Another Fun Rangers-Islanders Match-Up

I always enjoy watching the Rangers and Islanders do battle. On Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, fans got to witness another nail-biter between these two teams. This was a game the Rangers needed to win to keep fighting for a playoff spot and one the Islanders wanted to help put a knife deeper into the Rangers' wound. The Rangers ended up with a 3-1 win, but the game featured a lot of good fight between both sides.

On the Rangers side, Nigel Dawes got to return to the line-up with Lauri Korpikoski out with an injury and didn't miss a beat. He scored the first goal of the game, burying a great feed from Chris Drury to put the Rangers in front. Getting the first goal was key for the Rangers. They were able to get a power play goal in the second via Scott Gomez, who was in desperate need of a goal and some life. And you gotta love Petr Prucha's fight with the much bigger Sean Bergenheim. Prucha brings energy and grit each time he's out there. Defensively, they still had some holes, and the Islanders ended up with several great chances that Henrik Lundqvist thwarted with a great game in net. Against a better scoring team, the Rangers would probably have lost, but a win is a win and the Rangers won't complain.

As for the Isles, scoring was an issue again. They were given many chances by the Rangers sloppiness in the defensive zone but failed to capitalize. Their lone bright spot came when Mark Streit knocked home a one-timer off a nice pass from Blake Comeau for their only goal of the game. The Islanders have some skill without question, but they lack consistency and a true leader. Rick DiPietro is the face of that team, and without him, they are nothing. The Isles played alright defensively but were also benefits of the post. The Rangers rang the puck of the pipe twice in one shift during the first period. If those go in, this game's a clear blowout. However, give the Isles credit for playing tough, matching the Rangers for most of the game, and not rolling over against their hated rivals.

With the win, the Rangers won the season series from the Isles and they have one more game together on March 5th at the Nassau Coliseum. For the Islanders, the season is obviously lost. They should focus on finding some talent at the trade deadline as a building block toward next season. As for the Rangers, they have so much to play for with a playoff spot nearly slipping away. While they too need talent at the deadline, they must focus on building off this win and getting a streak going to get back higher in the standings. They also should focus on those two games left with the Sabres, one with the Panthers, and four with the Flyers!

DP Done...Again! And Yanks/Mets Signings

Sorry to share the news Islander fans, but goaltender Rick DiPietro, the face of the franchise, will miss the remainder of the 2008-09 season due to continuing problems with his left knee. DiPietro had surgery on the knee in June, but swelling has continued throughout the season.

According to the team, they felt it was the best decision for him considering the team is not in playoff contention. General Manager Garth Snow commented, "This will allow Rick ample time to make a full recovery for next year." With the problems he's had recovering from other injuries, the Islanders are smart to let him take all the time needed to get fully healthy.

DP was signed to a 15-year contract in 2006 and since that point has had to have four surgeries. His hip was repaired once, along with his right knee as well as left knee twice. With all these problems, even DiPietro himself knew this was the right move. "This has been one of the most frustrating situations I have ever had to deal with, but this is the right decision for me and the team," said the 27-year old goalie in a statement on Tuesday.

For the sake of Islander fans everywhere, DP and the team definitely made the right choice. The team is going nowhere higher than the bottom five teams in the league. Rather than risk further injury, let him rest and recover as best as he can and be ready for next season. Then again, who knows with DP?
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Briefly just wanted to note some contract signings the Yankees and Mets made today. The Bronx team agreed on a one year $6.65 million deal with Outfielder Xavier Nady, avoiding arbitration. This allows the Yanks to move him a bit easier now that he has a set salary. However, I wouldn't be shocked if both he and Swisher went to camp as Yankees. Melky Cabrera also signed late today. Not sure how much the deal was for. Report is that he asked for $1.7 million while the team offered $1.2 million. Shocking considering he made just $461,200 last year and was flat out awful. The other Yankee who went to arbitration was Brian Bruney. He apparently request $1.55 million while the team offered $1.1 million. No deal was done as of yet.

As for the Mets, they avoided arbitration with Ryan Church and Angel Pagan. Church got a one year $2.8 million deal while Pagan got $575,000 for a year. Both players suffered from injuries last year. Church played just 90 games due to a pair of concussions while Pagan appeared in only 31 before having surgery to fix a torn labrum in his left shoulder.