The New York Rangers (40-30-4) defeated the Florida Panthers (29-33-10) by the score of 1-0, tonight. For a recap and box score go to Yahoo! Sports and newyorkrangers.com.

...really impressed with the way the Rangers came out tonight in what many were calling a potential trap game. Sure they only won by a 1-0 score, but at this time of year two points is two points especially playing against a team with nothing to lose.

...i always talk about being excited for the future of the Rangers with players like Kreider, Hagelin, McIlrath and others in the pipeline, but the two guys that are going to lead that charge are Callahan and Dubinsky. As Rangers fans we're all very lucky to be witnessing two young leaders who are ready and willing to take this organization to the next level. And tonight you saw another example of that.

...congrats to Hank on his league leading 10th shutout.

...Vokoun looked real awesome making saves with absolutely no traffic in front and having to make no second chance stops. C'mon boys, you need traffic in front of the net.

...i think these last two games have solidified Eminger's spot in the Rangers lineup moving forward.

...i think these last two games have solidified Avery's spot in the press box moving forward.

...not sure if anyone noticed the defensive pairing that was on the ice during the frantic final minute. It was none other than the Rangers' rookie pairing of Sauer and McD. Great stuff.

...you just have to laugh when the forward with the best wrist shot on the team has zero shots on goal. Yes, I'm talking to you EC.

...Carolina wins, Buffalo beats the Canadiens and the Devils are pretty much done after a loss to Boston. Meaning Rangers are just three points out of sixth, but still only six points ahead of ninth place Carolina who also have a game in hand.

...next biggest game of the season on Thursday at MSG vs. the Senators.

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The New York Rangers (39-30-4, 80 pts., 7th in East) host the Florida Panthers (29-33-10, 68 pts., 13th in East) at MSG tonight starting at 7:00 p.m. For a preview go to Yahoo! Sports.

Rangers Game Notes

TV: MSG; Radio: 1050AM ESPN Radio, XM 207

Probable Lines:
Gaborik-Christensen-Prospal
Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan
Wolski-Stepan-Zuccarello
Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust

Eminger-Girardi
McDonagh-Sauer
McCabe-Gilroy

Goaltenders:
Henrik Lundqvist - 31-24-4, 2.35 gaa, .921 sv%, 9 so.

Tomas Vokoun - 21-25-5, 2.60 gaa, .921 sv%, 5 so.

Opponent Notes:
- The Panthers are 3-2-1 in their last six games.

- Florida has lost four of its last five road games.

- RW Evgeny Dadonov had two goals Saturday vs. the Islanders in his return after missing 20 games with a broken finger.

- Niclas Bergfors has a goal with five assists in 10 games since being acquired from Atlanta at the trade deadline. While Sergie Samsonov has two goals and seven assists since joining the Panthers also at the deadline from Carolina.

- The Panthers leading scorer Stephen Weiss is out tonight with a leg injury.

- Former Ranger Tim Kennedy is scoreless in three games since being acquired from the Blueshirts for Bryan McCabe.

2010-11 Season Series:
Nov. 26 Rangers 3, Panthers 0 at Florida
Jan. 2 Rangers 0, Panthers 3 at Florida
Jan. 25 Rangers 3, Panthers 4 at MSG
March 22 Rangers vs. Panthers at MSG

Opponent Blog:
On Frozen Pond

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . no comments

I'll be talking Rangers on the Puck Talk Live podcast tonight at 6:10 p.m. Tonight's podcast will be recorded live at The Beach House which is located at 906 W. Beech St. in Long Beach, NY. While I will not be there, if you're in the area definitely stop by.

For more on the live broadcast click here.

To listen to the podcast click here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Kevin Allan at USA Today reports that Penguins GM Ray Shero has told Matt Cooke he needs to play more like Ryan Callahan...

"He's a very physical player, a heart-and-soul guy," Shero said. "He's one of the league leaders in hits, but can keep his elbows down. That's what Matt has to do."

...that's pretty high praise coming from another GM. What actually worries me about that quote is it reminds me that Callahan is an RFA this offseason and will probably receive lots of offer sheets. He, along with Dubinsky, are going to be very expensive meaning it will be very difficult to re-sign those two as well as Boyle, AA and Sauer, while also trying to bring in Richards.

