Blueshirt Boggle

Rissmiller Waived as Rangers Rest

The Rangers have refused to use the schedule as an excuse for their 1-2-1 record in the last four games of a stretch of seven games in eleven days on the heels of their European road trip, especially this early in the season. But the question was asked because they sure look like the grind got to them in their last game against Dallas, coming as it did after a highly energetic game in Detroit which was the second of a pair of back-to-back games.

Either way, they get a much needed breather this week, with four days between games. They did some punitive wind sprints yesterday to remind them that their effort the prior night left a lot to be desired. They have today off altogether. They resume practice tomorrow at the MSG Training Center before trekking out to Columbus in the battleground state of Ohio to battle the Blue Jackets on Friday. They come back to the Garden Saturday night for their first of six against the Penguins and their friends, the zebras.

The Rangers will likely be without Patrick Rissmiller the next time they play. The former Shark, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract on July 1st, was placed on waivers yesterday after a lackluster performance alongside Chris Drury and Markus Naslund on Monday. He failed to impress in two outings as a Ranger and didn't seem to mesh with his teammates off the ice either. He will no doubt be assigned to Hartford if he passes through waivers unclaimed. Reports on Rissmiller's status can be found in Newsday, Record, Daily News, Post, Rangers Report (which was told by a source that his contract was actually three years for $3 million), Ranger Rants, Slap Shot, Blue Seats.

The second stop on Sean Avery's barnstorming trip to the New York area is almost as intriguing as his first stop at the Garden the other night, where he got into a profanity-laced shouting match with MSGN's John Giannone (see Blue Notes) and spoke to Stan Fischler of MSG.com after blowing off the rest of the media, dissing Steve Valiquette during the interview. Tonight, he renews his friendship with Martin Brodeur, the Devils' goaltender who refused to shake his hand after the Rangers eliminated the Devils from the playoffs last spring. See reports in the Post, Game On!, New York Magazine, Record, Star-Ledger here, here, and here, and Fire and Ice here, here, and here (if you're interested).

In other reading, the Journal News has a story on how Colton Orr worked to improve himself as a hockey player over the summer, Newsday and ESPN report about Russia's state police investigating the death of Alexei Cherepanov, Prospect Park names Evgeny Grachev as the Rangers' Prospect of the Week, and Howlings reporting that recently signed Tysen Dowzak was assigned to Charlotte of the ECHL.

Room At the Top for Improvement

The Sean Avery Show was the big sideshow, and after being pretty much of a dud for most of the day and into the night, the Grate One salvaged some entertainment value with his comments to Stan Fischer (watch it at Game On!). The Rangers were a dud for most of the night as well, and they did nothing to redeem themselves in the end. Falling into the Stars' trap, they spent a third straight home game finding ways to fail to convert their scoring chances. Avery didn't drive them to distraction, as he often did to opponents as a Ranger -- the Rangers drove themselves to distraction. If they had put out half the effort they did in the prior game in Detroit, they might have gotten half the results and at least salvaged a point, maybe two.

There is a serious problem on this team that has transformed a 5-0-0 start into a 1-2-1 rut. Despite his power play goal in the opening minute and a better overall game than usual, Markus Naslund has not helped this team in the least. Chris Drury had another pointless and minus game, on the ice for the Stars' game winner, among the portion of defenders running around while the other portion just stood around. What is Drury going to say is the cause of his awful start to this season? He's no longer the new guy like last year. Is it the captaincy weighing him down this time? It certainly seemed so after the game when he was hardly able and hardly willing to articulate any of his thoughts in a meaningful way.

Scott Gomez was obviously not the problem with the former top line -- he had another outstanding game centering two sophomore wingers and would have made a difference had Nigel Dawes been able to finish just one of his many scoring chances. In order to generate offense, Gomez has to have a consistent finisher flanking him. Otherwise, his puck control and playmaking gifts are wasted. One has to wonder if the streaky Dawes can be a consistent finisher. And speaking of consistency -- paging Nikolai Zherdev! Consistency has been the knock against him throughout his career. Is it just coincidence that he has zero points during the Rangers' 1-2-1 run?

