Rangers Shutout Islanders 5-0

Rangers goalie #30 Henrik "The King" Lundqvist recorded his 23rd shutout of his career after stopping all 27 shots that he faced.

Henrik looked on, it was really good to see because it was one of few games this season where all of the Rangers were playing exceptional Hockey.

This is the man the team relies on to get the job done, lets hope he toughens up in the games that mean the most.

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The offense was rolling they scored 3 goals within the first 8 minutes of the game, with #42 Artem Anisimov being the first one to reach the back of the net with his 11th goal.

#10 Marian Gaborik followed as he ended up with two goals on the night adding to his season total which now stands at 39.

I can write about Marian's talent every day, but the fact is he will have to step it up like he has if this team wants any part of the post season.

Their agitator #16 Sean Avery got underneath the skin of the whole New York Islanders team, as they were worried about gunning for him every shift.

You can see it that Sean has a way of making some of the greatest players in the league lose their mind, look for more of that when he takes on Ilya Kovalchuck and the Devils tomorrow night.

It was also good to see the Rangers mixing up their power play by starting out with #24 Ryan Callahan over the captain #23 Chris Drury.

The power play unit was gelling well together, it is a lot easier when you don't have an idiot taking ridiculous shots that are not even in the same zip code.

The defense was incredible tonight you can really see that they have a lot of great moments from their young defensemen.

#18 Marc Staal has grown into one of the better defensemen in the game, he is on the verge of recognizing his talent.

19 year old rookie defensemen #4 Michael Del Zotto is just a dream come true, there is not many times that you get a player as young as this who plays the game the way he does.

In the 5-0 win Michael managed to sneak one past Islanders goalie #30 Dwayne Roloson, who was fantastic in net making 39 saves on 44 shots.

Look I know some may turn their head to why I said D. Roloson had a good game, but if you watched it all throughout you would have seen that a lot of other goalies might have let in 10 goals tonight.

The Rangers were playing better than they ever have, they came out with a lot of fire which is what they desperately needed.

I also want to point out that another quick whistle cost the Rangers early in the game when it was still a one point game.

Now I've said it numerous times but it is getting out of hand how poor of a job the officials do, it almost seems like they are blind at times.

How could you be a NHL referee and not ever be able to pick up the puck?

Anyway back to the main focus the New York Rangers will have another opportunity to pick up two points in the standings, tomorrow night they will take on the Devils in New Jersey at 7:00 pm eastern time.

The Rangers must maintain the momentum from tonight, time is running out with 9 games left in the regular season.

Henrik Lundqvist will have to have another remarkable performance if he wants to beat his counter part Devils legendary #30 Martin Brodeur, who has 40 wins on the year at the age of 38.

At this point just go out there have fun play every game like it is the Stanley Cup finals, and go from there.

Barrack HUSSEIN Obama Is Pure Evil

The President of the United States of America Barrack Hussein Obama having a laugh with Abu Mazen a well known terrorist.

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Could it be a coincidence that Barrack is forcing Israel to stay idle, while Iran plans to wipe them off the map?

Abu Mazen is anti Israel, and you have to wonder why the President of our country would gamble with cutting deals with other countries.

Think about it he has many connections with Iran, he has no problem with them attacking Israel, but sees a problem if they try to defend themselves.

Something just don't seem right in Washington these days, you have a health care bill passed that was said to be a failure from the start according to many politicians from both parties.

In the beginning of Barrack's term his vice President Joe Biden basically implied that Obama did not know what he was doing, well time has definitely proved that.

Now we are offering free health care to the illegals along with the crackheads who decide to shoot each other on every street corner.

Thats great when you know you have to pay more taxes for something that wont be in effect for another four years.

Another part of this man's agenda is to crack down on the Texas law enforcement for keeping out illegals who were kidnapping children from our own soil, and bringing them back to Mexico.

What does it mean when the man who is supposed to be protecting us is allowing something like this to happen?

I guess we should turn a blind eye to terrorist along with criminals who are not even US citizens, and allow terrorist free trials in New York.

Thanks for the change Barrack we really needed to officially hit rock bottom, yeah you really followed your plan to bring good to us all.

We are now living in a country that is in agreement to other countries hiring poor labor, and walking all over our constitution.

Everyone who decided tho cast their vote for this man was misinformed, those who have children basically took food right out of their mouths.

