Photograph of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopping a shot from Penguins player Sidney Crosby by Keith Srakocic/AP Penguins 5, Rangers 4: Martin Straka, Chris Drury and everyone's darling, Sean Avery, had the Rangers feeling good about themselves three minutes, 37 seconds into the second period. Game over? Not quite. Pittsburgh scored twice in 14 seconds near the eight-minute mark. Then they scored twice in a 20-second span five minutes into the third. Scott Gomez......

You have to pick your poison when playing the Penguins. Do you try and stop Pittsburgh’s top line, anchored by Sidney Crosby, or do you focus on shutting down the equally talented, Evegni Malkin and his line? And, don’t forget about the defensemen, Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are both threats to score when they touch the puck. Clearly, keeping the Penguins off the scoreboard will be a monumental task. But, the Rangers have a......

Rangers 5 Devils 3: There is justice in the hockey world. One game after inadvertently deflecting the winning goal for the Devils off of his skate, Marc Staal scored the winning goal for the Rangers. Staal’s slap shot beat Martin Brodeur through the five-hole with three minutes left in regulation of a 3-3 game and gave the MSG crowd another chance to serenade Brodeur. Staal’s goal was one of the many highlights for the Rangers,......

Rangers 2 Devils 1 (Shootout): These were two HUGE points. Thanks to a Dainius Zubrus goal in the first period, the Devils jumped out to an early lead. Both teams settled in and played smart, defensive hockey and it looked like that one goal might hold up. But, Ryan Callahan made a great move from behind the net and he threaded a pass across the crease that Chris Drury deposited into the net with under......

Photograph of Islanders celebrating a second period goal from Ruslan Fedotenko by Frank Franklin II/AP Islanders 4 Rangers 3 (Shootout): This was not a game for fans of goaltenders. Henrik Lundqvist was terrible, Wade Dubielewicz was too but better when it counted and the Islanders prevailed in a sloppy game. Blake Comeau got things started when he scored by throwing the puck off of Michal Rozsival to put the Islanders in front. The Rangers......

Montreal 6 Rangers 5 (Shootout): It is impossible to believe that New York let this one get away. When Chris Drury buried his 20th goal of the year into the Montreal net at 5:03 of the second period it put the Rangers up 5-0 and appeared to turn the game into a foregone conclusion. But, Montreal battled back as Michael Ryder scored two goals in the second period to cut the deficit to 5-2. The......

The Rangers are going to have to have a lot more weekends like this one if they are going to make the playoffs. Fresh off of Saturday’s shellacking of Buffalo, New York outlasted San Jose in a physical contest 3-1. Ryan Callahan continued to show the club that he belongs in New York with two goals in the contest. Chris Drury continued his resurgence with his seventh goal in nine games as the Rangers beat......

Nets 101, Mavericks 82: Ah, the schizophrenic Nets. After losing three straight, they've now won two in a row, and Sunday's win came against a legitimate title contender. It also came at the Izod Center, a place they have had trouble putting up good performances all season long. Maybe it's all the empty seats. Vince Carter put forth one of his best efforts of the season -- a 29-point, nine-rebound performance. And that was after......

Rangers 2 Philadelphia 0: Stephen Valiquette certainly likes playing in Philadelphia. Last time he was there he shutout the Flyers and this time he provided the same result. While Valiquette’s play was solid, the game was highlighted by hard hits and a lot of fighting, including a major scrum in the second period. Nigel Dawes got the Rangers on the board near the end of the third period as he converted a power play chance.......

Rangers 5, Canadiens 3: Fans who tired of FOX's marathon Super Bowl pregame show may have migrated to NBC to catch this inspired effort by the Rangers. Playing in Montreal -- did any of them get to watch the Super Bowl, or even want to watch? -- the Blueshirts scored five unanswered goals after trailing, 3-0, early in the second period. Chris Drury had the go-ahead goal, and Scott Gomez, Michal Rozsival, Martin Straka and......

Rangers 3 Devils 1: Why can’t they play like this all the time? Maybe it’s because the Devils seem to turn and run at the sight of “New York” (winless this season against the Rangers and Islanders) on their opponents jerseys. Whatever the reason, the Rangers need to replicate this effort a lot over the remainder of the season. Chris Drury had two goals, one against an empty net while Brandon Dubinsky got things started......

Rangers 4, Flyers 0: Stephen Valiquette didn't really have to work for it, but he got his first career shutout. Even when the Flyers are hot and the Rangers are cold as ice, New York finds a way. Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha, Chris Drury and Brendan Shanahan all scored. The Rangers hadn't won the road this year. Philadelphia had enjoyed a 12-2-1 streak. The Flyers are in first, but they are only five points ahead......

Rangers 4 Montreal 1: The Rangers finally had a game they could feel good about, thrashing the Canadiens easily at the Garden Saturday night. New York jumped out to an early lead after Chris Drury made the defensive play, cleared the puck and then slipped a backhand into the net off of the pretty feed from Hossa. Martin Straka scored later in the first to make it 2-0. New York doubled that lead in the......

Edmonton 3 Rangers 2 (shootout): Pinching defensemen have become a vital part of the Rangers’ offense and Dan Girardi showed that again Saturday. With New York stymied offensively and losing 1-0 midway in the third, Girardi came in and put the puck on net. The bounce was odd, but the result was good as the Rangers tied the game at 1. Unfortunately for New York, Ryan Hollweg took a stupid boarding penalty and his five-minute......

