Rangers Ice Devils in Jersey

King Henrik Outplays Marty Brodeur Yet Again


Despite being depleted by injuries on defense, the Rangers used grit and determination (and Lundqvist) to keep the game close going into the 3rd period when their offense kicked in. As Hank kicked out pucks and took some of the Devils' best chances from Kovalchuk, Parise and Zajac, the Rangers heated up with the G.A.S. line providing the fuel. Once Anisimov tapped in a great centering feed from Step, it seemed like the trio was on the ice at all time, jumping on loose pucks and churning scoring chances in the offensive zone. Gaborik's tap in rebound on a strong Anisimov play gave him 600 career goals, and his empty netter (19) later in the game put him one tally behind the league leader, Steve Stamkos (20).

Carl Hagelin continued to find chemistry with Brian Boyle due to their combination of speed and strength as well as both having a knack for the net. An aggressive penalty kill and an Ilya Kovalchuk misplay at the blueline led to a 2 on 1 where Hagelin looked off Boyle then snipped shortside on Marty, who continued his streak of never missing a Ranger game; though at what point do they forget posterity? The aging goaltender had trouble keeping up with some pucks, especially McDonagh's rocket one-timer that dinged off the crossbar, and would've put the game out of reach in the 2nd period.

I liked the Rupp fight at the beginning of the game but I give Jansen a lot of credit for hanging in there against a bigger guy and actually thought he was coming on when the refs broke it up. I feel like Rupp, with his size and strength, is hungry to get involved physically and wants to be a contributor on the team. He skates around with a chip on his shoulder, which is a good thing, and while not a goon he definitely works an intimidation angle on younger players. I think his return to the lineup will help Prust's game stay sharper better rested.

Nice to see Stu Bickel get some quality minutes in his first game. Kind of a bummer that Giannone overshot the interview with his parents and as it extended beyond the tv timeout the Devils scored. Good to see their son get on the board with a helper though.

All in all good W for the Rangers with the Richards/Cally line having a fairly quiet night. Was it because they were emotionally drained from the final tenth of a second win in Phoenix or because Dubi jinxed them? Time will tell. I still thought Dubi played well down low and in front of the net but he just can't seem to put it together. With a Rangers win I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he breaks out against the Islanders and Flyers Thursday and Friday.

Lets Go Blue!

Ain't No Cure For The Wintertime Blues

Being that NOTHING happened in last night's Ranger game against St. Louis I figured I'd show you this Patrick Kane highlight reel shootout goal from Wednesday night in Minnesota.



Frustrating game to say the least. Like playing in Montreal, we have a tough time matching up against the Blues for whatever reason. Lundqvist has never beaten St. Louis in his career and last night the Ken Hitchcock coached club clamped us down with a defensive strategy that we could not penetrate. Even when we had good offensive zone time, we didn't put any pressure on the goalie, and couldn't generate many quality scoring chances. We didn't battle for the difficult areas of ice, and we lost the physical battle along the boards. David Backes was a physical force, tossing Anisimov, Callahan, McDonagh and Gaborick around with relative ease, and we weren't able to get our hits in. While Dubi may've led the team with 5 shots on goal and got a nice primary assist on Del Zotto's goal, he missed the net on so many point blank attempts you have to figure he's back to doing pushups at practice.

Need to regroup our energy for Saturday in Phoenix.

Rangers Shut Out At Garden, But Not By Much

Dropping a 1-0 game to a team that sits atop a division in the opposing conference is frustrating, but not at all devastating. Especially when you note that the Dallas Stars didn't exactly outplay the Blueshirts, just cashed in on an opportunity and we couldn't. We had some chances on the PP, and even though our zone time was impressive, we didn't seem able to generate enough dangerous scoring chances (rebounds, 2 on 1s down low, point blank shots). On top of that their call-up goaltender Richard Bachman was up to the task, stopping 34 shots for the shut out on the road. He's a Colorado College grad, as am I, so I'll give that to Dallas.

During the game my roommate txt me "He's no Jeff Sanger." To which I have to agree. That kid was one of a kind.


Tiger Hockey

The Dallas goal was crafty, began with a giveaway by Woywitka on a clearing attempt where the puck unfortunately seemed to die on the boards. Ribero made a nice feed to Daley who out-waited Lundqvist until he found some room 5 hole.

The most exciting part of our attack was probably Hagelin colliding with Bachman who came way out of his crease to chase a puck. Shouldn't have been called a penalty, but the refs were in no position to make the right call. Not sure how that happens. Maybe it has something to do with the recent contact on Ryan Miller from Lukic and Tootoo?

Regardless, need to regroup for the road trip ahead of us as we tangle with St. Louis, Phoenix and the Devils. We recalled Tim Erixon for the voyage, probably just to spot some of our D on the road.

4 Point Weekend For Blueshirts

Stevie44.com Steps Up Into Bigger Minutes And Proves Himself


"Alright, Who Sat On The Broadway Hat On The Plane From Buffalo?"


Everybody was Working for the Weekend as the Rangers picked up 2 points in Buffalo and then returned to the Garden where they exploded on Florida for a 6-1 W. Both goalies won, we racked up shorthanded goals, PP tallies, even strength scores, Del Zotto improved his (+-) to plus15, Gaborik hit lamplighter 15, and the Blueshirts picked up win 2500 in franchise history.

So much for an awkward let down after the quote/unquote AnisimovCelebration Distraction.

The team effort was strong in both games, but it was the Individual Extra Effort of a few key players that earned the Rangers 2 wins.

RYAN CALLAHAN--Captain digs for extra juice while shorthanded-- a long 1 on 1 ends with a cut up spinarama and a backhand that slips beneath the Enroth's pad. Rangers never relinquish the lead.

CARL HAGELIN--Exceptional speed, quickness in the corners, tenacity and 2 laser-like shots against the Sabres put the game away.

MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO--Joins rushes (huge assist on Step's 2nd goal against Sabres and Anisimov's shortie against Tampa), works the powerplay with great vision and quick hands, and improved his defensive game to a plus 15. Possible comeback player of the year.

DEREK STEPAN--like Cally, his late shift extra effort shorthanded goal spurred on a Ranger victory, tilting the momentum of the game in our favor for good. When analysts talk about Hockey IQ, they don't mean how strong a player is in each facet of the game, but how well that player understands the game and how effective he is at applying that understanding to his advantage. Step isn't the strongest skater, but he knows where to go and gets to where he needs to be. Combine that with a growing durability against tough NHL opposition, exemplary passing skills, vision and you have a clutch hockey player much like Chris Drury at the beginning of his career. Gamer. Big goal type of guy. 20 years old.

