The Rangers may as well jump in the pot with the turkey carcass because they played like mixed vegetables tonight. Talk about your post thanksgiving turkey/l-trypophan hangover. The Rangers were outshot 17 to 6 in the first period and miraculously walked out of it ahead 1-0 on Chris Drury’s very late goal. The Panthers would have been up 3-1 were it not for Valiquette.

No one can say the Rangers didn’t get every possible break tonight. They had three consecutive powerplays in the second period and failed to score. The Rangers got a goal on a 5 on 3 powerplay to tie up the game with 4 minutes left in regulation. More miraculously, Florida even had the game winning goal negated on a delayed penalty in the overtime.

When the game went to the shootout, Valiquette was excellent, as was Vokoun. None of the Ranger’s five best shooters were able to score on Vokoun. They all went low glove side on Vokoun. After three attempts, you would think the last two shooters would consider going high stick side on Vokoun, eh?

Was Jacques Martin saving Jokinen, his secret weapon, for last? He beat Valley and Drury wasn’t able to beat Vokoun. The Panthers deserved to win this game and they did. Tampa deserved to win on Wednesday night and they didn’t. The fact that the Rangers walked away with a point tonight is a miracle. The fact that the Rangers won in Tampa was a gift.

The Rangers better stop relying on Lady Luck and get their collective asses in gear. They are not playing good hockey and sooner or later their weaknesses, especially in their special teams, is going to expose them to their opponents. Tonight, Dan Girardi, their most valuable defensemen, had his worst game as a Ranger. Low betide this team if their “so far” rock solid defense starts breaking down.

The only bright spot tonight was that Chris Drury scored two goals. Good for Chris. Now if the rest of the “offense” would check in from time to time, the Rangers might become unbeatable. The Rangers have play 23 games and their offense doesn’t seem to have any more chemistry then they had 10 games in to this season. I am starting to lose my patience. I might be one of the few Ranger fans with any patience left.

“I needed to protect Henrik maybe with a little better personnel at the end of the period…late in the game…quite honestly and I owe him (Lundqvist) a better coaching effort then that quite honestly…Tonight I dropped the ball a bit.”

While I appreciate this apology from Tom Renney and the spirit in which it was made, I still cannot fathom what was going through Renney’s head. What demon possessed him when he tapped Jaromir Jagr on the shoulder? He sent him out to take the final shift of the game with Tampa’s net empty and six attackers on the ice? Surely, it wasn’t done to protect Henrik Lundqvist’s shut out. Were that the intention, Renney should have had his penalty killing forwards out there, Betts, Orr, Hollweg maybe Strudwick.

At the last minute mark, Renney had Hossa, Mara, Staal, Shanahan and Gomez out there. They managed to get through their half minute and hold Tampa off. At the next faceoff, with 33.2 seconds left, Renney sends out Jagr, Drury, Girardi, Tyutin and Dubinsky. Drury did his part in winning the faceoff. But why send out the defensively inept Jagr and rookie like Dubinsky to effectively kill a six on five?

Was it in an effort to get one of his two nonscoring “premium” forwards an empty net goal? Could that have been his subconcious thinking? Jagr gets hit along the boards and does not support the puck. The pucks squirts out away from the collision. A Tampa player pokes the puck out to Kuba at the left point. Kuba hammers it home, destroying Henrik’s shutout.

Here are four things I never want to see in a Ranger game again this season:

Lundqvist, out of his net, trying to be cute playing the puck and getting burned:

Any Ranger player retaliate against a goaltender unless a penalty is blown on the goalie first;

Jaromir Jagr out on the ice in the final minute of a game where the Rangers have the lead;

and, the Rangers getting owned by the Icelanders.

Feel free to add your items to the list.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Abraham Lincoln
President

Would someone check the MSG Lost and Found to see where the Rangers left their game tonight because it certainly wasn’t on the ice?

In addition to all the Ranger veterans, all the newbies, Dawes, Drury, Dubinsky, Gomez and Staal need to learn something right quick - The Rangers and their fans hate the Icelanders. You are supposed to annihilate the Icelanders. You are supposed to pound the Fish into paste. You are supposed kick the crap out of them and send them packing with a regulation loss.

