Some fans like the NHL’s unbalanced schedule of the prior three years where division foes played eight times, most are glad for the new, slightly more balanced schedule where they play six - but everyone can agree that a home-and-home over two straight days with a bitter rival makes for excitement and fun.  That’s what’s in store for the Devils and Flyers this weekend.

Both teams come into these two games tonight at the Rock and tomorrow afternoon in Philly (moved up to 4 PM because of the Phillies’ World Series home game that night) already in drastically different places.  New Jersey’s off to a 5-1 start despite the injuries to Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik, while the Flyers believe it or not are still winless, with an 0-3-3 record after their first six games. 

As Derek said a while back, the Flyers are making a mockery of both our predictions of them being the top seed in the East (despite scoring 20 goals in six games) but I doubt either of us is losing any sleep over that one.  Although the D hasn’t been helped by Randy Jones‘ injury - as has been the case so many times in recent Flyer history, goaltending’s been a big issue.  It looked as if Martin Biron got over the hump last year with his solid playoff run, so to speak, but he’s had a nightmare start to this season (0-3-1) with a 5 GAA and .840 save percentage.  Backup Antero Nittymaki hasn’t fared much better (0-0-2 in four games, 3.80, .881), but both goalies should get a start this weekend.

Of course Martin Brodeur will be in net tonight at the Rock and the rest of the lineup also remains untouched from the 5-0 win over Dallas on Wednesday.  But Brent Sutter somewhat surprisingly wouldn’t commit to a starter on Saturday, though the translation is probably something like this: As long as Marty doesn’t get his head chopped off by Steve Downie, Scott Hartnell or some doofus Flyers fan before tomorrow’s game he’ll play then. 

In all seriousness with an afternoon game following a night one, I could see Sutter giving Kevin Weekes a start if the Devils win tonight but I wouldn’t - and I’m usually the biggest proponent of not playing Marty three times in four days - I’d go for the kill and try to keep the Flyers down in that case (and likewise if the Devils lose I’d play Marty because I don’t want to be swept by a division rival). 

I do still think the Flyers will have their day before the season’s over regardless - remember that ten-game winless streak near the end of last season when there was doubt as to Philly even making the playoffs?  The Flyers are prone to huge slumps from time to time.  Hopefully the Devils delay the hot streak for another day or two.

A couple of notes to pass along regarding the locals. So let’s get to them:

1.Holik Out 3-4 Weeks-The Devils will be without C Bobby Holik for about a month due to a broken pinkie suffered during last Saturday’s shootout win over the Capitals. He underwent surgery yesterday. The Devils recalled left wing Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond for tonight’s home game versus Sean Avery and the Stars. No matter what’s being said, he’s likely up for one reason only. We’ll just have to see if Avery obliges.

2.Rolston likely to miss significant time-The Devils also could be without top pivot Brian Rolston for an extended period due to the severe ankle sprain he suffered in the club’s 1-0 shutout of Atlanta last week which ironically he scored the lone goal in before losing an edge crashing hard into the boards during a two-on-one. Though the team has indicated that x-rays were negative with no structural damage, the recovery from an ankle sprain can be slow. According to Roto World, don’t expect to see Rolston anytime soon even going as far as to say he could miss 1-2 months. I would venture to guess he’ll be out at least another three weeks.

3.Rissmiller on waivers-The Rangers placed forward Patrick Rissmiller on waivers yesterday following Monday’s 2-1 home defeat to Dallas in which he was a minus-one with no points. Why Glen Sather inked the 29 year-old depth forward to a three-year contract worth $3 million is beyond comprehension. He was nothing more than a mirror image of Blair Betts when he played for San Jose making his signing baffling. Now, if another team picks him up, the Rangers will suffer a $1 million cap hit. I can’t really see anyone claiming him and figure he’ll pass through and play in Hartford. This dwindles the Ranger logjam at forward to 14 with Petr Prucha and Dan Fritsche now battling for ice-time with rookie Lauri Korpikoski, Nigel Dawes and Colton Orr though our coach seems to like having the enforcer in the lineup.

4.Rivet to miss 2 weeks-Also of note, Sabres captain Craig Rivet will miss up to two weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery. In six contests this season in which the team has gone a 5-0-1 including a nice comeback 3-2 shootout home win over the Bruins last night, the former Shark defenseman has posted three assists while racking up 29 penalty minutes. He was acquired for forward Steve Bernier, who then was dealt to the Canucks. Rivet is a steady puckmoving D who has bolstered the Sabre corps along with a healthy Teppo Numminen. Notice how much better they are without Dmitri Kalinin. According to BONY contributor Brian Sanborn, it’s no coincidence.

5.Lilja undergoes appendectomy-Detroit D Andreas Lilja underwent an appendectomy yesterday and will be out for tonight’s visit at St. Louis but could return Friday.

6.Avery and Giannone in spat-Apparently, former Ranger Sean Avery’s mouth was in rare form in his MSG visit Monday. Not only did he take a verbal jab at Stephen Valiquette but unleashed profanities during the first intermission at MSG’s John Giannone nearly getting into it before they were separated. Some things never change.

Don’t forget the Devils play host to the Stars tonight at 7 at The Rock. Figure it to be quite interesting. Here is the rest of the league’s schedule:

Sharks @ Flyers, 7 ET- Philly still looking for first win look to avenge OT loss in San Jose and will start Antero Niittymaki with struggling No.1 Martin Biron riding the pine. They’re the only team left without a win bringing an 0-3-2 record into a rare home and home four days apart with a Western foe. Odd.

Panthers @ Senators, 7 ET- Ottawa has broken up their top line shifting Mike Fisher between Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson while Jason Spezza works with the improved Nick Foligno and rookie Jesse Winchester. The Panthers come in having scored only 12 goals in five games with Nathan Horton the only consistent threat. Craig Anderson gets the start.

Red Wings @ Blues, 8:30 ET- The defending champs meet an improved St. Louis club which is out of the gate 4-1-0 with a perfect 3-0 home record. The Blues have gotten balanced scoring from Keith Tkachuk, Brad Boyes, Andy McDonald and Paul Kariya while former Wing Manny Legace is off to a great start. Detroit could have Conn Smythe winner Henrik Zetterberg back in what figures to be a good test.

Oilers @ Blackhawks, 9 ET- Historically, Edmonton doesn’t fare well in Chicago but split two games at United Center last season taking the season series 3-1. They’ll put they’re perfect 4-0-0 mark on the line against Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and a high flying Hawks’ offense. Both teams are extremely fast with Edmonton countering with talented forwards as well in Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner (lower body injury). So, this could be a fun watch.

I’ll also be on talking puck with Gary Harding and Joe McDonald for a NY Hockey Report live show between 9 and 10:30.

See ya later.

They blew two third period leads. The Islanders led 2-0 entering the third and seemed on their way to a routine victory. However, that was far from the case the rest of the way in what amounted to a nice bounce back 4-3 overtime road win in Tampa thanks to Trent Hunter’s heroics.

The Isles seemed in control thanks to goals from centers Mike Comrie and Doug Weight. But early in the third as FSNY color analyst Billy Jaffe was heaping praise on the game defenseman Freddy Meyer had played, suddenly there was the ever dangerous Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier using his speed to receive a Vaclav head pass staying onside beating Brendan Witt before tucking the puck under Joey MacDonald’s pads to suddenly cut it to 2-1 at 3:43.