...h/t to @BMonzoNHL660.

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Elliotte Friedman at CBC Sports takes a look back at the hiring of John Tortorella and re-acquiring of Sean Avery which happened within eight days of each other back in 2009 and what Glen Sather had to say...

Glen Sather hired John Tortorella and claimed Sean Avery within eight days of each other. At the time, Sather said he thought Tortorella would "learn to love [Avery] just like I have." If Tortorella's learned anything, it's definitely not that.

Here's a great article from SI.com on the Torts/Avery dynamic back in 2009 including Torts' comments criticizing Avery while an analyst at TSN.

...i feel like the Avery/Torts argument is very similar to the Prucha/Renney one. Is it the players fault they are being benched due to lack of performance or is the coach not putting the player in a position to succeed?

...it seems like in both cases the fans have sided with the player. When you see what a player is capable of in certain situations and for some reason the coach gets away from that it is real easy to place blame on the head guy. Especially with Avery. All you have to do is look at how effective he was under Renney. Not only was he an agitator, he scored some big goals including in the playoffs.

...while Torts definitely came in with a negative attitude towards Avery back in 2009, I think what really sealed Avery's fate was his out of control performance in the playoffs against the Caps that year. I am normally an Avery apologist but he really put the Rangers in very difficult situations during that series and I don't think Torts has ever forgotten that.

...would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Update, 11:23 a.m.:
Andrew Gross confirms Avery scratch.

Original Post:
Steve Zipay tweets that Ryan McDonagh, who has been cleared to play tonight, was on the ice at this morning's optional practice. Sean Avery was also in attendence while Wojtek Wolski and Marc Staal were not. This leads Zipay to think that Staal (undisclosed) and Avery will be tonight's scratches.

...with Staal not skating yesterday, pretty much a foregone conclusion he wasn't playing tonight.

....great to see McD back in there.

...unless someone really falls off I don't expect to see too much Avery for the rest of the season.

Speaking of McDonagh, who says pain in his jaw is slowly going away, here are his thought's on the Matt Cooke suspension...

"Like I said after the game, I don't think he's trying to put his team down with a five-minute penalty. It's coming down to the end of the year here, 10 games left for about everybody, and you're trying to get good momentum for the playoffs, keep your playoff spot. That was a close game at the time, and the momentum could go either way. I think he's trying to make a big hit or something like that. Just caught me wrong. I don't think it was his intent. The suspension, it is what it is. The league is really pushing to get these hits out of the game, and if that's a statement, it's a pretty big statement for sure."

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

TheNYRBlog reader Paul D. sends me this picture of himself and his friend Dan before the Rangers 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens Friday night. Paul, who's from Florida, was attending his first game at the Garden and said the Rangers five goal first period may have been the best 20 minutes of his life...


As always please continue to e-mail ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) your Rangers related pictures to me so I can post them.

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Tickets for tonight's huge Rangers/Panthers game at MSG are selling for as low as $35 each and there are plenty more for under face value.

The ticket program TiqIQ that I have a widget for on the right hand side has found these tickets at StubHub, Ebay and other ticketing sites.

I'm also seeing fans getting ridiculously low prices through EBay auctions. A word of caution on the EBay auctions, please make sure you research the seller. There are a lot of scam artists out there and the last thing you guys need is to be taken for a ride.

Just another service provided by The New York Rangers Blog.

To check out all the deals click here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

TSN moves the Rangers up two spots to #7 in their most recent power rankings...

7. Rangers - Since returning from his broken hand, RW Ryan Callahan has 13 goals and 23 points in 21 games and the Blueshirts have now won six of their last seven.

ESPN (16), CBS Sports (13) and The Hockey News (15).

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . no comments

Bergen Record - Gaborik hopes struggles left behind in Pittsburgh

New York Post - Western trip turned Rangers from mild to wild

Daily News - Fedotenko on Cooke: 'Use your head'

New York Times - Canucks Lose Center Manny Malhotra for Season With Eye Injury

Newsday - Pens' Cooke suspended after McDonagh hit

Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .