why waste such a marquee matchup in the second round when it could draw big ratings in the third? That's when you have to remind yourself of one fundamental fact - it doesn't matter when these teams play because nobody's really watching anyway.

Forget that ratings increased significantly this year, not just for all three local teams, but on Versus and NBC. We're still fighting an uphill battle against the mainstream sports media. For every sign of progress we see - Steve Somers began his WFAN radio show on Friday with a Rangers monologue - there's another reminder of where the sport really stands. In this case, it'd be a 20-20 Update just after Somers' monologue in which every MLB score was read before the NHL was even mentioned. That's right, the epic tilt between the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics took precedence over the deciding game in the Rangers-Devils series. And this is on a station that broadcasts Devils games!

With the NBA starting its playoffs this weekend, publicity will be even tougher to come by. Speaking of basketball, your lead sports story on Saturday? The Knicks' search for a new head coach. Never mind that Rangers actually had better ratings on MSG this year - and we all know how important the almighty ratings are. Even though I don't know a single person who watches the NBA regularly (same goes for a lot of people), the NBA always seems like it's such a bigger deal than the NHL. I'm not going to even pull out the ESPN card here, as tempting as it is; they've actually done a pretty good job with their playoff coverage so far. Then again, when you expect nothing and you get a little something, that little something seems like a pretty big deal.

That's where the Rangers and Penguins come in.

Everyone talks about how great it would be if Crosby's Penguins met up with Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals in the playoffs. Truth is, Pittsburgh would kill the Capitals at this point in time. You're talking about five games, maybe six. But the Rangers and Penguins? Now we're talking. You're looking at seven intense games with plenty of offense, great goaltending, and some pretty good physical play. You'll have two great fanbases filling up the arenas, getting fans and non-fans alike whipped into a frenzy, creating a great buzz about the series and giving the NHL some much-needed publicity. And that's all we're looking for right now. Sure, New York City and Pittsburgh isn't a great traditional rivalry, but once emotions reach a boiling point after two or three competitive games, it'll be the series to watch.

I'm not saying the Rangers and Penguins would solve the NHL's ratings problems. But it might be a pretty good start towards increasing the league's fanbase to a respectable level. At this point, anything that gets hockey a more prominent spot on the back pages of New York is a good thing.

Selfishness...

RANGERS POST by ZACH

I am rooting hard for Philadelphia and Boston to win their games so they can move on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Personally, I want the Rangers to play Philadelphia. One reason is because they are a weaker team than their Pennsylvania counterparts.

But let's be honest. I'm not one to lie to people who read this blog. The real reason I want those two foes to meet is so I can go to a game in Philly (maybe two) and eat cheesesteaks. 

Last season, I started going to see the Rangers in other cities (Islander games don't count). I'll probably blog about that at one point. Regardless, I went to a game in Boston last year, and this year I hit 3 other cities, one of them being Philly. The Wachovia Center, in terms of buildings, was the worst of the 3 this year (not to say it wasn't nice, but just the less of the three).

Then, there were the cheesesteaks.

People always tell me, "How good could it be? It's only Philadelphia. It's only meat, cheese, and bread." And onions, pal. But it's like getting a bagel in New York. It's the best you'll ever have. Ever get a sesame seed with cream cheese in St. Louis? It's awful. Ever have pizza in Arizona? It's like toast with tomatoes on it.

I've only been to two of the places (not including the chicken cheesesteak I had at a bar one night) and I have so many more to try.

Plus, I want to go to a Ranger playoff game. I've never been (been to 2 Islander ones, though). The tickets at MSG are way to expensive. Since they all sell out very quickly, you get taken for a ride on eBay, Craigslist, StubHub, etc. It's easier to get them in other cities. And Pittsburgh is about a 6 hour drive. Montreal is a great city, but only once a year, please. 

I wanted to go to both Atlanta playoff games last year, and tickets were available on Ticketmaster.com the day of Games 1 & 2. However, I owned a business at the time and couldn't get away. 

So this year, if the Blueshirts play the Orange (not Syracuse), I do plan on going. As long as I'm there, I might as well go to both games, which would be 3 & 4. Hey, it's only 150 minutes away.

One Last Time...

Stat that they mentioned on the MSG pre-game show today: Rangers drew 2 goaltender interference penalties during the regular season (meaning the opposing team was called for only two in 82 games) while the Devils/Martin Brodeur drew 10 of the same. That's 10, as in the score the divers get in the Olympics. 

That's it, one last insult aimed at him.

Two and a half weeks ago, the Rangers played the Penguins at MSG (Chris Drury OT game winner) and Jaromir Jagr got credit for a goal that hit off of Syosset's-own Rob Scuderi's glove, off M.A. Fluery's helmet and in the net. That's the goal that went to review for 7 minutes because at first it looked like Gomez batted it in with his stick above the crossbar. In post-game media interviews, Jagr joked that the Rangers had been working on that play.

My point being, you think the Devils worked on the awful-deflection shots? 

In Game 1, Paul Martin had a real nice shot that beat Henrik Lundqvist. Good goals 1, Bad goals 0.

In Game 2, the Devils only had one goal as well, and it was a deflection. GG 2, BG 0.

Game 3 was the first game the Devils put more than one shot past Hank - kind of. Sergei Brylin got credit for a goal after his pass went off of Blair Betts' stick. Patrick Elias scored on a power play shot. Then Zach Parise's shot hit a sliding Shanahan, somehow hit Lundqvist, and dribbled - slowly - over his shorts and into the net. In overtime, John Madden threw the puck in front, hit Marc Staal's skate, and went five-hole on Henrik. GG 3, BG 3. 

In Game 4, Elias scored 2 on regular shots. Mike Mottau (why did the Devils let him wear #27?) scored a shot when Henrik's stick was slashed away. That counts as a Bad Goal because of the penalty that should have been called on Parise, thus the goal never should have happened. GG 5, BG 3.

Tonight, Gionta scored cleanly. Then Bryce Salvador dumped it in from outside the blue line, Dubinsky went to knock it down, and it escaped Lundqvist and went in. On the Devil's final goal of the season, a very bad shot by Elias hit off of Fedor Tyutin and snuck in right past the goalpost. Final score: Good Goals 6, Bad Goals 5. 

I guess it's a testament to the Eastern conference theory that if you throw the puck at (or in some cases, near) the net, something good can happen. In the Western conference, teams will have 10 shots on net and score twice or three times (Calgary in Game 4 versus San Jose), or 18 shots (Dallas versus the Rangers), or 20 shots (Dallas versus San Jose in Game 4). I'm sure there are other examples not including games played this week or against the Rangers, where 15 shots were fired and 3 goals went in. In the East, it's quantity. In the West, it's quality. Except Detroit, who are nearly a given to outshoot an opponent (they outshot Nashville 53-21 today and won 2-1). 

In conclusion, 10 shots by Calgary?! Jagr had 10 shots himself in Game 4!

And 10 goaltender interference penalties? I want to know how many of those were called on the Isles or Rangers.

(That's it. No more Devils talk. They'll be talking about the Rangers all summer. Think Brodeur will forget about #16 anytime soon? We have bigger fish to fry, so no more Devils talk. They're old news now.)

Random Notes - Again

1) Rough night on TV last night. I was so looking forward to San Jose-Calgary, but it was on Versus. Which meant it wasn't being shown on Center Ice. So when Philadelphia-Washington ran late, I couldn't catch the late game, even if I paid $169 for the right to watch every game this season. Thankfully, nothing really happened in the first period... or so we're told.

2) At the close of last night's studio show on Versus, Rick DiPietro said he hopes the Islanders miss the playoffs so he could come back and do more analysis. He was joking. I think. Anyway, he didn't do too badly. That said, I still maintain that if the Isles could have gotten into the playoffs, DP could have stolen them a round. And after that, nobody would have had a problem with an Islanders-Rangers Winter Classic. Still, nice to see DP marketed as a star - the NHL needs to do more things like this.

3) Speaking of the Islanders, kudos to their TV team. You can always tell who the good announcers and analysts are by their post-season assignments; that is, if you're sitting at home during the playoffs, you're probably nothing special. The Islanders have Deb Placey (aka Deb Kaufman) and Butch Goring in the MSG studio - not the biggest deal, but it's something. Howie Rose is doing his usual great job with the Mets on WFAN, and Billy Jaffe is working for Versus. We're spoiled by good announcers in the New York area; I, for one, certainly appreciate it. I still miss Gary Thorne on SportsChannel and ESPN, though.

4) The new trend this year in the playoffs is (home team color)-outs. It used to be something you'd see in Winnipeg/Phoenix, Calgary, and pretty much nowhere else. The Islanders did it in 2002, but never did it again. Then the Miami Heat did it when they won the NBA Finals two years ago, and now everyone's back on the bandwagon. I'll admit, it looks pretty cool. No, it looks really cool.

But it's sort of teetering on the point of ridiculousness now. The Flyers had an orange-out in their two home games, which was in direct response to the red-out of the Capitals. But let's not forget that both of these teams ditched their respective colors fairly recently, thanks in large part to the all-important "focus groups" and "key demographics". The Caps changed to a blue motif in 1995, while the Flyers went to black uniforms in 2000. Now, everyone is supposed to forget all about that and embrace these colors? Sounds gimmicky to me.

Now that the trend has started, though, don't look for it to stop anytime soon. Even the Dallas Stars have gotten in on the action, calling for a black-out. As if hockey doesn't have enough trouble drawing fans. Now everyone will think all hockey fans are angry emo kids. Ugh. Anyway, in the link, the excellent Greg Wyshynski asks the question that matters most to the fans - if you've put a ton of money into a white jersey of your favorite player, why should you now be forced to leave it at home?

