The home opener from Hell

A day has passed from yesterday's Ranger home opener. As much as I'm not feeling well with perhaps what happened in the game partially why along with a lot of other fun stuff I did, I'm still trying to digest the latest ugly loss- this one a wild one in overtime 4-3 to the undefeated Maple Leafs.

In only their third game while other teams are playing their sixth like the Devils as we type this, the Rangers looked disjointed much like the bizarre pregame festivities that reeked. After a good start that saw the apocalypse strike when Michal Rozsival shot the puck and scored 7:58 in, Toronto methodically took over. Maybe the tide turned when our second power play failed while I was still certain Ruslan Fedotenko tipped home Rozy's blast. Usually when you fail to capitalize on the man-advantage as John Tortorella's club didn't in five chances, it comes back to bite you. Especially with the Leafs' Phil Kessel winning it in overtime on a four-on-three with Marc Staal in the box for a questionable interference call that sent most fans home quietly.

Brandon Prust livened up the first period with an entertaining scrap with Toronto fourth line energizer Mike Brown, getting the takedown. Unfortunately, the main card never took place with Derek Boogaard and Colton Orr deciding to do it another day. After the one fight, the Leafs picked up their game. Using superior speed, they constantly got behind Ranger defenders for odd-man breaks. Henrik Lundqvist, who was sharp turning aside all 16 shots in the first, dealt with all sorts of chaos in one of the worst periods I've seen in quite a while. It was troubling. Ex-Sabre Clarke McCarthur knotted it at 2:04 when he was left all alone in front to steer home a Nikolai Kulemin shot that grazed the post. The Leafs continued to swarm using plenty of ugly turnovers to their advantage. Ironically, it was a softy Lundqvist let in when Mike Komisarek's unscreened bad angle floater snuck through for Toronto's first lead. Whether you want to excuse our franchise netminder who otherwise held up his end of the bargain, it was the kind of goal that can be deflating. He's already given up a few like that. Let's just leave it at that.

The next goal, there was little Lundqvist could do when an awful pinch by Staal led to a three-on-one with Tyler Bozak dishing across for Kessel for three unanswered goals in a 5:46 span. At that point, I would've used a timeout. Why Tort didn't I'll never comprehend. It got even worse when he lost his best player when Colby Armstrong boarded Marian Gaborik, who didn't return due to a separated shoulder which should keep him out between two to four weeks. A devastating blow this early. They also will be without captain Chris Drury, who again reinjured the broken left index finger due to a collision with Rozsival and is expected to miss at least six weeks. Oh. Even Vinny Prospal, who never got into exhibition needs surgery for the knee he had scoped last year. You can't make it up. Well, call it karma because last year's club was relatively healthy. Now, we'll see what they're made of.

Amazingly, the Rangers trailed only by two despite being outshot 30-12. The Leafs blew several power plays, including a dubious full two-minute 5-on-3 that had the crowd up in arms. By that point, Brian Boyle took it upon himself to do his best Superman impersonation. The fourth line center who impressed all camp with improved skating and finishing checks surprised Jean-Sebastien Giguere when his high wrister from 45 feet out eluded the former Duck netminder, making it 3-2 at 2:10. Remarkably, Boogaard assisted along with Steve Eminger with each unlikely contributor notching their first points.

With the Garden Faithful finally back into it, the refs took it upon themselves to try handing the game to Toronto. During a wild scramble for a loose puck that saw players collide with one of the officials who fell down drawing sarcastic cheers, at least two Rangers and Leafs piled up as they blew the play dead. While that madness was going on, behind the play Avery twice chopped Komisarek who dropped to the ice like he was dead yet this faker then skated off with a grin and didn't miss a shift. With Avery losing discipline for a slash combined with a dubious Fedotenko rough where no Leaf got anything, the game hung in the balance thanks to blind mice Chris Rooney and Francois StLaurent who all night missed blatant Leaf infractions. You would've believed the game was played at Air Canada Centre.

Somehow, the Blueshirts got the two-man advantage killed, envigorating The Garden. It didn't take long for Boyle to again play the hero when he picked up a Leaf gift and went five-hole on a stunned Giguere, recording his first multi-goal NHL game. Avery and Mike Del Zotto added helpers. As often happens, the home club took over, nearly going in front a few instances with narrow misses by Artem Anisimov, Ryan Callahan and Avery. With a jittery Derek Stepan struggling in his MSG debut, Tortorella shortened the bench sending out Anisimov's line and Boyle's a ton. Despite a short bench, the Rangers nearly won it late but Prust's redirect bid with seconds to go was cleared away.

Last season, the Rangers were one of the worst four-on-four teams in the league. Minus Gaborik and an MIA Alex Frolov who mailed another game in, they were no match for the Leafs, who really outclassed them most of the game. They still needed help and got it when Staal was sent off for interference. After killing the previous six, the penalty killers were exhausted and it finally resulted in Kessel going shortside for his second of the night on Lundqvist to make his team 4-for-4. Bozak and Tomas Kaberle drew assists.
A disappointing yet predictable ending on a night the Rangers simply weren't good enough. Especially Staal, who had a nightmarish game. He's supposed to be the team's defensive leader. Time to start earning that new paycheck.

The D as a whole stunk with Gilroy showing no impovement from last year in his debut. Dan Girardi's been the best thus far and that's not saying much. Del Zotto has a goal and two assists but has looked shaky defensively. And Rozsival, who scored is what he is. An overlooked booing target who logs important minutes, including some splendid PK work during the big kill in the third. But he can't play the point on the PP because of his reluctancy to shoot. He also is hit or miss defensively as one turnover demonstrated that Lundqvist bailed him out on in the first. As the 85th Anniversary cupcake shows above, the blueline will be the team's weakest link all season. It's going to be up to Henrik to keep them in games. Especially with no Gabby, Dru or Prosp. He's the leader of this team and must show it. So too must Callahan, Dubinsky, Staal and Girardi along with Rozsival. They're the holdovers from the last Ranger club that made the second round. You can't expect much from Avery whose four assists pace the club and somehow avoided suspension for the cheapshots at Komisarek.

Tortorella has indicated there won't be any call-ups from Hartford. Instead, Todd White and Erik Christensen should both be in the lineup Monday versus a good Colorado team that's off to a great start. It won't be no picnic. Boyle said this team won't put up with opponents' antics this time around. Here's their chance to prove it.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Tyler Bozak, Tor (2 assists, 10-5 draws in 20:17)
2nd Star-Brian Boyle, NYR (2 goals-1st two-goal NHL game, 3 SOG, 4 hits, +2 in 11:44)
1st Star-Phil Kessel, Tor (2 goals incl. PP OT winner at 3:08, assist, 7 SOG, +1 in 19:34)

Devils' offensive woes continue

Maybe I shouldn't be as annoyed about last night's 3-2 home loss to Colorado as I am...after all, the Devils dominated in terms of shots (43-22) and scoring chances. Plus, our bevy of rookies led by defensemen Matt Taormina, Matthew Corrente, Alexander Urbom and teen center Jacob Josefson in his NHL debut all gave encouraging accounts of themselves. Especially Taormina, who is looking more and more like this season's Andy Greene - the undersized puck-moving defenseman we develop out of nowhere that becomes a key.

Facts are facts though, not only are we 1-3-1 and tied for last in the division, but our $40 million cap dollars spent on forwards have given us less than two goals a game so far. Yep, nine goals in five games - and two of those came in the first seven minutes of the season - for a team with two thirds of its cap tied up in forwards that have underachieved to this point. Sure, Ilya Kovalchuk has two goals and two assists but really last night's third-period goal was more on Avs goalie Craig Anderson, who allowed a weak wrister on one of the rare shots where we didn't hit his equipment. And eventually you have to figure Zach Parise (one goal so far) will pick it up.

Most of the other forwards are starting to concern me though. Patrik Elias had about the worst game I've seen from him since 2003 with his indecision, perimeter play and obsessive hail mary passes. Not to mention holding the puck for at least ten seconds with time running down late in the third period, as if he was protecting a lead instead of trying to tie the game. Jamie Langenbrunner hasn't scored yet, and other than some secondary assists has picked right up where he left off last year. David Clarkson might permanently have to change his name to Meathead, like Archie Bunker's son-in-law. Sure, he'll compete and I believe wants to do well but he needs to see the wizard to acquire a brain. He thinks he can score goals by skill first and grit second when really it has to be the other way around, he has to go to the net and do the dirty work, which he hasn't done to this point.

