S.O.S. (Same Ol' Sh...uh, Stuff)

After Tuesday's loss to Buffalo, I said that the Rangers must come out tonight and get 2 points, whether in regulation or in OT. And while they went ahead and put over 40 shots on goal, they were only able to muster one goal. Add to the fact that their defensive zone presence was basically non-existent, and the game sums up to a 3-1 loss to the equally (or maybe more) offensively inept Minnesota Wild.

Sean Avery was the only Ranger who was able to put the puck in the net, off a great centering feed from Erik Christensen. The remaining shots were not quality shots, and the few that were quality were miraculously stopped by Dominic Ha...uh, Jose Theodore. In addition, there were a number of quality chances where the Rangers were either out of position or shot the puck wide of the net.

Just like Tuesday night, teams that needed to win to solidify/improve their playoff chances (Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs) were able to win. And even the Buffalo Sabres, who lost to the Hurricanes, helped themselves by getting a point by losing in OT. The Rangers now find themselves in 8th place, with Buffalo 2 points back and Toronto 3 points back. This is gonna be a tough final 16 games.

Oh, one more thing. The Wild couldn't even bring a little joy to me tonight. Jed Ortmeyer was called up from their AHL team and I was looking forward to see him play again at MSG. But nooooooo, they had to go ahead and scratch him from tonight's lineup. Morons...

Back Home Again (Rangers 4 - Kings 3)

It felt great being back at MSG for the first time in over a month. (1/13 vs Van was my last home game) and it felt even better to see the Rangers defeat the LA Kings 4-3 in a shootout. As usual, Callahan and Dubinsky did not disappoint with their hustle on both ends of the ice. Zuccarello and Christensen showed off their shootout skills again. Lundqvist held on as he barely got a piece of Kopitar's shot to win it. And while Gaborik did score tonight, I still have that gut feeling that all is not well.

One thing from tonight's game that doesn't sit well with me, and hasn't throughout the month of February, is the Rangers inability to hold a lead. And how quickly they seem to give up that lead. Twice tonight (at 2-1 and 3-2) they gave up a tying goal within 1:40 min after taking the lead. And I feel the timeout that Torts called for after their 3rd goal wasn't necessary. Maybe he wanted to remind the team to stay strong on D. Or he wanted to give Staal and Girardi a bit of rest so they could immediately go back on the ice. Whatever the case, it gave the Kings a moment to regroup and they responded quickly.

Now the Rangers have won 2 games in a row. And to paraphrase Lou Brown from the movie Major League, "We win one tomorrow, that’s called a winning streak. It has happened before." They'll be playing in NJ to face the Devils, or, as I like to call them, the Little Debbies. I'll probably be watching the game at Mustang Sally's as the Rangers will be hosting a viewing party there. If anyone wants to hang with me, just let me know.