Dan Boyle still out with mysterious illness

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of concern about Dan Boyle, as Monday night's 6-3 loss to the Lightning at the Garden was the second consecutive game missed by the Rangers defenseman with what were described as "flu-like symptoms."

Although the whole team and staff has been revaccinated for the mumps — with the virus going through the league and now in the Rangers' locker room via forward Tanner Glass — it is not believed that is what Boyle is suffering from. Coach Alain Vigneault said the 38-year-old Boyle went to the hospital on Sunday and had some blood work done, the results of which were not immediately available.

"As far as anyone can tell us so far, it's just the flu," Vigneault said before the game. "Just a longer version than the 24 hours."

Asked if there was any cause for concern for the health of his team, Vigneault shrugged.

"No, you get this stuff every year," he said. "So it's our couple players' turn to have it."

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As for Glass, now having missed three straight and who is in the height of the mumps, Vigneault is not holding his breath waiting for his return.

"If the picture that I saw of him this morning is any indication of where he is right now," Vigneault said, "then it's going to take more than a few days."

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With forward Chris Kreider returning to the lineup after missing Saturday's 5-2 win over the Flyers following the death of this grandfather, rookie Anthony Duclair was a healthy scratch after playing the past six.

The question now regarding the 19-year-old Duclair is whether the Rangers will allow him to participate in the World Juniors tournament, with Team Canada's tryout Dec. 11 in Toronto and the tournament going from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Toronto and Montreal. If Duclair goes, he could return to the Rangers after the tournament ends.

"We talked about that possibility [and] we still need to talk about this as a group here," Vigneault said. "I know, from having been there twice, it's a great experience. Pressure, representing your country. So it's something that, moving forward here, we're going to discuss a little more in depth"

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J.T. Miller and Jesper Fast both played over Duclair, and both only got one shift in the second period, during which there were five penalties. Fast scored a goal in the second period off a great feed from Derick Brassard, and Vigneault said after the game Fast is a "young player that's trying to find a way to contribute."

As for Miller, before the game Vigneault said even if he's in a fourth-line role — which Miller was again, alongside Dom Moore and Fast — the 21-year-old can still be a solid contributor.

"The way we're effective as a team is when we have that four-line rotation," Vigneault said. "When our tempo and pace is better, our puck execution is better, and when that's not there, that's when we get in trouble. If [Miller] deserves to be in that position, he'll be here."

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Man City angling to keep Lampard from NYC FC

With Frank Lampard scoring and starring, and Manchester City winning, City coach Manuel Pellegrini publicly admitted he wants to keep the New York City FC star on loan past the agreed-upon New Year's Day date.

That would go against everything New York City FC has said since the loan started, with the fledgling MLS expansion club insisting the English midfielder will not only be available for its first ever league game in March, but for training camp in January as well.

"We are going to talk to all the parties and make a decision in December," Pellegrini told the British media. "If all parties agree then maybe we can keep him, but it could be that we want to keep him and Frank wants to go.''

Lampard himself has been quiet, letting his play do his talking. He excelled in Manchester City's midweek, come-from-behind 3-2 Champions League victory over Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich, and scored again for City — which co-owns NYC FC with the Yankees — over the weekend in Premier League action.

Small wonder Pellegrini and City want to keep Lampard in England as long as possible.

"All we know at present is his contract with MCFC expires on [Dec. 31]. Nothing further has yet been discussed,'' Lampard's agent Steve Kutner told The Post.

At this point, it's unclear whether Lampard would want to stay beyond Jan. 1, and if so, whether it would be through the end of the Premier League season or simply while New York City FC is in training camp. The latter wouldn't be catastrophic, since NYC FC is expected to train for some time at parent club Manchester City.

Still, it could be mildly embarrassing after NYC FC coach Jason Kreis made a point of talking about how having Lampard available for training camp was vital, and how NYC FC boss Claudio Reyna said at last month's jersey unveiling that "the plan is Frank will be in preseason with New York City FC.''

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In unrelated news, NYC FC hired assistant coach C.J. Brown away from the Chicago Fire. Brown worked with Kreis and assistant Miles Joseph at Real Salt Lake from 2011-13.

"One of the many reasons I decided to join NYCFC was that I already know the coaching staff," Brown said in a statement from NYC FC. "I've worked with Jason and Miles before, and we had a fantastic relationship and understanding. I know what it takes to work for Jason and what he expects from his players and coaches. He has a strong coaching philosophy, and it's one that I agree with."

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Coughlin shrugs off Beckham, Rolle railing against playcalling

As the losses continue to mount, comments here and there from players have tweaked decisions made by the coaching staff. Antrel Rolle questioned the defense against the read-option that allowed Russell Wilson and most recently Blake Bortles to scamper for easy yards.