And, finally...

5) It's crazy to think that after four relatively even-played games, the Rangers could win the series tonight. And the only loss on their record would be in overtime. Now that would be impressive. The Rock should be electric tonight, even if it's due mostly to rabid Ranger fans. And you know the Devils won't go down without a fight (or at least a good whine or two), so we're in for a treat tonight.

What I Learned Tonight...

What I Learned During the Game 4 of the Rangers/Devils Series

 by Zach S., 24, New York

I learned that it is indeed against NHL rules (now, anyway) to face a goaltender and wave your arms like you are a primate.

I learned that it is legal to slash the goaltender's stick out of his hands if you play in New Jersey.

I learned that you are allowed to tackle a player, cross check him three times, and interfere with his ability to get the puck, as long as the victim of said crime is Sean Avery.

I learned that MART-EEEE Brodeur is going to try his hand in Hollywood when this hockey thing runs its course. His acting lessons are paying off dutifully, although he could have sold the first dive tonight better so he didn't get a penalty. (Well, there's always Game 5).

This is all complementary to what I learned in Game 3: If you are a Ranger skating with his stick on the ice, you might be whistled for a high-sticking penalty if the referees want the Devils to win.

I also learned that Dan Girardi is The Man.

* * * 

A link for you: Great, great one-page story on John Amirante, aka the man with the booming voice who sings at a lot of Ranger games every year. Worth the read.

Shots, Stats, And Chokes

I barely watched any hockey tonight. You don't want to know what I was doing. Seriously. I'd rather watch "The Trap - The Very Best Of The New Jersey Devils" ten times in a row than relive this evening. And no, that DVD doesn't exist... thank the Lord.

A couple more quick thoughts...

- WTF is up with teams not shooting the puck in the playoffs? Calgary managed ten shots in front of their home crowd. Despite getting blown out in two straight, Anaheim fired fifteen shots on Marty Turco last night; had they not won the game, they'd be getting killed in the papers right now. The same applies to Nashville and their fourteen shots tonight.

I don't get it. You don't shoot, you don't score. Haven't we all heard a million times about how good things happen when you put the puck on net? And how many goals end up being these perfect shots anyway? I'd say at least one-third of all goals scored are off rebounds or deflections, or are somehow modified from the shooter's original intentions. So why not just shoot the puck and see what happens?

- Ottawa. I've been dying to say this for a very long time, but I didn't want to jinx it. Ottawa's nosedive this season is worse than the Mets' collapse last September. All the crap I've heard about The Collapse, as it's now known, should be thrown at Ottawa at least three times as hard.

That Ottawa got into the playoffs is completely irrelevant. Showing up and immediately folding doesn't mean anything. Going back to The Collapse, it didn't matter that Philadelphia overtook the Mets because they got killed in three straight by Colorado - and the Mets would have gotten beaten just as badly. Ottawa doesn't deserve special treatment just for getting in. Two of the games were close enough that the Senators pulled their goalie at the end (both times, Pittsburgh scored empty-net goals), but the other two were blowouts. And if not for Martin Gerber, the series would have been a complete blowout. Five goals in four games isn't going to get it done - and, by the way, Ottawa was just one goal behind Montreal for tops in the league in goals scored during the regular season.

Looks like, at the very least, Bryan "The Lisp" Murray will be looking for a new job this summer. Here's hoping he gets a job with Versus, TSN, or the NHL Network. But it's likely Murray won't be the only one. However, since Ottawa put so much money into signing Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley to extensions this year, how much room are they going to have for free agents? This situation is going to get worse before it gets better.

- Ottawa was kind enough to bow out in 4 games, which means I'm 1-for-1 in predicting finished series. I know I can't have a perfect first round because San Jose-Calgary is going to go at least six games (I had the Sharks in 5), but the other six matchups are up for grabs.

As for Zach, his prediction of Ottawa over Pittsburgh in 7 games didn't exactly pan out. It happens. He also can't get Detroit in 5 or the Sharks in 5. However, a Canadiens win tomorrow gives him a correct prediction in that series. Unfortunately, we don't have access to the predictions made by Sam, Joe, or GiaWigs. Maybe next year.

Two More Years Of Mike Milbury

1) Read Zach's blog one spot below this one. It holds high nostalgic value.

2) It's not really being reported because the media hates hockey, but rumors out of Toronto indicate that NBC is going to renew its deal with the NHL. The annoucement is supposed to come some time this week. NBC has done a pretty good job with the NHL package - hell, at least they air more than four games a year like ABC used to do - so I'm willing to ride this out for another two years. The real question, however, is this - after NBC is done using the NHL to market the 2010 Olympics, how willing will it be to broadcast hockey?

5th Street (This is Not a Hold 'Em Post)...

As my dedication to a healthy body, I took a walk before. As I turned down 5th Street, I saw a hockey net set up. 

A girl, 9, and boy, 8, were playing in the middle of the street. Their ages are guesses by me. I'm not the creepy guy that goes up to a 3rd grader and strikes up a conversation. Their grades are a guess also.

Anyway, the girl is calling herself "Brodeur" and apparently the kid was "Elias." Now, this did make me mad, because this week has increased my hatred of the Devils (and their 10,000 fans, including Kevin "Silent Bob" Smith). Then, the 15 year old brother came out and decided he was going to be Marty Straka.

Pretty bad ass, to be honest. Reminds me of when we all used to play in the middle of the street when I was that age. I loved being Dale Hawerchuk (when I was real small) and then Tony Amonte (until he was traded to Chicago for Brian Noonan and... Stephane Matteau). I assume after that point, I was too old to pretend to be other people, but I am still happy that 15 year old kid appreciated the silent warrior-like effort of #82. 

Well, that's it. I think it's awesome that these kids know these players and that people in NY are still watching hockey. Sometimes, I feel like it's just me, Bryan, and Sam Rosen who care about the sport. I hope the Rangers go on a long playoff run not only for my own glory but so that kids get captivated again by this amazing sport. The more kids play hockey, the more they will watch, the more parents will watch, the more people go to the games (hopefully boosting the Islanders attendance as well), the more the sport grows. Maybe that can help TV ratings so they can get a better channel (Versus does a good job, but the lead-in show is about killing deer). That's also the one - and only - reason I hope the Islanders succeed: so that the sport grows in NY.

When I was in 4th grade, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup. They played - and swept - the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs. I remember one day in gym class, the whole class was divided, and half of us chanted "Let's Go Rangers!" while the uneducated chanted for the Islanders. Imagine, a whole class interested in the coolest game on Earth!

Reading Newsday, you would never know that the Rangers and Devils fought to overtime in Game 3. The 3 stories on the cover of the Newsday sports section the day after? Mets lose, Yankees Lose, Tiger loses at the Masters. 

This took entirely too long. I just wanted to write about those kids knowing who wears #26 on New Jersey and how impressed I was. 

By the way, they stared at me in my Rangers fleece - maybe because it was 75 degrees out and they saw a fat man wearing shorts and a heavy fleece sweating as he was taking a stroll alone.

(Oh, and stat on Versus: Joe Thornton is now the 3rd player in NHL history to score a game winning goal in the third period on the road in the last 10 seconds of a playoff game. Know the other two? Me neither, Brian Engblom never told me).

Quick Hits

Just a few random notes from the first round...

- Nice to see Rick DiPietro keeping busy in the Versus studio, rubbing shoulders with luminaries such as Keith Jones and Brian Engblom. DP seemed a bit shaky at first, but I'd chalk that up to adjusting to having someone in his ear telling him what to say. Hard for someone when they're used to shooting from the hip (no pun intended). But in time, DP is going to be a star in the television studio. He's got the look and the charisma; all he has to do now is get comfortable in front of the camera and be his opinionated self. Judging from the Islanders' prospects for the future, it looks as though Ricky will have plenty of time each April to analyze playoff games.

- I can't locate the stat now, but I heard on Versus the other night that the team who scores first is extremely likely to win. At the time, the record of the team who scores first was something like 17-1. Now? Um... the tables might have turned. Sort of.

Last night, Ottawa scored first. They were at home, so you might figure that would get the crowd into a frenzy. However, since Ottawa is a horrendous team, it didn't mean anything. Pittsburgh came back and won the game quite easily. But we saw two instances in recent days when the first goal did mean something.

As we discussed yesterday, Calgary found themselves in a 3-0 hole to San Jose in the first four minutes of Game 3. But Calgary was not to be denied, and they ended up taking the game with a great comeback. Yesterday, Nashville pulled off a similar trick. Detroit scored first, silencing the Nashville faithful (yes, they do exist). However, it wasn't enough. Thanks to a furious third-period flurry, Nashville ended up not only seizing the game, but momentum in the series as well. In the heat of the moment, Zach proclaimed this the greatest game he's ever seen. Whether or not that's true is up for debate. But it does a lot for hockey in Nashville.

Anyway. So what's the big deal about two games? Well, in both instances, the road team jumped out to an early lead, eliminating the well-documented effect of the crowd on the home team. Common sense dictates that scoring early on the road puts the visiting team at a distinct advantage because it allows them to control the game. But there's no shutting up these crowds. Not in the playoffs, and not in Game 3 - the first home games of both Nashville and Calgary. We saw the Rangers came back on Sunday after letting up the first goal against the Devils thanks in large part to a bloodthirsty crowd. Just because they didn't close the deal doesn't diminish the crowd's impact on coming back from an early deficit.

