Rangers vs. Devils: Battle of the Hudson - I

From the desks of:  

RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  ~ ALL MOTHER LEEDS CHILDREN,
and (FIVE FOR FLATBUSH)

Battle of the Hudson - I

TODAY

New Jersey Devils

vs.

New York Rangers

FROM

8th Avenue Ice House

NYC

NJD: Life After Lou Lamoriello Leaves New Jersey Devils Without a Pitchfork.

That's probably premature to say...., but I doubt it.

These are no longer the goblins Lou Lamoriello nurtured to maturity and unleashed upon the NHL. That team fired up five Eastern Conference titles, and three Stanley Cup championships. 

These New Jersey Devils enter Madison Square Garden this afternoon in search of goals, points, their first win of the season, a new identity, and...  

You get the picture.

After nearly three decades as head demon in charge, Lou Lamoriello retired from the New Jersey Devils, but worse, joined up with the (original six) Toronto Maple Leafs.  That development will spell trouble for the rest of the NHL in short time.

For now, the finishing touches on his brilliant career will come when the Devils raise Patrik Elias' jersey to the rafters, and unveil the statue planned in honor of Martin Brodeur's status as one of the NHL's greatest goal tenders of all-time.

Today, the Devils have a new triumvirate with which they're attempting to move forward.

• General Manager - Ray Shero.
• Head Coach - John Hynes.
• Team Captain - Andy Greene.

Sure, some familiar names remain - depending how old you are, that is.  Adam Henrique, Adam Larsson, Travis Zajac, and a few others lend a familiar feel to things, while Cory Schneider is now well beyond being Martin Brodeur's heir apparent.

But, after four games played, the Devils have yet to record a win, and have posted all of one point.   They've been outscored 12-6 in regulation, and most recently lost a shoot-out in San Jose.

Today they get the Rangers...

In hindsight, when the Devils defeated the Rangers in the 2011-2012 Eastern Conference finals, the teams were ironically headed in contrary directions.  The Rangers transitioned away from John Tortorella, and sustained their competitive play under Alain Vigneault.

The Devils, meanwhile, lost in the Stanley Cup finals to the Los Angeles Kings.  The flames that once stoked New Jersey hockey simply flickered out with sudden haste, while years under Lou Lamoriello are now mere ashes on the mantelpiece of Devils history.

Lou arguably waited too long in breaking up the Devils after 2012.  Many would suggest he should have initiated a rebuilding right then.  After all, the Devils have failed to reach the post-season in each of the last three seasons.  Two seasons ago they dropped to 6th in the Metropolitan Division, then slipped further last season to 7th place.  Last year was also New Jersey's second losing season in their last five.

It's hard to pile criticism on Lou Lamoriello now - not after what he accomplished in the under-funded, if not handi-capped, shadows of New York City.

Much of their downfall also revolved around money, of course, and their inability to retain premium talents such as Zach Parise and Brian Gionta, just to name two.  And who knows what the hell Ilya Kovalchuk was thinking (or Lou for that matter, for giving him that absurd contract, although it almost paid off in 2012).

All that is just water under the Tappan Zee Bridge now.

As a Rangers fan, I confidently say Lou Lamoriello was the greatest hockey executive this town has known in my lifetime.  

That says much considering Bill Torrey's brilliant 20-year career with the New York Islanders.  I'm damn near reticent to even suggest such a thing.  In short time, Torrey piled Stanley Cups high on Long Island like an obelisk rising over ancient Egypt - his dynasty was powerful and enduring.  It took an unworldly Wayne Gretzky and the overly talented Edmonton Oilers to deny Long Island's Drive for Five.

Alas, Lou Lamoriello's tenure was longer.  During his 27-year career, the Devils made the playoffs 21 times, and played for Lord Stanley's Cup five times.  His first Finals appearance came in 1995, and within the span of nine years New Jersey appeared in four.  His last appearance in the Finals came 19 long years after his first, when the Devils bowed to the L.A. Kings in six games.  All of which, regardless of outcome, lay testament to his longevity, hockey integrity, adaptability, financial creativity, and above all, his executive mastery.

