"Boston and Atlanta won, too, to keep the Rangers four points and two places out. So when Olli Jokinen said last night he didn't "want to talk about the past," odds remain strong that "past" probably already has doomed the 2009-10 Rangers.

Jokinen, dormant practically since his acquisition on Feb. 2, scored his first goal since his overtime winner in Pittsburgh 16 games ago, assisted on another and wound up a plus-three with linemates Vinny Prospal and P.A. Parenteau as the Rangers stormed from behind to beat the Islanders 4-3 last night at the Coliseum.

Put together for the first time on the very first shift of the second period, Prospal nailed one over Dwayne Roloson's shoulder off the rush before Jokinen frisked a turning Kyle Okposo in the slot and roofed another one to tie the game.

In the third period, a pretty Parenteau pass through center sprung Prospal, setting up Marc Staal, who too easily beat a Roloson who had been unraveling from the time he shoved at the buzzing Prospal between Ranger goals one and two.

Necessity, the absence of Ryan Callahan and Sean Avery, became the mother of John Tortorella's invention. The coach has juggled incessantly all season fruitlessly trying to find a secondary scoring line — and sometimes even a first line — without conjuring practically any chemistry. And in this case, in mid-game, it was instant."