It’s been a while since I had time to update here. Just recovered from a sinus infection and had been more preoccupied with the hockey season covering it over at my other site Battle of NY. Over there, it’s myself taking the Rangers and the league with Hasan covering the Devils and other hockey stuff as well. We do have other contributors but lately, they’ve been busy with work. So it’s become basically me and Hasan giving our views on the locals (Rangers, Devils, Islanders) as well as what’s going on around the NHL.

In any event, there are many happenings the last week or so. So let’s get to them in no short order:

-The Giants have proven that they’re still a team to be reckoned with this season. At 8-1 after getting past the Eagles by five in Philly thanks to a balanced run attack led by Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward with second-year speedster Ahmad Bradshaw chipping in late as the Giant offensive line dominated up front while Eli Manning was efficient not making any mistakes following an early deflected interception which the Eagles cashed for a score. Even in a game in which the D couldn’t get any pressure on Donovan McNabb, they still did an admirable job shutting down all-purpose back Brian Westbrook including the key tackles on second, third and fourth down when Andy Reid foolishly ran it the last two downs with short yardage when his team had a chance to steal it.

Kudos must also go out to Manning who sold Tom Coughlin on a key challenge in which they reversed what looked initially like a forward pass. Instead, the QB knew his back foot hadn’t crossed the line of scrimmage when he threw completing a key first down pass on third down to tight end Kevin Boss, who was a big target coming down with six receptions, a TD and 69 yards.

Big Blue also caught a big break when officials couldn’t overrule on a Jacobs’ touchdown in which the ball came out as he crossed the plane. Replays couldn’t really determine if the ball had come out before he reached the goal line. It was fortunate cause it really could’ve swung the momentum.

For the most part, the Giants deserved to win improving to 8-1 including a perfect 3-0 inside the division. However, had they not made key mistakes like Jacobs’ silly fumble while trying to take on the entire Eagle front when his team had scored 17 straight, it might not have been as close. That along with a late Sam Madison hit out of bounds allowed the Eagles to stay in the game giving them a chance.

As defensive leader Antonio Pierce (8 tackles) pointed out to WFAN’s Mike Francesa Monday, there’s no time for letup with the surprising 6-3 Ravens coming to town before a visit to The Desert against MVP candidate Kurt Warner and the Cardinals. It won’t get any easier with a stop at Washington at the end of the month before finishing up December with the Eagles, a visit at Dallas, home for Carolina and a stop in Minnesota who might need the game as they compete with the Bears and Packers for the NFC North.

Every opponent is good with winning records. Unlike the early portion of their sched, the G-Men now have the toughest schedule of any team which is kinda fitting considering they’re defending champs. So, if they are to earn the division and possibly home field in the NFC, they’ll have really earned it.

-Meanwhile, the Jets have rebounded winning three straight since the debacle at Oakland. Though it hasn’t always been pretty, they’ve responded well taking charge in a road win over the Bills and then blowing the doors off a bad Rams team 47-3 in which they led by a ridiculous 40-0 at the half.

They have to be very pleased with the running of Thomas Jones, who’s bounced back in a big way leading the AFC in rushing with 750 yards along with eight touchdowns including a franchise-tying three in the rout of St. Louis. The ex-Bear who the club acquired before last year already has seven more TDs than in 2007 and properly credits an improved offensive line which has done a solid job opening up holes for the gritty veteran back along with Mr. Everything Leon Washington.

Brett Favre has adjusted to the offense making good use of primary targets Jericho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles as well as rookie TE Dustin Keller, who continues to improve following his first ever 100-yard receiving game with an eight catch, 87-yard night including a huge third down and long conversion in OT to help lift Gang Green to a 34-31 road win over the rival Patriots at Gilette Stadium last night giving them their fourth consecutive win and moving into sole possession of first place at 7-3 with six games left.

The Jets were firmly in control leading the Patriots at one point 24-6 in the first half thanks to a Leon Washington kickoff return for a score and a Favre 15-yard TD strike to Cotchery. But the Pats rallied with Matt Cassel driving his team for a late first half score firing a 19-yard TD pass to Jabar Gaffney to cut it to 24-13.

New England’s D stepped up in the third quarter giving their offense every chance to comeback. Eventually, Cassel and Co. rebounded from a turnover when Tom Brady’s replacement hit TE Ben Watson from 10 yards out and then converted the two-point conversion to Gaffney making it just a field goal deficit at the end of the quarter.

With the Pats D up to the task keeping Favre and the Jets at bay, they got the ball back and then watched as Stephen Gostkowski booted a 47-yarder right down Broadway tying it with over 10 minutes to go in regulation. But when it looked like the Jets offense had gone into the tank teasing their fans, Favre stepped up driving them down the field even getting the benefit of a soft Mike Vrabel hold on third and goal that helped setup Thomas Jones from a yard out with 3:10 to go.

When the Jet D held forcing the Pats three and out, it looked like it might be sealed. However, Bill Belichick saved a timeout and had the two minute warning. His team just stopped the Jets on third down to get the ball back with under a minute and a half left.

You have to give credit to Cassel who showed tremendous poise getting his team in position without any timeouts completing the ball short to primary target Wes Welker,  Watson and Gaffney while Randy Moss was held in check by Ty Law. However, even with the best receiver in the game having been held to a deuce on 10 yards, you knew it would come down to him against the ex-Pat corner with fourth and 1 looming with eight seconds to spare.

One play basically to force overtime. And when Cassel rolled to the right buying himself time before stepping up, he made a seeing eye toss to the right front corner of the end zone where Moss was tightly covered by Law. It still didn’t matter as somehow, the ex-Viking All-World dove across snagging it and then miraculously dragging his feet in bounds to give his team the tying score with one second remaining.

This was just a money catch by a world class receiver. Law didn’t play him poorly but Moss made one heck of a play. And when Gostkowski hit the PAT, here came OT.

Jets 31 Patriots 31

By now you were wondering if the Jets would ever defeat the Belichick Patriots in a big spot. They had been owned aside from Eric Mangini’s successful winning visit a couple of years ago before his team lost handily in the playoffs.

But when the coin toss went Gang Green’s way landing on tails, it allowed them to get the ball and hand it to Favre- the veteran future Hall of Famer who they traded for these kinda big moments. Even on third and 15, he wasn’t going to let them down dialing it up for 13 to a wide open Keller, who did the rest breaking a tackle for the first down.

No.4 would hit Keller twice more to keep the drive moving before finding Coles across the seam for 16 inside the New England 25 with the Patriot D paying closer attention on Keller. Three more hard runs including two by workhorse Jones to the NE 18 and they were setup to win on the leg of Jay Feely. But as NFL Network/Giant radio man Bob Papa duly noted, it was no sure thing as the ex-Giant had missed a few kicks between 30 and 40 this year.

So, it was no sure thing from 34. But Feely’s kick sailed just inside the left post with 7:10 left in OT giving the Jets the big three-point victory and now allowing them to control their own destiny.

The final totals saw the Pats account for more than 500 yards of offense including 400 through the air from Cassel with three TDs on 51 passes. He also was his team’s leading rusher with 62 on the ground while specialty back Kevin Faulk got 38.

