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I often think back to the Rangers' 2005-06 season opener in Philadelphia. Coming off seven consecutive non-playoff seasons and the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 campaign, the Rangers continued their "rebuilding phase," which began with the trades of numerous veterans in March 2004.
 Well, the Rangers won that game at the Wachovia Center, 5-3, the start of a hard-to-fathom 100-point season. Jaromir Jagr, perhaps the only person on the earth to predict a playoff berth during training camp in September 2005, set club records for goals and points.
The No. 1 concern of Henrik Lundqvist, who was passed over 204 times during the 2000 Draft, was where he would live in Hartford during the 2005-06 campaign. Not only did Lundqvist make the Rangers' opening night roster, but six months later was named a Vezina Trophy finalist.
The success continued for the Rangers in 2006-07 with 94 points during the regular season and the franchise's first postseason series win since 1997.
This season, 97 points and another trip to the second round of the playoffs.
While I feel the pain and disappointment of all Rangers fans following the five-game loss to Pittsburgh, and agree that if not for Chris Drury's goal with 7.7 seconds remaining in Game 5 in Buffalo last May the Rangers probably would have advanced to play Ottawa in the East final, I prefer to think about the continued development of the young Rangers and focus on just how far the franchise has rebounded over the last three years.
 To wit: The fifth-best combined regular season point total in the Eastern Conference over the last three seasons. Five playoff series in three years. Three consecutive years as a Vezina finalist for Lundqvist. A strong crop of young players in Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Fedor Tyutin, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha with Lauri Korpikoski, Artem Anisimov, Bobby Sanguinetti and Alexei Cherepanov on the way. Scott Gomez and Drury have gone through full seasons as Rangers, and will be the leaders of this team -- both on and off the ice -- for years to come.
There are still many questions left to be answered over the next few months concerning the nine current Rangers scheduled to become free agents on July 1, as well as potential free agents from other teams who will be available.
It will be an interesting offseason for a franchise that has made giant strides over the last three seasons. I can't wait until the puck drops in October!
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It has been done three times before in professional sports: The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders, and 2004 Boston Red Sox. They are the only three teams in history that have come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. The Rangers must join that select group in order to keep their 2007-08 season alive. But it will not be easy.
The Rangers could possibly take the ice tonight at The Garden without three key forwards. Sean Avery will be out for the remainder of the postseason with a lacerated spleen. Blair Betts took a puck in the cheek in Game 3, and Chris Drury was injured late in the second period. Despite returning in the third stanza, Drury was not 100 percent.
 "What a story it would be if we came back and won the next four," said head coach Tom Renney after yesterday's Ranger practice. "We must win one game, four times in a row."
Renney feels the Rangers must become "more desperate" during special teams play. The Penguins have scored the game-winning goal in all three games on the power play, while the Rangers have gone just 1-for-14 (including 0-for-their-last-13).
Pittsburgh took just two power play shots in Game 3, and both went in the net. The Rangers took 10 power play shots in Game 3, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped them all.
The teams have played pretty even hockey during 5-on-5 play in the series, but the Penguins have out-scored the Rangers, 7-6. This illustrates just how important special teams have been over the 180 minutes of hockey that has been played. At even strength, the Rangers out-shot the Penguins, 29-14, in Game 3.
The Rangers will come out a desperate hockey club tonight, knowing that they still have a chance to make history. They must take it one shift at a time, one period at a time, one game at a time. The odds are not with them, but it has been done before.
Could the Rangers become the next NHL team to alter the course of hockey history?
Thirty-three years separated the Leafs' comeback in 1942 and the Isles' miracle in 1975. Could it possibly be ... yes ... it is 33 years later!
Blue Notes:
- Jaromir Jagr had his fifth multiple-point game of the postseason in Game 3, Martin Straka his fourth.
- The Penguins have blocked 51 shots in the series (to the Rangers' 33).
- The Rangers have won 58 percent of the face-offs.
- There have been 12 overtime games in the playoffs. On average, a goal has been scored prior to the eight-minute mark. Only one of the 12 games has gone longer than 12 minutes.
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With apologies to one Lawrence Peter Berra, it's "deja vu all over again" for the Rangers.
Last April 25, the Blueshirts opened the Eastern Conference semifinals in Buffalo and allowed five goals. Two nights later, they lost a low-scoring, one-goal game.
Fast forward to April 25, 2008: The Rangers allowed five goals in a 5-4 defeat in Pittsburgh. Two days later, they lost a low-scoring game that was, for all intents and purposes, a one-goal affair until Adam Hall's empty netter with 17 seconds on the clock.
