Rangers 4, Islanders 1: Two days after having their dramatic rally ruined in a shootout, the Rangers crushed the Islanders, 4-1, and continued their surge at the season's most critical times. They drew Wade Dubielewicz in goal -- Rick DiPietro had missed too much time following the death of his grandmother -- but most goalies would have had trouble Thursday. The Rangers led this one 89 seconds into the game on a Brendan Shanahan goal.......

Photograph of Islanders celebrating a second period goal from Ruslan Fedotenko by Frank Franklin II/AP Islanders 4 Rangers 3 (Shootout): This was not a game for fans of goaltenders. Henrik Lundqvist was terrible, Wade Dubielewicz was too but better when it counted and the Islanders prevailed in a sloppy game. Blake Comeau got things started when he scored by throwing the puck off of Michal Rozsival to put the Islanders in front. The Rangers......

The Rangers are going to have to have a lot more weekends like this one if they are going to make the playoffs. Fresh off of Saturday’s shellacking of Buffalo, New York outlasted San Jose in a physical contest 3-1. Ryan Callahan continued to show the club that he belongs in New York with two goals in the contest. Chris Drury continued his resurgence with his seventh goal in nine games as the Rangers beat......

Photograph of the Rangers celebrating as Buffalo Sabres player Ales Kotalik skates away by Frank Franklin II/AP Rangers 5, Sabres 1: Five days off, but only 10 seconds to score. Sean Avery got the Blueshirts off to a great start and they finally got the taste of Sunday's overtime loss to Washington out of their mouths. "I don't think we expected that great of a start," said Brendan Shanahan. He has to be telling......

Kings 4, Rangers 2: Sometimes teams have quality efforts and still lose. That's what the Rangers put forth Tuesday. They had 41 shots on goal -- including 24 in the second period alone -- but only got two by Jason LaBarbera. Henrik Lundqvist wasn't at his best, and that didn't help. The Rangers had won three straight and five of six, but don't view this as a step backward. They still seem to be headed......

Rangers 5, Canadiens 3: Fans who tired of FOX's marathon Super Bowl pregame show may have migrated to NBC to catch this inspired effort by the Rangers. Playing in Montreal -- did any of them get to watch the Super Bowl, or even want to watch? -- the Blueshirts scored five unanswered goals after trailing, 3-0, early in the second period. Chris Drury had the go-ahead goal, and Scott Gomez, Michal Rozsival, Martin Straka and......

Rangers 4, Flyers 0: Stephen Valiquette didn't really have to work for it, but he got his first career shutout. Even when the Flyers are hot and the Rangers are cold as ice, New York finds a way. Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha, Chris Drury and Brendan Shanahan all scored. The Rangers hadn't won the road this year. Philadelphia had enjoyed a 12-2-1 streak. The Flyers are in first, but they are only five points ahead......

Nets 87, Bucks 80: For one night at least, Jason Kidd did his best to help the Nets get maximum value in a trade. The Nets also proved that even they couldn't find a way to lose a weak team playing without its best player (Michael Redd). The fans cheered loudly for Kidd before the game, so they either want him gone -- and are cheering his efforts to leave -- or love him so......

Bruins 4, Rangers 3 (SO): Sometimes teams are happy with a single point, but the Rangers won't be in this one. They blew a lead in the third period -- after rallying from a 2-1 deficit -- and then saw things go against them in the shootout. A sluggish January for continues for New York. Scott Gomez had two assists and a goal, but it didn't help the Rangers avoid dropping to 2-4-1 in the......

Rangers 4 Montreal 1: The Rangers finally had a game they could feel good about, thrashing the Canadiens easily at the Garden Saturday night. New York jumped out to an early lead after Chris Drury made the defensive play, cleared the puck and then slipped a backhand into the net off of the pretty feed from Hossa. Martin Straka scored later in the first to make it 2-0. New York doubled that lead in the......

Nets 96, Magic 95: Vince Carter won this game with two clutch free throws at the end, but it was former Magic Darrell Armstrong who provided the biggest of several sparks off the bench. He had 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and a critical hand on defense during Orlando's last possession. The Nets outscored the Magic, 31-18, in the fourth quarter and have now won five of six games. If they keep this up,......

Rangers 4 Montreal 3 (OT): The Rangers played one of their most uneven games of the season, but they turned it on when they needed to and got the win. Daniel Girardi and Jaromir Jagr scored in the first period to give New York a 2-1 lead heading into the second. And that’s where the Rangers went to sleep, getting only one shot in the period while the Canadiens built a 3-2 lead. That’s where......

Rangers 6, Maple Leafs 1: Nothing like making opponents pay dearly for their trips to the penalty box. The Rangers scored five of their six goals on the power play -- Blair Betts' icebreaker was the only even-strength goal -- and won their second straight game. This came against a Maple Leafs team that has struggled in the Northeast Division this season, but that won't bother Petr Prucha (two goals) or Jaromir jagr (one goal,......

Lakers 95 Knicks 90: The light bulb has finally gone on for Isiah and he admitted after the game that “maybe we have the wrong guys starting right now.” Why it took this long to click is another question, but Sunday offered definitive proof that changes in the lineup need to be made. The Lakers cruised to a 70-45 lead and then had to hang on against a Knicks’ rally that happened with the unit......

Nets 107, Heat 103: Udonnis Haslem forced overtime with an off-balance shot at the end of regulation, but the Nets shook it off. The overtime wasn't pretty, but it's the results that count. Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter had their moments in the son, but Malik Allen had 18 points (on 9-of-11 shooting) and tormented the team with which he started his NBA career. At last place in the NBA's Eastern Conference, Miami isn't the......