And Danius Zubrus, oh boy...he looks like the Little Engine That Couldn't. Not only did he clang one off the post on a wraparound attempt where he beat Anderson in front, but he flubbed a two-on-the goalie chance in the second period which should have been an automatic goal with him and Clarkson skating unimpeded on Anderson. Inexplicably, Zubrus kept the puck, went to his backhand in the middle of the net and missed it. Other than Brian Rolston (lolz) who's on IR for the forseeable future, all the forwards I named basically make up a ton of cap space that we don't have. With two offensive coaches in Johnny MacLean and Adam Oates behind the bench, this simply cannot continue.

Sure, Martin Brodeur had a bad game last night allowing two short-side goals including a softie midway through the first period to Cody McLeod while we were outshooting Colorado 17-3 in the period, which included a futile FIVE-minute power play after the same McLeod got himself ejected for a major boarding penalty on the next shift after his goal. But what, exactly was the offense doing on said power play when they played perimeter hockey for the whole duration? I know they had a couple of chances early in the power play but when you don't have anyone getting closer to the net than the faceoff dots, you're going to have a big problem scoring - especially against a good goalie like Anderson.

It took till about the middle of the second period for anyone to even breathe on the Avs goalie, and by that time we were down 2-0...but when we finally went to the net a little, voila - Parise provided a screen in front for Taormina's first NHL goal that got us back in the game. Speaking of which, it's a pretty bad sign when an undrafted FA defenseman who wasn't even on most people's radar as far as making the team has been better offensively than just about all of our high-priced forwards.

Of course it doesn't help when Johnny Mac was one of the top graduates of the Jacques Lemaire school of changing our forward lines every five minutes. Most of these guys haven't played together much, between Kovy's 27 games last year and the new additions of Jason Arnott and now Josefson...can we give them a chance to gel with our holdovers here at least? Or at least play the same positions? After the balleyhooed switch of Kovy to RW, in this game Kovy was back at his LW slot with Parise at RW, a position he's never played, even in practice. You couldn't blame a short roster for the confusion last night, since we dressed twenty for the first time since last weekend.

Granted, I don't mind using the first ten games or so to get a look at players and our great regular seasons in the past have amounted to nothing but after a summer of upheaval, can we at least try to calm the waters here for a while before we wind up in a struggle to even make the playoffs? Especially now that we know what the roster will look like for the next several weeks at least. Not to mention having a six-game road trip of death looming on the horizon. If we don't watch it we'll bury ourselves early a la Carolina last season.

One thing's for sure, the expected marketing value of Kovy hasn't materialized one bit in the first three games, with a dissapointing crowd of just over 12,000 last night. We were having 13,000 crowds for preseason games! Of course, there's a big difference between counting voucher giveaways and actual tickets sold. I do expect tonight's crowd to be much better, since weekend games usually are - in spite of having a Yankee playoff game tonight as well - but man, if Jeff Vanderbeek is going to get $100 million worth out of Kovy it better come on the ice with playoff revenue.

Like the old football coach Jim Mora though, I don't want to talk about playoffs right now. I just want to win a game.

Preview: Rangers home opener tonight

We're a week into the new season. For the Rangers, they finally play their home opener tonight against the hot Maple Leafs who haven't lost yet. It's only Game No.3 for John Tortorella's club. The usual for a team that always gets screwed schedule wise late due to so little action this early. Thank the Knicks, who at least should be competitive with Amare Stoudemire. So, we can't make any Knick jokes this time around.

How will Tort's bunch react to a three day layoff following the disappointing 6-4 Islander loss on Columbus Day? Why does it feel longer? Funny how everything seems to have slowed down. Guess that's good but when you're itching for your hockey team to play, not so much. So, it'll be exciting to see what they come up with against Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Co. later at what's sure to be a pumped Garden. Will it be soldout? Seriously. They've been advertising season subscriptions all month. Embarrassing. Guess Dolan gets what he deserves. Just wait till the renovation's complete. For one night at least, I'll be there with the fam and friend taking it in from our usual Section 411 Row D seats. Love that section. Let the chaos commence!

So, what can be expected as they honor the franchise's 85th Anniversary with those cool patches? Well, there should be more offense if the first two games are any indication plus exhibition. It's nice to score goals but the D has been dreadful. An issue which could haunt this club all season long. Unless Marc Staal and Dan Girardi play like their new contracts, there won't be much to talk about defensively. Michal Rozsival is the third blueliner who logs important minutes. He was good in the win over Buffalo but struggled on Long Island. With partner Mike Del Zotto still very green in his end, it's imperative for Rozy to be strong this year. Especially with our coach insisting on keeping traffic cone/new booing target Steve Eminger in the lineup over Mike Sauer with Matt Gilroy getting his first game. Can anyone on the face of the earth explain what they see in this guy?!?!?!?!?! Anyone. Please. Quoting The Honeymooner's Ralph Kramden:

"To the moon Alice or in this case Tort/Slats!"

There's a reason why 33rd and Seventh is the land of confusion as I channel a little Phil Collins Genesis. Between the insistence on this two bit scrub continuing to play when Sauer's done nothing wrong and the organization dumbfounding the twitter blogosphere by keeping Todd White's heftier contract over Tim Kennedy, it's enough to make one wonder if they'll ever get it right. At least Derek Stepan hasn't gotten scratched yet. Chris Drury returns tonight for his '10-11 debut. I'm asking all Garden Faithful to cheer our captain, who's always willing to play hurt and sacrifice for the good of the team. It's easy to forget that Dru was good his first two years. One bad year doesn't mean the guy sucks. Let's support the do everything center who always brings his hard hat to the rink. It doesn't excuse what he makes. Place the blame where it belongs. On management. I for one am happy he gets a shot with Marian Gaborik and Alex Frolov with Erik Christensen expected out. Here's hoping he scores.

Fans are already excited about Stepan, who also was strong in the second game generating chances around the net. The puck always seems to find him. Glad he's playing with Sean Avery and Ruslan Fedotenko. We should also like the second line of Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan who are all off to good starts. That line will be vital. Curious to see what kind of reception Derek Boogaard gets. Will he even get to fight Colton Orr after Orr was TKO'd the other night by Pitt's Deryk Engelland? If not, uh oh.

Finally, it's only the third game but Henrik Lundqvist needs to be better. By his own admission, he's let in a few softies. And please for the love of God, don't handle the puck. Well, can't wait to be in our seats and bs with our friends. If you're around, don't hesitate to stop by.

Hey Lou, can you fit me under the cap now?

After an unplanned and elongated absence, I am ready to make my return at last! Between computer issues caused by a phone line that was out of whack for almost two weeks and a family vacation to New Hampshire for the last four days I've missed the last two Devils games entirely, and haven't been around to blog much at all in the last couple of weeks other than some brief thoughts before the home opener last Friday.

Since I haven't been around at all this week I might as well start with where I left off with...Opening Night against the Stars. I admit, when Travis Zajac and Zach Parise scored in the first several minutes against Dallas - causing coach Marc Crawford to use a timeout - I figured we were gonna have an easy night against a supposedly inferior team. Maybe we would have if Ilya Kovalchuk's shot soon after went the other way after ringing off the post, but it didn't and the Devils suffered an annoying meltdown, first losing the 2-0 lead, then a 3-2 lead before finally losing the game in overtime moments after I predicted to my friend sitting next to me that it would be a quick OT with how bad both defenses were.

As annoying as that was - especially with our upcoming schedule - at least we got a point, I got to spend time with a couple of good friends Friday and the crowd was electric (unlike Monday, which I'll get to soon enough). I had no such consolation Saturday when we got smoked in Washington and I was at home watching on TV while packing for my trip. Admittedly I figured a 6-2, 6-3 type beatdown was coming given our defensive woes the night before, with a hungry President's Trophy winner playing its home opener after a shocking loss in Atlanta the night before. And that was even before Anton Volchenkov left the game early after a scary facial injury caused by a shot from Nicklas Backstrom that broke his nose. So from that standpoint I wasn't surprised by our 7-2 loss, even if it was a bit dissapointing to completely melt down after having a 2-1 lead halfway through.

What did bother me though, was our gooning it up for no apparent reason late. Surprisingly, it all started with Kovalchuk and Caps' star defenseman Mike Green throwing down in the undercard, with the $100 million man getting the better of it. That was bad enough but it turned out it was only the first of no fewer than five unneccesary fights in the third period with the game out of hand, culminating in Pierre Luc-Letourneau Leblond picking up an instigator in the final five minutes and triggering an automatic one-game suspension that compromised our roster even further.

