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

There was nothing to complain about this time. The Rangers were outworked, outhustled and outmuscled by a hungrier Pens team which did what they had to do in a 2-0 shutout at Mellon Arena Sunday, taking a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinal.

Beaten to most loose pucks, the Rangers were far from better than when they blew a three-goal lead to lose Game One 5-4 on a disputed call. Even in a tighter checking game more to their preference, they didn’t perform good enough to get the split instead falling into an unenviable 0-2 hole with the series hanging in the balance when it returns to New York Tuesday.

That Jordan Staal’s power play tally was enough to break a scoreless tie with 6:05 left in the second and the Rangers doesn’t bode well. With Chris Drury off for hooking Petr Sykora, the Pens stayed with it after missing two close chances. This time, Game One hero Evgeni Malkin drew a couple of Rangers before finding just enough of a hole to get the puck to an open Staal in front, who beat Henrik Lundqvist.

While it was difficult for Lundqvist who still was splendid keeping his team in it with 30 saves, the same couldn’t be said for Pittsburgh counterpart Marc-Andre Fleury.

“We need a little more traffic (in front against Fleury),” coach Tom Renney philosophized to the Associated Press of the Pittsburgh netminder who had a walk in the park stopping all 26 Ranger shots for his second playoff shutout. “I’m not going to suggest it was really easy for him, but it certainly could have been tougher. The big thing for us is to create some momentum of our own at MSG and really take this series back.” 

When the Rangers did attack which wasn’t nearly enough against a diligent checking Pens club which trapped to perfection clogging up the neutral zone, they couldn’t get shots through and didn’t get enough traffic on Fleury despite six power plays. They had their chances but weren’t willing to pay the price.

Sure. An unfortunate break went against them when Martin Straka’s apparent tying power play goal with over four minutes left was wiped out due to a quick whistle by referee Dan O’Halloran, who thought Fleury had covered the puck. NBC replays seemed to indicate otherwise.

“I thought it was an accurate call,” Renney said. “I don’t know if it was a quick whistle or not.”

No matter. Renney’s club got a do over when Jaromir Jagr nemesis Hal Gill was sent to the box with 2:22 remaining. The Blueshirts never threatened again as a stellar Pittsburgh PK easily killed it off finishing six-for-six on the day.

Not even pulling Lundqvist for an extra attacker with less than a minute left on the man-advantage for a brief 6-on-4 manufactured anything.

Instead, Broadway failure Adam Hall banked a clear from inside his end into a vacated net from 70 feet out. Funny. He didn’t score much last year but did something his former team couldn’t. Find the back of the net.

Now the Rangers will have to do it the hard way if they want to get back in this series. They’ll have something to draw on losing the first two in Buffalo before sweeping two at MSG to square last year’s Conference Semifinal series.

There’s also this. All season, they didn’t lose to Pittsburgh on home ice.

“We just have to go back home and still feel confident, we know we can beat this team,” Lundqvist pointed out. “We have to go back home and get two wins there and come back here, and it’s going to be pressure on them.”

Win Tuesday and they’re back in it. Lose and there’s almost no realistic chance. The pressure’s on.

Notes: The Pens are now a perfect 6-0 in the playoffs having registered at least one PPG in each. … In a switch, Renney dressed forward Petr Prucha in place of Colton Orr on the fourth line. He played only 5:50 and saw just a couple of shifts with Scott Gomez and Sean Avery despite Brendan Shanahan’s continued ineffectiveness. … In series history, Pittsburgh is now 8-2 on home ice against the Rangers. … They might not have come out with a win but the Blueshirts dominated the faceoff circle winning 37 of 57. Rookie Brandon Dubinsky won 12 of 19 while Drury was 10 and four. … Game Three is Tuesday and can be seen on Versus at 7 ET.

Here were the Rangers with the first three against division rival Pittsburgh playing the kind of road game which certainly seemed headed their way nearly halfway through. Such a win would’ve made them four-for-four on the road to start the postseason. Something they hadn’t done in over three decades. That’s why they play 60 minutes.

Up against an explosive opponent, the Blueshirts took their foot off the gas pedal allowing the talented Penguins to score the next four and pull out a 5-4 victory in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinal at Mellon Arena Friday night. No truth to the rumor they’ll be renaming it NHL Arena. What. With a very debatable interference call going against Ranger forward Martin Straka which led to Evgeni Malkin’s power play decider with 1:41 left.

