Considering Nylander’s goal was one that could’ve happened at even strength or not –a really weak one there — I’d say the onus is on the dark blue and orange.

Rob, you can complain all you want. Personally, I don’t care one bit. Not when your team had 10 power plays including two 5-on-3’s and couldn’t beat our goalie.

I bet you weren’t upset when the fans howled until they got that holding call on Big Bird with about 4 minutes to go in regulation. I don’t see how Sean Hill or any Fishstick fan can have any beef with the call made in overtime. Not when Jagr was held for as long as he was and kept skating until they were forced to make the call.

Bottom line: Despite carrying the majority of the play to the Rangers in a game they desperately needed to win due to the first playoff tiebreaker, the Islanders only managed to beat Henrik Lundqvist once on an Alexei Yashin redirect.

To be fair, both goalies were outstanding all day (Slick Rick DiPietro had 32 saves) and so were the respective penalty killing units. There was plenty of passion exhibited in one of the best rivalries of what was a very exciting game. One team came away with two points and the other with one.

The Rangers’ fifth straight win enabled them to pass the Lightning in the standings for sixth with 87 points. They lead Tampa by a point with each club having six games remaining. Meanwhile, the Islanders tied Carolina and Montreal for eighth. All three clubs have 84 points with the defending champion Hurricanes and Isles holding a valuable game at hand (seven left for each) on the Canadiens. Meanwhile, with their 4-1 home win over Buffalo, the Maple Leafs still lurk behind in 11th with 82 points- two points off the pace with seven to play.

Anything can happen. Ultimately, both the area locals will have to continue to play solid hockey down the stretch if they want to make the playoff cut. The Blueshirts have now beaten the Islanders by a 2-1 score three straight times after losing the first four in the series. The two bitter rivals have one game left which will take place at Nassau Coliseum on April 3rd.

Now for one other bit on the Ranger netminder who has carried his team for over two months back into the playoff picture. With 34 more saves today, Lundqvist continued to roll. He reduced his GAA to 2.30 and lifted his save percentage to .917. Is it time for the Ranger netminder to get some Vezina consideration? Only if he keeps up the sizzling play and gets his team safely into the postseason for a second straight year.

The likeable Swedish goalie had an interesting comment after the big win:

“I want to play in a game where every save means the difference in winning or losing. I love 2-1 games. I hate 6-5 games. It’s challenging, and you know you have to stay focused.“

Indicative of how locked in the 25 year-old is on the task at hand.

Well, it was a great game again today between the Isles and Rangers. Both goalies were great. But, and my Ranger fan blogger will disagree with this of course, the Refs gave the Rangers the game. Now on the surface, one can look at the box score and think Rob has lost his mind - the Isles had more power plays than the Rags. True, but to make that call on Hill in OT, when the stick was between Jagr’s legs for about a second before Hill dropped his stick is just plain lame. I don’t even think Jagr knew the stick was there. It certainly sisn’t affect his skating with the puck. It would have been a weak call in a pre-season game, never mind OT of a very significant game. But I should be used to it by now. It has been happening for years.

Other than that, great game by both teams. Tightly played game, good D coverage on both sides and DP and Lund were great. Well, we have one more crack at the RagRefs. Hopefully the game will mean something. Oh anyone catch our favorite dirty player last week? Hollweg had another patented cheapo boarding a la the one against Simon. But this time he was penalized. One day some one is going to knock the daylights out of him and I am looking forward to it.

Should be an exciting stretch run. The Isles have a very tough schedule the rest of the way. I think it will be difficult for them to make the playoffs, but not impossible. They have played very well in the past three games and are back to their pre-trade deadline form, mainly due to the D stepping up and playing much tighter of late. It will probably come down to DP needing to be almost perfect over the next two weeks.

Fasten your seat belts….

For calling out the unresponsible media for jumping on the bandwagon of banning fighting. The Golden Brett was right on with everything he said regarding why fights need to stay in the game of hockey. It’s a matter of pride and is still a way to settle things properly without the unnecessary cheapshots we see way too much of these days. Hull called out Jordin Tootoo’s sucker punch saying there’s no place in the game for that or other dirty stuff which crosses the line.

Hull called out the lack of respect and made a valid point that it’s not fights that need to go but the players who can’t play the game the right way.

