Couple of Articles

As I get ready to leave for tonight's Game 4 between the Thrashers and Rangers, here are two with interest which have already impacted two match-ups:

Welcome back, Mr. Richards

"It kind of snowballed. I'm not stupid. I know I didn't play 82 perfect games, but I think I'm a better player than I was this time last year. That's what is frustrating when you hear some of the comments that are being made."

Avery upping the misery quotient for Thrashers

“I think I’m pretty miserable as it is to play against. The fact that they have to play against me every other night is probably more taxing than anything. So it’s going to be good.”

Rangers Dominate In Game Three

There really isn't much more to say. It was so awesome to be there last night! I am still trying to convince myself of what I saw. Wow!

I'm not going to post too much about this game because I already put too much into it over at my Hitting Back site. Here's a little excerpt with the full post over at HB if you want to check it out:

For a long time, many diehard Blueshirt fans including my Dad, brother, myself and buddy have been waiting for something like this to materialize over the past decade. That moment came Tuesday night in a chaotic atmosphere which ate it all up about as much as the Rangers ate up their mismatched opponents.

From the time you could barely hear the national anthem singer about midway through (an old tradition) to the game’s signature shift (yes it really was) which set the tone when Jaromir Jagr, who was brilliant all night setup Michael Nylander for the first of a playoff hat trick just 32 seconds in, the Garden was alive and rocking like it hasn’t in years.

However, there was a quote from Henrik Lundqvist which summed up his first playoff shutout as well as the team's play from 12 forwards to six D out perfectly:

"It felt like everything was working for us. It's not every night, especially not in the playoffs, when everything just seems to work for you."

It summed up what amounted to a perfect night for the Blueshirts as they pulled within one win of the second round. They know that Win No.4 won't be handed to them even if the Thrashers forgot to show up Tuesday. The fourth 'W' is always the hardest. They must come with the same type of effort tonight. Get a couple early and that could put Atlanta out of its misery. When you have a wounded animal down, you got to finish them! Plain and simple.

Rangers Dominate; Sens go up 3-1

Wow, what a complete game the Rangers played tonight. Color me impressed.

Did I just say color me something? This must be a special night.

Nylander a hat trick, Callahan had 2, Malik and Shanny chipped in. Lundqvist had 21 saves and the Rangers look absolutely dominant. Right now, a Rangers-Ottawa series looks to be mighty appetizing to me. Well, I'll hold my horses on that, but it looks good, after a 2-1 Ottawa win at the Igloo. Anton Volchenkov got the winner.

VanCity leads Dallas 2-1 in the 3rd. Anaheim up on Minnesota in a broom game 1-0. Calgary and Detroit are scoreless.

Couple of Key Notes Off NHL Today

HE SAID IT
“Our best player for 10 years. Quietly. He’s not flashy. But if you watch him during a game, he’s Mr. Perfect. He rarely makes a mistake. He plays effortlessly. Scott Niedermayer skates effortlessly, Nick does everything effortlessly. It’s hard to explain. A perfect player—that would be a good way to put it. When they talk about our team, he’s always the fifth or sixth guy they mention . . . when, really, he’s our guy.” - Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood on defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom.

FROM THE STAT WIZARDS AT ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU
Vincent Lecavalier scored the first goal for Tampa Bay in last night's victory. He and Martin St. Louis have combined for six of Tampa Bay's nine goals in the 2007 playoffs. During the regular season those two accounted for 39 percent of the goals scored by the Lightning, the highest percentage for any two teammates in the league.


I'll be headed out to what should be an electric atmosphere at the Garden for Game Three. Kari Lehtonen will be back in goal for Atlanta. It doesn't really matter who Bob Hartley plays. The urgency still must be the same for the Rangers. Put this team away!

WFAN Interviews

Matt Cullen on Beningo and Roberts:

http://wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=634097

Trent Hunter, Same Show:

http://wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=634722

Billy Jaffe on Mike and the Mad Dog:

http://wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=630834

Lightning and Sabres Win By Identical 3-2 Scores

Both the Lightning and Sabres picked up huge Game 3 wins tonight with each posting a 3-2 victory to go up 2-1 in their respective best-of-seven First Round series.

First, it was the Bolts notching their second straight win over the Devils by virtue of a Vinny Prospal redirect of a Vinny Lecavalier shot with 6:29 left in the third to pull out a home win before over 20,000 at St. Pete Times Forum.