With 4 games coming up this week, the Rangers will need to continue to get extra efforts from their whole roster. I was psyched to see Christensen back in the lineup and coming up with a big assist on an Anisimov powerplay tally, if only to use this picture again:


Hopefully we'll see a Twisted Wrister sometime soon.

Rangers Drop One Late To Lightning

The Star Of Anise Outshines The Old Time Hockey Code. Live And Learn

Tough loss at home for the Blueshirts, but we did grab the regulation point. We DOMINATED the overtime, but Garon stood tall for them and made his best saves in the 5 minute sudden death, not to mention Cally hit a post. The truth is we should've never let this game go to the extra frame, and despite all the time spent in the penalty box and the lack of shots we put on net, we had this game in our grasp. Unfortunately we sat back on the last PowerPlay and it was probably our least aggressive look of the whole season. Amidst the lackadaisical atmosphere, pesky ex-Ranger Dominic Moore took advantage of the situation, grabbed a puck near our bench, gained a step on McDonagh and ripped a perfect backhand over Lundqvist's shoulder. Harvard guys are pretty smart I guess.

The real controversy of the game was obviously the Anisimov celebration and the melee that followed. Let me say this: AA got excited after he scored a goal. He's been getting excited lately. He's been scoring lately. His Kneeling Marksman/Front Line Civil War Soldier celebration was probably a bit excessive, but I would bet anything that he wasn't taunting Vinny Lecavalier, who took offense to the gesture and charged Arte, along with the Lightning players on the ice and Downie, who jumped off the bench to get in his two cents in the form of a left handed shot to the head. What is that all about?

At first I thought he was going for this:


I could see him taking this approach next time, classier:


OVie took a lot of heat for this one, baa ziiiiinnng!


At least it wasn't this:

BASEketball Opening Scene from Christopher Corpening on Vimeo.

It was only a celebration. Calm down. He didn't run any goalies, or cheapshot anyone. And it's not like we're in Tampa. We're at the Garden, OUR HOME. If Anisimov crossed the line, and LeCavalier's pride was offended then Vinny should've taken care of it 1 on 1 if he could--I'm an advocate of the players policing themselves. Of course maybe he was too winded from getting dusted by Del Zotto on a full ice sprint that resulted in a great assist on the goal. Other than that though, deal with it. That Downie can jump off the bench and join in, or Stamkos can take a cheap shot with the refs holding Anisimov is just wrong.

Regardless of the celebration, or the momentum shift that may've taken place, the Rangers didn't play a full 60 and that's too bad because we had this game in hand with the 45 or so minutes we did play. Rough night for Ryan McDonagh on defense, but I know he'll bounce back. In fact in the post game, Torts remarked that he's only played in about 45 NHL games which is incredible when you think about how solid he has been for us.

On to Buffalo this Saturday.

Rangers Ready For Rematch With Leafs

Derek Stepan wears the Broadway Hat for the second time.

Following a persevering rally in Tampa, the Blueshirts return to the Garden for a rematch against the highly touted Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. They gave us a good beating earlier in the season, but that was before this Ranger team got its engine in gear. Not only do we have 33 pts to the Leafs' 30, but we've played 3 less games. And we're going for our 6th win in a row, 8th in front of our fans. I, for one, would really like to make a statement in this original six matchup.

Step's gutsy performance coming off an ankle injury in Carolina (blocking a shot, guts) to not only get a key assist on the game tying goal, but bang home the go-ahead earned him game mvp, but how impressive was Anisimov all night? AAs point totals are jumping and he's getting to the net to make the most of playing with Step and Gabbi.

I think we'll see more of the Dubi, Avery, Prust line tonight as they were well-rested in Tampa and I think the physical rivalry of this matchup will benefit them. Of all our lines, they are struggling the most to make an impact and you figure if the game gets rough, these 3 can really shine.

Either way, it's a Garden game and we need to come out hitting and flying. Toronto is quick and they obviously have Kessel and Grabovsky so let's take the game to them, hunt down pucks and bodies in the offensive zone and not give up too much space in the neutral zone to oncoming rushes.

Let's go Blue!

Rangers Sweeten Record With 5-3 Win Over 'Canes

Sauer gets his first goal




I love how pumped Avery gets after scoring this goal. About 2 seconds before we went on this 3-goal surge I txt my brother: "let's bury these guys.". It seemed like they were hanging in with us, but we were a much better team and we weren't really flexing our muscles. Then Gaborik took his game to another level and we were able to blow the game open a bit. Still felt we could tighten up defensively, which is something I'm sure the coaching staff will want to work on before our Saturday Night fight with Tampa Bay because they have Stamkos, St. Louis and Lecavalier who can make you pay.

By the way, Stamkos is leading the league along with Phil Kessel with 16 goals apiece, but Gabbi is keeping a steady pace with 12. Just throwing that out there.

Blueshirts Measure Up In The Eastern Conference, Down Penguins

Chris Farris dons the Broadway Hat

How great is it that the Rangers are finally winning at the Garden, huh? We have the World's Most Famous Arena--newly renovated to lock in sound and maximize the seating capacity--and the best, most rabid fans on the planet, and now after a number of seasons spent middling at home or only gelling on the road, the Rangers and the Blueshirt Fans are synergizing, spouting a dominant 7-1-1 Garden record. And that's 7 wins...IN A ROW, just to be sure.

To me it's just another example of how the resourceful Rangers are making the most of everything they have. Last year, 9 out of 10 LOCAL media outlets were ready to write off Gaborik and put him on the trading block, but true Blueshirt fans not only couldn't forget the dominant debut season #10 had, but knew the Slovakian Sniper had better days ahead of him. This year he is, in Torts lingo, "A Force." Our farm system has consistently provided players who fit into the big club's system and who are in terrific shape so that when a player gets injured we don't have to scramble to make trades. Hagelin and Mitchell are two of the latest, but even Zucc's call up last year was effective and certainly won us some shootouts and OT games. I see the Garden in the same light. There is no way that an asset as strong as 19,000 raging fans cheering their squad and relentlessly ranking on the opposition should be suppressed because the team can't win at home. The Garden should be a hellish, intimidating place for visiting teams to play and this year it is starting to become that. Like I said: Synergy.

now let's take a look at some highlights from last nite:

ON THE BOARD
You could just feel a big play like this from Gaborik coming because he was threatening all night. This is when you know Gabi's confidence is high, look at him receive this pass from B Rad and then immediately shift to take it wide. This clears up his path to the net and he gingerly comes in, makes one last move and is able to find Cally's stick as the Captain creeps in from the boards. Perfect execution, and a prelude to a big night for Money.




