This One Hurts

The truest sign of a bad team is when they never have everything working at once.

For example, when a team fails to score enough for a goaltender who is on his game. Or as was the case last night at the Garden, when Henrik Lundqvist is incapable of stopping a beachball on a rare night the Rangers offense is producing.

I guess irony happens to bad teams too.

The Washington Capital, on the strength of some phantom calls and a high powered offense, defeated the Rangers 6-5, in front of a laser-pointing stunned crowd.

No disrepect to Washington for they are a good hockey team, but the Rangers, in particular Lundqvist, let this team off the hook.

In a complete reversal of fortune last night, the Rangers scored four power play goals and for a second it appeared their offense looked like it was going to outgun the highest scoring team in the league. But Bruce Boudreau, head coach of Washington, knows his team lives and dies on the shoulders of their overexuberant/borderline petulant superstar.

Besides the fact that Ovechkin runs around with impunity, almost knowing he will never get called for his consistent running of the opposition, he acts like he has never scored a goal in his life…everytime he scores.

It’s almost unfortunate the league has to hang their promotional hats on this guy, because he is almost as dirty as he is talented. But make no mistake, he is talented. If you don’t believe me, just ask Michal Rozsival, who is still pulling his jockstrap out of the stands after Ovechkin utterly undressed him en route to his comeback igniting goal that cut the Rangers lead to 5-4, heading into the third period.

What the Rangers did through the first 39 minutes and 53 seconds, in building a two-goal lead, was erased as fast as many of these Caps skate.

A Michael Del Zotto highstick call on Brooks Laich put the visitors on the power play, and one I have yet to see still, which they wasted no time on converting with a very stoppable floating wrist shot by Garden Faithful favorite(I kid) Tom Poti.

What happened after was predictable though when the refs made sure the Capitals stayed ahead calling four more penalties in the third period. And another predictable trend, at least last night anyway, was Lundqvist not being able to hold Washington’s finest off and give the Rangers a chance to regain the lead.

Which was a shame because many Ranger players stood toe-to-toe with Gary Bettman’s new flavor of the month.

Vinny Prospal had a great game, tying a career high in points with two goals and two assists. Newcomer Olli Jokinen notched a goal and an assist, but also took three penalties, two of which were scored on by Washington.

Chris Drury didn’t score(I’ve said this before haven’t I?) but was fearless, blocking several Ovechkin blasts, and showed that despite his scoring touch leaving him, his character and toughness still remains.

Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik, Erik Christensen and several other Rangers were undaunted in their effort, knowingly facing a better team, who is playing their best hockey of the season.

Different feeling but same result. The Rangers have now dropped seven of the their last eight games, all in regulation. And the bleeding might not stop just there.

Newly acquired Ilya Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils stroll into Madison Square Garden Saturday night, in what will be another tough test for the fading Blueshirts. Unlike his Olympic teammate though, I don’t have to worry about Kovalchuk making a spectacle of himself if/when he scores.

Last night’s loss was probably the toughest one of the season, in a neverending list of tough losses that are piling up for this team.

Not only did they lose this game, we all had to endure Ovechkin smile constantly. Talk about pouring salt into the wounds… and a face only a mother could love!