Meanwhile, the Jets got an efficient performance from Favre who didn’t turn the ball over while going 26-of-33 for 258 yards, two scores and a 119.8 QB rating. Exactly the kind of performance they needed to come out of New England with a victory.

On the ground, the AFC’s leading rusher Jones grinded out 104 yards on 30 carries with a TD while all-everything back and return specialist Washington got 18 adding another 17 and two catches out of the backfield including the game’s opening score from seven yards out.

It was enough to give Jet fans hope that maybe in a wide open AFC outside the unbeaten Titans, maybe their team can do something. Somehow, they’ve gone from losing to the lowly Raiders, edging Herm Edwards’ Chiefs thanks to their ex-coach handing them the game to reeling off four straight including big road wins over the Bills and Pats.

Who knows what’s going to happen the rest of the way but it sure could be a fun ride. Do we dare dream the impossible Giants-Jets Super Bowl? A lot still has to go right for that to even become a realistic possibility including both teams winning their divisions and earning at least a bye into the second round. Big Blue at 8-1 is better positioned a game ahead of the Panthers but with a very tough remaining sched.

The Jets have an easier road after a big visit to Tennessee next week with games against Denver, at San Francisco, Buffalo, at Seattle and a possible huge first place showdown with Chad Pennington and the Dolphins. Who would ever have believed that back in Week One? It just might happen. If you like drama and huge storylines, that’s one worth pulling for.

-If they were handing out league MVP now, it would go to Warner, who’s been unbelievable for the first place Cardinals who look like a real contender in the NFC with their air attack featuring the likes of Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston. Here’s the 37 year-old veteran former two-time MVP as well as Super Bowl MVP leading a franchise that’s never really been anything unless you count that one wild card field goal road win over Dallas a decade prior with Jake “The Snake” Plummer who’s since retired from football.

Warner can still sling it as good as anyone and ranks second in passing yards (2,760) second in TDs (19) and first in QB rating (106.4). In a season where nobody’s really dominated and you can’t even find a single MVP candidate on the two best teams (Titans and Giants), Captain Kurt deserves to win it hands down. He’s pretty much helped the Cards nail down their weak NFC West Division leading by a preposterous four games with the Seahawks, 49ers and Rams all in the tank.

Find me a better story than Warner. Yes. What another former Giant QB Kerry Collins has done with a dominant defense in Tennessee is pretty storybook in itself but he’s not often asked to carry the offensive load the way Eli’s former tutor is in The Desert. Special stuff.

-If you really examine the Knicks’ five wins, only one came against decent competition in a home triumph over Utah, who was without Deron Williams. Sure. They’re playing a more exciting brand of basketball these days but Mike D’Antoni’s team is a long way away from being a legit contender. And as long as they continue to dog Stephon Marbury instead of doing the decent thing and letting him go separate ways, Team Dumb and Dumber Clown Mgt 101 is going to continue to look bad despite the change in coach and GM.

-Speaking of which, whatever became of David Lee’s future with the Knicks? Amazing what a change in philosophy can do to a guy’s career. He’ll wind up somewhere helping someone out.

-When they dress Eddy “Fat Albert” Curry with a bum knee while a much more motivated Marbury remains in street atire, it doesn’t look good. Somebody relay the message to Clown Creator and Innovator Jim Dolan. Somewhere, in Walt “Clyde” Frazier would be proud of us.

-Man are the new Nets bad. Didn’t someone tell them you can’t possibly build a winner around Vince Carter?

-So far so good for No.1 overall pick Derrick Rose and the Bulls. The former Memphis star went for 16, 9 and 6 in a comeback win over the Mavs in which running mate Ben Gordon lit up Dallas for 35 on 12-of-21 shooting. Heck. The former Uconn standout even handed out four assists with investigations ongoing to seek out how this could’ve transpired. Luol Deng added 20 and even former lottery pick Tyrus Thomas came off the bench for eight, eight (5 Off.), 2 blocks and 2 steals.

The 4-5 Bulls will be without Kirk Hinrich a couple of months with a torn thumb ligament. So, they’ll continue to need huge contributions from the streaky Gordon.

-Nice to see Greg Oden return to the court the other night and at least get his first NBA points on what else but a monster throwback stuff. He finished with three points, 2 blocks and 2 boards in 16 minutes in Portland’s fourth straight triumph by a 104-96 count over the Heat. The most encouraging news was that the former 2007 No.1 overall selection didn’t get hurt. The ex-Buckeye remains a project under Nate McMillan on what’s a pretty formidable roster featuring former league ROY Brandon Roy, last season’s Most Improved LaMarcus Aldridge, athletic deluxe Travis Outlaw, long range bomber Steve Blake along with key sub Channing Frye.

And don’t forget about rookie Rudy Fernandez, who dropped a career high 25 on Miami including three from downtown and eight for eight from the charity stripe. The 23 year-old who starred for Spain in Beijing where they lost out on Olympic Gold to Team USA is averaging better than 15 a game while shooting over 48 percent including 45.7 from three. He was originally selected by the Suns in 2007 24th overall but eventually was traded to Portland along with James Jones for cash. Talk about a hoist of epic proportions.

He’s easily one of the best first-year players and should be in the running for top rookie along with Rose and Memphis’ O.J. Mayo plus Michael Beasley also in the mix playing in South Florida making this year’s rookie class one of the better ones to follow.

-I’m not keen on the Yankees dealing for Nick Swisher to solve their first base issue because while he’s only 27 going on 28 following Thanksgiving, he’s not a good contact hitter and strikes out a ton despite power. Maybe the thinking here is that due to his high percentage of walks, the former A slugger could morph into a Jason Giambi type despite coming off his worst career season hitting just .219 with 24 homers, 69 RBI’s striking out 135 times while seeing his on-base percentage drop from .381 to .332 in the one season with the White Sox.

The good news is the Yanks didn’t part with a lot giving up on pitching prospect Jeff Marquez, who struggled last summer after once being considered high on their list. Also moving to Chicago was utility man Wilson Betemit, who never really distinguished himself after coming over from Hollywood for Scott Proctor. He still was a decent power bat off the bench who could fill in around the infield when called upon and finished strong hitting .265 with six dingers and 25 RBI’s in 189 at bats despite seeing his OBP diminish due to lack of walks (12 in 124 games as Yankee).

At least the Yanks also swapped prospects as part of the trade sending minor league pitcher Jhonny Nunez for righty Kaneoka Texeira. Maybe that’s what sold them on the deal. If Brian Ca$hman couldn’t cough up the big bucks for Mark Teixeira, then why not acquire another Texeira only mispelled which kinda sums up the current state in the Bronx.

Still, expect the Bronx Bombers to make a ridiculous multi-year offer to Cash Cow Sabathia later today on the first big day of free agency. If I’m Sabathia and I prefer the laid back West coast style along with the NL where he had great success in leading the Brewers to their first postseason appearance in 26 years, I sign with the Dodgers or Giants instead. Would you want to come to a crowded AL East which includes the Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays that the Yankees have to contend with?

If he wants to win, he’ll use his brain and take less. Something which rarely happens around this time of year. We’ll see what Sabathia chooses.

