Blue Notes

1. Dan: Thought it was written 10-5-1 with Avery in this season in Rangers pre-game notes in Toronto before the win there and tonight. I could be wrong, tho. I can recheck game-by-game tomorrow. Whatever. Something's going on when he's out there, the players---and our eyes---don't lie.

2. I think four out of six points in Western Canada would be admirable. Calgary's very underrated, Vancouver has Luongo and Edmonton's certainly beatable, but that's the third in four nights. Some bounces, refs calls, as usual, could be the difference.

3. The fourth line has improved since Hollweg was a one-day scratch. Orr is a deterrent and there to step in when needed---not everytime---and the players and coaches feel a certain comfort level with him dressed. Betts is a very good defensive center. They have some intangibles.

You can question the ice time they get in certain situations, but you can't burn out three lines in the first half of the season, especially when Straka and Avery already have been sidelined.

Should Greg Moore get some time? Maybe. And might if Hollweg or Betts are injured. But if it's points, I'd rather see more from the third line; (Dubi's a player, but Cally and Prucha are struggling so far but would Hossa be any better? Let's give those three another coupla weeks).

Face it, the fourth line isn't built for scoring in this particular blueprint. It's a purpose line with controlled minutes for forechecking and physical play--- to soften/pressure an opponents' No. 1 or 2 line. And it's simply not the same as the former HMO line, for which some fans still pine.

Until tomorrah...

Well done, huh?

As we mentioned here earlier, the Rangers needed to summon up the wherewithal for a third-period push to get to OT---and did.

Faceoff king Chris Drury's first real late-third-period clutch goal as a Ranger knotted the game with Montreal at 3 and then the former Sabre saucered a pass to send Brendan Shanahan in on a breakaway that Shanahan wired top-shelf for the 4-3 comeback win.

The Rangers rallied despite losing a video review of a Fedor Tyutin shot that initially was ruled a goal but overturned when the film showed the puck hit the crossbar and the far post. On MSG, Joe Micheletti waved it off almost immediately after one replay.

Sean Avery then missed the net with a rolling puck on the next faceoff, but was creating traffic in front of Cristobal Huet on the Drury rebound from one knee. The record this season with superpest: 12-5-1.

Shanny's pinpoint shot over Huet's left shoulder---his 13th goal of the season--- left him alone with 641 goals at 11th on the alltime list.

Kudos to defenseman Dan Girardi as well, with the opening goal and the pass to Drury before Shanny's goal, Avery, for his grit in the crease, Gomez for flying all night, and the entire forward unit for forechecking in the final 20, as the Canadiens may have gone into the shell too soon.

Three in a row is a well-earned sendoff before the trip to Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton, and a huge confidence-builder. The stars are stepping up.

More tomorrow...

Your thoughts?

The fatique set in late, as the Rangers sagged in the second period, took penalties (a problem, as we noted less than an hour ago) and the fresher Canadiens surged, allowing only one shot on goal.

Some highlights and lowlights:

On the delayed call on Betts, Hollweg collided with Rozsival in the corner to allow the set up. Gotta like the young Canadiens: Lapierre, the brothers Kostitsyn.

That Higgins post almost was a killer; Lundqvist seems a tick slow...

Hossa, playing for Prucha, couldn't get a stick down in front. His timing's off, as Joe Micheletti said, but Hossa has underachieved all season.

Marc Staal did block a centering pass by Plekanec, then Kovalev alertly gloved down a really poor clearing attempt by Staal for the second goal.

The Rangers need to push for 20 more and get this to OT...

I remember it all from the message board earlier in the year: Trade Gomez. Trade Jagr. Fire Renney.

What everyone forgot to really factor in were the injuries to Martin Straka and Sean Avery. Straka has provided world-class play in all three zones since his return from a broken finger; Avery, is, well, Avery, a remarkable factor in the team's chemistry.

Imagine if Straka-Gomez-Jagr were a line all year? In the first 20 minutes tonight, how good have they been?

