Final Note to Our Readers

As I said earlier, I want to thank all of our loyal readers who have been with us from the very beginning, from the bottom of my heart. This may have seen like an abrupt way to end such a good thing, but really, the blog had outlived it's time. I never intended on it becoming as big as it did. The purpose of this blog was to serve only a jump-start for all of our "writing careers", and now, with that purpose served, we will go our separate ways in hopes to continue the success on our own that we experienced as a group. I hope everyone will continue to follow our writings on the various blogs we will work at now.

For hockey and baseball analysis as well as movie reviews and other off topic writings, please visit Greg Caggiano's new blog, "From New York to San Francisco".

For all Atlantic Division hockey analysis, please check out Eric Bancker and Tim Brenna's blog at, "Atlantic Division Hockey".

Many thanks to everyone.

Farewell

I wanted to thank everyone for the readership and support we have gotten here during our fantastic little run, but it was time for a change of pace.

Please follow Greg Caggiano at http://gcaggiano.wordpress.com/

Please follow Eric Bancker and Tim Brennan at: http://atlanticdivisionhockey.blogspot.com/

Once again, I thank you all for the support.

Auld to Honor Rangers History in Mask; Sean Avery a Healthy Scratch

By Greg Caggiano

Just a quick little write up for this afternoon. According to Steve Zipay, Rangers back-up goalie Alex Auld will be unveiling his new mask tonight. Zipay calls it, "Truly outstanding." This new mask will depict Mike Richter holding up the cup from 1994, along with Rangers goaltending legends Eddie Giacomin and John Davidson featured. With this mask, Auld will have done more to honor Rangers history in the few short weeks he has been here than Henrik Lundqvist has done in five years.

Personally, if it was up to me, Auld would be given a contract extension along the lines of $1-1.5 million each for two seasons. He would also become the number one goaltender the rest of the way because Lundqvist's recent play of late has not shown me anything that he still deserves to be this team's everyday goalie for the time being. Auld has been solid and should be given more starts, while Lundqvist can get his lofty head in the game.

As for tonight, John Tortorella continues his latest power trip, making Sean Avery a healthy scratch. There is no word on this move and although I am not a big fan of Avery, it is a puzzling decision to say the least. With the season on the line, this is not the time to be making examples. But the circus...err...I mean, show, must go on.

Tonight's line combinations, according to Zipay will be as follows:

Prospal-Jokinen-Gaborik

Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan

Prust-Christensen-Drury

Shelley-Boyle-Lisin

What is the over under on how many times Tortorella will change lines in the first period? I think by the time the third period rolls around, Jokinen won't even know what building he is playing in. But that's okay, have no fear; if the team loses, Tortorella will probably make them walk home from Atlanta to New York .

This just in: Dolan is preparing to sell the team to Barnum and Bailey. The transition is reported to be seamless.

The New York Rangers Season is Over; a Letter to My Readers

Dear New York Rangers Fans,


With another listless and embarrassing loss tonight, at the hands of the New Jersey Devils, I think it is safe to say that the season is over for the Rangers and that there will be no playoffs come April. The Rangers desperately needed the win tonight over their arch rivals. They had lost three in a row and needed to find a spark and some energy. Tonight, the Rangers, yet again, leave their fans at a loss for words. Tonight, players like Brandon Prust and Erik Christensen outplayed the stars like Prospal and Gaborik. Lundqvist was absolutely brutal and the defense was like a sieve.

The Rangers must look to the very bleak future, and pray they can be bad enough for a good draft pick. It is that sad time when it is time to root for the Rangers to lose and teams like the Hurricanes, Islanders, and Maple Leafs to keep on winning.

There is so much wrong with this Rangers team that it cannot all be covered in just one article. I don't know where to begin. I was never on the Fire Sather bandwagon, and I'm still not--under one condition, and that is everyone going. Sather and the entire front office need to go, as does the coaching staff. The entire crop of personnel should also be shopped this summer. Girardi has to walk when the season ends. Words can not describe now atrocious he has played. I would say the same for Gilroy as well, and would not renew his contract. As for Wade Redden, does it even need to be said?

I would also hope that the Rangers seriously contemplate trading Gaborik and Lundqvist, more so the former than the latter, but both could fetch a very exciting return. Fans will not like it, but can you imagine what could be had for players of that caliber?

