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Do you believe in miracles?
Thursday - April 27, 2006

Nope. Not one bit.

I guess if I worked for the Rangers PR staff I would be talking about Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz and the miracle Red Sox team that came back from 3-0 down to beat the mighty Yankees and then went on to win the World Series. The difference is the Red Sox were good.

This Ranger team has nothing, absolutely nothing, going for it. I was completely wrong thinking they could tie the series up. I was encouraged by the 5-on-5 work in game 2. What I didn't realize was that the Devils were toying with us. They were just sitting back, letting the game plan take shape, and when the time was right they would strike. It is as if they KNEW the Rangers weren't going to score. Ever. They were right.

I am also going to go into typical Rangers fan panic mode and say that I am very, very worried about Henrik Lundqvist. He has given up 18 goals in the four games he played since returning from his injury. He doesn't look anything like the rookie phenom that thrilled us earlier in the year. He is playing just awful, and isn't coming up with any big saves.

There really isn't much to say. This team is done. Saturday is just a formality. I would consider it a miracle if they pushed it to Game 5.

NY Newsday: Last night Jaromir Jagr made an unexpected return from a left shoulder injury and Henrik Lundqvist returned to the Rangers' goal. The Rangers were starring in a drama fit for Broadway. Instead, the Devils stole the show.

NY Post: On Tuesday, Jaromir Jagr said he would, "pray a lot and hope for a miracle" in order to play in last night's Game 3 against the Devils. Jagr's prayers were answered, but not even divine intervention could help the Rangers at the Garden.

NY Post: This was a tough proposition for a first shot of the game. but Henrik Lundqvist, overcommitting to Elias, left himself too far to come across to have any chance at Langenbrunner's one-timer into a too-open net.

NY Daily News: A Rangers season that was an unexpected delight is on the verge of one of the sorriest endings in the history of a franchise that specializes in them. It was put there on a night that began with wondrous promise but instantly devolved into the harshest of realities.

NY Daily News: It took all of 68 seconds to murder the buzz created by No. 68's return.

The Journal News: "You can't look at the big picture," said Jagr, who took just one shot in 17:09 after missing Game 2. "By losing three straight you can't say, 'Let's win four.' We didn't play good the last 10 games of the season. We're just lucky we had enough points to make (the playoffs)."

NY SportsDay: And down three games to none, the series is pretty much done. The Devils have dominated the Blueshirts on all ends of the ice during the series. They had timely scoring and superior goaltending from Martin Brodeur.

The Rodent: Why did the Rangers continue to shy away from shots above the hash marks? Every time they forsake the slapper, they slide the puck down low which only plays into New Jersey's strength.


Around the league:

Canadiens' captain Saku Koivu was knocked out of last night's game, and probably the series, when he was struck in the eye with a stick. Montreal also lost the game on Eric Staal's OT goal, putting Carolina one game behind in the series (2-1).

Peter Forsberg scored twice to get Philly back into the series against the Sabres. The Flyers now trail 2-1.

And in yet another OT game, Alex Tanguay scored just over a minute into the extra session to put the Avalanche up 3-0 in their series against the Dallas Stars.


The Hartford Wolf Pack face elimination tonight in their best-of-seven series against the Manchester Monarchs.

Anything else? No? Ok good, cause I'm depressed.

HDH

Posted by Jim at April 27, 2006 12:54 PM
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