I don't know what - if anything - the staff said about our extracurricular activities down five goals in the third period, but GM Lou Lamoriello couldn't have been pleased about Leblond's brain cramp, for the enforcer was immediately placed on waivers even before serving his suspension, although Lou denied that was the reason there was definitely a message in that action imo. As bad as what Leblond did was, I wasn't thrilled with any of the nonsense in the third. Some people may call that toughness, but it's not toughness when you randomly pick fights for no reason just because you're getting your butt whipped on the scoreboard. It's just stupidity and selfishness, and that includes the beloved Kovy, who set the tone for the latter stages of the third.

Even with me being away starting Sunday morning, I had somewhat of an idea what was in store for us Monday between Volchenkov's injury, Leblond's suspension and Brian Rolston's mysterious lower-body injury which caused him to miss some of the Caps game. Of course, none were available on Monday, meaning the Devils played with just fifteen skaters as Derek pointed out in his recap. Six defensemen to be sure, but three of them were rookies so that's a problem in and of itself. Having just nine forwards dress is almost unheard of though, as is a 15-man roster on the whole. Astonishingly, the Don Fehr-led NHLPA made noise about investigating us. As if any team would actually want to field such a depleted roster!

Having fewer skaters didn't exactly give us a competitive advantage in a 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh capped off by Paul Martin's empty-net goal to seal things up for his new team in his old home. As Martin Brodeur mused, what was the NHL going to do, take away the two points we didn't get for playing 15 skaters? I was wondering what the crowd would be given the weird holiday start time (memo to the NHL: only government employees and kids get off Columbus Day) and even after seeing a few crowd shots during the highlights it was actually worse than I feared, as we had just over 12,000 show up for a rivalry game and marquee matchup that sold out all three times last year. Just imagine how bad it might have been if the time wasn't switched from 1 PM to 4 PM?

Of course I knew none of this - other than the score of the Pens-Devils game - till yesterday, when I was finally able to get some computer time at the hotel I was staying. In the few minutes that I was online I found out about that laughably short roster, Rolston's mysterious lower-body injury being identified as a sports hernia, which would lead to Rolston being placed on LTIR and out 4-6 weeks, thereby giving us major cap relief! (as the rest of the league either mutters about our dumb luck or somehow thinks that Lou was able to pull another fast one)

For the record, I can't say I blame anyone for wanting to invent a conspiracy theory given the fortuitous timing of the injury as well as the player afflicted by it having an otherwise unmovable $5 million cap hit. That said, you can't invent a surgery and Rolston had an outside second opinion as well (and after our misdiagnoses with Martin, Patrik Elias and David Clarkson last year one can hardly blame him) which confirmed the initial diagnosis. Placing Rolston on LTIR means we suddenly can go another $5 million over the cap to fill out our roster.

However, Rolston's LTIR status didn't affect last night's game, in which we also iced a short roster of sixteen players. Our only addition between Monday and Wednesday was finally inking ex-Sabre Adam Mair to a one-year, $510k contract after Leblond was placed on waivers. Even with that, the Devils came up with a big road victory in which Kovalchuk scored the only goal in a 1-0 road win against the Sabres, which gave coach Johnny MacLean his first victory behind the bench, surprisingly effective rookie d-man Matt Taormina his first NHL point on the assist and Kovy his first true defining Devils moment. Though Kovy averaged almost a point a game after his trade from Atlanta last year and was one of our best players in the playoffs, he really hadn't had that statement big goal yet - but his OT winner on a one-timer just may have been that.

Most importantly, the win last night got the Devils off the schnied and was their best overall performance of the season from what I heard. So now we go back home Friday night to play the improving Avs with a full roster at last, after calling up defenseman Matt Corrente and forwards Jacob Josefson and Tim Sestito, though Volchenkov will certainly miss that game as well plus now fellow defenseman Mark Fraser is also going to be out for an extended period with a fractured right hand. What the lines and d-pairings will be tomorrow is anyone's guess.

About all that we do know is once again Brodeur will be starting in net, his fifth game in eight days (and this one against a non-conference team) followed almost no doubt by another start Saturday against the Bruins for six in nine. So much for Johan Hedberg being here to provide Brodeur with more rest, I think we all know his real purpose was as part of a de facto package deal with Kovy, as well as merely an expensive insurance policy for the 38-year old Brodeur - although he didn't do himself any favors by allowing a bizarre goal within minutes of entering the Caps game in relief of Brodeur for the third period.

Perhaps the best thing about the events of the last few days is now we finally have some room to breathe (for at least a couple months) without worrying about a short roster, although when Rolston and defenseman Bryce Salvador are ready to come off LTIR it might cause another problem. Or maybe not, as the NHL CBA - admittedly a worthless document after the NHL took a **** on it during the summer - clearly states that you can't take a player off of LTIR even when healthy if you don't have the cap space to fit him in.

It's a little-known provision that the Devils no doubt exploited once before, when they kept Richard Matvichuk on IR indefinitely a few seasons ago until he mysteriously got better on the eve of the playoffs. Given that, the Devils could probably keep Rolston and/or Salvador on IR indefinitely, unless the league steps in and changes the CBA once again or the player files a grievance. Admittedly that's another loophole I'm not too crazy about, but how would it even be enforced? Even if that wasn't the case, with the amount of over-30 and over-35 players on our roster, it's a pretty reasonable bet that someone else'll wind up on IR at some point before the season's over anyway...and next time it might not be someone we can do without.

However, it looks like for the forseeable future our cap and roster issues have been solved with dumb luck...oh well, it beats no luck at all.

Kovalchuk OT winner earns Brodeur 111th shutout, MacLean 1st win

It wasn't pretty but the Devils will take it. Ilya Kovalchuk's first goal of the season 53 seconds into overtime made a winner of new coach John MacLean. His first win behind the bench. Martin Brodeur stopped all 24 shots as New Jersey prevailed over Buffalo 1-0. It was Brodeur's record 111th shutout- third career against the Sabres, including a 0-0 tie over a decade ago when he and Dominik Hasek shared the game puck.

The victory was the Devs' first in four tries, pulling out the win despite using only 16 skaters. One better than their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh Monday. Former Sabre Adam Mair signed for one year, $500,000- debuting yesterday in a familiar setting against the club he spent the past seven years with. The gritty fourth line center replaced Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, who cleared waivers. He wasn't the only one to have a successful return to Western New York with former Sabre defenseman Henrik Tallinder putting forth his best effort thus far. It helped the shorthanded team earn the 'W.'

“We’ve had a lot of changes, we’ve had injuries, and we’ve played with 15 players, and now 16 players,” Brodeur said. “It’s been chaotic a little bit. So for us to finally get one under our belt, now we can start playing our season.”

With Brian Rolston diagnosed with a sports hernia which could keep him out six weeks, the veteran center was placed on Long Term Injured Reserve, clearing space for Lou Lamoriello to recall reinforcements from Albany for tomorrow's home game against the Avs. Maybe the NHLPA can investigate that as well.

Predictably, the two clubs played a tight checking low-scoring affair which emulated last year's season series. With the Devils still short two, it favored them. You have to wonder why Lindy Ruff's club didn't try to open it up until late in the third when they had quite a few chances to pull it out in regulation.

“We’re four games in, and there isn’t anything to freak out about,” second-year defenseman Tyler Myers said. “We had a lot of chances, we just didn’t put them in.”

A couple of point blank rebounds went wide, pushing the contest to OT. In it, all it took was one mistake when Devil rookie Matt Taormina recovered Andrej Sekera's turnover and dished across for an isolated Kovalchuk, who buried it past Miller off the post and in giving his team a much needed win. In a nice gesture, captain Jamie Langenbrunner rewarded Taormina with the game puck for his first NHL career point.

“I didn’t like the play with us coming back in the zone,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff lamented. “We could have at least competed harder.”

Brodeur credited MacLean for igniting a fire after sending the Devils off the ice after just 20 minutes of practice during the morning skate, fuming following an errant Zach Parise pass.

“It was almost like Mark Messier,” he joked. “We have to be prepared to play a certain way and act a certain way. He wants us to act like a professional and do what we need to do to get ourselves ready, and he wasn’t happy about what was going on at the morning skate.”

"I think they woke themselves up, too. I've always said we have a good hockey team here and we're going through growing pains early, but they put the effort in for 60 minutes, which is what they were looking for and they did a nice job. It was great from Marty all the way out. They played very well," praised MacLean.

For Buffalo, it's back to the drawing board after dropping a third straight on home ice. The first time they've done that since 1993. They haven't won since an opening season 2-1 victory at Ottawa. Their next chance comes tomorrow when northern enemy Montreal pays a visit to HSBC Arena for the final game of a four-game homestand. The Habs should be in a foul mood following a bitter 4-3 overtime defeat to Tampa Bay in their home opener.

