John Tortorella

Chris Drury

Henrik Lundqvist

Jason Arnott

Dan Ellis

Notes:

POST-GAME QUOTES

John Tortorella on the team…

“When you are trying to crawl out of a hole and trying to gain some consistency in your game, your structure of your team concept and your discipline, at all times, at this time of year, is so important.  We are not good enough not to be dead on with that stuff there.”

Henrik Lundqvist on his play…

“I felt good.  There were a lot of breakaways tonight.  They created a lot around the net.  I knew, going into the game, I can’t afford any mistakes.  I think the D played really well around the net.  It is really tough.  We play as good as we can in our end, still let up a couple of breakaways, but I still think we played pretty good in our end.  It comes down to scoring.  You can see how you feed off of a goal.  As you score we get energy and some speed but then they score and we lose that energy a little bit.”

Chris Drury on the team…

“We have just been trying to play the right way. We have been playing the right way for the most part. It’s just such a fine line in this League, the smallest little mistake, whether it’s a penalty or just not finishing a great chance, or just the bounce of the puck can cost you the game and can get you spinning in the wrong direction.”

For more information contact Bob Trainor at trainorcomm@gmail.com.

Reportedly, the Blueshirts will send disgruntled forward Ales Kotalik and disappointing left wing Christopher Higgins west for center Olli Jokinen and enforcer Brandon Prust. It’s a win-win for the Rangers, since they would free up salary on the cap while addressing two very pressing needs.

Yet, they are reportedly waiting for Kotalik’s approval, since he has a limited no-trade clause in his contract. One of those teams is the Flames.

If the details can be worked out, general manager Glen Sather would have found his No. 1 pivot to go with Marian Gaborik and a tough guy, a role both Donald Brashear and Aaron Voros failed at this season for different reasons. (Brashear doesn’t fight, while Voros doesn’t win his fights.)

In Jokinen, the Rangers get a 31 year-old veteran who has scored more than 30 goals four times in his career and current has 11 lights of the lamp with 24 assists. He will immediately become the No. 1 center on the team between Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik, forming a very good scoring combination.

Prust will become the Rangers fighter, a role they sorely missed this season after Colton Orr left as a free agent and his replacement Brashear turned out to be a bust.

In turn, the Sather will ship away Kotalik, who has been a healthy scratch for the past eight games and reportedly was looking to be traded. On the season, he has eight goals with 14 assists and an awful minus-18. The former Buffalo Sabre was supposed to the answer on the power play point when he signed a three-year, $9 million contract over the summer, but he couldn’t handle that role and his defense has been extremely suspect.

Also going to Calgary will be Higgins, who came to the Rangers in the Scott Gomez trade. A former 20 goal scorer, the Smithtown, NY native just couldn’t find the net this season and only has six goals with eight assists and a minus-9.

If this trade goes through the Rangers would assume Jokinen’s $5.25 million contract for the rest of the season, yet is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and Prust makes $500,000. Sather will free up Kotalik’s $3 million per for the next two seasons with this trade.

Higgins will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Nothing will be announced until later today at the earliest. In the meantime, Ranger fans can take solace in Gaborik’s natural hat trick in the team’s 3-1 win over the Avalanche.

“It wasn’t like I asked to go.  I loved my time here,” Gomez said, before the two goals apiece by Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky lifted the Rangers to a much-needed 6-2 victory at Madison Square Garden last night.

“Having some familiarity with Brian [Gionta, who played with Gomez in New Jersey] and myself [the last two seasons in New York] has made his transition a little easier,” added Paul Mara, the bearded defenseman who moved on to Montreal after New York did not tender a free agent contract.

“Scotty has an infectious personality that everyone around him can enjoy.”

Except the Garden fans, who booed Gomez whenever he touched the puck.  Apparently, they did not feel he was worthy of the $51.5 million, seven-year contract he signed on July 1, 2007.

Gomez, a playmaking center, had 58 points and a -2 rating in 77 games last season; it was his first negative campaign since 2001-02.  Just one day before his second anniversary with the Rangers, he was jettisoned to Montreal, largely for Christopher Higgins.  The money New York saved was ultimately used to sway free agent Marian Gaborik.

On this evening, Gomez and his mates, currently on the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff race, encountered a Ranger squad that had tallied exactly one goal in its last three games.

Following consecutive shutout losses on Garden ice, New York dropped a 4-1 decision last night in St. Louis.  Its lone scoring play featured Brian Boyle’s fourth goal and Aaron Voros’ second assist, which spoke volumes about the lack of overall scoring.  That was all the Rangers had mustered over the last 172 minutes, of game time, or nearly three hours of real time since winning 3-1 in Boston on January 9.

Until tonight, when Callahan opened his career-best four-point game by tipping Marian Gaborik’s goalmouth pass behind Jaroslav Halak just 57 seconds into the second period.   By the end of the stanza, Dubinsky had added two goals, including the Rangers’ fifth shorthanded tally of the season.

Gomez, whose personal four-game point streak was snapped, admitted to not “keeping tabs” on the Rangers’ helter-skelter season, instead looking to focus on what is required for the Canadiens to finish among the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.