With New York still nursing a one-goal lead with Jon Sim in the box, Tampa Bay used all two minutes before Prospal stuffed home an Andrej Meszaros rebound to tie it with 7:58 left. Scott Gordon’s team showed resiliency a couple of shifts later thanks to a great Jeff Tambellini rush down the right wing forcing Olaf Kolzig to leave a rebound which an emerging Hunter backhanded home for a 3-2 Islanders lead with 6:09 to go.

So, the Isles were home free, right? Not exactly. Instead, the topsy turvy third continued when former Pen Ryan Malone netted his first as a Bolt parking in front of MacDonald finding a Jussi Jokinen rebound to retie it just 66 seconds later.

Meyer, who had played a strong physical game almost turned into the goat when he was sent off for holding with 4:23 remaining. However, the Islanders killed it off and the contest eventually required OT.

It wouldn’t take long to decide thanks to the hard work of Frans Nielsen who got in and forced an indecisive Kolzig into a brutal turnover. With the former Cap out of his net, Nielsen quickly passed out to an open Hunter who buried his second of the night for the game winner. Sadly, Olie the Goalie didn’t even bother hustling.

Hunter’s fourth of the season came only 51 seconds into overtime giving his club a huge spark responding well after being blown out 7-1 by Buffalo at home.

For all the talk about when Rick DiPietro’s going to make his season debut, the Isles are .500 (2-2-0) with MacDonald doing a solid job in his place. Last night, he finished with 33 saves and you couldn’t blame him on any he allowed.

The play of the 28 year-old from Nova Scotia has allowed his team to hang in there. More than you can say for the Flyers, who lost yet again 5-2 in Colorado dropping to 0-3-1. It might be early but did myself and Hasan jinx them?

All in all, it was a good win for the Islanders. Especially after blowing two leads. They stayed with it and came away with two points increasing Barry Melrose’s misery with Tampa Bay now 0-2-2 sitting in 14th a point ahead of the Flyers.

THREE STARS

3rd Star-Jeff Tambellini, NYI (assist, 3 SOG in 17:21)

2nd Star-Vaclav Prospal, TB (goal, assist, 4 SOG, plus-one in 20:35)

1st Star-Trent Hunter, NYI (2 goals including OT winner, 4 SOG, plus-one in 19:16)

Quick Hits:

-The teams combined to go 2-for-15 on the power play. (NYI: 1-for-9, TB: 1-for-6)

-Kolzig finished with one less save (32) than MacDonald because SOG were dead even (36-36).

-Tampa Bay controlled the faceoff circle finishing 35-26.

-Eight different Isles factored into the scoring with Hunter, Nielsen (2 A) and Comrie (G, A) each posting multi-point games.

-Rookie Kyle Okposo netted a primary helper on Comrie’s marker for his second point of the season. He received 10:39 and shared the team lead with four shots.

-Both defensemen Bruno Gervais (assist in 21:25) and Mark Streit (team high 25:07, 4 SOG, plus-one) logged big minutes.

-In a losing cause, TB’s Meszaros tallied two assists in a game high 25:17.

-D Paul Ranger made his season debut for the Lightning logging 23:46 finishing with two minors, two shots and a minus-two rating.

-The Islanders held Martin St. Louis off the scoresheet with only one SOG and a minus-two.

-New Bolt forward Radim Vrbata is still without a point.

-2008 No.1 overall pick Steven Stamkos played only 9:22 registering a shot while taking a penalty.

-In other action, the Caps used a spirited three-goal third period scoring four unanswered to stun the Pens at Mellon Arena 4-3. Alex Semin and Michael Nylander tallied to tie it. Boyd Gordon’s wrister was properly reviewed with replays confirming that his shot went off the back bar and in at 15:43 for the winner. Nylander and Semin each had a goal and helper. Though Alex Ovechkin finished with no points, his ferocious hitting sparked the comeback and even left a flustered Sidney Crosby shoving him when it was over like the baby he is. While Sid The Kid had two assists, he finished minus-three. Meanwhile, Evgeni Malkin was in on all three Pens goals netting a goal and two helpers along with nine SOG.

Also of note, after he lost Tom Poti to injury, Bruce Boudreau took a page from Scotty Bowman shifting Sergei Fedorov to the blueline with success. One of the most talented players of our time was invaluable making a seamless transition logging 22:17 while assisting on the winner and finishing plus-two. He might not be the scorer he once was but the 38 year-old Fedorov still has the skating and hockey sense which is what’s allowed him to last this long. Maybe the Caps should keep him on D. He was that impressive.

-The Canucks got a 4-3 OT win at Detroit when agitator Alex Burrows rebounded his own wide shot off a carom past an out of position Chris Osgood. He finished with two points, a plus-three, five SOG and the game’s first star. Willie Mitchell added two helpers. Pavel Datsyuk and Nick Lidstrom had two assists in the loss while Henrik Zetterberg (groin) sat out.

-The Wild got a five point performance from emerging top pivot Mikko Koivu (1-4-5) and three points (2-1-3) from ex-Star Antti Miettinen in a 6-2 road victory over the Panthers remaining perfect on the season at 3-0-0. They’ve outscored opponents 14-7. Not bad considering Marian Gaborik sat out and is off to a slow start and they lost Brian Rolston. Somehow, Jacques Lemaire keeps them winning. Meanwhile, a team expected to be better in Florida is 1-2-0 having been outscored 14-9.

-As noted earlier, the Flyers remained winless falling to Colorado 5-2. Simon Gagne scored his fourth on a penalty shot going to a backhand deke. However, the Avalanche made the Flyers pay for their lack of discipline converting on 3-of-11 power plays with PPG from Marek Svatos, Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny. Ageless wonder Joe Sakic setup three of his team’s goals including a wonderful set play to Hejduk responding to Gagne’s tally.

The Flyers were badly outplayed in the first and third getting outshot 26-7 (17-3 in 1st) and outscored 3-0. They also were sloppy late in the second turning it over in the neutral zone leading to Cody McCormick’s first with 36 seconds left. Andrew Raycroft was the beneficiary finishing with just 16 stops for his first win as an Av. It all added up to Colorado’s first win in four tries.

-And finally, the Blues continued their surprising start routing slumping Dallas at home 6-1 scoring five on starter Marty Turco (5 GA on 18 shots) chasing him. St. Louis captain Keith Tkachuk and Brad Boyes each tallied and Paul Kariya added two assists as St. Louis improved to 3-1-0. Manny Legace finished with 29 saves. Meanwhile, the Stars have been outscored 18-12 and have just 3 points in four games (1-2-1).

All On Broadway before teams take ice.

When’s the last time you could say the Ranger power play was the difference in a win? Not the past couple of seasons with a man-advantage that might as well have been declined due to overpassing tendencies driving fans nuts. Though it wasn’t perfect in tonight’s 4-1 home victory over the archrival Devils due to a near full 5-on-3 where they took a page out of the old book refusing to shoot as if they didn’t know how to deal playing two men up.

Perhaps they just prefer the regular 5-on-4 where twice the same simple formula resulted in an Aaron Voros deflection power play goal with the former Devil draft pick doing his best to agitate Martin Brodeur. I can’t comment on whether the second tally early in the third should’ve been goalie interference as Hasan earlier contended because it was very hard to tell from our 411 seats even when replayed on the scoreboard.

