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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

We’re live from the press room at the Garden and I’ll be honest with you: There’s definitely a sense of excitement here.

Big game tonight, and since I don’t have much to report I’ll tell you this: I expect a wild night. I eavesdropped on Brent Sutter’s pregame chat and left with the impression he wants [...]

Many of you are probably sitting home, about to go into a conniption in anticipation of Game 3. Sorry to report, but there’s not much news to help pass the time.

Tom Renney inferred we’ll see the same lineup tonight when the Rangers host the Devils for a Game 3, including Christian Backman. The D-man was [...]

The Rangers just finished up at the MSG Training Center and many of them spoke to the same theme: To win again, they’ll have to play better.

Tom Renney conveyed that message to us in last night’s postgame, and continued doing so during the team’s video session this morning.

Blair Betts told me the Devils thrive off [...]

After a quick writethru, here’s some final thoughts before Carpie and I head out into the great unknown (downtown Newark):

— Marty Brodeur said he wanted to keep the play going (remember: the Devils were on the PP and he didn’t want the faceoff to end up in his own zone) and that he simply forgot [...]

9:22 p.m.: I’ll tell you…Avery is always in the mix, making something happen, in these big games. A goal and an assist.

Still, Scott Gomez is easily the player of the game. He made all three plays happen, at least to some extent.

Rangers now should be free and easy on Friday with a one-game lead  in [...]

Not that you care, but I have this one friend whose parents owned an incredible house in the mountains outside of L.A. About 10 bedrooms and probably just about as many bathrooms. We went there once for Spring Break when I was a junior in college.

I mention this house because it had a couple bathrooms [...]