And Chris Drury----who's had to take a back seat to Jagr and Brendan Shanahan in the dressing room---is superb on faceoffs and will contribute more offensively in the second half.

As for tonight, if the Rangers can avoid the penalty box against a crafty PP, they should win their 20th of the season.

A real good effort so far after the Toronto game...More after 2

Driving to the airport on the QEW this morning, I thought: "I've seen plenty of goals in my last two trips north"----Marian Gaborik's five in St. Paul and the five PPGs last night, one goal away from tying the franchise record.

First an apology: I didn't have it easy in Air Canada Centre with blog malfunctions.

Somehow, my entries wouldn't publish, so after the fifth goal, I threw in the towel. Hey, the Leafs gave up after three.

At least I managed to file a game story and notebook for the paper and online, mostly about the power play, Valiquette and Avery, which you can read on newsday.com if you can't get the print version.

Because I was away, no Sunday column this week; we'll pick up with a first-half look back and second-half look ahead for players and teams next Sunday.

Erik Boland will be pinch-hitting tonight. I'll be monitoring the hunt for three in a row from Chez Zipay, where Blue Notes was born and thrives....

Henrik Lundqvist will be back in goal at the Gahden and will need an A-game, because the Rangers are tired and bruised (Prucha and Drury's hands from slashes, etc.)

Speaking of Prucha, I had to dash away to write after gathering a bunch of post-game quotes, but Ira Podell of AP waited for him to leave the locker room and when asked about his two goals, Petr laughed. "It's a miracle. It's been such a long time."

It won't be that long until game time, so please swing by later...

He prevailed in the 3-2 shootout win here on Nov. 10---a game overshadowed by the Sean Avery-Darcy Tucker rumbles---and goaltender Steve Valiquette, who was born in nearby Etobicoke, will start again tonight against the Leafs. As reported here yesterday, backup Andrew Raycroft will be in goal for Toronto.

Henrik Lundqvist will start tomorrow at home against the Canadiens, and presumably, at least two of the three on the western Canada road trip.

Brandon Dubinsky (flu) didn't skate and is questionable. Marcel Hossa would likely dress if Dubinsky can't go, unless D Jason Strudwick moves up to the fourth line. Brendan Shanahan (hamstring), who skipped practice yesterday, skated and will play.

More later...

As some of you may already know---just arrived home from our brief holiday in northern Vermont---Nigel Dawes was sent down, which gets the Rangers to 23, with Sean Avery healthy.

Brendan Shanahan didn't practice today, but nothing serious.

I expect a full-scale battle tomorrow in Air Canada Centre, thanks in part to Avery's comments, which were in the papers today.

Not sure whether Vesa Toskala (groin) will play, which would probably mean Andrew Raycroft in the net for the Leafs.

Flying up in the AM, will report from there....

....where the snow is falling and we've been riding the trails on Honda ATVs and trackers and sledding and enjoying the great outdoors for a few days.

Helped tow a neighbor's van out of a snowbank, watched a Thin Lizzy tribute video and visited the lovely small town of Littleton N.H. (no presidential candidate sightings---they're in Iowa) with the world's largest penny candy store (more than 600 jars).

We're headed back to Westchester tomorrow and I'll be in Toronto Saturday for the Rangers game. So check here for the report. Everybody skated today, we hear, and from afar, I'm not buying the multi-player trade rumors just yet.

Saw some good signs against Carolina; the contest agains the Leafs and the next four consecutive games against Canadian teams should be quite interesting.

Thanks to Erik Boland for his pinch-hitting....

Sean Avery, out since Nov. 29 wrist surgery, returns tonight against Ottawa.
Should have an emotional impact, no?

Thanks to my second-place fantasy league co-owner Sam Weinman, who was at the morning skate while I recovered----and cleaned up--- after our holiday festivus.

It finally shut down in thw we hours with three guitarists playing and several of us singing Dylan's "Forever Young"...

Anyway, Newsday's Eric Boland will be covering the game at MSG tonight; I'll be home watching on my day off.