Rookie Odell Beckham Jr. said after the 25-24 loss to the Jaguars the offense "should have put the pedal to the metal'' in the second half, as the Giants scored only three points.

"I think it's more frustration than anything else,'' coach Tom Coughlin said Monday. "I think that if you catch a player right after the game, perhaps I've said something in my attempt to be flat-out honest with everybody as to why we are in the predicament that we are in that could be interpreted by a player that way, but I don't think they're being disrespectful.''

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The Giants did not issue anything definitive about DE Robert Ayers, but a source indicated Ayers suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the game and his season is over.

Coughlin said RT Justin Pugh, who missed the last two games with a strained quad, will return this week. Pugh is needed, as Geoff Schwartz (ankle) will be out a while.

DE Mathias Kiwanuka missed his first game since 2010 because of a nagging knee issue.

"The knee was swollen and partially locked Saturday morning, that's when the decision was made he was going to be ruled out and would not travel,'' Coughlin said.

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Lost in the pathetic collapse was that defensive coordinator Perry Fewell actually called for pressure and — are you sitting down? — the blitzes hit home more often than not.

The Giants came into the game with only 1.5 sacks from players other than defensive linemen, but they got four sacks in the game from linebackers (Devon Kennard, Jameel McClain) and a safety (Stevie Brown).

Of course, the success came against Bortles, the most sacked quarterback in the league.

This is just sad: This was the first time an opponent returned two fumbles for touchdowns in the game against the Giants in more than 50 years, when Paul Wiggin and Charlie Scales did it for the Browns on Oct. 25, 1964. It hasn't been done by any team in the NFL in more than two years.

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The Giants have lost seven straight games, the longest active losing streak in the league. The last time the Giants were this bad (3-9 after 12 games) was 1995. The Giants are assured of finishing under .500 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003 and 2004. In between those seasons, Coughlin replaced Jim Fassel. … They actually are regressing. After compiling a nine-game winning streak in games they held the lead at halftime, the Giants have lost their last three games when leading at the half. They were up on the Seahawks (17-14), Cowboys (21-10) and Jaguars (21-3). The Giants have been outscored 67-10 in the second halves of those games.

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Daily Blotter

Brooklyn

A woman was attacked and robbed while smoking a cigarette on a Flatlands street, authorities said. The unidentified 21-year-old victim was standing outside of the Carib Catering Hall on Avenue N near East 51st Street Sunday at about 2 p.m. when a man approached her and choked her with his right hand, cops said. The suspect then took her iPhone 5S and house keys with his left hand before fleeing in a vehicle, cops said. The woman had no visible injuries and refused medical attention, cops said.

A Bensonhurst man was caught selling so-called "medical marijuana" to an undercover detective on Long Island, cops said. James Petrillo, 31, posted a Craigslist ad for the pot, to which the detective responded, and they planned to rendezvous Sunday at about 10:20 p.m., cops said. The men met in a parking lot on Sunrise Highway near Broadway in Lynbrook, where Petrillo sold the narcotics detective a half ounce of "Grade A Sour Diesel," according to police. Petrillo was charged with criminal possession of marijuana, cops said.

Manhattan

Police said Monday they are looking for a man suspected of mugging an elderly woman on the Upper East Side. The woman, 69, was walking on East 83rd Street between Second and Third avenues on Nov. 9 at about 10:30 p.m. when the robber came up from behind and forcefully snatched her Brooks Brothers bag from her hand, police sources said. The woman was thrust to the ground and suffered a broken arm as a result of the attack, cops said. She also suffered cuts to her face and hand, cops said. A cellphone and $100 in cash were inside the handbag, according to police. The white-bearded mugger was caught on surveillance video and was last seen wearing a blue baseball cap, cops said.

Staten Island

A crook broke into an Oakwood Beach restaurant and stole a cash register containing $300 in a burglary that was captured on several surveillance cameras. Cops say the thief threw a brick through a rear window of Di Sara Restaurant on Roma Avenue on Nov. 20 just before 3 a.m. Before he broke the window, the crook was caught on video walking toward a surveillance camera — giving a close-up view of his face. He shoved the lens out of the way, but instead of obscuring the view, he managed to angle the lens directly on him, capturing the entire break-in. Once inside, the suspect was caught on at least two more cameras. In an edited video released by the NYPD, the thief is seen trying to pry open the cash register. When that fails, he pushes a computer monitor off of it and grabs the whole cash box. He then fled from the restaurant with his loot.

