Blue Notes

At practice, I mean, according to Newsday's intrepid Anthony Rieber, who pinch-hit for me.

Why not? A quality February----minus those 20 minutes in Montreal---will do that for ya.

Everybody skated, except Mara of course, on IR.

Lundqvist will start against Philly.

Meantime, I'm having a maintenance day after getting up at 4:45 am, racing to airport and finding another flight delay (no crew)...

So, it's Jacuzzi, meditation, ice bath, seaweed wrap, vitamins, martinis, tuning into Graham Parker's "Don't Tell Columbus' and a live performances CD compiled by the Westchester radio station The Peak, all while reporting/slaving over my weekly Sunday NHL Insider.

Kidding.

Well, on a couple of 'em.
Guess!

Just caught up on the comments/play-by-play/hang-wringing/personal attacks by you loyal Blue Noters.
Hmmm.
I'm willing to give Backman a break. But if the broken bone in his foot hasn't properly healed (it is supposedly) I'd play Strudwick against Philly. You might see him in one of the two against the Isles anyway.
I think Orr might play against Philly, just a guess. Would Hollweg (a ref target) sit?
Sjostrom (pronounced Shew-strum, if you listened to the radio or TV broadcast) was fine, went to the net, drew a penalty. Easier transition for a forward in first game on new team.

To change the tenor of the messages,
1. Please post your proposed lines for Philly,
2. Predict the eight Eastern Conference playoff teams, in order. Remember, the three division winners are 1, 2, 3 based on points.
Rangers and Bs just four behind Ottawa at this moment, hard to believe, huh? Hossa's out for a week in Pittsburgh.

Will swing by later...
Now, where are those olives? Innkeeper!

Sean Avery skimmed a shot from the right dot off Cam Ward's extended right pad with 44 seconds to go in the period for the two-goal lead. Avery is on fire, with six goals in seven games. Great pass from Jagr and backhander under crossbar by Dubinsky for the first one. Rangers outshot Canes 15-5.

Not as physical a game as expected so far...why isn;t Ruutu wearing a full cage to protect those stitches and eye?...

More coming...

So how did Fredrik Sjostrom learn to skate?
From his mom.
No big deal, you think?
Well, his mother, Gunilla Jacobson, won a bronze medal in speedskating in the World Championships in Japan in 1963, and competed for Team Sweden in the 1964 Olympics in Austria in 1964.
"She was a good teacher," said Sjostrom, who will make his Rangers debut tonight on a line with Blair Betts and Ryan Hollweg. (Nigel Dawes' mom also was a speedskater for Team Canada in 1976)
Defenseman Christian Backman also will dress, partnering with Marc Staal again in the morning skate at RBC Center.
Although Petr Prucha (shoulder) is "good to go", coach Tom Renney said, "we want to give our new guys a chance to play." Sjostrom is replacing Colton Orr, whose chest injury is still causing discomfort when skating, said Renney, although there is a chance he'll play Sunday afternoon against Philadelphia.

Henrik Lundqvist, beaten twice by Carolina this season, will be in goal; he's 4-4 with a 2.24 average in his career against the Canes. Cam Ward will be in net for Carolina.

"We'll have a tiger by the tail," said Renney, referring to the Canes, 7-0-1 at home.
Boston, tied with the Rangers with 72 points in the Eastern Conference and two games in hand, hosts Pittsburgh tonight. So, the Rangers, currently in seventh, could move into sixth place.

More from RBC Center later...

According to CNN, today marks the beginning of meteorological spring.
The hotel concierge said it was 66 degrees the other day and will be 66 Saturday.
Doesn't change the fact that it's a balmy 26 this morning.
Can't fool me, though, spring is approaching. While scarfing down some chili last night at Quinn's, the ticker on one of the screens read Tigers 4, Mets 2.
Driving over to the morning skate soon, check back here later for the lines, etc.
Last time here---a month ago, just after the All-Star break---the Rangers lost 3-1, with plenty of scraps: Orr, Brookbank, Avery, Gleason (although he may be out tonight); today, the Canes will field a different team.
No Brind'Amour, Ladd, Commodore, Stillman; but add Ruutu and Corvo, and Eaves is expected to be in the lineup.
Away we go...