I guess I’ll just not say anything yet cause I don’t really know. What I do realize is how valuable Voros’ addition has been to a mostly vanilla roster without Sean Avery. I was on board with the signing right away due to the size, grit and physicality the former Wild player would bring. However, I don’t think any Ranger fan in their wildest dreams had Voros getting off to this kind of start scoring three goals and setting up four already half off last season’s 14-point total (7-7-14).

The 27 year-old from British Columbia also picked up a primary helper on Brandon Dubinsky’s third on the gift Brodeur allowed off his glove to give the Blueshirts a good start. I think Hasan’s description of it was right on. So, nothing further.

If the Rangers grabbed control after Dubi’s tally getting the final eight shots of a period which they started poorly in, then the Devils finally woke up in the middle stanza immediately following the first of Voros’ markers by playing a desperate physical brand of hockey forechecking the heck out of the Rangers.

A word of friendly advice to Nikolai Zherdev on the only glorious chance his team had of making it 3-0. SHOOT THE PUCK! When you’re setup perfectly by Dubinsky on a two-on-one within 18 feet of Brodeur and possess the best shot on the team, you don’t pass the puck across going for the perfect play which wasn’t there. You use your laser-like wrister and test Marty’s glove even if it’s one of the best in the league. He is so much like Alexei Kovalev, it’s scary. He needs to simplify things a little before fans start getting on him.

From that point, it was all Devils just using a much more aggressive attack forcing Ranger turnovers and getting the puck in deep beating them to the punch. They kept coming in waves until finally the hard work of Zach Parise, Jay Pandolfo and John Madden paid off when Mad Dog chipped a backhand over Henrik Lundqvist following a series of saves in tight.

It was only a matter of time cause if you stop doing the things that got you the lead like the Rangers also disturbingly did in Philly, eventually a good opponent will take advantage and get back in it. New Jersey outshot them 12-4 and really could’ve been tied if not for some good saves from Lundqvist, who was sharp in making 26 stops with 21 coming the final 40 minutes.

The only drawback on the Devs’ second was the ridiculously mistimed interference minor Johnny Oduya took knocking down Voros with just three ticks left handing the Blueshirts a man-advantage and needed momentum when they had none.

Of course, Tom Renney sent out his No.1 unit to start the third when they’d done little the whole night. Chris Drury was invisible a second straight game. Only Scott Gomez competed. Markus Naslund was again a non-factor getting shots blocked or missing wide. No wonder he only saw 14:35. The coach finally came to his senses sending out the second unit with Dubinsky, Voros and Zherdev.

It didn’t take long for them to setup Voros’ second. Almost identical but created by the second-year Alaskan center outmuscling Madden in the corner for a puck working it back to Dan Girardi, who fed an open Paul Mara who didn’t waste any time firing with Voros in front who wound up with his second of the night restoring order.

The Devs didn’t quit continuing to work hard but Lundqvist was there when called upon. He didn’t have to stand on his head because the Rangers didn’t back up testing Brodeur as well. They competed better in the third.

Colin White’s high stick 12 seconds following Bryce Salvador’s delay of game killed any realistic chance their team had of coming back. While they did a stellar job killing off the two-man disadvantage, it took two minutes off the clock and allowed the Rangers at the least to take momentum back and continue forechecking.

Brent Sutter made a wise move pulling Brodeur with over two minutes left to at least give his team a five-on-four with both needless captains Drury and equally invisible Jamie Langenbrunner in the box for roughing. However, his club just couldn’t find a way to make things interesting against Lundqvist.

Ryan Callahan’s empty netter from who else but Dubinsky sealed it.

All in all, a good win for the Rangers, who improved to a perfect 5-0 with the Sabres coming in Wednesday. Another game I’ll be at. Buffalo won over the Isles 7-1 yesterday destroying them scoring all seven including a four-goal second against Joey MacDonald. When are the Isles gonna admit something’s wrong with Rick DiPietro? Nevermind.

As for the Devils, it was their first loss of the season. They played as expected with an aggressive trap early which saw them generate on the cycle. What can’t be explained was how the next part of the game changed after Dubinsky’s goal. Guess it deflated them. They definitely have improved forward depth with Holik playing his familiar bruising style on a crash and bang fourth line where he first made his name. He also is still dirty getting away with a few slashes but that’s expected.

I would’ve liked to see Voros and David Clarkson go but they only talked and decided to play instead. I always like seeing at least one scrap between these rivals. Oh well. Maybe next month at The Rock.

THREE STARS

3rd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (26 saves)

2nd Star-Brandon Dubinsky, NYR (goal, 2 assists, 9-3 on draws in 13:37)

1st Star-Aaron Voros, NYR (2 PPG incl. GWG, assist, 4 PIM, 2 hits in 13:02)

NJ LINES

Elias-Rolston-Gionta

Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner

Pandolfo-Madden-Clarkson

Zubrus-Holik-Rupp

Martin-Salvador

White-Oduya

Mottau-Salmela

Healthy Scratches:

Andy Greene

Sheldon Brookbank

Petr Vrana

NYR Lines

Naslund-Gomez-Drury

Voros-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Fritsche-Korpikoski-Callahan

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Rozsival

Staal-Mara

Kalinin-Girardi

Healthy Scratches:

Nigel Dawes

Petr Prucha

Patrick Rismiller

The Rangers warmup during pregame skate for Devils.

Video:

Moment of Silence for Alexei Cherepanov

Both teams take ice

Each team warms up during pre-game skate

The Rangers take the ice for warmups

Quick Hits:

-Before the national anthem, there was a moment of silence for Alexei Cherepanov.

-Special Teams: NJ: 0-for-3 PP, NYR: 2-for-4 PP

Note: The Rangers have now killed off all 21 penalties this season.

-Rangers were good in the faceoff circle going 28-for-48 with Dubinsky (9-3) and Drury (6-1) neutralizing the Devs’ best Madden (6-10).

-Unlike Saturday, there was plenty of physicality with each team finishing their checks. The Devils outhit the Rangers 43-37 with bruisers Salvador and White each leading the way with seven apiece. Madden and Rupp each had five with both playing strong games. For the Blueshirts, Redden and club enforcer Orr paced them with five each while Marc Staal chipped in with four.

-Another factor was shots that never made the net with the Devils missing the net 12 times and having another 19 blocked with Redden getting in the path of four while valuable penalty killer Blair Betts had three. The Rangers missed the net eight times and had 13 blocked with White and Salvador each finishing with three apiece. Overall, it was a 10 shot differential in the Rangers’ favor.

-Each team did well in takeaways with the Devs getting nine including three from Paul Martin while the Rangers had 13 with an active Gomez winding up with four.

-The Devs’ most effective players were Parise, Madden, Pandolfo, Holik, Zajac, Rupp, White, Salvador and Martin meaning that the Rangers were able to keep the top line of Elias-Rolston-Gionta in check holding them without a point and six combined shots.

-The Rangers’ best players were Dubinsky, Voros, Sjostrom, Callahan, Korpikoski (13:01), Redden, Staal, Mara along with Betts and Orr. The top line as I mentioned did little combining for just three shots with only Gomez coming close with a redirect off the post. He was the only one of the three to assert himself which explains why he got over 20:00. It might be time to break that line up.

-Sjostrom played so well in this one that he saw extended time with over 14:00 getting PK time and being thrown out more by Renney to provide a boost. His speed was tremendous. He really seems to have solidified his spot and might be worth a look on the third line.

-I also came away with impressed with the smart play of Betts and Orr, who again did a respectable job defensively while getting the puck in deep. Very nice work.

