Avery, it was found out today, was rushed to the hospital after the loss last night. Reports had him unconcious and in cardiac arrest, but that was untrue. He ended up with a lacerated spleen. So, he is done for the year. Betts supposedly had multiple facial fractures after taking a shot to the face. Drury has either a shoulder issue, or a torso problem. The good news is every 33 years a team has come back from a 3-0 deficit. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs did it, followed by the 1975 New York Islanders, and yep you guessed it…33years brings us to right now!! See, we do have a chance!

Some Reports on Avery:

Newsday – Sean Avery injury turns Penguins into friends, not foes

TSN.ca – RANGERS’ AVERY TAKEN TO HOSPITAL WITH LACERATED SPLEEN

FoxSports – Avery’s loss could be final blow in Rangers’ playoff run

The Vancouver Sun – Avery hospitalized with lacerated spleen

NY Times – Rangers’ Avery Has Lacerated Spleen

CBC – Injuries piling up for Rangers at wrong time

Yahoo Sports! – Rangers lose Avery, still hope for big comeback against Pens 

Bad news for us Ranger fans. Hollweg pulled his usual, hit-from-behind crap, that he has been doing all year long, and it cost us. We had two 5 on 3 advantages and plenty of PP time…couldn’t score (same happened all year long as well) and Hank had probably his worst playoff game as a Ranger. So, Hollweg showed up, unfortunately, and Hank didn’t! Betts and Drury injured. Check back tomorrow for game reports. Remember, they need to win four NOT three. Keep the ol’ chins up! Let’s win one game and work from there…

Some early links…

TSN.ca – RANGERS PUSHED TO THE BRINK OF ELIMINATION

As promised, here are the local reports (both NY & PA):

NY Post - PITT-IFUL

NY Post - JAGR: SERIES STILL NOT OVER

Newsday - Rangers lose third straight, face elimination

Newsday - Rangers have a little too much experience

NY Times - March of the Penguins Sends the Rangers to the Precipice

Daily News - Penguins push Rangers to brink of elimination with 5-3 win at Garden

Daily News - Clock ticking on Jaromir Jagr and Rangers as young Pens prove mightier

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Malkin’s 2 goals trigger seventh consecutive playoff victory

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pens push Rangers to brink

More on Hollweg:

Sporting News - Rangers’ move for more toughness backfires

The Hockey News - Coaching error costs Rangers Game 3

Hit the “Zeke Speaks” tab up top to get to his page, and read all of the goodness. Maybe it’s just me, but I think Zeke likes this player called Sjostrom. Well, he ain’t no Prucha……haha

Ahh, the 3 goal lead. You would think hockey teams would stop trying to score once they’re up 2-0, but noooooo, they have to keep playing well, and get that pesky 3rd goal. Ask San Jose, how they fared in the first round when they were leading 3-0. Calgary pulled their goalie, and the Keenan-led Flames climbed back into the game and won 4-3. It almost seems that it is more likely you will end up with a tick in the “L” column if you get that 3 goal lead. Especially when there is still 25- 30 minutes of hockey left to play. That and the officials seemingly phantom call on Marty Straka in the last few minutes of the game to give the Pens the PP (on which they scored with 1:41 remaining in the contest. If this was the summmer olympics, and there was a pool underneath him, Crosby would’ve scored high marks for his impeccable Greg Louganis impersonation. Yes folks he dove. There was one article yesterday in particular that highlighted Crosby’s whining, diving, penalty-drawing power due strictly to his name and number on his back. Apparently you only need two good seasons in the league before everyone regards you as the second coming. Please. Slow down.

All in all, the Rangers showed they were able to play with them. They just have to be better defensively, and hope that 8 more goals don’t bounce in off defenders legs or feet past the King….lucky bounces won’t save the Pens from game 2. You can be sure of it.

Game Reports (both NY & PA!):

• Yahoo Sports - Malkin, frantic comeback win it as Penguins beat Rangers 5-4
• Newsday - Rangers give up 3-0 lead, lose to Penguins
• NY Daily NEws - Penguins make huge comeback, beat Rangers 5-4
• NY Daily News - Sidney Crosby diving for penalty
• NY Post - OPEN & SHUDDER
• NY Post – CROSBY DIVES INTO SERIES
• NY Times - 3-Goal Lead Vanishes in All the Excitement
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Game 1: Penguins edge Rangers on disputed interference call
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Star burst: Penguins rally from 3-0 hole, win, 5-4

I don’t know about you, but it really didn’t matter to me who we got to play – Pittsburgh or Montreal. We played well against both of those teams during the year, and had winning records against them to boot. Everybody says woooo Crosby, oooooo Malkin, etc. , but what about our squad? We have some top level names, more so than Pittsburgh. So, don’t get brought down by the media – believe in the team we have! Let’s Go Rangers!

