Blueshirt Boggle

Jagr Leads Young Rangers to a Must-Win

The Rangers started this season with seven new faces on the roster compared to the team that finished last season, including key players like Brendan Shanahan, Aaron Ward, Matt Cullen, Adam Hall, and Karel Rachunek. Last night, nine of the players the Rangers started the season with were no longer with the team or otherwise not available -- three due to injury, one in the minors, two waived, and three traded away. And even though you can't really judge from their 4-0 wire to wire win over a Montreal team that never even attempted to contest the two points (except physically), there were two elements to the team that took the ice tonight that were more reminiscent of last year's team than this year's -- this was Jaromir Jagr's team, for really the first time this season; and this was a young team, one that made up for what they lacked on paper with the way they competed on the ice.

Although injuries to Shanahan, Martin Straka, and Kevin Weekes had a lot to do with it, the Rangers last night had only four players over the age of 30 (including 30 year old Cullen) and nine players age 25 or less. With Shanahan out of the line-up, the offense was geared completely toward Jagr, and with Ward dispatched to Boston, a direct challenge to Jagr's captaincy and style of play was excised. That may not be welcome news to fans who prefer a different style of play, but it is the only style of play that has been successful for the Rangers for any stretch of time in the past ten years, and it delivered a key win on a big night when every other playoff rival lost except for the Isles (who won in OT after blowing a 5-2 lead to Philly).

Perhaps most importantly, the power play came through, going 2-for-5 in the first two periods while the Habs were handed only one power play of their own. With a 3-0 lead, the Rangers made sure not to blow a third straight multi-goal lead and helped Henrik Lundqvist secure his third shutout of the season. Marcel Hossa continued to sport a hot scoring hand with a pair of goals. Even coach Tom Renney is not sure whether the notoriously streaky Hossa can maintain this torrid of a pace (eight goals in his last eleven games) and be finally deemed a goal scorer -- only time will tell, and only a continued focus on taking the puck to the net, which Renney credits for Hossa's resurgence, will tell a story with a good outcome for the enigmatic winger.

Notes: The Jagr-Ward "feud" was a big story before and after the game, but it was a one-side feud. As far as Jagr was concerned, the argument he and Ward had on the bench over three weeks ago in Tampa came in the heat of the moment and was forgotten -- Jagr apparently is no stranger to heated discussions with his teammates. But for Ward, it became a manufactured excuse for his benching the other night, the latest in a growing series of evasive tactics in blame-taking by the struggling defenseman, one taken repeatedly in a public forum behind Jagr's back -- Ward's method may have doomed him more than his particular madness.

The Rangers were hoping that Paul Mara could make it to New York on time for the game, but airline delays kept him from reaching the Garden until afterwards. Mara emphasized that, despite his size, his forte is as an offensive defenseman, a role he had filled throughout his career until this season, when Boston asked him to take a more defensive posture. He also made sure to tell people who asked that even though he was born in nearby Ridgewood, New Jersey, he was reared in the Boston area. Of course, he liked the Rangers growing up, he says, rooting for Brian Leetch. Of course.

Despite winning a game that keeps their playoff hopes alive for another day (or two), the news today is, quite naturally, mostly about the trades that were made (and, especially in the case of Ward, why they were made) and trades that were not made -- see the Daily News, Journal News, Newsday, Times, Post, Record, Advance, AP, SNY, and NY Sports Day, with additional notes from the Record and USA Today. More on the trades and Ward-Jagr situation in Blueshirts Blog, Rangers Report, SNY, MSGN.com (Kenny Albert), and MSGN.com (Dave Maloney) -- Rangers Report had a bunch of posts all day yesterday that are worth revisiting, but the best is the one about Ryan Hollweg. Habcentric game reports here and here (French).

There were a bunch of league-wide trade deadline reviews in which the Isles invariably came out as winners and the Rangers were mostly deemed neutral, but all of these are stricly focused on this season and do not for the most part take into account the damage the Isles may have done to their future, especially if Ryan Smyth signs elsewhere (here?), while the best thing the Rangers did was not mortgage any part of the future for a futile playoff run. The Smyth trade somewhat overshadowed Mark Messier night in Edmonton -- if you're interested, you can read about Messier in the News and CP. Reaction on the Rangers' trades from the other teams' point of view -- Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and from an AJC blog, Thrasher fan comments clearly demonstrate that no one there expected Alex Bourret to amount to much. The impact of roster churn on the Wolf Pack is the subject in the Hartford Courant. And Jess has a brief prospect update from last night:

No, what you are about to see is not a mistake. Everett and Eric Hunter’s Prince George Cougars did play two different games Tuesday night in what was a WHL first. First the two teams had to finish a game that was stopped back in October due to a Zamboni breakdown. The entire third period had to be played prior to the originally scheduled game. In the first game, Eric Hunter’s 23rd goal helped give the Cougars a 2-1 first period lead last fall, but Everett tied the game last night in the third period and went on to win in a shootout, 3-2. In the second game, Prince George was a 6-4 winner, with Hunter notching an assist. One has to feel sorry for Lukas Zeliska, his once promising season falling apart -- he was -4 in Prince Albert's 8-3 loss to Swift Current.

Mara a Ranger, Ward and Dupuis History

The Rangers have made two deasl today. In the first, they sent Aaron Ward to playoff rival Boston for fellow defenseman Paul Mara. In a one for one deal of defensemen, the Rangers get slightly bigger and a lot younger -- Mara is 6'4 and 212 pounds (Ward is listed at 6'2-215), and he is currently 27 years old (Ward is 34). Mara, a native of Ridgewood, New Jersey, is also more offensive minded than Ward, having sored nearly 200 points in just under 500 NHL games. He is an alarming -104 for his career, having always played for poor teams (Tampa Bay, Phoenix, and Boston). Mara earns $3 million compared to $2.75 million for Ward -- both players are signed through next season.

Ward told TSN, "I have no idea, I can't put my finger on it," about what went wrong for him in New York this season. "As the team goes, so goes the individual." Of the recent spat with Jaromir Jagr, he said, "It's been taken out of proportion," noting that these things happen on all teams. He said he was notified of the trade by Tom Renney during his pre-game meal. He said Renney told him that "I was no longer needed at Madison Square Garden tonight." Ward becomes the second major pre-season acquisition to not last the season (Adam Hall was the other).

