The Maven

Rangers-Devils ... Which way?

2006-12-15T14:15:00.000-05:00

This is the story of two teams going in different directions – for the moment at least – headed for a major collision at the Garden on Sunday night. In case you missed it, I’m talking about the Rangers and Devils. What’s noteworthy about them is that each played a mediocre game – with the exception of Henrik Lundqvist – on Thursday night but one team won and the other lost. The Blueshirts rode Lundqvist’s best game of the season to a 5-2 win in Dallas. New Jersey decided to gamble on Scott Clemmensen who gave up a pair of goals before some people were even seated. Yet I don’t fault him for the loss – but we’ll get to that later. With games in Toronto on Saturday and at home against the Devs on Sunday, the Rangers are in position to move away from the pack; and it wouldn’t surprise me if they did. Even Matt Cullen is scoring now and Jarkko Immonen belongs in the lineup on a regular basis. By the way, how come nobody is pointing out that the winning streak directly coincided with the return of Darius Kasparitis? On the other side of the Hudson, the Devils are in real danger of descending into a four game losing streak reminiscent of the one that began in Phoenix on November 22. Granted Clemmensen was rusty in the first period in Beantown but he did recover and his buddies got two goals back before the first period had ended. But Claude Julien’s skaters descended into an inexplicable funk not unlike the one suffered against the Coyotes. In the end, they were double victims: A. The club lost two precious points to the team it defeated 5-1 the week before. B. Clemmensen unfairly took the wrap for an undisciplined team who’s penalty killing failed them. Redemption is possible Saturday afternoon with the Detroit Red Wings coming to town. No less important will be the Devils visit to The Apple on Sunday. After two straight losses to the Blueshirts it’s time for the Meadowlanders to show they can beat the Rangers as they did last Spring. For that to happen Marty Brodeur will have to out-goal Lundqvist and the Devs have to figure out how to score some goals. By Monday we’ll know in which direction each of the teams is headed.

Devils' demise?

2006-12-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

How much credence should we give to New Jersey's disappointing 3-2 defeat at the hands of the sensational Sabres? Is it setting the stage for another skid like the one out West? Or is it a mere aberration that will be corrected Thursday night in Boston. We'll know better by midnight tomorrow evening. The most disappointing aspect of the Buffalo encounter had less to do with the blemish on the home record and more to do with the Devils' failure to welcome opportunity when it knocked. Exhibit A was the first period onslaught which had the Sabres reeling in retreat only to be saved time and again by goalie Ryan Miller. Granted there was a hit cross bar and goal post that would have made a difference had the puck been an inch or two closer to the net but it wasn't and the exited 0-0 at the end of one. Still, there were promising signs through the first half of the middle period until one failed assignment produced an odd man rush for the Sabres and the opening goal against. It's obvious now that it's more important for New Jersey to score the first goal than it is for most teams. The uphill climb was magnified with two more third period breakdowns rendering the late comeback too little and too late. Make no mistake, Boston will be no push over the second time around which means this is a terribly important game with the Red Wings and the Rangers coming up over the weekend Saturday afternoon in New Jersey and Sunday night at the Garden. When will Martin Brodeur be rested? Or will he? Or should he? But that's getting ahead of the game it's Boston that has to be dealt with and, quite frankly, I'm concerned about the Devils ability to go back the Beantown and make it two in a row.

RANGERS ROAR Let's face it; all the concern about the Rangers slipping into an Atlantic Division abyss was – as I pointed out – a bazillion times simply nonsense. It's now clear that Kevin Weekes can play goal as well as Henny Lundqvist. Plus, the latter ranks among the top five NHL goaltenders. What's more the return of Darius Kasparaitis can be summed up in three letters – W-I-N. Jaromir Jagr is just short of 100% healthy and Marty Straka keeps adding new nuances to his game. Even Matt Cullen has started scoring. I would hardly be surprised if the Blueshirts got themselves a mortgage on first place in the Atlantic.

Is Bragging Allowed?

2006-12-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

Pardon me for a bit of bragging so here goes: Remember when I said long ago that Darius Kasparaitis belongs in the Rangers’ lineup? Well, Kasparaitis is back and guess what? The Rangers are winning and sit tied for first in the Atlantic Division. For weeks in New Jersey I urged coach Claude Julien to employ his fourth line of Mike Rupp, Erik Rasmussen and Jim Dowd on a more regular basis. And guess what? His Devils now have a five-game, season-best winning streak thanks in part to the hard-working fourth line. And I especially promoted Rupp with the coach. My feeling always has been the big Clevelander could be everything that Viktor Kozlov was – and more – because of his positive attitude and his Devil-like style of play. And it’s quite clear now that the more we see of Rupp the more we appreciate his usefulness. And I believe the coach feels the same way. And speaking of Kozlov, I told Garth Snow that the gifted Russian could be an asset to the Islanders under the right circumstances. Guess what? Kozlov has helped Teddy Nolan’s club remain competitive during the absence of Alexei Yashin. One more thing, I’ve been a supporter of Kevin Weekes through thick and thin and, as everyone knows the Garden once was thick with anti-Weekes booing. Kevin’s performance Sunday night merely confirms my confidence in him. Which brings us to an interesting bottom line: All three Met Area teams are in the thick of a compelling playoff race which should take us five more pulsating months until the season ends in April.

Rangers' Uprising

2006-12-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

Rangers Crisis

2006-12-07T14:53:00.000-05:00

DEVILISH BEHAVIOR I said it before and I'll say it again; the Devils can't go on this way. Not spotting an opponent a lead and then expecting to come from behind in the final half of the third period and winning in overtime. Oh, it was breath-taking to watch Claude Julien's sextet pulling a win out of a hat in Philly and then extracting victory from defeat against Les Canadiens on Wednesday at the Meadowlands. That's three straight wins with the Turnpike open for a fourth consecutive triumph on Friday night at Continental Airlines Arena when the Flyers come to town again. But not if the Devs continue to play lacklustre hockey in the opening frame and battle from behind from that point on; uh-uh, it ain't going to work forever. On the bright side, there's every reason to expect a change for the better and that starts with the captain. Even though Patrik Elias still is not playing the kind of hockey I'd like to see, he certainly is on the road to recovery and nothing said it better than his game-winning blast against the Habs in the waning minutes of overtime. Other positive notes: 1. Zach Parise has developed a bite to his game along with a knack for delivering big ones; as in the tying backhander late in the third period; 2. Martin Brodeur may give up a softee now and then -- and in the early Montreal goal -- but he's delivering the huge saves and looks as determined as ever; 3. Brad Lukowich -- while far from perfect -- appears more at home on the D's defense than ever; 4. The young defenders --Johnny Oduya, David Hale -- are slowly but surely improving and playing as steadily as the vetes; 5. Brian Rafalski continues to deliver key passes at ideal moments; as evidence by his skim to Elias for the winner against the Canadiens. Perhaps the brightest note, from my viewpoint, is the fact that Julien appears to be taking my advice -- or at least has decided on his own -- by using more of his fourth line. Mike Rupp in particular has shown a flair for carrying the puck out of his own with confidence and occasionally delivers a potent shot. With more playing time, Rupp should be connecting with a goal here and there. I'd be remiss if I overlooked Scott Gomez, whose end to end rushes are reminiscent of some of the best carries I've ever seen. Not only that but Scotty is a delight to chat with in the dressing room and without question, one of the most genuine wits in sports; even though Richard Matvichuk might disagree. The Flyers proved more than a worthy foe last Saturday -- without Peter Forsberg -- and certainly should not be taken lightly tomorrow night. All lessons should have been learned by now. Let's see whether they're applied.

RANGERS AT CROSSROADS: There have been few games when it could be said that MANY Rangers are on the spot when they play Pittsburgh tonight at the Garden. * HENRIK LUNDQVIST: Henny must rebound from the Islanders' disaster by both restoring his confidence as well as that of his coach and teammates. * DARIUS KASPARAITIS: Mysteriously benched, the Rangers heaviest hitter returns to the lineup in a position to prove to his general staff that he belongs as a regular. One game against Sid Crosby Inc. may not be a fair test. Then again, who says hockey is fair? * PETR PRUCHA: Patience is running thin. Is the gifted Czech in a sophomore slump? Is he absorbing too much physical punishment? Is he about to break out with goals as he did last year? Tonight would be a good night for him to return to last year's form. * MATT CULLEN: I love the way he plays the game except for the fact that the ex-Hurricane seems unable to produce in the manner expected when he arrived on Seventh Avenue. Cullen needs to make a positive statement. Now you know why tonight's match is important to a lot of Rangers.

ISLAND OF RESPITE? Based on medical reports alone, the Islanders deserve a good rest. Ah, but there's a problem. The Canadiens invade Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum tonight after losing to New Jersey and that means no respite is possible for a club hurting without Alexei Yashin and Trent Hunter. Viktor Kozlov played decently enough in the Isles loss to Ottawa on Tuesday but if someone is going to compensate for Yashin's absence it must be Kozzy. Trouble is, as a Devil, Koz came to play in about one out of four games. Coach Ted Nolan cannot allow that to happen on the Island; Vik is simply too important to the team. An opening Islanders goal would be helpful because when the Habs get a lead, they play as tight a trap as any team in the league. Also worth noting is the return of Habs defenseman Mike Komisarek to his native Long Island. A product of ex-Islanders defenseman Gerry Hart's Rinx Complex in Hauppage, Mike has emerged as a tough, solid backliner. Montreal's other Long Islander, Chris Higgins, remains sidelined at least a few more weeks with an injury. His absence is as devastating to the Habs as the loss of Yashin to the Isles. If the Isles lose, beware of a skid that could last until Yashin returns. This one is bigger than a lot of people may think.

Rangers Questions

2006-12-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

You pick it – what’s the Rangers’ big concern as they prepare for Thursday night’s game at the Garden against the Penguins after the 7-4 loss to the Islanders on Sunday. A. Is it Henrik Lundqvist who pulled himself after a horrific four goal first period? B. Or is it the uncooperative defense which deserted the goalie? C. Or might it be the total team breakdown all the way to the fourth liners? Answer: all of the above. A. For sure it starts with the goaltenders – including Kevin Weekes, who was average at best after replacing Lundqvist. The primary concern is Henny’s confidence, which, for the moment at least, appears fragile. B. The veteran defense must tighten up and play to its abilities. C. It’s time for the third and fourth liners to provide more tangible support for the top units.But let’s get real, it was only one game and the Rangers are in the thick of the mix. My advice is simple; relax and another win streak is just around the corner. But if you want another take, here’s what my sidekick P.J. Lally has to say: It must be frustrating to score a hat-trick and still lose by three goals. Though when asked about how much of a “bummer” it was to lose after such a performance, Brendan Shanahan shrugged it off and said that it was the loss that really affected him. But you could clearly hear the frustration in his tone. The Rangers find themselves without a win in four straight games– a skid that currently places them behind both the Devils and the Islanders in the Atlantic Division. But don’t sound the alarm yet. The Blueshirts have shown that they’re capable of competing with the likes of both Anaheim and Buffalo, the two top teams in the league. What the team lacks is consistency. It’s hard to tell which Ranger team will show up. Will it be the Rangers who outscored Carolina and Tampa Bay by a combined 8-1 in a two game stretch two weeks ago? Or will it be the Ranger team which looked sluggish and slow on Sunday? After being out-hit and out-hustled giving up four goals in the first period last night, the Rangers came out for the second with confidence. They scored three quick goals and actually brought the game within their grasp at 4-3, though it turned out to be too little too late. When any defense allows Viktor Kozlov to net four goals in 60 minutes, there’s not much hope of any kind of comeback. What can be done? I like Tom Renney moving Adam Hall up to the second line with Matt Cullen and Shanahan. Petr Prucha hardly deserved the spot. Cullen’s speed is a huge asset that gives him a lot of scoring chances, but he just can’t seem to finish. If Cully could finish a play, he could provide depth to the lineup – and take pressure off Jagr, Shanahan and Straka.