It was a disheartening defeat for New Jersey because after a sluggish first 20, they dictated much of the play and seemed in good position to steal home ice back. Especially when they got a fortuitous bounce for Zach Parise's fourth of the series which tied the contest at two with 15:14 to go.

But despite carrying much of the stanza in which they got 15 shots on Johan Holmqvist, they couldn't get another past the Tampa netminder who was sharp in making 30 saves to outduel Martin Brodeur (21 saves) for the second game in a row.

To Tampa's credit, they did find their game in the final part of the third and that's what led to the eventual Prospal winner. Coming off a relentless forecheck after Brodeur robbed Shane O'Brien of a sure go-ahead tally on a backdoor a minute earlier, they attacked relentlessly and finally worked the puck to Lecavalier along the right wall. The Rocket Richard winner fired and it was deflected home by Prospal for his first.

The Devils really didn't get many good chances to tie afterwards. A costly Richard Matvichuk boarding minor (his second penalty of the game) with 3:52 to play made the challenge even tougher. The defenseman had replaced a banged up Colin White.

Brodeur would make two of his best saves late to give his team a chance to tie by robbing Lecavalier and Brad Richards. The three-time Cup winner would be pulled for an extra attacker with 1:30 left. However, despite getting some attack time, they weren't able to muster the kind of opportunity which would've forced OT.

New Jersey now knows the challenge will be even tougher if they want to advance. Game 4 becomes a must win Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, for the Islanders, they also suffered a tough loss at home to Buffalo by the same margin. After a scoreless first in which both netminders stood tall in denying all 19 total shots in their path, the play opened up featuring all five goals not surprisingly.

First, Chris Drury would find Adam Mair on the doorstep to get the scoring started. A few minutes later, Thomas Vanek would sneak a wraparound just inside the right post which he felt he scored on. Only neither the refs or goal judge saw it. But after a lengthy review in Toronto, a TSN replay confirmed that the dangerous Buffalo sniper had indeed snuck the puck just inside the goal line past Rick DiPietro to put the Sabres up two.

Instead of letting the tough call get to them, the Isles came right back 1:14 later thanks to some hard work from their best two forwards tonight as Ryan Smyth and Trent Hunter combined for the Fishsticks first home playoff goal since 2002 against Toronto. Smyth outworked a Sabre in the corner and setup Hunter in front, who after a second attempt jammed the puck past Ryan Miller for his second of the series to slice the deficit in half.

A pivotal full two-man advantage called by the refs on Tom Poti (4:00 high sticking) and Marc-Andre Bergeron (slashing) would result in a Daniel Briere PP tally. After taking a Tim Connolly feed at the left circle, he had his initial shot blocked by Brendan Witt but stayed with it and roofed it home for his first to restore the two-goal margin.

To the Isles' credit again and continued resiliency, they got it back to one again thanks to a Smyth tally at the doorstep with only eight seconds remaining in the period.

But Buffalo rebounded with a strong final period outshooting the Fishsticks by a wide 17-2 margin. Only DiPietro, who was again strong in making 32 stops gave them a chance late to tie. After the refs justifiably let go of a clean defensive play by Buffalo on a Chris Campoli chance in the slot, they made a very questionable tripping call on Randy Robitaille with only 1:34 left which drew the ire of the Coliseum crowd. While it's true that his stick did trip up a Sabre, it was very tacky at that stage. The only way I could agree is that they decided it would've led directly to a scoring chance which very well might've happened.

Still though, it's one they should've let go of. Some angry fans stupidly tossed debris on the ice in protest. Good for FSNY color analyst Billy Jaffe for chastising these individuals for their overreaction. It was a tough call and I understand that. But you don't go as far as a silly few did making it more difficult for a fiercely competitive game to finish.

The Isles did pull DiPietro for an extra attacker to make it five-on-five and did a decent job on the cycle. But they never could get a shot as the Sabres ran the clock down to take back home ice and go up 2-1 in the series.

It was the fifth straight playoff defeat for the Isles on home ice. They'll need to change that recent trend starting Wednesday if they want to have a realistic chance of pulling this upset.

I do want to conclude by applauding the Isles' effort. They haven't played like an eighth seed so far. They have mixed it up and reminded me of another dangerous seed from last year which Smyth and Bergeron played for. The Oilers.

Yeah. Maybe they didn't get enough shots on Miller (20 saves) in the third. But also the puck didn't bounce for them a few times as they did have some chances. They have played the Sabres extremely tough thus far and must be encouraged.