Pascal Dupuis's tenure as a Ranger was even shorter. He was sent to Atlanta for Alex Bourret, 20, a 5-10, 205-pound right winger, a 2005 Atlanta first rounder, 16th overall, currently playing for Chicago of the AHL (11 goals, 21 assists in 45 games). According to this recent story at HF, Bourret had some difficulty adjusting to the pro game this season but has been coming on of late. For more on Bourret, see this story at Atlanta's web site, and this 2005 draft preview where ISS rated him in the top ten, even ahead of Marc Staal (although he did not go in the top ten, as we now know).

In other moves, the Rangers lost Jason Krog on waivers to Atlanta, the team they claimed him from in the first place, and recalled Brad Isbister from Hartford. Jarkko Immonen was also recalled. Ex-Rangers Jason Ward was traded by LA to Tampa for a fifth round pick, Dominic Moore was traded to Minnesota for a third rounder, and Ville Nieminen was part of the Bill Guerin deal. Mattias Norstrom, incorrectly reported to be coming back to the Rangers on XM radio, went to Dallas instead.

Waiting for a Knock-Out Punch

Will Jaromir Jagr still be a Ranger when the Blueshirts take the Garden ice for tonight's latest must-win playoff push game against the Habs? "Glen Sather is said to have told potential trading partners that he'd consider trading Jagr if presented an offer that 'knocked him out,'" writes Larry Brooks in the Post today. Does that mean Sather has gone to potential trading partners and offered up Jagr for a knock-out deal? Or have potential trading partners come to Sather asking about Jagr and he replied, "Knock me out"? Or did a reporter ask Sather if he'd consider trading Jagr and Sather answered sure, anyone is available for the right price, even Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier (although it's arguable whether he got the right price for those guys)? Or, given that the quote in the article is third person, did someone else, not Sather, say that the Ranger GM would consider trading Jagr if an offer "knocked him out"? And what would Ranger fans give to see Sather knocked out -- as Ranger GM? We don't know the answers to these questions. We only know there are enough of them to wonder what exactly was said, who said it, and what does it mean? Steve Zipay provides some insight in Blue Notes.

Zipay is the reporter who first mentioned an in-game argument between Jagr and Aaron Ward. John Dellapina of the Daily News asked both players about it, getting one of Ward's ever more frequent "no comment" answers and an angry response from Jagr about airing dirty laundry in public. The story gives some insight into Jagr's leadership style -- he wants people to play a certain way, and he tells them so in no uncertain terms. His European teammates quietly do what he tells them to (tells them to, not asks them to). Ward apparently took exception. Ward was probably not scratched because of the spat -- it happened a while back. He was scratched because of the third-period turnovers that gave the Devils a two on none breakaway and the game-tying goal last Thursday. Or, to go back to Zipay's Blue Notes entry for today, because the Rangers are trying to trade him.

What else will happen today as the 3:00 PM trade deadline approaches? As was reported yesterday and reiterated today in the Journal News and Newsday, Jason Krog was placed on waivers, probably to clear a roster spot for potential acquisitions. Bill Guerin remains the top forward available, rumors of him heading to Long Island probably shot down by the Isles' acquisition of Richard Zednik yesterday. Brent Sopel and Bryan Smolinski, two names linked to the Rangers, are off the table, having gone to Vancouver in a trade. Who else is out there? We're still hoping that the Rangers go for Columbus forward Nikolai Zherdev, someone who could provide an immediate jolt of offense and is only 22.

In other reading, as you wait to see if the deal goes down, the Post has a game-day story and USA Today has a notes update. Sather is in Edmonton for Mark Messier's number raising and is telling people he knew Mess was special when he drafted him (did he know Hugh Jessiman was special too?). The Rangers' retirement of Messier's number inspired a Staten Island man to rekindle his love for hockey. And is Mike Richter headed for Congress? He won't be the only keeper there -- Brooklyn congressman Anthony Weiner tends goal in my recreational league, and I scored the opening goal against him in our 9-2 blowout win last night. There was also prospect news last night, and here is our own Jess Rubenstein to relay it to you:

First off, we start with the weekly college poll which has Boston University (Kenny Roche) falling one spot to #5, Maine (Billy Ryan) up two to #11, and Michigan Tech (Jordan Foote) in again at #17. We also have notes from various junior teams. We want to thank Tiffany Harris of Kootenay for sharing the Weekly Ice Report. This week, Ryan Russell is highlighted: "Ryan Russell is tied for third in goals scored in franchise history with 93 (Nigel Dawes - 159, Jarret Stoll - 124, Mike Green - 93)... Russell needs one shorthanded goal to tie for the most shorthanded goals in franchise history with 11."

We also heard from one of the better play by play announcers in junior hockey, Brad Curle of Calgary, who shares with us these Hitmen notes on Brodie Dupont: "Moose is Loose: After suffering through a stretch in January that saw Brodie Dupont collect only one assist in nine games, the big left winger has regained his form. In the 15 games since, he has 13 goals and seven assists, and has recorded four two-goal games. Through those 14 contests he has only been held off the score sheet three times. Iron Men: Only three Hitmen have played in all 65 regular season games this season: Ryan White, Brodie Dupont, and Carson McMillan. Brodie Dupont is tied for fifth in goals (36)."

We thank Brad and Tiffany for sharing that with us as they help us get word out to you folks about Ranger prospects developing in their programs. This extended network is why you should be subscribing to Blueshirt Bulletin. We get our readers the kind of information found nowhere else. Not a subscriber? Then all you have to do is click this link and you can be one of the few, the smart, the Blueshirt Bulletin reader.

Rangers Rest Up For... What?

Update: Jason Krog placed on waivers, no doubt to open up a roster spot in case the Rangers swing a deal by tomorrow. See Rangers Report. Martin Straka's injury is to his shoulder -- he didn't practice today, might play tomorrow.

