With the playoff race coming down to the critical stretch, there’s plenty of action today. What else would ya expect on the final Saturday before the NHL version of a holiday known to puck fans as Deadline Day. It’s now less than 48 hours away!

We will provide extensive coverage of all the deals which go down.

There have already been a couple of games of note which affect both the Atlantic and Eastern races. Earlier today, the Devils finally got a win over the Islanders defeating them 4-2 at The Prudential Center to temporarily take over the conference lead with 77 points.

A shorthanded tally by John Madden and a Patrik Elias goal had them out in front 2-1 but the Isles got a tying goal from Ruslan Fedotenko. Faced with the prospect of once again falling short against a division rival from the metro area, the more rested Devs peppered Rick DiPietro in the third outshooting the Fishsticks 20-4.

Not surprisingly, they finally had the magic formula as money player Zach Parise notched the winner 2:30 in for his Devil-leading 25th (fifth in last five contests). Brian Gionta made certain that there was no Isles’ comeback by getting to a rebound in front for his third in the last six 2:13 later.

Marty Brodeur didn’t have a busy day but was his stellar self turning aside 19 of 21 shots to win his league-leading 34th.

The win had the Devs leading the conference. However, with the Pens hosting the Sens, something had to give and did.

In another unpredictable game which was plenty exciting, the defending Eastern Conference champs showed plenty of resolve coming back from three goals down to pull out a 4-3 overtime road victory over Evgeni Malkin and the Pens.

The Penguins jumped out in front by three thanks to goals from Petr Sykora, Colby Armstrong and Jeff Taffe. But the Sens fought back thanks to a goal from recent pickup Cory Stillman and two from Dany Heatley including the tying marker with 13:51 remaining. HIs 30th came on a nice Randy Robitaille setup in front easily beating Ty Conklin.

The game would wind up in overtime and the Pens would come close to ending it twice. On the first one, Ryan Malone thought he had it won but hit the crossbar. The other was when Malkin came in on a two-on-one and Ray Emery just got a piece of it to push it wide.

The Sens instead would pick up a huge win off a broken play very late. Off a broken play, Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson backhanded his team best 35th through Conklin with only three seconds left to give them a huge win.

It gave Ottawa one more point than the Devils allowing them to stay tops in the conference for the 144th consecutive day according to Hockey Night In Canada (HNIC).

The Pens meanwhile got a point but not the kind they had in mind. They trail the Devils by a point with each team having 20 games to go in the regular season.

For the first time this month, Malkin was held off the scoresheet. He entered leading the league with 82 points (35-47-82) and had points in the first 10 games including a ridiculous eight multi-point nights. It wasn’t from lack of effort as maybe the front runner for the Hart Trophy generated plenty of chances. He just couldn’t finish.

With the Eastern race extremely close, please note the new Eastern Conference standings at the top left corner of the page. We will be keeping track of everything down the final six weeks.

Be sure to tune in!

The Devil did it again. Well, if you’re a puck fan, then you are well aware that I’m not talking about anything to do with Hell but about a successful NHL franchise which always seems to do the usual: Just win.

There are no style points for Kool Aid supplier Lou Lamoriello’s team which now does most of their winning in Newark at the brand new Prudential Center instead of that dump now known as The Izod Center. Good thing they got out of the Swamp finally because it would’ve been the butt of more jokes. Speaking of which, why did a clown banner hang from above with all their banners?!?!?!?!?! My good Buffalo Sabre pal Brian Sanborn once created a name Legend of the Clown Banner (LOTCB) on the Devil fan message board njdevs.com. Of course, it was all in good fun.

In any event, I’m fairly certain Devil worshippers are glad that their team now plays in a real arena with much easier access to and from. I haven’t gotten out there yet but definitely plan to check it out at some point.

How can a team which always seems to lose key pieces from the previous three championship teams continue to win consistently and be near the top of the East? It’s very easy to say that the No.1 reason has everything to do with certain Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur. If you listen to Chico Resch, even the most routine saves are totalllly amaaazzing!!!!!

Oh. Marty’s brilliant. Every year, No.30 proves that he’s still got it much to my and other rival fans’ dismay. Hey. I got to be honest there. Well, at least the Devs haven’t solved Henrik Lundqvist yet in the first five regular season match-ups. Will they find a way to beat Rick DiPietro and the resurgent Isles Saturday afternoon at The Rock? It’s got to happen some time because there’s no way they’re losing out against both locals. That’s crazy.

So, how does this team do it? Well, for starters, first-year task master Brent Sutter has done an outstanding job whipping his players into shape. You can see why he was so successful when running Team Canada at the WJC. Sure. He had great talent to work with but still, like other Sutters, he doesn’t put up with any bull.

I loved how he made his team stay after a brutal third period in allowing three unanswered to the Canadiens before the break. Now that’s what I call old school. They’ve responded fairly well since.

Zach Parise is the club’s leading scorer and really the heart of the offense. So much of it revolves around what the former North Dakota product can do just from superb skating and superior work habits. If you saw his 24th goal which tied the score in an eventual 3-1 home win over San Jose, then you know how hard he works. Even if you dislike the Devs, it’s pretty easy to appreciate a player like as my buddy Steve Lepore calls him along with 2Man’s very own Patricia Greuter, “The Zach Attack.”

Where’s Zach Morris anyway these days?!?!?!?!?! Remember that recent YouTube of Mr. Belding at a rock concert last year? I can’t recall which old group it was but they called him up to perform with them. Kinda comical. Seattle I think.

Aside from the usual great performances by Marty and Zach, the Devs have gotten remarkable contributions from checkers turned loose John Madden and Jay Pandolfo. The dynamic PK duo have really made a difference offensively because under Sutter, they’re looking to score rather than just focusing on shutting down top lines.

I really feel that how they perform along with meat and potatoes rookie grinder David Clarkson will determine their Spring aspirations.

After a first half struggle, sophomore Travis Zajac has come around and is hitting the back of the net with regularity. It was essential for the kid from Manitoba to get it going. Ditto Patrik Elias, who went through a tough first half but as usual has responded. He’s always been a streaky scorer who picks it up down the stretch. Never a bad thing.

What is probably the most surprising aspect about the team who currently leads the Pens by two points for the Atlantic and has a share of the conference lead with Ottawa and Montreal is that top sniper Brian Gionta has only 15 goals. If the Rochester Rocket as Resch refers to him gets untracked, they’ll be that much better.

You also can’t measure the importance of new team captain Jamie Langenbrunner. I’ve always admired his game and wanted the Rangers to get him. Unfortunately, the Devs got the ex-Star who now has helped two teams win Stanley Cups. He’s just such a smart versatile player who can be used offensively or defensively. He can play any situation and be a threat. If Parise’s the heart of the offense, then Langenbrunner is the Krazy Glue which keeps it together.

The growing question is can a team which doesn’t score a whole lot and still plays close to the vest relying on their netminder go far in the postseason? I’m not sure. You have to give Paul Martin a lot of kudos as he’s finally budded into the kind of two-way defensive option the Minnesota product was capable of.

It’s still mind boggling to see the transformation which has taken place with D partner Johnny Oduya. A guy who once looked like the odd man out is now logging vital minutes and contributing in both ends tied with Martin for the team lead for plus/minus (+19).

One still ponders if a blueline that relies on Oduya and Karel Rachunek can make an impact and win more than a round? Colin White is their most physical defenseman and will be very important to how they fare.

So, is this a balanced team? Not really offensively but what allows the Devils to continue winning is that their system allows everyone to contribute. It could be a Sergei Brylin or even an Arron Asham who makes the difference between winning and losing.