 Games 3 and 4 will be played at The Garden on April 29 and May 1 - the same dates as Games 3 and 4 against the Sabres last season. The Rangers won both home matches against Buffalo by identical 2-1 scores.
The first two games against Pittsburgh could not have been any different.
Game 1 was a "track meet" in which neither team played their best. Game 2 was much closer to the defensive style hockey that the Rangers coaches have preached all season long.
I expect The Garden to be rocking tonight, and the Rangers will look to feed off the emotion. The Rangers must stay out of the penalty box, and their power play must get more shots to the net.
Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding again in Game 2, and must continue his home-ice dominance of the Penguins. During his three-year NHL career, the King is 9-1-1 against Pittsburgh at MSG, including a perfect 4-0 this season.
Blue Notes:
- The Penguins have generated 22 shots during their 10 power plays in the series. The Rangers have 14 shots during their nine PPs.
- The Rangers have won 59 percent of the face-offs over the first two games. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury are both at 61 percent in the series. Evgeni Malkin is just 5-of-17.
- Brandon Dubinsky (22) and Dan Girardi (24) both celebrate birthdays today.
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Finally!
One week after finishing off their first-round victory over the Devils, the Rangers will be back on the ice Friday night when they begin their Eastern Conference semifinal series in Pittsburgh.
History has not been kind to the Rangers during the postseason when matched up against the Penguins. Pittsburgh has won all three previous series between the division rivals and Jaromir Jagr has been right in the middle of the action in the last two playoff meetings -- 1992 and 1996.
The Rangers' captain scored 10 goals and added six assists in 11 career playoff games against the Blueshirts. In 1996, Jagr and Mario Lemieux combined to score 15 of the Penguins' 21 goals in a 4-games-to-1 Pittsburgh series victory. In fact, No. 66 and No. 68 BOTH recorded hat tricks in the last playoff game between the Rangers and Penguins -- the Pens' Game 5 series-clincher in 1996.
 Phil Esposito was behind the bench during the 1989 series, less than a week after he replaced Michel Bergeron as Rangers head coach. It was a quick exit for the Rangers, losing four games in five days to the Penguins.
Mike Richter made a surprise NHL debut as the Rangers' starter in Game 4, after Bob Froese started Games 1 and 2 and John Vanbiesbrouck started Game 3 for the Blueshirts. Paul Coffey led the Penguins in scoring in that series (2-7-9), while Brian Leetch (3-2-5) and Tomas Sandstrom (3-2-5) led the Rangers. Guy LaFleur -- in his only playoff series as a Ranger -- scored the last of his 58 career playoff goals.
Three years later, the President's Trophy-winning Rangers were beaten by the defending Stanley Cup champions, who would go on to win their second straight title. The series is best remembered for Adam Graves' slash of Lemieux -- costing Graves the last three games -- and Ron Francis' goal from center ice against Richter. Jagr scored two game-winners in the series for Pittsburgh.
In 1996, after the Rangers came back from down 0-2 series deficit to defeat Montreal in the opening round, it was the "Lemieux and Jagr Show." Lemieux (8-2-10) and Jagr (7-2-9) combined for the same number of goals as the entire Rangers team. Believe it or not, Jari Kurri led the Rangers in scoring in the series (1-5-6).
Blue Notes:
- John Madden's penalty shot in Game 5 of the New Jersey series was the first postseason penalty shot against the Rangers since Pavel Bure's attempt in the 1994 Finals.
- The Rangers won the regular season series from the Penguins, 5-3-0. Evgeni Malkin scored the game-winning goal in all three Pittsburgh victories.
- Henrik Lundqvist is 9-1-1 in his career against the Penguins at The Garden.
- Jason Strudwick and Chris Drury scored overtime goals against Pittsburgh during the regular season.
- While MSG will carry only Games 3, 6 and 7 of the series, catch every game on the radio with Dave Maloney and myself on 1050 ESPN. Dave and I will also report from all game-day skates on "Rangers on Demand" at www.newyorkrangers.com.
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Following a pair of highly entertaining games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers will have a chance to eliminate the Devils on Friday night in Newark. Blueshirt fans will be out in full force as their heroes try to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight spring.
The Devils will not go down without a fight. New Jersey is a proud organization with a championship pedigree. Nine Devils have won Stanley Cups; seven of the nine own multiple rings. In Wednesday's Game 3, the Devils fought back from a one-goal deficit three times to tie the game before Marc Staal's first career playoff goal gave the Rangers their final lead of the night with 3:13 remaining in regulation.
