Rangers Lacking Passion Against Close Hudson Rival

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Derek

If you tuned into last night’s game on TNT, it was another mind-numbing effort in a lopsided loss to the Devils, who pulled away for a 6-3 win over the Rangers.

There wasn’t much to get excited about. The Rangers spent too much time defending against their faster close Hudson rival. It was the Devils who won most of the battles. They forced the Rangers into many bad turnovers due to their aggression.

It was as if they treated them with no respect. They were hungrier and played with more urgency. It was almost as if the Devils approached last night’s match like a playoff game. Even if the odds are still stacked against them, somehow qualifying for the postseason, there’s a different intensity that they play with against the Rangers. It’s eerily similar to how the Islanders play against them.

It wasn’t only Jack Hughes who killed them. He played the role of Jason by scoring a big goal and helped set up Jesper Bratt’s insurance marker in the third period. Hughes got his usual three points versus the Rangers, who again had no answer for him. He enjoys beating them. Every Devil does. In an earlier March matchup that they won by an identical 6-3 margin, Nico Hischier told reporters that it’s always nice to beat the Rangers.

When’s the last time a Blueshirt had a similar mindset against their closest rivals? They’re now a loss away from getting swept by both the Islanders and Devils. It’s pretty much a guarantee that they’ll lose at the end of the month.

Why should fans even watch? The lack of pride and passion is a joke. The Rangers embarrassed themselves on national TV again. That’s nothing new. There was the Boston Massacre a couple of months ago when the Bruins flirted with 10 goals. There were a pair of losses to the Islanders, with world beater David Rittich in the net over Ilya Sorokin.

This is who the Rangers are. A laughingstock. How bad was it last night? By the time Hughes undressed them again for another goal, the familiar “Woo” chants could be heard from the Devils contingent who took the Path ride to Madison Square Garden. Even an audible “Rangers Suck” chant made its way from Newark to Manhattan. You would’ve thought it was a Devils home game.

That’s what happens when the team gives fans nothing to cheer for. In an uncompetitive first period that favored the Devils by a significant margin, with the shots 17-3, they turned a 1-0 deficit on a Vladislav Gavrikov tally into a 2-1 lead against Jonathan Quick.

With the game tied, Arseny Gritsyuk turned Adam Fox into a traffic cone by flying past him out of the zone and then beating Quick with a quick snapshot late in the period. Fox didn’t even move his feet to check Gritsyuk, allowing him to blow by for the goal. The look on Fox’s face afterward was one of shock. Maybe it shouldn’t have been. He isn’t exactly the fastest skater, which is why Bill Guerin was right in not selecting him to Team USA, who won Olympic gold.

Following an early Mika Zibanejad goal that was created by Gabe Perreault forcing Dougie Hamilton into a turnover, the Devils re-took the lead on a power-play goal from Connor Brown. Alexis Lafreniere negated a 5-on-4 to put them on it. Brown easily finished a Hughes feed in front without any pressure. The Devils scored twice more on the man-advantage against a Rangers penalty kill that’s been lousy lately. They were victimized three times in the first meeting.

Although they got more shots on Jacob Markstrom in the second, they were doubled up by the Devils on the scoreboard. Quick kept them in it. He dealt with a lot of odd man rushes due to very poor decisions from his teammates. Whether it was bad pinches or bad passes that fueled their opponent’s transition, it was a shooting gallery at Quick’s end.

After he denied Paul Cotter on a breakaway, Quick was helpless when Timo Meier scored on an easy follow-up. It was mindless to watch. The Rangers hung the poor veteran out to dry. Even if he wasn’t perfect, he gave his team a chance.

The Rangers played the final 20 minutes down two players, with injuries to Urho Vaakanainen and Noah Laba forcing Mike Sullivan to shorten his rotation. J.T. Miller shifted to center the third line. On a night that he was again miserable, he helped set up a Conor Sheary goal that made it 4-3.

Over the next couple of shifts, the Rangers had their best moments by continuing to apply pressure on the Devils, who suddenly couldn’t buy a clear out of their zone. That nearly cost them the lead. Despite some close calls for the Zibanejad line, which did most of the work at 5-on-5, they were unable to draw even.

Instead, Hughes put on a clinic by taking a Simon Nemec pass and skating uncontested into the slot before blasting a shot through Quick to turn the tide. He later got his second assist of the game on a Bratt tally.