Is this team good enough to take the East? I still say no. They could probably use another offensive forward and one punishing defenseman to replace the awful Vitaly Vishnevski. However, outside of Ottawa who has goalie issues and Montreal who now looks like the most balanced team in the conference, you have to put the Devs in there with the third best chance to win the required 12 games to reach the Cup Final.

If only they didn’t have the worst radio team in league history. Matt Loughlin is a nice guy who fits better as a studio host but good god. Is he awful. And Sherry Ross is misplaced as the color analyst.

How can those two be their radio team? Some things are just better off left being unsaid.

If you aren’t a Devil fan, welcome to eternal Hell.

Update: My apologies. Ales Kotalik is in fact not a defenseman. When I saw he was an UFA, I thought of Dmitri Kalinen. For some reason. I don’t know why. I was just going to take it out of the post and hope no one caught it, but I have to be a man and admit the mistake. Sorry about that.

I haven’t written since the Rangers’ five goal lead turned into a five goal implosion and the Habs made an improbable comeback in a shootout. Is it because I didn’t have the heart to accept that it really happened? Yeah, maybe. Or is it because I didn’t have any answers for anyone? Well, that too.

Actually, it’s been busy here again, and when you have Derek providing extremely timely and accurate wrap-ups, I can afford to be away from the website for a day or two. Since it’s old news now, I won’t get into the Montreal game too much. I just want to say that from where I was sitting, it didn’t look like the Rangers gave up per say. They did let up a little, and then the Canadians really turned it on. The fans had an impact that the Rangers can only hope for upon returning to Madison Square Garden. All in all, it was a great game to watch, it’s just too bad it didn’t end up better for us Ranger fans.

Moving on. Some quick hits to start your Thursday morning.

- If Colton Orr cannot play, or any other forward goes down, Tom Renney needs to call up a winger from Hartford for a game. Jason Strudwick is a decent defenseman, but he only looked like he belonged on offense on one or two shifts on Tuesday. No harm in calling up Greg Moore or even Dane Byers for a game for other wingers to get healthy.

- Marc Staal looked like he tired out on Tuesday as well, but that was expected. In looking over some message boards the last couple of games, he was criticized a bit, and unfairly I believe. He will be the staple of the Rangers’ blueline for years to come, and one mediocre third period coming off losing 10 pounds in two days won’t change that.

Onto the trade deadline now.

Philadelphia got a third round pick back last night, this time in a trade with Calgary. The Flyers sent defenseman Jim Vandermeer to the Flames in exchange for the pick. They may not be done either.

Contract negotiations are still going slow with both Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell. I would love to have either one (or both, but that is a little out of the question) but I am unsure about the price tag. The cost to acquire them will probably be similar to the price tag of Peter Forsberg last season, a young talented, NHL established player, a highly touted prospect, a first round draft pick and another young, non-established player. What that comes out to would probably be Something like Nigel Dawes or Peter Prucha, Bobby Sanguinetti, first round pick and Al Montoya. That’s just an example, but look how much talent is potentially there. All for a playoff rental. Whoever gets Hossa, Campbell or even Mats Sundin should make it their business to sign them to an extension before finalizing the trade. It would be bad business not to.

Let’s look at other options. One the intrigues me is Ales Kotalik on the Buffalo Sabres. He is an UFA and wouldn’t cost nearly as much as Campbell. He’s no-where as shutdown, but why not send Marek Malik and a young player over and see if he can provide a little more on defense for us. Dan Boyle would be nice also, but expensive. Just say no to Rob Blake.

The youngsters like Dawes, Prucha and Ryan Callahan should be untouchable right now. Montoya, Parenteu, Moore or even Bourett might be good options to explore, if the Rangers end up needing to add youth to a deal to bring a difference-maker in. With eight days to go, it should get interesting real soon.

I’ll check in again before Saturday’s tilt with the Sabres. Here’s to hoping Tuesday’s game was an eye opener for the Blueshirts.

