The Rangers attempt at a rebound from Wednesdayâs 4-3 loss in Calgary was handled and discarded â as every one of the 28 shots the Rangers took tonight â by Roberto Luongo. The Canucks netminder was unbelievable and made Rangers fans still awake for this 10 p.m. start shake their heads in disbelief with a 3-0 shutout, Luongoâs sixth of the year.
At this point in the season, moral victories or small triumphs from losses mean nothing. This team is not playing for fun, not playing for the right to rule the local pond. The Atlantic Division standings do not recognize âMan, we played wellâ. Nor does it understand the words âgood effortâ and âlossâ in the same sentence.
Of course, after watching the Rangers outshoot and outskate the Canucks for two periods, itâs apparent those positive sentiments are true. Yet, a lot is lost in translation from mouth to standings, and when you donât put the puck in the net, itâs hard to convince the standings that youâre any good. One person that is having a hard time convincing any Rangers fans that heâs any good is Marcel Hossa. In the last two games, he has had at least six or seven absolutely perfect scoring opportunities and hasnât found anything but pads or the backboards; tonight he also found the netting above the glass, no deflection, after having an open look from about four feet away. The frustration that this genetic run-off of a brother brings to the Blue Seats every night heâs on the ice is amazing.
Tonight, Rangers down one goal with about 9 minutes left in the third. Hossa get the puck on the doorstep to Luongoâs left, he canât get it off the ground and plows it into Luongoâs pad. Sound familiar? Then, in what seems like classic Hossa fashion, he turns around and commits a dumb penalty (his second of the period!) by swinging his stick one-handed and catching a Canuck in the face. It was one of four penalties the Rangers took in the third period that neutered any chance of a comeback.
(Also, keep in mind here as you read Renneyâs rather pointed quotes today, that Bill McCreary and his crew made an absolutely egregious interference call on Colton Orr in the third that was an absolute momentum killer. To my understanding, McCrearyâs still upset that the Village People are all dead and blames anyone who doesnât refer to him as âConstruction Billyâ.)
Again, hockey is not a simple game and to put the loss on Hossa is just an incomplete, stupid and anger-driven excuse. This is a team game and a team loss.
Some Notes:
– Did anyone else almost lose their dinner when Dan Girardi went down with a stick in the face? My thought process: He got hit in the eye, heâll be out for the season, and by the off-season the front office would forget that he was really the best defenseman all year and trade him in a package deal for some clippings of Scott Niedermayerâs salt-and-pepper beard from last yearâs playoffs. He got up and was fine and I whispered Thank You.
– Paul Mara actually shoots the puck? He scored 15 goals for the Coyotes in 2005-06, and I donât see why he canât do that here. Heâs a valuable defenseman with a big shot who just doesnât get a lot of quality ice time. Maybe after Tom sees more tape of his defenseman not touching players in front, heâll find a spot for this 6â4â Ridgewood, N.J. native.
– After ripping on Jagr for a lack of heart yesterday, he came through and showed some grit tonight. When he jumped in that scrum after Prucha (who played great after missing two games with a mangled left hand) it made me think there was still hope. It would have been easier had Luongo went inside my head and neatly tossed that idea to the corner as well.
bcyrgalis@nypost.com