In an article for the next issue of Blueshirt Bulletin, Bruce Berlet, who covers the AHL Wolf Pack for the Hartford Courant, wrote an article about what happened after the Pack's February 7th loss, their second in a row after a 12-1-1 streak. "Practice the next day was thirty minutes of almost non-stop skating that one player called the most stressful of the season," Bruce wrote. "Apparently education is not working," said Hartford GM-coach Jim Schoenfeld of his grueling practice. "The age of information has not landed in Hartford, so we had to try another way. If the other methods we used got the message across, we wouldn’t have to go down this street." Said veteran defenseman Dale Purinton: "They could see the direction we were heading, so they definitely put up a big stop sign. We didn’t fail to read it." Bruce places this little observation within the article: "Some said the Rangers themselves could have used such a workout at times this season."

Such a time would have been yesterday, the day after their stick the fork in them 3-2 loss to lowly Columbus. Instead, the Rangers had the day off. Punishing skating drills might not have been the best tonic for a team after 62 games with a last gasp playoff run of twenty games still ahead. But how about ruining their leisure time with an hour of, oh, let's say, power play and penalty killing practice? Forcing Michael Nylander to feed Michal Rozsival on the point and have Rozsival shoot the puck could not possibly have hurt, could it? Or was everyone too intereted in watching the final round of the Accenture Match Play Tournament as they turn their thoughts to their usual spring pastime, golf?

The trade deadline looms, and with the Rangers in need of shedding some underachieving veterans and shoring up the defense and second line, they appear caught in a couple of catch-22 situations -- they don't want to trade future assets of value for immediate help, and no one wants the detritus of their NHL roster. As they look to salvage this nearly lost season when they really should be shoring up their future in this seller's market, the most likely outcome appears to be nothing of consequence. Larry Brooks of the Post and Sam Weinman of the Journal News look at these issues in their articles today.

In other reading, Joe McDonald at NY Sports Day defends Jaromir Jagr against growing fan dissatisfaction with the Ranger captain, NHL.com has a look at Dane Byers's family roots, including his cousin LB, Lyndon Byers, the one-time Bruin agitator who is now a radio personality in Boston, and the Rangers may not be able to beat their competitors, but CherryPharm kicked pomegranate juice's butt in a head to head battle. Hartford had an easy time of it in a 5-1 win -- they are now 7-1 since Schoenfeld got their attention with that strenuous skating drill. Charlotte won, with Bruce Graham scoring his 29th of the season. David Mishkin, a reader in South Carolina, took in the game and reported, "Graham scored again, fourth in three games here. He seems pretty slow and lumbering, but his long strides may camouflage his true speed. Maybe he will become a Tim Kerr like power forward? Has good hands." And Jess finishes up his coverage of this weekend's prospect action:

We start our Sunday report by announcing the first round best of three matchups for the ECAC and CCHA playoffs. Harvard (Dylan Reese) will be hosting Yale (Greg Beller) in the ECAC, and Darin Olver and Northern Michigan will head to Ohio State for first round action in the CCHA.

In game action, Ryan Hillier and Halifax hosted PEI in an afternoon contest. The Mooseheads must have thought it was a later start because they didn't show up, blasted by the Rockets, 5-2. Hillier did not score. David Kveton, coming off a three point performance Saturday night, led Gatineau on the road against Victoriaville. Kveton did not score, and his Olympiques lost a heartbreaking 4-3 decision when the Tigres scored with four seconds left in regulation. In the OHL, Tom Pyatt’s 34th goal tied the game at 2-2 and Saginaw went on to win in a shootout, 3-2 over Sault Ste. Marie. When Brampton traded for Dalyn Flatt, making the playoffs seemed out of the question. With the Battalion's 4-3 win over Ottawa, they take sole possession of the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Flatt did not score and John Seymour missed his third straight game.

In the wild west known as the WHL, Lukas Zeliska was back in the lineup as Prince Albert took on Saskatoon. PA started the night with a four point lead over the Blades for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders now have a six point lead as they won, 3-1. Zeliska did not score so he will most likely be sitting out the next game. In what was a great game, Brodie Dupont's Calgary Hitmen hosted Michael Sauer and Medicine Hat. The game went into the third period scoreless when a questionable call on Dupont led to a Tiger power play on which they scored en route to a 2-0 win. We did have fireworks as a suspect hit by Sauer led to Dupont challenging him -- our first fight between Ranger prospects this season, a draw as neither got a clear shot on the other.

Shanahan Upbeat, Rangers Beaten Down

Brendan Shanahan made a surprise appearance in the press room at the Garden to update the media on his condition. He later appeared during intermission on MSGN, an interview which was shown inside the Garden, so everyone who watched has pretty much heard what he had to say. He got to speak to us a bit more extensively, so here is more of what he said.

Shanahan said he is feeling fine overall but is still experiencing one concussion symptom, vertigo (dizziness), and continues to suffer amnesia about the mid-ice collision that knocked him out of action a week ago. "I'm experiencing symptoms, but overall I'm feeling good," he said. "I've never had a concussion before so I have no history to draw on. I have symptoms like vertigo. We just have to wait for the symptoms to go away, and that is when I'll start workouts."

About playing again this season, he said, "I'm optimisitic. I've been lucky in my career with injuries, especially with [not suffering] concussions. I have a hard Irish head. Unlike other injuries, there is no exact science -- it depends on how certain individuals respond. People are starting to think it's genetics, some are more prone to it than others. I feel fortunate that I don't have a history of this, [which makes] me optimistic that I will recover."

Optimistic though he may be, his treatment schedule suggests that he will be out a considerable period of time. "I see our trainers pretty much every day," he said. "I imagine it would be weekly that I would go in for check-ups with the neurologist to try to stay on top of it. They've encouraged me to get as much sleep as possible, especially in the early going, for healing reasons. [But] my sleep patterns are pretty much the same as they were before. I steal away in the middle of the afternoon to get a little bit of rest, just because they told me that's one of the best healings. I've been going down to the rink the past couple of days and getting a little bit of treatment, trying to get up and move around."

He remembers little of what happened to him, but the fans played a role in reviving him. "I don't remember any of the shift or collision," he said. "But I have seen it [on video]. The first thing I remembered, kind of a nice feeling, I heard the fans chant my name. They kind of woke me up. I thought I had scored. It brings me back to the Garden fans and what they have given to me in my short time in New York. I was out a long time and they woke me up. It scares you to be unconscious like that and lose your memory and wake up in a situation you don't know how you got there or when or why."

