Buffalo Sabres

Andrey Makarov saw his season come to an end Thursday as Saskatoon was eliminated from the 2013 Memorial Cup with a 6-1 loss to London. The tiebreaker game victory sends the Knights to Friday's semifinal versus Portland for the right to face Halifax in Sunday's final. For Makarov, the season-ender was a mixed bag. He kept the Blades in the game for two periods with some big saves, but it appeared that both he and the over-matched team in front of him simply ran out of gas versus the high-powered Knights. London came out strong with three quick goals in the third period, causing coach Lorne Molleken to give Makarov the mercy pull with his club down by a 6-1 count. The 6-foot-1 netminder finishes the tournament with a 1-3 mark, a 4.09 GAA and .889 save%. On Wednesday, Makarov again made some nice stops to keep the game competitive as Saskatoon closed out the round-robin portion of the tourney with a 4-2 loss to Portland, thrusting the Blades into the Thursday tiebreaker. Overall, the young goaltender played well given the 50+ day break between the WHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup, setting the stage for his first organized Sabres activity when development camp begins in July.

Ville Leino #23 / Right Wing / Buffalo Sabres Height: 6-1 Weight: 190 Born: Oct 06, 1983 GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT 2012 - Ville Leino 8 2 4 6 0 6 1 0 0 11 Contract: $6,000,000 salary, cap hit $4,500,000 through till 2016-17. Report Card Grade in 2012: 2.5 out of 10 Introduction: With the addition of amnesty buyouts to the collective bargaining agreement earlier this year, there was belief that Ville Leino would be bought out by the Sabres. When he wasn't ready to begin the season after suffering a hip injury during training camp, rumors only heightened that he was done in Buffalo. However, the Finn did return to the squad on March 16th, and actually looked pretty good, before injury shut him down for the season after just eight games. Hopes that he would have a bounce back year after his miserable first season in Buffalo will have to be postponed, as once again we face an offseason that should be filled with buyout rumors. Leino looked less hesitant with the puck in the eight games, as if Lindy Ruff's departure had given him more confidence. While the small sample size shouldn't be definitive, he did show more signs of the puck-possession game that he was renowned for previous to coming to Buffalo. Key Stat: Two turnovers in eight games played. Yes, you read that right. The Ville Leino that turned the puck over 0.39 times/game last season is improving. Thumbs Up: Leino's shooting percentage was 18.2%, way up from the 10.3% in the previous season, and more in line with his big year at Philadelphia of 16.2%. Thumbs Down: 8 games played in a 48 game season. That equates to $1.25 million per game ($6 million contract + $4 million signing bonus), $5 million per goal, $1.3 million per point...terrible numbers whichever way you look at them. Voting: Using the good old grade school system of A, B, C, D, F, with A representing a great season, C an average season, and F a very poor season, grade Ville Leino on his performance this year according to the expectations you had for him. Poll What grade would you give Ville Leino for his 2012-13 season? A B C D F 6 votes | Results

Boston Bruins at New York Rangers, Game 4 In the first game of the NHL Playoffs on Thursday night, the Boston Bruins skated into Madison Square Garden with the New York Rangers on the brink of elimination. Down 3-0, another loss would have sent the Rangers home for the off-season, and possibly signal the end of the road for coach John Tortorella. Keep in mind, Sabres fans, that Lindy Ruff is still unemployed. Prior to the game, Tortorella finally scratched $60 million dollar man Brad Richards, he of one point in 10 playoff games. For the initial two periods, the Bruins controlled the game and the tempo. The Rangers came out seemingly uninterested, uninspired, and relegated to accepting their fate. New York fired a measly 4 shots on goal in the opening period, and relied on Henrik Lundqvist to pick up the pieces, making 12 saves in period one. After power play goals by Nathan Horton and Torey Krug in the second stanza, it was clear that the Rangers were on the ropes. Then, Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask granted the gift of life, as he fell on his backside and watched as a weak backhand from Carl Hagelin trickled by in slow-motion, making the game 2-1 and giving the crowd some motivation. In the 3rd period, a different Rangers team skated out. Derek Stepan picked slow-moving Zdeno Chara’s pockets behind the Bruins net, and stuffed a beautiful wrap-around behind Rask to knot the score, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Tyler Seguin worked to calm the momentum, grabbing his first goal of the playoffs with 12 minutes remaining. Yet, 2 minutes later, Brian Boyle had an answer, taking a perfect Stepan pass alone in the slot and firing it past Rask, giving the Rangers a much-needed power-play goal. In overtime, the Bruins initially had a few great scoring chances, but Lundqvist was there to snuff them out. Entering the game, Lundqvist was only 4-10 lifetime in playoff overtime games, including 0-3 this season. Then, out of nowhere, Rick Nash sent a pass to a streaking Kreider, who deflected the puck into the top left corner past Rask, giving New York a 4-3 win, and a little life in this Round 2 matchup. Game 5 will take place on Saturday in Boston. Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings, Game 4 The Detroit Red Wings style is typically defined as full of finesse and flash. So far in this series, the Wings play can be summarized as feisty and physical. It seems to be something that the Chicago Blackhawks had not game-planned for, as they have seemed stymied and stunned throughout this series. The Hawks took to the ice in Detroit down 2 games to 1. Entering the game, Chicago had not lost 3 games in a row all season long. The dirty, grinding play of the Red Wings continued in Game 4, and in conjunction it kept the Blackhawks and their captain Jonathan Toews looking confused and flustered. At one point, Toews took silly consecutive penalties in the second period, leading the Wings to the only goal that they would need. Jakub Kindl scored a power-play goal halfway through the second period, and from there, Detroit was able to hang on, eventually getting an empty net goal from Daniel Cleary to make it 2-0. Until the Kindl goal, the Hawks had been a perfect 30-for-30 on the penalty kill in these playoffs. Chicago could never get their game going, as the redshirts always seemed to have 2 men on any Blackhawk carrying the puck. The top-seeded Blackhawks never seemed to be in sync, and their shot totals reflected their deterioration as the dogged determination of Detroit in this game wore on: 14 shots in the 1st, 8 shots in the 2nd, and 6 shots in the 3rd. Jimmy Howard continued his playoff brilliance, earned a well-deserved shutout. Detroit will have a chance to close out the series in Game 5 Saturday in Chicago. San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings, Game 5

May 20, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) reacts after game three of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports The Detroit Red Wings host the President Trophy-winning Chicago Blackhawks in game 4 of their NHL Playoffs series tonight. While the series currently stands at only 2-1 in Detroit’s favor, there is an awful lot of buzz around the web considering the mindset of the Chicago Blackhawks. Over at SI.com, for example, there is a link labelled “Hawks seeing Wings in their Sleep,” and clicking on said link will take you to the Truth and Rumors article, “Red Wings are winning mind games.”   Reading this article, you will see that the Detroit Red Wings view the five consecutive penalties that the Blackhawks committed in the third period of game 3 as a sign that they are “absolutely” in the heads of the Hawks right about now.  Furthermore, according to Detroit defenseman Jonathan Ericsson, the Red Wings see tangible benefits from playing these mind games: “If we can get them frustrated, that’s almost 1-0 for us right away,” Ericsson said. Reading through the fan comments that follow the article would indicate that a lot of fans agree that the Red Wings have damaged the Blackhawks’ psyche, and word has it that Chicago was tinkering with its lines at yesterday’s practice, which people want to see as an act of desperation. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are taking a different approach: “This year, with how well it’s gone for us,” winger Brandon Saad said following the workout, “it’s about time we faced some adversity.” Oh no – not the adversity angle.  Yikes.  Well, what did head coach Joel Quenneville have to say? Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports “I don’t think we’ve been against it in any areas, as far as many stretches in games being down, and definitely in a series we haven’t been down. It’s a great test for us. It’s a good challenge for us. The adversity we’re in right now, we have to find a way to overcome it, and that’ll be a challenge at the end of the day, to find out about everybody.” More of that adversity stuff.  Whenever I hear a team start talking about adversity, I get nervous, since they are already halfway to making excuses about why they lost.  Still, the Blackhawks insist being down 2-1 is a source of motivation, not frustration.  Let’s not forget, either, how both Boston and Pittsburgh have responded to the challenges they had to face in the first round of these playoffs.  Is Chicago about to follow suit? What is your take on the situation?  