Please don’t leave us. We don’t know what we’d do without you.

Marian, this last week has been awful without you. No one else knows how to score. No one else knows how to get us to our feet like you. It’s been pretty boring without you. We’re so happy you’re back. Please don’t ever get hurt ever again. We’ll do anything to keep you healthy. Just tell us what we need to do. Do we need to clone body parts for you? We’ll research it and find the solution. Just tell us what you need. Just stay with us forever and ever.

Henrik, I know everyone is bowling you over, crashing the net. But be strong. You’re our last defense. And have you seen how awful the defense can be in front of you? We don’t want to imagine a world without you in the Rangers net. We need you. This team would be in so much trouble without you. Just tell us how we can keep you healthy and consistent all season. Do we need to get you a special hair gel? A particular bottle of wine? Just tell us and it’s done.

Just don’t leave us. We’d go crazy without you guys. O.K., more crazy than we already are.

Love,
Devoted Rangers fans

Last Week

Monday: Coyotes 2, Rangers 5
Wednesday: Rangers 1, Islanders 3
Friday: Rangers 2, Wild 3
Sunday: Bruins 0, Rangers 1 (Lundqvist’s 150th win of his NHL career)

This Week
Late night, west coast hockey make Jen go something something….

Tuesday: at Canucks, 10 p.m. (MSGHD)
Thursday: at Oilers, 9:30 p.m. (MSGHD)
Saturday: at Flames, 10 p.m. (MSG+HD, CBCHD)

Weekly Poll

Highlights of the Week

Gaborik scores on the Bruins

Lundqvist makes a third period save against the Bruins

Rangers blogs
Blueshirt Bulletin
Rick Carpiniello’s Rangers Report
Andrew Gross’ Rangers Rants (Gross on Twitter)
Hockey Rodent
Michael Obernauer’s Blueshirt Blog
Steve Zipay’s On the Rangers Beat (Zipay on Twitter)

What the hell is a Met fan who actually enjoys watching playoff baseball to do? (I’ll go ahead and make the obvious comment now, how would a Met fan even know what playoff baseball is?  Ba-dum-ching! moving on…)

If I was a glass half full kind of guy, I could probably just ignore it and think to myself, “Well no matter what, a team I absolutely despise is going to lose”  As you’ve probably realized by now, I’m not that kind of guy.  A temporary allegiance has to be made, and I have to think, which team do I really want to lose more?

Thanks alot Angels and Dodgers for putting us Met fans in this position.  It sucks, it’s all your fault, and we won’t soon forget it.

So, who will I root for?  Well Jimmy Rollins is probably the single biggest jerk in all of baseball right now whose arrogance can only be topped by Manny Ramirez and  all New York sport fans of every team can agree on one thing.  Philadelphia sports fans are the worst and don’t deserve to win anything.  So, as much as this pains me , and I might lose a few friends over it, “LET’S…GO….YANKEES!”  aauuuughhh!!  You have no idea how hard it was to type that.  I started typing “Let’s” at 1 in the afternoon.  It’s now 9 at night.  It was like Jim Carrey in “Liar Liar” trying to say that a blue pen was red.  It was awful.

Don’t turn on me though Met fans and fellow Yankee haters.  I still despise the Yankees.  The words “mystique” and “aura” still make me want to vomit, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter can’t retire soon enough, and I still think 90% of Yankee fans look and act like this:

but all I can do for a week and a half  is hope that it is not Sunny in Philadelphia.

But who knew the Rangers would do it in such spectacular fashion, losing 7-3 to the Sharks. And then they followed up one bad loss with a loss to the rival Devils at home. Then there was the the overtime loss to Montreal. Hooray for the loser point.

It was a good week for me to be busy with work and miss every game except Saturday’s in Montreal.

But welcome to panic mode here at Rangerland, where players need to be traded or sent to Hartford after a few poor games. Taking things to extremes? That never happens here.