- Speaking of the Rangers, everyone's been talking about Sean Avery lately. We may as well throw our hats into the ring here. Let's just get one thing out of the way before getting started - I hate Sean Avery's guts. At the same time, I think he does a hell of a job. Islander fans who knock Avery for his dirty play ought to look in the mirror and think back to fifteen years ago. Without Darius Kasparaitis knocking Mario Lemieux around at every opportunity, the Islanders didn't stand a chance against Pittsburgh. Somehow, it was fine to see him level Lemieux behind the play, but it's not okay for Avery to do what he does? Go figure.

Say what you want to about Avery's taunting Martin Brodeur, but you can't deny that it worked. And while it wasn't Brodeur who left Avery open in the slot, it's hard to focus with all that going on. People love to call Avery a pest, and he certainly fills that role, but he's also a very talented offensive player. He also seems to have a sense of the moment; in a very small sample size of thirteen career playoff games, he has nine points. The list of agitators in the history of the NHL is endless, but the great ones saved their best for the playoffs. Esa Tikkanen and Claude Lemieux were average players during the regular season, but each found another level in the post-season. Coincidentally enough, Tikkanen won five Cups and Lemieux won four. And this writer feels very strongly that Claude Lemieux deserves to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Maybe Tikkanen should join him there. Avery will probably never be enshrined in the Hall, but he's earning himself a lot of money these playoffs - both through his play and the attention he's drawing.

Anyway. Once again, lots of pests, lots of agitators. How many have prompted the NHL to modify its rulebook in the middle of a series? Even though Avery was probably over the line, it's ridiculous that the league can just change a rule on a whim without going through the proper channels. Sure, it's a minor rule, but it sets an awful precedent. If rules can be changed that easily and with no approval from the NHLPA, why the hell aren't face visors mandatory yet? Seriously. Maybe it's time the NHL stops reacting to the media and start making some smart decisions without being prompted.

The Power Of The Crowd

Zach's post about the Bruins' faithful going nuts after winning in overtime inspired me.

There is nothing like a sold-out crowd screaming in unison at a playoff game. Just as the players step their games up for the post-season, the fans give just a little more of themselves. Quite frankly, given the price of playoff tickets these days, they should. The playoffs are exciting enough on their own... but throw that crowd in there, and... WOW.

If you saw last night's Rangers-Devils game, you saw the camera shaking after each Ranger goal. That's how intense it was last night. That was an intensity (and advantage) the Devils didn't have in their two home games. A good crowd can put a team over the top. Look at the Calgary Flames last night. They were down three goals just four minutes into the game. It looked bleak. Suddenly, Patrick Marleau got drilled twice, the crowd picked back up, and the Flames ended up pulling off a remarkable comeback. Does that happen on the road? No way. Does it happen without a sea of red-clad Flames fans giving their all? Doubtful.

That's the power of the crowd.

I've been to four playoff games in my life, and in two of the four, the crowd was just as memorable as the game. At Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, I feared for my life as the upper deck shook up and down after Endy Chavez robbed Scott Rolen of a home run. Between innings, the replay of the catch was shown four times. After each instance, the crowd grew louder in disbelief. Did that really just happen? It sure did, and Chavez received two curtain calls for his efforts. But, believe it or not, it's still not my most fond playoff memory.

The 2002 playoffs were a lot of things for the Islanders, but more than anything, it was cathartic. The home team won each of the seven games in the Isles' bloodbath against the Maple Leafs, and Game 6 was just off the charts in terms of fan participation. Just before the game started, the scoreboard played a highlight video set to "Going The Distance" from the Rocky soundtrack. After the video ended, the screen went black for a few seconds. Then, the board displayed a simple, but powerful message: "Let's win this one... for Kenny and Michael." The Coliseum shook like it hadn't in years, and the ensuing blowout win (and multiple fights) let Islander fans vent eight years worth of frustration on an overmatched Leafs team.

You're seeing something similar this year at the Garden. Ranger fans haven't forgotten that the Devils swept them out of the playoffs two years ago. Add that to the physical play we've seen, and you know the crowd is just going to be louder in Game 4. And if the series gets to Game 6, it'll be louder still. Good playoff hockey is good playoff hockey, but a hot crowd just puts it over the top.

Want proof? Watch a Stanley Cup celebration when the road team is awarded the Cup. It's great to watch... but it could be better. Now, watch a team win the Cup at home, and revel in the mayhem that ensues. I wish every Cup could be won at home for this reason alone.

But it's more than just the Cup. It's the crowd going crazy, waving their rally towels as the home team takes the ice. It's the chants of "We Want The Cup!". It's a big goal, followed by an eruption of applause so loud that the announcers don't even try to talk over it. It's everything sports should be, yet so often isn't. You see scenes like these in basketball and baseball, but in hockey, it's different. Why? It just is. Maybe it's because everyone cares more. Maybe it's because hockey is so geared towards winning the Stanley Cup at the expense of everything else. I don't know, and honestly, I don't care.

Here's one thing I do know. That scene from one paragraph ago? That's something I still daydream about constantly. Even though I'm 26 and my great dream of making the NHL was dashed forever ago, I still dream about playing in front of a sold-out crowd, Gary Thorne calling my game-winning goal, and hoisting the Stanley Cup in front of 20,000 screaming fans. Without the fans, that dream dies fairly quickly. But they're there, probably because they've envisioned that scene a million times in their heads as well.

That's the power of the crowd.

Bruins...

BRUINS POST by ZACH

Influx of posts tonight. A thousand apologies from my family to yours.

Anyway, this link is courtesy of Jeff in Boston, a devoted Bruins, Patriots, and Red Sox fan (basketball is the retarded gay cousin of sports) who hasn't changed his away message in years.

It's a YouTube video of a cell phone clip of Marc Savard scoring in overtime in Game 3 of the Bruins/Canadiens series earlier today (technically yesterday). Pretty bad ass crowd reaction. It actually gave me chills.

And having a good hockey team in Boston would be awesome post-lockout (they were real good in 01-02 and 03-04 but no one in Beantown cared).

Cheating?...

RANGERS POST by ZACH

Once again, don't want to usurp Bryan's 2 worth-the-read posts below, but 3 quick hits about tonight before I forget.

1) The Devils had 4 goals, yet only really scored 1 goal. The first goal hit off of a Rangers stick because Sergei Brylin charged hard to the net and they got lucky. The second goal hit off of Shanahan and somehow dribbled past Lundqvist's shorts and into the net and they got lucky. The third was a good shot by Patrick Elias (by the way, what's 6 million divided by 20 goals?). The overtime winner hit off of a Rangers' skate and into the net because John Madden threw it at goal and they got lucky.

Moral of the Paragraph: Charge to the net, throw the puck at the net, and maybe you can score more than 2 goals a game.

2) Lou Lamoriello has been around the league a long time. He has complained a long time. He tore into the officials and their boss(es) two nights ago after Blair Betts held a red jersey. (He also thought that going even strength with 15 seconds left would have guaranteed a goal if they pulled the goalie.) He also, understandably, got mad at the icing call while they were shorthanded. 

Moral of the Paragraph: If you are Lou Lamoriello, you can get the officials to blow the whistle in your favor if you complain enough.

I know, I know, you shouldn't blame to referees for a loss, and the Rangers didn't put forth a real effort in overtime. But...

3) I have watched the "high sticking call" on Michal Rozsival about 10 times, and I cannot come up with where this penalty happened. His stick didn't go much more than waist high, and he didn't touch anybody with it. Yet, with the score tied at 2 in a playoff game, the officials whistled him for a phantom penalty, thus directly leading to a power play goal that turned out to be huge in the end.

Moral of the Paragraph: If you are trying to appease a General Manager named Lou L., please don't be so obvious. It was apparent that the assholes he ripped them the other night were still hurting and they didn't want that to happen again, so they blew phantom calls.

I understand the "reputation penalty" Avery got when Brodeur tripped him. I touched on that in my last post. But just blowing the whistle and making up a call? That's blatant cheating. To be honest, I'm shocked that Ryan Callahan didn't get a penalty when Colin White tripped him into Brodeur.

By the way, no blowjobs or burritos today (although I ate my body weight in lasagna, sausage, meatballs, and chicken parm), but Sean Avery scoring on Marty Brodeur for the third straight game is heaven.

Game 3: An Instant Classic

Who won tonight's game?

The fans.

- Tonight's game was an instant classic. Had the Rangers won, you'd be seeing it on Al Trautwig's MSG Vault for years to come. You got everything you wanted out of this game. Great goaltending, plenty of hits, and some pretty good offensive skills as well. And you got overtime; truly, this was the only way to decide such an even contest. Sure, the last goal of the game was pretty soft, but almost every tight playoff game that goes to overtime ends on a garbage goal.

- Devils fans, see what happens when your team stops whining and sticks to their gameplan? Those two power play goals really helped out tonight, didn't they? The Devils only had six shots on their eight power plays, but they made their chances count. That said, the Devils probably could have had even more power play time (they only had 9:26 in power play time despite being credited with eight power play chances) if they had kept their cool in the scrums that followed many of the plays in tonight's game.

- Speaking of the scrums, it's my personal opinion that if you drop your gloves, you should be charged with a fighting major. Two Devils had dropped their gloves in one scrum, but were only given roughing penalites. That's not right. I also think that if you drop your gloves and the other guy is turtling, that's an instigator and a game misconduct, but the officials don't see it that way. If the refs saw things the same way I do, Arron Asham would have been thrown out of tonight's game.

