While the Mets continue to impress with a better record than the Yankees, centerstage is on the Rangers and Knicks in the Big Apple while the Devils are front and center in New Jersey. Playoffs are so exciting when your teams are in it. You have to be in it to win it. But it’s not like a lottery with a dollar and a dream. Only 16 make it in the NHL and NBA with a shot at glory. Even if you’re down on the Knicks following the Game One devastation at the hands of LeBron, D-Wade and Miami, it was only one game. One that was actually 30-29 before the Heat went on one of those crazy runs that we also saw in Memphis with the Clippers pulling off the unthinkable.

But what really makes the playoffs great is that teams can forget bad losses and respond like the Rangers and Devils did in tough first rounds against Ottawa and Florida. If they didn’t have resiliency and heart, both would be gone ending a realistic dream. Conference Finals. Yes, the Devils dropped Game 1 yesterday to the Flyers in overtime 4-3 on Danny Briere’s winner. Sure. The Flyers are stronger but don’t possess the better goalie. And New Jersey can score goals on Ilya Bryzgalov. So, it should be interesting.

As for the Rangers, they’re accustomed to doing things the hard way. So, it wasn’t a great shock that they rallied from 3-2 down to defeat the Senators. Still, if you told us Marian Gaborik would score once and Chris Kreider would have a bigger impact in the turnaround, we would’ve looked at you like you were nuts. But that’s another extraordinary reason to watch. For the college kid who makes good, scoring and setting up goals the way the former ’09 first rounder did in Saturday’s win. It’s not always about the stars in the playoffs even if the NBA is more centered around them. Unsung heroes can still step up and shock you like with what we got from the Clips in their upset over the Grizz.

So, can the Knicks get back in it? Surely have to believe Melo will be stronger than 3-for-15 even with James guarding him. And don’t forget he had 10 rebounds and shared the ball while playing solid D before Miami exploded. New York will definitely miss rookie Iman Shumpert, whose defense and versatility made him one of their most valuable players. There’s no margin for error, meaning it’s put up or shut up for A’mare Stoudemire, who acted like the Knicks starters really were even with the Heat’s dynamic trio that also includes Chris Bosh and vastly underrated Mario Chalmers. It’ll be interesting to see what adjustments Mike Woodson makes.

-The Knicks have lost 11 straight playoff games dating back to a series elimination against Tracy McGrady and the Raptors. Vince Carter too back when both were young superstars. Drawing the Heat wasn’t the best match-up which obviously Miami didn’t mind in resting their top guns down the stretch of a meaningless final week that was mocked by Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaq and Ernie Johnson on TNT’s can’t miss postgame show. Their show is always must watch even if NBC Network’s hockey coverage has gotten significantly better with the always controversial Mike Milbury and entertaining Jeremy Roenick. TNT has Game Two of Knicks/Heat in a few minutes. We’ll be flipping between it and the Caps/Rangers over the next couple of hours. A nice way to spend a night for a sports fan.

-Rajon Rondo is just an idiot. That’s all it comes down to. He didn’t really expect us to buy the dopey reason that he tripped into the ref instead of bumping him following a blown call. The NBA isn’t the NHL, suspending a superstar. Brendan Shanahan, please take note.

Some first round NBA picks for fun:

Bulls over 76ers in 5

Heat over Knicks in 5

Hawks over Celtics in 6

Pacers over Magic in 6

Spurs over Jazz in 4

Thunder over Mavs in 6

Lakers over Nuggets in 6

Grizzlies over Clippers in 7

While the Rangers and Senators will be almost through two periods, the Devils take the ice in the Sunshine state against the Panthers with faceoff after 8:30 on the East coast. The Devils forced it seven thanks to OT hero Travis Zajac, who’s been his team’s best player. Ilya Kovalchuk, who also had a goal, set up the winner with a nifty feed past two Panthers, allowing Zajac to play the hero. The Devils haven’t been to the second round since ’07. Now, they’ll try to end a playoff curse by winning two straight to set up a potential Conference Semi versus classic I-95 rival Philadelphia.