-I don’t care what any big New York columnist writes negatively about him but the Mets would be crazy not to go for Manny Ramirez. The guy’s a lot of things but he also knows how to win. So, the next time you read Joel Sherman, Bill Madden or Mike Lupica talking about how he weaseled his way out of Beantown (all sadly true), just remember that he also was a huge part of Boston winning their first two world championships since 1918 with that same “lazy” player taking home World Series MVP in 2004. Think his presence didn’t make a huge difference with David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis’ sudden rise to stardom? Think again!

Just imagine what Manny could do for David Wright, who didn’t exactly light the world on fire in crunch time for the Mets. Picture a Met lineup with Jose Reyes, David Murphy, Wright, Manny, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado assuming Omar Minaya doesn’t turn around and make the slick play for Teixeira and unload the older first base slugger to replenish his farm. Would you bet against that lineup with Ryan Church also part of it if Murphy goes to second?

For the naysayers, just remember your team fell short of October the last two seasons because your GM wasn’t willing to roll the dice despite adding one of the best starters in Johan Santana. How many championships have the Amazin’s won again? They don’t exactly have the reputation of the Yankees. So, what’s keeping them from taking their best shot and going for it all? Too often, you hear Met fans call up WFAN in New York playing “what if.”

What if Minaya was bold enough to see what a star like Manny in the twilight of his career looking for that one final payday could do for his roster? Almost doesn’t count. This is about delivering a championship and what better way than bringing in the former George Washington star as they open up Citi Field? At least they could justify the costs.

If I’m the Mets, I go for Manny, add another proven October performer Derek Lowe and save some money by going for Brian Fuentes than the overpriced K-Rod whose fastball isn’t what it once was relying already too much on his slider. Just ask Red Sox hitters including Ramirez how that worked out for the Angels the past two first rounds.

Adding a gritty veteran who knows a thing or two about winning also would be wise. David Eckstein, Ray Durham and Mark Loretta are all decent options. What about bringing in a professional hitter like Kevin Millar? Even Craig Counsell wouldn’t be a bad choice. This is all about having a reliable veteran leader who can fill a role coming off the bench. Are the Yankees paying attention cause it sure applies to them as well.

-There’s been some talk about the Yanks trading for veteran center fielder Mike Cameron who can still hit for decent power, steal bases and field his position. However, he’ll turn 36 next January and is a free swinging type who K’s a ton. Wouldn’t it be wiser to go for a younger player who won’t cost as much like Rocco Baldelli, who at 26 returned to Tampa Bay from chronic exhaustion and proved he still can contribute? The Yankee CF spot is one which the organization must be careful about due to also having Brett Gardner and prospect Austin Jackson still in their plans while Melky Cabrera could be moved.

Baldelli wouldn’t have to play everyday but is a solid defensive outfielder who does the little things well such as hitting in the gaps, stealing bases, moving runners over while still owning natural power which proved to still be there with a couple of homers in limited duty for the Rays versus the Red Sox and Phillies. It wouldn’t cost as much cause the former Rays’ 2000 No.1 pick is more of a risk. But he’s younger and possesses talent and could bring a winning formula that’s badly needed in the Land of Make Believe where a silly power struggle continues between each Steinbrenner along with evildoer Randy Levine haunting the franchise as they get ready to open their new Stadium.

-Kudos to Tim Lincecum on becoming just the third second-year pitcher since 1985 to take home the Cy Young easily outdistancing Brandon Webb (73 pts) and Johan Santana (55 pts) for tops among the Senior Circuit after posting an 18-5 record with a 2.62 ERA on the Giants while fanning a major league best 265. He joined the Mets’ Dwight Gooden and the Royals’ Bret Saberhagen as a second-year starter who took home the prestigious award receiving 23 of 32 first place votes totaling 137 points. Rounding out the top five were Phils’ perfect closer Brad Lidge and the Brew Crew’s C.C. Sabathia with Ryan Dempster finishing sixth.

-The AL Cy Young as expected went to the Indians’ Cliff Lee who went a MLB best 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA capping off a comeback season after toiling in the minors the previous year. After getting tattooed for 68 earned and 112 hits in 97-plus during 20 appearances (16 starts) to the tune of a 5-8 mark with a 6.29 ERA in 2007, the 30 year-old southpaw who came along with Grady Sizemore as part of the Bartolo Colon trade from the then Montreal Expos was dominant from the very beginning this past season winning his first six decisions while posting an 11-1 record before July.

All he did was win even though his team struggled all season eventually trading away Sabathia to the Brewers- a teammate he held in high regard who won the Cy the previous year when they went all the way to the ALCS before falling to the Red Sox in seven games. Lee finished second to runner-up Roy Halladay with four complete games and tied with the former Cy winner and six others including Sabathia with two shutouts pacing the AL. In 223.1 IP, Lee walked only 34 while striking out 170 for an impressive five to one ratio.

He became just the third Indians pitcher to take home the award joining Gaylord Perry (1972) and Sabathia by garnering 24 of 28 first place votes and 132 points to easily beat out Halladay (71 points) and Francisco Rodriguez (32 points).

-No surprise either that the Rookies of The Year went to Tampa’s Evan Longoria in the AL and the Cubs’ Geovany Soto in the NL. Both were dominant players who helped lead their clubs to division titles and each are primed to become elite players at their respective positions as well as MVP candidates. Heck. If Longoria hadn’t missed a month, who knows? Maybe he sweeps ROY and MVP which is most likely going to either Youkilis or Boston teammate Dustin Pedroia. Though you could make the argument that had Carlos Quentin not injured himself, he’d have won it.

-I don’t get the rationale of the Cubs trading for former Marlins’ closer Kevin Gregg, who bombed down the stretch costing them a shot at the playoffs. Unless they’re hell bent on handing the job over to flamethrower Carlos Marmol with Kerry Wood on the outs. Just remember. Closing is a lot different than setting up. We’ll see how it goes.

-They’re not playing great by any stretch but the Rangers sure look like the only sure thing to see the postseason out of the three locals with Martin Brodeur sidelined on a banged up Devil team which is struggling mightily. The Islanders are a rebuilding project who are more likely to compete for John Tavares.

-It’s still a little weird not seeing Marty in net versus the Rangers where he’d only missed three starts versus his favorite opponent since like his rookie season. That’s insanity but also points to just how unbelievably consistent and remarkable the future Hall of Famer who will resume his pursuit of Patrick Roy’s wins and games record as well as Terry Sawchuk’s shutouts mark when he returns in February.

For now, it’s a long road back after tearing his biceps and admittedly saying he’d played with it before needing to be helped off the ice for what Lou Lamoriello termed “a bruised elbow.” Gotta love those NHL injury reports as they’re always so honest. Just ask the Islanders about the latest setback for their franchise Rick DiPietro.

So, with no Marty and no DiPi, that means only Henrik Lundqvist remains in net healthy capable of backstopping his team up the standings despite something missing. It’s getting lonely in goal quickly here.

