Blueshirt Boggle

No Excuses Please

So let us get to the good highlights of the evening; The Thrashers lost so the magic number has been lowered to 3. Gee that one was real quick to write up. We will be back on Saturday with the prospect report.

OK so I was kidding about not wanting to write about this 4-1 loss to the Sens. It is bad enough fighting the flu but boy matters can get worse when you spend time watching a Ranger team get taken to school in every area of hockey BUT goaltending.

Prior to the start of the game one had to think that the Rangers actually had a chance on the road against a Senator team missing 3 of their best defensemen and no Hasek in goal. Talk about being really wrong.

From the drop of the first puck the Senators were a step quicker, a tad smarter with their play but really even missing those players could not put the Rangers away mainly because of the efforts by HenriK Lundqvist.

It was a frustrating game to watch as we got to see the Rangers dig their own grave for this game by taking some very dumb penalties (although a case can also be made that the refs did help by callings some suspect ones as well).

I could spend time rehashing all the calls but why bother? The Rangers hurt themselves the most tonight giving the 3rd best PP (1st at home) in the NHL not one but two 5 on 3s in the first period. There is a reason why the Sens are the best in the Eastern Conference as they took full advantage of both 5 on 3s, first Chris Neal scoring when both Rozsival and Tjutin were in the box and then Patrick Eaves scored while the Rangers were technically 3 men down as Sykora, Rozsival (AGAIN) and Poti were in the box.

On the second goal Danny Heatley did the Rangers a huge favor by taking a penalty after the goal was scored sparing the Rangers any further damage on those 5 on 3s. In fact it turned what should have been a Sen PP into a 4 on 4 and that led to Fedor Tjutin's 6Th goal. Tjutin's goal was a beauty a strong backhand that was lifted over Sen goalie Ray Emery but also give credit to Jagr for making the play happen with a smart pass of his own.

The Tjutin goal cut the Sen lead to 2-1 and it allowed the Rangers to escape a badly played period only down 2-1. The Sens (thanks to all those PPs) outshot the Rangers 20-8 in the first. In the second period the Rangers looked better but really never were a challenge to the Sens despite outshooting them 10-4.

The Senator's defense kept the Rangers for the most part to the outside rarely did the Rangers get in close to challenge Emery as they settled for perimeter shots. Credit the Sens as well for keeping Andrej Meszaros on Jagr just about every time Jagr stepped out on the ice. It was frustrating to watch the Rangers continuing to try to finesse their way into the offensive zone while the Senators were responding by punishing the Rangers with bodychecks.

One night after being perhaps the Rangers hardest working line on the ice, the Betts/Ward/Orr line became the least used. I will not buy the "Orr took a dumb penalty" nonsense as why because then it opens the door to the question: Why wasn't Rozsival sitting for his bad penalties?

Really Orr took one dumb one while Rosy took 2 for sure with his 3rd one perhaps a suspect call. Either way it became clear that even Sam and JD knew the game was over when Danny Heatley scored his 43rd goal on the power play (Ozolinsh was in the box at the time) to make it 3-1.

Once the score became 3-1 then the mantra became "Rangers played 12 games in 20 days" and it seemed as if that every play the Sens made was the mantra used to explain why the Rangers made a bad play.

The only problem with the "12 in 20" is that Renney gave Jagr more ice time than everyone but Ozolinsh. If the Rangers were so tired then why wasn't the ice time more evenly spread out to keep fresh legs on the ice?

The Sens then added a 4Th goal in the 3rd by Peter Schaefer and for a change it happened when both teams were at even strength. The 3rd period appeared to be played at a "time to get out of here" pace and for the Rangers it was a disappointing night following such a strong win against the Islanders.

IF the Rangers want to be taken seriously as a legit playoff contender then they are going to have show the rest of the NHL that they can follow up a good win with a second good win in the very next game. They still after 74 games have not learned that lesson.

More so is that now instead of being in the driver's seat for first place they have opened a door for the Flyers to take charge and in turn force the Rangers into the hunter role instead of the hunted. The Flyers will have 2 games to catch the Rangers before the teams meet on April 4Th. IF the Flyer's do in fact win both of their games then they will pass the Rangers by virtual of having one more win.

The Rangers will make the playoffs but they might regret losses like tonights when they see how they are seeded.

There was some prospect news and games tonight as well. Lauri Korpikoski (1st 04) and Dane Byers (2ND 04) are expected to joined Hartford for their playoff push. Both players are expected to sign what is called PTO contracts (Professional Tryout). In all honesty neither player had what one could call strong seasons.

Korpikoski scored all of 3 goals for TPS Turku in 51 games. I saw him in the WJCs and he struggled there as well.  I have some serious questions as to whether he is ready for North America at this time.

Dane Byers on the other hand had decent numbers but flags were raised about him when his Prince Albert team fell out of playoff contention very early in 06. To be fair to the prospect I had not seen him in person since Dec and MY look at him was very positive.

The Byers I know from firsthand looks is mainly a defensive specialist. He plays a physical game and will not back down from anyone at all. He is smart hard working player who was stuck on a very poorly built Prince Albert team. I don't however see him as anything more than a checking forward or 4Th liner in terms of potential.

As for those prospects still playing

In the QJMHL, Jonathan Paiement had an assist and teammate Marc-Andre Cliche was scoreless as their Lewiston MAINEiaces fell to Halifax 5-3 and a 2-2 tie in their series.