A little sweeping up on the porch is next.

Please check in later...

The annual holiday party at Chez Zipay is about to roll....We'll make sure to raise a glass to all the fans who've made this spot one of the most popular not only at Newsday, but at the Tribune Co.
We've had some stumbles (like the Rangers), but are back up and skating the wing.
So thanks, and happy Christmas.
See ya tomorrow...

Maybe the players are right; maybe they'll rebound 24 hours after Comet Gaborik sailed through their (solar) system.

They're going to have to move bodies from in front tonight and let Henrik handle the angle shots. As Lundqvist said to us post-game last night, "I get energy when I make saves, when you don't have that many chances, it's tough." I think he had no chance on a couple rebounds.

I'm hoping Marcel Hossa is back in the lineup; they could use a presence in the corners and battles on the boards. And he can kill penalties. Can't afford another 3-for-7 on the power play.

As for those Union Gap lyrics, I have no excuse except that I was a little "out of my mind" as well scrambling in the Twin Cities. Thanks to NYCEditor for the CX. Now, about those Spooky Tooth LPs that I have in the basement....

Going out on a limb and predicting the Rangers eke out a close one tonight.

So tune in while you're making that egg nog. The last-minute shopping can wait until, well, the last minute.

How could I forget "Time Will Crawl"?

Two minutes for brain lapse.

But I also forgot this one, by John Prine, "Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone." Won't bore the non-believers with the lyrics, which are swell, though.

One more note from Dom Moore. It was rather balmy here today---mid-20s---and Moore said that after "a few days of minus-2, you get one of these and think, "Ah, it's not so bad." Not.

And this from Joe Micheletti, who hails from Hibbing, home of Bob Dylan and Kevin McHale. "I had six brothers and one was close to Kevin's age. He played hockey until a growth spurt at maybe 14, then it was all basketball."

Other notables from Hibbing, a old iron mining town hours north of here:
Vincent Bugliosi, the Manson prosecutor, and Gary Puckett..."Young girl, get out of my life.."
Didn't all that Union Gap stuff sound the same?

More from the press box in a while....

So there they were at the blue line at X-Cel Energy Center, one of the oldest players on the Rangers and the youngest, the professor demonstrating slap shots and the student mirroring the instructor.

It was an unusual sight for those following the team. We're talking a helmetless Jaromir Jagr and an eager Marc Staal, with Jagr firing away, bending his knees, showing Staal how to turn at the waist, then feeding him for one-timers.

The lesson worked well, apparently, and ended when one of Staal's shots shattered a pane of glass behind the net---which Jagr said he wasn't paying for.

"I don't know how many games I've got left," a playful Jagr joked. "Everything I've learned in my career I've got to give to somebody else."

Staal, who said he really appreciates the attention, not only from Jagr, but from Brendan Shanahan, who has been helpful, said the slap-shot message was...."Less arms, more legs. He said it's like golf, more of your core, keep your arms looser."

When I reminded Jagr later that he didn't play golf, he responded: "He doesn't know that."

More on this later...

The arena is as advertised, very hockey-friendly, with beautiful woodworking, outstanding sightlines, wide concourses, displays of high school hockey sweaters ---copied at the Rock in Newark---and lighthouses in each corner of the rink with holiday decorations.

In the home locker room, we chatted with Dominic Moore.

His apartment on East 67th Street is gone now, but Moore's fondness for New York remains.

"I stayed there all summer," said Moore, a Harvard grad who in the 2005-06 season centered the Rangers' HMO line (with Ryan Hollweg and Jed Ortmeyer), which was assigned to nullify the opponents' top unit. Although he was a member of the Wild (after a trade with Pittsburgh, his first stop after the Rangers), Manhattan beckoned. "Yeah, I miss it. Some people don't like the city, and some do; for me, it just clicked," he said.

Moore, 27, who was drafted by the Rangers and debuted on Nov. 1, 2003 with three assists against the Montreal Canadiens, never missed a game in 2005-06, scoring nine goals and adding nine assists.