Tom Renney had some harsh words for his team after last night's game. Drury and Gomez also speak about the game in our posting today at Blueshirt Bulletin+ -- click here to read it if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for BB+ access. If you need instructions on how to access BB+, write to us at [email protected]. If you are not a subscriber, E-mail us or click here to learn how to take out a subscription to get the magazine as well as BB+.

The Rangers were rewarded for their work ethic last night with some punitive wind sprints at practice today, according to Rangers Report. Game reports not totally centered on Avery: Newsday, Record, Post, NYR.com, AP, NHL.com, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Reports mostly or wholly on Avery: Journal News, Daily News, Times, Post, ESPN.com, SI.com, NHL.com, Dallas Morning News, Star-Telegram. Newsday on Voros, the new Avery. Additional game notes: Newsday, Record, Inside Shots, Rangers Rants, Star-Telegram. From the reporters' blogs: Rangers Report here, here, here, and here, Blue Notes here and here, Blue Seats, Blueshirts Blog, Slap Shot, and Prospect Park. From Hartford, Bob Crawford's Wolf Pack Weekly. Honoring Alexei Cherepanov at Omsk's first game since his death: Beyond the Blueshirts and Slap Shot. Beyond the Blueshirts also has a translation of an interview with Jaromir Jagr.

Avery Takes a Swipe at Valley

Well, the Rangers lost an uninspired 2-1 decision, and we'll have more on that tomorrow. But for now, there is the Sean Avery cameo appearance at the Garden to clean up after. Those of you who saw the game saw a few minor Avery moments, where he yapped at Henrik Lundqvist and was rebuked by Brandon Dubinsky, was hit often by the likes of Paul Mara and Dan Girardi, and embarrassed himself a couple of times falling down and missing a check. Otherwise, he was of little effect in this game.

Afterwards, he stuck to his line of not talking to the media -- he said he had to take his teammates out to dinner while they still liked him. And it sure seemed like they still liked him as he made his way through the visitors' locker room. Lundqvist said he couldn't repeat what it was that Avery was saying to him, at least not for family papers. Tom Renney wanted to say that Avery was a non-factor, but as usual he took the diplomatic route and said that Avery's team won, so he accomplished what he set out to do. (Renney was less diplomatic about his own team -- more on that tomorrow.)

Then, Avery did what he said he wouldn't do -- he spoke to the media. But he only spoke to Stan Fischler for MSG.com (at a time he was supposed to be taking his teammates out to dinner). He was mostly diplomatic, saying all the usual stuff he says about New York, the city, the organization, and the fans. But when asked how he felt about comments made about him recently by Dubinsky and Steve Valiquette, he took a playful shot at the latter, smiling and calling him a minor leaguer who shouldn't say anything about anybody. Dubinsky, on the other hand, he said was a good player who was going to be great and left it at that.

Avery on being booed by Garden fans: "It's the Garden. That's why this is the greatest arena on earth. There was a mixture of cheers and boos. I was actually enjoying the boos as much as the cheers. That's what great about this place."

Avery to the media: "You guys are all great, I love you all, but I have to go and take my teammates out to dinner while they still like me. Thanks for coming."

Avery on Valiquette: "Valiquette really is a minor-leaguer and he’s gotta get noticed, so what better way than to talk about me?"

Avery on Dubinsky: "Dubi's a great player. He works hard and he's going to be a good player for a long time."

Avery on what Valiquette and Dubinsky might have said about him: "That's just the way it goes. I've certainly said a lot of things about other guys. It's good to get a little taste of my own medicine."

Lundqvist on what Avery said to him during warm-ups: "It's not going to be in the paper."

Avery on jawing with Lundqvist: "That's just me being me and getting myself in the game."

Avery on being an NHL villain: "I'm very good at it. You should always stick to what you're good at."

Stars' captain Brenden Morrow on Avery: "I hated him. I'm not going to lie. You never want to make assumptions before you actually meet someone. I was probably guilty of that right away. I let that pass. He's nothing but on board with us and a great teammate so far."