My biggest concern right now is defense and Lundqvist. Rozsival and Redden are the easy targets with their big contracts, but I don’t think they’re the biggest problem. Staal and Girardi need to be split. They’re awful together and have been struggling. And this needs to be figured out before the two rookies hit the stretch where they’re worn down and make some mistakes.

As for Lundqvist? It’s not his glove hand that has me worried. If this was a case of “he’s been figured out,” it would have happened a lot sooner than now. What has me concerned is how much everyone runs him. And it’s not just the other team. Brandon Dubinsky bowled over him on Saturday night, sending Lundqvist to the ice with an injury. He stayed in the game but confessed after the game his foot still was stiff. The Rangers need to start clearing out the traffic around Lundqvist too. They need to protect their goaltender. Or Lundqvist could just start beating people with his stick. I’d find that far more entertaining.

Tough week coming up for the Rangers where they’ll play every other day. They have Phoenix at home tonight, the Islanders out on Long Island Wednesday, on the road in Minnesota on Friday and back home for Boston on Sunday.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Valiquette back out there this week, even though he was in net for the San Jose game. Tortorella has committed himself to Lundqvist playing less, a good thing whether it was an Olympic year or not, and this is the week to do so. Plus playing Valiquette so soon after a bad loss would be good for him to build his confidence. The question is when.

Phoenix isn’t quite the pushover they have been in the past based on their record. Any Islanders game is emotional, and you can be sure the new kids on the block there will want to make an impression. What will Taverez do? Minnesota is a homecoming for Gaborik, and Boston is always tough for the Rangers.

I’m sure Dubinsky and Higgins will be a topic of conversation heading into tonight’s game, but I’d be shocked to see them not play. Both admit they deserved to be benched for making mistakes. Both say they want to do better. And Tortorella is the type who throws the guys right back out there after a benching. Rozsival earlier this season is a perfect example of it.

As for Christopher Higgins, I’m hoping he scores his first goal soon. It’s apparent to me he’s pressing a bit to get that first goal. He makes mistakes, I think, because he’s putting pressure on himself. Remember, he’s a New York kid coming to his hometown to play. His dad is a firefighter. His brother is a police officer. That’s got to be a lot of pressure. It’ll take some time to adjust, and I think the first goal is going to be a huge step towards that happening for him.

Or the Rangers could just trade him. Because that seems to be the answer around here for when a player struggles.

Last Week

Monday: Sharks 7, Rangers 3
Thursday: Devils 4, Rangers 2
Saturday: Rangers 4, Canadiens 5 (OT)

This Week

Monday: versus Phoenix, 7 p.m. (MSGHD)
Wednesday: at Islanders, 7 p.m. (MSG2)
Friday: at Minnesota, 8 p.m. (MSG2)
Sunday: versus Bruins, 1 p.m. (MSGHD)

Weekly Poll

Highlights of the Week

Gaborik scores on Montreal

Rangers blogs
Blueshirt Bulletin
Rick Carpiniello’s Rangers Report
Andrew Gross’ Rangers Rants (Gross on Twitter)
Hockey Rodent
Michael Obernauer’s Blueshirt Blog
Steve Zipay’s On the Rangers Beat (Zipay on Twitter)

Yes, yes indeed Gaborik plays here. And we couldn’t be happier.

How long as it been where you want to reach out to someone during a game to say “did you just see that?” Like I said last week, we haven’t seen someone who gets us out of our seats like this since Jagr. And when I say that, I mean the 2005-06 version of Jagr, who set a team record for goals in a season.

Welcome to the world of hockey where the Rangers actually score goals. It’s not just Gaborik since the team is averaging four goals per game, which is tied for the league lead with Atlanta. Sure, we can be skeptical that it won’t last, especially with how last season went.

BUT HOLY CRAP, HAVE YOU SEEN GABORIK PLAY?! It’s like there’s a collective hockey orgasm in New York whenever he scores a goal.

