NHL suspends Cooke 10 games plus Round One

Sometimes, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while. Make that one for NHL Deputy Colin Campbell, who got this one right by suspending controversial Penguins forward Matt Cooke the rest of the season along with the first round of the playoffs, stemming from his blindside elbow of Ranger rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh yesterday.

The 32 year-old Cooke is quite familiar to illegal hits that can hurt opponents such as the unpenalized one he committed on Marc Savard last year, whose career might never be the same. The Boston center suffered a concussion and then another one in his return that derailed his 2010-11 season. Last year, the Pens' pest was banned two games for knocking out Artem Anisimov, which was his third suspension. Following a four-game sentence for a dangerous hit from behind on Columbus blueliner Fedor Tyutin, a month later Cooke struck again when he stuck out his elbow with McDonagh in a prone position. Fortunately, the former Badger was alright. However, he did sit out team practice as a precaution today.

Following Mario Lemieux's heavy criticism of the league's mishandling of the Pens-Islanders brawl that included 19 games for Trevor Gillies and a mandatory 10 for Eric Godard along with a single digit ban for Matt Martin and a hefty $100,000 fine for the Islanders, the league had no choice but to severely punish one of the Pens' own. Cooke is a repeat offender who hasn't gotten the message. Yesterday's latest incident, a blindside hit to the back of McDonagh's head, was potentially dangerous. These are the type of cheap shots that have no place in the game and must be phased out. In a statement from Campbell, he said:

"Mr. Cooke, a repeat offender, directly and unnecessarily targeted the head of an opponent who was in an unsuspecting and vulnerable position. This isn’t the first time this season that we have had to address dangerous behavior on the ice by Mr. Cooke, and his conduct requires an appropriately harsh response.”

Oddly enough, I said I wanted 10 games plus Round One. Something that at least would put some emphasis on the postseason. If you look past Cooke's record, he's a valuable player to the Pens who is a chief penalty killer, able to contribute offensively. In 67 contests this season, the former Canuck has 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points along with three shorthanded goals while racking up 129 penalty minutes. Considering that Sidney Crosby's return is still questionable despite practicing, it's a huge loss for a team that plays on the edge. Pittsburgh leads the league with 72 majors. Even if you're the biggest Cooke detractor, he's a solid player despite his idiocy tendencies. Explained Penguins GM Ray Shero of a suspension that was “warranted because that’s exactly the kind of hit we’re trying to get out of the game:

"Head shots have no place in hockey. We’ve told Matt in no uncertain terms that this kind of action on the ice is unacceptable and cannot happen. Head shots must be dealt with severely, and the Pittsburgh Penguins support the NHL in sending this very strong message.”

“I don’t think you can talk about eliminating head shots from the game, as we have as an organization, and not expect (Cooke’s hit) to be examined,” Pens coach Dan Bylsma said following yesterday's 5-2 loss to the Rangers. “It’s what looks to be a contact right to the head on the play, so the league will look at that and treat it as such.”

This is a step in the right direction for a league who too often looks the other direction when these types of illegal hits take place. Hopefully, it will set a precedent and further discourage players from taking part in such actions. Let this be a lesson. Further perpetrators will be properly disciplined.

Callahan sets career high in big win aided by Cooke

Even in a year which he missed time, Ryan Callahan has managed to set new career highs across the board. The next captain delivered big time with his career best 23rd goal and two assists in a Matt Cooke induced 5-2 stirring comeback win over the NHL's dirtiest team, the Pens yesterday. In 53 games, the '04 fourth round gem from Rochester now has 23 goals and 23 assists for 46 points, putting him only behind scoring leader Brandon Dubinsky, whose three-point outing (ENG, 2 A) finally allowed him to reach 50 on the season.

It was another game where our Blueshirts dug in, showing tremendous heart in bouncing back from a dismal second in which they were outshot 19-7 to pull out a season high fourth straight win. Combined with Buffalo's stunning overtime loss to Nashville that featured rookie Blake Geoffrion's first hat trick, the Rangers gained a point on the seventh Sabres- extending to a three point lead and five better than ninth Carolina. Toronto trails by eight and the Devils, who hung in on yesterday's 13 save Martin Brodeur shutout, are 10 back.

A fiercely competitive game that was closer than the final score got marred by the latest Cooke shenanigans. With the game still tied at one thanks to a standout performance from gutsy Henrik Lundqvist (38 saves) battling pest Max Talbot and a stiff neck, Cooke deliberately elbowed rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh from behind in the head. Precisely the kind of blindside hit the league wants out of the game. In light of all the concussions due to such disrespectful cheap shots, it was another strike against a player who either won't get it or doesn't seem to care about the livelihood of his peers after hockey. Just ask Keith Primeau, who still has days where he can't get out of bed five years after retiring. Luckily, the future shutdown Ranger blueliner was okay enough to return and contribute on Derek Stepan's insurance marker that erased all doubt.

“I didn’t see him coming. I know it hurt, that’s for sure,” McDonagh said of Cooke's vicious elbow that forced trainer Jim Ramsay to use protocol by asking him three questions before allowing the University Of Wisconsin product to return. “I would hope it wasn’t his intent. It’s a tight game. I’m sure he’s not trying to get his team a five-minute penalty. He’d probably just trying to finish his check and just caught me wrong.”

“I don’t think you can talk about eliminating head shots from the game, as we have as an organization, and not expect (Cooke’s hit) to be examined,” Pens' head man Dan Bylsma stated without remarkably defending the latest action from his controversial pupil, who actually is an effective player when he isn't injuring opponents. “It’s what looks to be a contact right to the head on the play, so the league will look at that and treat it as such.”

Of course, it would occur on NBC with Pierre McGuire and Ed Olczyk at a loss for words. A rarity for the do everything TSN analyst who loves chiming in. Astonishingly, with Cooke immediately ejected for an elbowing major, the Penguins No.1 penalty kill struck when Chris Kunitz took advantage of some sloppy Ranger play in the neutral zone to tally shorthanded. After a couple of minutes of zilch, Kunitz stole the puck and used Dan Girardi as a screen, going high stickside on Lundqvist for a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead with 13:34 left. On a day Lundqvist responded to John Tortorella's challenge to play following Benoit Pouliot running him over in Friday's rout of Montreal, perhaps he could've had it. But it was a great individual effort by the Pens' most underrated player and perfect shot.

With it looking like the major penalty would go to waste, Matt Niskanen who Lundqvist denied twice, took an undisciplined double minor after high sticking Callahan, who returned with a bloody beak. Finally, rejuvenated Marian Gaborik got to some loose change in front, burying his fifth goal in five games. The goal was set up by Bryan McCabe, whose low one-timer through heavy traffic caromed off Marc-Andre Fleury right to Gaborik for his 21st. Still on the power play, Callahan cashed in thanks to a broken play. Mats Zuccarello's shot went wide behind the net to ex-Pen Erik Christensen, who also missed. But the puck caromed right to Callahan who noticed Fleury down and immediately fired his 23rd upstairs for two goals in 11 seconds, suddenly moving the Rangers in front.

“It’s pretty easy to get down on ourselves (and) hang our heads after letting up a goal on the power play like that,” said Callahan, who extended his goal streak to three straight. “But to our credit, we showed a lot of character coming back and still working.”

Not surprisingly, in a game where the Pens benefited from two generous penalties, they finally got a legit one when McDonagh lost position and tripped Kris Letang,who had a path to the net. Ironically, the stripes ignored a Dubinsky chop that broke a stick on one of those earlier power plays. Go figure. In any event, Pittsburgh had a great chance to tie it with 3:25 remaining. They pushed hard, getting all sorts of pressure on Lundqvist, who made a sprawling pad save with at least three Pens searching for the rebound. On a day where they were minus Marc Staal, the Rangers stood up for their goalie with Callahan roughing up Talbot earlier even though it was okay for him to get an extra shot in on Lundqvist. This time, Mike Sauer pushed Kunitz down and Tyler Kennedy was shoved away by teammates with the puck lying right next to our goalie.

The critical moment was the best shot Pittsburgh had. Our penalty kill got the job done. Just after it expired, Lundqvist made one more difficult stop on a tricky offering from Dustin Jeffrey. Able to kick it out to McDonagh, who pulled away from a couple of Pens for a mini-break. With the chase on, McDonagh forced Fleury to make one save and then followed up his rebound which then sailed out to Stepan, who deposited his 19th at 18:45 to salt it away. All too fitting that the recipient of a Cooke elbow that the league actually got right suspending him the rest of the season (10 games) plus the first round, was involved in the finish.

With Fleury off for an extra attacker, Callahan found Dubinsky for an empty netter that put the exclamation point on the latest huge win.

Earlier, Artem Anisimov traded first period goals with Jordan Staal in a well played stanza that saw each Patrick rival take turns controlling the action. Anisimov, who also added an assist for another multi-point effort, benefited from a nice Callahan feed from the right corner- steering home his 18th with 9:40 left in the first. However, the Pens bounced back thanks to a great James Neal outlet that sprung Staal, whose forehand deke beat Lundqvist clean 4:39 later. On the play, Girardi was exploited with fill-in partner Steve Eminger. Each were too close when Neal threaded the needle for Staal's 10th. Rookie Ben Lovejoy added a helper.