If there was one takeaway, not one Ranger physically engaged a Devil in a scrum. Unless you counted Vincent Trocheck’s goofiness by pretending to be part of a Devils huddle with former USA teammate Hughes front and center, there was nothing.

They were too slow to hit Hughes, who may as well have been the roadrunner from Looney Tunes. Instead, the Rangers player the role of Wile E. Coyote to suck the life out of the building. There was no emotion or energy. It felt like the preseason.

At this point, that shouldn’t be the case. Especially against a bitter rival who treats these games as their Stanley Cup. Considering the recent history of the Devils, it may as well be. They’ve advanced past the first round once since 2012. That one came against the Rangers with the Game 7 humiliation ending Gerard Gallant’s tenure four years ago.

One wonders why there isn’t more pushback from the Manhattan side. They shouldn’t need the presence of a fringe NHL player to create some animosity. They should feel ashamed.

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Rangers Fall to Kings in Panarin’s Return

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Derek

On Monday night, Artemi Panarin was welcomed back at MSG in his return. The Kings got the last laugh by defeating the Rangers 4-1 on Pride Night.

There wasn’t much team pride in a lopsided second period that saw the Kings dominate the Rangers by a significant margin. They were outshot 16-3 in what Adam Fox described as “some of the worst hockey, I think, of our season.”

After getting out to a good start, by testing Darcy Kuemper early with a couple of quality scoring chances, the Rangers fell behind when Drew Doughty beat Igor Shesterkin through traffic at 13:29.

Following an icing from Matthew Robertson, the Kings won a draw that led to Panarin moving the puck to Mikey Anderson. He then got it across for Doughty, who got his fifth to open the scoring. The secondary assist was the only point Panarin would get to give him 13 points in 11 games with Los Angeles.

During the first stoppage, the Rangers showed a video tribute that included Panarin scoring his biggest goal in overtime to eliminate the Pens. He received a warm ovation from fans, with some wearing his jersey. Afterward, he skated out and politely waved to thank the crowd. It was obvious that he was emotional. His body language showed how he felt.

After getting outshot 8-6 in the first period, the Rangers fell apart in the second. The Kings scored twice over an 18-second span to go ahead 3-0.

Anderson put in a rebound of an Alex Laferierre shot to increase the Kings’ lead to two. On a quick play in transition, Quenton Byfield set up Laferierre in the slot for a shot that Shesterkin couldn’t control, which allowed Anderson to slam it home. Adam Edstrom fell down behind the play due to a skate issue, creating a 3-on-2 that LA capitalized on.

With Vincent Trocheck off for high-sticking, the Kings went to work on the power play. Byfield set up Anze Kopitar for a shot that Laferierre batted in out of midair to put the Rangers down by three. It was good hand-eye coordination from Laferierre, who’s not to be confused with Alexis Lafreniere.

Rather than claw back, the Rangers had zero response. Instead, they were physically dominated by the more aggressive Kings, who are playing a more uptempo style under interim coach D.J. Smith. They blanketed the Rangers and, at one point, led in shots 24-8.

After hearing boos to end the second, the Rangers finally showed some signs of life in a much more inspired third period. They got back in it thanks to an early Trocheck power-play goal. With Laferierre  off for boarding Robertson, Mika Zibanejad set up Fox for a shot that Trocheck tipped in to cut the deficit to 3-1 with 17:31 left.

Despite continuing to take it to the Kings, who sat back, the Rangers were unable to draw nearer. Gabe Perreault had a close call but had his shot hit both the goalpost and crossbar. It was a frustrating night for both him and Lafreniere, who was denied by Kuemper of a goal at one point.

The new first line didn’t spend enough time in the offensive zone. Zibanejad felt that they passed up on some shots following the loss, which snapped a season best four-game winning streak. It was just their second loss in regulation since they returned from the Olympic break.

Noah Laba alnost had a goal back in the first period that would’ve tied it. But he was unable to hit the net with Kuemper down after Lafreniere created a chance.

With Shesterkin off for an extra attacker, Trevor Moore sealed it with an empty netter.

When it was over, each player lined up to congratulate Kopitar on a great career. The future Hall of Famer is one of the all-time greatest two-way centers to ever play the game. A two-time Stanley Cup champion who’s retiring at the conclusion of the season, he’s been a legendary King, who recently passed Marcel Dionne for the most points in franchise history. With a primary assist, Kopitar is up to 1,309 points.