The Rangers certainly were pwnd! They didn’t skate, check or hit. Saying they were outcoached is problematic. The only guys out there that were dumpning and chasing the puck were the 3rd and 4th lines. Was it a case again of “Vets Know Best”? Because if dump and chase was the game plan, the premium crackers certainly didn’t execute.

There is just no excuse for the lacksidaisical and shoddy play against their most hated opponent in their own building. Whatever good will the Rangers have built between themselves and their fans was put in serious jeopardy tonight. The only joy in the 2003-2004 season was that the Rangers swept all six games from the Fish with Icelander Killers Barnaby and Dunham. Jesus Christ boys, you sure the hell know how not to pick your spots. Losing tonight after winning on the Road is a huge letdown.

The saddest thing of all is that the Rangers handed Dipietro his 100th win on a silver platter. Next time, if they are smart, they should try to hand him his head on one. If Wade Belak can call for the Leafs to kill Avery, DeePee’s head on a platter is the least the Rangers can do to win back the hearts of their fans. I don’t care if the Rangers have to take a four minute minor next Thursday, one of Rangers needs to go out there and clock that punk “DeePee” and put his lights out. The ‘79 Rangers should have done that to his predecessor Billy “the Lumberjack” Smith.

Next Thursday, The Islanders may come to the Garden in a bus but the Rangers better check them so hard they need to leave in an ambulance.

As if the enduring this game wasn’t enough, I lost one of my earrings during the game. They were brand new. First time I wore them. After the game was over, I searched around and found it just as they were calling out Deepee as first star . At least I was able to salvage something out of this night.

After that last playoff game in 2006, when the Rangers were swept by the New Jersey Devils, I met Jason Strudwick across the street from the Garden. He was going into the “Local” with Ortmeyer and Hollweg. I shook his hand and expressed my appreciation for his hard work and my hope that he would come back and play again for the Rangers.

When training camp came, Jason had not been resigned. He went to play for HC Lugano in Switzerland. He got married. He got on with his life. Around January of last season, rumor had it that Sather was so distraught by the team’s lack of defense, he called good old reliable, steady Jason Strudwick. Unfortunatley, Jason was committed to play for Lugano and it would have cost Slats too much to buy him out and bring him home.

Jason came back after Lugano was eliminated from their playoffs. He played eight games for the Rangers. Even though he was ineligible for our playoffs, he hung around to help out his teamates. He did things to make their lives easier so they could focus on the playoffs. He picked up drycleaning. He ran errands. He even walked Henrik Lundqvist’s dog. He went above and beyond the call of duty.

Last night, Jason Strudwick scored the game winning goal in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins and his teammates mobbed him like he had scored the game winning goal in a Stanley Cup Final game seven. I haven’t seen the Rangers that joyful since they swept the Thrashers. Jason Strudwick was just as joyful when he scored the shootout goal against Washington that allowed Marek Malik’s between the legs goal to happen.

I can remember this past summer when Strudwick was resigned. There were more then a few people out there on various and sundry blogs and messageboards that were cursing and screaming. What was Sather doing? Was he crazy? Why wasn’t he signing a puck moving defenseman? Why was he taking away a spot from a Wolfpack kid or a prospect? Many were incensed by Strudwick’s resigning.

Jason Strudwick is a versitile and reliable player. He can play forward and defense. He isn’t flashy. He doesn’t put up the big numbers. He is solid and reliable. He is good teammate and mentor to the younger players. He get’s the job done. He doesn’t put a dent in the salary cap. Talk about value for money! I hope Sather gives Struddy a nice little bonus. He deserves it.

I have been wearing my 2005 Opening Night, Authentic, Hurricane Katrina Jason Strudwick Game Worn Jersey since I got it in November 2005. Jason even signed it for me. When people see that jersey, they know that it’s me, MHurley. On any given night, unless Struddy is a scratch, there are only two Strudwick jersies in the Garden. One is on Jason’s back. The other is on mine. I wear it proudly.

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Just a mere three weeks ago, just ten games into the season, the Rangers were 3-6-1. Now, as they approach their 20th game, they are tied with the “quick out of the gate” Flyers for first place in the Atlantic Division. They have won 8 of their last ten games and have won 3 on the road. That certainly is some turn around from October 20th when they lost that shoot out in Boston.

The Rangers have continued to play a defensive game. Henrik Lundqvist had been nothing short of phenominal in getting the Rangers to this point. Even though their powerplay and offense continues to struggle, the Rangers have picked up their scoring enough to capitalize on their opportunities.

