Kovy turns boos to cheers with OT winner

One of the great things about sports - particuarly ones with long seasons like the NHL - is the chance for instant redemption when things turn sour. After a nightmarish end to Wednesday's shootout loss for Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devils came a dream end to Friday's overtime win against the Oilers, as the $100 million man once again found the puck on his stick with the game on the line - but this time did not miss, firing a slapshot past Devan Dubnyk with just ninety-three seconds left in OT to give New Jersey a 4-3 win, its first at home all season after an 0-5-2 start in the Rock.

As is usually the case with happy endings, there was very little indication we'd be getting one last night, especially with Jamie Langenbrunner missing the game due to an upper-body injury just as he was starting to get going. Even with the return to the lineup of Martin Brodeur and the embattled Brian Rolston, the team had to come from two goals down early and find a way to win when trailing after the second period (we were 0-10 in such situations before last night).

Edmonton had lost their previous two games by a combined score of 13-3 but they came out flying in this game against what seemed to be a sulking Devils team after the events of Wednesday night. Colin Fraser (former Flyers reject) scored twice in the first ten minutes, the first time after Anton Volchenkov of all people missed a hip check and Fraser went to the net to stuff in a puck. Our second goal given up was even weirder as a puck got dumped into the zone and hung in the air for several seconds before coming down right on an Oilers stick, and eventually Fraser beat Brodeur again with a screened shot. Now down 2-0 to the worst team in the West, I was really worried this would be an ugly rock bottom last night.

Redemption seemed to be the theme of the night in general though, with the first case being after rookie Alexander Vasyunov found the puck on his stick on a two-on-the goalie breakaway, which should have been almost an automatic goal, or bare minimum a shot on net. Instead Vasyunov made a terrible pass behind the other skater and the play died without even an attempt on net. Vasyunov would only have to wait minutes for his redemption though, as he did score on a terrific one-timer in front for his first goal in the NHL. Travis Zajac had the primary assist on the goal, with Patrik Elias also recording a point on Vasyunov's goal at 15:43. Although the Devils dominated the final minutes of the first period the score would remain at 2-1 going into the locker room.

In the second period, the Oilers withstood our early surge out of the locker room and restored their two-goal lead just after the five-minute mark when they took advantage of a two-on-one, even though Henrik Tallinder actually made a good play to stop the initial pass and Brodeur made the save off the rebound it seemed like too many Devils were spectators, content with being in the right position instead of stopping the play itself and eventually Sam Gagner finally put the puck in, silencing the 14,650 at the Prudential Center once again.

Showing the patience of a Tom Renney team, the Oilers sat back and waited for us to keep self-destructing. And it did seem like for most of the period we were sulking on skates yet again, cursing our bad luck as the Devils showed absolutely no signs of life until just over three minutes remained in the period, when Rolston would get his first of the season off a rebound in front. Our line of Rolston-Danius Zubrus and David Clarkson looked pretty decent for the most part with all getting points on the Rolston goal, (and they played together some last year, which helped) even though Clarkson had yet another meltdown when we were down two goals in the first period, taking an instigator penalty and ten-minute misconduct trying to fire up the crowd with a fight against the Oilers' Zach Stortini. At least in that case Clarkson had the right idea, just hideous execution as he jumped the Oiler enforcer, who wanted no part of a road fight when his team had the lead.

Still, even after Rolston scored we were down 3-2 going into the third period against the only other team in the NHL with as few as ten points on the season. With just nine minutes remaining in the game though, another rookie got his first NHL goal as Mattias Tedenby scored on a deflection of an Andy Greene point shot on the power play. Jason Arnott also recorded an assist on the goal, which tied the game at three and ensured a memorable night for two kids who both had excellent games and deserved to score. Indeed, Tedenby could have had the winner late in the third but was robbed off an excellent glove save from Dubnyk.

Then came the dreaded overtime where the Devils were just 1-3 so far this season, with the only winner being scored from Kovy - in Buffalo ironically enough. While we dominated overtime, it took a Dustin Penner tripping call resulting in a power play for us to achieve the final breakthrough. Just when it looked like we were going to be guilty of overpassing away the 4-on-3 advantage Kovy got the puck near the half-boards (after passes from Tallinder and Elias), ripped a slapshot past Dubnyk and set off a mass celebration in the crowd and on the ice.

Maybe in the grand scheme of things last night's game will be irrelevant if we don't do well on this upcoming three-game road trip to Boston, Toronto and St. Louis - at least a couple of them are winnable games with the Bruins missing top centers Marc Savard and David Krejci and the Leafs having come crashing to earth after their little winning streak to open the season. We do end the road trip playing the Blues, who have looked surprisingly good so far this season and as one Ranger fan I work with put it, they looked like the old Devils playing defense after beating the Rangers in a 2-0 shutout last week.

Still, last night was a much-needed event at the Rock, with fans hooting and hollering after the game as if it was a playoff game, although the Friday night crowd probably contributed to it since there tends to be more alcohol involved at the end of the week when you don't have the kids in the stands that weekend games provide. Certainly, Kovy needed that goal (in front of his supporters at home) to move forward after a tumultous offseason and start to his 'real' Devils tenure this year. Having the kids contribute and Rolston be in the mix was also important for us going forward.

If I had one complaint about last night, it was that our bench seemed to mistime our line changes way too much, particularly in the second period when Johnny MacLean sent on our fourth line just as the officials were dropping the puck, we were lucky all that happened was the play being blown dead and the three forwards going back to the bench before they could change. Later in the period we made an even more egregious mistake as everyone changed off just as Kovy found himself with a potential two-on-one or even partial breakaway chance. With nobody to help him out though and all the Oilers still on the ice, eventually the play died.

I'm also not a fan of our current defense pairings, instead of keeping Colin White with rookie Matt Taormina which was actually a pretty decent pairing, White got put with Greene, and Taormina with Tallinder. Maybe the idea is to split up what's been a hideous pairing of Tallinder-Greene but I don't understand why you can't just put Greene with Volchenkov and then have Tallinder play with Magnan as our third d-pairing. Plus the staff bingo-balls the forward lines too much though last night the combinations worked and stayed together much the whole game.

At least last night's win buys some much-needed breathing room for the heavily criticized MacLean, who basically half the fanbase expects to get fired and I heard from two different season ticket holders last night rumors that he may well get the axe if play didn't start to pick up. Although I still don't think Lou Lamoriello would pull the plug on Johnny Mac after seven years of getting him ready for the job, he (Lou) is really responsible for all of the fans' assumptions in his case with some of his random firings in the past - the Claude Julien fiasco comes to mind - and general instability of the Devils job.

Still, there's a lot of work to do before we're out of the woods in any case...at 5-10-2 we really need a winning streak, that we haven't had all season. After getting the weekend off we try to win two in a row for the first time Monday in Boston, against Julien's Bruins. Hopefully we're up for the challenge and start to get back in the playoff race here.

Sign of the apocalypse

Okay I admit it, I've finally gone off the deep end with this Devils team. How else can I explain actually being excited for the return of one Brian Rolston tonight? Yes, the same cap-killing Rolston that's been a massive dissapointment in his first two seasons back with the Devils. Of course, beggars can't be choosers and absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder when your team's 4-10-2. However, just from his play in the preseason and some of the things he's said recently, you do get the feeling he's out for a little redemption this year. Almost any professional athlete has some pride somewhere, and his had to be hurt by all the Kovy-speculation in the offseason and how his deal was our main obstacle to getting under the cap. Not to mention being shelved for thirteen games after sports hernia surgery as this team continues to sink faster than the Titanic.

All that said, we don't need words at this point, we need action - from Rolston or anyone else who wants to step up. In a normal year, rebuilding 4-8-2 Edmonton would be an easy game at best and a letdown game at worst. However, this year it's a big game period, vital for this team if they're going to make a run back to a playoff spot, which they need to make soon. Not to mention the 0-5-2 embarassment that is the Devils' home record so far. Once again the team was booed off the ice after a shootout loss to a Sabres team that was struggling almost as much and icing a third string goalie, to boot.

Granted though, most of the boos Wednesday were directed at one Ilya Kovalchuk for obvious reasons - Derek's YouTube of the humiliating shot 'attempt' that ended our shootout against the Sabres and has been mocked endlessly in the last twenty-four hours on numerous sports shows that almost never talk about hockey being chief among them. Not to mention a partial breakaway which our $100 million man put into the stands with just under two minutes left in regulation. Perhaps that wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the fact that the star sniper hasn't scored period in his last seven games and has eight points with a lovely -7 fifteen games into his 15-year Devils contract.

Sure, Kovy is far from the only underachiever here. It just stands out more when you spend a whole offseason to get him, in the process handing Kovy double the richest total contract in team history. Especially when he's supposed to pick up the slack for the injured Zach Parise. It would be nice if some others got going too. Maybe Jamie Langenbrunner's two goals - one in the shootout - Wednesday help the captain get in gear since he only has nine points with a -8 through 16 games. Of course the Devils being the Devils, the captain is now questionable for Friday's game after a hit he took early on in the loss to the Sabres.