Meanwhile, the Devils get Colorado and Boston at The Rock this weekend. They'll do so with a full roster following Rolston's successful hernia surgery, which freed up $5 million in cap space. The club recalled centers Tim Sestito, Jacob Josefson and defenseman Matt Corrente. It was also determined that defenseman Mark Fraser sustained a broken hand stemming from a fight with Buffalo's Cody McCormick last night.


BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Ryan Miller, Sabres (34 saves incl.15/15 in 1st)
2nd Star-Ilya Kovalchuk, Devils (OT winner-1st of season)
1st Star-Matt Taormina, Devils (primary assist-1st career NHL point)

Alexei Cherepanov Two Year Anniversary

Two years ago today, the hockey world lost talented Russian teenager Alexei Cherepanov. The electrifying right wing who the Rangers selected 17th overall in 2007 was only 19 when he collapsed on the bench next to Avangard Omsk teammate Jaromir Jagr in a KHL game versus Vityaz Chekov. The rest is a tragic tale of a young man who died too soon due to a faulty defribillator and a late ambulance. Though they were able to revive his heart five times before he collapsed and died at the hospital. To this day, the cause of death remains debatable with a Russian investigator saying he suffered from chronic ischemia while other medical experts concluded that it was caused by hypertrophic cardiomyapathy (HCM). It was later determined that Cherepanov suffered from myocarditis (heart inflammation) and shouldn't have even been playing hockey. Hard to fathom since he passed his predraft medical exam. Regardless, a very gifted player who set a KHL record with a nine-game goal streak was gone way too soon and never got to fulfill his NHL dream and play for the Rangers. The KHL still honors him with its Rookie Of The Year Award named for him. In '06-07, Cherepanov set a rookie record with 18 goals and 11 assists for 29 points while also contributing three goals and five helpers in the playoffs. Today, we remember him. Say a prayer for his family.

Miller speaks out on Hjalmarsson hit that drew two-game ban

It was a busy Tuesday for the NHL. Not only did they take thrifty action against James Wisniewski but also banned Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson two games as well for this dangerous hit on Sabre right wing Jason Pominville that gave him a concussion. Pommer was taken off the ice on a stretcher in a game Buffalo lost 4-3 Monday night.

Is the suspension enough for what looked like a blindside hit just before Pominville had the puck? Legendary Sabre announcer Rick Jeanneret thought it was a hit from behind but it came more from the side. The thing is Pominville never had a chance and it was a severe hit on impact that crushed him into the boards. A scary sight. These are the kind of hits the league wants to eliminate. So, why only two games? Hjalmarsson doesn't have a track record for being a dirty player. It's his first suspension. It should also be noted that he was given a boarding major and game misconduct for his actions.

Still, it's awfully hard to agree with the punishment. He got the same ban as Wisniewski. Since when is a risky hit that causes severe injury the same as a silly gesture that's plain offensive? It doesn't make sense. No wonder Pominville's teammate Ryan Miller sounded off yesterday. Via Puck Daddy, here's what the rating Vezina winner had to say on Hjalmarsson's hit and blindside hits in general:

"No matter how badly Hjalmarsson feels, it's still an illegal hit. It still out our guy out and it's still suspendable in my mind. So absolutely needs to be punished. I don't care if it's unintentional. That's what we have to get away from hockey right now, is the culture of it; of I was trying to make a play, so therefore it's not my fault.'


"The hockey hit is to separate a man from the puck. Not anticipating the puck getting there and hitting him from behind and driving him into the boards. You have two things right there: The puck wasn't clearly there, there was anticipation of it, there's no separation, and he was hit from behind.

"I don't know if there was enough made of it, because Jason is walking out with just stitches. What if Jason had a fractured neck? We don't even know what kind of impact it's going to have with a concussion. So no matter how badly he feels, no matter if it's unintentional, we have to change the culture of it if we're ever going to change the situations we're seeing, which is guys on the ice bleeding and missing time with concussions. It's completely an unnecessary play. ... More people should be a little more outraged.

"God, when he left the ice, he was surprised he got kicked out. It's like, 'Are you serious?' I would have started skating towards the locker room if I were him. I'm glad he admitted to it, that he didn't mean to do it. But you have to change the culture sometime. I hope the league wakes up and sets a precedent for the year."

Miller makes some solid points about the way this league operates. He also criticized them for instituting the new blindside rule right before the playoffs, labeling it as 'PR.' Furthermore, he mentioned that it's Colin Campbell's job to make these tough rulings. The League Deputy who's been inconsistent leaving the NHL open to criticism.

Most notably, the eloquent Sabre netminder made sure to include Matt Cooke's dirty cheapshot of Bruins' star center Marc Savard that still has him out with concussion symptoms. He might not play at all this season. When it comes to concussions, you're dealing with the unknown. Who knows? It could be his career. Imagine that Cooke- who has a history with pushing the envelope- wasn't even suspended. What if Savard never returns? How bad would that look?

It's why we can't agree with Puck Daddy chief Greg Wyshynski on Hjalmarsson's suspension. Even if he infers that it wouldn't have even gotten anything if not for the stretcher, the fact was it was a dangerous check. The kind that need to be eliminated. Sure. Hjalmarsson didn't mean to injure Pominville. But nothing good was going to come out of that play. He just needs to be smarter. I doubt Jason had enough time to see him. Should it really depend on how hurt a player is? There's too much of an assertion. If they're serious about making hockey a safer sport, then any suspension on such scary hits must be more than what the Blackhawk defenseman got. Reputation withstanding.

This is exactly what's wrong. If anything, usually Campbell goes tougher when serious injury is caused. A five-game ban would've at least sent a message. Miller's right. Is this the year the league finally gets it right or will it take a life threatening incident for appropriate action to be taken. We certainly hope not.

Wisniewski suspended two games for bush league move

Yesterday, the NHL came down on Islander defenseman James Wisniewski for his bush league move during their 6-4 win over the Rangers on Columbus Day. He was suspended two games for a silly post-whistle stunt which wasn't appropriate. Especially with plenty of kids at the holiday game.

During a scrum in which frequent target Sean Avery gave Rick DiPietro a snowshower, the newest Islander came over and stuck up for his goalie which was fine. Unfortunately, the 26 year-old Canton, Michigan native went overboard by making a profane gesture at the Ranger bad boy. The league has a zero tolerance policy for any kind of stuff that doesn't have a place in our sport. With players sometimes doing gang signs these days and sometimes losing their heads when things heat up, this is an area Gary Bettman Inc. have gotten right. So, the Islanders lose their most important blueliner for two games because he couldn't control himself. Granted. It was Avery and there probably was an exchange of words. But Wiz needed to show better control.

Starting tonight, Wisniewski will miss a pair of games against two of the East's best with Scott Gordon's club traveling to Washington and Pittsburgh to play Alexander Ovechkin's Caps and Sidney Crosby's Pens. Not exactly the teams you want your big minute logger out for. In the club's first two games, he was off to a good start with a goal and two helpers along with seven hits.

There's a reason The Wiz is on his third roster in two and a half years. Despite being a very capable player who can contribute in all facets, he has developed a bad reputation for not always using his thinking cap, which has gotten him in trouble. Most notably, he was banned eight games for this cheapshot on former Hawk teammate Brent Seabrook. This is the fifth time Wisniewski has been suspended in two years. At least the former Chicago '02 fifth round pick who was part of Team USA's World Junior Championship 2003 squad took responsibility for his actions.

"A lot of actions on the ice are regrettable," Wisniewski said in a statement. "I've been given a suspension from the league, and I'm going to accept it and move on from here."

As for Avery whose mouth off the ice once got him in huge trouble with Dallas earning a six-game ban and counseling for anger management, he took exception.

"Can you imagine if I did that?" he said. "They sent me to rehab the last time I did something. It's crazy."

Oddly enough, that was the only instance in which he's been suspended with the Stars throwing him off the team, setting up his Broadway sequel for the only team who will have him. Avery has also been fined twice by the NHL. But that's it. Go figure.

The Islanders will need someone else to step up in place of Wisniewski, which could mean more minutes for Mark Eaton, Radek Martinek and surprise contributor Mike Mottau. Figure Andy MacDonald to also see a hike while Jack Hillen likely makes his season debut tonight as the Isles (1-0-1) look to remain unbeaten in regulation.

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)

Islanders rally past Rangers for first win

As we said yesterday, expect the unexpected when the Rangers and Islanders meet. Well, that one of the game's best rivalries would combine for 10 goals along with plenty of momentum swings typifies what Rangers-Islanders is all about. On Columbus Day here in America, the Long Island hosts used a couple of late power play goals from P.A. Parenteau and hero Blake Comeau to rally past their enemy for an exciting 6-4 win at a less than capacity Nassau Coliseum.