TIEBREAKER
Hagelin's speed makes this whole play possible. At the last moment he cuts to the outside, forcing the defenseman to deal with him and move out of the center lane. A controlled drop pass to the trailer allows Mitchell to come down Broadway with all the time in the world. Huge goal for the Rangers at that point, and huge goal for #34. I also think the call up of these two is improving B. Boyles game, giving him a more manageable sense of purpose than on the 3rd line where maybe he was getting caught up in the responsibility of providing the offense. I don't need Boyle netting 22 goals (though I loved it last year), but I'd like him to use his size effectively to free up space for Hagelin to fly and we'll see his point totals cruise.


RICHARDS GETS IT DONE
Not sure what TSN, CBC, or any other National hockey media outlet can't see about this Richards acquisition working out well for the Rangers but the guy is making things happen. He didn't even play such a consistent game, and seemed to struggle at times, but when the Rangers needed him to make a big play he was instrumental in getting it done. Here he takes a pass from Feds and wrists a laser past Fleury just like he did against Montreal's Cary Price at the Garden. Maybe he just hates French Canadian goalies?




PP Tic-Tac-Toe
Now this is how you work a Powerplay. Win the draw. Richards is your visionary, so get the puck back to him as quickly as possible. Recognize the geometry of the lanes and get into one that's open, like Del Zotto does. If the puck goes cross ice quickly and everyone shifts, try to get it to the middle so you capitalize on the other team scrambling out of position. Del Z does it perfectly, knowing where he's going with the puck before it gets to him, and G Money is able to cash in on the 2nd effort with some incredible eye-hand coordination. Simple, right. haha!

All in all a great effort from the boys in Blue. Sure the Penguins got back in the game, but hey, they were the 1st place team and games between these two teams are always close. As Lundqvist noted, we stayed on our game and as a result of that, Pitt took lazy penalties in the 3rd. Even though we couldn't capitalize on the 5-3 it killed off a chunk of time and our defensive play shined for the 2 points.

Lovin' The Garden Buzz!

Rangers Stuff Caps and Flyers With Thanksgiving Leftovers

Winter Classic Jerseys looking good


Rookie Carl Hagelin notches 1st goal in win over Flyers


Ruslan Fedotenko's 2 goal effort against the Capitals earns him the Broadway Hat


The Blueshirt Brigade took the Thanksgiving weekend off but fortunately the Rangers didn't, the latter shutting the door on a 2 game skid to mount 2 consecutive and impressive wins against The Capitals and The Flyers. Probably the most remarkable thing about the wins was the play of call-ups Carl Hagelin and John Mitchell, who fit seamlessly into the lineup notching points in their NHL and MSG debuts.
Hagelin went on to score the 2nd goal against the Flyers with a Crosby-like effort, showing up in front of the net uncovered after reading the cycle out to the point, getting one shot and staying with the fluttering airborne rebound long enough to knock it out of mid-air into the net. I thought Hagelin's speed and offensive instinct was apparent in both games and I can't speak highly enough about loving the play of guys that come out of NCAA College Hockey. They know how to compete.

I think Torts is a bit hesitant to give Hagelin a roster spot because you have to see how he responds to the grind of the schedule (seemed to wear out Zuccarello, and maybe even Step last year) but with the way this kid flies out there I can't see them sitting him in favor of Christensen, who may've seen his ship sail in the wake of his inconsistent play. Not even sure there will be room for Wolski when he gets off the injury list.

Mike Rupp, however is someone I'd like to see back in the lineup, if anything to take some fights off of Prust's knuckles. Nobody is as tough as BP in my opinion. The fight that started the game was the perfect move to kick-off this WInter Classic 24/7 Rangers Flyers rivalry, and it jump-started the club and the Garden crowd. The late 1st period fight against Simmons built even more momentum.

I was also pleasantly surprised with Dubi being put on a line with Pruster and Avery. I think Dubinsky plays better when he gets battered a little in the corners and in front of the net--it get his battle level up and brings out the best in him. With 1 goal on the season, you can't really keep him up on the 2nd line if he's not going, so let's see where this ends up.

Huge contest coming up Tuesday against Pitt. Probably the toughest game of the season so far but the Blueshirts will be up to the task. Have to make sure not to watch Crosby out there, and I think if we can get the Hagelin line in on the forecheck, our newly acquired speed will give the Penguins problems.

Go Blue!

Rangers Drop Hockey Night In Canada Contest, Crosby Returns To NHL

I'm not going to analyze that Rangers loss Saturday night, except to say that it seemed like a fluke. 7 games was a good ride, but you know what will be better? Not dropping 2 in a row.

Since the Rangers are off tonight, the best thing on TV besides a 2 hr. long string of It's Always Sunny... reruns on Comedy Central has to be the return of Sidney Crosby when the Penguins take on the Islanders. With concussion injuries, there is always the worry that the player will take another hit to the head as a result of slowed reaction time, and symptoms will recur and possibly worsen. My personal interest lies not so much with Crosby (though I think it's a shame, if not a crime, that someone with his talent would be forced out of the game early due to an injury), but with Marc Staal, who as you know is still out with post-concussion syndrome and there is no listed timetable for his return. I am interested to see how Crosby physically handles the game tonight and in the next few weeks, to provide something positive for Staal to use as motivation. We've seen players come back from concussions and be shadows of the players they once were, and/or be unable to continue in the NHL (Pat Lafontaine, Eric Lindros, Marc Savard). The severity of each case is different obviously, but I'd like to see a player in today's concussion monitored league who followed doctor's orders and rested for significantly longer periods than were initially expected come back and be the same player they were.



As a Ranger fan I say Good Luck to Sid, and good luck to all the players dealing with Concussion injuries. We want you all back in the league.

