In two of the past three seasons, the Washington Capitals have ended the Rangers' season. In 2008-09, it took the Caps seven games to prevail over New York. Last spring, they dispatched with New York in five games. So, the Rangers will have some extra motivation heading into today's opener, but unlike the previous two series, they will also be favored in this one.
Rangers Face A Familiar Foe In Round 2
Last Night's Action: Close Is Not Good Enough
Last Night's Action: Another Great Weekend
Five different Rangers scored goals and ten different Rangers had points in the win. Brandon Dubinsky showed his versatility when he pulled Sean Avery away from a fight, only to step into the action on his own. Dubinsky fought to a draw which was about the only thing the Rangers didn’t win Sunday.
Last Night's Action: Looking Bad Against the Worst
- 76ers 124, Knicks 84: For the second time this season, the Knicks got blown out by the second-worst team in the division. How is that possible? Start with nine turnovers in the first quarter alone -- and 23 for the game. Sprinkle in some porous defense and everything should come out just fine. The Knicks lost by 40 despite shooting 46 percent from the floor. Too bad Philadelphia made 57 percent of its shots.
- Nets 110, Bulls 102 (OT): Even without Devin Harris, the best player the Nets got in exchange for Jason Kidd, the Nets were able to take down the Bulls at home. Marcus Williams played 39 minutes and had 25 points. If he can play remotely like that down the stretch, the Nets may find themselves a first-round victim rather than draft-lottery hopeful.
- Islanders 3, Capitals 2: Suddenly, the Islanders can't be stopped. One game after he helped his team stun the Sharks, Mike Comrie scored the only goal in the shootout and helped New York to its fifth straight win. This was the second consecutive time they rallied from a two-goal deficit. Miroslav Satan and Josef Vasicek lit the lamp in regulation.
Last Night's Action: Ropin' Mavericks
Vince Carter put forth one of his best efforts of the season -- a 29-point, nine-rebound performance. And that was after a nasty elbow sent him to the locker room. But the Nets' defense -- or the Mavericks' poor shooting -- was the story in this one. Dallas made only 36.5 percent of its shots.
Last Night's Action: It Must Be the Holidays
Last Night's Action: Aren't These Teams Bad?
Sonics 117, Knicks 110: Knicks fans deserve a lot of credit. No one's pointing out how hard it is to chant "Fire Isiah." That phrase has a ton of vowel sounds. They held off for part of this game, but at the end, the result was the same. Zach Randolph is the only self-respecting Knick, though Jamal Crawford has been putting up better numbers with Stephon Marbury still out. The sum of the parts is...
Last Night's Action: Watching the Same Team?
Mavericks 99, Knicks 89: Are James Dolan and Isiah Thomas watching the same team the fans are? More boos were heard in Madison Square Garden during the latest Knicks debacle. But James Dolan and Isiah Thomas don't seem to hear them -- or feel the "Fire Isiah" chants are justified. What more evidence do they need? A loss to the Mavericks, the team that finished with the best record in the NBA last season, wouldn't...
Last Night's Action: Keeping Things in Perspective
76ers 101, Knicks 90: Under most circumstances, losing to one of the worst teams in the NBA would be of concern to the Knicks. But with the death of guard Stephon Marbury's father, it doesn't seem so bad. Marbury played for the first half and scored two points but didn't come back out for the second half. Jamal Crawford had his second straight excellent game, but the Knicks frontcourt couldn't contain Samuel Delambert. The two...
Last Night's Action: Guerin Gets Going
Last Night's Action: 'Tis Better to Give than Receive
Maybe it will take some time for this Rangers team to click. They have so many playmakers that they may need time to adjust to sharing the ice with such talent. That's a good problem to have, and given the lack of urgency directed toward the regular season, the Rangers have some time to figure it out.
Last Night's Action: Baseball Season Is Over In New York
The Yankees chipped away late in the game with solo home runs from Cano, A-Rod and Abreu, but they could get no closer and they will once again head into next season in search of their 27th championship. Who will be back and who will be managing in 2008 is hard to say right now, but expect a lot of changes in the Yankees’ organization over the next few weeks.
Last Night's Action: Missing The Point
Jaromir Jagr missed the entire third period because of a leg injury and his status is unknown heading into today's huge game against Carolina.
Last Night's Action: Nets Sinking, Knicks Rising?
Last Night's Action: Nets Still Area's Best Hoops Team
Last Night's Action: Knicks Fail to Extend Streak
Last Night's Action: Nets Want Moore Games Like This
Last Night's Action: Nets Snap Their Streak
Last Night's Action: Knicks' Streak Reaches Three
Last Night's Action: Knicks Help Bulls' decision
--Bulls 106, Knicks 95: MSG announcer Mike Breen called the Knicks the most schizophrenic team he's ever seen. Saturday's game was another example, but no matter how much heart they've shown in these rallies, Knicks usually end up on the short end, just like they did Saturday. Every time they see the Bulls, the Knicks are reminded that Chicago has the right to swap draft picks at the end of the season, an arrangement agreed to in the Eddy Curry deal. Curry was productive -- he had 20 points -- but he still heard boos at the Garden, where the Knicks are 1-6 this season.
Last Night's Action: Knicks a Mess in Texas
-Spurs 100, Knicks 92: Quentin Richardson scored 21 points, but Spurs guard Tony Parker torched the Knicks for 33 as New York lost to a Texas team for the second straight night. On Friday, it was the Knicks' interior defense that did them in; Saturday the opponents' attack was more balanced. Richardson's had a solid start to the season, but Channing Frye and Eddy Curry will need to step up to help the Knicks right the ship.
Rangers Go Wild
After suffering a brutal loss to the Capitals on Saturday, the Rangers bounced back on Monday night beating the Minnesota Wild 3-1 at the Garden. Petr Prucha scored twice on the power play and looks very comfortable with his promotion to the top line. Martin Rucinsky playing in his second game since coming back from a knee injury had three assists while Henrik Lundqvist stopped 22 shots.