Our Three Stars for both games:

Lightning 3 Devils 2

Third Star- John Madden (goal)
Second Star- Johan Holmqvist (30 saves)
First Star- Vincent Lecavalier (goal, assist)

Sabres 3 Islanders 2

Third Star- Henrik Tallinder (assist)
Second Star- Daniel Briere (GW goal)
First Star- Ryan Smyth (goal, assist)

Devils and Isles fall 3-2

First of all, what utter classlessness from the Isles fans. Really, throwing things on the ice is absolutely un-called for. Just absolutely stupid.

The Devils, well, they let the Lecavalier line beat them. You can't let 4 or 5 players beat you. As for Marty, I'll defend him to the end, but he had to have at least one of those. The Devils played better, the Madden line was great, but the Parise line wasn't as good and the Eggs weren't good enough. Gotta play with some desperation on Thursday.

Isles also lost 3-2 to Buffalo and fall 2-1 in their series, and that penalty at the end just took the life out of this game and possibly the series. The Isles are still in it as well.

Updates

Tampa and the Devs are tied at 1 after 2. The Devils just need to keep initiating the offensive play.

Sabres lead the Isles 1-0 on a goal by Chris Drury. The game is still in the balance if the Isles can be resillient. They've played extremely well tonight.

Devils-Lightning Preview

The Devils really need to take this game if they are serious about winning the series. Tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum (7PM, FSNY2, WFAN) will be probably their biggest game of the season. Hopefully some Floridian Devil fans will be in attendance (I Know you are down there, cheer on the Devs!) but the 20,000 plus at Hockey Bay, USA will be rough for the team to deal with.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

1. Stop Lecavalier and St. Louis. I don't care if you have to split up Pando and Madden. I don't care if it ruins our offensive game. If you are able to stop Lecavalier and St. Louis for 2 periods, chances are, they will get frustrated and be coerced into taking some penalties. That leads into...

2. Special Teams. This is where we have to do our scoring against the Lightning. We need to slow them down on defense before anything else, but getting goals on the PP and shutting down the Lightning on the PK would be a huge boost.

3. Marty. Marty, I love ya man, you're the greatest ever, but you gotta step it up. You were a little shaky in Game 1, and in Game 2 you gave up that awful St. Louis goal. You have to make this your statement game Marty. Also, no more falling down on the ice.

4. The EGG Line. If they are together tonight, they have to look somewhat interested. They were terrible on Saturday and left Parise and Langs to do all the work. Gomez, Gio and Patty must, must, must be a factor tonight if the Devils are going to win this game.

5. The Refs. The refs were putrid in Game 2. That high stick on Luko and a hold on Elias have no business not being called. There has to be better officiating in Game 3 or else the Devils could be in trouble.

PREDICTION: I gotta pick the Devils. You all know that. 3-2 in Game 3. Gionta breaks through, and Parise and Elias get the others.

Poll Question

At the end of this postseason, who will have more career playoff goals

-Joe Thornton (8 Goals in 29 Playoff Games)
-Sidney Crosby (3 in 3games)

DiPi on Mike and the Dog

http://wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=627448

Ricky D on the Fan in the morning.

NY Rangers Pregame

Ryan Hollweg loses his mind in attempt to loosen up Ranger dressing room before Game One in Atlanta.

Sens Take Game Three 4-2

They just were the better team in this one over the Pens dominating much of the final 40 minutes at Mellon Arena to go up 2-1 in the best-of-seven First Round series.

Dean McAmmond setup a beautiful goal by Daniel Alfredsson to make it 4-1. McAmmond finished with a goal, assist and a scrap. A complete game for the journeyman forward who's fit in extremely well with Ottawa. Ditto Mike Comrie, who also has played well and got a goal in this one.

Though Sidney Crosby struck to cut it to two and became only the fourth NHL player to score in his first three playoff games joining Paul Coffey, Wendel Clark and Glen Wesley, it wasn't enough to lead his team to victory.

The Sens were just better today and very determined to bounceback from a tough loss yesterday. A game they probably felt they should've won. They were very active on the forecheck and took advantage of a weak Pittsburgh D.

They also were physical as Christian Schubert nailed Rob Scuderi from behind and wasn't penalized. Versus analyst Brian Engblom felt it should've been a major and game misconduct which would've given the Pens a chance. It doesn't matter now because it wasn't called. Was it a dangerous hit? Yes. Keith Jones says, "Schubert showed no respect for Scuderi." Wow.

Given how it finished, expect more fireworks in Game 4.