Sonics 117, Knicks 110: Knicks fans deserve a lot of credit. No one's pointing out how hard it is to chant "Fire Isiah." That phrase has a ton of vowel sounds. They held off for part of this game, but at the end, the result was the same. Zach Randolph is the only self-respecting Knick, though Jamal Crawford has been putting up better numbers with Stephon Marbury still out. The sum of the parts is......

Carolina 4 Rangers 0: Things got ugly early and the Rangers never recovered. Carolina got two goals in the first, the second off of Ranger’s skate to jump out to an early lead and New York could not muster any offense against Cam Ward. Ward dominated New York getting big saves when they were needed and the Rangers could not muster an offensive attack in the game. The Hurricanes added two goals in the third......

Devils 3, Thrashers 0: Martin Brodeur earned his first shutout of the season -- and the 93rd of his career -- and the Devils are at .500 again. Rod Pelley and Paul Martin had the two non-empty-net goals for the Devils. Jamie Langenbrunner tied an NHL record by assisting on all of his team's goals. After that early-season road trip, the Devils appear to have their skates back under them. Panthers 3, Rangers 2 (SO):......

Devils 6, Flyers 2: After three failed bids to get Martin Brodeur his 500th career win, the Devils finally provided him some margin of error. They played stingy defense and lit the lamp six times en route to an easy milestone win. Brodeur joins Patrick Roy as the only netminders with 500 wins. Dainius Zubrus got the party started and added an assist. As happy as the Devils are for Brodeur, they're probably happiest that......

Rangers 4 Philadelphia 3 (Shootout): The Rangers have overcome their slow start and moved into a tie for first place. Brendan Shanahan had a goal in regulation and the game-winner in the shootout to power New York. Henrik Lundqvist kept the Flyers off the board in the shootout, stopping all three shots he faced. Marc Staal played another solid game paired with Rozsival and Marek Malik has to be worried about regaining his starting spot.......

Celtics 112, Nets 101: Early indications have the road to the NBA Finals going through Boston. If the Nets entertain any hopes of becoming a legit contender, they'll have to find a better measuring stick. As if the Nets didn't have enough concerns about Vince Carter, their star left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury. At least he had 17 points when he left. Beating up on the Eastern Conference may......

Rangers 2 Philadelphia 0: These teams really do not like each other and it was evident early on Monday night. The gloves came off just 54 seconds into the game and another fight broke out seven minutes in. That ended the boxing portion of the evening, but both teams continued to hit hard and often in a physical contest at MSG. The Rangers dominated the first period, but would have had nothing to show......

Rangers 2, Devils 1 (SO): Petr Prucha did enough to finally earn a second "E" for his name. He set up the only goal in regulation and scored the only goal in the shootout. Scott Gomez struck against his former club. The Rangers had other chances, including Chris Drury's breakaway in overtime, so this win helped them sleep better at night. Islands 3, Penguins 2: This could have been a Pyhrric victory. Rick DiPietro got......

Rangers 2, Devils 0: Everyone who had Nigel Dawes in the pool can collect his money. Nothing helps end a 126-minute goalless streak like a giveaway less than a minute into the game. Dawes took advantage and provided a bookend goal late in the game. The Rangers needed this game, having entered it in last place. Henrik Lundqvist handled himself well in goal, and the Devils looked like the team who came in on a......

Devils 6, Thrashers 5: Down 4-2, the Devils decided to take action. They scored four of the next five goals, including Patrick Elias' game-winner with 28 seconds remaining, to avoid their fourth loss of the season. When a team's goalie's saves is twice the number of goals scored by his team, something's wrong. Martin Brodeur made 12 saves on 17 shots but stayed in the game. This comeback loses some of its luster when the......

IIndians 12, Yankees 3: Well, that didn't go as planned. Chien-Ming Wang didn't have his sinker, gave up a ton of two-out and two-strike hits, and the Yankees got buried. Their patient bats wore out C.C. Sabathia, but they only got three runs for their efforts against him, and that wasn't nearly enough given the way Wang pitched. Then they stunk up the joint against the Indians bullpen, but by them the game was......

Sabres 2 Rangers 1: The Rangers were eight seconds away from winning this game and taking a 3-2 lead in the series when Chris Drury netted the game-tying goal. Up until that point, the Rangers had played a great game, but anyone who watched the final minute of regulation has to wonder why Jaromir Jagr was on the ice? After taking a 1-0 lead with just over three minutes left, the Rangers needed to play......

Rangers 2 Buffalo 1 (2 OT’s): If you aren’t a hockey fan this is the type of game that could make you one. For over ninety minutes of action, both teams gave everything they had expending every ounce of effort they possessed in a desperate battle. The Rangers had to win the game, or face elimination on Tuesday. Buffalo sought a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. New York took an early 1-0 and seemed......

After spending a week healing their wounds, the Rangers head into the second round of the playoffs tonight rested and ready. They will need to be at the top of their game to beat the Buffalo Sabres, a deep and talented team with plenty of guys who can fly all over the ice. Sean Avery has vowed to make every check hurt and the Rangers are going to need to put hits on the Sabres......

Rangers 4 Atlanta 2: The Rangers finished off their sweep of the Thrashers in dramatic fashion, coming back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to finally take the lead on a goal that had to be reviewed for over five minutes. Five minutes into the third period, Matt Cullen unleashed a vicious slapshot that caromed off the top crossbar and appeared to bounce out of the crease. Replays showed the puck had bounced down into......