In the OHL, Tom Pyatt scored his 1st goal of the playoffs and added an assist but it was too little too late as his Saginaw Spirit still were swept out by Ryan Callahan's Guelph Storm 4-3. Callahan the Storm Captain missed the game and we will bring you word as to why when we find out.

In the WHL, Brodie Dupont had a goal as his Calgary Hitmen held off the Lethbridge Hurricanes 2-1 to tie their series at 2 games apiece.

5 is so nice a number

Hmm let us see Ranger score 5 in their win over the Islanders, Martin Straka earns his 5th career Hat Trick and the magic number to clinch a playoff spot is also now just 5. Nice night all around for the Rangers but some things do need to be said about the win.

Too often the scorers and those who play with flash get the lion's share of credit when a team wins. Jagr with 4 assists and Straka with Hat Trick make a strong case but to me I got to disagree with the selection of Jagr for the Team Contributor award that Sam and JD give out. Tonight in my book it belongs to Colton Orr who clearly not only played his best overall game as a Ranger but set the tempo for this win.

Orr whom most people scratched their heads when he was claimed by the Rangers off waivers is slowly becoming an important factor on this team. Tonight replacing Hossa on the Betts line, he had an impact right away as he TKOed the Fishies Eric Goddard a little over 3 minutes into the game. Goddard had landed a couple of decent punches on Orr to get the fight going but Orr's right hand to Goddard's Jaw ended the fight right there and then.

But that just begins to describe his efforts tonight as a couple of other plays stood out to me, first off in the 3rd period with the Rangers already up 4-1 there was Orr diving to get back onside to try to protect a Betts rush. The other was not that he fought Erskine but rather showing his smarts by not wanting to go with the Rangers up 3-0. Instead Erskine did the moronic thing and wound up giving the Rangers a 4 minute PP. Repeatedly during the game there was Orr in the middle of the play not doing the dumb goon thing but rather playing within the system.

It is those kinds of little things that wind up doing just as much to help win games as those who put the puck into the net. Honorable mention also has to go to Jason Ward who should have scored a SH goal twice and Betts who got his 7th goal. In the playoffs this is the kind of line the Rangers will need to have producing in order to advance. They will frustrate the heck out of the opposition and will help protect their teammates.

As for the game itself, Jagr with his 4 assists passed Jean Ratelle for the single season scoring record. He might have passed Adam Graves but Straka's leg got in the way of what could have been his 53th goal. Jagr in the first period though was everywhere as he actually wound up taking a shift with all 4 lines at various points in the period.

He started with Straka and Nylander, then worked a shift with Prucha and Rucchin, then with Orr in the box for his fight Jagr took a shift with Betts and Staka. Finally there he was with Moore and Hollweg which really had to frustrate the Islanders as they could not key on any one line to try to stop Jagr since he was everywhere.

It was Petr Prucha who got the Rangers going with his 29th goal of the season on the PP at 7:23. Prucha's goal tied a Rangers' single season record for PP goals by a rookie, equaling the 15 by Camille Henry way back in 1954. If you watched the goal you saw why Prucha is so dangerous on the PP as the replays showed how he carried his stick in a shooting position all the time while skating to an open spot on the ice. When we get frustrated watching all those veterans playing passing games then maybe we ought show them what Prucha does.

90 seconds later Martin Straka got the first of his 3 goals assisted by Jagr and Betts. 5 minutes and 6 seconds later it was Jagr and Nylander who got the assists on Straka's second goal. That made it 3-0 at the end of the first period and the game was clearly over at that point. The Islanders were disorganized and frustrated something that would carry over into the 2nd period.

The second period can best be summed up as the "NHL's Guide on how not to ref a game".  During the Esrkine/Orr fight, Marek Malik became the target of the Fishie's Eric Goddard after an accidental elbow to the Islander's Shawn Bates. Did the refs forget that when you direct teams to the benches during a fight and a player refuses to go that it is an "unsportsmanlike conduct"?

Later during the same period Malik again (from my POV) was the target of a run attempt which was leg on leg and should have been at the very least 2 minutes for tripping but wasn't called. Instead the calls made during this period can only nicely be described as "phantom, make up or excuse me". When the NHL wonders why things get out of hand during games, then they need to look at the tape of this 2nd period as it is a miracle something stupid did not happen.

As it was in the second period, Straka's natural hat trick really was a deflection off his leg on a Jagr shot. At first glance everyone thought the goal was Jagr's record setting 53rd but it was not meant to be as video replay clearly showed the puck going in off Straka's leg but Jagr still wound up with his 4th assist to cap off a strong night for him.

Henrik Lundqvist got the start tonight and one can't really say that he was tested by the Islanders as he faced just 19 total shots for the entire game. The only goal he gave up was one he really should have stopped (Yashin's goal with 3 seconds left in the 2nd period) but in the end Lundqvist joined the record setters as he recorded his 30th win a new record for Ranger rookie goalies.

In the 3rd Blair Betts got his 7th of the season assisted by Jason Ward to bring the score to 5-1 as the Ranger coasted to the win. The win also extends the Rangers lead over the Flyers in the battle for first place in the Atlantic Divison to 4 points. The Rangers travel to face Ottawa tomorrow night and then are off until they face the Flyers next Tuesday.

