Rangers Report Blog

Someone asked Henrik Lundqvist last night if he knew the Jets hadn’t won the second part of a back-to-back all season. He laughed and said he didn’t, then insisted it didn’t matter. Some team will always be the first, he said.

Despite sitting atop the Eastern Conference at the break, Lundqvist and the Rangers refuse to leave a stone unturned. The idea of Winnipeg, amidst a slump, on the road, on the second night of a back-to-back screamed “trap game” to them. They refused to let that thought become a reality, and beat the Jets 3-0.

Here’s a quick review as the Blueshirts head into the break…

Thoughts:

1) Lundqvist said the Rangers wanted to the Jets to realize quickly they meant business. The Jets were a defeated team that was more than 2,000 miles from home and limped into the Garden losing 8 of 11. That means the game plan was simple: Register an early goal and let Winnipeg know that thought hovering in the back of their minds at the opening face-off was a reality.

Indeed, the Jets were in for a rough night. The Rangers did exactly what they wanted, scoring 4:05 in when Ryan Callahan punched in the rebound of Anton Stralman’s shot. Quickly, it was 1-0 Rangers.

2) I know from back in the days when I covered the team semi-regularly that a big complain among fans was the team’s reluctance to shoot. Much has changed since the likes of Jagr, Roszival and Nylander left town, but not enough for John Tortorella’s liking. No, Torts didn’t reference the old Czech core, nor, I’d assume, did they ever entered his mind. However, he did praise Stralman for being ready to shoot when Winnipeg’s clearing try moved toward him. It allowed the defenseman to generate a chance when it seemed like one didn’t exist.

“A big part of what I think we have to get better at are rebound goals. And before you get rebound goals, you have to shoot the puck on the net,” Tortorella said. “We tend to look for the next play where probably the best play is being ready to shoot before it comes to you and to shoot it instead of trying to pass it.”

3) Anytime you have a shutout, the defense usually has something to do with it. Even with Hank in net. But the Ranger D played an especially strong game. Their names were sprinkled throughout the post-game notes. In reality, Stralman and Michael Del Zotto were largely responsible for the first two goals.

Del Zotto’s play seemed especially noteworthy. He skated from the red line in front of the Ranger bench, crossed the blue line, swooped toward the right circle and back toward the center before finding John Mitchell open on the left circle. It was poor defense by Winnipeg for sure, but a creative play by Del Zotto, who earned my third-star vote for the night. He logged 26:16 of ice time and finished a plus-2. Stralman, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh were all over 20 minutes as well.

4) With those four playing major minutes, Marc Staal played a season-low 12:06 in this, his 11th game. Staal had no shots, blocked no shots and recorded just one hit. As you may have read, the Daily News reported that the club said Staal had no issues. That seems reasonable. Perhaps it’s just time for a break. The All-Star Game may come at a good time and allow him to re-boot for the second half.

5) When the Rangers struck for that second goal, they did so shortly after Winnipeg killed off a power play for the second time that period. The Rangers went on to finish 0 for 4 with a man-advantage and are now mired in an unsightly 3-for-41 stretch. If there’s a fear in the second half, is that it?

6) It certainly isn’t Lundqvist. The King recorded his fifth shutout of the season last night and 40th of his career, moving him into a tie for second in franchise history. Lundqvist said the achievement was significant to him because he understands the great men that have stood in the Garden goal before him. (I had a quote from him on this but can’t decipher it on my recorder because he speaks so softly.)

Of more importance for the stretch run, Lundqvist said, although he can still improve going forward, he feels strong because of the extra rest this season.

7) Lundqvist was asked if he tried to avoid the puck with his right foot on the second-period re-direct by Blake Wheeler that hit the right post and shot parallel to the goal line. As you know, it narrowly avoided Lundqvist’s skate. He appeared to raise it just in time to avoid kicking it into the goal, but that was pure fancy.

“No,” he said. “I feel like I was a little lucky today.”

8) The Rangers played out the remainder of the second period well, but they were fortunate Winnipeg failed to strike early in the third. Tortorella and some of the players said that was the only stretch where they let up, but Lundqvist saved the day, particularly with a spectacular left-pad stop on Tanner Glass.