-First, it was the Patriots winning three times. Then it was the Red Sox winning twice. Then it was the Celtics winning last Spring with an assist from Kevin McHale. Gee. What a surprise. Now, it’s the Bruins who are starting to look like serious Stanley Cup contenders after dismantling the Canadiens 6-1 in what’s become the best division in hockey. We’re serious too here! What is it about Massachusetts sports teams? Is there something in the water or is it the Boston Lager? Inquiring minds want to know.

-Have you ever seen as exciting an NHL game as the Pens 7-6 comeback road win over the defending champion Wings exacting a little revenge thanks to a natural hat trick from Jordan Staal plus a primary helper on Ruslan Fedotenko’s OT winner? What a great game!

-They don’t get the play of the Cubs or even the revamped Bulls but the Blackhawks are one exciting hockey club. If you haven’t caught their act featuring some of the best young talent in Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg, the once great Original Six franchise is back on the right track and ticketed for the postseason. They are also honoring their past including a very nice double-retirement ceremony we caught the other night honoring former great defensemen Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson while also reinviting former star and coach Denis Savard back as club ambassador. This is definitely a team to watch even if you’re not a big puck supporter. It’s nice to see them honoring their roots.

-I gotta admit it’s a little weird seeing AC/DC rocking out in school wear all these years later but how could you not admire their swagger? They’re still sticking with what got them at the pinnacle of the rock scene.

-It’s sad to note that the final member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience Mitch Mitchell passed away at the age of 62 joining the legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix and Noel Redding upstairs though the dynamic trio is probably up there making the same kind of electrifying music which produced amazing albums like Are You Experienced (1967)  Axis: Bold as Love (1967) and Electric Ladyland (1968).

Mitchell was the underrated drummer of The Experience while Redding played an exquisite bass and Jimi did his thing like few others redefining the way guitar was played. They might all be gone but their legacy shall live on forever because as we all know, truly great music is timeless.

Let’s honor and remember them the appropriate way:

I could watch/listen to this special array of talent forever.

The summer is a time for metropolitan hockey fans to regroup and see what changes their respective teams make. For each organization, they reevaluate things and decide what the best plan going ahead is in preparation of the upcoming Fall.

Amazingly, training camp is approximately seven weeks away. It will be here before you know it. The question is how have the Devils, Islanders and Rangers done in upgrading their rosters this offseason? Let’s take a quick glance at each thus far:

Devils- added veteran centers Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik and re-signed Jay Pandolfo, Bryce Salvador and David Clarkson while Karel Rachunek and mainstay Sergei Brylin left for Russia.

Analysis: The additions of former first Cup members Rolston and the battle tested Holik are smart moves by Lou Lamoriello as that should greatly improve the Devils up the middle. Rolston’s addition will provide offensive balance while Holik should be an upgrade on the fourth line. We’re not crazy about giving Salvador four years though. Still, the Devs should be vastly improved.

Grade: B+

Islanders- added defenseman Mark Streit along with veteran pivot Doug Weight while re-signing forwards Sean Bergenheim and Jeff Tambellini. Forwards Ruslan Fedotenko and Miroslav Satan left for Pittsburgh and backup goalie Wade Dubielewicz went overseas to Russia. Still looking to replace Ted Nolan behind the bench due to philosophical differences.

Analysis: While Garth Snow made out alright overpaying power play QB Streit, he hasn’t really done anything else that makes you believe the Islanders won’t finish in the Atlantic cellar. The coaching change was predictable as Nolan rubbed people the wrong way even though he did an admirable job. The question is who will replace him? Bob Hartley, Paul Maurice and John Tortorella are all available. The team wants to rebuild. So figure it will be someone patient.

Grade: C+

Rangers- added forwards Markus Naslund, Aaron Voros, Patrick Rissmiller and acquired forwards Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche for defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman. Overpaid severely for former Ottawa D Wade Redden while re-signing Michal Rozsival and Paul Mara. Also added former Sabre Dmitri Kalinin and re-signed backup Stephen Valiquette and F Nigel Dawes. Traded Ryan Hollweg to Toronto for a 2009 fifth round pick. Lost star forward Jaromir Jagr to OMSK-Avangard and  Sean Avery to Dallas.

Analysis: Welcome to the world of the Rangers where much has changed. No longer will the team be relying on Jagr, who in the end decided to go back to Russia for megabucks. The entire look of the roster has changed due to this and it looks like Brendan Shanahan will not return either due to limited cap room. Instead, Glen Sather’s banking on Russian enigma Zherdev to fulfill potential and Naslund to be rejuvenated after playing a boring style in Vancouver. But unless Redden rediscovers his game, the Blueshirts aren’t better.

Grade: C

Tonight at midnight, I’ll be hosting a special live NYHR show. Much will be covered as I recap the Red Wings run to a fourth Stanley Cup in 11 years. Plus discussion of tonight’s NHL Award recipients including the Devils’ Martin Brodeur, who took home a fourth Vezina. Congrats also to Alex Ovechkin on winning his first Hart.

Also to be discussed is Dominik Hasek’s retirement as well some coaching changes around the league.

So tune in if you can or better yet participate!

NYHR

Call-in No: 646-716-7209

I’ll be hosting tonight’s New York Hockey Report with probably co-host Gary Harding joining me at some point and possibly Patrick Hickey.

We’ll be talking Rangers, Devils and Islanders as well as more puck. So come check us out! :-) 

That’s right puck heads. It will be yours truly co-hosting tonight’s edition alongside Mr. Section 317 Gary Harding of the New York Hockey Report as we give you some perspective on the three locals as well as what else is going on around the NHL these days.

So make it your business to be part of our program. Besides, we need someone to fill in for Joe McDonald. 

Though there were some technicalities with the first part of our first NYHR show kicking off the New Year, it still was a very good show.

Joe McDonald, Gary Harding and yours truly were joined by Roger from upstate New York and the one and only ESPN anchor/NHL columnist extraordinaire John Buccigross called in for an extensive interview which lasted roughly 20-25 minutes.

Among topics covered was the entertaining successful Outdoor Classic along with if it could fare as well in NYC, plus plenty of NHL coverage as we go around the league taking a look at league surprises and possible Hart candidates.

To tune into future shows which usually air between 9 and 10 every Wednesday night on the East coast, please check us out:

NY Hockey Report

Can’t catch us live? Please check out our show archive which is readily available at blogtalk radio on podcast at our official NYHR site.

Hope to hear from some of you for future shows.

Just a couple of quick hits from tonight’s games:

The Devils held on for a 3-2 home victory at The Prudential Center over the Panthers on the strength of a Brian Gionta early third period power play tally. Martin Brodeur stood tall in net making 31 saves as the first place Devs increased their Atlantic lead to three over the Rangers and Pens.

Meanwhile, the Blueshirts had their three-game win streak snapped at Alberta falling to the Flames 4-3. After falling behind by two, the Rangers cut Calgary’s lead to one three different times. But despite rookie center Brandon Dubinsky’s goal which made it 3-2 in arguably his best game drawing third star honors, an awful goal was allowed by Henrik Lundqvist off a weird play. After Martin Straka nearly broke through for a possible equalizer on Miikka Kiprusoff, the Czech tried a mistimed back pass to Michal Rozsival who wasn’t properly positioned at the right point.