The heroes for the Rangers were Brad Richards (PPG, assist), Derek Stepan (tying PPG, 2 assists) and former ’09 first round pick Chris Kreider, whose first goal as a Blueshirt held up as the winner. Tonight, they try to hold serve and use The Garden as their personal playground. Home ice hasn’t treated this series kindly with the road team taking four of the first six. The Rangers will be looking to buck that trend in Game Seven.

For the Devils and Rangers, anything less than victory would be a big disappointment. Especially for the Blueshirts, who earned home ice with 52 wins and 109 points. Their best since ’93-94. Ryan Callahan has been held to two goals and Marian Gaborik one. Both need to be factors along with all but invisible four-plus million Brandon Dubinsky, who’s replaced concussed Brian Boyle on the third line. It’s about time for Dubinsky to earn his keep.

The hockey clubs will be the spotlight for New York City and New Jersey even if the NFL Draft gets going at 8 ET. It’s a bit anticlimatic with the Colts taking Andrew Luck with the first pick and the Redskins giving up a slew of picks for Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. There probably should be more pressure on Griffin III considering what Washington paid.

Once they’re selected, then it becomes interesting with the Vikings on the clock. I’ve heard some already label this as the Luck/Griffin Draft much like the year when Indianapolis chose Peyton Manning and the Chargers got stuck with now jailed Ryan Leaf. Amazing how one’s an all-time great getting ready to QB Denver while the other’s hit rock bottom. Drafts make or break you. Especially when you risk it all on a quarterback.

Still, times have changed. Today’s athletes are better prepared for the NFL. So, it the 2012 Draft shouldn’t just be about two players. As Giants GM Jerry Reese has proven, you can find gems late. It’s all about how well you’ve scouted and how players project. So, while all eyes will be on Luck and Griffin, you can guarantee that they won’t be the only players who evolve at the next level. Otherwise, 28 other teams and its fans wouldn’t even bother to follow a catastrophic event where the Mel Kipers pretend that they’re GMs.

After taking part in a Draft Preview last night with buddy Brian Sanborn along with NFL gurus Rob Davis, Jeff Bashlor, Daniel Wheeler and Nate Sousa, it becomes clear how huge an event it is. NFL fans are as diehard as it gets. Even if I’ve never been a big draft proponent, I’ll definitely take a look at who the Giants draft. It won’t be Matt Kalil, Fletcher Cox, Michael Floyd, Mark Barron or Trent Richardson. 

No matter what, Big Blue supporters should have plenty of faith in Reese. What will be more intriguing is to see whether or not Sanborn and Davis approve of who Buffalo takes at No.10. The plight of the Bills is always fun to dissect when you’re close buddies live and die with their team. For Davis, he’ll have a curious eye at his Devils. So, it’ll be a big night. For Sanborn, he can just sit back and enjoy the two Game Sevens while keeping a close eye on Barron, who both Bill diehards covet.

Even better, Wheeler’s Panthers pick right before Buffalo at No.9. Could they spoil the party? And don’t forget Bashlor’s Chiefs are on deck at No.11 with Sousa’s Cowboys on the radar with the 14th pick. You know what part of the Draft I’ll be watching.

The Giants don’t pick until dead last at 32nd. A linebacker, some offensive line help or a receiver are most likely. Meanwhile, Jets Nation will be on the clock earlier at No.16 with Melvin Ingram projected to help boost their defensive line. First round picks are always vital to any draft because so much is expected. That said, I still think doing well in the later rounds can prove worthy for bargains and depth.

For Benny In The Bronx and Ira from Staten Island, there are no better day(s). All sorts of Draft coverage begins tonight with a chaotic weekend to follow. Let the cheers/jeers rain down.

-Some of the all-time great Nets on hand were Albert King, Kenny Anderson, Derrick Coleman and Darryl Dawkins, who all got the luxury treatment of having a Nets babe on their arm. Cute stuff. It was nice to see Chocolate Thunder back. You can never forget what a behemoth he was dunking that ball and well, breaking the glass in the good old days.