“I thought we did a pretty good job of it. Other than the first few minutes there to start the third period, I thought we did a good job,” Tortorella said. “We defended well. In the first part of the third, Hank made some big saves when we didn’t. So I was pretty happy with how we played.”

9) In the waning minutes, when it became clear only a miracle or two could even send the game to OT, Brad Richards found an answer to his drought, scoring for the first time in eight games. He gave the Rangers a 3-0 and probably will go home this week feeling better for it.

10) I stopped by Brian Boyle’s locker quickly after the game to check on his foot. I would describe him as annoyed that the injury simply won’t seem to go away. Boyle seems to feel unsteady on it. It’s clear that an athlete has had his confidence rattled when he uses the word “scared” like Boyle did last night.

11) This morning’s final thought comes from your captain, whose cautious, we’ve-done-nothing-yet message reads like it was taken right off his coach’s tongue:

“We’ve had a good first half now. It’s good going into the break knowing you’re sitting in first place. But at the same time, the hockey only gets harder from here,” Ryan Callahan said. “Everybody picks it up a notch. We have to continue to do the same to have more success.”

*********************
My Three Rangers Stars:
1. Henrik Lundqvist
2. John Mitchell
3. Michael Del Zotto

*********************
AP photos, above (and below).

A few quick notes and quotes from tonight that weren’t in the notes sent out by teh team:

NOTES —

• Brian Boyle played just 11:49 tonight after twisting his right foot on a collision in the corner during the second period. It cost him to miss a good chunk of the period, but he returned and even killed penalties later in the game. Boyle had less ice time only four other games this season: 10/18/11 at VAN; 10/27/11 vs. TOR; 12/5/11 vs. TOR; 12/8/11 at TAM.

• Ryan McDonagh showed no ill-effects from Saturday’s OT hit by Andrew Ference. He logged 23:43 of ice time and was on the ice for two Ranger goals.

• Marc Staal played a season-low 12:06 and a season-low 14 shifts.

QUOTES —

Brian Boyle, on re-injuring his ankle/foot:
“It’s been bugging me for a couple weeks. That’s what had me a little scared because it’s been a few weeks now that it’s been hurting.”

Michael Del Zotto, on the key to the first half:
“It’s been the key to our game this year is how consistent we’ve been. Maybe the last couple years, maybe we’d win one or two games but we’d be up and down. We’ve done a good job of getting on some winning streaks this year. If we lose one, we just get right back on and have a winning streak for another two or three games.”

Dan Girardi, on going into the All-Star Break in first place:
“Obviously, on top of the conference is good. But when we’re there, we have to try and stay there and maybe create some separation from the teams below us. We can’t just be satisfied with a good first half.” 

Ryan Callahan, on the need to play even better in the second half:
“We’ve had a good first half now. It’s good going into the break knowing you’re sitting in first place. But at the same time, the hockey only gets harder from here. Everybody picks it up a notch. We have to continue to do the same to have more success.”

John Tortorella, on avoiding a let down heading into the break:
“I’m happy where our mindset was for this game here. This game worried me after Boston against a team that played back to back and is pretty banged up. You wonder how your players feel about it. But I think that’s why we’ve gotten the points this year that we have, because I don’t think we look by anything. There have been a number of trap games and I think we’ve handled ourselves well. So I’m happy with the group. I hope we have a good break and get right back at it.”

John Tortorella, on the need to increase the focus in the second half:
“The league is going to get better. The tempo is going to get better. I think it becomes a quicker game, but there’s also a grind to it, too. We cannot stop working on all parts of our game. We spent a lot of time on the details of it. We cannot stop trying to get better at that stuff because teams will pass you. You look at the standings and a lot of teams win. If you don’t stay on top of yourselves and worry about the details of how we play and remain true to our identity, there will be some struggles. You never know where it goes from there.”