A hustling Kristian Huselius wisely shot from a very sharp angle fooling Lundqvist who was thinking pass for what turned out to be the deciding marker with over three minutes left because Brendan Shanahan notched his club-leading 15th with only 14 seconds remaining.

They did get the puck deep but couldn’t get a desperation shot off as the buzzer sounded keeping the Blueshirts winless against Western opponents. This has to be a concern as they get ready for Vancouver later tonight and conclude the challenging three-game four-day Western Canada road swing back in Alberta Saturday night at Edmonton. What kind of scheduling is that?!?!?!?!?! You’d think they’d at least play the two Alberta teams back-to-back instead of traveling back and forth.

However, what does it matter? This team can’t seem to beat the West and that’s why they’re looking up at the Devils in the standings in a wacky and wild East where anything can happen as the halfway point approaches.

One other note from the Thrashers’ 5-4 overtime road win over the struggling first place Hurricanes:

The league’s leading goalscorer Ilya Kovalchuk tallied No.33 in the first period. According to Bucci, it was of the “highlight reel” variety. The Russian also assisted on three more goals by teammates including Marian Hossa’s deciding PP marker with just 32 ticks left in OT. After watching it, Kovalchuk totally kicked ass in this game!

That’s now 33 goals and 24 assists for 57 points at the halfway point for a mediocre club hanging around with 41 points in 41 games just a point out of the three-way tie for seventh (NYI, Phi, Bos).

If Kovy gets his team in, he has a great shot at league MVP. 

Here is the schedule for the two Eastern Conference Semifinal series courtesy of NHL Media:

One Western Conference Semi will also begin Wednesday night. It will depend on who wins tonight’s Game 7 between Dallas and Vancouver.

It was a great night for the Rangers. Sure, it wasn’t the 7-0 Game Three destruction of their first round opponents Atlanta but a well earned 4-2 Game Four victory in front of a raucous soldout Garden got the job done- sweeping out the Thrashers to become the first NHL team to advance to Round Two.

Unlike the previous night which came so easy, Tom Renney’s club twice rallied from a goal down to pull out the big ‘W.’ Brendan Shanahan tallied for the third straight game to tie it late in the second by converting a two-on-one wristing one through Johan Hedberg. The play was setup by who else but underrated pest Sean Avery. All the rugged winger did in this series was put up six points and agitate the heck out of the Thrashers.

With the crowd energized for the third, Matt Cullen made it explode when his wicked rising wrister from inside the blueline drew crossbar before just trickling in only 2:06 into the stanza. From our seat up in 411, we immediately felt it was in just based on the sound it made. Play would continue for 17 seconds before a whistle stopped play for the critical video review up in Toronto. After several lengthy minutes, replays confirmed what most in the building felt. That Cullen’s shot had indeed got past the line before coming back out.

It gave the Rangers their first lead of the night and one they wouldn’t relinquish. Though the Thrashers fought as hard as you would’ve expected from a desperate team facing elimination, they just couldn’t find the tying goal against a razor sharp Henrik Lundqvist, who made 24 saves.

Atlanta did get some opportunities on the power play but once again were unable to cash in finishing 0-for-4.

The Thrashers did make the Rangers work for the fourth consecutive victory and series late, even generating a great chance off a cycle but a shot rang off the left post with traffic. It was the last decent opportunity they had.

Eventually, Bob Hartley pulled Hedberg for an extra attacker with 1:40 to go in their season. But just as they had all series long, a determined Blueshirts D worked the puck out along the boards. And when captain Jaromir Jagr appropriately enough hit the open net with 97 seconds to spare, the Garden party was on.

Though Marek Malik took a late hooking minor, it didn’t matter as even with Atlanta on a six-on-four, they couldn’t muster anything due to a strong Rangers penalty killing unit which stifled the Thrasher attack throughout.

With chants such as “Sweep,” “Let’s Go Rangers” and “Na Na Na Hey Goodbye” going throughout the vociferous building, it was evident how much this meant to everyone there. For myself and the family and friend, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our backs. For almost a decade, we had gone to games hoping to witness such a spectacular moment. And when it finally came, it felt surreal. It was just great to be there and cheer amongst friends and slap five with people next to us who were equally as excited.

It confirmed all the hard work this team put forth the past two months just to make a second successive postseason. They wanted it badly. You could tell from the moment the puck dropped that this bunch wasn’t going to allow a repeat of last Spring when they were like the Thrashers- unceremoniously dumped out of the playoffs by a red hot opponent. But this time instead of getting outscored by a big margin (17-4), it was their turn to do the same to an overmatched foe. Ironically, they scored the same amount of goals (17) and only permitted two more (6). Go figure.

There is much to like right now about this Ranger club. The top line is going well. The secondary performers (Shanahan, Avery, Callahan, etc.) are stepping up. There really isn’t any hole offensively. It’s not one-dimensional like last Spring. And this team has played smart hockey. They’re playing like one unit who’s on the same page with one big mission. As Renney noted during the postgame conference call, “We’re on a business trip and only one chapter of four is complete.”

That kind of positive outlook says it all. This team isn’t satisfied and won’t be until they’re the only ones left standing at the end of this thing.

While it’s true that the odds will continue to be stacked against them due to being a lower seed (6) who will once again most likely start out on the road unless something drastic happens with Buffalo-Islanders, the way they’re playing right now is the type of hockey that wins big games. Everyone is locked in. Whether it’s Buffalo, Ottawa, Pittsburgh or even Tampa Bay, if they continue to perform the way they have, I like their chances against anyone.

Make no mistake about it. Now that this team is back in Round Two for the first time since 1997 and also swept an opponent ironically enough for the first time since the 1994 First Round dismantling of the Islanders, this is when it gets tougher. Whoever the opponent is, it will get much more challenging ahead. The guys who worked their tails off in that locker room know that.

But for the first time in a decade, if you’re a Ranger fan, you have hope. It’s okay to wear the team colors again. Next time a rival fan makes a stupid remark, you won’t have to even say anything. You can just smile and be proud of what this team has accomplished.

This was a big first step. But it’s only the beginning. Let’s remember that!

In the other key games tonight, the Devils got a Scott Gomez OT goal to beat the Lightning 4-3 and even their series. Wonder what some of those phony Swamp fans had to say about that one? Gomez was whipping boy No.1. Super soph Zach Parise continued to score goals getting two more. Martin Brodeur again was shaky and the Devils again had no answer for Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis. But it didn’t matter. They got it done and now the series shifts to the Swamp. Personally, I believe you can toss home ice out of this one. It doesn’t mean a whole lot at this point. It’s all about who wants it more. It says here that unless Patrik Elias (soon to be Elia$) reawakens and Brodeur remembers how to stop bad angle shots, the more skilled Bolts will prevail. Those two are supposed to be the best players on their team. They need to step it up.

Meanwhile in Uniondale, the Islanders suffered their second consecutive gutwrenching defeat at the hands of Buffalo 4-2. Once again, controversy ensued leading to more ugly fan unrest. This time, with the Sabres leading by one on Chris Drury’s second tally (man is he clutch- read the SI feature if you can), the Islanders appeared to tie it in the third on a stuff in. However, with the puck loose on the goal line underneath Ryan Miller, ref Mike Leggo inadvertently blew the whistle as Brendan Witt was stuffing in the potential tying goal with 1:42 remaining.