Both defenseman Christian Backman (who skated with Marc Staal) and forward Fred Sjostrom (who skated with Betts and Hollweg) appear to be playing tomorrow night against the Hurricanes.

Colton Orr is out, coach Tom Renney said, and Petr Prucha is closer, but it sounds as if the two new Swedes will make their Rangers debuts in Carolina. We'll know more at the morning skate tomorrow.

As I mentioned in one of my two stories in today's newspaper, Renney said David LeNeveu and Josh Gratton were en route to Hartford. Check it out on newsday.com if you didn't spring for the paper.

Turns out that a Hossa-Sjostrom deal was on the table Sunday and was tweaked to add Montoya later, according to a source.

Both Sjostrom (pronounced Shu-strom) and Backman were surrounded by TV crews and print folks at their lockers: Sjostrom at Marcel Hossa's, Backman across the room at a spot last used by Greg Moore.

They are looking forward to fresh starts and playing with Henrik Lundqvist, a former teammate on various clubs in Sweden, and that having a fellow countryman around would add to the comfort level.

Sjostrom, who scored against the Rangers in the Coyotes' last visit, said he hopes to "score a lot more goals at MSG" and will play wherever asked. Backman said he believed he was going to be traded because 1. his ice time was down and 2. the signing of Barret Jackman to a four-year deal. More quotes from them and Lundqvist later and in the paper tomorrow.

****
Jaromir Jagr's reaction to the new kids on the block:

"Every country is different, the way they talk," said Jagr, who at first joked---"Swedes everywhere"---I'm sure they're going to help him (Lundqvist) and the team, they're very good players."

"I've been here for three years and I think Glen doesn't panic," said Jagr. "He was okay when we didn't play our best; you could see the confidence in whoever he brought here that we would make the playoffs. I'm not surprised he didn't make any big moves. Maybe if we'd played differently lately he would have to do something...but it's telling me he feels comfortable with this team all year long---even if nobody else did....I don't think this team was built to just make the playoffs. We want to make a run and maybe win the Cup. We're finally getting closer to that." Then playing to the audience, he said: "Sad. We need more Czechs."

Jagr, by the way, said he was waiting for new sticks from China. In the meantime, he was practicing with one of Hossa's and one made for the Hawks' Jonathan Toews. "Maybe that will work, I'll try anything," he said.

****
I'm scrambling to get to the airport, but one final item until later:

Sean Avery indicated that he would break his media silence, (think he got a call from management), but said didn't want to answer hockey-related questions.

Mr. Playful first proposed a one-reporter a week rotation. When I asked him why he boycotted interviews for weeks, he said "No comment." Going down the road, he said he would talk on a "day-to-day basis."

"I don't want to talk serious questions, I just want to have fun today, I'm rattled by the lights," he said referring to the TV crews. So a TV reporter asked him about his tanning schedule, (seven minutes a day, three days a week), which was the fastest land animal, ('I think its the cheetah'), does sour cream ever go bad ('I think it gets better with age, like a good wine')...

Backman wearing 55; Sjostrom 20...Backman skating with Staal

Assume Backman will play in Carolina; maybe Sjostrom

Sjostrom, 24, is a right wing, former 11th overall pick, and should fit in well for Marcel Hossa. Not a scorer, 6-17-29 in 05-06; 9-9-18 in 06-07; Gratton is an enforcer, with 188 penalty minutes in 52 games in Phoenix in 06-07. I expect Leneveau to be in Hartford.

Montoya's days were numbered when Henrik Lundqvist was signed to a long-term deal.
He's been inconsistent and injury-prone in Hartford, and the rise of Miika Wiikman had bumped him to No. 2.

Marcel Hossa's effectiveness has been restricted by a bad back. He was 1-7-8 in 36 games.

All in all, no blockbuster, just 'fit' moves to shore up the defense and add some speed and toughness on the wings. But nobody in the East really improved except Washington (a clear winner today) and Pittsburgh, whose power play with Marian Hossa should be quite potent.

The Rangers just sent Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa to the Don Maloney's Coyotes for Fredrik Sjostrom, a former first-rounder, Josh Gratton and a goaltender, David LeNeveu, who is a student of goalie coach Benoit Allaire.

