Rangers at Capitals - Overtime

Damn. More Later.

What was one of the keys to success in the Rangers win against Philly yesterday? Special Teams. Special teams are also a key to losing as evidenced by the Rangers performance today.

Overall, I didn't think the Rangers played poorly. I thought they played a nice road game and certainly well enough to pick up two points. Vally was as steady as you can hope for, the Rangers had a number of quality chances and the penalty distribution was very much in the Rangers favor. But this is the NHL and pending an extraordinary performance i.e. the Montreal game, allowing 2 PPG and going 0-6 on the powerplay is not going to produce a win.

So now its time for the Rangers to go on a little vacation. Well, hopefully not but instead a week of good practice. What will this team look like next Saturday in Buffalo? For starters, expect Brendan Shannahan and Marcel Hossa back in the lineup. Expect Henrik in net and expect Callahan and one other, hopefully Hollweg, out of the lineup. Trade possibilities? Malik, Straka, Jagr? For what it's worth, do not trade Jagr. No matter what he does during the regular season he is still the leader of this team and a money player come playoff time.

I said earlier that we needed at least 3 points this weekend. Mission accomplished. Rangers currently sit in 7th. This might not be the case the next time we see the Rangers on the ice but we'll have to wait and see. Over the next 5 days just be sure to root for the Western Conference and as few OT games as possible.

Vinny Spills.