Broadway Hat Looks Rad on B. Rad

Huge victory on the Island last night for the Blueshirts. The streak rolls on to 7 wins in a row, and hat-wearer Brad Richards put up his 8th point in as many games, ripping the game winner over the shoulder of Nabokov late in the 3rd period. Even Al Truatwig had to rescind on his lobbying for the Broadway Fedora in the presence of Richards in the postgame interview, calling it, aptly, the Broadway Hat. Small step for man, but a giant leap for Ranger fans.

Lets WORK THE POINTS on last night's Win:

HENRIK!! HENRIK!! HENRIK!! While the offense was stalling at the beginning of the season, Hank was still playing great goal for the Rangers, but it seemed there was little he could do when we were putting the opposition on the powerplay 8 and 9 times a game. During this winning streak The King is 5-0 and last night he was an absolutely clutch performer. It was a close game. The Islanders are a good team, and their top line dismantled us the last time we met, but Lundqvist was phenomenal last night.

Look at this sequence below with the Ranger lead on the line and the Islanders pressing in the 2nd frame. Hank uses his mask to control the action, then waits out an impatient Parenteau in a game of goal-line chicken.


Sorry, PA.

OFFENSE FROM THE DEFENSE
I love it when our D gets involved in the goal buffet. Early on it was McDonagh being a hero, then Girardi and Del Z added to the Powerplay attack, Woywitka earned his stripes and last night hardworking, underrated Stevie44 finished off a perfect cross ice Callahan feed after spending 2 minutes in the box for sticking up for himself when Matt Martin ran him in the corner. (True Prust got in their for the fight, but I think it was actually Emminger's retaliatory hit that caused Martin to immediately retreat to the lockerroom holding his shoulder. Bottom line: you don't mess with Stevie44!)

AVERY
Can't deny the impact 16 has had the last 3 games. It started when he got the cobwebs off his knuckles by fighting Zenon Konopka in Ottawa and has carried through with 2 goals, penalties drawn, + ice rating and more sustain on the forecheck. Last night's goal sparked the club and gave the Rangers the start they needed on the Island to be successful. Sean had Mottau off his game the whole night and even though the emotion of the rivalry seemed to un-discipline our team a bit (too many penalties, old habit) we kept patient to our game plan and prevailed.

CALLY, DUBI AND RICHARDS
Let this be the line. It's insane to me that B. Rad should play 3rd line. I know they want to get Boyle going and keep Avery's momentum at a full charge, but the line of Richards, Dubi, Cally coming off the GAS line (who were dangerous, though scoreless) is the best 1-2 punch we can put together. On top of that, Avery scored on a play set up by Boyle. And Richards scored on a play set up by Dubi. So learn from what works and keep those guys together in Montreal, eh?

Dubinsky, Avery Join The Party

The fact that the Rangers could nab as many wins as they have at this point of the season WITHOUT Brandon Dubinsky scoring a single goal is a mind-blowing testament to how well they've played as a team, and how timely the G.A.S. line and PP scoring has been. But Friday night Dubi broke out, tracking the rebound of a Cally bad-angle shot and slamming it into a wide open net. Guess there's no such thing as a bad angle when you've got guys desperate for rebounds hawking the slot for scraps of trash. 17 followed this up with perhaps his most Dubi-istic effort of the season on his very next shift, demonstrating his horse-like strength in the corner, protecting the puck against 2 defenders, keeping his feet moving as he muscled and churned below the goal line to ultimately free himself long enough to get a wrap around chance on the far side that Callahan was able to finish off with he and B Boyle crashing Cam Ward in the paint. The Rangers scored 4 in the third period to finish off the struggling Hurricanes and extend their win streak to 6 with a 5-1 W.

I can't wait until Brian Boyle gets his offense going. You can just tell he's dying to get on the board more and after watching the latest episode of "Beginnings" on MSG network, and seeing how hard he works at getting better during practice and in the weight room, you can't help but root for him. A goal against the Islanders would certainly put him right on the track towards where he needs to be.

Al Trautwig continued to annoy by referring to the Rangers' game mvp hat as The Broadway Fedora, explicitly calling it that in the postgame broadcast. I guess that's the way it'll be for now, being that Al has the microphone. Kevin Delury, who runs the official New York Rangers blog, made mention of The Blueshirt Brigade's article on the matter. Thanks KD.
http://www.nyrangersblog.com/2011-articles/november/dubinsky-looks-dapper-in-thebroadwayhat.html

Most importantly, though, is that we are winning, and we have a chance to pass the hat around. #bluepeopleproblems

Speaking of The Broadway Hat, with an electrifying goal and drawing 2 penalties, Sean Avery could've easily worn it. If Avery can consistently have this kind of impact, not only will Torts be forced to find more ice time for him, but the Rangers can really find some spike in their bottom 6 forwards with Avery maybe picking up some of the slack that a banged-up Pruster has been struggling to grab and run with.

Check this skill out:


not bad, right? I would've loved to be at the Garden to hear Blueshirt fans go nuts.

Can't wait for this rematch on the Island. Their top line tooled us around last time we met coming off that Europe trip, but this time we have a top line that's working and we'll be up for the challenge.

Let's Go Rangers!

Top Line Ensures Rangers Come Out On Top In Ottawa

No doubt Artem Anisimov's 2 assist night earned him the Broadway hat last night, but it was probably his rink-length full speed back check that saved the Rangers' bacon early in the 2nd period last night and inspired the W. The game had a funny start with the Rangers--who have had great Garden starts--unable to sustain any forecheck on the forecheck, and were guilty of giving up far too many odd man rushes--routine 2 on 2s turning into 4 on 2s. Fortunately Lundqvist was sharp and kept the Blueshirts in it, as always. Sean Avery answered the bell with his biggest contribution since being reinstated into the lineup, fighting that goon Zenon Konopka after the latter flung some vengeful words towards the Rangers in a pre-game interview referring to an unpunished elbow Wolski inflicted on Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson when the teams met two weeks ago.

Despite the start, the Gaborik, Anisimov, Stepan line came out flying all over the ice, generating scoring chances on their first 2 shifts, but the rest of the lines were unable to sustain. Early in the 2nd, the newly titled G.A.S. line got caught deep with all three forwards below the circles. The Senators broke up the ice 4 on 2 but it was a long backcheck by Anisimov, skating in full stride to arrive in the nick of time, that tipped a cross ice pass into the safety of the corner. Torts praised Anisimov's play over the weekend at the Garden, and commented that he liked AA up there because his excellent defensive instincts keep this line rooted.