In about 10 minutes, I’ll be hosting the NY Hockey Report talking puck over the next hour with mostly local flavor.

So please check it out.

We’ll be covering all the locals as they drive down this critical stretch before next week’s deadline.

Just how tight is the Eastern playoff race? Well, 19 total points is all which separates first in the conference Ottawa and Montreal (75) from 15th ranked Tampa Bay (56).

With most teams having 21-22 games remaining unless you’re the Rangers or Hurricanes, there’s still plenty of time left for teams to make their moves. At the top level, you have five teams vying for playoff position and home ice. Well, if the league adopted the NBA rule which rewarded a team with more points than the Southeast Division winner, it’s really four teams who can move up or down because whoever wins that division automatically is locked into the third seed.

With shootout wins last night, both the Sens and Habs moved a couple of points ahead of the idle Devils and victorious Penguins, who fought back from two down to win 3-2 over the Panthers.

New Jersey has been playing extremely solid hockey as of late and will try to stay hot when they host San Jose. The Sharks recently blew a two-goal third period lead in a bad loss to the Islanders. They also lost to the Rangers this past weekend. So they don’t want to go 0-for-3 in the metro area when they visit The Prudential Center later tonight.

The Devs had an easy 5-1 win over the Canes on President’s Day getting contributions from Johnny Oduya, Jay Pandolfo and Travis Zajac. In a stretch which has them playing 15 of 18 at The Rock, Brent Sutter’s club has done well taking advantage of it. They’ll also host the Islanders this weekend hoping to finally notch a win over one of their local rivals.

Meanwhile, the Fishsticks have been playing inspired hockey having reeled off four in a row to get within three of the final playoff spot. You have to give Ted Nolan’s club a ton of credit because they have lost so many key defensemen to injuries. The latest victim was Andy Sutton (torn hamstring) who is gone for four to six weeks after being helped off the ice in their 3-2 win over the Sharks Monday.

With no Sutton, no Chris Campoli (done for season), no Brendan Witt (MCL) and Bruno Gervais (oblique) all sidelined, somehow the Islanders are mustering up enough energy to find ways to win and stay in the race.

Freddy Meyer, Bryan Berard and Marc-Andre Bergeron must continue to step up while All-Star goalie Rick DiPietro needs to continue his stellar play giving his team a chance to win every night.

It should be interesting to see what happens. A lot depends on the next few days for each team as they battle for key points and positioning which will determine whether they’re a buyer or a seller at next week’s deadline.

I was trying to come up with a title for the Habs’ amazing five-goal comeback to win 6-5 in a shootout over the shell shocked Rangers before an energized home crowd. This was the best I could do.

I mean what can you really say. History was made up north as neither the Blueshirts nor the Habs had ever been part of something so crazy before. When MSG flashed the note that the Original Six club had never lost after leading by five, you just knew it wasn’t a good sign. Likewise, Les Habitants had never ever comeback to win from five back in their rich history.

Normally, I’d be upset about the Rangers somehow failing to pickup what seemed to be a sure two points but I’m just not mad about it for some reason. There’s more important things to not be happy about than some silly wacky game. That’s really all it is in the grand scheme of things.

Let’s credit the Canadiens for showing as much heart as I’ve ever seen in never giving up and actually believing they could still comeback and pull that out after three quick Ranger goals chased rookie Carey Price.

I’ve been on this team for a while and nothing I saw tonight changed my mind. Truth be told, that’s the best club in the entire conference. They skate better than anyone. Have the deepest crop of forwards and a very active D which can make life a nightmare when for defenses pinning the opposition in with an aggressive forecheck.

Does anyone boast a better fourth line than these Habs? I haven’t seen it. When you can send out the ever dangerous Michael Ryder (10 healthy scratches and still the best forward on this night with two goals sparking the comeback), two-way threat Mark Streit (goal, two helpers) and the gritty Maxim Lapierre, it’s going to be a huge advantage. That trio along with the banging of energizer Steve Begin and underrated defender Mike Komisarek changed the game as did the fans.