Renney on whether Avery had an impact on the game: "In fairness to him, I don't want to say no. He's a good hockey player and everybody in our organization knows that. You know what, he played hockey. He came here on a business trip and he played hockey today. Their team won the hockey game so I think that translates to a successful contribution."

He's Ba-ack!

UPDATE: The Rangers signed Devin DiDiomete, a 20-year-old left winger who played last year for Sarnia of the OHL after three seasons as a teammate of Marc Staal's in Sudbury. The 5'11, 200-pound Stratford, Ontario native, originally drafted in the seventh round by Calgary in 2006, was a point per game player last season. Despite his seemingly diminutive height, DiDiomete is a fighter and agitator who rode shotgun for Steve Stamkos last season, which would explain his sudden spike in scoring. He will likely start with Hartford. For more on DiDiomete, look here and here. For more on Sean Avery, see the Record, Ranger Rants. and Blueshirts Blog.

The Sean Avery Show's Broadway run was shuttered last summer and exiled to Dallas. Today, Avery makes a cameo appearance back at the Garden as the struggling 1-3-1 Stars begin a swing through the New York area. Avery has no goals and two assists in the five games, with a -1 rating and a team-high 27 penalty minutes, 25 of them earned as a result of one altercation. He has played on three different lines so far -- second, third, and fourth. His ice time is down from over sixteen minutes per game as a Ranger to less than thirteen in Dallas.

Since he is not speaking to the media, we can only guess how Avery feels about how his season has gone so far and how he likes Dallas after being in New York the past two seasons. At Blueshirt Bulletin+, we have a copy of a series of questions we E-mailed to Avery last week. As he hasn't responded (as of yet), we thought perhaps our readers can guess at what his answers might be. Click here to see it if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin -- if you need instructions on how to access BB+, write to us at [email protected]. If you do not currently subscribe, E-mail us or click here to learn how to take out a subscription.

The revolving door at forward has Patrick Rissmiller returning to action in place of Lauri Korpikoski on the right side of Chris Drury and Markus Naslund, which is supposed to be the Rangers' first line but has actually been producing as if it's the fourth line. Thanks to Rangers Report and Blue Notes for the news. Rissmiller has dressed once so far after asking Tom Renney for a chance, but he hurt his ankle in the game. After missing one contest, he declared himself fit to play and told friends he was perplexed when he was held out of the next few games, listed as injured -- he hadn't yet understood that Renney will use an injury as an explanation if he can rather than embarrass a player as a healthy scratch.

Previews of tonight's game naturally revolve around the return of Avery. The Post is the only paper to get an interview with him. See also Newsday, Record, Journal News, Daily News, NYR.com, NHL.com, Inside Shots, and the reporters' blogs -- Blue Notes, Rangers Report, and Game On!. Here's a game preview that somehow manages to omit any mention of Avery. For the Dallas point of view on Avery and on their slow start, go here, here, here, and here. NHL.com has more on Nikolai Zherdev here and his line here. See Prospect Park for an update on Evgeny Grachev and other young players. Beyond the Blueshirts has an extensive round-up of news from Russia on Alexei Cherepanov. More here.

From Awestruck to Awesome to Aw, Shucks

The fans in Prague would have loved this one. And fans in North America would love to see four to seven more of these babies for the big prize next spring. Teams always try to emulate the Stanley Cup champions' recipe for success. That played a part in the Rangers' switch from a trap-happy defensive team to a high-pressure forechecking team. So last night, the teams got into a highly entertaining track meet, one that resulted in 77 total shots on goal, a seesaw battle that unfortunately turned against the Rangers in the end after they turned it their way following a rocky start.

The Rangers began this game, their second in two nights in two different cities and sixth in nine days, seemingly awestruck by the Cup champs, standing around watching them score two quick goals. Henrik Lundqvist was a bit shaky to start while Chris Drury once again lost his checks on both goals (he still has just one point in eight games and doubled his team-worst rating to -4 last night). But the Rangers quickly turned that awestruck deer in the headlights start into an awesome headlong rush into the lead, outscoring the Wings 4-1 over the forty minutes after they fell behind, Scott Gomez setting up the first two with great passes and Aaron Voros scoring the last two from his office in and around the blue paint.

