Just 1:20 left until 3:00 deadline, so the Rangers need to get moving. Nothing yet.

The Islanders picked up defenseman Rob Davison from San Jose and the Devils traded Cam Janssen to St. Louis for defenseman  Bryce Slavador.

Outside of the New York area, Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist went to Dallas for Mike Smith and others and Brian Campbell moves from Buffalo to the Sharks.

Goalie Cristobal Huet was traded from Montreal to the Caps, who also got Sergei Federov. 

The Rangers, though, keep waiting and the Hossa to the Habs rumors are still out that. Marian that is.

More to come as it comes in….  

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As John Amirante finished up his National Anthem – still the best in my opinion – Brandon Nolan was on the ice to start for the ‘Canes, who as some of you know is the son of Islanders coach Ted Nolan.

In his first game, on Saturday against Tampa Bay, Nolan assistsed on the Hurricanes’ first score and took two shots of his own.

 

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Sean Avery had wrist surgery today at 5:30 and the Islanders came in an hour and half later.

The Isles went to a six round shootout last night beating the now slumping Ottawa Senators and may be tired for the game at the Garden.

But these are the Rangers they are playing and the Isles tend to play up to the Rangers.

As for the lines, Marcel Hossa played on the second line with Scott Gomez and Brendan Shanahan and Ryan Callahan is back on the third line.

As for Avery, no word on how the surgery went but we may have more of a word after the game.

Right now, as I press send, Jaromir Jagr just scored to make it 1-0 Rangers,

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Greg Moore was sent back to Hartford today to make room for Ryan Callahan, who is expected to play against the Islanders on Thurday.

With Callahan in the lineup, the Ranger forwards will be fully healthy for the first time since the first game of the year, but also presents a problem on who gets scratched.

Marcel Hossa is the probable candidate, since he has no goals and three assists and seems like he took a step back this year. But also Petr Prucha could be scratched as well, yet that seems unlikely since the Rangers do like him, although he isn’t having a good year [2 goals and 5 assists].

They also could scratch Ryan Hollweg or Colton Orr, but that fourth line played very well so far, so why mess with the one consistant Ranger line.

Coach Tom Renney will have a decision to make in the next few days, but at least there may be a consistency to the Ranger lines over the next few weeks.

Now if they can get the power play working. After an 0-6 yesterday and 3-for-39 over the last eight games. Renney has tried a number of different combinations, including just rolling lines out there. Nothing has worked.

“Believe it or not, it’s better than it’s been,” Renney said after yesterday’s loss. “I thought tonight we showed good puck movement, I thought we had some chances. We still need to shoot more, naturally. That certainly is an area we have to improve upon, and work habits are a part of that.

If our power play doesn’t get clicking, if we beat ourselves, which may have been the case tonight, then the statistics will bear out where we belong. Every team is a work in progress, but at some point in time there is a level of excellence that is acceptable, and only that, and we’ve gotta make sure we continue to strive for that.”

One bright spot about Thursday. The Islanders may be a little tired since they have a game at home against the now slumping Ottawa Senators.

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If you go to www.newyorkrangers.com right now you would see that it now part of the NHL network. As you may know, the Rangers were fighting the league over the control of the site and last month lost their case.  

John Dellapina reported last week the Blueshirts signed an agreement with the NHL to turn it over by the 26th, even though their injunction is in appeal.

To me, it’s pretty much the same site with all the same bells and whistles.

Also, if you now look at the game stories, they are written by Jim Cerny, who is a former New York Times scribe and former radio voice of the Islanders. His summer job is spent as the assistant general manager of the Newark Bears and if you follow the Atlantic League, you know the Bears won the championship last season.

Cerny is one of the good guys in the business and helped me get my start back in 1994 by credentialing me for Bears games and letting me interview the players, including Rickey Henderson who was playing for Newark that season.  

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Even with the 9-1-0 streak, the Islanders always present problems for the Rangers. Maybe it’s because the Isles play up for this game more than the Blueshirts.

Either way, the Rangers actually need this win on home ice. After losing twice this season – including the one loss on this streak – on the Island, a win at the Garden may show the Isles who’s boss.

Anyway, at the five minute mark, there no score, but stay tuned.

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Even though Sean Avery wants to play tonight, coach Tom Renney will have nothing of it.

After going through contact during the moring skate today, Renney will hold him out against Washington and then consider using him on Saturday against the Devils.

“He want through it this morning and we will see about it tomorrow,” Renney said. ”He will have more contact and put him into situations and draw some conclusions. And we will listen to him to.”

Avery’s style will test the shoulder and even though the Rangers need him right now, Renney and his staff will not bring him back early. Yesterday, Avery expressed discomfort after practice, which may be an indication that the shoulder may not be healed.

“The problem is there is some discomfort there,” Renney said. ”We have to see if they injury on the joint has any damage and that’s where the medical people step in and help us. We all know how Sean likes to play and how he has to play to help us. That may be the ultimate test.”

And when that test happens is all up to the coach. If it’s not Saturday, then Monday or Tuesday against the Flyers and Islanders, respectively.

***

Jaromir Jagr was chatting with the press, while adjusting his sticks for the game. He was stunned to hear about the Martina Hingis situation, who was dating a friend of his during Wimbledon when her positive test for cocaine took place [they now broke up]. After heaing the situation he said Hingis played well afterwards and loudly denied any knowledge of her improprieties.

 

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It’s now 1-1. The Islander goal was scored by Marc Andre Bergeron right after Brendan Shanahan went to the box on a holding the stick penalty at the end of the first.

Now Shanny was not too happy about it as it looked like it wasn’t a penalty. But it made it even strength.

Then Fedor Tyutin came back at 2:09 of the second to score on a one timer. So it’s 1-1 halfway through.

In the second though, the Rangers picked it up a bit as they forced the puck into the Islanders zone.

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Ok now that baseball is over, I will be getting back to this more regularly.

Same lineup as Saturday with Jason Strudwick dressing in favor of Paul Mara and skating with Marc Staal. Renney said he liked Strudwicks influence on Staal on the ice and the bench.

Also this is Henrik Lundqvist’s first game back at the Coliseum since Ice Girl Gate last year…

More Later…

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Funny story: On St. Paddy’s Day this year, I marched in the parade for the first time in my life. As such, I was not at the Ranger game that night when they took on the Bruins.

As you know Boston’s backup goalie Joey MacDonald got into the game and pretty much stunk up the place [before he was masterful against the Rangers in Beantown around a week later]. Anyway, when I came to the game on Monday, boy did I hear it from the other guys on the beat in a very playful manner.

Well MacDonald [note the Mac which is Scottish not the Mc which is Irish like me] signed a two year deal yesterday with the Islanders, and no that was not me…

On another note. Even though I am Irish and Catholic, we all need a rabbi, so I recomend the Hockey Rabbi, which is a new blog started a few months ago. Check it out.

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