This from the Rangers:

LeNeveu, 24, has appeared in 21 games with the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, posting a 9-7-3 record, along with a 2.66 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and one shutout. He has also appeared in 21 career NHL contests in two seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes, posting a 5-9-2 record, a 3.38 goals against average and a .888 save percentage. In 2005-06, he established career-highs in games played (15), wins (three) and goals against average (3.24 GAA). The 6-1, 187-pound goaltender recorded his first NHL win with a 24-save performance vs. St. Louis on October 25, 2005.

Backman had been placed on injured reserve in early February with a cracked bone in his left foot, which he sustained while blocking a shot in a win over Anaheim. He was 1-9-10 in 45 games....

The 27-year-old Swede is a former 1st round pick in 1998 (24th overall) by St. Louis...He's 6-4, 206, played 61 games last season 7-11-18

...for a fourth-round pick...

more in a minute

So, the Rangers practiced----and inquired about trades afterward in the locker room.
So far the only trade has been exchanging old practice helmets for new white ones.

Everyone skated except for Paul Mara, who is recovering from yesterday's facial surgery and will wear a protective mask when he reurns, and Colton Orr, who has some type of chest injury, but was in the workout room.

Rangers coach Tom Renney said they have discussed summoning a defenseman from Hartford tomorrow to practice before Thursday's game in Carolina, but didn;t mention names.

Told of the Dallas trade of Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen to Tampa for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist, Henrik Lundqvist's reaction was; "Two forwards going. That might be good for my brother." Twin brother Joel is a forward for the Stars who's been in and out of the lineup.

"Washngton got better," said goaltender Steve Valiquette, with the acquisition of Montreal's Cristobal Huet. "A few years ago, he was one of the top five in the league."

When I asked Jaromir Jagr to tell SeanAvery that Cam Janssens, to whom he once referred as "that meathead from Jersey" was traded to St. Louis, Jagr said; "He (Sean) knows; he's got text messages."

Avery, who smiled but avoided talking to a group of reporters about the trades, did say that the Clapton/Winwood concert at MSG last night was good.

Brendan Shanahan said he thought the Rangers recent surge showed that the current team was improving and didn't need a big trade. "You send a message to management that this group is getting on a roll."

Otherwise, status quo with two hours to go before the deadline.

When reporters hoped to get a at least a tidbit from Marcel Hossa about his brother Marian, who appears to be headed out of Atlanta, he couldn't oblige. In fact, he asked us if we had heard anything.

Among the unrestricted free-agent defensemen remaining as possibilities for the Rangers: Brad Stuart, Ron Hainsey, John-Michael Liles, Jassen Cullimore, Branislav Mezei, Jeff Finger, Andrei Zyuzin....

All the Rangers except Paul Mara (post-surgery) and Colton Orr (upper-body injury) are on the ice...So no one has been told that a trade is imminent...All the players are wearing new white helmets. Maybe the old ones were traded to Edmonton....

LISTEN to Rangers beat writer Steve Zipay discuss what the Rangers may do on NHL trade deadline day. Steve also offers his insights on where stars Brad Ricahrds, Olli Jokinen and Marian Hossa might end up.

I assume the Rangers have contacted Buffalo about Campbell, but the asking price will be high and the Sabres may want to send him west...How about Phoenix' Nick Boynton (who we've mentioned before); Florida's Ruslan Salei (although he's signed for one more year)...San Jose's Matt Carle...Brad Stuart?...No, I can't imagine Hal Gill on Broadway...With Boyle in the fold, it sure seems inevitable that Tampa's Brad Richards and his massive contract ($7.9 mil) will be elsewhere...

Yawn. I'm going to catch some sleep, but for more Deadline Day breaking news, opinion, etc. also check out Newsday.com's NHL Trade Tracker, up now and helmed by the estimable Mike Casey, with contributions from far and wide.
Tremendous amount of page views last year...
I'll be feeding him some things from the Rangers practice there, and have plenty here as well, so be sure to swing by...

