It had been over five years since the Phoenix Coyotes paid a visit to the world’s most famous arena, and they wasted no time in making a powerful impression. The previously offensively anemic Phoenix Coyotes blasted the Rangers yesterday afternoon by a 5-1 margin; it was an abominable effort to say the least. Not only did the Rangers give up a five spot (so much for their NHL-stingiest defense) to a club that has as much trouble scoring as they do, but they permitted the visitors to severely embarrass them. To make matters worse, Jaromir Jagr lost another tooth in what is becoming a very forgettable year for the future Hall of Famer.

Joel Perrault, who was just called up from the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, netted two goals and added an assist; he was selected first star of the game. Stephen Valiquette got the call in net (Henrik Lundqvist was out with the flu) and was shaky throughout, but was not solely accountable for the loss. He received little support as his teammates were reckless and sloppy in front of him, especially in the second period. Wayne Gretzky stood behind the bench as the Coyotes’ coach for the first time and came away pleasantly surprised with how easily his team manhandled the Rangers.

Perrault’s power-play goal at 3:11 of the first period was the only goal of the frame; it came on their first shot on net. The Rangers outshot the Coyotes 11-10 in a period that was marginally acceptable as far as execution was concerned. Their borderline play gave no indication of what was soon to transpire. Ilya Bryzgalov was strong in net for Phoenix as he kept the Blueshirts from building any momentum.

The second period was a disgrace, pure and simple. The Rangers forgot how to play defense and got blown out of their own building; it was their worst period of the season. Early goals by penalty minutes-leading Daniel Carcillo (his fifth at 2:14) thanks to a miscommunication between Marc Staal and Valiquette and Radim Vrbata (his 13th at 3:30), who took advantage of a Michal Rozsival turnover, put Phoenix up 3-0 and deadened the already subdued crowd.

When Fredrik Sjostrom beat Valiquette at the 12:34 mark to widen their lead to four goals, the game was long gone. But the onslaught wasn’t over. Perrault’s second goal of the contest (a power-play tally) increased the lead to 5-0. Shots favored Phoenix 11-8 but it seemed much more one-sided than that. Obviously, Valiquette wasn’t having a good game; he stopped just seven shots in the frame.

With the outcome no longer in doubt, the Coyotes let up and the Rangers carried the play for the final period. They tested Bryzgalov several times and finally broke through at 11:27 with a power-play goal by Dan Girardi. Big deal, they ruined his shutout bid.

With their fifth loss in the last six and third straight at home, the Rangers are struggling. They are not the same team without Sean Avery. Whatever he brings to the table, it works. His return is eagerly anticipated. Next up are the Penguins, who are in town Tuesday night. Pittsburgh is just one point behind the Rangers in the tightly packed Atlantic Division.