-I’m really not sure where the Devs should play Dainius Zubrus. I mean he can’t be on the fourth line and probably fits best with Madden and Pandolfo giving them more offense than Clarkson, who can bang everything in sight with Holik and Rupp.

-In other league action, the Blues cameback to defeat the Leafs 5-4 in a shootout rallying back from a 3-0 deficit thanks to a goal and assist each from Paul Kariya and rookie Patrik Berglund. Keep an eye on the 20 year-old Swede who St. Louis took late in the first round two years ago. He could be a sleeper. Nik Antropov had two assists for the Leafs, who lost due to another boneheaded boarding major from you guessed it Ryan Hollweg. Will he ever learn? Brad Boyes netted the shootout winner.

-As noted before, the Isles got roasted by the Sabres 7-1 with backup MacDonald in for all seven. Yikes. Thomas Vanek tallied twice and Jason Pominville and Ales Kotalik each had a goal and two assists as Buffalo improved to 2-0 with the Rangers next. Trent Hunter broke up Patrick Lalime’s shutout bid with former Ranger Thomas Pock assisting.

The Isles next game isn’t till Thursday at winless Tampa, whose D is so putrid they’re considering signing Marek Malik. Big Bird just might be an upgrade. That one could be interesting. Speaking of which, there was a big fracas in the second featuring a few scraps with four players ejected and eight misconducts. Woh. Wonder what happens when the Isles visit Buffalo? Can you say must watch?

-The defending champion Red Wings got goals from Nick Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterberg in a 3-1 road win over the Hurricanes. Joe Corvo tallied for Carolina as backup Ty Conklin was solid making 27 saves to outperform Cam Ward (33 saves).

-The Canadiens fought back from a 2-1 deficit after two exploding for four third period goals including three straight in a 5-3 road win at Philly getting a little redemption for their second round ouster. Four Habs had two points with The Kostitsyns combining for a goal and three assists while Roman Hamrlik (goal, assist) and Andrei Markov (2 A) led a balanced attack which was too much for Mike Richards (goal, assist, minus-three) and Jeff Carter (goal, minus-two). There was a scrap between Guillaume Latendresse and Joffrey Lupul at the conclusion with the teams coming together. The Flyers fell to 0-2 and should be in a foul mood when they visit state rival Pittsburgh later tonight.

-In the mismatch of the night, the Capitals defeated a weary Canuck team 5-1. Alexander Semin tallied twice while ex-Ranger Michael Nylander finished with a goal and two helpers in a game Alexander Ovechkin didn’t have a point in despite a domination which saw Washington hold Vancouver to 10 shots making it a routine victory for backup Brent Johnson (nine saves). In a dominant second which they outscored Vancouver 3-0, they outshot them 15-1 on their way to a 35-10 edge. Gee wiz. Roberto Luongo was in for all five before being chased stopping 20 of 25 before Curtis Sanford relieved him.

So, why was this such a mismatch? How about because the Canucks played two intense games beating nemesis Calgary twice including a two-goal comeback to win in OT the other night in Western Alberta. How in the world did the schedule makers have them traveling across North America to the nation’s cap for a game two nights later? Makes zero sense. That’s why the result wasn’t surprising.

-Finally, the Predators continued to win getting the better of the Blackhawks 3-2 spoiling their home opener. Rich Peverley and J.P. Dumont tallied in the shootout. Shea Weber and Kevin Klein got the Preds’ goals in regulation while Martin Havlat showed up with a goal and a helper as did Patrick Sharp getting the Hawks their first point of the season. They’re off to a slow 0-2-1 start getting outscored 11-6.

They were up four in the first period stunning a packed Wachovia Center Flyer crowd. You just knew it would get interesting. That’s what happens when the Rangers and Flyers get together. We’re talking about one of the better rivalries in hockey.

Nothing tonight changed that as Stephen Valiquette’s clutch netminding allowed the Rangers to escape with a 4-3 road win making it a perfect four-for-four in 2008-09.

Early on, it looked like it would be a walk in the park for the Blueshirts, who dominated the Flyers before Sarah Palin getting all four of their goals in the first 16:13. Nikolai Zherdev got it started when a fluky bounce came right to him for an easy tap-in at 4:12. Aaron Voros and Dan Girardi netted assists.

The fourth line isn’t expected to do much scoring but they were an unlikely source combining for the next pair of goals. Less than a minute after Zherdev’s second in two nights, Blair Betts was setup in front by the Russian burying one past Martin Biron for his first goal since last Dec.29 versus Toronto. The valuable penalty killing center factored in on the next tally making a smart angled pass off the far left boards knowing speedy linemate Fredrik Sjostrom would beat Lasse Kukkonen to the puck.

Sjostrom then quickly retrieved it and wrapped one around a vacated net with Biron out of position for his first at 8:30. Believe it or not, Colton Orr also nabbed a secondary helper. Poetic justice considering how well that line played all night. This was one of their most impressive games.

Off balance and pressing in front of a booing Philly crowd (gee what a shock), the Flyers just couldn’t find their game in the first 20 minutes. When Daniel Briere foolishly didn’t stop running over Valiquette for an easy goalie interference minor, the Blueshirts made him pay when Michal Rozsival took a Scott Gomez feed and buried a one-timer past a screened Biron top shelf into the right portion of the net for a 4-0 lead.

It only took Flyer captain Mike Richards 10 seconds off the draw to challenge Brandon Dubinsky, who cameback strong fighting one of the most complete players in the game to a draw even getting a takedown. Not bad for a guy who last season got clocked a few times. Is there anything the 22 year-old Alaskan can’t do?

After outshooting Philly 14-9 in the first, the Rangers began to tire in the middle stanza. However, it was with a Flyer in the box where the game changed. Taking a faceoff in his zone, Dubinsky who was so good a night ago lost it cleanly to Glen Metropolit allowing Scott Hartnell to get off a wicked one-timer for a shorthanded goal cutting it to 4-1 at 3:13.

I wouldn’t say the Rangers sat back as they got a few glorious chances on backup Antero Niittymaki who relieved Biron after Rozsival’s tally. Let’s just say the Finn was superb robbing Chris Drury twice on point blank setups. His timely saves (13 overall) kept his team alive.

Building momentum, the Flyers got a key second marker with less than four minutes left in the period thanks to some help from Richards, who got away with a goalie interference. While on the attack, the Flyer captain nudged into Valiquette knocking him down which meant he had no chance to recover in time for Simon Gagne’s first which went off the post before caroming off the Ranger backup and in. Briere got the lone primary.

Obviously, Tom Renney wasn’t pleased signaling with his arms folded that the officials missed it. Replays clearly indicated so but what could you do?

With a weary team headed into the final 20, it was going to be quite a challenge to hold off the fresher team. When Richards skated past Zherdev getting into position for an easy tap-in of a Briere cross-ice feed at 5:39, suddenly it was a one-goal contest.

Prior to the Flyers’ third straight tally, Renney did try to calm down his team after they iced the puck. A wise move. But the home club kept coming and now were within a goal with still 14:21 to go.

It only became tougher when Dubinsky and Gomez got nabbed for minors 26 seconds apart handing the Flyers a golden opportunity with a two-man advantage for 1:34. Despite being up against it, the Ranger PK trios never broke making a couple of great defensive plays to keep Philadelphia from tying the game. In particular, Marc Staal on one unit and Rozsival on the other made excellent reads breaking up chances including a great one by the latter denying what essentially would’ve been a Briere tap-in.