Instead of focusing on such a great game not coming close to selling out (11,748), we'll keep it on the rambunctious, firewagon hockey that saw the Islanders earn their first win. The traditional Islander matinee featured one entertaining scrap between Brandon Prust and Zenon Konopka along with a missed Marian Gaborik penalty shot and five lead changes. There also was Rick DiPietro back in net for the second time in three days, earning the victory against a team he always gets up for. DP finished with 29 saves in recording his first win over the Rangers since November 7, 2007. Good for him. Not so good for counterpart Henrik Lundqvist, who saw too many pucks go by- permitting five on 31 shots which left him shaking his head en route to the locker room.

It was that kind of day for the club from Manhattan, who just couldn't match the Long Island hosts' work ethic. A common theme whenever these teams meet. One thing about Scott Gordon's club. No matter who's playing in these games, they always bring it. No surprise that early on, it was the Islanders who got the puck in deep and carried the play- forcing Lundqvist to make some tough saves. Prust and Konopka went off a draw, battling to a lengthy draw. Not long after during an Islander power play, it was Gaborik who made a strong defensive play to get by a falling Doug Weight. But the veteran Islander captain pulled him down forcing a penalty shot. On it, he tried to go low but DiPietro snuffed it out to cheers.

With some momentum, the Islanders got on the board first when Comeau took full advantage of a dreadful Mike Del Zotto turnover. Fumbling the puck, the second-year defenseman watched the pesky Isle get two whacks before converting his second in two games. It was a bad omen as he had a forgetful afternoon. Following a great sweep check by Mark Eaton denying Gaborik, the new addition took a delay of game minor. Only 23 seconds later, Brandon Dubinsky converted his own rebound for his third in two games. The seesaw period continued when Josh Bailey beat Del Zotto to a loose puck in front for his first. Comeau, who always kills us, netted an assist. Despite picking it up, the Blueshirts trailed after one.

An undisciplined Islander bench minor got them into trouble again. Working the puck around, Del Zotto fired an innocent looking point shot that caromed off an Islander past DiPietro tying it 8:28 into the second. Some excellent work by Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov earned them helpers. This time, the Rangers picked it up drawing another power play. Though they didn't convert, the puck was in the Islander zone a long time. Not surprisingly, it paid off when Dan Girardi took an Alex Frolov cross-ice feed and ripped one thru a Ryan Callahan screen to give the guests their first lead. They nearly went up two but a review confirmed a wraparound never went in. A big momentum swing came when Lundqvist foolishly misplayed a Trent Hunter attempt right to Matt Moulson, who buried the freebie to tie it 3-3 with 21 seconds left in the stanza. Why Lundqvist, who couldn't handle a beachball insists on playing pucks we'll never grasp. Just a bad read on his part.

In the third, as often happens in this heated rivalry, one team scored and looked like they'd win. When Anisimov took a nifty Gaborik backhand feed and surprised DiPietro for his first with 7:14 remaining, the Rangers had their second lead. But they lost discipline. Even if Callahan's phantom trip on an already falling Mike Mottau infuriated John Tortorella, there was no excuse for Marc Staal getting his stick up on Comeau to hand the Islanders a two-man advantage. Boy, did they capitalize. As fate would have it, one-time Ranger P.A. Parenteau knotted it when he got a James Wisniewski shot that deflected off a Ranger right to him for a gimme. Moulson added a secondary assist. Still on the power play, the Isles did it again when Bailey made an amazing blind backhand pass to a wide open Comeau, who buried his second of the contest for the winner with 3:26 to go.

Just like that, the guys in more traditional home white, bright orange and blue tallied twice in a 58 second span, seizing in front. This time, they wouldn't allow the Rangers to force overtime. Frans Nielsen salted it away with an empty netter with 19 ticks left, making it a fun day for the Islanders.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Artem Anisimov, NYR (1st of season, assist, 4 SOG, 14-7 on draws in 17:52)
2nd Star-Josh Bailey, NYI (1st of season, assist, 5 SOG in 21:27)
1st Star-Blake Comeau, NYI (2 goals-2nd, 3rd incl. GW, assist, 4 SOG, 3 hits, 3 takeaways, +3 in 20:27)

Sunday Wrap Up

On a football Sunday with little puck being played, it's a good time to review the first couple of days for the Battle clubs. But before we do, Happy Thanksgiving to our brotherly neighbors up north. Wishing every Canadian a great Turkey Day. There's something cool about having the best holiday a month earlier. I just can't explain it. Maybe I should relocate. :P

Instead of just rambling uncontrollably, we're going to look at each club in this entry. Of course, it's hard to gauge too much off one or two games. But we'll just give a little synopsis based on what we've caught. Last night, the crew had a get together at my buddy John's new house in South River. It was a good night for the Ranger fans. Not so much for our notorious Sabre blogger, who was DVRing a forgettable home opener and even called us while heading home from work in Cali. He was in rare form. Let's just leave it at that. Since we referenced Buffalo, we'll start with the guys in Western New York.

Buffalo Sabres-Things started out well for Lindy Ruff's guys Friday with a hard fought 2-1 road win over nemesis Ottawa. Derek Roy tallied twice including the power play winner late in the third to give the Sabres the 'W.' The No.1 center also scored last night in the 6-3 loss to the Rangers, giving him three goals already. An excellent start for last year's scoring leader. Rating Vezina winner Ryan Miller showed his '09-10 form by making 25 stops, including all 14 Sen shots in the third to get the victory. Also of note, rookie Tyler Ennis assisted on both Roy tallies. Keep an eye on the little rascal. Saturday's home opener was a nightmare for Miller who too often was left to fend for himself. The Rangers easily could've doubled their output. In particular, sophomore defender Tyler Myers had an atrocious night that began with bad luck when a Derek Stepan redirect caromed off his skate past his own goalie. He also was victimized on the second goal when he lost his footing and got beat on another as well. Buffalo looked like a tired club that while their more rested opponents took full advantage. There weren't many bright spots but new blueliner Jordan Leopold tallied twice, including on the power play while also setting up Roy's third. The vet's been shaky defensively but is being asked to pick up the slack. It won't get any easier for Ruff's team when an angry Blackhawk bunch pay a visit tomorrow without a win. Starting with three in four ain't no picnic.

New Jersey Devils-Where to begin? A disappointing season opener saw them blow two leads before falling to coincidental '00 Cup victim Dallas in Jason Arnott's return which he scored a goal. Or yesterday's D.C. debacle in which two more leads went by the wayside as the Alex Ovechkin Caps scored six unanswered in a humiliating 7-2 defeat that even saw the two-time league MVP beat Martin Brodeur on a penalty shot. Something that hadn't occurred since '99. Hell. MB30 hasn't been sharp, allowing two or three questionable goals including one to Jersey native John Carlson from 50 feet out. Still, there was little he could do on Loui Eriksson's overtime winner. Marty was pulled after permitting five on 20 shots Saturday. Reliever Johan Hedberg came in and gave up a pair. Nothing positive could be said. Especially when company man Ilya Kovalchuk wrestled with Mike Green leading to more chaos, including Pierre-Luc Letourneau Leblond picking a fight that got him tossed and earned him an automatic one-game suspension, which could also cost new coach John MacLean $10,000. Playing a more run n' gun style based on the top two lines, the former Devil great has seen his team allow 11 goals in both losses. Sure. They got a point, Arnott's scored in both and the Dream Line looked scary in Game No.1. But where's the D? Henrik Tallinder struggled mightily and Anton Volchenkov took a Nicklas Backstrom shot which broke his nose. The winless Pens visit The Rock in a must watch. The Devs didn't lose to them last year. So, it should be interesting.

New York Islanders-Rarely can a first game potentially crush a team in an 82-game schedule. But if franchise John Tavares' mild concussion keeps the super soph sidelined a while, yikes. Scott Gordon's club is already minus top defender Mark Streit and power forward Kyle Okposo. Now, they'll have to play at least starting in tomorrow's traditional Columbus Day game versus the hated Rangers without their best player. Despite losing JT91, Gordon's bunch showed tremendous heart fighting back from a pair of two-goal deficits thanks to a hot power play which converted three-of-eight including on Stephane Robidas' first delay of game minor, which saw 30-goalscorer Matt Moulson tie it late- sending Nassau Coliseum into a frenzy. But they couldn't cash Robidas' second boneheaded delay, forcing OT. An exciting game that saw them rally with key pieces Blake Comeau (goal), James Wisniewski (PPG, A), captain Doug Weight (G, A) and Josh Bailey (assist) eventually went to a shootout where Star ace Mike Ribeiro deked Rick DiPietro out of his pads for a forehand winner in Round Three. Gordon tried former Ranger wiz P.A. Parenteau but he hit the post. Even though they lost, the third-year coach had to like what he saw with his club showing the same spunk that kept them afloat much of last season. That will be essential. DP's return to net wasn't great with him allowing four on 22 shots, including a couple of klunkers but he got through it. You have to believe they'll work him in slowly. It'd be shocking if Dwayne Roloson doesn't get the call against the Rangers in the 1 ET start. If you got off, don't miss it.