But he said that it will not change his attitude toward playing, even at his age and having seen what players like Eric Lindros have gone through. "By no means had it changed anything about my passion for playing," he insisted. "I can't stress enough how, regardless what other people have gone through, we all have a different history and genetics. I've had lots of fights and lots of opportunities to get one and I've never had one. I seems like I just had a head for the game of hockey. But it hasn't changed my passion for getting back -- I can't wait to get back."

His history of injury -- or remarkable lack thereof -- also encourages him. "There's hurt and there's injured," he explained. "I've always played hurt. I haven't missed a game because of injury in about seven or eight years. The last one was in 1998. But there is a difference between playing injured and playing hurt. This is something where it'd be stupid for me to play with symptoms. There's no disguising it or masking it or biting your teeth. But it doesn't diminish my desire to get back the moment I'm medically cleared."

One would hope that would happen in time for the playoffs, but after the Rangers' dismal showing in the game tonight, you can pretty much stick a fork in them -- they're done. Five games into their homestand and they're 1-3-1, including ugly losses to two of the three worst teams in the league, including tonight's 3-2 loss to Columbus (and even the one win was a dissatisfying 2-1 win over another poor team). Once again, the culprit was the power play. Not only was it unable to win this game, it flat out lost it -- two shorthanded goals within minutes turned a 2-1 Ranger lead into a 3-2 deficit that stood up as the Rangers could not equalize over the last 24 minutes of play.

Aaron Ward was scratched in this game because of his errors that cost the Rangers the last game, and because Karel Rachunek was healthy enough to go. But Rachunek again made costly errors. On the Rangers' first period power play, the fans shouted "shoot" every time a player touched the puck -- three passes later, Jaromir Jagr had an easy one-timer. Just before Rick Nash's shorthanded game winner, Rachunek had the puck on the point with the crowd yelling "shoot". With Jagr wide wide open for a point blank one timer, Rachunek shot, the shot was blocked, Nash beat Jagr to it, then he beat Rachunek's feeble attempt at defense and hit the top corner on Henrik Lundqvist. Rachunek should have passed to Jagr. "Some guys see it, some guys don't," Jagr said when I asked him about it later.

Michael Nylander's overindulgence with puck handling also cost the Rangers. His puck control can be remarkable, but surely he knows that what he does along the boards he is being allowed to do by the opposition, who just love having the puck harmlessly on the perimeter. On the first shorthanded goal, he started the Columbus breakout by knocking the puck forward to a Blue Jacket. Lundqvist admitted to being caught by surprise by Jason Chimera's shot -- with Petr Prucha draped all over Chimera, he wasn't expecting a bullet to the top corner. But there's just no way a wisp of a player like Prucha is going to stop a 6'2, 210-pound checker like that.

Also hurting the Rangers tonight was yet another goal off their own sticks. No Blue Jacket player could've deflected Anders Eriksson's harmless floater from the point through Lundqvist better than Matt Cullen did. At that point, four of the last five goals scored against Lundqvist would not have gone in had it not gone in off a Ranger. The Rangers have not been able to that for their own benefit, but they routinely do it for the benefit of the opposition.

With twenty games left, the Rangers are far from out of the playoff hunt. But the way they've been playing? Fuggedaboutit! Not that it's going to slow the brain trust from making a desperate attempt at salvaging something -- after the last game, Tom Renney answered questions about personnel moves by saying he felt he could win with this team, but tonight he was singing a different tune about the need to replace Shanahan. Things could get uglier before they get better -- if they ever get better.

Game reports: Daily News, Journal News, Newsday, Times, Post, Columbus Dispatch, AP, SNY, and NY Sports Day. More from the reporters' blogs -- Blueshirts Blog and Rangers Report -- and USA Today. More on Shanahan from the News, Post, Newsday, Rangers Report, AP, SNY, and NY Sports Day. More on Jagr and the shootout as Daily News reporters duke it out -- John Dellapina pro-Jagr in his blog, Sherry Ross anti-Jagr in her Sunday column. The guys who do the Sunday column at the Times warn of more fighting if the instigator rule is changed while Larry Brooks in his Sunday column in the Post welcomes the potential increase in violence.

With no games between now and the trade deadline, the Rangers would appear (based on Renney's comments after last night's loss) to still be buyers, hoping to jump start a playoff drive that remains stuck in neutral and may even be going in reverse. Steve Zipay of Newsday expects a last minute flurry of trades, and he thought the benching of Aaron Ward might signal that he was about to be traded. Keith Tkacuk is off the table, as the free-falling Thrashers make a bid to keep themselves in the playoff race by acquiring him and Alexei Zhitnik. Check out Spector at FoxSports.com and Phil Coffey at NHL.com for a list of who might still be available.

The guy who makes the most sense is Columbus's 22 year old enigma, Nikolai Zherdev, who was scratched from last night's game for missing a mandatory workout. I spoke briefly to him in the press box -- he just shrugged and smiled sheepishly when I asked him if he thought he would be traded. When I asked him if he would welcome a trade to New York, he rolled his eyes and gestured to the blue seats behind him, where fans were loudly booing the Rangers at the second period buzzer.

How much of a loser image do the Rangers have? A list of the five best movies in each sport this Oscar weekend has "Mystery, Alaska" on it -- that's the one where Russell Crowe and a bunch of nobodies from a small town in Alaska beat the Rangers. Ross has some Oscar-related one-liners in her column, including some that ridicule the Rangers. But she's off base on her joke about the new Jim Carrey movie "The Number 23" -- this horror movie has already played out on Broadway all season, where the Rangers' #23 has been a horror show. And some blogger at Sports Illustrated thinks the Rangers should be fired as a whole.