Then a third party left the Rangers and their fans saying "Aw, shucks!" While technically correct because Lauri Korpikoski was indeed still on the ice, the too many men on the ice penalty that gave the Wings a chance to even the game on the power play was a marginal as they come, Korpikoski being well out of the play and just waiting for room to be made for him on the bench. And Marian Hossa's game winning overtime goal should never have happened had the referees called a real penalty in the final minute of regulation when Nikolai Zherdev was slashed hard enough on the hand to force him to the bench for medical attention.

This was NHL officiating at its worst -- calling nothing for half the game, then calling a series of ticky-tacky hooks against both teams that were insignificant, and then influencing the outcome directly by making one of the most marginal calls imaginable while overlooking a serious infraction. So what else is new? At this juncture of the season, given the opponent and the two-goal hole the Rangers put themselves in early on, the comeback and the point earned are worth far more than the point taken away by the shoddy officiating.

Still, there is an obvious problem brewing with two of the team's top players. Drury, the team's new captain, and his season-long linemate Markus Naslund were so clearly the worst of the Rangers' four lines last night that they didn't play at all over the last five minutes of the game and had only one and a half shifts over the final ten minutes. Gomez, freed from their line, had a second straight dynamic game, this time producing results with a pair of classic Gomez assists for each of his linemates, Ryan Callahan and Nigel Dawes, and controlling play every time he was on the ice. The next step would be to split up Drury and Naslund to see which one is holding back the other.

Game reports: Newsday, Record, Times, Post, Daily News, NYR.com, NHL.com, AP, and the Detroit press here, here, and here. See the Reporters' blogs at Ranger Rants, Rangers Report, Blue Notes, Blueshirts Blog, and MSG.com. Sunday columns from the Post and Newsday. Sean Avery is coming back to New York tomorrow night, and he won't be talking to reporters (see the Record and Newsday). Still, the Dallas Morning News has stories on him here and here. The Daily News catches up with Jeff Beukeboom. The Alexei Cherepanov situation continues to draw attention -- see articles here, here, and here. The Wolf Pack lost again -- see reports at Howlings, the Courant, and WP.com. Prospect Park rounds out coverage of the Ranger organization last night.

Valley, Sjo Shoot Down Leafs

Steve Valiquette didn't face all that many shots last night. In fact, he went fifteen minutes at the start of the third period without seeing any shots at all, with his own team raining 27 shots at the Toronto net (only ten of which actually were on goal). You had the feeling, though, with the Rangers having failed to score even a single goal on their 65 shots attempts to that point (only 26 of which actually were on goal), that the next Toronto shot was going to find a way into the net and spoil the night for Valiquette and the Rangers.

Sure enough, the next shot was as high quality as most of the Leafs' few shots on goal to that point. But just as he had on the previous dozen, Valiquette came up with a big save. And his night was just beginning -- the Leafs got ten of their 21 shots on goal during the last ten minutes, including a frantic overtime that included another big penalty kill like the late five on three he faced in his last start in Philly (while the Leafs did get three shots during that advantage, they were all point shots, as nothing closer was allowed to get through to the net).

Chants of "Valley" poured down from the crowd, Valiquette admitting he got goose bumps. But the night was still not over. There was still a shootout to conduct to break the scoreless tie. Nikolai Zherdev scored easily on his opening attempt even though he said he doesn't like to go first. When Matt Stajan smacked at the rebound of his miss, the jacked up Valiquette started to chase him, admitting later that he would have like to smack Stajan for that unsportsmanlike whack.

After Leaf named Nikolai something or other tied it up, fans were looking for a name like Drury, Gomez, Naslund, or Dubinsky to take the third shot. Instead, it was the unlikely Freddie Sjostrom, he of winged blades but hands of stone. Sjooey said later that practicing against the likes of his good friend Henrik Lundqvist -- and yes, Valley too -- makes all the Rangers better at shootouts, so you shouldn't be surprised to see anyone tapped for tiebreakers. He sailed down the middle, deked left, and had his shot hit Vesa Toskala's skate and the goal post and then Toskala's skate or pad again before slithering in.

