Keyboard Quarterbacks

By Mark La Monica

It appears another baseball season is on the verge of beginning. It appears the Yankees again rank among the favorites to win another World Series.

None of us in baseball land know for sure what will happen in the next six months of games, box scores, 15-day DL trips, tweaked hammies, strained rotator cuffs and beanings.

That's what makes it fun. And with George Steinbrenner itching for another World Series ring before he eventually passes his kingdom to son-in-law Steve Swindal, anything is possible for the 2006 Yankees.

I begin my 24th year as a viable Yankee fan, and by "viable" I mean, sure I could say I've been a Yankee fan my entire life, but the truth is I was 3 years old when the Yankees won the 1978 World Series and I have no working recollection of anything Yankee before 1983. (Sadly, I do recall the Gary Ward days, the Britt Burns trade fiasco and Ron Hassey being dealt to and from the Yankees and White Sox what seemed like every weekend.)

With that in mind, here are a few things I'd enjoy seeing from the 2006 Yankees as they chase ring No. 27:

- Some small ball. Wouldn't it be nice to see a hit-and-run or a sacrifice once in a while instead of relying on the big fly?

- A manufactured run. My dream scenario for the first inning on Opening Day: Johnny Damon walks to lead off. He steals second base. Derek Jeter bunts him over to third. Hideki Matsui (or whoever bats third) hits a sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead.

- A rookie in the rotation. Surely, a Yankee starter will get hurt and miss a few starts. Let's see the next Chien-Ming Wang come up and make a name for himself and NOT get traded. That would be grand.

- Complete games. The Yankees had eight last year, which somewhat surprisingly was 10th best in the majors and 5th best in the American League.

- 2-1 games. They really are a pleasure to view. Just think about it: You have to watch the Yankees hit AND pitch in the later innings, rather than diverting your attention when they're not at the plate.

- Bernie Williams. It would be grand to see the Yankee lifer excel in his new role as a part-time outfielder and part-time DH. For old times sake.

- Don Mattingly at the plate. It's a longshot, and by longshot I mean flat-out impossible. But who among us wouldn't quit their job and race to the ballpark if they found out No. 23 was in the order one night?

- Rebirth of a rival. Enough of this Yankees-Red Sox mayhem from the past three seasons. Remember when we despised the Orioles and Rangers?

- Roger Clemens in pinstripes. Won't happen, but when the opportunity to watch, in person, one of the five greatest pitchers of all time presents itself, you can only hope it happens.

- A whopping curveball from a lefty. Sadly, that probably won't happen until the weekend of May 12-14 when Oakland and Barry Zito visit the Stadium.

- The 314-foot home run. It really is wonderful to revel in a Yankee's clearing of the short porch in right field and twice as wonderful to complain about the short porch in right field when an opponent dinks one over the 314-foot sign.

- John Sterling. Well, at least on those few ocassions when you feel like you can deal with his theatrical style without wanting to jump in the bathtub with the radio still plugged in.

- Carl Pavano. Is he still employed?

- A-Rod on the field. He plays the heck out of third base these days.

- A-Rod off the field. How long until people start getting on him for no good reason?

- The Patton music. No matter your opinion on the FAN's Mike and the Mad Dog, you have to laugh when they play the music from the movie "Patton" in the background as they read a George Steinbrenner missive on the air. That's when you know the baseball season is in full swing.

By Mike Casey

At last! This is the year for the Mets. . .

Right?

Mets fans have been waiting since the late 90s for a team with this much good karma and talent to come together. On paper, and in the reckoning of most sports experts, the Mets are favored to end the Braves' 14-year reign of NL East titles. Naturally, many fans are bubbling over with excitement. Inexplicably, many more are approaching the year with apprehension.

Why the reluctance to embrace a team that for all the world seems a legitimate playoff contender? I'll attempt to explain.

First, you must understand that Mets fans are conditioned to losing. We are quasi-proud of our MLB record for most defeats in a season. We traded Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Jeff Kent. We had a potential dynasty fall apart in the mid-80s, a championship-caliber team flub its way to a World Series ouster in 2000, and more recently, a supposedly dominant lineup completely flop in 2002 (remember Mo, Robbie, and Jeromy Burnitz?) It's only natural that we feel the need to offset optimism with an equal or greater dose of negativity. And there is plenty of that to go around.

Think about this:

The Mets have an untradable can't-miss Japanese shortstop who did miss -- and is lost at second base.

We have a $119 million centerfielder who batted .266 last year and had only four times as many home runs (16) as sacrifice bunts (4).

We have a first-base slugger who didn't want to play for us a year ago, and created more unease with his political stance on "God Bless America."

We have a stud pitcher -- maybe the best in baseball -- who hopes he can make it through the season with the help of a special shoe. (Can you hear Forrest Gump? "Magic shoes!")

We have a pair of golden boys in the infield -- David Wright and Jose Reyes. One worries us with his inconsistent fielding. The other makes us cringe every time he slides feet first into second or third.

We're crossing our fingers with Anderson Hernandez. We're praying Tom Glavine has one good year left. We're hoping Jorge Julio isn't the bum Yankees and Orioles fans keep telling us he is. We're hoping Billy Wagner stays healthy. We're hoping Aaron Heilman doesn't ask to be traded (again). We're hoping Leo Mazzone doesn't turn Kris Benson into John Smoltz. And why in the name of Victor Zambrano did we trade Scott Kazmir?

You can see what's going on here. It's part panic, part neurosis, part fear, and part utter foolishness. But that's what it's like to be a Mets fan. To admit the possibility of success is only to guarantee failure. Which is why I will now drop the biggest jinx of all by declaring:

METS FANS, GET EXCITED! THIS TEAM WILL BE GOOD!

Thousands of orange and blue clad pennant-wavers just whacked their foreheads with their palms. I don't blame them. It's true the Mets to have a history of falling short of expectations. It's true there are concerns. But there are just as many reasons to be optimistic:

Pedro Martinez pitched much of last year in pain, and he still managed to finish with a 2.82 ERA and a 15-8 record. Beltran is better than he played last year, and this season he is going to prove it, by stealing bases, scoring runs, and slapping doubles and home runs. Delgado is the ideal replacement for Mike Piazza in the cleanup spot. Jose Reyes will walk more. David Wright will prove he's the best offensive third baseman in baseball not earning $25 million.

Willie Randolph, a full year into his managerial job, will make smarter decisions and continue to be among the best skippers at engineering the multiple personalities in his clubhouse into a unit with a common goal. Omar Minaya will add a solid contributor or two -- and people will finally stop talking about the Mets' bias towards 'Latin' players.

Concerned about the starting rotation depth? Well, remember to take into account the possibility of Aaron Heilman joining the starters in mid-season, or the possibility that Victor Zambrano -- gasp! -- could actually have a decent year. Xavier Nady and Victor Diaz provide pop in right field, and Anderson Hernandez, Brian Bannister, Mike Pelfrey and Lastings Milledge give hope for the future.

Feeling better now? . . . I know, I know.

Take a deep breath.

The Mets haven't won a World Series in 20 years, and they haven't had a team this good in at least that long. This is the year they begin their rise to a lengthy perch alongside the upper-echelon teams in baseball, including the Mighty Yankees.

Please don't hate me later for saying "I told you so."

By Mark La Monica

Just in case you haven't looked at your calendar in recent days, the Major League Baseball season is inching closing by the keystroke.

So dust off your hat and lather up your glove with some shaving cream. There's nothing worse than rough leather in April.

Stretch out that rotator cuff and pray those Franklin batting gloves haven't turned completely decrepit in the offseason.

Then hope to your chosen deity that last year's three-quarter-sleeve shirt and jersey still fit.

The only things missing now are some box scores and the pitching comparisons. But, rest assured, they're on their way.

By Mark La Monica

I've been reveling in Duke's ousting from the NCAA Tournament since before the crying J.J. Redick photos hit the wires and Web sites. Can't help it. It's a rite of passage for all North Carolina fans.

When the Tar Heels don't win the championship, the next best thing is making sure Duke doesn't either.

I've also been reveling in Gonzaga's ousting from the NCAA Tournament ever since Adam Morrison started crying in his Levittown middle school mustache with 2.6 seconds left against UCLA.

The Zags became America's team several years ago when they were considered a bunch of Cinderellas for making a deep run into the tournament. They did it the following year, too. Their coach, Mark Few, loved to yap about how his team got no respect from anyone.

And now that Gonzaga has earned some people's respect by sustaining its program a few more years, the Zags can't win anymore in the tournament.

Morrison crying on the court with a few seconds left and his team still having a chance to tie or win the game epitomizes our revelry in their misfortune.

You just can't give up like that when there's still a chance to win. This is March Madness, a time made for buzzer-beaters and dramatic victories. Just ask Texas and Northwestern State. Better yet, ask West Virginia and Iowa, the teams that lost to Texas and Northwestern State, respectively, on buzzer-beaters.

Morrison became Cougar from "Top Gun." He lost it. He held on too tight. He turned in his wings as Gonzaga, which led by nine with 3:45 left and by seven with just over two minutes left, collapsed.

By Mark La Monica

In regard to this Alfonso Soriano situation, take a look at this brilliant quote from Washington Nationals GM Jim Bowden in Tuesday's Washington Post:

". . . We're in a position for this ballclub that if we can't make a trade that makes sense, we're not going to give him away."

That's an interesting take on the situation there, Mr. Bowden. When you said "a trade that makes sense," did you mean trading away one of your most popular and rather productive players for an elite second baseman when you already have an All-Star second baseman and then thinking the elite second baseman you just traded for will move to the outfield because you want him to even though he has refused to make such a switch when he was with two other teams?