But it's been tough for him to get untracked here, having to prove himself to new coach Jacques Lemaire, playing just 10 games last season after the late February trade and missing 13 games this season after he tore an abdominal muscle in practice. "Very frustrating," he said yesterday. "You can't skate, you can't breathe. And then you have to work your way back."

Moore has just two assists in 20 games, skating on a fourth line with Stephane Veilleux and Branko Radivojevic. Asked how Moore was doing, considering he had been a minus player for the last seven games, Lemaire said, "he's checking, he's fine."

Fine is relative, if you ask Moore, who believes he can contribute more. In the meantime, he asked a visitor---and former neighbor---to keep him abreast of any real estate deals in his old neighborhood.

***
After scoring four goals and playing outstanding defense against Pittsburgh, Rangers coach Tom Renney kept his reconfigured lines intact, with Scott Gomez between Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka; Chris Drury between Brendan Shanahan and Nigel Dawes; Brandon Dubinsky between Petr Prucha and Ryan Callahan, and Hollweg, Blair Betts and Colton Orr as the fourth trio. "I think we've got to let this go for a couple games. Coaches change their minds like we change our socks," Renney said. "You'd like to think we can get something going, get some momentum off these combinations, knowing we've got fallback positions. Knowing the people who are involved, this looks the best for us."

So, LW Marcel Hossa, who has recovered from the flu, will be scratched for the third consecutive game...D Marek Malik also will be a healthy scratch for the fifth time in six games...Sean Avery, who, counting tonight, has missed ten games following Nov. 29 wrist surgery, won't play tomorrow in Colorado and probably not Sunday against Ottawa, according to Renney...Gomez and Henrik Lundqvist skipped the optional morning skate.

Tonight marks the Rangers' first visit here in more than four years (Oct. 10, 2003)...Petr Prucha scored two power-play goals in a 3-1 defeat of the Wild at the Garden on Dec. 5, 2005...The Rangers were 2-5-1 coming into the game and the Wild, who had won three straight, were 7-3...Josh Harding will be in the net for the Wild...Derek Boogaard, Mikko Koivu and Petteri Nummelin were scratches.

My hotel is about a 20-minute drive from the downtown area, and Dave Maloney remembered it from his playing days. "Yeah, good spot. Used to be right across from the old arena. About 20 different entrances. You could get in all sorts of ways after curfew...Or so I was told."

One last note. Love listening to local stations when travelling and Minnesota Public
Radio (89.3 FM) was fascinating. Among the bands: Portishead, Tulsa, the Kooks, Oakley Hall, Heavy Trash, Sigur Ros and an oldie, Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouser" which was recorded, I believe, in Phoenix in a water tank to get that distinctive guitar sound...

OK, whew, that's all for now...

Before scooting over to St. Paul for the morning skate, just wanted to mention some news on the prospect front.

If certain teams make the medal round, U.S. viewers will be able to watch Rangers prospects Bobby Sanguinetti, Artem Anisimov, Alexei Cherepanov and others compete in the World Junior Championships.

The NHL Network is televising the medal rounds from the Czech Republic live beginning Jan. 2 at 10 AM ET with quarterfinal games. The network also will re-air the games the following day in most cases. The U.S. team is in Pool B with Russia, Finland, Switzerland and Kazakhstan. The Isles Kyle Okposo is with Sanguinetti on Team USA; Anisimov and Cherpanov, of course, are with Russia. Worth tuning in no matter what; Team Canada is loaded, with probably four players who will be first-rounders this summer.

More to come....

.....where 75 percent of the holiday shoppers at the Mall of America believe Chris Simon should have received more than 30 games.

Kidding. Didn't conduct a poll. What do I look like, Louis Harris?

Anyway, the joint is so big I couldn't find the entrance. Think it's in another county.

Personally, I think Simon should have been gone for the season. He admittedly needs counseling. Your thoughts?

Missed Rangers practice while travelling to the airport. Not only was I not there, neither was Brendan Shanahan (rest).