Having survived two awful sequences where they let the Pens score on consecutive shifts, a shaken Ranger club showed some mettle when favorite booing target Jaromir Jagr found an open Scott Gomez during a line change for the former Devil’s fourth of the playoffs tying the seesaw contest back up 4-4 with 9:56 remaining.

As Tom Renney had warned prior to the series’ first drop of the puck, facing the NHL’s darling Sidney Crosby was no easy task. Make no mistake. The 20 year-old 2006-07 league MVP didn’t need any help setting up one-time Ranger Pascal Dupuis 14 seconds after team antagonist Jarkko Ruutu banked one in off Michal Rozsival to change the game’s perplexion.

Sid The Kid also didn’t need either vet referee Don Koharski or Kelly Sutherland handing his team a power play with 3:20 left on what appeared to be little from Straka. Funny how the former Pen got nabbed when previously during the same shift, there were a couple of instances where Rangers were pulled down while cycling the puck in the Pittsburgh zone. Never mind.

Having successfully killed off the first four Pittsburgh power plays, the Rangers came close but couldn’t get the job done allowing such a bogus call to do them in when a Crosby one-timer from the top of the right circle deflected off Malkin’s left leg past Henrik Lundqvist. A nonsensical video review confirmed the obvious. That Malkin had no intent to kick it in. Wonder how league brass could’ve figured out that one?

What the Rangers need to figure out is how a three-goal lead slipped away. Unable to put the Pens away, they allowed the second seed to hang around down a goal entering the third. Maybe now they got the memo that this isn’t their first opponent.

Marian Hossa tied it at 4:40 when his sharp angle shot went through a maze of players eluding Lundqvist, who never was set. Twenty seconds later, he was busy scooping out former Ranger Petr Sykora’s tap-in off a gorgeous Malkin feed taking advantage of dreadful coverage. Dan Girardi overcommitted and third goalscorer Sean Avery watched instead of taking Sykora in front.

That kind of lax approach in team defense was the antithesis of the Ranger philosophy. They weren’t very detail oriented.

“Pittsburgh isn’t where they’re at because they’re a poor team and they don’t know how to bounce back,” an analytical Renney noted to the Associated Press afterwards. “We were certainly aware of that—almost to a fault.”

The evening didn’t start out great as they were outshot 8-0 and took two minors. However, some superb PK work and an early Straka power play goal got them on the board first. Taking a pass from Jagr, Straka’s centering feed for rookie Brandon Dubinsky went off a Pen for the period’s only goal. By its conclusion, shots were 9-7 Pens with the Blueshirts starting to take control.

Looking like the more poised team, the Rangers struck twice 1:45 apart early in the second. First, Chris Drury redirected home a Marc Staal point shot to make it 2-0 at 1:52. Video replays showed that Drury’s stick wasn’t above the crossbar allowing it to stand up. Avery would make it 3-0 when he converted off a three-on-two, wristing one through Fleury for his first of the series.

But a harmless Ruutu centering pass off Rozsival less than five minutes later changed the outcome entirely.

“(Ahead) 3-0 in the playoffs, you’d like to think it’s over, but what are you going to do?” Gomez said after scoring for a third straight game. “We can’t get in a track meet with those guys. It’s over, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“That one hurts. I thought we had it,” a disappointed Jagr added. “The second one is going to be even tougher, but we have to do it somehow.”

Notes: Back healthy from a broken toe, Ranger enforcer Colton Orr replaced Ryan Hollweg on the fourth line logging 5:48. … Dubinsky, Girardi and partner Fedor Tyutin had rough nights all finishing minus-two. … With two helpers, Jagr now leads the Blueshirts with 10 points (2-8-10 in 6 GP) this postseason. … New York got excellent games from tandem Marc Staal and Michal Rozsival with the top pair combining for five assists along with a plus-three rating. … Malkin notched a goal and assist while Crosby and Ryan Malone each contributed two assists. … Shots were dead even the final 40 minutes with each team getting 17 (9 and 8 respectively). Pens outshot the Rangers 26-24 overall. … Veteran Pen F Gary Roberts (groin) was a late scratch with ex-Ranger Adam Hall replacing him. … Fleury made 20 saves improving to 5-0 this postseason while Lundqvist turned aside 21 of 26 falling to 4-2. … Game Two is tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM on NBC.

