After a long night and day of intense speculation all over the web, the news finally became official just after midnight as the Blueshirts completed their rumored trade with Calgary sending forwards Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins to the Flames in exchange for Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust.

Both players are expected to join the Rangers in Los Angeles tomorrow but there is no word yet whether they will be in the lineup versus the Kings.

Here is the official news via TSN.

The official release from the Rangers is here.

Jokinen licking his lips at the prospect of centering Gaborik?

TSN Canada is reporting that the Rangers are close to announcing a deal that would send forwards Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins to the Calgary Flames for C Olli Jokinen and F Brandon Prust.

Jokinen, 31, has 11 goals and 24 assists in 55 games with the Flames this season. He is in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent following the season.

Prust, 25, is a rugged forward who has 1 goal and 4 assists in 24 games this season. He will also be a UFA at season’s end.

Higgins was acquired by the Blueshirts this past offseason in the Scott Gomez trade with Montreal and the Long Island native has never really looked comfortable playing with his hometown club. Kotalik, who was another offseason acquisition of GM Glen Sather, never found his place on the ice and after a hot start has spent most of his time in the rafters over the last month instead of on the ice during games. Higgins is a UFA at season’s end and Kotalik still has two years remaining on the 3 year, 9 million dollar pact he signed over the summer.

Analysis: While it’s easy to call for Glen Sather’s head based on this team’s uneven and uninspired play this season and an obviously mismatched roster he put together, Rangers fans must admit that the man knows how to pull off a trade. If this deal goes through, The Rangers will acquire a proven scorer in Jokinen and a physical presence (who can fill the void that Donald Brashear hasn’t been able to) in Brandon Prust while subtracting a player in Higgins, who obviously had trouble with playing on this stage and also removing six million dollars off the books over the next two seasons by shedding the enigmatic Kotalik. This is a great move for the Rangers from every angle and if Jokinen prospers while he’s on Broadway, the Blueshirts will have the first crack at him in free agency once the season ends. I have to think, while the fans won’t be happy until the “W”’s come more frequently for this club, that this move will make more than a few of them smile and that the attendance at the upcoming “Fire Sather” rally may have just been thinned out a little by the wily old general manager.

The Rangers were shut out for the second straight game and Henrik Lundqvist was pulled after surrendering 4 goals as the Canadiens hammered the Blueshirts 6-0 in Montreal.

John Tortorella doesn’t have much to say to the media after watching his team get embarrased by the Canadiens Saturday night.

This team obviously has some problems that “more practice time” and “studying game tape” are not going to fix. There is NO secondary scoring after Marian Gaborik. Some of the younger forwards (Anisimov, Lisin) are obviously struggling and are not finishing. No one is scared of this team and as witnessed in Philly, opponents feel they can take shots at anyone without fear of reprisal. This club, as it’s constituted right now, may be strong enough to slip into the playoffs but is no threat to the Capitals, Penguins, Devils, Flyers or any other top team in the East. Glen Sather needs to open his eyes and see this team is BROKEN and it’s time to start selling and get ready for next year. Wade Redden should have a one way ticket to Hartford waiting for him when he returns to New York. Vinny Prospal, Christopher Higgins, Donald Brashear, Ales Kotalik and Aaron Voros should be sent postage paid to any club that is willing to have them and their salaries. This organization needs to move on immediately, bring up some kids (Grachev, Locke, Sanguinetti) and see what they can do and get ready for the draft. If Glen Sather can’t see this (or more likely, he sees it but won’t do anything about it) then it is time to finally pull the plug on him and bring in someone who will.

Aaron Voros joins the party with his first goal of the season.

All the Rangers coaches were hoping for following their impressive 6-2 win over the Canadiens on Sunday was a repeat of the effort the team gave during that victory. Not only did they receive the same effort but the players took it to another level as they jumped on the Lightning early and controlled play from start to finish during a dominant 8-2 dismantling of the visiting Tampa Bay club.

After a fight between Aaron Voros and Tampa’s Zenon Konopka off the game’s opening faceoff really got the crowd going, Brandon Dubinsky continued his inspired play of late and got the scoring started when he cleaned up a rebound in front of Antero Nittymaki to give the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead. The Rangers controlled play for the rest of the period with their strong forechecking and used tallies by Vinny Prospal and the resurgent Chris Drury to take a 3-1 lead after one period.

Dan Girardi and Enver Lisin would extend the lead to 5-1 in the second period and chase Nittymaki from between the pipes. Alex Tanguay would score on the power play late in the period to keep the Lightning withing striking distance but Henrik Lundqvist would shut the door the rest of the way.