That brings me back to another topic from last week, the MSG broadcasters. Guys, we watch the games. You don’t need to remind us Gaborik is awesome or has a quick release. Or how Del Zotto is contributing offensively. Or how the power play is kicking butt. We can see it with our own eyes, guys.

And those profile pieces get more annoying by the minute. Did you know Boyle’s favorite food is Cool Ranch Doritos because it’s a flavor explosion in his mouth? Make. It. Stop.

By the way, guess who the Rangers see at the end of this week for the first time? The Montreal Canadiens. How will the MSG folks play up Scott Gomez playing against his old team for the first time? Montreal is 2-5-0 so far this season. Guess how many points Gomez has? Four. One goal, three assists.

Gaborik’s got 12 points. Six goals, six assists.

On a completely unrelated topic, one of our favorite pass times around here the last few years has been the current NHL standings and point system. The New York Times Slapshot blog had an interesting take on the issue last week.

My biggest complaint with the system was the extra point for an overtime loss, especially while Renney was coach. He seemed to be happy to get to overtime many nights and get the one point and win the second in the shootout. But if the Rangers do that against the Penguins or Devils or Flyers or anyone else in the conference with whom they’re battling with for a playoff spot, they’re giving away a point. Instead of climbing up by two points in the standings, they’re only going up by one.

If the NHL isn’t going to bring back ties, they need to get rid of the loser point.

Last Week

Monday: Toronto 2, Rangers 7
Wednesday: Kings 2, Rangers 4
Saturday: Rangers 4, Toronto 1

This Week

Monday: versus Sharks (Versus)
Thursday: versus Devils (MSGHD)
Saturday: at Canadiens (MSGHD, CBC)

Weekly Poll

Highlights of the Week

The highlight of the week: Gaborik scores on the Kings

Lundqvist makes a save against the Leafs

Rangers blogs
Blueshirt Bulletin
Rick Carpiniello’s Rangers Report
Andrew Gross’ Rangers Rants (Gross on Twitter)
Hockey Rodent
Michael Obernauer’s Blueshirt Blog
Steve Zipay’s On the Rangers Beat (Zipay on Twitter)

They work hard. They crash the net consistently. They shoot. The rookies are contributing and fitting in well (three rookies have scored their first NHL goals!). Plus there’s this guy name Marian Gaborik, who is one of the most exciting Rangers since, well, Jaromir Jagr. Maybe now we’ll stop pining for the big guy.

Oh and did I mention the Rangers are 4-1-0? How can you not be excited?

That being said, I think if the Rangers were 0-5-0, it would be fine too because of how hard this team has worked. Maybe not as fine as winning four of their first five games, but still fine. They’re exciting, enjoyable to watch.

And look at the teams they’re beating. They beat the Senators, whose only loss of the season was to the Rangers. The Capitals are a young, dangerous team, even at 2-2-1 in their first five games. Anaheim can be a dangerous team with the talent they have, although I don’t know enough about them to know if they’re supposed to be good. The only question mark is the Devils, who the Rangers beat. The Devils have not been playing good hockey, but at the same time it’s a classic rivalry game.

And the team the Rangers lost to? The Penguins? The Rangers and Pens are tied for first in the Atlantic with identical records.

Last year’s start is the sobering news because of how the season progressed. The first month or two was exciting hockey, but then we were back to mind-numbing defensive hockey. I doubt the same will happen with John Tortorella behind the bench.

Doesn’t mean there aren’t things to complain about. Like the “Avery Effect” mentions. NHL on the Fly decided they needed to mention the Rangers positive record with him in the line-up. Um, guys, the Rangers went 3-1-0 without him this season. Avery did have a positive effect on the game Sunday night, earning him second star status at Puck Daddy, but let’s not make it like the Rangers were significantly hurting without him. Avery even said this last week he wasn’t rushing to get back because of how well the team was playing.