At least it was nice to see David Clarkson finally remember where the front of the net was. His tap-in goal in the second period Wednesday was just his second goal and third point to go along with a -8 over 16 games. Patrik Elias's two goals and -8 isn't cutting it either. Neither is Travis Zajac's seven points considering he's supposed to be the first-line center though to his credit he's one of the few pluses on the team somehow (+1). I could go on and on...Andy Greene and his -12, Henrik Tallinder's horror show, etc.

You get the picture. At least some good news is that our walking wounded on defense are slowly coming back. Anton Volchenkov's off the shelf, Colin White's over the flu and Matt Corrente is about ready to return too. Shoot, even the immortal Anssi Salmela is skating again, how about that? Doesn't look like Bryce Salvador will be ready anytime soon unfortunately but having some reinforcements should help a defense that has been playing three rookies in the starting lineup for most of the season.

And maybe, just maybe Martin Brodeur will make his return tonight after missing the last three games with a 'bruised' elbow. Part of me's still skeptical enough to think that the injury to Brodeur is more serious than the Devils have let on, especially since Brodeur doesn't miss games with bruises. It wouldn't shock me if we withheld that kind of info long enough to sell (or give away) tickets to the two home games this week. If you take the Devils at their word though, at least it looks like all systems are finally ago for our franchise goaltender. At least Johan Hedberg played credibly in his two and a half games filling in though he seems to have a quota of giving up one bad goal a game, he's had to make his share of highlight-reel saves too.

Speaking of the homestand, it's really shameful that the Devils have already had to resort to flat out giving away tickets to inflate attendance...in NOVEMBER! Okay, I realize that giving out free tickets for the two games this week was part of the Jersey's Tour promo where the Devils went all over the state during the summer interacting with fans but in a game that probably would have had just over 10,000 in attendance otherwise the Devils had around 15,000 in the building Wednesday and probably will have over that amount tonight when the Devils haven't drawn even 13,500 for a non-Opening night game yet. Did we really give away that many free tickets?! There was also a ticket giveaway that was supposed to be for thirty fans before the first Sabres game a few weeks ago and wound up being for more than three hundred.

As a season ticket holder, I don't mind if the Devils have to do certain things to pump up the attendance and get people in the building but giving away so many tickets so early in the season is just totally counterproductive and devalues all the non-$15 season tickets. And it's only going to get worse if the team continues to struggle. Wouldn't it just be easier for the Devils to admit that their pricing of certain sections (corner uppers being $37 face, $31 for seasons, the mezz level which never sells period and the lower corners) are ridiculously out of whack instead of having to scramble to fill the seats later with promos and giveaways? I mean this isn't a Canada-NYC-Minnesota fanbase that will sell out no matter how badly overpriced the tickets are in relation to the market and the economy.

Anyway, I've said my piece for now...hopefully all of us in attendance tonight really see a sign of the apocalypse tonight - a Devils home win!

Arty wins it in overtime

Artem Anisimov's second goal won the game for the Rangers at 1:32 of overtime over the Sabres 3-2.

This time, the Rangers weren't going to allow another blown call to cost them on home ice. Instead, they stuck with it, prevailing over the Sabres 3-2 in overtime thanks to hero Artem Anisimov, who got to a loose puck and wired his second of the night past Jhonas Enroth at 1:32.

Arty's big night along with a strong game from ex-Sabre Martin Biron allowed the Blueshirts to prevail in Marian Gaborik's return. He may not have scored and who could playing with Alex Frolov and Erik Christensen but at least his guarantee was backed up. In his first game back since the third game of the season, Gabby looked decent missing on a couple of chances while showing the acceleration that makes him a threat. He nearly helped setup a goal but as usual, Frolov choked with a gaping net drawing boos. We'll try not to dwell too much on that or Christy's bad turnover that nearly led to Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy sealing it. Why Vanek didn't shoot we'll never know.

At the very least, it allowed the Rangers to come down and score with some good work done by Fedotenko to help keep the play alive following Dan Girardi's shot which was blocked by Buffalo defenseman Jordan Leopold. However, before he recovered the puck Anisimov snuck in and surprised Enroth top shelf for the game-winner. That both Fedotenko and Arty were in on it was well deserved for both as each played excellent games and got rewarded. Nice to see. Especially for Fedotenko who ended a 10-game drought when his hustle allowed him to poke home a loose puck for the lead in the first period. Unfortunately, another inadvertent whistle robbed him of a second which probably would've made things easier.

Instead, it was another one of those seesaw struggles for John Tortorella's club at home. They came out forechecking strong in the first, getting particularly effective play from newly formed checking unit Fedotenko, Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. Their hard work led to one of two power plays, which both looked good with Gabby back in. The club kept pucks alive and generated chances but couldn't beat Enroth. It was the extra effort of the new grind line that resulted in Fedotenko's first in 11 games. A strong Boyle forecheck kept the play alive and then Prust and Mike Sauer combined to get the puck to the net where Enroth couldn't hold on before Fedotenko chipped it in at 14:04.

After dictating much of the play, the Rangers fell back a little in the second with Sauer pushing pest Patrick Kaleta from behind for a boarding minor, which saw Paul Gaustad come to the aid of his fallen teammate. They gave Gaustad and Fedotenko matching roughs while Sauer served his two. His teammates picked him up with outstanding work done by Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Mike Del Zotto and Steve Eminger. The forwards also helped with Boyle, Derek Stepan, Callahan and Dubinsky all making good reads, preventing Buffalo from getting a sniff. However, the Sabres gained momentum from it, forcing Biron to make a few tough stops. His rebound control was good. Especially considering that he was not told he was starting until Henrik Lundqvist arrived sick, basically putting it on Marty's shoulders.

Another failed five-on-three kept Buffalo afloat. On it, Tort used his timeout only to see Tyler Myers use his reach to clear the zone. At five-on-four, they didn't get much done, increasing the frustration level. The powerless play went 0-for-5, getting worse as the game progressed. When you blow a big chance like they did, it usually comes back to bite you. A fluky play allowed Buffalo to tie it when on a delayed penalty, rookie Tyler Ennis chipped a loose puck past a protesting Biron, who thought he had possession for a whistle. However, replays showed he never had control which is why Ennis was able to convert at the doorstep. His second in 24 hours. Roy and Vanek drew the helpers.

The second's conclusion was wild. First, following an icing in which Lindy Ruff burned his timeout, Brandon Dubinsky won the draw. The puck eventually came around to Callahan who chipped it back to Dubinsky, who quickly centered for Anisimov in front for a gimme. His third ended a nine-game drought, giving the Rangers back the lead with 48 seconds left. We're safe, right? Not so fast. On the very next shift, the Sabres came right back scoring another weird goal thanks to grunt work from their fourth line. Cody McCormick and Rob Niedermayer combined to get the puck to Mike Grier, who buried it with 2.8 seconds left stunning MSG and sending me into a Tweetfest. :P Here were a couple summing up my thoughts as to how such a play occurred:

Rant One


Rant Two

Rant Three

Yeah. I was not pleased. Staal didn't play poorly by any stretch. But I just can't comprehend what he and Danny G were doing on that play. Callahan was the only guy in front. One concept which has to change for this team is this business with opposing players cruising through our crease and running our goalies. Would it kill one of our D to actually get in front of them and push them out? Rant over.

Early in the third, more controversy happened when Fedotenko looked to have restored our lead. This time, he steered home another loose puck with the whistle coming some five seconds later. Three games in a row, this team loses out on a goal. One because Bill McCreary thought there was a hi-stick on the Blues. Fine. He made an honest mistake. They lost by a goal and had plenty of time to tie it. Then you had the atrocity the other night in which Fedotenko put us ahead only to be called for incidental contact. Perhaps but it seemed pretty shady. Tonight's took the cake. It definitely should've counted. When will this disorganized league change that rule. It's awful.

With the game still up for grabs, Gaustad took a minor with under nine left in regulation. Absolutely zilch got done. Del Zotto in particular stunk, fumbling the puck at the point. Sure. He got one or two shots through but his confidence isn't there. Anyone can see it. Still can't get over Matt Gilroy getting one PP shift. What in God's name does Tort have against Hobey, who actually was solid in his 13+? I just don't get it.

As if the refs weren't bad enough, they invented a call on Boyle for tripping when he did no such thing. I guess aggressiveness isn't allowed in this wussified league! Someone should send 100 copies of Slap Shot to Bettman making him cry in his panties. The game is regressing. Dial up The Beatles HELP! At least the Rangers killed it, forcing OT. The four-on-four was fun with each New York club going for it. First, a lousy turnover by Christy led to a two-on-one for Vanek and Roy. After Vanek faked out our D, he had the puck in the same position as his shootout winner past Johan Hedberg. But he opted not to shoot, instead passing for an open Roy at the side, who never got off a shot. If that epic fail doesn't sum up Vanek's career, my name's not Derek Felix.

