There comes a moment during a hockey game where you just know who is going to win. No matter what the score is, no matter who the opponent is, you just know, you are either going to win, or lose. During the second period Henrik Lundqvist had a goal mouth scramble where he made 5….count em 5 SPECTACULAR saves on one flurry. It was right then that I knew we were going to win this game. It may have been 0-0, the Devils may have been carrying the play, but you knew, the King was going to lead his troops to victory come hell or high water. It therefore didnt surprise me that we won this game. When your goalie plays that friggin good, you are going to win 9 times out of 10. On the flip side Uncle Daddy was not that bad, even though a slight bump from Colin White sent him forward as if he was run over (it was barely a touch, I guess the dramatic actor needed to get his money’s worth on that one) led to a goal, and even though he was beaten cleanly on a wrister from the slot by Sean Avery you have to give him credit, he was solid.

But do you remember what I said when I did my series preview? Solid wasn’t going to be near good enough for Uncle Daddy. He had to play God-like to give his team any shot at winning this one. So far through 2 games, he has been far from God-like, one might call him Weekes-like at this point. Though we still have at least 2 more games to go, I can safely say the goaltending matchup has not played out like expected. Henrik has clearly dominated the flopper from start to finish…really he has dominated him throughout his career sans one injured playoff series.

Regarding the 2 “questionable” calls. They got the penalty right on the Devils, but they also definitely got the penalty wrong on Betts. That was definitely interference, and he should have been called. But as a Rangers fan who has gotten shafted more times than not, particularly when playing against the swamp rats, it is good to get a little ref-retribution. We are more than due, and we got it in the form of 3 badly missed calls (the Betts play, an Avery play earlier, and a play by Jagr). Don’t expect that to continue. Sutter has made it known they blew the calls, the refs will be told to even it up, and we will have to fight through some reffing from here on out. But the end result is the same, we are up 2-0 going into our building where we had the second best record in the East (home record that is). There is no way this team loses 2 of 3 at home, and the remaining 2 of 2 on the road. It just ain’t gonna happen. This series is over.

Now, while I can be a cocky bastard, and say it is over, the players sure as hell better not get cocky, as long as they continue to play their game, they will win this series. Tom now has the last change to get our offense on the ice under favorable matchups, and he has the most passionate fans in the world to cheer his team on.

One final note. Was it just me, or did Chris Draper Drury lose just about every draw in the 3rd period? John Madden was on a friggin mission, he won every faceoff cleanly against Drury. I couldn’t figure it out, were talking about one of the best faceoff guys in the world. How the hell did that happen?!

Eh, see you on Sunday.

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-Pregame show is on, only 22 minutes till game time, are you pumped? A win for the Rangers here, and this series is all but over, if the Devils come back, we may be in for a long series.

-All these Bacardi commercials are starting to piss me off. Why? Because.

-And it begins.

-Ugh, penalty early, not a good way to start the game.

-Good kill, Devils are still easily gaining the zone with the dump and chase game.

-Looks like a carbon copy of the first game so far. And thats not a good thing. Rangers need to be crisper with their breakout of the zone, and better about getting to the pucks on the boards. Devils are getting to those pucks before us keeping plays alive 10, 20, 30 seconds longer than they should.

-This is a new stadium right? How freaking long does it take to fix a pane of glass?!

-Wow…how did Henrik stop that?!

-Apparently its ok for the Devils to have 16 men on the ice at a time.

-Beautiful rotational defense there by the Rangers. Defenseman pinches, center rotates to cover for him, and lo and behold if he didnt there would have been a break going the other way.

-Terrible play by Gomez which leads to Staal taking a penalty.

-Henrik Lundqvist…best player in this game…by a LOT.

-Not much to say about the first. Devils played about the same as they did in Game 1. So did we. That does not make me happy. We need to elevate the hell out of our game. This may be good enough to beat the Devils, but not many other teams. The goal should be to win the cup, not just get out of the first round.

-Sheesh, at this point you have to wonder what its going to take to score a goal on Henrik.

-3 on 1 chances have to be buried. You can’t miss the net/get your shot blocked. Thats twice now the Rangers have had an oddman rush only to have the pass or shot blocked. GET IT ON NET!!!!!!