THE PERILS OF PAULINE & THE DEVILS Watching the Devils is like catching a glimpse of the age-old silent movie, “The Perils of Pauline.” More often than not they appear to be strapped to the railroad tracks with a locomotive rounding the curve and no hope in sight. And then, miraculously, somehow they’re saved. I have seen several chapters of the “Devils’ Perils,” but the most unreal of all took place on Saturday night in Philadelphia. Who could believe it? The Devils, who often make it seem as if scoring a single goal is a major achievement, were down 3-2 when Paul Martin was hit with a penalty and only three minutes and change left in the game. Since the Devils never score a shorthanded goal, the game, for all intents and purposes, was over. I give my buddy Chico Resch credit because he said that New Jersey’s penalty killers just might go on the attack .Sure enough, Johnny Madden moved the puck over the Philly blue line, spotted Brad Lukowich coming down the middle and watched Jay Pandolfo head for the goal to screen Philly’s netminder. Lukowich, who hardly ever scores, delivered a delicious high wrist shot over Antero Niittymaki’s shoulder while Pandolfo provided the screen. And, so, a 3-2 defeat suddenly became a 3-3 tie which led to a Devils dominated OT but no score. Next came the shootout magic with Zach Parise and Brian Gionta executing fantastic fakes – and goals – while Marty Brodeur stopped Simon Gagne and Petr Nedved. The problems is that in “The Perils of Pauline,” the lass always survives. You have to wonder whether the same will hold for New Jersey’s sextet.

ISLES IN FIRST Why are the Isles in first place? Two reasons: 1. Viktor Kozlov 2. Ted Nolan. End of story.

It's all about perspective

2006-11-29T17:37:00.000-05:00

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? After the last two games – an OT loss to Buffalo, ditto for Atlanta – you can’t sell the Rangers on the idea that their glass is half-full. “Two out of four ain't bad,” I told Tom Renney after Tuesday night’s Bobby Holik-ache. The coach agrees with my math but not the optimism. “I feel sorry most for the fans,” Tom said in what was a very sensitive and perceptive reply. In both games his Blueshirts rallied in utterly dramatic fashion and seemed on the brink of overtime triumph. But it was merely a build up to a let down. On Sunday it was Chris Drury’s OT goal followed by the devastator delivered by Holik. That’s why the troops see the glass as half-empty. We’ll know better on Friday night when the lads visit Buffalo for a Sabres rematch. It’s time for a Kevin Weekes return; and, hopefully, a surprise edition of exiled Darius Kasparaitis to the lineup.

DEVILS DILEMMA: It’s still too early in the season to consider Friday night’s game with Pittsburgh at the Meadowlands a “crisis” encounter but it has taken on greater importance now that Claude Julien’s sextet has lost the playoff cushion that was in place at the start of the road trip after the victory in Toronto. How Patrik Elias and company react on Friday night could have major significance when one considers how tight the playoff race already has become; and it won’t get any easier Saturday night in Philly. Captain Elias MUST improve his game pronto. That includes the elimination of careless passes and not trying to do too much and a little less work will do. I agree with Elias and his assessment of the California excursion, “as bad as the results are, the last three games we skated well, especially in Anaheim and San Jose against very good hockey teams. The Kings are playing better now, so it wasn’t easy and we stayed with them. We made a couple of mistakes here and there and they ended up in our net and offensively we didn’t come through.” Patrik makes all the sense in the world but what really matters is how and when they get in the win column. The New Jersey backline has been offensively anemic. Through 23 games Devils defensemen have only accounted for one goal from Brian Rafalski. Paul Martin and Rafalski must find a way to bury a few. No question this is Julien’s first major test in terms of rallying the troops. I like his attitude but when all is said and done it will be the results that matter. Pittsburgh is a team that must be beaten out for a playoff berth. Let’s see what happens.

Pointlessness defining the Devils of late

2006-11-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

WHEN A POINT IS POINTLESS: Well, at least the Devils got a point on Monday night in Los Angeles. And that’s the point. In losing 3-2 to the Kings in a Shootout, the pointlessness is evident in several ways. TO WIT: * THE ROAD TRIP: Out of a possible 10 points, New Jersey came home with only three. That’s unacceptable considering that the club opened with a stirring win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto. * WASTED GOALTENDING: Martin Brodeur was outstanding in virtually every game – particularly against San Jose and Los Angeles – unfortunately the supporting cast wasn’t. * THE UNCERTAIN POWER PLAY: With a chance to put the Ducks away with the game tied in the third period, the Devs permitted a shorthanded goal which cost them the game. In LA they had a power play in overtime that was conspicuous for its ineffectiveness. A goal on the four-on-three would have won them the game. So what’s the best thing that can be said about the road trip? No doubt it’s the fact Claude Julien’s skaters will not have to leave the Eastern Time zone for the rest of the season. More importantly will be the manner in which Julien rallies his troops in time for their next encounter Friday night at the Meadowlands against Pittsburgh. His challenges include improving the power play. My advice is simple: put big Mike Rupp in front of the net and let Jamie Langenbrunner fire away. As for the defense, of which I have no complaint, I would bench whomever was the worst backliner in the previous game and replace him with Alex Brooks. And this well be the last time I bring this point up, give the fourth line – Jim Dowd, Rupp and Erik Rasmussen – more ice time.

ENOUGH WITH THE REFS: Ever since the Rangers’ overtime loss to Buffalo on Sunday, I have heard nothing but criticism of the officiating. My advice to every Rangers fan who beefed is the same – "GET ON THE END OF THE LINE – IT EXTENDS ALL THE WAY TO KINGSTON." The hope always is that bad refereeing evens out over the 30 teams. We’ll see what happens tonight when the Thrashers invade the Garden.

Is there a third and fourth line problem?

2006-11-27T16:42:00.000-05:00

There’s a feeling among some Blueshirts skeptics that the club is not quite complete because neither the third [Blair Betts, Marcel Hossa, Jason Ward] nor fourth [Ryan Hollweg, Adam Hall, Colton Orr] lines are producing sufficiently. The coaching staff must also be aware of that since there has been some juggling of personnel between the two units. I believe the concern is exaggerated for one simple reason: there’s enough firepower on the first two units to satisfy most winning needs. Think about it; how many teams in the NHL are capable of icing more than two effective forward units? Answer: precious few. Also, Petr Prucha and Matt Cullen may not be scoring terribly well right now, but I’m convinced that they’ll be lighting the red lamp very soon – perhaps as soon as Tuesday night against the Trashers. Another issue that must be addressed for the Rangers to hit full stride is their special teams play. Though the penalty kill has been working well, the club must develop more discipline and avoid taking penalties like those they suffered against Buffalo. And again, you’ve heard that song before. Their power play – 0 for 15 in the last three games – needs a spark. In order for the Blueshirts to pull out games like those against Pittsburgh and Buffalo last weekend, they need to capitalize on man-up situations. But let’s face it, the club is on the upswing and played an excellent team like the Sabres even over three periods. Atlanta will provide a similar test on Tuesday night.Who knows – maybe the third and fourth lines will deliver.

DEVILS – OOUUGAH! You know the sound in the submarine when it’s time for a crash dive. OOUUGAH! That may be the sound you’re hearing in the Devils’ dressing room as the club completes its disastrous western swing on tonight in Los Angeles. A week ago, I sounded a warning here although it wasn’t an OOUUGAH! Having started the road trip with a win in Toronto, the Devs moved on to Phoenix for what appeared to be a relatively easy game against the Coyotes. Easy. Hah! Nothing comes easy with the Devils. What worried me was that Claude Julien’s team would ease up against a desperate Phoenix club, and that’s precisely what happened. This was followed by losses to Anaheim and San Jose and now the OOUUGAH! Has real meaning. Buffalo’s coach Lindy Ruff has a motto: “Never lose two in a row.” Well, it’s now three in a row for the Devs and it’s time to stop the bleeding. For starters, Julien had better figure out a way to produce more scoring. It was pitiful watching Marty Brodeur time and again against San Jose. Brodeur, at his absolute best, had a shutout going midway through the third period. The only trouble was, the Devils hadn’t scored either. Then Brad Lukowich delivered a weak pass; Joe Thornton picked it off and blasted one past Marty and the game was over. Here’s my suggestion to Julien: You’ve got a good fourth line now with Mike Rupp, Eric Rasmussen and Jim Dowd. They create chances, but they’re not getting nearly enough ice time. Put some faith in them and play them regularly, let’s see what happens. As for the power play, simplify it. Put big Rupp in front of the enemy goalie, feed your hardest shooter Jamie Langenbrunner and go for rebounds. This pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass business is time-wasting and unproductive. The OOUUGAH! has been sounded. Let’s see if the Devils avoid the depth charges.

HOT ISLES The loss of Alexei Yashin for two to four weeks with a sprained knee would seem catastrophic to one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Fugettaboutit. Ted Nolan’s team can win without the Captain even though he has 10 goals and 18 assists in 22 games. Nobody put it better than the coach himself: “It’s a big loss, no doubt, especially with Yash playing so well, but every team has to deal with injuries. It’s up to everyone else to step up their games and take advantage of the opportunities they’re provided.” I like the fact that Garth Snow dealt for Eric Boguniecki who moves up from Bridgeport. To me, he’s the poor man’s Jason Blake. Since the club is not playing again until it meets the Flyers at Nassau on Thursday, the newcomer will have time to work out with the big club. The 31- year old Boguniecki is 3-5-8 in 12 games with the Sound Tigers after his acquisition last month from Columbus for defenseman Ryan Caldwell. The 5-8, 195-pound forward has played 167 games over an NHL career with Florida, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. He has 32 goals and 44 assists for 76 points in 167 games. His best season with 2002-03, when the center was 22-27-49 in 80 games with the Blues. Last season the New Haven, CT native had five goals and six assists in 36 games with the Penguins. One other thing, my vice president in charge of inside Islanders information, Tim Marino, offers this interesting bit of insight: I like Nolan’s resolve in keeping Chris Campoli down and instilling confidence in Bruno Gervais, who will be a better defenseman in the long run in my opinion. I could see Snow trading one of the veteran d-men to make room for Campoli in the new year, but right now he still needs time to get his game together.

Hossa's a star in the making

2006-11-22T12:52:00.000-05:00

HUZZAHS FOR HOSSA It took a while, but Tom Renney and I have finally had a couple of disagreements. Nothing major, mind you. In fact, it was all out in the open at the post-game press conference follow the 4-0 trashing of the defending champion Hurricanes. When I told Renney that his club had “dominated,” he shot back, “DOMINATED???” as if I had just come down from Mars. Of course they dominated. All you had to do was be there as was the New York Post’s Larry Brooks and the New York Times’ Lynn Zinser, each of whom seemed to agree that it was in its own way an overwhelming victory. In my eyes, the most important element is not so much Henny Lundqvist’s first shutout of the season or another sterling performance by Jaromir Jagr, but rather the constant improving of Marcel Hossa’s play, which included his scoring of the first goal of the game. To be honest, I will be amazed if the Rangers fail to take the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Saturday, nor will I be at all surprised if they come back on Sunday at the Garden and take what many believe is the best team in hockey, the Sabres. My sidekick, P.J. Lally agrees with me on the Hossa issue. He adds these observations: The biggest positive about Rangers’ 4-0 rout of the Hurricanes last night wasn’t the fact that Lundqvist had another stellar performance stopping all 34 shots he faced, posting his first shutout of the season. Nor was it the fact that Jagr scored twice passing Jari Kurri’s mark of 601 goals to be the NHL’s all-time European scorer. The biggest breakthrough for the Rangers came 3:39 into the first period when Marcel Hossa tipped a shot from the point and scored the game-winning first goal of the contest – his first tally of the season. The Rangers’ game plan is no mystery to their opponents. They rely primarily on their first and second line to do all of their scoring. If a team can shut down the Jagr – Nylander – Straka line and keep Shanahan from working any magic with his linemates Matt Cullen and Petr Prucha, the Rangers don’t have much of a chance at winning a game. Though Ryan Hollweg and his linemates Adam Hall and Colton Orr [or Thomas Pocke on any given night] serve an important role defensively for the Blueshirts, they can’t be relied on for any offensive productivity whatsoever and their shifts serve as a breather until Tom Renney can get the Jagr or Shanahan lines back on the ice. For the first time in six games, a Ranger other than Nylander, Straka, Jagr or Shanahan scored a goal. Not only that, but the third line consisting of Hossa, Blair Betts and Jason Ward received a substantial amount of ice time throughout the game – and had more scoring opportunities other than the goal that Hossa put on the board. This third line, centered by Betts, got a substantial amount of ice time last night – only about three minutes less than the top two lines – and enabled Renney to spread the shifts around keeping every forward under 20 minutes of time on-ice. Though it may seem insignificant at a glance, these stats will become increasing important down the stretch of the regular season when Jagr and Shanahan – both more than 15 seasons into their NHL careers – feel the wear and tear of playing more than an entire period’s worth of time each game. If this third line can produce, it will give the Rangers the depth and dynamic that has been missing from their game thus far now a quarter of the way through the regular season.