The missed opportunity allowed the Rangers to come down and earn the decider off what else but hard work. Fedotenko and Anisimov combined to work the puck to Girardi, whose shot was blocked by a sliding Leopold. But Fedotenko didn't give up and when Leopold missed, Anisimov quickly fired past Enroth for an exciting finish that saw an emotional Tort pump his fist and probably say, "Hell yeah!" Or something to that effect. A much needed home win, ending a two-game skid and putting us back over .500 (8-7-1) with Tom Renney's struggling Oilers visiting Sunday afternoon. Let the ass kissing begin. :P

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Artem Anisimov, NYR (2 goals incl. OT winner at 1:32, 5 SOG, 3-2 draws, +1 in 14:49)
2nd Star-Martin Biron, NYR (29 saves incl. 10/10 in 3rd, 1st win as Ranger-2nd overall at MSG)
1st Star-Ruslan Fedotenko, NYR (2nd of season, assist, 4 SOG, hit, +2 in 15:52)

Kovalchuk loses puck in shootout 11/10/10

There's really not much you can say about this attempt in the shootout by Ilya Kovalchuk. Oh. I'm sure our Devil blogger can find many adjectives for it but probably quite a few which are derogatory. The $100 million man is snakebit and obviously can use some new lumber. It just ain't working. He and the Devils have plenty of time to figure it out. Rick Jeanneret's call here summed up Kovalchuk's struggles. He remains stuck on 3 goals. Will he find chemistry with anyone? It better happen soon for Jersey.

Game Preview: Sabres-Rangers Gaborik back in, Rozsival out

Marian Gaborik returns for the Rangers tonight. Can he wake up invisible Russian Alex Frolov from the doldrums?

 
When the Rangers attempt to snap a two-game losing streak in the third game of a four-game homestand tonight versus the Sabres, Marian Gaborik returns. After missing the last dozen with a separated shoulder, the Big Ticket is back even if it's less than 100 percent.

“I’m good to go,” Gaborik told the Rangers’ official website. “It’s feeling confident enough and comfortable enough to jump back into things, and after (Wednesday’s practice) I feel that way. It’s been awhile since I played and I am very anxious to get back in there.”

“I’m not a big guy about he’s 100 percent or he’s 95 percent,” John Tortorella said. “Can you play or not? And Gabi knows that, and he came to me after practice and said he’s ready to play. And I said ‘OK!’”

Gabby's return comes at a good time with the Homegrown Line finally hitting a wall after carrying the load. No doubt the club needs leading goalscorer Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan to get untracked. Perhaps Gaborik can relieve some pressure. It would be refreshing if he lit a fire under Russian enigma Alex Frolov, who remains stuck on two goals. Does slumping Erik Christensen anchor them or will Tort give rookie Derek Stepan another shot since he's been playing better? Who comes out? Maybe Christy or snake bit Ruslan Fedotenko.

Following another tough loss at MSG this time to the Caps 5-3 in what was a winnable game, the Blueshirts need contributions from others aside from revelation Brian Boyle (2nd two-goal gm for career high 7 goals) and Derek Boogaard with his best Fulton Reed impersonation, stunning everyone for his first goal in 234 games. The best part was Bruce Boudreau's Tinman look behind the Washington bench which Versus caught perfectly. I was getting a brew when it happened just after the Caps tied it. And then checked the replay and stood in shock. Haha.

Unfortunately, the Rangers didn't win. Michal Rozsival got double teamed into a turnover which led to the winner. If only Frolov wasn't so lazy on the backcheck. He also failed to clear the zone the first time Rozy sent the puck around. The lack of attention to detail proved costly. As for Rozsival who had a forgettable game going minus-three, he'll sit out for at least a week due to a shoulder injury he'd been nursing. Replacing his minutes won't be easy. Especially with Steve Eminger stepping up while Matt Gilroy gets another chance. The pressure will be immense for Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and slumping Mike Del Zotto, who looks like he needs to be sent down. The confidence just isn't there. Might an extra junior year have helped? Look what it's done for Alex Pietrangelo. John Carlson also spent time in the AHL. The Rangers are stuck because no one's ready. That means living with DZ's mistakes.

Can this team bounce back and get another win in a place they continually disappoint fans? The 2-5-1 record is ugly despite the last two efforts being satisfactory against better clubs. If you can go toe to toe with the talented Caps, you should be able to pull it out. As a frustrated Henrik Lundqvist pointed out the other night, they have to find a way to win. Something that hasn't been an issue on the road (5-2-0). He'll likely see Buffalo rookie Jhonas Enroth, who was good enough to hold off the Devils in a 5-4 shootout- their second consecutive win via the skill comp. Only 22, Lundqvist's countryman should be motivated if he gets the call. Patrick Lalime has been banged up. With Ryan Miller expected to miss a sixth consecutive game, it could be an all Swedish affair on Broadway.

As for the Sabres, they're finally winning. Albeit two late goals allowed them to rally past the Leafs and Devils to get out of the cellar. They're now tied for 12th with Florida with 12 points, trailing the eighth Rangers by three. Most of the conference is bunched up. So, these games take on a whole new meaning. We're sure Bettman is pleased with the parity. Night to night, you never know.

Buffalo is led by Derek Roy, who's been putting the puck in with regularity. Jason Pominville notched his first goal last night and Tyler Myers is scoring despite continued struggles in his end, which started in a Ranger opening 6-3 win at Buffalo on Oct.9. Thomas Vanek is always dangerous despite only four goals. Keep an eye on rookie Tyler Ennis, who got his third goal and ninth point, forcing overtime yesterday. Grinders like Ranger killer Patrick Kaleta, Mike Grier and Paul Gaustad usually give our D fits. Hopefully, the new look blueline will be up to the challenge.

Grachev back to Hartford

After six games, forward Evgeny Grachev was sent back down by the Rangers.

Today, the Rangers sent forward Evgeny Grachev back to Hartford. The '08 third round pick, who was recalled a couple of weeks ago got into six games.

The 20 year-old Russian had no points with three shots and seven hits while posting a minus-two rating. He saw limited duty and didn't even get a shift on a dreadful Rangers' five minute power play in yesterday's 2-0 shutout loss to St. Louis. In fact, Grachev got only eight shifts for 4:10, going minus-one thanks to Derek Boogaard's boneheaded play that led to Alex Steen's winner.

While it's true the kid isn't ready, he showed good instincts forcing a couple of turnovers that led to scoring opportunities including a near break-in last night. The size (6-3, 202 pounds) is there. However, he's still getting acclimated with the pro game in Year Two. The Rangers must be careful not to hurt his development. Something The Prospect Park's Jess Rubenstein believes they already did by rushing him to the AHL following one year of junior. What Grachev learned in his brief stint on Broadway could be vital to his future. We'll have a more definitive answer next year.

In the mean time, he goes back down while Boogaard likely goes unpunished for a brutal game Sunday. In his latest post, Scotty Hockey was all over the Rangers for not going after B.J. Crombeen for his ferocious hit from behind on rookie Derek Stepan that led to a major the club never came close to capitalizing on. Something we neglected to mention. You might say John Tortorella preferred to get the game tied rather than seek retribution. However, they don't see the Blues again. So, Crombeen went unscathed. What if D-Step had been seriously hurt? Scotty is justified in his notion that the team rarely stands up for teammates. Even if this bunch is more together, you'd like to see that important element added.

With Grach back to the 'A,' does this mean more games for vet Todd White, who was good against the Devils, assisting on Brandon Dubinsky's shorty? Likely until Marian Gaborik, Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal return. One other note on White. We erred in a post the other day saying he was placed on waivers. Our sincerest apologies. Per Rubenstein's tweet, we originally were correct, making it all the more confusing. Wonder what poor Tim Kennedy thinks about this?

Blues blanket Rangers

It was the Blues tonight at The Garden for the Rangers literally as they were blanketed by a good team 2-0. So much for getting back to .500 on home ice. It wasn't for lack of effort. Simply put, St. Louis is just a better team. Stellar defense, physicality, a great penalty kill and faceoff dominance allowed John Davidson's club to rebound from a shootout loss in Beantown despite little offense.

Alex Steen's second period tally off a three-on-two rush stood up as the winner in a throwback game that saw little time and space for either side to make plays. In a battle of backups, Ty Conklin outdueled Martin Biron, repelling all 27 his way en route to the shutout. Biron, who had little chance on Steen's perfect wrister high blocker, also was solid turning aside 20 of 21 in his third start.