-Ugh, double minor. 10 bucks says the Devils score here.

- Shanny kills 30 seconds on the PP with a brilliant play.

-Hah, Gionta screams the F word at the top of his lungs…so loud you could hear it from the ice level on TV. hahaha!

-No shots on goal on a double minor. That is friggin impressive. Guess I owe someone 10 bucks…oh wait, nobody took my bet.

-Zubrus should just stay in the box, hes always doing illegal crap.

-Wow, Jagr gets away with one big time. Avery got away with a hook a few minutes ago as well.

-Stupid play by Avery Playing with fire with all these friggin penalties.

-Worrisome period for us. Nonexistent power play, nonexistent offense, and only our goalie is keeping us in it. The 3rd needs to be better, a lot better. Yes, I am officially worried.

-Nice save by Uncle Daddy there. Rangers showing signs of life.

-Uncle Daddy! I LOVE YOU!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

-AVERY!!!! UNCLE DADDY FALLING APART!!!!!!

-AHHHHHH Satellite signal lost, DAMN RAIN!!!

-Well, I have the non-HD signal working, but even that is choppy. The HD signal is just lost.

-Henrik….Can’t…..Be….Beaten.

-Ugh, Devils score, minute and a half to go. Impossible to stop that one.

-Ugh, icing…and we cant seem to win a draw to save our lives.

-OH WHAT A SAVE@!!!!

-Devils just pouring it on 6 on 5.

-tee hee, penalty on the Devils. They get away with that pick/hook play twenty times a game.

-Sutter should get a penalty, he just threw a stick onto the ice.

-RANGERS WIN!!!!! 2-0 heading back to the Garden. Rangers get away with a penalty in the end, but you know what? F*** EM!

-That’s it for the live blog. I will be back later tonight with post game thoughts.

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Uncle Daddy was terrible in this one. I’m not even just talking about the epic choke job on the Callahan goal. He was off all night. He allowed 3 very soft goals.

First goal, no deflection, from an off angle, not screened, right between the pads. No way should that have gone in, but it did.

Second goal, Uncle Daddy makes a save, then looks at the puck right in his crease as if its a hand grenade without the pin in it (Devils fans wished he looked at it like its a cheesecake the way his weight has ballooned up over the past few years), Cally sweeps in from behind the net and has a near MATTEAU moment himself.

Third goal Scotty Gomez comes in with partial control of the puck, Uncle Daddy overplays the shot on a non-shooter, leaving the entire net open for Avery. If Uncle Daddy played a bit more like the “weird” Lundqvist, he would have stayed in his net, covering the short side with his body rather than coming so far out to challenge the shooter who would never have scored from that angle. Because of that serious misplay, Avery is all alone in front and scores a goal even I could have put in.

Game…Set…Match.

3 Mistakes, game over, Rangers win.

On our end Henrik was spectacular at times, and merely lucky at others. The goal he gave up wasn’t his fault, the guy was wide open 10 feet from the net with all the time in the world to pick a spot and put the puck right in it. It’s the kind of play you see yourself with during warmups, but hardly ever during the actual game. That was all on Tyutin for not clearing the puck a few seconds earlier.

Give credit for Tom Renney. His mind games worked, even on me. I read reports that he was going to play Strudwick, and damn near pulled my hair out. Luckily he had more sense than that, and played Paul Mara who was one of the few Rangers defenseman who actually played a strong game from start to finish. All the other players, except for maybe Rozsival, looked quite sloppy at times, and hesitant at others, particularly Fedor Tyutin who looked nervous, scared, and intimidated. I am very surprised by this because Toots usually makes good plays under pressure, and rarely makes bone headed turnovers like he did there.

Are we sure Marek Malik didn’t kill Tyutin, hide his body in the shed, and skate up with his jersey on?

Eh, either way, the story is this. We played mediocre for the most part. The Devils played about as well as you can expect them to play. And we won 4-1. We should only be getting better, and they can only stay about the same. Yeah, that’s why these guys just don’t scare me. Against any other top seed in the playoffs, and we probably lose, but today, we lucked out that our opponent lacks the talent to finish on the plays they got, and their goalie pulled an epic choke job.