Buffalo's Brian Campbell, who hasn't played his best hockey in the past two weeks, including last night, after he turned down a three-year deal from the Sabres; LA's Rob Blake, who reportedly agreed to waive his no-trade clause, Columbus' Ron Hainsey, Colorado's John-Michael Liles, and lesser-knowns that GM Glen Sather & Co have to be evaluating....

For the Rangers, it's time for Plan B....

The Flyers, who just beat Buffalo, need forwards (Richards, Gagne, Lupul out), so Vinny Prospal will help...

Check here all day tomorrow for the up-to-the-minute info and reaction on the Rangers and from around the league.

My spies are out there, and I'll be keeping tabs on NHL Network.

No, won't be on the radio tomorrow. I was on WFAN late last night with Mark Malusis, good guy.

The Forsberg deal makes me wonder whether Colorado will move any D. Maybe not.

Boyle and agent apparenly still negotiating with Lightning as of tonight.

Rangers now may be looking at Hainsey, Barker, Stuart.

More coming as I hear...may not be able to confirm everything or all details, but will throw them up quickly.

Scratch Barrett Jackman's name off the Rangers' wish-list.

The UFA defenseman just re-upped with the Blues for four years, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Just a rental, according to TSN.

Guess he doesn't consider Philly a contender anymore.

As predicted, the need for the Rangers to acquire a d-man or two by tomorrow's 3 p.m trade deadline has become more acute.

Paul Mara is undergoing surgery for broken facial bones today and is expected to be sidelined for two weeks.

Mara was hammered in a helmet-to-helmet hit by the Sabres' Pat Kaleta on Saturday in the first period and didn't return.

Mara, an unrestricted free agent in July, was acquired from Boston for Aaron Ward on last year's trade deadlne, Feb. 27. This appears to remove him from any deal tonight or tomorrow...

Was this the Marek Malik going-away party?
Was his applause and stick wave after being named second star, for a goal and assist, his farewell?
The injury to Paul Mara makes this dicey.
The Rangers need a defenseman, but cannot afford to lose another.
Tuesday's 3 p.m. trade deadline will be interesting, for sure.
I'm scheduled to discuss it all on WFAN at about 12:30...

Also, if you didn't hear, Toronto's Mats Sundin refused to waive his no trade clause and is staying a Leaf.
Said he discussed it with his family, loves Toronto and doesn't want to be a "rental player."
Classy or dumb?
This will make 13 years and he's not going to win a Cup in Toronto this season. But who knows where he'll sign in July?

More tomorrow...

Colton Orr suffered an upper-body injury, possibly the chest, that will keep him out tonight, and left wing Marcel Hossa, just called back from his conditioning stint in Hartford, will switch to right wing on the fourth line. Hossa hasn't played in an NHL game since Jan. 14 against Pittsburgh.

Coach Tom Renney said that Orr's tweak---which the staff couldn't see in reviewing the tape---probably won't keep him out of Thursday's game."It's just uncomfortable, but it's one of those things that isn't a real threat beyond today, given the (3-day) break."

Of greater concern might be Paul Mara, who was kayoed by a high check from the Sabres' Patrick Kaleta in the first period yesterday and did not return. The defenseman was seeing a doctor today; Renney said he was not aware that Mara had sustained a concussion. He is officially listed as having a head injury and facial cuts. Jason Strudwick will step in.

Henrik Lundqvist will be in goal. "He felt good afterward, I liked his game, (against Buffalo)" said Renney.

As reported yesterday, Petr Prucha is targeted for a return Thursday. "He had some contact yesterday and more today. If this was a real needy situation," said Renney, "he could probably play. At the same time, we have a lot of hockey to play and we need him at 100 percent."

Assistant coach Mike Pelino wore a gold/green tie that he said he last wore when Canada beat the U.S. in the 2002 Olympics, when he was an assistant coach for Team Canada. "Worked out pretty well," he said.
I last wore my blue /green tie about six weeks ago in Carolina, I think.

Anyway, game time awaits...

Although the Rangers have denied repeated requests from New York writers for a sitdown with general manager Glen Sather, he spoke with Edmonton reporters and said Jaromir Jagr would not be traded, and that he would like to resign both Jagr and Sean Avery.

Unfortunate situation.

