  New York Rangers Alex Frolov celebrates his goal against the Oilers. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi |
NEW YORK -- Who would have guessed -- after 6-2 and 7-1 losses earlier on this trip -- that the Edmonton Oilers still hadn't hit rock bottom yet?
About 17,658 people in Madison Square Garden, for starters. Actually, 17,659 if you count Tom Renney, who could tell fairly early that this one wasn't going to end well.
"This won't be my first day of frustration and it won't be my last," sighed the former Rangers coach, whose new team turned the homecoming into a disaster, allowing seven straight New York goals in the final 33 minutes of an 8-2 loss.
"We wanted to have a better effort and a different outcome, but that obviously wasn't the case."
They hit a new low in Sunday's mistake-filled swan dive, giving up one goal in the first, four in the second and three in the fight-filled third to lose for the 12th time in the last 14 starts.
On Kids Day at MSG, no less.
"Obviously our game is not where we need it to be," said Colin Fraser. "It's a broken record lately, I guess. I don't know what the answers are here but we better get it figured out quickly and turn it around because 6-2 and 7-1 and 8-2 is obviously not where we want to be."
Edmonton finishes 1-3-1 on the trip -- outscored 26-10 -- and returns home to play Chicago, the only team they've beaten since Oct 10.
Marian Gaborik (three goals, one assist) and Alex Frolov (two goals, two assists) led the way for New York on a night when 10 different Rangers had points.
But most of the post-game talk was about the 10-point must system.
With the Rangers up 5-2 midway through the third period, after back-to-back fights between Derek Boogaard and Steve MacIntyre brought the place to a boiling point, things got goofy.
It began after Sean Avery dropped Ladislav Smid with what the Oilers thought was a sucker punch. Smid challenged Avery after a hit on Colin Fraser and when Avery declined, Smid relaxed and turned his attention away. By the time he looked back to ask again, the fight was on and he was flat on the ice.
"Ladi turns away and he gets sucker punched," said Oilers defenceman Ryan Whitney "That's (bleeping) (bleep-bleep). Avery says 'No,' Smider turns away and he gets sucker punched."
Fraser and Theo Peckham tried to get at Avery as he was being led off the ice, spawning simultaneous fights between Peckham and Brian Boyle and Zack Stortini and Brandon Prust. Fraser, meanwhile, was at the Rangers bench engaging with a few New York players. Edmonton, in the middle of a line change, had seven players on the ice. Theo Peckham took 27 minutes in penalties during the melee.
"How do you call yourself a man?" Peckham asked of Avery. "When I hit guys I look them in the eye. To say 'No,' wait for him to turn his head and then sucker him, just shows where some guys' class level is at. I've never played against him before, just seen stuff on TV, and it's typical."
Smid forgot the golden rule in fighting, protect yourself at all times, and probably should have just jumped Avery without asking, with the game out of reach anyway. Live and learn.
"At the end of the day somebody took the initiative and that's as much as I should comment on," said Renney, who liked his club's response, even though it was too late. "It would have been nice to do that 40 minutes earlier, we needed to start the game with that kind of passion, not end it that way."
"We have to do something, it was embarrassing, seven unanswered goals," said Whitney. "At least we're sticking up for each other, that's the only thing you can take out of it."
robert.tychkowski@sunmedia.ca