Between 1987 through 2012, the Devils failed to qualify for post-season play a mere three times.   Then starting in 1997 through 2010, they ran off 13 straight playoff appearances, with the only interruption coming in 2004-2005 during the NHL's imposed lockout.

For all of his years, it was either his way or the highway.  And one usually played for Lou at his price as well.  In the age of player entitlement and financial windfalls, that was perhaps Lamoriello's most amazing feat of all.

His propensity for firing and hiring head coaches was also legendary, but there's little debating his greatest appointment was Jacques LeMaire.

He did all this on the grandest stage of all - the New York metropolitan area.  Just like Bill Torrey did with the Isles, Lou Lamoriello took charge of an outlying organization playing deep in the heart of New York Rangers country and transformed the Devils into an NHL power, and turned them into a historical franchise in their own right.  On that note, both teams out-achieved their big city brothers whom supposedly own the high ground.

I met Lou Lamoriello during the pre-game skate at a Rangers/Devils games at Madison Square Garden a few years ago.  I'm happy, and feel fortunate that I did.  He signed my game ticket that I proudly display on my wall.

Okay...

There ya go.

It's time to drop the puck.

Let's go Rangers.

Rangers vs. Devils; Battle of the Hudson - V

From the desks of:

RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  &  NEWARK SINNERS ON SKATES 

BATTLE OF THE HUDSON - V

Devils Lead Series 3-1

I - NJD 4; NYR 0

II - NJD 3; NYR 2

III - NJD 4; NYR 3

IV - NYR 7; NJD 3

TONIGHT

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

New Jersey Devils

FROM

The Rock

Newark, N.J.

New York Rangers: Their Kindness Has Been A Weakness. Playing Hockey With A Bad Attitude Is Exactly What They Needed.

Rick Nash Finally Lashes Out

There's more to just salvaging a second win in the season series against the Devils.  Despite being seven points ahead of today's rival, the Rangers must avoid having Newark close to within five points.  It sounds simplistic, but remember what the Devils did two years ago.

Last night's gritty victory over Columbus gave the Blueshirts a mere 24-hours of breathing room.

The Rangers enter tonight's game against the Devils tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, and only sit in third place of the Metropolitan Division by two points over the Blue Jackets.  So, for the Rangers, everything can still change on the drop of a dime.

There are 22 points up for grabs before the regular season ends.  The Rangers need to secure as many of them as possible.  After tonight's game, the Rangers will host Phoenix, then welcome the #5 Philadelphia Flyers (81 points) to Madison Square Garden.  That game will be paramount, as the Rangers will then hit the road for a four game swing through the Western Conference.

Did last night's game in Columbus awake a sleeping giant?  Rick Nash finally played with the fury someone of his size and skill should be skating with.  The man needed an edge, and the Blue Jackets may have finally sharpened his.  His team mates also responded in kind, with great tenaciousness, push-backs and fists, and goals.  Games like yesterday's were meant to propel teams forward.  What effect it will have on the Rangers with just 11 games left in the season remains to be seen.

New Jersey Devils: Will This Be The Last Time Martin Brodeur Squares Off Against Henrik Lundqvist?

The #11 Devils trail the #8 seeded Columbus Blue Jackets by five points.  With 12 games remaining in their schedule, an outside chance to reach the post-season still exists.  The Devils have a more Eastern Conference heavy schedule left than the Rangers.  They need all the help they can get, but it won't hurt to play like a bunch of crazed dogs.

The Devils are also coming off a 4-3 OT win over the Jackets.  It snapped a three game losing streak.  In fact, the Devils have been converting more overtime games into victories lately, which was something that stymied their standing very early in the season.  The Devils lost their first five extra time games this season.  They are now 9-13 for the season in extra innings.

Entering tonight's game against the Rangers, the Devils own the NHL's 3rd best power play, and are tops on the penalty kill.  They also rank 11th in goals against.  The Rangers are 6th on the PK, 14th on the PP, and 6th in goals against.

Jaromir Jagr continues his years long swan song.  He is currently posting a triple crown, leading the team with 23 goals, 37 assists, and 70 points.  Earlier this season, he became only the 7th player in NHL  history to surpass 700 goals in a career.