It just came down to a foolish mistake by enforcer Derek Boogaard, who with rookie linemates Derek Stepan and Evgeny Grachev in on the puck behind the net, went for a big hit catching all three deep. Had he backed up instead, there's probably no odd-man break with Brad Boyes dishing across for Steen, who used Dan Girardi as a screen for his second of the season. He would also score into an empty net with four seconds left, sending a disappointed crowd home.

Frustrating, yes. But the Rangers did some good things, competing hard and playing perhaps their best D so far. There's still plenty to work on for John Tortorella's club before hosting the Alex Ovechkin Caps Tuesday and the Sabres Thursday. Figure it to center around faceoffs where they again were victimized badly, losing 38-of-54 (70 Pct). Even a legit boarding major on human wrecking ball B.J. Crombeen with over 12:00 left when he crushed Stepan, who still cameback for his next shift, wasn't enough to get it tied. They couldn't win any draws and never got set up. The best opportunity came late with Artem Anisimov blowing a gimme with Conklin out of position. He didn't realize how much time he had, firing too quick and hitting the side of the net. That was the chance.

Save us the build in MSG excuse about vet ref Bill McCreary erring on a hi-stick call which negated an actual Alex Frolov goal. Yes, the puck probably never touched any Blue and they never gained clean possession before Frolov put in an errant Conklin clear attempt. However, mistakes happen all the time. Too much so these days as I debated with plenty of #NYR Tweeps before. McCreary is one of the best officials out there. He simply missed it. There was enough time for our team to score one measly goal. It just never came with Boogard's boneheaded play costing us at least a point. Speaking of Boogey Man, he also took a needless rough in the offensive zone. If he's not scratched next game, something's wrong. That cannot happen. Cam Janssen was out too. God forbid he challenge him. It's already Brashear II.

As for the five minute power play from Hell, we don't have one PP QB right now, especially with Mike Del Zotto struggling. At least he was stronger in his end. Michal Rozsival was the only consistent defenseman who pinched effectively. Outside of one nice Marc Staal rush, there just wasn't enough aggressiveness. Dan Girardi had another stellar game. He really should have Staal's 'A,' but I get why they're doing it.

As far as Tort's employment of forwards, I felt he didn't use Brian Boyle enough up front and never even gave Grachev a sniff in the third despite another decent outing. In the second, Grach had a nice takeaway and almost broke in clean using his size and reach. Only a hustling defensive play by Vlad Sobotka prevented the big chance. Is eight shifts (4:10) enough for the 20 year-old Russian? No but this stint should benefit his development. When Marian Gaborik returns which might come next week, he'll go back down to Hartford. I don't view him as Jessiman II as some have already unfairly labeled. The instincts are there. He just needs more time to develop offensively.

Frolov had one of his better games. He was more involved on the cycle which included a nifty Stepan backhand pass which Fro fired into Conklin. I get the feeling he's gonna get one soon and that should open the floodgates. D-Step played better, looking more confident with the puck and was rewarded with more ice-time, playing with Frolov and Ruslan Fedotenko in the third. He had one sneaky try from behind the net along with a couple of good passes but as teammates did, was brutal in the dotted circle losing six of seven faceoffs. Insert classic Don Cherry HNIC rant here. If only I could find it.

One other parting shot before we finish up. Fedotenko was properly called for a late hit after a whistle. Fine. But how come a punk like Daniel Carcillo gets away with it against the Islanders in a tie game late in the third yesterday? Simply amazing.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Michal Rozsival, NYR (2 takeaways, 4 blocked shots, hit in 21:23)
2nd Star-Alex Steen, Stl (2 goals incl. decider in 2nd, 7 SOG, +2 in 18:07)
1st Star-Erik Johnson, Stl (2 hits, 2 blocked shots, +1 in 25:47-simply dominant)


Star Note: Neither goalie earned a star because they didn't have to make many tough saves.  

Frustration boils over for Hudson rival

While Alex Frolov celebrates Brandon Dubinsky's goal, the looks on Travis Zajac and Johan Hedberg sum up Devil frustration in loss to Rangers last night.

When it comes to winning, there are no style points. Somebody might want to clue the Devils in following their latest disappointment- a 3-0 shutout defeat at the hands of their bitter Hudson rival, the Rangers last night at The Rock. The loss dropped New Jersey to 4-10-1 overall. They've yet to win at home falling to 0-5-1. The next opportunity comes four days from now against equally struggling Battle brother Buffalo, who also have yet to win on home ice.

Yes, the Devils competed for the most part unless you watched mega million star Ilya Kovalchuk basically watch as Brandon Dubinsky followed up a Todd White weird carom for the backbreaking shorthanded tally that finished the Newark hosts. The player Lou Lamoriello's building around also took a mindless penalty 15 seconds into the third. On a night his team desperately needed him to show, the former Thrasher played like he still was in Atlanta, partially responsible for all three goals against while finishing minus-two with four shots. The problem was none of the offerings fooled Henrik Lundqvist, who recorded his second shutout in three games, improving to 20-7-5 versus his favorite target.

“I thought we were the better team, dominating the play for most of the game, and then we don’t give ourselves a chance to get back in the third period,” an exasperated Patrik Elias said essentially throwing Kovalchuk under the bus. “We lost the game right there.”

“We played hard. We competed hard. We’re just not generating enough offense," first-year coach John MacLean echoed despite his team holding a 33-20 edge in shots. 

Remarkably, they trailed by two despite outshooting the Blueshirts 23-12 through 40 minutes. Something Devil buddy Rob "Kraze" Davis texted while I was watching Procal Harum. When you're going bad, this is what happens. One of the Ranger four first period shots went in with Dubinsky finishing off his ninth. The Devils took 11 but none found twine against Lundqvist, who was a vacuum a day removed from a forgettable showing in a 4-1 loss in Philly.

“After last night, it was important for me and for all of us to get a good solid game,” he said. “I don’t think we played all that bad, but I felt that I had to play a lot better.”

That's what you expect from your leaders. In this early season, the Rangers have gotten it from Dubinsky, Lundqvist, revelation Brian Boyle, Dan Girardi, Michal Rozsival, Sean Avery and Ryan Callahan, who missed last night with a sore neck due to a cheap Kimmo Timonen hit from behind. With injuries to Marian Gaborik, Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal, they've stepped up. By contrast, their archrivals haven't gotten any yet despite enough talent to push on without Zach Parise and an injury list that's growing as long as Pinocchio's. The Devils are still searching for an identity. While the 5-3 win over the Blackhawks temporarily cured their offensive fallacies, they simply couldn't carry it over against a better goalie. Part of the issue which Davis alluded to was the lack of bodies in front of Lundqvist. You have to be willing to pay the price.

"Lundqvist played a great game and we didn’t have any traffic in front of him,” Kovalchuk pointed out after remaining stuck on three goals. “All the shots were from outside, and you know we are not going to score like that.”

“We’re disappointed after a loss every time,” added Elias. “You cannot go into a hockey game down all the time. You have to clear your minds and go into a game with a clear head.”

It's never easy when you lose players. The Devils severely missed Anton Volchenkov, who finally returned Friday from a broken nose. The former Senator shot blocking specialist missed a dozen games. He's easily the Devs' toughest and should only bolster a blueline, which was without Colin White (flu). Young Swede Alexander Urbom was recalled from Albany. It's really tough to compete when half your back end consists of rookies. Matt Taormina has been a nice find and Olivier Magnan hasn't struggled as much as former Sabre Henrik Tallinder, who fans probably want to send over Niagara Falls. Maybe Volchenkov can boost Tallinder and Andy Greene, who's a team worst minus-12 following a breakout '09-10. Bryce Salvador won't return anytime soon. Neither will Anssi Salmela. That leaves Mark Fraser, who despite limited skills always is willing to go.

It'd be easier if Kovalchuk was finishing and Travis Zajac remembered who he was. Instead, they've combined for five goals and only 14 points with no power play goals. Jason Arnott, who's been benched at times- paces them with four markers. Elias remains in a funk stuck on two goals. Dainius Zubrus gives max effort every night but simply doesn't possess the hands. The captain everyone wants to get rid of, Jamie Langenbrunner actually is tied with Kovalchuk for the club lead with eight points. The stat lines are as ugly as it gets. Halloween already passed but you wouldn't know it in Jersey. Perhaps Jimmy Hoffa's ghost is at work.

Then there's David Clarkson, who continues to let Sean Avery get the best of him. For the most part, he tries. But as soon as he sees No.16, the Devil antagonist becomes possessed. He lost his head again taking a five-minute penalty for boarding Boyle, which erased any chance of a miraculous comeback. But hey. The way the Devils were firing blanks, it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. You expect better from a player who seemed on the upswing not long ago. Twenty goals and 40 points seemed possible. Now, he finds himself stuck on one goal and one assist with a minus-nine and 34 penalty minutes. What happened? The same thing that's gone so wrong for the Devils thus far. The sum not equaling the parts. Langenbrunner on their ineptitude:

"It's getting frustrating. We all can read the standings and see where we are and the games we've played and the games in hand teams have on us and where we could be when it's all sorted out. But we can't concern ourselves with that so much. We need to find a way to get some wins ourselves, keep the effort where it's been, but learn to play a little bit smarter."