Tom Renney almost never uses timeouts during a game. However, last night was the exception to the rule as the affable coach realized a crucial Atlantic showdown against the dangerous Penguins was about to slip away.

Following a superb first 20 in which the Rangers were in control up a couple courtesy of goals from Sean Avery and Ryan Callahan, Renney watched the Pens get two quickies 3:11 into the second to suddenly tie it.

So many times, I’ve asked him to use a timeout to settle down his team and he never listens. This time, as I sat near some of my good friends in Section 411, I didn’t have to even utter a word. Neither did Mike, Jill or her good natured old man as Renney realized the magnitude of the game. They had come off an awful weekend in Southern Florida. The gap was narrowing with hunters Buffalo, Washington and Florida creeping up on them, the Bruins and Flyers.

As if by magic (well who knows as the second period was really weird), Renney’s team responded immediately by getting the go-ahead tally courtesy of recent deadline addition Fredrik Sjostrom. The energizer who wears the same No.20 as countryman Jan Erixon did on Broadway capitalized on an abominable turnover and deked Ty Conklin tucking a forehand off both posts and in just 44 seconds for his second as a Blueshirt (both on home ice).

It turned out to be the deciding goal as the Rangers rebounded to play a great third period against a quality opponent getting tallies from Avery and Marty Straka.

It all added up to a much needed 5-2 victory, giving them two big points and moving the team into sole possession of sixth place in the East with 85 points and nine big divisional games left including a pivotal showdown versus the first place Devils (90 pts) in Newark later tonight.

They will put their perfect 5-0 record on the line against Marty Brodeur and Co. A win in regulation and they’re right back in the thick of the Atlantic race with two more left against those Devs including the final game of the season at The Prudential Center.

We’ll see what happens later tonight.

If the lost weekend in Southern Florida was a total failure, then the next couple of days back in the tri-state area for the New York Rangers are a huge test which could go a long way to determining their playoff fate.

That’s how close the Eastern Conference race is. Had they taken care of business against Southeastern foes Florida (2-3) and Tampa Bay (0-3), we could be talking still about the realistic possibility of the Blueshirts challenging for the Atlantic and the conference’s top spot where the Devils, Penguins and Canadiens are separated by one total point.

The Devils lead the East with 90 points while the Pens and Habs each have 89 with two and a half weeks to go in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Rangers find themselves tied for sixth in the conference with Boston as both Original Six clubs have 83 points.

The slumping Flyers sit in the final spot with 80 clinging to a one point lead over Buffalo with fast comers Florida and Washington two out with 78 points.

Who wants it the most? That’s what it comes down to at this crucial time of year where we’re witnessing one of the more exciting races in quite a while.

Not much is certain except that you figure the Devs, Pens, Habs, Senators and Southeast-leading Canes will all find their way into the playoffs claiming at least five spots which leaves the final three up for grabs.

The Rangers and Bruins still have things in their favor with a four-point lead over the Sabres and five better than the Caps and Panthers. They also both have 37 victories which gives them a heads up on all competitors including Philly (35 W).

However, as many puck fans know, this topsy turvy race can change like the snap of a finger. Win and you’ll be okay and possibly move up. Lose and you can drop like a rollercoaster jeopardizing your chances.

Having been outscored 6-2 over the weekend snapping a 13-game unbeaten streak which saw them climb up the standings, the Rangers must have tonight’s Atlantic showdown against the Penguins. That means putting the clamps down on Hart contender Evgeni Malkin, who enters fresh off a two goal, two assist performance in a 7-1 home rout of the Flyers on NBC.

The 2006-07 Calder winner has been red hot and trails fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin by two points in the NHL scoring race. AO leads with 99 points including a ridiculous 57 goals. Malkin has 41 goals and 56 assists for 97 points along with a respectable plus-16 rating.

The 21 year-old seems to fare better when last season’s Hart recipient Sidney Crosby is out. Go figure.