Valiquette still had another save to make to win the game, and it was against a former Islander teammate, Jason Blake. Valiquette recalled that Blake likes to make moves on shootouts, so he was surprised when he just shot. But it was a good surprise, not a bad one, because that allowed him to make what he considered an easier save than if Blake had tried to make a move. And thus, Valiquette won this goalie's duel with Toskala, the quantity of Ranger shots ultimately winning out over the quality shots he faced.

The win certainly was, as coach Tom Renney said, better than the alternative, given the way the things went. But even a couple of reconfigured lines didn't help many struggling Ranger frontliners find their groove again. Gomez was re-energized skating on a line with Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan. He almost had the game winner when a third period shot hit the far goal post, bounced on the goal line, and hit the near goal post -- Ranger video analysts confirmed that the puck appeared to land inside the goal line, but was leaning over the goal line. Dawes remained invisible for much of the game but came alive late for a couple of good scoring chances.

But Naslund and Drury continued to have a hard time generating offense. Drury sent a couple of golden opportunities wide as he moved back to center with Naslund on the left and Dan Fritsche on the right, and he was a woeful 3-7 on draws. He has only one assist in seven games and is a team worst -2. Naslund had a point in each of his first four games but has largely been a non-factor and last night had only three shot attempts -- only Blair Betts and Colton Orr had fewer among Ranger forwards. With the hot Dubinsky line having been shut down the past two games, the Rangers top line players need to start coming through, and without goals from Dawes, the Rangers have to find an alternative potential sniper.

Game reports can be found in Newsday, Journal News, Daily News, Record, Post, Game On!, NYR.com, NHL.com, AP, Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, Globe and Mail, and National Post. More can be found in the Record, Ranger Rants, Rangers Report here and here, Blue Notes here and here, Inside Shots, and the Globe and Mail on Dominic Moore, who was not a factor last night. Previews of tonight's game in the Times, NHL.com, and the Detroit papers here, here, and here -- the Red Wings, off to a mediocre start, will be without Henrik Zetterberg. The Wolf Pack were shut out in Hamilton last night -- see reports in Howlings, Hartford Courant, WP.com, and Hamilton Spectator. Prospect Park has a recap of other prospect action.

Leafs Fall on Valley, Forward Rotation Takes a New Turn

The Rangers have a chance to rebound from their first loss of the season with another outing against a paper thin team when the Leafs visit the Garden tonight. They'll do so with Steve Valiquette in net, Valiquette having had success against his hometown team last season. That gives Henrik Lundqvist a bit of rest as the team heads into a stretch of three games in four nights, a pair of Garden games sandwiched around a quick trip to Detroit tomorrow night. Other line-up changes, according to Rangers Report, Ranger Rants, and Blue Notes -- Nigel Dawes and Dan Fritsche will dress in place of Lauri Korpikoski and Petr Prucha, two forwards who have been skating well but have been struggling to score.

See game previews in Newsday, Journal News, Daily News, Record, Post, Toronto Star, and NYR.com. Ryan Hollweg will not be in the line-up tonight, the former Ranger having been suspended for three games for his second major for checking from behind this season (for more, see the Globe and Mail). The tragic death of Alexei Cherepanov continues to be a story -- see Slap Shot, Globe and Mail, National Post, and CBC Sports. Prospect Park and Howlings both discuss the defection of David Skokan back home to Slovakia after leaving Charlotte.

The October issue of Blueshirt Bulletin was delivered to the postal service today, so subscribers should begin to see their copies in their mailboxes perhaps as soon as tomorrow, but more likely early next week. Our cover story is the leadership of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, a story by Andrew Gross that we have already excerpted at Blueshirt Bulletin+. Alongside it is Steve Zipay's look at Markus Naslund and Wade Redden during happier days in Prague (see the partial page image above). Our own coverage of the trip to Prague and Bern takes up five pages, all of which are available for immediate viewing by subscribers at BB+ who want to get a head start on the issue.