How bad of a choke job? Uncle Daddy refused to answer questions about it after the game. As I’ve always said, classless till the end.

Rangers number one star had to be the actual number one star of the game, Scotty Gomez. You know how much I hate his contract, but this is why he is here. He and Drury are here to win us playoff games when our other offensive firepower fails us. And win it he did. After a terrible first period, Gomez was flying up and down the ice. Making defensive plays, and offensive plays alike. He played like a man possessed. Furthermore, he played like a man who wanted to stick it to his old team. Good for him, bad for Joizee.

Game 2 on Friday, if the Rangers win that, this series is over. Rangers, one of the best home teams in the league, arent going to lose 2 of 3 home games to this team. Not on Henriks watch.

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- Game starts in less than 3 hours, and I’m nervous. One has to wonder if all my cocky comments in the preview will come back to bite me in the ass…

-As you have heard by now, according to a few sources, the Devils have formulated a secret plan to defeat Henrik Lundqvist. Rangers Review has turned up new and exclusive evidence of the Devils practicing the new “secret” maneuver to defeat Lundqvist. Here is a picture taken with a well placed hidden camera. I can only imagine what Tom Renney will do when this situation comes up during the game…

-McCreary is todays ref. Can you say screw job? 2 years ago the Rangers started game 1 against the Devils by taking something like 12 or 13 penalties to only 2 or 3 by New Jersey. Don’t be shocked if that happens again. Damn it.

-7:00…Only minutes away. KEEP OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX!!!

- Ahh Bill, how predictable. To be fair, it was a good call though.

-Excellent penalty kill. But don’t get cocky, be more disciplined.

-Uncle Daddy fortunate there, Jagr rips a 40 footer and hits the post.

-Ouch, pucks to the face definitely suck.

-That looked in. Crap, theyll review it, I think it was in.

-Well, it’s a commercial, I hope to God they come back and say it did indeed hit the post. WTF was Tyutin doing there?! This is the playoffs dude, not the preseason. YOU CANT DO STUFF LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!

-Whew…no goal.

-Sloppy play by the Rangers. Im attributing it to nerves. They look really scared to screw up, and its causing them to….screw up.

-Man oh man, what a defensive play by Straka.

-Jesus, are these guys trying to give me a heart condition?! Man these guys are playing so nervously.

-Awful first period for the Rangers. They are clearly nervous, and have no business being tied except for an excellent period by Henrik Lundqvist and his crossbar. No sustained forecheck, no offensive zone entry, sloppy defensive play, turnovers. Really, a forgettable period. Rangers need to wake up. Now, Ramen soup for me.

-Shanny!!!! Woo hoo! Ex-Devils to the rescue!

- Another PP, a goal here could be HUGE…

-Hmm, 10 bucks says Callahan ends up getting a penalty for receiving a crosscheck to the face from Uncle Daddy. You dont get within breathing distance of Uncle Daddy, even if it is to get a stick in the face, without getting a penalty.

-Rangers, for the most part, look to be over their nerves issue. Good.

-Crap, penalty to the Rangers. Big time penalty kill coming up here. Wow….they called that?!!?!?1?

-Damn it, you knew it was coming after Straka lost his stick.

-Henrik saves the game with a spectacular save. Rangers getting sloppy again.

-Looked like a shanked that shot.

-OK period. Rangers were definitely better than in the first, and a REALLY questionable penalty call costs the Rangers a goal. Rangers need to elevate a ton more in the 3rd.

-Henrik with another rob job. Man, the Devils are bringing it, Rangers are taking it and not doing much to help their cause.

-UNCLE DADDY WITH A GIFT!!! CALLY WOOOOHOO!!!

-Ugh, this is the game right here. Total accident there, but a power play against. We have to kill this…though that kind of goes without saying aye?

-WHOSE YOURE DADDY!!! AVERY & GOMER WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

-Ohhhhh Baby! Dawes from Shanny, EN goal, its all over (more or less). WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

-End of todays live blog. Post game wrap in a few hours. Thanks for tuning in!