“It just means every game is a playoff game. But, we’re just starting to get healthy, so we’ll take it from there.”

Coincidentally, there is exactly where his former team is also looking to finish.

[ John J. Buro is the author of “Open Court: A Year With the New York Knicks”, which is now available through www.opencourtbook.com. ]

It was supposed to be Jaromir Jagr, but he was never the same after his shoulder was dislocated in the 2006 playoffs. And Scott Gomez never clicked with anyone he played with on his line.

Chris Drury was supposed to be clutch, but the drain of being a sniper was never his forte.

The Rangers needed a scorer. Everyone knew it. And it took a couple of years for general manager Glen Sather to find one.

And now Marian Gaborik is paying instant dividends.

Take last night’s 4-3 win in Washington. After Washington tied the game on a very bad let-in by Henrik Lundqvist and then went ahead on a power play goal, the Blueshirts looked sunk.

But enter Gaborik, the play-maker, who scored two to give the Rangers two – points, that is.

“That’s what makes players like him so special,” Drury said, as reported by Newsday. “They can change the game on one shot and they can win a game on two plays and two shots.”

Those two shots came almost immediately. Just 18 seconds after the Capitals went up on Niklas Backstom’s tally, Gaborik came in with slap shot past Jose Theodore. And then beat the Washington netminder 2:33 later with the gamewinner.

“That’s a goal-scorer for you,” Henrik Lundqvist said to reporters. “That’s why we signed him.

“I owe him dinner”

Many heads shook when the Rangers dished out $37.5 million over five years for the oft-injured Wild star. Was this just another Blueshirt blunder or could Gaborik become the player the team craved.

“I don’t think he was playing all that great up until that point, but that’s the difference when you have this type of player, a gamebreaker – at a key time he ends up producing,” said coach John Tortorella to reporters. “That’s what he has to be about.”

Sure it’s only been four games into the season, but Gaborik looks right at home on Broadway. His skills have translated into Tortorella’s system and has paid immediate dividends.

Yet, his health is still a concern. The Rangers were smart to keep him out the first week of camp, just in case and then used him sparingly in the games he did play. Now the 27 year-old looks like he’s on his way to his best season, after missing most of 2008-09 with a hip injury.

And with that type of top line, Lundqvist can make all the mistakes he wants, because he knows, that Garborik will be there to back him up.

Predictably, many Ranger fans were at a loss for words, questioning handing out such a deal to a question mark a day after Sather unloaded cap headache Scott Gomez to Montreal that landed Chris Higgins and top prospect Ryan McDonagh.

So, is it time to panic yet again in Ranger land? No. It’s a little premature to start going nuts over whether Gaborik will play 82 games or the running joke of 20 starting next season. Let me be clear on something. A lot has been said about this deal. The words “injury risk” has been tossed around repeatedly more than Paris Hilton jumps in the sack. Heck. I even used it here.

Anytime you sign a player long-term, there’s always the chance they could get hurt. Unfortunately, that’s the risk you run when you commit a big salary to a star player. While it’s true Gaborik doesn’t have the best track record, it also applies to any other free agent as well. Wonder how Chicago feels about Marian Hossa being there for a dozen years? You can bet your bottom dollar a Cup starved city (1961 folks) that hasn’t seen the hardware since Bobby Hull was blistering 130 MPH slapshots will be holding their collective breath.

Any player can go down at any moment. Last season, the previously durable Martin Brodeur missed over 50 games with the Devils. No one saw that coming. So, there will always be that high risk with a player who played in only 17 games last season, totaling 23 points (13-10-23) due to Wild team doctors misdiagnosing a bad groin, which really was a hip injury that required surgery. Oddly enough, the previous season, Gabby missed just five games totaling career highs in goals (41), assists (42), points (83) and plus/minus (17).

Make no mistake about it. When healthy, the 27 year-old Slovak is one of the elite scorers in the game. When’s the last time this team had a player of this talent in their prime? Of course, many would say Jaromir Jagr, who had a remarkable 2005-06 establishing new franchise single season marks in goals (54) and points (123)- leading the club back to the postseason. Too bad for the Rangers No.68 was 33 going on 34 with production dropping his final two seasons (‘06-07: 30-66-96, ‘07-08: 25-46-71) on Broadway. Makes ya wonder what he might have done had the team gotten him when the Pens refused to grant his wish instead sending him to Washington.

There’s no point in looking at previous rosters. We could reference any big name and it would draw the same negative reaction. We’ve had plenty of stars who came here and didn’t panout. Most including concussion risk Eric Lindros-who had the club in first before the roof caved in- had already seen their best days. You have to go back to Mark Messier, who against the odds led the franchise to hockey’s pinnacle.

Should Gaborik be mentioned in the same breath as one of the greatest leaders in all of sports? Of course not. However, his best days still might be ahead. Over eight seasons with Minnesota playing for conservative coach Jacques Lemaire, the former 2000 third overall pick finished with 219 goals and 218 assists for 437 points in 502 games. Despite missing 65 games in 2008-09, he still averaged over 62 games for his Wild career. In each of the first five seasons, he played in 65-or-more contests.