Other stories: Biofiles on Naslund and Aaron Voros by Scoop Malinowski, Joe McDonald on Fritsche's attempts to crack the line-up, Dan Rosen of NHL.com on the once and maybe future Rangers who played for the opposition in Bern, Bruce Berlet's article on Dale Weise (see a preview at BB+) and his comprehensive Wolf Pack News & Notes, items on Korpikoski and Corey Potter that originally appeared in similar form at BB+ (here and here), Jess Rubenstein's preview of Ranger prospects playing college hockey this season, and the monthly entries by John Halligan, Ron Boesgaard, and Mitch Beck.

Click here to see the preview of this issue at BB+ if you already subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for BB+ access. If you need instructions on how to access BB+, write to us at [email protected]. If you are not a subscriber, E-mail us or click here to learn how to take out a subscription to get the magazine as well as BB+ -- for just $3 per issue or $2.50 per month (or less if you take advantage of multi-year discounts), you'll get our monthly print publication with its wall-to-wall coverage of the Rangers and the entire organization, illustrated in full color with photographs and top-notch art direction, as well as continuous access to our exclusive premium online content at BB+.

Beating Themselves Up After Beating Themselves

No one expected the Rangers to go 82-0. But when you inevitably lose, you want to lose because the other team won the game, not because you lost it with an unacceptable level of effort. There was no reason for the Rangers to drop a 3-1 decision to what remains of the Buffalo Sabres. Even with their lackluster effort, they were in position to salvage something from this game, and didn't.

Problem one was something that has reared its head in just about every game -- discontinuing the attack when you take the lead. Against Philly, they were lucky that lead was 4-0. Against New Jersey, they were lucky that Henrik Lundqvist was at the top of his game. Against Chicago, they were lucky that gang couldn't shoot straight. But last night, there was no luck to be had -- the Rangers stopped competing after taking an early 1-0 lead, failing to register even another shot on goal is just under twenty minutes from that point on.

Problem two was losing the special teams battle for the first time in six games, their perfect penalty killing record broken by two power play goals and their own power play giving up a killer shorthander when they had a chance to tie things up. That is the subject of today's in-depth game analysis at Blueshirt Bulletin+, with quotes from Tom Renney, all three of his captains, and Paul Mara. Click here to read it if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for BB+ access. If you need instructions on how to access BB+, write to us at [email protected]. If you are not a subscriber, E-mail us or click here to learn how to take out a subscription to get the magazine as well as BB+.

Problem three: No one showed up, as Aaron Voros said (he didn't show up either). By the way, saying this is problem three doesn't suggest that this is a prioritized list -- items one and two follow from a lack of effort. Most distressingly, the top line didn't show up for the third straight game -- just exactly who is that guy in the #91 jersey? A second line is meant to step in when necessary, not carry the team -- that's the first line's job. In the two games in Prague, the first line played well, even though they didn't finish most of their multitude of chances. Since then, it's been the second line that has won for the Rangers.

The Rangers weren't the only ones who didn't show up. The fans weren't all there either. There were a lot of empty seats to begin with. Some of those there thought that a Potvin chant was the right way to get the team going during a penalty kill -- no surprise that the Sabres scored seconds later (some guy named Earl might say that has something to do with karma). They thought that was the appropriate chant the next time the Sabres had a power play too, and that time only Lundqvist stood between karma and another power play goal. Let's go Rangers? Only when it was too late.

Game reports: Newsday, Journal News, Record, Times, Post, Daily News, Buffalo News, NY Sports Day, NYR.com, NHL.com, and AP. For more on Mara's move, see Newsday, Blueshirts Blog, and the Buffalo News. Game notes from the Record and Inside Shots. More from the reporters' blogs: Blue Notes here, here, and here, Rangers Report here and here, Ranger Rants, and Game On!. From practice today, Blue Notes, Ranger Rants, and Rangers Report relay that Scott Gomez and Dmitri Kalinin did not skate after getting a bit bruised up last night but are expected to play tomorrow night. THN looks at the Rangers' blueline corps, ESPN.com on Sean Avery's return to the New York area, Prospect Park looks at Nikolai Zherdev, and Howlings reports on Lyon Messier. More on Alexei Cherepanov from the Daily News, Newsday, Slap Shot, and Beyond the Blueshirts

[The information that previously appeared in this space has been to BB+ where all such material will appear from now on.]