GOMEZ BACK – GOOD OR BAD? When Scotty Gomez went out with part two of his groin problems, it was generally anticipated that the Devils would sink to the bottom of their division. As it happened, New Jersey has done very well minus their glib center. Interestingly, with Gomez in the lineup, Claude Julien’s team is a mere 5-5-1. In the eight games without Scott, the record is 7-1. Go figure! Skating against the Coyotes in Phoenix on Wednesday night, it would seem as if the Devs have an easy one prior to their journey to the California coast. T’ain’t so. Old reliable Mike Ricci is returning to the Coyotes’ lineup and figure to give them a boost. Plus this is precisely the type of game in which the Devils invariably take their foe for granted – and lose. That’s my wake-up call for the D’s; now let’s see what they do with it.

CHAMPS OR CHUMPS? On Wednesday night at Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders are in an excellent position to make a statement against the Carolina Hurricanes. And the statement is – turning the Champs into Chumps. After losing to the Rangers on Tuesday night in Manhattan, the Canes figure to rebound with a strong game and the Isles should be prepared for same. Which is not to say that fear should be part of Ted Nolan’s thinking. The Isles are now in position to establish home ice dominance with some continued Alexei Yashin leadership and solid goaltending. Bottom line: a win against the champs could be the start of something big.

Are the Islanders the best of the three locals?

2006-11-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

ABOUT JAMES BOND AND JOHN MADDEN At last look, there was no "James Bond" listed on the New Jersey Devils roster but, judging by the manner in which the team has been playing its last spate of games, there might as well be. I’m talking about nail-biting melodrama, game in and game out. For Exhibit A, we merely hark back to last Friday night’s thriller at the Meadowlands involving the Ottawa Senators. Slowly – yet relentlessly – the Devs took over on a pair of Jamie Langenbrunner goals and then Zach Parise added another, enabling them to enter the third frame with a three-goal lead. Trouble is; that’s precisely what happened at the Garden at against the Rangers. And then – poof! – just like that; the Blueshirts had three goals and a 3-2 win. For a while, in the Senators game, it looked like the Yogi-Berra-ism was setting in; "deja-vu all over again." Ottawa scored early in the third and another before the period was half over. Nightmares of the Rangers’ debacle enveloped the arena. But the Devils – and Martin Brodeur, in particular – tightened up over the final minutes, enabling Claude Julien’s sextet to emerge with a victory. And, so, it was on to Toronto for the back-to-backer on Saturday night. Once again, the anxiety was maddening as the home club assaulted Brodeur’s crease throughout the first period but, somehow, New Jersey emerged intact in the 0-0 game. The tightness intensified for 36 minutes before Jamie Langenbrunner – again! – delivered the ice-breaker on a spinaround move as prelude to a devastating slapshot that put the Devs ahead. It was touch-and-go in the third until Patrik Elias cashed in what I call a "Texas League goal," not unlike the one Jaromir Jagr tallied against Brodeur in New York. No matter; the captain converted Brian Gionta’s pass, sailing the puck lazily over the crowd and into the twine. The 2-0 lead should have been just fine, especially after a deft Devils penalty kill but – as with James Bond – it’s never easy for Julien’s lads. Chief nemesis Darcy Tucker sent a laser through Brodeur’s pads with 3:47 left and suddenly Air Canada Center came alive with rallying cries. It was a scary finish for Brodeur, Inc. but Marty repelled the remaining shots and another two points were added with Scott Gomez still indefinitely on the shelf. The five-game road trip continues on Wednesday in Phoenix and anyone who believes that that will be an easy one hasn’t paid attention to my last dozen paragraphs. As Johnny Madden said to Steve Cangelosi at the end of Saturday’s post-game interview, the Devils can’t expect to go on winning like this if they don’t score more than a couple of goals a game. But, then again, these are the Devils and, so far, they appear to have a bit of James Bond in them. The difference is that Bond keeps coming back – and back and back again!

ARE THE ISLANDERS FOR REAL? Up until the night Ted Nolan escorted his Islanders into Dallas last Wednesday, for a match with what then was a high-flying Stars sextet, the feeling around the NHL was that the Isles simply did not comprise a team to be taken seriously. But after Rick DiPietro and friends slapped down Dallas, 3-0, the feeling began to change. An overtime loss to the Lightning, stalled matters but after the Nassaumen destroyed the Panthers on Saturday night, double-takes have been thrown in the Isles direction. And it’s not just the revival of Alexei Yashin, the peripatetic scoring of Jason Blake or a better-than-it-seems defense. The Isles are getting support in some of the least like places. Take Mike Dunham as an example. In pre-season, he was regarded by some experts as an over-the-hill goalie who should never have been signed; not when Brian Boucher was available. Yet, Dunham not only has played well; he’s occasionally been better and more reliable than DiPietro. And with a three game homestand coming up – starting on Wednesday Nolan could see his sextet solidify a hold on the division’s upper echelon with even more improvement in sight. In fact, if Ted ever figures out the Viktor Kozlov equation, the sky will be the limit.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE RANGERS Premature. That’s the best way to describe concern about the Rangers immediate future. As I told Al Trautwig on Sunday night’s MSG pre-game show; A. I predicted the Blueshirts win; B. I said that the team is essentially too well-balanced not to win and; C. It required a bit more time to fully jell. That was evident in the rousing 4-1 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday night. And if you don’t believe me, my sidekick P.J. Lally was standing right next to me at the glass by the Zamboni corner at the Garden. Here’s his view: The top line of Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka and Michael Nylander is in top form. All three scored Sunday night against Tampa Bay. Henrik Lundqvist had an excellent game in goal, allowing one goal that was hardly his fault. The Rangers’ PK unit, led by a speedy Matt Cullen and an excellent draw man in Blair Betts was fantastic, aside from a late third period mistake which cost them a goal. The power play is at its best. The primary unit of Brendan Shanahan, Jagr, Nylander, Straka, and Michal Rozsival is a force to be reckoned with. One player who constantly delivers is Ryan Hollweg. His physical play brings energy to the Rangers’ game. However, the Rangers’ secondary scoring isn’t adequately producing. The line of Betts, Marcel Hossa and Jason Ward and Ryan Hollweg’s line must do more. Renney obviously doesn’t put much faith in them consider the Shanahan and Jagr lines shoulder most of the weight.

It's all about Nolan

2006-11-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

When the Islanders skated into Dallas and thoroughly beezwaxed a formidable Stars sextet, it told me that the time had come for a solid, introspective look at the Nassaumen. The obvious answer to the question about why the Isles are, at the very least, in contention for a playoff berth is TED NOLAN. He has coached hard and well so far and, most important, has retrieved the playing career of Alexei Yashin. But, obviously, there’s more to consider than that. I huddled with my A-1, Yankee-Doodle-Ipsy-Pipsy Isles-watcher, Tim Marino, and he offered this X-ray of the troops from Uniondale. COACHING A month and a half into the season, the Islanders are still searching for an identity, but aren't doing too shabby in the process. Following a dominant 3-0 performance over the Dallas Stars, they are 8-6-2, just three points out of first place in the tight Atlantic Division. But their season thus far has been a series of ups and downs—three losses, two wins, two losses, a win and a loss, three wins, two losses, two wins. Even Nolan, who has done an admirable job of raising Yashin’s game, seems confused. Since day one, Nolan has touted an offense-first strategy, but he seems to have recently changed his mind. "Defense is going to be our identity," Nolan said. "We have to make strong decisions with the puck and play an intelligent game. We can't get into a run-and-gun game that so many teams like to play. That's when we get in trouble." Funny to hear this from Nolan, who has always preached the run-and-gun style since his success in Buffalo. Even earlier this season, he assured Islanders fans that they would be treated to an explosive, speedy, and entertaining team. GOALTENDING Nolan would be smart to alter his stance on goaltending. Early in the season, he is overplaying Rick DiPietro despite the stellar early-season work of backup, Mike Dunham. Nolan's hesitation to give the more-than-capable Dunham a regular start seems curious. DiPietro, when on his game, can be one of the best in the business, as was the case in Dallas when he stopped all 35 shots he faced. But more often than not, Rick confuses his defensemen, causes unnecessary turnovers, and flops around instead of staying square to the puck. DP, no doubt, is the future of this team for better or worse. But he is nowhere near as consistent nor reliable as Marty Brodeur. For this reason, DP should not be starting more than 55 games. Look no further than each goaltender’s stats. In six games, Dunham has a .921 SV% and 2.71 GAA, while DiPietro has a .908 SV% and 2.80 GAA in eleven games played. Dunham should be starting every third game, if not half of them. DEFENSE The Isles defense, like the team itself, has been up and down. But this was expected as the club has four new faces on the backline this season. Brendan Witt has played well, but not as physical as his days in Washington. Sean Hill has done everything expected of him. He had some trouble with taking minor penalties early on, but lately he has improved. Alexei Zhitnik is third on the team with a +4 rating and has been a steadying influence on his fellow defenders and Rick DiPietro. Besides sharing the best +/- rating on the team (+5) with Alexei Yashin, Radek Martinek has been the Isles’ steadiest defenseman night in and night out. He may have just two points this season (both assists), but Martinek does everything right in his own end and has a keen eye for the breakout pass. Tom Poti’s offensive numbers (2G, 7A, 6PPP) can’t be dismissed. Besides Gervais (-5), Poti has the worst +/- on the Isles blueline (-4). This also can not be ignored. There's a logjam on the backline, as both Chris Campoli and Joel Bouchard await their first shifts of the season after suffering injuries in pre-season. Nolan likes Gervais, and is in no rush to remove him from the lineup in favor of either player despite his sub-par +/- rating. OFFENSE Nolan is doing well, handling his lines. Unlike his predecessors (Stirling, Laviolette), Nolan likes to keep his units intact for multiple games. He won't make a change until it's absolutely necessary; i.e. Viktor Kozlov dogging it ten games into the season. The captain has been outstanding all season, on pace for a 103-point season. Realistically, Yashin could end up in the 80-90 range. Continued success from Yashin could spell a playoff berth for the Islanders. Yashin also has the best +/ rating on the team along with Martinek. Miroslav Satan could help make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful year. Miro has all the tools, but has just two goals on the season. In his defense, Satan was playing the point on the power play until recently. Throughout his offensively successful career, Satan has scored the majority of his goals in close proximity to the net. Hopefully for the Isles, the change will spark the veteran Slovak. A few more goals from him could be enough to push the Islanders to the next level. Jason Blake is off to his best start ever, playing with the rejuvenated Yashin. Blake leads the team with nine goals (6 PPG) and is second on the team with 16 points. The 33-year-old Minnesota native has never notched more than 57 points in a season (last year), but is on pace for 83, including 46 goals. Mike Sillinger has cooled off, but his face-off percentage is among the best and the career journeyman has been a calming influence on the ice and in the locker room. Andy Hilbert hasn’t registered a point all season, but did register the Shootout winner over Florida. The Isles might be better served recalling a speedster like Jeff Tambellini, Robert Nilsson, or Petteri Nokelainen to spark the fourth line.

