Teaser

Well that just wasn't cool.

Sometimes it's just easier to lose a game 9-1 than to go down the way they did last night. 

I found myself wanting to say that they fell short in that game... but they didn't. They made it there- they completed the comeback- then they forgot about the win.  They figured the Debbies would throw in the towel, but instead they got pissed off. 

And then I got pissed off. 

Tom Renney must have been to busy celebrating a  hard-fought comeback completed with Ryan Callahan's goal THROUGH a terrible, terrible goalie in Scott Clemmenson. He wasn't paying attention to the fact that Dimitry Kalinin had jumped the boards for the next shift. One mis-play on the puck, and ELEVEN seconds later the Rangers were behind again. And it was over. 

Even I, the I'm-a-Ranger-fan-and-I-am-well-prepared-for-the-worst-case-scenario-to-happen-to-my-team, did not see that one coming. And it hurt.

I was so upset that I refused to blog a post-game post out of fear for what I may write in my frustration- a tip that SHOULD be followed by more Ranger fans around the blog/forum-o-sphere. I asked Bill to restrain from writing last night for the same reason. Nobody should have to be responsible for their words in a time like that. 

But time heals, and here I am.

And after thinking and thinking and thinking about this game- I just can't get it out of my head- that I'm at a point where I don't know how to feel about what transpired.

We'll start with the first half of the game.

Disgusting. Absolutely embarrassing and gutless. They were trampled on the ice and on the scoreboard. They left Henrik out to dry- again. TWO MORE SHORTHANDED GOALS (which I will come back to). At 5-1 I went to shut the game off and go back to my college life. 

But unfortunately- I am addicted to this team.

A little hustle and some terrible opposition goaltending and it's a 5-3 game. I feel some momentum swinging, and it's hard not to be intrigued. This team, opposed to past Ranger squads, allows you to have that glimmer of hope.

Mara scores. There's so much time. Anything can happen in that amount of time. Gosh did I have no idea how true that statement would be.

Cally ties it!! I didn't even see it go in. I just saw the boys in white celebrating, and felt the weight of this comeback struggle lifted. It was a new game!

..... I should have remembered how the Rangers have begun so many "new games" this season.

My father calls and we celebrate this team's heart and desire. Then he says "oh no." And I melted. See, I watch the games on a Slingbox- which comes complete with a 10 second delay on the game. I was watching the puck being dropped but because of my dad I wanted to shut the screen and leave with my tie. I know what's coming.

The puck slides/bounces awkwardly into the slot. Both defensemen are our of position, having been attempting to pick the puck up behind the net. Gianta picks it up- dishes to Elias (HOW THE HECK IS HE NOT WATCHED)-Elias slides it home. I hang up the phone. 

From there the Rangers fell apart, and the game ends with an 8-5 final. The comeback and excitement was for nought. It's hard to be a Ranger fan.

Still, even now, I am trying to get myself to be satisfied with the comeback that DID happen. I mean they did come back from 5-1 down. That's something. How much of a something? That remains to be seen. And we will see tonight, back at the Garden, against the Hurricanes- who blew their own 5-1 lead to the Flyers a few nights back.

8 Goals allowed matches The King's career high. Some may want to (and unbelievably have) said that he is in-part to blame. "His team battled back for him, and he couldn't hold on" they say. Each goal allowed by Henke today was a result of blown defensive coverage, and a man open in the slot, or at the back door (not to mention a puck in the crease that should have been whistled dead). He is not the problem. The problem is this team.

They need to pick an identity. Are they a good team? Are they the guys who win their battles, forecheck hard, put the puck to the net and crash and play responsible defensively? Or are the a bad team? The team who is routinely out-hustled, doesn't finish checks, doesn't backcheck, and can't score goals.

They need to decide. And when they decide, they need to maintain that identity. And play a full 60 minutes.

That game last night, despite the ultimate outcome, could be a turning point of the season for this team. They could see their ability to outplay a red-hot NJD team when all looked hopeless. They could absorb the fact that when they don't quit, they can come back from anything against anybody. They can score goals when they need to (AND WHEN THEY PUT THE PUCK TO THE NET). 

OR

They could be demoralized. They could see how despite their hard work, they didn't get the job done. They could focus and dwell on their faults at the start and beginning of the game, instead of noting them and working to improve.

I am looking forward to tonight's game.

GAME NOTES

- SOMEBODY must take responsibility for this "Power Play". This has gone on for far too long, and AGAIN, it cost the Rangers the game last night- in more way than one. 0-for-8. With TWO shorthanded goals against. Not only do they not score on their man-advantage chances, but they're STILL giving up goals short-handed at an ALARMING pace. TEN?!?!? TEN SHORTHANDED GOALS AGAINST!?!? How? I don't know. 

... Perry Pearn is in charge of this Power Play. When car manufacturers build a car, you have the guy who makes the engine. Another guy puts the steering together. Somebody else is in charge of the breaks. If the breaks guy doesn't put them in, you don't look for new breaks... YOU FIRE THAT GUY. What he is doing is OBVIOUSLY not working, so get somebody else IN HERE TO FIX IT! NOW!!!

-Colton Orr on the PP at the end of the game? Really? That's not what I meant by change, Tom.

- The Naslund-Gomez-Zherdev line looked real good in this game. Well.. at least for those 30 minutes. But during those 30 minutes they were nearly unstoppable. They could be a force to be reckoned with.

- Kalinin is now -15 on the season. Rozsival a -12. LOL....Both were instrumental in last nights loss with horrible games. Again.

-Poor Henrik. I just hope the guy doesn't get TOO frustrated and quit on this team. I don't think he will.

- I ALMOST forgot how much I hate losing to the Devils. I mean it had been a while!

STARS OF THE GAME

3) Markus Naslund- 1g 1a... Has been solid and productive for an extended period of time now.

2) Scott Gomez- 1g 2a... Found his legs for yet another good performance against his former team.

1) Nikolai Zherdev- 1g 3a... The kid creates so much with his speed, hands, and instincts.

-Rif