Game 21: Rangers 3, Kings 2 (overtime)

The Kings should've had this game. The Rangers were coming off a hard-fought game against the Ducks the previous day, and they were rolling out their backup goalie, Steve Valiquette.

Problem was, the Kings were rolling out an unfocused Jason LaBarbera. The team was peppering Valiquette with shots all game, and to say the ones given up by Labs were soft would be an insult to marshmallow fluff, fleece blankets and cotton balls.

But it is what it is. This team has the potential of running with the top clubs in the league, as evidenced the past two games. But, they are missing that one element, the one element that has haunted them all last season and the majority of this season: solid goaltending.

Once this club gets a rock in the net, the Kings will become part of the West elite. Not that you couldn't say that about all the teams in the NHL, but the Kings have their youth evolving at a decent pace, with more in the wings. Dean better hope that one of these can't-miss goaltending prospects turns out to be as good as advertised. Because youth can only evolve so much before withering on the vine.

• AP:  Rozsival’s 2nd goal gives Rangers 3-2 OT win

• LA Times:  Kings desperately need help at goalie

    So how is it that the Kings can play up to the level of the NHL's top teams but still hover around .500?
    That they can commit thoughtless mistakes -- one of which led to a successful penalty shot Wednesday by the New York Rangers -- but still take the second-best team in the East to overtime and then have every reason to feel dissatisfied after a 3-2 loss?
    The conclusion is inescapable: They will go nowhere, and might soon regress, if they don't upgrade their goaltending.

• Yahoo: Team report

    Wednesday’s game featured an odd coincidence in goal. The Kings started Jason LaBarbera because Erik Ersberg strained his groin in Monday’s game. The Rangers started Steve Valiquette because Henrik Lundqvist started in Tuesday’s game against Anaheim. The connection: LaBarbera was selected by the Rangers in the third round of the 1998 draft (66th overall). Valiquette was selected by the Kings in the sixth round of the 1996 draft (190th overall).

They said it

“It was timely goals. They got a couple and we didn’t. We had our chances, and a power-play goal on our side would have been nice, but we just couldn’t bear down when we had those chances.”— Jarret Stoll after the overtime loss to the Rangers

Looking through purple-hued glasses

• The Royal Half: Coast to Coast

And if you didn't already know how great 19 Year Old Drew Doughty was... early in the 2nd period, he led a rush up the ice. He looked to the open wingers... who happened to be John Zeiler and Raitis Ivanans. He held onto the puck a few seconds more and found a way to get the puck to Moller instead. That is a great player.

• A Queen Among Kings: GODDAMN: Rangers 3, Kings 2 (OT)

I was angry. I mean, the Rangers had only had two shots on net until the last minute of the first period and then Barbs had to go and allow this?? It completely killed the good vide in the building and I missed Erik Ersberg badly. It's the kind of heartache you feel when you suddenly realize that it has become too cold for Pinkberry.

• Frozen Royalty: Rash Moves In Goal Not The Answer

To be sure, no one should expect miracles. LaBarbera will never be the second coming of Georges Vezina, Patrick Roy, or Rogie Vachon. But he is capable of considerably better goaltending than he has provided to this point in the season and it is time for him to step up.

From the other side of the ice: the New York view

• Rangers Review: Through The Looking Glass - Rangers@Kings Post Game Thoughts

Our offense was incapable of doing ANYTHING, the Kings offense was able to do anything it wanted at will. Our defense was unable to do anything positive outside of a one man herculean effort by Marc Staal, the Kings defense was superb in clearing away the slot, and not allowing the Rangers to get to the high quality areas of the ice. Finally the Rangers got fantastic goaltending from Vally, he was basically a brick wall in net, whereas the goaltending of Jason Labarbera might have been the worst display of goaltending I have ever witnessed in my life (and yet we only put up 3 goals against this joke of a goalie).

• Ranger Pundit: Valley of the Rozies

    Rozsival scored on a penalty shot that was a an early Christmas gift from referee Bill McCreary. Sean O'Donnell had thrown his broken stick toward Rozsival but there was a delay in calling the penalty. Anyway, to these old eyes it looked like a marginal call. I would be screaming if they called it against the Rangers.

• Scotty Hockey: Check and Mate

    The Los Angeles Kings are everything you want in a young team. They are hard working and unrelenting and they took advantage of a tired New York squad playing for the second night in a row to attack, attack, attack. Luckily for the Rangers, their top young goaltender didn't play and the warm body that did fill the crease was terrible, allowing the Blueshirts to escape from L.A. with a 3-2 overtime win.

Peeping the dailies