Girardi and Eminger struggled all day but Tortorella kept them intact while utilizing go-to rookie tandem McDonagh and Sauer, who were strong again finishing plus-four with an assist. The Pens generated plenty in the middle frame but couldn't solve Lundqvist, who was at his best.

“Hank played with some (guts), didn’t he?” praised Tortorella. “He played very well right on through. He gave us a chance … and then we capitalized on their penalties in the third period.”

“Right now it’s fun,” Lundqvist added with his club's next big one tomorrow against the Panthers at home. “When you’re winning, everybody’s having fun.”

Who could disagree with that?


BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (assist, 2 PIM, +2 in 28 shifts-18:09)
2nd Star-Anisimov-Dubinsky-Callahan, NYR (3-5-8, +3, 9 hits, 3 blocked shots, Dubi 11-6 draws)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (38 saves incl. 19/19 in 2nd)

Fleury outplays Lundqvist in shootout loss to Crosby/Geno less Pens

Sometimes, the game of hockey is quite simple. In the playoffs, it usually comes down to goaltending. In Tuesday's case between a pair of All-Stars, Marc-Andre Fleury was better than Henrik Lundqvist. The Cup winner bested the gold medalist with Fleury making 26 saves and going seven-of-seven in the Pens' 4-3 shootout win over the Rangers.

Alright. Say this a few times. The Blueshirts have won 12 of 26 games at Madison Square Garden. Save us the Bettman substandard record of 12-11-3. Our team is really two games under .500 at home which simply is unacceptable. I get that this team gives it all they got every night. I also realize that for whatever reason, they're far more comfortable winning on the road where they've gone 17-10 (17-9-1), translating to Road Warriors. Ah. I do love using the name of arguably the greatest tag team in wrestling. God bless Hawk. It's fine that John Tortorella's club wins more away from MSG. But at the same time, at some point they better turn The Garden into a home ice advantage instead of home ice disadvantage. There's still 16 games left on 33rd and Seventh including tomorrow's grudge match against the revamped Devils. They better get it together soon.

So, how in a game where six combined goals was Fleury the difference? If you saw the goals our team scored compared to the softies Lundqvist let in, it was obvious. For some reason, he just wasn't sharp fumbling rebounds even in the first where our team led thanks to a Brandon Prust tap-in set up by Brian Boyle and Wojtek Wolski. Our team built a two-goal lead early in frame two when Artem Anisimov did something- batting the puck out of mid-air to notch his 11th from Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik. With Dubi back along with third goalscorer Ryan Callahan, our lineup looked decent considering it was their first games. I really liked how Dubinsky meshed with Anisimov and Gaborik. Hopefully, Tort will keep them together. Callahan played with Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello, who took turns with an effective Wolski.

The fourth line was anchored by Chris Drury who worked with recently demoted Kris Newbury and Sean Avery. I thought they played well forechecking effectively. Newbury may have racked up 32 penalty minutes in his time here but he played with energy and mixed it up. Sure. A few of his penalties were undisciplined and probably explains why he's been an AHLer. But he worked hard and fit in. Kudos to Ken Gernander and the rest of the Connecticut Whale staff. As for Drury who most figure could be the odd man out when or if Vinny Prospal returns, the captain acquitted himself well putting together a couple of inspired penalty killing shifts. For a guy who gets killed due to his hefty salary, Dru always gives effort. It's a shame that his body has broken down and he's likely done after this year regardless of the contract having another year remaining. I've seen tweeps ask for him to be stripped of the 'C.' But that would be detrimental to the team. I don't think outsiders realize his importance in the locker room. Intangibles can never be underestimated. It would've been nice if Dru had beaten Fleury with a great try that the Pitt netminder gloved for one of his best saves.

As for Boyle and Prust, Batman and Robin did their thing combining on a goal while playing solid all around hockey that we've come to expect. I guess Wolski will stick with them as I feel MZA is a better fit with D-Step and Cally. Aside from Callahan's tying tally with 12 ticks left in the second, the power play stunk. Michael Del Zotto was again shaky despite setting up Cally's redirect. He also failed to take Ranger killer Mike Rupp on the Pens' second goal- an awful rebound by Lundqvist on a routine Max Talbot shot. Honestly, he could've had all three, including rookie Dustin Jeffrey's unscreened one-timer for a Pens' power play goal that gave them life. In a word, deflating. No wonder the Pens soon tied it and then surged ahead on a similar play off a faceoff after Tortorella burned a timeout. Yes. Chris Kunitz tipped home Zbynek Michalek's blast but there again seemed to be enough time for our two-time All-Star to stop it.

Predictably, Lundqvist took no heat afterwards in a game we should've come out with two points in. What do these media people do during games? Yawn when Henrik allows clunkers similar to Martin St. Louis' in the All-Star Game?!?! Lundqvist has had a great season and I'm not trying to take away from it which includes seven shutouts. However, there are instances where he lets in goals that mystify. For a man praised for consistency, you expect him to make those saves. Especially in a game where Jordan Staal punched Prust following an elbow, earning a major late in the second ending his night. For how Tort felt about his team's game being good for the first game back, it sure seemed like the Pens were hungrier to the puck. They won most of the battles. In effect, they out-Rangered us without Crosby and Malkin.

Yes, our team dominated the third and overtime outshooting Pittsburgh 13-4 but Fleury wouldn't have any of it. Aside from Zuccarello trying to go five-hole which nearly worked, it was little shock that Fleury didn't allow one shot in the seven round skill comp to beat him. He wasn't losing it. When Lundqvist made the first move against unlikely hero Jeffrey who went five-hole in Round Seven, it was over. Especially when Gaborik was sent out. He simply isn't good at shootouts. So, Fleury easily padded away his feeble attempt and the Pens had the deserved extra point on a night their goalie was better.

Cookeing Up A Storm: Before I close the book on the other day, one thought on the Pens. Particularly Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke. These two constantly swing their sticks, which is potentially dangerous. While I'll give the benefit of the doubt to Kennedy who at least attempts to play an honest game most of the time, there's no love lost over Cooke. A man who continually gets away with garbage and never has to pay the price. At the opening faceoff of the second, he tried to goad Prust into a penalty simply because he chickened out of a fight. A low move typifying what this guy is about. Then, there was a shift where he chased Gaborik around looking to go low on him with the puck nowhere in the vicinity. To top it off, there he was running his mouth looking to instigate stuff at the end of the period with Boyle having none of it. This guy is a flat out embarrassment to the game of hockey and makes Avery look like a Lady Byng candidate. Yeah. I know Sean's no angel but he'll never look to hit someone cheap or take it to the level Cooke does. Isn't it about time someone puts this guy through the glass? The day can't come fast enough.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brandon Prust, NYR (8th of season, fight vs Deryk Engelland-draw)
2nd Star-Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit (26 saves incl.7/7 in shootout)
1st Star-Dustin Jeffrey, Pit (PPG, shootout winner in Rd.7)

Preview: Rangers visit Crosby Pens tonight

It's a big night for MSG. Today, the Garden's two winter teams have pivotal games against bitter rivals. With this being a hockey blog, we'll focus more on the Rangers' third meeting against old Patrick Division rival Pittsburgh instead of the much anticipated Knicks-Celtics battle in Beantown on MSG.

There's no doubt that these two teams hate each other. Especially the war of words between Brandon Dubinsky and Sidney Crosby following the Pens' 3-1 win in the Big Apple a couple of weeks prior. The match featured a Crosby slew foot on emotional leader Ryan Callahan, who somehow got nabbed for phantom interference after being taken down by the league's best player. Dubinsky has never been shy about how he feels towards his former junior rival, disapproving of the Pitt captain's sneaky antics between whistles. It's no secret that Sid The Kid isn't afraid to mix it up, often delivering hacks and whacks which go undetected. A few blatant slashes which are potentially dangerous. That has rubbed Dubi and in particular our fanbase the wrong way. Call it sour grapes. But from our vantage point, it looks like the league's Golden Boy is getting the 'star treatment.'

Even Alex Ovechkin hasn't gotten this kind of love. Perhaps it's because the Cap sniper is more reckless, even getting suspended last season. Or maybe it's because Crosby is the very low key superstar the NHL wants to promote with a clean image that can easily be respected. For as much as Sid whines when things don't go his team's way, you'll never see him lose his cool in the locker room or postgame a la the Great 8 after that Olympic meltdown in Vancouver. Along with the league's leading scorer (26-27-53) being Canadian, it's easy to see why he's so well marketed. For as exciting as Sid's rival is, Ovi will never be portrayed that way. Instead, the leading Cap must shed the unfair label as a playoff choker while Crosby gets the accolades for winning a Cup, making two Finals, winning a Hart, Art Ross and Olympic gold thanks to one of the greatest goals in interntional history all by age 23.

There's no denying his unique talent which sparked a recent 12-game win streak before Pennsylvania rival Philadelphia snapped it with a 3-2 win last night. Ironically, the dominant stretch came following a 3-2 overtime loss to the Blueshirts in a wild game that saw the Pens get all six power plays and not beat Henrik Lundqvist until there were three minutes left, scoring two straight only to see All-Star candidate Marc Staal tie it shorthanded. Dubinsky set up Callahan for the OT winner, giving the Rangers their best win of the season. Since, Crosby's taken off passing Steven Stamkos for the league lead in goals and putting up an amazing 19-game scoring streak which continued yesterday with two assists on Evgeni Malkin goals. During it, he's totaled 38 points including a ridiculous 20 goals that featured two hat tricks in three games sandwiched around a one assist effort in Pittsburgh's win over the Rangers.