Shortly after, Jason Pominville would make things academic by beating Rick DiPietro, who was so frustrated not surprisingly by the turn of events that he busted his goalie stick against the net. Who could blame him?

Now, we’re not going to take a side on this controversy. I did see a video of the play in question but can’t really comment much because I’ve seen the same thing happen to my team. It happens. Here are both sides of the story and what they felt plus Leggo’s explanation of why he disallowed the goal.

Mike Leggo:

“I wanted to make sure it didn’t get shot in, that I had the right call, to make sure that he made the save and got pushed in, that it didn’t pop out and someone just shot it in. We felt he was shoved in by the Islander player being aggressive toward the net. We have the ability to initiate a review, but in this case, it was initiated by Toronto.“

Ted Nolan:

“I don’t care what anybody says. That was a goal. The league says it wasn’t a goal, so what can you do?”  =-O

Lindy Ruff:

“Millsey had it covered. He was just pushed into the back of the net.“

No matter what side you’re on, it’s a tough one. You hate to see a call like that impact a hard fought game. Overall, the eighth seeded heavy underdogs from Long Island have given their all against the Sabres. But the bottom line is they’re now on the brink with the series shifting to HSBC Arena Friday. Do they have one more big game in them? As Witt pointed out before last night’s big game, they’ve done great with their backs to the wall all season. We’ll see what they have left tomorrow!

Nolan did give his team some good for thought:

“We’ll just go up to Buffalo and see what happens. They’re a Presidents’ Cup team. They’re built to win the Stanley Cup.”

Which is the right idea from the ex-Sabre bench boss. They’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

In the one game out West, the Sharks pulled within a game of the Second Round with a 3-2 win at the Shark Tank thanks to two Milan Michalek tallies. Michalek has been a big factor in this series netting four goals. He’s meshed extremely well on that top line with Joe Thornton (who’s pulling his weight and silencing some critics) and Jonathan Cheechoo. The second-year forward has been underestimated all year. Now he’s the one cashing in by using his speed and skill to make plays. Rookie Joe Pavelski got the winner with a deadly wrister through a screen past Tomas Vokoun.

Though the Preds would close the deficit to a goal with less than three on the clock on a Scott Hartnell PPG with Vokoun pulled (great move by Barry Trotz), the Preds never came real close to forcing OT and now find themselves in the unenviable position of having to comeback from 3-1 down.

The good news is they’re playing at home Friday. But the bad is they’ll need a much better effort just to extend this series. They have badly missed Steve Sullivan in this series. Also, Paul Kariya hasn’t done much. Sully would’ve helped.

If you want more breakdown of the Rangers’ sweep and the locals nights, check out our half hour show at 5 ET/2 PT later today:

“>Hard Hits

See ya’ll later!

Domination. That’s the one word that comes to mind with what the Rangers were able to do against the Thrashers tonight at a raucous capacity Garden- destroying them 7-0 in Game Three en route to a 3-0 series lead with a chance to wrap up the First Round series later tonight.

For a long time, many diehard Blueshirt fans including my Dad, brother, myself and buddy have been waiting for something like this to materialize over the past decade. That moment came Tuesday night in a chaotic atmosphere which ate it all up about as much as the Rangers ate up their mismatched opponents.

From the time you could barely hear the national anthem singer about midway through (an old tradition) to the game’s signature shift (yes it really was) which set the tone when Jaromir Jagr, who was brilliant all night setup Michael Nylander for the first of a playoff hat trick just 32 seconds in, the Garden was alive and rocking like it hasn’t in years.

And why not? It’s not every night that your team makes the kind of collective statement that Tom Renney’s club did in backing up the first two wins on the road to put themselves one victory from Round Two.

It was a banner night for every Ranger. Sure, you could single out No.1 Star Nylander who never looked better in actually shooting the puck enough to register his first postseason trick. The same could be said for promising rookie Ryan Callahan, who netted his first two career playoff tallies and dominated his shifts to garner Second Star honors.

It also was a great night for the captain Jagr. While No.68 didn’t add to his 68 career postseason goals, he was splendid all game in finding time and space to unselfishly dish the puck to his red hot linemate. The proud Czech factored in on all three first period goals on the way to a four assist night.

The move Jagr put on the Atlanta D to undress them at the blueline before finding a cutting Nylander, who wristed one past Kari Lehtonen, was just vintage JJ. It set the tone and immediately kept the fans into it.

It’s not like Atlanta didn’t have a chance to respond. Nylander’s shot was the only one the Rangers got in the first six-plus until enforcer Colton Orr tested Lehtonen. The fact that Bob Hartley’s club didn’t really take the opportunity to get one early on Henrik Lundqvist really hurt them big time. King Henrik would make 21 saves en route to his first career postseason shutout. Probably the easiest blanking he’s ever gotten. Sure, he made one good save with his club up three early in the second shutting the five-hole on a nifty setup from ex-Ranger Greg de Vries. But was Lundqvist ever really challenged? No. That’s how dominant his teammates were. In every facet possible, they controlled the action which helps explain what took place on Broadway.

So dominant was the top line of Jagr, Nylander and key ingredient Marcel Hossa that the Thrashers D couldn’t handle the Euro-trio. They just kept working the walls and winning the battles making the Atlanta D go in circles at a dizzying rate. And when they kept working the puck for a good 60 seconds, the hard work paid off as Hossa found Nylander wide open in the slot for his second before the midway point.

Another amazing shift less than three minutes later resulted in Marek Malik’s first. Just how remarkable was that shift? At one point during the four-on-four with Sean Avery and de Vries in the box, Big Bird was somehow allowed to walk in on Lehtonen and try a Brian Leetch move to the backhand but was denied wide. He’ll never be confused with Leetch but it was a heck of a try. With the Thrashers now in full scramble mode, Jagr and Nylander kept the puck alive before the playmaking pivot found Malik for a left point blast which beat Lehtonen for the third goal of the stanza much to the delight of the crowd. It was really something if you were there.

They did get a little sloppy near the end of the period and almost paid when one-time Ranger Pascal Dupuis walked in shorthanded but Lundqvist stood tall.

It would only get better in the second. After a jittery start which gave Atlanta a power play chance to get back in it, the Rangers would put this one on ice. The big play would be made by fan favorite Avery, who chipped a puck past a pinching Atlanta D and then headmanned Callahan for a two-on-one. The rookie didn’t make any mistake walking in on the right side and beating Lehtonen to the far left post for his first ever NHL playoff tally.

When it got announced, everyone went wild. It’s always more special when it’s one of your own which the organization drafted and developed. Maybe that’s why fans are taking to what this team has done. Because with Cally, rookie D Daniel Girardi along with stellar partner Fedor Tyutin (five assists), Lundqvist, Petr Prucha and hardworking types such as Jed Ortmeyer and Ryan Hollweg, maybe this team isn’t where it is. You can never underestimate those guys who the organization has stuck with and given a chance to be part of this. And I think that’s what you’re seeing.

