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Jagr hopeful Rangers can keep winning

BY ARTHUR STAPLE | arthur.staple@newsday.com

May 4, 2008

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GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Jaromir Jagr still has the same funny feeling about this Rangers-Penguins series, which resumes today in Pittsburgh with another win-or-bust game for Jagr's side.

The fuzzy logic that Jagr occasionally uses - whether it's tongue-in-cheek or not is anybody's guess, though he's usually not terribly serious - cropped up again yesterday after the Rangers' final practice at their training center before they flew to Pittsburgh.

"I think [Game 5] is going to be the hardest one," Jagr said. "If we win, then we play at home, and it's the second of a back-to-back [Game 6, if necessary, is scheduled for tomorrow at Madison Square Garden]. If it's Game 7, we've tied it up from 3-0 down, the pressure's all on them.

"And if we win it? That's huge. It's like we start the next series up 1-0 already."

The way the Rangers' captain has been playing, it's hard to knock anything he says or does at this point. But like his teammates and his coach, he knows that today's game has to be about patience and discipline for the Rangers to make a return trip to the Garden for Game 6.

"We played without any frustration [in Game 4], we kept at it and didn't waver from our game plan, and that's how we have to be in this one, too," said rookie defenseman Marc Staal, who took two minors in the first 11:53 of Game 4 that were killed off, which helped keep the Rangers moving forward.

Staying out of the penalty box will be the biggest challenge, particularly for those Rangers who are further down the depth chart than Jagr and Staal. With the benefit of the last line change at home, Penguins coach Michel Therrien will try to match his top two lines of Sidney Crosby-Marian Hossa-Pascal Dupuis and Evgeni Malkin-Ryan Malone-Petr Sykora against the Rangers' third and fourth lines and, especially, the second and third defensive pairs.

"It's about controlling your emotions, not getting sucked into taking bad penalties, the discipline to change off the ice quickly, if that's what we're looking for," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "The discipline to play within the system no matter who's out there. It's all very important for us."

Renney said he was considering his lineup - likely whether Ryan Hollweg would be more useful than rookie forward Lauri Korpikoski (the Rangers' first-round pick and 19th overall selection in 2004), who skated with the big club yesterday, and whether defenseman Jason Strudwick will play again in place of Christian Backman.

In addition, the Rangers need the Henrik Lundqvist from Game 4, not the one burned by pucks off skates and knees who produced a so-so performance during much of the first three games of the series. Lundqvist's saves on Pittsburgh's first-period power plays Thursday kick-started a strong defensive effort and built up the young Penguins' frustration quite a bit.

But with the home crowd behind them, the Penguins may be able to shake off the frustration of Game 4 and play more like the team that has only two regulation losses in its last 25 home games.

"Hopefully, we come out and play a smart game," Lundqvist said. "We take a lot of penalties, it's been that way all year. But we were good and aggressive on the PK last game, on our toes, and that makes their power play much easier to defend."

Notes & quotes: A team spokesman said Sean Avery left the intensive care unit of St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan early yesterday afternoon, the internal bleeding from his lacerated spleen having stopped. Avery will remain in the hospital for several days. He was admitted late Tuesday night after suffering the injury early in Game 3.

Rangers vs. Penguins

Penguins lead series, 3-1

Game 1: Penguins 5, Rangers 4

Game 2: Penguins 2, Rangers 0

Game 3: Penguins 5, Rangers 3

Game 4: Rangers 3, Penguins 0

Today: at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m.

TV: Ch. 4

*Tomorrow: at Rangers, 7 p.m.

TV: MSG

*Wednesday: at Pittsburgh, TBD

TV: MSG

*if necessary

All games on WEPN (1050), WLNG (92.1) and WLIR (107.1)