But you know what’s more annoying than Avery hype or Rozsival’s game (and the bashing that comes with it)? Those “get to know the players” profile graphics MSG forces down our throats in the middle of games. Or how we’re constantly told Gaborik has a “quick release.” Or how we’re reminded every time he’s on the ice that Michael Del Zotto is only 19 years old.

It’s like MSG is that kid on the playground who wants everyone to like him. “Please, please, please like me! I’ll give you my Oreos during snack time! Just like me! Please!” And it only gets worse on MSG when the team plays well.

How about letting the guys on the ice do the talking with their play? You don’t have to say anything to make us like them when they’re playing well. Don’t force down our throat that there’s three Staal brothers and Dan Girardi likes cake batter ice cream. Save the “get to know the player” features for some time other than the middle of the second period of a 0-0 game when all I want is hockey.

Last Week

Sunday: Ducks 0, Rangers 3
Thursday: Rangers 4, Capitals 3
Monday: Rangers 3, Devils 2

This Week

Monday: versus Leafs (MSGHD)
Wednesday: versus Kings (MSGHD)
Saturday: at Leafs (MSGHD, CBC, NHL Network)

Weekly Poll

Highlights of the Week

Anisimov scores his first NHL goal against the Ducks

Gaborik caps the Rangers comeback against the Caps

Callahan scores on the Caps

Valiquette gets a shutout in his first start

Rangers blogs
Blueshirt Bulletin
Rick Carpiniello’s Rangers Report
Andrew Gross’ Rangers Rants (Gross on Twitter)
Hockey Rodent
Michael Obernauer’s Blueshirt Blog
Steve Zipay’s On the Rangers Beat (Zipay on Twitter)

The power play continues to improve, with Marian Gaborik and Michael del Zotto making sweet plays to set up Ales Kotalik’s second-period goal. Avery returns, gets into his old antics right away, and makes a strong play behind the net to set up Artem Anisimov’s first career NHL tally. Steve Valliquette turns in a solid effort, to give Henrik a rest before a busy week.

It’s too early to tell how good they are, but the general consensus is that this team is different, i.e. better, this year. Deeper, more skilled, whatever it is, just better. One thing I noticed for the first time today was how much better their offensive transition game is. Doesn’t seem like this team has too hard of a time coordinating their trips through the neutral zone, especially the first line. That was definitely not something we could say about last year’s squad. Also nice to solidly beat a Western Conference team for a change.

By the way, this post originally started out as a rant against the scheduling of yet another Sunday afternoon home game. They scheduled it at 5, and there was no New York late football game to compete with, so I guess they got their share of viewers. At least until the Yankee game started, that is, but can’t criticize them for that one, since there was no way to predict it. Still, though…this has been going on for a few seasons now. Why would fans want to leave the comfort of their own homes, on a Sunday afternoon during what is widely regarded as the best sports month there is, especially when there was so much going on elsewhere on the New York sports scene?

Me, for example, I spent the day at my parents’ house. We watched the Giants demolish my one-time love, the Raiders, and then the implosion of the Red Sox. My brother-in-law then whipped up some awesome nachos, and after devouring more than my fair share of them, I drifted in and out of consciousness while watching the Ranger game in one room, while everyone else was watching the late football game in the next one. Pretty much the best way to spend a Sunday that I can think of. Why would I want to disrupt that paradise to jump on the train, and head into the city for a game?

Oh my god he’s the most incredible scorer ever holy crap did you see how fast he ripped those shots off and he barely had to make a move and I saw him with his shirt off in the postgame wrapup and it made me feel a little funny in my special place.