Can Staal and partner Dan Girardi keep him in check? They're emerging into a shutdown tandem capable of neutralizing the opposition. Ovechkin was left frustrated in a 7-0 rout Monday. The team's best performance. Lundqvist was also strong making 31 stops. So, are they up to the challenge with Geno also back having scored twice? It will take another gigantic effort from our heroes to make it two in a row and a two-game losing streak for the hated rival. If you want to see it, you'll have to find MSG2 due to the Coyotes/Devils being on the second network instead.

There should be fireworks. Don't miss it!

Penguins doom Rangers

In what amounted to a tough night during their 3-1 loss to the Pens, Ranger forward Brandon Prust played with plenty of spark.

Simply put, it wasn't their night. Our heroes were outplayed by the Sidney Crosby Penguins who did most of their damage in a dominant second, posting a 3-1 win in Gotham. Perhaps we should have seen it coming. Henrik Lundqvist masked our recent struggles to complete a 2-1 road trip.

Did the schedule finally catch up? There's no question the Rangers have been very busy taking part in their 26th game over 48 days. Especially recently with the Thanksgiving trip and then playing the Pens tonight before facing a well rested Islander team for a classic home-and-home series starting Thursday. At least they'll have two days to prep. In between, John Tortorella's staff needs to work on getting back to basics. Our team turned over the puck too much and gave up a ton of scoring chances and odd-man rushes. Very un-Ranger like. They just weren't mentally sharp. It showed in how Pitt got their three goals.

1.Ruslan Fedotenko foolishly carries puck into no-man's land colliding with Marc Staal, allowing opportunistic Max Talbot to surprise from short range.

2.Unable to get off the ice during a dominant shift from Crosby, Staal misreads a play at the blueline taking himself out, allowing Sid's touch-pass to Pascal Dupuis back to The Kid for an awesome set up for a Kris Letang rocket.

3.Turnover leads to pesky Chris Conner getting to a Tyler Kennedy rebound off a skate and firing low through Mike Del Zotto, who again had a rough go. More on that later.

When you're running on fumes, lazy habits start to creep in. Tonight, our D was caught flatfooted a lot and our forwards were careless on the forecheck, leading to dangerous opportunities for Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. If not for Henrik, who stoned Geno on a two-on-one and denied other Pens, this one could've been ugly. None of the goals were his fault. He was a victim of uneven play. The middle stanza in particular where the Pens had the puck virtually the entire 20, tallying twice in a 75-second span while outshooting the Blueshirts 14-6. Puck possession was theirs. Even on a night in which faceoffs were close with our club actually winning 26-of-54, the road club from Pennsylvania was simply better, constantly using quick touch passes to get behind the defense.

Tortorella also changed lines a bunch, trying to find the right combos for Marian Gaborik, who ended a six-game drought with a quick wrister from the left circle courtesy of a great Michal Rozsival pass. Despite being tightly checked by four different Pen blueliners (Orpik-Letang, Martin-Michalek), Gabby was going. But credit Pittsburgh for not giving him much time and space. That along with Tort running out Erik Christensen, Fedotenko, Derek Stepan, Sean Avery, Brian Boyle, Alex "MIA" Frolov and even Brandon Prust resulted in little continuity. While I get the need to get the Big Ticket going, it was too much chaos, throwing our lines out of whack. Despite plenty of try, both Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan had rare off nights. Dubi was more noticeable while Cally only stood out for an absolute horrible call involving who else but the Chosen One. Kudos to the former for yet again calling out Sidney during a first intermission interview with MSG's Al Rotwig Trautwig. Thanks to cathybytes for providing the video.


Much has already been made of Crosby getting away with slew footing Callahan, who blind mice Brad Watson (what a shock) and Steve Kozari (who) amazingly called for interference. Yep. It was his fault that No.87 kicked the feet out making our future captain hold onto the gutless Pen captain while falling down. Clearly. Not to beat a broken record to death. Sidney Crosby is the best player in the game, extending his point streak to 13 (12-14-26). I can live with that. But the amount of cheap plays the league's leading scorer gets away with is mind boggling. He again slashed Dan Girardi following a whistle to no avail. How can someone so gifted be so dirty? Sure. They finally caught him for taking down Avery in the third but of course Prust also went to the box for elbowing. At that point, it didn't matter anyway. Our team simply wasn't good enough. That doesn't excuse the game's best from bending the law. Something teammate Matt Cooke often does right under Colin Campbell's nose.

The officiating wasn't bad. Even if they missed a few more infractions from the Pens, we only got that one phantom call on Cally. And you know there were probably others they just missed. Usually, the Rangers are effective at even-strength. Not tonight. The Pens were quicker and better in all three zones. Even if outside of that dreadful second, our guys fought tooth and nail with a hot club that's now won seven in a row. It just wasn't their night.

Outside of Gaborik and Rozsival, there wasn't enough oomph. When Prust and Boyle are more visible than Cally and Dubi, it's not a good sign. Prust again did all he could battling much bigger man Mike Rupp to a draw. Avery also dropped 'em with Tyler Kennedy getting a take down that briefly sparked the club. Afterwards, Rozy sprung Gabby and he notched his sixth with a lethal wrister past Marc-Andre Fleury, who wasn't tested. Sure. He stayed hot making 25 saves but never had to stand on his head. Kudos to the Pitt D.

Our powerless play struck again when during a stronger third, earning legit calls the first half, nothing got done. The Pens are ranked No.1 in penalty killing and eclipsed 30 straight after being perfect in three. Outside of the early PP spanning the first and second, it was dismal. The aforementioned Del Zotto stunk. I've said it numerous times but he's going through a sophomore slump. His decision making isn't fluid, allowing defenders to close. He logged more minutes than anyone (25:01) but didn't register one shot with a few getting blocked while others, including a nice Boyle set up with Lundqvist pulled, the kid flat out missed. DZ wasn't the only guilty party but five of 15 missed shots were from No.4. It's no secret he's shaky in his end but made one outstanding play, diving across to break up a two-on-one, blocking Crosby's pass to Malkin. If he's going to continue to be run out there, he must be better.

I'm at the point where I'd like to see Matt Gilroy given another look. Say what you want about him but Hobey was more active when Rozy was out, joining the play and taking shots. Gilroy has three assists in 18 games in a lot less time compared to Del Zotto's eight points (2-6-8). For whatever reason, Tort hates him. As Twitter PR spokesperson (sarcasm folks) Leahockey would say, "Give him a chance." At the moment, Rozsival is our best at getting involved. He was one of the few bright spots.

Now, it's time for them to get ready for the Islanders. A team that loves beating us. This back-to-back starting Thursday at The Coliseum and concluding at The Garden Friday are essential. No excuses.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brandon Prust, NYR (fight vs Rupp, four hits, 7 PIM, energy all 17 shifts-13:43)
2nd Star-Brooks Orpik, Pit (six hits, three blocked shots, plus-one in 23:07)
1st Star-Chris Kunitz, Pit (2 takeaways, hit plus-one, solid all around play in 18:13)

Rangers overcome refs to beat Pens

Ryan Callahan is mobbed by excited teammates after scoring the winner in a wild finish.

In every sense of the word, the Rangers are a T-E-A-M. Never was that more evident than in tonight's feel good 3-2 overtime win over the Pens. Our old Patrick rival is easy to loathe. Especially because Sidney Crosby does whatever he wishes on Bettman's sheet of ice. It's not enough that he's arguably the best. Perhaps the rumors about Colin Campbell's emails are true. Maybe he ordered refs Kyle Rehman and Dan O'Halloran to invent as many calls as possible to get a hard fought game tied.

Be that as it may, what a great character win for John Tortorella's resilient club that could've folded after Matt Cooke's go-ahead marker that looked offside- touching off a Cup-like celebration by the Pens who stunned Henrik Lundqvist with two straight in 38 seconds to suddenly lead 2-1 with 86 seconds to spare. While an irate Lundqvist slammed his stick leading to an unsportsmanlike conduct after they handed Pittsburgh every power play to tie it (even if technically our PK didn't allow Chris Kunitz' tying marker until six seconds expired), I couldn't take anymore shutting the TV. I had had ENOUGH of seeing the blind mice wreck a competitive game that saw our goalie at his best, making remarkable save after save leaving Crosby and Co. shaking their heads. Like they couldn't show any leeway after one of the worst officiated periods in history.

A funny thing happened after I went upstairs to my room and vented my frustration to cool Pens' tweep Bekah via text while lashing out on Twitter. I mean, when they handed Pitt their sixth man-advantage without one for our team with 93 seconds left, it felt over. I'd seen this script before but the games were in nightmarish Mellon Arena, which never treated our heroes kindly. The last thing I wanted to see was the Pens toy with us holding the puck before Tort pulled Lundqvist and they finish us off and laugh some more as if it were a sick, twisted plot arranged by the NHL version of Dumb and Dumber. :P As I noted in my final tweet on the nonsense, I don't normally lash out at reffing. Granted. It's been brutal. Devils-Bruins wasn't much better. We'll let Hasan divulge what went wrong in Beantown.