The heady play of Drury and Betts on each unit was instrumental keeping their club perfect on the season killing penalties

Somehow, the Flyers only managed seven shots in a period they dominated with their aggressive forecheck. Still, the only reason they didn’t tie it was the play of Valiquette who at least three times robbed Flyers on one-time setups within 15 feet including one money stop on Joffrey Lupul. It was no surprise as he’s had a history of playing well in that venue which was why you figured he’d get the nod giving Henrik Lundqvist a couple of extra days to prepare for the Devils, who cameback to beat the Penguins 2-1 in overtime.

Valiquette had 25 saves with 16 coming in the final 40 minutes. He was tremendous and helped his team steal one on the road.

THREE STARS

3rd Star-Antero Niittymaki, Phi (13 saves in relief of Biron)

2nd Star-Betts/Sjostrom/Orr, NYR (2 goals, 2 assists, plus-five)

1st Star-Stephen Valiquette, NYR (25 saves for first win of season)

Ranger Lines:

Naslund-Gomez-Drury

Voros-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Rismiller-Korpikoski-Callahan

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Rozsival

Staal-Mara

Kalinin-Girardi

Healthy Scratches:

Nigel Dawes

Petr Prucha

Dan Fritsche

Quick Hits:

-aside from not taking Richards on the third goal, Zherdev had a strong game netting two points.

-Girardi was solid in this one finishing with two assists in 18:03.

-Rangers rebounded winning 39 of 68 draws with Betts leading the way going 16-9.

-There wasn’t a lot of hitting with the teams combining for just 16 total (Rangers-5, Flyers-11). Figure that to change next time out.

-Richards played like a leader scoring, getting chances, fighting and doing what you’d expect to get his team back in it.

-Rangers did a good job keeping Jeff Carter (one SOG, minus-one) quiet.

-Biron allowed four goals on 14 shots before being chased.

-Steve Eminger played a solid game on the Flyer blueline blocking a game high five shots.

-Sjostrom has earned his spot using his speed and grit to make plays on both ends.

-Though Patrick Rismiller wasn’t bad in his Ranger debut playing on the third line, I would’ve preferred to see Dan Fritsche. He needs to be in for the Devil game.

-Outside of one shaky turnover leading to a penalty, Dmitri Kalinin was stronger on the puck doing a decent job. He still scares me.

-Rozsival had a very effective game scoring a PPG, getting three SOG and pacing the team with 23:37.

-Also thought Lauri Korpikoski was again good tho he got just 8:18 and was on for a goal against. Not his fault. But his skating is very good and he reads and reacts well. His wings must play better.

-Markus Naslund was pretty quiet with just one shot in 16:20 despite an assist. He can play better.

-Rangers are back at The Garden for the Devils Monday night.

After raising their Eastern Conference champions banner, the Penguins went out and proceeded to lay an egg for sixty-five minutes being outshot 49-15 by the visiting Devils including a ridiculous 39-7 in the final two periods and overtime. 

Yet it looked as if Pittsburgh would come away with a 1-0 victory in regulation thanks to the heroics of Marc-Andre Fleury and his three best friends (the two posts and crossbar) before a lucky bounce, when Patrik Elias’s pass towards center ice hit off of Hal Gill’s skate and went past Fleury to tie the game.  Zach Parise’s slick wrist shot in the final minute of overtime gave the Devils their just two points in dramatic fashion.

Miroslav Satan scored the Penguins’ lone goal on a first-period power play where Pittsburgh sent three players towards the net and eventually Devil-killer Satan put home a rebound.  In what proved to be a harbinger, Gill’s tough night started early when the giant 6′5 250 defenseman got owned in a fight by David Clarkson - fifty pounds and a few inches shorter.  

There were plenty of good things for the Devils to take out of this weekend.  For one, having a healthy Bryce Salvador here for the whole season (he only played a handful of regular season games last year before getting hurt) and also Anssi Samela in the lineup over the likes of Andy Greene and Sheldon Brookbank seems to have improved the D dramatically from last season. 

The needless worrying by Devil fans about Martin Brodeur changing his mask has been unfounded as Brodeur has been his usual strong self - in fact, the conditioning program Brodeur underwent in the offseason looks like it’s helped prevent the slow starts Marty’s had every season since the lockout.  As a result, Marty now stands just 11 wins shy of Patrick Roy’s record.

For all my hemming and hawing about the offense, they have had a number of chances and it’s been the Devils’ key guys who’ve had the goals thus far - Parise and Elias each have two apiece.  Of course someone else will have to score before the season’s over, but typically your best players have to be your best players if you want to go anywhere.  Too often last season that wasn’t the case, especially offensively.

And from a purely intangibles standpoint, so far the Devils have shown just that little bit more intensity and fight and won a game or even two they would have lost last season.  Not that I thought the team wasn’t trying but maybe the playoff loss to the Rangers at home and the advanced age of some key players have sharpened the intensity level that much more.

In other local news, it proved to be a good night for all three teams.  The Islanders won their home opener 5-2 over the Blues on the strength of four first-period goals and 24 saves by Joey McDonald, while as referred to in the comments section of Derek’s last post the Rangers nearly blew a four-goal lead against the Flyers in Philly’s home opener before hanging on for a 4-3 win, remaining unbeaten with four straight wins to start the season (ensuring both the Devils and Rangers come into Monday’s showdown at MSG unbeaten).

They’ve already played a ton when you include the busy exhibition schedule traveling to Switzerland before a successful sweep of the Lightning in Prague. Then the Rangers returned home and got some much needed rest before pulling out their home opener last night over the Blackhawks despite not playing their best which drew the ire of Tom Renney, who knows his team needs to be better if they’re to continue their best start since 1989-90.

Tonight, the competition goes up a couple of notches in the City of Brotherly Love when they visit the archrival Flyers in front of “hockey Mom” Sarah Palin in their home opener. If you’ve seen mine and Hasan’s predictions, we both like this Flyer team a great deal and believe they’ll come out on top in the ultra competitive Atlantic as beast of the East. As for right now, that remains to be seen.

Figure a talented roster which includes Daniel Briere, new captain Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Joffrey Lupul, Scott Hartnell, Scottie Upshall, a healthy Simon Gagne, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn and Martin Biron to be a very good early test for the Blueshirts when they drop the puck in a couple of hours. They’ll be plenty rested too and full of energy.

The question is how does Renney play this back-to-back in a critical stretch which includes three in four nights when they return home to host another division foe the Devils Monday. Considering that he’s got three extra forwards to work with, the affable coach can bring in fresher legs if he so chooses. It would be wise to give Dan Fritsche a go tonight along with Petr Prucha. Heck. Even Patrick Rismiller stepping in for solid penalty killer Blair Betts might make sense. Though Renney is extremely loyal to the fourth line center and club enforcer Colton Orr perhaps to a fault.

There’s no doubt that the Ranger coach is a diplomat who never wants to diss players who have helped the franchise get back on track making the postseason the past three seasons. However, if he wants to take that next big step, Renney can’t play favorites here. It’s about what’s best for the team. Winning must take precedent. Even without Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka and Brendan Shanahan, expectations remain high for a younger faster club that features Nikolai Zherdev along with vets Markus Naslund and Wade Redden.

