Road Trip is Rotting in the Fridge

LA Lakers sportscaster Chick Hearn had a catch phrase he used after a game's outcome was set and only the final score was in question. He'd say:

This game’s in the refrigerator: The door is closed, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard, and the Jell-O’s jigglin’.

It was Chick's variation of "the game's on ice."

Borrowing Chick's metaphor, you could say this last game of the Rangers western road trip went into a broken refrigerator. The door is closed. However, the coach's light bulb brain has burned out, the power play is cracked and oozing, the defense is soft and rancid, and the offense has melted and is just a favored puddle in the fruit chiller. It's not a pretty picture.

Dubi at the BlueShirt Bulletin saw it this way:

But this was worse than bad -- this was ugly. The power play -- ugly, even as it stumbled and bumbled its way to Drury's goal. The deflected goal the Oilers were gifted, and the identically deflected goal they gifted back -- ugly. Ranger face-offs, losing 60%, with Drury 5-11, Scott Gomez 10-14, and Blair Betts 5-8-- ugly. Sean Avery's shootout attempt, having been chosen because he was familiar with former L.A. teammate Mathieu Garon -- ugly. Gomez's shootout attempt -- well, not necessarily ugly, but Scotty, don't be smiling, get your game face on! Jagr's lame shooutout attempt with the game on the line -- doubly ugly. And Lundqvist stopping Sam Gagner's shootout attempt but letting it bounce in over his shoulder -- ugly, ruining whatever confidence he may have built up during the game.

Ugliest of all was the continued lack of discipline, especially in the third period and overtime, the Rangers sabotaging themselves for a second straight game with ugly penalties. . .

ICINGS:

Daily News
Rangers Tie It Late, Fall In Shootout
NY Post
How The West Was Lost
Journal News
Rangers Lose In Shootout To Oilers

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