But the Rangers' 4-1 victory against the Penguins at Mellon Arena last night is the latest entry in a growing body of evidence that suggests New York is capable of playing good, two-way hockey. That the Rangers are worthy of returning to the playoffs. That they just might give a reasonable return on their $80 million payroll.

OK, so that's stretching it a bit -- New York's player budget would be grotesquely bloated for a team that goes 82-0 -- but these Rangers are not to be mistaken with the clubs that preceded them the past half-dozen seasons or so.

"They're definitely playing better than they have the last couple of years," Penguins center Mike Eastwood said.

And while the contributions of players such as Mark Messier, Alex Kovalev, Bobby Holik and Brian Leetch, among others, cannot be overstated, the most important figure in New York's turnaround might be assistant coach Tom Renney, who has introduced structure and responsibility to the Rangers' work in the defensive zone.

Until Renney joined the staff, New York's play inside its blue line fluctuated between comical and criminal.

"They're playing a better system in their own end," said Penguins utilityman Steve McKenna, a former Ranger. "That's where they struggled the last couple of years.

"I don't know if they're finally believing in what they're doing or realizing that's what it takes, but they're doing it right."

Often enough to go 3-1-3 in their past seven games, reducing their 0-2-2 start to a distant memory.

"We tried to do so much at the beginning of the season, and nothing was working for us," said Kovalev, who set up New York's first two goals. "Right now, you see a lot guys getting confidence back."

The Penguins (5-11-4-1) had been picking up some of that after earning at least one point in each of their previous three games but never managed to get a lead against the Rangers.

New York got the only goal of the first period at 14:56, when Kovalev -- playing his first game at Mellon Arena since the Penguins traded him Feb. 10 to the Rangers -- set up linemate Martin Rucinsky.

Kovalev carried the puck down the right side, challenging defenseman Josef Melichar, then pulled up sharply as he approached the corner and threw a cross-ice pass that Rucinsky steered past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from the left side of the crease.

The Penguins countered at 8:17 of the second when Rico Fata, acquired from the Rangers in the Kovalev trade, hammered a slap shot past New York goalie Jussi Markkanen from the top of the right circle.

Pointmen Patrick Boileau and Dick Tarnstrom received assists, but the guy who did the most to make the goal possible was Konstantin Koltsov. He perched directly in front of Markkanen, eliminating any chance of him reacting to Fata's shot.

Koltsov was positioned perfectly and, with the score tied, 1-1, at the second intermission, his teammates felt pretty much the same.

"That's exactly where we wanted to be," Eastwood said.

They didn't stay there for long, however, as Kovalev and Rucinsky conspired to put New York back in front for good at 3:34 of the third.

Rucinsky beat Fleury from the inner edge of the left circle after getting a backhand pass form Kovalev, who'd had the puck along the boards behind the Penguins' net.

Eric Lindros snuffed any chance the Penguins had of getting a point at 7:03, when he jabbed the puck past Fleury before Fleury, who had lost his stick, was able to cover it in the crease, and Leetch put an exclamation point on New York's victory with a short-handed goal at 16:15.

He took a feed from Messier and threw a wrist shot past Fleury from above the left hash to make it 4-1. It was the eighth short-handed goal the Penguins have allowed, most in the NHL.

"The wheels fell off the bus in the third period," McKenna said.

Some of the Penguins' problems then were self-inflicted. Others were caused by facing a team whose lineup is sprinkled with world-class talents.

"They have a really good lineup, on paper," Fata said. "You have to respect that, to a certain point."

True enough, but the Penguins also have to get over it. They have to play at Carolina tonight and, if they have any hope of climbing back into the playoff race, they can't afford to go very long between victories.

"It's great that we play [tonight]," McKenna said. "We have to put [the New York game] behind us and get a big performance by everybody. Kind of sweep this away."