Is that what you meant?

Let me ask another question: What did you expect? You traded for Soriano when you already had Jose Vidro on your team. Granted, Vidro missed much of last season with a right knee injury. If you were so worried about that knee, you shouldn't have traded for a $10 million second baseman who has continually fought a move to the outfield before coming to the Nationals.

This issue should have been resolved at the time of the trade. When the Yankees traded Soriano to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez in 2004, they made sure A-Rod understood he would be playing third base and third base only. And this is Alex Rodriguez, the best all-around talent in the game. Sure, he may be more agreeable to a change than Soriano, but the Yankees left no doubt.

Bowden said he would put Soriano in Wednesday's lineup as an outfielder. If Soriano refuses to play again, Bowden said he would place Soriano on the disqualified list, which I don't think any baseball fan knew even existed.

Soriano has great power and great stubborness. Bowden has great power, albeit of a different variety, and great stubborness. This is shaping up for an epic battle the likes of which we haven't seen since Lincoln Hawk faced off against Bull in "Over The Top."

If you happen to come across any current photos of Soriano with his hat turned around, guess who the new starting second baseman for the Nationals is.

By Mark La Monica

Tennessee's Sidney Spencer grabbed the defensive rebound and threw the ball across midcourt. Candace Parker ran onto the pass and then took off.

I know enough about life to realize that there was a better-than-good chance that I was about to witness something my previous 30 years, 6 months and 28 days on this planet never produced.

With each stride Parker took, I moved closer to the edge of my couch. She's at the top of the key. I'm nearly off the couch. Now she's at the foul line. Now I'm standing.

Parker is airborne. Above the rim. Slam!

Parker, a 6-4 redshirt freshman for the Lady Vols, just threw down the first dunk in NCAA women's tournament history.

With all due props to Dominique Wilkins' tomahawks and double-pump windmills, Michael Jordan's "Kiss the rim," Vince Carter's reverse 360s and Dee Brown's no-look, this was the coolest dunk ever.

"I was buzzing," Tennessee guard Shanna Zolman said, "and I was on the bench."

And she did it in smooth fashion with one fluid movement. The ball in her right hand the entire way, Parker never broke stride. Once she caught the pass just over midcourt, the decision was already made.

"It's a relief to finally do it and get it over with and be done with it," said Parker, who's been hounded with "When you gonna dunk?" questions from fans since she arrived in Knoxville two seasons ago.

When a player gets dunked on, they called it getting "posterized." What do we call this, postering?

Parker's dunk will become a poster. It will hang on the bedroom walls of many a Tennessee fan. It will hang on the bedroom walls of little girls the way John Starks' "The Dunk" poster from the 1993 playoffs against Chicago hung on the walls of all Knicks fans and short guys who wanted to feel tall.

Parker won the McDonald's High School Slam Dunk Contest in 2004 against the guys. She's the only person in history to be named national high school player of the year by USA Today twice. She's been called SheBron.

With that one dunk, Parker made people notice. Made people realize that women can ball, too. Made the average sports fan not living in Knoxville or Storrs talk about women's basketball in non-derisive tones.

Parker is the next evolution of former UConn stud Diana Taurasi. Parker will change the way the game is played in her four years of Tennessee, assuming she doesn't decide to challenge the WNBA rules which prevent a player from leaving school early for the draft. Not that she should even consider that. The way sports works now, she'd get much more attention in college than in the WNBA. But still, she's that good.

Not content with just one dunk that energized No. 2 Tennessee and triggered a 24-2 run against No. 15 Army in the first round of March Madess, Parker did it again in the second half. This one came from the baseline on a give-and-go with Nikki Anosike.

The baseline? The baseline!

Wait a second. Am I trying to tell you that a woman dunked out of a half-court set, from a designed play, without having to run the length of the court to pick up enough speed to elevate above the rim?

Yes! I am telling you that a woman dunked out of a half-court set, from a designed play, without having to run the length of the court to pick up enough speed to elevate above the rim!

With all due props to first-half Candace Parker, second-half Candace Parker now owns the coolest dunk ever.

When do we get to see the windmill?

By Mark La Monica

Time for some logic games, folks. Find the common denominator in this series of things: one roaring newsrooom, numerous televisions, the month of March.

Correct! There's a huge college basketball upset in the making.

Screams came from several directions Friday night as No. 16 Albany took a 12-point lead against No. 1 UConn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Surely this wouldn't continue. A 16-seed has never beaten a 1-seed in tournament history. The likelihood of such an occurrence is equivalent to Vince Vaughn playing a lead role in a serious drama. Remotely possible, not quite believable.

But what if? What if the Great Danes could be great the entire night and send the Huskies back to Storrs for public damnation by the ravenous fans in search of coach Jim Calhoun's blood?

It simply could not occur. It would come close to outranking "I can't believe Jessica Alba said yes!" on the all-time What If? list.

History gives us an account of what happened in the past. Where would we be if people didn't write down what happened? Would we have a national anthem if Francis Scott Key didn't write the words to "The Star Spangled Banner" while watching the Americans defend the city of Baltimore against British attack during the War of 1812?

So it's time for the "There's no way this can happen but if it does and I don't chronicle it, what kind of man am I?" diary.

We pick it up at 8:56 p.m. EST as Albany clings to a 50-43 lead (down from 50-38) with nine minutes remaining:

8:56 p.m. -- Marcus Williams hits a layup. Albany up, 50-45. Hey, where did that 12-point lead go?

8:57 -- Commercial break. Get notepad. Keep diary. What if . . .?

8:58 -- Someone get UConn fan Dutton on the phone. Let the taunting begin!

8:59 -- Sure, now that I'm keep a running diary, Albany decides to stink up the arena. Oh well, one more reason to hate the state capital.

8:59.30 -- Yay! Albany hits a basket for the 52-45 lead. The Great Danes are back.

9:00 -- UConn's Denham Brown bangs a three with eight minutes left. UConn trails 52-48. I might as well put my pen down and go back to work. UConn has this game wrapped up. They might even still cover the 22-point spread

9:01 -- 52-50, UConn trails. Seven minutes left. Timeout Albany. Time to hope for a scoreboard malfunction because that's the only chance Albany has now.

9:02 -- Let's get UConn fan Dutton on the phone anyway. Advised by editors that there is still too much time. No jinxing allowed.

9:03 -- An Albany airball. Openly, I mock the shooter's fourth-grade shooting ability. How dare he deny America a great moment with his keen ineptitude. Secretly, I'm happy because I picked UConn to beat Duke in the final. Losing a Final Four team in the first round is sustainable. Losing your national champion in the first round renders your bracket less significant than Nicole Richie.

9:04 -- Still 52-50. Just over six minutes left to play.

9:06 -- Get Flash friend Barbara on the phone. Time to re-organize the night's project.

9:07 -- Brown hits a pair of free throws to tie it at 52 with 6:22 left. And to think, I could have been in Vegas this weekend watching this game poolside at Mandalay Bay if I had any disposable income. This stinks. But at least Restaurant friend Rob, a UConn fan, is likely yelling at the big screen out there for me.

9:08 -- Williams drains a three. UConn leads, 55-52. Go home now, Albany. Seriously, take your sneakers off and leave them in Philadelphia.

9:08.30 -- Hey, Albany remembered that putting the ball through the orange cylinder is an effective strategy. 55-54 UConn.

9:09 -- Hilton Armstrong hits a jumper and free throw. 58-54 UConn, 4:56 left. If the dream is going to die, at least it was killed by a guy with a cool name.

9:10 -- My phone rings. Are they kidding me? I answered it. What the heck is wrong with me?

9:11 -- Williams bangs another three. 61-55, 4:19 left.

9:12 -- The brain begins calculating how many people's brackets would get Gary Busey'd by a UConn upset. Quick estimate: 4.2 million.

9:13 -- Restaurant friend Rob must be going crazy right now. UConn fan Dutton must be nervously watching and praying I don't call him.

9:14 -- Howard Stern is right. Screw Les Moonves! How can CBS switch to the N.C. State-Cal game tied at 52 with 1:06 left. We have potential history in the making here and they switch? If I could cancel CBS, I would. UConn leads by six with 3:55 left. It's possible Albany could come back. OK, it's not possible, but still, don't switch games.

9:15 -- My dinner arrived. Consuming food right now is about as intelligent as taping the NFL Pro Bowl.

9:15.30 -- CBS goes back to the UConn game. If I have to hear a Greg Gumbel cutaway one more time before the UConn game ends, there is going to be a misunderstanding between me and the television set 16 inches in front of my face.

9:16 -- Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Get N.C. State off my screen! For the love of Pete! It's a 10-seed against a 7-seed. 10-seeds win games every year. It's not an upset. Get a clue!

9:16.30 -- Great job, CBS. Let's cut away from the UConn game so we can see a timeout at N.C. State. Brilliant programming. What's next, bringing back "The Magic Hour"?

9:17 -- UConn leads, 66-57 after an Albany floater in the lane. 2:27 left.

9:17.30 -- Hey CBS, ever hear of the split screen?

9:20 -- OK, great, N.C. State leads 57-52 with 5.5 seconds left. Get it of my friggin TV now!!!!

9:20.02 -- Guess CBS hasn't heard of the split screen.

9:21 -- The UConn game is back on the screen. It appears UConn leads 68-57 with 45.7 seconds left. I don't know how it happened.

9:22 -- 70-59 UConn, 39.7 seconds left. Game over. Dream dead. Back to work.