 While the story of Sunday's Game 3 was Sean Avery's antics in front of Marty Brodeur and the subsequent rule "interpretation" issued by the NHL, the recurring theme following Game 4 in both locker rooms was the Rangers' constant hard driving to the goal. Ironically, driving hard to the net was constantly preached by the Rangers coaching staff throughout the regular season, but the end result was not always what the coaches desired.
The 15 combined goals over the last two games have been a shock to most observers. What will Friday night bring? A 2-1 or 1-0 result we often witnessed during the regular-season series, or another "track meet?"
BLUE NOTES:
- The team that has scored the first goal in each game in this series has won.
- Rookies have scored five of the Rangers' 14 goals in this series. For the first time since 1990, four different Ranger rookies have scored playoff goals.
- The Rangers have led for 73:56 (30%), the Devils for 14:52 (6%), and the series has been tied for 157:13 (64%).
- Sean Avery has scored three goals and drawn five penalties in the series.
- Brandon Dubinsky is the Rangers' top faceoff man in the series (55%), including 55% against John Madden and 61% against Patrik Elias. Scott Gomez is 61% against Madden.
- Martin Straka has scored eight of his 24 career playoff goals against Martin Brodeur. Only Mark Recchi (10) has scored more post-season goals against Brodeur. Game 4 was the 100th playoff game of Straka's NHL career (25 games against New Jersey).
- Jaromir Jagr had 10 shots in Game 4. His season-high during the regular season was nine against Carolina on Dec. 26.
 Marc Staal scored his first NHL regular season goal AND first NHL playoff goal against Brodeur. His only other goal this season came against Peter Budaj.
- In Game 4, Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner were on the ice for all five Ranger goals, Zach Parise for four.
- Ten of 12 Ranger forwards have at least one point in the series. Only seven Devil forwards have points. Travis Zajac, Jay Pandolfo, Brian Gionta, Dainius Zubrus and David Clarkson have been kept off the scoresheet in the series.
- Rangers defensemen have combined for 1-6-7 in the series.
- The Devils have had almost twice the amount of power play time in the series as the Rangers (30:21 - 17:02).
- The Rangers have had a 3-1 lead in 11 all-time series. They have won all 11. The Devils have trailed 3-1 seven times. The only series they came back to win: 2000 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Philadelphia.
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The overtime game we were all waiting for finally took place at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The Rangers came out on the losing end, as John Madden's centering pass deflected off Marc Staal's skate, giving the Devils a 4-3 victory and some much-needed life in this best-of-seven series.
After observing Staal's mature-beyond-his-years calm demeanor, I would guess he immediately put the unfortunate deflection behind him and began looking ahead to Game 4 the moment he entered the locker room. Staal has been a rock in this series. The 20-year-old rookie is averaging over four more minutes per game than he played during the regular season. Among his teammates, only partner Michal Rozsival has played more minutes in this series. Staal was on the ice for a team-high 26:33 on Sunday.
 The Rangers took Monday off, and returned to work Tuesday to prepare for Game 4. Head coach Tom Renney said after practice that Game 3 became "a bit of a track meet," yet he loved the pace when the Rangers "managed the puck accordingly."
Most of the off-day stories and columns focused on the NHL's interpretation of Rule 75 -- Unsportsmanlike Conduct -- following the Sean Avery "stick blocking the face" sequence in front of Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur during a 5-on-3 Rangers man advantage on Sunday night.
I thought Brodeur himself hit the nail right on the head when asked about Avery's antics: "He didn't do anything illegal. His job was to screen me and I couldn't see anything. He did his job." Earlier in the game, Avery was called for a goaltender interference penalty for the second time in this series and the fourth time in 12 games against New Jersey since joining the Blueshirts in February 2007.
The Rangers will try to take a 3-1 lead back to Newark Wednesday night, while the Devils look to even the series at two. Ironically, the Rangers have never been involved in a playoff series in which they won the first two games on the road, then lost the next two at home.
Blue Notes:
- In case you were wondering after Brandon Dubinsky scored his second goal Sunday night, the only rookie in Rangers history to record a playoff hat trick was Steve Vickers in 1973 against Boston.
- Of the 10 periods in this series, the score has been tied at the beginning of nine of them.
- Over the last two games, Dubinsky has won 62% of his faceoffs (29 of 47), including a 59% rate against John Madden (13 of 22). Madden has taken 44% of the draws in the series.