The Prospects were also in action tonight as well:

In the OHL, Marc Staal was scoreless but his Sudbury Wolves were still able to take care of the Kingston Frontenacs 5-2. With the win, the Wolves take a 3-1 series lead.

Also taking a 3-1 series lead are Trevor Koverko's Owen Sound Attack as they whipped the Kitchener Rangers 7-2. Koverko was also scoreless.

In the WHL, Zdenek Bahensky had an empty net goal to clinch the Saskatoon Blade's 5-3 win over the Regina Pats. With the win the Blades now have a 3-1 series lead.

Ryan Russell had a goal and an 2 assists but his Kootenay Ice still lost to Kelowna 5-4 to even their series at 2 games apiece. Dalyn Flatt was scoreless.

Roman Psurny and his Medicine Hat Tigers ended the season of the Swift Current Broncos by sweeping them out with a 3-2 OT winner. Psurny had 2 assists including setting up the tying goal which sent the game in OT.

Some Help from Others

The Rangers had the night off but they got some help as those Flyers lost to the Maple Leafs 3-2. The Flyer loss allows the Rangers to remain in first place in the Atlantic Divison but now gives the Rangers a 2 point lead in the standings as the Flyers lost their game in hand. Both teams will have 2 games each to play before they meet in what could become a season defining matchup on April 4th.

To be honest I am old school when it comes to hockey, I hate seeing teams back their way in, hate seeing them play scoreboard watching and hate seeing tiebreakers come into play.

The best thing the Rangers can do is just win their way in by themselves. Lets not have to play with any of the tiebreakers, not worry about so other team helping them out, JUST WIN AND YOU ARE IN. Sounds simple doesn't it?

The way I see things if the Rangers have any combo of 7 points earned by the Rangers or lost by 9th place Thrashers then the Rangers are in the playoffs. When you look at the remaining schedule of 10 games there is no way that the Rangers will drop 10 straight games in regulation.

Look there are 3 games with the Sewage Kings of Long Island, a game each with the Bruins and Pens. There is 10 points right there and to be honest as a long time Ranger fan what would be more enjoyable than ending the playoff drought than to clinch a playoff spot April 11th at MSG against those Sewage Kings?

As for first place a good guess would be that if the Rangers can split those games 1-1 then they will wind up with the division title. The Flyers have the 2 games with the Rangers, 3 games with the Devils, 2 games with the Sewage Kings and one each with the Leafs, Sabres and Pens. Clearly the schedule advantage belongs to the Rangers but again if the Rangers take care of their own business then the 3rd seed will be theirs and they will not need to depend on others.

I also want to see the Rangers clinch their playoff seed ASAP as to get some rest for those who they will be leaning on in the playoffs. Clinch fast and let Lundqvist take a couple of games off, IF Jagr is true to his word about winning meaning more than scoring titles then let him take a night or 2 off as well as he has been fighting some nagging injuries.

While the Rangers were off tonight the prospects in the CHL were very busy:

First Star of the Game (and of the Prospect report as well) Ryan Callahan had a 2 goal and 2 assist performance in Guelph’s 4-1 win over Tom Pyatt (one assist) and his Saginaw Spirit. Guelph now takes a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Jakub Petruzalek was held scoreless but his Barrie Colts are advancing in the OHL playoffs as they swept out Toronto St Michael’s Majors with a 4-1 win.

3^rd Star of the game Marc Staal assisted on both of the Subury goals as his Wolves shut out Kingston and take a 2-1 series lead.

In the QJMHL, Marc-Andre Cliché had a goal and an assist to help lead Lewiston to a 4-1 win over Halifax. Fellow prospect Jonathan Paiement was scoreless. The MAINEiacs take a 2-1 series lead with the win.

In the WHL

Roman Psurny had an assist as his Medicine Hat Tigers blasted Swift Current 7-1 as the Tigers now take a 3-0 series lead.

Zdenek Bahensky had an assist but it wasn’t enough as his Saskatoon Blades lost in OT to Regina 5-4. Despite the loss the Blades still hold a 2-1 series lead.

2^nd Star Ryan Russell had a goal and 2 assists (including one that set up the game winner) as Kootenay took a 2-1 series lead with a 4-3 win over the Kelowna Rockets. Teammate Dalyn Flatt was scoreless.

Brodie Dupont had a goal but it was not enough as his Calgary Hitmen fell to Lethbridge 6-4. Calgary now trails in the series 2-1.

Michael Sauer setup the tying goal as the Portland Winterhawks came back to defeat the Seattle Thunderbirds 2-1 to take a 2-1 series lead.

A Win that isn't a Win

Ok Ok we can highlight that they came back from down 2 goals to tie the game. We can talk about all those corny cliches about how they showed heart and more. We can talk about Jagr tying Gravy and Ratelle in their respective records. We can be the Ranger shills AKA JD and Sam and tell how wonderful this win was.

Yes coming back from 2 goals down to rally and steal that extra point in the Shootout is nice but why did this game have to go to the shootout to begin with.

Boy Prucha barely had time to sit down in the penalty box when the Sabres cashed in 21 seconds into their PP to take the 1-0 lead. The Rangers though took advantage of their own PP to even the score when Straka got his 15th at 15:11. Sandis Ozolinsh gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead when he cashed in his 11th Ranger point in 10 games.