As for Tortorella, I would hope his tenure ends before this season ends. I don't care what anyone says about the roster being bad or whatever the excuse is. Fact of the matter is, he is not the right coach for this team. Never was, never will be. His tenure here has been a joke. His mantra of being tough has been a joke. His antics, both on the bench and in the press room, have been a joke. I don't like clowns, and if I did, I would go see the circus, which as of right now, calls Madison Square Garden it's home.

This article is really too short to describe what I really want to say, especially with a slew of expletives needing to be held back. What is yet to come will not be pretty and we must hold fast. Wanting the Rangers to just bow out and tank does not mean you are not a true fan. To all of you out there, I ask that you remain supportive of the team, but from a distance. Don't buy into what you hear from MSG Network or any Rangers related official. Don't buy the fact that Gaborik is healthy, and that all is well in the locker room; you are smarter than that.

We must now stand together and acknowledge that this season is over, and hopefully in a season or two, a new era of Rangers hockey can be ushered in. I will leave you now with this quote from George Orwell's 1984, because I think it pretty much sums up what the upcoming months will hold: "If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face, forever."

Sincerely,
Greg Caggiano

AHL: The playoffs are starting to take shape

BY: Mike Kutniewski Jr.

As most teams have crossed the 60-game mark on the season, I think it’s time to take a look at how potential playoff scenarios would play out.

To date, one team has already clinched a playoff spot; the offensive powerhouse known as the Hershey Bears. Through 63 games, the Bears have already attained 100 standings points along with 49 wins.

Here are the first-round match-ups as of today. Keep in mind the AHL does divisional playoff formats through the first two rounds. In the Atlantic, the Worcester Sharks have turned around the season and have taken control of the division. The Sharks would take the 1st place seed and battle the 4th place Lowell Devils. Would make travel for opposing fans very easy no matter how the schedule plays out seeing the venues are less than an hour away from each other. The other Atlantic match-up would face off two other somewhat close teams as Portland would take on the 3rd seeded Manchester Monarchs. At the moment this season would see the end of the Hartford Wolf Pack’s 12-year playoff appearance streak.

In the East, the aforementioned Hershey Bears would take on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Due to the fact the Atlantic has more teams, if the East Division’s 4th place team doesn’t end up with more standing points than the Atlantic’s 4th place team, the East team won’t make the playoffs. Currently, Bridgeport has 4 more points than the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The other East battle would see two former bottom of the division teams with Albany taking on 3rd place Norfolk.

In the Western Conference the Hamilton Bulldogs are having a great season, but are not getting the recognition for it. Through 64 games the Bull dogs have 92 points and 42 wins. Hamilton would take on 4th place Manitoba in the North Division’s 1st round. Also in the division Rochester would take on the 1st year Abbotsford Heat.

In the West, the 1st round would see perennial power Chicago Wolves take on 4th place Milwaukee. The Rockford Ice Hogs would take on another 1st year team, the Texas Stars in the final 1st round match-up.

A lot can happen in the next few weeks to change these scenarios, but many of the annual playoff teams need to get on positive runs fast in order to have a chance to see its name on the playoff brackets when mid-April hits.

Devils Lose Two Pivotal West Coast Matchups

By: Tim Brennan

The Devils had been on a downslide, having comprised a record of 6-12-2 in the 20 games played before the 2010 Olympic Games. That is not something that the Devils are used to this season and is hurting their chances at claiming the Atlantic division title. Most of the team was having a slump of their own, which included future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur whose stats were less than stellar in that stretch, posting a dismal .826 save percentage. With a few games under his belt, sniper Ilya Kovalchuk looked more comfortable and ready to produce. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac fell into slumps during that time as well but have since gotten out of those. If the team was going to continue the success they've had all year, they needed everyone producing.

That all around effort showed in their first outing since the Olympic break when they took on Stanley Cup favorites, the San Jose Sharks at "The Shark Tank". The Devils set the pace with 3 quick goals in the second period after the first ended in a deadlock. It was obvious that the Devils were controlling everything about the game up until the point where they came back out on the ice for the 3rd. Travis Zajac pulled the game to an unreachable limit as he made it 4-0 early in the third. However the Sharks charged back by scoring 3 goals in a 3 minute span to bring the game back to within a goal. The Devils scrambled in their own end for the majority of the third and didn't play the trap system that they normally utilize. They came out on top 4-3 but had a tough time making through the final stanza.