Drifted into a sleep-deprived fugue-state watching the endless cloud layer, reading stats and listening to the MP3 which was running through the "T"s:

Think it over/Thorns
Thinking it Over/John Entwistle
Third Degree/Eric Clapton
This Diamond Ring/Al Kooper
This is it/Ryan Adams
This Love/ String Quartet plays Maroon 5
This Year's Love/David Gray
Ticket to Ride/Beatles
Till There Was You/Smithereens
Three Down/Waifs
Three Little Birds/Bob Marley
Thunder Road (live)/Springsteen
Time Has Come Today/Willy DeVille
Time of the Season/Zombies
Today/Jefferson Airplane
Too Drunk to Dream/Whiskeytown
Too Much/Guy Clark
Too Much Ain't Enough/Tom Petty
Tumbling Dice/Stones

Some deep tracks. But a gust of fresh Minnesota air snapped me out of the sonic afterburn.

Just wondering: How did Prince and Ted Baxter thrive here?

Anyway, the Jekyll-and-Hyde Rangers kick off their three games in four nights saga against formidable opponents starting tomorrow here against the Wild, followed by the Avalanche in Colorado and then back home to host the streaking Senators (6-0). Major challenge, especially without Sean Avery.

If I were to make a list and check it twice---which I've been doing with my lovely wife to prepare for the annual holiday bash at Chez Zipay on Saturday (let's see, appetizers, meatballs, lasagne, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa, chicken cutlets, chili, my aunt's fabulous zucchini pie, cheeses, salads, open bar, guitars, bass, piano and drums, we're getting there)---I'd consider four points out of six an accomplishment.

But who knows, these guys are hard to figure, right?

I'm guessing Henrik won't have it easy. But he may be onboard for another hot streak; he certainly wasn't tested in the first 40 minutes on Tuesday.

Expect a low-scoring game against the Wild, a higher one in the Rockies. Mistakes could turn the tide in both.

More later or from the morning skate at the X-Cel Energy Center...

Swing back, y'all....

Sean Avery, who will miss his ninth straight game tonight following wrist surgery, will make the Minnesota-Colorado trip, skate with the team, "and drive us bananas", said coach Tom Renney, because he is itching to play.

But he is unlkely to dress for Minnesota because he has some pain in his wrist, Renney said, which he'll have to live with the rest of the season.

Marcel Hossa, recovered from the flu, is a healthy scratch and could play Thursday against the Wild, Renney said. Defenseman Marek Malk, however, is under the weather, and will sit.

So here come the Pens, who are 9-7 on the road...

Having survived the flu and a full morning skate, Henrik Lundqvist will be back in the net tonight at the Garden.

"It's good to feel fresh," said Lundqvist, who had practice about a half-hour with goaltender coach Benoit Allaire on Monday, before going home to rest.

"We have a busy week coming up, so we wanted to be safe," said Lundqvist.

The top three new lines: Straka-Gomez-Jagr, Dawes-Drury-Shanahan, Prucha-Dubinsky-Callahan and the HBO trio will debut, Renney said.

The scratches tonight: Marek Malik, who skated but Renney said was under the weather; Marcel Hossa and Sean Avery.

Jagr, Shanahan, Gomez, Drury, Straka and Tyutin skipped the optional practice, which included G Al Montoya and Steve Valiquette and was punctuated by a crisp rebuke early on from assistant coach Perry Pearn, who blew the whistle to halt play.

"This is an optional practice," he barked. "If you don;t want to be here, get the ---- off," he said, pointing his stick toward the bench. "When the whistle blows, be ready to go. Wake the -----up!"

More from MSG later....
.

The former first-rounder has been summoned from Hartford, according to the AHL transactions list, raising the question of whether Henrik Lundqvist is healthy enough not only to play tonight against the Penguins, but to serve as backup to Steve Valiquette, if necessary.

It'll be an interesting call...

Montoya, 22, made 26 saves in a 2-1 Wolf Pack overtime win on Saturday. He is 8-5-2 this season, with a 2.48 GAA and a .908 save percentage and no shutouts.

