Are The Blueshirts Coming, Going or Just Spinning Their Flatwheels?

If the Rangers happened to be a railroad train it would be called "The Flatwheel Express." 

Life has become so desperate for the Blueshirts, so fast, that they don't know whether to look up, down or sideways.

If they look up they'll see Carolina pulling away from everybody and then a few other teams like the Caps, Devs, Isles, Habs and Leafs,  slowly but surely pulling away from the Dear Boys Of Seventh Avenue.

If Sully's Skaters look down, they'll see Philly, Pitt and Columbus breathing on their heels.

Better they shouldn't look at all. (And if somebody asks them "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" Well, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE which, fortunately, The Beloveds have been doing lately.

Whether the workouts at their Greenburgh, N.Y. pond will do them any good against the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Sunday will depend on left wing Pavel Dorofeyev.

Fast becoming the most expensive bad deal since the invention of the ice cube, Doc Dorofeyev should stop daydreaming about his Vegas henchmen Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner and play some inspired New York hockey.

"Going up against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman at The Garden could be the best thing that could happen to Dorofeyev," says The Old Scout. "All he needs is one or two big games and the goal-scoring confidence just might burst out."

Yeah, that's easy for The Old Scout to say but the brilliant coach Mike Sullivan does not have the luxury of either an Eichel or Marner-Making Machine. And neither J.T. Miller nor Gabe Perreault are reasonable facsimiles.

"Whatever the linemates Sully gives Dorofeyev," adds The Old Scout, "all these practices had better produce wins." Then, a pause: "NOW!"

Otherwise the Rangers won't need to look down because they'll be nestled at the very bottom of the Met Division.

Come to think of it, that's where they finished their miserable season last year.