Aside from 2006-07 in which he got into 48 and this past season, Gaborik’s played in at least 65 six of his first eight NHL campaigns. Five of those seasons have seen the electrifying right wing produce 30-or-more goals including the injury riddled ‘06-07. Yes. He scored 30 in 48. The Rangers haven’t had a 30-goal scorer since Jagr in 2006-07 when the club took a deeper Buffalo team six games before falling in the Conference Semis.

Once Gaborik puts that No.10 Ranger jersey on, he automatically becomes the most dangerous player we’ve had since Jagr. And here’s the thing. Despite the injuries, all you had to do was see how he looked towards the end of this season to know that he hadn’t lost a step or the tremendous skill, putting up 18 points the last 11 games including 10 markers following hip surgery. In fact, he finished the year on a seven-game point streak (7-6-13)- nearly getting Minnesota in the postseason despite playing for a coach he supposedly didn’t get along with.

That’s how physically gifted Gabby is. Is it boom-or-bust for the Rangers? No doubt. There will continue to be plenty of questions until it all starts for real this October. That’s when he can begin providing answers.

“I feel great, and I don’t see any problems down the road,” said the newest Blueshirt earlier today when being introduced. “I will be coming to training camp in top shape.”

Is it a big change from playing in hockey crazed Minnesota? No doubt. Believe it or not, a lot more people pay attention to hockey in St. Paul than here. Of course, there will still be plenty of pressure. But it’s something Gaborik welcomes as he enters the next phase of his career.

“I’ve only experienced playing in the NHL with one team, eight years in Minnesota, and I had a great time there,” he noted. “Obviously this is a big change and a big opportunity. Life brings a lot of changes, and it’s starting to hit me now that I am becoming a Ranger and it’s very exciting. The page turned (Wednesday) and I am starting a new hockey life.”

Of course, everyone will remember this remarkable five-goal, six-point virtuoso performance in a 6-3 Minny win over the Rangers a couple of seasons back.

“That night was just something,” remembered Gaborik. “(Lundqvist) is a great goaltender, but I guess when you are in the zone and everything you touch goes in, that’s what happens.

“Hopefully I can have that kind of game in a Rangers uniform.”

Here’s another video of our newest star via NHLVideo featuring the epic conclusion that left MSG’s Sam Rosen to say, “It’s Marian Gaborik Night in St. Paul.”

True enough, I’m not going to sit here and predict that it will work and Gaborik will magically stay healthy throughout his New York Ranger career. What I do know is how explosive he is. We haven’t seen a player with this kind of gamebreaking speed since Pavel Bure’s brief stint. This guy is in a different league in terms of skating and playmaking. It’s not just that he can do the one thing none of our roster could- FINISH. But he also possesses great hands more than capable of setting up teammates.

Unlike most, I’m not going to kill Sather for turning Gomez into Gaborik. Who would you rather have? Bottom line. We still have Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky here because Slats didn’t cave into Bryan Murray’s demands and trade for vanilla persona Dany Heatley. What did the Rangers lose yesterday? All it was was money on a marquee player who could fill the team’s most glaring need.

They didn’t sacrifice young players with character that we like in Dubi, Ryan Callahan and Lauri Korpikoski, who all must still get re-signed along with Higgins. Even with Gabby here along with evil goon Donald Brashear, who might become the first Ranger to get booed during Opening Night, the club is currently listed at 40.364 million according to nhlnumbers. That still includes recently retired Markus Naslund, who supposedly took the club off the hook for the three million he would’ve received in 2009-10. So, I’m not sure if that’s entirely accurate.

If the three million does come off, that can be used well by Sather on one of our key restricteds including Russian enigma Nikolai Zherdev, who they qualified at 3.5 million. Is the 24 year-old -who finished tied for the team lead in scoring with 58 points and second in goals with 23- still part of the club’s plans? Figure that to be left up to John Tortorella, I have to believe had a say in the Gaborik signing.

If this team wants to make the playoffs a fifth straight season in what promises to be a very tough East, they’re going to have to score more goals. How they even qualified this past Spring netting only 210, which tied with Tampa Bay and was nine better than the putrid Islanders, remains one of life’s unsolved mysteries. With the powerless play ranking 29th yet they somehow managed to win three of the first four mostly on Lundqvist’s back before predictably caving into Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Gaborik can certainly help in the scoring department. The big question is was Sather being 100 percent truthful about giving Dubinsky a shot as the top line center? Or is he as usual blowing smoke from that Cuban, readying to pluck someone from the bargain basement? You never can tell. A lot depends on if he can find a taker for Michal Rozsival (5 M). If he’s moved, that would clear enough room to bring someone else in and allow Dubinsky and Drury to settle into the second and third line while working in former second round pick Artem Anisimov.

I will say that I don’t see this team contending next season anyway. I really believe they’ll become a serious contender in 2-3 years when third round steal Evgeny Grachev gets acclimated along with the rest of a very promising blueline. When you see what Grachev can do, it’s hard not to get excited about our team’s future. Just imagine what he could’ve done with Alexei Cherepanov. It’s still extremely sad and my heart will always go out to his family.