- Say what you want about Martin Brodeur being a whiner, but give him credit for getting knocked out in the third period, shaking it off, and staying in the game. Head trauma is a scary thing - even though I don't like Brodeur, I'm glad he was okay. It wouldn't have been the same if Kevin Weekes came in for the overtime session. I'm sure plenty of Devils fans are going to be up in arms at the Garden crowd chanting derisively at Brodeur as he was recovering from the hit. However, nobody could possibly be accused of thinking rationally in a packed house that had just seen over ninety hits in under three periods.

- Ranger fans, you've got a lot to look forward to as you look toward the next game. Sure, the Devils won tonight's game, but three of the four goals were extremely shaky. You had a puck go off a Ranger's stick, a puck somehow trickle over Lundqvist, and a puck ricochet off Marc Staal's skate and into the goal. On the other side of the equation, you brought in a packed house that tore the roof off the building. You stood up to each and every hit the Devils tried to throw at you, and you never lost your cool. You probably played your worst game of the series so far, yet still managed to force overtime. However, that 6-1 shot differential in the extra frame is something to be concerned about.

- Two random points about the Rangers: First, they seem to have modified their jerseys so that the curved "guy's dress shirt" shirttails now look like they used to. Second, it's remarkable how many of their young guys play significant minutes. They don't have to restrict themselves to their top two lines like some teams have to. They can roll three power play lines, which is insane. And none of the young players look out of place; if anything, they out-perform their senior counterparts. They remind me of the New York Yankees in that way - although the big-money guys get all the attention, it's the young guys who make peanuts that really make the team tick.

- The best part about tonight's game? We're now guaranteed at least two more games of this series. Each game is better than the one before it. The games are testy, but the hits are mostly clean and the rough stuff hasn't gotten out of control yet. There's a defensive feel to the series, but both teams (mostly the Rangers) have had their chances offensively. And both goalies have stepped up when necessary. It feels like there have been more cheap goals than good ones, and that's a good thing - it means that we're seeing some spectacular saves.

This is going to be one hell of a series. Wednesday can't come soon enough.

A Positive Approach

This past month has served as a sort of expose into what goes on inside the mind of a New York sports fan.

- March, 2008. The Islanders are on the verge of climbing back into playoff contention with a shootout win over the Rangers. Two nights later, Ted Nolan starts Wade Dubielewicz over Rick DiPietro, who was returning from injury. Dubielewicz let up four goals that night - none of them particularly soft - and the Islanders never recovered. Worse, the ensuing controversy over Nolan choosing Dubielewicz led to speculation about Nolan's job. Nolan's job security - or lack thereof - has been the leading story surrounding the Islanders ever since.

- April, 2008. The New York Mets defeat their biggest rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, in a 12-inning instant classic. The game ends on a play at the plate where Jose Reyes is called safe, even though he appeared to be out. Instead of celebrating the victory, fans and media alike choose to criticize the Mets' bullpen for blowing the game to begin with. Two days later, Mets fans boo free agent acquisition and ace pitcher Johan Santana as he exits the game.

- March-April, 2008. The New York Rangers heat up at the right time, climbing the Eastern Conference ranks and turning from potential playoff team to legitimate Stanley Cup threats. All along, the focus is on Jaromir Jagr's flirtations with a Russian Super League team. After the Rangers outplay the Devils and win two straight games on the road, Jagr is still the team's lead story. Instead of talking about Jagr playing his best hockey since 2006, the speculation about his future has clouded the good vibes his play has yielded.

"Why are you always asking me about next year? Can't you enjoy it now? That's what I'm doing, trying to play my best." That's Jaromir Jagr's take on the situation. And it ought to be ours as well.

Even though I hate the Rangers, I'm a hockey fan first. And what Jagr is doing right now is nothing short of remarkable. Considered washed up by pretty much everyone, Jagr is having a tremendous resurgence right now. Maybe it's because he wants one last big contract before he retires - and so what if it is? Don't we follow sports for stories like these? If you're a Ranger fan, you don't want to hear about where Jagr might be next year. That's something you worry about over the summer. Let him win you a Cup first, then worry about Jagr's destination.

I'm sick of all these stories taking the spotlight from the rightful parties. I don't care about the last year of Ted Nolan's contract. I don't care if a few idiots boo Johan Santana after the first home start of his seven-year deal. And I sure don't care if Jaromir Jagr follows Alexei Yashin to Russia. I almost feel like New York fans would rather be miserable than actually appreciate what's happening to their teams. The Islanders have a real coach. The Mets have a real superstar. And the Rangers have a real shot at a Stanley Cup.

Why ruin these things for ourselves? Let's put the cynicism aside for a little while and see what hockey has in store for us. Instead of focusing on negative things, let's just enjoy these playoffs for what they are - the best hockey we see all year.

Most Hated Players...

Off the top of my head, I believe the 4 players I hate the most in the NHL are (in no particular order)...

Chris Simon (although I liked him as a Ranger)

Rick DiPietro

Chris Pronger

Martin Brodeur

And this April, all is right with (my end of) the world. Simon is being sat in the playoffs in favor of seven-goal scorer Aaron Voros. Rick DiPietro can't even play golf because his hip is injured. Okay, I made that up, but it could be true. Translation: He has no second season. Marty the Overrated has given up 2 goals in 2 games to Sean Avery, and Chris Pronger, he of an unstoppable defense, was on the ice for 3 of Dallas's goals in Game 1 and has been on the ice for 2 of Dallas's 5 goals tonight. 

Quick note on Brodeur: When the Devils win, it's because of him. When they lose, it isn't his fault. Just ask him! When the Devils beat the Rangers, it's because he outplayed Lundqvist, and it's extra sweet because of who they defeated. When the Rangers go 7-0-1 against the Devils (or 1-4-3, depending on who you are a fan of), it's because the Rangers got lucky, or it just doesn't matter, because it's the regular season and only playoffs matter. 

When the Rangers beat them in the playoffs on goals he lets in, he blames the offense for not scoring. Hey, Marty. You play on the Devils. Your team hasn't been scoring for 10 years. Now, you just happen to be facing a goalie better than you.

Quickly...

Don't mean to take the thunder from Bryan's post below, but a few quick notes on an incredible night of hockey...

1) Patrick Thoresen was writhing in pain after being shot in the testicles with a puck. He was immediately taken to the hospital and his season - no matter how far the Flyers go - is over. Yet, the refs didn't blow the whistle, the play continued, and Mike Green tied it on what was essentially a 5-on-3 with Thoresen down. I know the rule is arguably that the team with the injured player has to touch the puck to get the whistle blows. I say "arguably" because the ref has discretion. If the player is badly hurt - which he was - the whistle should be blown regardless of who has the puck. Classless move that might have cost Philadelphia the game.

2) Remember when I said I love blowjobs, burritos, and Sean Avery scoring on Martin Brodeur? I only received one of those today - a sweet shot from just beyond the hash marks - and I couldn't be happier.

3) Didn't watch the end of Colorado-Minnesota (was watching Fargo that I had on TiVo for a few months) but it seems like I'm going to enjoy the highlights. Tied at 1 with 2 minutes left in the 3rd, each team scores to send it to overtime, where Keith Carney scored for the Wild 74 seconds in. And Chris Simon still hasn't played in the playoffs, even when Mark Parrish's injury opened a spot.

4) Interesting juxtaposition while watching the Rangers/Devils game and Flyers/Capitals. I was flipping to Versus during commercials to watch Ovechkin vs. Nobody, and while the Rangers were scoreless for 44 minutes, the other game had a flurry of goals and it was a different score nearly every time I turned it on. Yet, they were both great games, even if the referees left me with a sour taste in my mouth (in both games).

And Out Come The Wolves

Let the debates begin.

And please, I'm begging you... keep me out of them.

From what I saw, this is what happened tonight. The refs called the penalty on Jamie Langenbrunner with a minute left, then realized they were being too strict and swallowed their whistles the rest of the game. It wouldn't have mattered if someone pulled a Chris Simon as the game ended; they weren't going to be penalized for anything. So you saw Blair Betts commit a similar foul to the one Langenbrunner did, not to mention a few vicious hits near the boards by both teams, and yet nothing was called.

I'm not saying it's right. But isn't that part of what playoff hockey is all about? We always say things like, "The players should decide the game." Well, the players do decide every game. Up until the last minute, the game was officiated very well. The players got the chance to blow off steam after the whistle blew, but nothing got excessively out of control. We saw a couple of penalty calls that weren't penalties before the lockout, but were called tonight just as they should have been. We got exactly what we thought we'd see - a tight, physical contest that came down to the final seconds.

We also saw Brent Sutter throw a stick on the ice, looking less like a hockey coach and more like a spoiled kid who couldn't believe he wasn't getting his way. It was just the cap on an embarrassing evening for the Devils. Yet again, the arena was packed with Ranger fans. And, yet again, the Prudential Center game ops staff played music after the Rangers scored, giving the distinct impression that the Rangers were the real home team. For the second game in a row, the Devils tried a little too hard to intimidate the Rangers physically, and for the second consecutive game, it didn't work. The Devils find themselves down two games, with both games being decided by soft goals Martin Brodeur easily should have had.

And after all of that, the Devils still choose to blame the referees.