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Now that I have a laptop, I can live blog, and I will do so for the entirety of the playoffs. All live blogs will be chronological from top to bottom. Meaning older posts up top, newer ones at the bottom.

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Ok, so last year I did a joint blog discussion for each of the series, and that actually went really well. But, screw it, this year, it’s all about Rangers Review, screw the Devils, their fans, their organization, their players, their equipment manager, and their blogs. Its all about us right now. Last year I felt truly nervous heading into both series. I could seriously envision us losing either of those series. In fact a sweep against us in either series wouldnt have surprised me all that much. 2 years ago, I predicted, to my chagrin, that the Devils would sweep us in convincing fashion, and lo and behold it happened.

Not this year. Really, try as I might, I just don’t see the Devils beating us. Not even a little. I mean, I suppose it is possible. Hell, the Giants beat the Patriots didn’t they? But I just don’t see them beating us. Call me cocky, call me foolish, call me what you will, but I just don’t see it.

This year, instead of breaking everything statistically, I am just going to give thoughts, and opinions. Here we go…

Offense
	Edge
If you look at the stats, the Rangers only scored 7 more goals than the Devils did this year. Thats only 7 more than one of the worst offenses in the history of the Devils franchise. But that really doesn’t tell an accurate story. The fact of the matter is, till the all-star break the Rangers were by far and away the worst offensive team in the league. They couldnt score, they couldnt even tell you what you were supposed to do with the puck once you were facing the goalie. But after the break, the Rangers became a different team. They became a 3-line threat. Where at any given moment, any given line could light you up for a goal or 12, and you couldn’t just focus on any one player or line. This has faded a bit in recent weeks as the Rangers have become a bit too 1-lined for my liking, but the fact remains, they have proven they can do it, and I think they will.		Well, they definitely have a young superstar in Parise, and they still do have Gionta, Elias, and Zajac. But really, honestly, do these guys scare you? Mike Rupp, Arron Asham, David Clarkson…these are guys who will be playing decent minutes. They have a poor lineup fellas, there is no beating around the bush. If they score more than 2 goals in a game, youre playing like garbage. If they score more than 3 goals in a game, you should be lined up in front of a firing squad. They stink. Its not even a competition. These guys can play defense, but on the offensive end, they just don’t scare me.

Defense
	Edge
The Rangers have given up only 2 more goals than the Devils, and while that should make you immediately think this is a push, well, it isnt the end of the story. There are 2 aspects of playing defense, and keeping the pucks out of your own zone is just one of them. You also need to help the forwards in the offensive end. The Devils top 6 defenseman whom I expect to play in the series accounted for a grand total of 20 goals. The Rangers expected top 6 have scored 34. Were talking 70% more offensive production from the Rangers blueline than the Devils. In fact Girardi and Rozsival combined have more offense than the entire Devils defensive corps. This is big. Don’t just look at the goals given up and say, well, its a push. No, no, no, no. The Rangers have a big time advantage here, and dont be surpried if Michal Rozsival, soon to be free agent, steps up and has a monster of a series. Rangers should get some offense from their backline in this series, do you expect the same from the Devils? I sure don’t.		Its simply amazing that the Devils have given up so few goals this year. I mean, it really is. Were talking a team that boasts Oduya, Mottau, and Vishnevski. 3 defenseman that wouldn’t play for most teams. I know Vishnevski is a brutal checker, but he is a putrid defensive player. He is a team worst -12 on a team that is supposed to be known as a defense first team. Hes been waived once already, and really is just not a good defenseman. They rely on being a unit of 5 keeping things to the outside, and then letting Brodeur save the easy shots. They don’t do anything particularly incredible on a one on one basis. Really, the Offense should get more credit than the Defense for their defensive success. Their forwards know how to backcheck, and do so every single time down the ice. Their is no offense to speak of. Oduya leads the team with a paltry 6 goals.