The match-ups between Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist are coming to an end.  Who knows when the next time might be.  Therefore, I for one, will be watching this game with great interest. Both teams will be desperate for a positive outcome tonight.

Henrik Lundqvist recently gained his 303rd career victory.  Martin Brodeur more than doubles him, with 686 career victories.  He only needs 14 more wins to reach 700, and the Devils should give him the opportunity to achieve that next season (then make him retire!).

Mike.BTB

N.Y. RANGERS ~ Battle of the Hudson IV

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

BATTLE of the HUDSON - IV

I - Dec. 20,  NYR 4 - NJD 1

II - Jan. 3,  NJD 4 - NYR 3; S.O.

III - Feb. 7,  NJD 1 - NYR 0

Devils lead series 2-1 

New Jersey Devils

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From,

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

33rd Street at 7th Avenue

NYC

No team has defeated the Rangers three times this season.  The Devils are shooting to become the first.  In our last two meetings against the Devils, the Blueshirts lost a 4-3 shoot-out, then got stymied by Martin Brodeur 1-0 on February 7th.  If I was worrisome of the Devils before, I find them more so now.  New Jersey made their deadline move.  They targeted Minnesota's defenseman; Marek Zidlicky; and got him.  Did the Devils pay too much for him?   No - Because the Devils have money problems that dwarf the salary cap right now and needed to rid themselves of some bodies to make the trade fit.

The move bolstered and added depth to New Jersey's already well playing young corp of blue liners with a veteran.  Having played for Jacques LeMaire before, he'll be in fine tune with the Devils' ways. And, the 35 year old defenseman can score too.  He has 38 points this season off 14 goals and 24 assists.  And personally, I find this troublesome for the Rangers as I've been saying since returning from the All-Star break -  Here Come the Devils!

Three of the last four Ranger games have gone beyond regulation time.  There were two overtime wins over Columbus and Buffalo, and one shoot-out loss to the Islanders.  And somewhere in between was a shut-out loss against Pittsburgh.  That's just a taste of what's in store for March.  The schedule will be getting tight; real right; as the Rangers will be playing seventeen games in thirty days.

This season is going to come down to stamina and minimizing mistakes; not Rick Nash.  So, with the way New Jersey has handled us lately, I'd like for the Rangers to start getting on with this season again with who they have, and get back to grinding and playing defense.  The trade deadline has come and gone without the Blueshirts making a major move.  So the Rangers are just going to have to bear down and score goals on their own.

This is a statement game.  It's a game for these players.  That's how I see it.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Devils; Battle of the Hudson - III

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Battle of the Hudson - III

Game One ~ NYR 4   NJD 1

Game Two ~ NJD 3   NYR 2  S.O.

Series tied 1-1

GAME THRE

New Jersey Devils

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From,

Sec. 417 on the 8th Avenue Side

NYC

NEW YORK RANGERS:  This Time The Devils Are Entering Hell's Kitchen.

After splitting two games at The Rock, the Devils can expect a most unwelcome reception Tuesday night at the Garden.  The memory of the January 31st shoot-out loss to Marty Brodeur is still fresh on Ranger fan's minds; mine included.  And I'll be one hand to help the crowd make sure he knows we didn't appreciate it.  The Garden was HOT Sunday afternoon for the Flyers game.  So I'm expecting no less Tuesday night when the Devils arrive.  Brodeur might also want to bring an umbrella.  It's going to be raining down "Maaaarty!!" in buckets.  He knows it.  He's "having fun again" remember?  Although, I do appreciate the Devils tenderizing the Flyers for us by drubbing them with six goals -before letting them back in the game that is; if only cosmetically though.  And for that, thanks.

But last game against the Rangers, the Devils looked a lot like the team the Rangers were last season.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  For the most part, the Rangers have steered clear of over-time and shoot-outs this season.  The Devils meanwhile look familiar to us, as they almost hope to get games beyond regulation and there-by give Brodeur a chance at winning it for them as a matter of strategy.  It's a tough in-season debate to argue - there are no shoot-outs in the playoffs.  But you need to win shoot-outs in order to make the playoffs.


This much is established - Coach DeBeor knows what he's doing.  And this is fact - The Devils have sixty three points.  Are they the Devils team that spanked Philly just before the Rangers did?  Or are they the Devils team that took the Rangers to shoot-out last week?  The answer is, it doesn't matter.  The Devils won them both.  But we both spanked Philly.  I don't know what that means but if you're a Devils Fan, you can't be dissatisfied with their present standing.  And if you're a Rangers fan, you can't ignore we still have four games left against New Jersey.


In our last meeting together, Marty Biron was within seconds of securing a win for the Blueshirts.  It was one of those things when the term "things didn't bounce our way" applies.  The fact Marty Biron started in goal and not Henrik Lundqvist surprised many.  It's not the way they've always worked the match-up.  But then, Henrik was returning from the All-Star Game.  Henrik plays Tuesday; no doubt.


I thought coming back from the break to a shoot-out loss was interesting.  I "kinda" predicted that loss. But in my last post I also said I deal in trends.  I said talk to me in a week when we meet the Devils again and we'll see how things went.  Since saying that, the Rangers went on to play an intense and really overall great game by both teams in Buffalo.  Rangers won in shoot-out 1-0.  And then.., Yeah - and then came our turn against the Flyers.  See below.  So it's safe to say we've had a good week, not to mention seized upon another game that as fans, we really, really want to win.

Look What We Did to the Flyers... Again!

Nov. 26th ~ NYR 2   PHI 0

Dec. 23rd ~ NYR 4   PHI 2

CLASSIC ~ NYR 3   PHI 2

SUNDAY

NYR 5   PHI 2

Hey, if I were Philly, I'd be upset too.  After what the Devils did to them?  Then not being able to beat the Rangers this season?  It's enough to drive any seemingly good team mad.  Just driving on the N.J. Turnpike alone drive can drive a person nuts.  Then giving up eleven goals in two games?  Now we're talking rage.  And as this is the Philadelphia Flyers we're talking about, when civility fails, for them  there's always the next best thing; violence.


But before going "there", the Flyers have issues.  They are clearly not the same without Daniel Briere or Chris Pronger.  And not for nothing, both their goalies suck.  There is no kinder way to say it.  Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky are litter bugs leaving all kinds of garbage around the net for other teams to clean up.  Good luck with that.  But then again who cares.  It's the Flyers. 


Sometimes teams deserve a 5-2 drubbing.  Because if you're a Rangers fan; and worse yet, an older Ranger fan; then you know since they day of their inception into the League, their team has long lacked comportment.  And surprise, from the start of Sunday's game, Philly looked determined to reduce the level gamesmanship to Southern Hockey League lows or Roller Ball.  Yeah, I said that.


They say adversity reveals character.  On the way to their fourth loss against the Rangers this season, the Flyers flung the curtains open and exposed themselves.  They acted like Bullies who get exposed when you slap them on the nose and cry.  That's right; a slap; an open hand slap - because to a man, that's more embarrassing.  What the Real Housewives of Broad Street can't achieve through skill, professionalism, respect for the game, and the will to compete, they look to achieve and take through on-ice belligerence.  See Tom Sestito about that.  But it is what it is.  They've been like that for decades.


Only this season, they keep coming up against the New York Softies; not to be confused with the old Smurfs.  Coach Tortorella stomped those little blue creatures out of MSG like they were roaches invading his kitchen.  And ever since the Rangers relieved Philadelphia of first place in Atlantic Division back on December 23rd, the Rangers quite literally have never looked back.  The days of looking over their shoulder for fear of some Flyer player up to no good are additionally gone.  Tortorella's Rangers hit back.  Tortorella's Rangers have actually grown a liking to fisticuffs.  Coach Torts' Rangers lead the League in Fighting Majors.  And Sunday, Coach's guys gave the Broad Street Babies back their fair share.


A game like Sunday's begs one more question - Hey Joe Thornton, How Do You Like Us Now?  While Joe Thornton has nothing to do with the Flyers, the San Jose Sharks' forward called the Rangers (paraphrased) the softest team he ever played.  I'll tell you what Joey - keep your Sharks in first place and hopefully both teams get lucky enough to give you a chance and tell the Blueshirts that to their faces next time.  But that's potentially for the Spring; - Maybe.  But sometimes you get what you ask for.


In more pressing Blueshirt matters, ask and ye shall receive.  Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, and Ruslan Fedotenko, have all been called on the carpet recently as the Rangers will most definitely need more scoring down the stretch. And the truth is, the trade deadline looms ahead.  But right on cue, Anisimov, Fedotenko, and Dubinsky all scored Sunday.  Marian Gaborik added his 26th of the season.  And Michael Del Zotto rounds out five goal scorers against Philly.


The New York Softies are at seventy-one points and counting.  They lead the Eastern Conference by three points over Boston.  And..., they own the stingiest Defense in the NHL.





The Rangers Pendulum Power Play:



The bad news?  Against Philly, the Rangers were 0 for 5 on the Power Play and remain sterile; as in unfruitful.  I've started to refer to the PP as them being on the Pendulum Play.  Because all they do is pass around the perimeter and the defense merely has to shift left, shift right, and shift left again - repeat as necessary.  All the while, the Rangers get little to no shots off, and that's only if they establish the zone.  What the Rangers do not do on the power play is get heads turning around - they don't get different players looking in different directions.  And they certainly do not get different defenders skating to recover their assigned area.  The Rangers allow teams to stay in a turtle shell where all four P-Killers move as one and react as one.



How do you change that?  A) - Pass and move without the puck.  That's when the cross ice pass works most effectively.  The Rangers pass and just stay in place around the perimeter.  B)  - Just take shots and look to clean up in front.  Stop playing for the perfect pass.  C) - Play from behind the net more.  That gets the defenders looking at the back boards and away from the guy in the slot.  Those are just some of my ideas.







Mike.BTB

Rangers vs Devils ~ BATTLE of the HUDSON V

BATTLE OF THE HUDSON ~ V

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

@

THE ROCK

NEWARK, N.J.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  Playing Possessed.

No one has been talking about the Devils Ownership situation as of late.  But the way they have been pounding opponents on the ice lately has put the Eastern Conference on notice.  They want a playoff spot and it's going to cost some team theirs.!

The DEVILS are only playing the most insane Hockey in the League right now.  And being that I am not taking the Florida Panthers nor the Toronto Maple Leafs very seriously, I fully expect the Devils to leap-frog over those two clubs.  The big question for the Devils is will they have enough games left in the season to qualify for a playoff spot?  Let's keep that far-off idea in perspective and just say it's the Eighth Spot we're talking about.  But, if they keep-up this hellish pace of play, in the last week of the regular season they can very well bump another team with playoff aspirations out of the tournament.  A few short weeks ago, we wouldn't even have entertained this topic.  Two weeks ago I laughed off the notion with some friends.  But I can actually envision the Devils sustaining this fury. 

The only problem I see with their pursuit of a coveted playoff spot is their goalie situation.  Johan Hedberg will have to be New Jersey's goalie to make that happen.  It's fair to question how reliable Martin Brodeur will be down the stretch.  I don't mean Marty still can't deliver them to a playoff spot, but the way it looks right now reliance on Johan Hedberg seems very necessary to their success.  Working in concert with Brodeur and having him agree to a more limited role more-so than he's used to seems odd in the land of Devils.  What's wrong with odd, if it works?  Plus, Marty has yet to prove he can be healthy this season and sustain it.

NEW YORK RANGERS:  This Game Against Devils Is More Meaningful Than I Care For.

Finally, a game! 

I hate extended breaks in the schedule.  But against the Kings, the Rangers for the most part didn't look rusty at all.  The off-days perhaps did them well.  But tonight's game was going to be exhausting.  You could see it from the start.  Both teams were in a skating and hitting mood. 

A sense of urgency and desperation might have sparked them tonight.  While the Rangers have been idle, other teams have been playing and accumulating points.  Then when L.A. scored first, Purpose finally entered the building and laced up some skates.  They rebounded in this game after giving up that early first period goal.  The Blueshirts played L.A. to a 1-1 tie after two periods.  Then a BIG goal by Gaborik seven minutes into the third period, off a defensive end turnover recovered by Sauer gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead.  It was Marian Gaborik's first goal in too long of a stretch.  I don't know the exact number, so I won't try.