Seriously, when was the last time the Rangers had an elite scoring talent like this?  Someone who, at any given moment, could turn on the jets, and be in on a goalie alone in two effortless strides, or could rip off wristers like that so quickly?  Jagr was an elite scorer, but made his living cycling, playing in traffic, and making relatively slow bull rushes around the back of the net, or off the half boards.  Theo, maybe, for that one half season, when he wasn’t too busy giving the MSG crowd the bird.  Bure was, sadly, a shell of his former self when he was here, though he scored at a pretty good clip anyway.  You’d probably have to go all the way back to Mike Gartner, and even that’s not really an apt comparison.  Messier, Gretzky… just not the same thing.

If you’re in Minnesota reading this right now, or if you’re Wyshynski, you’re nodding to yourself, saying, “mmm hmm, just you wait.”  To that, I say…screw you, jerks!  He’s ours now!  Wheeeeeee!  Here’s to many more nights like tonight, and many healthy groins.

Also, nice to see that this team is bonding well.

Draw your own, um, conclusions about what Kotalik is up to in this pic.  Thanks to board member Timmay for the photo.

Rangers blogs
Blueshirt Bulletin
Rick Carpiniello’s Rangers Report
Andrew Gross’ Rangers Rants (Gross on Twitter)
Hockey Rodent
Michael Obernauer’s Blueshirt Blog
Steve Zipay’s On the Rangers Beat (Zipay on Twitter)

With so many new people here, it’s going to take some time for everyone to adapt to their new teammates and their new linemates. I feel like it’s just a matter of time before we see good things from this team.

Of course, that’s based on two games. Look how optimistic we all were after a month of hockey last season, the best start in franchise history. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Especially with the Devils, Capitals on tap on the road before a three-game homestand with the opener against Anaheim. It should be a tough stretch.

There are also things tucked in the back of my mind that make me worried. I remember how tired this team was last season. And the tempo of how this team plays is no different than it was late last season. But with Torotorella having a full season with the Rangers, he can address those issues. At least I hope.

I can’t help but be a little excited, though. That’s what happens when my team scores five goals.

Some early observations

• Vinny Prospal may be the new Marty Straka on this team. Did you see how he reacted to his goal Saturday night? Vintage Straka.
• Will Prospal and Brandon Dubinsky funny face potential together on one line cause the world to implode?
• Marian Gaborik is a treat to watch. Please, please, please, please don’t get hurt.
• Do the Rangers have another GAG line on their hands? They’re on pace to have one.
• Aaron Voros fought? And won?
• A couple pucks bounce differently and the Rangers are 2-0-0 today.
• Who sits when Sean Avery comes back?
• Maybe MSG listened to us? Two Staal brothers play against each other and we didn’t have to hear about it every 30 seconds.
• Unlike everyone else on the planet, I don’t know what to make of Rozsival and Redden so far. I don’t think they “suck,” but I haven’t been impressed. But Giardi has been far worse.
• If Lundqvist is going to play less this season, why does he play the first three games of the season in four days?
• Would Semenov really make that much of a difference for some fans across the Web to make the sexist comments I’ve read?
• We’ve got to remember having two rookie defensemen means rookie mistakes are bound to happen.
• Those ads on the glass are more annoying than I remember.

Last week
Saturday: Ottawa 2, Rangers 5 (home opener)
Friday: Rangers 2, Penguins 3 (season opener)

This week
Monday: at Devils (Versus)
Thursday: at Capitals (MSGHD)
Sunday: vs. Ducks (MSGHD)

Weekly Poll

Highlights of the Week

Rangers blogs
Blueshirt Bulletin
Rick Carpiniello’s Rangers Report
Andrew Gross’ Rangers Rants (Gross on Twitter)
Hockey Rodent
Michael Obernauer’s Blueshirt Blog
Steve Zipay’s On the Rangers Beat (Zipay on Twitter)

Rangers blogs
Blueshirt Bulletin
Rick Carpiniello’s Rangers Report
Andrew Gross’ Rangers Rants (Gross on Twitter)
Hockey Rodent
Michael Obernauer’s Blueshirt Blog
Steve Zipay’s On the Rangers Beat (Zipay on Twitter)