Does anyone really believe this team would’ve been forced to bring in another big ticket if our former 2007 first round pick hadn’t tragically died? I have to think when they brought in Gomez, they did it believing he’d be a great complement to Chery. Having that kid would really have changed the perplexion. It is what it is. Sometimes, life’s unpredictable. I’m really glad they did a tribute to him at last week’s Draft in Montreal. That was very classy. Also, the KHL named their top rookie award after him. So, he will always be remembered.

As for how our team will look this Fall, I’m certain Sather isn’t done. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. For now, all I know is replacing Gomez with Gaborik, Higgins and McDonagh- who’s projected to be a top pair defenseman- is a huge step in the right direction.

Want to bitch about something, do it about that thug Brashear, who shouldn’t be allowed to put the Ranger jersey on. But at least we know why Slats signed him. To protect Gaborik.

Now is not the time to panic. If at some point our senile GM does something silly, then I’ll join in. For now, relax. Enjoy the summer weather and have a cold one.

You might remember that one when the Ranger’s GM scrambled to fill his team with Czechs, just to keep Jaromir Jagr, his one superstar, happy. That worked with the Rangers making the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

But since then…Uggh.

The next off-season, Sather signed Matt Cullen, Aaron Ward, and Brendan Shanahan. Sure, Shanny worked out ,but he solicited the Rangers, not the other way around. While Cullen was gone the next season and Ward turned out to be a disaster, coming into camp out of shape and getting into arguments with Jagr.

Then came the signings of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury the following year. If you listen to Sather you can hear him admitting his mistake.

“If you perform up to expectations, play hard every day, game in and game out and be productive, there’s a chance you’ll never be traded,” Sather said.

Gomez was shipped to Montreal on Tuesday.

And then we had last off-season with the bad signings of Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival and Markus Naslund. We all saw how that turned out.

So now with the Rangers signing Marian Gaborik to a five year contract worth $7.5 million a year, you can see where the trepidation comes from. It looks good on paper, but with Sather’s track record in the free agent market it’s hard to get excited.

If healthy, Gaborik gives the Rangers the sniper they needed since Jagr. He’s scored over 30 goals in five of his eight seasons in Minnesota, including 42 goals in 2007-08. But last year was an injury riddled season with hip surgery in January limited him to 17 games last year.

“His health is fine,” Sather kept repeating last night in a conference call. “He came back and played the last (11) games last season, and it hasn’t bothered him since.”

Sorry if I don’t share Sather’s optimism, but with his spotty track record, the Rangers general manager will have to show me proof before I start believing. Each off-season you think the team has enough to make it to the next level, but the season always ends in disappointment.

For this off-season to be a success, Gaborik and Chris Higgins – acquired for Gomez on Tuesday – need to play healthy seasons, while Donald Brashear, who was signed earlier yesterday, needs to play a more controlled game, meaning no suspensions and no stupid penalties.

Otherwise this off-season will be just another typical Ranger July. It looks great on paper, but that all changes when the games are played.

In moving Gomez, the Rangers clear major space on the salary cap since he is due to make $7.4 million next year, while Higgins only made$1.9 million and is a restricted free agent. Yet, general manager Glen Sather managed to get the talented Smithtown native back in the trade.

Higgins, 26, has skated in 282 regular season contests with Montreal, recording 84 goals and 67 assists for 151 points, along with 96 penalty minutes.  The 6-0, 205-pounder has eclipsed the 20-goal mark three times.  In 2007-08, he established career-highs in games played (82), goals (27), assists (25), points (52), power play goals (12), game-winning goals (five), and shots (241).  He led Montreal in shots, tied for second on the team in power play goals and game-winning goals, and ranked third in goals.  He was also one of only three Canadiens to skate in all 82 games during the season.  Higgins registered 11 points (six goals and five assists) in the first 13 games of the season, and went on to surpass the 20-goal plateau for the third straight year.

And the Rangers shed Gomez, whose contract was becoming an albatross. After signing back in 2007, the former New Jersey Devil was supposed to the answer for Jaromir Jagr, but never could jell with the Hall of Fame right wing. He bounced around looking for the right combination, but it never seemed to work like it did back in New Jersey.

He now becomes the latest ex-New Jersey Devil to become a Rangers’ failure.

The move also signals a busy day tomorrow for Sather as free agency opens. Now with cap space, Sather will look for a sniper, while also remolding the team in Tortorella’s image.

The Rangers will get another opportunity to wrap up the series Sunday afternoon at more friendly Madison Square Garden. It’s advisable that they get it done or face the consequences. Forget the history books that say Washington has never rallied back from an 0-2 deficit or that the Rangers have never blown a series when leading 3-1. That means nothing.

Anyone who’s followed this series knows how much more talented the higher seeded Caps are. The Rangers are still in a winning position because they showed a willingness to get the jersey dirty and Henrik Lundqvist was there for the big saves. Tonight, neither was the case as they got outworked by a determined Washington squad Hell bent on coming back. If Lundqvist was the series’ best player the first four games, tonight it wasn’t to be as he let in four goals on only 14 shots before Steve Valiquette relieved him in garbage time.