Marc Staal, Aaron Voros (on the power play) and Christopher Higgins would put a nice bow on the blowout with third period tallies and gave the Rangers their second straight game with at least 6 goals. It still may be too early to call the Rangers’ season long offensive struggles solved but these two performances are definitely a promising step in the right direction.

Thumbs Up- Brian Boyle, Sean Avery and Erik Christensen were amongst the few Rangers who didn’t score a goal tonight but continued their energetic play that has been the catalyst on many of the offensive opportunities the team has cashed in on over the last two contests. Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury once again excelled on the penalty kill. Vinny Prospal seems to have fully recovered from his injury and was a factor tonight with a goal and an assist.

Thumbs Down- It was hard to find any negatives with tonight’s performance but the only thing that stood out to me was Artem Anisimov’s inability to get anything going offensively. I’m sure if he keeps up the work ethic he has shown so far during the first half of the year, he will find a way to break through but this is a situation that might bear watching especially if Evgeny Grachev should begin to put up numbers in Hartford.

Three Stars- 3-Henrik Lundqvist- “The King” was very strong early when the game was still anybody’s contest. His big saves during the first period gave the Rangers the confidence to continue to attack offensively. Another impressive performance from Lundqvist, who is finally getting the support he deserves from his forwards.

2- Aaron Voros- The toughest thing to do is come to the arena each night knowing that you might not be in the lineup the next game, even if you have a good outing that night. Aaron Voros has had to deal with this situation and be ready to contribute when called upon all season and up to this point his results have been hit and miss. Tonight, it was a big hit for Voros as he got the crowd involved early with a fight, was a physical presence throughout, drew a late penalty by being smart and even contributed a garbage time goal (after being rewarded with power play time by John Tortorella for his drawing the man advantage). This was Voros’ best game since early last season and i’m willing to wager he has earned another start in the Blueshirts’ next contest.

1- Marian Gaborik- For most of the year, Gaborik has been the Rangers focal point on offense and only consistent goal scorer. Tonight, he was the team’s playmaker with assists on 4 of the Rangers first 6 goals. Gaborik has to love this new found offensive output from his teammates as it takes the pressure off him to have to carry the club each time they hit the ice. He showed this evening that he is just as comfortable being a support player as being the team’s biggest star.

The Rangers will try to continue their explosive run when they visit the Flyers in Philadelphia on Thursday at 7 PM.

Christopher Higgins rescues the Blueshirts.

In a game that saw the Rangers blow a two goal lead late after dominating most of the matchup, Christopher Higgins rescued the Blueshirts with a huge tally with just over a minute left to give them a 3-2 win tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are now 6-1-2 in their last 9 games.

Henrik Lundqvist had a very strong game through two and a half periods and the Rangers got early goals from Ales Kotalik and Erik Christensen to build a 2-0 lead they held until about 5 minutes left in the third. After Boston netminder Tukka Rask stoned Kotalik on an open net chance, Matt Hunwick (shorthanded) and Blake Wheeler scored back to back goals to erase the deficit.

Thumbs Up- Ales Kotalik looked very comfortable and definitely got a big confidence boost from his first goal in 21 contests. Michal Roszival had a solid game. Ryan Callahan, once again, was everywhere and had a monster hit late in the third on David Krejci. Michael Del Zotto added two assists and was strong on the puck.

Thumbs Down- Donald Brashear brings nothing to the table anymore and is playing on borrowed time. Wade Redden was a non factor. Enver Lisin has skated well but still can’t find the net. Del Zotto, who excelled offensively, needs to be a bigger force in protection of Henrik Lundqvist. When Marc Savard knocked Henrik down in the second period, Del Zotto followed him to the corner but did nothing that would make Savard think twice about running Lundqvist again. This has been a club wide problem this season but the youngster had a chance to make a statement and blew it tonight.

Three Stars- 3- Henrik Lundqvist- Until giving up those two late goals, Lundqvist was a stone wall against the Bruins and was the biggest reason the team had a 2 goal lead going into the third period. Henrik needs to finish games stronger if the Rangers want to make the postseason.

2- Christopher Higgins- Higgins has been a huge disappointment this season offensively but no one can question the winger’s work ethic. When Higgins fooled Rask and slipped the puck past him short side to give the Rangers the late lead it was only his second goal at MSG all year but you would never know it by his strong play at both ends. A nice reward for a player who hasn’t given up even with a huge weight on his shoulders.

