First of all Derek, they were mad because “Dancin’ Larry” wasn’t what you were chanting. Moron. I kid, I kid.

ANYWHO, the Devils sort of beat the Flyers tonight in a shootout, 5-4. They really should’ve lost the game. They went down early in the game on a ripper by Vinny Prospal. For once, I think Derek will enjoy my recap because Marty Brodeur was human tonight. Had to happen at some point. But Derek, I suppose even Derek Jeter has his off days, eh?

Anywho, the Devils got a pair late in the period from Johnny (5!) Oduya, whom I will talk about later. It was a rough and tumble game that featured some heavy hitting, and a bout between Mike Mottau and Riley Cote, which Mottau won pretty handily, yet somehow Mottau got an instigator because he went after Cote for running Brodeur.

The Devils extended their lead in period two on a goal from Jamie Langenbrunner, who’s line with Patrik Elias and Zach Parise looked like a legit #1 line for the 2nd game in a row. The Devils looked confident, the fans… not so much, and rightly so, as the Flyers got a goal from Jersey Jim Dowd on a tip late in the 2nd. The Devils fans didn’t feel so confident.

They were right again, as midway through the third, the Flyers got a flukey one that Randy Jones let go. Even an incredible give-and-go between Brian Gionta and John Madden late in the third didn’t stoke the fans, because Mike Knuble’s goal with less than a minute to go tied it, and we went to OT.

Now, a word to Johnny Oduya. That goal…not your fault man. Just because you turned your head for a split-second doesn’t mean Marty shouldn’t have stopped that Knuble wrister. Don’t listen to Chico.

We went through OT, and into a shootout, where Brian Gionta and Patrik Elias cashed in for NJ, and Jeff Carter and Danny Briere for Philly. It was up to Jamie Langenbrunner, who went forehand and beat Biron. Oh boy, hooray. Woo. Two Ranger-Penguin games from now, the Devils take on the Isles at the Mausoleum. See you then.

Since I kinda posted late last night on the game, here are some other things which were on my mind:

-The MSG security was lame as hell. For some reason, they came over to our section and wouldn’t allow anyone to curse. As if there was some sort of rule in place. What was this? Kindergarten? Fans pay good earned money to go to these games. And there you had Jim Dolan’s version of a dictatorship at a Devils-Rangers game. It was the first time I could recall that ever happening. Something must’ve happened.

-If you didn’t know by now, there’s no more Dancin’ Larry. Some gay activist group is said to be suing the Garden over the chant which originated in our section because someone complained and didn’t go for a month before returning. How weak. Sensitivity in this country is a joke. Now we have to deal with the corporate stench of weenies who have nothing better to do than ruin a good time. People go to these games to have fun and let off some steam. Not to be watched by babysitters.

-I’m on record as saying the Caps are running the table which would put them at 94 points. So the Devils better get their act together tonight against their favorite whipping boy or they really could tank worse than the Mets.

-A couple of months ago, Chris Drury was a big disappointment in his first season on Broadway. Since then, the Trumbull Connecticut native has been the Rangers’ best player scoring and setting up big goals along with all the intangible stuff (faceoffs, backchecking, penalty killing, hitting) Mr. Clutch has been known for. They didn’t give him all that money for scoring prowess but rather for stepping up and leading by example in key situations. His three assists last night and big faceoff win in the last 10 seconds was the latest example. He’s lived up to that reputation and is the biggest reason for the Rangers’ steady climb. My co-host Joe McDonald has always stated that Drury should be the next captain. How right he is.

-Scott Gomez lacing ‘em up last night and playing as well as he did through rib pain showed a lot of courage. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest decision but from his quotes in the paper today of what he learned while playing for New Jersey, it becomes evident that he understands what his responsibilities are. He’s a gamer!

-Jaromir Jagr just had another shot blocked.

-He won’t get any recognition in this season’s rookie race nor likely win any team awards but Nigel Dawes has been a different player since his recall in January. The guy now has 10 less points than Brandon Dubinsky and has been a key contributor. His biggest improvement has to be on the forecheck where the stocky 5-8 190 pound left wing has become relentless hitting defenders and recovering loose pucks in the corner. He has scored at every level and is now showing signs that the former 2003 fifth rounder could be a steal.

