Yeah, yeah, I know the Rangers clinched a couple of days ago. Today I am referring to the fact that the Fishsticks have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. Not that I take pleasure in other peoples' misery, but what the heck, it's been a long time since Ranger fans could gloat.

One thing the Blueshirts DO NOT need is a let down tonight. At this point, games against the Islanders are supposed to be laughers. The boys need to ride the emotion from Tuesday's victory against Philly, and they need to set a tone early in the game.

Jaromir Jagr will try to abuse the 'Sticks like he did last Wednesday in Nassau. Jagr had four assists as the real New York team coasted to a 5-1 win. Since he hasn't scored in three games, the MVP candidate will be looking to break Adam Graves' single season goals record (52) tonight.

John Dellapina once again reports that the team's goal is the Atlantic Division, and not just the playoff berth they delivered this week. John also says Henrik Lundqvist is feeling better, but will not dress tonight. Darius Kasparaitis remains out with a groin injury.

Andrew Gross of the Journal News spent some time walking around the Palisades Mall talking to fans. I particularly liked what this guy had to say:

Wearing a Yankee cap and proudly displaying a tattoo of that team's logo on his left forearm, it's not tough to guess Mike Santos' first love. When it comes to the Rangers and the NHL, the 44-year-old Orangeburg resident considers himself a causal fan, at best. For the regular season, that is. Santos said knowing the Rangers have clinched their first playoff berth since 1997 means he's going to start paying more attention. "Absolutely," Santos said as he walked through the Palisades Mall yesterday. "Any kind of anything, I like watching the playoffs."

Any kind of anything indeed. This guy was pretty cool too:

"I don't pay attention to hockey until the playoffs," said 40-year-old Steve Groark of Haverstraw. "Their success means if the Rangers can pull themselves out of the mess they were in, so can the Knicks. They were the most highly overpaid team in hockey."

Yes Steve, they can. Except for the lack of any draft picks and an inescapable salary cap situation that has the Knicks locked into $130 million dollars worth of crap players for the next few years, they are on the verge of a turnaround.

Around the league:

Patrick Elias scored a hat-trick to lead the Devils over the Penguins 6-4. Crybaby netted goal number 35 to put him 13 behind Alexander Ovechkin, who leads all rookies in scoring.

The Buffalo Sabres beat Ottawa in overtime 5-4. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes gained a point on the Eastern Conference leading Senators with their win over the Capitals.

Tonight, it's the Rangers versus the evil wannabees in MSG. The puck drops at 7:00 pm EST. Sorry for being mean to the Islanders, but if this is only going to happen once every ten years, I am gonna make the most of it.

HDH

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