-I’m happy for Anderson and Coleman, who kinda got lost in the shuffle following a first round exit versus the Knicks. They were good Nets. All-Stars. If you put their childish behavior aside, both were a great combo. It’s just unfortunate we never got to see what those Nets could’ve been if Drazen Petrovic had lived. Petro was awesome. Lights out. A star in the making when his tragic death haunted the Nets for years until Jason Kidd replaced Stephon Marbury and led the franchise to consecutive NBA Finals appearances.

-Rod Thorn was also there yesterday for turning the Nets around. Even Lou Lamoriello lent support when the Devils and Nets teamed up. In a way, it feels right that they’d finish up in the same building as the Devils, who later on play a huge Game Six against Florida. But it does feel a little blank with the Nets moving to Brooklyn this Fall at Barclays Center. No team in Jersey just doesn’t feel right.

-Sure. The Brooklyn Nets are a great sell. Basketball to one of the best producing boroughs where two-time PSAL champ Boys And Girls resides along with powerhouses Lincoln and Jefferson. Atlantic Avenue will be hopping once it gets going. I still wouldn’t mind seeing a third team rejoin I-95 down the road. New Jersey gets shafted once again.

Derek Stepan and Brad Richards each tallied on the power play and former first round pick Chris Kreider scored in the final minute, proving to be the difference as the Rangers staved off elimination. In doing so, they forced a deciding seventh game that will be played on Thursday with the start time still undecided. It could depend on if the Devils win over Florida tonight. It’s the Devils’ turn to try to force Game Seven.

The Rangers won due to better efforts overall with Richards showing the form that won him a Conn Smythe. He set up Stepan on the doorstep and rifled a shot past Craig Anderson during a five-on-three. Stepan was stellar in also setting up two others, including Kreider’s first as a Blueshirt. A magnificent feed that helped clinch the game.

Ottawa came within 3-2 late when a Jason Spezza goal was upheld after Henrik Lundqvist vehemently protested that Neil kicked the puck in. While replays were inconclusive up in Toronto, he definitely interfered with the Ranger goalie who should be announced as one of the Vezina finalists tomorrow. A point Lundqvist made following the game while even accusing someone of wanting the Sens back in it. Interesting choice of words.

Not to be outdone, Neil basically threatened Michael Del Zotto following Del Zotto’s hit that knocked him down during the game. It was a measure of revenge for Neil concussing Brian Boyle. Del Zotto, who had done nothing prior, also set up Richards’ third of the series with great hustle and a nice dish that left him all day to shoot.

For more on the game, here’s our game story over at Battle Of New York. Be sure to check out Devil blogger Hasan’s coverage as well as his team tries to stay alive tonight.

It’ll be the first Game Seven the Rangers have hosted since June 14, 1994 when they defeated Vancouver for the franchise’s fourth Stanley Cup. Hard to believe it’s been that long. But that’s what happens when the Original Six has been largely unsuccessful over nearly two decades with just one other home ice in the first round of ’96 versus Montreal. When the club last went to the Conference Finals via Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves and Mike Richter, they defeated the Panthers and Devils as a lower seed before falling to Eric Lindros and the Flyers.

Now, a new set of Blueshirts gets a Game Seven in their building where they’ve already lost twice this series. The seventh game should be to their advantage. We’ll see if Lundqvist, Captain Cally, Richards, Marian Gaborik, Stepan, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Ryan McDonagh can come through.

-After C.C. Sabathia and Ivan Nova, everyone else including Hideki Kuroda is a question mark. You don’t know what you’ll get from Andy Pettite, who’s trying to come back after a year away. But he’s a pro. So, there’s that.

-If only the Pinstripes could find a position for Eduardo Nunez. He can’t play the infield.

-That comeback from nine down a day after raining on the 100-Year Anniversary at Fenway Park, is the stuff dreams are made of. Or recurring nightmares if you’re a Saaahhhxx fan.