- Avery has scored a goal in all three games of the series. Brendan Shanahan scored a goal in four straight playoff games last season. Ron Duguay holds the team record (six straight games), spanning the 1980 and 1981 playoffs.
You can catch Dave Maloney and I reporting on the Rangers' morning skate on "Rangers on Demand" at www.newyorkrangers.com. We will have the radio call of Game 4 on 1050 ESPN Radio, beginning with Don LaGreca's pregame show at 6:30.
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Faceoffs are an element of a hockey game often overlooked by the casual fan. But to me, faceoffs were the most important factor in Friday night's Ranger victory over the Devils in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final series.
Neither team was able to break through against the stellar goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist or Martin Brodeur over the first two periods.
With 4:16 gone in the third period, Brandon Dubinsky won a faceoff from John Madden in the Devils zone. Ten seconds later, Jaromir Jagr scored his 73rd career playoff goal, giving the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead. With 4:44 elapsed in the final stanza, Scott Gomez beat former teammate Patrik Elias on an offensive zone draw. It took just five seconds for Sean Avery to extend the Rangers' lead to two goals.
 What a week it has been for Avery; he scored the back-breaking, 3-1 goal in Game 1 on Wednesday, celebrated his 28th birthday Thursday and tallied his first career playoff game-winning goal on Friday. He has also drew three penalties in the series, leading to half of the six Ranger power plays.
The Blueshirts now return home to Madison Square Garden in the enviable position of leading the series 2-0. On four prior occasions the Rangers have won Games 1 and 2 of a playoff series on the road. The Rangers won all four such series, including last April against Atlanta.
The Rangers have led 19 prior playoff series 2-0, and won 18 of the 19. 10 of the 19 were best-of-seven. The only series the Rangers lost after leading two games to none was in 1968 against Chicago.
If the Devils have any chance to come back in this series, New Jersey must find a way to score five-on-five goals. Both of their goals in the series have come with a man-advantage; a power play goal in Game 1, and a goal with Brodeur on the bench in the final minutes of Game 2.
Lundqvist has continued his stellar play against the Devils. In seven of ten games against New Jersey this season, Lundqvist has been named one of the three stars (first star three times, second star three times, third star once). In ten games, the King has allowed an astounding total of 11 goals.
Dave Maloney and I will report from the Rangers' optional skate Sunday morning on Rangers on Demand at www.newyorkrangers.com. You can catch our radio broadcast of Game 3 on ESPN 1050.
The Garden should be rocking for Game 3. Enjoy the festivities!
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Now the real season begins.
For the 15th time since 1992, the Rangers will face off against their cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils, in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
It promises to be a low-scoring series. Despite winning seven of eight regular season matches against New Jersey, the Rangers were held to 16 goals by Martin Brodeur, while Henrik Lundqvist was even more stingy, allowing just nine.
Five of the games were decided by one goal, including one in overtime and three shootouts. The highest scoring game between the rivals was a 4-2 Rangers win at the Prudential Center on Nov. 14.
This will be the fifth Rangers-Devils series for Brodeur, who played 32 minutes in relief of Chris Terreri in Game 5 on April 27, 1992. Starting with the 1994 series, Brodeur has started 16 consecutive playoff games against the Rangers, 12 against Mike Richter, three against Lundqvist and one (Game 2 in 2006) with his current back-up, Kevin Weekes, at the other end of the ice. Brodeur is just 8-9 against the Blueshirts in the post-season.
 Here are some interesting tidbits for you to digest while waiting for the puck to drop Wednesday night:
- Tom Renney will become the first Rangers head coach to guide the club in more than one Rangers-Devils playoff series (2006 and 2008). The prior coaching matchups were Roger Neilson-Tom McVie (1992), Mike Keenan-Jacques Lemaire (1994), Colin Campbell-Lemaire (1997) and Renney-Lou Lamoriello (2006).
- Of the four Rangers-Devils playoff games tied at the end of regulation, only one has been decided in the first overtime (Adam Graves, Game 5, 1997). Stephane Richer (Game 1) and Stephane Matteau (Games 3 and 7) scored in double overtime in 1994.
- Scott Gomez and Weekes will join Bruce Driver as the only players to take part on both sides of this playoff rivalry.
- Four Rangers (Brendan Shanahan, Gomez, Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury) have won a combined eight Stanley Cup rings. Marek Malik and Martin Straka have also played in the Stanley Cup Finals.