By Mark La Monica

Back in the day when responsibilities didn't interfere with life's great joys, DJ friend Blasmaster Scurvy Scurv and I would congregate at a designated location on the first day of March Madness with one thing in hand: the brackets!

He was guaranteed to have at least two brackets, with one of them having Kentucky winning the NCAA championship. I was guaranteed to bring at least three brackets, with one of them having North Carolina triumphing over those punks from Duke on that glorious first Monday night in April.

We wanted to be covered just in case our college basketball dreams came true that year. But, of course, money and pride were on the line, so multiple brackets were necessary.

Classes on this day - the second best sports day of the year - were simply not an option. Sorry, but there's simply no way a communication theory class is more important than the first day of March Madness.

Classes on the next day - also the second best sports day of the year - were simply not an option either. Sorry, but there's simply no way a business writing class is more important than the second day of March Madness.

What would we learn in 55 minutes that was more enlightening than that first time CBS goes to the four-game screen where we can everything and nothing at the same time? I mean, seriously.

There is only one sports day each year that is better than the start of March Madness. And I'll reveal the No. 1 spot on The Best Sports Days of the Year list when the calendar says it's time.

For now, let's revel in the beauty of watching 12 hours of basketball and stressing over how that 13-seed upsetting the 4-seed is great for us in two office pools, terrible for us in those four other online pools and of no consequence in our "practice" pool.

For now, let's soak in the majesty of underdogs runnin' with the big dogs for the first 36 minutes of the game and making us root for teams with three geographic directionals in their school's name.

For now, let's dance the perfect bracket dance as we cruise through the first set of games with eyes on 16-for-16 for the day.

For now, let's eat up those daytime minutes calling friends and discussing the latest mix of "Did you just see that?" and "How many brackets did you have that on" and "Your team stinks!"

Put homework or job stuff on hold. That term paper will still be there for you to write well after the first wave of games ends. And when Lumbergh strolls over to your desk and inquires about that TPS report, look him straight in the eye and ask them, "How's your bracket?"

For the love of Pete, this is the second best sports day of the year. Celebrate.

By Mark La Monica

Sure, 20 questions in need of answering is more  marketable, but I've got brackets on the brain, so eight is enough for now.

Basically, I'm having some internal issues with a few things in sports of late and I can't quite come up with the proper way to deal with them. Thus, it's your turn to play psychologist and help restore order to the sporting world by addressing these eight questions.

Use the comments link at the bottom of this blog entry to share your thoughts on these questions.

1) Is anyone worse at explaining himself consistently and intelligently than Selection committee chairman Craig Littlepage?

2) If Mike Tannenbaum's job as the assistant general manager of the Jets was to manage the salary cap and his biggest problem since becoming the GM is trimming payroll by more than $26 million to get under the cap, exactly how much hope can Jets fans have?

3) How weird is it to see Derek Jeter wear a non-Yankee uniform?

4) How much weirder is it to see Bernie Williams wearing bright red helmet in the batter's box?

5) Did Edgerrin James leave the Colts for the Arizona friggin'  Cardinals to avoid answering the inevitable "How do you rebound from last year" questions?

6) How many more nights do we have to endure seeing or hearing about the Knicks this season?

7) How exactly did George Mason make the NCAA Tournament over Hofstra?

8) Did Duke get the easiest road to the Final Four or does it just seem that way?

By Mark La Monica

It’s a few minutes after 3 p.m. and the SEC and ACC champions have just been crowned.

It’s a few minutes after 5 p.m. and the Big 12 champion just secured a place in March Madness.

It’s a few more minutes after 5 p.m. now and the Big 10 champion is headed to the Big Dance.

But in which bracket? What seed? Who’s their first-round opponent?

Syracuse lit up the Big East and played its way directly into the NCAA Tournament this week. But how high a seed with the Orange receive on Sunday after being considered a bubble team on Wednesday.

C’mon CBS, I need to see the No. 1 seeds. Hurry. Now! Forget the commercials. No more bracketology speculation. They’re all useless filler. I need brackets! I need teams in those brackets!

Wait, it’s 6 p.m. and here comes Greg Gumbel on CBS.  Yes, they are finally here. My No. 1 seeds. My bracket. Madness has officially started!

And here come the 5-seeds flying onto the screen. Which one looks prime to lose to a 12-seed in the first round as happens every year?

Ooooh, there's the CBS camera in the room of  a bubble team. Hooray, that team made it. Elation all around.

Uh oh, there's the CBS camera in the room of  a bubble team. That team didn't make it. Dejection all around. Ouch. Sorry, fellas, but hey, you might get a home game in the NIT.

Any sleepers out there? Did anyone from the Big East not make it? How will the NCAA selection committee stack the deck for Duke?

For these reasons, and about 438 others, Selection Sunday ranks fifth on the list of best sports day of the year.

Selection Sunday sets up how a sports fan handles the next three weeks of the year. That’s the kind of power we’re talking about here. It’s amazing – and scary – how a piece of paper with a bunch of lines all leading to one final line in the middle can uproot a nation. So many people, so many brackets.

Handing in the answer key to your office pool administrator is the goal of every bracket filler-outter. Everyone thinks their Final Four is the Final Four. Everyone usually isn’t right. That’s why we have trial and error.

No self-respecting sports fan fills out just one bracket. It’s un-American. It's like washing your car in the rain and buying a Gulp from 7-Eleven.  It makes no sense and everyone who sees it will mock you endlessly.

In the month of March, I can set aside my traditional greeting of “What’s up, guy?” to people and replace it with “How’s your bracket?” or “Who’s your Final Four?” or “Which 1-seed do you have losing early?” Try saying that to your boss instead of “Hello” one morning in July or November and you’ll go one of two places: A state-sponsored shrink in a padded room or HR for an exit interview.

But March Madness is called March Madness for a reason. Schools such as Valparaiso and Bucknell and Vermont and Delaware State and FDU can give the big dogs of college hoops a run for their money on national television. In some cases, they can win. No one remembers how far No. 14 Valpo went in 1998, but everyone remembers Bryce Drew’s three-pointer to beat No. 3 Ole Miss in the first round.

That “One Shining Moment” begins on Selection Sunday, the fifth best sports day of the year.

By James J. Parziale

The NCAA's version of the electoral college will congregate on Sunday to anoint the remainder of teams to the NCAA Tournament field of 65.

For some, Bloody Sunday will end their seasons.

Others will rejoice as their bubbles float on to the Big Dance. The rest will scoot over to the consolation bracket, a.k.a the NIT.

For the Hofstra men's basketball team, which played and lost its only game of the NIT last season, running with the varsity is the only option.

"I feel like we can compete against any team out there,” junior guard Loren Stokes said. "The NCAA would be the big accomplishment.”

Translation: NIT stands for Not Interested, Thanks.

Living life on the bubble, as Hofstra has done all season, can make head coach Tom Pecora's hair start to turn gray. But it pales with the alternative.

Pecora inherited a team which came off back-to-back NCAA appearances in 1999 and 2000 as Don of the America East under Jay Wright. But when  Speedy Claxton packed his bags for the NBA and the Pride stepped up in weight class by joining the Colonial Athletic Association, the program dropped off the national radar. If a tree feel near the  Hofstra Arena, no one cared to hear it.

That's what makes the program's rapid ascent to bubble-team status so remarkable. No one in Hofstra's inner-circles will brush off the NIT, but players and coaches expect more.

After going 8-21 two seasons ago, the Pride won 24 of 30 games this season and is world beaters in its bulding.  Hofstra's 20-game home winning streak is second in the nation to only Gonzaga. Also, Hofstra is the only team in the nation to have five players score 25 points at least once.

With an RPI in the high 20s or low 30s depending on the source, the Pride has made waves in the CAA, a conference accostumed to southern dominance (five of the 12 teams reside in Virginia). One of those teams, George Mason, which was ranked No. 25 in the nation before falling at Hofstra on Feb. 25, was supposed to romp through the CAA tournament.

But instead of cutting down nets, GMU is cutting its losses after the Pride beat the Patriots in the semifinals. Two wins in 11 days against a team which some say is still a lock to go dancing should score some brownie points with the selection committee.

Though Hofstra lost to UNC-Wilmington in its first appearance in a CAA title game, the Pride rose from the grave and was within a three-pointer of  knotting the score after being down by 23 points.

"We had a fine season even though it ended on a short note,” said sophomore guard Antoine Agudio, who scored 34 points against Virginia Commonwealth in the CAA quarterfinals. "We should have beaten [UNC-Wilmington].”

It's common knowledge the Pride will be making its seventh appearance in a postseason tournament. But Hofstra  fits the archtype for a Cindarella team in the NCAA Tournament. In all likelihood the Pride's bubble will at some point burst, but  it should happen while Dancin'.

Video: Hofstra on the bubble

By Mike Casey

It's the most wonderful time of the year. No really, it is. For a serious hockey fan, there are few more exciting days than the NHL trade deadline. The craziness has died down now that the deadline is a few hours old. Here's our analysis of today's trades:

9:11 p.m. -- Some final thoughts

Whew! Never thought I'd make it through the day. I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog as much as I did writing it. I hope I provided everyone with good information that enhanced their excitement and distilled some of the big issues without grazing over the small.

We covered 25 trades, a new NHL trade deadline record. So much for those who said the salary cap was going to put a pinch on deadline moves. There was more than enough activity to keep me busy, and more than enough to keep every hockey fan talking about these moves for the next weeks. The playoffs start in six weeks. I can't wait.

Thanks again for reading,

Mike Casey

8:59 p.m. -- McAmmond info

No new info on why a trade that would have sent Dean McAmmond to Edmonton was rejected.  TSN.ca says the league voided it based on "a technicality," whatever that means. McAmmond is a borderline third/fourth liner, so it's not like this was a huge deal for the Oilers anyway.

