There's an old goldie tune that starts like this:

"Somewhere there's music; how faint the tune;

"Somewhere there's heaven; how high the moon!"

The lyrics now can be adapted for the Blueshirts -- with a simple alteration: Just call it, "How high the Rangers?"

If you want to know how high, don't consult an astronomer when The Maven can supply the answer a lot cheaper. And here it is:

Tom Renney's spaceship faces a pair of identical obstacles this week and each is surmountable despite the fact that they're called the Islanders.

Ted Nolan's sextet skates on to Garden ice on Tuesday night and then on Thursday, the Islanders play host to the Renney-gades at Nassau Veteran's Memorial Coliseum.

No question, the Isles are a threat -- to be sure -- but this is a far different group of Seventh Avenue skaters than the one which earlier in the season fell prey to their cross-county foes.

Jagr If the Rangers are not the BEST team in the league as we speak, they certainly rank among the top three and the shootout victory over Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon merely underlined the point.

It proved something that I've been echoing all along and that is this: Steve Valiquette between the pipes is every bit as good as Henny Lundqvist and, on certain matinees -- and evenings -- he is even better.

Debate the point, if you will, but it really doesn't matter. Better, even or worse, Valiquette is a winner and he proves it over and over again.

Why critics can't accept him as Lundqvist's equal is beyond me. Stevie Wonder could be a fine starter on half the NHL teams; if not more. His only problem is that long ago -- in Uniondale, as a matter of fact -- he was pigeonholed as a "back-up" and, unfortunately, the label never has been removed.

More to the point, the Rangers are making good a prediction I made when ninety-percent of you were chortling derisively: Yes, the Rangers WILL soar to the division's top and have a wonderful opportunity to take the conference title.

Sure, Montreal is formidable -- but emphatically beatable -- and inconsistent Ottawa should rebound under Bryan Murray. The Devils funk could last a lot longer than many suspect which leaves no major detour on the Rangers Thruway.

Most importantly, New York now has what I call "backup-ability."

They may not obtain the best goaltending on any given night but they have the scorers to compensate. And when the sharpshooters are not sharp, the defense is capable enough to shut down the opposition.

In short, they are in synch.

During the shootout, Renney slightly altered his game plan. Often reliable Brendan Shanahan beat Marty Biron with consummate ease with Nigel Dawes making it look easier. Meanwhile Stout Steve was merely flawless when it most counted.

For the Islanders, the Tuesday-Thursday tandem is playoff life-or-death for them. They need an absolute minimum of three points to stay alive in this homestretch race.

On the assumption that Bill Guerin & Co. can accomplish that, they will deserve a standing O; not because it will be miraculous -- the Isles have made miracles all season -- but rather because the Rangers have grown into THE RANGERS since last the rivals met.

The long awaited jelling has JELLED with a capital J (not a G) and the sky really IS the limit.

Just don't forget which Maven told you so!