Giving a blow every now and then to a Betts or another support player takes advantage of the surplus of forwards he has been provided with. You have to figure at some point, the issue of only six D will get addressed by Glen Sather. For now, Renney can shuffle guys in or out. So, if that means sitting a Nigel Dawes for Prucha or Fritsche due to the left wing’s slow start, he should consider it.

When you have this kind of roster, spots can’t just be handed even if I like Dawes and feel he’s important to how the team performs. Competition can be a plus cause it will make players compete harder and realize that if they don’t give their best, they could be out of the lineup.

The next week promises to be very challenging with two Atlantic battles over the next three days before the Sabres and Maple Leafs visit MSG Wednesday and Friday. Oh. And this hectic schedule of six games in nine days concludes with a back-to-back visit to the defending champion Red Wings next Saturday. Factor in the Stars visit the following Tuesday and it’s seven in 11 days against pretty good competition.

This is an early opportunity for the team on Broadway to set a tone for 2008-09. Like Scott Gomez said last weekend in the Czech Republic, they can’t use the schedule as an excuse. They’re young and deep enough to get through these sort of stretches. That’s why Slats changed the roster increasing team speed.

It all begins tonight.

Considering that my left index finger is jammed from something I did at the game in an electric MSG atmosphere, well at least the title kinda fits. I can’t really think of anything else except that the darn ice didn’t help much. Oh well.

Onto what was a successful Rangers home opener with a 4-2 win over the Original Six Blackhawks last night in which the newly acquired Aaron Voros had a big game notching his first goal as a Blueshirt and tallying an assist for a multi-point night playing alongside super soph Brandon Dubinsky and Russian lightning rod Nikolai Zherdev.

The newly formed trio combined for three goals and four assists in a well earned victory over a game Chicago squad which really has no more excuses for not qualifying for the postseason. With young talent like new captain Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp and Dustin Byfuglien, this team is loaded up front and was dangerous when they attacked the Rangers.

The good news for Tom Renney’s club was that a jittery start which saw a few too many turnovers with speedy Hawks getting behind the D didn’t result in any goals against due to some shots fired wide and the clutch play of Henrik Lundqvist, who was busier than in the first two wins making 30 saves including some timely stops like one on Sharp in close denying him.

Despite the Hawks’ speed, it was the Rangers who drew first blood when the 25th captain in franchise history Chris Drury wisely floated a low shot at new Chicago No.1 goalie Cristobal Huet which he couldn’t control caroming out to Wade Redden, who blasted into the top portion of the net for his second in two games 6:47 into the contest. Markus Naslund also picked up an assist.

The goal didn’t deter Denis Savard’s young squad as they picked it up carrying the play by attacking the Rangers with an aggressive forecheck leading to some neutral zone turnovers. However, they couldn’t get one past Lundqvist until late in the period when Kane was left alone behind the net to find a Brian Campbell rebound tying the game at 17:18.

Playing a more up tempo style which even was against Renney’s liking due to it favoring Chicago, the Rangers managed alright getting the only two markers of the second. Both came off their own attack forcing the Hawks into bad decisions.

First, a couple of Chicago players had trouble playing a puck due in large part to the aggressive forecheck of Voros, Dubinsky and Zherdev with the trio taking it away before the second-year pivot handed off to the ex-Wild grinder who buried the chance from 15 feet for his first as a Ranger at 5:15.

Before Dubinsky tallied his second of the season 10:21 later on an outstanding solo effort showing strength before blasting one upstairs, the Hawks forechecked vigorously getting their chances including an excellent one for defenseman Duncan Keith, who couldn’t beat Lundqvist as King Henrik got his blocker up brushing it aside. The play of the fourth-year 26 year-old Swede was the difference. He was just a little better than Huet, who by no stretch was bad in turning aside 25 of 29.

Trailing by a pair, the Blackhawks came hard in the third and it paid off when they kept the Rangers pinned in allowing converted forward Byfuglien to dish off to a cutting Keith in the slot who made no mistake ripping one top shelf to slice it to 3-2 with 12:47 remaining. Sharp also registered an assist.

However, just when it seemed the younger club would make the climb all the way back, some more heady play from Dubinsky, Voros and Zherdev resulted in huge insurance when the trio combined in the neutral zone to setup Zherdev on a three-on-two with the exciting 23 year-old ex-Jacket making no mistake wristing one top shelf for his first in True Blue, making it 4-2 just 2:20 later. Where Mama hides the cookies to quote legendary Buffalo play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret.

Most impressive on the well executed play was the perfect cross-ice feed from Voros, who notched 16 points a season ago with Minnesota. I knew he was a hard worker and liked the addition right away because of his energy and forecheck ability. What I didn’t realize was his ability to read plays. A great pass from an underrated player who fans will really grow to appreciate.

No question this Voros came to play in front of a fun atmosphere debuting well much like the other Voros. He earned No.1 star with Dubinsky getting No.3 while rookie center Lauri Korpikoski earned second star logging 12:43 in his third NHL regular season game. Not bad for the hard working Finn who looks to have promise. He played alongside Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan with the speedy trio providing solid energy with a couple of near misses from Korp’s linemates.

If Renney wasn’t satisfied with the track meet his team prevailed in, he had to at least come away pleased with how his club protected a two-goal lead. Despite Chicago outshooting them 13-7 in the final 20 and 32-29 overall, the Blueshirts were sharper in the last 10-plus minutes following Zherdev’s goal keeping Hawks outside and limiting opportunities.

All in all, I’ll take it.

Three Stars

3rd Star-Fredrik Sjostrom, NYR (11:23 TOI, two hits)

2nd Star-Brandon Dubinsky, NYR (goal, two assists, plus-two, 5 hits, 4 SOG in 16:15, 11-4 on draws)

1st Star-Aaron Voros, NYR (goal, assist, plus-two, 4 SOG in 14:38)

Ranger Lines

Naslund-Gomez-Drury

Voros-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Dawes-Korpikoski-Callahan

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Rozsival

Staal-Mara

Kalinin-Girardi

The Rangers warm up for home opener

Both teams during pregame skate

Quick Hits:

-The Rangers are 3-0 to start a season for the first time since 1989-90.

-In his first game this season, Fredrik Sjostrom played well in 11:23 demonstrating good speed while playing fourth line, killing penalties and nearly had his first on a great effort with a forehand stuff try missing wide.

-There were a couple of scraps with Callahan getting the decision over Colin Fraser and Paul Mara showing some character in a win over Jack Skille earning cheers. A crowd will always appreciate when a defenseman drops’em though I’m not sure how wise it is when our roster only has six due to being overstocked up front.

-Marc Staal was very good getting the second most minutes on the blueline to Michal Rozsival (23:15) with 20:21 finishing plus one and winning the majority of the battles in his end. He looks very polished. I also feel Mara has played well with him. He really has worked hard.

-One shaky moment for the new Malik Dmitri Kalinin but otherwise the former Sabre was alright.

-Blair Betts played a decent game working diligently and even getting a shorthanded chance testing Huet’s glove with a slapper labeled.

-Drury was very active and really seems to have chemistry with Scott Gomez and Naslund. The question is will they remain intact?

-I thought Keith was good for the Hawks offensively but he was minus-two despite his goal. He did play big minutes (29:46) along with partner Campbell (29:06).

-The Hawks have a solid top four that are young and can all skate but the bottom couple Jordan Hendry and rookie Niklas Hjalmarsson hardly played combining for less than 10 minutes which puts a lot of pressure on the other four with James Wisniewski out indefinitely due to a torn ACL.