8:56 p.m. -- Wiemer to Devils

The trade: NEW JERSEY acquires C Jason Wiemer. CALGARY acquires a conditional 2006 fourth-round draft pick.

Finally, we come to the last deal of the day. The Devils lack something without Turner Stevenson in their lineup. Grant Marshall has tried to fill that role, but he isn't quite the same player Stevenson used to be. Wiemer might be the man to do it.

The former Islander is a stand-up guy, well-respected because he sticks up for his teammates and plays a hard-nosed game. He's a character guy who will help the Devils if they get lucky and make a long playoff run.

Wiemer had been marginalized in Calgary by a scrappy mix of players like Shean Donovan, Darren McCarty, Chris Simon, Matt Lombardi and Mike LeClerc, against whom he was competing for ice time. He should have a more clearly-defined role on the Devils.

The condition on the draft pick is pretty simple. Calgary will get a fourth-round pick in this year's draft, either from New Jersey or Vancouver (previously acquired by N.J.) . The Flames will get what ends up being the worse of the two picks.

8:45 p.m. -- Penguins trade Jackman to Fla.

The trade: FLORIDA acquires D Ric Jackman. PITTSBURGH acquires C Petr Taticek.

Jackman, a former 5th overall pick in 1997, is off to his fifth team in six years. At the end of the 2003-04 season, Jackman scored 24 points in 25 games for Pittsburgh and looked ready to finally live up to his potential.

But he's relapsed this season, scoring 27 points in 48 games while getting benched for poor defensive play. Penguins coach Michel Therrien grew tired of Jackman's mistakes, greasing the skids for his departure. Florida head coach Jacques Martin, a defensive specialist, will try to get him turned around.

Taticek, 22, was the ninth overall pick in the 2003 draft but has been a disappointment so far. This is another one of those change-of-scenery deals for prospects. Look for Taticek's name in the box score and see how he does with increased ice time in Pittsburgh.

8:36 p.m. -- Coyotes, Kings swap prospects

The trade: PHOENIX acquires C Yanick Lehoux. LOS ANGELES acquires LW Tim Jackman.

A couple of underachieving prospects get a change of scenery. Lehoux is a former third-rounder, Jackman a former second-rounder. Neither has had much of an impact in the NHL. This deal does not affect the playoff race, so I've probably said all I need to say about it.

8:29 p.m. -- Canucks get another d-man: Weinrich

The trade: VANCOUVER acquires D Eric Weinrich. ST. LOUIS acquires D Tomas Mojzis and a 2006 third-round draft pick.

This is what I get for criticizing the Sean Brown trade. Dave Nonis must have heard me bashing him from across the continent and decided he needed to do something a little more exciting for his defense. So he brought in two more guys; first Keith Carney from Anaheim and then St. Louis veteran Eric Weinrich.

Injuries to the Canucks' Ed Jovanovski, Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo have weakened their blueline, so picking up a few veterans should help them fight off challenges in what could be a good Western Conference race. The Canucks (35-23-5) are in the seventh place in the West, two points ahead of Edmonton, which also upgraded significantly at the deadline, and five ahead of ninth-place Anaheim.

Weinrich, 39, is still an adequate puck-moving defenseman with 81 games of playoff experience on his resumè. He is a calm, under-control player, but he can no longer make an impact as a top- defenseman. He'll help out some on the power play and penalty kill, but probably won't play more than 15 minutes a night.

The Blues (18-32-10) have the second-worst record in the league and will miss the playoffs for the first time in 27 years this season. Weinrich leaves a defense that actually has a few good young players on it, including former Islander Eric Brewer,  former Calder Trophy winner Barrett Jackman, and the promising Christian Backman. Tomas Mojzis, who they picked up in addition to a third-round draft pick, is not a high-end prospect. Still, St. Louis will cope just fine without Weinrich, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer and may be headed towards retirement anyway.

8:05 p.m. -- Jamie Lundmark to Calgary

The trade: CALGARY acquires C Jamie Lundmark. PHOENIX acquires a 2006 fourth-round draft pick.

Most Rangers fans probably won't remember that Lundmark was actually on their opening night roster and scored against Philadelphia in the first game of the season. It wasn't too long ago that Lundmark and Pavel Brendl were considered the cornerstones of the next great Rangers team. How quickly those expectations faded.

Lundmark was probably damaged by all the years in the Rangers' dysfunctional system, sitting on the bench for 52 or 55 minutes a game. He also reportedly has some attitude problems that hurried his departure from New York. In Phoenix, playing for Wayne Gretzky, he was starting to find a bit of niche. He had five goals and 13 assists in 38 games, including three points in his last four games before being traded.

It's unlikely he can provide Calgary with that kind of offense down the stretch, but he may at least get some playoff experience, which will aid his maturation process. He's already 25 years old, but he still feels like a highly untested player. Let's see if he can do anything to help Calgary in the playoffs. I'm a little surprised Phoenix didn't stick with him. Perhaps it's because he's a restricted free agent after this season. Perhaps his attitude problem was flaring up again. If that's the case, watch Darryl Sutter whip him into shape.

7:55 p.m. -- Minnesota gets Skoula for Mitchell

The trade: DALLAS acquires D Willie Mitchell and a 2007 second-round draft pick. MINNESOTA acquires D Martin Skoula and D Shawn Belle.

This is a juicy little maneuver. Minnesota becomes the fourth team in three years that will try to squeeze more out of Skoula, who has never quite lived up to expectations after an auspicious start to his career with Colorado. The 26-year-old defenseman has 15 points in 61 games this year. He'll help Minnesota attack and their power play.

Mitchell is one of the better stay-at-home defenders in the league. He led Minnesota with a plus-15 this year. It's not easy to accumulate a rating like that when your team has only scored 19 more goals than it has allowed. In terms of polish and playoff-readiness, Mitchell clearly the better player changing hands here. With Sergei Zubov, Janne Niinimaa, and Phillipe Boucher, the Stars had plenty of guys who could move the puck and quarterback the power play anyway. Their penalty kill is in the middle of pack, and Mitchell can undoubtedly help there.

Did we mention the Stars also get a second-round pick? That's because they gave up former first-round pick Shawn Belle, who was slow to develop in the AHL this year.

This is another example of a deal that should help both teams improve. Minnesota gets a little more talent for the future, Dallas gets a little more grit for the playoffs.

7:37 p.m. -- Jim Dowd to the Avs

The trade: COLORADO acquires C Jim Dowd. CHICAGO acquires a 2006 fourth-round draft pick.

Another player shipped out in the Chicago firesale.

Colorado's penalty kill just got a little stronger. Dowd is a quality third- or fourth-line center with a reputation as a face-off and shorthanded specialist. He's won 51.6 percent of his draws this year, which puts him in the top 35 in the league. He's hard-working guy who will improve the Avs' penalty kill, already ranked 7th best in the league. Colorado is just looking to plug gaps in the lower half of their forward group with this deal.

Dowd's skills are wasted on the Blackhawks, who have the third-worst record in the league. Getting a fourth-round pick for him is a decent job by Dave Tallon. Pretty fair deal from both sides.

7:26 p.m. -- Philly picks up Dimitrakos from Sharks

The trade: PHILADELPHIA acquires RW Niko Dimitrakos. SAN JOSE acquires a 2006 third-round draft pick.

Niko Dimitrakos made his name (and what a name it is) during the 2004 playoffs when he tallied a goal and eight assists in 15 games for San Jose. He has a reputation of being sort of a hot and cold player. Sounds like Bobby Clarke is betting he'll got hot again come playoff time.

It'll cost him a third-round pick to find out. Dimitrakos, 26, has gotten in some trouble with Sharks coaches in the past for taking shifts off, which may be why they were looking to move him. Our guess is he'll either become a key part of the Flyers' lineup, or he'll end up riding the bench all playoffs and getting shuffled along to another team in the offseason.

7:17 p.m. -- Canucks jettison McCarthy

The trade: ATLANTA acquires D Steve McCarthy. VANCOUVER acquires a 2007 fourth-round draft pick.

McCarthy, 25, isn't much of a prospect. Touted as an offensive defenseman, he has only 22 career points in 187 games. He'll be a restricted free agent this summer.

This move was made so Vancouver could clear roster and cap space for the three defensemen they acquired today (Keith Carney, Sean Brown, Eric Weinrich.) Moving on...

7:09 p.m. -- Ottawa gets Arnason for Bochenski

The trade: CHICAGO acquires RW Brandon Bochenski and a 2006 second-round draft pick. OTTAWA acquires C Tyler Arnason.

Good trade for Ottawa. Arnason has been flying under the radar on a dull Chicago team for a couple of years now. He has 41 points in 60 games and he should blend in to Ottawa's run-and-gun style. He turns 27 in a week.

Ottawa knows this could be its last shot at a Cup with this group, with Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara due to hit the market this summer and Dominik Hasek probably in his last season. They had to give up Bochenski, who looked good earlier in the year, but he wasn't going to help them much in April, May and June.

The Senators couldn't land the superstar center they wanted, but they at least got some help. Chicago will be glad they don't have to re-sign Arnason when he becomes a restricted free agent in July.

7:00 p.m. -- Samsonov goes to Oilers for Reasoner

The trade: EDMONTON acquires LW Sergei Samsonov; BOSTON acquires C Marty Reasoner, C Yan Stastny and a 2006 second-round draft pick.

A couple of hours ago I was filling in good friend and fellow hockey fan Kevin about today's deadline moves. "Any big names change hands? he asked.