Wladimir Klitschko KO's Chambers In 12

Wladimir Klitschko retained the WBO and IBF World Championships last Saturday night in Germany when he scored with a 12 round knockout over Eddie Chambers.

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Wladimir improved his record to 53-3 with the 48th knockout of his legendary career.

Year after year it seems the same as the Klitschko brothers still rule the Heavyweight division, you can dig all you want but it is very hard to come up with someone who can complete the task.

I have to give credit where credit is due Eddie Chambers hung in there until the last round after having a disadvantage when it came to the power game.

It was a really bad end to Eddie's night though taking a knockout punch with 14 seconds left in the last round to be counted out.

W. Klitschko threw one of the most devastating left hooks that I have ever seen from a right handed boxer, and it put an end to E. Chamber's night.

Wladimir made landed the punch with such ease, and put on another show.

Now after another successful title defense you have to wonder whats next for the champ as he has time to think about what makes the most sense in the future.

Both of the Klitschko brothers look like they will remain on top of the boxing world, is there anyone out there who can stop them?

Manny's Afraid Of Floyd Mayweather Jr

At first it really seemed to me that Floyd Mayweather Jr was the one ducking Manny Pacquaio, but now it is clear who is the one running.

Manny Pacquio was asked to participate in Olympic style drug testing, and to me why wouldn't you agree to that?


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Here you are getting a chance for a fight of a lifetime, and you let your ego stand in the way of becoming one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.

Manny blew off the fight and ended up beating Joshua Clottey.

He basically hid behind that fight to distract the public attention from the talks of him and Floyd Mayweather duking it out.

I really do think my words in the past about Floyd were quite harsh, I admit I was wrong, I was riding the wave of wanting a blockbuster fight at the new Yankee Stadium.

M. Pacquiao is trying to make a case for himself and blame it on the management, but if he were to agree to the extensive drug testing then there wouldn't be an issue.

Whats unfair to me is in a way Manny basically said Floyd has to get through "Sugar"Shane Mosley on May 1st to get to him.

To me M. Pacquiao is not calling the shots here, he was lucky to get out of a fight with Floyd the last time, and if he steps in the ring with him expect him to be a future victim to the undefeated champion.

Lets put it this way after F. Mayweather destroys Shane Mosley maybe he should give you a shot at the title, but as of now it is not his fault why the fight hasn't happened.

Submit to the testing Manny if you got nothing to hide then you should come up clean, otherwise if you cannot agree to something that Floyd is willing to do then maybe you should stop posing as some kind of hero.

After all the steroid talks in sports this is not an unreasonable request, Floyd has more to lose, and is willing to go the extra yard to keep his streak in tact.

If this fight does end up happening then remember Floyd Mayweather Jr unlike Manny Pacquaio remains unbeaten, and is due for another huge win when he takes on S. Mosley.

Rangers Drop A 2-1 Game To The Bruins

The New York Rangers have been very frustrating to watch over the past few seasons for some reason if they score or not they seem to find ways to lose a lot of games by only one goal.

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Something has to give when you are playing in tight games, it has been said enough it is time to bring results on the ice.

It wasn't former Head Coach Tom Renney's fault nor is it the current Head Coach John Tortorella's fault, the blame has to be put on the players.

They went from being one of the better defensive teams in the league last year and a lot of that falls onto Tom Renney's coaching in the past.

Now John Tortorella has grown his team into an offensive style that would pan out if the right players were out there.

The one thing that I have criticized John for and will continue to is the captain #23 Chris Drury belongs on the 4th line.

Far as I'm concerned he is not even in the top 5 scorers on the team so why bother putting him out there that much?

He gets all that ice time and never finds the back of the net I am wondering if there is anyone else on the planet with enough guts to point it out.

Getting shots on goal is not a problem for him and he skates very well every game so we know he is at 100 percent, so you have to hit a point where enough is enough.

Again #16 Sean Avery came up big for New York helping set up their only goal of the game on an assist to #4 Michael Del Zotto's 8th goal of the season.

I see it if Sean has a bad game he is punished and forced to sit one out, why doesn't the same rules apply to everyone else?

They ended up losing 2-1 big shocker there they were once again unable to get the advantage at the end of the day.

I do not think that the Rangers will be able to earn a slot into the playoffs and to be honest they really don't deserve one.