It's not a tried-and-true hockey cliche, but it's one of the more obvious sentiments you'll ever hear. If you ever find yourself in the position of blaming the officiating for a loss, you obviously didn't do enough to win the game in the first place. Instead of blasting the refs after the game, why didn't John Madden tear into his team for not taking a shot on a four-minute power play? I'm pretty sure the referees had nothing to do with that. Just the same, I doubt it was the refs that limited the Devils to four shots on ten power play minutes tonight. Of course, if you ask Brent Sutter, the referees screwed the Devils on purpose.

Now, I know how much it sucks to have the referees get in the way of a game's conclusion. But let's face facts. This was a two-minute minor penalty that occurred with a minute left. The Devils' shorthanded predicament was easily fixed by pulling Brodeur. It's not like they scored the tying goal, only to have the refs wave it off (us Islander fans know a lot about that). There was very little evidence suggesting the Devils were getting to Lundqvist no matter what. Like I said after Game 1, the great teams make their own luck, and the Rangers earned the win tonight.

By no means does this end the series. But now, the Devils have to go into Madison Square Garden, in front of a crowd that will be fully in support of the home team, and face a team they haven't beaten outside of a shootout since February 20, 2007. And if they don't win at least one game, they're out of the playoffs. Of course, this whole thing could have been avoided if not for a penalty call on Jamie Langenbrunner, who not only would have scored the tying goal, but the game-winner in overtime as well.

Why look in the mirror and try to figure out what happened when you can just blame the refs instead?

Somewhere, Brent Sutter is nodding. And the rest of us are wondering how someone who played in 144 playoff games and played in four Stanley Cup Finals doesn't know to win the game in spite of any gripes with the officiating.

So, with that in mind, count me out of the impending brouhaha about the inconsistent officiating in the playoffs. Score your goals early, play solid defense, don't let in any soft goals, and it's remarkable insignificant officiating becomes.

Sean Avery...

RANGERS POST by ZACH

Besides blowjobs and really big burritos, I don't think anything on Earth makes me happier than when Sean Avery scores a goal on Marty "The Whiner" Brodeur.

And since it's playoffs, you might cross burritos off that list.

NHL Playoffs, Day 1: Unbiased Thoughts

Finally, the second season has begun. And even the hockey haters at ESPN have taken notice... sort of. Next to the humongous ad for The Masters (which just happens to be on ESPN for the first time this year), a tiny box appears with links to tonight's scores. Better than nothing, I guess.

Anyway, these are unbiased thoughts. Why? Because apart from my desire for the Devils to fall flat on their faces as soon as possible, I'm watching these playoffs as a neutral observer. Honestly, it's more fun this way... though I suspect an Islanders playoff run might be more enjoyable. I also suspect I won't be finding out anytime soon.

Let's take a trip through the games. At every arena, an NHL logo appears behind each goal and the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo is just inside of both blue lines, where we saw "Thank You Fans!" just two years ago. I guess this is clarification for those fans who thought they were watching the Super Bowl. Away we go...

- Rangers 4, Devils 1. I got to see all of this game. While it wasn't pure, beautiful playoff hockey, it was entertaining to watch. And I was very impressed with this Rangers team.

Once they settled in, the Rangers played a very smart game. They did everything they needed to do. They were physical, but not overly tough like the Devils tried to be. They were aggressive on special teams - both on the powerplay and shorthanded. Most of all, though, it seemed apparent that the Rangers just wanted it more.

On the Devils' first power play, the Rangers had four shorthanded shots, while the Devils didn't get a single shot on goal with the man advantage. That was a sign of things to come. Sean Avery and Scott Gomez were literally all over the ice. Martin Straka, of all people, lost his stick on a penalty kill and was flopping all over the ice to block the puck. That the Devils scored their only goal seconds later doesn't take away the effort, which was there all night.

Devils fans are going to say the Rangers got lucky tonight, and they have a pretty good argument. The Devils hit the crossbar three times. The Rangers' second goal was scored because Martin Brodeur was too busy counting sheep to cover up the puck when Ryan Callahan came charging in. The third goal bounced off Sergei Brylin's skate and to Sean Avery, who just happened to be crashing the net at the right time. It also didn't hurt that Gomez blew right by four Devils, all of whom just waved at Gomez instead of trying to stop him. In the end, you make your own luck, and the Rangers got themselves into a position to take advantage of the lucky breaks they received. The Devils can't say the same.

If I were a Devils fan - and I'm not, thank goodness - I'd be embarrassed. The breakdown of The Rock tonight was at least 50-50, and if the fans favored one side over the other, the Rangers had more supporters. The Devils didn't show up in their first home playoff game in their new arena. There's no excuse for that. They will probably put forth a better show on Friday, but is it going to be enough to trump a motivated and inspired Rangers team? That's a tough one.

- Penguins 4, Senators 0. Thanks to a solid effort by the Mets, I didn't have to check in on their game, which meant I could focus my attention on this game. Versus HD had been screwy during the first two periods, so I couldn't check in very often. Of course, by the time I got to this game, it was already over.

However, I did get to see Ottawa's failed attempts at flexing its "muscle". First, one of the Senators (maybe Wade Redden) dumped Crosby in the corner. The Senator went down... Crosby emerged with the puck. After the whistle, Crosby and this unidentified Senator were throwing haymakers with their gloves on. Seconds later, Ryan Whitney absolutely pummelled Redden (yes, it was definitely him) in a mismatch. Three minutes later, Gary Roberts dumped Chris Neil into the boards. Now, we all know Roberts is no stranger to drilling opposing players head-first into the boards (remember Kenny Jonsson?), but Neil is an abhorrent player. Roberts got a fighting major and a game misconduct by the time the ensuing scrap ended, but he was yapping all the way off the ice. Ottawa tried its best to intimidate Pittsburgh physically... and it didn't work. Let the record state - Pittsburgh owns Ottawa in every way.

Oh, and Marc-Andre Fleury got the shutout.

- Avalanche 2, Wild 0 (2nd intermission). This game wasn't even advertised on the channel information for Center Ice - not exactly a ringing endorsement. This is a unique series - and by "unique", I mean that I'm curious to see how it plays out, but I don't actually want to watch any of it. Admittedly, I've seen very little of this game, but I'm not too curious to watch any more of it. Maybe it's because it's not available in HD and the first two games were. I think I'm just inclined to avoid the Wild because Jacques Lemaire coaches them. Lemaire is wearing a pretty nice suit tonight, though - he looks like the Russian politician guy in Rocky IV.

- Flames 2, Sharks 1 (1st intermission). Now this is a game I can sink my teeth into. The Sharks have been one of my favorite teams to watch all year, and the Flames are a good match-up for them. Unfortunately, we don't get the excellent Sharks broadcast on CSN, but instead we're stuck with the CBC feed. Oh well.

It didn't take long for this game to get going. Calgary scored first on a deflection, then scored a second shortly after. Within ten minutes of the opening faceoff, the Sharks had pulled within one. The Sharks seem to have controlled play for the most part, but Calgary isn't out of any game with Mikka Kiprusoff in goal. They're not going to be intimidated by the Sharks - that's one thing Mike Keenan will always give you.

Of all the games we've seen tonight, this is the one game that has a chance of coming down to the wire. This looks like a fun one. You sort of wish Calgary had more offensive firepower so we could see a real barnburner, but this game is going to be all sorts of intense as it progresses.

Maybe this hasn't been the greatest night of playoff hockey we've ever seen. But I sure am glad the playoffs are here. Who knows what the rest of tonight has in store for us?

Let's Go... Rangers?

"I don't mean to sound defensive... but some of you might find this offensive."
- The coach from the NHL Network commercials

No, I'm not going to call my offense my defense and my defense my offense. But I am doing something that could easily be considered offensive. It's only for a short period of time... and trust me, I do not feel good about it.

I'm turning to the darkside.

After a lifetime of hating the Rangers, I'm rooting for them in their first-round series against the Devils. It's not going to be an easy thing, but I feel like it's the right thing to do. Consider it an endorsement; after all, we're in an election year.

Why, you ask? Two main reasons come to mind.

1) I've gone on record many, many times as stating that a good Rangers team is good for the league. I want to see the NHL restored to its former glory... a glory, coincidentally enough, that peaked when the Rangers won their last Stanley Cup in 1994. A Rangers playoff run is something the NHL desperately needs. It will generate interest in hockey in a major market. It will increase TV ratings. It will get people talking about hockey in an area where basketball isn't in direct competition. All of these things aren't just good - they're necessary.

What does a good team in a major market do for a sport? Well, think about how many people in New York are talking about basketball now that the Knicks are awful. Think about how many New Yorkers follow college football and college basketball, given that the top teams are hundreds of miles away. Think about how little baseball is discussed in New York when the Mets and Yankees are out of the playoffs. And most people consider New York to be a baseball town. So, then, if baseball can't even sustain itself here when the local teams aren't good, how could hockey possibly be expected to succeed?

We all know hockey fans are generally a niche group of hardcore supporters. But the NHL needs the casual fan to succeed. That's where the Rangers come in. They're a big-market team. They're supposed to be good. Or at least that's what people who don't follow hockey would think. A Cup run for the Rangers would do a lot of good toward capturing the imagination of these people - the people the NHL needs to convert into hockey fans.

2) Going along with the first point, if casual fans are going to be watching playoff hockey - by far, the most exciting tournament in sports - they deserve to watch quality hockey played by quality teams. By that, I mean that they should not be subjected to the horrifically unwatchable style of hockey fashioned by the New Jersey Devils.