Local Paper’s (NY & P’Burgh) Reports:

NY Post - RANGERS VS. PENS IS REAL CROS CELEBRE

Newday – Rangers will face Crosby and his Penguins

Daily News - It’s Rangers vs. Penguins in 2nd round

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Penguins’ Next Opponent: New York Rangers

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Second round: Pens to take on Rangers

For the 3rd year in a row, Henrik has been nominated for the prestigious Vezina Award. Marty “No Class” Brodeur, and Evgeni Nabokov are the other finalists.

I borrowed that headline from the title of that 2005 movie of the same name, but I think it sums up more than half of the Devils players pretty well, AND their coach. (Especially the media-anointed king of all goalies-Martin Brodeur.) If there ever was a diving-whining combo award, this guy would win hands down. There were maybe two devils players that showed up….Elias and …um…..ah……I can’t think of any others. You know, out of all the goals they scored on the NYR during the series, over half were deflected/strange bounces, with the OT winner being the most prominent of those. I know, I shouldn’t be trashing the Devils, but relishing our team’s 1st round ouster of the Devs, but I am way too superstitious to say this stuff during a series…haha. Well, at least Brodeur’s whining will prepare us for another whiner in Crosby, who we most likely will be playing in the next round. Let’s go Rangers……the first step of four is complete.

Look below for some good Saturday morning reading material….

Game Reports-A-Plenty:

Newsday - Lundqvist swept aside Devils’ penalty shot hopes

Newsday - Rangers oust rival Devils in five games

Newsday - Hockey goalies always have had a lonely existence

Newsday - Rangers fans negate Devils’ home edge

NY Times - Quick Start, Happy Ending: The Rangers Advance 

NY Post - RANGERS GET COLD REVENGE, END RIVALS’ RUN

NY Post - SMYTHE WOULD GIVE JAGR ANOTHER YEAR WITH RANGERS

NY Post - GOMEZ FACTOR THE DIFFERENCE

NY Post - HENRIK ‘SAVED’ THE DAY

NY Post - AVERY SHOWS ‘CLASS’

NY Daily News - Rangers beat Devils 5-3, advance to next round of NHL playoffs

NY Daily News - Rangers just warming up

NY Daily News - Marty Brodeur: No shake for Sean Avery

The Hockey News - New York Rangers hold on to eliminate New Jersey Devils in 5 with 5-3 win

AP - Sweet revenge for Rangers, eliminate Devils in 5

Newark Star Ledger - Rangers complete domination of Devils

The Canadian Press - Rangers’ Sean Avery takes final swipe at Devils’ Martin Brodeur

The Sporting News - Chasing Stanley: Avery can be a jerk, and he’s not done yet

Bye Marty!

Rangers take the first round with a 5-3 victory Friday night at NJ. Will have reports in the AM. Here are some things floating around the net…Oh yeah, Drury had the eventual game winner…

Yahoo Sports – Rangers hold on to eliminate Devils in 5 with 5-3 win

TSN – RANGERS ELIMINATE DEVILS; ADVANCE TO ROUND 2

Rangers lead 3 games to 1…I will have all local paper links up in the morning….but here is one to hold you over.

CBC (Canada) – Staal lifts Rangers to 3-1 series lead over Devils

Well, 2 games to one….

Avery’s antics, whether you liked them or not, caused a stir in the hockey community yesterday. So much so, that the NHL amended one of its rules to include the Avery-screen (under unsportsmanlike conduct), and is effective immediately. We have never seen that type of play before, and we will never see it again. If you didn’t see the play in question, it was similar to the way a basketball player guards another player…hands going up and down trying to block the players view…except that in hockey this is usually done with ones back to the goalie, NOT facing him while the play is going on around them.

Here is the play…

What do you think? Good, or Bush League?

Local Rag’s Reports:
Newsday – NHL reacts quickly to Avery’s antics, amends conduct rule

Newsday - Avery moves up hockey pest rankings

Post - STAAL GOING STRONG

Times - Avery’s Strategy Draws Ire of Devils

Daily News - Rangers must clean up their act

Daily News - NHL will crackdown on Sean Avery’s antics against Martin Brodeur

Newark Star ledger - NHL responds to Avery’s antics