I guess I should start off by apologizing for not letting you guys know that I was Down Under for a month, but you can rest assured that I have everything under control again and will be looking to keep this site once again as up to date as possible!  Was nice to have an extra month of summer though, and with the way the Rangers were playing when I left…I was glad to get away from them for a while.

Almost caught up on the games (Ultimate TV is a wonderful thing and I managed to get 6 of the 9 games I missed while I was away…some extra tweaks to the software and I would’ve had them all).

And how about that line of Barnaby, Malhotra and McCarthy?  The Sandman looks like he’s finally found some form as has Malhotra who is starting to look more confident (he’s still only 21!).  But perhaps the biggest surprise for me has been Matthew Barnaby…I know, I know…I pretty much have been writing this guy off for some time, but give credit where it’s due…he’s really stepped up!

Another guy who’s been playing great too is Bryan Berard…nice to see the gamble is starting to pay off and he’s getting some nice runs offensively.  While we’re talking positives, I’d also like to say that putting Lindros on the Penalty Kill looks like a good one…the guy’s so strong and is an intelligent player defensively…keep that going!

Now for the other stuff…I was a big Fleury fan before he came to New York, but his behavior on the ice is getting ridiculous…I can only hope that his off-ice issues don’t consume him before his time.  The captain did return, but has largely been ineffective…time to hang them up Mess!

Disappointed to see Ulanov back in the line-up (thanks to a Purinton suspension), but there’s rumors floating around that Mottau might get called up shortly…could this be the end of what has been a great disappointment?

Tomas Kloucek has been playing with more authority, but he could use some work on his stick handling…maybe it’s just confidence, but he needs to improve that aspect of the game if he is to be successful.

Finally let me respond to those of you who’ve been blinded by the spectacle that is the Winter Olympics.  There’s a reason the games are better to watch and no it doesn’t have anything to do with bigger ice surfaces or no touch-up icings…it’s simply the concentration of talent on these teams…if the Rangers were able to put out a line-up like Team USA, then I’m sure you’d be impressed with the game too!  There is one thing I do like about the Olympic version however…the 15 seconds for a face-off!

Okay, I’ve had my rant