Good morning, New York/New Jersey sports fans! Although we know it is not a very good morning if you are a fan of the New York Rangers.
The Rangers lost a game they could have -- and should have -- won Wednesday night. New York blew a 3-0 third-period lead and fell to the Washington Capitals, 4-3, in double overtime. Instead of being tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven NHL playoff series, the Rangers are down 3-1 and starting at the end of their season.
As our Chris Celletti wrote the Rangers "picked a heck of a time to blow a lead" in the third period for the first time this season. Martin Gaborik will be the scapegoat for many, having unwisely tried to clear a puck goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was reaching to cover and basically handing the Capitals' Jason Chimera the winning goal. Our friends at Blueshirt Banter have it right, though, when they point to all of the Rangers' other failings during the evening as the reason for the loss.
NBA: The New York Knicks will return to Madison Square Garden Friday night looking for their first playoff victory in 10 years. The Knicks are in a 2-0 hole against the Boston Celtics, with just five points separating them from leading the series 2-0. We will be watching for word on whether injured stars Amare Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups will be able to play Friday.
MLB: Bartolo Colon has seemingly found the Fountain of Youth. The veteran right-hander, making his first big-league start since July of 2009, pitched 6.2 innings as the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-2.
The New York Mets continued their woeful start to the season, losing 4-3 to the Houston Astros.