In the off season many moves will have to be made this is not the team that can get it done in big games, they just roll over and quit when the pressure is on.

Years ago you had Jaromir Jagr but you also gave him a nice line mate in Michael Nylander, the two players clicked well together and were exciting to watch.

Now you have #10 Marian Gaborik but where is the support?

The next highest paid player on the team now has only 28 points in 66 games played, which I'm sorry is absolutely disgusting.

One player who could have turned the power play around Ales Kotalik was traded for #12 Olli Jokinen, but the deals stopped right there.

There was a new found energy that lingered on for a few weeks but the battery has died very fast as of late, and it is time to light a fire under these guys.

If you want to take some good from the game the Rangers net minder #30 Henrik "The King" Lundqvist played a solid game stopped 29 out of 31 shots, making key saves to keep the blueshirts in contention throughout.

New York has until Wednesday for their next game when they will take on the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden with the puck scheduled to drop at 7:00 pm eastern time.

Head Coach John Tortorella will have to get to work beating some knowledge into the players who are supposed to be carrying the team down the stretch.

He has to realize that many of his players are way too impatient with the puck and it causes them to make a lot of mistakes.

You are not going to set up players by making blind passes to the opposition, and by missing the net by 30 feet because all that will do is result in a breakaway for the opposing team.

Its good to get shots on goal but you have to have a plan you can't just get rid of the puck the moment it touches your stick unless you have a real scoring touch.

Sean Avery may not be one of the better scorers in the NHL but one on one he more times than not gets that sneaky little wrist shot in between the pipes.

Chris Drury is a player who has a very gifted slap shot and he never seems to use it.

I watch Chris take this wrist shots from 40 feet out and hit nothing but boards, a player who has been around as long as him should know how to play the game.

Lets hope things fall into place because there is not a lot of time left.

The King Chokes In 4-3 Loss To The Blues

Rangers goalie #30 Henrik "The King" Lundqvist has been playing horrible in close games this season.

Henrik managed to allow 4 goals on the first 13 shots he faced in the game as New York went on to lose by a score of 4 to 3.

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Right off the bat you have to take in how talented H. Lundqvist is that is something that can never be ignored.

There has been many times that this man has been dominant in games, but for some reason he manages to always lose the big games.

Look at tonight not every goal was his fault he made some excellent saves, but he has to always let the puck past him when the game is on the line.

It has to be frustrating when you are in a tight game you do everything you can to tie it then your goalie lets in the go ahead goal within minutes.

Its great to have ability but you have to know when to get tough, and when you give up goals in key spots like that then you are only going to bring your team down.

It is sad for me to have to write all of that about a goalie that I have been cheering for since he arrived to the NHL.

Every part of me hopes that he can get it together and be clutch because as far as talent goes he may be in the top 3 of the league.

When you have a team that doesn't have very many goal scorers and they put out 3 goals before the end of the 2nd period, then you have to do a better job if you want to have a slot in the playoffs.

Personally I know it sounds crazy because of how talented Henrik is but tonight was a night that I would have yanked him after he allowed the 3rd goal.

You have to light a fire under your start players especially if you want to get things rolling as a unit.

Another coaching mistake that I saw from Head Coach John Tortorella that has been present throughout the season is his fixation with keeping the captain #23 Chris Drury out there majority of the game.

New York had a major advantage with a 5 on 3 power play to kick off the 3rd period and for whatever reason #17 Brandon Dubinsky, and #16 Sean Avery rode the bench the entire time while Chris Drury did nothing but clog up space.

When you have a two man advantage and your unable to get a real shot off then that means that the 5 players you had out there the whole time do not click together.

You cannot have 3 guys looking to set up a play while Chris Drury stands in front of the goalie and misses the net by 40 feet any time the puck reaches his stick.

Its simple knowledge Brandon is having one of the better seasons of his short career while C. Drury is on the decline fast.

The referees once again were not much help which I'm sure is never a shock to any New York Ranger fan out there.

The first mistake I noticed tonight was right before St Louis scored their 3rd goal of the game on the power play an obvious penalty that should have resulted in New York's favor was missed.

Rangers #24 Ryan Callahan was help for at least 4 to 5 seconds behind his own net which would eventually turn the play to the other end where the Blues would score less than a minute later.

Now if the officials are doing their job then the power play would have been over and we would have gotten to see some 4 on 4 Hockey.