Aside from seeing their own teams succeed, hockey fans only ask for a few things out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They want good, exciting hockey played in front of passionate fans. They want highlight-reel goals. They want games that go to triple overtime... but not too many of them. They want to see superstars show their brilliance, long-suffering grinders achieve glory, and new players emerge to stake a claim to elite status. The Devils can provide none of these things. Do you really want to have the Devils - a team with no offense, a boring style, and a half-empty arena - be the team that's charged with showcasing all that's good about the NHL? Do you want this to be the team you show to your friends who don't follow hockey? God, I hope not.

Have you ever seen Devils highlights and wondered why they play that damn goal siren at deafening levels? It's because nobody's cheering for the home team, and the noise has to come from somewhere... so they play the foghorn at 200 decibels. You'll hear fans at The Rock in the first round because Ranger fans are going to fill the place. In fact, there's a pretty good chance that the Devils home games will resemble the scene at the Coliseum last Thursday, when Ranger fans celebrated in delerium as they clinced their playoff spot in enemy territory.

Will I actually applaud the Rangers as they succeed against the Devils? Probably not. But they do have my support. Unlike a lot of Islander fans, I understand the Rangers' place in the game. This is a team the NHL needs to be prominently featured among the league's elite. The Rangers might not be the free-wheeling, score-at-will team we'd all like to see, but they're far more watchable (and marketable) than the Devils. And if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that we don't need another Devils snoozefest in the Stanley Cup Final.

I'm not on the bandwagon. I'm just doing the right thing. And doing the right thing isn't always easy.

Basketball?...

This is how obsessed I am with hockey: I completely forgot that the NCAA basketball tournament final game was on today. The only sports even that concerns me today is the Draft Lottery at 8:00 on Versus. 

I would love St. Louis to get it, because I am a huge John Davidson fan and because, growing up, my family lived there and I went to a few Blues games so I consider them my second favorite team. Last year, they had 3 first round picks and got 3 solid people (one of whom played this year for them). They last had the first overall pick in 2006 when they chose Erik Johnson.

I think LA has enough talent already, they just need a few veterans who could help them in the clutch and a goalie who could steal some games for them (although the arrival of Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier might help that along). The last time the Kings had the #1 overall pick: 1967.

Tampa Bay has chosen first overall twice: 1993 (Roman Hamrlik) and 1998 (Vinny Lecavalier).

Atlanta has chosen first overall twice as well: 1999 (bust Patrik Stefan) and 2001 (Ilya Kovalchuk). They also chose 2nd overall in 2000 (Dany Heatley) and 2002 (Kari Lehtonen).

I hope these two teams don't win the "Stamkos Sweepstakes." They both had their chances, and they both are in poor markets where a true superstar gets wasted (Lecavalier and Kovalchuk are both exception players, and who hears about them except on XM Home Ice 204?).

As an Islander-hater, the one reason I would hope they win - although they have the smallest chance of those involved - is so hockey makes a comeback on the Island. For the record, their #! overall draft picks: 2000 (Rick DiPietro), 1973 (Denis "Wifebeater" Potvin), and 1972 (Billy Harris).

* * * 

Scroll down to see my playoff predictions (Rangers over Sharks in 7) and Bryan predictions (San Jose over Rangers in 6), as well as award notes.

Bryan's Playoff Predictions & Year-End Awards

The second season - the real season is about to begin. And even though the Islanders will be spending their spring working on their golfing skills, I can do without seeing them if it means watching the most intense action available in any sport. Bring on the playoffs!

But, before we get to that... let's take a minute to remember the events that got us here.

Most hockey writers post their awards ballot in June, which makes no sense to me. The awards are supposed to based off the regular season, not the playoffs. In theory, they're no more relevant than they are today. So why not get a head start and give out the proverbial hardware now?

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NHL Awards
Hart Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington
- Honorable Mention: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh

Vezina Trophy: Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose
- Honorable Mention: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey

Norris Trophy: Dion Phaneuf, Calgary*
- Honorable Mention: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit
(Note: Everyone knows Lidstrom is going to win this. But Phaneuf at least deserves to be considered.)

Adams Trophy: Bruce Boudreau, Washington
- Honorable Mention: Wayne Gretzky, Phoenix

Selke Trophy: Mike Richards, Philadelphia
- Honorable Mention: Patrick Sharp, Chicago

Calder Trophy: Patrick Kane, Chicago
- Honorable Mention: Nicklas Backstrom, Washington

Miscellaneous Awards
Best GM: Bob Gainey, Montreal
Most Improved Player: Mike Ribeiro, Dallas
Best Arena Snack: Pretzel Twists, Nassau Coliseum
Best TV Telecast: San Jose Sharks
Best Moment: Winter Classic
Worst Moment: Mike Milbury comparing Sidney Crosby to Bobby Orr after his fight in December
Best Development: The emergence of Alexander Ovechkin as a legitimate superstar
Worst Development: The rash of violent attacks by NHL players

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Now that we've gotten that out of the way... time for the playoffs. The first-round picks are followed by brief explanations. The rest of the hypothetical matchups will be explored at a later date.

Eastern Conference
Montreal (1) over Boston (8) in 6. Boston's better than people realize... but so is Montreal. It won't be an easy series, but the superior talent of the Habs should shine here. Look for the Bruins to put on a good enough show to land the one free agent they need to make a run next year.

Pittsburgh (2) over Ottawa (7) in 4. Ottawa is falling apart, while Pittsburgh is one of the league's hottest teams. You'd like to see Ottawa win at least one game, but with Marc-Andre Fleury on top of his game, it's not likely. The fans might not want to admit it, but a thrashing is exactly what the Senators need to refocus and get hungry.

Philadelphia (6) over Washington (3) in 7. I know, I know... everyone loves Washington right now. However, let's not forget that Washington played 24 of their games against the likes of Tampa Bay, Florida, and Atlanta. Also, keep in mind that Philadelphia actually scored more points than the Caps this year, all while playing in a much tougher division. I love this Caps team, but they remind me of last year's Penguins - they'll put forth a good show, but fall just short.

Rangers (5) over New Jersey (4) in 6. Martin Brodeur can't score the three or four goals per game the Devils are going to need to win this series. The Rangers have too much firepower, not to mention an elite goalie of their own in Henrik Lundqvist.

Western Conference
Detroit (1) over Nashville (8) in 6. Detroit is clearly the class of the league, but Nashville gets up for their games agains the Red Wings. This series won't be nearly the cakewalk it looks like, mainly because Detroit's goaltending shuffle won't work in the playoffs. Still, the Wings are too good to lose in the first round.

San Jose (2) over Calgary (7) in 5. Calgary's got a pretty good team down there, but they can't score against most teams. How are they going to score against Evgeni Nabokov? That said, even if Nabokov were off his game, the Sharks have the firepower to beat Calgary pretty easily.

Colorado (6) over Minnesota (3) in 7. This pick depends solely on Peter Forsberg's ability to stay healthy for all seven games. Colorado is a different team with Forsberg in the lineup. Now that they're getting quality goaltending, they can make a run. Minnesota is a fine team, but they're going to have a hard time scoring enough goals to win.

Anaheim (5) over Dallas (4) in 7. People say the Ducks can't score, and they didn't this season. But they certainly have the capacity to score in large numbers. If Corey Perry can come back in this series, that only bolsters the Ducks' chances. The Stars have put together a great team, but I don't think they can keep up with the Ducks for seven games.

Future Rounds
Conference Semi-Finals
Montreal over Philadelphia in 5
Rangers over Pittsburgh in 7
Detroit over Colorado in 6
San Jose over Anaheim in 7

Conference Finals
Rangers over Montreal in 6
San Jose over Detroit in 5

Stanley Cup Final
San Jose over Rangers in 6

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Will any of these predictions come true? Probably not. But I can't wait to find out!

Playoff Predictions...

NHL POST by ZACH

Ah, time for my yearly playoff predictions (yes, I know we've had this blog for a month and a half), which hold about as much salt as a pepper shaker (nice imagery, I know). Take these for what you will, as I remember that in 05-06 I had both Carolina and Edmonton losing in the first round (and Calgary over Ottawa in 6 games never did pan out). Last season, I had Ottawa losing in the first round and Anaheim winning it all over Buffalo.

So...

East

(1) Montreal over (8) Boston in 5

(7) Ottawa over (2) Pittsburgh in 7

(3) Washington over (6) Philadelphia in 7

(5) Rangers over (4) Devils in 7

Ottawa over Montreal in 6

Rangers over Washington in 4

Rangers over Ottawa in 6

West

(1) Detroit over (8) Nashville in 5

(2) San Jose over (7) Calgary in 5

(6) Colorado over (3) Minnesota in 7

(4) Anaheim over (5) Dallas in 6

Colorado over Detroit in 4

San Jose over Anaheim in 7

San Jose over Colorado in 6

Finals

Rangers over San Jose in 7

It might look like I'm a homer - the Ranger fan picking the Rangers to win. Well, unlike Islander fans, I have logic to back me up. 

See, I think any team from the East can emerge as conference champions, with the exception of Philly and Boston. So, if the Rangers can beat NJ - which they can, but it will be a brutal series - they can beat anyone. Washington is good but they are inexperienced and the Rangers play very well against them historically (of course, Huet is the X factor there). The Rangers would be able to beat Ottawa, especially with home ice advantage and if the Senators have to fight through the Penguins. And Marty Gerber is an awful playoff performer (ask Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward) and Ray Emery cares about his team like I care about cricket (the sport... and the bugs).