- Jagr and Drury are tied for fourth all-time (with nine others) with four career playoff OT goals, behind Joe Sakic (7), Maurice Richard (6) and Glenn Anderson (5).
- Brodeur is 10-19 in career playoff overtime games.
- Devils coach Brent Sutter scored an overtime goal against the Rangers in Game 3 of a first round series on April 9, 1990 ... 18 years to the day prior to Game One.
- The shortest playoff overtime game in Rangers history, of course, was Game 3 against the Islanders in 1975 when J.P. Parise (Zach's dad) eliminated the Rangers on April 11 ... 33 years to the day prior to Game Two.
- Drury has played in five post-seasons with Colorado and Buffalo. His teams have never failed to reach the Conference Finals. Drury has never lost in the first two rounds. Not only did Drury score seven game-winning goals this season, but he also sent four other games into overtime with a goal in the final six minutes of the third period.
- The Rangers have won six of their last seven first round series.
- Lundqvist was named one of the three stars in six of the eight games against New Jersey this season. He became the first goaltender to defeat New Jersey seven times in one season.
- Shanahan scored the first of his 58 career playoff goals in the infamous Jim Schoenfeld/Don Koharski "Donut" game. Shanahan scored on the power play against Reggie Lemelin in Game 2 of the 1988 semi-finals, assisted by Ken Daneyko and Patrik Sundstrom. The Bruins beat the Devils, 6-1.
- In the eight regular season games, the Devils held the lead for just 93:44.
- Jagr played in all 82 games for the third consecutive regular season.
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Congratulations to Henrik Lundqvist, who reached the following milestones in last night's 3-0, playoff-clinching victory at the Nassau Coliseum:
- The King tied his career high with 37 wins in one season, tied for second in club history behind Mike Richter's 42 triumphs in 1993-94.
- Lundqvist is the first Rangers goalie to record at least ten shutouts in one season since 1928-29 (John Ross Roach - 13).
- Remarkably, last night's blanking was the first road shutout victory of his three-year NHL career. Of his 17 shutouts, 15 have come at MSG. His only other road shutout? A 1-0 shootout loss in Boston on October 20, 2007, which counts as a shutout for Lundqvist despite the loss.
Rangers by the numbers:
- A victory tonight would give the Rangers 97 points, clinching a first-round matchup with New Jersey for the second time in three seasons. Should the Devils beat the Flyers tonight, New Jersey clinches home ice advantage in round one.
 In the three seasons following the lockout, the Rangers have the fifth most points in the Eastern Conference (289), trailing only Ottawa (312), Buffalo (311), New Jersey (305) and Carolina (292).
- The Rangers won their 20th division game last night (20-7-3) for the first time since 1993-94 (21-8-3).
- The Rangers have earned at least one point in each of their last 10 home games (8-0-2), their longest such streak since 1995-96, when the Blueshirts had a team record-tying streak of 24 home games with a point (18-0-6). (Thanks to John Labombarda of the Elias Sports Bureau)
- Chris Drury has a point on each of the last five Ranger goals scored at MSG (1-4-5).
- The Rangers have 12 shutouts, one shy of the franchise record 13, set in 1928-29 (44-game schedule).
- The Rangers have already tied the franchise record for home shutouts with eight (previously set in 1928-29 during 22-game home schedule).
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I was asked earlier this week to submit my vote for Rangers' Team MVP, a task I take very seriously. The club has named a Most Valuable Player every year since 1941-42 (Lynn Patrick was the inaugural winner), as voted on by the writers and broadcasters who cover the team.
Some of the all-time greats in the sport of hockey have won the award, including Andy Bathgate, Gump Worsley, Harry Howell, Ed Giacomin, Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Brad Park, Phil Esposito, Brian Leetch, Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Wayne Gretzky and Jaromir Jagr. My radio partner, Dave Maloney, was the recipient in 1976-77.
 Henrik Lundqvist earned the honor last season, and he receives my vote for 2007-08. While I considered a number of Lundqvist's teammates, I keep trying to imagine where the Rangers would be without The King.
Thursday night on Long Island, Lundqvist will tie a franchise record by starting his 70th game of the season (joining Johnny Bower, Worsley and Giacomin). He is currently seventh in the NHL in goals-against-average (2.26), and is tied for the league lead with nine shutouts.
Only Evgeni Nabokov, Martin Brodeur and Miikka Kiprusoff have won more games than Lundqvist (36 victories) this season. Seven of Lundqvist's wins have come at the expense of Brodeur and the Devils, making Henrik the first goaltender to defeat New Jersey seven times in one season.