And now that the roots are planted firmly, the fruits are growing in the heights of the trees. Down 1-0, the G.A.S. line answered immediately with Anisimov working a forecheck, causing a turnover that Stepan picked up and found Gabbi wide open across the ice. Shortly after it was another aggressive forecheck from AA and Step that resulted in a giveaway and this time Step put it in. In the 3rd period, Step headmanned to G Money on a long, slow 2 on 1 and the re-invigorated sniper cashed in, darting a snapshot over the goalie's shoulder.

The G.A.S. line combined for 7 points as the Rangers notched up their 5th win a row. If only we can get Dubinsky rolling. Goal-less on the campaign thus far, and victim of a holding penalty last night, Torts took him off the Richards/Cally line in an effort to see if something would click between Dubi Prust and Boyle.

Hey Trautwig, It's Called The Broadway Hat

Derek Stepan muggin' it up in The Broadway Hat following a 2 point night in the Rangers 3-0 win over Winnipeg. Half a second after G. Money smacked that 2 on 1 pass into the back of the Jets' net in the 3rd, my dad txt me: "Step is a Beast right now." The sophomore has finally awoken from his early season slumber and in the last 4 or 5 contests has come into his game. Not only is he seeing the ice remarkably well, but he's understanding the pace of the game also. What I mean by that is he's developing that sixth sense all great playmakers have (Richards has it, Leetch had it, Del Zotto has it in him) where they can not only anticipate a passing lane opening, but also execute a pass when the opponent's sticks and skates have cleared that lane. Early on Step seemed out of sync: passes were getting blocked, heavy-footed through neutral zone, key shots were missing the net (that terrible 5 on 3 PP against Edmonton). He had the skills, but at times he looked like he was struggling to keep in with the flow of the game. Now, as Joe Micheletti stated, he's allowing the play to come to him, and when good playmakers do that, the game appears to slow down around them. The pass through the crease he slipped Christensen on Saturday night and his patience to wait out that 2 on 1 with Gaborik Sunday night until the defenseman's stick was out of reach before lasering a tape-to-tape assist demonstrate his growing comfort level on both the PP and the Blueshirt's top line.

Has anyone noticed Al Trautwig's on-air lobbying to change the name of The Broadway Hat to...The Broadway Fedora? He mentioned it a few games ago, then after the Winnipeg game he brought it up again and asked Maloney and Micheletti if he had their support--they gave it. Now here's the thing: Why? Why try to co-opt something that the Ranger players created for themselves, Ranger fans love, and Ranger media embrace. Why change it, Al?

Look, here's Lundqvist clearly stating that the hat was brought in Europe, and it's called The Broadway Hat. And he'd like to wear it every game. Simple, right?



On top of that, here is a Twitter and Facebook page for The Broadway Hat. These are made by enthusiastic fans who recognize a little something new and unifying in their Blueshirts and are running with it.

I'd figure with how much MSG network and Hockey Night LIve push social media this season (having players answer tweets in between periods, reading fan tweets during the postgame) they'd at least be aware of either of these 2 pages and maybe Trautwig would just let a good thing ride, but he keeps hammering away during the broadcasts trying to get his stamp on what the players created. I'm not gonna say it's selfish, but I will say it's coming off as dickish.

I have no real problem with Trautwig in general--I know he's a long time, passionate Ranger fan, and I know that because I am a long time passionate Ranger fan. He's a good master of ceremonies for Ranger game coverage, even though I know he's probably as big a Knicks fan. I hate basketball. I only have one love. I'm grateful for Hockey Night Live because I love hockey, and need my fix of Blueshirt post game analysis and in all honesty I can't afford the NHL network or the Center Ice Package. But here's the thing: when it comes down to it, players need to come together on their own and gel and trust each other and fight for each other and root each other on and pick each other up in order to unify as the Blueshirt team we all want them to be. When Torts comments 'we got a good room in there, good guys in the room', I believe him. You can see this Ranger organization building off of last year's identity-emphasis to continue to be an even more cohesive unit. Whether it's blocking shots on the penalty kill, or yielding to the Garden crowd and taking Sean Avery back in, or Del Zotto Prust and Boyle's postgame handshake or The Broadway Hat--we are definitely seeing a unification of Ranger enthusiasm. Hell, even the official team website was changed to Blueshirts United.

So why try to change any of that? Why knife in there and mettle? As The King said: "we're calling it the Broadway Hat." Nuff Said.

USA!!USA!!USA!! Rangers Prevail In Original Six Matchup

It was Hockey Night At The Garden Saturday, with the Rangers wearing their heritage jerseys to square off against the Habs. I don't know of too many teams more annoying than the Canadians: they have 24 championships, the Rat Pack (Gomez, Gionta, Suban and Plekanec) and they complain all the time...in French. I guess the only thing more annoying is that their fans can be found at every road game, pretending not to understand English as they cut the line in the bathroom, trying to smoke Gouloise cigarettes inside, and chanting their crappy Les Habitants support song DURING the Star Spangled Banner. Are you kidding me??

Suffice to say it was a raucous night at MSG, both in the stands and on the ice. Sean Avery made his season Garden debut and Blueshirt fans were rocking even in warmups when #16 took the ice for some paces. Plenty of signs and jerseys, faces painted, and fans enthusiastic to have one of the most popular Rangers back with the club (hate him till he's on your team, then you love what he'll do to win for you). I'm a big Avery fan because I like anyone that brings energy to the Rangers and I thought he was our most consistent player in our short playoffs last year--but overall a 3 goal campaign from a talented guy who had enough chances to net at least 8 was disappointing, and I think ultimately what left him off Tort's roster to start this season. The game result last night for Avery was probably a little underwhelming but by no means bad. I think what the Rangers need from him right now is a hard-checking, quick skater who doesn't take a lot of penalties, can control the puck without making giveaways, and throw down some fisticuffs when Prust is banged up. Even the edgy, exciting, agitating Sean Avery, which he's come to be known for, is probably not as high on the Rangers' priority list (or maybe not as high as it was prior to getting their first home win) as people make it out to be. I mean, if you couldn't get excited about that Ranger first period last night, you better have a mirror moment with your soul and find out where the leak is, cause that was some great, satisfying hockey. And 16 was an equal part of it, though rightly not the focus.

Callahan, however, was a focus. The Ranger captain sealed the game with an empty-netter, seemed to draw penalties against him almost every shift aiding and abetting the Blueshirts' strengthening PP, and came to the defense of Brandon Dubinsky who found himself on the receiving end of a questionable blindsided interference by Montreal call up Michael Blunden. Welcome to the show kid, watch out for the right hook.



The Rangers converted on the ensuing Power Play when Derek Stepan thread a pass through the crease to a waiting Erik Christensen creeping down on the back door for his first tally of the season.


I'm psyched everytime we get to use this picture. Keep it up EC! last 3 games: 1 g 3 A and a shootout score

Girardi and Del Zotto also scored and the Blueshirts were rolling. The Habs picked up their attack as expected and got themselves in position to steal the game, but as we've mentioned in games before the Intestinal Fortitude of this Ranger team kicked in and we were able to regain the upperhand when B. Rad took a one-touch drop pass from Brandon Prust and walked into an open center lane to fire a wrister past Cary Price.

Garden Renovations
It was my first game at the Garden this season, and so my first chance to check out the renovations. Overall it was pretty impressive. The main difference I noticed is that there is now no walkway ringing around the interior middle of the Garden, which in the past made it easy to walk around and meet friends and not miss out on any of the action. The new Garden forces every section into the outer corridors if you want to walk around the rink. What's good about this is that because it's a little more difficult to get around, people stay in their seats, which are now on an uninterrupted rise from the arena glass up to the 400 level--and the Garden looks fuller and is, to my attention, louder. With the Rangers winning at home now, hopefully we'll re-cultivate an intimidating barn for other teams to walk into.
ADVANTAGE: NEW GARDEN

The other noticeable difference to the average fan would the outer corridor, which is unfinished and exudes an extremely foreign feeling. Not that it can't be better when it's completed, but for now it kind of blows. The corridor isn't that much wider, and even though there are little cafe-like alcoves where fans can sit on comfy couches and eat Magnolia cupcakes and sushi and drink a $10 beer, I would trade all that for the tight fit of those Food Courts and the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, and the promise of a 3rd period Cookies n Cream sundae with chocolate sauce and a mini sugar cone garnish. But they call me an Old Soul.
ADVANTAGE: OLD GARDEN

The bathrooms seem to be more plentisome, which is a positive, but they also seemed smaller. A group of Canadian fans in Red jerseys were using the whole row of stalls and even though it was a coincidence us Ranger fans on line looked at each other as if we were in bizarro wold. The old Garden bathrooms were cavernous, coveted and intimidating and the road team fans would most often zip up their jackets to cover their jerseys and go piss in the stalls in the back before cowering back to their seats. Maybe it was just the throngs of Montreal fans in particular, but things were a little too safe for my liking.
ADVANTAGE: OLD GARDEN

The renovations will continue in December and for the next two seasons so hopefully I'll get to a few more games and continue to update the changes.

**if you have any opinions on the new look Garden leave your comments in the comment section.

Big game tonight against another Canadian team, The Winnipeg Jets. Let's go for the sweep tonight Blue!
And good luck to Mark Messier running the NYC marathon this morning. Mister New York!


Mess finished with a time of 4 hr 14 min. Back in the 80s my Dad got 3 hr 57 min...no big deal ; ) Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya (duh) set a course record at 2 h 5 min 6 sec.

Rangers Hold Ground At The Garden, Emerge Victorious

Dear Jeff Woywitka,

I can't pronounce your last name. I thought you were slow the first few games of the season and would end up on a bus to Hartford. My interior monologue while watching you play alternated between 'did we pick this guy up off an extras casting sheet from the movie Youngblood?' and 'somebody get dude a haircut already.' I thought your first name was Roy for some reason.

I am sorry. I didn't know you. I'm not too proud to admit my shortcomings.

Sincerely,

Kid Springsteen

ps--seriously though, haircut?

Hey Hannah, Eat This!

Brigade! What a win last night! A timely first Blueshirt tally for blueliner Jeff Woywitka, a nail biting 3rd period with gut-check heroics from Hank, an unbelievably offensive overtime, and a shootout with Christensen and Gabby dropping next level dangles.

While Anaheim grew stronger as the game went on, flexing the muscle of it's top line Getzlaf, Perry and Bobby Ryan, the Rangers were able to counter with high flying Marian Gaborik who singlehandedly matched the Ducks' potent top line scoring chance for scoring chance. When it came time for a shootout, Torts would've been a fool to keep #10 on the bench and the instinct to ignore his SO stats paid off as Gabby wiggled 2 shoulder fakes before slipping a backhand past the outstretched left pad of Jonas Hiller.

The win marked the second in a row where the Rangers have been pushed to the brink but managed to battle through and come out with the 2 points. While the Ducks seemed to be taking the action to the Blueshirts in the 3rd period last night, the Rangers--in the astute post game observation of Woywitka--"played it smart". They gave up chances, but that was to be expected with the Ducks not only coming hard with their big line, but also penetrating prime real estate with the always dangerous Teemu Selanne. Lundqvist held his ground for his first Garden victory and the Rangers fought hard to clear pucks, make crisp breakout passes and man-up on the rebound coverage, denying Anaheim any excessive looks. While we couldn't always deny the threat, we contained it, and ultimately stopped it. Smart. And the final shootout save on Bobby Ryan was fitting as he squibbled one past #30 in Sweden when these two teams last battled.

Big Game against Montreal coming up Saturday. My first trip to the Garden this year. Expect an analysis of the renovations, some pics...and a W. Go Blue!

Rangers Man Up At The Garden, Power Play Pounds Sharks

Look at that smile on the Captain. It's like when your grandpa would let you sit at the card table with him and all his friends and plop his hat down on your head cause you were his little buddy and they would all curse and drink and you felt like a grown up for the first time, even though you couldn't hide the fact that you were the happiest kid alive.

And when the Rangers are winning, and the offense is flowing, everyone is the happiest kid alive. The Rangers pulled off a full 60 last night, and the result was dominance against a Sharks team riding a 5 game winning streak.

Lets WORK THE POINTS

Captain On Track
As expected, Ryan Callahan has used his heart and tenacity to drive the Rangers' offense, now tied with Marian Gaborik for the team lead in goals. What's as important is that the Captain, especially in last night's 5-2 win over San Jose, finally got his forecheck working effectively, forcing turnovers and running Sharks' defenders to disrupt their passing comfort. And the effort was contagious, as linemates Dubi and Richards have also turned up their game away from the puck and the line has been highly effective since the 3 were put together. That Dubinsky doesn't have a goal yet is mind boggling, but he had 2 huge assists last night, is really beginning to assert himself as a horse in all 3 zones, and anyone who has watched him closely the last few games, especially the coaching staff, can recognize that he is palpably on the verge of breaking out.

Power Play Productivity
6 goals for the last 15 doesn't sound so bad to a group of fans that have laughably seen our team go 1-25 multiple times over the last few seasons. We're still 20th in the league on the PP, which means we have a lot to improve on, but the guys are getting more comfortable managing the space out there, and we have the personnel to really make teams pay with Richards, Gaborik,Del Zotto, and now Cally if they give us the opportunity. You can tell B. Rad wants to eat up scoring chances--he relishes the situations where he can work the puck around and undress other teams' shorthanded units--and I think that will only propel G Money and Del Z to be better as they are two players with skill that can really flourish. A key to a good power play is really wanting to score. It's one thing to talk about getting one, or needing one at a key time, but it's another to really live for the PP, to want to dominate and to feel that if given the opportunity, you can. We probably aren't there yet, but with this personnel I feel we can get there. We're moving in that direction these last 2 games.

Intestinal Fortitude
"The collapse" has haunted the Rangers so far this season, not having the strength to finish a game with the intensity and effort it started with, sometimes not having the intensity at all. Against the Maple Leafs we folded when they tied the game up, against the Senators we folded when they tied the game up in the 3rd. Against the Sharks they tied the game, but we held our own, even with blood in the water and San Jose pressing we were able to put up 3 goals in 6 minutes to regain the advantage. Somewhere in that mishmash of momentum swing, memory, and doubt we recognized our strength and our identity and did not stray from it, despite a weak call against Brian Boyle that forced us to start the 3rd shorthanded.

Step and Artie
Both these guys were dying to jump on the goal horse and their lack of productivity was beginning to mess with their self-esteem. Stepan conceded in a between-period interview with Al Trautwig over the weekend that his goal-less campaign was definitely in his head, and Anisimov has looked, for the most part, like a shell of the player he was emerging to be last year. Both forwards have served time on the 4th line after failing to get the job done on one of the top 2 lines, though Step re-gained his position due to some nice passing chemistry with Gaborik. Fortunately these two youngsters netted nice goals last night and were involved on every shift. Sometimes it only takes one to get the ball rolling.

Rupp Out, Avery In? Christensen Still In
With Mike Rupp's knee injury taking longer to heal than expected, and maybe requiring knee surgery, a spot has opened on the club for #16 who cleared waivers and re-claimed by the Rangers today. The best thing about this, in my opinion, is we don't have to sacrifice Christensen to make room for Avery, because I don't think the two are comparable. You give up a lot to have the other, and neither is going to make much of a difference when all is said and done, so I'm glad we can have both because I think they each have unique skills.


In other news, Shark "bad boy" Joe Thornton took some digs at the Blueshirts in his post game interview.

"They were probably the softest team we played against all road trip"

We got the 2 points and we don't play them again this season, so The Brigade is going to take the high road on this one. Probably just kick back and eat some Cherry Pie and youtube 'Shark playoff disappointments'...

***Torts on the other hand had some choice words for Thornton. Gotta love how Torts sticks up for his troops and always protects his players:
It surprised me, and I've never heard a player say that. Joe's a heck of a player, but here's a player popping off about our team, and Joe hasn't won a g--damn thing in this league. He could go down as a player, being one of the better players in our league never to win anything. So what he should do is just shut up. It was uncalled for, it was classless, and I've never had it happen like that before.

DEFENDING STANLEY CUP CHAMP BRUINS ATTEND SHADY WEST HOLLYWOOD SEX PARTY DURING WEST COAST ROAD TRIP

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from The Blueshirt Brigade!

in the spirit of Halloween, here are the Top Scary Masks in hockey

Gerry Cheevers. Tuff.


Best Ranger Halloween Mask? Gilles Gratton. Before my time, but imagine coming into the zone against this maniac. He may bite you if you're in his crease.


BOO! Then again, maybe the Rangers could take some shootout cues from Youngblood, ya think?


Clint Benedict. Creepy. This mask screams "I keep severed heads in my refrigerator."


Who own da Chiefs? Ownz. Ownz.


Hey Ref, what about that slash?


Marty Brodeur, straight chillin'


Even though they were the Oakland Seals, Gary Simmons takes matters into his own hands and has his guy paint a giant cobra in the center of his face. Kind of a "me" move, but I dig the paint job.


Blueshirts still looking for their first win at the Garden and their first 60 minute effort. Fans finally got a glimpse of our new offensive potential on Saturday, with Richards netting 2 and Gabby grabbing 3 points, but the afternoon was tainted by another terrible team collapse.

Let's turn it around already boys. Go Blue!

Torts Crossing The Line(s)--Rangers Dump Opener In Leafs' Lap

Frustrating return home last night for the New York Rangers, who jumped out of the gate with their best period of the season only to see their efforts crumble internally under the pressure of a better, more offensive Toronto club; frustrating for the fans who shelled out, on average, more money for a ticket to the freshly renovated Garden; frustrating for the Blueshirts themselves, who are collectively struggling to find offense, put together a solid 60 minute effort, and build on last year's gritty blue-collar identity which from what I've seen this year is severely diluted, if not completely lost, amidst soft fore-checking pressure, lackluster puck control and what seems like a different line combination every shift; lastly, and I know this may not be popular, but I think it's frustrating for the coaching staff who would probably love to keep the lines consistent but have their backs up against the wall with a group of forwards who are not executing the game plan, reverting to rookie mistakes, taking ridiculously undisciplined offensive zone penalties, and not, for the most part, scoring.

The problem is, what do you do? I know what Rockin' Ronnie Duguay would prescribe:



*artwork by Randi Fusco

And maybe Duguay is right. Torts seemed to think so in his post game, stating there are lot of guys struggling with confidence, but he also said that asa team we are mentally and physically soft. It was an honest assessment from the coach who defended his players by not slighting any one individual and saying that we'll work through this as a club. But is the way the coach works through problems a help or a hindrance to the Blueshirts?

14 different line combinations were used by the Rangers last night in a desperate attempt to create some offense. It could be argued that even when things are seemingly going well, Torts shuffles up his lines too much. It's hard to grow a garden when the seasons change every few minutes instead of every few months. It's going to take some time with this club. The coach has admitted it, the players have admitted it. Why not TRUST the assessment and let the lines grow a little, even if they fail for a while. I don't think the chemistry is the problem, we have almost the same group of guys we had last year and they all want to win--I think the problem is the players themselves. Keep them in more of a routine of linemates and force them to be better, not only culpable in postgame interviews, but from shift to shift.

Look at the defense, for example. We lose Staal unexpectedly but the D combinations have stayed fairly regular and the individuals have, for the most part, risen to the occasion. Keep the offensive lines fairly regular and push better individual efforts out of everyone. At least then you can't put any blame on "confusion" or a "muddled" approach. If we fail, we fail as a players.

WORKIN' THE POINTS

Secondary Scoring
Last year the issue was Gaborik. The team had guys come out of nowhere to put up career goal-scoring numbers and carry the squad while Gabby was struggling and everyone said, if #10 was in form this team would be unstoppable. Now Gaborik IS in form, consistently the best Blueshirt on the ice, and making the individual effort to drive to the net and create chances, but no one else is scoring. The pressure on Lundqvist and Biron to be perfect every night mounts and in all honesty, aside from the 4 goal 3rd period explosion in Vancouver, Hank and Marty have stolen 2 wins for their club with outstanding play, a shut out and a 27-28 save performance, respectively. Last night The King was off. It happens. Shots squeezed through him that normally don't, and he was caught out of his net twice during scrambles in front that fortunately didn't result in goals. But the team couldn't pick him up, even though he did what he could to pick up the team by stopping not 1 but 2 breakaways from the league's leading scorer Phil Kessel.

Boyle? Anisimov? Dubinsky? Stepan? Callahan? Richards?
Of course I'd like to see more offense from all of these guys, but what is more irksome and troubling to me is the puck control. Where is it? Last year Cally and Dubi could keep a puck in the offensive zone for minutes at a time, even if it was just them on the shorthand, this year--if they get it deep at all--they are one shot and out. Richards is clever but not consistently dynamic, a few times he's only narrowly avoided having neutral zone passes picked off when he's the last guy back on the PP breakout He is at his best on the perimeter: behind the net, in the corners and at the point, but we're simply not controlling the puck enough in those areas, having trouble most times even dumping it deep (cue the Anisimov giveaway last night off a rush, that led to a disheartening Leafs goal).

Eric Christensen
I know fans were ready to leave him at the bus stop in Northern Alberta, or anywhere along the way, but I've always liked him even though he's inconsistent and massively underwhelming--the thing is, he is one of the few Rangers who can be a game changer. His twisted wrister is so dangerous that he can take a seemingly harmless play and turn it into a Red Light rally from almost anywhere in the offensive zone...but he only has 1 shot this season! He is probably only in the lineup in case we go to a shoot out, which we've only done once so far, and he missed. And not on a deke either, which kills me.

Come on EC. When are you gonna release the beast on us??

*artwork by Randi Fusco


Fighting
I thought the tides turned for us right when Newbury got his ass pummeled to start off the 1st period. He took about 30 punches to the dome in a span of 15 seconds. I like Newbury a lot, and this isn't a critique of his toughness or his pugilistic skills, but during a home opener it's frustrating as all hell to have the only fight of the night be a one-sided affair that built momentum for the road team. Nobody else wanted to get involved I guess. Not too cool.




The good news is that it's early in the season--October--and we have a nice home stand to get used to the new ice, new boards and, as will likely happen, new linemates. Afternoon battle against the struggling Senators on Saturday. Let's get after it!

Welcome Back To The World's Most Famous Arena

So much to be pumped about tonight:

Rangers finally home.

Callahan captaincy official.

Richards' first game in front of the Garden Faithful.

New MSG renovations.

Michael Sauer back on D.

A chance to hold Phil Kessel in check.


but all I really want to hear is this:




LETS GO RANGERS!!!

Rangers Grab 2 Points To Close Out Road Trip

Damn, that's so tiiiiny. No offense to you, Marty


To a man I'm sure The Rangers would tell you that they weren't at their best in last night's tustle against The Jets--the final game of a 7 game road trip that brought them from Sweden to Manitoba--but they were good enough to get the win and that's all that matters. Offensively we didn't bring enough shots and pressure to the net, but we managed a Fedotenko power play goal and a long overdue Callahan score to eek out Winnipeg's lone tally. Defenisively, we showed a lot of resiliency as the puck was in our end most of the game. Biron was steady and at times sparkling in his first start since an injury took him out of the lineup last Spring, and an extra long, threatening shift for Richards and Prust in the defensive zone protected the lead. Again, I don't think anyone could say it was a good looking win, but it was 2 points nonetheless, gave us a 3 and 1 record on this Western Canada tour, and some momentum for the Blueshirts and their fans to gear up with moving into the awaited home opener Thursday night against Phil Kessel and the Maple Leafs.

Rangers No Show The Saturday Night Dance In Edmonton

Ouch.

What a diva.

True, though.

Soft loss for the Blueshirts late Saturday night. With an exception of Gaborik and maybe Brandon Prust, no one showed up to play the game the right way. Undisciplined offensive zone penalties continue to boggle fans and plague this team's sustain. Our no-urgency 5 on 3 man advantage was demoralizing and ill-timed, as a tally would've put us right back in the contest tied at 1 apiece. Instead, Dubinsky hesitated on the back door, Richards missed the net and sent Taylor Hall down the other way on a 2-zone breakaway, and Stepan sent the best chance of the entire PP up into the rafters on a shanked one-timer. Torts benched most of his team in the 3rd period and scrambled the lines with the leftovers-- I'm sure the ride to Manitoba wasn't a smooth one. Defenseman Brendan Bell had a decent start in his NHL debut showcasing some speed and defensive saavy, but it was overshadowed by a costly pinch that sprung Taylor Hall on a long 3 on 2 where he dished to the trailing 18 year-old phenom Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for the Oiler's first goal. Dubi got caught in no-man's land on the penalty kill as ex-Rangers Corey Potter blasted a slapper from the point for the Oilers other tally.

The only positives out of this game were that Lundqvist admitted he left the game because of his skates bothering his feet and not a more serious injury, and this seemingly unending road-trip (Sweden to Winnipeg and seven games between) comes to a close Monday night against the Jets and then it's time to get the Garden crowd factoring into this season. Hopefully that will help us in establishing ourselves and pushing better 60 minute efforts out of this road-weary bunch.