Sabres vs. Streak; Jagr on Cherepanov

The Rangers go for a franchise record six straight wins to open the season when they meet the Buffalo Sabres at the Garden tonight. They will not take the Sabres by surprise -- Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff and members of his staff (including James Patrick, whose Ranger number 3 will be retired later this season) were at the Garden on Monday to scout the Rangers after they drubbed the Islanders. What they saw the Rangers' penalty killing and goaltending, two huge factors in five games in which the Rangers have trailed for only five and a half minutes and have led for nearly 190 minutes.

What they also saw was the Devils matching up their best defensive forwards, John Madden and Jay Pandolfo (who always used to shadow Jaromir Jagr), against the Rangers' second line rather than the top line. And they saw that tactic go to no avail, as that line accounted for all three Ranger goals against Martin Brodeur (Brandon Dubinsky had a hand in all four goals). Indeed, Dubinsky and linemates Aaron Voros and Nikolai Zherdev have scored half the team's 16 goals as a line and have individually assisted on three others.

The Sabres are an apt opponent as the Rangers go for the franchise record, having opened their season with ten straight wins two years ago -- the Buffalo News recalls that current Ranger captain Chris Drury was part of that team. The difference, of course, is that the Sabres won three of their first four games that season by shootout -- the Rangers have won all five in regulation time. Petr Prucha goes back into the line-up today in place of Dan Fritsche, according to Rangers Report, Ranger Rants, and Blue Notes. Other stories on the game, the team, and the streak can be found in the Journal News, Record, Post, NYR.com, Montreal Gazette.

Jagr spoke about what happened to Alexei Cherepanov with Czech and Russian reporters. Here is a translation of his interview as it appeared in iDnes thanks to DaTel, who said this was the most difficult translation he has ever done:

Q: Is it even possible to describe your feelings?
A: It’s extremely hard to talk about it. The shock is beyond inexpressible. I was close to Alexei. He was a huge hockey talent, a kid who worked hard all the time to become better.

Q: How did it happen?
A: Lyosha went off the ice, sat on the bench. And died. [Very long pause] We still don’t understand it. Something had to be working improperly inside him. Otherwise, there’s no explanation.

Q: The word is that the medical care and equipment at the arena was vastly insufficient.
A: I can’t comment on that. As far as I could see, the doctors did a good job. I can’t blame anyone.

Q: The Russian media first reported that he died after a collision with you.
A: Nothing like that happened. I don’t get where this came from. Probably, someone wanted to make the news interesting, so they put the name Jagr in the title.

Q: So it was a ruse?
A: It couldn’t have even happened. I don’t play on Lyosha’s line. We’re both right wingers. Well, he was a right winger [pauses again]. It’s horrific. Terrible.

Q: Could the death of a friend take away the joy of playing hockey from you?
A: You know what? It’ a... [searching for words]... How to say this?... It’s not pleasant, that’s for sure. You keep remembering it. Again and again. Just hours ago, the kid sat next to you in the locker room, laughing, making jokes. And suddenly, he’s not there.

Q: Is it possible to get over it?
A: Time will hopefully heal it. But I really don’t know. It’s hard to say.

Q: Is this the worst thing ever to happen to you in hockey?
A: Most definitely yes. Besides, the older you get the more differently you take these things.

Q: What do you mean?
A: Well, I don’t know whether I said it right. It’s hard to compare these experiences. I remember when I played in the Czech League for Kladno, we went to play in Zlin. It was their first home game after their defenseman Ludek Cajka died.

Q: That happened in 1990 [Cajka, a Ranger sixth round draft pick in 1987, hit a rut during a race for a puck, there was contact with the other player, he crashed head-first into the boards and later died].
A: Yes, exactly. But Cajka’s death was something totally different. He was rushing to touch up the icing and hit his head. Something happened, there was a visible reason.