When Martin Brodeur doesn't suit up for the Rangers, something's wrong. Perhaps he just decided that extra rest would be wiser than rushing back from a bruised elbow that forced Johan Hedberg into action the other day. For his part, Hedberg wasn't bad despite only making 17 saves with a few sparklers which at least kept his team afloat. Chalk up the third goal to bad luck. You don't expect a deflected shot to take a funny carom back to Dubinsky, who was only too happy to tie Steven Stamkos and Patrick Sharp for the league lead in goals (10).

Sometimes, it's just not your night. Now, it's almost a month with the quarter mark approaching. Are the Devils really this bad? Well, to borrow a phrase Hasan used from Bill Parcells, "You are what your record says you are." They have nine points in 15 games, digging themselves an early hole along with Buffalo (8 in 14 entering tonight vs Toronto). Ironically, both trail first place by similar margins. The Devils are eight out while the Sabres trail by nine. There's plenty of season left to make up ground. It has to start soon.

Brothers in suffering

After Friday’s disheartening 3-0 loss to the Rangers I was going to write another piece on how unbelievable the injury tally was getting with Martin Brodeur and Colin White both missing that contest, and complain for the hundredth time this season about our lack of offense – particularly the $100 million man Ilya Kovalchuk, who was in lala land on the third goal and pretty much the entire evening. Not to mention David Clarkson yet again getting stupid against the Rangers (memo to Devils’ management: Prozac might not be a bad thing here). Even before the game began I was annoyed that Brodeur was going to miss this all-important tilt after being assured from both he and GM Lou Lamoriello that Brodeur would definitely play Friday.

It’s all starting to reach a point of saturation for me though, there’s only so much complaining and banging your head against a wall you can do. All I want at this point is the team to keep giving effort no matter how big the hole gets (channeling former Jets coach Herm Edwards and his famous ‘you play to win the game’ speech), our health to improve and Brodeur to be behind the pipes Wednesday. Sure, you couldn’t fault Johan Hedberg on any goal Friday but if Brodeur does miss Wednesday’s game against Buffalo a week after getting a ‘bruised’ elbow, then it seems like proof we’re either hiding something – or worse, our doctors are missing something in the diagnosis, which wouldn’t be a first over the last few seasons.

Still, it’s not like we’re the only team that’s struggling…you only need to look toward Western New York to find a fanbase that, if anything might be more disappointed in its team’s recent start than we are, if only because the Sabres have more die-hard fans than we do plus they don’t have our history of winning the ultimate prize three times. Thinking of our teams’ upcoming matchup four days away – which seems like a month when you’re struggling – I’m half hoping Henrik Tallinder goes into the wrong locker room Wednesday (since he came from the Sabres) and stays there. For me, Tallinder’s basically become what Patrick Lalime is for our Sabre blogger, you expect bad things to happen when they’re on the ice and are seldom proven wrong. Maybe the affable but ineffective former Sabre defenseman wasn’t wrong when he said his main assets were ‘height and reach’.

Then thinking about how both our teams are cousins in a way with our close proximity, being competitive but not bad-blooded rivals plus the Tallinder-Lalime comparison with me and Brian it hit me…the Devils and Sabres actually do have a lot in common on the whole. First of all, as fanbases we share a collective disdain of the Rangers, Flyers and Maple Leafs – particularly the latter two in Sanborn’s case. We both have beloved announcers with the ultimate professional Doc Emrick behind our mike and the always entertaining Rick Jeanneret for the Sabres. And on the ice, both our teams’ fortunes have taken a collective nosedive since that weird ending to the regular season last year at the Prudential Center where Jamie Langenbrunner's empty-net winner gave us the second seed and neither team the playoff matchup it wanted. Of course, things played out the way we both feared it might as the Devils got pounded by the Flyers in five and the Sabres were shut down by the Bruins in six.

Our teams’ disappointing play last April has carried onto this season where neither team’s off to the start it wanted, in fact two division winners last season are both in the basement this season. Both our Vezina-winning goalies have missed time recently and both teams have players who shined for Team USA last February that have had disappointing starts to their seasons so far with Ryan Miller not playing as well as he did last year when he could have been the Hart Trophy winner. For us, captain Langenbrunner’s overall play has bottomed out since the Olympics and Zach Parise is of course on the shelf for three months after a slow start to this season and bad playoffs last year. And we both have big-money dissapointments as well – Kovalchuk for us and Thomas Vanek for the Sabres, who has had some good years but never quite lived up to the big offer sheet from the Oilers that Buffalo felt compelled to match after losing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere in the same offseason.

Can either team turn it around? I’m already on record in pronouncing us dead, but doctors’ diagnoses can be wrong, so can mine. That said, if we’re six feet under already then the Sabres are on life support. Clearly both teams have the talent to turn it around, actually part of the reason our starts have been so shocking is that much more was expected from both us and Buffalo. In a normal season, we’re fighting for first place and the Sabres are competitive, usually at least on the borderline of a playoff spot even in a bad year. Neither is the case this season, far from it (in fact, both the Devils and Sabres are the ony two teams in the league without a home win) and it’s certainly been a struggle to deal with on my end.

It’s not that I thought the Devils would never bottom out, I just didn’t expect it to happen this year. Plus when you’re a season ticket holder, it’s a little different going through a bad season than ‘just’ watching the games on TV when you can. You can always turn the TV off and with the Mets I basically turned them off period after July. Baseball is the worst sport for meaningless games though, even when you’re in the playoff race the motivation really isn’t there for me to watch every inning of 162 games but when you’re playing out the schedule it really gets boring, especially considering the sport.

Baseball is far worse boring than hockey or football (especially since the NHL season’s ‘only’ 82 games and the NFL is a mere 16). In fact, hockey’s probably the best sport to watch period when you’re watching one or two bad teams play out the string but I don’t have much personal experience in this. I can maybe count the number of meaningless games I’ve seen on one hand since becoming a Devils fan – most of them involved the final home game of the season when we’re already locked into a seed.

Granted I’m probably going to cut down on my games attended and watched a little later in the season if this keeps up, but even in a worst-case scenario I’ll probably wind up going to around 20 games (so far I’m at four), whereas in a normal year since becoming a sth at the Rock I’ll go to 27-28 in the regular season plus playoffs. In comparison I went to about three Met games each year for the last two seasons. And my blogs might become more a once-a-week type thing later on…but I’m not in the mood to concede either point yet. In early November with sixty-seven games left is too much time to start getting apathetic about the season.

If you’re looking for some inspirational message at the close of this blog, I got nothing. Except that it’s November and we both gotta keep plugging away. Buffalo as a team never seems to give up on Lindy Ruff and hopefully our team doesn’t give up on Johnny MacLean. Eventually you have to figure talent will start to show and one or both of us will get back into it, especially with mediocrity being more and more the norm in this post-lockout NHL.

Hopefully we start our turnaround Wednesday and they start theirs Thursday at the Garden. Although it’d be nice to see them beat the Leafs tonight as well.

Brodeur and White out, Rangers put Todd White on waivers

The second Hudson Battle is two hours away. Though I won't see any of it due to a Procal Harum concert in Westbury with Dad. They're a great 60's group that's part of that British wave. Should be fun.

As for tonight, the Devils look to make it two in a row. Can the newly formed Kovalchuk-Zajac-Langenbrunner line do damage? They'll be banking on their top two lines, including Elias-Arnott-Clarkson if they want to get a 'W' against the visiting Rangers, who enter off a 4-1 disappointment at the hands of the Flyers. With King Henrik in net and Tort disliking his team's effort, figure them to be ready.

It will be odd without Martin Brodeur, whose bruised elbow suffered the other night keeps him out against his favorite nemesis. Johan Hedberg gets the call. Don't be surprised if he plays well. He has a history of stoning the Rangers. By no means will it be easy. The Devs are also without Colin White but get Anton Volchenkov back. That's a nice trade even if White is still a good team guy who plays hard. Andy Greene notched his second in the win over the Hawks. Keep an eye on him and rookie Matt Taormina. Either Stephen Gionta- younger brother of Brian- will make his NHL debut or Patrick Davis will be in for John MacLean.

With the Rangers waiving Todd White (no shock), it looks like they'll go with the same lineup as last night with the Boogey Man back in fresh off his scrap with one-time Ranger Jody Shelley. Unless Ruslan Fedotenko can't go following Dan Carcillo's hit, there won't be any changes. Another game for Evgeny Grachev, whose size is evident. Can he provide a spark for slumping Derek Stepan? The Devils will concentrate on blanketing the Homegrown Line (Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan). With Avery-Stepan-Fedotenko broken up, there's not much else to concern themselves with. Especially as Russian enigma Alex Frolov continues to be stuck on two goals. One player to keep an eye on is Erik Christensen, who's been shooting more and playing better. Thus far, Dan Girardi and Michal Rozsival have been the club's best on the blueline. Is this the game Mike Del Zotto explodes?