1- Brandon Dubinsky- Dubinsky was the best player on the ice tonight. He skated extremely well, moved the puck, worked the boards and led the team in shots on goal. Even though he couldn’t finish tonight, he was all over the ice and was integral in setting up both of the team’s early goals. He has raised his game in the absence of Vinny Prospal and looks ready to take a bigger role leadership wise for the remainder of the season.

The Rangers next game is Wednesday when they host the Dallas Stars at MSG

The Rangers finally showed their fans what could be, if the team uses it’s forecheck, plays for sixty minutes and most importantly stays out of the penalty box. Last night’s 7-4 dismantling of the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets was far from a perfect performance by the struggling Blueshirts but was definitely a big step towards righting the ship for a club which has been seemingly lost at sea over the past few weeks. Another virtuoso performance by Marian Gaborik was the catalyst but for the first time in a while, the Rangers got contributions on the score sheet from all over the lineup.

The first period saw the Rangers in all too familiar territory with a sluggish start leading to a quick 2 goal deficit and Coach Tortorella was not about to let this game slip away as he called a timeout in attempt to get his team back on track. Surprising just about everyone in the building and watching at home, Torts calmly told his team that they had “done some good things” and just needed to work harder instead of reading them the riot act and looking like he was about to stroke out as he had done before in these situations. the blueshirts responded almost immediately to their coach’s confidence in them as they got goals from Marian Gaborik (who else?), Artem Anisimov (tip-in off a nice shot-pass from Wade Redden) and Michael Del Zotto (on a play that reminded everyone who was watching of a young Brian Leetch, as Del Zotto gained the blue line with some nifty stickhandling then ripped a wrist shot through two defenders and past goalie Steve Mason) to give them a 3-2 lead going into the second period.

The Rangers came out in the second and just dominated the Blue Jackets defense in the offensive zone. Sean Avery was a monster on the boards and scored two goals less than a minute apart. Marian Gaborik followed Avery’s second goal with his own second tally less than :30 seconds later to give the Rangers a commanding 6-2 lead and when Matt Gilroy scored on a breakaway (off a beautiful feed from P.A. Parenteau) the rout was on as the Blueshirts had put up 7 unanswered goals. The Rangers did not give the Jackets an opportunity to get back in the contest as they played smart, aggressive hockey and stayed out of the penalty box throughout the contest. Kristian Huselius and Jacub Voracek made the final score look more respectable with late tallies but the Rangers really dominated for most of this one sided match up.

Thumbs Up- What else can you say about Marin Gaborik? He can take over the game when he wants to and last night was unstoppable when he had the puck on his stick registering another 4 points. Vinny Prospal had another strong performance all over the ice. P.A. Parenteau played a physical game and kept building his case for staying with the big club once the injured players return. Donald Brashear was noticeable and actually drew a power play with some strong work in the offensive zone. Matt Gilroy had one of his best games as a Ranger. Wade Redden was involved and had a nice game defensively. Ryan Callahan, in his first action at the center ice position, played well and looked very comfortable. Aaron Voros actually held his own in a fight. Artem Anisimov continues to gain confidence and was one of the best players on the ice last night.

Thumbs Down- Marc Staal had a strong game against superstar Rick Nash but when Nash ran Henrik Lundqvist late in the game, Staal gave him nothing more than a facewash with his glove. Staal is not a fighter but if he wants to be considered a physical defenseman and a team leader, he is going to have to start punishing anyone who makes contact with his goaltender. Chris Pronger, Dion Phaneuf or Zdeno Chara would have broken their sticks over Nash’s back had he run their goaltenders. This has been way too long coming. Lundqvist played a good game but once again went down way too early (exposing that suspect top corner) on the Huselius goal. Ales Kotalik is struggling and needs to get more shots to the net.

Three Stars- 3- Christopher Higgins- This spot could have easily gone to Anisimov but Higgins played a very energetic and impressive game with his new linemates. All over the ice fighting for every loose puck, Higgins proved he could definitely keep up with Gaborik and Prospal and win the battles in the corners for that line. He may have finally given Torts a solution to his problem of finding a physical force to balance his offensive juggernauts and if he can put a few pucks in the net (he hit two posts last night) this could become one of the most dangerous combinations in the league.

2- Sean Avery- Welcome Back. Avery has been his old self as of late with his edge and spirited play bringing a renewed sense of confidence to his game. Last night, Avery finally got back on the score sheet and gave the team a huge lift. Let’s hope this is only the beginning for the super pest, who is truly a factor for this club when he is playing his style of aggravating high energy hockey.

