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Rangers: Self-Evident Truths
Will we see what the Blueshirts are really made of on this road trip?

Posted on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 10:43 PM
By Stan Fischler


If Abraham Lincoln was evaluating the Rangers as they prepare for the opening of their road show on Tuesday night in Vancouver, he would open it this way:

"I hold these truths to be self-evident...."

The Maven will pick it up from there:

TRUTH ONE:

With even a half-healthy Marian Gaborik, the Blueshirts can win one-goal games. Imagine when Marian The Magician is one-hundred percent again.

TRUTH TWO:

Vinny Prospal plays Gaborik like a bow to a violin; maybe even better!

TRUTH THREE:

Henny Lundqvist has reached his Vezina Trophy candidate level and proved it by beating Vezina-winner, Tim Thomas, on Sunday afternoon, 1-0.

TRUTH FOUR:

Sean Avery is a zebra target and will continue to be as long as The Great Gabbo exaggerates some dubious checks to his fuselage.

TRUTH FOUR-AND-A-HALF:

Avery is not getting opponents super-nuts as in days of yore.

TRUTH FIVE:

Chris Higgins will play hard and be useful but we may have to lower our goal expectations of the Montreal refugee.

TRUTH SIX:

Carolina, Florida, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Toronto and a few other Eastern teams would just love to have the Rangers won-loss record.

TRUTH SEVEN:

Wade Redden has played well enough this Autumn to be almost revered rather than reviled.

TRUTH EIGHT:

Michael Del Zotto has the instincts of another offensive defenseman; name of Mike Green.

TRUTH NINE:

Vancouver is eminently beatable. Ditto for Edmonton on Thursday.

TRUTH NINE-AND-A-QUARTER:

On Saturday, the lads will have their hands full in Calgary; and even that may be an understatement.

TRUTH TEN:

The Calgary media already is talking up a Flames revenge effort against Sir Sean over Avery's last visit to The Saddledome a year ago.

TRUTH ELEVEN:

One month into the season every single member of the Blueshirts knows precisely what to expect from the coach.

TRUTH DOZEN:

Conversely, John Tortorella now has all the insights he needs into his hockey club which is ahead of the pace anticipated by most of the prognosticators.

No, this won't be a make-or-break road trip but by the time the Seventh Avenue skaters return to the Garden on Nov. 12th to host Atlanta, we'll have a better idea how self-evident these baker's-dozen-or-so truths really are!

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