Anyway, as I was tweeting away and reading plenty of furious #NYR bloggers/fans who were just as incensed, suddenly Justin screamed at the top of his lungs through the wall: "Yeah!!!!!!!!!" At first, I didn't believe it. But then, I asked, 'They tied it?,' which he and the rest of the Twitterverse confirmed. Even Bekah texted me but I was still irked, fearing the worst. I didn't even see Marc Staal's shorty which was wonderfully set up by an attacking Brandon Dubinsky, who dropped the puck for No.18's high shortside shot which alluded Marc-Andre Fleury. That it came some 27 seconds later told the story. As I've noted, this is a T-E-A-M. Even if Sean Avery again ignited a brawl, there were plenty of teammates sans Erik Christensen who had his back. These guys fight for every inch as Al Pacino's Coach D'Amato said in Any Given Sunday. Quit is not in their vocabulary. Finally, a Ranger team we can get behind!

Henrik Lundqvist was splendid all night finishing with 37 saves in the Rangers' 3-2 overtime win over the Penguins.

I've never been prouder of a team. The heart they showed bouncing back from what would've been a bitter loss. Especially when King Henrik was easily the best player even if Evgeni Malkin flew all game until he and Crosby set up Kunitz' equalizer. When our guys couldn't get shots on Fleury with at one point the Pens holding a 20-7 edge, Lundqvist was there to deny the home team time and time again. If not for the 37 saves of which many were clutch, there's nothing to talk about. They'd have been down two or three after a first which the Pens controlled. I've criticized our goalie at times in this space but he has really risen to the challenge. For him to be that sharp after missing two games is a credit to Henrik. If not for a weak call on OT hero Ryan Callahan, it's likely his third shutout in the last six. Instead, we were left wondering if they'd even get a point after Cooke beat him shortside.

"I’ve got to stay cooler, obviously, but it felt like they got another chance after chance to get back in the game," he pointedly said while adding: “I’m still angry—even though we scored. ... I felt like it wasn’t fair, but the game is over and you just have to deal with it."

Pretty much sums up the frustration. At least they didn't lose, instead saying a how do you do to what's become the standard in this dysfunctional league. When my brother yelled out another, "Yeah!!!!!!!!!!," I still had to ask if they won. It was like I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it didn't! Dubinsky again made a great play dancing around Paul Martin (can Hasan smile here) before feeding an open Callahan for what he termed, "easiest goal in the NHL."

There are games which define you. Some are more important than others. Case in point being the giant step up in competition after destroying Edmonton. In the first, you could see the difference in talent with only Lundqvist saving us. However, our team came to play and won the second game of a back-to-back against a division rival. They did it by playing an exciting brand of hockey, trading chances with the scarier Pens. That meant plenty of work for Lundqvist, who robbed Malkin two or three times while stoning Kunitz. It meant plenty of Staal, Dan Girardi and revelation Steve Eminger in Crosby's face, flustering him to the point where he bumped our goalie and then took down a player with of course nothing detected. Matt Gilroy pinched well and was rewarded with a helper on Christensen's third halfway through regulation which held up all the way until Kunitz stayed with a Malkin rebound, finally solving Lundqvist with 2:31 remaining. Mike Sauer continued to show poise in important situations. Only Mike Del Zotto struggled on the back end but he still blocked three of the team's 20 shots.

You Want To Go? Ryan Callahan and Mike Comrie talk before the draw before going. Callahan's Gordie Howe hat trick included the OT winner.

That kind of yeoman EFFORT is what we're used to. These guys care. They want to win for each other. I still can't get over Cally dropping the gloves with Mr. Hilary Duff (Mike Comrie). At that point, they were being badly outplayed. Maybe it was just a wake up call. They did talk before the faceoff and then you had an unlikely duo paired up. There's so much to admire about the future Ranger captain who never takes a shift off. No wonder it was fitting he got the winner, completing the Gordie Howe hat trick (G, A, fight). His dramatic fifth goal at 3:38 in the extra session was his first of the month, snapping a six-game drought. It couldn't happen to a better guy.

It didn't matter that Crosby got away with two infractions on the same shift. It didn't matter that the Pens led in power plays 6-0. It didn't matter that that punk Cooke swung his stick wildly after Lundqvist robbed Kris Letang with a quick glove through traffic. It didn't even matter that Sid won as many draws (25-7) as our entire roster (25-43). Something that continues to be a problem, which at least didn't hurt us thanks to Dubi (6-16) winning a couple of key ones late. What most mattered is that the guys wearing the home white, red and blue jerseys responded to adversity by getting the 'W.'

They'll go for their fourth straight against those Bruins tomorrow at home.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Evgeni Malkin, Pit (assist, game high 7 SOG in 27:28)
2nd Star-Ryan Callahan, NYR (OT winner at 3:38, assist, fight-Gordie Howe hat trick, 6 hits, 2 blocked shots, +1 in 20:14)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (37 saves incl. 24/24 first 40 mins) 

Martin, Pens hold off shorthanded Devils

Even the Devils' favorite opponent wasn't the elixir for their inauspicious start. Perhaps facing former teammate Paul Martin had something to do with it in yesterday's 3-1 loss at The Rock. He was predictably booed by fans that attended the Columbus Day late matinee that followed the Islanders' comeback win over the Rangers. The less than sellout crowd (12,880) didn't have much to cheer for as their team struggled to find twine against Pen backup Brent Johnson, who came up large late en route to 30 saves.

In a game notorious for New Jersey dressing only 15 skaters with John MacLean down to nine forwards due to their tumultuous cap/injury situation (no Rolston or Volchenkov), his team didn't muster much the first two periods. Held to 16 shots (8 each), they fell behind the Penguins on goals by Alex Goligoski (high glove slapper) and Mark Letestu (PPG rebound). Amazingly, that made it eight straight goals allowed since the Cap debacle. Somewhat unexpected considering the firepower they now possess. If company man Ilya Kovalchuk has more scraps than goals thus far, then his turnover that led to a late Goligoski first period tally sure didn't help the cause. Halfway through, MacLean tinkered his lines sending Kovalchuk out with lone goalscorer Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott while reforming ZZ Popp. It nearly paid off.

With the crowd dead, the Devils finally came to life when Arnott won a faceoff clean back to Elias, whose one-timer finally solved Johnson at 8:20 of the third. Despite being three short on the bench, MacLean didn't make any excuses. His club certainly tried their best to get it tied, finally taking it to the Pens. However, a razor sharp Johnson wouldn't allow them to force overtime- coming up with nine saves in the final nine minutes including a sparkler on an Andy Greene laser thru traffic. He also denied David Clarkson from in tight and got a piece of Kovalchuk's putback near the right post keeping it out.

The closest they came to tying it was a great individual effort by top center Travis Zajac, who went around a defenseman and then nearly tucked the puck in with a sprawled Johnson calmly pushing the puck behind the net with help from Craig Adams. He turned aside 14 of 15 during the Devil barrage to help Pittsburgh dp something they didn't last season. Come away with a win in this rivalry. They got the two points despite Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin being held off the scoresheet. Paying greater attention to detail, the more defensive minded Pens did a good job coming back. On a roster minus injured Jordan Staal without many scoring threats for Sid and Geno to get the puck to, that's how Dan Byslma's club must play.

It helped to have the steady Martin on their side. He picked up an assist on Letestu's power play goal that put them ahead 2-zip in the second. Then sealed it by lugging the puck out and scoring into an empty net at 19:49. A good return for a player who rarely shows emotion but did crack a smile on the bench afterwards.

The Devils only had two power plays compared to the Pens' six, which MacLean's penalty killing unit did a respectable job on aside from Letestu's rebound tally that may have caromed off Henrik Tallinder. They even killed off a five-on-three in which their opponent was far too predictable. It gave them a chance to comeback. Something they'd done against this team in the past. Perhaps that's why Byslma went with Johnson instead of Marc-Andre Fleury, who the Devs owned. In relief last year, the former Blue who once got his name into the record books due to three consecutive shutouts for his first three wins one postseason (2002), was steadier than the No.1 starter. No shock that he stifled the Devil attack and was named No.1 star.

As for the NHLPA making a big stick over Lou Lamoriello listing only 15 skaters in yesterday's lineup, come on. Both Brian Rolston and Anton Volchenkov got hurt and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond lost his head and a place on the roster after getting suspended for a fight he instigated. He was placed on waivers Monday. What choice did the Devs have here? They're up against it. Until the Devil architecht can find a way to free up space- something he did by waiving Leblond for the possible Adam Mair signing, it's going to be an uphill climb.

Still, a team that boasts a front six of Kovalchuk, Zajac, Zach Parise, Arnott, Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner shouldn't have issues scoring. Since leading Dallas 2-0 in their home opener, they've been outscored 14-4. It's added up to the club's worst start since '01-02. It should be noted that they nearly began '09-10 similarly until a frantic rally over the Lightning got them going. The difference is that team didn't face the expectations this one has. There's a lot more pressure this time. Maybe they're squeezing their sticks. All it will take is one explosion to get it righted. It probably won't get easier when they visit Buffalo tomorrow.


BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Patrik Elias, NJD (1st of season, 3 SOG in 18:47)
2nd Star-Paul Martin, Pit (ENG-1st as Pen, assist 2 SOG, takeaway, blocked shot in 26:41)
1st Star-Brent Johnson, Pit (30 saves incl.14/15 in 3rd)

Martin signs with Pens, Boogard a Ranger

The Devils worst fear has been realized. Paul Martin is a Penguin. While that might not seem as bad as say signing with us or the Flyers, just imagine No.7 playing alongside Cindy and Geno. It's enough to make you cringe.

After Pittsburgh landed Zbynek Michalek agreeing on a five-year, $20 million deal, it looked like Martin would still be available. Especially after a mix up on Twitter with some having Martin done when it was really Michalek. However, the Pens must've been desperate to replace Sergei Gonchar, inking the former Devil to a five year contract worth $25 million. Stunning to say the least. Not so much the money as it was in line with what the market was set at thanks to the Sens overpaying Gonchar. But that Martin landed in the Steel city to play for a bitter rival.

Just imagine what those games are going to be like next year. Yikes. I can only wonder what's on Hasan's mind right about now. I'm sure we'll get the particulars fairly soon. Mean time, I'm still in a state of shock over Glen Sather's latest boo boo, handing one-dimensional pugilist Derek Boogard a four year contract worth a reported $1.65 million-per-season. Are you freaking kidding? Appalling doesn't even begin to describe this monstrousity.

A year after Donald Brashear, our senile GM does the unthinkable. Signing a guy who can't skate a lick and hasn't scored a goal in four years. Only Slats could turn a promising start to July 1 into a sour day. Panic move much after Jody Shelley got three years at $1.1 million per from the Flyers?!?!?!?!?! At least the vet can take a regular shift.

I'm at a loss for words right now. Excuse me while I go to the park for a long walk to recover. In related news from a prior tweet:

BREAKING NEWS: #NYR just clinched last place in the Atlantic Division. When asked about it, Dolan and Slats laughed at the bank with LeBron.

Halak, Habs oust champs, Flyers on verge of history

Sometimes, things live up to their billing. Such was the case tonight with two stunners taking place. First, the Canadiens backstopped by Jaroslav Halak (37 saves) eliminated the defending champion Penguins 5-2 in Game Seven- advancing to the franchise's first Conference Final since they last won the Cup in 1993. Another improbable run led by Patrick Roy. The eighth seeded Habs have now ousted both the President's Trophy winning Caps and Pens in deciding games on the road. While they didn't have to win three straight, this time they had to contend with a more experienced/better overall team. To accomplish what they have is remarkable. Kudos to Mike Cammalleri, who added to his postseason-leading goal total with No.12. Brian Gionta was equally great, tallying twice including just 32 seconds in to set the tone. Camms and Gio combined for 12 of the Habs' markers in the series.

More stunning was how well Hal Gill on one leg played after missing Game Six. The heart he demonstrated going back out there to lead his new team past the one he won with is something to behold. That's what it takes. It was nice to see the big guy prove us wrong. How about Scott Gomez netting two assists and playing to capability. Guess Bob Gainey wasn't so crazy reuniting Gomer and Gio after all. We'll take our crow barbecued to a crisp. There's only so much one can say about Halak, who made a huge stop on Sidney Crosby early in the third to thwart the Pens rally. The man was simply sensational, putting together some of the best goaltending since Giguere and Roy. Who says he can't keep it up?

They still don't know who they'll face. That's because the Flyers simply refuse to go home quietly. They have now rallied from an 0-3 hole to tie the series against Boston. Michael Leighton was terrific in his first playoff start holding the struggling B's to one late Milan Lucic tally with a minute left before the Flyers held on to win their third in a row. Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere came through for the home team, who now see the same light the Red Sox saw against the Yankees. Just the dejected looks on Boston's side as they exited told the story. Can Claude Julien and his leadership of Chara, Savard and Recchi possibly restore order for Friday? Or are the Flyers 35 years after the Islanders did it to the Pens destined to make history. It looks like it's going to be tough and not so much for the orange and black.

Finally, it's amazing to think that in a seven-game series, Crosby and Malkin combined for only two goals. It's a credit to how determined Jacques Martin's scrappy bunch were taking away passing and shooting lanes while limiting time and space. But we also saw both superstars pressing in a flat first that saw neither register a shot while both made uncharacteristic errors we're not accustomed to seeing. Sid was in the box for Gionta's early PPG for a mistimed rough. Malkin had several mystifying giveaways on power plays, passing up great opportunities to shoot. Though they combined for 11 shots the final 40, neither really distinguished themselves.

Stunning stuff in Pittsburgh on what became Mellon Arena's final night. Kudos to the fans who stayed and gave their team a nice salute as did the disappointed former champs. Thumbs down to the ones who left early. Especially on The Igloo's final day. A Cup winner that reached two straight Finals and delivered so many bright stars and some left. Unbelievable.

A great night for hockey regardless. Eye opening to say the least.

Playoff Matchups All Set, Round 1 sched released

Before I move on and go out, with the season almost done with just the Ducks and Oilers finishing up the final game in period three, the playoff match-ups are all set. A quick glance at both conferences:

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERS

(1) Washington Capitals vs (8) Montreal Canadiens

(2) New Jersey Devils vs (7) Philadelphia Flyers

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs (6) Boston Bruins

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Ottawa Senators


WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERS

(1) San Jose Sharks vs (8) Colorado Avalanche

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs (7) Nashville Predators

(3) Vancouver Canucks (6) Los Angeles Kings

(4) Phoenix Coyotes vs (5) Detroit Red Wings


Some intriguing first round series include the heated I-95 rivalry renewed between the Devils and Flyers. Plus an classic Adams throwback with the Sabres battling the Bruins who I'm sure our Buffalo blogger is fearing the worst based on the past. The Sens meet the Pens for a third time in four years but minus Alex Kovalev. Can an unpredictable Hab team with Halak in net scare the loaded Caps? Out West, you got the ever dreaded upstart Avs challenging the Sharks. The Canucks versus Kings promises to be entertaining. Could be a lot of fireworks. How will the Hawks fare against an overlooked Pred team? And can the surprising 'Yotes best the Wings? We'll have our picks in a couple of days.


Looks like the NHL has already announced the playoff schedule. So, here ya go:

2010 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER-FINALS



SERIES A TIME (ET) #1 Washington vs. #8 Montreal

Thursday, April 15, 2010 7 p.m. Montreal at Washington

Saturday, April 17, 2010 7 p.m. Montreal at Washington

Monday, April 19, 2010 7 p.m. Washington at Montreal

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 7 p.m. Washington at Montreal

*Friday, April 23, 2010 7 p.m. Montreal at Washington

*Monday, April 26, 2010 7 p.m. Washington at Montreal

*Wednesday, April 28, 2010 TBD Montreal at Washington


SERIES B TIME (ET) #2 New Jersey vs. #7 Philadelphia


Wednesday, April 14, 2010 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey


Friday, April 16, 2010 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey


Sunday, April 18, 2010 6 p.m. New Jersey at Philadelphia


Tuesday, April 20, 2010 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Philadelphia


*Thursday, April 22, 2010 7 p.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey


*Sunday, April 25, 2010 TBD New Jersey at Philadelphia


*Tuesday, April 27, 2010 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey


SERIES C TIME (ET) #3 Buffalo vs. #6 Boston


Thursday, April 15, 2010 7 p.m. Boston at Buffalo


Saturday, April 17, 2010 1 p.m. Boston at Buffalo


Monday, April 19, 2010 7 p.m. Buffalo at Boston


Wednesday, April 21, 2010 7 p.m. Buffalo at Boston


*Friday, April 23, 2010 7 p.m. Boston at Buffalo


*Monday, April 26, 2010 7 p.m. Buffalo at Boston


*Wednesday, April 28, 2010 7 p.m. Boston at Buffalo


SERIES D TIME (ET) #4 Pittsburgh vs. #5 Ottawa

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 7 p.m. Ottawa at Pittsburgh

Friday, April 16, 2010 7 p.m. Ottawa at Pittsburgh

Sunday, April 18, 2010 6:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Ottawa

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Ottawa

*Thursday, April 22, 2010 7 p.m. Ottawa at Pittsburgh

*Saturday, April 24, 2010 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Ottawa

*Tuesday, April 27, 2010 7 p.m. Ottawa at Pittsburgh


2010 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER-FINALS


SERIES E TIME (ET) #1 San Jose vs. #8 Colorado

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 10:30 p.m. Colorado at San Jose

Friday, April 16, 2010 10:30 p.m. Colorado at San Jose

Sunday, April 18, 2010 9:30 p.m. San Jose at Colorado

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 10 p.m. San Jose at Colorado

*Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:30 p.m. Colorado at San Jose

*Saturday, April 24, 2010 TBD San Jose at Colorado

*Monday, April 26, 2010 TBD Colorado at San Jose


SERIES F TIME (ET) #2 Chicago vs. #7 Nashville

Friday, April 16, 2010 8:30 p.m. Nashville at Chicago

Sunday, April 18, 2010 8:30 p.m. Nashville at Chicago

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 9 p.m. Chicago at Nashville