 

 

Courtesy of the NYR:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
January 24, 2012 (Game 47, Home Game 22)
Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

Team Notes:

- The Rangers defeated the Winnipeg Jets, 3-0, tonight at Madison Square Garden for their third win in four games, and are now 14-4-0 in their last 18 games. … New York has posted a record of 31-12-4 (66 pts) on the season, including a 15-5-2 mark at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers have registered at least one point in 30 of their last 39 games (28-9-2), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark. … The Rangers have posted an 8-3-0 record in their last 11 home games. The Blueshirts’ 15-5-2 (32 pts) mark at MSG is their best start at home through 22 games since 1995-96 (17-2-3, 37 pts). … New York improved to 3-0-0 against Winnipeg this season, including a 2-0-0 mark at home. The Rangers have out-scored the Jets, 8-1, in the series, with a pair of 3-0 victories at MSG. The Blueshirts’ penalty kill has also held the Jets scoreless in seven shorthanded situations in three games. … The Rangers opened up a two point lead over the Boston Bruins for first place in the Eastern Conference with 66 points, and are now one point shy of Detroit for first in the NHL overall. … The Blueshirts’ penalty kill was 2-2 (4:00) against the Jets, and has now held opponents scoreless in 13 of the last 14 games (31-32, 96.9% over the span), including in six straight (14 times shorthanded). New York is 56-61 (91.8%) on the penalty kill with five shorthanded goals in the last 23 contests.

Player Notes:

- Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves to post his fifth shutout of the season and 40th of his career, and now moves into a tie with Dave Kerr for second place on the Rangers’ all-time shutouts list. He improved to 22-10-4 overall, including an 11-5-2 mark at MSG. Lundqvist has allowed one goal or less in nine of his last 16 games, and has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 24 games this season. He ranks seventh among active goalies in career shutouts, and is one of only two NHL goaltenders to record 40 or more shutouts since 2005-06 (Martin Brodeur, 41). *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau … Ryan Callahan opened the game’s scoring at 4:05 of the first period, added an assist, and registered three hits and a plus-two rating in 20:31 of ice time to earn second star honors. He has recorded two straight multi-point games, and has registered five points (three goals, two assists) in the last four contests. … Brad Richards tallied a goal and won a game-high, 14-21 faceoffs (67%) in 20:15 of ice time. He has recorded two points (one goal, one assist) in the last two games. … John Mitchell registered one goal and won 2-2 faceoffs (100%) in 10:55 of ice time. He has recorded three goals and a plus-three rating in the last five games. … Brian Boyle recorded an assist on the game-winning goal, and led all forwards with three blocked shots in the contest. He also posted a plus-one rating in the game, and has now posted a plus or even rating in 29 of the last 37 games. … Anton Stralman tallied the primary assist on the game-winning goal and was credited with two blocked shots in 21:49 of ice time. He has logged 20:00+ of ice time in nine of his 24 games this season. … Derek Stepan recorded an assist and was credited with two hits in 17:58 of ice time. He has registered four points (one goal, three assists) and a plus-six rating in the last six games. … Michael Del Zotto tallied the primary assist on Mitchell’s second period goal, was credited with two hits and two blocked shots, and posted a plus-two rating in 26:16 of ice time. He has now recorded eight points (one goal, seven assists) in nine career regular season games against the Winnipeg Jets franchise. … Dan Girardi was credited with a game-high, six hits, tied for the team lead with three blocked shots and led all skaters with 26:35 of ice time. He also posted a plus-one rating in the contest, and is now plus-six in his last nine games.

Transaction Update:

- New York Rangers’ President and General Manager, Glen Sather, announced that goaltender Chad Johnson has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL). He dressed as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup in tonight’s contest after being recalled from Connecticut earlier in the day on an emergency basis.

Post-Game Quotes:

- John Tortorella on the team heading into the All-Star break…

“Going into these last three here I thought we put some good minutes together. We played a really good game against Boston (on Saturday). I thought we really concentrated on defending first tonight. I think it’s a good time for a break. I’m happy where our mindset was for this game here. This game worried me, after an emotional game in Boston, against a team that played back-to-back, that’s a little banged up – you wonder how your players feel about it. I don’t think we have looked by anything. There have been a number of trap games and we’ve handled ourselves well. I’m happy with the group and I hope they have a good break and we get right back at it when we start.”

- Henrik Lundqvist on the team…

“We still know we have parts of our game that we have to improve. Personally, I know there’s part of my game I have to improve as well. We just have to keep challenging ourselves to try to get better, and the challenge is to just stay on top. So far it’s been a good ride.”