CROSBY-MALKIN vs. JAGR-SHANAHAN Every so often I get excited about clashes of the superstars and on Saturday night when the Rangers visit Pittsburgh we have an excellent match-up when Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan invade the Igloo. Without a doubt, Sid Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have turned the Penguins into a playoff contender although their no-name defense is suspect. Despite their loss in Carolina the Rangers overall play impressed me. I expect them to beat Pitt by two goals.

Lessons learned from an important game at the Garden

2006-11-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

* Jaromir Jagr can have two lousy periods but, like Rip Van Winkle, eventually wakes up. Beware of a reawakening Jags; black coffee or not. * Henrik Lundqvist can permit a soft-as-a-cushion first period goal and count on his explosive scorers to redeem him. But only IF… * Hustle and muscle worked for the Rangers in the opening minutes of the third period against New Jersey but those elements were egregiously missing in the final period against Washington. * Carolina's more experienced defense is less apt to permit the Blueshirts the same openings made available by the less-experienced Devils D tonight at Raleigh. * The Devils don’t play again until Friday (at home vs. Ottawa). Hopefully, by then, coach Claude Julien will conclude – as I do – that hustling, talented Mike Rupp deserves more ice time up front. I’d even try him at center between Brian Gionta and Patrick Elias. * Brian Gionta's power play marker was his first in nine games. That is not enough for the player who set the Devils’ record with 48 goals last season. * Patrik Elias is starting to find his touch. A goal and an assist last game as well as an assist on Gionta’s goal Tuesday night. The captain’s production—along with Gionta’s—will be vital until the return of Scott Gomez. * The Devils lapse early in the third period allowing three goals in a minute and a half proves that 55 minutes of good hockey sometimes isn’t enough. Even though they did wind up on the wrong side of the ledger a solid effort was still put forth. * Brendan Shanahan is the best acquisition Glen Sather has made in New York. *Marek Malik's solo rush early in the third period almost resulted in a goal and may have been the hidden catalyst for the Rangers revival. The large Czech appears to be finding his form.

The Islanders four game road trip begins Wednesday night in Dallas and it will be interesting to see whether coach Ted Nolan corrects the flaws evident when the club went on the road at the start of the season. They nearly fell to the bottom of the division. Hopefully he understands that it’s not necessary to play Rick DiPietro every game.

Locals within striking distance

2006-11-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

MET AREA MUSINGS: The best thing about the NHL race – Met Area teams-wise – is that the Devils, Rangers and Islanders all are within striking distance of one another. And there will be a lot of STRIKING – maybe even bashing – on Tuesday night when Claude Julien delivers his Devs to Madison Square Garden. Don't expect the collision to decide the season but some deductions will be obtainable by game's end. To wit: Should the Blueshirts win, it will mean that:

A. On two straight occasions, New Jersey has been unable to surpass New York. That could become chronic as the season unfolds.
B. Martin Brodeur, once ruler of the Rangers, no longer has the mastery of yesteryear over his longtime rivals.
C. Tom Renney's sextet has regained the home ice winning formula.

Should the Devils deliver, it will mean that:

A. The four-game winning streak they brought to Manhattan has more substance than some critics believed.
B. They can at least survive without injured Scott Gomez. In the four previous games which the lithe center missed, his Devils peeled off four straight wins.
C. Even with inexperienced rookies Johnny Oduya and Alex Brooks playing regularly on defense, New Jersey still is able to prevail.

Heading into the match some conclusions are evident, starting with the resurgence of Henny Lundqvist as the dominating goalie he was last year. Even in the 3-1 loss at Washington on Saturday night, the sophomore goalie starred. The Jaromir Jagr-Michael Nylander-Marty Straka trio have lost none of their dipsy-doodling luster. Jagr's shooting improves with every game. Brendan Shanahan is outdoing his advance notices; which were terrific to begin with. There has been no build-up-to-a-letdown with Shanny. On the New Jersey side, the primary question centers on whether Patrik Elias' production (one goal, one assist) in Saturday's 4-2 win over Florida at the Meadowlands is a portent of more good things to come. The Tuesday game will offer a definitive answer. Until their four-goal outburst against the Panthers, Julien's troupe was winning through a veritable goal drought. It was clear that could not continue if the club hoped to stay near the Division heights. Zach Parise and linemate Travis Zajac have injected pzazzz into the attack and long-forgotten Jimmy Dowd has re-emerged as a dependable face-off artist, penalty-killer and architect of timely goals. But it's one thing to beat teams like Chicago and Florida. The Rangers are a whole other story and that's why this latest New York-New Jersey chapter looms as a remarkably fascinating one.

ROAD TO THE ISLES: "Resiliency" could be the New York Islanders middle name as well as for its captain Alexei Yashin. Rebounding from a dreadful home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ted Nolan's aggregation bussed to Philly and flogged the Flyers last Thursday. Yashin lit a pair of red lights and genuinely appears to be a more committed – even inspired – player under Nolan's baton. By the same token, a 7-6-2 record is not guaranteeing a trip to the Finals but it at least had kept the Isles within striking distance of the pack as they continue on a five-game road trip Wednesday in Dallas. And this year, more than any other, PARITY deserves capital letters. Even an off-day practice fight between Rick DiPietro and Aaron Asham had no negative effects on the club; not that anyone truly believed that it would. Nolan's job will be a lot easier should he be able to convince Viktor Kozlov that an NHL game has three periods which total 60 minutes. The only-occasionally rapid Russian had better move from second to third gear very soon or he'll wind up being what he was in Florida and New Jersey – Mr. Unfulfilled Potential.

POSTSCRIPT ON DARIUS: As a long time fan of Darius Kasparaitis I have been both puzzled and dismayed by the defenseman's fall from grace in Tom Renney's second year as head coach. Whether it's personal, physical or whatever, it appears that Kaspar needs a change of scenery, pronto.

POSTSCRIPT II: The Hockey Hall of Fame's refusal – once again – to induct the deserving Glenn Anderson is simply a disgrace to the biased Selection Committee and the Hall itself.

Devils Perils

2006-11-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

If ever a team is going about winning the hard way, it is Claude Julien’s Devils. No matter who the opponent – or what the winning score – New Jersey never seems to enjoy a game in which goalie Marty Brodeur can breathe easily. And there appears to be no end in sight for the D’s melodrama after melodrama; and that figures to include the Saturday night home clash with the Florida Panthers. The equation is simple; not enough goals equals no easy games. This point was reiterated in each of the Devils last three wins (2-1 over Montreal, 3-2 over Carolina and 2-1 over Chicago); two of which were settled by shootouts. Not that it’s difficult to find a solution. Captain Patrik Elias must either loosen up or get himself a new radar machine. The Czech is missing sure goals with frustrating regularity. This never was more evident than in the Thursday night match with the Blackhawks who came to the Meadowlands with a seven game losing streak. Naturally, the Devils turned what could have been a delicious blowout into excruciating nail-biter that only was settled by Brodeur’s stellar all the time and shootout saves and SO goals by Zach Parise and Brian Gionta. My advice to coach Julien is to give fourth liner Mike Rupp more ice time along with Jim Dowd. Each can contribute if they are given an opportunity; a point underlined by Rupp who scored the opening goal against Chicago. I could say that a three game winning streak is impressive except that everyone knows that the Devs can not be saved in every game by Brodeur and a shootout.

Thriving on the EX factor

2006-11-08T11:33:00.000-05:00

The Devils are surviving – or should I say thriving – with the EX Factor. That’s EX as in EXcrutiatingly Exciting. First it was the throbbing 2-1 win over the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday night. But the topper took place Tuesday night at the Meadowlands; a thoroughly magnificent match in every which way, finally settled on a Shootout score by John Madden. Poof! Just like that; what appeared to have been a lost two points late in the third period was transformed into a 2-2 tie in the waning moments on Jersey Jim Dowd’s conversion of a Paul Martin pass. To say that the overtime was owned by Martin Brodeur may be the understatement of the half-century. While his exhausted mates appeared to be doing a floundering, fish-out-of-water routine in front of a determined Carolina offense, Marty simply was – as demonstrated in Habtown over the weekend – impeccable, blunting the Canes thrusts until he finally got some breathing room. Brodeur’s heroics enabled the Devils to reach Shootout Alley but even then it wasn’t easy. Brian Gionta gave New Jersey the shootout lead on the Devils’ second attempt. But Rod Brind’Amour beat Marty on Carolina’s next attempt to tie the count. Then it was see-saw time with Brodeur and Cam Ward each stoically starring until Madden finally ended the adventure with a straight-out wrist shot into the left corner. Is it ever anything but excruciating with the Devils? Once again they failed to score more than two goals in regulation time but, conversely, the defense – Brad Lukowich in, Jim Fahey out – played intelligently and well. Emerging – yet again – with a strong game was rookie Johnny Oduya; more apparent on offense and more confident in his own end. With Patrik Elias still slumping, the offense is being carried by Travis Zajac – first goal – Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner’s line. My suggestion to coach Claude Julien – and I will tell him this on Thursday before the home again against Chicago – is to play Dowd more often. Spell him on the second or third line while still keeping him on the fourth unit; but use the man. He still has the goods and can kill penalties and work the power play. The last thing the Devs can do is get overconfident with a struggling Blackhawks team coming to town. This race will not allow letdowns and none should happen with a modest two-game winning streak. The good news: Marty is playing like MARTY. Zajac looks like Calder Trophy material. Oduya is blending neatly. The club has won every game played without injured Scott Gomez. Sooner or later, Elias will find his groove. In the meantime Julien’s sextet will ride the EX Factor as far as it can. Get the aspirins, Nellie, this is hard on the nerves!

What more can I do?

2006-11-07T15:53:00.000-05:00

DUNHAM'S LOST ISLAND Well, I gave it my best for Mike Dunham. I plugged and plugged and plugged to have him starting in goal for the Islanders. As a matter of fact, so did Nassau Coliseum fans who chanted for the vet goalie on Saturday night while Rick DiPietro was losing to the Thrashers. So, in goes Dunham on Monday night and out goes another Islanders victory; this time a 5-1 rout at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. What went wrong – apart from Dunham not producing a W? Obviously, one goal is not enough if the other team is going to get at least two. More importantly it was careless penalties that did Dunham in. In a tightly contested game, in which Dunham looked sharp in the first, two key penalties in the second period, reversed any momentum Alexei Zhitnik's late first period goal gave the Isles. First, Martin St. Louis converted on a holding the stick penalty assessed to Richard Park. Then the Isles took a too many men on the ice penalty, resulting in a Filip Kupa power play goal. And more important than that is the challenge before Ted Nolan. After the debacle he used the Q word – quit – in describing his team's performance once the Lightning powered to a 3-1 lead. What's more, he's seeing first hand the dismaying ennui that too often characterizes Viktor Kozlov's play and helps explain why the large Russian is no longer a Devil. Give Nolan credit for candor. His response to the booing fans was as straight forward as could be; they deserved to boo his team. "That was worse than a clunker," he said. "The most frustrating part was that we seemed to quit. You can get ‘outskilled,' but when you quit that's another story. "When they got up 3-1, we looked like we didn't want to fight back. We played so well in Jersey that we thought it was going to be easy." Confronted with a five game road trip, Nolan will get an opportunity to prove that he has the goods to stimulate a slightly slumping club before it gets too late. To put the game out of reach, Kuba would convert again in the third period when Sean Bates was sent to the box for hooking. So how much blame goes to Dunham? Not much.... But that's hockey, so expect to see DiPietro in net on Thursday at Philadelphia.

THE FIRST BIG TEST FOR HENNY For the time being, the term "King" has been removed from Henrik Lundqvist's resume. He's Henny The Goalie for now and on Wednesday night in Florida, it will be Comeback Time for the embattled Rangers stopper – or will it? That's the question as the season becomes more serious by the week and it seems evident that there will be few patsies around in the East this year as there was last semester; as demonstrated by Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington last year. The Kevin Weekes experiment was successful; no question. Tom Renney's so-called backup pulled five out of a possible six points out of his three games. That's good in my book; especially since the one OT loss was to Buffalo. Lundqvist hasn't felt this kind of sophomore – show me! – pressure before. It will be most interesting to see how he delivers. Personally, I like his comeback chances. But the best news of all from Rangerville comes from Jaromir Jagr, who insists that his surgically repaired shoulder suffered no damage from what appeared to be a dangerous fall Sunday night at the Garden.