Fast forward to Friday night when the Devils came into Calgary to go up against the new look Flames. Both teams have had struggles in spurts during this year and they both converged on Pengrowth Saddledome to stake a claim at showing the other up. The Devils needed to show that they can beat strong teams in the West, so this was an important game for them. Like most games for the Devils, they tend to get on the board first and did so courtesy Zach Parise and his 29th of the season. But once again the floodgates opened up and the Flames scored 3 second period goals, which continued into the third as Matt Stajan and David Moss tallied to make it 5-1. The Devils gathered themselves and put together a valiant effort to get two late goals from Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk, but fell short. This was not the result that the Devils were looking for, especially since the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to win and are starting to pull away with the lead in the division.

The Devils looked to redeem themselves after a lackluster performance when they took on the Edmonton Oilers. Yes, the Edmonton Oilers that sit in last place and look primed for the top spot in the Taylor Hall sweepstakes. For the Devils, this had to be an easy win and would be the perfect team to play to start anew to get rid of this slump they have been in. The result of this game you ask? A big victory for one team for sure but that team was not the New Jersey Devils. The Oilers controlled the tempo from the puck drop until the end of the game, outshooting the Devils 35-22 and beat them 2-0. If not for a scrum between Ryan Whitney and Andrew Peters that ended in the latter receiving a ten minute misconduct, I would have never known the Devils showed up.

It's obvious to everyone that Jacques Lemaire needs to do something to shake up the team, although that isn't his style. If I was the big boss in charge, I would do something about limiting Martin Brodeur's playing time because he needs a rest. Giving Yann Danis more playing time is going to help both Brodeur in resting for the playoffs and Danis in allowing him to establish an identity in the NHL.

Along with that, the lines need to be jumbled to get certain players to contribute on a night to night basis. The scoring line of Dainius Zubrus centering Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrik Elias has been a bright spot and needs to stay put. I would put Brian Rolston on the opposite side of Zach Parise to see how that might work with Zajac at center. Jamie Langenbrunner would be put on the 3rd line with surprise performer Rob Niedermayer and rookie Vladimir Zharkov. The fourth line would consist of Dean McAmmond centering Jay Pandolfo and David Clarkson. McAmmond left the game after a hit so if he is in fact going to miss some games, I would put Rod Pelley in to center that line.

The defense pairings would also be altered because the defense hasn't shown much chemistry and has been one of the main reasons why the team has struggled of late. A matching of Bryce Salvador and Andy Greene would be the 1st pairing, followed by Mike Mottau with Anssi Salmela and finally, Mark Fraser with newcomer Martin Skoula. Yes, that's right Colin White's name is not on there and the reason for that is because he is nowhere's near the physical force and defensive wall that he used to be in the pre-lockout NHL.

Kotsy's Angle: Rangers Are in Playoff Mode Now

By Greg Caggiano

This will be the third time I will have had a chance to sit down and chat with Chris Kotsopoulos, who spent one season with the Rangers back in 1980/81. He has always been good to me when I've needed an interview, so before I get to the main body of this article, I just want to tell everyone to check out his blog where he covers the Rangers, called "Kotsy's Korner".

GC: With the deadline ending Wednesday, are you surprised that the Rangers didn't make a trade? Do you think they would have gotten Souray had he not been injured?

CK: Surprised? Not really. Although they did make a minor deal a major trade is a lot tougher to complete because you have to have willing and equal trading partners today with the Cap situation. As for Souray, Yes.

GC: Last time we talked, you mentioned how this team needed to get tougher. Do you think the acquisitions of Brandon Prust and Jody Shelley will help this? And what was your immediate reaction to Donald Brashear getting sent to Hartford?

CK: Absolutely. With the acquisitions of Prust and Shelley you have instant deterrents to any liberties being taken with the Ranger players. It was a must to acquire them. Don't want to beat up on Brashear and I won't. He's been a tough guy for a long time in the NHL and I think his longevity has caught up to him. It simply didn't work for the Rangers.

