It's Getting Late Early

Not only is Yogi a prophet, but the guys at SI may also be right when they picked the Rangers to finish 12th. A look at the standings find the Toronto Maple Leafs in 12th place just ten points behind the Rangers and the Leafs have two games in hand. What is more ominous is the hard driving rejuvenated Devils, who are in 13th place and 14 points behind the Rangers with a game in hand. Remember a while back when I mentioned that the Devils were 26 points behind the Rangers? You probably all laughed. No one is laughing now as the Rangers are three points ahead of ninth place Carolina who have two games in hand.

The Rangers seem to have the game under control last night nursing a 2-1 lead in the third period when Gaborik was awarded a penalty shot on a short handed opportunity with about 14 minutes left in the game. Gaborik flubbed the shot and the Rangers flubbed the game. Evander Kane then scored two goals in the space of 3:31 and it was all over.

The Rangers are 7-10-2 in 2011, while the Devils are 12-1-2 so the standings don't tell the real story. It's the past vs. the present. The Rangers past was filled with players playing above and beyond the call to achieve greatness. These players are now spending time on the bench while all the stars are back. The ice time of some big performers in the past has dwindled. Boyle, Stepan and Zuccy don't see the time or the important moments to make that little difference any more.

Be careful what you wish for!

Related Articles by Categories