Our Three Stars:

3rd Star-Mike Comrie (goal)
2nd Star-Daniel Alfredsson (2 goals)
1st Star- Dean McAmmond (goal, assist and scrap)

In the other game out West, the Ducks are ahead of the Wild 1-0 courtesy of an Andy McDonald tally from Chris Pronger as they enter the second period.

Dallas is getting ready to faceoff against Vancouver from American Airlines Center half an hour from now.

Sens Get Three Unanswered But That's Not Story

The Sens have played a great second period. They got a tying goal near the end of the first from Dean McAmmond to help turn the tide. This second has been all Ottawa. They went ahead on a Mike Comrie goal off a Mike Fisher redirect which a streaking Comrie put in.

A turning point took place when Gary Roberts and Michel Ouellet mixed it up with Jason Spezza during a line change. While that was going on leading to matching roughing minors, Sidney Crosby put in a wraparound too late. Instead of a tie game, it was wiped out. The Sens would then draw a hooking call on Evgeni Malkin and cash it in when resurgent captain Daniel Alfredsson rifled one home from the left wing through a screen.

But the bigger story with the Sens up 3-1 halfway through is the cheap hit Colby Armstrong put on Patrick Eaves. After Eaves had released the puck, he caught the Sen with a high shoulder which KO'd the winger sending him out on a stretcher. It resulted in a scrap between Ottawa teammate McAmmond and Maxime Talbot. McAmmond would get the decision to avenge his fallen teammate.

Armstrong has always been a borderline dirty player. He's pulled this stuff before. Maybe before it's over, he'll get his.

As for the game itself, my feeling is the Pens haven't played smart. It was clear that Ray Emery was shaky early on after they took the lead. But instead of testing him by getting shots to the net, they haven't. They allowed Ottawa to regain composure and dictate play instead.

There are two other games on tonight's schedule. Dallas hosts Vancouver for a crucial Game 3 with that series tied later on and Minnesota plays host to Anaheim trailing 2-0 in half an hour.

Pens Get On The Board

Well, it's their first home playoff game in six years and it didn't take long for the Penguins to get jump started. Just 52 seconds in, Sidney Crosby took a hit to setup Gary Roberts for his second after Ray Emery let out a bad rebound. There isn't anything No.87 won't do to win. That's why we picked his team in this series.

The Pens have come out sharper here than the first two games where they were outshot by a wide margin (74-47). They definitely have gotten some energy from the soldout Mellon Arena.


I didn't watch the entire Flames-Wings Game 2 before but saw enough of the final two periods to know what's wrong with Calgary. They just can't deal with Detroit's speed. As NBC's Brett Hull and Ray Ferraro pointed out, they're unable to get any sustained attack and also have lacked their trademark physicality they've been known for. The Wings are moving the puck very rapidly and with succession. If not for Miikka Kiprusoff, the combined score could be 15-2 instead 7-2.

That's how dominant the Wings have looked. They seem very focused and really paying attention to detail. At this point, I'm eating a ton of crow with how poorly the Flames have played. To be outshot by as much as they have so far in this series is just insane. I can't recall the total number but it was pretty significant.

So can Calgary go back home to the Saddledome and get some momentum on their side at a place where they had a great record? They'll have to be a lot better.

P.S. David Hale was dreadful. Remember when he was compared to Scott Stevens? It kind of reminds me of what happened to Jamie Lundmark, who once drew Stevie Y comparisons. Ironically, both guys wound up in Alberta. One is now on his fourth team with LA while the other is trying to regain the confidence he lost with his first team. Not for nothing but the Devils ruined him. It's similar to how the Rangers mistreated Lundmark. I really wonder if Hale can recover. Lundmark hasn't.

Detroit Wins...

Detroit beats Calgary 3-1. 51 shots on goal for the winged wheel. Insane I say.

Kiprusoff kept it close. David Hale of all people, was terrible.

Line of the day:

Doc Emrick "Goal a game Pavel".

Lots of Playoff Action Today

1:00 Calgary vs. Detroit - NBC
Detroit Leads 1-0
Doc, Eddie and Pierre have the call.

6:00 Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh - VERSUS (HD)
Series Tied 1-1
A huge game. The Igloo will rock tonight.

8:00 Anaheim vs. Minnesota
Anaheim Leads 2-0

9:30 Vancouver vs. Dallas - VERSUS (HD)
Series Tied 1-1
Another huge one.

Derek and I will be around with updates throughout the day. Enjoy your hockey!