Down on the farm, Al Montoya got into a goalie fight in Hartford's win last night. And Jess has a big night of prospect action for us:

While the Rangers were dropping further out of the playoff race, it was business as ususal for the prospects on Saturday night. We start our journey around the world of the prospects with the college ranks, where for many it was their last home game for their respective teams. Dylan Reese of Harvard has served this season as captain of the Crimson. In his final regular season game, he went out in style, scoring an unassisted power play goal to help lead Harvard to a 3-1 win over Cornell. Harvard will face Greg Beller and Yale in a best of three first round playoff matchup. Greg Beller played but did not score in the Bulldogs' 4-3 win over pesky RPI. Kenny Roche ended his regular season college home career with assists on both BU goals in a 3-2 loss to Vermont. Jordan Foote and MTU finished off a weekend sweep of Wisconsin with a 4-2 win. The Huskies are now 15-14-5 with two regular season games left. Billy Ryan is just a junior, so Maine has his services for another season. Ryan set up the game winner as Maine finished off their weekend sweep of Merrimack, 5-1. Darin Olver ended his home college career with an assist on NMU's first goal as the Wildcats defeated Miami, 4-1.

Switching to juniors, third star David Kveton set up the game winner with the first of his two assists and finished the game with his fourth goal of the season as Gatineau won in front of the largest QMJHL crowd (15,303) of the season. In the OHL, the playoff push is where we'll see which prospects rise to the big games. Marc Staal and Sudbury had to go to a shootout before defeating Mississauga, 5-4. Staal had an assist but missed his shootout chance. Trevor Koverko had a solid game defensively but Oshawa fell to Plymouth, 6-5. Bobby Sanguinetti helped Owen Sound clinch a playoff spot by scoring his 23rd goal and adding an assist in a 6-3 win over London. Tom Pyatt scored the game winner with his 33rd of the season to earn first star of the game as Saginaw beat Belleville, 3-2. Pyatt also added an assist while teammate Tomas Zaborsky was scoreless.

Our night would not be complete if we did not check on the WHL, where Ryan Russell led Kootenay into Moose Jaw. Russell’s two assists led the Ice to an easy 7-1 win. Michael Sauer and Medicine Hat had no problem with Red Deer, winning 4-1. We end our journey with Eric Hunter and Prince George, who finished a rough road trip with a 6-3 win over Kamloops in a fight filled game. Hunter had an assist along with a fight in the win.

Stars of the Night: Since it is Senior Night, we at Prospect Park are going to follow tradition and honor our college seniors. So tonight our stars are Darin Olver (NMU), Kenny Roche (BU), and Dylan Reese (Harvard). Blueshirt Bulletin salutes the hard work these seniors have put in over the last four years for their respective programs. Where their journey takes them next we do not know, but having covered them over the last couple of years, I thank them, their coaches, and their SIDs for helping us track their progress for Ranger fans looking to the future of a franchise still mired in mediocrity in the present.

Homestand on Shaky Footing

The Rangers reach the mid-point of their nine-game virtual homestand -- eight at home plus one in Jersey -- when Columbus visits the Garden this evening, and they need to beat the third-worst team in the league just to get to 2-2-1. Ordinarily, you'd exect to have an easy time against a team that has lost three straight, six of its last seven, and eight of its last ten, that is coming off a sell-off trade (one-time Ranger Anson Carter to Carolina), and that has a back-up goalie in net. But much of that was the case a week ago today when the Rangers met the league-worst Flyers just after they traded away Peter Forsberg, and that turned into the biggest disaster of the season.

The news today is all about Jagr sitting out the shootout. See the Daily News, Post, Blue Notes, and Rangers Report. Additional notes in Rangers Report, Blue Notes, and USA Today. Sam Weinman of the Journal News accompanied four Rangers for a hospital visit yesterday. The Rangers may not be able to beat the Devils, but Hartford did last night -- the Lowell Devils, that is. Charlotte won in overtime. And Jess Rubenstein has his Prospect Park report on a busy evening of junior and college action:

Now while the Rangers are not currently in playoff position, many of their prospects are, and that is great news for the future. Developing winning teams starts when your players come from winning programs. Last night Bobby Sanguinetti joined six other CHL prospects whose teams have already punched their playoff tickets. We expect to see another six to join the party before all is said and done. Everyone at the college level seems to make their league playoffs so we are not counting them until their team earns a ticket to the NCAA tournament.

In game action, we start in college, with about a week or two to go before league playoffs begin. Jordan Foote’s Michigan Tech Huskies have to be one of the best stories in college hockey. Last year they were 7-25-6. But after shutting out defending NCAA champ Wisconsin, MTU is now .500 at 14-14-5. Foote did not score but we still salute Coach Jamie Russell and his program for their turnaround. Another program trying to rebuild is Yale (Greg Beller). While their record is 10-15-3 after a 3-0 loss to Union, they too are a program on the rise under coach Keith Allain, with some help from that Mike Richter fella.

Down east, Billy Ryan assisted on the game winner as his Maine Black Bears shut out Merrimack 3-0, improving to 20-10-2. Darin Olver was held scoreless as Miami defeated NMU 4-1, dropping the Wildcats to 12-21-2. Barring a miracle, expect to see Olver in Hartford by mid-March. Dylan Reese did not score but Harvard clinched a home berth in the first round of the ECAC playoffs with a 4-1 win over Colgate. In the big CSTV game of the night, senior Kenny Roche made sure that his BU Terriers clinched home ice for the Hockey East quarterfinals by scoring his 11th goal in a 3-1 win over Vermont. BU is now 18-5-9.

Turing to juniors, David Kveton ended his scoreless streak with two assists as Gatineau doubled up Saint John, 6-3. Ryan Hillier had an assist as Halifax defeated Moncton 4-3 in overtime. Dalyn Flatt and his Brampton Battalion blew a chance to move past Peterborough for the final OHL playoff spot in losing to Guelph 2-1. Teammate John Seymour missed his second game in a row for reasons unknown (the typical playoff hush-hush in action). Marc Staal appears to not be in a rush to join the Wolf Pack as he had an assist to help Sudbury whip Toronto St. Michaels 5-1. Trevor Koverko’s Oshawa Generals were shut out 2-0 by Sarnia.