Not for Jagr and Avery, but for Rangers fans, who pay top dollar for tickets and should hear from the team's boss more than every once in awhile.

Anyway, just arrived at the Garden. Maybe we'll have something from Glen before the end of the season.

Left wing Marcel Hossa's conditioning stint is over after five games, in which he scored one goal.It appears that defenseman Paul Mara, who suffered head and facial injuries last night, will not play tonight against Florida, and Jason Strudwick will step in. Hossa would be a spare forward or play for someone else..Coach Tom Renney had said before last night's game that Hossa would be back for Thursday's game in Carolina.

More the Garden later...

Some thoughts and stats:

Drury, the former Sabres captain, deserved another assist. In the middle of the post-game media scrum, a TV cameraman fell backward on an equipment bag and Drury jumped up from his seat and steadied both the cameraman and the equipment,

Dubinsky had a team-high nine shots on net; Shanahan none, but his shot that was blocked and bounced to Avery at 5:05 was enough.

Mara played just 1:21, so the five defensemen logged major minutes: Rozsival 26:09, Tyutin 25:20, Girardi 24:11, Malik 21:24 (plus one awful turnover). Staal pleayed just 18:10, but his immediate retaliation against Patrick Kaleta for the hit on Mara was immediate and telling.

The Avery-Dubinsky-Jagr line bangs in three goals and combined for five points.

The Lundqvist stop of Thomas Vanek on the third-period breakway may be the one that gives him a major boost in confidence. Lundqvist made 26 saves.

Some things remain the same. Avery, whose 10th goal was the winner, dressed quickly and left. In the other locker room, Kotalik blamed himself for the giveaway. Little bit of a contrast.

The Sabres were 0-for-4 on the power play.

So the Rangers are tied with the Bruins for sixth place, although the Bs have two games in hand.

But the lead---on goals by Jagr and Dawes---may be tough to hold with five D.

Paul Mara is out for the rest of the game with a head injury suffered on a high check---with no penalty called---by Patrick Kaleta, who was belted by Marc Staal seconds later.just over three minutes into the game.

Dubinsky plastered Kaleta on the boards by mid-ice near the end of the period, and Kaleta wrestled with Avery afterward....

Ah, hindsight.

Should have just called a cab and made my treacherous way back home after the flight to Buffalo from LaGuardia was cancelled at the last minute.

Instead, took the "advice" of U.S. Air, and grabbed one of their shuttles to Boston, where they assured me there were connections to Buffalo.

Last time I listen to them.

Weather's worse here in Boston and all three Boston-to-Buffalo connections were cancelled until tomorrow. So here I am at the Long Wharf Marriott for the evening before resuming my U.S. Air journey north and west to cover the first of the two weekend games. (UPDATE: Rangers had no problems getting to Buffalo, I'm told. That's the ticket, a private jet.)

Newsday's Katie Strang snowplowed her way to practice and reports that Henrik Lundqvist will face the Sabres tomorrow, but coach Tom Renney wouldn't commit to Lundqvist for Sunday at home against Florida. She also passed along that Petr Prucha (injured right shoulder) is doubtful for the weekend because he hasn't has enough contact. She'll have more on the mood of the team as the trade deadline approaches in a story on newsday.com later and in the paper tomorrow.

Please keep those trade deadline votes coming in, a quick glance tells me Boyle is getting plenty, although Jackman and Nick Boynton have supporters.

The NHL's version of Super Tuesday's coming...
It's your turn to weigh in on who the Rangers should add...and why.
The non-partisan Blue Notes is offering up ten candidates.
You can keep it simple, by posting one name or two, or propose who to send back in the deal.
Or you can vote for a write-in candidate.
Let's attempt to keep it sensible, no "Jagr for a bag of pucks"---that's a waste of everybody's time.
We'll publish the results in a couple days.

1. Dan Boyle, Tampa.

2. Brian Campbell, Buffalo.

3. Marian Hossa, Atlanta.

4. Mats Sundin, Toronto

5. Thomas Kaberle, Toronto

6. John-Michael Liles, Colorado.

7. Vaclav Prospal, Tampa.

8. Barrett Jackman, St. Louis

9. Matt Carle, San Jose.

10. Ron Hainsey, Columbus

Be heard! Take a minute to vote...