1-Marian Gaborik- Besides Jaromir Jagr, when have the Rangers ever had a player who was a threat to score EVERY time he touches the puck? Gaborik has been otherwordly so far this season and last night showed again why he is an early Hart Trophy candidate. He got the team believing they could turn things around with his first goal and pretty much crushed the Jackets confidence with his second tally. Gaborik has become the Rangers heart this season and last night he was stronger than anyone on the Garden ice. Another amazing performance.

The Rangers begin their road trip by trying to avenge Saturday’s loss when they visit the Florida Panthers Wednesday night at 7PM.

Marc Staal will once again battle Alex Ovechkin as the winger returns to MSG.

Here are some quick hits from Rangers universe:

-Alex Ovechkin, who had been out with an injury, is expected to be back in the starting lineup tomorrow night when the Washington Capitals visit MSG to take on the Blueshirts. Ovechkin is having another superb season (14 G, 23 P, +10 in 14 Games) and should be a tough matchup, as always, for Marc Staal and Dan Girardi.

-The Rangers have been practicing with the same lines they used during Saturday’s shootout win over Ottawa. I would expect Tortorella to stick with them at least through tomorrow night’s game.

-P.A. Parenteau went down today at practice after being hit in the head by a deflected shot off the stick of Christopher Higgins. He was helped from the ice and had blood around his ear but told reporters that he was “fine” and expected to be in the lineup tomorrow.

-Also from practice, Coach Torts says that he wants to increase Wade Redden’s ice time giving him an opportunity to showcase his strong play as of late and at the same time he would like to see a decrease in Marc Staal’s minutes in an attempt to help Staal focus on his play “while 5-on-5″, which Torts says is the most important part of the young defenseman’s game.

-As for the Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack, things are looking very good as of late due to the stellar play of netminder Chad Johnson. Johnson has recorded back to back shutouts for the Wolfpack and continues to impress his coaches and teammates with each passing day. Johnson, who was acquired from the Penguins in a draft day trade, was very impressive in training camp and could very well be a player to watch in the organization as a possible replacement for Stephen Valiquette down the road or a valuable trade chip come deadline time. For more on Johnson’s consecutive shutouts click here.

-In absurd rumor news, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun wrote over the weekend that the Rangers were holding trade discussions with the Canadiens concerning talented/troubled brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn. File this rumor in the “Makes no sense” drawer as the last thing the Blueshirts need is two headcases who can’t stay on the ice and out of the newspapers. Mr. Garrioch, If you are going to link the Rangers to a pair of brothers, next time can you make it the much more desirable/talented Sedins.

-Finally, the Rangers pursuit of Peter Forsberg may be over as there are various reports today that the center will remain in Sweden to play with Elite League club Modo. As you know, nothing is definite until a contract is signed so we’ll keep you updated if anything changes.

The Rangers played only their second overtime game of the season and participated in their first shootout of the year today against Ottawa and when all was said and done P.A. Parenteau was the hero for the Blueshirts. Parenteau, who was called up for the second time this season from Hartford on Friday, beat Ottawa netminder Brian Elliot with a quick wristshot to give the Rangers a 2-1 victory and two important points for a team that has been struggling as of late. Henrik Lundqvist played a strong game (allowing only one goal to Senators defenseman Brian Lee) and the Blueshirts’ defense corps stood strong in the face of a surging Daniel Alfredsson and the Senators power play on a late 4-on-3 in OT to send the game to the shootout and give the youngster the opportunity to win the game.

Thumbs Up- Vinny Prospal scored his first career shorthanded goal (a shocking stat considering he has played 894 carrer games) to tie the game at 1-1 and was once again a factor all over the ice. Marian Gaborik, who set up Prospal’s goal off a beautiful rush, has now scored in 16 of the team’s 18 games this season. Christopher Higgins adapted to his move to center seamlessly and had one of his best performances as a Ranger. Ryan Callahan was huge on the penalty kill (especially in OT when he blocked two big blasts from Daniel Alfredsson during the late kill) and Dan Girardi and Marc Staal had solid games both at even strength and on the penalty kill. Sean Avery looked like he was trying to ratchet up the intensity in his game today and it lead to a bad penalty but it was definitely a step in the right direction for the agitator hoping to return to being a factor every night. Wade Redden and Michael Del Zotto had strong games and some timely defensive stops.

Thumbs Down- Michal Roszival and Aaron Voros were once again invisible and continue to be non factors. Ales Kotalik took a horrible penalty late in overtime and had to be bailed out by an impressive penalty kill unit. Brian Boyle passed up a great scoring chance early and wasn’t much of an impact today and i’m not even sure if Donald Brashear took the flight to Ottawa with the club as I don’t remember seeing him on the ice at all during the contest.