I had to think for a second. "Ummm.... Yeah, uh, Samsonov went to Edmonton."

"Really?" he said. Funny, that wasn't much different from my reaction when I first heard about the deal.

How unusual is it to see Edmonton adding players at the trade deadline? I could list all the guys they've dealt away in past years, but my fingers would get cramped and then you'd all have to scour the web for this valuable trade info yourselves.

Samsonov by nature is a risky acquisition. He's an unrestricted free agent this summer, so he's only a rental for the regular season and the playoffs. He's small and prone to injuries. But there's no question that when he's healthy, he's one of the NHL's most exciting players. If Edmonton can keep him on the ice, they've made a terrific deal.

Reasoner is a good third-line center, but Yan Stastny, son of NHL great Peter, is not a big-time prospect. The Bruins knew they weren't making the playoffs this year, so they dumped Samsonov while they could. Getting a second-round draft pick in return will help them rebuild. I'm a little surprised their asking price wasn't a bit higher. Maybe they were just fed up with his innumerable ailments.

6:42 p.m. -- Wings acquire Cross

The trade: DETROIT acquires D Cory Cross. PITTSBURGH acquires a 2007 fourth-round draft pick.

Cory Cross'll make ya JUMP! JUMP! Sorry -- some things are so irresitibly corny in life, you have to share them with the world.

Actually no one should really be jumping up and down over this deal. Cross is the antithesis of flashy. He's a sound, stay-at-home veteran. I was a little down on Cross in some of my assessments yesterday, but I like the move on Detroit's part for one big reason.

Look at their defense. On the one hand you've got Nicklas Lidstrom, Mathieu Schneider and Chris Chelios. All battle-hardened warriors who have won playoff games and Stanley Cups. On the other side, you've got Nicklas Kronwall, Brett Lebda, Jason Woolley, and Andreas Lilja. Cross could be a stabilizing influence for the Wings, and he's played enough hockey to understand what must be done to win in the playoffs.

The Penguins certainly won't weep for losing Cross. They only picked him up in a trade six weeks ago, and he's due to be an unrestricted free agent anyway. They're probably just satisfied to get a mid-round draft pick for him.

6:13 p.m. -- Ozolinsh to Rangers analysis

The trade: RANGERS acquire D Sandis Ozolinsh. ANAHEIM acquires a 2006 third-round draft pick.

Wanted to get back to this one because of its local significance. It's hard not to like this trade if you are a Rangers fan. What the Rangers essentially did was trade Ville Nieminen for a third-round pick, and then use that pick to pick up Ozolinsh. Ville Nieminen for Sandis Ozolinsh? Skill-wise, there's no comparison.

Chris T. the Rangers fan expressed some concern over Ozolinsh's recent stint in the NHL's substance abuse program, but a couple of sources have assured me that that is no longer an issue. An even better source, Rangers coach Tom Renney, just told Michael Kay on ESPN Radio that the team has "done its research" and is "completely satisfied" that  Ozolinsh's personal life was in order. The more pressing concern to Rangers fans is his whether Ozolinsh's superior offensive skills can make everyone forget that he is a miserable defensive player.

Either way, for the price (Ozolinsh's contract is $2.75 million, about $2 million more than Nieminen's), this was a deal the Rangers had to make. Their power play is ranked 17th in the NHL, and they've been playing musical chairs on the point all season. Ozolinsh bumps their special teams up another notch.

The deal also gives the Rangers the freedom to rest sixth defenseman Jason Strudwick once in a while after Marek Malik recovers from his shoulder injury. Strudwick's play has tailed off of late, likely due to fatigue. He's never played more than 65 games in a season, and that was seven years ago. He's already played 48 this year.

From the Anaheim side of things, I'm a little confused. They picked up Jeff Friesen and Sean O'Donnell, but dumped Keith Carney and Sandis Ozolinsh. The deals only saved them about $700,000 in salary. The Ducks are right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff rush, yet in my opinion, they downgraded their talent.

To me, the Ozolinsh move smacks of a team that has run out of patience with him. That the Ducks would pawn off a player of Ozolinsh's ability for such a relatively cheap price tells you they were happy just to get his contract off the ledger and his body out of the dressing room. You wonder how Ozolinsh's offense-first style and personality will mesh with the new-look, blue-collar Blueshirts. It'll be a good story to follow during the final weeks of the seaon.

5:37 p.m. -- Nashville finally gets Witt it

The trade: NASHVILLE acquires D Brendan Witt. WASHINGTON acquires a 2006 first-round pick and C Kris Beech.

At last, we can report that Brendan Witt is a Nashville Predator. The Preds already have a pretty skilled group of defenders (Kimmo Timonen, Marek Zidlicky, Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter). Witt provides a little balance to their 'D.'

Nashville currently sits fourth in the Western Conference standings, and the Preds believe they have a shot to make some noise in the playoffs. Witt gives that notion some credibility. His physical play and nasty on-ice attitude will make life uncomfortable for Western Conference power forwards in front of the net.

Washington continued its free agent sell-off, getting a nice yield in a first-round pick. It'll probably be a pick in the 20-24 range, where many top prospects could still be available. The Caps also re-acquired Kris Beech, who GM George McPhee selected seventh overall in the 1999 draft. Beech, 25, was traded to Pittsburgh in the 2001 deal that sent Jaromir Jagr to Washington, but never panned out with the Pens and is a project at this point in his career.

5:26 p.m. -- Wings dump Rivers

PHOENIX acquires D Jamie Rivers. DETROIT acquires a 2006 seventh-round draft pick.

This will probably go down as the least significant trade of the day. Detroit cleared out the nominal $450,000 salary of Rivers (imagine that, me calling a $450,000 salary "nominal) and Phoenix got a "thank you" in the form of a late-round draft pick. This move gave the Wings the wiggle room they needed later to pick up Cory Cross from Pittsburgh. Rivers has played just 15 games this season and will probably just be a place-holder on Phoenix.

5:19 p.m. -- We're back

Ok so 35 minutes became an hour, big deal. The most interesting thing that happened while I was away was that the NHL has apparently rejected a traded that would have sent Dean McAmmond from St. Louis to Edmonton. Don't know if that was salary cap-related, or if they just missed the deadline. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

Time to recap some more trades. Get ready for some fun.

4:12 p.m. -- Heading home... More deals:

Time to wrap it up at work. I'm on my way home. When I get there (ETA: 35 minutes) I'll continue updating with greater regularity. In the meantime, here are some more deals to ponder: Vancouver gets Eric Weinrich. Calgary gets former Rangers prospect Jamie Lundmark. Dallas gets Willie Mitchell from Minnesota for Martin Skoula. Colorado gets Jimmy Dowd from Chicago. Philly gets Niko Dimitrakos for a third-round pick. There are a couple more, but nothing too exciting. What a day. More to come. See ya on the flip.

3:48 p.m. -- Kvasha analysis and story

The trade: ISLANDERS acquire 2006 third-round draft pick. PHOENIX acquires LW/C Oleg Kvasha and a conditional 2006 fifth-round draft pick.

First of all, here's a link to our story. Read it for the most complete information about this deal.

Now that I've finally got all the local stories out of my way, I can do a little bit of analysis. This trade provided my fourth "wow" of the deadline, but it only came after I learned that the Isles now have four third-round picks in the upcoming draft. Draft picks are never a bad thing, but the third round is usually where the pickin's can start getting a little slim. Plenty of solid NHLers have come out of the third round -- and a few stars -- but the Isles will have to do their homework to make these picks really worth their while.

Phoenix is basically taking a gamble on a career underachiever. Kvasha is one of the most puzzling players in the NHL. He has the size and skills to be great, but seems indifferent toward using them and has never scored more than 15 goals in a season. He has nine goals and 21 points this season.

It's pretty much a wash as far as I'm concerned. The deal does carry extra significance for the Isles, who have now cleansed themselves of the two players (Mark Parrish and Kvasha) who they acquired in the awful Roberto Luongo/Olli Jokinen deal with Florida. The new GM -- whoever he is -- will come in with a clean slate, and plenty of cap room to work with. It's a good start.

3:21 p.m. -- Isles make one more move

Newsday's Alan Hahn reports the Islanders have wrapped up a busy 24 hours by trading forward Oleg Kvasha and a conditional fifth round draft pick to Phoenix for a third-round pick. The pick only goes to Phoenix if Kvasha doesn't re-sign with the Coyotes in the off-season. I'll post a link to a story once I have it.

3:18 p.m. -- Catching up

Quickly, here are some deals that have happened in the past 30 minutes while I've been working on the Ozolinsh story.

Edmonton reportedly gets Sergei Samsonov. Nashville gets Brendan Witt. Detroit gets Cory Cross. Ottawa gets Tyler Arnason for Brandon Bochenski. I'll update all those soon.

2:46 p.m. -- Ozolinsh to Rangers

Newsday's Steve Zipay reports the Rangers have acquired Sandis Ozolinsh for a third-round draft pick. This is a big move for the Rangers and a very intriguing one. I'm putting a story together for Newsday.com. Here's a link.

2:39 p.m. -- Keith Carney to Canucks

The trade: VANCOUVER acquires D Keith Carney. ANAHEIM acquires D Brett Skinner and a 2006 second-round draft pick.

Now that's more like it. Sean Brown was not the answer for Vancouver's defense. Carney is at least a warm body. Carney, 36, has 16 points in 61 games this year. He can still play about 20 minutes per game and is a good defensive-zone player. The Canucks' defense has been ravaged by injuries this year; Carney gives them another reliable option and should be a top-four player on their blueline corps.

