All they needed was a draw, but the Red Bulls came out flat and lost, 3-1, to the San Jose Earthquakes at home. After winning the first leg of their home-and-home playoff series in San Jose, the Red Bulls had a 1-0 advantage entering the match in Harrsion, N.J. But San Jose controlled the run of play throughout, and Juan Pablo Angel's goal -- which came in the 78th minute with his team down 2-0, was a day late and a dollar short. Red Bulls fans can only hope that San Jose makes the MLS Cup as the Eastern Conference champions and draws attention to the absurdity of the playoff system.
In Philadelphia, the Rangers couldn't avenge their loss to the Flyers last April that eliminated them from the playoffs. Philadelphia trounced the Rangers, 4-1. Brandon Dubinsky, who has eight goals in 12 games, had the lone Rangers goal. Blair Betts and Nikolay Zherdev, ex-Rangers both, had two of the Flyers goals.
The Islanders continue to struggle after a 4-1 loss in Ottawa. A decent start is now a distant memory after six straight losses. Matt Moulson, as he has done before.
With 70 points in the first half, the Knicks started strong and held on for a 120-112 win over the Bulls. Toney Douglas had a career-high 30 points off the bench, and Danilo Gallinari added 24. Raymond Felton had 20. The Knicks survived a 5-for-21 night from Amar'e Stoudemire.
