Thu 20 Mar 2008
While I love the shootout in hockey and the points that come along with it, my stomach is in knots whenever the Rangers win one of them. Yes, if the regular season ended right now, the Rangers would be in the playoffs. But when they get to the playoffs, there isn’t a shoot out to determine winners of games. You have to win in overtime, something the Rangers seem incapable of doing.
Last night, the New Yorkers beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 at The Rock in Newark. Yes they won, but in another shootout. Nigel Dawes scored the shootout winner. While happy that they got the points, they just don’t win in OT. That has me worried. Center Chris Drury (who wears No. 23 because he was a fan of former Yankee Don Mattingly, just like this pastor) tied the score at 1 with 4:46 left in the Third Period. The game was pretty good (OK, I missed the first period) with good up-and-down action and some really tight and hard hits. But this overtime thing has me worried.
The New Jersey Devils, however painful last night’s loss was, are still leading the Eastern Conference. This point hasn’t been lost on Rangers’ beat reporter Sam Weinman of The Journal News: He says that if the Rangers had played some of the doormats of the NHL the way they played the Devils all season, the Rangers would be on top of the Conference.