The goals reminded me of those old Michael Jordan commercials where he banked the basketball off of different structures to put them in the net. Brylin scored the first Devil goal off his skate. Next came Elias off his leg. Parise sneaked one through Lundqvist and then Madden banked one off of Staal's skate. Minnesota Fats would have been proud of all three shots.
However, there was more to this game than weird goals. There was Mike Hasenfratz and Don Van Massenhoven doing their best impressions of "Anything you can do I can do better' as they gave the Devils eight power plays and the Rangers five. Five will get you ten that master GM Lou Lamoriello was burning the wires to NHL headquarters after Friday nights loss complaining about the calls he got or didn't get in that game. He should have no complaints after last night. Now if the Stealth GM had any brains he should get on the phone and scream a little too. It shouldn't be a problem. They have phones in Edmonton.
The highlight of the game was Sean Avery standing in front of Marty, face to face, waving his stick and his arms to distract the Great One. He scored a PP goal on that play, his third of the playoffs. By the way, far be it from me to criticize our great coach, but it is time to get Avery back on the first line with Jagr and Dubinsky. It is also time to bench Betts and get Prucha back in the lineup. His giveaway led to the first goal. It's more than that. He has no offensive skills and yes I know its the fourth line but who says that the fourth line can't score a goal now or then. I know there is as much chance of both of those things happening as there is for the fans to stop the stupid Potvin chant in the heat of the action. Game four Wednesday night.
ICINGS:
Avery may be an idiot, but we think he's crazy like a fox. Plus he makes the games fun. You can cast a vote here:
LadyPenguin at TeamSugar:
Sean Avery: Ingenius or Idiotic? -- Yesterday during the New York-New Jersey game, the Rangers' Sean Avery seemingly invented a new method of screening the goaltender. Instead of standing in front of Martin Brodeur, with his back to the goal in hopes of deflecting in a shot, Avery stood face-to-face with the Devils' goalie, waving his stick in his face...
... what do you think? Was Avery ingenious or idiotic?
More on Avery v. Brodeur:
Globe Sports:
Avery's antics spark immediate reaction -- Avery, channeling his inner pest, turned to face Brodeur. Instead of trying to get in position to score, Avery spent most of his energy, waving his stick and arms in front of the Devils' goaltender, distracting him from the task at hand...
Bleacher Report:
Sean Avery: When "Bad Boy" Is Bad for Hockey -- In his twisted little mind, he [Avery] had to come up with something else that could throw Marty off his game, so he became creative.In a display that can only be called, childish, rude and completely disrespectful, he stood facing Marty and taunted him with his stick and his hands. It was like watching a school yard bully relentlessly taunting the classroom brainiac. Avery waved his hands in Marty’s face, keeping him from watching the puck in play. He raised his stick and waved it like a flag in Marty’s eyes. No whistle, no call. Marty gave him a little push, and only then did that catch attention...
LA Kings forum:
Sean Avery: Brilliant strategy, or the ultimate ...
NHL: Unsportsmanlike Conduct? - at TSN
The NHL on TSN panel discuss whether Rangers forward Sean Avery should have been penalized for his extreme screening.
Battle of Alberta:
Sean Avery screens Martin Brodeur -- Penalty? Acceptable? I'm still undecided, but leaning more towards thinking it should be a penalty. It's the glove and stick waving that bothers me. Turning your back to the puck is stupid, but I don't think it should be illegal. The Devils were down two men at that point, which explains why someone didn't just push Avery out of the way (or worse)...
HF Boards:
Avery vs. Brodeur discussion
Hockey Talkie:
Avery Adds to his #%#*&@ Resume - ... the Rangers are without a doubt a better team when he is on the ice. I simply hate these kinds of actions and on-ice shenanigans that Avery always seems to be a part of.
Hammer's Bulldog blog:
Sean Avery swash-buckles Martin Brodeur, Milan Lucic runs show. -- I'm not a huge fan of Avery and some of his actions and comments, but this guy is a way better player than I think most people realize. Three goals already in just his third game of the playoffs says it all.
Rozzy, Mara, Tyutin scare me. They don't hit and don't properly defend. Staal took the bait in OT, but he is a stand-out blueliner -- even Girardi (despite a very bad turnover) look better than those who should be defending better.
It was a good game -- except the 2nd, where the Devils squashed us. A strange loss, don't you think? Were you there, pundit?
tdr
dark ranger-Was there. Will be Wednesday. I have railed about this soft defense for three years and neither the Stealth GM or clueless have made an attempt to fix it. Instead of bringing up young studs from Hartford and developing them we stuck with the likes of Malik. Staal and Girardi are ok. Tyutin seems to have regressed. His holding the puck last night was inexcusable.I rather see Strudwick in the lineup and Backman sitting. He's dependable, tough and ready to drop the gloves.
There is no way we should lose to the Devils but coach clueless will try to out Devil them. We should be eating them up and spitting them out.
Thank God for Avery.
Mike,
Thanks for posting a link to my Avery vs Brodeur post on my blog...Much appreciated!
Really enjoy your blog here, incredible the amount of information and resources you have here!
Cheers,
Hammer
Thanks Hammer,
I think Mike would like a shirt like yours with his handle "Ranger Pundit" on the back.
Thanks for the link, while I don't doubt Avery's abilities, I don't like what he did and I like that the NHL took a stance on it. Although I don't think it should be a minor penalty, because thats too big of a disadvantage to the team. I think it should be a 10 misconduct.
j2i2m22,
I think most Rangers fans would go with the all's fair in love and hockey point of view regarding Avery.