The Rangers were awful against the West, as in 1-7-2 awful. The Ducks and Kings beat them in back-to-back games, the Coyotes dismembered them, they got 1 point on the Canadian trip. 

The 1 win: 3-1 over San Jose. 

Season In Review: New York Islanders

At long last, it's finally over. The season has come to an end, and you know what that means. No more injuries. No more woefully unprepared call-ups from Bridgeport. No more losing. No more free chili. No more exasperated claims from Howie Rose that he can't figure this team out. Which is a good thing. Because as Mr. Rose heads off to WFAN and the Mets, I'm sure he's found more questions than answers. I think I speak for every Islander fan when I say that I have a few of my own.

For me, the question doesn't concern who's going to be back next year. Instead, I'd like to ask about who isn't returning. Personally, I'd sleep easier knowing that the following players will never again don an Islanders jersey - Miroslav Satan, Josef Vasicek, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Bryan Berard. Not that these are bad players, but they aren't going to get any better. Their production could easily be replicated by a young player with at least a decent upside. One of the biggest problems on Long Island this year was the glut of roster spots that were being wasted, and getting rid of these players would help. It would also be nice if Garth Snow would refrain from signing role players to one-year deals and relying on them to be first-line players.

So, then, who to sign? A scorer would be nice. However, this team has seen both Satan and Alexei Yashin come to the Island and almost immediately lose their scoring touch. The Islanders need a player they can build around - or, even better, a player they've already subconsciously prepared to acquire. Who that player is, I have no idea. But getting a superstar scorer would not only get the Islanders some goals, but they could clear up some room for another desperately-needed commodity - an enforcer. The Islanders, for all of their muckers and grinders, ranked 26th in the NHL in fighting majors. The good teams in the NHL have a balance between their scorers and their fighters; that is, they don't roll four lines that play the same exact style. This is something the Islanders need to work on this off-season.

Truthfully, it isn't all that bad. Should they get a scorer, they already have a quality set-up man in Mike Comrie. They have tons of grinders and penalty killers - Richard Park, Sean Bergenheim, Mike Sillinger, and even Andy Hilbert are guys that are going to be back and should continue to succeed on the Island. Kyle Okposo should be a candidate for Rookie Of The Year, and Jeff Tambellini should have a good season in his first real chance at a 82-game NHL season. The Islanders have a solid defensive core, with an above-average offensive D-man in Chris Campoli and some good stay-at-home guys in Brendan Witt and Andy Sutton. And, in net, Rick DiPietro is obviously the go-to guy. If DP can replicate the first half of his 2007-08 campaign over a full season, he could be a Vezina nominee. As bad as it seems, there are some pieces in place. It's up to Garth Snow to make the necessary changes, but not change too much.

In my opinion, the most two most important facets of the off-season have absolutely nothing to do with the on-ice product of the New York Islanders. The first is the Isles' potential participation in the Winter Classic. I know the Islanders aren't exactly the most popular choice with the NHL or NBC, but an appearance on the league's second-biggest stage would be a major (and much-needed) coup for this team. I'm not even suggesting that the Islanders deserve to be there, just that it'd do a world of good for the team and the Islanders-Rangers rivalry.

More important than the Winter Classic, though, is Charles Wang's proposed Lighthouse Project. It was suggested the other day on NHL Live that if the Lighthouse Project falls through, the Islanders would have a hard time staying on Long Island. Time will tell how true that is, but facts are facts. The Islanders have the third-oldest arena in the league, and once the Penguins move into their new arena and the Garden is renovated, the Islanders will be left in the dust. The Coliseum has the smallest capacity of any arena in the NHL, not to mention it draws the lowest number of fans per night in the league. Sure, attendance has increased, but anybody who followed the Islanders this year saw the significant increase in ticket promotions and giveaways. The Lighthouse Project is critical for the Islanders, not just for the fans, but for purposes of attracting marquee free agents and increasing the visibility of the franchise. Charles Wang claims ground is to break in July 2009, but there's a lot of paperwork and political maneuvering to be done before then.

On Monday night, the New York Islanders officially end their season with the NHL Draft Lottery. The Isles will have a top-six pick in this year's draft, but exactly where they'll draft will be determined tomorrow night. In what's said to be the deepest draft in years, the Islanders should end up with a quality pick. Time will tell whether that pick will be turned into an elite prospect or a trading chip. Either way, it's a good problem to have. In an off-season where Garth Snow undoubtedly has his work cut out for him, he certainly has a good problem on his hands to start it off.

With that, we effectively close out our coverage of the Islanders for the next little while. Our focus turns to the Rangers and the NHL Playoffs as a whole. This is the best time of year for any true hockey fan; just because the Islanders aren't in the playoffs doesn't mean they shouldn't be enjoyed. We've got plenty of Islanders-related stuff in the hopper, but we have a whole summer for that. In the meantime, there are four rounds of playoffs to watch and savor. We'll have some sort of playoff preview up before the real season begins Wednesday night. Maybe next year, the Isles will be part of the dance... and if there's a God, they won't appear as an 8 seed yet again.

Yes, I'm Even Happy for Tom Poti...

CAPITAlS POST by ZACH

THE TEAM

The Washington Capitals started off the season on a three-game winning streak for the first time since 2002-03. Former Ranger fan-favorite Michael Nylander scored the first goal of the year. They then went 3-14-1 before firing their coach for 80s AHL superstar Bruce Boudreau. 

Somewhere along the line, they traded for a great mentor to their young superstars (Sergei Fedorov), traded for Cristobal Huet to give them a solid 1-2 punch in net (along with Olie Kolzig), and got Hart, Calder, and Adams Trophy candidates (Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, and Boudreau).

Somehow, at 43-31-8, they ended up with the exact same record as the Ottawa Senators, who were 16-4 at the same time Boudreau took over in the nation's capital (Ottawa also went 9-1 in October).

And somehow, they clinched the playoffs.

THE OWNER

They have an owner who cares about the team (as a Rangers fan, this befuddles me - an owner who CARES about games and actually GOES to them and doesn't just own them because he happens to own the co-existing basketball team?). Ted Leonsis, from what I know, went to Georgetown and started going to Caps games because tickets were deathly cheap in the 70s since nobody went. (The team won 8 games in their first year, so they had to do what they had to do to get butts in seats.) He fell in love with the game, and when he made a fortune on AOL, bought the team. He writes a blog (sometimes, several times a day) and answers every email he can. When Washington clinched the playoffs, he blew a kiss to the crowd. When the Rangers clinched the playoffs on Thursday, Jimmy Dolan probably got a text message Friday morning whilst on his private helicopter. In contrast, Leonsis even had a Capitals jersey on during post-game interviews. 

Leonsis had a Fan Appreciation Week this past Monday-Friday where 5 people per day won team prizes, including autographed pictures, pucks, sticks, and each day, one fan won a game-worn jersey.

No word on how good the pretzels are at the Verizon Center, though.

A.O.

Last year, the Rangers played the Capitals in the first game of the season. I went down with my girlfriend to watch warm-ups on the Rangers side. Ovechkin was one of the first players on the ice for the Caps, he got a puck, turned towards us, and slapped a puck down that hit the glass right in front of my face.

If he spoke fluent English, Ovechkin would be the face of the game, not Sidney Crosby. What's great about Ovechkin is that he is trying to learn fluent English, which you wouldn't believe from the Versus commercial where he is the one guy who doesn't speak in English. His first year in the NHL, he asked to room with an English-speaking player so he could learn the language faster.

As a Ranger fan, my favorite goal celebration is the Sean Avery point-to-the-crowd, but the AO leap-into-whatever-is-there is a close second. He normally jumps into the plexiglass if no players are around. If you're reading this, go here and click WATCH! and view the highlights of the game. When Alex Semin slaps one home in the second period, AO is more excited than anyone and he leaps onto the pile, dragging everyone down in celebration. That's what this game needs.

When he learns this language fully, look for him to be the face of the game. ESPN will love him once they discover him.

I had been saying that Ovechkin (as well as Boudreau) should not win any awards if the team didn't make the playoffs. Well, today, that point is moot (mute?).

The City

Washington's one claim-to-fame as a hockey club was when they got slapdazzled (not a real word) by Detroit in the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals. All the fans came out for that and D.C. actually cared about hockey. Then came the downfall.

The next season, they didn't make the playoffs. For the next two seasons, Pittsburgh beat them in the first round both years. Then they missed the playoffs. Then they mailed in a performance against Tampa Bay in 02-03 and lost in 6 games. The year before the lockout, they were horrendous. They were so bad that they traded Jaromir Jagr for Anson Carter straight up. They were so bad that they won the first overall pick in the draft lottery.

The lockout came and went, and Alex Ovechkin became their brightest star. Last year, they got Donald Brashear to protect AO (results of that experiment are inconclusive, but GM George McPhee did bring him back for another year). This year, a supporting cast emerged (and in Fedorov's case, was traded for) and Boudreau changed to an offensive-minded system where he let AO run wild, bringing fans back to the arena (most of them paying and not getting free tickets).

The Conclusion

The Capitals asked the fans to all wear red this past week at home games. Looking at the crowd in the arena, I am impressed. 95% of the crowd is dressed in red and it seemed that 100% of them were standing and cheering as the Capitals beat the Panthers to clinch a spot in the playoffs, something Carolina could not do. (For the record, Carolina outshot Florida 46-17, took 0 penalties, had 9 power plays, and couldn't score a goal.)