More from the morning skate in a few hours....

....with Martin Straka, a combination that coach Tom Renney tried in thr third period of last night's 5-1 loss.

At today's practice, Chris Drury centered Brendan Shanahan and Nigel Dawes, and Brndon Dubinsky moved down between Petr Prucha and yes, Ryan Callahan, who was never sent down except on paper, and it appears Renney is leaning toward keeping him here.

Renney said he liked Gomez' ability to carry the puck up ice and set up Jagr for shots.
(Shanahan had been the beneficiary of that skill.)

Henrik Lundqvist (flu) practiced lightly with coach Benoit Allaire and was excused to rest rather than participate in the full workout.

The HBO line was intact and Greg Moore, Marcel Hossa and Sean Avery (on IR) were the spare forwards. So the roster is at the max of 23. It's possible all will stay, depending on a meeting between Renney and GM Glen Sather.

More later...

Henrik Lundqvist's flu hasn't improved and backup Steve Valiquette will make his fourth start, which is a mild surprise, but the bigger one involves Ryan Hollweg, who will sit in favor of Jason Strudwick on the fourth line.

Coach Tom Renney is sending another message with Hollweg, as well as Ryan Callahan, who will be sent to Hartford following the game, in which Greg Moore and Nigel Dawes will skate...

Marek Malik is back after three games and likely will be back with Michal Rozsival...

More in a bit..

Had to happen. Shouldn't have taken this long.

As we wrote here yesterday, the Rangers are stretched thin right now, have the space and these guys deserve a shot.

Dawes was AHL player of the week a week ago; Moore was leading the Wolf Pack in goals.

Callahan has struggled since his knee injury. He'll be back at some point.

Leaving for MSG in a few, will update with lines, etc. from there....

Both Henrik Lundqvist (flu) and Jaromir Jagr (back) practiced and are expected to play tomorrow against the Coyotes, who are facing the Devils in Newark as I write this.

Marcel Hossa missed practice for a third day with the flu, and Sean Avery was a spare forward and will not play, according to Newsday's Katie Strang, who subbed for me at practice today.

Unless coach Tom Renney is counting on sticking with the practice lines, which include Petr Prucha on the second, Ryan Hollweg on the third and D Jason Strudwick on the fourth (I know, really?), there should be a call up (Dawes, Moore, Byers) tonight, after the Wolf Pack game.

Marek Malik (a healthy scratch for the last three games) was paired with Paul Mara on defense....

Strange lineup if it stands, dontcha think?

The Minnesota Wild have been whacked by the flu, and now....

Henrik Lundqvist came down with it, didn't skate today and might still be under the weather for Sunday's matinee against the Coyotes. It's probably the same bug that has kept Marcel Hossa from practicing for the past two days.

So, backup Steve Valiquette could make his fourth start of the season with Lundqvist in reserve, or vice versa, depending on how Lundqvist feels tomorrow.

Jaromir Jagr's back is bothering him, and he skated about 15 minutes before packing it in. He didn't skate on Thursday at all. That may be part of the reason for his sub-par performances and outbursts of frustration recently.

The captain, who has just one assist in the past five games and is a minus-6, shouted at Michal Rozsival when he came off the ice late in the third period in the 5-4 overtime loss in Washington on Wednesday and later discussed strategy with assistant coach Perry Pearn in a hallway exchange that could be heard during Tom Renney's post-game presser.

If Hossa can't recover by tomorrow, a forward---Greg Moore, Dane Byers---will be summoned to practice because the Rangers are carrying just 12 healthy ones.

As you've read here before, that's one area where the coach and I have differed. There was value, I thought---and wrote---in having an extra forward on hand in Sean Avery's absence.

There was no pressure on the current crop, no looking over their shoulders, and the team went 1-3-1.

The Hartford Wolf Pack, loaded with forwards, had been on a streak, and have won 11 of 13, so it couldn't have really hurt their roster.

After the game in Washington, Renney said the Caps were playing as if they were hunting for a playoff spot while, "we played like we already secured one."