They have meshed well with stars such as Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka and Nylander. The importance of underrated gritty third line pivot Matt Cullen can’t be understated as the 2006 Cup winner has been a vital cog and great locker room presence.

Callahan got his second of the period on a nifty redirect of a Paul Mara point shot for the first of the Rangers’ three power play goals. Avery, who once again ticked off the Thrashers netted his second helper. He really was big again and pissed off Ilya Kovalchuk to the point that the frustrated Russian sniper challenged the pest in the third and the two each received 17 penalty minutes ending Kovy’s night.

The good news for the Rangers continued in the final 20 as Shanahan’s right wing slapper went off a Thrasher and in for his second from Cullen and Thomas Pock for another PPG. It was the popular finisher’s second consecutive game with a goal and drew a loud reception which brought a grin from Shanny on the bench. You know this ultimate warrior appreciated how he was treated by Garden supporters and probably loved what he was hearing in such a big game which was probably why he signed here last summer.

There were only two things left to decide. Whether Nylander would get the trick and Lundqvist the shutout. Nylander would complete it on a nice feed from Michal Rozsival and put home his own rebound as hats were littered all over the ice with 4:06 left.

There was never any doubt that Lundqvist would get his first postseason blanking as his team was just awesome in front. They played very determined hockey and didn’t allow Atlanta to get a sniff on any of their five power plays.

The crowd stood in unison with 90 seconds remaining and chanted a variety of things from “Let’s Go Rangers” to “Henrik,” to “Avery,” to even a mock of the Tomahawk chop. Don’t ask why.

It was just a wild environment on what was a great night 10 years in the making. The first Ranger home win since defeating the Devils in a second round upset.

Our Three Stars:

Third Star- Jaromir Jagr (4 assists)

Second Star- Ryan Callahan (1st 2 career postseason goals)

First Star- Michael Nylander (1st playoff hat trick, assist)

Just a couple of quick hits:

-Hartley’s decision to bring back Lehtonen for Johan Hedberg backfired. While it’s true the young Finn was under siege literally, he didn’t make one big momentum changing save. I’m not putting it all on him though as his teammates just didn’t show up. They were dead once Nylander scored on the game’s opening shift.
-Why the Atlanta coach who won a Cup with Colorado opted against matching Bobby Holik against Jagr is beyond us. Holik did a great job in Game Two and his line was effective the first two games. This was a monumental screw up on Hartley’s part.

-Marian Hossa has not only been invisible in this series but he’s resorted to taking cheap penalties. When is this great talent finally going to step up in a postseason?

-The Thrashers took some cheap runs as the game went on. As usual, Avery was involved. But he hardly did anything out of the ordinary. Kovalchuk’s frustration finally boiled over early in the third. To leave his gloves on and punch Avery was wrong. If you’re going to fight, do it the right way.

-The officials get a thumbs down for not letting Orr and Atlanta instigator Eric Boulton go at the end of the second. Why not? Instead, they were assessed matching misconducts. I understand the stripes didn’t want anything to happen but come on.

-There’s really not anything negative to say about the Rangers. I can’t think of one player who didn’t show up ready to play. They knew what was at hand and sent the message. Now it’s time for them to finish off their wounded opponent later tonight.

In other playoff action, the Sens took Game Four 2-1 over the Pens to put them on the brink heading back to Ottawa. Underrated pickup Mike Comrie setup Anton Volchenkov for the winner in the third. Comrie has had a good series thus far and is a reason his team is up. Can Pitt comeback? It’s still possible. But not without monster performances from dynamic duo Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Jordan Staal has done his part with three tallies.

The Wild staved off elimination with four unanswered to post a 4-1 home win over Anaheim. They got two goals from Brian Rolston and Mark Parrish netted his first of the series on a redirect in front. They trail the series 3-1 with the Ducks looking to wrap it up at the Pond Thursday.

The Canucks won their second straight in Big D by another 2-1 margin to move within one win of the second round. After Mattias Ohlund and Darryl Sydor traded third period goals less than 3:00 apart, wily veteran Trevor Linden struck for the winner 2:00 later by finding a loose puck and beating Marty Turco with 5:31 left. It was his second point of the series. He also had a hand in setting up Taylor Pyatt’s Game 3 OT winner the other night. Pyatt btw assisted on both goals last night and continues to be a factor. The series shifts to British Columbia where the Stars will try to extend it back home. Maybe that’s not such a good thing because they’ve now dropped their last six home playoff games.

And in the final game of a busy Tuesday night which saw five contests in total, the Flames got back in their series with a well earned come from behind 3-2 triumph over Detroit. With the game tied at one in the third, Kris Draper got his second of the night by outworking a Flame to a loose puck and beating Miikka Kiprusoff 39 seconds in. But with Calgary staring an 0-3 hole in the face, they responded well by getting the next two. Uncharacteristically, standout D Nick Lidstrom would play a role in both. First on a Flames power play, the Detroit captain tried to pass the puck to Henrik Zetterberg for a clear. But the pass was just a tad off allowing Mark Giordano to keep it in and use a Jaromie Iginla screen to beat Dominik Hasek to tie it 4:04 later.

The Calgary captain Iginla wasn’t done. Knowing he needed to step up, he did just that by outfinessing Lidstrom to a Wayne Primeau pass at the Detroit blueline and circling around before firing his patented one-footed wrister past a surprised Hasek with 11:39 to spare for his first of the series. It would stand up as Kipper made some big stops near the end on his way to an easier 28 stops. In the first two games, the 2006 Vezina winner faced a ridiculous 97 shots. Last night, the Flames were much sharper at the Saddledome where it won 30 home games. Now they know they can compete with the Wings. So Game Four in Alberta looms large.

We’ll also be at MSG tonight for Game 4 of Thrashers-Rangers. So expect more Ranger coverage and postseason coverage of the other games later tonight! Make sure to stop by for complete analysis.

It is Day Six of the NHL postseason. And already, two games involving area locals have gone final. So let’s go over both and analyze what went down in both the Devils and Islanders 3-2 Game 3 defeats.

Here were our thoughts on the two contests over at our other hockey blog Battle of NY:

Both the Lightning and Sabres picked up huge Game 3 wins tonight with each posting a 3-2 victory to go up 2-1 in their respective best-of-seven First Round series.

First, it was the Bolts notching their second straight win over the Devils by virtue of a Vinny Prospal redirect of a Vinny Lecavalier shot with 6:29 left in the third to pull out a home win before over 20,000 at St. Pete Times Forum.

It was a disheartening defeat for New Jersey because after a sluggish first 20, they dictated much of the play and seemed in good position to steal home ice back. Especially when they got a fortuitous bounce for Zach Parise’s fourth of the series which tied the contest at two with 15:14 to go.

But despite carrying much of the stanza in which they got 15 shots on Johan Holmqvist, they couldn’t get another past the Tampa netminder who was sharp in making 30 saves to outduel Martin Brodeur (21 saves) for the second game in a row.

To Tampa’s credit, they did find their game in the final part of the third and that’s what led to the eventual Prospal winner. Coming off a relentless forecheck after Brodeur robbed Shane O’Brien of a sure go-ahead tally on a backdoor a minute earlier, they attacked relentlessly and finally worked the puck to Lecavalier along the right wall. The Rocket Richard winner fired and it was deflected home by Prospal for his first.