-If you took away Zach Parise, the Devils would be pretty boring.

-Patrik Elias was a beast last night for the Devs, notching his 19th off a nifty deflection for his 51st point in 69 contests. If New Jersey is to get out of their recent funk and make any noise in the second season assuming they make it, Elias must continue to play like he did last night.

-He might not win the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award but Ranger backup Stephen Valiquette is our unsung hero. In 10 starts, he has five victories along with a respectable 2.19 GAA, .916 save percentage and even two shutouts. Not too shabby for a guy once considered a journeyman before coming to Broadway. His improvement can be traced to outstanding coaching of goalie coach Benoit Allaire. What’s most admirable about the 30 year-old Valiquette is he understands his role and does it well while handling himself like a true pro. Expect the loyal soldier to get rewarded this summer by the club.

-I like Brendan Shanahan as much as anyone but he has no business being out on the ice in the last minute with his club nursing a one-goal lead. Tom Renney needs to use his best skaters. While the 39 year-old Shanny is reliable in his end, so too are Ryan Callahan, Marty Straka and Fredrik Sjostrom. The coach has to do a better job handling his bench in the future or he could get burned.

-Finally, was it just “luck” when the Devils had every bounce during their dominance of the Blueshirts? Inquiring minds want to know.

Let’s face it. New Jersey Devil fans are some of the most spoiled in all of sports. And you my friend are completely out of line here. All I did was give my vantage point on what a fraud your goalie is when it comes to the Rangers and point out that twice the Devils tried to injure Scott Gomez even resorting to sending out an NHL scrub to do the dirty work at the end of the first period.

If you want to complain about the penalties, how about going back and watching the replay to see all the blatant interference the Devs got away with (Hint: This wasn’t the first instance either). If some of their players were any closer, you’d swear they’d try to jump their bones.

When the Devils can send out eight guys during one of the worst changes late and no whistle, it was fitting that they got burned by the combination of Nigel Dawes and Henrik Lundqvist. Wonder how Marty slept last night. It must’ve been pretty “weird.”

How’s this for something?

The other night, Lepore called into our New York Hockey Report joining myself and co-host Joe McDonald for a fun filled evening. The first thing you said was this:

“I just realized that my team sucks.”

Oh man. How do we count the words to define what a load of garbage that is?!?!?!?!?!

We might bitch about our teams. I’ve been guilty of it plenty. When things don’t fall our way in the metro area, we tend to let our emotions get the better of us. That said, the Devils aren’t the Rangers. You never had to sit through seven years of being an NHL laughingstock. I can count many a night where I sat in 411 with my head buried because that’s how pathetic those teams were.

When you have a Devil fan coming up to you after their team eliminated yours from playoff contention saying, “I feel sorry for you,” you know how freaking bad it’s gotten.

How old is Steve anyway? He’s a freshman at Caldwell. So, you’re either 18 or going to turn 19 some time this year. What that means is you grew up as a kid watching nothing but a successful hockey franchise which won three Stanley Cups, reached four Finals and won countless Atlantic Division titles while finishing at or near the top of the East.

If you’re around that same age and root for another very successful franchise which resides in the Bronx, then you know what I’m getting at here.

Editor’s Note:  I recall going to more than half empty Stadiums in the early 1990’s watching the likes of Mel Hall, Jesse Barfield, Greg Cadaret, Rich Monteleone, Scott Sanderson and Kevin Maas, whose rookies I still have saved believe it or not.

Winning is great but it also spoils fans rotten to the core. Suddenly, winning a division isn’t enough or taking two playoff rounds before being eliminated is just not enough.

It’s either deliver another championship or the season becomes a failure. Many would argue that that philosophy is great because your team is expected to not only compete but win. The problem as many younger generation Yankee fans are finding out is it’s just not realistic to think you’re going to win it all every year.

If that actually happened, sports would become dull. Who the heck wants to see the same teams playing for and winning championships all the time? What’s the fun in that? There’s little fan appeal except for the spoiled few, who start to become obnoxious and spew garbage ticking off many.