Cheers to you Brett! You get it!

A poll was conducted via yahoo regarding fighting. Which do you think we voted for?

Jersey Jim Dowd ladies and gentleman. What a goal that second strike was! Fakes the shot then slips it around the Eagle for the goal.

Dowd gets two to go along with David Clarkson’s one. Parise and Zajac score in the shootout, Marty gets two outta three and the Devils get a big two points.

Here’s what the Top of the East looks like:

1. BUF - 103 PTS, 7 Games Left
2. NJ - 96 PTS, 7 Games Left
3. ATL - 88 PTS, 6 Games Left
4. OTT - 98 PTS, 6 Games Left
5. PIT - 94 PTS, 7 Games Left

By the way, an absolutely atrocious broadcast from FSN today. Terrible camera angle, Steve and Chico were repetitive, off the mark, made mistakes and the audio was poor as well.

Around the League tonight:

-It sucks to be an Isle fan. Big win over Philly, and Toronto, Carolina, Montreal and the Rags ALL WIN.

-Ottawa wins big as Tampa chokes on a chance to lead the Southeast, 7-2.

-Minnesota now leads the Northwest, they beat LA 4-1.

Let’s look at the monster mash in the East:

6. TB, 86 PTS, 6 Games Left
7. NYR, 85 PTS, 7 Games Left
8. CAR, 84 PTS, 7 Games Left
————————————
9. MTL, 84 PTS, 6 Games Left
10. NYI, 83 PTS, 8 Games Left
11. TOR, 82 PTS, 7 Games Left

Rangers-Islanders in what I think will be the game of the year on NBC4 tomorrow. NBC disagrees with me, because no one outside of NY State and Northern NJ can watch it. Dave Strader, Brian Hayward, Joe Micheletti have the call.

The Rangers can thank their goalie for today’s comeback 2-1 shootout win in Boston. Henrik Lundqvist was once again brilliant in allowing only one goal on 41 shots. The Swedish netminder has been the best NHL goalie for over two months now. It continued today.

With his team not as sharp, the second-year Swedish netminder made some very difficult saves to keep them alive. Down one late, none was bigger than the robbery of ex-Ranger Aaron Ward. While flat on his back sprawled out, he got a pad on a Ward shot ticketed for the top of the net. If that goes in, it’s goodnight because that’s how tough Boston backup Joey MacDonald was to beat. The Bruins also played much better in front of him than they did last week in that 7-0 St. Patty’s Day destruction at MSG.

Lundqvist (40 saves) allowed his team to find a way to steal two points. And when Thomas Pock ripped home a point shot with 100 seconds left for his first goal since October 10, it gave them a huge boost. Lundqvist continued his clutch play late in OT, thwarting Zdeno Chara in front on a Bruins’ man-advantage.

The game would go to a shootout. And after Michael Nylander and Patrice Bergeron split goals the first two rounds, team captain Jaromir Jagr would step up and come through by powering one thru MacDonald’s five-hole to put the Rangers in front. Lundqvist would then force rookie Phil Kessel wide to give the Blueshirts a huge two points.

It was their fourth straight win and kept them in seventh with 85 points. Two more than the Islanders have after posting their second win in a row by getting an Andy Hilbert tally with less than five minutes left in Philly.

That sets up a critical match-up at Nassau Coliseum tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 PM on NBC between the two bitter rivals. Plenty will be at stake.

For more on the Rangers’ big win, please check out our recap:

King Henrik Steals Two Points In Boston

Devils at Florida, 7:30 on FSN. Hope for the best, as Pittsburgh, Rags and Isles have all won their games.

Boston College-St. Lawrence at 4:30 on FSN. East Regional Final (Mass and Maine) at 6 on CN8, and Midwest Final (Michigan St. and Notre Dame) at 8:30 on CN8.

Enjoy folks.

Not hoops folks, check out College Puck action on FSNY right now and all weekend long.

Enjoy! UMass over Clarkson 1-0 in OT Winner takes on the victor of Maine-St. Cloud State, on FSN right now. Then at 8:30 and 11, a Midwest region DH, with two big boys, Boston U. and Michigan St. and the Notre Dame taking on Cinderella hopeful Alabama-Huntsville.