Rangers 4 Montreal 3 (OT): The Rangers played one of their most uneven games of the season, but they turned it on when they needed to and got the win. Daniel Girardi and Jaromir Jagr scored in the first period to give New York a 2-1 lead heading into the second. And that’s where the Rangers went to sleep, getting only one shot in the period while the Canadiens built a 3-2 lead. That’s where......

Rangers 4 Carolina 2: Putting Gomez on the top line certainly looked like a smart decision Wednesday. Gomez fed Jarmoir Jagr, helping him get nine shots and setting him up on both of his goals in the Rangers’ win. Chris Drury and Dan Girardi also scored for New York. The game was stopped midway through the second period after an ugly collision between Colton Orr and former Ranger Matt Cullen. Cullen took this worst of......

Rangers 4 Pittsburgh 0: When things aren’t going well, hockey coaches look to shake up their lines. That what Tom Renney did Tuesday, installing Gomez on the Jagr-Straka line and the results were very good. The top line looked like one, scoring twice at even strength and propelling New York to the victory. But, it wasn’t just the top guys. Chris Drury had added two points and the defense held Pittsburgh to 18 shots. Henrik......

Rangers 4, Islanders 2: It's a good thing these teams play each other eight times each season. Otherwise, the Rangers might have a confidence problem. Given enough opportunities to beat a particular opponent, any team is bound to cash in sooner or later. After losing the first three games against the Islanders, the Blueshirts finally broke through. Jaromir Jagr and Chris Drury each had a goal and an assist against Rick DiPietro. The Islanders still......

Devils 3, Thrashers 0: Martin Brodeur earned his first shutout of the season -- and the 93rd of his career -- and the Devils are at .500 again. Rod Pelley and Paul Martin had the two non-empty-net goals for the Devils. Jamie Langenbrunner tied an NHL record by assisting on all of his team's goals. After that early-season road trip, the Devils appear to have their skates back under them. Panthers 3, Rangers 2 (SO):......

Islanders 2, Rangers 1: For all the success the Rangers have had against the rest of the league, they still can't solve the Islanders. Five-game winning streak? Poof! Rick DiPietro made 18 saves and the Islanders won for the third time in three games between the two clubs. Ruslan Fedotenko and Josef Vasicek each scored in the second period, and Michal Rozsival scored a short-handed goal for the Rangers. He now has seven goals......

Rangers 2, Devils 1 (SO): Petr Prucha did enough to finally earn a second "E" for his name. He set up the only goal in regulation and scored the only goal in the shootout. Scott Gomez struck against his former club. The Rangers had other chances, including Chris Drury's breakaway in overtime, so this win helped them sleep better at night. Islands 3, Penguins 2: This could have been a Pyhrric victory. Rick DiPietro got......

Rangers 2 Washington 0: It wasn’t an offensive explosion, but it was enough. Chris Drury put the Rangers in front with a goal 6:45 into the second period and the power play clicked again a few minutes later when Michal Rozsival made it 2-0. That’s all that Henrik Lundqvist needed as he recorded his 3rd shutout of the season by making 31 saves. Lundqvist has played every game of the year so far for New......

Maybe all the Rangers needed was a punch in the mouth. Not a punch per se, but a high stick that knocked some teeth out of Jaromir Jagr’s mouth. Jagr shook off the hit and the Rangers shook off the malaise that has plagues their power play all season with two goals in the third to win 3-1 over Tampa Bay. New York took an early lead in the first period on Nigel Dawes’ third......

IIndians 12, Yankees 3: Well, that didn't go as planned. Chien-Ming Wang didn't have his sinker, gave up a ton of two-out and two-strike hits, and the Yankees got buried. Their patient bats wore out C.C. Sabathia, but they only got three runs for their efforts against him, and that wasn't nearly enough given the way Wang pitched. Then they stunk up the joint against the Indians bullpen, but by them the game was......

You may not have noticed that the NHL season started last weekend. While two games between two California teams in London may not have captured your interest, the three local teams that begin play tomorrow and the next few nights will all be fascinating stories throughout the season. No team enters the season with bigger expectations than the Rangers. After landing two big centers in free agency, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, New York......

In a flash the Rangers remade their team on the first day of free agency, adding Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. Drury, grew up in Trumbull, Connecticut as a Rangers’ fan and has been one of the top centers in the game since breaking into the league with Colorado in 1998 (not to mention a Little League World Series champion). Gomez has been with the Devils since joining the league in 1999 winning two Stanley......

Sabres 2 Rangers 1: The Rangers were eight seconds away from winning this game and taking a 3-2 lead in the series when Chris Drury netted the game-tying goal. Up until that point, the Rangers had played a great game, but anyone who watched the final minute of regulation has to wonder why Jaromir Jagr was on the ice? After taking a 1-0 lead with just over three minutes left, the Rangers needed to play......

Rangers 4 Atlanta 2: The Rangers finished off their sweep of the Thrashers in dramatic fashion, coming back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to finally take the lead on a goal that had to be reviewed for over five minutes. Five minutes into the third period, Matt Cullen unleashed a vicious slapshot that caromed off the top crossbar and appeared to bounce out of the crease. Replays showed the puck had bounced down into......