-Say this for the Mets. They sure know how to make their fans’ hearts race. That really wasn’t Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ ball but Ruben Tejeda’s. He lost it in the sun and you could tell right away it was trouble.

-What was more infuriating? The Mets’ baserunning blunders which included David Wright foolishly trying to steal third or Terry Collins replacing Mike Pelfrey with immortal closer Frank Francisco. Just your classic case of overmanaging, which we’re sure made Joe Girardi proud.

-The Mets are fun for the whole family and much cheaper. Yeah. A good bet I’ll go to Citi Field for a game over The Golden Palace even though I’m a Yankee fan. Two for the price of one today against San Fran with Tim Lincecum pitching the first.

-Updating the Met game, the Giants lead 6-1 in the fifth. Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Crawford have RBI’s while Saturday’s goat Buster Posey has gone deep along with Nate Schierholtz. Lincecum has fanned eight to go with five walks and an earned run. Emergency Met starter Miguel Batista wasn’t helped by an Ike Davis error with half the six unearned.

-If you didn’t catch Mariano Rivera’s interview on Sports Center it was great stuff. Especially loved the part where he admitted that he doesn’t like Enter Sandman. To think once Yankee and Met fans were debating it when Billy Wagner closed at Shea.

-Eventually, Davis will snap out of it for the Amazin’s and form a nice 1-2 punch with former Cyclone Lucas Duda (Dooooo—daaaaaahhh).

-Jason Bay has one more homer than Alex Rodriguez.

-Has Robinson Cano’s season started yet?

-Then there’s Derek Jeter and David Wright who continue to hit and lead their ballclubs.

-Curtis “Grandy Man” Granderson’s three homerun game was the first at the Palace. I refuse to call it the Stadium. John Sterling’s call was entertaining per usual. At least he can’t screw that up.

Matt Kemp continues his assault leading the Dodgers to a hot start.

-Nobody is better than Matt Kemp right now. He continues to rake while leading the Dodgers to an NL West leading 12-4, tied with St. Louis for tops in the senior circuit. He challenged for the Triple Crown last year and was edged by controversial MVP Ryan Braun. As much as I like him, I’ll admit the circumstances that allowed him to not serve a 50-game suspension for PEDs were odd.

-Kemp has been unbelievable, pacing everyone with nine dingers and 22 RBI’s, followed coincidentally by Dodger teammate Andre Ethier’s 21. Five behind is Josh Hamilton, who hasn’t let a setback affect his sweet swing. Hamilton jacked No.7 yesterday to push ahead of Granderson for the AL lead. He’s batting .418 (28-for-67) with seven homers and 17 knocked in while Kemp’s at .450 (27-for-60). They’re the two best players in the game right now until Albert Pujols wakes up in his new LA home.

-Texas remains the best team with a 13-3 mark, picking up right where they left off the past two seasons. It’d be nice for them to finish the job and win the franchise’s first world championship.

-Not surprised about Washington as they were my actual choice to win the NL East. I really like their staff and they got a deep bullpen. As long as the Nats hit, they should be in the mix. I also took the Mets as my surprise third place team. We’ll see how that pans out.

-The AL East is entertaining with the Jays and Orioles joining the Yanks and Rays separated by half a game while the Red Sox struggle. I am not sure if any skipper could do much better the way it’s set up there.

-Michael Pineiro was shutdown again due to right arm soreness…

-Jesus Montero Update: 15 GP .241 2 HR 8 RBI 11 SO

-Congrats to former Met draft pick Philip Humber on his perfect game for the White Sox against those Mariners. Though he never developed in Minnesota after being included in the Johan Santana trade, Humber has found a home with Chicago and looks to finally be turning the corner. A good story.

There's plenty on the line for Ryan Callahan and the Blueshirts tonight.

It’s all on the line tonight. Everything the Rangers have done will mean nothing if they don’t dig deep and defeat the Senators in Game Six at Ottawa later. They have no one to blame but themselves for the dire situation. A lack of finish along with a surprising lack of gumption has the Blueshirts in a predicament they shouldn’t be in.