DEVILS AND DETERMINATION Facing Stanley Cup champion Carolina on Tuesday night at the Meadowlands, the Devils need only hark back to an early season game last year in Jersey to inspire themselves tonight. Yup, it was against the Canes and the 6-1 loss was a borderline disaster. Tuesday night's game at the Meadowlands affords Captain Patrik Elias an excellent opportunity to begin scoring goals in the manner which Devils fans had become accustomed. For a low scoring team, seven goals in their last four games, the Devils desperately need a hot stick from their captain, particularly with Scott Gomez on the shelf with a groin injury. Needless to say nobody has to remind Elias of his roll. "Would I like to have more goals? Yeah," he said. "Does this team need me to score more goals? Yeah, because maybe we would have won more games or we could have had easier games sometimes. "I know I'm going to get going, I really do." Tuesday night vs. Carolina will tell.

Goalie wrap-up

2006-11-06T17:37:00.000-05:00

THE WEEKES THAT WAS: You won’t get me dumping on Kevin Weekes after he lost in overtime to the sizzling Sabres on Sunday night at the Garden. Granted, the Rangers goalie did not produce a hermetically sealed game but he played well enough to get the Blueshirts a point against what is considered the NHL’s best club. What’s more, he helped produce five out of a possible six points; winning a pair in California and losing in OT on what was a screened shot. Okay, coach Tom Renney was disappointed. Who wouldn’t be considering that his club had a two goal lead at one point in the second period. And even though they allowed Buffalo to tie the count in the third, New York stormed goalie Martin Biron late in the third and came very, VERY close to getting the winner with six seconds to go and Matt Cullen just missing a deflection. All things considered, I look at the Rangers’ glass as three-quarters full. But for another opinion, I turn to my sidekick, P.J. Lally, who was standing next to me at the Zamboni door for most of the game eyeing the action: In what was the best 64 minutes of hockey I’ve seen all season, the Rangers lost on Sunday in an overtime heartbreaker to the number one team in the league. But as they say, a team is only as strong as its “Weekes-est” link. Pun intended. The Rangers played a gritty, physical style that was missing during their just-average 7-6 start. The problem is simple – defense. A Team near the top of the league in scoring figures to be near the top of the standings. But the Rangers are also tied for second-to-last in goals against. On the other hand, the Blueshirts were reinvigorated against Buffalo. They hustled, backchecked, killed four of five penalties, and played the physical style they so desperately needed to limit their opponents’ numerous scoring opportunities. But, alas, as Jaromir Jagr hung his head low and spoke to reporters after the overtime loss, the Captain summed it up perfectly, “We played good, but not good enough.” After coming off the bench to replace Henrik Lundqvist and after posting two straight wins on the road, Weekes got the go-ahead in net for his fourth game of the season and probably cost the Rangers the game. Despite flashes of brilliance, Weekes didn’t look confident and couldn’t corral many of the 29 shots he faced, creating rebounds galore for the Sabres – one of which resulted in Jason Pominville’s game-tying goal at 8:13 of the third period. And that wasn’t the only goal that could be blamed on Weekes. Just over three minutes into the game, he gave up a weak wrap-around goal to Thomas Vanek. Even Tom Renney commented during his post-game press conference that that shot probably could have been stopped. A week ago, I would have told you that goaltending was the least of the Rangers’ problems. After watching Sunday’s game, I’d say that goaltending may be one of the only weaknesses that must be addressed for this team to really hit its stride. OTHER POINTS OF NOTE

Petr Prucha played an outstanding game before taking a puck to the face. He hustled and scored a superb PP goal.
Jagr seems to have found his groove. The Martin Straka – Jagr combo is jelling. Straka is all over the place.
Ryan Hollweg saw a lot of time, especially important late third period time. He played well, setting the tone with big hits.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE GOMEZ: The bad news for the New Jersey Devils is that Scott Gomez re-injured his groin and is likely to miss Tuesday night’s home game against Carolina. The good news is that the Devs can win without their center. As a matter of fact, ever since Gomer went down, his club posted two straight shutouts. And when he returned on Thursday against the Islanders, they lost. Without their dipsy-doodling center, coach Claude Julien’s team invaded Montreal on Saturday night and managed to squeeze out a 2-1 win. Sergei Brylin pinch-hit for Gomez on the line with Brian Gionta and Patrik Elias. Although the trio did not figure in the scoring, Brylin did his usual workmanlike job while Jay Pandolfo and Brian Rafalski provided the necessary goals. Coming on the heels of a dreadful performance against the Isles, New Jersey’s win in Habtown proved once again that – in certain cases – Martin Brodeur still can bail out his scoring-deprived team. The goalie-turned-author was superb from start to finish and hardly could be faulted on Chris Higgins’ re-direction power play goal in the second period. Unfortunately, Marty simply cannot be counted on for endless games of salvation and the suddenly slumping Elias and Gionta had better find their games soon. Once again, the Devs won a low-scoring game despite the fact that inexperienced Johnny Oduya – getting better by the week – Jim Fahey and Alex Brooks manned the backline. Heavily-used Rafalski scored a neat backhand on a power play – yes, a POWER PLAY – while Paul Martin and Colin White enjoyed one of their better games. Ditto for rookie Travis Zajac, who continues to shine alongside Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner. It was a meaningful, critical win but more will be needed with Gomez indefinitely sidelined. BOTTOM LINE: Gionta and Elias must get back on the scoring track.

INEXPLICABLE ISLES: How can a team that looked so perfectly in synch on Thursday night against the Devils suddenly disintegrate two nights later – at home, no less – at the hands of the Atlanta Thrashers. Nothing against Bob Hartley’s club, mind you, but in dismantling New Jersey at the Meadowlands with such consummate ease, the Isles suggested that they were at the start of something big. Certainly, Rick DiPietro has to take some blame for the 4-1 loss while the scorers inexplicably went into hibernation after flourishing across the Hudson. The fans are giving it to DiPietro big time because of his 15 year contract. Now Ricky is paying the price in negative public opinion. Do you, as a fan, buy his rationale? “I don’t know why they’re booing the contract. I don’t remember signing up for superpowers once I signed the contract. “I make mistakes all the time. It’s the nature of the sport. Everyone makes mistakes regardless of how much money they’re paid or how many years they sign for. If they’re expecting me to be perfect every night, they’re in for a long season because it’s not going to happen.” It proves that coach Ted Nolan still has much work in progress and anyone who has illusions of a first-place in Nassau – at least for the moment – is being delusional. I have only one bit of advice to Nolan: get Mike Dunham back between the pipes as soon as possible; which is to say your very next game today against Tampa Bay.

DIRTY DIRTY My choice for the new dirtiest player in the league is Montreal’s Guillaume Latendresse. On Saturday night, he kicked Marty Brodeur in the head with the back of his skate and high-sticked Travis Zajac, nearly taking the kid’s eye out. Both plays looked deliberate to me.

I told you so

2006-11-03T12:33:00.000-05:00

Did I tell you so; or did I not tell you so? Answer: Affirmative; twice. I TOLD YOU SO, I: Following the Rangers win over Anaheim on Wednesday night, I instantly turned to my colleague, John Giannone, and insisted – DEMANDED – that coach Tom Renney return Kevin Weekes to the Rangers net on Thursday against San Jose. There were dissenters in our ranks but my logic was impeccable. If Weekes played well against the Ducks, he had every right to get another shot vs. the Sharks. I don’t buy the argument that Henrik Lundqvist automatically is crowned King Goalie I in New York because he played so well last season. That’s ancient history. The Rangers have two top goalies and the sooner fans realize that, the better it will be for everyone; especially the Blueshirts. Weekes came back again in San Jose and pitched another terrific game. Ergo: HE HAD BETTER BE IN THE NETS SUNDAY AGAINST BUFFALO or I will be very disappointed in Renney. CONCLUSION: THAT WAS THE WEEKES THAT WAS!

I TOLD YOU SO, II: Prior to the Devils’ Thursday night match against the Islanders, I did my usual “Coaches Corner” with New Jersey’s mentor, Claude Julien. My pitch was this: “I’m impressed with the fact your club had two straight shutouts (2-0 and 1-0) but still I’m concerned that your guys are not scoring the way they should.” Julien indicated that as long as the defense held up, the goals would come. Well, the defense didn’t hold up; it usually does not against the Isles. More to the point, there’s a goal-scoring drought in Devils Country that must be addressed sooner rather than later. The Islanders contest showed me that New Jersey’s offense is hurting. As it was so often last year, the power play is impotent and – despite the defensive shortcomings – could have won the game with the Islanders had it been working right. Once again, the Devs lack a hard-shooting point man in the Alexei Zhitnik-Tom Poti mold; not that Poti uses his shot often enough. Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta are slumping. Period. Hopefully, they’ll emerge from their drought by Saturday night’s encounter with the Canadiens in Montreal. The kids – Travis Zajac and Zach Parise – combine well with Jamie Langenbrunner but that’s not nearly enough offense if the John Madden-Jay Pandolfo-Sergei Brylin unit doesn’t deliver. And that unit has not lately. More to the point, Julien should give his fourth liners more ice time. Much more. Don’t underestimate their potential on offense. There’s scoring to be had from Jim Dowd and Erik Rasmussen. Plus, provided with more ice, Cam Janssen CAN score; but it’ll never happen if he’s not given the opportunity. Cause for concern? A season ago, after a dozen games, the Devils totaled 13 points (6-5-1 OT loss). This term they’re at 13 points (6-5-1 Shootout loss); which tells you everything you need to know about the team. Injured defensemen Brad Lukowich, Richard Matvichuk and David Hale should aid the backline whenever they return but that is less of an issue than scoring. And with Scott Gomez’s groin condition a big IF, the remedy must be provided by the scorers.

ROAD TO THE ISLES: Ted Nolan. Don’t go beyond that name if you’re wondering why the Islanders are hot. Alexei Yashin is playing his best hockey in years thanks to his faith in the new coach and Nolan’s system. The defense is solid and there’s good balance on the attack. I’d like to see Nolan use more of Mike Dunham in goal but as long as the club wins with Rick DiPietro, I’ll keep my mouth shut; at least for a minute!

Day and night

2006-10-31T13:02:00.000-05:00

RANGERS – JEKYLL AND HYDE? Talk about Jekyll and Hyde; how about Rangers and Rangers? On Saturday night against Phoenix they looked like world beaters – or should I say merely Coyotes conquerors. And just when everything looked hunky-dory, back-on-track, and all other things good, the Blueshirts, stumbled, bumbled and fumbled their way through a 4-1 loss to Los Angeles. I told my buddy John Giannone at the start of the pre-game show that I wanted Tom Renney to put Kevin Weekes in goal and Nigel Dawes up front. The Kings were as good an opponent as any for Weekes to face; that would prepare Henny Lundqvist for the back-to-back set with Anaheim and San Jose. Dawes has scoring potential but he needs patience and ice time. Instead Renney went with Colton Orr who played a mere 3:47 and was a non-factor offensively. Lundqvist played well, but not well enough and I’m not holding him to blame considering the lack of support he received. But it’s time to determine once and for all how much of an asset Weekes can be – either as a Ranger or as trade bait. The only way that can happen is by playing the man. Ditto for Dawes. So the Blueshirts head for Anaheim Wednesday night as we still try to figure out whether they’re Jekyll or Hyde. This much is certain the defense – especially Darius Kasparaitis and Sandis Ozolinsh, both minus two in L.A. had better tighten up fast or changes will be made. Dr Jekyll where are you now that the Rangers need you? DUNHAM, ALREADY: Like Kevin Weekes, Mike Dunham remains an under-utilized goaltending asset. Watching Rick DiPietro on Saturday night against Florida, I concluded he was average, at best, over 60 minutes and overtime and superb at winning the Shootout. But that’s not justification for playing him every game when the competent Dunham is there and able. One Tuesday night the decimated Black Hawks are at Nassau Colisseum; the perfect time to give Dunny his due. No arguments please!