The Bronx

A man died after a fight with his boyfriend on a Laconia street corner Sunday afternoon, cops said. Police responded to a call of an assault on Bronx Park East and Mace Avenue at 3:45 p.m. and found the 42-year-old man unconscious in the street, cops said. The victim was rushed to Jacobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The boyfriend, described as being in his 20s, was taken into custody, but has not been charged.

A thief viciously kicked a woman from behind as she held her infant, then stole her cellphone in The Bronx, cops said Monday. The man watched the 24-year-old mother as she walked past him in front of 1155 East Tremont Ave., talking on her phone Friday, with her 3-month-old baby strapped to her chest. Police say the man got a running start before kicking the victim, causing her and the baby to fall. Both mother and child where taken to Jacobi Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries.

A thief viciously kicked a woman from behind as she held her infant, then stole her cellphone in The Bronx, cops said Monday. The man watched the 24-year-old mother as she walked past him in front of 1155 East Tremont Ave., talking on her phone Friday, with her 3-month-old baby strapped to her chest. Police say the man got a running start before kicking her, causing her and the baby to fall to the ground. Both mother and child where taken to Jacobi Hospital where they were treated for minor injuries and released.

Queens

A woman was fighting for her life after being stabbed Monday in Jamaica cops said. The 31-year-old victim was stabbed multiple times in the chest and suffered blunt-force trauma to the head during the attack in front of 107-26 Watson Place. She was rushed to Jamaica Hospital shortly after 2:30 p.m. in "extremely" critical condition.

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Suspected Islamist rebels kill 36 in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya — At least 36 quarry workers were killed early Tuesday in northern Kenya by suspected Islamic extremists from Somalia, said Kenyan police.

The killings happened in Mandera County near the border with Somalia and the attackers escaped, said Kenyan police chief David Kimaiyo.

The workers were ambushed at the quarry as they slept, said other police sources, who insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press. The gunmen singled out non-Muslims and killed them, said the police. Some were shot dead and others were decapitated, the police officials said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the killings but the attack bears the hallmarks of Somalia's Islamic militant rebels, al-Shabab. Al-Shabab attacked a bus in Mandera County last week in which 28 non-Muslims were separated from other passengers and shot dead.

The quarry attack came hours after a hotel in Wajir, also in northern Kenya, was hit by a grenade and gunfire attack which killed one person and wounded 13, said police.

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Malcolm Smith offered to sell votes ‘like shares of stock’

They say he offered to sell Albany votes like shares of stock — and now federal prosecutors want to use those fund-raising boasts to send Queens state Sen. Malcolm Smith to jail.

The disgraced Queens breakaway Democrat, whose corruption trial for trying to buy his way onto the Republican line for mayor last year resumes in January, warned dozens of top New York lobbyists that their clients would be shut out of state politics if they didn't make large contributions, the feds say in a new filing.

"Smith told the attendees that they should treat the fund-raiser as an 'IPO' [initial public offering] by donating early while prices were low and while there was still an opportunity to participate," Assistant US Attorney Justin Anderson wrote Wednesday, of the August 2008 gathering in upstate Kingston.

"Smith's comments implied that those who failed to make contributions to his campaign at that time would find themselves having to pay more later or being unable to accomplish anything with the Senate under Smith's leadership."

Smith told the lobbyists then that the Democrats were expected to win control of the Senate in that upcoming November election and that he'd be among the key pols calling the shots for the reorganized legislative body.

Anderson filed the legal papers last week asking White Plains federal Judge Kenneth Karas to allow prosecutors to present the boast as evidence at Smith's trial.

Linking contributions to future government actions is illegal under New York law.

Smith's lawyer Gerald Shargel told The Post that he plans to oppose the government's request, adding that Smith "steadfastly denies any impropriety."

"This is clearly the government trying to manufacture evidence that does not exist," Shargel said.

Smith told the attendees that they should treat the fund-raiser as an 'IPO' by donating early while prices were low and while there was still an opportunity to participate. - Assistant US Attorney Justin Anderson

The feds want to tell to jurors about the fund-raiser to provide context of how Smith's history of alleged shady solicitations stretches long before he was charged in a failed $200,000 bribery scheme to cross party lines and secure the Republican nomination in the 2013 mayoral race.

Anderson said the evidence "should be admitted" to rebut Smith's anticipated entrapment defense. Smith claims he was set up by crooked Rockland developer Moses Stern, who secretly wore a wire for the feds to dodge jail time.

The Post's Fredric Dicker reported in 2008 that 75 lobbyists attended the Senate Democratic golf outing at the private Wiltwyck Golf Club and paid up to $75,000. During the event, Smith also referred to state Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) as his "enforcer" who would be "brutal" and "aggressive" about collecting the contributions, and said Klein "was the one managing the IPO."