The last player to congratulate him was fittingly Jonathan Quick. They’ll forever be intertwined due to teaming up to win Cups in 2012 and 2014. Quick gave his former teammate a huge embrace and tapped the Kings logo on his helmet. It’s very likely that Quick will also retire. If he does, he’ll join Kopitar in Toronto.

The Rangers lost to a more desperate team playing for their playoff lives. By taking two of three in the Metro area, the Kings tied the idle Kraken in points for the final wild card.

Meanwhile, the Blueshirts are down to 15 games remaining. Next up are the Devils on Wednesday at The Garden.

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Sarcastic Panarin Set for MSG Return

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Derek

It’s been six weeks since the Rangers traded Artemi Panarin to the Kings. The deal took place on Feb. 4 with the Russian star picking Los Angeles as his next NHL destination.

Due to team president and general manager Chris Drury sticking firm to moving on from Panarin before the Olympic roster freeze, he got back top prospect Liam Greentree, a conditional 2026 third round pick, and conditional 2028 fourth round pick.

Viewed as a disappointing return for a player who averaged 1.36 points-per-game over seven years, the Rangers have played better hockey since. They enter tonight’s match against the Kings having won a season-high four consecutive games. Having gone 6-1-2 since the returning from the Olympics, they’re playing their well while Panarin’s new team has been up and down so far.

In 10 games, Los Angeles is 4-5-1 with Panarin. He’s been just fine putting up three goals and nine assists for 12 points, including scoring a power-play goal while adding two helpers in a 6-4 loss at the Devils this past weekend. Despite struggling, the Kings remain just two points in back of the Kraken for the final wild card in a mediocre Western Conference. Although they currently are sixth in the Pacific Division, the Kings trail the first place Ducks by eight points. Both the Golden Knights and Oilers are second and third, with 76 and 75 points. The Kraken rank fourth with 71, followed by the Sharks (70), and the Kings, who have 69.

While they try to get hot down the stretch and squeak into the playoffs, the focus will be on Panarin in his MSG return tonight. He’s been very open about how he feels since being dealt by indicating to reporters that he knew it was a possibility once Drury sent out a letter to the fans about the Rangers ‘retool.’

On playing the Rangers, he said, “We’ll see. I’ll try not crying. I guess battling for the playoffs, I don’t have time for that emotion.”

When asked about possibly getting the chance to face former teammate Igor Shesterkin one-on-one, the affable Panarin sarcastically remarked, “”I hope he has a bad night tonight. Sorry New York Rangers fans, but you don’t care this year anymore. We’ll see. Try to win the game.”

One of the things Panarin has consistently said is that the Rangers didn’t want him. That’s true with him confirming that they never made him an offer to stay. Instead, he wound up in Hollywood where he signed a two-year contract extension worth $22 million.

For the Blueshirts, it was about moving in a different direction. They needed to get younger. As good as Panarin is, he didn’t fit into their long-term plans. If there’s been a correlation, it’s been the improvement of former teammate Alexis Lafreniere. He’s been on a good roll lately. He was named the NHL’s first star of the week scoring five goals with two assists for seven points to help the Rangers to a perfect 4-0 record last week. That included Lafreniere getting his second career hat trick in a win over Calgary on Mar. 10.

Lafreniere has developed excellent chemistry with 20-year-old newcomer Gabe Perreault. The two have combined with Mika Zibanajad to form a new top line that’s been productive since head coach Mike Sullivan put them together. Lafreniere heaped praise on Perreault, who is a superb passer.

With Zibanejad continuing to lead the way, things are looking up. Even with them playing out the string, the Rangers are having more fun than they did at any point of the season. They’ll look to keep it going against Panarin and the Kings.



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Making Sense of Perreault’s Power Play Demotion

Posted on March 14, 2026 by Derek

When the Rangers visit the Wild in St. Paul on Saturday afternoon, it’ll come with a likely change to the lineup. After missing the last five games, J.T. Miller is expected to return. Assuming he plays, Miller would replace Gabe Perreault on the top power play unit after taking reps in practice.

Without Miller, the Rangers enter play having won four of five, taking a three-game winning streak into today’s game. Perreault has found chemistry on the number one line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. With three consecutive two-point efforts over the last three games, the 20-year-old forward is growing in confidence. He’s combined with Lafreniere and Zibanejad for some nice goals. In a 4-0 victory over the Flames on Mar. 10, it was his playmaking that was on full display with a pair of good passes that led to Lafreniere recording his second career hat trick.