Thursday, April 22, 2010 8:30 p.m. Chicago at Nashville

*Saturday, April 24, 2010 3 p.m. Nashville at Chicago

*Monday, April 26, 2010 TBD Chicago at Nashville

*Wednesday, April 28, 2010 TBD Nashville at Chicago


SERIES G TIME (ET) #3 Vancouver vs. #6 Los Angeles

Thursday, April 15, 2010 10 p.m. Los Angeles at Vancouver

Saturday, April 17, 2010 10 p.m. Los Angeles at Vancouver

Monday, April 19, 2010 10 p.m. Vancouver at Los Angeles

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 10 p.m. Vancouver at Los Angeles

*Friday, April 23, 2010 10 p.m. Los Angeles at Vancouver

*Sunday, April 25, 2010 TBD Vancouver at Los Angeles

*Tuesday, April 27, 2010 TBD Los Angeles at Vancouver


SERIES H TIME (ET) #4 Phoenix vs. #5 Detroit

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 10 p.m. Detroit at Phoenix

Friday, April 16, 2010 10 p.m. Detroit at Phoenix

Sunday, April 18, 2010 3 p.m. Phoenix at Detroit

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 6:30 p.m. Phoenix at Detroit

*Friday, April 23, 2010 10 p.m. Detroit at Phoenix

*Sunday, April 25, 2010 2 p.m. Phoenix at Detroit

*Tuesday, April 27, 2010 TBD Detroit at Phoenix

No Avery tonight

Unless you've been in a box today, the startling news is that coach pet Sean Avery will be a healthy scratch in tonight's game against an Atlanta team that's dropped four straight. Niclas Bergfors is producing and Johnny Oduya has settled in but the Thrashers sit a point behind the ninth seeded Rangers, who trail eighth Boston by five. Seventh seeded Montreal is six clear, meaning that the teams ahead are about to put our fraud of a team in the rear view mirror.

When I said I wasn't looking forward to the restart of the season following splendid Olympic hockey, I wasn't kidding. That's what Ranger hockey has become. The same losing blank identity we had for nearly a decade. It just isn't fun anymore. Sure. The games we go to are but that's because of the close friends we've made in our section. The product stinks. The Post Jagr Era Error has been a huge turning point. Like in the classic scene from Planes, Trains, Automobile's with John Candy's classic Del Griffith babbling on while buddy Steve Martin's character Neal Page warns he's "going the wrong way," it's Glen Sather doing the steering with John Tortorella in the passenger seat.

How did it all go so wrong? Never mind. I am probably not going to watch much of this loser match because I'm fed up. The loser mentality is back. If they just forfeited the rest, it'd make a lot of suffering Blueshirt fans happier. Right now, they have the ninth worst record but a bunch of teams are close which means if they continue to lose, it's possible they could crack the top five in what's a good draft.

As for Avery being made the scapegoat, it's true he's done little this season. This despite Tort's nonsensical claims that he didn't hold him back. Sean was invisible versus his favorite opponent in that 6-3 dismantling in Newark. Speaking of the Devils, they play what amounts to a huge game against the Crosby Pens, who lead the division by four. Everyone knows New Jersey has owned Pittsburgh winning the first four while frustrating Sid The Kid without a point. The Pens have been a very different team lately as have the Devs. Will it translate or is it psychological? We'll get a better answer after today and next week's final regular season meeting also at The Rock. Nice scheduling.

Many Ranger Tweeps are up in arms over Avery being sat out in favor of Enver Lisin. It's not because Lisin doesn't deserve another shot as he's worked when in the lineup but cause Tort only made one defining example back in mid-December, benching Wade Redden. Should Sean be the alibi for a poor coaching job by a man who insisted he was anti-Renney and would hold players accountable and have a fourth line? Anyone who's watched this three ring circus knows what a crock it is.

We'll probably keep a closer eye on the big Atlantic showdown while peaking in on our game. Well, at the very least, they won't risk killing anyone.

55-16 SOG: Exposed

When you get outshot 55-16 on home ice, I don't care who you are. You deserve to lose! That was the sad lesson a poorly constructed Ranger roster learned tonight in actually blowing a 4-2 lead to the Crosby Pens for a crushing 5-4 overtime loss.

There are no silver linings. Not any Kenny Albert! You're our radio broadcaster but don't undermine a frustrated fanbase by accentuating positives. "Well, they beat Ottawa and got a big point against Pittsburgh." You gotta be joking. Nobody wants to hear that Jazzy Jim nonsense. Loser mentality. That's why we'll never win as long as that clown is involved. That goes for the other laughingstock as well. Have fun chasing the LeBron tooth fairy after you got pissed on literally.

Truth be told, it wasn't a bad game. Not when our guys got in Crosby's face flustering him the first two periods. That early shift where Brandon Dubinsky got in his face along with Henrik Lundqvist was great stuff. Heck. He even took an undisciplined penalty that led to Dubinsky's career best 15th on the power play, steering the Rangers in front by a pair. At one point, the MSG hosts went from 2-1 down to scoring three straight, giving the building life. Partially due to Marc-Andre Fleury being a sieve. He allowed four goals on 12 shots, giving up a couple of softies to Artem Anisimov (left circle) and the Dubinsky right circle blast which caromed off the post and the discheveled Pens' netminder. Even Michal Rozsival's go-ahead tally off a beautifully executed three-on-two with Vinny Prospal and Olli Jokinen was from a tough angle. Though it was a halitzer that popped the water bottle. Not bad for a guy who never hits the net. Both his goals have come versus his ex-team 38 games apart.

It was finally Dubi's which ended Fleury's night. A wise decision by Dan Bylsma that sparked his team. It's not like they were playing poorly. They had outshot the Rangers like 29 or 30-12 but trailed by two because the hosts were opportunistic without leading scorer Marian Gaborik. Anisimov's 10th came only 2:17 in off a simple wrist shot. But two consecutive penalties got them in trouble with the Pens finally cashing in at the end of a 5-on-3 when Chris Kunitz rebounded home a Sergei Gonchar shot that deflected off Jordan Staal right to him. Staal got another bounce when his backhand went in off a Ranger skate for a 2-1 lead. The goal was made possible by an absolutely brutal Sean Avery turnover. Instead of shooting, he overpassed allowing Staal to come the other way. .

Before you knew it, shots were 13-3. Despite the territorial edge, they couldn't widen the gap. Instead, a Brooks Orpik trip put the Blueshirts on the power play. Right after a break in which an announcement on the scoreboard congratulated all the Olympians with plenty of boos for Crosby, Chris Drury appropriately scored a Drury-type goal from in front. With his back to Fleury, he got to a Mike Del Zotto rebound and backhanded his 11th in from his knees. Jokinen added the first of two helpers. For Drury, who's struggled all season to find the touch, it was nice to see because he played his butt off- helping Team USA earn silver along with Ryan Callahan. Hopefully, we'll see more from the captain down the stretch.

The feistiness continued with Callahan taking exception to a Evgeni Malkin late shot as the buzzer sounded, leading to another get together with a childish slash from Geno while Cally went back at him. Each received matching minors. The second started with wide open four-on-four which figured to favor the more skilled guests. But after Lundqvist denied a couple of pointblank chances including a sharp kickout of a low Crosby shot, the Rangers came the other way and scored thanks to splendid passing from Jokinen and Prospal to a cutting Rozsival, who went upstairs on Fleury 2:03 in for a 3-2 lead. Momentum continued when a frustrated Sid The Kid took a bad high sticking penalty. Following a couple of close calls shorthanded by Staal, the Rangers connected when Dubinsky took a Rozsival pass and fired his 15th which caromed off the post and Fleury, finally chasing him.

So, how did the Rangers treat Brent Johnson? Well, after he looked awfully shaky on a long high shot that went over his net, they barely tested him, registering only four shots the rest of the way. That included OT! Embarrassing. A journeyman goalie best known for a playoff record three straight shutouts with the Blues was treated with more respect than Martin Brodeur. This was brutal. Johnson may as well have been on vacation in a rocking chair with bikini-clad women bringing him drinks. Unbelievable. Instead, they decided to get cute. One of this team's problems has been overpassing. It reared its ugly head again when Prospal opted to try a low percentage centering feed which caromed off the boards, allowing the Pens to rush the other way and score. Why not a simple sharp angle tester? Maybe Johnson lets out a rebound. Well, they got what they deserved with Crosby setting up Ranger killer Mike Rupp on a two-on-one. One Lundqvist admittedly wished he had. What is it about that slug? He had a hat trick on us too. Disgusting.

Predictably, the big goal allowed the Pens to stay within one and then absolutely humiliate the Rangers in an uncompetitive third in which SOG were 19-1!!!!! How is that possible? I know the Pens are in a different league than us. But hell-o! On your own home ice. To get that thoroughly outplayed is path---et---ic!   

Lundqvist- who finished with a career high 50 saves- did everything possible to try to steal it. He made unreal saves including an amazing glove off a Malkin laser labeled. The stuff you dream of. Sadly, his teammates couldn't take the pressure off. Oh. They tried but just couldn't clear the zone to save their life. A Ranger trademark. And when they did reach center ice, nobody was good enough to get the puck deep and make the Pens come 200 feet. Eventually, the much more talented team got it tied when another bad break went against Lundqvist. This time, an Alex Goligoski pass from a far left angle went off a Ranger and in. Crosby was in the vicinity but never touched it. It didn't matter. The game was over. As soon as that clown Larry danced with five and a half left, I picked up and headed down. He's such a jinx. They get scored on or lose so much whenever they show him. That's the Rangers. Anything but WINNING.