Just once, I’d like to see the Devils miss the postseason so Steve can really know what it feels like to root for a team that sucks. Maybe then you and a few others who seem to assume your team will always win will finally comprehend what it means to not see the players you cheer for playing meaningful games in April.

Sometimes, a cold reality makes you appreciate it a whole lot more. Devil fans need to see their team miss. Then we’ll see how many are true Kool Aid drinkers and which ones jump overboard like the frauds they are.

1. Enough with the excuse making thing Derek, Marty’s like Jeter ya’ know, he doesn’t make excuses.

2. Larry Brooks “documenting” something? I call it getting paid for quoting Michael Farber’s story.

3. Marty has one of those gold medal things too, don’t act like it’s something Marty doesn’t have that Lundqvist does, therefore making him more righteous.

4. Lundqvist “Didn’t make much of an issue of it”? I think that’s all he did! Look, Brooks was desperate for a story, so he revived a month-old story that barely made any buzz when it came out then, and you just re-rehashed it.

5. Yeah, Marty imitated Lundqvist. Sure, Derek. I should throw you off the bridge completely after that point.

6. You complain about Vishnevski and Zubrus, yet not about that ridculous pair of penalties Colin White took, which are the only reason you were in the game to begin with!

I’m really annoyed that Brooks came out and attempted to revive that story, and I expected better of you than to re-re-vive it. It wasn’t news in the first place, and the fact that Chico had to mention it on the telecast ASSURES us all that it wasn’t news!

Take that Martin “Excuse Maker” Brodeur! Even on a night when the Devils severely outplayed the Rangers through the first 40, they still didn’t have what it took to get a win against their bitter Hudson rivals at a fun filled atmosphere in NYC.

Ranger beat writer Larry Brooks of the New York Post had it documented perfectly in his article yesterday which was to the point about the subtle cheapshots Brodeur will stupe to when it comes to the team he’s become envious of. A week after not giving any props to rookie Nigel Dawes for pulling off a great move and shot which wasn’t even close to being “missed”, the future Hall of Fame netminder this time was at it again over the opposite No.30 Henrik Lundqvist when in a recent SI piece, he had some unflattering remarks which didn’t make a whole lot of sense:

“The way he plays is not something I like too much. “Lundqvist is weird.”

Huh? What exactly was Mr. Brodeur talking about? Even the affable 26 year-old who led Sweden to Olympic Gold a couple of years prior was baffled beyond belief:

“I have to tell you, I respect Marty a lot, and it’s always a great challenge for me to play against him, but I don’t know what to say about what he said about me,” a rather bemused Lundqvist told The Post yesterday. “Does he think my style is weird? I don’t think I have a weird style.

“Does he think that I’m weird as person? I don’t think I’m weird. I don’t know what to say.”

It’s probably better off that Lundqvist didn’t make much of an issue of it. The only thing I can think of is Marty can’t like the fact that the third-year Ranger has fared quite well against him in the regular season. As poetic justice had it, in a game where both franchise goalies made terrific highlight reel saves, Lundqvist’s star shined the brightest again in making 32 saves to Brodeur’s 28 in improving to an unheard of 12-2-3 lifetime head-to-head in the regular season. Marty still till this point holds the edge in the playoffs (3-0).

If you liked goaltending, then you got to see another classic turned in as each netminder took turns making ridiculous saves. Brodeur got it started with a right pad kick out of a Marty Straka try off a great backhand Jaromir Jagr pass. Lundqvist turned away Jamie Langenbrunner’s shot labeled for the top of the net with a great glove save. He also robbed Langenbrunner on a tip try from in close with his team leading at that point 1-0.

With the game tied at two late, Brodeur answered with perhaps the finest save of the night imitating Lundqvist with a cat-like glove stop foiling rookie Ryan Callahan’s breakaway try. Unfortunately, he could do very little about Dawes’ latest heroics. Off a quick rush by who else but Chris Drury, the 23 year-old Manitoban drove hard to the net. Drury’s centering feed went off Devil defender Sheldon Brookbank ricocheting at Brodeur, whose clearing attempt hit the driving Dawes as he was being hooked on the unpredictable play by Travis Zajac.