Rangers coming around

2006-10-30T16:38:00.000-05:00

REVIVED RANGERS: Visiting Los Angeles on Monday night, the Rangers have every right to smile as the road trip gets a bit more intense. For starters, let’s have a chuckle over the manner in which some skeptics scoffed after several Rangers lauded their performance in the 4-2 loss last week at the Garden to Florida. Chaps such as Henrik Lundqvist and Brendan Shanahan saw good, despite the defeat. So did I although others keep insisting that a loss is a loss is a loss. As an old friend would have said to the critics: “That’s right; you’re wrong!” The Blueshirts’ performance in Gretzkyland on Saturday night was not only impressive because of the 7-3 score but meaningful on many counts. To wit: * CHEMISTRY: The hockey club looked like a TEAM from offense to defense to goaltending. * JAGR: As I told my buddy, John Giannone on the MSG pre-game show, “Time is a healer” and Captain Jaromir needs time to heal. I also noted that with each game, he should be better. His two goals and 12 assists underline my point. * RENNEY’S RECLAMATION: Slowly and tenderly, Coach Tom is easing Sandis Ozolinsh back into the lineup. While SO wasn’t exactly Norris Trophy-caliber against Phoenix, he was not a debit. In time, he should remove any need to talk about Brian Leetch’s return. * GOING FOR THE JUGULAR: Once Team Renney had established its superiority over the Coyotes in the second period, it could have eased off. Instead, the boys in blue kept going for blood and put the game beyond reach before exhaling late in the third. There’s still work to be done but the bottom line – as it will be most of the season – is spelled J-A-G-R. And if Saturday’s performance suggests that the captain is emerging from his less-than-overwhelming start, we’ll have a more definitive answer late on Monday night. At this point in time, the operative word is “encouraging.” SWEET SIOUX: Both Zach Parise and Travis Zajac represent the Devils offensive future. However, emergency conditions – sidelining of Scott Gomez – means that their future happens to be NOW. Or, to be more specific, it began in earnest on Saturday night when the two former University of North Dakota aces combined for the one and only goal in a Martin Brodeur shutout over Columbus. (Marty’s second straight blanking, by the way!) Zajac took the second period shot; the puck caromed off the boards and Parise – with astonishing speed and amazing recover-ability – stuffed the puck behind goalie. This is not to suggest that the duet will forever remain united but there was something about the sudden-ness of their jelling that indicates coach Claude Julien had better keep them united – even if Gomer is ready to return on Thursday night for the Islanders. And let’s not forget that, because of Brad Lukowich’s injury, once again the inexperienced defensive trio of Johnny Oduya-Jim Fahey-Alex Brooks managed not to allow a single goal; with some help from Brodeur, of course. Each of the three is playing for a varsity job; especially Oduya and Fahey. Richard Matvichuk should be back before Thanksgiving – assuming that his back is repaired – and David Hale is due even sooner. Scoring still is an issue. I’d prefer seeing Patrik Elias shoot more than pass. The new captain is passing up opportunities either because he’s too generous or too tight; or both. I expect him to bust out very soon. This has been a challenging first month for Julien. For comparisons sake, keep in mind that at this time last year, the Devs were 6-5-0 with 12 points after ll games. All things considered, the current 6-4-0-1 mark with 13 points ain’t too bad! READING RICKY: I haven’t quite figured out Rick DiPietro. Have you? Watching the nimble goaltender facing both Buffalo and Florida, in succession on Thursday and Saturday, I find that I’m looking at two different performers. Against the undefeated Sabres, DP was out-goaled by Ryan Miller when it counted. Yet, I won’t blame the 3-0 loss on Ricky. What I can say is that he didn’t “steal” the game. On the other hand, he played well enough to keep his pals in the Panthers game, surviving overtime in an interesting battle with veteran Ed Belfour. But when it’s Shootout time, DiPietro turns into the second coming of Patrick Roy (or name any other of your all-time favorite goalie) and showed that skill and composure, turning away nine out of 10 shooters, until Andy Hilbert iced the game for New York. Some critics say that DP still loses focus; others claim his defense is wanting. All this may be true. I’m still looking for Ricky to get his game up a notch and I don’t mean on Tuesday night at home against the Blackhawks. If I’m coach Ted Nolan that would be the ideal game for Mike Dunham. DP should be held out until Thursday night in New Jersey. For some reason – no doubt the sight of Marty Brodeur at the other end – Rick gets motivated beyond all reason facing New Jersey. CONCLUSION: Fat contract or not, DiPietro is a work in progress.

Questions loom for local hockey clubs

2006-10-28T13:15:00.000-04:00

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE GOMEZ When a goaltender such as Martin Brodeur racks up his 82nd shutout tying Jacques Plante in the record book, it should be cause for jubilation in East Rutherford. Especially since the Devils ended their three game losing streak with a two zip win over Florida. But the joy is diminished by the sight of Scott Gomez hobbling off the ice with a leg injury that will sideline him for an undetermined amount of time. With the Blue Jackets visiting Continental Airlines Arena on Saturday, coach Claude Julien will have to put on his thinking cap to compensate for Gomez’s absence. Since CJ is such a nice guy, I’ll give him a hand, to solve the dilemma. For starters, the coach should move Zach Parise into his natural center ice position between Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta. Parise has taken his game up a notch in his sophomore year and deserves more responsibility. Sticking with the youth movement, Julien should employ Travis Zajac between Jamie Langenbrunner and Dan LaCouture. The checking-yet-they-can-score unit will be John Madden, Jay Pandolfo and Sergei Brylin with Erik Rasmussen, Cam Janssen and Mike Rupp rounding out the offense. Nobody can replace Gomez’s innate creativity but these ad-lib lines can work. I found it interesting that Alex Brooks once again emerged from Lowell in place of Brad Lukowich without any damage to the defense. One in a row is just fine – they’re 5-4-0-1-11 compared to last year’s 5-5-0-10 – two in a row would be even better. FIGURING THE ISLES Considering that Ted Nolan was coaching against his former Sabres team Thursday on the Island, I expected a positive emotional response from his Isles taking on the unbeaten Sabres. I was very disappointed—and so was Nolan. Apart from sporadic attacks, the Isles were essentially ineffective once Buffalo scored the opening goal on a two-man advantage. Hey, the Sabres are a wonderful team and I do mean TEAM, but they were there for the taking and two possible points got squandered. Unnecessary penalties proved to be the downfall. A more visible Alexei Yashin and Viktor Kozlov would help Saturday night at home against Florida. And as I told Tom Poti, when he gets the puck on the point during the power play he should blast off instead of pass off. Poti has the shot; he should use it more. MINDING JAROMIR’S BUSINESS Is it mind over matter or matter over mind? That’s the question befuddling me and several thousand Jaromir-watchers. The Ranger’s captain continues to sound the way he’s playing – uncertain. It could be the result of his surgically repaired left shoulder and I, for one, never would dismiss that possibility. But this much is certain, Jagr is a shade of his former self. And no matter what the captain says, I buy coach Tom Renneys’ point: Jagr must shoot the puck twice as much as he’s doing it now and then let’s see what happens when the Blueshirts open their road trip on Saturday night in Phoenix.

Don't stress!

2006-10-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

A mere nine games into the season the media noodniks are all huffy-miffy because the Rangers are 4-5, one game under .500 and not yet consigned to the American League. What’s remarkable about the panic press questions following the 4-2 loss to Florida on Wednesday night is that every player to whom I spoke said he felt the club played better than they had in winning over Toronto last Saturday. “The difference,” Brendan Shanahan told me, “is that we beat the Leafs and lost to the Panthers. Frankly, I’d rather have the two points having played a bad game than not getting anything playing well. But that’s the way it is.” Henny Lundqvist was another who told me he believed that the Blueshirts played a generally good game although – good man that he is – the goalie allowed that he could have been better. Judging the team overall, I can see three areas of improvement that will put Tom Renney’s sextet back in the winning groove. DEFENSE Players who starred last year simply are not playing up to their 2005-2006 standard. Michal Rozsival is one example and Marek Malik another. I would have liked to have seen Sandis Ozolinsh back in the lineup for a second game in a row vs. Florida but Renney appears to be nursing him along. JAROMIR JAGR I studied him carefully in the Florida game. No question, there were flashes of stickhandling brilliance and yet another assist – he now has two goals and 12 assists in nine games -- but his ability to intimidate the opposition on every shift is egregiously lacking. * PEP: The élan so evident last season is missing. Maybe it’s the absence of Dom Moore and Jed Ortmeyer who contributed so much hustle. Maybe skaters such as Adam Hall and Matt Cullen need more time to blend into the lineup. We’ll see. This much is certain; the Rangers are hurting in virtually the same areas as the Devils. Jagr often is unseen but, then again, the same can be said of Patrik Elias. New Jersey’s defense has been wanting; ditto for the Blueshirts. And neither Martin Brodeur nor Lundqvist have been overwhelming. The Rangers upcoming road trip will go a long way toward determining the club’s recoverability. As for the Devils, their Thursday night home contest against the suddenly revived Panthers will give a better idea as to whether their slump becomes a SLUMP or if the D’s (4-4-1) climb above .500 once more. There are times when I feel my Ranger viewpoint is clouded by tunnel vision. In such cases I rely on other eyes to give me perspective. My buddy, Ira Gitler, offers this view of the Blueshirts: “In his post-game interview Jagr said it: ‘We had a lot of shots but not that many chances.’ “When I brought the subject up to Renney he answered: ‘Ed Belfour gives a lot of rebounds.’ “True, but the Rangers were not driving to the net for them. “The giveaway differential is very revealing. Florida had 11; the Rangers, 27!!! Two Panther goals were scored off giveaways, the worst error being committed by Rozsival in the third period. “You would think ingrained hockey experience would have had him attempting to throw the puck in the direction of the boards instead toward the middle as he and Juraj Kolnik were skating in the Rangers defensive zone. “The Rangers have a lot of work to do on their western excursion.” Well, Ira and I agree on that! BUFFALO-ING THE SABRES At this point in time, the Islanders are the best of the three Met Area NHL clubs. How good is another question. We’ll know a lot better after Thursday night’s match with the amazingly undefeated Sabres at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A victory – and I believe that it will happen – will go a long way toward turning Uniondale skeptics into believers. And there are plenty of good signs, starting with Alexei Yashin’s revival and ending with Rick DiPietro’s motivation to deliver a definitive victory against the league’s best team. I’ll be focusing on the Isles defense and the manner in which they cope – or do not cope – with Buffalo’s speed and the Sabres desire to maintain their undefeated streak. I believe that this is a game that will demonstrate whether Viktor Kozlov has the goods to skate with the best. Coach Ted Nolan has turned him into a legitimate force but Big Vik’s problem always has been consistency. I see at least one Kozlov score and an Islanders win. If not, I’ll reconstruct my Dream Machine!

Dilemmas, dilemmas

2006-10-25T15:49:00.000-04:00

Claude Julien faces the first decisive moment in his young Devils coaching career. Prepping for Thursday night’s return home against Florida, Julien has four problems to solve: INVISIBLE ELIAS: Where is New Jersey’s captain? Why hasn’t he been producing as Lou Lamoriello had expected when gifted with a seven year contract? DEFENSIVE DUDS: The prime backline combo of Colin White and Paul Martin have been simply ineffective. In Tuesday’s 4-2 loss at Pittsburgh White’s mistakes were egregious while Martin played as if he had missed training camp exhibitions, which he did. POWERLESS POWERPLAY: Trailing by two late in the second at Pitt, the Devils were gifted with a four-minute PP. A goal – or two – could have turned the game around. Once again, it was inept. MADDENING MADDEN: There used to be a time when the top line on the opposing team would fear facing the Devils’ top checking center. In Pitt Madden -3 for the evening. This issue was apparent when the Penguins’ Sid Crosby was a step ahead of Madden scoring the Penguins second goal. As I noted a week ago the Elias salvation is rooted in his being moved back to the Scott Gomez-Brian Gionta line, his natural habitat. Zach Parise, looking as good as any Devil forward would then be moved back to his natural center position with Jamie Langenbrunner and Sergei Brylin. Rookie Barry Tallackson would take right wing alongside John Madden and Jay Pandolfo. Shoring up the cracking defense is a more difficult assignment with David Hale indefinitely sidelined, Julien is stuck with a pair of inexperienced backliners, Johnny Oduya and Jim Fahey backing Brian Rafalski, Brad Lukowich, White and Martin. Bottom line: White-Martin had better get better pronto! As for the powerless power play, conspicuous by its absence is a dynamic-shooting point man. Without one, the Devs are forced to rely on a passing PP in the hopes they can move the rubber to a free man in front. Too often, New Jersey winds up with wide angle shots that are easily foiled. On the plus side, let’s not forget that at 4-4-1-9 in nine games, the Devs are actually ahead of their (4-5-0-9) mark from last season. Now it’s up to Julien to get them back over the .500 mark. POUNDING THE PANTHERS: I’m saying that tonight’s the night during which Jaromir Jagr bursts out of his merely average play. And I’m certain it will happen on the power play. That said, I’m going to be sharply watching how Jagr and Brendan Shanahan interact on that PP. Ideally, the dynamic duo should compliment each other but, on the minus side, there’s a possibility that the two might negate each other’s offensive virtues. Right now, I’m putting my money on a big break through.