Most teams fall behind by five and pack it in. Never have I seen such a vocal crowd influence their home players the way these Habs responded. Those Canadien supporters believed their team could still comeback and win even when Brendan Shanahan and Chris Drury made it 5-0 28 seconds apart early in the second.

What they got was the kind of inspired comeback which could make their team believe it can win the whole thing. Why the heck not? They have two solid goalies. Cristobal Huet was fantastic in relief of Price, who really was victimized by a lackluster start by his teammates.

The Rangers didn’t exactly let up when they got to five. They easily could’ve had a couple of more if not for a couple of very timely stops by Huet, who steadied to make 20 saves giving his more desperate team a chance.

For as great as the Blueshirts played the first 25 minutes was as brutal and lost as they looked the rest of the night. Bruised and battered all over the ice by a more physical and faster team, they paid the price for not putting a pesky opponent away. Did I really just say that?!?!?!?!?!

The key sequence in this contest was two consecutive lightning Montreal strikes only nine seconds apart which sliced the deficit to 5-4 with still 13:08 left in regulation. Their leader Alex Kovalev connected one-timing a hard Andrei Markov pass just through Henrik Lundqvist over the goal line. If there was one King Henrik would’ve liked back, it was that one.

That the Habs could then basically skate in untouched with Ryder’s seeing eye shot getting a piece of Streit’s leg to ricochet past a stunned Lundqvist was a crusher. Tom Renney had already taken their timeout when Ryder tallied twice 4:24 apart in the second to make it a three-goal contest.

The Rangers just couldn’t hang on and were done in by a mistimed Marek Malik hooking penalty which led to a scintillating Kovalev equalizer with 4:22 remaining. Somehow, off a broken play, he got a powerful one-timer off an Andrei Kostistyn setup in the left slot for his 29th sending the Montreal crowd into a frenzy.

It was a period earlier where these same cuckoo fans tossed debris on the ice. Some sort of ridiculous giveaway which was tossed cause they didn’t like a legitimate high sticking call on Komisarek.

The OT was mostly Montreal as they pressed for the winner but Lundqvist denied all five shots to force a shootout. In it, the difference was a brilliant move two deke move and smooth forehand finish by Montreal captain Saku Koivu. When Jaromir Jagr’s backhand deke wouldn’t go, it was over.

The impressive comeback was complete and the Habs had somehow managed to stay even with the Sens (also shootout winners over Philly) for the conference’s most points (75).

So, how do the Rangers explain this one? They can’t. They just got beat by a better and deeper team. It’s ashame too cause some of their best offense came in the same game with Jagr netting four assists and Brandon Dubinsky recording a Gordie Howe hat trick. He got pounded by Komisarek but took his licks and got a couple in. The kid has guts. He might want to learn how to throw’em and pick his spots though.

Maybe if this team had a real fourth line like the one we saw from Montreal, they might’ve not wilted.

I don’t believe any other Eastern team could’ve comeback from five to win that. It was about as impressive as can be.

I’ve said this is the most talented team the Canadiens have had since that 1993 team which was the last Canadian team to hoist Lord Stanley. I think they have a legit shot to do the same. They’ve got it. Skating. Skill. Finesse. Grit. Physicality. Goaltending. And mental toughness which was on display tonight. They sent a pretty loud message to the rest of the conference.

This was one of those crazy games which was a ton of fun to watch. Even if the Rangers only wound up with a point, I’m not complaining.

They have only themselves to blame. Now they wait until Friday for a rematch at Buffalo. We’ll see how they respond.