Q: Which wasn’t the case this time.
A: Right. I still can’t get it through my head. I’m going to repeat myself but it’s horrific. Beyond words.

More on Cherepanov, on his funeral and memorial service, on him as a player, on Jagr's reaction, and on the ongoing investigations into his death in Russia, which are now looking a possible doping as a contributing cause (including translations of Russian news reports) -- see Beyond the Blueshirts, Slap Shot here and here, the AP here and here, Times, Newsday, Record, Daily News, Post, Omsk web site, TSN.ca, ESPN.com, Toronto Star (on the Rangers' Gordie Clark), Toronto Sun, Winnipeg Sun, Denik Sport (interview with Jagr's mother), and Prospect Park.

Rangers Win Fifth Straight on Somber Night

Last night started with a somber announcement by the Rangers about the death of Alexei Cherepanov, the murmurs in the crowd indicating that this was news to a number of attendees. But it ended on a positive note that Cherepanov would have approved of -- the Rangers winning their fifth straight to start the season (seventh straight including the two Victoria Cup matches), tying a club record. The heroes again were Brandon Dubinsky (who, against all odds, leads the NHL in scoring at this moment) and Aaron Voros, who scored two power play goals by setting up screens in front of Martin Brodeur and deflecting point shots past him.

The Rangers are winning in large part due to special teams play. The power play may not have an overwhelming success rate (slightly north of 20%), but more important than stats are the quality of power play goals -- three of the five game winners have been power play goals, one power play goal has been an equalizer, and another has been a game clincher. And the penalty killing -- just perfect, with 21 straight kills.

Last night, the Rangers held the Devils without a shot for a 14-minute span of the first period and outshot the Devils 14-3 over a span of more than 22 minutes through the middle of the second period. The Rangers were outshot over the next 20 minutes by 13-3, but two of their three shots were goals. And those shots didn't start to mount up right away -- as the Devils stepped up the pressure, they found their shooting lanes blocked by Ranger backchecking. And Henrik Lundqvist was solid, having now allowed just five goals in four games.

The comparison of Voros with Sean Avery was inevitable with Brodeur and the Devils in town. At Blueshirt Bulletin+ today, we examine the notion that Voros is Avery's happy twin, with support from Voros himself, Dubinsky, Renney, Lundqvist, and even Brodeur and Devils coach Brent Sutter. Click here to read it if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for BB+ access. If you need instructions on how to access BB+, write to us at [email protected]. If you are not a subscriber, E-mail us or click here to learn how to take out a subscription to get the magazine as well as BB+.

Game reports: Newsday, Journal News, Daily News, Record, Times, Post, Star-Ledger, NY Sports Day, NYR.com, NHL.com, MSG.com, and AP. More from Newsday on Lundqvist, the Record on Avery, NHL.com on the Dubinsky line, the Ledger here, here, here, here, here, and here, and Inside Shots. Even more from the reporters' blogs -- Rangers Report here and here, Ranger Rants, Blue Notes, Blue Seats, Hockey Rodent, and Fire and Ice. Elsewhere, the Rangers' 5-0 start has them rising to or toward the top of various "Power Rankings" -- see FoxSports and Yahoo! Sports. At WP.com, see Bob Crawford's Wolf Pack Weekly.

Questions remain about the tragic death of Cherepanov, especially with the level of care available at the small 3,000 seat arena in the Moscow suburb of Chekhov. Omsk coach Wayne Fleming told Eric Duhatchek of the Globe and Mail via cell phone that Cherepanov had a "previosuly undetected heart condition." See the many reports at Newsday, the Journal News, Times, Post here and here, ESPN, Sportsnet.ca, TSN.ca, THN.com, NHL.com here and here, PA Sports Ticker, and AP, as well as perhaps even more detail in the reporters' blogs -- Slap Shot here and here, Rangers Report, Ranger Rants here and here, Blue Notes, and MSG.com. Beyond the Blueshirts has a translation of an on-site account.

Jess Rubenstein and Mitch Beck both met Cherepanov on the day he was drafted. They are among the very very few people writing about this tragedy who have actually spoken to him. See what they have to say at Prospect Park and Howlings.