It's Physics

That's how Dave Maloney described it on the radio shortly after the buzzer sounded. The Rangers were outshot like 70-10 and eventually fell in overtime.

An Igloo Win

Game Summary

That headline is something I thought I'd never type again. Last night was the last regular season game at the recent house of horrors for the Rangers. Goodbye and good riddance. See you in the playoffs? Probably not.

Last night I saw Rangers 3, Penguins 0. It's what happens when you have a 1-month old who is in the same room as the television showing the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics. Daddy was bumped to the other room to watch Rangers hockey, but was still on diaper duty. Pretty frustrating to come back to the room and see 0-0 turn into 1-0 Pittsburgh, then later on 2-1 Rangers becoming 2-2.

Good to see Ryan Callahan come back after looking like he injured his arm in the first period. Would've felt bad for him if the injury was serious enough to cause him to miss the Olympics. Came back he did, and he played great.

I'd love to see someone knock Matt Cooke the hell out. Perfectly clean hit by Drury there and he cries like a baby, then is still throwing fists while the guy is down. It's too bad that took place late in the second and the game was close, eliminating the possibility of retribution in the third.

How many fights has Crosby had in his career, two or three? You can bet the next one is happening vs Brandon Dubinsky.

Mike Rupp??

Does it get any worse?



So much for the home ice domination that is the Penguins-Rangers series.

Nightmare

I've slept on this one and still can't come to grips with what happened last night.

In the last day or so, we've seen the lists of top games in Subway Series history since this stuff started back in 1997. A second before the ball clanked off Luis Castillo's glove last night this one was headed for that list in the Mets favor. Instead of future Mets classics on SNY airing Joba walking the ballpark and Wright shooting one up the gap off Rivera, the video of this one will only be seen on the YES Network.

Everyone's crying about Castillo and they want him out. Aside from a buyout, it's not happening. Who else is going to play second base? Argenis Reyes? Alex Cora, when Reyes returns? They tried to get rid of him in the offseason. There were no takers. We're stuck with him for two and half more years. Two and half more years of choking and heartbreak. Pop quiz. Who is the one player on this team that symbolizes the collapse? Wright? Reyes? Beltran? Wrong. Luis Castillo. We acquired him in the 2007 season for the stretch drive. Some stretch drive.

K-Rod was not going to be perfect all the time (maybe this season, who knows), but wow, that's a tough way to get tagged with your first blown save of the season in June.

***

The night as a whole was a disaster. It was frustrating the damn Met game took so look that it conflicted with the final minutes of Game 7 of the Cup Finals. Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins on their victory, as much as it pains me to says it. They were the better team and I pretty much called it, aside from a St. Louis Blues non-upset in the first round. Hey, when your bracket almost comes out perfect you have to mention it. Now if I left out the series length it would've really looked good.

How does Marian Hossa feel right now? Aside from Penguin fans, do you feel bad for the guy? Does he agree to go back to Pittsburgh this summer at a discount, citing "the best chance to win a Cup?" Maybe he hated Therien, who knows?

An awful night all around. Can't remember one worse than this one if you're a Mets/Rangers diehard, considering the only conflicts with the two sports is playoffs in one and early regular season in the other. The loss in the regular season affair would have to be brutal. It's safe to say last night fit the bill.

Twin Killing

At least it was quick.

The Mets hit into a double play in seemingly every inning. You even had double plays of the comical variety, such as Luis Castillo running back to first without seeing Emil Brown, the batter, passing him on the basepaths, a no-no. And why is Emil Brown batting second anyway? That about sums it up.

John Maine is what he is. An average fourth starter. If he does not have his stuff, as he did last night, we're screwed. Great pitchers battle their way through times they don't have they're best. Last night was batting practice.

Jerry continues to cool off players by sitting them. See Gary Sheffield.

If Fernando Martinez is here to play everyday then why has he sat in two games already since his callup?

Are we going to wait to lose five of six to the Phillies and Yankees this week before some kind of outside help? The problem is the Mets have no chips to make a big acquisition. We're going to have to suffer until some of these guys on the DL come back. Unfortunately by then, it might be too late.

***

How sweet was it to see the Penguins absolutely unravel last night? Evgeny Malkin should be suspended a game. The guy is as dirty and cheap as any fourth line goon out there.

Hell is Black and Gold

Could it get any better for a Pittsburgh sports fan yesterday? If you had great seats to the Pirates game last night and could not refuse them despite wanting to watch Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night, you had almost the best of both worlds. A just-over-two-hour baseball game in which your team continues to make the New York team look like the one that's been losing for almost twenty years and a hop over to the Igloo, a short walk across the bridge, to join the party watching the hockey. A fun night all around. Screw you guys.

I give up trashing this city and it's teams. The Mets need to get out fast and we need to forget about terrible towels and white-outs once and for all. Oh wait, it's a four game series? At least the pain will be quick with an early day game after night game.

Johan was cruising last night. I missed the first inning and my only concern was "did he give up a hit?" Not only did he not, but he retired the first ten in order. This was going to be the one, especially after the two sparkling defensive plays the Mets made. But it was not to be, and then later it fell apart in the sixth.

Have I told you I hate the Penguins? So much for a sweep.

Penguins 4, Rangers 3

What'd you expect? The game was at Pittsburgh.

There was no chance in coming back thanks to an atrocious 5 minute major call that was a direct response to the GM meetings a few weeks back, where staged fights and head shots were discussed. The rules are put in place in the offseason, not midseason! This is the second call we've seen against the Rangers related to those meetings since. The last one was when Dan Girardi was given an instigator and a misconduct for starting a fight after a clean hit a few games ago. It's too bad the refs have to decide a game and not let the players play.

No one's beating the Penguins. It's very frustrating. Crosby, Malkin, pig-face, Orpik- I can't stand them.

The Rangers played soft the early in the game. Pittsburgh was running them all over the place. Is it legal to push a guy from behind without the puck? Apparently so, the Pens were doing it all game and getting away with it.

Normally I don't root for injury, but I was so hoping Brooks Orpik took out his own knees by going after Drury early in the third period. Too bad he's ok- would've served him right.

Screw Crosby for crying about wanting an empty net goal with 4 seconds left after he got interfered with. Screw Malkin for taking a slapshot on the ensuing faceoff. The game is over.

I hate the Penguins. More than the Devils and Flyers. Ask me again after Monday night's game when I have to stare at Parise's mug and watch him complain to the officials.

Things get a little too interesting if the Panthers beat the Stars tonight.

Rangers 4, Penguins 0

It's nice to get a win where we don't give the other team a point in the standings. Especially the Penguins. Hit them while they're down, because they have the talent the bounce back late in the season, but hopefully it will be a case of too little too late.

Shocker of all, Prucha on the power play! Two power play goals for the team? Good to see Mara get one through. He's been one of the only ones shooting from the point on the pp all season, only to have his shot blocked all the time.

How about Eric Godard getting sent out in the last couple of minutes of the game just to fight, only to get his rear handed to him by Colton Orr. Man, do the Pens miss Laraque or what? Also, Matt Cooke is no Jarkko Ruutu.

Nice win, hopefully we can build on it going into the busy stretch this week. So much for letting teams catch up in the games played department. Don't be fooled by the "we're now back in first place" talk.

Gamenight: Penguins at Rangers

-Game is on Versus tonight. If we get Joe Beninati on the play-by-play, you will surely be informed that the Rangers are in blue- many times throughout the game.
-Voros is in for Korpikoski. I could see this move a couple of weeks ago (asking for Prucha in his place at the time), but now? After the rookie recently has looked his best all season?
-Sidney comes into town off his latest altercation on Saturday. Easy to jump a guy below you who's trying to play hockey and win a faceoff. Challenge him and take off your shield, like Shanny a couple of seasons ago.
-Satan demoted to the fourth line for the Penguins. No one was going to replace Hossa, but I don't think they expected this.