Rangers/Isles Post-Game Video

http://video.nbcsports.com/player/?id=91884

Dave Strader and Joe Micheletti with the recap.

http://video.nbcsports.com/player/?id=91885

Shanny's post-game interview with Darren Pang.

http://video.nbcsports.com/player/?id=91879

Bill Clement, Brett Hull and Ray Ferraro recap the NBC action.

http://video.nbcsports.com/player/?id=91876

http://www.versus.com/nhl/#

Click for VERSUS' nightly review

Bill Clement, Brett Hull and Ray Ferraro analyze a couple of Jagr (and Crosby) shifts. It's really funny.

Absolutely Horrendous

Yay! Another game where only Parise and Langenbrunner show up.

Only this time, it's in a big playoff game!

The Devils easily could've one this, if the EGG line plays to half it's potential (see: Game 1) the Devils take that game. The Lightning ARE NOT a better team than the Devils.

Thumbs Up: Parise and Langenbrunner. The two best players on the ice. Zajac was very poor tonight, but Jamie and Zach showed up. They were physical and played with a lot of speed. They were the reason the Devs had a chance.

Thumbs Down: Sergei Brylin. I hate to say it, I really do. But Sarge, you've been atrocious these first two games. Poor man looks lost. All of a sudden, he's turning it over and playing poor defensively. I hope he picks it up, or else there's a spot on the 4th line that Jim Dowd or Eric Rasmussen would gladly let him take.

We can win this series. We could've won this game. We need to win 2 in Tampa. Not one, two. We need to at least win game 3. Our whole season could depend on Game 3.

-----------------------------------------------

Congrats to the New York Islanders. Didn't see any of their game, but absolutely great that they were able to tie their series. I predicted it would go 6, unlike the many who said sweeps and 5 game wins for BUF. Do not count this club out. Do not.

Shanahan Puts The Rangers Up 2-0

It wasn't pretty but I'll bet any diehard True Blue will take it. Thanks in large part to the NHL's most underrated player Sean Avery, the Rangers stole Game Two at an energized Philips Arena- taking the pivotal game 2-1 to move two up on the Thrashers in the best-of-seven First Round series.

The feisty Avery was a factor all game and factored in on both Blueshirt tallies. He caught a huge break to get his first NHL career playoff goal when a puck he dumped from center ice went off the boards and took a fluky bounce into a vacated net which put the club up early in the opening period. Atlanta backup Johan Hedberg was expecting the puck to go behind the net but it took an unusual Ranger bounce.

As expected, the Thrashers came with much more fire today and deserved a better fate to be perfectly honest. They controlled a large portion of the 60 minutes with a more effective forecheck and the same physicality they used late in Game One which almost resulted in overtime. However, for two-plus periods, the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist wouldn't buckle.

Despite a few Atlanta power plays, New York's penalty killing was outstanding in containing the Thrashers by keeping them off balance with smart positioning and more aggressive play along the boards to clear the puck out. I would even see it's the best job I've seen from the forwards and D at being on the same page in terms of getting the puck out.

But finally, Atlanta's persistence paid off when grizzled veteran Keith Tkachuk setup Ilya Kovalchuk for a wicked one-timer from the right slot which found the back of the net through traffic. The fiery Russian sniper who netted 42 during the regular season had his first postseason goal was pumped up as was the crowd. Atlanta had the momentum and also would draw a power play but couldn't capitalize for the fifth time. Each team's special teams struggled combining to finish 0-for-12 on the day.

Most of the game, the Tom Renney's club wasn't able to work the puck deep and cycle due to a much more determined Thrasher D. In particular the Jaromir Jagr line had a quiet game except for one solid shift late. Maybe that's where it turned because not long after that, a hustling Avery negated an icing and then worked some magic behind the Atlanta goal. After getting a favorable bounce along the glass, the Ranger pest stayed with a loose puck in the left slot and found a wide open Brendan Shanahan for a slam dunk into an open net to put the Rangers up one with just 4:01 left.

Playing solid team defense, they protected the lead without much trouble. Even a late Shanahan crosschecking penalty with less than 30 to go couldn't stop them from getting a second straight 'W' in Hotlanta. They would work the puck out twice without the Thrashers getting a sniff. And when Atlanta reset for one last ditch effort in the neutral zone, a Marek Malik clear was followed by some more hustle from the game's No.1 Star in my book, Mr. Avery.