Who knows if that penalty is called then New York could have won the game.

During the 2nd period there was a spot where the Rangers had a wide open net if not for a very quick whistle which seems to happen a lot.

One to many times this year I've seen an official stop play with a quick whistle I know you are trying to protect the goal tenders, but you have to do a better job of being aware of your surroundings.

As a professional there job is to get in the best position that they can and for some reason unlike other sports they get it wrong more times than not.

In the 3rd period as it grew closer and closer to the end the moment the Rangers gave up the go ahead goal to make the game 4-3 they were penalized for one of the worst calls I've ever seen.

#6 Wade Redden who was playing like his old self scoring his first goal in over 58 games, got a bad break has he made absolutely no contact on the play, and this was another example of how poor the referees have been.

#10 Marian Gaborik as usual found the back of the net in the game for his 37th goal in his first season as a Ranger combing with his two assists for a 3 point night.

R. Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky have been two players that have really flourished at the higher level both coming up from the Hartford Wolfpac years ago.

Ryan Callahan again stands out to me in another hard working performance, there seems to be no quit in this guy.

Ryan scored his 19th goal coming close to the 22 that he scored at the end of the 2008-09 season.

On the other hand B. Dubinsky is having a career year with 16 goals as he had to deal with a family tragedy before the year kicked off as well as having to recover from a broken hand.

It would have been nice to see Brandon out there when New York had the 5 on 3 advantage, there is nobody who can tell me that right now at this time he is not a better player than Chris Drury.

Sean Avery is another hard worker who plays his hardest game after game, and never sees even close to the amount of time that he deserves on the power play.

Sean is another player who could have belonged in that slot over C. Drury, if you are going to argue with me on who has been the better Ranger then you have no brain.

As inconsistent as S. Avery's numbers have been this year overall if you take his stay in New York compared to the captain's then he comes out on top by far.

Sean has 93 points in 168 career games as a Ranger which is by no means impressive, but he has been a big part of a lot of huge wins in his 2 stints in New York.

Chris is a player who is supposed to provide you with a lot of offense along with being one of the higher paid players on the team, and he never does anything with the puck.

I am sick of watching him stay in front of the net and fail to get a shot through, at least if you put Sean Avery on the power play unit you know he will get the puck on net.

It doesn't matter how pretty it is as long as you get shots on goal that is key when you have the opposing team on the pk unit.

Time is running out for New York they do not have a lot left and will have to get it together quickly as they will have to travel to Boston to take on the Bruins at 12:30 pm eastern time for a Sunday afternoon game.

Legendary Martin Brodeur Among The Elite

I've written some heavy criticism on the New Jersey Devils goalie #30 Martin Brodeur, but his credentials cannot be ignored.

He has been a major part of three Stanley Cups for New Jersey, along with being one of the top 3 goal tenders of all time.

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As a Ranger fan I get caught up in the rivalry I have to admit there are times I am definitely hard on the hall of fame net minder.

Marty already has the record for the most career shutouts with 108 as he brings together an impressive record of 594 wins and 321 losses.

I am a big Sean Avery fan so a lot of the time I notice I will poke fun at M. Brodeur, but it is all in good fun because I know what the man is capable of in net.

I may not approve of what he did regarding his wife by cheating on her with a relative of hers, but to be honest what he does on the ice is an example of a true winner.

You cannot get much more consistent than a guy who plays almost every single game, and finds a way to come up with save after save.

This is one of the few seasons where I haven't heard much about him and there is something wrong with that considering he is 37 years old this season with a 37-22-3 record, posting a goals against average of only 2.36.

I keep waiting for time to catch up with Martin Brodeur but that doesn't seem to be happening right now.

I was the first to say he shouldn't have started for the Canadian Olympic Hockey team, I regret saying that because this is always someone who you want in goal for the big games.

Look for Marty to roll on as he continues his legacy in the NHL shutting down some of the league's best scorers.

Ovechkin Facing Heat From The NHL

Finally the league has done something to discipline a star in the game who takes advantage of players in vulnerable spots, by some of the dirtiest hits I've seen in a while.

Alex Ovechkin is a lot like Tuomo Ruutu they are smaller players who use it to their advantage to leap into hits looking to go up high on opposing players.

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Look there is a lot to be said about A. Ovechkin's intensity he is one of the most gifted players to ever play in the NHL there is no disputing that, but he has to learn when to tone it down.

