Posts tagged ‘Dunham’

So I’m sitting in the Garden with my brother last night following that disastrous second period, when I get a text message from a close friend and fellow Rangers fan.  It reads, “Nightmare period. Nightmare.”

My response to him: “Nightmare season. Nightmare.”

       (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Because that is exactly what this ‘07-’08 campaign has become…A NIGHTMARE!

Last night’s 6-2 loss at the hands of the division rival Flyers was the worst I can remember in this “New Era” of Rangers hockey.  The Rangers team I saw last night had no heart, no smarts, and most of all, absolutely zero gumption.  They took dumb, lazy penalties and in the words of my co-host Eric “folded faster than a cheap suit” when adversity stared them in the face.  They couldn’t capitalize when Ryan Hollweg of all people staked them to a 2-0 lead.  They played like a last place team, which is exactly what they are now.

The power play was awful, the penalty kill was awful, the defensive zone coverage was awful, and the goaltending performance made me check to see if the #30 in nets was actually Mike Dunham.

Something’s very wrong right now with this team and I’m really at a loss trying to figure out how it’s going to get better.  And I’ll tell you something else.  If Sean Avery goes under the knife and is out for a lengthier period of time than expected, you can book your tee times folks.  The Rangers simply CANNOT and DO NOT win without #16 in the lineup.

Which begs the question: If a team is forced to rely on one player that much, is the team really that good anyway?

It’s officially time to press the panic button folks.  This season opened with expectations of a Stanley Cup, yet more than halfway through the year the Rangers find themselves in the same precarious situation that they were in last year.  The Rangers had to go on a 17-6-6 run just to sneak into the playoffs last year. 

Let’s just put it this way…there’s not another Sean Avery out there to catalyze a run like that again.