The undersized forward who logged over 21:00 (more than Jagr) would outrace Kovalchuk to a puck behind a vacated net and bang him with a clean hit. All game long, Avery took his lumps and delivered some as well in a more intensified game which was expected. The hit to the Atlanta superstar ticked him off and resulted in No.17 decking the mouth that never stopped for a retaliatory high hit which drew a roughing penalty and essentially ended the game for his team with 3.4 seconds left with a draw 90 feet away. Before that draw, a bloodied Avery smiled cause he knew he had done the job and played a whale of a game getting underneath the Thrashers' skin.

Not surprisingly, a game which Bob Hartley's club fought so hard in ended with a little more rough stuff as defenseman Andy Sutton caught Jed Ortmeyer with a cheap hit as the buzzer sounded. The play was uncalled for but also indicative of how hard Sutton plays. So it was naturally expected. He is Atlanta's best overall defenseman in terms of physicality. I've always been a fan. Clearly, he was just trying to send a message that his team might be down 2-0 but they're far from out with the series shifting to Broadway Tuesday night for what should be a fired up MSG capacity crowd. Along with family and friend, we'll be there cheering as loud as possible trying to drown out outstanding national anthem singer John Amirante and supporting my boys. Unlike last year when you knew they had no chance, this time should be great!

Here's a few observations from today's game:

-Hartley's decision to play Hedberg over a shaky Kari Lehtonen proved out to be right as the Moose played rock solid in stopping 37 of 39. I kind of believed that Hartley might go back to Lehtonen for Game 3 but after today's performance by Hedberg, how could he not come back with the Moose. He was oustanding and was a solid choice by the hockey beat writers for their No.1 Star. I would've made him second to Avery only cause his team fell short.

-Lundqvist was sharper today in making 27 saves to net his second consecutive playoff victory. Many of the King's stops were difficult due to the traffic Atlanta generated in front. Henrik definitely played an underrated game as NBC's Between The Glass look/sound alike Scott Hamilton Darren "Holy Jumping" Pang noted throughout. He earned that No.3 star in our book.

-Clearly, for the second straight game, defenseman Thomas Pock struggled. He was on for the only goal against and got just 8+ minutes from Renney. If Karel Rachunek is ready to go, expect him to be back in the lineup Tuesday night paired alongside Paul Mara.

-The Czech tandem of Marek "Big Bird" Malik and Michal Rozsival logged a ton of minutes but they didn't break in this one playing a steady game. I realize they get on everyone's nerves but today that duo didn't make any glaring mistakes and were very effective against Atlanta's forwards.

-Also thought rookie Daniel Girardi had a tough game again but battled through. He has looked a little nervous and for good reason. But the 22 year-old is a vital cog on the blueline and needs to relax. He'll be okay.

-For the second consecutive game, Girardi's partner Fedor Tyutin played extremely well. The baby faced Russian was solid in his end and jumped into the play picking up two assists though one was kind of lucky on that Avery tally. Tyutin has looked comfortable and is playing very good hockey as his four helpers and plus-two rating would indicate.

-The Rangers were beaten badly in the faceoff circle by Atlanta losing 36 of 51 draws. Somehow, top pivot Michael Nylander lost 17 of 18 which is just inexplicable. This can't happen again in three days.

-Club enforcer Colton Orr got only six shifts (3:43) and took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. What's the point of having him in if you're hardly going to use him? Next game, Ryan Hollweg needs to be back in.

-The Thrashers once again won the physical battle outhitting the Rangers 22-10. I still feel they need to be more physical because things can change in a hurry. Especially in a back-to-back situation Tuesday and Wednesday at home.

-While Kovalchuk and ex-Ranger Bobby Holik played well, Marian Hossa and Slava Kozlov were non-factors. That can't happen if Atlanta wants to get back in this series.


Our Three Stars:

3rd Star- Lundqvist (27 saves)
2nd Star- Hedberg (37 saves)
1st Star- Avery (goal, assist)


In the other NBC network game, the Penguins cameback to beat Ottawa 4-3 thanks to third period tallies from Jordan Staal and Sidney Crosby 2:10 apart. Crosby finished with a goal and assist while Calder frontrunner Evgeni Malkin added two helpers. The Pens overcame a 16 shot discrepancy as Ottawa outshot them 37-21. Marc-Andre Fleury rebounded from a tough game Wednesday night to make 34 stops in evening the best-of-seven series as it shifts to Mellon Arena.


The Devils and Lightning are scoreless a few minutes in. The Islanders and Sabres get underway in 20 minutes with Rick DiPietro back in goal for the crucial Game 2 at HSBC Arena.