The 2nd period can best be describe as the "Guide for how to make your goalie look bad without really trying". To me the who period can be summed up by how Daniel Briere was left all alone to be fed a sweet pass and skate in UNTOUCHED to not only take a shot but grab his own rebound to score which was the 3rd of 3 Sabre goals in the 2nd period. Replays showed Rangers skating AWAY from Briere what already had 2 assists in the game prior to his goal.

Kevin Weekes will never be a popular guy among Ranger fans and you would not know it by the way his teammates supported him BUT he happens to be one of the leaders in the locker room. He deserves a much better fate than his teammates have given him.

In the 3rd Weekes was replaced by Henrik Lundqvist and that the Rangers were able to first get to 4-3 when Petr Sykora cashed in his 15th goal as a Ranger (and his 7th PP) from Jagr and Nylander. Then just about 7 minutes later Jagr tied Adam Graves for most goals in a season when the same 3 players teamed up to tie the score thanks to Jagr's 52nd goal.

However the Rangers missed chance after chance to win this game in regulation and in OT which set up the 3 straight shootout the Rangers have played in. Once again Sykora scored on his SO chance (he is now 4 for 5 as a Ranger) while Nylander didn't (although he shocked folks by not using his "Grandpa Wheezer" move).

Did the Rangers deserve these 2 points? NOPE not at all but sometimes you are given gifts during the season and you had best take advantage of them.

I know one thing the Rangers will not have home ice against the Sabres if they do not win the Atlantic Divison. The Sabres despite it looking like the season series was tied 2-2 actually win it on points because their wins were in regulation while the Rangers were in SOs. Not good.

The Rangers remain an under 500 team since the Olympic break at 5-5-4. They regain First place in the Atlantic Division passing idle Philly and now get a day off before having to play an odd schedule the rest of this week with games Wed and Thurs but after that off until April 4th.

I forget who asked but for those interested in the Ranger record in one goal games here is how it breaks down: Overall they are 13-11-12.

5 wins have been in regulation

3 wins have in in OT

5 wins have been in Shootouts

11 losses in regulation

8 losses in OT

4 losses in Shootouts.

Moving on to the Prospects

Ryan Callahan earned 2nd Star honors with a goal as his Guelph Storm beat Tom Pyatt's Saginaw Spirit 4-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. Pyatt was held scoreless.

Trevor Koverko was also scoreless and his Owen Sound Attack lost game 3 of their series to the Kitchener Rangers 4-3 in DOUBLE OT. The Attack lead their series 2-1.

Normally I do a prospect star of the night but I think Ryan Callahan took care of that as the only scorer so instead I would like to leave you with this one from a former Ranger (NOT A) fan favorite Fedor Federov who explains WHY he has had troubles with 2 NHL franchises:

“I’ve been in (pro) systems since I was 20 years old,” the 27-year-old Federov told the Post-Standard. “I haven’t even got a fair chance yet. I think I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to do to get a chance, to a T.”

I have forwarded this quote to the NHL offices as a clear sign of someone who is truly in need of help. If anyone here has heard Ron White's latest CD then they know that it had to been named after Federov. The title you ask?

You can't fix Stupid

Fits him don't you think?

Sunday Stuff and a look ahead

Alright let us get right to the action:

The Maine Blackbears advanced to the Frozen Four by escaping Michigan State 5-4. Greg Moore's empty net goal with 35 seconds remaining turned out to be the game winner as Michigan State refused to quit and scored at 19:55 to scare Maine before the game ended.

As far as college games goes this one was a dandy as Maine's Moore and Billy Ryan along with MSU's Corey Potter each made strong cases as to why they should be signed by the Rangers. For Moore it was showing his maturity and smarts at both ends of the ice which is why he was a Hobey Baker finalist. His EN goal itself showed his smarts as he got the puck just outside of his defensive zone but made very sure that he crossed center ice before taking a shot at the empty net. How many times have we seen the pros just get the puck and fire?

Billy Ryan still is a work in progress but shows a lot of promise as he has an uncanny ability to set screens (his led directly to one goal) and a willingness to pay the price to set up in the crease. Corey Potter is someone who I see as mainly a stay at homer at the pro level. He has the size and the skill but I would like to see him bulk up more with his upper body.

Maine will face Wisconsin on Thurs April 6th in the Frozen Four.

The only other Ranger prospect in action tonight was Jakub Petruzalek of the Barrie Colts and he earned First Star honors with a goal and 3 assists as his Barrie Colts took a commanding 3-0 series lead over Toronto St. Michaels.

Elsie asked this question about Ranger prospects in response to yesterday's post:

what I am curious about is how many of the guys we will sign, and when? aside from Staal, there are these 12 guys playing in N.A. and at crossroads:

Well normally I would say wait until the June issue of the BB but it is a slow quiet night and I can give my own choices as to which 3 players I would sign if it were up to me:

Jakub Petruzalek according to my sources actually was offered a contract by the Rangers last summer but got some bad advice and didn't sign. I know the Rangers love what he brings to the table (perhaps the best PURE playmaker of all the prospects) and I fully expect him to be signed as soon as Barrie ends their season.

Greg Moore is another one who I believe the Rangers will sign as he is perhaps the best 2 way forward of the bunch. I do see him as being better than Betts as a checking center only he will offer more offense than Betts. I for one would not at all be shocked if he winds up with the Rangers next fall.