We'll see. Figure it to be heated, intense and physical as well as emotional in the stands. Can't wait to catch the replay.

Carcillo, Flyers win Round One

The Rangers took it on the chin literally in their first meeting against the hated Flyers, falling 4-1 at Wachovia Center. So much for making a statement after how last season ended. I only caught the first period and penalties definitely hurt us. While they killed them off, only two shots were registered in a physical stanza that also saw our luck end with a couple of posts early, including a Brandon Prust try.

Being that I hungout with friends, here's how unlucky I was. Ran into CVS for Starburst while the Rangers were on the power play starting the second. Of course, Brandon Dubinsky scored his team-leading eighth putting us ahead while I was inside. Then, as I'm picking up friends, the Flyers scored three unanswered including two from ex-Rangers Blair Betts (rebound) and what sounded like an awful goal off the stick of Russian enigma Nikolay Zherdev. Just dandy. At that point, I turned it off. It'd be sad if it weren't so funny in a gallows sense. Haha

Obviously, I didn't see Daniel Carcillo's hit on Ruslan Fedotenko (seen above) but heard plenty about it from our fans over on Twitter. I'm just going to clarify that I hate Carcillo with a passion. Especially after the garbage he pulled last year with our goalie. However, I don't feel he meant any harm. Fedotenko had his head down and got caught. Still, Carcillo left his feet and it should've been a penalty. How it wasn't I don't get. As for the debate over shoulder or elbow, I'm not sure. I'll leave that to other bloggers from both sides.

Am I upset? A little bit. They did go toe to toe with a better club early but when you get into penalty trouble warranted or not (some claimed it was one-sided), it usually comes back to haunt you. They have to be more disciplined against the Devils tonight. Save me the excuse of a back-to-back against a rested archrival. I don't want to hear about Anton Volchenkov even if it likely will give my fantasy team a boost. This team has proven they can win without Marian Gaborik by playing a grinding style that can frustrate opponents. They simply have to get back to that. The Rangers have been resilient thus far. Get the two points.

Devils survive another on and off-ice scare to beat Blackhawks in wild tilt last night

After starting our road trip of doom out West with a 1-4 record and with star winger Zach Parise now on the shelf for three months, the Devils were looking for something, anything to build on in Chicago before returning home for four games over the next week and a half. Amazingly, the Devils managed to score more than three goals for the first time all season in a 5-3 win against what's left of the defending Stanley Cup champs after defections and injuries to key players like Marian Hossa.

With all of our problems this season though, my heart isn't exactly bleeding for the Hawks. This was a game the Devils needed desperately and got under some of the most bizarre circumstances you could outline. Last night was really a tale of two or three games. In the first part, the Devils dominated and got out to a rare 2-0 lead in the second period after goals from Jason Arnott and Travis Zajac. Arnott's goal came at 15:31 of the first on a nice bang-bang play when Patrik Elias found the centerman right in front of the goalcrease and Arnott put one past Marty Turco for his fourth goal of the season. Zajac's goal at 4:14 of the second was only his second goal of the season and it was assisted on by Ilya Kovalchuk and Jamie Langenbrunner, primarily Kovalchuk who helped create the goal with some nice stickwork.

Barely a minute later, the nightmare scenario of our season almost became a reality as a shot from Troy Brouwer hit Martin Brodeur near the elbow and stung him badly. While Brodeur tried to continue at first, he had to drop his stick when making a save and then left the game seconds later for good with what was officially termed a 'bruised elbow'. Even though I thought the shot was probably a stinger and it didn't look like anything serious (x-rays showed no broken bones so that was good at least), you couldn't help but think the worst. Especially since the last time Brodeur had a 'bruised elbow' he was out four months.

Just dealing with his loss last night proved to be almost an insurmountable challenge, as the stunned Devils (who were playing pretty well for the first twenty-five minutes) allowed the next ten shots on net and looked dazed and confused, as they have for much of this season. Even though Johan Hedberg was game and stopped the initial flurries - which included a breakaway save on Jack Skille - the wall came crumbling down eventually when a Brian Campbell shot deflected off of Colin White and in for the Hawks' first, at 16:02 of the second. Chicago brought that momentum into the third period and tied it at 3:42 when Fernando Pisani scored off a bad rebound allowed by Hedberg.

Facing a potentially devastating loss on and off-ice, the Devils finally found a second wind about midway through the third period, started skating and eventually got a power play to to work with. Unfortunately the power play was still powerless as we dropped to one for our last thirty with the man disadvantage. Still, we were playing better and for maybe the first time all season caught a break when faceless fourth-liner Brad Mills took a shot that was stopped by Turco but quickly shovled the rebound in from the side of the net for an extremely unlikely - but vitally important first goal of his NHL career at 16:09, with the assists going to Langenbrunner and Kovalchuk.

After Mills' goal, the Devils hung on for dear life until Langenbrunner's empty-netter with fifty seconds left apparently sealed the game after assists from Elias and Zajac. I say apparently because at that point everyone - fans included - relaxed, unfortunately so did the players as Henrik Tallinder got caught up-ice and Hedberg gave up another questionable goal to Viktor Stalberg with thirty-four seconds left, again cutting our lead to one and giving us more anxious moments during the final timeout of the game until Andy Greene finally sealed it for good after another empty-netter with just eight seconds left.

Even though Hedberg gave up one or two questionable goals, he also made some very good saves and played well under trying circumstances - coming in cold, with a stunned team not doing much to help him initially - and his win last night might do a lot of good down the road. After his inital nightmare against the Sabres a few weeks back at the Rock, maybe this game restores enough confidence in the veteran to play him more often. Hopefully not on Friday though, and Brodeur did speak to the media after the game and claimed he was fine with the expectation he would make that all-important home start against the Rangers.

For the first time all season things are looking up coming off a win where we finally put a crooked number on the scoreboard, with Anton Volchenkov's return imminent. Although the move hasn't been made yet, I'm pretty sure Tyler Eckford will be sent down to make room for the big, physical Russian since he played sparingly last night (less than two minutes) - to put it charitably. Having 'only' two rookies on our defense will be a step up for sure. Of course, since we haven't won two in a row all season Friday's challenge will be to keep our momentum from the big win last night.

Hopefully all the players will be in bubble wrap on the flight back to the East coast...with the way our season's been going you just never know from where or how the next injury will be coming.

Parise shelved for three months with torn meniscus

Is it possible to be astounded and yet not surprised at the same time? Those were my emotions when I got home from the movies and found out that Devils' star winger Zach Parise is now done for the next three months after surgery was needed to repair a torn meniscus. While I wasn't expecting something that dramatic even after the initial reports of a potentially serious knee injury, it fits in with the theme of our season.

As a sports fan your worst nightmare is to have a season blown up either in the preseason or early in the season due to key, long-term injuries. Perhaps the only time I ever felt anything comparable to the way I feel now was in 1999, when coming off a 12-4 season and AFC Championship appearance the Jets lost All-Pro QB Vinny Testaverde for the season in the first half of the first game. Other injuries followed and the Jets started 1-6 and never fully recovered, though they did rally to finish 8-8. Of course the Met season blew up in a similar haze of injuries two years ago, but that was more like a slow leak in a tire that eventually turned into a flat starting around midseason.

This total confluence of events is like nothing I've ever seen before though...historic underachieving by an offense that was supposed to be one of the best in team history, laughable mistakes by the defense and a frightening injury tally worthy of a Halloween horror flick. We aren't even a month into the season and I give this team zero chance to make the playoffs. Not even .00001 percent but zero. Am I being premature? Maybe. But with our 3-9-1 start, losing our best forward for such a protracted period and so many key players strugging at this point the team really needs everything to go right just to squeeze out an eighth seed.

For starters it would be nice if the $100 million man starts living up to his contract. Not to mention our other dissapointing forwards picking it up like Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner and Travis Zajac (who has a ghastly one point in his last eleven games). Having Anton Volchenkov come back Friday should help the defense tremendously but it would be nice if fellow vets Henrik Tallinder and Andy Greene - he of the -11 after thirteen games - started playing better. If the rookies are going to make mistakes, at least the veterans better step up. It's a given that Martin Brodeur needs to play better...but even if all that happens, you still need almost perfect health for the rest of the season to mount a surge and on a team with so many 30+ year olds who haven't been on IR yet that's probably too much to ask.

With still almost seventy games remaining I'm reduced to having more modest goals - for starters, a team that tries...and honestly they have (from what I've seen) for much of this trip other than the first two periods at the Garden. While I don't want a full tank job, especially with some 20+ more home games to attend among the 36 remaining on the schedule, it would be nice to see the youth develop like it has been doing across the river.

