Does this team want to play hockey?

I almost don't feel I have to type anymore than what I just typed. Have the New York Rangers stopped playing? Stopped caring? Stopped working? Stopped thinking?

After two losses to horrible Islander and Pittsburgh teams, they're on national TV against Philly with the chance to win the Atlantic Division for the first time in roughly a decade. Win and they have home ice in the first round of the playoffs. They lost to Philly 4-1 and with it will likely lose home ice. But there was no drama in this game. They were never in the game. Within two minutes, you knew they were in trouble. The Flyers had scoring chance after scoring chance. Their defense clogged up the middle and the Ranger offense looked like they were skating in quicksand. The Rangers never sustained any offensive pressure. They were getting beat to every loose puck. Never won a battle for the puck on the boards.

As soon as Philly scored on a 2-on-1 situation on their first power play, it was trouble. The goals had nothing to do with Weekes. His defense was terrible. Some of those goals they wouldn't have stopped if Lundqvist AND Weeks were in the net together at the same time. And when Philly made it 2-0 toward the end, you could have shut your TV off.

And I don't want to hear about injuries. Every team has them now. This team has played 80 games. They've had time to mesh. So don't tell me about injuries. That's a cop out. That's crap. Just like the coaching staff over the last 3 weeks. They're crap. Because they have not had this team ready to play hockey since the Olympic break. Yeah, they're going to make the playoffs. Unless Lundqvist, Rucchin, and Kasparitis get back for the first game and healthy, they couldn't win a series right now against the Penguins AHL affiliate! And now, they have one game left against Ottawa. You think for a minute they're winning that game? Whatever you're smoking give me some of that stuff, because I could use it. That's got to be some pretty heavy stuff there.

And to paraphrase Pedro Martinez. Wake up Kate Smith from the dead to sing God Bless America again. Maybe I'll drill her in the ass, and a considerable one it was too.