Brandon Dubinsky is going to become a fan favorite of the Ranger fans. He has strong offensive skills but what I love the most about him is how he elevates his game when it is needed. He is always thinking on the ice and had he not gotten injured would have been a top 10 WHL scorer. There is no coincidence that when Dubinsky was out injured that his Winterhawks lost 11 straight games. It is also no conincidence that come playoff time he will put the team on his shoulder and carry them. In 2 playoff games so far Dubinsky already has 4 points (1-3-4)

As for Elsie's other question: "Are the rules differnet for Euro players who play CA Juniors?"

The best way to explain it is like this: IF a player is drafted in the CHL import draft before he is drafted by an NHL team then he is just like any other player in the CHL (meaning he can't be sent to the AHL until he turns 20). However IF the player is drafted by an NHL team and then selected in the Import Draft then he is not subject to the 20 yr old rule and can be signed and assigned to the AHL.

Confusing huh?

Finally a big sarcastic boo-hoo goes out to the now fired Boston Bruin Gm Mike O'Connell. Now if ever there is a franchise that deserves to be dumped all over it is the Bruins. O'Connell who was a disciple of super cheapskate Harry Sinden spent 6 seasons screwing up the Bruins. His trade this season of Joe Thornton to me has to rank among the single dumbest move of the year.

Now if only someone would figure out a way to fire the owner of the Bruins then life as a Bruin fan just might have some hope of getting better. Until then I for one hope that for as long as Jacobs owns the Bruins that they rot in the basement for a hundred years.

A peek at tomorrow night:

Rangers take on the Sabres in a must win game for the Rangers in several ways as besides the first for 1st place but also possibly a playoff preview as well. Sabres like the Rangers have been struggling as of late so which team comes ready to play will be looking to send the other a possible playoff message.

Also Trevor Koverko, Ryan Callahan and Tom Pyatt's teams will all be in OHL playoff action.

Now it is time to go see what happens with Tony Soprano(or in other words I have seen WAY TOO MUCH hockey action this weekend and need a break)

Refs Give Rangers Shafting

Ok I know Dubi is the nice guy here since he has to see many of these folks in person but I am everywhere so I really don't care if I hurt some ref's feelings. Nothing will piss me off more than a ref's call right or wrong as being the pivotal point in the game. Tonight we saw that as the Refs waving off what should have been a Rucchin goal giving the Rangers a 4-2 lead was flat out a bogus (well I will not say it was bulldoody since we are a family mag) ripoff

How many times do we the fans get told that in order for a call to be changed it has to be due to CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE. IF someone who attended the game in person can tell us exactly what the ref's original call was then it will help explain what happened. Was the original call a goal or not? That much I don't know which is going to be a big difference in explaining what happened.

To be honest I don't buy JD's nonsense that you have to have seen it cross the goal line because Grahame was on top of the puck PAST THE GOAL LINE right? Either way no matter what it was clearly the turning point in the game for the Rangers.

We can talk about the failure to play a full 60 minutes of effort. We can talk about Lundqvist and his continuing struggles as of late. We can talk about how the price of dinner at Applebees has gone up and we can even talk about how bad a job Throwaway did in his Wolf Pack report (that will teach you to make fun of me Throwaway so there).

What we really do need to talk about is how a game got stolen from the Rangers by the refs. Give the Rangers a 2 goal lead halfway though the game and they have a shot. A little over a minute after the goal got waved off the Bolts tied the score at 3 which led to the eventual shootout win for them.

Just as frustrating is reading recaps from the supposed pros in the media who not once mentioned this (this is written at 1 AM EDT time Sun) controversial call. HELLO FOLKS who call themselves reporters this call affected the outcome of the game you realize or did you guys not notice how the Bolts gained momentum while the Rangers lost theirs?

Once again a special night by Jagr goes for nothing as Jagr had yet another multi point game (his 33rd) with a goal (51st) and an assist (56th) to just about rewrite the Ranger record book to the Jaromir Jagr Story. Having been there for Jean Ratelle's original record setting season, I hope Jagr appreciates what being a Ranger truly means. Jean Ratelle has (in my book) never gotten his just credit for his efforts as a Ranger. He was truly a class act.

Petr Prucha (AKA the Human Pinball Machine) also had a multi point night as he notched his 28th goal and 15th assist. He is now one PP goal away from tying yet another true Ranger great in Camille Henry's record for PP goals by a rookie. It is a shame that the current Ranger ownership refuses to realize that besides Gilbert and Giacomin that there have been some very special players who have worn the Broadway Blue.

Anyway back to the game itself: credit the Rangers for coming out with a much better effort tonight as they did in fact dominate the Bolts up until that blown call. After that it seemed as if the sail went out of the Rangers. Alex Giroux made his Ranger (and NHL debut) after 5 seasons in the AHL playing all of 2:50 (geeze give the kid some time to show his stuff eh Coach).

Giroux did not play bad for his first time as in fact it was his efforts that led to Kubina getting called for hooking which in turn led to the Prucha goal. It seems to me that the 4th line is being used less and less as the season reaches it's critical points. Would love to know what Moore/Ortmeyer/Whoever has done wrong.

So if you are keeping score the Rangers since returning from the Olympic Break are just 4-5-4 with just ONE quality win. Lundqvist is now 3-3 in his last 6 starts so a legit question to ask is: Has our wonder kid finally hit the "rookie wall"?