No such thing as a lost cause

2006-10-24T17:38:00.000-04:00

SATHER SUPPORTS: During the Summer, when most – if not all – of the Rangers media had considered Sandis Ozolinsh a lost cause for the Blueshirts, I disagreed with their impetuous thinking. Granted, the gifted defenseman has suffered through off-ice problems but, then again, so have many other hockey players and they have solved them. More importantly, I remembered one cogent point and that is this: if any hockey person has consistently shown faith in troubled players and helped them get back on track. That person happens to be Glen Sather. He straightened out players in Edmonton – Craig MacTavish being a good example – and he continues the same policy in New York. There’s never a guarantee that everything will work out honky-dory but I’ll put my money on Ozolinsh coming out okay. His stint last Saturday was not bad at all and he should get better with time. We’re talking about a talented individual in the prime of his career. If the reclamation project works, the Blueshirts not only will have a singularly effective point man for the power play but can forget, once and for all, about bringing back Brian Leetch. ________________________________ DEVILS DILEMMA: Unlike Lightning coach John Tortorella, who put his club through a brutally tough practice after a recent loss, his New Jersey counterpart, Claude Julien gave the Devils a day off following their 8-1 defeat in Ottawa last Saturday. We’ll find out how effective that strategy works tonight when the Devs visit Pittsburgh and are confronted with the awesome Sid Crosby-Evgeni Malkin scoring combo. Let’s face it; Julien – and his defensive coach Jacques Laperriere – have a challenge on their hands considering that Jersey has recently used a trio of relatively untried NHLers on the backline. Johnny Oduya, Jim Fahey and Alex Brooks played as well as they could but, obviously, require time. With Brad Lukowich returning to the lineup, Brooks has been dispatched back to Lowell of the AHL but, still, the Devils D still has plenty of tightening up to do in front of Marty Brodeur. More importantly, the time has come for Patrik Elias to bust out with a goal or two. The captain has played effectively in spots but certainly not up to the standard that he set for himself during the homestretch of 2005-2006 and in the Rangers series. Unfortunately, Travis Zajac remains sidelined with a hip injury which means that former Minnesota star Barry Tallackson will get another shot to show his stuff. Tuesday night’s game has significance in that the Devils at 4-3-1 are at a point where they must show whether they can remain above .500 in a very tight race or whether the start will be as iffy as it was last year. _______________________________________________ ISLES SMILES: You may remember my saying before the season began that Alexei Yashin will return to his productive form thanks to the inspiration – and heavy pushes and shoves – from coach Ted Nolan. Okay, it’s still plenty early but Yash is playing like Ye Yash of his early Ottawa days and that first wonderful year on the Island. Having fellow Russian, Viktor Kozlov on his line certainly has helped but I believe that credit belongs mostly to Nolan and Alexei, himself. The Isles Thursday night home match vs. Florida will give us a good idea whether there’s productive consistency to Yashin’s game. I’m convinced that he’ll stay on track for, perhaps, the best season of his NHL life. Remember, you heard it here first.

Winning and losing momentum

2006-10-19T16:28:00.000-04:00

Having watched the rousing Rangers’ 4-2 win over the Devils at the Garden on Monday, I was convinced that the Blueshirts had found Momentum Boulevard and were ready to go into high gear against Nashville when the Predators came to visit on Wednesday night. Conversely after their defeat in Manhattan, I figured that Claude Julien’s sextet would succumb to the high intensity Penguins when Evgeni Malkin returned to the Penguins’ lineup at Mellon Arena. This only goes to prove that hockey often defies logic. Not that the Rangers played badly against the Preds, but they certainly lacked any kind of opportunism blowing two 5 on 3 opportunities while Tomas Vokoun out-goaled Henny Lundqvist. My point is that the Rangers automatically suffered a letdown after being pumped for the Devils game. Yet when I talked directly to Jaromir Jagr, Darius Kasparaitis and Lundqvist about this, none of them agreed. “We’re professionals,” said Jagr, “and we should be up for every game.” Jagr still hasn’t found his game; or at least we saw every night last season. Coach Tom Renney is acutely aware of this, and said as much during his post game media chat. Renney believes that the captain requires more time to find his Rangers MVP-type groove. The question is how long, and will others compensate in the meantime? We’ll have a better idea after the Rangers’ Saturday night game in Toronto. Meanwhile, the Devils can develop some momentum Thursday night at the Meadowlands when they face the same Nashville team that defeated New York. The most encouraging sign of all coming off the 2-1 win in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night was the performance of three new defensemen – Johnny Oduya, Alex Brooks, and Jim Fahey – none of whom were with the team last year. Brooks is a helluva of a story. A career minor leaguer, he was summoned from New Jersey’s AHL farm team in Lowell to fill in for injured veteran Brad Lukowich. Brooks got an assist against the Rangers and was plus one – on the ice for Jamie Langenbrunner’s winner against Pitt. His defense partner, Fahey, was also plus one. Oduya, who logged 19 minutes of ice time, came out even. It’ll be interesting to have a measure up Thursday night against the hard skating Predators.

Rangers revival

2006-10-17T16:05:00.000-04:00

Was I right or wasn’t I? While the media’s maniacal fringe were busy pronouncing the Rangers dead before they met the Devils, I made it clear right here that all the Blueshirts needed was a win and everything would be honky-dory. And so it is. Tom Renney’s sextet won the thriller on two primary issues; Henny Lundqvist’s goaltending and superb penalty killing. Plenty has been said about Brendan Shanahan’s contributions – all well-deserved. But the other unobtrusive man of the hour was Jason Ward who’s shorthander at the end of the second really was the old ballgame. As I’ve been saying from the get go, Darius Kasparaitis should be a regular in every game; no questions asked. In the victory over New Jersey he proved it again. The Blueshirt’s winning streak should move ahead to number two on Wednesday against Nashville. POSITIVES IN LOSING Okay, the Devils got beaten 4-2 on Monday night so it’s hard to make nice when the Rangers apply the spanking. Nevertheless there were many heartening signs particularly for a team that entered the game with three unknowns out of the six defensemen – Johnny Oduya, Jim Fahey and Alex Brooks. The latter was an 11th hour call up when it was determined that Brad Lukowich would be sidelined with an ankle injury. Brooks not only held his own but the 30-year-old AHL veteran contributed an assist and showed that he’s worthy of continued work. Despite the loss, New Jersey’s offense was often dominating – particularly in the third period – and rookie Travis Zajac’s second NHL goal was a gem of a shot. Coach Claude Julien must address the powerplay deficiencies which were obvious as his boys went zero for seven. He has until Thursday’s home game against the Predators to fix the problem. FLOATING ISLES A shootout loss is a shootout loss but that shouldn’t discourage Islander fans given the aberration of both usually-dependable snipers Viktor Kozlov and Miro Satan both blowing their SO chances on Monday night in Nassau. Their goals will come and so will the wins as long as Kozlov, Alexei Yashin and – most of all – Mike Dunham remain in high gear. So far it appears as if Kozlov-Yashin have distilled good chemistry and might even benefit from Jason Blake as the third man. Remarkably, Dunham is making the Isles faithful develop a case of DiPietro Amnesia. And it will remain that way as long as Mike stays marvelous between the pipes, although for a second it looked as if Kimmo Timonen’s laser off the goalie’s mask might have been fatal. My guess is that the aftereffects of the blast hurt Dunham in the shootout. The good news: Brendan Witt and Sean Hill are improving on the backline and the club has a quick, bounce-back opportunity at home on Thursday against Sid Crosby and the Penguins.

Don't sleep on Rangers; impressive Gionta

2006-10-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

The obvious paradox about the Devils’ two-game winning streak is that Brian Gionta scored four goals in two nights – three against Toronto and the game-winner over Philly – yet he’s not close to being in top playing condition. “Where was I for the first two periods?” he asked-told me after the opening night thriller over the Leafs. Honest as the days is long, the Mighty Mite is just as quick to reject kudos and finger his flaws, as he is to take undeserved compliments. Because he was kept out of exhibition games until his new contract is sealed, Brian will require – at least in his mind – a couple of months before reaching mint condition. If this is how he’ll play being OUT of condition, the Devils will be even more tickled as he improves. But apart from Brian’s big games, I was impressed with the manner in which Zach Parise has matured. His opened goal on Saturday night was a nifty shot from the right side, which he appears to be perfecting. J.P. Parise’s kid is meshing gears neatly with Gionta and Scott Gomez, the latter of whom never fails to hurl a funny verbal dart when he can. “Since Brian and I are the senior members of the line,” laughs Gomer, “any time we make a mistake, we blame The Kid (as in Parise.) But there’s no denying that he’s doing well.” There were some other Devils’ subtleties that caught my eye. Namely: JOHNNY ODUYA AND FAHEY The rookie defense pair are unobtrusively doing their jobs. More importantly, coach Claude Julien had no hesitation employing them late in the third period with the Devils hard-pressed to protect the one-goal lead. FOURTH-LINE BANGERS Julien crafted a fourth line of Mike Rupp, Cam Janssen and Erik Rasmussen. Because of the large number of penalties, the trio had relatively little ice time but when they were on the pond, they played smart, aggressive hockey and forechecked especially well. Rupp, who’s battling Dan Lacouture for a spot on that unit, hustled in the manner Lou Lamoriello expected when he imported the big guy back to New Jersey. JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER The veteran hustler has played well from the get-go but on Saturday night he delivered the key, game-tying goal late in the second on a neat deflection and late in the third had a clean breakaway on Antero Niittymaki. Jamie forced the Flyers’ goalie to produce his glove-save-of-the-season – at least so far – but what’s important is that JL is getting the chances. BRIAN RAFALSKI He may not have a fan club but the compact Wisconsin product is compelling recognition with solid, two-way play. On Saturday, the D-man assisted on ALL three New Jersey goals, yet he someone gets forgotten in the next-day stories. Tonight (Monday night) at the Garden, the Devils will be tested by a team determined to compensate for their Saturday night drubbing in Buffalo. As Marty Brodeur opines, “When we play the Rangers, it’s always special.” So, what about those Rangers? As Danny DeVito painfully noted in a touching scene from “The Tin Men,” when confronted by his wife over poor salesmanship, “I’m in a slump. I’M IN A SLUMP!” A few media types are portraying losses to Pittsburgh (actually a very close game) and Buffalo as something akin to Armageddon. Gimme a break. All the Blueshirts require is a win tonight and all will be rosy in the state of Rangerville. Henny Lundqvist will be rested and back in goal; sizzling Brendan Shanahan should remain in his groove and the defense figures to tighten up, if not become hermetically sealed. Which brings us to the captain and the need for him to lead in every manner; on and off the ice. Jaromir Jagr still is in a recuperative (shoulder) mode and must be cut some slack for now, at least. But Double J must – M-U-S-T – eliminate the penalties that have hurt the team in critical situations. We all know that the refs are calling them ultra-close. So does JJ. If he doesn’t show his team how to do it, who will? Tonight’s Devils’ encounter will provide an excellent litmus test. A couple of Islanders wins in a row does not signify a Stanley Cup contender but there’s a delicious story line here. Mike Dunham, considered washed-up by many partially intelligent hockey observers, won both games; at Anaheim and the home opener on Saturday in Nassau. His boss, Garth Snow, had Dunham’s name on a list of prospective back-ups before training camp opened. The g.m. liked the former Devils’ product a lot but had an interesting reason for rejecting him. Dunham and Snow were buddies and dual-goaltenders at the University of Maine. Snow hesitated signing Dunham because he thought some thoughtless newsmen might accuse him of nepotism. Fortunately, Garth let his conscience be his guide, inked Dunny and Mike has reciprocated with a couple of sterling performances. Even Rick DiPietro would agree with that!