The game went to OT and in it, came a gift of a call when they deemed Wade Redden's hook in the neutral zone enough to hand the Pens the game. An absolutely horrific call by programmed refs who probably wanted to help Pitt win. I don't take any satisfaction in saying that but that's how it felt. Tried as they did and oh. Drury or Callahan, Staal and either Rozsival or Dan Girardi gave it everything. It wasn't enough because eventually a seeing eye Malkin shot was redirected home by Staal for the predictable winner with 78 seconds left.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 5 Rangers 4 SOG: 55-16 including 40-8 final 43:42...but they got a point...Exposed.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Chris Drury, NYR (11th of season-PPG)
2nd Star-Jordan Staal, Pit (2 goals incl.OT winner plus assist)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (career high 50 saves incl.37 of last 40)

Deadline heating up

One day later with the roster freeze lifted, teams are already quick to make moves. Especially with the chaotic 3 PM Wednesday deadline. There's already been a couple of noteworthy deals.

1.The Pens  acquired D Jordan Leopold from the Panthers for a 2011 2nd Rd pick, bolstering their blueline.

2.The Predators picked up D Denis Grebeshkov from the Oilers for a 2010 2nd rounder. Most expect Nashville to unload future UFA Dan Hamhuis.As for Edmonton, they're in discussions with the Rangers revolving around Sheldon Souray and Wade "Tinman" Redden. The 32 year-old Souray is still hurt and has two years left at $4.5 million per. Tho I'm no fan of his, if Slats can unload one cap headache, fine. But what else would be involved?

Also see the Isles and Jackets swung a "blockbuster" swapping Greg Moore for former Ranger draft pick Dylan Reese.

Other moves of interest included Calgary inexplicably re-signing Matt Stajan for four years at $3.5 per. Yikes. He's a nice player but come on. Likewise, Dallas re-signed Avery clone Steve Ott for four years, $11.8 M. Uh. Almost three million for him? Woh.

A couple of days ago, Glen Sather predictably claimed vet backup Alex Auld from Dallas. So much for Chad Johnson getting to stay up. Typical. In other Battle news, the troubled career of Rick DiPietro is once again in limbo with the career Islander out indefinitely due to knee swelling...Just hot off the press...David Freeman steps down as Nashville Predators chairman. Why exactly remains a question.

And finally, today February 28, 2011 has already been declared National Hate Sidney Crosby Day. Over 27,000 34,000 are already confirmed. We might be the only non-Canadian/Pen fan not to.

Jokinen OT winner gives gritty Rangers win over Pens

If there were one word to describe the Rangers' hard fought 3-2 overtime win over the Pens in their final regular season match at Mellon Arena- something John Tortorella didn't give a damn about- it would be gritty.

For a struggling team which had only won two of their last 10 coming in last night, this was a welcome change. Considering the garbage golden boy Sidney Crosby and Matt Cooke pulled, it was easily one of the best wins of the season. Especially with both Marian Gaborik and Mike Del Zotto departing early due to lacerations shortening the bench to 16. Gaborik (6 shifts-4:02) tried to go after missing a game but it was too much. Del Zotto was cut in the ribs by Evgeni Malkin's skate and played just two shifts (1:20). He needed 50 stitches and likely is out for tomorrow's final game before the break at MSG against Tampa Bay, who fell today 5-4 to the Islanders. They're two points up. So, it amounts to a large game for a team that can't win at home. The Rangers are one of four teams to have a losing record (13-15-4) on home ice. Will a character building win in which they stood up to the hated Pens, finally snapping an eight-game losing streak to their rivals, be enough to follow suit tomorrow?

“The playoffs have already started for us; we have to start winning,” Henrik Lundqvist pointedly declared after turning aside 25 of 27 shots for just his second win in nine. “A big part of the game is to be focused. Whatever happens during the game, you can’t let that affect us—if it’s a goal or a guy can’t play for us, all the guys have to step up even more. We did that tonight.”

“For a change, tonight we were able to put together a 60-minute—more than a 60-minute—hockey game,” goalscorer Vinny Prospal noted after scoring for the fourth time in four to put his club ahead 2-1 in an outstanding second period. “And I think that was maybe the difference between the last few games and tonight’s game.”

After a tenative first that saw them fall behind on Crosby's career best 40th of the season set up in the slot by Bill Guerin and Malkin, the Blueshirts controlled the second outscoring the mighty Pens 2-zip and outshooting them 13-6. It didn't take long to tie it with Chris Drury, who played like a captain all night, setting up Brandon Dubinsky in front with a no look backhand feed 88 seconds in. Olli Jokinen added a secondary helper on the great play by the oft-criticized Drury, who's played better lately. He was good the prior two contests playing much more active and getting chances. Maybe he finally has jump. Considering that he always plays hurt sacrificing by blocking shots for the team like he did last night, it's hard to say he doesn't care. The man's been snake bit not finishing plays like the one where he had a open side. But Brooks Orpik saved a goal.

With momentum, the Rangers continued to play well taking it to Pittsburgh who struggled in their end. If there's one area which could be an issue for the defending champs, it's defense. They can be forechecked and our team did a good job. Perhaps they do miss Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill more than first thought. Some superb work from Sean Avery, who played one of his spunkiest games, distracted the Pens and eventually led to Prospal putting the Blueshirts up. Winning puck battles in the corners and throwing his weight around, he also was near Brent Johnson's crease agitating Orpik who took a whack at the agitator. It should've been a penalty but the Avery Rules were in effect. After a glance at the refs, instead of letting it get to him, he kept playing during the shift. Pittsburgh came the other way and got a shot on Lundqvist, who repelled it to Matt Gilroy. He quickly worked the puck to Artem Anisimov, who on a two-on-one made a perfect feed to Prospal who went upstairs for his 13th at 9:44. A beauty that put them ahead.

That's when the game became more interesting. On the very next shift, a clean Drury takeout of Cooke who earlier this season blindsided Anisimov led to the instigator repeatedly challenging our captain who finally obliged landing a couple of rights before being taken down. Typically, Cooke made a bush league move continuing to hit a defenseless Drury.

"He kept saying it was a dirty play, and I was like, 'What, I'm not allowed to hit you?' " said Drury. "He asked me so many times to go, that I figured I might as well.

"The way we responded tells you about our preparation and focus. Considering who we were playing and who we didn't have playing for us, it was probably our grittiest game of the season."

 
Frequent target Michal Rozsival had seen enough coming to his aid, pushing Cooke away to earn a misconduct for being third man in. Exactly the kind of response that should've happened when Daniel Carcillo goaded Gaborik into dropping 'em while new Tinman Dan Girardi stood and watched. It earned the Rangers a power play which they did nothing with, looking lost minus Del Zotto and Gaborik. Girardi, who saw point duty on a second straight was dreadful, leading to a couple of Pens' shorthanded bids which Lundqvist denied. He's been a solid player here since the club brought him in as a free agent, pairing with Fedor Tyutin to success in our only decent run. While Girardi's had his moments, he's not consistent and hasn't developed. Last night, it was two glaring turnovers which led to both Crosby's goals, including the tying power play redirect of a Sergei Gonchar shot in the third. It's very hard to pick on a player when we still have Wade Redden and Rozsival, who's played better since Tort's December tirade following an awful Islander loss. However, Rozy's boosted his play and been more effective than Girardi, who's supposed to be one of our best. Granted. He's cheaper but that'll come to a halt this summer if they retain him. He's in line for about three million. Is he really worth it? That's why I'm a fan of moving him before the March 3 deadline. Now, they have to wait. If you could get a pick for him or package with Dubinsky, who's far from consistent for say a more talented player (i.e. Frolik, Versteeg, Benn), you do it. Many are split on Girardi but tend to overrate him. D is our one system strength. It's about time they found out what Bobby Sanguinetti, Mike Sauer and Heineken can do.

Back to the game and Crosby's antics. Not taking kindly to Dubinsky late in the second, the whiny Hart candidate gave a one-handed slash to our center's wrist. This after the a ref pushed Dubinsky away during the period's final shift. How can that be allowed?!?!?!?!?! Ridiculous. How overprotected can Cindy be? The chop to a place that's not protected could've resulted in a broken wrist. Of course, the league won't bother. Why would they? Double standards. Gotta love Dubi's response during an MSG interview with John Giannone:

Dubinsky calls Crosby baby

Though he'd tie it with No.41 thanks to a diagonal Girardi pass right to Gonchar (secondary assist, anyone?), Sid & Co. would come up short in OT thanks to a brilliant winning shot by Jokinen, who must step up with Gabby banged up. He beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a lethal wrister from the right circle through a Kris Letang screen 62 seconds in giving them their first extra session win of the season. The play wouldn't have been possible without a great defensive gem by Rozsival, who took a Pen off the puck behind the net and subtly fed Jokinen who did the rest for his 13th and second as a Ranger. Since the trade, he has five points in five games.

 "I used (Letang) as a screen and tried to go higher—tried to go high-glove,” the hero said after praising Rozsival. “Sometimes when the puck doesn’t go where you want it to go, it goes in.”