New York Rangers-A day later, people are still talking about Derek Stepan's historic debut that saw the rookie pivot become just the fourth player to ever record a hat trick in his first game- joining Montreal's Alex Smart ('43), Quebec's Real Cloutier ('79) and Dallas' Fabian Brunnstrom (10/15/08). The trick for the poised 20 year-old Minnesota native who had his Mom, sister and stepdad in attendance is not to try duplicating that great feat but to continue demonstrating the work ethic he's shown since Day One of camp. There's a reason his line of unlikely duo Sean Avery and Ruslan Fedotenko works. Because the trio have chemistry and feed off each other. As Avery put it, D-Step might not be the fastest skater but he always puts himself in good position. After the game, he quipped that he choked about missing No.4. Sophomore center Artem Anisimov's (assist) line with Ryan Callahan (A) and Brandon Dubinsky (2 goals) was also very good, doing solid work in the Buffalo end. The best aspect was that only one of the half dozen came from Marian Gaborik's unit with the Big Ticket neatly setting up Erik Christensen. Alexander Frolov was not visible. Henrik Lundqvist looked shaky and the D struggled at times. So, it wasn't a virtuoso performance by John Tortorella's chargers. He may have been pleased with Steve Eminger's aggressiveness but what did Matt Gilroy do to lose the job? Hobey would certainly be a boost on the man-advantage which didn't carry over it's preseason success. Rangers/Islanders is always interesting. Especially off The Meadowbrook. Expect the unexpected.

Stepan's hat trick pushes Rangers past Sabres

If one were to judge rookie Derek Stepan's NHL debut, plenty of adjectives come to mind. Scintillating. Sensational. Historic. That's how special the 20 year-old former 2008 second round pick was in leading the Rangers past the Sabres 6-3- making history by becoming the first ever Ranger to record a hat trick in his rookie debut.

"I was just kind of getting my feet wet in my first NHL game. And it was a fun process,” a diplomatic Stepan said of his remarkable feat. “I guess for me, it’s just one of those things where you kind of go, ‘I guess I got lucky.'"

Doing it in front of a proud Mom and excited sister, the former Badger standout started his memorable night by redirecting a Dan Girardi right point shot off Tyler Myers and past Ryan Miller for the center's first career NHL goal 10:53 into the contest. In a hostile place that hasn't treated them too kindly recently, the Rangers acquitted themselves well against a team playing its second game in two nights. With the top line of Alexander Frolov, Erik Christensen and Marian Gaborik held mostly in check aside from the Big Ticket's nice setup for Christy's first 68 seconds into the third, it was the freshman Stepan who led the team to victory with one of the best starts to what hopefully will be a great career. While he scored three of the game's first five putting the Blueshirts in front by three after 40 minutes, he got help from Brandon Dubinsky (2 goals) and Artem Anisimov (assist).

Now officially a left wing, Dubinsky cashed in his first when Anisimov took advantage of a Myers slip behind the net, quickly dishing across for the third-year Alaskan for 2-zip. After a rough first following their road win over Ottawa, Buffalo responded with a strong middle stanza in which they dictated throughout, outshooting the guests 19-9. A shaky Henrik Lundqvist kept them off the board until a clean Paul Gaustad faceoff win allowed Ranger killer Patrick Kaleta to setup Jordan Leopold's first as a Sabre. A quick one-timer from the point that went through the Ranger netminder despite no traffic. Indeed, King Henrik wasn't sharp despite making 33 saves- leaking rebounds while fighting the puck. But on this night, it was enough thanks to the super performance from Stepan, who responded 4:01 later with his second- slamming a Marc Staal rebound home.

Before the period was done, the historic moment came when linemate Sean Avery made a perfect blind pass to the vacated bright eyed kid who deposited his first career hat trick with ease, sending Mom and sis to their feet in astonishment. A night the Stepan family won't ever forget. It was a smart Girardi dump that got the play started. Then, Avery recovered the puck and whipped it in front for a Stepan one-timer within 10 feet, which left Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti singing his praises. At least it was justified unlike Micheletti's lousy excuse for a dreadful Leopold power play goal that eluded Lundqvist later.

“I don’t think we expect him to score three every night,” Lundqvist noted. “But if he does, we’ll take it.”

When Gaborik drew two Sabre defenders including Myers who had a miserable night, the crafty Slovak fed Christensen for his first making it 5-1 with 18:52 remaining. Frolov drew a secondary assist. That's about all he did in a much quieter Ranger debut that included an unnecessary offensive zone penalty after trying to do too much. No doubt the club will need better from the former King starting this Monday in a Columbus Day showdown with the chief rival Islanders, who fell 5-4 to Dallas in a shootout despite losing John Tavares to a concussion late in the first. A game they fought back in thanks to Matt Moulson's tying PPG late in regulation before Mike Ribeiro undressed Rick DiPietro.

Stepan nearly made it four when he got behind the D for a clean breakaway but his forehand deke try sailed over Miller. “I couldn’t believe I missed,” he remarked while chuckling. “I just choked under pressure, I guess.”

John Tortorella was pleased with what he saw even if the second was all too emblematic of what we saw last year. This is a young team and there will be some growing pains. Cue the music, Kirk Cameron and Tracey Gold. You just don't expect mistakes to come from vets like Steve Eminger, who did little to justify being in the lineup over Matt Gilroy. Forget the plus-one. The journeyman who once was a Caps' No.1 pick took two penalties and didn't distinguish himself while partner Mike Sauer had no such issues in just his fourth NHL game. With the Ranger power play taking the collar in three chances, it'll be interesting to see if Tort plays Gilroy over Eminger on Long Island.

For now, the club is one-for-one despite Leopold's second and Derek Roy's third in two nights, which made things interesting with 5:37 left. A lazy Staal delay of game minor didn't make things anymore comfortable with 92 seconds left. But the late Sabre rally was for naught when Ryan Callahan made a strong defensive play off a draw, pushing the puck ahead for Dubinsky who shot it into the empty net for a shorthanded goal that concluded the scoring.

They get to do it again versus their No.1 rival in what should be a chaotic atmosphere at The Coliseum in two days. Don't blink.


BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Jordan Leopold, Buf (1st 2 goals as a Sabre, 2-1-3, 4 SOG, +1 in 22:51)
2nd Star-Sean Avery, NYR (2 assists, 2 SOG, 0 PIM, +2 in 14:20)
1st Star-Derek Stepan, NYR (1st career hat trick in 1st NHL game, GW, 3 SOG, +3 in 16:50)

Rangers and Islanders open tonight

In over an hour, three Battle clubs will be in action. Two of which form one of the best rivalries contrary to what this what have you done for me lately league would have you believe. Rangers-Islanders will always be super intense even if the New York blood brothers aren't serious Cup challengers this new season. It's an added bonus that Manhattan meets Long Island on Columbus Day for the traditional Islander matinee. Let's just skip tonight's appetizer and go right to the main course.

First things first, both clubs open up the 2010-11 season this evening. The Islanders at home where the Stars- fresh off their 4-3 overtime stunner of the Kovalchuk Devils- aims for two straight against the locals. As of this report, the Islanders were having big sales on the season opener for as much as 40 percent off ticket price. Not exactly the most encouraging development as Year Two of John Tavares is set to commence. They will be under the eight ball with key cogs Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo out a while. Does Rick DiPietro get the nod in goal? How will Nino Niederreiter do? Can Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen and Blake Comeau continue the upswing? Will Matt Moulson prove last year wasn't a fluke? And how vital is James Wisniewski now on that blueline? All good questions which will determine if the Islanders can survive.

Meanwhile, the Rangers begin their journey in Western New York against a stingy Sabre team that boasts rating Vezina winner Ryan Miller, who already stifled Ottawa last night in a 2-1 win. Historically, Miller has owned Henrik Lundqvist. Especially at HSBC Arena where the Blueshirts struggle offensively and aren't a lock in the shootout. Can a new look roster that includes Alexander Frolov added to Marian Gaborik along with Calder hopeful Derek Stepan and rookie Mike Sauer to an even younger blueline work? The Rangers are banking on youth to come through. Especially second line pivot Artem Anisimov, who anchors third-year converted left wing Brandon Dubinsky and alternate captain Ryan Callahan. Can Stepan carry over his success with unlikely linemates Sean Avery and Ruslan Fedotenko? Are Marc Staal and Dan Girardi ready to lead a young D corps? Will Lundqvist disprove the silly theory about it being about his equipment? Some of those answers will start being provided tonight.