Goaltending
	Edge
Henrik Lundqvist has had an up and down season. The way he started this year, one would think that he would have run away with the vezina, leaving a mile of bloodied up goalies in his wake. But it was not to be. Henrik was not himself when his father got sick (something I can relate to) and he just wasn’t playing very Henrik like. But down the stretch he has more or less come around. The past 2 games aside, hes been a rock, and even in the Devils game, he made some truly spectacular saves. With that said, the guy on the other end is just as good, and is a significantly better puck handler who acts as a 3rd defenseman back there. Henrik has 2 huge flaws. High glove side, and handling the puck with his stick. Hes a brick wall with everything waist level and below, up high though, he can be beat.	None	You guys all know I truly abhor Uncle Daddy. He will go down in history as one of the greatest floppers in the world. If you come even near his crease, he pretends he took a bullet to the chest. He shows no respect for the game, his opponents, or the refs by constantly acting like that. I know Sean Avery is guilty of that as well, but I have killed him for it too….and he also wears my jersey, so its ok . I expect Uncle Daddy to be spectacular. This is his time of the year, when he elevates his game. The problem is, I don’t think spectacular is going to be near enough. In fact I could envision Uncle Daddy being truly spectacular, and still getting swept. The fact of the matter is, the team around him sucks. There is no other way to say it. I think hes going to be great, but I expect exactly the same from Henrik.

Coaching
	Edge
Tom Renney has one of, if not the most talented team in the league from top to bottom. Hes got an elite goalie, talented youth coming out the wazoo, and some truly primetime names up the middle and on the wings. How he has managed to get so little out of this team during the first half of the season, I will never know. Tom Renney is a good coach, but he makes questionable decisions, and the way he has the lines right now, really scares me. Still, he gets the job done, and that’s all I ask….for now.		Look at their roster, and tell me Brent Sutter doesn’t deserve the Jack Adams trophy. I know Guy Carbonneau is the sexy pick, but no coach has gotten so much out of so little. In many ways he is the anti-Renney. He can be fiery, he is aloof, standoffish, and all in all a helluva coach. I would do anything to have this guy coaching our team. You could bet your ass the Rangers would be a #1 seed with Sutter behind the bench. Big time advantage to Sutter here, but the problem is, work ethic and tactics can only get you so far. You need talent to win out in the end, and Sutter just doesn’t have it.

Final Prediction
	Edge
We are faster, strong, more talented, younger, and more experienced. We took 15 out of a possible 16 points from the Devils. There is no excuse for us not winning this series. None. We have all the pressure because we have to win. PERIOD. I believe the one and only way the Devils win this series is if Uncle Daddy puts on an epic, God-like performance, and the Rangers suffer a major injury or 2. Otherwise, I just don’t see it. I know that isn’t the politically correct thing to say. I know you’re supposed to respect your opponents. But come on….Johnny effing Oduya?! Puh-lease. I could see us sweeping this series if Uncle Daddy plays like he did last year against the Lightning, but I don’t really expect that to happen.	in 6	They play defense better than anybody. True, we play great D, but look at who we have in our roster, and look at them. Their numbers are truly spectacular when you consider just how talentless they are. With that said, and even with Uncle Daddy in the pipes, they just aren’t that great. They have survived beating up on the crappy southeast division, and haven’t done squat against the Atlantic. I’m not expecting much from these guys. While the scores may all be close, I think in the end their lack of talent will show in the victory columns.

For a bonus, here are the rest of my Eastern picks, in a much smaller format…

Top Seed	Lower Seed	Prediction
1 Montreal	8 Boston	Really, a no brainer. Montreal in 5. The Bruins are a nice, feel good team, but they are banged up, and the Habs are just on fire. The Habs have won 11 straight games against the Bruins, and I expect that trend to continue.
2 Pittsburgh	7 Ottawa	The pick everyone and his grandmother will take are the Pens. Theyve got Cindy Sidney Crosby, Malkin, Hossa, and a star studded lineup. But while everyone thinks Marc Andre Fleury is better than whoever the Sens put out there, I just don’t see it that way. I have no faith in Fleury, especially in the big games. He stunk last year, and I expect him to stink this year. Even with Alffredson and Fischer out, I am going with the Senators in 7.
3 Washington	6 Philadelphia	The hottest team in the league VS a team that fell from a top seed all the way to just barely making the playoffs. We saw 2 years ago just what momentum can do for a team. I think Philly is the more talented team. I think Philly is the better team, but I think Washington wins this one easily. Momentum is a bitch. Capitals in 5.