A five-piece brass band performed excellent versions of the American and Canadian national anthems at the Bell Centre Tuesday night. Reminded me a bit of the musicians at a New Orleans jazz funeral.

As you know, the Rangers played the part of the corpse in some of the second and all of the third period, losing their intensity with a 5-0 lead. When they survived the second period up 5-2, I though they might have changed the momentum.

Nope. The third and fourth goals had me thinking they would lose in regulation.

You've read the quotes from some players and the coach about lessons learned. No need for me to provide some more. As Renney said, the blame falls from the bench on out.

Fans should hope the troubling, bitter taste lasted through this off day.

Imagine if the worst meltdown in the 81-year history of the Rangers happened at Madison Square Garden instead of Montreal. Imagine if the Rangers would have blown the five-goal lead and lost 6-5 in regulation on Broadway.

Maybe the debris wouldn't have rained down---I was totally surprised and disappointed by the littering of the ice---but the mood would have been black and the language many shades of blue.

The Rangers have no recourse but to shake off the memories of a night that started out as a walk in the park and ended in a shootout humiliation by the Canadiens, who swarmed like the Cleveland insects over Joba Chamberlain last fall.

Bear in mind, the players and coaches will have psychoanalyzed themselves before meeting for practice tomorrow in Westchester. That's because in the final 30 minutes of the game---which will be remembered as the greatest comeback in the 99-year saga of the Canadiens---more questions were raised than answered:

* Why not summon a winger from Hartford rather than use defenseman Jason Strudwick as the fourth-line right wing with Colton Orr out with the flu? The Rangers were also missing Petr Prucha, whose sprained shoulder is restricting his shooting, and Marcel Hossa, assigned to the AHL for conditioning. Against the speedy Canadiens, the 32-year-old Strudwick couldn't keep up, yet that line was on the ice for the two Mike Ryder goals that started the comeback.

* Marc Staal was weakened from a week-long bout with the flu and the defense failed to adequately cover the slot and clear the zone. But is goaltender Henrik Lundqvist intimidated by teams who charge the crease and maintain position there? If so, the Rangers have to address that need by Tuesday's trade deadline and acquire a no-nonsense defenseman. And a couple more third-period saves by Lundqvist could've stopped the bleeding.

* Veterans Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan moved up the scoring charts---Jagr into 10th place in career points with four assists and Shanahan with his 19th season of 20 or more goals---but Martin Straka (one shot in 16:57) and defenseman Michal Rozsival struggled in the third period and Nigel Dawes was pretty much invisible.

* The Rangers had been winning faceoff battles. Not Tuesday night; the Canadiens won 62 percent.

* Did the ferociously loud crowd un-nerve the Rangers---who dressed eight players age 25 or under? If so, earplugs might help because these games are reaching playoff-level intensity.

The Canadiens, tied for first in the East, received a major boost in confidence; the Rangers were rattled, but had chances in overtime and the shootout. Can't explain Shanny's bizarre attempt, Jagr needs to shoot, not stickhandle and Drury was an odd choice, except that he's been hot.

Nothing else to say; with 20 games left, the Rangers can't afford any similar lapses.

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Rangers chase rookie G Carey Price with three goals in 13:56....

Bad blood spilled over between Komisarek and Dubinsky

Rangers have four minute power play early in second and Shanahan's tip ---his 20th of the season and second goal of the game---made it 4-0 on the power play. Now it's five.

Whoa...

Drury's wrister beat Huet short side. 5-0.

As you probably know, I'm far from self-absorbed
But I would be remiss to not point one thing out.
Unlike other writers---who toss out thousands of guesses and rumors online---some of us offer realistic and sometimes salient info.
For example, in my recent Sunday NHL Insider (found on newsday.com under columnists or, I think, on the Rangers page, gotta remember to link it here), we identified a half-dozen defensemen not named Boyle or Campbell who were very liked to be moved in the next week, based on what we've heard from reliable sources.
Jaroslav Modry was one of 'em.
Today he went from the Kings to the Flyers for a 3rd rounder.
Hardly a blockbuster.
But it happened.
See what you're missing if ya don't check in here every day?