Please. How many minutes of 5 on 3 powerplay time did the Rangers piss away in the second period? It was almost as embarrassing as that disgraceful 5 on3/4 minute double minor they blew in Nassau on Monday. Five minutes of powerplay in the second period amounted to nothing. The more things change, they more they remain the [...]

Nikolai Zherdev, the Rangers’ supremely talented 23-year-old winger, was the catalyst for both of his team’s goals in the third period - including his own - as he put on a display of speed and precision, leading the Blueshirts to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers

Tom Renney put a tidy bow on Brendan Shanahan’s service in a Blueshirt Thursday and effectively closed the door on the 650-goal scorer’s wish of playing another season on Broadway.

 So what was more impressive by Nikolai Zherdev tonight—the ridiculous, water-bottle-lifting goal, the game-winning assist, or the hustle to catch Todd White from behind on the breakaway?

Call me a purist, but I actually vote for the backcheck.

You heard it here first, Zherdev for the Selke.

“It shows his commitment to what (Tom Renney) wants,” captain Chris [...]

Calling from the airport, where he was awaiting a flight to Milwaukee of the AHL, Hugh Jessiman could have been bitter. The player was anything but.

“I have nothing but gratitude for the New York Rangers and the Hartford Wolf Pack,” said the 24-year-old wing. “They molded me into a player I never thought I’d be. [...]

The Rangers have given up on the Hugh Jessiman Experiment, trading the first round draft pick from 2003 to Nashville for future considerations.

Needless to say, given how high Jessiman was picked (12th overall) and how little they’re getting in return, this is an admission on the Rangers’ part that taking a chance on the Manhattan-born, [...]

The Rangers have traded former first-roud draft pick Hugh Jessiman to the Nashville Predators for future considerations….

As the Atlanta Thrashers come limping into Madison Square Garden tonight, I thought it appropriate to address a few things that have come up in the last few hours. - Larry Brooks reports that Brendan Shanahan has decided to start taking calls from different teams. I kind of get the feeling that management was waiting to see what kind of start the team had gotten off to before deciding to bring in the popular hall-of-famer. Unfortunately for Shanny, the Rangers have bolted out of the gate to a 9-2-1 start, and despite my often stated criticisms, really don’t need much help right now. Plus, as outrageous as it seems now, it leaves the door open for a possible Mats Sundin recruitment later on for a reduced price. - Steve Zipay informed us that, as probably expected, Lauri Korpikoski was sent down to Hartford. Interestingly, Patrick Rissmiller has still not been assigned and remains with the team despite being placed on and clearing waivers. Hopefully Korps can find his game again and return at some point to help out. - Once again, for no apparent reason, Petr Prucha will ride the pine. Or the cushion . . . whatever they have up in the press box. It must be incredibly disheartening to him that he gave a very good effort each his last two times out, and it still results in a benching. He better score a hat-trick or two in his next game, if he gets a next game. Actually, Renney might run to trade him if he did that. Dan Fristche will start in his place. - Over at Rangerland, Pete Rocha pointed out that Nik Zherdev was leading the NHL in plus/minus, with a +9 rating. I guess it’s ok not to worry about his turnovers until they actually start resulting in goals against. Just because I like his visor and his play so far, and because he reminds us all so much of Kovalev, but really for no particular reason, I have decided to anoint him Way Cool, Jr. (Yes, I stole that phrase from Ratt. But hey, if everyone else can get in on the nickname game, why can’t I?) - Speaking of which, it’s possible that Moose, Voros, and Way Cool will be working together again, reuniting the Rangerland-coined ‘Playstation Line’. They skated together at practice briefly, though Renney said he would start the same lines as he had against the Isles. - Lundqvist will start his sixth straight game. - Tonight has the makings of a huge letdown. The Thrashers are coming off of an embarrassing 7-0 defeat to the Flyers. The Rangers are the #1 defensive team in the league, and the Thrashers are #29. Neither have particularly good ranked offenses, however. The cool thing about this Rangers team so far this year is that they haven’t allowed themselves to fall into these “letdown” traps. Hopefully they dominate this game. - The puck drops at 7:00 pm EST….

A quick glance at the NHL standings is all you need to realize just how well the New York Rangers are performing this year, but head coach Tom Renney said his team is focused on areas for improvement as it gets set to host Atlanta tonight at MSG.