Boards to the left of Michal Rozsival. Christopher Higgins dutifully to the right. And only Michael Rupp, 38-goal scorer in 364 NHL games, in front of the Rangers defenseman.
“Arty [Artem Anisimov] falls down and it’s three-on-two initially, but Hig…

It was a little hard to swallow when the Rangers were saying after their 8-3 pasting on Saturday night that they could take a lot of upside out of Pittsburgh, that just a mistake here or there cost them in a close game, even though it got out of hand. All that talk is far closer to the truth tonight, when the Rangers answered strong for about 51 minutes and then let a game slip away.

The 5-2 loss to the Penguins was the Rangers fourth in five games at the Garden and gives them a three-game losing streak over which they’ve been outscored 18-6. But they were better tonight, much tighter in their coverages (until Mike Rupp’s tiebreaking goal with 8:46 to go) and much better physically than they were on Saturday, and certainly than they were in getting pushed around on Friday in Tampa. Still, as John Tortorella said, they don’t make the big play, the other guy does, and that’s the game. And the Rangers have a .500 record (13-13-1) in a league in which, thanks to the loser’s point, almost everyone is above .500.

“Right now we just don’t know how to win it at key times,” the coach said. “We need another big play - another big defensive play, another big offensive play, another big save. That’s the fine line of winning and losing in this league and right now we’re not getting it done there.”

And yes, you fans who watched Mike Rupp score a hat trick on Garden ice have to feel like it was a finger in the eye as you pray for secondary scoring from your own club.

Gaborik now leads the NHL in goals with 21 and shares the lead in points at 37 with San Jose’s Joe Thornton. The other Ranger forwards have combined for one goal in the last four games, a meaningless one by Ryan Callahan at the end of the Tampa game.

The Rangers went 1-for-3 tonight on a power play that had no Ales Kotalik, who in a sense took over the role Enver Lisin played on Saturday at the Igloo. With Lisin a healthy scratch tonight, Brian Boyle back in and Kotalik out of the top nine, Tortorella sent the $9 million winger over the boards for seven shifts and 3:14 of ice, none on the power play, which has really been the only place Kotalik has made a dent this season.

Rangers take a day off tomorrow (Tuesday) to decompress after playing a busy stretch of six games in 10 nights in four cities - they went 2-4 in that stretch. They’ll be back at it Wednesday morning, preparing for a schedule that gets no easier: Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo, the next four games.

This, from Monday night’s Panthers-Thrashers, is not to be laughed at, but it’s hardly to be believed. Keith Ballard must feel just sick about this, and Tomas Vokoun a little angry, perhaps?

Boards to the left of Michal Rozsival. Christopher Higgins dutifully to the right. And only Michael Rupp, 38-goal scorer in 364 NHL games, in front of the Rangers defenseman.
“Arty [Artem Anisimov] falls down and it’s three-on-two initially, but Higg…

The team that was going to dominate third periods because of the rigid summer conditioning regimen instituted by head coach John Tortorella somehow can’t find a way to get through the final 20 minutes of games.
No wonder the Rangers can’t win very…

Marian Gaborik, who scored both Ranger goals last night, has a league-leading 21 in the Rangers’ first 27 games, equaling the pace set by Jaromir Jagr when No. 68 established the franchise record by getting 54 in 2005-06. Jagr did not get his 22nd go…

I don’t even know where to begin. Do you?

The company line is that the Rangers  played a lot better, that they did a lot of good things. You know what? They did. Much better than the two disasters that preceeded it. Of course, it would have be…

Former Devil Mike Rupp got his first career hat trick and snapping a tie with 8:46 to play in the Rangers’ 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh, their second loss to the defending champs in three days and their third straight overall.

From the NYR:
NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES AND QUOTES
November 30, 2009 – New York Rangers 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 5 (Game #27, Home #13)
The Rangers were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2, in front of a sold-out crowd (18,200) at …