Lately, Malkin and resurgent sniper Petr Sykora (2-2-4 in 7-1 win over Flyers) have been on a roll. They have teamed to form a solid chemistry with Ryan Malone. Needless to say, it’s vital for the Rangers to contain that line and for Henrik Lundqvist to be razor sharp tonight.

He could also use some support from Chris Drury, Marty Straka and Brandon Dubinsky as the important trio of forwards have gone quiet lately. Particularly Drury and Straka, who are such integral parts of this team. Rookie pivot Dubinsky needs to be more aggressive shooting the puck instead of dangling it.

The Blueshirts could also benefit from the return of defenseman Marek Malik. While it might pain many Ranger fans who only see what they want to, the team is better on the Blueline with the lanky positional D who works well with Michal Rozsival allowing promising rookie Marc Staal to play on the third pair with Christian Backman. That gives the Rangers more balance and keeps slow footed reserve Jason Strudwick upstairs. While the likeable vet is a great team guy, he can’t be relied on to play big minutes.

Malik also logs important minutes and is actually pretty good at keeping the puck alive in the offensive zone unlike Strudwick.

Hopefully, the Rangers get him back as he’s been more aggressive since returning last month. They could use a boost.

It also wouldn’t hurt for loyal coach Tom Renney to reinsert forward Petr Prucha on the fourth line. The feisty Czech can inject some much needed energy and has good speed and also can play power play. Let’s face it. The Jaromir Jagr pass oriented unit isn’t getting it done. Stick Prucha back on it.

The Rangers will visit the Devils tomorrow night as well. So, these are enormous games against the top two teams in the Atlantic. Win both and they’re right back in the hunt for the division. Lose both and suddenly, who knows if they even make the playoff cut.

It’s a fine line. We’ll see what they’re made of the next two nights.

AP Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Ed Betz

Henrik Lundqvist played like a King. We’ve been awfully critical of the third-year Ranger netminder this season but yesterday wasn’t one of those days as the recently re-signed 26 year-old Swede was utterly brilliant in backstopping his team to a 1-0 home shootout victory over a pesky Bruins team.

Having not beaten Boston all season and with sixth place in the Eastern Conference up for grabs, the Rangers needed a stellar effort because even without captain Zdeno Chara and Aaron Ward, their opponents made it a challenge to finally get two points.

The biggest reason had everything to do with Lundqvist’s counterpart Alex Auld, who also was outstanding in not allowing anything to get by him even when his own teammate Andrew Ference nearly put the puck in their net late in regulation.

That was the kind of day it was as both goalies shined taking turns making highlight reel saves which impressed the MSG crowd.

If the opening stanza was without drama, the same couldn’t be said for the next 45 minutes. Each team took turns attacking and generating high quality chances but they were stopped in their tracks by both guys in net.

One such Ranger opportunity saw a sprawling Auld get across to rob Brendan Shanahan of a sure goal and then jump on top of the rebound.

But maybe the best sequence came courtesy of Lundqvist, who made two straight flat out denials on what looked to be certain goals. After an initial stop while down, he stuck his legs in the air and got a piece of a shot destined for the back of the net.

Less than a minute later, he just closed the pads on another Boston opportunity. 

The game would go to overtime. Neither side found a way to beat either sharp goalie forcing it to a shootout. I’m not an avid supporter of extra points being decided by the skill competition. However, this was the only way it would be on Sunday.

Rookie Nigel Dawes would be the hero as he converted for the third consecutive time in the shootout going low to the stick side on Auld. A strategy Shanahan tried but didn’t convert on in Round One.

Lundqvist hadn’t fared well against Boston in shootouts this season. Boston won the last two. In particular, Phil Kessel had his number. This time, he was ready for the second-year pivot and patiently outwaited him to make the stop.

After a miss by Chris Drury, it came down to Boston rookie David Krejci. When Lundqvist slid across to deny him, the Blueshirts had finally won against Boston pulling a point ahead in the standings and improving to 9-0-3 in their last 12. The club’s best stretch since 1993-94 when they won something called a Stanley Cup.

“It was fun to play and it felt really good to finally beat them in a shootout,” a very pleased Lundqvist expressed to the AP after finishing with 29 saves and picking up his league-leading ninth shutout (tied with Columbus’ Pascal Leclaire).