Renney last night talked about how important last night's point was (which I bet he will say the same thing after this one as well) but he in my book is wrong. Folks please take a good look at the tiebreakers used by the NHL:

1.Wins

2. Points obtained in games against tied teams

3. Goal differential

After last night's action the Rangers have fallen out of first place in the Atlantic due to the Flyers having one more win than the Rangers. The best way to avoid dealing with tiebreakers is to take care of your own business by winning games not in OT but in regulation.

Good news on the medical report as Rucinsky is now only going to be out for a month instead of the first reported season ender. He should return in time for the last week of the season or beginning of the playoffs

A busy night for the prospects so let’s start with the NCAAs:

Top Ranked Boston University (Kenny Roche 3^rd 03) got blasted in the Northeast Regional Final 5-0. For Roche who will be returning as a senior next season it was a quiet ending to what was a very strong season by the junior forward who finished with 17 goals. Circle Roche as a player to watch for the 06/07 season.

Maine with Greg Moore’s (C Rights in Simon trade) 27^th goal of the season took out Dylan Reese (7^th 03) and his Harvard Crimson 6-1 in their Eastern Regional semi finals. Fellow prospect Billy Ryan (3^rd 03) was scoreless. The Black Bears will face Corey Potter and the Michigan State Spartans in the Eastern Final. For Senior Dylan Reese he now awaits a possible contract offer from the Rangers.

Speaking of Corey Potter (4^th 03), his MSU Spartans defeated New Hampshire 1-0 to set up their game against Maine. Check your local TV listings, as this game should be shown on ESPNU tomorrow.

Joey Crabb’s (7^th 02) college career also came to an end this evening as his Colorado College team lost to Cornell 3-2 in the Midwest Regional semifinals. Crabb was 18-25-43 this season and deserves serious consideration for a contract by the Rangers.

In the QJMHL playoffs

Marc-Andre Cliché (2^nd 05) and Jonathan Paiement (8^th 04) assisted on the games only goal as Lewiston shut out Halifax 1-0 to even their series at 1 game each.

The OHL

Marc Staal (1^st 05) had an assist as Sudbury evened their series at 1 with a 4-1 win over the Kingston Frontenacs.

Trevor Koverko (5^th 05) was scoreless but his Owen Sound Attack took a 2 games to none lead over the Kitchener Rangers.

The WHL

Zdenek Bahensky (3^rd 04) was scoreless but his Saskatoon Blades took a 2-0 series lead with a 4-1 over Regina.

Brodie Dupont (3^rd 05) also was held scoreless but Calgary Hitmen lost their game 5-2 to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The loss evened the series at 1.

Roman Psurny (5^th 04) had an assist as Medicine Hat blew out Swift Current 7-1 to take a 2-0 lead in their series.

Dalyn Flatt (3^rd 05) scored his 2^nd career WHL goal but it wasn’t enough as his Kootenay Ice lost to Kelowna Rockets 5-1 to even their series at 1. Fellow prospect Ryan Russell (7^th 05) who scored the game winner in double OT last night was scoreless

Brandon Dubinsky (2^nd 04) and Michael Sauer (2^nd 05) assisted on Portland’s only goal but that was the only goal of the game as Portland evened their series with the Seattle Thunderbirds with a 1-0 win.

The Stars:

1^st Star Dalyn Flatt (Kootenay WHL) a Goal

2^nd Star (Tie): Dubinsky, Sauer (Portland WHL), Cliché, Paiement (Lewiston QJMHL) each an assist on their team’s only goal of the game which was a 1-0 win for both teams.

Lastly we send out Get Well wishes to Phil Furrer (profiled in the current issue) who had surgery on his twice broken hand and Ivan Baranka who is out 4-6 weeks with his own broken hand. Both are 2 of the nicer folks the Rangrs have for prospects and we want to see them back in action as soon as possible.

Easy day on Sunday (I think)

Saturday Update

So Dubi has left the USA for France, hmm I am sure there are plenty of jokes to be said there but we will see how badly this damages US/French relations.

Martin Rucinsky has more than a broken finger as it is now termed a "multiple fracture of the left index finger". It appears his season is over so the question now is do the Rangers do the smart thing and move Prucha into his spot or will Ranger fans finally get a chance to see Nigel Dawes?

Subsribers of the BB already know that Nigel Dawes is a the real deal, he is having a solid first year as a pro with the Wolfpack. Dawes is 3rd in scoring for the Wolfpack having a 31-24-55 season. Any questions about his size will disappear when you get to see him. It is way past time for the Rangers to start showing some more of the future.

For Brandon Dubinsky (2nd 04) there is some concern about his health as he was slashed last night and was unable to play most of the 3rd period. As I said last night, Dubinsky is the man for the Winterhawks who lost 11 straight games when the kid was out of the lineup.

It is another really busy Saturday in hockey as the Rangers are playing the Lightning, the NCAAs continue as do the CHL playoffs. We already have our first final of the day (well the USA day) as HIFK has taken a 2-0 series lead over SaiPa with a 2-1 win. Ranger prospect Kim Hirschovits was scoreless in this game.

Excrutiating, Painful Loss

Yesterday was my 50th birthday. I thought I was going to Disney World with my kids, but I found out during our little family celebration that that was just a ruse, and that they were sending me to Paris for the week instead. I had already asked Jess to fill in during that time, not expecting to have time to do much while shunting the kids between Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, but now I will really be out of touch. So thanks to Jess for picking up the slack.

