Is The Paint Dry Yet?

It's bad enough that the Rangers and Devils played their game on a Sunday during the NFL season. And since it was at 5pm of the final week of the regular season for most Fantasy Football leagues it was probably even more of an afterthought for a casual observer. Really the only positive thing that came out of the game was the final result. A 1-0 win for the Rangers in overtime.

Brendan Shanahan scored 30 seconds into OT on a play that simply defied anything the Rangers have shown offensively over the past week/ month/ entire season. A play in which all four Blueshirts on the ice were involved in the play. Crisp, decisive passing. Scott Gomez passes from the right corner to Dan Girardi. Girardi passes to his defense partner Fedor Tyutin, across the ice along the blueline, Tyutin diagonal pass back to Gomez in the right faceoff circle. Gomez passes to Shanahan in the slot for a one-timer that hits the top corner above Martin Brodeur's blocker.

Was it an abberation? Was it luck? Was it because it was four-on-four and the Devils had one less defender on the ice? Was it because it was four-on-four and Shanahan and Gomez were not saddled with their linemate Marcel Hossa? I happen to think it was a combination of all of the above.

Strangely not much has been mentioned about Henrik Lundqvist's performance yesterday. He was not tested often but made 3 or 4 saves that were legit robberies. Aside from that there was not much to discuss. However I am going to harp on the next issue for a while, until the Rangers change their thinking, or until Sean Avery returns. And that issue is toughness, or lack there of.

The softness of this team is beginning to wear on me. During the second period of yesterday's game Zach Parise tried some sort of half gainer-double toe loop-triple lindy combo which he failed to land cleanly. He landed on his shinguards and slid, full speed into Lundqvist, the play was blown dead. Well the tv coverage (for lack of a better word) went to commercial, and I expected to see Parise in the sin bin when the game came back on. Well I was incorrect apparently. Parise was not penalized. Not only was he not sent to do penance for his sins, not one Ranger took it upon himself to distribute any justice for running into the franchise goaltender.

Soon after Brendan Shanahan, while trying to bull rush through a duo of Devil defensemen, while carrying the puck, took a stick to the forehead from Colin White. Again no penalty. No retribution either.

Now I understand that these occurances happened during a 0-0 hockey game where it seemed that one goal could/would win the game. But Come On. Somebody on the Rangers has to stick up for themselves and their teamates. Hell if that isn't what 2/3 of the fourth line isn't in the game for, than what in the hell are they doing in the lineup? This was fourth game in a row where an opponent has started to show that getting rough against the Rangers is something that can be effective and also can be gotten away with. I just hope the Rangers answer before an injury at the hands of an opponent is the result of this Charminism.