As fate would have it, the puck went off Dawes’ shoulder while flat on the ice into the net along with the spunky player who always seems to be in that area.

“I was just kind of mad I got hooked,” Dawes told the AP. “That’s the craziest goal I’ve probably scored in my career. I’ll take it. It’s a huge two points. Good things happen when you go to the net like that.”

How right he is. From there, the Blueshirts held off a strong Devil attack which finally decided to test Lundqvist, who wasn’t required to do much but made a couple of strong stops including one on Brian Gionta. With Brodeur pulled for an extra attacker, the former Ranger killer was parked right in front and made a nice deflection but Lundqvist was positioned perfectly eating it up.

The Rangers won despite playing two poor periods. Honestly, the game should’ve been over at that point. As I said to one of my buddies up in 411, the Devils probably could’ve been in front 6-1. Only Lundqvist and Dainius Zubrus’ wide shots kept that from happening.

The second started out alright for the Rangers with a miracle taking place in the form of an actual power play goal with Brendan Shanahan netting his 23rd to snap a seven-game drought off a great feed from Scott Gomez. Gomez wasn’t expected to play due to bad ribs but the ex-Devil didn’t seem to care and suited up. To be honest, I didn’t think it was the wisest decision by him and Tom Renney. He could’ve been seriously hurt. The Devils twice took cheapshots at him including an illegal hit by scrub Vitaly Vishnevcrapski at the conclusion of a scoreless first. How in the world wasn’t that an interference call? He freaking crosschecked Gomez down with the puck nowhere in sight.

That was not only dirty but looked intentional. There was also Zubrus doing what he does best wrestling him to the ice. Of course, no call. Just like last year.

I had plenty of reasons to hate the Devils already. It was awfully nice of them to give me a couple of more. Oddly enough, I ran into a Devil fan when I got out of work yesterday. He was sporting his Black and Red Devil hat supporting his team. We talked a little about the game and he mentioned he was from Haslet, New Jersey. Hope I didn’t mess that up. The dude was definitely amped up for the game mentioning how he was going to watch it with plenty of buddies. I wished his team luck.

That’s not the best part of the story though. Ironically enough, we both attended the same exact public schools (P.S.4) and junior high schools (I.S.75). I was like, “Well, no sh*t!”

How cool is that? He also remembered Mr. Glawon. Imo, the best teacher at P.S.4, who later went on to become a principal. It’s just really weird I guess. Especially me being three years older. What were the odds? Probably about as good as the two teams combining to score five total goals in regulation.

When the Devils get to two and the Rangers score not once but twice on the man-advantage, something’s not right. Possibly a full moon?

I just figured at that point, the law of averages would finally catch up and the Devils would come away with their first win of the season series. Instead, Christian “Traffic Cone II” Backman atoned for his Sandis Ozolinsh-esque primary assist on Zach Parise’s go-ahead late in the second by firing past Brodeur over the left shoulder early in the third for a PPG. His third (second as NYR- both at MSG) came 98 seconds into the third from Gomez and Drury.

Speaking of Gomer, he showed a lot of courage playing last night and quite well too in notching two assists continuing to stick it to his former club. He has seven assists against them so far with one more big game left on the final day of the regular season at The Prudential Center next month.

Will Patricia Greuter of 2Man really have to don Ranger blue? We’ll know soon enough.

Update 3: End of period 3; 3-2 Rangers win.

What a great game. Christian Backman redeemed himself with the Rangers’ second power play goal of the game. Then Drury threw a puck at the net which Brodeur steered away, but Nigel Dawes came sliding in after being knocked down, the puck got caught up in him sliding on the ice and Dawes and the puck went into the net for the game winner. Plenty of hitting, plenty of emotion, some big saves (Brodeur on Callahan and Straka, Lundqvist on Langenbrunner and Brookbank) and an overall well-played game. That’s real hockey. Enjoy the rest of the night.

Update 2: End of Period 2; 2-1 Devils

High scoring period in terms of Rangers vs Devils. Shanahan scored a power play goal from Drury and Gomez on a really nice set-up by Gomez from behind the net. Jersey tied it up on a redirect goal from Elias. A really nice play on their part. Then a dreadful, dreadful giveaway by Backman to Parise, who finished glove-side top corner for the second goal. Backman tried going across the ice with a clear instead of up the boards. Awful play. Hitting has picked up for both teams. Enjoy the third.