GC: With the acquisition of Alex Auld, do you think the Rangers will rest Henrik Lundqvist more?

CK: First off, Auld was a good pick up. It's all up to "King" himself. He should be the one that decides as to when he needs a break or not.

GC: Marian Gaborik is injured again and no one knows how severe it is. What do you think the situation is? And can the Rangers make the playoffs without him?

CK: Lower Body injury, so your guess is as good as mine. (Laughs). You know anything can happen in hockey, but my answer is no.

GC: For the Rangers to make the playoffs, what are the most important things that need to happen for this team, besides improving offense?

CK: Lundqvist has to be spectacular, the defense needs to tighten up in all areas of the ice, special teams need to be special, and they must be physical and make it hard for teams to play against you. Essentially, realize that as a team, you are in playoff mode now!

GC: As a Canadian, how much did you enjoy the gold medal game on Sunday? Do you think it helped to boost hockey popularity in the US?

CK: It was great to watch. Obviously I enjoyed the victory by Canada. The USA team was an admirable opponent and my hat's off to them. Canada in the end earned it. But more importantly to me it's a huge win for "North American Hockey". The USA has closed the gap on the world big time and hopefully America will take advantage and showcase this great game of hockey. Are you listening NHL?

Chris Kotsopoulos was a veteran of 479 games with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Hartford Whalers.

Eight Games Later, the Jokinen Trade is Paying Dividends

By Greg Caggiano

There was always a stigma attached to Olli Jokinen that followed him around everywhere he went; he was a cancer in the locker room and not a team player. Eight games into his tenure with the New York Rangers, the complete opposite could be said. The trade that sent underachievers Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik to Calgary for the one-time superstar has been a complete win for the Rangers.

In 7 games with Calgary, Kotalik has registered 1 goal and 0 assists, while Higgins has not even recorded a point. Jokinen, in 8 games with the Rangers has 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points. Brandon Prust, the enforcer throw-in who also came over in the deal has 2 assists himself, putting him ahead of both spare parts that were dealt away. He also has a better plus/minus rating than all four involved players.

Jokinen has played his part well since coming over. He has played the point on the powerplay and has used his 6-foot-3 frame to drive to the net and win battles along the boards. But aside from his obvious set of offensive skills, what has intrigued me is his willingness to get physical and stick up for his teammates in the many scuffles that have taken place. Jokinen was never one to drop the gloves and fight, but he has never shied away from the pushing and shoving in the good ol' fashioned scrum. He was in the middle of it at least twice last night; once during the first period event when Dubinsky jumped in on Crosby after he took a swipe at Lundqvist. Jokinen could be seen trying to get at Crosby himself, as pictured above. He did the same thing later in the game.

This trade has proven to be a great success for the Rangers, and whether or not he re-signs for next season, if he continues this productivity and Kotalik and Higgins continue to slump, this could be Sather's best trade as Rangers' GM since he stole Jaromir Jagr from the Washington Capitals in 2004.

Should the Rangers be Planning for a Playoff Run Without Marian Gaborik?

By Greg Caggiano
Also Featured on Blueshirt Banter

It almost sounds like a contradiction in the title; construing such phrases as "playoff run" and "Marian Gaborik" together in the same sentence just begs to be scoffed at. Tonight, as the New York Rangers set to face the division rival Pittsburgh Penguins in a very important first home game back from the break, they will be doing so without Gaborik, who will be missing his sixth game of the season.

He is still listed as being day-to-day (aren't we all?) and the injury being a right knee laceration, which he suffered from a practice a week before the Olympic break, when he jumped over Henrik Lundqvist and caught a skate blade. Now, more than a month later, he is still injured, but it is no longer the laceration that is cause for concern.

Gaborik missed three games before heading to Vancouver to play for Team Slovakia in February, and even missed the first game of the tournament. Although not at 100%, he chose to play on for his team, and played very well. But then he got injured again, this time a groin problem, something which has plagued him his entire career. So now he was injured even more, and yet again he chose to keep playing for Slovakia in meaningless Olympic games.