Well, maybe some internal competition would have helped.

The fourth line was weak in D.C., Ryan Callahan can't seem to get it going and Petr Prucha, well....And with those two slumbering, how productive can Chris Drury be?

At some point in the blogs, all of us who cover the Rangers have suggested that Drury and center Brandon Dubinsky swap spots. Hasn't happened yet.

A loss/poor showing against the Coyotes on Sunday could force Renney's hand for a shake-up that would include that switch.

Looking ahead, I've got a piece on Wayne Gretzky's return to the New York metro area and my weekly NHL column for your dining and dancing pleasure come Sunday, and more thoughts here, of course, before then....

So forget the Mitchell report and weigh in, huh?

Joe Motzko?

Don't have a good feeling about this one.

Rangers D is scrambling a lot,

This one could be decided on the power play. The Rangers continue to struggle with a man-advantage; the Caps pass well and the shots are bombs. They're due.

In my continuing effort to ferret out what the team is doing after-hours:

Rangers coaches had a small tour of the West Wing last night from a deputy speechwriter for the President.

Head coach Tom Renney had a great pre-game line, joking that he told the writer: "Obviously, he's not reading what's in front of him."

More from Verizon Center---where my phone just rang---later...

Comfortable with his lines and defensive pairings, coach Tom Renney said defenseman Marek Malik will be a healthy scratch for a third consecutive game. "I like the momentum we have with this group. I spoke to him and I really respect his professionalism and his ability to play hard at practice," said Renney, who believes that when the veteran returns to the lineup, "I'll be hard-pressed to believe he'll be coming back out. But it's a matter of sustaining that."

***
Sean Avery (recovering from wrist surgery) practiced with the team for the second straight day. Although Avery is "a little frustrated because he's not ready to play today," Renney said he most likely won't be in the lineup until next week. "I don't think so," Renney responded when asked if Sunday's game against Phoenix at the Garden was realistic. "He's still having a little trouble taking the hard passes...I'm sure he would give it a try, but if something happens, then what do you do?"

***
The mood was light in the locker room after practice; the rink was particularly warm during the skate, numerous players said, the ice was soft and the puck was bouncing on passes.
Jaromir Jagr wore a devious grin as he walked around with some type of air-pump gauge; Paul Mara said he believes that if the Patriots lose to anyone, it will be the Colts in the playoffs; Hollweg denied that he and a group of guys went to the White House last night, saying something to the effect that he wouldn't miss the sitting president. He was admonished by Alaska native Brandon Dubinsky, who chided, "Hey, hey, what're you saying, you're an American..." To which Hollweg responded: "I'm also Canadian."

***
Renney dragged a bucket of pucks to center ice for faceoff practice, first between Scott Gomez and Blair Betts, then Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. Betts said Gomez suggested it. "He's really good," said Gomez. "I didn't really practice it as much with the Devils. Only way to get better."

***
After the 1-0 overtime win against New Jersey, this is the Rangers (16-12-2) first trip to Washington; the Rangers' top players rose to the occasion in the two wins at the Garden on Oct. 12 (3-1) and Nov. 1 (2-0). The Caps have won three of their last four.

***
Michal Rozsival, who had a goal in each game against the Caps, but didn't practice yesterday, skated and declared himself ready. "The (right) knee is fine," he said. "I wanted to skate yesterday, but my shoulder was sore from the weight room, and the trainers said I shouldn't go." Jagr had three assists in the first game, when Gomez and Martin Straka also scored in the first period. Drury, who scored in the Nov. 1 game, had an assist in the previous victory. Brendan Shanahan had an assist in each game.

***
Michael Nylander has missed the last two games for the Caps (11-17-2) with an undisclosed ailment, and general manager George McPhee said the Swedish center wouldn't play until the weekend.

***
As is his custom after a shutout, Henrik Lundqvist buys bottles of wine for certain players: The recipients for the 1-0 OT blanking of the Devils? "Shanny, Hoss and Vally," he said.