Update: End of Period 1; 0-0

Good back and forth period for each team. Gomez is in, Prucha is out. Some good hitting, good saves on each end and plenty of emotion that goes into these rivalry games. The Devils have hit Gomez a few times, and it looks like they may be “targeting” him a little bit. Avery has been his usual self, throwing hits, playing on the edge. The Rangers’ fourth line also got some decent ice time and hasn’t looked bad. Hollweg made an errant back pass that led to a little sustained pressure by the Devils, but no harm, no foul. Looking forward to the second.

If you’re a fan of hockey, you’ll be a fan of tonight’s game. The Rangers take on the Devils at 7 pm at Madison Square Garden, with the Rangers threatening to move up the Eastern Conference ladder, and the Devils looking to pad their lead.

The Devils have scored only three goals in their last four games. The Rangers have won six straight games against New Jersey. Martin Brodeur has been shaky lately as well, making things look like they are tilted in New York’s direction. The Rangers will most likely be without Scott Gomez, however. Tom Renney said he would look at how Gomez looks in warmups before deciding, but you have to imagine that they will be cautious of him with the playoffs right around the corner. The Rangers have had their own trouble scoring and winning in regulation as of late as well.

Michal Roszival steps back in the lineup tonight, with Marek Malik being the scratch. Petr Prucha would likely be the scratch if Gomez can go, even if he doesn’t deserve to sit.

Should be an excellent game tonight. Enjoy it. I’ll be glued to the television watching it, but I’ll try to update a few times during the game.

Before I head out of the office, a couple of quick hits about tonight’s big game:

-The loser must now worry about the Flyers, who are playing very well and seem to have gotten righted in net with Martin Biron. They’re just three points behind the Devils and one shy of the Rangers illustrating how tight this race is.

-I’m not certain of the Blueshirts will get Michal Rozsival back but they sure could use him as he works well with Marek Malik logging big minutes allowing rookie Marc Staal to play third pair. Speaking of which, Staal has really played well lately giving the Rangers an advantage if on a third pair with not as much responsibility.

-On the Devil side, keep an eye on Brian Gionta, who inexplicably hasn’t hit the scoresheet in the season series. He was always a thorn in the Rangers’ side until this season. You have to figure he’ll be involved if the Devs are finally to snap their Hudson rival’s recent dominance.

I’m about to go now as it’s been pretty busy here. Plus I’ll be at the game too. So if you want to say hello over by 411, cool. I’m dressed up.

Enjoy the game!

Here I am sitting at work with not too much time as I’ll be taking part in a panel discussion pretty soon. However, there might be just enough to jot down some quick thoughts of my usual total randomness!

So in no particular order with no freaking clue if I’ll finish:

1.Patricia Greuter of 2ManAdvantage has vowed that if the Devils lose all eight regular season games to the Rangers that she’ll actually go through and wear a Ranger jersey. Can you imagine that?!?!?!?!?!?! IMHO, freaking classic Patty from one of your biggest fans!

Here I am wondering if the Blueshirts can pull this off. It’s very hard to win all eight games yet the Canadiens just turned the trick against the rival Bruins. So can they do it and pass the Devs in the standings? Maybe but I’m not really feeling it tonight. Especially if Scott Gomez isn’t back.

I knew I wouldn’t finish. So maybe later people! So much more to say.

Mike Richards is one heck of a hockey player. And I’m not just saying this because he once again owned the Rangers scoring the OT winner on a mini-break to complete a Flyers’ come from behind 2-1 win at MSG allowing them to take the home-and-home and pull within one in the standings.

The former Philadelphia 2003 first round pick (they also took Jeff Carter in that same round while the Rangers got Hugh Jessiman and the Devils landed Zach Parise) is already the heart and soul of his team and shall only get better.

He’s already established new career bests in goals (27), assists (44), points (71), power play goals (8), shorthanded goals (5) and game-winners (6). Or in the 23 year-old Mr. Everything for the Flyers the money department cause he sure will be cashing plenty of paystubs over the next 14 or so years.