The Devils really didn’t get many good chances to tie afterwards. A costly Richard Matvichuk boarding minor (his second penalty of the game) with 3:52 to play made the challenge even tougher. The defenseman had replaced a banged up Colin White.

Brodeur would make two of his best saves late to give his team a chance to tie by robbing Lecavalier and Brad Richards. The three-time Cup winner would be pulled for an extra attacker with 1:30 left. However, despite getting some attack time, they weren’t able to muster the kind of opportunity which would’ve forced OT.

New Jersey now knows the challenge will be even tougher if they want to advance. Game 4 becomes a must win Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, for the Islanders, they also suffered a tough loss at home to Buffalo by the same margin. After a scoreless first in which both netminders stood tall in denying all 19 total shots in their path, the play opened up featuring all five goals not surprisingly.

First, Chris Drury would find Adam Mair on the doorstep to get the scoring started. A few minutes later, Thomas Vanek would sneak a wraparound just inside the right post which he felt he scored on. Only neither the refs or goal judge saw it. But after a lengthy review in Toronto, a TSN replay confirmed that the dangerous Buffalo sniper had indeed snuck the puck just inside the goal line past Rick DiPietro to put the Sabres up two.

Instead of letting the tough call get to them, the Isles came right back 1:14 later thanks to some hard work from their best two forwards tonight as Ryan Smyth and Trent Hunter combined for the Fishsticks first home playoff goal since 2002 against Toronto. Smyth outworked a Sabre in the corner and setup Hunter in front, who after a second attempt jammed the puck past Ryan Miller for his second of the series to slice the deficit in half.

A pivotal full two-man advantage called by the refs on Tom Poti (4:00 high sticking) and Marc-Andre Bergeron (slashing) would result in a Daniel Briere PP tally. After taking a Tim Connolly feed at the left circle, he had his initial shot blocked by Brendan Witt but stayed with it and roofed it home for his first to restore the two-goal margin.

To the Isles’ credit again and continued resiliency, they got it back to one again thanks to a Smyth tally at the doorstep with only eight seconds remaining in the period.

But Buffalo rebounded with a strong final period outshooting the Fishsticks by a wide 17-2 margin. Only DiPietro, who was again strong in making 32 stops gave them a chance late to tie. After the refs justifiably let go of a clean defensive play by Buffalo on a Chris Campoli chance in the slot, they made a very questionable tripping call on Randy Robitaille with only 1:34 left which drew the ire of the Coliseum crowd. While it’s true that his stick did trip up a Sabre, it was very tacky at that stage. The only way I could agree is that they decided it would’ve led directly to a scoring chance which very well might’ve happened.

Still though, it’s one they should’ve let go of. Some angry fans stupidly tossed debris on the ice in protest. Good for FSNY color analyst Billy Jaffe for chastising these individuals for their overreaction. It was a tough call and I understand that. But you don’t go as far as a silly few did making it more difficult for a fiercely competitive game to finish.

The Isles did pull DiPietro for an extra attacker to make it five-on-five and did a decent job on the cycle. But they never could get a shot as the Sabres ran the clock down to take back home ice and go up 2-1 in the series.

It was the fifth straight playoff defeat for the Isles on home ice. They’ll need to change that recent trend starting Wednesday if they want to have a realistic chance of pulling this upset.

I do want to conclude by applauding the Isles’ effort. They haven’t played like an eighth seed so far. They have mixed it up and reminded me of another dangerous seed from last year which Smyth and Bergeron played for. The Oilers.

Yeah. Maybe they didn’t get enough shots on Miller (20 saves) in the third. But also the puck didn’t bounce for them a few times as they did have some chances. They have played the Sabres extremely tough thus far and must be encouraged.


Our Three Stars for both games:

Lightning 3  Devils 2 

Third Star- John Madden (goal)
Second Star- Johan Holmqvist (30 saves)
First Star- Vincent Lecavalier (goal, assist)

Sabres 3 Islanders 2

Third Star- Henrik Tallinder (assist)
Second Star- Daniel Briere (GW goal)
First Star- Ryan Smyth (goal, assist)
Some other thoughts on what we’ve seen so far in no particular order:

1.We’ve said it repeatedly that the Devils would have a tough time containing Lecavalier and St. Louis and so far that’s played out. They’re in on every goal. That can’t continue if the Devs want to win this series.

2.Brodeur hasn’t delivered for his team. He’s a great netminder and will go down as one of the all-time best. But 9 GA (3 in each game) isn’t Marty-esque. He needs to play better. The St. Louis goal in Game 2 was one he could’ve had and definitely Lecavalier’s goal tonight from a sharp angle was one he should’ve stopped. He must start delivering Wednesday night.

3.We touched on it a little already but the Islanders don’t look like an eighth seed who snuck in. They are playing very well and giving Buffalo all they can handle. The character of Smyth is showing as is his experience from last year’s big run as an underdog. He played a great game tonight.

4.DiPietro has looked extremely sharp so far. He’s giving his team a chance to win and you can tell they have belief. If he continues to play this way, anything can happen.

5.Parise has been awesome for the Devils. He already has four goals in the first three games. He’s just always competing out there and has been their most consistent forward all year. It must continue for the future superstar’s club to advance.

6.The Sabres might be up 2-1 but their D has been very shaky. They’re lucky the Islander ice wasn’t better or it could’ve been a different end result tonight.

7.Brad Richards has stepped up his play in the last two wins for the Bolts. After a quite opening game, the 2004 Conn Smythe winner has erupted for four points (1-3-4) including a goal and a helper tonight. If he continues to pick it up, it could be lights out for the Devs.

8.The EGG Line did absolutely nothing tonight. They had a great Game One in which they delivered big goals and looked like their old selves. But the last two have been very disappointing. They need to be a factor for the Devils to prevail.

9.Madden had a very solid game. He scored his first of the series on a great shift by his line with a nifty backhand thru traffic. His line is capable of contributing. They  could be needed in this series.

10.The Sabres have yet to explode offensively. Briere, Afinogenov and Vanek have yet to go off. And Kotalik has been very quiet so far. If I’m the Isles, I’d be on my toes next game because these guys are capable of so much more.

Those are our thoughts on those two series. Now, we’re going to update the one Western game as the Sharks have comeback from a goal back to go ahead of the Predators 2-1 in the second.

The Preds went ahead on Ryan Suter’s first playoff tally off a nice feed from David Legwand to complete a three-on-two rush. But the Sharks have comeback thanks to tallies from Milan Michalek and Ryan Clowe. Michalek redirected a Craig Rivet right point shot off a draw and Clowe put home a Matt Carle feed via a man-advantage to put the teal in front in this pivotal Game 3 of an even series at the Shark Tank.

The Sharks just blew a five-on-three opportunity. Now the underrated Mike Grier nearly puts them ahead two but is denied point blank by Tomas Vokoun to keep it 2-1.

A weird note from this one. The Sharks have had all six power plays. They’ve outshot Nashville 26-12 (15-5 so far in 2nd).

We’ll update later on.