“I think he’s been playing OK for us but… OK isn’t good enough because we’re not winning,” Tortorella assessed. “So it’s a big play by him… Hopefully it will give him some confidence. You always want to be accepted when you come to a new group, and when you score an overtime game winner that’s a big avenue for him as far a joining in with the team.”

Now, they'll aim for two in a row and a chance to go into the break on a high. They know what's at stake and say the right things. We'll see if they're up to the challenge.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Olli Jokinen, NYR (OT winner 1:02 in, game high 7 SOG, 2 blocked shots, hit, +2 in 20:50)
2nd Star-Michal Rozsival, NYR (assist, 10 PIM, 5 SOG, 3 blocked shots, 2 hits in 21:31)
1st Star-Chris Drury, NYR (assist, fight, 2 SOG, 2 hits, blocked shot, +1 in 18:22)

Did you say Super Bowl?!?!?!?!?!

Who needs the Super Bowl when you got the best two players in the sport and their respective teams going at it in what was a classic. Or as Doc Emrick justifiably noted along with NBC sidekicks Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury, this was a playoff game played between the Penguins and Capitals who didn't give an inch. The amazing aspect of Alex Ovechkin's Caps' riveting come from behind 5-4 overtime win over Sidney Crosby's Pens is I only caught the tail end after missing the opening 40, signifying how special both were and how truly blessed we are to have these guys playing our game.

I'll readily admit that I thought it was a bit much with heavy snow making travel so hectic for the Pens that they had to alter plans just to get there so the NBC noon game could go on as scheduled. However, big props to the NHL for getting this one right because this was spectacular. On Super Bowl Sunday, I just wonder how well they did ratings-wise. It's the kind of game that can really attract new fans, scoring big for the league. If only hockey drew better than their beloved golf which they immediately cut to following the exciting conclusion that saw a nicked up Ovechkin rifle one off the post that Mike Knuble swept home for the winner that extended Washington's win streak to 14. Three shy of the league mark ironically held by the Pens (March 9-April 10, 1993).

How well are the Caps playing? Against the defending champs who ended their season last year, they climbed out of a 4-1 hole to keep the streak alive. The Pens built the lead thanks to a first period pair from Crosby, who with No.'s 38 & 39 matched his career high set back in his rookie year ('05-06). Sandwiched around Jordan Staal's deuce, Ovechkin scored the first of three. Despite missing nine games, the electrifying Russian leads the league with 42 goals, 86 points and a +41 rating. Entering his fifth season, he was only a career plus-19. As great as Sid The Kid is playing along with Henrik Sedin, it looks like Ovie could become the first player to win the Hart three straight years since The Great One, who won a record eight straight ('79-80 thru '86-87). Wayne Gretzky owns a record nine MVPs. Amazingly, Super Mario won just three.

Still trailing late in the second, one of the Caps' role players Eric Fehr put home his own rebound slicing it to two. Ovechkin took over from there scoring twice and setting up Knuble's power play decider. He started it by whistling a backhand rebound past Marc-Andre Fleury at 6:51 from Tom "Orr" Poti and best kept secret Nicklas Backstrom. With the crowd going nuts as furious action went end to end, Ovechkin took an innocent hit to the hip that bothered him. With Emrick and Co. noting that something was wrong after he limped off the bench for a shift, Alexander The Great silenced the trio by getting his hat trick off a faceoff, sending a plethora of hats onto the ice.

Following the delay which probably irked Crosby (flashback reference), an absolutely dreadful call by ref Tim Peel- who somehow confused a composite plastic stick break into a Jeff Schultz phantom slash- handed the Pens a power play. However, they couldn't take advantage of the break thanks to a couple of big saves from Jose Theodore and some strong penalty killing, especially Matt Bradley. Pittsburgh still got momentum off it generating a few chances with Evgeni Malkin dangerous. Theodore quietly made a few timely stops to force OT.

In it, nothing was decided until Brooks Orpik foolishly high-sticked Alexander Semin, handing the Caps the only chance they needed to end it. Off a faceoff win, Backstrom patiently passed to Mike Green who dished across for an Ovechkin sizzler which rang off the post and right to Knuble, who earlier took a Fleury whack but still steered home his 21st with 2:21 remaining. It sent the packed home crowd into a frenzy and touched off a celebration as Washington continued to roll. Their 41 wins and 88 points pace the league. Three better than West-leading San Jose. The only question is can they bring home the franchise's first Stanley Cup with Theodore (31 saves) sharing the load with rooks Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth. While Varlamov remains out, both Theodore and Neuvirth have held down the forte. What happens when he returns? Guess that's for Bruce Boudreau to decide. Regardless, they're going to be a handful to beat in a seven-game series.

The Super Bowl is a couple of hours away between the Saints and Colts. But at least in our book, the real one already took place. America. Please take note.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Mike Knuble, Wsh (PP OT winner, assist, 17 PIM)
2nd Star-Sidney Crosby, Pit (2 goals-38th and 39th tie career high)
1st Star-Alexander Ovechkin, Wsh (hat trick-league leading 40, 41, 42 plus assist)

Crosby hat trick too much for Sabres

The Sabres probably will be seeing Sidney Crosby in their sleep. The game's brightest star shown brightly, going for a hat trick in a come from behind 5-4 Pens' win over Buffalo at Mellon Arena.

The hat trick was Sid The Kid's fifth career and third this season. That he scored the three within an 8:02 span speaks to the kind of special season the Penguin captain is having. With four goals in 24 hours, including a nifty shootout clincher in an exciting 2-1 home win over the Red Wings, the 22 year-old former Hart winner is now tied with San Jose's Patrick Marleau for the league lead in goalscoring. Each have 37. Amazingly, Crosby's just two away from tying his career high of 39 established in his rookie season ('05-06). The way he's finished, it looks like he'll shatter it and could compete with Marleau and archrival Alexander Ovechkin for the Rocket Richard. Ovie trails by two with Marian Gaborik (33 G) fourth and much rumored Ilya Kovalchuk (31) fifth.

Before Sid's eruption, Lindy Ruff's club had battled back from an early Mark Letestu goal scoring three straight to take a 3-1 lead almost half the contest to go. Derek Roy's power play goal and resurgent Thomas Vanek's 17th came 48 seconds apart in the first period, where they outshot Pittsburgh 12-8. The action was fast and furious as both teams traded chances, forcing both Marc-Andre Fleury and Ryan Miller to be good. It looked like the potential Olympic battle between Canada and USA would go to Miller, who's been having a great season.

Ironically, a Crosby turnover at the blueline resulted in Tim Kennedy putting Buffalo ahead by two. Clarke McArthur quickly transitioned the puck to Mike Grier, who with a three-on-two developing, made a sweet dish to Kennedy for a tip in. Kennedy came close to getting another on the next shift but the near miss loomed large. The game swung dramatically thanks to a Chris Butler hooking minor. Handed a power play, the Pens made it count with Evgeni Malkin and Alex Goligoski combining to set up a wide open Crosby at the bottom of the right circle for No.35.

With the game evolving into a track meet which didn't favor the Sabres, the Pens drew even when Jordan Staal took a Malkin pass and beat Miller with a quick one-timer, snapping a 12-game drought. Crosby took over scoring twice more in a 75 second span late in the stanza. First, he cashed in on a Miller turnover outside the net, beating a scrambling Buffalo goalie with a one-timer that trickled off him and in. He misconnected on a pass to Tyler Myers, allowing Sidney to score unassisted for a 4-3 lead with 2:30 remaining. He wasn't done, completing the trick in fine fashion by beating Miller on a breakaway. Taking a perfect Kris Letang outlet during four-on-four, Crosby came in on a two-on-one faking pass before firing home his 37th cueing raining hats everywhere.

“We made some good plays. We had an odd-man rush, we had a good bounce off the skate and he [Miller] isn’t able to get back in the net [on one goal],” Sid The Kid assessed. “If you look at the goals, you can’t really fault him on a lot. There were some really nice plays made there. I don’t think we tried anything different [against him], we always try to get second chances and that’s tough for anybody.”

“I don’t know if he’s getting better, but he’s taking advantage of the opportunities we gave him,” a disappointed Kennedy noted. “When you give a guy an open net and give a guy a 2-on-1 and then a power play, guys like that aren’t going to miss those opportunities. That’s on us. He is one of the best players in the game, but I think that we gave him a lot.”

Crosby easily could've had more but a feisty Miller who tripped up Sidney early in the third, didn't allow anymore. He was sharp in the third repelling all 13 shots sent his way giving teammates a chance. While it didn't look like that would happen, a late Pens' penalty gave Buffalo a ray of light when Jason Pominville connected on the power play off a nice feed from Tim Connolly, cutting it to 5-4 with exactly three minutes remaining. It got even more interesting when Brooks Orpik went to the box allowing Ruff to pull Miller for a six-on-four. There were a couple of close calls but Fleury kept the puck out to give his team the win.

“When you have a two-goal lead, you play a tighter game than that,” Ruff acknowledged. “You don’t hand them those opportunities.”

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Jordan Staal, Pit (13th of season ends 12-game drought, 4 SOG, +1 in 22:00)
2nd Star-Thomas Vanek, Buf (PPG, assist, 4 SOG in 18:55)
1st Star-Sidney Crosby, Pit (3rd hat trick of season-35, 36, 37,5th career, 5 SOG in 20:02)