- Dan Girardi on the team’s resiliency…

“I think that’s the difference between this year’s team and the years past. I think the way we responded with the losses to come right back and get the win and not lose two or three in a row.”

- Brad Richards on Henrik Lundqvist…

“He’s playing like he always has. I’ve watched him from afar. I knew he was a great goalie. But seeing him every night, it’s pretty nice to know if you’re going to have a breakdown there’s a good chance he’s going to save it.”

Team Schedule:

- Please note the Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Jan. 25.

– The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, January 31, at Prudential Center (7:00 p.m.), in their first game after the NHL All-Star break. The game will be televised live on MSG 2 and can be heard on 970 The Apple.

Hello, everyone. Glad to be with you again. I’m in for Carp at tonight’s game, still 26 years young.

I had been told/warned John Tortorella’s pregame chats with the media were brief. Well, safe to say there will be ovations during tonight’s “State of the Union” that last longer than this one. Much longer, in fact.

The tape is 50 seconds total. Here it is, in all its glory…

John Tortorella:

Erik (Christensen) is coming back after the conditioning stint. Do you have any plans for (Wojtek Wolski) with an extra guy back?
“No plans. Just worried about tonight’s game.”

You’ve said in the past you want to develop a home-ice advantage. Do you feel like you’ve done that this year more?
“We’re just trying to play — trying to play the right way whether it’s home or away.”

Did Marty (Biron) just call in this morning…?
“He’s sick.”

When you started 3-3-2 did you see the team doing the things you wanted them to do?
“I can’t even remember back then. I can’t.”

Henrik Lundqvist was understandably crushed after tonight’s 4-3, double-OT loss by the Rangers. He said he didn’t expect to sleep tonight, and that he’d probably stay up wondering what he could have done better.

Here’s what he had to say…

On the final goal being a freak play:

“I don’t know what to say. I have to look at it. Like I said, I tried to just freeze it and nobody’s there. Gaby, I think, tried to put it behind the net and it hit their guy. I don’t know what to say. It’s just really frustrating.”

On his leg cramps:

“Yeah, my calves (were cramping). It was so warm and it was a pretty tiring game actually. The toughest part is to stay focused. It’s definitely a tough sport when you’re playing a long game and an intense game.”

On whether he and Gaborik tried to communicate with each other:

“No. It all happened so fast. I thought he saw me coming, but he probably didn’t see me. He just tried to put it behind the net I think. It’s just a really tough bounce for us.”

On putting the game behind them:

“It’s going to be tough until tomorrow. Then you just have to move on. You can’t get stuck here. I don’t know how much I’m going to sleep tonight. I’m going to think about what happened and what I could’ve done differently. Then I’m going to have to move on.”

On what he did between periods to re-hydrate himself:

“Salt. A lot of salt. And I drank a lot. But it’s just really tough right now.”

On the inability to close in the third period:

“We just had a tough time getting pucks out. A couple of times we had the puck and gave it away and they capitalized on it pretty easily. I don’t know the reason for it. We just have to correct that.”

On if Semin’s shot fooled him:

“It’s was just so close. It hit my arm here. I honestly thought I had it under my arm. I could feel the puck. Then he came and chopped it underneath me. I was hoping for a whistle, but no.”

On the final goal:

“It was a miscommunication. It all happened pretty fast. Unfortunately, when he played the puck it hit their guy and game over.”

Because, at my age, I could not possibly understand this team with the same depth as many of you, I have opted to share my favorite Rangers memory:

The day? May 27, 1994.

The background? I was 26, an eighth grader at George Fisher Middle School and a budding hockey fan.

The setting? My parents basement in Carmel.

Hockey, in all its splendor, only began to appeal to me a couple years earlier, slotting just below a few others on my fandom radar. I’d toggle between Ranger and Knick games all winter as both teams proved they were juggernauts worthy of our attention. The ‘93-’94 Knicks prepared for a trip to the NBA Finals behind Patrick Ewing, John Starks and a few sharp elbows. The Rangers — a little history in their sights — stormed toward a Presidents’ Trophy with Mike Richter, Mark Messier and Brian Leetch swirling around Garden ice in their absolute primes.