Anderson in his filing also asked Judge Karas for permission to provide new evidence that Smith co-defendant and former Queens Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone is also allegedly a master of the quid pro quo.

The feds hope to detail at trial how Tabone, while running for the Assembly in 2010, met with Kevin E. Fullington, who was then campaign manager for Rick Lazio's failed governor campaign.

"During their private conversation, Tabone asked Fullington to provide financial support to both the [Queens Republican Party] and Tabone's campaign in exchange for the Queens Republican Party's endorsement of Lazio," Anderson wrote.

Fullington did not return messages.

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Mickey Rourke’s opponent was ‘paid’ to get KO’d

The boxer beaten by tough-guy actor Mickey Rourke in a publicized bout last week in Russia was actually a troubled homeless man who was paid to take a dive, sources say.

"Obviously, it was beneficial for Mickey Rourke. It probably made him feel good, boosted his ego, to be able to say he beat somebody half his age,'' said a family friend of Elliot Seymour, the down-and-out boxer who hangs out at the same LA gym as Rourke and allegedly took the fall against him.

"Yeah, Rourke did [beat him], but you're not telling them the real story. The real story is [Seymour] is homeless and desperate."

Another source at the fighters' Wild Card gym called Seymour, 29, "a professional opponent."

"Meaning you pay him to lose,'' the source said. "The fight was a joke. Mickey needs to stop pretending he ever was very good and just keep acting. It's kind of an embarrassment, really. Mickey throws punches so slow an infant could avoid them."

The first source produced text messages from a friend of Seymour's who helped the flailing pugilist get a passport to Moscow, where the fight was staged.

The source said he told the friend that he was worried Seymour wasn't mentally fit to go to Russia and that the pal "said he'll be with movie people."

After the fight, the source said, he sent the pal a link to a news story questioning whether the bout was fixed.

The friend texted back, "They told him to throw the fight I hope he gets home safely and paid. They wanted him down in the 4th total BS."

Seymour went down in the second round, earning headlines for the 62-year-old Oscar-nominated star of "The Wrestler."

"Maybe the arrangement changed from the fourth round to the second, but the fact he was saying they wanted him down in the fourth lets you know . . . what the situation was,'' the source said.

Seymour was once an aspiring boxer but never managed to break out and is now a homeless drifter, spending most of his time at the gym, a Starbucks and on benches at Memorial Park in Pasadena, sources said.

"One of the well-known boxing reporters writing about the fight said they might as well have got somebody who was sleeping on the subway and it would've been a better opponent," the family friend said. "Well, what he doesn't know is that's pretty much what happened."

Rourke's agents did not return multiple messages Sunday seeking comment.

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Hackers swipe Sony film ‘Annie’ and more

Sony's plans for a Christmas-season blockbuster took a hard knock when its upcoming remake of "Annie" was stolen during a crippling cyber attack.

The upcoming movie, starring Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis, is among several films that have appeared on file-sharing Web sites since the Nov. 25 computer hack, according to reports on Sunday.

The updated cinematic version of the beloved Broadway classic, featuring musical contributions from co-producer Jay Z, is set to open in theaters on Dec. 19.

Before the theft, the Web site boxoffice.com projected that "Annie" would rake in $19 million its first weekend and gross $100 million in the United States and Canada, plus more overseas.

Sony is hoping the illegal release won't kill ticket sales because the target audience for its family-friendly flick doesn't include the young males who most often watch pirated videos, a person with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg News.

And while some of Sony's computer systems have been brought back online, the Tokyo-based company has yet to restore e-mail service for its entertainment division, the source said. Some workers are being forced to communicate through text messages and private e-mail accounts, according to Bloomberg.

In addition to "Annie," the Brad Pitt war flick "Fury" and the drama "Still Alice" were being illegally downloaded. The list of pilfered flicks also includs the British biopic "Mr. Turner" — about the painter J.M.W. Turner — and the drama "To Write Love on Her Arms," Variety reported.

But "Fury," which is still playing in theaters, has proven the most popular among Internet crooks and is currently the second-most downloaded movie at The Pirate Bay, a leading Web site for peer-to-peer file sharing, according to TorrentFreak.com.

The piracy-tracking firm Excipio said "Fury" has logged more than 1.2 million downloads to unique IP addresses since Nov. 27, when it first appeared on peer-to-peer networks, according to Variety. By contrast, "Annie" had only 206,000-plus downloads.

