Goalie Gimmes

Coach clueless changed goalies at the start of the second period of a 3-3 game in which both goalies did not distinguish themselves, but if truth be known the defense on both teams was horrible. The first Flyer goal was a blatant giveaway by Tyutin, twice, deep in his own zone which led to the Flyers goal. Rozsival was completely frozen and useless on another goal and that's the way it went as the Flyer defensemen reciprocated. So the 3-3 tie at the end of one.

The replacement of Lundqvist by Valiquette left many in the seats wondering why, considering his prior record against the Flyers, Valiquette did not start the game. In fact, that was the subject of our discussion at the brunch before the game. However, if our coach was clueless, the Flyer coach John Stevens was brain dead. He started the second period with Niittymaki in goal and only removed him when Christian, a.k.a. 'Malik II,' Backman scored his first Ranger goal at the 1:51 mark of the second period. Biron then came in and blanked the Rangers the rest of the way with 21 saves. Valiquette stopped 17 of 18 shots. In the infamous shootout the Rangers were two for two with Shanahan and Dawes. Valiquette stopped Timonen and Carter, who had scored two goals including the tying one, hit the post and the game was over.

Stevens reluctance not to remove Niittymaki after the first period probably cost him the game. Both goalies had to be removed after the first period even if only to send a message to the rest of their teams. The first period was pond hockey at its best and the brass at NBC, which was televising the game, must have loved it. They must have loved the shootout also, though the consensus in our area, Ranger and Flyer fans alike, agreed that a 4-4 tie would have been ok.

The three stars were Jeff Carter, number three, Valiquette, number two and Shanahan number one. My vote for number one would have gone to Valiquette. The goal of the game was scored by newcomer Fredrik Sjostrom, who never gave up on a play where his initial shot was stopped, he rebounded that shot and that was stopped and he finally put in the third shot of the sequence. There was also a heavyweight bout between Colton Orr and Jesse Boulerice that was quite entertaining. I will leave the result to the boxing purists, but it was a dandy.

While Backman scored the fourth Ranger goal his defense leaves much to be desired. He truly looks like a Malik clone. I believe Jason Strudwick should be back in the lineup especially as a steadying force for Staal, who played one of his poorer games in quite a spell. Sjostrom continues to show promise but his playing left the hit man, Hollweg, out of the lineup. Colton Orr has to be in the lineup for the remaining 16 games. Perhaps Sjostrom could be tried as center on the fourth line but honestly I do not know if he can kill penalties like Betts.

With a home and home coming up against the Islanders this Tuesday and Thursday, Tuesday might be a good time to put Valiquette in against the Islanders at home to let Lundqvists psyche recover a bit or at least get a night off. We know that Valiquette is a legitimate NHL goaltender so why not use him more down the stretch? I would definitely get Strudwick back in the lineup, but the Stealth GM would not like his latest acquisition, Backman, riding the bench.

ICINGS: An ugly situation developed after the game with a series of fights breaking out between Ranger and Flyer fans. There were no security personnel in the area. None, zilch, nada. Terrible. I have noticed the last few Ranger, Flyer games that these occurences are becoming more frequent. Who is to blame? Who knows. However, I do know one thing. If you are rooting for the visiting team, root and cheer, but don't start taunting the home team fans. Shame on them. Shame on the Garden for not having any security. The combination of a fierce rivalry and cheap beer can spark a riot if not handled properly. You would think Dolan could handle this. You would think.

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