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I was wondering how my preseason predictions stacked up against the end results, so I figured I would give myself a grade. Here is the way I will score myself. I will take the difference between my predicted points, and the actual points, and subtract that from 100. For example, if I predicted team X finishes with 80 points, and they actually finished with 85 (or 75) points, that would be a -5 difference. 100-5=95. I will also give myself a bonus of 10 points for every team whose seeding I accurately predicted. Then I will take the average score and that will be my grade. So here goes.

Predictions			Actual Results
Rank	Team	Points	Points	Difference	Rank	Bonus	Final Score
1	Ottawa	110	94	16	6	0	84
2	New York Rangers	102	97	5	5	0	95
3	Washington	95	94	1	3	+10	109
4	Buffalo	100	90	10	10	0	90
5	Pittsburgh	100	102	2	2	0	98
6	New Jersey	97	99	2	4	0	98
7	Tampa Bay	94	71	23	15	0	77
8	Flyers	92	93	1	8	+10	109
9	Carolina	92	92	0	9	+10	110
10	Florida	88	85	3	11	0	97
11	Atlanta	86	76	10	14	0	90
12	Montreal	81	104	23	1	0	77
13	Toronto	78	83	5	12	0	95
14	Boston	70	94	24	7	0	76
15	New York Islanders	55	79	24	13	0	76

So there you have the scores on an individual basis. Next I want to add up the highest possible score without bonus points. which would be 1500. My total score was 1381. 1381/1500=92.1%.

Therefore on my own arbitrary scoring system (hey, its my blog, I get to make these decisions ) I was about 92.1% accurate in predicting how the teams would finish. Why don’t you guys dig the old prediction threads that you posted on over on the message boards and do the same math for yourself. The picks I am most proud of was the Washington, Flyers, and Carolina picks. Not just because of their accuracy, but because how “against the grain” they were compared to what most people thought. The Islanders, Lightning, and Montreal picks were all embarrassing, though the Islanders slightly less than the other 2.

Its always good to look back and see how you did, especially with playoff predictions coming in a day or 2 (maybe not tomorrow, I do have a lot of things to do).

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7-0-1. 15 of 16. Basically, a one sided season series, even though it could have easily been the other way. With all that said, these guys just don’t scare me. Their offensive flow is terrible, their defenseman can be beat, and Uncle Daddy is still one of the most overrated (note, overrated does not mean the same thing as bad. Hes a great goalie for sure, just not God like some people make him out to be) goalies of all time.

These guys don’t scare me one bit.

Even with some laughable reffing in this one (I didn’t know you could pass the puck to guys on your bench! Nor did I know that merely being in Uncle Daddys territorial bubble means you get 2 minutes) the Rangers could have easily won this, had they not come out flat in the first. I don’t see us coming out flat in the playoffs. The last 2 periods were mostly all Rangers. The bulk of this season series was controlled by the Rangers. Yes, that is Devils hockey, to play in their own zone, then counter off of your mistakes. But with a Jagr that is flying high, and a goalie that made some saves that made me fall off my chair and bow in supplication, I think we will be a-ok.

Series preview coming tomorrow.

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You know Tom Renney must have read the team the riot act between the first and the second. It showed with a goal in the first 20 seconds of the period, and a continued elevated game throughout the period. If they werent so sloppy in the first, were up 1-0 right now. Need to get 2 goals in the 3rd, it’s going to be tough, but doable. Uncle Daddy hasnt been anything special.

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Want to know what you saw out there in the first? You saw one team playing playoff hockey, and you saw another team thinking they are playing against an AHL caliber Islanders team. The Devils were faster, stronger, more tenacious, fearless, and constantly attacking the front of our net. The Rangers were the exact opposite. Our goaltending was off and on (2 questionable goals allowed by Henrik, but another half dozen amazing saves), our forwards did NOTHING (2 frigging shots?!), and our defense looked scared to take a hit to move the puck.

This is what the team calls a playoff game? If that is the case, expect a 4 and out. Rangers need to show a boatload more heart and intensity if they are going to come back and win this one. The Devils know what time of the year it is, I sure as hell hope the Rangers wake up and realize it too.

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