My birthday ended badly last night with the Rangers' shootout loss to Florida. This was more than just a loss. I felt like I was watching the disintegration of everything that has been built here this season. This game was torture. The Rangers thinking they could skate at half speed and let their talent best an inferior team was exactly what was wrong the past seven seasons, especially since they knew the Panthers are hungry for a playoff spot. One game after Tom Renney said the team let Jagr down, they did it again, letting his 50th goal go to waste. Only Jagr, Kevin Weekes (before a weak shootout performance), Petr Sykora, and the latter two-thirds of the HMO boys came to play.

All that concern over disturbing the chemistry of the team -- well, that was shot to hell with the acquisition of Sandis Ozolinsh. I'd rather see Jason Strudwick play regularly -- this Ozo guy is a disaster area. He's not even helping the power play as advertised, the power play unit turning in a pathetic performance last night. Even the power play goal that was scored proved the point -- with time winding down on the period, Ozolinsh refused to consider any option other than passing, just as he did at the close of the first period when he passed up a last second shot looking for a pass (Nylander too). Finally, he just about fumbled the puck over to Sykora, who thankfully loves to shoot anytime, anywhere -- and his mostly harmless shot deflected in off a defender.

And to see the Rangers plastered at every turn was disheartening. Martin Rucinsky is out for the season because of a wanton slash that was every bit as dangerous and reckless as Ryan Hollweg's hit from behind (the Rangers recalled Alexandre Giroux from Hartford to replace him). How Petr Prucha survived this game is a miracle, though the boy wonder keeps on going no matter what. Ozolinsh twice left the ice at less than full power, the second time from a thundering check as OT ran out -- a cheap shot even if it was clean. Jagr was hit hard a couple of times.

Add in the most atrocious officiating yet, and this was no fun at all, salvaged point notwithstanding. How can these refs justify calling every little inconsequential hook and tug while allowing slashes that break fingers and sticks, punishing hits from behind, and post-whistle roughing? I'd love to spend some time going over the video of the game with NHL officials, recording their justification of the officiating, and then adding a laugh track and sending it into Comedy Central. Don Koharski even joked with John Davidson before the game that he was "the king of hooking" -- is this his way of thumbing his nose at the new NHL, by making a travesty out of the game?

Oh well. The good news is, we got the next issue of Blueshirt Bulletin done on time. I approved the proofs last evening, it will go to press early next week, and should start hitting mailboxes and newsstands toward the end of the week or perhaps early the first week in April. Time to go pack now. They say my hotel in Paris has internet access, which if true means that I will check in from time to time. But Jess will be running the show -- in fact, his report for today should be right down below this one. See you in a week!

A Very Busy Hockey Night

Ok so let us acknowledge that my game recaps are not going to be as pretty as Dubi’s are; so I will apologize in advance for this report. Of course let me also state for the record that Dubi has been doing game recaps since the MSG Zambonis were horse driven. In addition to tonight's Ranger game I also have on the NCAAs, the CHL playoffs and a report from Finland. So let us start with the Rangers:

Let’s face some hard facts of life about the Rangers. The first fact of life is for all the offensive firepower that this team is able to put up they still got to give a full 60 minutes of effort. Tonight they didn’t and if not for Kevin Weekes would not have even earned a single point. IF this team wants to be viewed as a legit playoff contender then they have to stop allowing lesser than teams like the Panther to dominate them like they were for most of this game.

The Rangers can claim to be happy about earning a single point which to me is saying they know they did not deserve it at all.

I supposed this is where I am supposed to get all gushy and heap a ton of praise on Jagr for becoming the 3^rd Ranger to score 50 goals in a season. Well had the Rangers won the game or at the very least played for more than 10 minutes in the game then we can get all giddy about number 50. Had Jagr simply not tried to be so fancy on his shootout attempt that gave the Panthers the chance to win the shootout then I could be happy for him. Lose the game and sorry how many goals you got aren’t all that important. However congrats there Jagr next time make your goal count in a win.

However that the Rangers even made it to the shootout is because Kevin Weekes kept them in a game that in all honesty never should have gotten to the shootout. Weekes was credited with 40 saves on 42 shots but if the Panthers could shoot the puck straight that number would have been higher. Weeks kept the Rangers from falling behind with his play especially in the first period when the Panthers totally controlled the tempo of the game.

But yet I can see people wanting to find fault with Weekes will ignore his robbing Stumpel in the first period to keep the game scoreless. They will forget how Weekes covered up for giveaway after giveaway in the second period. Even better they will just think it was not Lundqvist and he would have never allowed a single goal tonight (hello can you remember the 6 he just gave up against the Flyers?)

Forgive me if I don’t look to question the refs for all those penalties the Rangers got called for in the second period because for the Rangers they were the kind of calls that a team not playing hard gets hit with.

Tom Poti’s hooking call led to Greg Campbell’s go ahead goal but then Campbell shot his teammates in the butt by taking a really dumb elbowing penalty that led to Petr Sykora’s 20th goal of the season which tied the score with just 10 seconds left in the 2^nd period. The cardinal rule in hockey is never give up a goal with under a minute to play in a period because it changes good old momentum.