The cyber attack on Sony was reportedly marked by a picture of a skeleton that appeared on employees' computer screens, along with the message "Hacked by #GOP," with a group calling itself "Guardians of Peace" claiming responsibility.

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Obama to hold White House meetings on Ferguson

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will discuss the situation in Ferguson, Missouri, with his Cabinet, civil rights leaders, law enforcement officials and others Monday.

The White House says Obama's Cabinet meeting will focus on his administration's review of federal programs that provide military-style equipment to law enforcement agencies.

The president will also meet with young civil rights leaders to discuss the challenges posed by "mistrust between law enforcement and communities of color." He'll then meet with government and law enforcement officials, as well as other community leaders, to discuss how to strengthen neighborhoods.

Protests have continued in Ferguson, but have been more muted than the violence sparked last week by a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

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Daily Blotter

Manhattan

One person was seriously injured in a blaze early Sunday at an East Harlem apartment building, officials said. Flames erupted at around 3:30 a.m. inside the six-story building on East 105th Street near First Avenue, fire officials said. The victim was rushed to Metropolitan Hospital with smoke inhalation, they said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A fire in another Harlem apartment building left a man fighting for his life Sunday, authorities said. The blaze started in the basement of the building on West 151st Street and Broadway at around 8 a.m. Saturday, they said. Emergency responders pulled the injured man from the flames and rushed him to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition, according to police. Officials are investigating the cause.

A man went berserk inside a West Village hot-dog shop and tried to toss a table at other customers, police sources said Sunday. Faqir Palmer, 26, got rowdy at the Papaya Dog on Sixth Avenue near West Fourth Street at around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 22, cops said. He started yelling and throwing items before grabbing the table and trying to chuck it across the room, the sources said. Palmer did $350 in damage and was charged with reckless endangerment, authorities said.

A fare beater and his friend assaulted a cop in the West Village, cops said Sunday. Jamie O'Brien, 29, crawled under the turnstile at West 14th Street and Eighth Avenue at around 11:30 p.m. Nov. 20 just as an officer approached him and Steven Nemcheck, 43, police said. When the officer tried to cuff O'Brien, Nemcheck tried to block the cop, according to the police report. O'Brien then kicked the officer, according to cops.
A green pill believed to be a controlled substance was found in Nemcheck's pocket when he was searched, sources said. O'Brien was charged with assault on a police officer, jumping a turnstile, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. Nemcheck was charged with obstructing governmental administration and possession of a controlled substance.

Brooklyn

Police are investigating a two-car accident that left a woman clinging to life on the Belt Parkway in Bay Ridge. Irina Danilyuk's car collided with another vehicle at the entrance ramp for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway at 3:45 a.m. on Saturday and went careening into a tree, police said Sunday. Danilyuk, 22, who was later charged with driving while ability impaired, was rushed to Kings County Hospital, according to authorities. The other driver was treated for minor injuries at the same hospital, they said.

Three thugs shot a man in Bedford-Stuyvesant Sunday afternoon, cops said. The 28-year-old victim was shot in the torso three times at around 12:40 p.m. while he was on Dekalb Avenue near Lewis Avenue, cops said.
He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he is in stable condition. Police are looking for his assailants.

The owner of a black Mercedes sedan returned to the parked car on Sunday afternoon in Williamsburg only to discovery it up on bricks and with all four wheels stolen, authorities said. The car was on Clymer Street near Wythe Avenue when the theft was discovered at around 2 p.m. "All of a sudden, I see that my car is on bricks,'' Ira Goldstein, 31, told The Post, adding that he had been visiting his parents and went to his car to go shopping. Police are investigating the incident and whether it is linked to other similar thefts in the area recently, sources said.

Queens

A gun-toting brute threatened a man inside a Jamaica bank, but fled empty-handed, cops said Sunday. The thief walked up to a 48-year-old man at an ATM inside the Chase branch on Linden Boulevard near Francis Lewis Boulevard at around 10:45 p.m. Friday and pulled out a black handgun, a law-enforcement source said. The thug told the man to "take the money out," but the victim refused, police sources said. The perpetrator then pushed the victim and ran down Francis Lewis Boulevard toward 118th Avenue, cops said.

Bronx

A man in Soundview heard gunfire and took off running before realizing he had been shot, police sources said Sunday. While walking to his mother's home at around 8 p.m. Saturday, the 19-year-old was in the rear of an apartment building near the Cross Bronx Expressway and Ellis Avenue when he saw a flash and heard a shot, the sources said. He ducked and heard a second shot, sending him running east on Ellis Avenue toward Pugsley Avenue, cops said. The man felt a tingling in his right leg as he was fleeing and realized he had been shot, authorities said.

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