Just an update on the conference race. With the Pens coming back from two down to win 3-2 over the Panthers and the Devils winning the day before 5-1 over the Canes, here’s how close it is:

1.Senators 75 Pts 35 Wins 22 GR
2.Devils 73 34 Wins 22 GR
3.Canes 65 30 Wins 19 GR
4.Habs 75 33 Wins 21 GR
5.Pens 73 34 Wins 22 GR
6.Rangers 68 30 Wins 20 GR
7.Bruins 66 30 Wins 23 GR
8.Flyers 66 30 Wins 22 GR
9.Sabres 64 28 Wins 23 GR
10.Isles 63 28 Wins 22 GR
11.Caps 62 28 Wins 22 GR
12.Thrashers 62 29 Wins 21 GR
13.Panthers 60 27 Wins 20 GR
14.Leafs 59 25 Wins 21 GR
15.Bolts 56 25 Wins 23 GR

Fresh off of an impressive Western Conference win on Sunday, the Rangers take on the Montreal Canadians tonight at 7:30. It will surely be a physical game, as evidence of the last meeting between the two teams. Brandon Dubinsky and Sean Avery will be with Jaromir Jagr also tonight, as the lines remain mostly the same from last weekend. This provides some protection for when Jagr goes up against Mike Komiserek in the corners and around the net.

Montreal will counter Henrik Lundqvist with rookie Carey Price. If the Rangers pepper him with shots early, he should be forced to make more saves than he is able to at the big level right now, and the Rangers can jump out to an early lead. Price will be good, and with Christobal Huet and Jaroslav Halak, the Canadians can afford to trade away a good goaltender. Price just has looked inconsistent in his few appearances at the NHL level this year.

Marc Staal looks like he’ll be back on defense tonight with either Marek Malik or Jason Strudwick sitting. Colton Orr has also come down with a touch of the flu, and should he not be able to play tonight, Strudwick would jump up to the fourth line. None of that is certain right now, as the only sure thing is the Petr Prucha will miss another game after it was revealed that his shoulder was dislocated last week. With Ryan Callahan turning it up, we can afford to have Prucha take his time and get 100% healthy.

The Philadelphia Flyers sent a third-round draft pick to the L.A. Kings for Jaroslav Modry today. Good pickup by the Flyers who are riddled with injuries.

Enjoy what will most likely be a physical game. Let’s hope the Rangers can keep the ball rolling in the right direction against a team closing in on first place in the Eastern Conference.

A miracle of sorts took place earlier this afternoon at Seventh and 33rd. No. Santa Claus didn’t arrive on 34th Street. However, the Rangers actually grinded out a well earned victory over a Western opponent, defeating the Sharks 3-1 to take their second in a row.

It was their first win against the opposite conference all season finishing only 1-7-2 with three total points in 10 games this season. That said, the much needed two points couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time as it allowed Tom Renney’s club to get to 67 points, pulling temporarily into sixth in the East a couple better than the rival Flyers, who host the Canadiens in a rematch from last night later tonight.

Though they controlled much of the action early on, it was the Sharks who got on the board first when one of the NHL’s best playmaking pivots Joe Thornton centered for Jonathan Cheechoo in front, who beat Marek Malik to the spot and put home his 15th 3:31 into the contest.

Instead of getting down, the Blueshirts continued to work harder and finally drew even thanks to some grunt work down low by Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan. Following a power play, Callahan kept the puck alive putting it in the corner just out of the reach of San Jose netminder Evgeni Nabokov. A hustling Drury got to the loose puck and wisely centered for an open Callahan in front, who easily put in his fourth to tie the game at 11:34.

One thing which was noticeable was how chippy this game was. You saw plenty of one-on-one battles along the boards and recent San Jose pickup and notable goon Jody Shelley coming together with Ranger enforcer Colton Orr a few times. Neither fighter dropped the gloves instead opting to play hockey in a very competitive game.

While it’s true both defensive-oriented clubs were solid, each netminder had to come up with big saves due to plenty of traffic in front. However, one sequence turned out to be the difference in the game. During a Ranger man-advantage, dangerous shorthanded forward Milan Michalek made a nice move to spin around recently re-signed defenseman Dan Girardi. But with him in, Henrik Lundqvist stood tall making the timely save which led to transition the other way.