In the WHL, Ryan Russell did not score as Kootenay lost to Regina 2-1. Lukas Zeliska returned to the Prince Albert lineup and was scoreless as Tri-City edged the Raiders 4-3. We have this feeling there will be a parting of the ways after this season for Zeliska and PA. Eric Hunter led Prince George back into Spokane for a rematch from Wednesday night. He started with an assist on a shorthanded goal and finished with his 22nd goal of the season as the Cougars won 5-2. Michael Sauer’s assist at 18:24 of the third period broke a 2-2 tie and helped Medicine Hat to a 3-2 win over Red Deer. Brodie Dupont is putting some distance between himself and Tom Pyatt, widening his prospect scoring lead with two more goals (35 and 36) as Calgary just bombed Moose Jaw 9-3. The Moose is now an impressive 36-33-9.

Stars of the Night: First Star -- Brodie Dupont (Calgary) -- Moose keeps on scoring and for Ranger fans it is a reason to get excited. Moose is part Messier, part Graves, and a lot Brodie Dupont. He is a hard worker who will have Ranger fans yelling MOOOOOOOSE when they get to see him in Ranger blue. Second Star -- Kenny Roche (BU) -- If it is the end of February then it must be Roche time as the BU senior heats up at the end of the regular season. With Roche hot, BU becomes a dangerous team in the Hockey East playoffs or in the NCAAs. Third Star -- Eric Hunter (Prince George) -- It had been a rough road trip for the Cougars as they lost two games in a row in the third period. Tonight their captain made sure that they did not lose this game.

Bad Breaks and Broken Records

The Rangers press in the Devils' zone, generating a lot of good chances trying to extend a 2-1 third period lead and put the Devils away, but every rebound bounces over their sticks. The Devils come back the other way and their rebound falls right onto Zach Parise's stick, even with a player on him -- tie game. Shootout, Jamie Langenbrunner is stopped by Henrik Lundqvist's glove, but the puck dies and drops down into the net. Petr Prucha then beats Martin Brodeur cleanly with a great shot -- crossbar, game over. Jaromir Jagr wheels and dances, stickhandles this way, that way and back again, finally gets into shooting position and fires -- stopped. The Devils come the other way and take a harmless shot, and it deflects in off Marek Malik's stick.

The Rangers played a great game against the Devils last night. No, it wasn't perfect, but it was all there. But all the Devils need are a couple of bounces, bounces the Rangers never get, and it's lights out. Sure, it doesn't help that Malik puts his stick out on a shot Lundqvist easily stops and does for Brian Rafalski what a teammate would strive to do. And sure, it doesn't help that Aaron Ward's turnovers lead to a two on none breakaway that Lundqvist got with the butt end of his stick and the rush on which the tying goal is scored. But that will happen in hockey games, and holding a first place team to two goals should be enough to win -- after all, the Devils made mistakes that led to Ranger goals too, like the bad line change on Marcel Hossa's breakaway goal and Prucha being left alone long enough to pull the puck off Brodeur's pads on his power play rebound goal.

But when it comes to the Devils, they just keep getting the breaks, and the Rangers don't -- three of the four goals they scored in this home and home sweep would not have gone into the net had they not last been touched by a Ranger. It's uncanny. "We certainly thought we deserved to win again," said Matt Cullen. "You give up that one late to tie it up, that's tough. You go to a shootout, it's a coin flip. At this point we can't afford those. At this point we have to win. There's no second guessing, there's no staying down. We have to take this point and come back the next one with two. I don't think we're playing poorly by any means. A couple of breaks here and there. We need to find a way to win games. We're running out of time so we need to get two points out of as many as we can." Like the Devils seem to do no matter what the odds. "It's gonna turn around," said Jagr, vowing that this was not the last time the Rangers were going to meet the Devils this season. "We got twenty games left. I'm happy with the way the team played, very happy. There's a lot of points slipped away the last two weeks for same mistakes, same reason. We have to figure out and change some things. Might be time [to do it is] right now."

About Jaromir Jagr and the shootout: Since the advent of the shootout, Jagr has one of the worst success rates in the NHL (2 for 11). That placed him around third or fourth worst last couple of times we checked. Michael Nylander is a career 8 for 18, Matt Cullen is a career 7 for 14. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby is a career 3 for 15, Joe Sakic 3 for 13. Scott Gomez, the Devils' second leading scorer who is 50% lifetime in shootouts, did not participate last night -- in fact, he has taken just one shootout all season (his 50% career rate is 2 for 4). Some natural goal scorers can't get it done in shootouts, some guys who are not prolific goal scorers have an uncanny shootout touch. Participating in a shootout is not where captains make their stand -- it's where teams do their best to win an extra point. If Jagr insisted on taking shootouts even though he fares poorly in them, people would question his ego -- if he lets better shootout players go ahead of him, he's a poor captain? Give me a break!

WARNING: The following is a series of broken records. The same old story. If you're tired of reading about it, stop right here. If you don't want to hear about how the refs treat the Devils, do NOT read on. If you do not want to read about Parise vs. Jessiman, do NOT read on. If you do not want to read about how the Rangers cannot win on the power play, do NOT read on. We've covered these issues ad nauseam, so you have every reason to not want to hear us whining about them any further, so do NOT read on. If you choose to read on and are annoyed by these broken records, don't say I didn't warn you.

For nearly forty minutes, no problem, even if the Rangers were already hit with three penalties to one for the Devils. But starting with uncalled interference against Matt Cullen late in the second period, the Devils once away got away with almost everything while the Rangers got little leeway. Pascal Dupuis took a deliberate stick in the face, and was later interfered with in open ice away from the puck -- no calls. Trip in front, elbow to Sean Avery's face -- no calls. Gomez gloves Ryan Hollweg in the face after a clean hit, causing a post-whistle scrum -- no call. Fedor Tyutin makes a fantastic diving play, getting all puck -- tripping penalty. Jagr, angling away from Brodeur on his overtime break-in, gets called when Brodeur take the most obvious dive imaginable.

The gentleman sitting the left of the gentleman to my left was an Islander fan. As he watched these plays unfold, he said the same thing happens when the Devils play the Isles -- they get away with it all. The gentleman sitting to my right, I'm not sure what his rooting interest was, but he was either a disinterested party or he may have even been (based on some of his comments) partial to the Devils. Even he was shaking his head in disbelief as the non-calls piled up early in the third period. The Devils scored the tying goal shortly after the uncalled elbow to Avery -- they should have been killing a penalty, not scoring the tying goal, just as two nights earlier they scored the winner after twin uncalled penalties down the other way against Avery and Prucha.