But because we don't do things the easy way, the Kings made it 2-2.  Lundqvist couldn't react in time to a shot from the top of the right circle that deflected off Brian Boyle's stick.  That's so typical of the kind of goals that get scored against Henrik.  But The King came up with a huge save when L.A.'s Richardson received a sweet pass and snuck in with a clear path towards Henrik.  The King stopped him cold and made perhaps the save of the game.

With 3:08 left in the third period, Brandon Dubinsky scored on a wrap-around after an awful lot of hard work by Ryan Callahan that started on the other end.  Callahan caused havoc for L.A. along the far boards and heading towards the 7th Avenue end, fought his way up ice all the way towards net.  Dubinsky was there to clean up the play and stuffed a loose puck home with the Rangers' go-ahead goal.

Then Los Angeles scored again!  From behind the goal line, the Kings banked a shot off the back of Henrik's shoulder for the tying goal 47 seconds after the Rangers took the lead.  Hey, it was that kind of game, and for the second time, it was that kind of a goal. 

Regulation time expired and the Rangers, Kings and Madison Square Garden would go to over-time. Remarkably, with the Rangers in need of a big break at this point, they got one.  After Staal sustained a high-stick penalty called a double-minor to end regulation, they would go on a four-minute power play to start the five minute over-time.  But four Blueshirt shots later, the Rangers committed a penalty; a high-stick by Dubinsky.  ...And I'm thinking...You're kidding me...right?  So naturally, you know what that meant;

Three on Three Hockey!!!  Neither team could generate much.  There was just a-lot of jostling for the puck..  Four on four play resumed for the last minute of over-time which only resulted in 1 shot on goal for the Rangers. 

Over-time expired with the score tied 3-3.

SHOOT-OUT:

NYR ~ Christensen; GOAL.

LA ~ Handzus; SAVE.

NYR ~ Zuccarello; GOAL.

LA ~ Stoll; GOAL.

NYR ~ Wolski; SAVE.

LA ~ Kopitar; SAVE.

...And the Rangers wound up victorious over a tough Los Angeles Kings team.

** GAME NOTE:   Henrik Lundqvist ~ Win Number 200 as a New York Ranger.

It was a rough way to earn two points.  But right now points are at a premium.  This is in no way a statement of panic on my part, but the Rangers' play-off lives are being played for, Right Now!...  There's a couple of teams bunched together in the neighborhood of 60+ points.  Carolina already came on like a Hurricane to join the Pack of Eight.  Buffalo has stormed back from the abyss to put themselves at the doorstep.  At this point, the top five teams in the Eastern Conference you can pretty much write in stone.  Those teams aren't dropping anywhere.  The sixth place team; Montreal....I'd write them in ink.  Then, like I said, that leaves us, Carolina, Buffalo and Atlanta all futzing around in our 60's.  And those Devils....What do we make of them?  They are now only 12 points away from 8th place Carolina.

RANGER COMMENTS:

This game against the L.A. Kings may have been Coach Tort's best game managing and distributing minutes amongst his forwards.  All game and past the half way point of the third period, Torts maintained a high/low ice disparity of four minutes on average.  We know from Coach's history, getting ice time from him is like a lightning strike.  He never seems to hit the same spot twice.  And knowing him, he's about to trim down his "set" lines to three and abandon a fourth line altogether.  Who's going to comprise those three lines?  I'm sure we're about to find out.  But with him, nothing has ever been set.

Friday Night Fights Hockey

FRIDAY

February 18, 2011

LET'S GO RANGERS!!

Mike.BTB

NYR vs NJD ~ Battle of the Hudson, Pt. 2

The Rock; Newark ~ Pregame, NYR vs NJD

The Battle of the Hudson resumes tonight as the New York Rangers cross the river to take on the New Jersey Devils in Newark tonight.

Martin Brodeur will not be playing tonight due to a sore shoulder after taking a puck to his arm earlier this week.  And Ryan Callahan of the Blueshirts will also be a scratch for this evening's game, as he got a little banged up last night versus Philadelphia.

It's awfully hard to knock the Rangers right now considering the players we have sitting out with injuries; namely Gaborik, Prospol and Drury.  The Rangers have been caught in a win two; lose two; win; lose..cycle lately.  That's to be expected.  With little to no depth to work with at the moment, the Blueshirts are just trying to maintain pace.  They're doing a commendable job too.

It's just that we have no room for error even when we are at full strength.  It's the same old story with us.  We lack size and we have no qualified sniper on the wing.  Torts has been riding our top line of Callahan, Anisimov and Dubinsky hard.  Then again he hasn't really had a choice.  All three of them are responding to Torts' "demands" they be the core and play as such.

The Rangers played impressively against the Leafs beginning this last stretch of games.  Then got trashed by the Thrashers; played an excellent game against the Bruins; lost a tough, hard fought game against the Hurricanes and squeezed in another victory in there against Chicago.

Last night however, what was clearly evident against the Flyers in Philly was what has been our plight for eons upon eons....our lack of size.  That's a conversation in Rangers' philosophy and not for right now.

We couldn't really muster much against them last night because Philly pushed us out wide and didn't let us loiter around the slot much.  Sometimes you can skate through and around their lumbering size.  Last night they could not in a game I was hyped for and a game the team was said to be exceptionally geared up to play.

The Devils?  Wow!  They have more problems than a math book.  Their defense is non-existent, they've wrestled with the Kovalchuk issue and Brodeur was off his game very early - even getting pulled from a game in the earliest days of this season.  After taking a puck off the arm two games ago, he will sit tonight.  Now the latest calamity to befall the Devils comes courtesy of Zach Parise.  He'll be out for a reported three months with a bad knee.  That's all they needed right now.  However, they didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn but they did have a good game against Chicago, and like the Rangers, beat the defending Stanley Cup Champs in their last game.

The ONLY real positive news to come out of Newark so far this season was the Devils' announcement they will be retiring Scott Niedermayer's jersey and Number 27 sometime this season.  I believe that is well deserved by the way.

Now more than ever Patrick Elias and Jason Arnott need to carry the load more than ever.  They've been MIA throughout October.  November has to be better for the both of them.

Kovalchuk?  He's suffering from a bad start.  He'll eventually score goals but the other guys need to show up right now.  Like I said tonight they'll have to go it without Brodeur and Parise.  Brodeur will be missing his first game this season after 14 games played.  Johan Hedberg will get the start against the Rangers tonight.

Henri will be in net for the Blueshirts.

Game time is another 25 minutes away.  Let's get it on...in this latest installment of the Battle of the Hudson.

The Rangers beat the Devils the last time these teams met.  I look for them to repeat that feat and correct last night's sloppy, ugly loss against the Flyers with substantially better play tonight.  With Callahan out of the line-up I'm hoping Tort's will shuffle the lines and pair AVERY together with more scoring potential for tonight.  Regardless, I still think Avery is due for a very explosive night and he loves playing against the Devils...even though Marty is sitting this one out.

Game time is fifteen minutes away.  Let's Get It ON!  The latest installment of the Battle of the Hudson comes now.

NEW YOR RANGERS

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Tonight at "The Rock"
Newark, New Jersey



FIRST PERIOD
Rangers  1
Devils     0
Goal: NYR, Dubinsky.    Assist: Anisimov, Frolov
Brandon Dubinsky's 9th goal leads the team.

SECOND PERIOD
Rangers  2
Devils     0

*Goal: NYR, Girardi (2).    Assist: Anisimov, Dubinsky

*Power Play goal.

Lundqvist ~ 23 saves

Henrik Lundqvist is the best player on the ice so far.

Devils out shooting the Rangers:

NJD 23 Shots on Goal

NYR 12 Shots on Goal

***Dubinsky goal now being credited to Brian Boyle.

THIRD PERIOD

Rangers  3

Devils     0

FINAL

Goal: NYR, Dubinsky (10th) - Shorthanded.