If Lundqvist wins two more regular season games, he will have the second-highest single-season total in club history, trailing only the 42 wins Mike Richter compiled during the 1993-94 Stanley Cup campaign. In addition, if Lundqvist plays in the final three regular season games, he will match Richter's club-record 72 appearances (1997-98).
The Rangers enter their home-and-home series with the Islanders with home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs very much in reach. The Blueshirts' power play has come alive, with five goals in the last three games (5-for-12), after scoring only 3 PPG's in their previous 46 chances.
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The charmed sporting life of Chris Drury continued last night, as his overtime goal against Pittsburgh brought the Rangers to within two points of a playoff berth. The Rangers can actually clinch a berth in the post-season for the third consecutive spring while sitting on their couches tonight. If Carolina defeats Washington in regulation tonight, there will be an 'x' next to the Rangers on the standings page in tomorrow's newspapers.
 The victory last night raised the Blueshirts' record against Atlantic Division rivals to 19-7-3. Their 19 division wins lead the entire league, while only three teams (Detroit, San Jose and Montreal) have won more conference games than the Rangers, who are 40-20-9 against East foes. While the Rangers' first round opponent may not be determined until the final day of the regular season this Sunday, consider if the Rangers win their final three games, they will finish no lower than fifth in the East.
Although things change daily, I would guess the Rangers' most likely opponents today are New Jersey, Carolina and Ottawa, in that order, but they could still face Pittsburgh, Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia or Washington in the opening round.
The good news? The Rangers have a 30-10-7 record (67 points) against the other nine teams still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race, eight more points than the next team (Montreal - 59 pts). The rest of the pack: Ottawa and Pittsburgh -- 53 points apiece, New Jersey 51, Buffalo 47, Boston and Philadelphia 46, Carolina 43, Washington 39.
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For just the third time in their last 21 games, the Rangers failed to pick up at least one point with a 3-1 loss to the Penguins Sunday afternoon.
Dave Maloney and I break down the game and look ahead to Monday's Rangers-Penguins showdown.
Watch postgame reaction from Tom Renney, Brendan Shanahan, Jaromir Jagr and Henrik Lundqvist by CLICKING HERE.
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Question to Ranger fans: Have you ever seen a more unique game-winning goal than the one scored by Nigel Dawes last night?
After Martin Brodeur stopped a Chris Drury right circle shot, Dawes -- sent sprawling to the ice by his Winnipeg-area minor hockey teammate Travis Zajac -- was rolling on the ice backwards into the net as the puck deflected off his body and in for his fourth goal against the future Hall-of-Famer this season.
It was the culmination to a night of many milestones for the Rangers:
 --Brendan Shanahan became the 11th player in NHL history to reach the 650 goal mark with his second period power play goal, his first tally in nine games.
--Drury set a season-high with three assists, and recorded three points in a game for the first time since opening night against Florida.
--The Rangers broke a five-game drought by scoring not one, but TWO power play goals. The Blueshirts had not scored more than one PPG since that fateful February 19 night in Montreal, and had not scored twice on the man advantage at home since January 8 against Tampa Bay!
Furthermore, astutely pointed out by my radio partner Dave Maloney after many hours of research, Christian Backman's game-tying goal early in the final stanza was the club's first PPG in the third period of any game since January 19 in Boston.
--The Blueshirts have won 40-plus games for the third consecutive season and first time since the 1970-71 through 1973-74 campaigns. The architect of those clubs, Emile "The Cat" Francis, was in the building last night.
--For the first time in 40 years, the Rangers have defeated an opponent seven times in one season. Their 7-0 mark against New Jersey equals the seven wins against the defending Stanley Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs in 1967-68.
On April 6 in Newark, the Blueshirts will have a chance to match their 8 victories over Boston the previous season (1966-67).
--Henrik Lundqvist is now a remarkable 12-2-3 in the regular season against New Jersey. He is the first goalie to beat the Devils seven times in one season. The loss last night matches Brodeur's career-long losing streak (4). Brodeur has lost four consecutive games on three other occasions, all during the 2001-02 season.
--Last, but certainly not least, Scott Gomez returned after missing only one game due to his injured ribs and played one of his best all-around games of the season.
Gomez controlled the puck throughout the evening with multiple rushes from his own end zone into the New Jersey offensive zone. His two assists last night give Gomez seven points (1-6-7) against his former club this season. In other words, Gomez has been involved in as many goals (7) as the Devils have scored against the Rangers this season.