Also in action looking to erase yesterday's ugly home loss are the more offensive-minded Devils, who visit angry Alex Ovechkin and the Caps in D.C. Will it be an offensive extravaganza? Martin Brodeur's D did him no favors in a game that saw them blow 2-0 and 3-2 leads. Henrik Tallinder was particularly bad. The good news was John MacLean's Dream Line of Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk combined for two of their three goals while Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott turned back the clock on the power play. This Devil team will score. But will the new aggressive style similar to what John Tortorella teaches expose their blueline? That is the only concern for a team expected to challenge for Lord Stanley. We'll see how they respond in what shapes up to be quite a second game for both teams. The Caps were also 4-2 losers in Atlanta Friday on an emotional night where Ondrej Pavelec passed out a couple of minutes in and was rushed to the hospital. The good news is he's okay but did suffer a concussion from the fall. Best wishes go out to him.

A busy Day Three on the first of many Super Saturdays. Enjoy the puck!

Quick Devils thoughts on Opening Day

While the NHL as a whole opened up yesterday - in Finland of all places, one of the most anticipated opening games is tonight as the new-look Devils ice a remodeled roster to take on the Dallas Stars led by pricey free agent signing Ilya Kovalchuk. Tonight isn't one of those nights to look back on the contreversial deal that hijacked summer break though, and Ilya's return (for good) isn't the only reason to be excited about the Devils this season.

For starters, there's also the return of Jason Arnott after eight years away, following his 2002 trade to Dallas that netted us Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner - the latter of whom is still here while the former is now in Dallas as the GM. Arnott's return has more than sentimental value, for he fills a void we've had at second-line center for years, really since the lockout. Also, you have the first-time arrivals of Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder. Volchenkov should become an instant fan favorite with his propensity to block shots and play a physical game better than just about anyone in the league, while Tallinder fits the Devil mold - another solid, if unspectacular defenseman.

Finally, you have the NHL coaching debut for longtime fan favorite John MacLean, who may well run a more up-tempo style than his predecessors while not completely sacrificing defense and structure. Of course it's impossible to tell how someone will coach until they have some games under their belt, after all we were promised a more up-tempo style under Brent Sutter and Jacques Lemaire and only when Hall-of-Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur was forced to miss four months of the season two years ago did we see a system that wasn't totally one-dimensional towards defense. With the returns of Kovalchuk and Arnott, as well as standouts such as Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias offensively this may well be the best Devils group of forwards since 2000-01.

As much as I'm looking forward to tonight, there is still the specter of cap trouble on the horizon. Somewhat predictably Lou Lamoriello took the 'let's worry about that later' approach the way a teenager does with his or her homework by putting Bryce Salvador on LTIR and sending prospects like Jacob Josefson, Matt Corrente and even Matt Taormina down at the last minute so they could ice a bare bones roster of twenty skaters. Adam Mair's still skating with the team, apparently without a contract. Waiting for what, exactly I don't know. Meanwhile the unknown and faceless Adam Henrique may find himself in the Opening Night lineup without having played a single preseason game.

In any case, I'm gonna have to cut this preview - or more rapid-fire thoughts than anything else - short. Given my tenuous computer situation (not able to use my primary line at home) and upcoming family trip to New Hampshire, I'll probably be an infrequent blogger for the next week or so, but I'll be there tonight for our debut and post about it when possible.

2010-11 Preview: Youth the key for Rangers

For years, fans have longed for a youth movement on Broadway. Even with some familiar faces around for the new season which begins in Buffalo Saturday, youth will be served when the puck drops. If it's true that prize free agent Alexander Frolov should relieve pressure from Big Ticket Marian Gaborik, then it's also true that the exuberance of rookies Derek Stepan and Mike Sauer should prove instrumental in what 2010-11 holds for John Tortorella's Blueshirts.

Along with sophomores Mike Del Zotto, Matt Gilroy and Artem Anisimov, how the kids perform could go a long way to whether this new Ranger version is good enough to return to the playoffs. There's also third-year forward Brandon Dubinsky, who's been converted to left wing for increased offense. Alternate captain Ryan Callahan enters Year Four looking to take the next step in his development. The do everything Team MVP had a strong camp and could be in line for 25 goals and close to 50 points. How he and Dubinsky fare along with linemate Anisimov will be vital.

While everyone will be focused on the top line of Frolov, Erik Christensen and Gaborik, it's the secondary scoring that needs to deliver. Last year, they simply weren't good enough. However, early chemistry from the American-Russian Express and the surprise emergence of Tort Tampa student Ruslan Fedotenko has fans excited about this club. In particular, Stepan who looks to make the jump from Wisconsin to the pros. If preseason was any indication, the 20 year-old former second round pick looks ready- playing poised beyond his years. His all around game, vision and smarts reminds us of Devil No.1 pivot Travis Zajac. There's also a slight resemblance to injured captain Chris Drury, who has had a knack for scoring and setting up big goals while doing all the little things which don't show up in boxscores but win games. No wonder he'll trade in the high No.57 for his trademark No.21 likely anchoring a third line between Fedotenko and a motivated Sean Avery, who had a whale of a camp. In order for the Grate One to be effective, he must continue getting underneath opponents' skin while going to the net and playing with the edge which was lacking most of last season.

With both Drury (broken index finger) and Vinny Prospal (knee) sidelined, that should comprise the club's top three lines. Tortorella must also be encouraged by Brian Boyle's improvement. The big forward showed stronger skating and scoring touch in exhibition along with a willingness to get dirty. Can it carry over? Brandon Prust turned out to be better than expected in last year's deal that included failure Olli Jokinen, who reunites with Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay in Alberta. Prust not only can play physical and drop 'em if needed but also is a better skater than given credit for, capable of contributing. With former Gabby Wild teammate Derek Boogaard around to keep opponents honest, figure Prust to do less fighting and more playing. He also can kill penalties. Until Drury and Prospal are back, the club also has former Sabre energizer Tim Kennedy and savvy vet Todd White if there needs to be a shakeup. A marked improvement over last year.

The blueline will also be one of the league's youngest led by 23 year-old Marc Staal and 26 year-old Dan Girardi. Both looked rusty in camp. Hopefully, they got out the cobwebs because if this team is to succeed, that shutdown pair must set the table. Both Del Zotto and Gilroy are still a little green in their end. For all their offensive potential, they can easily hurt the club as well. Both will need to be stronger in Year Two. The good news is they looked potent on a No.1 power play unit featuring the top line. Whether Tortorella pairs them together remains doubtful. Especially with key minute logger Michal Rozsival back. Say what you will about the senior Ranger but he's the second best passer on the back end and plays every situation. If right, he is still an important vet presence on a D that will at times need guidance. As for Sauer, finally the lone holdover from the unpopular Brian Leetch trade gets his shot thanks to an impressive showing. Hard to believe that he's only 23. Something which gets lost when it comes to the development of defensemen. Will Tort show more faith than in that three-game stint two seasons prior? He'll have to unless extra Steve Eminger somehow finds his way in after a shaky exhibition. There are also kids Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko, who both made it a tough decision before being sent down.

Without Henrik Lundqvist, the Blueshirts wouldn't even be mentioned for the postseason. Instead, they'd be in the lottery. Amazingly, King Henrik enters his sixth season having won 30-or-more in all five years, becoming one of the game's elite goalies. Despite little support and a shaky defense that included Hartford deport Wade Redden, Lundqvist managed 35 wins in 72 starts while lowering his GAA from the prior year to 2.38 and improving to a .921 save percentage. His best since the '05-06 rookie season (.922). Even if backup Martin Biron could lighten the load, this team doesn't go anywhere without Henrik. He's the backbone. With a mostly inexperienced blueline in front of him with only Rozsival over 30, the 28 year-old Swede will need to steal some games. This is a prideful man who took last Spring's shootout heartache to heart. He wants to get this team back to the playoffs and surprise some people.

Tortorella gets a second full season to make things right. He has more firepower this time. The fiery former Cup winner has more pressure. How he handles the youth must be watched closely. He doesn't want to lose anyone early. There needs to be trust. If Stepan and Fedotenko get out quick, what happens when Drury and Prospal return? In some aspects, it's a good problem to have. Glen Sather's provided more depth to a team that needed it. So, Tort must show himself capable of getting this club to play firewagon hockey while being more consistent. There can't be anymore winter lulls. Not if they want back in next Spring. It's the coach's job to motivate them.