On a night John Tortorella gave Sean Avery a game off to think about his selfish penalties, the Rangers on the ice weren’t disciplined enough to give themselves a chance taking two of the game’s first three penalties before the contest was 10 minutes old. That included a retaliatory slash by MIA center Scott Gomez following a clean Alex Ovechkin hit just 76 seconds in setting the tone.

Sure. The Ranger penalty killing unit again blanked the Cap power play keeping them off the scoreboard in seven chances including a ridiculous too many men on the ice bench minor. Ridiculous because at this critical juncture, it shouldn’t be happening.

In between that, fourth liner Matt Bradley victimized the Ranger powerless play scoring the game’s first goal shorthanded 4:58 into the game. Michal Rozsival couldn’t control Boyd Gordon’s hard wheel around falling down to create the problem. Bradley then outhustled Chris Drury, who covered for Wade Redden. Unfortunately, the banged up captain did a poor job allowing Bradley to beat him to the puck and then go in for a breakaway beating Lundqvist with a quick backhand upstairs.

During the regular season, the Rangers were the second worst team at allowing shorthanded goals giving up a preposterous 14 all under Tom Renney before Tortorella took over. It reared its ugly head again at the worst possible time giving the Caps much needed momentum because they weren’t all that impressive in the first getting just six shots on net. Unfortunately, two went in when following an Aaron Voros chance, Bradley somehow beat Lundqvist thru the wickets from a bad angle. Much like Ryan Callahan’s post and Alex Semin’s goal in Game Three, it was a crusher.

If the Blueshirts only got three shots on Simeon Varlamov, who posted his second shutout of the series stopping all 20 he faced, they at least had a couple of opportunities to get on the board. One was the aforementioned Voros, whose shot from 18 feet out Varlamov got a piece of before Bradley came down and scored his second. The other chance came when Brandon Dubinsky got a drop pass from effective linemate Lauri Korpikoski and had the 20 year-old Russian down without a stick. But as he went to tuck the puck in, Varlamov somehow got a shoulder on it keeping it out.

Sadly, that was the extent of the Ranger offense which was plain offensive. Bruce Boudreau must’ve told his club that they were fortunate to be up two because they played much better the rest of the game. Standing up at the blueline forcing the Rangers into bad turnovers, the Caps used their superior speed and skill to attack when they could. Though the shots were held down, the No.2 seed was much better and got rewarded scoring twice more.

Game Three hero Alex Semin scored his series-leading fourth off a faceoff when the puck went off Blair Betts knee right to him. He quickly wired it top shelf past a stunned Lundqvist, who had little chance. They somehow credited Nicklas Backstrom with an assist. He did take the draw following a Ranger icing but didn’t win it and never touched the puck. Go figure. That’s the kinda night it was.

Down three, the Rangers spent the rest of the second chasing the puck. They somehow managed seven shots- one less than the Caps- but none were dangerous. Varlamov may as well have been out for a walk on the beach. Speaking of which, it will be beach weather this weekend.

Unable to threaten the Capitals, the Rangers eventually caved in allowing Ovechkin to score the goal of the playoffs late in the period. Following the invisible man Nikolai Zherdev’s latest turnover after a takedown, here came Ovechkin lifting Wade Redden’s stick before undressing Derek Morris and Voros going to the backhand for an amazing goal. That made it 4-0 with 29 seconds left. This was just a special goal by a special player. It was fitting that it was Ovie because he’s tried so hard this series and had only beaten Lundqvist once despite all the shots.

That ended Lundqvist’s night as Tortorella opted to rest him in preparation for Sunday. A wise move. No sense in letting him get peppered. Keeping him fresh is important and he didn’t see a ton of shots as opposed to how most of this series has gone.

Valiquette was sharp in relief turning aside all seven Washington shots. Between that, the Rangers sat out Drury in the third and took a few message sending penalties including a Dubinsky charge and a Colton Orr double minor for holding and roughing up Semin. Refs Mike Hasenfratz and Don VanMassenhoven did the appropriate thing with 5:46 left giving misconducts to Orr and Voros ending their nights.

Earlier in the stanza, they also kept Donald Brashear under control when he decided he wanted to pick on the smaller Dubinsky, who of course wouldn’t back down. The two each went to the box for roughing but the Capital enforcer got the extra 10.

Credit the refs for doing a good job. They kept things from escalating. That also included a disturbing drunken Cap fan who decided to toss a beer at Tortorella during a late stoppage. Just pathetic. Tort was upset and looked for the fan, who got ejected. Good thing Washington security responded quickly. Something like that should never happen. I don’t know why it did. I’m just glad things were handled well.

Now onto Game Six, which becomes a must win if the Rangers want to advance. We’ll see what they’re made of.

Notes: Scott Gomez had another miserable game held off the scoresheet a fourth straight game with four perimeter shots and went minus-one while dropping 10 of 15 faceoffs in 19:46. … Zherdev was again brutal on the ice for two goals against with just two SOG in 15:23. … Drury took only 13 shifts (7:21) finishing a dismal minus-three while going 4-4 on draws. … Showing plenty of desperation, the Caps blocked 21 shots including four from D Brian Pothier. The Rangers had 11 with Dan Girardi leading the way with three. He and partner Marc Staal played very well each going Even combining for eight hits in 23+ minutes apiece.