Sometimes when you have that much heart it can cause your aggression to get the better of you, but for a player like this his team needs him on the ice every game to be where they want to be.

The thing you have to look at with Alex's last two suspensions, is that they have been sort of harsh considering the first hit looked like both players crashed with one another, while on the hit with the Blackhawks Brian Cambell looked completely accidental.

I may be the first to point out the bad things that he does but in these two cases I think it is ridiculous to be honest I have seen a lot worse.

The thing you have to hope for is that this won't go the other way where the NHL will spend the rest of the season trying to make it up to the captain of the Washington Capitals.

Personally even know these situations were not his fault it is about time that he gets treated like anyone else because he is nobody special yet.

Until this man wins a title or finds a way to win the big game then there is no reason to group him with the greatest in the game.

You saw it with the Olympics he gunned for a NHL legend Jaromir Jagr who was playing for the Czech Republic team, and could have caused a career ending injury.

Jaromir hasn't played against a lot of NHL players in recent years, he has played with Omsk in Russia.

J. Jagr is on the verge of a return to the National Hockey League next season, and that hit could be the start of a feud between two great talents in the game.

Still back to my original point it has become very clear that Alex has no respect for anyone else deep down, in the back of his head it is always about being #1.

Who knows maybe that attitude could be what gets him into the Hall Of Fame one day, but right now he has to start maturing as a true leader.

Rangers Win 3-1 Over The Flyers

Fighting through heavy traffic Rangers net minder #30 Henrik "The King" Lundqvist is back putting together excellent back to back perfomances.

What makes a winner is not knowing when to quit and Henrik is definitely an example of that.

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I compare him to Alex Rodriguez on the New York Yankees in Baseball, in the clutch he has beaten himself.

If he can pull it together then you are possibly talking about a Stanley Cup in future years for the blueshirts.

Henrik recorded his 28th win of the season as he stopped 17 out of 18 shots, making some big saves throughout the game.

I am getting real tired of the Ranger broadcasters commenting on bad calls from the referees when it is a play that results in a power play for New York.

Whey are they whenever the team that they are supposed to be in support of is wronged?

Rangers #16 Sean Avery gets called whenever he even breathes on an opposing player, and lets not talk about how many times he is cheap shotted behind the play.

The fact is on the play that they were complaining about whenever a player slams into a goalie it doesn't matter whether he has the puck or not someone is going to the box.

Later in the 2nd period Sean drew a two minute roughing penalty on the Flyers #21 Scott Hartnell, he was punched in the head over 4 times, and to me whenever a player drops his gloves it should always be a 5 minute major.

After playing very inconsistent over the last stretch of games S. Avery has regained his game scoring his 9th goal of the season to tie the game at one a piece.

Riding the momentum New York took the lead on a power play goal from defensemen #33 Michal Rozsival, which was a result of his strong play.

Michal has been having a poor season but watching him today you can see he is feeling 100 percent.

With a player like this I can give him the benefit of the doubt that he may not have been healthy as of yet in the 2009-10 campaign.

When it applies to the captain #23 Chris Drury though it is a completely different story as he continues to surrender the puck in key situations, and be unable to it in the back of the net.

Chris has to be out there majority of the time so he has to produce plain and simple.

The 3rd period was all New York S. Avery was able to score his 2nd goal of the game adding to his 10th on the year.

From that point on the physical aspect of the game stepped up as the Flyers captain Mike Richards was wrecked from Rangers #17 Brandon Dubinsky when they dropped the gloves.

The blueshirts came away with a 3-1 win as they will move on to Tuesday's game, to take on the Montreal Canadians at Madison Square Garden with the puck scheduled to drop at 7:30 pm eastern time.

Rangers Lose 6-3 To The Devils

This thing with bashing New York's #16 Sean Avery is starting to get old really quick, now you have the New Jersey Devil broadcasters dropping hints of a player who is the biggest jerk around.

Come on just say the name we all know who your talking about and it shows a lot on your part to let your personal feelings interfere with your job.

Funny how with a little over a minute left in the first period Sean was slashed in the back of the leg, not only was there no call but the commentary didn't bother to mention a word about it.

I'm sorry S. Avery bashed the big bad hero Devils #30 Martin Brodeur I'm sure it wasn't the first time someone said something negative about a man who has no family values whatsoever.