But even the hockey season trudged on, I remember knowing enough then to know this: the Presidents’ Trophy meant nothing. I probably started following hockey closely two years earlier in what registered at the time with me to be a colossal flop: How could the best team do so poorly in the playoffs? The 1991-92 Rangers were bounced by Pittsburgh (a team, with a superstar, I absolutely hated) with hardly a whimper.

To be fair, looking back I didn’t understand the singular importance of momentum in hockey. Sure, other sports weren’t foreign to a team enjoying a hot streak, but the best teams seemed to always win the NBA, NFL or MLB playoffs. Even college basketball, with the UNLVs and Dukes kicking tail every March. So if the 1991-92 Rangers were the best, why the @#$% didn’t they win?

With the lesson learned, I looked toward the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs with a cynical eye. Did I listen and watch? Absolutely. I remember straining to hear a scratchy radio in the dark as Howie Rose (ironic to think it now) sent the Islanders off to a date with Mr. T. It probably only lasted that (very short) series for me to say, screw it, I believe again.

The day Game 7 of the conference final finally arrived, I spent the school day daydreaming about the game, watching time creep along like a row of newborn chicks crossing the street. If I asked a question in Earth Science that day it may have been the ubiquitous, “Are we there yet?”

Friends of mine were pumped for Game 7, too, and one of them, John Gug, hatched a plan: I would invite him and another friend of ours, Bodo, over to watch in my basement. To this day I’m not sure why or how my house and my little sports war room was chosen. Or how I played the role of bystander in its selection. But the details hardly mattered. The idea appealed to me and that was that. A quick chat with mom after I came home from school that day confirmed it: the viewing party was on.

My friends showed up later that afternoon and the games began. In my house, my brother and I formulated dozens of games from nothing. A personal favorite among me and friends was hockey played with wiffle ball bats wrapped in electrical tape, one of those stuffed indoor basketballs (wrapped in duct tape), furniture as goals and full-on checking. You may be surprised to learn this was never my mom’s favorite indoor game, although she occasionally allowed it. So we mostly played when no one else was home.

On this day, bastardized Thomson hockey played Third Eye Blind to Game 7’s Springsteen, a poor opening act for a legendary main event. Of course, we had fun; Game 7 turned out to be just that good.

As you know, Mark Messier delivered the Rangers back to Garden ice by guaranteeing Game 6. But Game 7 became something to behold on its own.

As eighth graders we were easily distracted by games of our own, watching the Rangers and Devils play deeper into night as we passed time with various modes of basement destruction nearby. But the longer it went, the more focused we became. With every minute we swung a bat or bounced a ball less. The Rangers led 1-0. The Stanley Cup was minutes away, then seconds. We were ready to share one of those awkward moments of spontaneous hugging like Rocky and Apollo in Rocky III, the Sistene Chapel of awkward male celebrations.

Boom. Not so fast. The Devils scored with 7.7 seconds left. A freshly sharpened dagger was stuck into our hearts in the cruelest moment of my sports fandom to that date.

“This wasn’t basketball,” I thought. “Teams just don’t score in the final seconds!”

Right after Valeri Zelipukin scored, it was like our ol’ friend Ira K. Doom slipped through the garage door and stretched out on the couch with his feet up. Did Ranger fans believe their team could win? I sure didn’t. Imagine the 30, 40 or 50-somethings who had never seen them win the Cup.

Heck, I was only 26. It could’ve been worse.

Still, the next 20-plus minutes of hockey tortured us, each chance bringing fans closer to heaven or hell and nowhere in between. When the Rangers finally won as Stephane Matteau poked one past Martin Brodeur, my friends and I had our Rocky III moment. I believe I still clutched the bat in one hand. Whether it hit something or someone while I flailed around celebrating I still don’t know. Or care. It must have. But the Rangers were playing for the Cup!

I don’t even know how long it took, only that the identity of the goal scorer was a mystery at first. For those of you tuned in on the radio, you knew. Matteau played 16 total seasons but his Game 7 winner is the second sentence on his Wikipedia page only because they listed his name and birthplace first.

Despite my Bart Simpson-like qualities, my sports fandom has felt like Groundhog Day. The buildup, the company, the agony and the ecstasy turned May 27, 1994 into a unique day, one I’ll never forget.