Have the Red Wings gotten Chicago off its game?  Or has Detroit merely provided the Blackhawks with the inspiration the Blackhawks need to think, and win, like a champion? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Patrick Kaleta #36 / Right Wing / Buffalo Sabres Height: 6-1 Weight: 206 Born: Jun 08, 1986 GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT 2012 - Patrick Kaleta 34 1 0 1 -4 67 0 0 0 34 Contract: $1.25 million cap hit through 2014-2015. Report Card for 2012: 5.38 out of 10 Introduction: It was pretty much a lost season for Patrick Kaleta, who continued his trend of missing large chunks of games due to injury, appearing in just 34 games. Kaleta also found himself on the couch again, continuing to be the poster boy for the NHL's suspension policy, after cross checking Brad Richards in March. Worse still, Kaleta reacted poorly when he was designated as a healthy scrath at one point, saying he was "pissed off", which prompted Ryan Miller to say he needs to "grow up". So, yeah. Cool season, bro. Key Stat: ONE GOAL, on 34 shots. That's good for a 2.9% shooting percentage. I know, he's not out there to score goals, but at one point early in Kaleta's career he at least showed the nose for grabbing a goal here or there (especially shorthanded) and showing better instincts on when to pick and choose his spots than he did this year. Thumbs Up: He's at least affordable, with his $1.25 million salary not presenting too much of a detriment to the team. He also lead the league by a long shot in penalties drawn per 60 minutes for players with over 20 games played. He's always at or near the top of this category, which leads to more power plays every year for Buffalo. He also remains a great penalty killer and has shown more of a willingness as his career has developed to block shots and to fight when the situation calls for it. At this point, Kaleta is a known commodity. It's up to you to decide whether or not you consider him a value to the team. Thumbs Down: That shooting percentage ranks him dead last on the team for anyone that took more than 15 shots. We're not short on guys with "heart" on this team ("Heart" in this case meaning "Pretty bad at hockey"), so Kaleta will need to carve some sort of extra value on this team for me to look at him as any more than a below average hockey player who is there to carry the hometown banner. He also had a down year in hits, thanks to yet another injury that only allowed him to play 34 games. At this point in his career, you can only bank on 50-60 games per season from Kaleta. Is that enough for what he brings? Voting: Using the good old grade system of A, B, C, D, F, with A representing a great season, C an average season, and F a very poor season, grade Pat Kaleta on his performance this season compared to the expectations you had for him. Poll How would you grade Pat Kaleta's 2013 season? A B C D F 8 votes | Results

Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports It was a busy Wednesday afternoon in the NHL. Wednesday started with the news that Alain Vigneault had been fired as the Vancouver Canucks head coach. After the Canucks were swept in the first round for the second season in a row everyone knew changes were coming. Unfortunately for Vigneault, he takes the blame and Mike Gillis gets to stick around. Wednesday night ended with the Pittsburgh Penguins dominating the Ottawa Senators and taking a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Senators backs are now against the wall, it’s either make history or be history. As you kick off your Thursday morning sit back, enjoy your coffee and join me in a stroll around the NHL world. With the news of Vigneault’s firing, let’s take a look at the most likely candidates to replace him as Canucks head coach. Can anyone say Lindy Ruff? [Bleacher Report] When looking for stylish NHL players one doesn’t have to search much farther than Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist may top the list but see what hockey players know how to clean up. [Sharp For Men] With the Chicago Blackhawks reeling and needing a spark down 2-1 in their series with the Detroit Red Wings, could we see Ray Emery get the call between the pipes anytime soon? [Blackhawk Up] If you’ve ever watched a hockey game on CBC especially during the playoffs you’ve had the pleasure of seeing some pretty amazing montages. Meet Tim Thompson the genius behind those montages. [National Post] What would a Daily Dashboard be without any Buffalo Sabres news? Check out what we learned about Cody Hodgson this season as he makes the grade. [Die By the Blade] Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek crashed his Ferrari while visiting his home land. The car is a mess but Voracek escaped without injury. [Pro Hockey Talk] Still holding out hope that Ryan Miller will return to the Buffalo Sabres next season? Check out the latest rumours to see if they’re fact or fiction. [Bleacher Report]