Prediction: While they should be challenged by improved clubs like the Lightning and Thrashers, this team looks capable of surprising the East. Scoring shouldn't be an issue. They got the goalie. Will the D hold up?


4th in Atlantic, 8th in East, 92 Pts

Sauer and Fedotenko make team

Being that I'm at the library and it's closing soon, I will just come to the point. Both Mike Sauer and Ruslan Fedotenko made the Rangers. Kudos to both as they each played their asses off in camp and deserved it. Sauer should be the sixth defenseman over Steve Eminger, who stays up while kids Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko go down to Hartford. I have no issue with that since if you kept either up, they'd probably just sit up in the press box. Better off getting them time with the Wolf Pack so they develop.

As for Fedotenko, I was against his tryout but you really gotta hand it to him. He really stepped it up and gets one more chance under Tort to shine. He gets $1 million this year. I'd say more but my time is up.

Crickets and tumbleweeds swirling around Newark

Last night the Devils concluded their preseason by losing to Rick DiPietro and the Islanders 2-1 in Nassau, dropping their overall exhibition record to 2-1-3. Of course with the actual season starting Friday against the Dallas Stars at the Rock, nobody cares about preseason results now. What does matter - for the moment - is that our cap zero hour is fast approaching - either two or three days away depending on what you believe (right now it looks like the Devils have to be under the cap by Wednesday 3 PM). With the exhibition season finally over, expect to hear something very soon, perhaps later today in fact.

For now though, crickets and tumbleweeds continue to swirl. What do I mean by that? Well all Devil fans like to kid about our GM Lou Lamoriello and his propensity for eliminating leaks better than the government, but in this case we're all going stir-crazy wondering what's going to happen next and there hasn't been a single rumor lately, not even the remote hint of a rumor. Eventually in the next three days something has to break but in the meantime, we're all left to play a guessing game (no doubt the players themselves are doing the same).

Oh, sure the Post continues to try to intimate that Travis Zajac might be moved but come on, let's be real. We wouldn't be playing him with Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk, getting everyone excited about our Fantasy Line if we were just going to trade our number one pivot, and also thereby taking Jason Arnott away from Patrik Elias and moving him up to the top center spot. And the Colorado Avalanche are supposedly interested in captain Jamie Langenbrunner, but there's hardly any indication over whether Lou would even deal the captain at this point.

What is for certain is that defenseman Bryce Salvador (one of our most likely candidates to be moved) suffered a concussion a few nights ago against the Flyers, and is out indefinitely with no timetable for a return. Although he hasn't officially been put on LTIR yet that might be inevitable at this point. His $2.9 million salary alone wouldn't be enough to get us under the cap - unless the Devils decide to go with a bare bones roster and have as many cheap contracts on the team as possible - which means no Alexander Urbom, Matthew Corrente or Jacob Josefson on the team until someone else gets hurt or traded. And no ready replacement in the event of short-term injuries or sickness.

Assuming we don't go that route, one more player has to go at least. If someone gets traded now, maybe Lou can keep Salvador on LTIR for a while and then take him off when we've banked enough cap space to pay for whoever we want on the roster, including said prospects above and maybe whatever vet we sign like ex-Sabre Adam Mair who impressed in camp and is likely to win a job and contract once we clear cap space. Technically going that route might enable us to keep Salvador after all and only send one other player packing.

Who might that player be? Everyone knows the usual suspects by now, headed by Danius Zubrus who only played in two preseason games and as much as I want him around for this year I realize he's overpaid for his skill set (a good third-line player who scores 40-45 points making $3.4 million is overpaid, heart or not). Given the fact he doesn't have a no-trade and is signed for multiple years, he looks to be the most likely candidate out the door. Captain Langenbrunner and his $2.9 million salary is another option though he has a partial no-trade. In any case I don't think Lou will deal his captain on the eve of the season opener, especially given that he has an expiring contract anyway, which will serve us well when we have cap issues next year, after a likely extension for Zach Parise and new deal for defenseman Andy Greene.

Another Lou favorite is gritty David Clarkson, who just got signed to a three year, $8 million deal this offseason and despite the trade rumors that were swirling around him last year I don't see Lou dealing him off either, especially given he brings an element we don't have much of on our top three forward lines. Even though Brian Rolston's actually scored a couple of goals in the preseason and has seemingly been on showcase for most of the games, I doubt there's any way we really can move him with two years left at $5 million per. Probably better to ride him out for a year, then trade him next offseason when he becomes more valuable as an expiring contract - especially if he somehow has a rebound year although a long-shot option is to send Rolston down then get him claimed on waivers (thereby eliminating half his cap hit over the next two years) the way the Stars did with Sean Avery.

There's also defenseman Colin White and his nearly $3 million salary but with Mike Mottau (looked on as a possible fallback if we dealt defensemen) having inked a deal on Long Island, there's pretty much no way we go into the season with three rookies on defense. Especially with each one having shown they're not quite a finished product yet - though what young kid is anyway? With Salvador hurt, that's exactly what we'd be facing if we dealt off White as well so it's likely he'll stay at this point - never mind the no-trade even.

So clearly the smart money's on either a bare bones roster to postpone the inevitable even longer, or Zubrus being on the move - either by waivers or trade, far less likely. As much as I don't want to see it, if the staff really believes Josefson's ready to center the third line you could more than get by with having him, Clarkson and Rolston on that line, behind the Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk and Elias-Arnott-Langs first two lines, with Anton Volchenkov, Henrik Tallinder, Greene and White as your top four on defense.

Whatever happens, expect announcements soon. They can't come soon enough for me though, I'm going stir-crazy knowing something's likely to break today in the midst of the Jets playing at one, the MLB playoff races and then Sunday night programming with the Amazing Race and Dexter. Or worse, it'll break tomorrow while I'm at work then I'll need a cliff notes version to sort it all out.

Oops

The other day, we made an error. Not so much in our Ranger column but in completely forgetting the club's heart and soul, Ryan Callahan. No doubt Cally should start on the second line with Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov. Now with Vinny Prospal out indefinitely due to his knee, we're probably looking at these lines for Opening Night.

Frolov-Christensen-Gaborik
Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan
Avery-Stepan-Fedotenko
Boogaard-Boyle-Prust


Tonight didn't make the decisions any easier with Todd White scoring twice against his former club in a wild 8-5 shootout loss to the Sens. Stepan scored again and by now, it's apparent that he is what we thought he was. Legit.

More later.

Prospal returns, Drury in limbo

In what's been a mostly positive camp that includes a solid preseason, the Rangers still don't know about captain Chris Drury, who remains saddled with a broken index finger which will likely keep him out of the club's first three games. That has left the Trumbull, Connecticut veteran pivot wondering what his role will be. Especially with Derek Stepan looking like he'll stay put while Artem Anisimov's looked stronger. Also boasting Erik Christensen, Tim Kennedy, Brian Boyle and Todd White, who likely is ticketed for Hartford, the Blueshirts have options.

One is versatile forward Vinny Prospal, who returns for a second year on Broadway. A Tort favorite, the alternate captain can double as both a center and a wing if needed. Considering that the club figures to keep Stepan up along with Anisimov and Christensen who should center their top three lines, that leaves Kennedy and Boyle vying for the checking line while both Prospal and Drury could be slated for the wing. Still, on a roster that lacks a go to faceoff guy, Dru's work in the circle can't be overlooked. Neither can his intangibles defensively where he's been a PK fixture along with Ryan Callahan. With him expected to be put on the injured list to start the season, figure Brandon Dubinsky, Anisimov, Boyle and Kennedy to see time shorthanded.

Tonight against Ottawa though, Prospal gets a look in the middle centering Marian Gaborik and Alexander Frolov. John Tortorella gets a chance to see what Prosp can do with the team's dynamic duo. Last year, Prospal worked with Gaborik for a good chunk before being split up. It's hard to say where he'll start but figure at least the second line with possibly Anisimov and Dubinsky.

If we were starting the season, here's what I'd like to see:

Frolov-Christensen-Gaborik
Dubinsky-Prospal-Anisimov
Avery-Stepan-Fedotenko
Boogard-Kennedy/Boyle-Prust

The blueline's still undecided but given how Matt Gilroy's looked, he seems to be back in Tort's good graces. Along with incumbents Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Mike Del Zotto and Michal Rozsival, that leaves just two openings for vet Steve Eminger and kids Ryan McDonagh, Mike Sauer and Pavel Valentenko to compete for. We'd love to see them take both McD and Sauer but not expecting it.

How about:

Staal-Girardi
Del Zotto-Rozsival
Gilroy-McDonagh/Sauer

Perhaps Tort will mix it up, helping balance out the back end. We'll see.