NJD - 5 Minute Major Penalty to Clarkson; Boarding on Brian Boyle; 

NYR do not score.

POST GAME:

Rangers bounce back after last night's loss;

Devils fall deeper into their Hell.

A bedeviling season continues for the Newark Demons as Henrik Lundqvist shut out the rival Devils yet again.  He stopped 33 shots to gain victory over the spiraling Jersey club and in doing so, corrected last night's loss to the Flyers.

Brandon Dubinsky was denied a Hat Trick.  His 2nd period goal was later credited to Brian Boyle.

None-the-less, Brandon scored two goals tonight which gives him 10 for this young season.  When the season began I stated he'd need to score at least 30 goals in order for the Rangers to be a playoff contender (along with Callahan).  He may be coming into his own now.  This season may be his coming out.  He certainly seems to be responding to Tort's prodding.

I thought Torts would make an effort to put a better line around Avery as Callahan was a scratch.

It didn't work out that way.  Avery played a quietly effective game.  He's been quite the model citizen so far.  I'm hoping Torts can open up his situation a bit.  The guy is a good hockey player who I think is being underutilized.  But that's just me.

It's a disturbing time across the river.  Kovalchuk, Arnott, Elias,.....where are they?  What the entire Metropolitan area Hockey fan wants to know is what happened to the Devils?  Lundqvist was exceptional in goal tonight, but to a man, I'm sure the Devils are speechless, but would still muster words saying how Lundqvist is the least of their problems.

The Devils had better retire Niedermayer's jersey sooner than later so as to give their fans something to cheer about before it gets ugly out in Newark.  Mayor Booker already has enough problems out there.  Coach MacLean used his "pick on my Superstar" card way way early against Kovalchuk.  What possible motivational technique can he employ now that will get his players' attention?  He went for the Bazooka early and now he may be left holding only a sling shot. 

Of course I know it's only November.  It's the only thing the Devils have going for them at the present time.  The situation is definitely a matter I'll be watching closely.

Mike.BTB

Battle of the Hudson resumes: DEVILS vs. RANGERS

Last night the Battle of the Hudson resumed again.  The New York Rangers, my team, lost a 1-0 shootout contest to Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils.  Both goalies, Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist did not allow a puck to enter net for 60 minutes, in offsetting shut-outs.  Martin Brodeur in head to head battles versus Henrik Lundqvist has only managed 8 wins against King Henrik and the Blueshirts.  Lundqvist has been victorious over Brodeur and the Devils 15 times.  That's a nice record to have against the likes of Brodeur.  It palls in comparison to Martin's record which inched upwards another notch with his shutting out of the Rangers at MSG last night.

This Blog didn't cover Martin Brodeur becoming the all-time winningest goalie in NHL history.  Nor did I make mention of Brodeur becoming the all-time shut-outs leader.  I will get back and revisit that soon.  As an area fan, if even if you're not from these parts, I, quite simply, enjoy having someone of Martin Brodeur's talents playing in my backyard.

I say this as a Ranger's Fan Blue Blood.  As long as they are not playing the Rangers, the Devils are cool with me, and have been since they arrived here from Colorado.  It's the New York Islanders that earn my ire.

We pick up this Blog with Martin Brodeur notching career shut-out number 107 over the Rangers last night at MSG.  This isn't the first post I envisioned for my Blueshirts, but Martin Brodeur deserves it, and I'm damn glad he plays here in the area.

The New York Rangers?  Yea, they're my team....have been since about 1977-78.  I'll be getting into them a lot.  I'll be doing stuff about the Devils too.  OK, I'll cover some Islander stuff too.  Here!  Try this on!

(This one's for you Hammer!)

But for now it's helpful for you to know that I am A Ranger!  I like the Devils.  I detest the Islanders, but doesn't that make this more fun?

Trust me.  The Rangers can wait for me to start ripping them.  It's coming though.

Tonight, let's just congratulate both teams on a very well played game.  Fellow Ranger Fans, let's take a time-out and just give Brodeur credit.  He's great, and as a Hockey fan, let's appreciate his career while he still tends net in our backyard, even if it is Jersey.

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/