-While Toews, Kane, Sharp and Byfuglien all had good games, Havlat was awfully quiet with only one sharp angle shot which Lundqvist ate up. He’s in a contract year and really needs to stay healthy and play inspired if this team is to make the playoffs.

-Chicago held the edge in the circle going 32-23 in faceoffs.

-Each team went 0-for-3 on the power play.

-The Rangers are back at it tonight in the Flyers home opener with Sarah Palin dropping the ceremonial first puck. Scrooge trashed it. I’m iffy on how I feel about John McCain’s running mate being there but she’s a “hockey Mom”. Gee. Golly.

-Couple of surprises from last night with the Thrashers scoring seven on the combination of Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson for a 7-4 win over the Caps. Bryan Little notched two goals and an assist and Niclas Havelid had three helpers to offset a pair of Mike Green power play goals. Kari Lehtonen (39 saves) came up big thwarting Alexander Ovechkin on a penalty shot with the game tied in the third before Atlanta erupted for three in 2:10.

Also getting a win was Columbus despite blowing a 4-2 lead in the last 3:18 with Brad Richards and Trevor Daley scoring on consecutive shifts to help Dallas force OT. But Jackets’ captain Rick Nash stepped up for the deciding tally with 21 seconds left finishing off a three-on-two by wristing one past Marty Turco for a 5-4 road victory. Jason Chimera notched his second assist on the winner and ex-Ranger Christian Backman got a secondary helper finishing plus-two. Stephane Robidas chipped in three assists for the hosts in a tough loss.

There were two other ex-Rangers in this one with Sean Avery playing 16:54 registering no points and a slashing minor playing with Mike Modano. On the winner’s side, Fedor Tyutin donning his familiar No.51 logged 23:07 picking up two minors while finishing plus-one.

Other winners included:

-The Blues 5-2 over Nashville getting two goals from Keith Tkachuk and two assists from Paul Kariya.

-The Hurricanes defeated the Panthers in their home opener 6-4 getting goals from six different players including new defenseman Joni Pitkanen with Tim Gleason netting three helpers offsetting a goal and assist efforts from ex-Cane Cory Stillman and David Booth.

-The Sabres made it a successful home opener by a 2-1 count in the shootout over the Canadiens. New Hab Robert Lang tallied for the visitors and Thomas Vanek answered in the first with Teppo Numminen returning with a primary assist after missing 81 games last season due to heart surgery. Both netminders were solid with Carey Price finishing with 35 saves while Ryan Miller had 27. Ales Kotalik and Drew Stafford each tallied in the skill competition giving Buffalo the extra point.

Get out the magic crystal ball. We’re about to embark on a long journey. Thirty teams get a fresh start where they can dare to dream of winning Lord Stanley. The most spectacular trophy in all of sports which arguably is the hardest to win.

It’s not just because you have to gut out an 82-game schedule which at times can be trying due to the tireless back to backs, three in four nights and even seven in 11 days the Rangers have beginning with tomorrow’s home opener versus Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and the Blackhawks following a hectic preseason concluding with a two-game sweep of the overmatched Lightning in Croatia.

Such can be life in a league which seems to be pointed for expansion towards Europe emphasizing just how global the game has become with the Penguins and Senators also splitting a series in Stockholm last weekend.

Finally, the other 26 get started including an improved Devils team who dialed up Doc Brown’s time machine and went Back To The Future literally to the year of their first Stanley Cup luring free agent centers Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik for one more run while Martin Brodeur’s still good enough.

For other teams like the Islanders, the immediate future doesn’t look so bright with new coach Scott Gordon behind the bench where returning leading scorer Mike Comrie had only 49 points on what’s a rebuild around Rick DiPietro and young former No.1 Kyle Okposo. They’ll try to overachieve in an ultra competitive Atlantic where the Flyers fresh off a run to the Conference Finals losing to the Pens appear to be the favorite while Pittsburgh lost Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone and are without top D Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar for at least the first three months.

Can the new look Rangers featuring Nikolai Zherdev, Markus Naslund and Wade Redden make fans forget Jaromir Jagr or did Glen Sather slip up?

Are the Panthers ready to qualify for their first postseason since Pavel Bure was the league’s best finisher or will their revamped blueline not be enough without departed captain Olli Jokinen? Can Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals do it again even with Jose Theodore in net?

Meanwhile in Carolina, the injury bug has already hit infecting Justin Williams, Scott Walker and Rod Brind’Amour making the loss of Erik Cole big though Joni Pitkanen was brought into help anchor the D. Will Barry Melrose’s return to the NHL bench be ruined by the Lightning’s apparent weak blueline?

Should the Thashers even bother taking the ice? They’ll have company in Columbus, St. Louis and Los Angeles who all should be ticketed in the John Tavares sweepstakes. Are the Leafs going to be in this process too without Mats Sundin? Maybe Toronto fans should hope.

Can Carey Price recover from last Spring to lead what looks like an even stronger Habs roster into serious contention? Are Craig Rivet and the return of Teppo Numminen enough to get a talented Sabres team back to the postseason? Is Tim Thomas a fluke and will Patrice Bergeron be the same in Beantown? Can the Senators continue defying logic despite losing another key cog?

These questions and more will get answered in due time along with whether Hossa’s addition is enough for the Red Wings to become the first repeat winner since they did it a decade ago. They’ll have plenty of stiff competition in the loaded Stars, Sharks and Ducks with maybe a couple of newcomers sneaking into the parade.

This is how we see it:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

*1.Flyers- plenty of talent in Richards/Carter but can Biron build off last year’s run?

*2.Canadiens- adding Lang and Tanguay up front makes them scarier but it all depends on Price.

*3.Capitals- the game’s best player, a healthy Nylander plus Green and Backstrom should be enough.

4.Senators- best line in game plus deep forward corps and tougher D help despite questions in net.

5.Devils- Rolston and Holik should boost scoring, D remains question but can’t bet against Brodeur.

6.Rangers- Drury leads an improved transition game. could miss Jagr and Avery but Lundqvist helps.

7.Penguins- Crosby and Malkin get them in but we don’t like Satan or Fedotenko. Hard to take seriously.

8.Sabres- balanced scoring led by Pominville, Vanek, Roy plus better D and steady Miller in net.

9.Bruins- Ryder added to solid forward corps but it’s dependent on Thomas and system.

10.Panthers- love their new look with Ballard and McCabe but who’s scoring the goals up front?

11.Maple Leafs- Wilson will get them to play hard but there’s just not enough there to get in.

12.Hurricanes- injuries already taking toll. Laviolette’s a fine coach but Ward needs to be consistent.

13.Lightning- Stamkos should win Calder and they’ll score but the D is brutal and will tire out goalies.

14.Thrashers- Schneider was good addition but they’ll have to outscore teams until Lehtonen improves.

15.Islanders- they’ll work hard but they’re young and don’t have enough scoring even with Streit.
PLAYOFFS

Flyers over Sabres in 6

Habs over Pens in 7

Rangers over Caps in 6

Devils over Sens in 5

Flyers over Rangers in 6

Devils over Habs in 7

Flyers over Devils in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

*1.Red Wings- until proven otherwise, they’re the best team and add Hossa to mix. Conklin’s solid backup.

*2.Stars- play in top division but Avery, full year of B. Richards should be plenty. Need Zubov healthy.

*3.Canucks- scoring could still be tough but like changes and see Luongo bouncing back big time.