How's this for irony?

2006-10-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

Two of the NHL’s best goalies each allows six goals on the same night. So, does that mean Henny Lundqvist and Marty Brodeur have lost it? Hardly. Call it an aberration; otherwise known as an eccentricity. There’s another cogent explanation; this is the new NHL. Or as Brodeur puts it: “That’s the way the games are now.” The most subtle – and pivotal – move of all in the Devils’ 7-6 shootout win over Toronto belonged to Claude Julien. New Jersey’s coach very easily could have yanked Marty after the second period replacing him with Scott Clemmensen. Few would have argued with the move. As a matter of fact, before the third period began I turned to one of my colleagues and simply said, “Would you yank him?” The answer was affirmative. But Julien stuck with his man; Marty shutout Toronto in the third period, was sensational in overtime and decisive in the shootout. According to my thinking, Julien, as much as anybody gets credit for the win. “You make goalie changes when you don’t think your goalie is on his game,” Julien explains. “We didn’t give him much help. And there were a lot of goals off sticks and deflections. One thing I know about Marty is he’s a character guy and he wanted to fight this.” The one thing I learned about the Devs is that the defense needs work. Hopefully, David Hale will soon be cleared to play. But if that doesn’t happen, Scott Lachance could turn out to be a savior in the Tommy Albelin genre. In the meantime, the Devs can glow over Brian Gionta’s first NHL hat trick and the fact that Mighty Mite is as sharp as ever in front of the enemy net. By the way, it was Gionta who proved pivotal in the shootout. Remember, Toronto was up 1-0 after the first shootout round and was still leading 1-0 before the Gionta attempt. The little man easily beat Jean-Sebastien Aubin, paving the way for John Madden’s winner on the fourth attempt. One other item of note, the Devils’ discipline helped. New Jersey only had one penalty to the Leafs’ five and the Devs scored two power play goals. WHAT’S WITH THE RANGERS? For starters, coach Tom Renney has to make peace with Darius Kasparitis. There’s no point in biting off your nose despite your face. Kasper is an integral member of the team; vital for team chemistry as well as his hitting. At the moment the Blueshirts’ defense – same as the Devils’ – needs work. As my Ranger-watching sidekick, PJ Lally says: “Every time I’d turn around, the Pens were storming down the ice on one of their numerous odd-man rushes.” The Blueshirts are in Buffalo Saturday night and if I was Renney I would make two lineup insertions; Kevin Weekes between the pipes and Kasparitis on D.

Thoughts on first week

2006-10-11T14:18:00.000-04:00

BLUESHIRTS' CONCERNS? Now it can be told; the Rangers won’t go 82-0 this year. Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to Philly was revealing in several respects: 1) JAROMIR JAGR - The captain will need time to regain full use of his recuperating shoulder. In the interim, he’ll need protection because you can bet that some unfriendly foe will be taking dead aim at Jags. 2) BRENDAN SHANAHAN - A part from the fact that Glen Sather’s best acquisition does more with less energy expended, he’s also moving into the leadership role. I don’t know about you, but I found it very interesting that Shanahan took it upon himself to pep talk the club after the first period. How he shares that leadership role with Jagr will be worth watching. 3) HENRIK LUNDQVIST - If my call that Henny is one of the four best goalies in the league is to hold up, he’ll have to do better than the two iffy goals he relinquished last night. As Lundqvist admits, “We have to play better, starting with me.” 4) NIGEL DAWES - I want to see more of him. The little hustler reminds me of Zach Parise who floundered in the first half of last season because he didn’t get enough ice. When he did play Tuesday night, he out hustled his teammates and demonstrated more ice time is in order. Not to worry; no team have ever gone 82-0 in history. TED NOLAN’S TEST Now 0-3 with loaded Anaheim coming up tonight, Ted Nolan must address some obvious concerns, starting with undisciplined play and defensive breakdowns. What’s evident is that some of the key backliners lacked sufficient guidance from former coach Steve Stirling: Nolan has some serious teaching to do in this regard. RICK DIPIETRO It’s easy to put the rap on Ricky because of the 0-3 record, and, of course, his 15 year deal. But let’s get real; the embattled goalie is being confronted with too many defensive breakdowns and odd man rushes from the opposition. DiPietro is the least of the Islanders’ worries. BUFFALO BEAUTS The prevailing thinking among Sabres-watchers is that Buffalo would have to trade Marty Biron to fortify their other positions. Actually, it’s just the opposite; Biron once again is proving that the Sabres are a better team with the remarkable combo of Ryan Miller and Biron sharing the net. Figure Marty to remain a Sabre for this season, at least. DEVILS DEN As the Devs prepare for their Thursday night home opener against Toronto, only one thing bothers me about the club and that’s the right eye injury that David Hale suffered almost two weeks ago. Although the swelling has receded, Hale still is not ready to play and will have the eye examined in Friday. I expect Hale, when healthy, to be a major contributor to the Devils’ D. But eye injuries scare me, and I’m hoping that David gets his full vision back post-haste. I’m looking forward to Claude Julien’s home debut as coach, as well as Patrik Elias wearing the captain’s “C.”

Barry blowing bubbles

2006-10-10T15:53:00.000-04:00

Imagine the outrageous nerve of ESPN’s Barry Melrose putting the rap on the Buffalo Sabres’ new uniforms. What does Melrose know about sartorial splendor anyway? He’s been copying Don Cherry for years and obviously hasn’t looked in the mirror lately. His outfits look like they’ve been designed by a tribe of zebras. PATIENCE WITH THE ISLES The easiest thing in the world is to dump on the Islanders after their first two losses on the road (6-3 vs. the Coyotes and 2-0 vs. the Sharks) and there’s no question that the defense needs work. But isn’t it kind of stupid for the league to force an east coast team to open with four straight games in the west? WHY YES! Before anyone gets too panicky about the early Isles let’s not forget that the Stanley Cup champion, Carolina Hurricanes still haven’t won a game (0-2-1) and lost both games – one a shootout – at home. The Isles need at least a dozen contests before we get a good line on them. Tuesday night they are in Los Angeles and Wednesday they are in Anaheim. THE PUCK FOLLOWS PARISE I’m not going to go nuts yet over Zach Parise’s three points in the Devils’ first two games. But I love the kid’s positive attitude and his delightful “ability.” When The Bergen Record’s Tom Gulitti asked the second year left wing whether he was concerned about a “sophomore slump” Zach shot back, “I don’t know if there’s that much slumping to do. I didn’t think I had a very good season last year.” Which proves that the kid is simultaneously witty and accurate. GILLES REMEMBERS Every once in a while a neat story comes my way that underlines a point about hockey players being the nicest guys in sports. This one is about one-time Ranger goalie, Gilles Gratton (one year with the Rangers) who was contacted by Rangers’ fan clubber, Mitch Beck. Beck, from Monroe Connecticut, also is a collector of memorabilia and sent Gratton a photo of the goalie. I’ll let Beck tell the rest of the story in his own words. “Not only did he send me back the picture that I sent him, he also sent me a signed hockey card that I didn’t send him or even ask for. He also sent a signed Rangers sticker and rare Rangers team card from 1977 that I happen to know is worth a few bucks too. “What an incredibly nice thing to do. I was totally blown away. Some of the guys have written really special and super nice things to me on the pictures, Don Maloney, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bower and Gump Worsley come to mind right away. Glenn Healy wrote me, ‘To a great one of a kind fan.’ “That’s the one special thing about hockey players that separates them from all the other sports.” LEETCH A FLYER: It seems almost sacrilege to visualize Brian Leetch in a Flyers’ uniform. That’s why I find it hard to believe the Philly-based reports that the Flyers would like to sign the future Hall of Famer. Leetch facing the Rangers as a Bruin or Maple Leaf was somewhat digestible. Not so wearing the Flyers’ orange and black. I’m convinced Brian feels the same way and that’s why my prediction is that he won’t sign with Bob Clarke.

The first of many musings

2006-10-04T13:40:00.000-04:00

MY RANGER CONCERN: Heading into Thursday nights opener against Washington, I look at the Rangers with more optimism than in years; but one thing bothers me about the Blueshirts and that concerns the negative talk that has enveloped Darius Kasparaitis since the two of us chatted at the Rangers golf outing last month. Never did I doubt that the Larrupin’ Lithuanian would have any doubts about making the Final Four on D. Yet, front office soundings – especially from coach Tom Renney – leave me wondering how far Darius is from taking a regular turn. This much is certain; there is no better liked player on the team and no one whose leadership qualities come so naturally. Hopefully, he’ll recover from his off-season tribulations and return to the coveted spot he once occupied. A BRODEUR BOOK: The journalist in Martin Brodeur has been evident for the past couple of years while he authored a column for a French language Montreal daily. So, it seems perfectly natural that the Devils goalie would move up to the realm of book writing. The result is Brodeur: Beyond The Crease, Wiley Publishing. The most surprising aspect of Marty’s venture is that his co-author is Damien Cox, a columnist for The Toronto Star. Actually, the explanation is simple: they met through a mutual friend, hit it off – that’s easy with Marty – and the result is 276 pages of good hockey reading. THE FORGOTTEN MARTINEK: With all of the hullabaloo over the Islanders acquisition of Brendan Witt not to mention Mike Sillinger, the most overlooked Islander as they prepare for their opener at Phoenix on Thursday night is defenseman Radek Martinek. Until his injury a few years ago, the Czech backliner struck me as someone with Second All-Star potential but injuries and managerial disfavor militated against it. I say this is going to be Martinek’s breakout year and if he stays healthy it wouldn’t surprise me if he becomes one of the top two Islander men of the blueline. WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM LOU? I had to laugh reading a Bob McKenzie piece in which he infers that some general managers are upset with Lou Lamoriello for the magical way in which he seemed to escape – Houdini-wise – from what appeared to be a hermetically sealed Cap. What did they expect Lou to do – sit in the corner and mope? The man did precisely what any solid general manager would do, what was best for his team. For those who question the legality of the process, all they have to do is read the words of Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly who carefully explained why the Vlad Malakhov trade was on the level. “Obviously, as with any trade, we scrutinize the facts of every trade. This one was no different. Ultimately, at the end of the day, it's our responsibility to uphold the spirit and letter of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We consulted with the Players' Association on this. The bottom line was, in its form, it was a legitimate hockey trade with a trade of player rights and draft picks. It was not something we had any basis to object to or reject. “First of all, Malakhov, while he is -- his current status is he's a suspended player. He has not formally or officially signed his voluntary retirement papers. As a result, he is not ineligible to play in the League. If he were, it may have been a different answer on the permissibility of the trade. But he is not getting paid. He's a suspended player. There is no cash changing hands. There is a cap charge related to his contract on the basis of him having been an over 35 player at the time he entered into his contract. But there is no payment being made to him. ” Case closed! SABRES FIND: Any doubt that Buffalo still has the goods was dissipated on opening night at Raleigh. The club’s shootout win underlines the fact that the goaltending pair of Ryan Miller (last night’s winner) and Marty Biron gives coach Lindy Ruff as good a duet in the crease as any in the league. The Sabres showed poise amid a hostile opening night crowd that featured all the attendant Stanley Cup hoopla. Briere demonstrated with his splendid shootout goal that he should have another sensational year. Okay, it was only one game. But Buffalo comes off with a grade A for starters.