With the regular season now ready to start up again, Gaborik returned back to New York where he missed the Rangers first game Tuesday night in Ottawa. As exciting as the Olympics were, this is yet another case of a team sending a perfectly healthy star player (save for a cut that was on it's way to healing) only to have that player return injured. If Gary Bettman is looking for any reason to not send NHL players to the 2014 games, this would be one of them.

So now to the actual injury. No one knows how severe it is. The reporters are writing that he could be in the lineup against the New Jersey Devils next Tuesday, but it may be worse than that. Behind the scenes there are those saying that Gaborik may actually need another surgery to fix his oft-injured groin, something that would derail him the rest of the way. If the team announced today that Gaborik would be out for the season, I would not be surprised one bit. Either way, the Rangers will have to play on, whether or not their $7.5 million star forward can play with them.

The Rangers must be prepared that even if Gaborik does return to the lineup at some point this season, that his chances of re-injury will be higher now than at any point in his career up to now. Glen Sather sitting still at yesterday's trade deadline ended up being perfect, because how much sense would it have made to bring in a player to compliment Gaborik without having Gaborik in the lineup?

Fans wanted the Rangers to make a move for a center, or forward in general, that could mesh with Gaborik, but now it definitely appears to be the right move. For the first time since 2001, the Rangers did not swap NHL players in a deal. If Sather thought this team had a great chance of making the playoffs, he would have traded for the sake of trading, and not stood pat. That really says something about the GM that 9 out of every 10 people hate. He showed some restraint, and should be lauded for that.

If Gaborik can not play on it would seem that the season is over, which would make the many people pushing for a "tank movement" happy. But the Rangers are just not going to die and sink to the bottom. They are going to claw their way into a playoff spot. As much as I have criticized them, and as bad as everyone makes them out to be, they really are not that bad. Obviously not having Gaborik will make it hard, but I still say this team scrapes their way into the playoffs; by which time if Gaborik can recover, will be rested and ready to go for a playoff run. But that all depends on his groin, something many of us did not want the fate of the season to rest on.

In retrospect, can anyone honestly seem surprised at this? He has never played a full season in his career and even when he was tearing it up this season, he still seemed to be dogging it. The Rangers have a very tough schedule ahead of them and now is no time to wallow in the sorrows of missing their superstar. They must dig in, put their nose to the grindstone, and find a way to make it to the postseason.

Devils Add Depth With Acquisition of Skoula

By: Tim Brennan

The Devils made a splash way before the trade deadline when they nabbed the most coveted upcoming free agent in Ilya Kovalchuk on February 4th. There was plenty of surprise because of the Devils track record of picking up veterans who contribute in a certain area and almost never go after high profile players. So the acquisition of a veteran defenseman is a blip on the radar for Devils fans in the continued aftermath of "The Big Catch". But nevertheless, this trade will add another element to the complicated puzzle that is the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils acquired veteran defenseman Martin Skoula from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2010 fifth round pick, just one day after Skoula was sent packing by Pittsburgh, along with prospect Luca Caputi, to get Alexei Ponikarovsky. Skoula is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, thus making this a smart deal by Lou Lamoriello.

The former first round pick of the Colorado Avalanche has bounced around the league over the course of his career, with the Devils becoming his 6th team in 12 seasons. Skoula has some playoff experience from his days with the Avalanche and Minnesota Wild and also has a Stanley Cup ring from Colorado's win in 2001.

The reason for this move is obvious, it's a Devils pedigree. It seems like each year at the trade deadline Mr. Lamoriello makes a simple move to help push the team into the playoffs and to provide leadership. Last season, the Devils acquired defensive defenseman Niclas Havelid to boost the back end and provide a security blanket in their own zone. Havelid, just like Skoula, was set to be a free agent and was a solid contributor to the cause. The season before they acquired stay at home defender Bryce Salvador for agitator Cam Janssen, and as you can tell, this move has paid huge dividends for New Jersey.

No one was quite sure what Skoula was going to do after he failed to make the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets opening rosters, but he eventually was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the season opener.

What Skoula can provide for the Devils is an offensive presence from the back end and is another piece to a stellar blue line corps. Skoula can play the point on the powerplay and moves the puck well. He has been criticized for a lack of defensive ability and tends to get overpowered by opposing forwards. He won't be given big minutes and provides more of an impact when paired with a defensive defenseman (Mark Fraser comes to mind).