Sykora’s goal appeared to be the jump-start the Rangers needed as the 3 period got started. The Rangers totally dominated play for the first 10 minutes of the period and then the last 5 minutes of regulation. However Panther goalie Roberto Luongo was more than up to the task including robbing Jagr twice during the 3^rd to send the game into the OT.

The OT of course was scoreless but in the shootout the difference could be perhaps that the Rangers try to be way too fancy with their attempts while the Panthers just attacked Weekes.

I got to question how come Petr Prucha who was the SO savior early in the season is not leading off for the Rangers? If not him then it has to be Sykora who is now 3 for 3 in SO attempts as a Ranger. Nylander with his "Grandpa Wheezer" move has got to go from the SO PLEASE. The game winner was in face a simple play by Olli Jokinen in the 5 hole while both Jagr and Nylander tried to play fancy. Even Sykora's goal was a simple beat Luongo high to the glove side.

Something else that bugs me about this game (well actually all season) was the diving call on Olli Jokinen. Look if you are called for diving it is basically the same as being called a cheater right? So if that is the case instead of both players going off why not just punish the diver? Seriously when you start punishing those who dive by giving the other team a PP then I bet you diving will disappear.

OK so now here we go with a very large prospect round up:

In the NCAA Division 1 Hockey Championships

Top Ranked Boston University with Kenny Roche (3^rd 03) putting up a goal and an assist took out Nebraska-Omaha 9-2 in the Northeast Regional Semis. They face archival Boston College once again only this time for the right to head to the Frozen Four.

OHL

Ryan Callahan (4^th O4) only had one assist on the scoresheet but was the game’s first star as his Guelph Storm took a 1-0 series lead over Tom Pyatt (4^th 05) and the Saginaw Spirit 3-2.

Jakub Petruzalek (9^th 04) had a goal and an assist to earn 3^rd star honors as the Barrie Colts defeated the Toronto St. Michael's Majors 6-5 to go up 2-0 in their OHL playoff series

Marc Staal had an assist but it wasn’t enough as Sudbury lost game 1 of their series 5-3 to the Kingston Frontenacs.

Trevor Koverko (5^th 05) was scoreless but his Owen Sound Attack took a 1-0 series lead over the Kitchener Rangers 3-2.

QJMHL

Neither Marc-Andre Cliché (2^nd 05) or Jonathan Paiement (8^th 04) scored as the Lewiston MAINEiacs dropped game 1 of their series

In the WHL

Brodie Dupont (3^rd 05) had a goal as his Calgary Hitmen took game 1 of their series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-2.

Zdenek Bahensky (4^th 04) was scoreless but his Saskatoon Blades beat the Regina Pats

3-3 to go up 1-0 in their series.

Roman Psurny (5^th 04) had a goal and an assist to help his Medicine Hat Tigers whip the Swift Current Broncos 5-2 to go up

Michael Sauer (2^nd 05) had 2 goals and a assist while teammate Brandon Dubinsky (2nd 04) had a goal with 2 assists but the Portland Winterhawks gave up 4 goals in the 3^rd period to lose game 1 of their series to the Seattle Thunderbirds 8-5. Something important to watch is that Dubinsky never left the bench after the first 5 minutes of the 3^rd period. No word as to why Dubinsky didn’t play much in the 3^rd period but this much is proven: Portland can’t win anything without Dubinsky playing.

In what had to be the game of the night Ryan Russell (7^th 05) had the game winner 27 seconds in the 2^nd OT to lead Kootenay Ice over the Kelowna Rockets 3-2. Russell also had an assist as did teammate Dalyn Flatt (3^rd 05) as the Ice take a 1-0 lead in their series. There was no official star of the game awarded when I wrote this but game winners in double OT normally get 2^nd star with the winning goalie getting the first star.

And we even have a report from Finland on Ranger prospect Kim Hirschovits (6^th 02). Hirschovits had 2 goals including the OT winner as his team HIFK Helsinki came back to win the first game of their series 4-3 Thursday night. Hirschovits who I am trying to get a profile done on for the next issue was the game’s third star. Let us say hello to our new friends in Finland Ari Halttunen and former NHL player and current HIFK coach Doug Shedden who have been working really hard to get us the profile on Kim Hirschovits.

Prospect Stars of the Night:

1^st Star: Michael Sauer (Portland WHL) 2 goals and an assist

2^nd Star: Ryan Russell (Kootenay WHL) Game Winning Goal and an assist

3^rd Star: Brandon Dubinsky (Portland WHL) 1 goal and 2 assists.

Hollweg Out as Rangers Head to Florida

Ryan Hollweg was suspended three games for his hit from behind on R.J. Umberger (reports today in the Journal News and Newsday). John Dellapina of the Daily News lauds Jaromir Jagr for backing up his statement on the importance of the recently concluded homestand. Larry Brooks of the Post takes offense at the Ranger defense -- conventional wisdom has stated that Henrik Lundqvist has been bailing out a defense that never looked good on paper, but recent events perhaps suggest it's more of a two-way street. As the Rangers head to Florida for the weekend, with two games in two nights, don't expect any pushovers, as both the Panthers and Lightning are making playoff pushes -- reports from South Florida here, here, and here.

In Hartford, Al Montoya keyed a Wolf Pack win the other night in Manchester, but Ivan Baranka broke his hand in a fight. A look at Hartford's week ahead from the Courant, as well as Theresa Schoenfeld's team yoga program. Charlotte lost again, and lost big.