Truth be told, this kid is a winner and might one day become the best player ever drafted by the Flyers. Alright. Maybe I’m biased since the same franchise once had a guy by the name of Bobby Clarke (before he became known for other stuff) and they also selected Peter Forsberg before the infamous Eric Lindros saga which was ruled in favor of the Flyers by an arbitrator instead of the Rangers. Man. I can still remember that summer quite well when it was rendered and reacted by taking a plastic stick and slamming it. Or something to that extent. Haha.

You know something else? Before he was traded as part of that ridiculous package, I’ll have you know that Ron Hextall was quite the goalie. People forget that he once won a Conn Smythe in defeat. Something which Jean-Sebastien Giguere matched which for some reason still burns Devil fans. Their team has three championships. You’d think it would be enough. Sometimes, people don’t realize just how good they got it. Just ask my poor Buffalo friend Brian Sanborn after that fiasco last night.

How do you give up four in that quick a span so late on your own home ice? Must be a Buffalo sports team. What exactly does God have against that city anyway?!?!?!?!?!?!

There are some things which are better off being left unexplained.

As for Mr. Richards, he did what he had to cashing a dreadful Sean Avery turnover at the Flyer blueline, utilizing his superior speed to beat Marek Malik and flip a backhand past Henrik Lundqvist. I like Henrik and he was real good in this game despite the lack of activity making tough stops in traffic but isn’t that why Glen Sather shelled out all that extra cash for? To come up with the big save in OT when his team needed it? He has to stop that as Malik forced Richards to a freaking backhand for Christ’s sake!

What was Henrik doing there? Napping. Daydreaming of which Ford model he’s going to bang. Or models.

Until proven otherwise, Mr. Lundqvist is the most overhyped goalie in the NHL. Sure. He’s been nominated for two Vezinas his first two seasons. And he’s already won over 100 games as a Blueshirt and been the biggest reason for the team’s recent turnaround. But now he must go deep in the playoffs or it will be a disappointment. Kind of like how pathetic our offense is without top scorer Scott Gomez. The Devils could also use the playmaking pivot too since they couldn’t score into a whorehouse right about now. Even if they did kinda get the shaft in their latest defeat.

And you know, they got that big game Thursday circled. So they’ll be ready to play. So what do you think the score will be between these two offensive juggernauts? Especially if Gomez isn’t a go?

Maybe it becomes the first game to make league history.

Game officially declared no-contest as nobody scores

NEW YORK, NY- Zeroes were the story in a history-making game. For the first ever time in NHL history, a regular season game was officially declared no-contest when both the Rangers and Devils couldn’t score. Well, maybe it was more like they wouldn’t.

After each Hudson rival failed to score through overtime, the game went to a shootout. But something unusual unfolded. Neither team could beat the opposing goalie even in a skills competition.

Instead, zero after zero was put up on the Madison Square Garden scoreboard. After all 18 shooters failed to score, a soldout Garden loudly booed demanding, “We Want A Goal, We Want A Goal!”

“We tried our very best,” mystified Ranger captain Jaromir Jagr said. “It just wouldn’t go in for us. At least our opponents cooperated.”

Meanwhile, it was two consecutive games of futility for the Devils, who now are without a goal in their last eight periods (nine if you include OT). In fact, they’ve only found the back of the net twice in four games.

“I wish I could put a finger on it,” said captain Jamie Langenbrunner. “We’re putting forth our best effort out there but for some reason, it just won’t go in.”

“I’d love to chip in if I could,” Martin Brodeur quipped after another solid night in goal finishing with 26 saves. “My team needs me in net right now because then Kevin Weekes’ job description could entail more than a clipboard and team spokesman.”

The historic night even left NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at a loss for words.

“After 54 years…oops. Wrong speech,” he said. “Well, it probably does feel like that for both Ranger and Devil fans these days.”

Could you blame him? This was something that was even out of Bettman’s control.

There’s always next game.

Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

Ah. That was more fun than watching the refs hand the tying goal to the Flyers because Scott Hartnell should’ve had an extra two for roughing. He punched one of our guys from behind. Oh well. Not like that great Ranger power play would’ve done anything. These days, it’s about as reliable as Con Ed!

