It’s that time of year. Time for fans to select the winner of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, presented by EmblemHealth. This unique award, last won by Brandon Dubinsky, honors a Ranger who "goes above and beyond the call of duty."

Starting at 7 on Versus, the Devils (47-24-4) take on Sean Avery and the Rangers (39-28-9)! (Actually, borrowing from NBC’s hockey coverage in that lead-in.)

Before tonight’s game Rangers coach John Tortorella was asked if this is a mu…

Rangers center Blair Betts, who has helped lead the Blueshirts to the NHL’s No. 1 ranking in penalty-killing percentage, has been selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association as the team’s nominee for the 2009 Bill Masterton Memorial T…

Say what you will about point totals, remaining schedules, etc., but tonight’s home contest against New Jersey is a must-win for the Rangers. Why the urgency? This is a team that is slipping, not gaining momentum. Unlike the past two…

VS.

Tonight’s Game
The Rangers face-off against the New Jersey Devils tonight at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in an Atlantic Division matchup. The Blueshirts curre…

Leading up to tonight’s game against New Jersey, Rangers forward Sean Avery refused to delve into last seasons saga between he and Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.

We all remember the infamous stick waiving incident that occured with Avery and Brodeur in the playoffs last year, which ultimately resulted in NHL Commish Gary Bettman to create the “Avery Rule”, which was effective immediately following the game.

The incident led to Avery calling Brodeur a “fatso”, followed by the Devils net minder refusing to shake Avery’s hand after the Rangers had won the 5 game playoff series over New Jersey. A rivalry, in addition to the pre-existing Ranger/Devil rivalry, was born.

However, what’s most important to Avery at this point in time is winning, and it seems as if Rangers head coach John Tortorella is noticing the change in mind set and attitude.

“I think Sean is smart enough to understand what this game means to us. Obviously, the Devils are in but they’re looking to get to some other spot. We’re trying to get in. That overrides everything.”

“This is about discipline, concentrating,” Tortorella added. “This is about trying to get two points. Worrying about the other stuff, the shenanigans as the league goes through [the stretch run], it can’t happen.”

The Rangers are coming off disappointing back-to-back losses, and are seeing their grip on the 7th place seed in the post season race get looser by the day. The 8th place Canadiens are only a point behind the Blueshirts now, and the 9th place Panthers trail by only two points.

New Jersey has also struggled recently, losing their last four in a row, and winning will be the first and only priority on their end as well. Although the Devils have clinched a post-season birth, they will look to end the regular season with momentum to carry them into the playoffs.

The Rangers on the other hand, will need to scratch and claw their way into a locked playoff spot. The team has six games left to play, all of which are against playoff contenders.

The Canadiens also have a game in hand.

In order to win, The Rangers will need Avery at his best. When effective, he becomes one of the team’s most effective offensive weapons.

Tonight will be the first test of Avery and the Rangers moxie, when they face Martin Brodeur’s first-place Devils at the Garden, in what should become an intense contest.

I just got back from a pleasure trip. Took my mother-in-law to the airport. Ba-dum-bum.

No kidding. I just took my mother-in-law to the airport.

I don’t normally venture out into morning rush hour traffic, but I had no choice, and I want to t…

The stage is set for what should be a very emotional Rangers-Devils game at The Garden tonight. Storylines abound in a drama featuring Sean Avery, Martin Brodeur, Brendan Shanahan, Henrik Lundqvist, and, of course, a quest for the playoffs.