What does it also say about a team in 1st place, who is worried about a player who has had 7 points in his last 20 games?

What the NHL is really doing is taking away from the magnitude of every game between these two rivals, and it is starting to bring Hockey down in the city of New York.

You talk to many New Yorkers and they would rather talk about the New York Knicks who would be lucky to win a title within the next 100 years.

You know the more and more I watch the Devils Vs the Rangers I get excited by every minute between the two teams.

They both seem to really feed off of each other and bring out some of the most entertaining games to watch.

Anyway down to the action it was a very exciting first period New York's goalie #30 Henrik Lundqvist at times looked very shaky as he allowed 2 goals on 8 shots.

This is what bugs me when Henrik is having a night like tonight you have to step up your offensive game in a big way, if you don't then you will be watching New Jersey celebrate at the end of the game.

The Rangers are going into the 2nd period down 2-1 as #20 Vinny Prospal scored his 15th goal of the season on a beautiful pass by #10 Marian Gaborik on a play that was set up by #12 Olli Jokinen.

Toward the end of the period the intensity really picked up as we were all greeted with a toe to tow heavyweight bout between the Devils #22 Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and the Rangers #45 Jody Shelley.

To be honest I never heard a lot about J. Shelley but I like the way he went about his business, it could really be a boost to the teams attitude throughout the game.

Well from the start of the 2nd period Rangers H. Lundqvist got even worse as he was yanked in the middle of the period after giving up 5 goals on 17 shots.

This is not the Henrik we are all used to we know that everyone has bad days so lets hope it he can bounce back next game.

I'm no Hockey expert but anyone with a brain could tell that he did not have his best game with him tonight.

The Rangers went on to lose 6 to 3 in a real disappointing loss because most of their players came ready to play.

Well New York will try their luck again on Friday night as they will travel to Atlanta to take on the Thrashers at 7:30 pm eastern time.

Johnson And Vasquez Look Ready For 2010

It was a big question mark regarding Nick Johnson's condition and will be one throughout the 2010 season, but right now at this point he looks as good as he ever has.

Nick homered twice in his last spring training game as he has 3 hits in his first 6 at bats driving in 3 runs.

You have to be happy with how he has come to play, and look back at this to be a move that could either make or break the veteran first basemen.

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I am among the critics who remain uncertain how he will pan out in his return to the Bronx, but after watching him in yesterday's game he looks ready.

Watching him swing the bat with such ease is a pleasure to watch as a Baseball fan, and you have to wonder why things have never gone the way he wanted before.

He has put up some solid seasons but for a player with as much talent as N. Johnson you have to expect a lot more.

Signing him was not really a major decision there was not a whole lot of money thrown on the table, so regardless there is really no consequences with anything that he doesn't.

By the end of the 2010 campaign you will know what this man is made of, he is now on a team that is the defending World champions, and has a chance to make his mark in the Baseball world.

There was so much talk about what he would be in the future back when he was battling through the Yankees farm system.

If he can now live up to that hype it will give one of the most powerful lineups in the league another bat that could easily put them on top.

He will join another former Yankee who is ready for his return to New York Yankees pitcher Javier Vasquez.

Although Javier allowed a run in his first spring training outing he struck out four batters in 2 innings pitched.

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The first pitch he threw blew up into a solo home run but you had to expect there to be some nerves considering he is trying to prove himself to Yankees skipper Joe Girardi.

It was a terrific trade in bringing him back to the Yankee pinstripes, but he is also in a tough position where the pressure might really be on him to perform well early in the year.

Either way it looks like regardless of who gets the #5 slot in the starting rotation that he will be surrounded by four pitchers who represented the 2009 champions.

On the other hand this could also be a golden opportunity to get some regontion pitching in the biggest city in the world, and being in a rotation anchered by 3 of the greatest arms in the game in CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte.

J. Vasquez will also be pitching behind some of the better hitters in the game along with one of the best infields you could ask for with Alex Rodriguez at 3B, Derek Jeter at SS, Robinson Cano at 2B and Mark Texeira at 1B.

When spring training ends it will be interesting to see how Nick Johnson and Javier Vasquez will do on a team that has the most depth around, and along with being one of the better teams in the American League.

Rangers Lose 2-1 In The Shootout

The Rangers #16 Sean Avery played an excellent game throughout creating many scoring chances in the offensive zone.