Much credit goes to the Sens, who have gotten superior netminding from Craig Anderson while taking a page from the Rangers by getting in the passing lanes and also boxing out in front. Anderson’s 41-save shutout in Game Five wasn’t that difficult due to Ottawa keeping most of the shots to the perimeter and eliminating second and third chances. They have also shown resiliency by coming from behind twice with Kyle Turris’ OT winner in Game Four helping turn the tide. All they needed Saturday was for Jason Spezza to catch Henrik Lundqvist napping along with Ryan McDonagh, who bit on the pass.

Tonight, the challenge for John Tortorella’s club is to get their second road win of the first round series and force a deciding Game Seven which would be played Thursday. If he can’t push the right buttons with a team that finished first in the East with 109 points, it’d be the third time the fiery coach has failed to get out of the first round. Granted. It’s not all on the coach even if we don’t agree with some of his personnel decisions.

A lot is at stake for the leadership that includes first-year captain Ryan Callahan, Lundqvist, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Brad Richards, Brandon Dubinsky, and Artem Anisimov. Even without Brian Boyle (concussion), there are enough leaders who have suffered early disappointments. They know what’s at stake. Lose and some of them could find themselves elsewhere as soon as the summer. Win and they guarantee a deciding game at a raucous MSG. While that doesn’t mean anything based on these playoffs, Game Seven usually favors the home side.

First, the Rangers will have to get there by scoring early and playing to win. Something that Tortorella hasn’t done enough of against a quality opponent. We already saw one top seed ousted last night with Jarrett Stoll and the Kings sending home President’s Trophy winner Vancouver much earlier than anticipated. The Canucks and the Penguins both were eliminated yesterday, which for many experts meant their Stanley Cup prediction. One half of mine is gone thanks to a yeoman effort from Claude Giroux, who didn’t set a new Flyer record with 14 points as NBC Network would have you believe. Tim Kerr once had 15 in a series win over Pittsburgh.

The 2012 NHL Playoffs have been unpredictable with the exception of Nashville and St. Louis taking care of business. Yesterday, Boston showed the mettle of a defending champ thanks to Tyler Seguin’s OT winner, forcing a seventh game against Washington to be played Wednesday up in Beantown. All the Blueshirts need to do is emulate the Bruins and they’ll get Game 7 on Garden ice.

The Sens scored two goals late with Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Condra tallying. The question is does that give them any momentum. It’s better answered tonight by how both teams come out. The Blueshirts weren’t lights out, allowing the eighth seed to control play for a good stretch. But a timeout from Coach Tortorella reenergized them with a strong response from Gaborik and Boyle, who each scored late in the second to break open the game. Richards would add his first postseason goal  as a Blueshirt to salt it away.

For more on Game One, check our post over at Battle Of New York along with Devil blogger Hasan, who recapped the Devils’ 3-2 win over Florida last night.

Still, without Henrik Lundqvist, who knows? The King was in great form, which is going to be a key throughout. We’ll be there for all the action up in 411. It should be a dandy!

Of course, I’m referring to the Hudson rivals, the Devils and my beloved Rangers, who begin their quest for the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup tonight as the East’s top seed. Something John Tortorella’s heart and guts group earned. Standing in their way will be the eighth seeded Senators, who similar to the Kings, who Vancouver found out about last night, are not your normal No.8. It shouldn’t be easy for the black and Blueshirts as they have been identified as with a gritty and hard working approach that New Yorkers can appreciate. But then again, the NHL Playoffs are rarely a piece of cake to get through with four grueling rounds necessary to win 16 games.

Can these Rangers do it? They’ll ride the goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist, who has much to prove in his sixth postseason in seven years. Only having been past the first round twice, at 30 King Henrik knows the time is now backed by a deeper supporting cast that includes top finisher Marian Gaborik, former playoff MVP Brad Richards, do everything captain Ryan Callahan along with a sturdy D that features Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Mike Del Zotto and Marc Staal. Boasting a core that also features homegrown kids Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin and possibly fresh face Chris Kreider, the future is set up well for these Blueshirts.