When they say the Devils are the least penalized team in the league, they mean that literally -- it's not that they take the fewest penalties, it's that they are penalized for them less than anyone else. "It's frustrating," said Cullen. "It sure seems like they get the benefit of the doubt. I know they have these numbers of so few penalties, but I'm watching the game, we're doing the same thing they're doing, and we're sent to the box." "You fight through it," said Jagr. "Looks like everything's going against us, but we're not whining, we're not crying." Asked about the overtime call on Brodeur, Jagr said, "He [the ref] just told me go to the bench. I didn't mean to hurt anybody. I almost had a breakaway. That's OK -- sometimes life is unfair."

"You try not to get too wound up about it on the bench," Tom Renney said. "They owe us one -- keep pressing on, maybe we'll get a call. What's our choice? Do we get pissed off and rant and rave and take another minor? The referees aren't going to give it back and say, 'Wrong call.' They heard from us in the appropriate manner. You gotta be careful with that -- you can kill yourself. You have to keep your feet moving, outwork this team -- they owe us one, maybe they owe us two. But if you start to explode, the task at hand becomes more than you require. I'll blow up -- I jumped up on top of my bench a couple of times, for what it's worth. But that's about the extent of it -- sometimes you get a call back, sometimes you don't. You have to press on."

The final regular season tally: The Rangers got the benefit of the officiating in one game (six power plays to three for the Devils) and in the latter half of a game that they already trailed 3-1 on three Devils' power play goals. Overall, the Devils got 36 power plays to the Rangers' 20. But in six of the eight games plus the first half of a seventh game that they led on power play goals, they got 33 power plays to the Rangers' 10 -- 33 to 10! The combined score in those six and a half games was 14-13, no lead ever higher than two goals during that time, and yet the power plays were more than three to one in favor of one team. How different might the season series have been had the Rangers not had to kill off all those penalties and had a few more power plays of their own to work with?

That said, the Rangers had a chance to win the game last night on the power play. They had already scored once on their first power play. They only got one more in the game, in the third period. They could have put the Devils away there. It's tough to fault a team for not going 100% on the power play. But against a team that thrives on winning by converting most of the other team's mistakes, the Rangers needed to score that power play goal in order to win this game. It's not an isolated incident -- the Rangers are out of playoff position right now for a number of reasons, but the one thing that could have them up there in spite of all else would have been clutch power play goals, and they simply haven't gotten them.

I wrote in June 2003 that we'd regret letting Zach Parise slip to the Devils in that year's draft for years to come. It's impossible to keep mum at this moment. Parise scored the winning goal Tuesday, the tying goal last night, and a shootout goal. Hugh Jessiman was recalled by Hartford as a reward for his good play in the ECHL. We can complain about bad breaks and bad officiating, but the difference in the franchises starts in the team building philosophy, and there is no better example than this.

Game reports: Daily News, Journal News, Newsday, Times, Post, Ledger, Record, Advance, SNY, AP, and NY Sports Day. More from the News, Ledger, Record, USA Today, and SNY. Larry Brooks rips Jagr for not taking shootouts in the Post. Down on the farm, Charlotte lost without their star forward Jessiman. In the Courant, Bruce Berlet writes about Hartdford's own Dancing Larry. Article on Ranger scout Ray Clearwater. And Jess checks in with a brief prospect update:

Only two games on the docket tonight, both in the OHL. Dalyn Flatt and Brampton took on Toronto St. Michaels and came away 5-3 winners to help pull the Battalion into a tie for the final playoff spot in the OHL’s Eastern Conference. Flatt was scoreless while teammate John Seymour missed the game. Here is an article profiling Seymour at the Brampton website. In the other game, Owen Sound got another assist from Bobby Sanguinetti in their 5-2 win over Barrie as they too close in on a playoff spot. The assist gives Sanguinetti four over his last two games. For the season, Sanguinetti is 22-27-49.

Crease Wars II: Attack of the Devil Clones

All eyes will be on the goalies tonight as the Rangers and Devils re-up at the Garden in the wake of Tuesday's crease wars. Sean Avery will no doubt get right back in Martin Brodeur's face, trying to throw him off his game, and Cam Janssen's will try to find a way to rattle Henrik Lundqvist, either mentally as he is publicly insisting or physically as he threatened from the bench Tuesday (somehow catching the eye of the cameraman but not the referees).

These shenanigans are more the Devils' focus right now, at least from the point of view of their beat -- see the Post, Record, and Ledger -- along with a desire to keep the Rangers out of the playoffs, at least partly for fear of catching the Rangers on a roll in the postseason. On the Ranger side of the beat, the concern as expressed mostly by Jaromir Jagr, Tom Renney, and Lundqvist, is the frustration of playing well enough to win but losing because of recurring errors (paging Karel Rachunek!). See reports in the Daily News, Journal News, Newsday, and Post, with additional material in Rangers Report, MSGN.com, and USA Today.

On the personnel front, Brad Isbister was recalled from Hartford in case Marcel Hossa's neck injury keeps him out of action -- he was said to be 50-50 at practice yesterday (which he missed). Marek Malik says his shoulder will need weeks to heal fully, but lacking the luxury of time, he will be back on the ice tonight -- but don't expect Rachunek to see the bench if he makes it back, expect Thomas Pock to return to his customary seat in the press box, where he is no doubt spending his time considering where he'd like to sign next season when he reaches free agency.

In other reading, our friend Bill Fairbairn, a Ranger stalwart in the 1960s and 70s, will be honored by his junior team, the Brandon Wheat Kings. Here is a direct link to the Ranger story in ESPN.com's Original Six series, in case you didn't find it under the link posted yesterday. At the Hockey News, prognostications that the Rangers and Oilers will miss the playoffs -- that's really going out on a limb there. On the prospect front, Hugh Jessiman was recalled by Hartford after scoring 12 goals and 22 points in twenty games in Charlotte. Also from Hartford, a look at their week ahead. And as always, a prospect update from Jess Rubenstein:

The mid-week was not kind to those prospects in action. The Twin Toms -- Pyatt and Zaborsky -- of the Saginaw Spirit got shut out at home by Plymouth, 4-0. Ryan Russell and Kootenay were shut out 2-0 by Brandon. Brodie Dupont and his Calgary Hitmen took on Prince Albert with Lukas Zeliska once again a healthy scratch. Dupont was scoreless as his Hitmen beat the Raiders 6-4. This week, Eric Hunter and his Prince George Cougars must be staying at the “Heartbreak Hotel” on their road trip to Washington, as once again they played a solid game but lost in the late stages. Tonight it was 5-3. Hunter had his 21st goal and an assist in the losing effort. Only Bobby Sanguinetti and Owen Sound like Wednesday games, as Sanguinetti had three assists including one on the game winner as the Attack whipped Barrie, 5-1.