Scott Gomez took a pass inside his end from Marty Straka and then did what he does best backing up the San Jose PK while on a three-on-two before dishing for a trailing Drury who made no mistake blistering a right slapper past Nabokov’s glove top shelf. It was the resurgent Drury’s seventh goal in the last nine games.

There’s little doubt that the 31 year-old Trumbull Connecticut native is playing his best hockey after a disappointing first half which saw him a team worst in the plus/minus department. With a goal and a helper plus some decent work in the faceoff circle (6-for-12) and in his end, the former Sabre is finally stepping up and leading the Original Six team the way many thought. He was the best player on the ice and justifiably selected the game’s No.1 Star.

With it being their second game in two days, it was apparent that they were running low on the fuel tank in the final period. However, Lundqvist was up to the challenge stopping all 12 San Jose shots on his way to 29 saves and the game’s Third Star.

The D might have allowed the bigger San Jose forwards to get the puck deep and cycle but every shot was contested. There was one wild scramble where the puck was loose in front of Lundqvist but no Shark got there due to the solid backchecking by Rangers.

I’ve openly criticized him but Renney also deserves credit for matching the Blair Betts checking unit against Thornton because they victimized the Brandon Dubinsky line on their only tally of the day. Betts along with linemates Orr and Ryan Hollweg did a solid job against one of the league’s best players limiting their chances.

Credit must also go out to Malik, who aside from his blown assignment on Cheechoo has played admirably the last couple of games with rookie Marc Staal still out with the flu. Big Bird has been more active in his end breaking up plays and moving the puck quickly. When he plays that way, he belongs in the lineup over Jason Strudwick. It remains to be seen how that will be handled.

It was Callahan who sealed the victory with an empty netter from Straka and recently re-signed defenseman Fedor Tyutin. The 22 year-old Rochester native finally has his game back and really is playing well. What this means is that Renney can’t alter any of his three top lines. When Petr Prucha is healthy, the coach should consider sticking him with Betts and either scratching Hollweg or Orr. I actually believe Orr is the more responsible player now and wouldn’t mind seeing Prucha on the left side with Hollweg sitting.

We’ll have to wait and see. For now, the Rangers at least had a very good weekend. Now it’s on the road to Buffalo Tuesday before a couple of days off with another tough test at Montreal next Friday.

Devs win in Ottawa heats up Eastern race: The race is only getting more interesting by the day where suddenly, the Rangers find themselves with six fewer points than conference leader Ottawa. The Sens’ comeback attempt fell short against the surging Devils, who held on for a 3-2 win to pull ahead of the Pens for first and just two behind the struggling Ottawa club.

Arron Asham tallied twice while leading scorer Zach Parise notched the power play game-winner with Martin Brodeur stopping 37 shots to give his team a big win last night.

So, how does the division stack up exactly? The Devs lead the Pens by two but Pittsburgh with a win today against Buffalo could move back into a tie. The Rangers trail by four points but have less games (21) remaining. The Flyers are looking to snap a six-game skid seeking revenge for a 1-0 road shutout at the hands of rookie Carey Price and Les Habitants. One win would give them 67 points and move them to sixth due to two extra games left than the Rangers.

Meanwhile, the Isles also have won three straight and will try to keep it going when they host the Sharks tomorrow afternoon on President’s Day. Their 61 points have them in 12th but they are just three behind eighth seeded Boston and four behind the seventh seeded Flyers.

Who wants it most? That’s what we’re going to find out over the next six and a half weeks. And don’t forget the trade deadline is approaching.

In a few minutes, the Rangers will take on the Sharks in the second half of back to back games for the Blueshirts. The Rangers are winless against the Western Conference this season, and this is their last chance to change that.

