• Rangers 2 Philadelphia 1: 52 seconds into the game, the Rangers seized a lead they would not relinquish, but it was a fight to the end. Markus Naslund scored in the opening minute of the game on a play that was reviewed and Ryan Callahan added a goal later in the period to make it a 2-0 lead. The Rangers had to hang on for dear life from there, getting outplayed at both ends for the remainder of the game, but they did thanks to their goalie. Henrik Lundqvist was superb, making 37 saves, none better than two huge ones in the third period and he brought the win home. The win gives the Rangers a playoff spot which means they will probably play either Boston or Washington in the first round.

  • Yankees 11 Baltimore 2: Phew, the Yankees won’t go winless in 2009. Thanks to a solid from A.J. Burnett and 5 RBI’s from Nick Swisher, the Yankees got their first win of the season. The bullpen was great, holding the Orioles without a runner for the final 3-2/3’s of the game. Mark Teixeira added his first Yankee homer and Robinson Cano clubbed his first of the season.

  • Cincinnati 8 Mets 6: There is good Ollie and there is bad Ollie and this was bad Ollie. Perez stunk, surrendering eight earned runs, partly thanks to five walks, and choking away a three-run lead. The top five hitters in the Mets’ lineup went 10-for-23 while the bottom four went 0-for-11.

  • Devils 3 Ottawa 2 (Shootout): The Devils will be the third seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to their win Thursday night. They actually wrapped that up by taking the game to overtime, but goals by Zach Parise and Brendan Shanahan gave them the extra point.

  • Pittsburgh 6 Islanders 1: New York scored at 5:05 in the first and it was all downhill from there. The Penguins blitzed the Islanders with 37 shots and six goals to cruise to the easy win. The win means that the Rangers can finish no higher than seventh in the Eastern Conference.