I got to share this one with my fellow Ranger fans. This is one you would dare the Dolans to do. The Spokane Chiefs of the WHL have been down for so long, the owners put up $100,000 to be shared by all season ticket holders if the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs. Now how about the Dolans putting up a few million of their own money for Ranger season ticket holders to share if the Rangers failed to make the playoffs?

Devils Get More Than They're Due

Update: Rangers recall (drum roll please) -- Brad Isbister! You can book your Cup final tickets now.

The old days were back on the day the Rangers made their last regular season visit to the old Meadowlands. The old days of the Devils allowed to shut down any semblance of offense in any way they want to with impunity in a 2-1 win over the Rangers. Check that -- these are not the old days, this is the way it's been all season between these two teams. The Devils can do anything, but not the Rangers. Paul Martin can knee Jaromir Jagr without penalty. Martin Brodeur can initiate a post-whistle scrum by shoving Sean Avery with Avery getting a double minor and Brodeur getting zilch. Even when a Colin White is called for interefering with Marcel Hossa off a draw, Hossa must have dived. Avery and Petr Prucha can be flattened hard in front of the Devils' net away from the puck without any calls, because after all, how else could the Devils get the odd man rush they needed to score the winning goal?

Almost always, complaints about officiating pale in comparison to what a team could have done on its own to overcome that and other adversity. And that has certainly been true about the oft-complaining Rangers this season. But when it comes to the Devils, the officials are literally taking points away from the Rangers beyond their own ability to win them. In their seven meetings so far this season, the Rangers have gotten calls just once. In the other six games, the Rangers have gotten virtually nothing -- seven power plays total in five of the six games (including none at all in one game and just one power play in each of two other games), and in the sixth game, the Rangers had one power play in the first half of the game while the Devils had five, by which time the rout was already on for the Devils thanks to three power play goals of their own (the Rangers ended up with four more power plays in garbage time). Over those five and a half games, the Rangers got eight power plays compared to 28 for the Devils.

You won't get any argument here that the Devils aren't the more disciplined team in this area. But to the tune of 28 to 8? In games that were mostly so close that the aggregate score is 12-11 Devils? Considering what Brodeur, Martin, and others got away with in just last night's game, for example? You can't win very many one-goal games (as each of the last five have been) without your power play, and you can't win on your power play without getting power plays (even if ther Rangers haven't exactly burned up the league in that way this season and lost the one game against the Devils where they were given the power play chances). And you certainly can't win when the opposition can illegally flatten you not once but twice, taking two players out of the play, and come right down the other way and get the game winner. There is something rotten in the state of New Jersey.

Another thing new in last night's game was the way the Rangers got in Brodeur's face, particularly (almost exclusively, actually) Avery. He may have even gotten away with one on the Rangers' goal, though it was too borderline to negate a goal. The Rangers played a feisty game -- Jagr even got into it. Why no one on his own team helped him out is even more criminal than the lack of protection from the refs -- at least the Rangers have control over that. And how about Prucha getting the better of White in the scrum after the Avery-Brodeur shoving match?

Larry Brooks writes about a lot of these same issues in the Post, today's best reading. Game reports abound, all centered on the Avery-Brodeur altercation -- see the Daily News, Newsday, Post, Times, Ledger, Record, AP, SNY, and NY Sports Day. More from the News, Ledger, and Record. Lots of pre-game and post-game notes from the reporters' blogs -- Rangers Report (last three posts), Blueshirts Blog (Shanahan update), Blue Notes -- and USA Today. Devils' notes from the Ledger. Down in Florida, the GMs want to recommend more instigation of fights but want to leave the ridiculous point system in place -- and they wonder why no one takes the NHL seriously. Over at ESPN.com, a look at the importance to the NHL of the Original Six teams -- apparently not as important as the Lou Lamoriello teams, at least in the New York area, more reason to wonder about the NHL's priorities.

And from Jess, a brief prospect update: We have a new leader in the prospect scoring race as the Moose, Brodie Dupont, helped trigger a six goal outburst with his 34th goal, along with an assist, as Calgary roared back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Saskatoon, 6-2. Eric Hunter led Prince George into the home of the best junior team in Canada, Everett, and gave them one heck of a fight. Hunter scored his 20th goal of the season but the Silvertips showed why they are the number one team in the CHL by coming back to win in overtime, 3-2. We have to salute Prince George for playing one of the best games we have followed all season.

Rangers in Snowy Jersey, Sather in Sunny Florida

When the Rangers face New Jersey tonight, someone should put this Star-Ledger article on the bulletin board for some extra inspiration in what may be their last ever game in the Meadowlands (see Post and Record). They will already take with them the inspiration of trying to stay in the playoff race until Brendan Shanahan returns from his concussion (see News and Ledger). More on Shanahan and Mike Knuble at NHL.com. Little news on the prospect front today -- Bob Crawford's Wolf Pack weekly review is all. So far, no call ups from Hartford to replace either Shanahan or Marek Malik (who has yet to go on IR).

At the GM meetings, Glen Sather is finding the trade market overpriced and will wait for the deadline, at which time he expects demands to drop (see Canada.com and ESPN.com). Today, the GMs discuss making all games worth three points, as even they are starting to see the illogic of games not being worth the same number of points in the standings. Yesterday, they revisited the instigator rule, apparently in an attempt to allow the Penguins to protect Sidney Crosby -- attempts to injure Jaromir Jagr are not, however, on their radar screen, which makes Sather's comments on player protection laughable -- "We always had somebody in a position to do it."