Of course, at my age, it seems like only yesterday.

One more item:

With the Rangers’ glut of forwards and lack of salary cap space, it appears Brendan Shanahan is in free-agent purgatory.

His agent, Rick Curran, said “absolutely nothing” had happened with his client today.

“Until you see the Rangers have made a move, nothing can happen,” Curran said.

Hello, Ranger fans, I am back for another season of filling in for our pal Sam, who was scratched from the lineup today. (I think it has something to do with a UNH-sponsored long division seminar but cannot be sure. There were rumors they may cancel the seminar for a lack of qualified attendees.)

Anyway, talk today focused on the new guys’ expectations for their Garden debut in blue, but I have a few tidbits from the skate. Here goes:

— Petr Prucha may be the odd man out again. No. 25 may find himself on the scratched squad tomorrow night after we saw Fredrik Sjostrom skate with Blair Betts and Colton Orr on the fourth line. Nigel Dawes was bumped down and will likely skate alongside Ryan Callahan and Lauri Korpikoski, leaving Prucha as the odd-man out. When asked about Prucha, Renney said: “We’ll make a decision tomorrow morning.” … I know, I know: Here we go again…

— The Rangers will stick with six men on D. There were no roster moves today to balance the roster. Renney said the club will field just six defensemen “at this point.” He didn’t elaborate but a move didn’t seem imminent.

— Hank to grab some rest? With the Rangers playing seven games in 11 days, Renney said he and Benoit Allaire talked about a plan to start Steven Valiquette in a game. We’re not sure which one yet.

— This one kind of feels like an opener. No disrespect to the good people of Prague (and, yes, the Rangers’ wins count), but tomorrow night is the unofficial/official NHL opener for this club. “It was a great experience to play in Europe, but you could tell it’s a lot different,” Henrik Lundqvist said. “It’s not like playing here with the atmosphere. That adds another level to the game when you have that environment.”

— Chicago is on the rise. Can you believe the Rangers and Blackhawks have not met since Feb. 18, 2007? Can you believe the Blackhawks haven’t won on Garden ice since Dec. 2002? Well, that happens to be the state of the league right now, what with it having the most unbalanced of schedules. The Rangers believes this Chicago team will be a different animal. With guys like Patrick Kane and Brian Campbell, the Original Six member may be set to regain some respectability.

— Dubinsky on Palin. He would’ve preferred to talk about a different topic, but Brandon Dubinsky said it was “certainly good for Alaska” that Gov. Sarah Palin would drop the puck Saturday night in Philly. Dubinsky, one of two native Alaskans (Scott Gomez is the other) had this to say: “She’s obviously a representative of where I come from, so that’s good. There’s a lot of different opinions out there on a lot of different subjects, but I’m just here to play hockey. I’m going to focus on that.”

Tom Renney talked and talked about how this series could turn, but it was hard to believe it Thursday and even harder the last 48 hours. Even the pessimists had to like the Rangers when Sean Avery dogged Martin Brodeur, then stuck it in his face with a PPG midway through the second period.

I still don’t know if this things turned, but it’s certainly a lot closer thanks to a few lucky bounces going the Devils’ way. I made a quick detour into their locker after the game and found a very thankful Marty Brodeur.

“It’s a fun situation right now,” he said. “We’re happy we’ve got two days right now to relax. It took a lot of energy. It’s not easy when you lose games and you have your backs against the wall like we did tonight, but we pulled it off.”

The Devils definitely got the bounces. The first goal went in off Blair Betts’ stick. The third was redirected past Henrik Lundqvist after it hit Brendan Shanahan in the leg. (Lundqvist told me just before that his glove was there to catch it and the puck just moved out of the way.) And the last was, oh, well, you know…

Marc Staal seemed crushed afterward, but is looking to move on. “It’s something you don’t want to happen, but it happened and you try to forget about it,” said the rookie, who led the club in ice time tonight.