With the series now tied between the LA Kings and the San Jose Sharks, at two games each, I think the biggest question everyone should have is…Which team’s veterans will step up and take over the series to win it for their team? May 21, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period of game four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports The veteran leaders of the Kings did just that last year to win the cup (along with numerous other things, they were basically unstoppable), they provided the back bone that is needed to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup. Unfortunately for the Kings, the Sharks vets have really taken it to them in the last two games at the Shark Tank, and I think that will continue throughout the series and the Sharks will move on to the Western Conference Finals. Let’s start with Jumbo Joe Thornton. He came out of the gates flying in game four to set an example for the rest of his team. Thornton got his team revved up early and the strong play continued throughout most of the game. The Kings on the other hand finished strong in the third period, but did not come up with the win. Kings fans will argue that they got the short end of the stick when a whistle was blown “early” while the puck was making its way into the net. NHL.com quotes Dustin Brown “It was a quick whistle is all,”…”Those kind of things tend to even themselves out over the course of a year.” I respect Dustin Brown and this is exactly why; he didn’t blame the refs at all for the loss. Back to the topic at hand though, veteran leaders that have stepped up their game for the Sharks and will ultimately be key to the Sharks winning the series. Patrick Marleau is quietly playing well during these playoffs with 8 pts (5+3); an average of a point per game so far. Thornton, as mentioned before, not only is playing like he has nothing to lose, but is also putting up points, 9 pts (1+8) to be exact. If Datsyukian is the term for having ridiculous moves and dekes, then Thorntonian should be used to describe a sick pass that will ultimately end up as a goal, because that is all that Thornton does. Some people may not agree with this, but I am going to lump Logan Couture in with the veteran leaders for the Sharks. Yes, I am aware that he is only 24 years old, but you know what… he is playing like a seasoned veteran. Couture is scoring huge goals and putting up stellar numbers, 11 pts (5+6) in 8 games. I guess I should also put Brent Burns into this category (young but playing like a veteran leader). For being a defenseman turned winger Burns is posting some good numbers, 4 pts (2+2), plus he has an awesome playoff beard, that should count for something. I can’t believe I almost forgot the other Joe….Joe Pavelski also has been significantly contributing during these playoffs with 10 pts (4+6). May 21, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period of game four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports Basically what I am getting at is that the SJ Sharks core is finally firing on all cylinders in the playoffs. In years past the Sharks would have a great season and then blow it in the playoffs, this seems to be a different team this year.  Take a look below at the core of the Kings to compare… Kings veteran players: Dustin Brown 3 pts (2+1), Anze Kopitar 5 pts (1+4), Jeff Carter 7 pts (4+3),and Mike Richards 9 pts (2+7). Keep in mind that these numbers include round one; the Kings have played a total of ten playoff games, two more than the Sharks. If I haven’t made it crystal clear so far, I really think that the momentum has shifted in this series. Therefore

Cody Hodgson #19 / Center / Buffalo Sabres Height: 6-0 Weight: 194 Born: Feb 18, 1990 GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT 2012 - Cody Hodgson 48 15 19 34 -4 20 3 1 1 114 Contract: $1.66 million this season, RFA this summer Report Card Grade in 2012: 6 our of 10 Introduction:Cody Hodgson will forever be linked to Zach Kassian thanks to a trade involving the two players and the Vancouver Canucks. He entered this season as the Sabres de facto #1 center, and thanks to a very strong sophomore outing, Buffalo looks to have come out on top of that trade, at leas for now. But just how good was Hodgson's second campaign? Let's find out. Key Stat: Hodgson finished first among all NHL second year players in goals with 15. His offensive ceiling will determine whether he can be a true #1 center or just a Derek Roy-esque very good #2, but this season was a promising improvement on the last. You can't do any better than top of the class, but the Sabres need Hodgson to keep improving in order to maximize his scoring potential, especially considering his currently weak defensive play. Let's hope another summer with Gary Roberts does for him what it's done