Got to love what this game’s become. It’s okay to mug people after the whistle and yet it winds up four-on-four. The Flyers’ bread and butter. No surprise that the revitalized Daniel Briere tied it up on a nifty give-and-go with deadline success Vaclav Prospal.

Kudos to the Flyers for cashing in and doing what they needed to do to win a pretty boring game. They can also thank Martin Biron, who outplayed Lundqvist finishing with 31 saves earning 2nd Star.

Notes: Jaromir Jagr notched the only Ranger goal 1:41 in on an oldschool turnaround wrister from the circle for his 20th, making it all 17 seasons with at least that many. No.68 won’t extend his current streak of 30-or-better but he was tremendous last night skating very well and drew two penalties. … D Michal Rozsival was a scratch as well reported by fellow blogger Lenny due to a leg injury. Paul Mara returned from a facial fracture after missing the previous 12. F Petr Prucha replaced Gomez seeing his first action in 17. He was decent fighting in scrums and sticking up for teammates but as usual, showed little touch on a very good chance which could’ve made a difference. I still say they need to try him on the power play but what do I know? … In 14 games since the Flyers acquired him from Tampa Bay, Prospal has 11 points (3-8-11). … Rangers host the Devils tomorrow night. The Flyers then invade Newark Friday hoping to finally get a win against their Turnpike rivals.

The ‘It” Factor. I have heard this in many circles of entertainment, sports, and other professions. Sometimes, you just know it when a player has the ‘It” factor. Wayne Gretzky had this. Tiger Woods in Golf has that going for him now.

The same applies to NHL teams. At a certain point last year, the Anaheim Ducks had that “It” factor, and they won the Stanley Cup. And for a couple of glorious seasons past (05-06 and 06-07), the Buffalo Sabres provided Western New York with a reason to believe, a reason to hope again in a franchise that was bankrupt, and had an owner who was whisked away in handcuffs.

Now in 2007-2008, fresh off an embarrassing loss at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs and “The Great Collapse” against a team that made choke jobs common over the last decade in the Ottawa Senators, it is clear as day, it is time to stop believing in this Buffalo Sabres team for 2007-2008, and get a grip on reality. The Sabres are just not that good. Period.

Is all lost for the Sabres going into next season and beyond? Far from it. Derek Roy reached the 30 goal plateau for the first time in his young career, and fellow forwards Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville will have plenty of 30 goal seasons ahead of them. Steve Bernier is a good looking young sniper who can play physical and I believe can develop into a solid 25-30 goal power forward. So the cupboard is far from bare.

But now questions have to be raised about what was considered a strength: Goaltending. Ryan Miller made his 31st straight start tonight, and he thin as a rail, perhaps he is tired. But regardless, Miller has been letting in WAY too many soft goals over the past few weeks. One of the top priorities going into the summer is to get Miller a competent backup, and rid themselves of Jocelyn Thibault, the worst Sabres backup since the ‘great’ Bob Essensa went 0-5 for the Sabres in 2004 and almost single handily cost the Sabres a playoff spot.

Keep in mind the Sabres have played 4 extra months of hockey over the last two seasons, and fatigue might have caught up with the team. ANd not to mention the losses of 2 co-captians and their best offensive defenseman, and the fall from grace is easily justified.

The defense is a mess. Good skaters are on the roster with Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman, but the defensive corps is FAR from physical and gives teams way too many odd man rushes against Miller. Sabres GM Darcy Regier, whom I STILL believe was more lucky then good because of the NHL lockout, and especially team President Larry “He Needs To Go” Quinn, has a lot to prove this off-season.

That is all from me tonight. I need time to decompress and I will be back to discuss the future of the Buffalo Sabres for next year and things that need to do to return to the playoffs in 2009.

Till then, the Sabres need to lose out, and put themselves in a better draft position, and stockpile for the future. Buffalo needs to do this for the benefit of the ‘big boys’  like Philadelphia and New York, so they can ‘pick a player’ from the Sabres to overpay again down the line and break the hearts of Sabres fans, yet again.

Remember, it is “For The Best”.