4.Sharks- Marleau with Thornton, Boyle, Blake plus Nabokov make them awfully tough.

5.Flames- nice additions including Bertuzzi/Keenan reunion but they’ll be hardpressed to win a round.

6.Ducks- Teemu’s back plus Getzlaf/Perry, Niedermayer/Pronger and Giguere make them lock.

7.Avalanche- Sakic takes one more shot with Tucker added but can Budaj or Raycroft do job?

8.Blackhawks- Campbell and Huet help young core led by Kane/Toews. Huet could get them in.

9.Oilers- bolstered scoring with Cole and Visnovsky. Lots of young talent but what about goalies?

10.Predators- Radulov’s departure hurts scoring. Solid D but can Ellis repeat? Trotz is a great coach.

11.Wild- possess nice blueline led by Burns/Zidlicky and Gaborik’s great but is there enough scoring?

12.Coyotes- Jokinen helps but D is thin past top 3 and they’re depending on too much young talent.

13.Blue Jackets- Umberger and Huselius boost Nash plus revamped D and Leclaire but who else will score?

14.Blues- Love Boyes and Kariya’s due for bounce back season but they’re extremely young.

15.Kings- top line of Brown, Kopitar and O’Sullivan will be fun but LaBarbera in net? They can’t be serious!

PLAYOFFS

Wings over Hawks in 5

Stars over Avs in 4

Ducks over Canucks in 6

Sharks over Flames in 6

Wings over Ducks in 6

Stars over Sharks in 5

Wings over Stars in 7

Stanley Cup Red Wings over Flyers in 7

NHL Awards

Conn Smythe- Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit

Hart- Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit

Vezina- Roberto Luongo, Vancouver

Norris- Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit (renamed The Lidstrom)

Calder- Kyle Okposo, Islanders

Selke- Mike Fisher, Ottawa

Byng- Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit

Adams- Denis Savard, Chicago

The puck is dropped.

Bolts of Lightning came quickly in the third. Goals by Ryan Malone and Martin St. Louis That allowed Tampa Bay to erase a one-goal deficit and many good things the Rangers did because despite a 47-25 shots edge, they prevailed outscoring the home club 3-0 to comeback and post a 4-2 win at MSG Thursday night.

The Rangers dominated the first 40 minutes getting goals from ex-Jacket Dan Fritsche in the first and rookie Lauri Korpikoski (2nd of preseason) sandwiched around Chris Gratton’s backhand stuff past Stephen Valiquette to lead 2-1.

However, they easily could’ve led by more if not for a solid effort from Tampa’s Kari Ramo (45 saves). That proved costly as Barry Melrose’s club who will take on the Blueshirts in a two-game series at Prague to kickoff the season sprung to life thanks to goals from Malone and St. Louis 2:18 apart. On a delayed call, the former Pen rebounded home a Steven Stamkos shot to tie it. St. Louis followed suit on a broken play by beating Dmitri Kalinin to a loose puck and then flipping a backhand top shelf for his second with both coming against the Rangers.

Lauri Korpikoski prepares for faceoff.

In exhibition, you’re not expecting a whole lot but the two quick tallies forced Tom Renney to call a rare timeout. This is a guy who hardly ever uses it during the regular season. However, the lack of effort from Kalinin was pathetic as the ex-Sabre couldn’t even be bothered to try letting a dangerous scorer move in and get the shot off without forcing him. He’s been outplayed by Brian Fahey, who once again looked very steady in all facets using his skating to jump into the rush and make wise decisions.

A few days ago, I figured the 27 year-old former Colorado property would be ticketed for Hartford because of stiff competition from prospects Corey Potter and Bobby Sanguinetti and Wolf Pack holdover Thomas Pock. However, both Fahey (18:51 TOI) and Potter (22:06) have fared well outplaying Kalinin who was signed to be the club’s sixth defenseman alongside Paul Mara.

At this point, the addition looks like overkill as they seem to have found something with the smooth skating Fahey, who reminds me of Brian Rafalski. Interestingly, the former University of Wisconsin product was never a big scorer but improved for a third straight season in the ‘A’ with the Chicago Wolves posting 37 points (14-23-37) and 123 penalty minutes in 76 games for 2007-08.

Will he make the roster? He deserves to as does Potter and Korpikoski, who has demonstrated why the Rangers traded up to select him four years ago with superb skating, playmaking and grit.

The club definitely has some interesting decisions with yet another game tomorrow afternoon at home versus the Devils which btw is five games in six days and six in a preposterous eight. So, this is what happens when the league decides to push games overseas? Let’s just say I’m not a fan but have other interesting thoughts on Europe. Perhaps I’ll get to that some other time.

Evgeny Artyukhin added an insurance tally for the Bolts with 19 seconds left concluding the scoring.

Bolts-Rangers

Some quick hits:

-Stamkos tallied two assists once again showing off the skills. Tampa fans are in for a treat based on what I’ve seen. Physical play doesn’t seem to bother this kid.

-There were two entertaining scraps three seconds apart in the first with Ranger enforcer Colton Orr dishing out the punishment to David Koci, who took it like a man staying in there. Orr now looks like one of the best heavyweights in the league and his skating continues to improve even getting a minibreak before being stopped from in close.

-The other fight involved Aaron Voros, who did alright against Zenon Konopka. I loved this signing and the ex-Devil draft pick who made his name with Jacques Lemaire’s Wild continues to impress not only with his physicality but with his ability to make plays. He is an underrated skater with decent hands who should be a fixture on the third line. The guy will be a fan favorite. Nobody should mess with our team. They have seriously upgraded from Ryan Hollweg.

-From the Bizarro World were two misplaced Devil fans who acted inappropriately embarrassing themselves. It was misguided and juvenile behavior. What the heck were they doing piss drunk at a Tampa-Ranger preseason game? Maybe it’s better we don’t know why.

-Petr Nedved got into his third game playing just under 18 minutes. He once again generated chances and worked hard. But there just is no room here. I do believe if another team needs a veteran who can fill a role, they should give him a shot because he looks better than I remember. Very motivated. Best of luck.

Ranger forward Petr Prucha is set.

-Petr Prucha continues to take his lumps getting slammed into the boards drawing a penalty but getting up. He always is a target. Still had the move of the night besting Korpikoski’s dipsy do double deke finish with an inside out one-on-one move and almost scoring. The play drew a power play and the familiar, “Pruuuu” chants from the crowd. He really needs a good season.

-Patrick Rissmiller impressed in 14:40 with a primary helper on Fritsche’s first period tally. He’s similar to Blair Betts but with better scoring ability. I wonder if they’ll find a spot for the ex-Shark.

-If there’s been a negative so far in these games with the Rangers now 1-4, it’s that they continue to fire blanks. They outshoot their opponents with regularity outchancing them by a mile but can’t seem to finish. I realize they haven’t played a full lineup yet but why do I get a feeling it could be rough in the early going? Especially with the back and forth travel added in. Don’t be surprised if they get out of the gate slow again and people start asking where’s Jagr?

Islanders blanked in Philly: In a game I didn’t get to see due to being at the Garden, the Islanders were shutout in Philly 4-0. There were four different Flyer goalscorers- Mike Richards, Mike Knuble, Jeff Carter, Joffrey Lupul.

Yann Danis went the whole way for the Isles making 22 saves while counterparts Jean-Sebastien Aubin (18 saves in 40 mins) and Martin Biron (6 saves) combined for the shutout.