for other Roberts proteges James Neal and Steven Stamkos. Thumbs Up:The Sabres new #1 center finished second on the team in goals, assists, points, power play goals, shooting percentage (among regular forwards), and third in shots and GWG, as well as ice time (for regular forwards). Hodgson scored the majority of his goals in the third period, which is certainly a good period to score them in, and scored 9 of his 15 while the Sabres were down (though to be fair, that was more often than not this season.) Thumbs...Sideways? I'm not sure whether this is good or bad, but it sure is interesting: Hodgson was far better away from the FNC than he was at home, scoring twice as many goals on the road as he did in Buffalo. The boos! They come back to haunt us again. Thumbs Down: Defense. Just...all of his defense. Hodgson was routinely plagued this season with poor awareness of both his and his opponents positioning, not backchecking hard enough, and losing his man. He did get better as the season progressed, but as of now he's still very much a one-way center. Hodgson also didn't register many hits, and had more giveaways than takeaways. Additionally, he wasn't great in the dot, only winning 46.8% of his faceoffs. Hodgson also faced relatively weak competition among Sabres forwards, despite playing with a high quality of teammates. If he's to become a true #1 center, Ron Rolston will need to be able to trust him to play against anyone, not just the weaker opponents, but again, his defensive ability holds him back here. Voting: Using the good old grade school system of A, B, C, D, F, with a A representing a great season, C an average season, and F a very poor season, grade Cody Hodgson on his performance this year according to the expectations you had for him. Poll What grade would you give Cody Hodgson for his 2012-13 season? A B C D F 7 votes | Results

No matter what the outcome of the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins is, this season will be deemed a success for the Ottawa Senators. Entering the season, not many pundits predicted the youthful Senators to be in the NHL Playoffs, let alone Round 2. Add in the fact that the Senators lost Jason Spezza for 43 games, Erik Karlsson for 31 games, Milan Michalek for 25 games, and netminder Craig Anderson for 24 games, and the odds of Ottawa making the post-season would seem miniscule. Toss in 14 rookies spending time with the Senators this season, and you might begin to laugh at the plausibility of Ottawa contending for the Cup. Yet, here they are, thanks to stellar coaching by Paul MacLean. MacLean is the clear-cut favorite for coach of the year, in my opinion. The team was entering Game 4 against the Penguins fresh off of an exhilarating 2-1 double overtime victory in Game 3. A win at home in tonight’s game would have had the Pens and their stars reeling. Ottawa was able to jump out to a 2-1 lead in the game, but collapsed from there, surrendering 6 unanswered goals. The style in which they lost was uncharacteristic for the young Sens - coming into the game, they were outscoring opponents 16-1 in the 3rd period and overtimes in these playoffs. Ottawa gave up 4 goals in the 3rd period, including a shorthanded goal by Pascal Dupuis that was a dagger, and made the score 5-2. Falling behind in the series 3-1, and heading to Pittsburgh for Game 5, may have already sealed the fate of the season for Ottawa. Regardless, the team is gaining invaluable experience for their bright future, and has no reason to sulk. On the other side of the coin, we have the Penguins. Anything less than winning a Stanley Cup this year, is failure. The team is front loaded with stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni ”no one can pronounce my first name” Malkin, James Neal, and Kris Letang. Pittsburgh is also enjoying career performances from Chris Kunitz and Dupuis. If that was not enough, the team went out and nabbed Jarome Iginla, Brendan Morrow, Douglas Murray, and Jussi Jokinen at the trade deadline, to bolster an already excelling lineup. Too bad that this is real hockey, and not a video game. The team did not easily extinguish the New York Islanders in Round One, and had to earn their way to Round 2. The Islanders, much like the Senators, were not expected to be playoff contenders, and gave the Pens a decent run for their money. The Islanders were able to knock starting goaltender M-A Fleury off his podium, and backup Thomas Vokoun has been in the reigns ever since. Are the Penguins as good as they look on paper? Are they as good as tonight’s 7-3 score would indicate? I am not so quick to say yes. Do they have the leadership to win? Yes. Do they have the talent and skills to win? Of course. Do they have the experience to win playoff games? No question. The real question to be answered is: Can this roster defeat battle-hardened teams, in the face of the pressure of being