… Hits were 35-30 Blueshirts in one of the few categories they came out on top of with Girardi’s five pacing them. Ovechkin and David Steckel each had five. … Washington was stronger in the faceoff circle winning 28-of-49 with Steckel 8-3 and Backstrom 8-5. Dubinsky was the Rangers’ best finishing 7-of-11. … In place of the scratched Avery, Voros played 16 shifts (10:56) including a couple on the powerless play. He had one shot, two hits and was minus-two with 12 PIM. … Game Six is at The Garden with faceoff set for 2:05 Sunday afternoon on NBC.

Brandon Dubinsky’s remarkable tiebreaking goal with 8:17 left held up as the winner making a winner of Henrik Lundqvist, who was very strong stopping all 13 of Ovechkin’s shots on his way to 32 saves in easily outperforming a shaky Jose Theodore, who permitted four goals on just 21 shots.

Somehow, the Rangers won despite not having the puck for large portions with a relentless Caps attack coming at them in waves. They prevailed even though the dangerous host had seven power plays converting twice including Alexander Semin’s tying marker 1:42 into the third that rallied Washington back from a 3-1 deficit.

If John Tortorella’s club was one of the lowest scoring offenses entering the 16-team tournament, it never showed as they instead persevered by getting the kind of opportunist goalscoring needed to pull the upset. While the Blueshirts got big nights from Scott Gomez (goal, 2 assists), Nik Antropov (PPG, A), penalty prone Markus Naslund (PPG, A, 3 minor penalties), Dubinsky and constant Ryan Callahan (2 SOG, 2 goalposts, game best 7 hits, 1 huge blocked shot), their meal ticket Lundqvist made big save after big save keeping the Caps off the board early in spite of seeing 14 of 18 shots in the first. His steady play allowed the Rangers to settle down and get the all important first game earning home ice.

Still, Lundqvist’s team trailed when Ovechkin and Mike Green worked a textbook give-and-go before the league’s leading finisher fired a low shot which Tomas Fleishmann redirected home for his first of the postseason 6:40 into the second period. They took advantage of the first of three penalties on Naslund, who took a needless trip in the offensive zone. The veteran also lost his discipline in the third but his teammates bailed him out. Offensively speaking, the former Canuck all-time scoring leader wasn’t bad scoring a huge power play goal that followed an Antropov PPG meaning that the NHL’s second worst man-advantage actually wasn’t powerless.

The Rangers seized control thanks to a pair of Cap minors including a John Erskine high stick on Sean Avery near the boards. It was on the team’s second power play that something odd occurred in the form of a PPG with Antropov taking a Gomez pass at the right circle before walking in and beating Theodore top shelf for his first at 16:49. Paul Mara added a secondary helper by working the puck down to Gomez.

They were then aided by a rare gaffe from proven playoff performer Sergei Fedorov, who accidentally fired the puck out of play while still inside his blueline. It took Naslund only 67 seconds to capitalize thanks to a poor line change by the Caps. Picking it up right away, a speeding Gomez gained the zone before dropping for Naslund, who skated into the slot untouched before firing past Theodore suddenly making it 3-1 with 1:32 left.

If ever a player needed to step up, it was Gomez, who finished the season with just four points (all assists) in the club’s final eight games. Just like he did Spring, the playmaking pivot elevated his game notching three points including a momentum changing tying marker unassisted in response to Fleishmann’s series opener silencing a boisterous Washington crowd all dressed in red. The fluky play came out of nowhere when a Michal Rozsival dump took a weird hop right to Gomez, who turned on the jets following a weird collision between Avery and Green that saw the Washington defenseman fall down. Suddenly with room, Gomez surprised an out of position Theodore with a soft wrister tying it 1:09 later.

The goal proved huge giving the Rangers condidence. It looked like they were in decent shape leading by two late. However, the Caps benefited from a missed Green elbow on Freddy Sjostrom that should’ve meant a third consecutive Ranger power play. Somehow, referees Mike Leggo and Tim Peel missed the blatant infraction that had Sjostrom down for a couple of minutes. Instead, the clubs remained at even strength and the home club quickly struck when Nicklas Backstrom setup Viktor Kozlov backdoor after he beat Marc Staal cutting it to 3-2 with 49 ticks remaining.

It almost became a game changer because a great steal by Ovechkin on the third period’s first shift forced Dan Girardi to haul him down. Less than a minute later, a sharp angle Ovechkin backhand from behind the net was kicked out by Lundqvist with Brooks Laich fishing for the rebound. The loose puck eventually came to a wide open Semin, who made sure he buried it tying the game 3-3 with 18:18 left.

With momentum, the Caps searched for the go-ahead tally but couldn’t beat Lundqvist. Even their potent power play couldn’t break through with Naslund in the box for a foolish hold in the offensive zone. Instead, a weary top rated Ranger PK got the job done thanks to the grit of Callahan, whose clean hit of Ovechkin at center ice allowed his team to kill off the big chance. That’s when Cally’s solid defensive work evolved into a game changer.

After Ovechkin changed, the Caps tried to get one more shot on Lundqvist but Antropov blocked it and then moved the puck to Naslund, who had just come out of the box. He then dished off for a streaking Dubinsky on left wing. It was the second-year center who did the rest completely turning Washington D Jeff Schultz inside out before finishing off the amazing individual effort with a perfect wrister shortside. On the great play, Green who played the entire power play got caught out and was worn out allowing Dubinsky to take the shot that broke the Caps’ back.

Despite another bad penalty to Naslund, the Rangers killed it off. They withstood a lot of pressure from a relentless Washington club who finally pulled Theodore for an extra skater in the final minute. But one last great hustle play from who else but Callahan prevented any last second heroics when he made a diving block of an Ovechkin one-timer snapping his stick in half.

With a few seconds to go, the Rangers cleared the puck allowing them to breathe a huge sigh of relief. By then, it didn’t matter how they won. They stole the show.

Three Stars:

3rd Star-Brandon Dubinsky, NYR (GW goal w/8:17 left in regulation, 2 hits, +1 in 16:52)

2nd Star-Ryan Callahan, NYR (2 SOG, 2 posts, 7 hits, blocked shot, +1 in 20:42)

1st Star-Alex Ovechkin, Wsh (2 assists, game high 13 SOG, 5 MS, 6 hits, 3 takeaways, +1 in 26:07)

Notes: If there was one noticeable area where the Rangers missed Drury, it was in the faceoff circle as they got annihilated by the Caps 46-20 with Backstrom (13-5) and Fedorov (14-6) doing most of the damage. Laich chipped in going 8-3 and Boyd Gordon was 4-1. Gomez was the Rangers’ most effective finishing 9-14 while Dubinsky struggled losing eight of 14 draws. Blair Betts also was an uncharacteristic 5-12 and rookie Lauri Korpikoski who shifted back to center dropped all six.

… The game was physical with both teams finishing checks including some bone crushers from Ovechkin and crunchers from Callahan. Still, it was Matt Bradley who got the best hit catching Mara with a clean shoulder. The Rangers won the physical battle outhitting the Caps 35-27 with five registering three and at least 11 getting two. Even Wade Redden delivered three playing a solid 31 shifts (27:35) going plus-one while partner Rozsival had a pair logging the second most minutes (28:15). Predictably, Green paced all skaters with 30:47 including nearly 11:30 of PP time. He also had three hits. Ovechkin led the Caps with half a dozen while Erskine added five.

… One area the Rangers had a decided edge was in blocked shots sacrificing their bodies to get in the path of 21 Washington shots. The Caps only had 10 blocks or as many as PK leader Betts and Marc Staal had with each totaling five. Rozsival also blocked three. On the Washington side, Schultz and Shaone Morrisonn each had a pair. … With Drury out, Aaron Voros again suited up only getting six shifts (3:50) registering a hit and getting called for a bogus interference. … Tortorella alleviated more responsibilities to Korpikoski (18 shifts, 11:21, 2:45 SH), Betts (17 shifts, 12:20, 7:41 SH) and Sjostrom (22 shifts, 15:20, 6:25 SH) with each outstanding. … If there was one downer, it was that Russian enigma Nikolai Zherdev was a non-factor in 17 shifts (11:44) registering only one shot.

… F Donald Brashear was a scratch due to a knee sprain. … The teams now get the next two days off before the series resumes Saturday afternoon in the nation’s cap with faceoff scheduled for 1:05 on NBC.

What the Rangers will attempt is to neutralize Ovechkin attacking a suspect D and veteran goalie Jose Theodore as much as possible, utilizing the more aggressive style that helped salvage a disappointing season. They should be able to score in this series and will call upon Henrik Lundqvist to come up with the momentum turning saves. If they get the goaltending, then perhaps an upset could be in the cards.

Let’s take a look at how the old Patrick Division rivals- who haven’t met in the playoffs since 1994 when the Blueshirts ousted the Caps in five games Conference Semis en route to a Stanley Cup- stack up:

FORWARDS-It’s pretty obvious that the high powered Capitals should have a decided edge boasting league leading finisher Ovechkin (56 goals, 110 Pts) along with super soph Nicklas Backstrom (22-66-88), Alex Semin (34 goals, 79 Pts, +25) and roving defenseman Mike Green (31-42-73, +24 in 68 GP), who basically is an extra threat who must be contained. Their secondary scorers shouldn’t be underestimated either featuring Brooks Laich (23 G), Tomas Fleischmann (19 G), Viktor Kozlov (41 Pts), Eric Fehr (12 G) along with the proven Sergei Fedorov (22 assists) and Michael Nylander (24 A). All this explains why Washington finished third in offense behind only Detroit and Boston.