The Blueshirts have outscored New Jersey in their seven wins, 15-7.
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While many Ranger fans have one foot hanging off the ledge following the home-and-home "sweep" by the Flyers, I prefer to look at the last two games as a split from a Blueshirt perspective.
Although Philadelphia earned four points, thanks to their shootout and overtime victories, the Rangers did pick up two big points -- as if they won one game and lost the other -- giving themselves a little more breathing room over the ninth place Washington Capitals. Had the Rangers lost both games in regulation, their lead over the Caps would be just three points.
So, now the Rangers look ahead to their seventh meeting of the season against the New Jersey Devils Thursday night at MSG. The Rangers are a perfect 6-0 against their cross-river rivals this season, although the Devils have three points in the series, thanks to shootout and overtime losses.
 Henrik Lundqvist has played his best hockey against New Jersey this season, having allowed just five goals in six games! King Henrik is 11-2-3 during his career against the Devils in the regular season, and has allowed two or fewer goals in his last 15 games against New Jersey.
The Rangers have also kept Patrik Elias, Brian Gionta and John Madden off the scoresheet this season. And Lundqvist looks to become the first goaltender in history to defeat the Devils seven times in one season.
The Blueshirts' power play looked a little better Tuesday against the Flyers, but did not score a goal. The Rangers have not scored with a man advantage in the last five games (0-for-15). They are 1-for-30 over the last 8 contests, with the only goal scored by Scott Gomez during a 5-on-3 advantage in Florida.
Should the Rangers win on Thursday, the Devils would become the first team the Rangers beat seven times in one season since the 1967-68 Toronto Maple Leafs. The last team the Rangers defeated eight times in one season: The 1966-67 Boston Bruins.
The Devils have lost seven games in one season to the Islanders (1982-83 and 1983-84) and Flyers (1983-84).
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Prior to the Rangers' game in Buffalo on Feb. 23, assistant coach Mike Pelino told me that the staff's realistic goal was to win at least 13 of the final 20 games and finish with 94 points. So far, so good.
The Blueshirts have exceeded the desired pace by going 9-2-1 since that date, gaining 19 of a possible 24 points in the process. With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Rangers are only five points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Canadiens.
Tonight in Philadelphia, the Rangers will look to continue their season-long dominance over the Flyers and the Atlantic Division. It is hard to fathom, but the Rangers have won their last seven games in the City of Brotherly Love -- four last season, three so far this season. They are 5-1 against Philadelphia this season, 17-6-1 against their entire division.
 Henrik Lundqvist continued his stellar play Wednesday night in New Jersey, allowing only one goal and stopping all three Devils in the shootout. The King has 101 career victories to his credit (18 via shootout) in less than three NHL seasons.
If the coaching staff decides to give Lundqvist a rest tonight after 15 consecutive starts, Steve Valiquette brings with him a 146:36 shutout streak at the Wachovia Center, including two shutouts this season.
The only NHL goaltender in history with a longer streak in Philly? Martin Brodeur, who blanked the Flyers in their home rink for 158:41 between January 2002 and February 2003 (thanks to John Labombarda of the Elias Sports Bureau). Four of Valiquette's nine career NHL wins have come against the Flyers, including three in Philadelphia!
Speaking of Brodeur, Lundqvist on Wednesday became the first goalie to beat Marty six times in one regular season. The only other goaltenders to beat the Devils six times in a season: Tom Barrasso (1992-93) and Rick DiPietro (2005-06). Brodeur was a Utica Devil in 1992-93, while Scott Clemmensen played one of the games against DiPietro and the Isles two seasons ago.
In case you're wondering, during the Rangers' six-game regular season sweep of New Jersey in 1993-94, Mike Richter won five, Glenn Healy the other.
MOTORING WITH NO POWER
The Rangers have made their playoff push thanks to a 12-2-3 run over the last 17 games, despite a struggling power play.
With the man advantage, the Rangers are ranked in the bottom third of the league. They have scored just one PPG in the last seven games (1-for-23), three in the last 12 games (3-for-39). Although it would be a very tough choice for the coaches as to which forward would sit, the insertion of Petr Prucha into the lineup -- and the power play -- could be a welcome addition.
Prucha scored 52 goals during his first two NHL seasons, including 24 on the PP. I envision Prucha scoring a huge goal (overtime winner in the playoffs?) for the Rangers at some point during the next two months.
FORWARD, MARCH!