Scoring opportunites have been coming from all over the ice and from many different sources. Veterans and rookies, forwards and defense, the old and the young. In spite of the fact that the Rangers had a rash of injuries, the team has soldiered on and commited to the defense first strategy that Renney has been preaching.

Everyone has their favorite and everyone has their goat. On any given night, the mantel of greatness and goatness changes hands like the prettiest girl at a square dance. Everyone knows that my favorite player is Brendan Shanahan. Some people will make the requisite “old man lost his shot/step” derogatory comment to get a rise out of me. But after a second shootout where the winner came from Shanahan, I think they might just have to bite their tongues for a bit.

Earlier this week, I was reviled on my favorite message boards for spouting off about the pseudopenalty Gomez got called for in Toronto for roughing Toskola on Saturday. Gomez’ penalty caused a Toronto scoring juggernaut that cost the Rangers the game in regulation. Shanahan then came in and bailed the team out with his shootout goal. (By the way, I am by no means discounting the contribution of our King).

While you cannot deny the facts of that game, Gomez did something last night that nearly brought a tear to my eye. As he came back into the lockerroom after the Rangers victory over the hated Devils at “the Crock”, the first thing he did was to look for his friend, Chris Drury. He went over to the rather sullen looking Drury and gave him a congratulatory bop on the head. Sometimes a gesture is worth a thousand words. What Gomez did was to let Drury know that he is a valued teammate and even if he isn’t lighting the lamp, Drury a big part of the team and a friend. That’s class.

I cannot believe that people are taking poles on some message boards asking whether Drury is a “mistake”. What with Jagr spouting off about how much he likes playing with the Dubinsky kid and how they have found “chemistry”, you have to think that Chris Drury is feeling a little lost right now. People are saying he is being paid way too much to be a third line center.

Chris Drury is a great hockey player and a leader. Jagr and Shanahan might both be gone by next year. I am glad we have a player of Drury’s caliber signed to a long term contract to take over when these Hall of Famers are gone. Right now, all that counts is putting pucks in the net and winning points. The intangibles come in the stretch run and in the playoffs. That’s when Chris Drury will be worth his weight in gold. Gomez knows it. So should we all.

The story of the night is Stephen Valiquette. Big Steve came up huge tonight as Renney rested Henke and gave Valley his first game of the season. Talk about being clutch. Valiquette was showcased in what has to be one of the most visible games of this Ranger season. Not only was it Hockey Night in Canada, it was in Toronto. And, it was the Hall of Fame Game. It ended in a shootout where Valiquette stopped the first two Leaf shooters to bag the two points.

Several other Rangers had big nights. Sean Avery set the tone in the warm up where he got worked over by Darcy Tucker and his stick in a pregame altercation. Of course, the officials couldn’t penalize Tucker because the game hadn’t even started. Too bad that trend continued into the game.

Sean Avery had another monster game. He assisted on Shanahan’s goal by going backdoor on Toskola and dishing to Shanny from behind the net. (a textbook Red Wing Play). He landed a vicious uppercut to Tucker’s mush in their fight for which they both got five for fighting. (Note to Gomez, if you are going to take a stupid retalitory penalty on Toskola, make sure he gets one too.) Turn about being fairplay, Avery scored on an assist from Shanahan. Okay, so it was an assist, a fight and a goal. Any way you slice it, it’s a Gordie Howe Hatrick.

The aforementioned Gomez penalty turned the game around for Toronto. How could an experienced veteran like Gomez take a penalty like that? After this game, it should be clear to all Ranger players that the Canadian team in a HNIC game will always get the benefit on calls. A Toronto player could have decapitated any Ranger tonight and still not have gotten called. There was a 20 second interval where Jagr was being held and hooked by Stajan that was so blatant, the referee grudgingly had to make the call or it would have looked really bad for these officials.

So, inspite of officials efforts to decide this match, the Rangers finally won their first road game of the season. If you are wondering if there will be any punitive action taken by the league’s Office of Officiating against Darcy Tucker for his pregame stick work, don’t hold your breath.

Also, my stars of this game for the Rangers were Avery, Valiquette and Shanahan. It was nice that they gave first star to Shanny as he was in his hometown in front of his family and friends. He was clutch in the shoot out and he had a goal and an assist in regulation. Still, I would have given it to Avery.