expected to win the Cup? Winning games against young, inexperienced teams like the 8th seeded Islanders and 7th seeded Senators does not answer that question. Nor does the fact that, until tonight, they had to work hard for their victories. I feel that tonight’s game was closer than the score indicates. The Senators hit the post twice in the second period; either of those goes in, and the score is tied for Ottawa at home, and the team gets rejuvenated. If Ottawa capitalized on their 3rd period power-play, instead of surrendering a shortie, and it might have been a different game. Alas, the chips fell where they did, and the Penguins just need one more victory to move on to the Conference Finals, likely to be against the Boston Bruins. Can Pittsburgh best actual playoff-experienced teams like Boston, or any of the remaining Western Conference teams in the Sharks, Kings, Red Wings, or Blackhawks? Looks like we may find out soon enough. May 22, 2013; Ottawa, ON, C

May 21, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille (20) celebrates with Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) after defeating the New York Rangers 2-1 in game three of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports After 99 straight wins when entering the third period with a lead, the New York Rangers fell short of 100 and coughed up Game 3, and perhaps the series. Stellar work in the third period by the line of Daniel Paille, Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell powered the Bruins to comeback win that puts Boston up 3-0 in their best of seven series. Once again, the Rangers fell back on their tried and true formula at home of mucking the game down to a sodden mess. The Bruins were more than happy to comply. There was one goal in the first 40 minutes off a screened wrister from Ryan McDonagh that went in off the stick of former Sabre Taylor Pyatt. Another seeing-eye wrister tied the game in third from Johnny Boychuk before Daniel Paille scored the only somewhat interesting goal of the game after the puck had danced around the goal line seconds before being batted in. New York wanted this mess to work, and it nearly did. Once they got a 1-0 lead though, the Rangers only put up 10 more shots in the entire game. Sitting back and watching your opponent for the last 36 minutes of a hockey game with a 1-0 lead usually isn’t a recipe for success. What happened to Rick Nash? Or, worse, Brad Richards? The guy spent the third period on the bench two years after signing a nine year deal with the Rangers. They have offensive talent and still they refuse to play anything but a shell system. How can anyone feel bad for this team when it’s so clearly lacking an identity at this point? Play to win, not to scrape by.  In a way, it’s good for hockey fans who like seeing actual goals scored and offense executed when teams like the Rangers learn their lesson about boat hockey. Maybe play to score goals once in a while and you actually will do just that. Fortunately for the Rangers, they’ll have plenty of time to contemplate their stroke soon enough on the golf course. Meanwhile, the Bruins showed that they can play that slow game as well (as if we didn’t already know that). They showed great patience and resiliency in weathering the first period storm from the Rangers and slowly taking over the game even after the Rangers took the lead. The Bruins outshot the Rangers 14-5 in the second period, and allowed only two shots in the last 16 minutes of that frame. The Rangers appear to be out of answers for a team that’s beaten them in just about every way. What stands out is how quick the Bruins forwards are turning the play for odd-man rushes. This is something the Rangers pride themselves on not giving up, and while Henrik Lundqvist has been there to bail them out plenty of times, it’s a disturbing trend for a team that plays such die-hard defense. This goes back to their lack of an identity. At least last season the Rangers were good at shutdown hockey. This year their lack of depth along the blue line is killing them and wearing down their forwards, who constantly have to sit back on their own faceoff dots and fend off the pesky Bruins forwards. This simply does not work in the NHL playoffs. The Rangers will need to find out what does work in a hurry. Three Stars of Game Three: Henrik Lundqvist – I’ve been hard on Hank this playoffs, but he was great in this game. He turned back 32 of 34 shots and made some big saves early, including a great breakaway stop on Tyler Seguin, that helped keep the Rangers in the game as long as possible. That second goal was especially tough for Henrik. A close look at the replay shows the puck might have even gone in off a Ranger, though the credit still goes to Paille. Somehow, he’ll have to be even better in Game 4 to keep the Rangers alive. Tuukka Rask – Another big game by Tuukka. The Rangers came ou