Three Stars- 3-Matt Gilroy- While Del Zotto has gotten all the attention, Gilroy has been very quiet and has played a string of very good games as of late. Today, he showed his ability to join the rush and create offensive opportunities and also had some good moments in his own end including breaking up a 2-on-1 rush late in the third period to help preserve the tie and send the game into overtime.

2-P.A. Parenteau- The call up who told Rangers announcer John Giannone that his goal was to “stick with the big club this time and not be sent back down” took a big step in that direction this afternoon with a spirited performance at both ends. He could have lost confidence after whiffing on a wide open net late in the third period off a perfect pass from Higgins but instead he came back in the shootout and potted the game winner past Elliot. A very impressive game from the young man who wants to make a name for himself.

1- Henrik Lundqvist- The King was in control all game long. His ability to control rebounds and his lateral quickness when under duress from an attacking Ottawa squad were the biggest reasons that the Rangers came out of ScotiaBank Place with two important points.

The Rangers return to action Tuesday night when Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals visit MSG at 7PM.

The Blueshirts had one of their best performances of the season tonight but couldn’t overcome the loss of their top two centers and incredible goaltending by Mikka Kiprusoff during a hard fought and physical contest won by the Flames 3-1.

Chris Drury left the game only 49 seconds in when Calgary’s Curtis Glencross blindsided him with a cheapshot that is sure to lead to a suspension for the winger. Drury was helped from the ice and was later reported to have suffered a concussion as a result of the dirty hit. The Flames jumped out early on a deflected shot by Daymond Langkow that beat Stephen Valiquette. The Rangers would even the score with under three minutes to go in the first period when Dan Girardi’s wrist shot from the point slipped past a screened Kiprusoff.

The second period was back and forth and physical with both teams finishing their checks and aggressively forechecking on both ends. The Rangers, already without Drury, would lose Brandon Dubinsky when he blocked a slapshot with his right arm. There is no official word on his injury as of yet but it looked like he hurt his wrist/forearm. The Flames would take the lead on a Jarome Iginla power play goal that came off a great pass from former Ranger Nigel Dawes at 16:47 of the second. The Rangers had some great scoring chances in the second but Kiprusoff was impenetrable robbing Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan on back to back shots during a power play.

It was more of the same during the third as Kiprusoff repeatedly stoned the Rangers and kept his team in the lead. Rene Bourque would put the finishing touches on the win for the Flames when he beat Valiquette with a shot deflected off Girardi’s stick late in the third.

Thumbs Up- Vinny Prospal, Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins all continued their string of solid performances as of late and accounted for many of the Rangers’ quality offensive chances. Marc Staal had a wonderful game and held Iginla in check at even strength throughout the contest. Marian Gaborik didn’t score but had at least 4 quality chances in the second period and was a victim of great goaltending by Kiprusoff.

Thumbs Down- Michal Roszival has become the worst player on the team. He has not made an impact offensively at all this season and his defense has been spotty at best. There is no way that he can be allowed to remain with this club at the NHL level if he continues to play the kind of uninspired, terrible hockey he has played so far this season.

Three Stars- 3- Marc Staal- Another solid performance defensively against one of the league’s most dangerous players.

2- Ales Kotalik- Kotalik’s bombs from the point on the power play are a thing of beauty and he was a crossbar away from adding to his impressive body of work so far this season.

1- Vinny Prospal- Prospal is continuously the Rangers most active player and has made an impact offensively in almost every game this season. He collected another assist on the Blueshirts’ lone goal and even showed some physical edge in his battles along the boards tonight. Another good performance from the season’s biggest surprise.

The Rangers return home to face the Atlanta Thrashers at MSG on Thursday.

The line of Vinny Prospal, Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik will be reunited tomorrow night in Edmonton as the Rangers face the Oilers. Coach Torts said he “liked the way the line played earlier this season” and wanted to give Artem Anisimov more minutes centering Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins. Enver Lisin, who missed last night’s game with a swollen foot is expected to return tomorrow and will probably be on the wing with Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan. With Dane Byers’ suspension (a disappointment for his family which was planning to attend the game), the fourth line will consist of Sean Avery, Brian Boyle and most likely Aaron Voros. No word on whether Donald Brashear will be available due to his lingering injuries.

The other news from practice today is that Henrik Lundqvist did not skate (along with Gaborik) and has a stiff  right thigh and Torts may give backup Stephen Valiquette the start tomorrow night. Valiquette was bombed in his last start against San Jose and this may be a perfect opportunity to give Henrik some rest and get Valiquette’s confidence back.