 “They had a couple of good players who made a couple of good moves. It was a big statement for us to beat this team.”

“I was just thinking about trying to get the puck past him. He played an unbelievable game,” Dawes, the only scorer on the day indicated. “I just wanted to find an opening, and the first thing that popped out at me was low blocker.”

There’s no question that this was one of the more exciting scoreless games you’ll see as both netminders were tremendous. Auld finished with 35 saves in a losing effort earning his team an important point.

No player was going to beat either and it made for quite the conclusion.

The Rangers are playing great hockey right now and they’ll look to continue it tonight when they visit a desperate Buffalo squad, who trails the Flyers by four points for the final Eastern playoff berth. It definitely won’t be easy.

We’ll see how they come out.

Dubi Dubi Doo. No. Not those nostalgic Bud Ice “Beware The Penguin” commercials.

Rather the stellar play of Islander backup Wade Dubielewicz, who once again outdueled Henrik Lundqvist in a shootout to give his team two large points in a 4-3 shootout win at the Garden last night.

With All-Star No.1 goalie Rick DiPietro still out due to the death of his grandmother, Dubielewicz made his second consecutive start and proved to be the difference in another topsy turvy affair between the two bitter New York rivals.

Coming off a tough luck start in which his team fired 53 shots on Florida backup Craig Anderson but fell short on the scoreboard 1-0 the other night, Dubielewicz kept the Islanders afloat early on with some solid stops to keep the contest scoreless.

He saved all 12 Ranger shots in a period controlled by the MSG hosts. Blake Comeau’s centering feed from behind the Ranger goal went off a defenseman to put the Isles in front despite being outshot 12-6 and largely outplayed.

Rookie Nigel Dawes squared the match when he buried a Scott Gomez feed for a power play goal. It was his 11th. 

However, the Isles cameback with consecutive goals two minutes apart thanks to some shaky play from Lundqvist. First, Sean Bergenheim’s 40 foot wrister beat him on the next shift. Not long after, a brutal turnover behind the net led directly to a Trent Hunter goal which went through the netminder.

The Blueshirts did rally back thanks to a Chris Drury right wing blast slicing the deficit to one entering the final stanza.

Ryan Callahan knotted it up with a shorthanded tally, converting a Gomez rebound for his seventh.

The Isles nearly went ahead but Ruslan Fedotenko’s shot hit the far post. The overtime was conservatively played with not much in the way of big chances forcing it to a shootout.

In it, Dawes and Islander captain Bill Guerin traded goals in the second round. A questionable decision by Tom Renney sending defenseman Michal Rozsival out over team captain Jaromir Jagr, Drury and Callahan left many pondering why.

Dubielewicz not surprisingly turned aside his chance. Following a Brandon Dubinsky miss, Islander rookie Jeff Tambellini won it in the sixth round beating Lundqvist with a wrister top shelf.

Dubielewicz finished with 27 saves and stopped five of six Ranger shooters to give his team a big win getting them within three of eighth place Philly for the final playoff spot.

Lundqvist only made 15 saves and struggled most of the night leaving more questions as to what’s wrong with the recently re-signed netminder.

He easily could’ve been pulled in favor of capable backup Stephen Valiquette for a second straight game.

The Rangers did pickup a point for the 10th consecutive game improving to 7-0-3 during that span. They remained in seventh due to a Boston 1-0 OT loss to Florida. Both have the same amount of points (77) but the Bruins by virtue of one more win (35) and one extra game left are still ahead.

The rematch completing the home-and-home between the archrivals is tomorrow night at Nassau Coliseum.

It took a skills competition to decide but once again, the Rangers found a way to win pulling out a 5-4 shootout over the Flyers for their fourth consecutive victory Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

Veteran finisher Brendan Shanahan and rookie forward Nigel Dawes beat Flyer backup goalie Martin Biron in the shootout while Ranger backup Stephen Valiquette did just enough to keep both Flyer shooters at bay giving the Blueshirts an important extra point to remain ahead of their bitter Atlantic rival in the standings.

It also allowed them to keep pace with the red hot Bruins. Though Boston has one more win and two extra games remaining down the stretch.

