Scoreboard Praying

There'll be plenty of scoreboard watching praying today. This is what it's come to for the idle Rangers who don't play till tomorrow's predictable NBC clash at the Flyers. Just dandy. You know Philly is licking their chops from that 7-0 humiliation that also came on NBC. They should be in a foul mood after falling to the Devils last night with the Jersey kids getting a Patrik Elias hat trick. Speaking of the Devs, they're still alive and visit Martin Brodeur's favorite target hometown Montreal.

Believe it or not, Ranger fans will be rooting for their most hated rivals. With the Canadiens only two up (technically 3), the Devils can do us a favor if Brodeur does what he usually does. Plus they are playing for pride, having not been eliminated yet. So, they should be amped up with Zach Parise finally back in the lineup. Will the Zach Attack score in his return? Ranger fans don't care as long as the Hudson rival wins. Doubly important for Brian's Sabres, who have to deal with Alex Ovechkin and the Caps in D.C. That should be no picnic. Though Washington isn't playing for much, it looks like Swedish wonder Jhonas Enroth gets the start with Ryan Miller still banged up. Buffalo also plays tomorrow when they visit Raleigh for a pivotal match against those Canes.

Meanwhile, Carolina looks to win again when they visit Long Island. Yes, the same Islanders who dismantled the Rangers in what amounted to their Stanley Cup, now must be counted on to stop the Hurricanes. How many disgruntled Blueshirt fans actually think that's going to happen? Exactly. If we don't win tomorrow, we're screwed. Then, it's Boston next on Versus with the Thrashers and Devils left. Of course, if you heard Brian on the No Goal Sports show Friday on BlogTalk along with myself, The Program's own Chris Wassel and quirky Dan Wheeler, you'd have thought the Sabres were done. The usual stuff from the most classic person I know for way too long. :P If you dare, catch the replay here. But I must warn that the first two hours were our baseball predictions and other assorted banter before puck took over in the witching hour.

The cool thing about tonight if you're not locked into a compelling Final Four that features Cinderella VCU versus Butler and powerhouses UConn and Kentucky, is every game comes on at 7. So, there'll be plenty of flipping. Between that, the Final Four and the always must watch Hockey Night In Canada feed featuring the Leafs and Sens, it will be chaotic. By 9:30, we should have a pretty good idea what the standings look like. Perfect timing since I'm heading out to celebrate a birthday party for a close friend in the city.

Fasten your seatbelts.