However, when you win the most games and total the most points since the last time you won Lord Stanley, the goal isn’t simply to put up your first division banner next Fall. Neither is it to honor the top seed as regular season East champs. None of that means anything if the Rangers don’t back it up starting now. Valuable players such as Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust want to sacrifice their bodies as they have all season to win the whole thing. It’s about the battles in the trenches as much as it is about the big goals and clutch saves their Vezina candidate is expected to make. You don’t bring in Richards unless you’re serious about ending nearly two decades of silence. 1997 was 15 years ago, signifying the last time the club made a run to the NHL’s Final Four, led by Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter.

Garden Faithful have been dying for a team like this who they could get behind and cheer with actual championship hopes more realistic. Whether it happens remains to be seen. All I know is the last time I felt this much anxiety before the start of a playoff game, I was a skinny 17-year old senior in high school. Ironically, I still am thin but it’s much different now because I appreciate what that team accomplished a lot more. I understand how difficult it is to get through the playoffs.

Since ’97, there have been a lot of bad times here, including the playoffless stretch during the Dark Ages when every free agent went to bust or lost their minds. In ’05-06, Tom Renney started something along with Lundqvist and Jaromir Jagr. Hard to believe a year later after being dumped out by the Devils, they were two minutes from getting a home game for a chance at the Conference Finals. It never happened. Chris Drury scored and Maxim Afinogenov broke our hearts as the Sabres prevailed in six. The following year, they avenged a loss to New Jersey but were ousted by eventual champ Pittsburgh in five. Marian Hossa’s OT winner crushing souls.

That’s what the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about. Blood and guts. Laying it on the line. The kind of resiliency and determination shown by the Flyers yesterday, who picked themselves up off the mat, rallying from a three-goal hole to stun the Penguins 4-3 in sudden death. No game is ever over. No team is ever out of it. If you’re ahead, you must step on your opponent. Otherwise, risk embarrassment as Pittsburgh did with their heads down knowing that they can’t afford another home loss with the Battle Of Pennsylvania shifting to the City of Brotherly Love after tomorrow.

Our team has shown that they can finish games off. However, if they go through lapses as they did for a portion of the season, relying on Lundqvist, it won’t work. Your goalie can only take you so far as evidenced by his losing record (15-20). Once, he stood on his head against a superior Caps team for four games, giving us upset dreams. Eventually, Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green took over the series and Tortorella lost it literally, leaving a bitter taste in our mouths.

It’s been four years since the Rangers have advanced past Round One. In less than an hour, the Garden will be electric, ready for anything. Dad will be there tonight. Me and my brother will be there for Game Two Saturday. I admit to having butterflies in my stomach as I’m typing this, hoping it’s the beginning of something special as it once was at 17. Perhaps it’s the anticipation or just the anxiety of a passionate fanblogger.

I’m ready. Are you?

Why this sudden feeling? Because as much as baseball has become an international sport, to me it’ll always be America’s past time. That means April 2nd and Monday. Not late March and Japan and definitely not Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. Honestly, TV has ruined the game. Gone are those days you’d maybe sneak out of school to go see your team on Opening Day or just race home to watch the first games. It’s not the same anymore.

Sure, national TV is nice if you’re one of the two teams playing before anyone else. And the same for overseas. But come on. On Monday, I just want to turn on the television and flip between the Yankees, Mets and whoever else is playing on ESPN or MLB Network. That’s how it should be. Baseball is meant to be played during the day. Not at night and definitely not at 6 in the morning (3 PT), inconveniencing fans of both Seattle and Oakland.

So, maybe you’ll be up early getting ready for work and catching a glimpse of the so-called “first baseball.” I won’t be. I’ll catch up on some zzzs and then head to my job which is in mid-afternoon. Make no mistake about it. On Monday, I will take off and watch the real baseball. Fire up a hot dog, some peanuts and have a beer. See you there.