The Rangers will be going with the same lineup as yesterday. Marc Staal is still recovering from the flu, Petr Prucha still has an ailing shoulder and Marcel Hossa was actually sent down to Hartford on a conditioning stint. Henrik Lundqvist is back between the pipes, looking to build on a solid effort yesterday against Buffalo.

After announcing that they have resigned Dan Girardi to a new two year, $1.5 million a year deal yesterday, the Rangers will announce today that they have signed his defense partner Fedor Tyutin to a similar, yet probably a little more lucrative, deal today. Good move by the Rangers as both were set to become restricted free agents over the summer. Next up will be Sean Avery, who was supposedly looking for four years, $3 million per.

Should be an exciting game, enjoy and I’ll be back later.

Who was that team out there today?!?!?!?!?! Whoever they were, it looked like a much different Ranger team after a five day layoff. From the drop of the puck in a game they had to have, the Blueshirts dominated the Sabres by scoring four times in the opening stanza en route to a 5-1 blowout victory in front of a younger Saturday afternoon crowd who enjoyed every second of what they saw.

How fun was it? Well, they scored on the opening shift only 10 seconds in when Sean Avery pounced on a Brandon Dubinsky rebound for the first of two goals on what was a very productive day for Tom Renney’s reconstructed lines as fellow blogger Lenny reported.

Before Ryan Callahan rebounded home a Marty Straka shot in front off a nifty Chris Drury setup for the team’s second tally 4:19 later, newly re-signed No.1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood tall making a couple of critical stops on Sabres in close to preserve the lead. That was vital, especially against a hot team which hadn’t lost in regulation the past 10 contests (8-0-2).

With the team backchecking efficiently and playing much more aggressive north/south hockey, they pounced on a flat Buffalo club which wasn’t ready to play despite their recent hot streak which had them all the way to seventh in the East a point ahead of the Rangers.

Straka hit a career milestone by recording his 700th NHL point with an assist on Callahan’s third. The goal was made possible by a great read from former Sabre Drury, who made a brilliant pass to a wide open No.82, whose shot went off Ryan Miller right to Cally who deposited it.

The brilliant period continued when the game’s First Star Dubinsky abused a Buffalo defender skating around them before putting a backhand thru Miller’s five-hole for a three-goal lead at 9:05 from Jaromir Jagr. Before today’s game, No.68 had gone seven consecutive games without a point. Today, he was more active notching two helpers.

There’s little doubt that Miller wasn’t sharp and should’ve had Dubinsky’s 10th. It was from an awful angle. Even if the 21 year-old rookie out of Anchorage, Alaska made a nice move to beat Buffalo defenders, it was still one the Buffalo netminder usually saves in his sleep.

He was brutal and also could’ve had one of the first two as well as Brendan Shanahan’s right wing 40-foot slapper 3:20 later which concluded his day between the pipes. Miller allowed four goals on 11 shots before veteran backup Joceyln Thibault replaced him.

By that time, even Dancin’ Larry had done his idiotic dance routine. The fat lady sung a little earlier than expected. Avery would add his second of the game in the second using his great speed to blow past Sabres before beating Thibault on a mini-break for his eighth at 7:47.

The only remaining question was whether King Henrik would pickup an eighth shutout. However, it wasn’t to be as Thomas Vanek spoiled the party by beating him five-hole from in the slot for a power play goal with 6:58 left in the game.

Lundqvist still was rock solid in stopping 29 of 30 shots to give the Blueshirts a much needed ‘W,’ temporarily pulling back in front of Buffalo and Boston for the seventh seed. Amazingly, the 65 points also ties them with the Flyers, who have three more games at hand.

It really is going to depend on who plays well down the stretch. That means no mishaps. This team can’t afford to be inconsistent or mail in games. And it’s very important to follow this impressive win with another against Western foe San Jose.

As you might know by now, the Rangers are 0-7-2 against the opposite conference this season. This is their last opportunity to get two points against it.

It’s about time they did.