Sean is and always will be a pest to the opposition so get used to it he is the player you love and the player you love to hate.

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The game was a demonstration of two of the leagues best goalies in the Buffalo Sabres #30 Ryan Miller and the New York Rangers #30 Henrik "The King" Lundqvist.

Between the two they both made 65 saves with Ryan earning 35, and Henrik earning 30 as the Sabres were able to win it in overtime.

Once again New York was killed with horrible unprofessional officiating from the NHL referees.

The first strike against the Rangers came early for the second straight game when defensemen #5 Daniel Girardi was called for a ridiculous hooking penalty.

It was one of those calls that seems to only go against the Rangers who had a goal taken away from a bad offsides call along with a quick whistle while the puck was loose with 30 seconds left on the power play.

You talk about the power play not clicking on all cylinders well maybe that is because they hardly get to be out there considering it took the refs until 8 minutes left in the 3rd period to even give New York a power play.

#33 Michal Rozsival was clipped in the face with a high stick while #24 Ryan Callahan was knocked down behind the play both of these things are an example with how the calls have went in recent years.

If you take away the referees and want to talk about the game you have to point out Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella's moves with Michal Rozsival and captain #23 Chris Drury eating up loads of ice time.

The two have really brought the team down while combining for only 41 points all season.

On the first goal of the game Buffalo scored with the lack of protection on Michael Rozsival to Henrik Lundqvist in their defensive zone.

Michal's poor play in front of the net put New York behind leading them to possible defeat in regulation.

On the other hand Chris Drury seems to never want to turn it up when he is wearing a Rangers jersey it is getting tiring to watch this guy be unable to perform on the big stage.

If your inside the head of C. Drury you have to be upset with all the ice time you were given against your ex team considering he has turned into one of the biggest flops in franchise history.

Getting #12 Olli Jokinen was a great move but why stop there? There is many decisions on the table left to be made.

After being down 1-0 with only 5 minutes left New York went on a shooting rampage crashing the net, Ryan Callahan was able to draw a big penalty with a 1:30 to go in the third period.

R. Callahan skates hard every game so it was no surprise to see him go the net the way he did.

#17 Brandon Dubinsky once again put his name on the scoring sheet in a big spot when he scored his 16th goal of the season on the power play to the tie the game with only a minute to go.

The foolish thing that led to the Rangers loss in overtime was I'll say it again letting Chris Drury stay out there when you need to make something happen.

Why on earth do you start overtime with #10 Marian Gaborik, Sean Avery, and Olli Jokinen on the bench? Your telling me that at least one of these guys doesn't out play C. Drury night in and night out?

At the end of the tale New York lost 2-1 but earned a point in the standings a big point especially with being down with so little left in the game.

The Rangers will have another shot to earn two points in the standings they will play the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday at 7:00 pm eastern time as they will be on New Jersey's home ice.

That will be the game where you will have to look for your top scorers to step up their game even more, its great to see that they started doing more in front of the net.

You can really build on the effort that they showed in tonight's game, Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding there is no telling where the team would be without him in net.

Rangers UnableTo Support Backup

The New York Rangers received some solid goal tending from backup #31 Alex Auld as he made 26 saves on 28 shots against a good offensive team in the Washington Capitals.

This picture belongs to ESPN.com

Normally New York is accustomed to putting #30 Henrik "The King" Lundqvist in between the pipes, but with all the games he has played including his participation in the 2010 Olympics he needed a night off.

The picture above tells the story of how the night went for the blueshirts who were on a roll in recent games, earning 7 out of their last possible 10 points.

Just looking at the box score on ESPN.com I see that the calls seem to always go against New York in this type of games.

As it was they were against a tough scoring team but also had to contend with being down on a 2 man advantage early in the game which led to the Caps first goal of the game.

The other fact you have to take in is that the Rangers did not play well in their defensive zone, they showed some sloppiness that gave them a 2-0 loss.

On the second goal of the game the Rangers #17 Brandon Dubinsky got lazy with the stick keeping only one hand on the stick trying to break up a shot that got through A. Auld.

The last factor in this disappointing loss is that New York went another game in this inconsistent season where they failed to put up a goal.

Not much more you can say after this game but get back on the horse and put up a victory the next chance you get.

Fortunately New York will have that chance right away in tonight's game as they will take on the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden at 7:00 pm eastern time.