The site of a sold-out crowd in Washington is awesome. The NHL needs big cities to have good teams (I'm talking to you, Blackhawks, Bruins, Kings), especially in markets where the NFL rules. People rallied behind a team who went from worst in the NHL to Southeast champions in 5 months. They went 9-1 in their final 10 (gaining 8 points on Carolina) and the fans came out.

When the players hopped over the boards as the clock ticked off, Bruce Boudreau did something coaches rarely do - he showed emotion. He was jumped, waving his arms, slapping players on the should pads.

I gotta tell you, the whole scene - the coach, the players, the fans - brought a tear to my eyes.

Win or lose for the Rangers in the postseason, I love this game.

Going Out With A Whimper

Congratulations to the New York Rangers on clinching a playoff berth. You've certainly earned it.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way... tonight's game might have been one of the worst hockey games I've ever seen. The Islanders fielded their AHL affiliate against a Rangers team that was on the verge of clinching a playoff berth, and it showed. If you saw the game, you saw the obvious - this is just not a team that can compete with the Rangers. The Rangers skated circles around the Islanders tonight, and I don't think you can blame it all on injuries, either.

Tonight's game was just awkward from the start. The telecast opened with an interview Howie Rose did with Charles Wang, where Wang stated Ted Nolan wouldn't be extended before the season. He sounded very adamant about it, too, like he almost doesn't want Nolan back past next season. Then, the game started, and from the first Jaromir Jagr goal, it was clear that these are two teams at two different levels. The Rangers are peaking at the right time as they make their Cup run, while the Islanders are pitiful and are fighting an uphill battle against any team.

I'm sick of hearing about how many injuries have befallen the Islanders. The truth is, we're not seeing the future of the New York Islanders right now. Do you really think Kip Brennan is going to be a key player someday? Drew Fata? Steve Regier? Every year, they bring up the same guys, and every year, the same guys begin the next season in Bridgeport. If the Islanders actually had a farm system worth its salt, they wouldn't be getting killed every night. Since the win against the Rangers on March 4th, the Islanders have the worst record in the league. Every team gets hit with injuries. It's no excuse.

If the Islanders want to see exactly what they should be doing, they should look at the team that mopped the floor with them tonight. The Rangers are the model for what the Islanders aspire to be. It wasn't so long ago that the Rangers were full of aging players and no real future in sight. Now, the Rangers have it all. They have scorers. They have checkers. They have enforcers. They have great goaltending. They can do it all, and they are definitely a threat to make a deep playoff run. The Islanders? They have a decent core of young players - Rick DiPietro, Kyle Okposo, Sean Bergenheim, Blake Comeau, Chris Campoli, Jeff Tambellini, Bruno Gervais, and Frans Nielsen - but that's only eight players. Add in their reliable veterans - Richard Park, Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin, and Brendan Witt - and there's four more. That's twelve. A hockey team consists of twenty players. Who will the other eight be? Garth Snow has a lot of work to do this off-season.

But there's more to a team than the players. The Islanders need an overhaul in terms of philosophy and style. Talent will go a long way in changing that. However, look at the Rangers' power play tonight. As Howie pointed out, the Rangers scored very quickly on their first two power plays - Jagr's goals came twenty seconds and eight seconds after Islander penalties. See what happens when you actually, you know, shoot the puck? Maybe if the Islanders didn't waste two minutes passing the puck around every time they get a man advantage, they wouldn't be 28th in the league on the power play.

There's still one more game against the Rangers, but I'm not expecting too much. Hopefully, the Islanders will get a big win when it really matters - on Monday, at the draft lottery.

Deja Vu?...

Almost titled this post Deja Du, but that would be horrible. Quickly, because I'll be late to work...

April 3, 2007, the Rangers had a chance to clinch the playoffs with 2 points. They were playing the near-dead Islanders at the Coliseum. Henrik Lundqvist and Wade Dubielewicz were in goal. The Islanders won in a shootout, 3-2, in what was the first of their four-game miracle run to the playoffs. I sat front row and you saw me behind Dubie on MSG and FSN falling to the ground after Jaromir Jagr missed his last shootout attempt.

April 3, 2008, the Rangers need two points to clinch the playoffs. They are playing the dead Islanders at the Coliseum. Lundqvist, Dubie. I'll be there tonight, although I don't know where my seats are yet.

Here's hoping history doesn't repeat itself.

Conflicts Of Interest

You've got to love this time of year.

If you're a Ranger fan, you just came off a night of rooting for the Islanders in their game against the Devils. Perish the thought! Sorry we couldn't do more for you guys - it's sort of tough to beat playoff teams when half your players belong in the AHL. And now, Devils fans will root for the Islanders as they take on the Rangers the next two nights. While it's not a rivalry on the same level as Islanders-Rangers or Rangers-Devils, it's still an awkward fit - and that's what the playoff push is all about.

The Islanders have two games left this season, both against the hated Rangers. And nothing is as it seems. As I see it, the Islanders' goals should be as follows:

1. Don't let the Rangers clinch their playoff berth on Coliseum ice. This might not be an issue depending on what happens in tonight's Carolina-Tampa Bay game; Carolina needs at least one point to keep the Rangers from clinching. The Rangers could also clinch tomorrow night if Tampa can stop Washington. No matter what the scenario ends up being, the last thing the Islanders (and their fans) need is for tomorrow night's game to serve as a party for Ranger fans to celebrate their latest playoff berth. Whether the Rangers need the win to clinch or not, the Islanders need to do something to shut up the many Ranger fans who will be in attendance. Winning is the best way to take care of that.

2. Finish with a bottom-five record to qualify for the draft lottery. Any three points earned by Columbus, or any three points not earned by the Islanders, will clinch a lottery spot for the Islanders. That's good. The Islanders might be able to manage that on their own; however, they always get up for the Rangers and could very play spoiler in their final two games. Thankfully, Columbus plays Detroit tomorrow, followed by a home-and-home against St. Louis this weekend, opening the door for the Islanders' ping-pong ball to enter the draft lottery hopper. Thank God.

3. Win at least one game, guaranteeing a win in the season series. The Isles currently lead the series 4-2, with one win coming in a shootout. A win gives them the season series. Assuming no overtime points are awarded - and that's far from a given - a split would also clinch at least a tie in the Hummer Metro Ice Challenge. A sweep would give the Isles the trophy outright. Not that the Hummer Metro Ice Challenge means anything, but it provides supreme bragging rights. Besides, it's all we have left.

Two games left... three objectives left to accomplish. It seems to me like all three are doable. The Rangers can clinch if the Lightning help them out, they can clinch on Friday at the Garden, they can even clinch on Sunday against the Devils... just not tomorrow at the Coliseum as the result of a Ranger win. We can beat the Rangers and get into the lottery, especially since Columbus has two games against the woeful Blues. It's not a playoff berth, but let's be honest - I'd rather go to the lottery than face yet another first-round exit.

Playoff Hockey (No Offense, Bryan)...

Last year, Chris Drury had 69 points, a career-high. He was rewarded with a $35M contract over 5 years. For comparison, Marty Straka had 70 points and was given a one-year, 3.3 million dollar deal. So why the giant paychecks for Drury? Quite frankly, it isn't the quantity of goals he scores, it's the quality. 

It's his late-second goals, the ones he scores with 6.2 seconds left in regulation to bring a game against Edmonton to overtime (looking back, that extra point was huge). To be honest, the goal against the Rangers last year in Game 5 with 7.7 seconds left might have convinced Glen Sather that he needed someone like him - or him - on the team in 2007-08. It's his three-assist games against Jersey in late March, his 55% faceoff win percentage, his 7 game-winning goals (3 more than anyone else on ths team), his penalty killing, his blocked shots, his dives for the pucks on the PK that send the pucks out of the zone and down the ice. 

And to be honest, we haven't seen the best of him yet. He is like a different animal in the playoffs. He won the Stanley Cup in 2001 with Colorado, and he should have won in 2006 with Buffalo, but he never shrunk back in that playoffs. He has 18 points in 18 games. Last season, he scored 13 points in 16 playoff games. Now, he's on the team he rooted for growing up. Imagine how deadly he can be playing as a Ranger?

Last year, Scott Gomez had 60 points, including only 13 goals. Never before has someone been so handsomely rewarded by the Rangers for a subpar season since... okay, that's a lie. But $51M for 60 points? 

However, Glen Sather didn't sign Gomez for his regular season stats. Sure, they will improve as he is just now coming into his prime, but he is here for his playoff experience in New Jersey. He has two Cups already and hasn't averaged under a point per game in the playoffs in the past 3 years. 

He steps up when he is needed the most. He is a warrior, a battler. He had bruise ribs which made sleeping hard over the last weekend, but he still put up two primary assists against the Devils on Thursday. In the regular season, he is leading the team in points (he already has 10 more than he did last year), and he has never been a regular season performer as much as a playoff player.

Jaromir Jagr won two Stanley Cups, both in his 1st two years. Think he won't put it all on the line in what may be his last season? Brendan Shanahan is older and very beat up. This (or next year) could be it for him, and he would love to win his 4th Cup in NY. Henrik Lundqvist played out of his mind in the playoffs last year and he has been showing his stuff lately.

To borrow a phrase from a Versus commercial, Is this the year for the Rangers? I won't guarantee it (well, because I don't play on the team) and I won't bet on it (because my credit card doesn't work on SportsBetting.com anymore), but I think that anyone in the East has the opportunity to come out of it, except maybe Philadelphia and Boston. It might be hard to beat a Western Conference team, but once you're in, your veterans and goalie can lead you far.

First step is clinching.