Hard to say how the Ducks made out. We do know that they trim Carney's $2.05 million salary off the payroll and get a draft pick in return. I'll come back to this one and do more analysis once I know more.

2:27 p.m. -- TSN.ca: The "Wrecking Ball" goes to Carolina

The trade: CAROLINA acquires RW Mark Recchi. PITTSBURGH acquires RW Niklas Nordgren, C Krystofer Kolanos, and a 2007 second-round draft pick.

Kudos to  Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange for coming up with one of the best nicknames in the NHL for now ex-Pittsburgh winger Mark Recchi.

Recchi gives the Hurricanes an upgrade on offense. Carolina was stung recently by the loss of Erik Cole to a broken neck on a hit from behind by the Penguins' Brooks Orpik, so they felt a need to grab a replacement. Ironic that they went to Pittsburgh for the solution.

Recchi has 24 goals this season -- not bad for a 38-year-old guy. This is a pretty smart move by 'Canes GM Jim Rutherford, and I don't think either of the prospects he gave up have especially high upside. Poor Pittsburgh, it seems like they just keep getting abused on trades year after year.

2:05 p.m. -- St. Louis to be traded?

This one's caught me a little off-guard. Rumors involving Tampa Bay forward and reigning league MVP Martin St. Louis have started to heat up. Nothing at all solid yet, just a lot of speculation.

The shocking thing about all these rumors is St. Louis, 30, just signed a six-year, $31 million deal with Tampa last summer. He's hardly the textbook candidate for a deadline deal. He's struggled this season (18 G, 24A in 60 games) with some nagging injuries, but we'll see what happens.

1:55 p.m. -- Hurricanes may have deal in place for Recchi

TSN.ca is reporting Carolina and Pittsburgh have agreed to a trade involving Mark Recchi, who has a no trade clause. We're waiting to find out if Recchi waives the no-trade clause and allows the deal to go through.

1:45 p.m. -- Zip checks in again

Newsday's Steve Zipay has checked in again. He notes that a lot of defensemen are moving at higher pricers now. Don't be surprised if one Minnesota's four soon-to-be unrestricted free agents gets moved soon.

"[Filip] Kuba [to the Rangers] for a 3rd now seems like a wise move," Zipay says. "Could the Wild be asking fior 2nd rounders?"

Keep in mind: None of this is meant to imply that the Rangers are  pursuing Kuba more than anyone else. It's all just speculation at this point.

1:33 p.m. -- Noronen to Vancouver

The trade: VANCOUVER acquires G Mika Noronoen. BUFFALO acquires a 2006 second-round draft pick.

Here's another big one. Vancouver was searching feverishly for goaltending help with starter Dan Cloutier probably out of the season. Noronen was the odd man out in a three-way goaltending battle in Buffalo that included Ryan Miller and Martin Biron.

This is a great trade for the Sabres, as they've seen Miller emerge into a good NHL starter this season, and were impressed by Biron's play earlier this year when Miller went down with an injury. Now that Miller's back, Noronen became expendable. Any time you can get a second-round pick for a guy who is barely even on your roster, you've made a great deal.

This deal also helps Vancouver, but only marginally. Noronen, 26, only has 67 games of NHL experience; ZERO in the playoffs. He's hardly a battle-tested performer. Curtis Joseph was rumored to be headed to the Canucks, but they clearly took a cheaper route.

Vancouver GM Dave Nonis probably feels he got a bargain here, since Edmonton yesterday had to sacrifice a first-round pick to land Dwayne Roloson. But Noronen is an unproven commodity. He gives Vancouver another option in goal -- backup Alex Auld has run hot and cold -- but is far from a lock to take the No. 1 goalie position. High expectations have always followed Noronen. Now that he's finally out of Buffalo, we'll see if he can live up to them.

1:20 p.m. -- TSN.ca: Ducks bring back Friesen

The trade: ANAHEIM acquires LW Jeff Friesen. WASHINGTON acquires a 2006 second-round draft pick.

As we predicted just a few minutes ago, the Ducks picked up another player for their playoff chase, re-acquiring Jeff Friesen from Anaheim. Friesen played 96 games for the Ducks from 2000-2002 before being traded to New Jersey for Petr Sykora, and then beating Anaheim in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.

Friesen, 29, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and had struggled badly with the Caps this year (three goals, four assists in 33 games). So it's no surprise that they would look to deal him. Anaheim will pick up what's left of Friesen's $2.28 million contract this year.

The Ducks get a little scoring boost on their second line, and the Caps get a valuable draft pick as they try to build around Alexander Ovechkin, the baddest man in hockey.

1:11 p.m. -- Rogers Sportsnet: Jokinen signed

Wow. Before I get to a couple of new trade reports, I have to mention that Florida re-signed Olli Jokinen to a four-year, $21 million deal, according to Rogers Sportsnet. This means one of the hottest commodities and biggest stars thought to be on the market will not be traded. More coming on Mika Noronen and Jeff Friesen trades soon...

1:08 p.m. -- O'Donnell trade analysis

The trade: ANAHEIM acquires D Sean O'Donnell. PHOENIX acquires C Joel Perreault.

There are a few more trade reports coming out now, so I'll be quick with this one. The Ducks get O'Donnell, a pretty good physical defenseman. Anaheim is three points out of a playoff spot, so they're probably going to load up with a player or two to try to help put them over the top.

Speculation is that this deal may pave the way for Keith Carney to be dealt later today. Unlike O'Donnell, Carney does not have a contract signed through next season. The key for Anaheim will be getting the rest of Carney's $2.05 million contract off the books.

For Phoenix, the main benefit here is salary relief. O'Donnell makes $1.75 million per year. Perreault, the prospect they acquired, probably won't have much of an impact in the NHL.

12:56 p.m. -- TSN.ca: Flyers get Gauthier

The trade: PHILADELPHIA acquires D Denis Gauthier. PHOENIX acquires two second-round draft picks and LW John Gratton.

This is a big one for Philly. Gauthier is a tough physical player, and he's only 29 years old. He's due to be an unrestricted free agent, which is probably the only reason Phoenix decided to move him.

He should fit right in with the Flyers' rugged defense, which already includes Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje. No one is going to like going into the corners with those guys coming after them.

GM Bobby Clarke has obviously decided he'll sink or swim with a tough, physical defense, which many thought would be impossible under the new rules. Carolina, Buffalo, Ottawa and the Rangers are smaller teams that could be threatened and intimadated by a bruising defense; or they could just skate right around them. We'll find out.

I like the deal from Phoenix's side of things. They get two second-round picks, plus Gratton, who TSN.ca describes as an "enforcer." I'm trying to confirm that assessment, but Hockey's Future.com is operating incredibly slowly today. Probably a trade deadline traffic jam.

12:40 p.m. -- TSN.ca: Ducks pick up O'Connell from 'Yotes

Still waiting for word on compensation, but the Ducks have apparently added a little veteran help on the blueline from Phoenix. Could this be the beginning of the Phoenix firesale? Signs point to yes.

12:29 p.m. -- Staal clarification

Wanted to make sure everyone understood one of my earlier posts, in which I mention Rangers prospect Marc Staal.

Staal is likely not a candidate to help the team this season, although it is possible. Steve Zipay mentioned that Staal can only play a maximum of nine games this year without losing a year of Junior eligibility.

Still, I doubt the Rangers will want to thrust him into the mania of the playoff push so early in his career. The right thing to do would be to wait until next season, hope he has a good training camp, and take it from there.

The point is, having Staal does not preclude the Rangers from making a deal today. It just means they're less desperate than they might normally be.

12:12 p.m. -- Zip checks in

Newsday Rangers beat writer Steve Zipay checks in confirming the Sean Brown trade to Vancouver. "Looks like Lou is cleaning house," Zip says.

Steve says he's fairly confident the Rangers will get a defenseman before 3 p.m. today, and lauds the team for turning Ville Nieminen into a third-round pick that can be used as a trade chip for a defenseman.

I mentioned Niclas Havelid and Filip Kuba as two good targets. Steve said Kuba's name was being "bandied about" during the Rangers-Altanta game last night, although he's not sure the team wants to give up a third-round pick for him. I would, and I think Steve feels the same way.

12:10 p.m. -- Witt to Nashville rumors

More rumors are spilling out now that Witt has been dealt to the Predators. Not surprising since they've been considered the front-runner all along.

11:58 a.m. -- Gratton staying put

Hadn't heard much about him being moved, but thought I should mention that Chris Gratton has signed a long-term deal with Florida, taking him off the market.

There are some rumors circulating now that Brendan Witt-to-Nashville is a done deal. I'll let you know what I find out.

11:48 a.m. -- Multiple sources: Devils trade Sean Brown

The trade: VANCOUVER acquires D Sean Brown. NEW JERSEY acquires 2006 fourth-round draft pick.

Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and TSN.ca are reporting the Devils have traded defenseman Sean Brown to Vancouver for a fourth-round draft pick.

New Jersey cleared a player from what quickly became a logjam of defenders after picking up Ken Klee and Brad Lukowich yesterday and today. Brown is nothing special; I'm kind of amazed Vancouver gave up a fourth-round pick for him. He has 12 points in 35 games, but the 29-year-old is not a gifted offensive player. He was averaging about 15 minutes of icetime per game earlier in the year, but that was out of necessity more than anything else. Bad trade for Vancouver.

11:33 a.m. -- Lukowich analysis

The trade: ISLANDERS acquires 2006 third-round draft pick. NEW JERSEY acquires D Brad Lukowich.

I like the deal from both sides. Lukowich wasn't helping the Islanders this year, and once they made the decision yesterday to sell off veterans, it was a given that he'd be moved. A third-round pick is a pretty good bounty for a guy like Lukowich.