The exciting finish concluded one of the most unpredictable hockey games in which both starting netminders Henrik Lundqvist and Antero Niittymaki were both gone just a couple of minutes into the second. A wide open first period saw the two teams trade goals, hit, scrap and combine for six goals with each team netting three.

Recent Flyer deadline pickup Vaclav Prospal got the scoring started when he got to a Daniel Briere rebound stuffing one home for his 30th only 68 seconds in. It didn’t take long for the Rangers to knot it. While on a man-advantage, forward Marty Straka took a Dan Girardi pass in the high slot and ripped one off the post and in 3:12 later.

However, the Flyers came back with a power play goal of their own when defenseman Braydon Coburn got to a Mike Knuble rebound and drove it past a sprawling Lundqvist at 8:14. Once again, the Blueshirts tied it 3:22 later when deadline pickup Fredrik Sjostrom got three cracks before rebounding home his first as a Ranger from Blair Betts and Marek Malik.

Rookie Ryan Callahan then gave the Rangers their first lead when he was allowed to bury a Straka pass in front for his sixth just 2:22 later. But the Flyers weren’t done thanks to Jeff Carter, who escaped Michal Rozsival with the puck and floated a soft backhand for his 22nd past Lundqvist less than two minutes later.

It ended Lundqvist’s day as Ranger coach Tom Renney opted to put Valiquette in to start the second. The affable backup who posted consecutive road shutouts in Philly once again responded, stopping 17 of 18 en route to his first win on Garden ice this season. He previously had won all four decisions against the Flyers and Maple Leafs on the road.

“I went through (a shootout) last year, when I beat St. Louis, and I was really happy because it was in MSG,” a happy Valiquette expressed to the Associated Press yesterday. “It’s always nice to be a hockey player and have an MSG moment.”

Christian Backman’s first goal as a Ranger chased Niittymaki 1:51 into the middle stanza. Setup by a Shanahan pass, the former Blue blasted one top shelf forcing the Finnish goalie to the bench.

“There weren’t any bad goals … but if you want to win in this league you have to be able to make a couple of big saves,” a philosophical Niittymaki pointed out. “I just wasn’t able to do that.”

The battle of backups featured an entertaining scrap between team enforcers Colton Orr and Jesse Boulerice. Each traded heavy rights battling to a draw.

Both clubs settled down as Valiquette and a sharp Biron (21 saves) made timely stops to keep it a one-goal contest entering the third. In it, the Flyers drew even thanks to some nifty hand eye coordination skills by Carter, who chipped a puck out of mid-air backhanding it past Valiquette to tie it at four with 8:11 left in regulation.

The game would require overtime but neither team budged forcing it to the shootout. In it, a patient Shanahan went top shelf to give the Rangers the lead. Following a nice stop by Valiquette on Kimmo Timonen’s forehand deke attempt, Dawes deked and tucked a backhand through Biron’s five-hole putting the Flyers on the brink.

Carter had Valiquette beaten but his shot rang off the left post and stayed out giving the Rangers the victory improving them to 7-0-2 in their last nine.

“I was just focusing on staying square and taking away shooting options,” Valiquette noted of the close call after finishing with 17 saves for his ninth career NHL victory. “I didn’t think it went in. I thought it was going wide. Then I heard it hit the post and I had to make sure I didn’t kick it in. “

“It was kind of funny to see both starting goaltenders pulled relatively early,” Shanahan remarked. “Henrik and I had a little chuckle on the bench when they pulled their guy. Just one of those nights.”

Notes: The Rangers host the archrival Islanders tomorrow night in the first of a pivotal home-and-home series. The Isles dropped their fourth in the last five yesterday 1-0 and trail the Blueshirts by seven points. More importantly, they’re now five behind the Flyers for the final playoff spot. … The Flyers gained a valuable point to improve to 3-0-1 in their last four. With Buffalo losing at home to Detroit 4-2 last night, Philadelphia leads the Sabres by four points for the eighth seed. … With a helper, Jaromir Jagr extended his point streak to five straight (2-6-8). He’s 2-8-10 with a plus-four rating over the past seven games. … Carter has four points (3-1-4) over the last two games. … Malik notched a pair of helpers. Five of his eight points this season have come since returning to the lineup Feb.16.

Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! In a game they once trailed 5-0, the Montreal Canadiens rallied from that deficit for the first time in their proud history to comeback and defeat the New York Rangers 6-5 in a shootout before an electric capacity home crowd of better than 21 K.

This was one of the wackiest games you’ll ever see. How unpredictable was it? It started when Ranger rookie Brandon Dubinsky and Sean Avery got their team on the board with goals 14 seconds apart.

With the momentum theirs, Brendan Shanahan’s one-timer blast off a nifty Jaromir Jagr setup with Alex Kovalev in the box made it a three-goal lead sending rookie netminder Carey Price to an early shower.

When Shanahan redirected his second of the night off a Paul Mara shot pass to make it 19 consecutive seasons with at least 20 goals, it looked like the rout was on. Especially when Chris Drury later also scored on the back end of a double minor penalty for his 20th popping one top shelf.

But a resurgent Habs team rallied thanks to a couple of strong shifts by their fourth line resulting in a couple of Michael Ryder tallies before the second period was done.

Three goals with a period left was no longer insurmountable. Not with the kind of speed, aggressive attack and grinding they had. Continuing to batter the Rangers, they kept getting pucks in and having great shifts resulting in chances. When Kovalev notched his first of the night off an Andrei Markov pass, suddenly it was 5-3.

They weren’t done. Just nine seconds later, another Ryder shot ricocheted off Mark Streit’s leg past a stunned Henrik Lundqvist. They were within one with over 13:00 to play. Could the Blueshirts hang on for dear life? The answer was a resounding no thanks to Kovalev, who whipped a one-timer via Montreal’s No.1 ranked power play past Lundqvist for his 29th. It was shot so hard and accurately that the ex-Blueshirt fell over before celebrating with teammates.

The OT was almost all Habs as well with the exception of one solid Scott Gomez chance but the playmaking pivot couldn’t redirect a Shanny slap pass past Cristobal Huet instead pushing the puck wide.

And so, this topsy turvy edge of your seat thriller needed a shootout to decide the outcome. Not surprisingly, Les Habitants prevailed thanks to a breathtaking two deke forehand finish by captain Saku Koivu. Jagr’s backhand deke missed everything and the Habs celebrated like they’d won a Stanley Cup.

Why not? It’s not every night a team comes back from that kind of deficit. Never in their history had they and never had the Rangers ever blown a five-goal lead to lose.

The history book was re-written thanks to a great performance by the Canadiens who fed off their rabid fans.

I’ve been talking up this team for a while and for good reason as it was on display allowing them to keep pace with Ottawa for tops in the conference.

Can you think of any other team who would’ve been able to pull that out? I can’t.

Kudos to them. For the Rangers, it’s back to the drawing board wondering how the heck could they have allowed this to actually happen. Oh. The Habs are good. Better than them. They might only trail the Habs by seven points in the standings but it’s for good reason.

This was the Habs’ night. Let’s leave it at that.

For more on this exciting game and the entire Eastern playoff picture, please refer to our BONY blog game recap. 

More HB reaction: This game had it all. Quick end-to-end action. Plenty of goals along with stuff you just don’t see. It’s rare that teams score so quickly as these two teams did in this game. It’s hard to score 14 seconds apart let alone a ridiculous nine which the Habs pulled off to make their comeback chances realistic.

Even more, I loved the feistiness. It felt like a playoff game. You had nastiness. There was Dubinsky and Mike Komisarek getting together for a scrap which the nasty Montreal blueliner easily took. The goalies had to be on their toes. It was that on your edge. This was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever seen. I’d love to see these teams have a playoff series rematch. Preferably in the second or third round. Just wait and see.

Dubi also went for a Gordie Howe hat trick scoring and setting up the first couple of goals. The former second rounder in 2004 is going to be the Rangers’ next home grown star. It’s a rarity for them to produce any forwards. Well, he’s the exception because he has all the tools to be a really good second line center. Playing with Jagr and pest Sean Avery hasn’t hurt. He has really played well.

The Habs got their only win tonight in the four-game season series. They’re tied with the Sens with 75 points- two more than both the Devils and Pens, who each lead the Atlantic.

The Rangers are sixth with 68 points- two better than both the Bruins and Flyers. With so many teams in this wild race, it’s going to be interesting to see which teams are buyers at the deadline. Who will sell? Not Mortimer.