***
On the flight down, listened to Elizabeth Cook's CD "Balls", which includes an outstanding version of Lou Reed/John Cage's "Sunday Morning." Produced by Rodney Crowell. Reminds me of a younger Parton/Harris. Country fans might want to put this one on their list to Santa.

***
Some of the MSG crew apparently celebrated director Bobby Lewis' approaching 68th birthday (wait, that has to be a typo) at at dinner last night, but the candle reportedly wouldn't stand up in the nachos. Have a happy, Roberto...

More later...

According to Newsday's Eric Boland, subbing for yours truly, Sean Avery skated with the team for the first time this morning since arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist Nov. 29, but is at least a week away.

Greg Moore was called up from Hartford again in case Ryan Callahan's knee was balky, but Callahan skated and made the D.C. trip. Moore was likely returning to the Wolf Pack.

No word on playing status of Marek Malik, but I've gotta think he's being shopped.
And if he's traded at some point before the holiday roster freeze---with no d-man coming back---
I'm thinking Ivan Baranka will be up for a longer look-see.

Baranka, 22, earned an assist---his first career point---on a Colton Orr goal in Tampa. He played when Michal Rozsival was scratched to rest his bruised knee. Baranka, the Rangers' second-round pick in the 2003 draft, could play alongside Paul Mara and swing in-and-out with Paul Mara.

Still think the Rangers will chase a veteran defenseman at the trade deadline, though.

More tomorrow from the nation's capitol...

First, Chris is correct, Marek Svatos is Slovakian, not Czech, in haste, I erred, certainly wasn't intentional. So thanks Chris, we strive to be accurate.

Second, yes, plenty of teams are checking out Ducks' d-men with names other than Niedermayer and Pronger. Beauchemin is certainly a possibility, although I believe the Ducks want to keep him and would rather shed Hnidy to clear some $$$.

Finally, Newsday's Eric Boland will be at the skate this monring. I'll be attending a wake
for a relative in New Jersey.

But Eric will relay his observations and I'll update everyone here on news, etc. later this afternoon and I'll be at tomorrow's morning skate in Washington.

Later...

Again, real good points and good posts, Laurie and the rest of the gang of Blue Noters. I salute ya.

One final brief sidenote: Just because I mentioned Eklund's site without using his name---did someone out there really think I didn't know who he was? Seriously? Gimme some credit, huh? I've been around the block.

I've read and discussed his stuff with beat reporters and Dubi over at Blueshirt Bulletin for years and met him at last year's All-Star Game at the meeting of the PHWA in Dallas, where he tried to make his case for being credentialed and accepted as a member. There wasn't a vote taken, but I would have submitted a "no" on my ballot. Furthermore, you'll notice that his site is not linked on this blogroll to the left of this page that includes legit sites; we all know he's just a fan who found an angle.

But while he may publish silly, vapid, mostly for-entertainment-only information, I refuse to dismiss absolutely every single item on the site, especially what his bloggers (especially the legit ones who cover teams) write. There's shreds of news amid the speculation.

I won't defend his style, but I certainly might use something he posts as a jumping-off point in the future.

Why is it somehow dishonorable to use someone's thoughts or opinions as a way to create discourse?

It's really not so outrageous when you think about it.

After all, we all read posters here---and treat them equitably----who use screen names rather than their real ones, or in some cases, no names at all....

'Night all.....

....on the rumor.

As we all know, and as I noted in here, hockeybuzz.com is a fantasy site for the most part, and no one, least of all me, is saying this proposal is even being discussed between the two clubs!

The Denver Post, by the way, has speculated that Liles would be a logical player to be shopped and the Avalanche is loaded with scorers, so Svatos is expendable.

And the Rangers apparently will have to weigh what to do--- EVENTUALLY---with Montoya, Malik, and perhaps Prucha, who, no doubt, is a hard-working player who I hope starts finding the net.

The point here was that I thought the rumor would, and did, bring to the front burner of couple of issues, which, on an off-day, are worthwhile