Conversely, the Rangers had the third worst offense totaling only 200 goals excluding the shootout. It will take a total team effort. Their best players must perform which means Scott Gomez (16-42-58, 7 GW) must elevate his game off a disappointing second year on Broadway. Nik Zherdev (23-35-58) was up and down all season and awfully quiet down the stretch. That can’t happen. Chris Drury (22-34-56, 10 PPG) came on the final month but missed the final game and didn’t practice. He must be healthy. Nik Antropov (7-6-13 in 18 GP) has been a solid contributor whose size and skill have been a welcome sight. Top finisher Markus Naslund (24 goals) did little until the last week. Is that a good sign? Expect the Blueshirts to get contributions from Ryan Callahan (22 goals, SHG, +7), Sean Avery (12 Pts in 18 GP, 34 PIM) and rejuvenated soph Brandon Dubinsky (13 G, 28 A, 7 GW). Each must get involved physically.

Edge: Capitals

DEFENSE-Green (25:45 TOI) headlines a group that is solid but unspectacular. That includes former Ranger ‘fan fave’ Tom Poti (13 Pts, 28 PIM in 52 GP), who gets important minutes (21:08) as does Jeff Schultz (19:45). Milan Jurcina and John Erskine provided physicality and Shaone Morrisonn can move the puck. Bruce Boudreau will rely on Green a ton in all situations. They can be attacked.

A huge storyline to this series is how Marc Staal (15 Pts, 64 PIM, 21:07) will fare against Ovechkin. Tortorella has used the former 2005 No.1 pick along with partner Dan Girardi (18 helpers, 53 PIM, 21:31) as a shutdown pair. Both will need to be physical on Ovechkin limiting time and space. It will be trial by fire. Wade Redden (23 assists, 51 PIM, -5) has been a nightmare but does log crucial minutes (22:20). Michal Rozsival (8-22-30, 3 PPG, 22:30) has looked better since returning playing more steady which must continue. It would also help if he shot the puck. Paul Mara (5-16-21, 94 PIM  in 76 GP) quietly was the Rangers’ best defenseman and Derek Morris (8 A, 4 PPA, +3 in 18 GP) has been a good pickup showing the ability to make good reads along with smart outlets. He also has a rocket from the point.

Edge: Rangers

GOALIES-Washington GM George McPhee gambled on Theodore to replace Cristobal Huet. The one-time Hart/Vezina winner has been alright posting a 32-17-5 record along with a 2.87 GAA, .900 save percentage plus two shutouts. On most teams, those mediocre numbers wouldn’t be good enough. But on a high scoring run and gun team, it has. He’ll be asked to make timely saves in this series. Will he be up to the challenge? He’s the wild card in the series.

Henrik Lundqvist was an NHL All-Star for the first time establishing a new career high in wins (38) while putting up solid numbers across the board (2.43 GAA, .916 Sv Pct, 3 SHO) on a lowscoring team. It’s true enough he wasn’t always consistent but enters playing his best hockey of the season. He’ll have to be in tip top form and might need to steal a couple of games. This will be a huge test.

Edge: Rangers

Special Teams-Special teams are always important at this time of year. The good teams execute cashing in on opponents’ mistakes. This series pits the No.2 rated power play (Wsh-25.2) against the top ranked penalty kill (NYR-87.8 percent). Even though the tandem of Blair Betts and Freddy Sjostom are as good as it gets, it’s still advisable for Tort’s club to stay disciplined. The Caps have many weapons which is why it might be wise. The Ranger PK can attack having scored nine shorthanded goals and the Cap PP did give up 11 during the season.

As for the Ranger powerless play, they’ve driven fans nuts all year placing second to last converting at only a 13.9 clip. If there’s an area the coach must get untracked to win this series, it’s the man-advantage. They also allowed the second most shorthanded goals (14) in the league with just Calgary (15) worse. The encouraging news is they haven’t permitted one since the coaching change. Washington’s PK was middle of the pack (80.6 percent-tied 17th) but scored seven SHG.

Edge: Even

Coaches-Boudreau is in his second year and has guided the Caps to two consecutive Southeast Division Titles. He’s certainly done an admirable job turning this team into one of the better ones in the league. He can motivate. The question is what did he learn from last year’s first round ouster to the Flyers?

Tortorella boasts experience having been behind the Tampa Bay bench when they won the Cup in 2004. He’s fiery and demands a lot out of his players. If someone doesn’t perform, Tort won’t be afraid to bench them. He will doubleshift the players who are going and tinker with lines when things aren’t working. Can he outfox Boudreau?

Edge: Even

Intangibles-The Capitals believe they’re better than a year ago and ready to make some noise. So, there’s some pressure to deliver. Losing again in the first round would be a bitter pill to swallow following such a good season. The Rangers will also be expected to perform under Tort, who doesn’t take to losing well. Still, the pressure really isn’t on them in this series which might work to their advantage.

Edge: Rangers

Prediction-In assessing this series, it becomes clear that it’s basically offense against defense. Well, really the goaltending of Lundqvist to be exact. The Ranger blueline looks to have an edge. It might all depend on if the forwards score enough or what kind of series develops. A wide open one favors Ovechkin’s club. But a tighter series where defense and timely saves could factor in would bode well for the Blueshirts. They also haven’t performed well on the road winning just four times in the final 19. Plus the Caps went 29-9-3 at Verizon Center. Washington has never been kind to the Rangers. Due to that, it seems like almost too many things have to break right for them to pull it off.

Capitals in 7