The Rangers have gone on their hot streak despite a drop-off in scoring from their defensemen. Over the first 49 games of the season, the blueliners accounted for 23 percent of the team's goals (27 goals). During the last 25 contests, the D-men have scored just six times. Michal Rozsival has not scored in 19 games, Fedor Tyutin has one in the last 46, Dan Girardi one in 32.
Many of the forwards have picked up the pace: Sean Avery has 10 goals in the last 16 games, Chris Drury 11 in 22 games, Nigel Dawes three in the last 12 games, plus four shootout goals.
 The Marty Straka-Drury-Ryan Callahan line has accounted for 3-5-8 points in the last two games after the unit went scoreless in six straight.
Brendan Shanahan's next goal will be the 650th of his career. Shanahan has gone without a shot in three of the last five games. Christian Backman played a team-high 25:46 in Newark on Wednesday. The Rangers are 21-9-4 when Brandon Dubinsky has centered Jaromir Jagr's line. If Callahan scores two more goals, it will be the first season three Ranger rookies have reached double digits since 1985-86 (Mike Ridley, Kelly Miller, Raimo Helminen).
THE SHOOTOUT STORY
Five of the last nine Ranger games have gone to a shootout. The Blueshirts have won four of the five.
Shanahan has been the first Ranger shooter in 11 of their 14 shootouts this season. The others to leadoff? Marcel Hossa (twice) and Avery. Dawes has shot second in the last five shootouts. He has scored four goals. Dawes is 4-for-6 with the Rangers, after he went 0-3 in shootouts this season with the Hartford Wolfpack.
Career shootout numbers: Shanahan 8-for-21, Jagr 5-for-22, Prucha 3-for-14, Scott Gomez 3-for-7, Straka 1-for-9, Jason Strudwick 1-for-1, Marek Malik 1-for-1, Drury 0-for-5, Rozsival 0-for-3, Avery 0-for-2, Blair Betts 0-for-2, Ryan Hollweg 0-for-2, Callahan 0-for-1, Dubinsky 0-for-1.
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365 days after his stellar goaltending led the Rangers to one of their biggest victories of the 2006-07 season, Stephen Valiquette came up huge again.
On March 3, 2007, Valiquette and the Blueshirts fell behind the St. Louis Blues 2-0 in the first period. The 6'6" netminder shut out St. Louis the rest of the way as the Rangers tied the game late, then won in a shootout to gain two valuable points in the race for the postseason.
Fast forward to March 2, 2008 (yes, 365 days later thanks to Leap Year). Henrik Lundqvist – starting an NHL game on his birthday (26th) for the first time – did not make it past the first period, having allowed three goals on eight Philadelphia Flyer shots over the first 20 minutes.
 Enter Valiquette, who shut out the Flyers twice in a ten-day span in the City of Brotherly Love over the last five weeks. He allowed only a Jeff Carter four-on-four goal late in the third, and stopped the other 17 shots fired his way. Valiquette then stopped Kimmo Timonen in the shootout after Brendan Shanahan scored for the Rangers. Nigel Dawes gave the home team a 2-0 shootout edge before Carter's attempt hit the post, leading to a huge celebration around Valiquette's crease.
The win was the first at the Garden this season for their back-up extraordinaire. Valiquette's four other victories this season have come on the road: two in Toronto, two in Philadelphia. Although his shutout streak against the Flyers ended at 157:46, Valiquette was named the game's Second Star (he was also the number two star of the game against the Blues last March 3).
The Rangers take a 12-3-2 hot streak over their last 17 games into Tuesday's start of a home-and-home series with the Islanders, whom they have beaten just once this season. The Blueshirts' 14-6-0 record within the Atlantic Division includes a perfect 5-0 record against the Devils, and a near-perfect 5-1 mark against the Flyers. The Rangers are 3-2 against Pittsburgh and 1-3 vs. the Isles.
BLUE NOTES:
-- Kudos to Fredrik Sjostrom and Christian Backman, who scored goals in their home debuts with the Rangers. It was Sjostrom's second goal at MSG this season. He scored against Steve Valiquette as a member of the Coyotes on December 16.
Weird first two games as a Ranger for Backman: five minor penalties, one goal after he accumulated only 30 PIM's in 45 games (and scored just one goal) with the Blues. By the way, Backman is the fourth Ranger to wear uniform #55, joining Marty McSorley, Igor Ulanov and David Liffiton. The last Ranger to wear #20 before Sjostrom? Jason Krog last season.
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Lundqvist tied the franchise record by starting his 
