AUTHOR: The Maven TITLE: Rangers' Uprising DATE: 12/08/2006 04:26:00 PM ----- BODY:

Are the Rangers taking a page from the Devils’ third period heroic script? I certainly got that impression watching the Blueshirts emerge from their two period cocoon, overcoming a two goal deficit to beat Pitt in the Shootout 3-2.Whether they’re aping the Devils or not, a few certainties emerged as the Rangers invade Ottawa for a Saturday afternoon game. LUNDQVIST PREVAILS Any doubts about Henny’s ability to rebound from the Islander’s debacle were erased by his keep-the-team-in-the-game-performance until Brendan Shanahan tied the count late in the third. And when it came to the Shootout, well, his impeccable 22 for 22 record against shots in a Shootout speaks for itself. THE KASPARAITIS QUESTION Darius did not hurt the team last night and coach Tom Renney agrees with me that, in fairness, he needs at least five straight games to find his groove. His hitting helped. THE RETURN OF IMMONEN Jarkko delivered some freshness and speed. I’d like to see him in the lineup for four more consecutive games. Guaranteed, he’d help. But don’t take my word for it; my buddy P.J. Lally was with me at the Garden Thursday night, so here’s his view: Don’t let the Ranger’s shootout win over the Penguins fool you. There is still work to be done. The important thing is, though, that the Blueshirts got a much needed two points last night riding on the back of Brendan Shanahan’s power-play equalizer and shootout winner. The flip side of that is they gave up a point to their division rival Penguins. After the 7-4 debacle on Sunday against the Islanders, it was obvious that Tom Renney had to shake things up in terms of his lineup, and he did.Jarkko Immonen had a solid showing in his premier game playing on a line with Matt Cullen and Brendan Shanahan. Between Petr Prucha, Adam Hall and Immonen – the three players who have played with Cullen and Shanny – Immonen is the best match.His speed was an obvious asset with the second scoring unit and once he gets a few games under his belt, I think he will be a significant contributor. He certainly showed great hustle last night backchecking better than even Shanahan at times.Another shakeup last night was the return of Darius Kasparaitis. It was about time that Renney gave him another chance and Kaspar had a solid showing in his first game back since his November conditioning assignment in Hartford.Kasparaitis seemed upbeat during post-game interviews and indicated that he hoped this wasn’t just a one game stint on the roster. After watching his solid defensive play, I hope so too.Down the stretch, what seems to be the prevailing concern for the Blueshirts is their depth. Though Betts’ shorthanded goal last night was the backbone of their late-third period rally, it’s more a flash in a pan than anything else. What the Rangers need down the stretch to be serious playoff contenders is players like Matt Cullen and Petr Prucha to step up and create a scoring threat at spans into the third line.

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ISLANDERS’ ILLS As the Isles’ losing streak continues, it’s becoming more apparent that the most valuable player on the team isn’t playing. And that’s Alexei Yashin.The prayer has to be that Ted Nolan can keep his club’s heads above water.

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