That has to start with rookies like Matt Taormina and whatever other kid defenseman stands in for the injured Bryce Salvador until he returns (right now either Olivier Magnan or Tyler Eckford). If the other rookies aside from Taormina can't hack it then get a hold-the-fort vet to fill in, god knows we have the cap space now! Not to mention forwards like the gritty Rod Pelley, who's finding a niche as a popular fourth-liner or more skilled players like either Matthias Tedenby or Vladimir Zharkov, assuming one of them eventually gets called up to go along with Jacob Josefson whenever he comes back.

Plus we need to find out which of the vets have to go and which ones should remain as Brodeur makes one last run for the Cup next year. If Langenbrunner's not going to be traded to shake up the core, he might ask for a mercy deal anyway as the team continues to struggle. Who knows who else of the NTC/NMC crowd (Elias, Jason Arnott, Colin White or Brian Rolston) will be persuaded to either ask for or accept a trade. This season doesn't have to be a total loss, even if there isn't going to be a Stanley Cup at the end of the rainbow, or even another empty division banner.

What will be key now is how Lou Lamoriello will shape this team in the coming months for not only next season but the next few years as well. Assuming Parise returns as the player of old, there's no reason not to give him an extension before the end of the season presuming he still wants to sign one. We have to find out whether UFA-to-be Greene was a first-half fluke in the '09-10 season or if he's worth keeping on a multi-year, multi-million deal. If not, we might have to go shopping for the puck-moving defenseman we've sorely lacked in recent years. Maybe Tomas Kaberle on a short-term deal or perhaps the Canucks' Christian Erhoff. Not to mention we have to commit to Johnny MacLean as the long-term coach, there's no reason not to at least give him a full season and probably beyond at this point.

Yes, I know it's way too early to be talking about next offseason already. Especially when we're just coming off the offseason that wouldn't end. Maybe it's just the only way I can keep my sanity at this point. I know people want to point out that we overcame the loss of Brodeur two years ago, but with as great as Brodeur is in a post-lockout NHL it's easier for a team to cover up for a goaltender if they play better defense and/or score more to compensate. You can't invent offense and the 40 goals you're missing from Zach.

Kids Starting To Get It

No Gaborik. No problem. When the star finisher went down in the third game with a separated shoulder, panic already set in. Could the Rangers survive? Following a dreadful loss to Colorado in their first game without their offensive leader, they've won five of seven including a well earned 3-2 win over the Blackhawks last night.

The best aspect is how they prevailed, winning the battles in the trenches in a game that was fun to watch. Both Original 6's played to win, attacking whenever they could. It forced Henrik Lundqvist and Marty Turco to be good with each making tough saves. Even if our goalie was busier playing the hero late, the adventurous Turco also played well, giving his team a chance. Despite boasting a ton more talent, the defending champs fell short due to their opponent's sheer determination. While it's true the Rangers were on their heels for a couple of nervous shifts nursing a one-goal lead, they did all the little things to prevail for just the second time on home ice.

Players sacrificed to send most of MSG aside from the assorted Hawk wagon home happy. They were a T-E-A-M in every sense, grinding it out, which is all we've asked for. John Tortorella's scrappy bunch were hungry and it showed with his team more physical, outhitting the Hawks 35-18 led by frequent target Steve Eminger. Yes. While he did reach a lot, he paced the club with six hits. Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko were right behind with five apiece. Those four outhit the entire Hawk roster. Even Alex Frolov, who was stoned by Turco early, finished a check.

They laid it all on the line, getting in the path of Chicago shots and passes- making life difficult on Joel Queeneville's group. The Rangers blocked 33 shots to the Hawks' 15. Something that was noted in this space last night. Dan Girardi, who's becoming the team's best defenseman- was all over the ice blocking half a dozen. If he erred allowing the dangerous Tomas Kopecky to come in on Lundqvist, who had his teammate's back, at least Danny G took the penalty with less than 26 seconds to spare. It's no secret that this isn't the best D but they played together all night. From the goal out to the hard work of forwards like Callahan, offensive star Brandon Dubinsky, two-way center Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle and lunch pail favorite Brandon Prust, these Rangers won over the crowd with their style.

“You get in the lane and sacrifice your body for the team,” Girardi remarked. “There is no skill about it. You just get in the lane and go down.”

 “You’ve got to sacrifice yourself in order to win games, and I think that’s been the key to our success when we win games, everyone is blocking shots and making desperate plays, and that’s what good teams do to win,” Dubinsky added after scoring his team-leading sixth and seventh goals while making a diving clear to preserve the win.

This is a tough town. All New Yorkers ask for is an honest effort. Expectations aren't through the roof despite Dolan prices in a rough economy. But what we're seeing from our kids bodes well. Maybe they aren't winning a championship this year. It remains to be seen if they'll make the playoffs. However, they're coming together without the Great Gabby, Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal. The younger Blueshirts are learning how to win the right way, borrowing a page from bitter enemies the Devils and Islanders. Well, the old Devils to be politically correct. It isn't always pretty but doesn't have to be. From the elder statesman Michal Rozsival who's been here since the lockout to the youngest in Evgeny Grachev, there's a lot to like about this group. They're resilient as Erik Christensen demonstrated when he got the winner, responding to Patrick Kane's tally 28 seconds later. A beautiful finish which hopefully will boost his confidence.

"That was a big-league goal he scored there,” Tortorella said. “It was huge because you could feel the air being sucked out of the building, but this gave us a second chance and we held our own after that,” Christensen mentioned.

“Everyone contributed, and the biggest strength to me is that this is a team and everybody is playing for one another,” the pleased coach accurately noted. “That’s a good thing here early in the year, and we have to keep building on it. This was a good one to win.”

Even when they break our hearts like in disappointments last week, they don't quit. A good quality to possess much later. By now, it's evident how they must play every night. Though he shortened his bench late, Tortorella's message is getting through. No wonder the fiery coach has been not as edgy thus far. When you get the attention of your much more accomplished opponent with Queeneville even admitting that's what he wants to see from his club, that speaks volumes.

“A lot of work goes into a win, especially against a good team like Chicago,” Lundqvist pointed out after coming up large with 33 saves. “Everyone pulled together [Monday] night for a great win.”

“I think we owe Hank a couple still,” praised Prust. “He saves our butts a lot, and that’s why he’s the best in the league. So it’s good to get one for him.”

It's that kind of positive attitude that exemplifies what these Blueshirts are all about. A formula which can pay off. The chemistry is there. An exciting thing to see with new leaders developing. A great sign moving forward.

King Henrik brilliant again in rare home win over champs

The King has reclaimed his thrown. For a third consecutive game, Henrik Lundqvist was brilliant- making 33 saves in backstopping the Rangers past the defending champion Blackhawks 3-2 at The Garden. He was especially at his best late in protecting a one-goal lead with scintillating stops which included a sliding denial with under a minute left.

It meant a rare feat with our heroes winning for only the second time at home. Their losses have come to Toronto (OT), Atlanta and Carolina. It really makes ya wonder. Especially when they turned back as talented a team in the league. Sure. They wouldn't have stood a chance without Lundqvist, who truly was the last line of defense in a fun game his team was outshot 35-23. All that counted was the Blueshirts had the better goalie, just as in their 2-0 blanking of the Leafs Saturday. In the two wins, he's turned aside 69 of 71. That's what you expect from one of the game's top five netminders. It couldn't come at a better time with tough division road games on the horizon with bitter enemies Philadelphia and New Jersey this week.

Aside from the goalie, the club got standout performances again from Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan, who along with Russian linemate Artem Anisimov, combined for two of the three goals. Dubinsky scored his team-leading sixth and seventh while Callahan and Anisimov each had a pair of helpers. Without the Homegrown Line, they would be sunk. The good news is that Marian Gaborik began skating and isn't too far away. Perhaps his return could be what the doctor ordered for MIA Alex Frolov, who again wasted tons of ice-time playing mostly on the perimeter. Given how well Evgeny Grachev, Derek Stepan and Todd White played on what was the fourth line, it's hard to get why John Tortorella stopped rolling all four.

The strategy made no sense. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of tired shifts from our forwards while the fresher Hawks had us pinned in for what felt like an eternity. Or the 56 years it took my Dad's baseball team, the NY/San Francisco Giants to win another World Series. Congrats to him and all the fans who grew up idolizing Mays and Marichal at the Polo Grounds. Despite some scary moments, the Rangers fought for every inch of ice against a Hawk club that's just not up to speed. In a cap era, it's not easy when you lose key cogs like Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg and Ben Eager. The lack of grit was evident. No coincidence that both Chicago goals came in the trenches. The skill of Jonathan Toews, goalscorer Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp was there but they couldn't get the puck past Lundqvist without traffic.