And the Devils added another reliable defenseman who can help them reorganize their defense. Adding Lukowich today and Ken Klee from Toronto yesterday should allow them to significantly reduce the playing time of rookie Paul Martin and veterans Sean Brown and Tommy Albelin. That's a good thing.

11:12 a.m. -- Lukowich trade confirmed

Just spoke to Newsday's Alan Hahn and he said that Lukowich has indeed been traded. Here's a link to a preliminary story. We should have a slightly more complete version up soon.

10:58 a.m. -- TSN.ca: Isles trade Lukowich to Devils

Just read the report on the TSN.ca web site. Gotta write something up for Newsday.com. I'll post a link once it's ready.

10:41 a.m. -- TSN.ca: Canadiens get Simpson

The trade: MONTREAL acquires D Todd Simpson. CHICAGO acquires 2006 sixth-round draft pick.

According to Canada's TSN, Chicago has traded bruising defenseman Todd Simpson to the Canadiens for a sixth round pick. This basically a team in firesale mode (Chicago) dumping a sixth defenseman off to Montreal with a small return.

Simpson, 32, a former Calgary Flames captain, has played 45 games this year and scored just three points. He'll add defensive depth to Montreal, which is clearly trying to strengthen its hold on eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Habs must not feel that their roster can do that as presently constituted.

Montreal has also reportedly been shopping RW Richard Zednik. Wouldn't be surprised if he gets moved...

9:48 a.m. -- Superstars staying put?

Rumors about Florida trading Olli Jokinen, Vancouver trading Todd Bertuzzi and St. Louis trading Keith Tkachuk have cooled. A couple of Ottawa papers reported that the Senators made offers for Jokinen, but that Florida GM Mike Keenan told Ottawa he wasn't inclined to deal the Finnish star. This is a little surprising since the Jokinen sweepstakes have been a consistent theme of the trade deadline, and it's been more or less expected that he would be dealt by this afternoon. Now that appears less likely.

The Bertuzzi and Tkachuk rumors have been more fantastic (and less realistic) than the Jokinen chatter, but it seems like both are going to stay put. It's a seller's market this year and we've already seen teams get excellent returns for average or above average players. Makes you think Tkachuk and Bertuzzi won't come cheap at all, if they come at all.

9:21 a.m. -- Morning buzz

Finally got around to checking the usual web sites and here's what I've picked up so far:

Curtis Joseph to Vancouver is not a sure thing. Reportedly, the Coyotes are not actively shopping him. Their asking price has been very high, and CuJo only makes $900,000 this year, so there's no financial pressure on them to dump him. Sounds like it's 50/50 he'll get moved.

Washington defenseman Brendan Witt is apparently still up for grabs. Nashville remains the most widely-rumored suitor, but various outlets have suggested the Rangers, Lightning, Maple Leafs and Canucks are all interested as well.

Colin Stephenson from the Newark Star-Ledger wrote a very good article about the Rangers' trade prospects. He reminds us (and shame on me for not bringing this up sooner) that the Blueshirts may be less willing to deal for a defenseman because they have perhaps their best defensive prospect in years -- 2005 first-rounder Marc Staal -- waiting in the wings.

Many around the league believe Staal will make the team next season. It's easy to assume that's just the Rangers blowing hot air about their top prospects, as they have often done in the past (remember Christian Dube, Ronnie Sundin, Tomas Kloucek and the Ferraro brothers?), but having seen Staal play with the big boys in training camp and preseason, I can tell you he looks like an excellent pro. Maybe not a star, but at least a very solid No. 3 or 4 defenseman.

12:19 a.m. -- Good night and good luck

Zippo to report in the last 40 minutes. ESPN Radio's Andy Strickland says in his blog that Keith Tkachuk told him he wants to stay in St. Louis and will not waive his no trade clause. Yeah, well, we'll see about that... by 3 p.m. this afternoon.

I'm turning in. Apparently the unofficial hockey holiday does not include a stipulation for showing up late for work. 'Night all!

WEDNESDAY

11:40 p.m. -- Still waiting...

Still nothing new on Curtis Joseph. My eyelids are getting heavy, which means we might have to wait until tomorrow to find out where CuJo ends up.

Some have been talking up rumors of Phoenix trading with Buffalo to grab Miikaa Noronen as a replacement for Joseph. Not a bad idea -- Noronen is the odd man out in a trio of  good goaltenders in Buffalo.

A couple of different web sites have suggested that Brendan Witt may be headed to Nashville. I'll keep you posted on that, too.

11:20 p.m. -- CuJo latest

Haven't heard anything to indicate the CuJo to Vancouver rumors are true in the last 20 minutes. But it would hardly be a surprising move considering Vancouver has played since mid-November with backup Alex Auld in net. Starter Dan Cloutier is likely out for the season with a torn ACL.

Phoenix is 11 points out of a playoff spot and Joseph will be an unrestricted free agent in July.

10:59 p.m. -- CuJo to Vancouver?

Rumors are beginning to circulate that Phoenix has traded goaltender Curtis Joseph to Vancouver. I'll let you know if that turns out to be true.

10:57 p.m. -- Isles deal includes conditional pick

My apologies if I missed this in Alan Hahn's story earlier, but I should report that the Isles will also get a conditional third-round draft pick in the Mark Parrish deal with the Kings. With so much going on, it's possible my eyes glazed right over it. Or it might be that Alan just found out a little while ago and added it to his story. Either way, just wanted to make sure everyone was on top of that.

According to Alan, the Isles get the pick only if the Kings make the playoffs. Sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference, L.A. is well-positioned to do that. But hey, it looks like Islanders fans  found a new team to root for in the last 20 games of the season.

10:40 p.m. -- Plenty of big names looming

Just tossing out names of some players who have popped up in trade reports recently and may be moved by tomorrow's deadline: St. Louis LW Keith Tkachuk, Vancouver RW Todd Bertuzzi, Florida C Olli Jokinen, Phoenix G Curtis Joseph, Toronto G Ed Belfour, Chicago G Nikolai Khabibulin, Toronto D Bryan McCabe, Anaheim G J.S. Giguere, Boston LW Sergei Samsonov, Florida G Roberto Luongo, Pittsburgh wings  John Leclair and Mark Recchi.

My over/under on the number of these guys who get dealt is 4. Take the under.

Most likely to be dealt? Jokinen, Joseph, Belfour, Recchi.

10:20 p.m. -- Islanders firesale: Who's next?

You can't help but feel sorry for Islanders fans, whose season started with so much promise but now appears to be on its way towards unraveling. With Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel on their way to Hollywood, it seems only a matter of time before the Isles make the next move in their mini-firesale.

Shawn Bates and Radek Martinek are off the market, but Oleg Kvasha and Brad Lukowich are still getting a lot of attention. Check out tonight's Isles story by Alan Hahn. Our trusty Newsday.com staff will be updating it tonight with more info about the Mark Parrish trade, as well as the Isles' outlook for the trade deadline. (Intriguingly, Alan mentions that Jeff Tambellini, acquired in the Parrish trade, is the son of Steve Tambellini, a top candidate for the Isles GM job. Hmmm....)

10:14 p.m. -- Another loss could coax Rangers to deal

After tonight's shootout loss to Atlanta, Rangers GM Glen Sather and assistant GM Don Maloney may be even more inclined to grab a veteran stay-at-home defenseman. Thomas Pock dressed for tonight's game and made a couple of glaring mistakes in his own end.

Could Washington's Brendan Witt, now a virtual lock to be dealt after he was held of tonight's Caps-Penguins game, be the Rangers' man? If I'm a Rangers fan, I hope not. Witt's game has always been rather one-dimensional: physical, sound defensive play, but always with an unbridled mean streak that has gotten his team in penalty trouble in the past.

Anaheim's Ruslan Salei is a similar player; he's also been mentioned as a Rangers target. Keith Carney, another veteran blueliner, is 36 years old and on the down side of a solid career.  Pittsburgh's Cory Cross, a former Ranger, is hardly reliable on an everyday basis.

Atlanta's Niclas Havelid would be an interesting choice. He'll be a free agent next season and he is a far more well-rounded player than any of the aforementioned d-men. Think of him as the inverse Michal Roszvial: Adequate offensive player, good defensive player.

Minnesota's Filip Kuba is another good option. He's only 29 years old and he's an able puckhandler who could help out on the power play.  Reports out of Minnesota say the Wild would prefer to sign fellow free agent-to-be Willie Mitchell, so Doug Risebrough could shop Kuba to try to get some value before the deadline. Of the scrap heap of players that seem to be available, I think Kuba's the best of the lot.

9:52 p.m. -- Worth mentioning...

Former Islander Mariusz Czerkawski was claimed on waivers by the Boston Bruins earlier today. Czerkawski played in only 19 games with Toronto this season.

"We're just running short of bodies right now because of injury," Bruins GM Mike O'Connell said. "And we’re having a tough time scoring goals. So maybe [Czerkawski] can score some for us, give us a bit of a spark. It's worth a try."

Poor Mariusz. Hopefully he gets a chance to put some pucks in the net in Boston, which has dropped seven points behind Montreal in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

9:11 p.m. -- Various sources: Devils get Ken Klee

The trade: NEW JERSEY acquires D Ken Klee. TORONTO acquires RW Aleksander Suglobov.

According to MSG Network and ESPN.com, the Devils have added some defensive depth by picking up veteran Ken Klee. The deal makes sense for the Devils, who had to summon Tommy Albelin out of retirement earlier this season to patch up a shaky defensive corps.

