The Sean Avery Project is over, at least when it comes to the Rangers.

The superpest diva has signed with the Dallas Stars, and will earn just under $4 million per season for the next four years, which is right about what he was hoping to get.

I’ll have more on this a little later.

With Philly winning in overtime 3-2 last night, the Rangers will now face the Penguins in Round 2 with games on Friday and Sunday in Pittsburgh and Games 3 and 4 at the Garden on Tuesday and Thursday.

Here’s the full schedule:

Game 1: Friday 4/25 at the Igloo 7 p.m.

Game 2: Sunday 4/27 at the Igloo 2 p.m. Game on NBC

Game 3: Tuesday 4/29 at the Garden 7 p.m.

Game 4: Thursday 5/1 at the Garden 7 p.m.

Game 5*: Sunday 5/4 at the Igloo 2 p.m. Game on NBC

Game 6*: Monday 5/5 at the Garden 7 p.m.

Game 7 *: Wednesday 5/7 at the Igloo TBD

*if necessary

The Rangers went 5-3 this year against the Pens. 4-0 at the Garden and 1-3 in Pittsburgh. Two of the Ranger wins were in overtime, including the one win in Pittsburgh and Marc Andre Fleury went 3-2 against the Blueshirts.

They will have to face the star power of Crosby, Malkin and Hossa. and it will be interesting to see if Tom Renney dresses Colton Orr for this matchup, since the fourth line of Betts, Hollweg and Orr did a great job against Crosby this season.

Should be a fun matchup.

I won’t be around for the first few games - getting married this weekend, but I will be watching from afar and checking in from the blackberry or on my laptop. Full reports from here and NYSD return next week.

Tom Renney looked loose as a goose today as he spoke to reporters before the game.

First he mused about a “N/R’ ron the wall at the Prudential Center looked like a “NYR”

Then he spoke about the goalies he played with joking they used to drink more than the defenseman [his position].

Finally he said he was a fan of the Western Conference meaning he could watch the games and enjoy them instead of worrying about coaching.

I guess it’s good to be up 3-1, and not getting relieved of his duties, unlike his counterpart at the Garden. Mercifully Isiah Thomas was relieved of duties and will go onto his next job as a popcorn maker. [Patrons still have to pay for the food at Ranger games.]

But it will be worth it in the second round if the Blueshirts can pull of the game tonight. It won’t be easy and Renney did warn about taking the game for granted like what happened in Montreal last night.

Should be interesting and the puck drops in an hour.

Ok stat of the night: The Rangers have never lost a series when they took a 2-0 lead. Well it looks like this trend will continue.

Think about it, do you honestly believe the Devils will take two games at the Garden, a place where they are 9-2-1 against the Devils in the regular season since the lockout and the two regulation losses had Kevin Weekes in goal? Sure the Devils beat the King twice at MSG in the 2006 playoffs, but remember he did have the hip flexor and migraine headaches back then.

With the Garden rocking and a determined Ranger team, it’s going to be tough for the Devils.

Bottom line, the Blueshirts should win this series, unless a 2004 Yankee-like collapse occurs.

Before we get ahead of ourselves and look at the Montreal matchup, there are still two games to be won and unlike last year’s Atlanta Thrashers, which saw Kari Lehtonen meltdown, Marty Brodeur won’t go out that easy. Tom Renney knows this and will have his team ready.

First the Rangers will need to put more pressure on Brodeur and get more pucks to the net. With only 13 shots through two periods, the team will have to play like they did in the third tonight, while keeping Lundqvist well protected.

It’s not going to be easy, but I am keeping a quiet confidence.  

As expected, a tough period with a lot of his, a few scoring chances and no goals. Oh, there’s the penalty door issue too, but that seems to be fixed for now.

Changing things up, Brent Sutter put the Madden line out against Chris Drury, since No. 23 killed New Jersey on Wednesday. Otherwise, we saw something similar as Game 1. Good scating, good defense and a tremendous defensive matchup.

Now if the Rangers cane come through in the second, remains to be seen. But in seven minutes we will find out.

We are back in Newark for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Tonight the Rangers will look to continue to take advantage of mistakes, nut must forecheck the puck into the Devils zone more. New Jersey will try to take advantage of the young New York defense, while keeping with the gameplan that worked in Game 1, but couldn’t score against Henrik Lundqvist.

The Devils may play more desperate tonight because a 2-0 Ranger lead going into the Garden probably spells certain doom for the merry band from New Jersey.  

And a mea culpa: It was Brendan Shanahan who assisted on Nigel Dawes empty netter rather then Chris Drury. That’s what happens when you see it on the way to the elevator. Thanks to my friend in life and hockey, Patrick Hoffman, for pointing that out.

Hi from the Rock in beautiful downtown NJ, where Rangers vs. Devils is now underway.

For the Rangers, the key is to get to the Devils early so they can get a lead and sit on it. Although they can come back from few goals down as proven on Friday, it will be tougher in the playoffs.

That said, the Devils need to hit Henrik Lundqvist as well and do it early. If not this could be a quick series.

Also this may come down to penalties, because one mistake may turn this series.

More later…. 

This hasn’t been officially announced yet, but the first two games are official

Game 1 - Wednesday 4/9 at 7 p.m in Newark

Game 2 - Friday 4/11 at 7 p.m in Newark

Game 3 - Sunday 4/13 at the Garden

Game 4 - Wednesday 4/16 at the Garden

Game 5 - Friday 4/18* at Newark

Game 6 - Sunday 4/20* at the Garden

Game 7 - Tuesday 4/22* at Newark

*if necessary

We will be firing up this blog full time come Wednesday and will be covering the Rangers in the playoffs for as long as the postseason lasts.

As a side note, I will be away at the end of the month to get married, but will have replacements on the beat during that time. [it will be at the beginning of the second round].

I will have a full report on NYSD later, but looking at the Knicks schedule, expect the Rangers to start on Thursday, Apr. 10 if the team has home ice, simply because the Knicks have home games on the 9th and 11th.

If they sit in the five hole and play the Devils at the Rock to Start round 1, the Rangers can start on Apr. 9 and then play on Friday for Game 2. Then, it also allows the Rangers to play at MSG on the Sunday, Apr. 13th and then on Tuesday, allowing the Knicks to close out their home schedule with a 40 point Celtic blowout at the Garden on the 14th.  

Now this is all speculation, but they can’t move the Knicks and there may be other events at the Garden preempting the open dates, so this can work if the building is free.

UPDATE: I just looked at the full Garden slate and the building is free on all the days mentioned except Apr. 12 with a NY Titans Lacrosse game at 8 p.m. Now, they can play the playoff game in the afternoon or they can move Game 2 back to 13th [NBC may want that anyway] with the games on the road being on the 15th and 17th.

I also looked at the Prudential Center schedule and the building is pretty much free for the next month, so they can schedule the games when needed.   

After tonight I think he is.

Look, here’s a guy who is always in the right place at the right time and he works wrll on rebounds, wins faceoffs and comes up with that clutch goal, much like No. 11 did back in the day.

And just wait for the playoffs.

His goal in the third was typical Drury, just being in the right position. His 23 goals leads the team and he has just jelled, giving the Rangers a great third scoring line, which you need in the playoffs.

To me Drury is the Ranger MVP.

Full story on the win on NYSD later tonight.