The guys in the classic home white and red jerseys with the cool Hawk logo controlled much of the first, outshooting the Rangers 13-7. However, the best they could do was a Tomas Kopecky redirect of a Duncan Keith shot for a power play goal at 17:13. The once little used fourth liner has been one of the bright spots and was in Lundqvist's face all night. With Erik Christensen off for high-sticking, Kopecky deflected Keith's blast home for the lead. Sharp got a secondary assist. Before they got comfortable, the Broadway hosts responded in the final shift of the period thanks to the Homegrown Line. Callahan started it but Dubinsky finished off his sixth from in front, steering a loose puck past Marty Turco at 19:39.

Neither Original Six budged in a good second that saw both goalies stand tall. The Rangers were better, generating scoring chances off the cycle with splendid work done by Grachev, who had his best game. On one shift in particular, the 20 year-old Russian rookie forced a turnover that nearly led to a goal. Too bad Frolov was the shooter. Anything he shoots turns to rubber. Brian Boyle also turned in another solid game along with Sean Avery. Hell. Boyle almost pulled off a toe drag but couldn't quite get the puck past a Chicago defender. Had he finished it off, that would've been sick. He sure is a different player.

Each club took only one penalty in the seesaw period that saw us hold a 10-8 SOG edge. The Rangers easily killed off an Avery delay of game for batting the puck out. It was an accident just like a few nights ago with Michal Rozsival. That rule really needs to be adjusted. It should be more on interpretation. Especially in such instances. It's ridiculous if a call like that decides an outcome. The way this league's run, no wonder Bettman is mocked when we go. At least it was killed. As they did in the first, the Rangers came on at the end, forcing Keith into a hooking minor with 21 seconds remaining. Dubinsky made him pay after intermission when he took a great Callahan feed and went top shelf on Turco for his seventh 55 seconds into the third.

Up one for the first time, they pushed for another but Turco kept his team afloat. Eventually, the Hawks tilted the ice, making life difficult on Lundqvist. It was going to take plenty to beat him again. A great backcheck by Toews resulted in Kane's equalizer. The Chicago captain stole the puck from Dubinsky and then worked the puck around to Keith, who fed Kane. His quick shot from a sharp angle with Troy Brouwer in front surprised Lundqvist, sending Chicago supporters into a premature celebration. There was one arrogant fan who stood up for as long as possible in our section, drawing even a 'Sit down' from me. I hate fans like that. You want to cheer when your team scores, fine. But don't keep standing there in front of us when play's continuing.

As fate had it, he got what he deserved. On the very next shift, a brutal turnover led to Christensen scoring his second just 28 ticks later. Mike Del Zotto pounced on the loose puck and fed Brandon Prust, who was strong throughout. The spark plug wasted no time dishing off to Christensen, who cut to the left and fired a perfect laser upstairs. At the time, I was mentioning how he really needed one. Like Johnny on the spot, Christy must've heard me from 411. Good thing too cause everyone was joking about how they never win here.

It didn't come easy. They killed off a bench minor for too many men and then withstood a Blackhawk onslaught the last eight minutes. But even in a period where they got half a dozen shots as compared to our opponent's 14, the Blueshirts competed. They forced Chicago to the perimeter and got their jerseys dirty, blocking 33 shots. Of course, the next captain Callahan was responsible for six including an amazing sprawling stop late in the second that hobbled him. He didn't miss a shift. Cally also came back hard to deny a pointblank opportunity, checking a Hawk in front before clearing the puck.

On a night he increased his point streak to seven (4-7-11) two days after scoring a beautiful penalty shot in Toronto, enough can't be said about the 25 year-old Rochester native. There's nothing he won't do to win. No wonder he's my favorite Ranger along with Tweep sarcasmpucktail, who I briefly chatted with between periods. She donned the jersey of her favorite player and also got to meet him afterwards. Not bad.

Dan Girardi, who again stood out defensively also blocked half a dozen- getting help from Rozsival (4) and Anisimov (4). In fact, 13 of the 18 skaters dressed got on the stat sheet. By comparison, the Hawks only had 15, meaning three of our players blocked more. That desire to do anything possible was the difference along with Lundqvist, who saved his best for last, robbing Kopecky from in front. Amazingly, he did it again on him when Girardi fanned on a puck, forcing him to take a penalty with under 26 seconds to go. However, the hustle of our PK helped clear the front of the net and then a sliding Dubinsky got the puck out ensuring a well earned victory.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Ryan Callahan, NYR (2 assists extending to 7-gm Pt streak (4-7-11), 6 blocked shots, 5 hits in 19:50)
2nd Star-Brandon Dubinsky, NYR (2 goals-6th, 7th, 3 hits, 9-3 draws in 22:02)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (33 saves, incl.13/14 in 3rd)

Injuries and dissapointments continue to flush the Devils' season down the drain

I haven't watched much of tonight's game, which has the Devils in a familiar position - behind 2-0 on the road - this time at Vancouver after two periods because sad to say I almost forgot it was coming on while I was watching the end of the Giants' World Series game (and triumph). Not like I missed much though, I saw the highlights of Matt Taormina blowing a tire behind the net leading to the Canucks' first goal which was helped by Jannick Hansen knocking the goalstick out of Martin Brodeur's hand. No goaltender interference was called on that one, but of course it got called on David Clarkson when he finally went to the net in the second period and while there was contact with his skate and Roberto Luongo's pad it looked like a tacky call at best. If that was goaltender interference, then so was Tuomo Ruutu's in the playoffs two years ago...but I digress.

To add injury to insult, the Devils received word today on two more walking wounded. Zach Parise will have arthroscopic knee surgery soon and a timetable for his return is unknown. And somewhat surprisingly it turns out teen center Jacob Josefson has a torn ligament in his thumb and will also be out 6-8 weeks. Including Brian Rolston who's rehabbing from a sports hernia, the Devils now have three top nine forwards and two top six defensemen on the shelf (Anton Volchenkov and Bryce Salvador) to go along with fellow d-men Matt Corrente, Mark Fraser and Anssi Salmela.

So basically that's five starters and three depth players (all on defense) that are now out of the lineup, and when you add to that all of the changes we made this offseason to begin with, well you have an utter lack of chemistry and total confusion on the ice that we've seen so far this season in what now looks like a 3-9-1 beginning. What's worse, it doesn't seem like the coaching staff has been able to outline any sort of plan to get out of this hole. For someone who's been a part of the staff almost a decade, Johnny MacLean has the look of Larry Robinson circa 2006 - dazed, confused and out of answers. And what, exactly has Adam Oates added to the power play? If anything it might actually be worse from last season's dreadful second-half power play and I didn't think that was possible.

And just as things are looking darkest, teams all over the league can't wait to mock us after our years of success. Astonishingly enough, one of the biggest jabs came from Kings management over the weekend when they put a couple of different cards (both mocking the Ilya Kovalchuk signing) in the bathroom toilets at Staples Center including the one listed above, courtesy of PuckDaddy. If for a moment we ignore how crazy the Kings management and fans both went this summer because they wanted him...to answer the rhetorical question, right now things aren't working out. Kovy's averaging under .5 PPG so far this season, a ghastly total for a guy with his skills.

Yes, we have other underachievers right now but when you spend a whole summer trying to sign a guy, finally sign him too a nine-figure contract and expect him to be the marketing face of your franchise well...the honeymoon period's going to end sooner or later if you don't produce and it might end Friday when the Devils finally limp home after a predictably horrible trip that concludes Wednesday in Chicago. Not to mention Kovy's hardly had an off-ice impact so far as the Devils are among the bottom third in the league in attendance with four subpar crowds after an Opening Night sellout.

While Lou Lamoriello himself is not getting paid as much as his star winger, he does have a high standard to uphold and having a proud franchise look so discombobulated has to be affecting the GM. If there is a next move to be made before this season spirals totally out of control Lou'd better make it soon - unless by now he's concluded that with the state of our defense and how filled up our trainer's room is getting with the IR group there really isn't a lot that can be done to improve the team.

And yet we do have talent here, talent that should not have only seven points after thirteen games scoring under two goals a game. Therein lies the rub, while in one respect you have to live with the rookie mistakes on D until help arrives (supposedly Volchenkov will be back by Friday), the hugely disspointing offense shouldn't be tolerated but it's much harder to make a move there with all the big money contracts and NTC/NMC's. Will he give in to public pressure and sack Johnny Mac? If so, that shouldn't be the first option. Let some of these players come back and maybe make a trade or two before you make what's literally the most unstable job in sports even more so.

Figures that while I've been typing this nothing's happened during the third and it's still a 2-0 game late. It's to the point where we're even looking at moral victories for not getting blown out in these games and outshooting the Kings the other night but like NFL coach Bill Parcells always said, you are what your record says you are...and right now we're the worst team in the league. Just as I'm wrapping this article up, Colin White's trip of Henrik Sedin leads to a penalty shot - which the talented center converts. 3-0 - game over, good night.