Klee is a solid stay-at-homer; I like the move from the Devils' perspective.

But I'm scratching my ahead over Toronto's two deals today. They gave up Klee, a veteran, stay-at-home defenseman making $1.9 million and due to become an unrestricted free agent and they picked up... Luke Richardson, A veteran stay-at-home defenseman making $2.07 million and due to become an unrestricted free agent. Strange.

Leafs GM John Ferguson will probably point to Suglobov as the real yield from the two deals. He's a pretty good prospect, so that may explain Ferguson's thought process. But Devils boss Lou Lamoriello isn't exactly known for selling off top quality prospects on the cheap... Makes you wonder about Suglobov.

9:09 p.m. -- TSN.ca: Derek Morris off the market

Just read on TSN.ca that Phoenix re-signed defenseman Derek Morris to a three-year, $11.75 contract. The skilled blueliner was rumored to have drawn interest from the Flyers and Rangers, among others, but the long-term contract takes him off the market.

8:45 p.m. -- Colorado gets Jose Theodore for Aebischer

The trade: COLORADO acquires G Jose Theodore. MONTREAL acquires G David Aebischer.

Wow. This is the biggest trade of the deadline so far. This move would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago, when Theodore was a reigning league MVP and Vezina Trophy winner and Aebischer was struggling to replace NHL legend Patrick Roy in the Avalanche net. But Theodore's had a rough 2005-06 season and  is currently on injured reserve with a broken bone in his right heel.  Aebischer (2.98 GAA, .900 save percentage) has played well of late.

It's hard to know where to begin with this one. This deal leaves the Avalanche without a proven starting goalie until Theodore recovers. Peter Budaj, the rookie Slovakian goalie who beat Team USA in the Olympics, will probably start for the Avs in the meantime. Colorado hopes Theodore will be back just in the time for the playoffs. Problem is, the Avs still need to make the playoffs. They are only six points ahead of ninth-place Anaheim in the Western Conference. If their goaltending lets them down, it's not inconceivable that they could fall out of the playoff race. Then again, Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix hit the jackpot the last time he traded for a Montreal goalie. Remember something about a Patrick Roy-for-Jocelyn Thibault deal.

The trade is surprising from the Montreal side of things, too. Even with Theodore out, the Habs were getting good goaltending from rookie backup Cristobal Huet. The Canadiens apparently felt Huet, with only nine games of NHL experience, wasn't the guy to carry the load as they fight to hold onto the last Eastern Conference playoff spot.

8:35 p.m. -- NHL.com: Toronto lands Richardson

The trade: TORONTO acquires D Luke Richardson. COLUMBUS acquires a  conditional draft pick.

Finally getting around to opining on this one. The deals are coming fast and furious.

The Leafs are six points out of a playoff spot, and unlike the Islanders, they've apparently decided to make a run at the eighth-place Canadiens.

Not sure I'm a big fan of this one from the Toronto side of the things. I've always thought Richardson (1G-6A-44 GP) was overrated. He stepped down as Blue Jackets captain earlier this year after being benched... But maybe all the Leafs were looking for was a depth defenseman.

The draft pick heading Columbus' way is said to be either a 2006 fifth-round pick or a 2007 fourth-round pick.  Richardson is making $2.07 million this year, and he's due to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. From the Columbus side of things, it'll save them some cash the rest of the season and they get a small return on a guy who they probably weren't going to sign anyway. Nice move for the Blue Jackets.

7:34 p.m. -- Isles deal Parrish, Sopel to Kings for prospects

The trade: ISLANDERS acquire LW Jeff Tambellini and D Denis Grebeshkov. LOS ANGELES acquires RW Mark Parrish and D Brent Sopel.

This is a big one. The Islanders gave up two proven NHLers and got a couple of former first-round picks from the Kings in return. Most importantly, it signals that the Isles are apparently ready to give up on the season; not entirely suprising since they are seven points out of a playoff spot with 21 games to go.

Parrish, 29, was due to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Parrish was a fine contributor to the Isles offense, scoring 24 goals this season. He's going to help the Kings, who will be without high-scoring wing Alexander Frolov for another week or so due to a shoulder injury suffered shortly before the Olympic break. Isles fans will be sorry to see him go, but the reality is that he probably wasn't going to re-sign with the team anyway.

Sopel (two goals, 27 assists) has been a disappointment this year; perhaps a change of scenery and a move back to the Western Conference, where he spent the first six years of his career with Vancouver, will do him good.

As much as Isles fans will be sorry to see Parrish go, they have be excited about the acquisition of the two prospects. Grebeshkov was the 18th overall pick in 2002. Tambellini was picked 27th overall in 2003. You can read more about both of them in Alan Hahn's story.

6:59 p.m. -- Rangers trade Nieminen to Sharks

The trade: RANGERS acquire a 2006 third-round draft pick. SAN JOSE acquires LW Ville Nieminen.

Nieminen was basically a fourth-liner for the Rangers, who apparently feel confident they can replace his grit with rookie Ryan Hollweg. Rangers assistant GM Don Maloney indicated yesterday the team might also feel comfortable calling up some of their AHL prospects -- including Nigel Dawes and Jarkko Immonen -- down the stretch if the team needs extra scoring depth. Right winger Petr Prucha is close to returning from a knee injury suffered before the Olympic break, so that probably won't be necessary unless another of the team's top six forwards goes down.

The Sharks get a gritty veteran who was an antagonistic force in Calgary's run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004.

As John Davidson pointed out on MSG a few minutes ago, the Rangers translated an offseason free agent signing into a third-round pick. Not bad.

6:03 p.m. -- Witt not dressed tonight

TSN.ca is reporting the Capitals won't dress defenseman Brendan Witt tonight. Witt's name has surfaced in trade rumors involving several teams, including the Rangers and Devils. The Caps are likley holding him out of the lineup to avoid the possibility of an injury that could scuttle an impending trade. More to come on that.

2:55 p.m. -- Edmonton picks up Dwayne Roloson

The trade: EDMONTON acquires G Dwayne Roloson. MINNESOTA acquires 2006 first round draft pick and a conditional draft pick.

The Oilers had grown increasingly impatient with their lack of quality goaltending and were hotly rumored to be pursuing Toronto's Ed Belfour or Phoenix's Curtis Joseph. Instead, they picked up 36-year-old Dwayne Roloson after waiving goalie Mike Morrison.

Roloson has a 3.00 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 24 games this season. Along with Manny Fernandez, Roloson helped guide the Wild to a Western Conference finals appearance in the 2003 playoffs. However, with Fernandez establishing himself as the team's No. 1 goalie in recent months, Minnesota GM Doug Risebrough deemed Roloson expendable.

Edmonton (32-21-9) is in eighth place in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Anaheim, seven ahead of the Wild and eight ahead of the San Jose Sharks.

By Mike Casey

Not sure if it's the impending trade deadline or the plethora of exciting, one-goal games that got my juices flowing, but I thought it might be time to revive The Goals Blog. For those of you who may not remember my first and only Goals Blog from earlier this season, a quick refresher course:

The observations in the Goals Blog are based entirely on watching highlights from NHL.com. For those of you who haven't signed up (it's free), I highly recommend it. The league puts together a great package of highlights from each game, including the best hits and saves and footage from every goal. Believe it or not, the NHL's web site probably has the best live game coverage of any major sport. You can listen to live audio for free, and each game's official stat card and scoresheet updates in real-time. Not even MLB.com can match that.

Buffalo 3, Boston 2. Boston loses despite goaltender Tim Thomas standing on his head. Thomas robbed Derek Roy in the first period and Chris Drury on a mini-breakaway in the third, but Buffalo was just too quick and too good. By the way, Rangers fans, it was Brian Leetch who gave the puck right to Drury at the Bruins blueline leading to that breakaway. Still want him back? Incidentally, both Leetch and Drury are former Connecticut high school baseball stars. Interesting, huh?

Isles 2, New Jersey 1. Doubt we’ll see much of Garth Snow from here on out if the Islanders really want to make a run at the playoffs. Rick DiPietro outdueled Marty Brodeur and did not allow a goal on two shootout attempts. The Islanders have won three in a row against the Devils. Mark Parrish, who I rank as the Islanders’ most valuable forward, scored a nice goal to tie the game early in the third. If he does get traded, he’ll help out whichever team needs a reliable second-line winger.

Chicago 3, Columbus 1. Two observations from this game: 1) Rick Nash is really, really good. 2) Manny Malhotra scored a goal. Not much else needs to be said.

Toronto 5, Montreal 3. Big game here as Toronto cuts into Montreal’s lead for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Leafs are now six points out; Atlanta is three points out and the Isles are seven points out.

Just a thought: Tomas Kaberle may be the most underrated defenseman in the NHL. He has a career-high 49 points on the season after scoring four points last night.

Smithtown’s Chris Higgins scored for the Habs and now has goals in three straight games. The former No. 14 overall pick has six goals in his last five games, bumping his season total to 13. Nice work, Chris.

Tampa Bay 5, Pittsburgh 4. I’m starting to become concerned about Marc-Andre Fleury. The 21-year-old goalie looked like a phenom when he broke into the league in 2003-04, but he's given up a lot of bad goals this year. At least two of Tampa’s tallies were savable. In fact, Pittsburgh’s best save was by Sidney Crosby, who slid along the ice and stacked the pads to stop Fredrik Modin from hitting a wide open net in the third period. That kept alive a Penguins rally from a 4-1 deficit to tie at 4-4. But Fleury got burned five-hole by Vaclav 'Vinny' Prospal for the shootout winner.

Phoenix 5, Detroit 2. Phoenix