Both Staal and Lundqvist said the goal happened so fast they couldn’t move. I can feel their pain. We were right there in the press box and we had no idea what happened. Only after several replays could I figure out the fateful deflection.If you’re a fan looking for encouragement after a tough loss, here’s Brendan Shanahan summarizing the team’s mood:”

Put your chins up, get ready to work. I don’t think anyone, either way, predicted sweep for the Devils or sweep for the Rangers. I don’t think anybody in here feels like the series got away or anything like that. It was a tight game. It was a strange bounce. It’s not a devastating thing. You come back to work and get ready for the next game.”

OK, one more day for me tomorrow and then Sam is back. The team is off, but I’ll look through the stats and quotes and try to unearth a few items of interest.

10:48 p.m. — I’m back from downstairs. Obviously, the Rangers lost 4-3 in OT on John Madden’s goal, which deflected off the skate of Marc Staal and between the legs of Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers weren’t crushed afterward, but they were very mad about what Brendan Shanahan dubbed “careless” penalties in the second period.

I asked Jaromir Jagr about his mysterious absence in the second period. He laughed and said he’ll be fine…meaning he probably tweaked something but expects it won’t affect him. Obviously, he played really well in the third period so I don’t think it’s much of a concern either.

OK, I have to rewrite. I’ll check back later.

9:41 p.m. — We were eating dinner downstairs before the game — over by where they let the elephants into the Garden for the circus — and we all agreed this game had OT written all over it. … Well, the Rangers were dangerously close a couple times, but we’re going to OT…just like expected.

I don’t know if Dan Girardi’s slapper was headed in the net, but it was an awfully good opportunity. The Rangers were flying

8:49 p.m. — End of two periods, Devils up 3-2.

The Rangers will start the final period on the PP, but that’s probably a small consolation to Ranger fans. All told, the Rangers were called for 10 minutes of penalties in the period, including eight over the final 7:54.

As I wrote before about Jagr being on the ice, he immediately missed his next shift. We’ll see if he’s back on the ensuing PP.

8:44 p.m. — The Garden is stunned. Not only did the Devils score twice to take a 3-2 lead, the Rangers have been whistled for three penalties in a row that were questionable.

All and all, this game has been called awfully tight for a playoff game.

Jagr was on the ice for the last shift. I’m not sure if there’s something wrong with him or if the Rangers just haven’t been at even-strength for a while.

8:12 p.m. — So Glen, where’s that new contract?

7:52 p.m. — What a period! Exciting, feisty, controversial. All you want in a good period of hockey, unless you’re a Ranger fan who doesn’t appreciate when your club has a no-goal call changed by a video review.

One opinion: The officials definitely evened-out the calls on the penalties to Shanahan and Parise. Shanahan’s “hook” was incidental contact, and quickly negated the Rangers’ power play. Avery appeared to have been tripped by Brodeur, but maybe the officials just missed the play and tried to react when Avery fell. But they also blew it on Parise’s “cross-check,” which negated the Devil PP. Parise was actually hit by Chris Drury, and his stick rode up. Ironic, isn’t it?

It’s tough to say which way this one will go. The play’s been even so far, but each team has dominated for long stretches. My guess is you Ranger fans will take that.

I imagine the Blueshirts wouldn’t mind a tie game headed into the third with their third-period dominance over the Devs this season.

7:40 p.m. — Have the Rangers spooked Marty Brodeur? Sure looks like it. He was simply not ready for that shot by Brandon Dubinsky, and he doesn’t have Colin White to blame this time.

If anything, White saved Brodeur.

Anyway, it appears the Rangers are back. They are flying.

7:29 p.m. — Rangers need a big power play here. They haven’t been great so far, after a terrific opening minute or two.

That could’ve been about two or three penalties on the Devils. The play happened right in front of us. Sjostrom got punched right in the back of the head by Oduya.

7:24 p.m. — Now that’s a cross-check.

7:19 p.m. — I think that’s a goal. It looks like Betts hit the Brylin shot in with the shaft of his stick…

Oh wait…Ater video review, he did. 1-0 Devils at 3:01. What do you think out there? Goal or no goal?

7:15 p.m. — Lines back to normal. Must’ve been looking for early matchup.

7:11 p.m. — Jagr starting with Avery and Gomez, who could not stand still during the national anthem.

It’s weird. We’ll see if it lasts.

7:08 p.m. — Ranger lineup is the same. Devils is same, minus D-man Andy Greene.