In their most recent win over Winnipeg, Perreault helped set up another Lafreniere goal thanks to some diligent work on the forecheck that led to Will Borgen’s shot being deflected in by Lafreniere. With the game tied in the final period, Perreault notched the game-winner when Lafreniere moved the puck up for a Braden Schneider shot pass that the rookie put away for his seventh.

While continuing to have success at 5-on-5 with his linemates, Perreault has also contributed positively to the power play. In a 6-2 win over the Flyers on Mar. 9, he had a power-play goal and had a behind the back feed that Zibanejad put away. His ability to make plays with the puck has made him a good asset on the 5-on-4.

Of his 17 points, 13 have come at even strength with four on the power play. Even when he hasn’t produced on the man-advantage, Perreault has been very effective with the top unit, which includes Zibanejad, Lafreniere, Adam Fox, and Vincent Trocheck. By demoting him to the second power play, it feels like Mike Sullivan is catering to Miller.

“I don’t think he would look at it as a demotion. Gabe is playing extremely well right now, and so we’ll continue to work with him and to try to continue to help him grow and develop his game. We’ll put him in situations where we think it sets him up for success,” Sullivan told reporters yesterday.

At this point of the season, a veteran who’s been a polarizing player shouldn’t be prioritized over a younger player with promise. Even if he has a point about Miller, who’s been part of the first unit’s success, with it ranked in the top 10, Sullivan is using it as an excuse. He should do what’s best for the team moving forward, which shouldn’t come at Perreault’s expense.

By going back to Miller on the top unit, the Rangers are playing three centers together. Even when they had Artemi Panarin, they never did that. There’s no reason to have Zibanejad, Miller, and Trocheck on the same five-man unit. One should anchor the second unit. That way Perreault can remain on the number one unit.

In somewhat of a role reversal, Sullivan hinted that he plans to use Miller at center. Rather than have him return to play with Trocheck on the same line, that would mean Noah Laba also gets demoted from the third unit. Laba has been having success with new addition Tye Kartye and Conor Sheary. The trio has played well since being put together by combining for 10 points over the last four games. Since returning from the break, Laba has found an extra gear. He and the very active Kartye work well together. Separating them doesn’t make sense.

Assuming Miller takes over on the third line, that would leave Laba to anchor the fourth line. With Taylor Raddysh also expected back to join the second line, that would leave Laba to work with Adam Edstrom and Jaroslav Chmelar. Interestingly, Edstrom played up with Trocheck and Will Cuylle, and scored a goal on Thursday. If he goes back down for Raddysh, isn’t that counterproductive?

The Rangers aren’t making the playoffs. There’s 17 games remaining, including a good litmus test at Minnesota later. Even now, with the team playing its best hockey of the season, the lineup decisions are puzzling.

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Rangers Continue to Improve Entering the Weekend

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Derek

Things have changed for the better for the Rangers who took care of the Jets 6-3 on Thursday night in Winnipeg.

As has been evident over the past two weeks, they continue to show improvement entering the weekend. By doubling up a desperate Jets, who are trying to chase down a wild card in a lousy West, the Rangers silenced Canada Life Centre by scoring five times on 16 shots against Olympic hero Connor Hellebuyck.

Once again, familiar faces were key factors in their fifth win over the last seven games. Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault each had a goal and assist to remain hot.

Noah Laba and Tye Kartye both had a goal and a helper to continue their roll with veteran Conor Sheary, who picked up an assist. The new third line looks like they should stay intact, even when Taylor Raddysh returns.

Head coach Mike Sullivan made a slight tweak to the lines by promoting Adam Edstrom to the second unit and dropping Jonny Brodzinski to the fourth unit. The move paid dividends with Edstrom getting his first goal since Nov. 24.

Igor Shesterkin returned to the net following Jonathan Quick’s 65th career shutout. He outdueled Hellebuyck by making 23 saves to pick up his 21st win to make it four victories over the last five starts.

The game started well for the Rangers, who benefited from a tacky call on Gabe Vilardi for hooking Braden Schneider 59 seconds in. It took them only nine seconds to grab the lead on an Adam Fox power-play goal. Mika Zibanejad moved the puck back for Fox, whose shot through traffic went high blocker on Hellebuyck.

They only registered two more shots for the remainder of the period. In what was a defensive minded first 20 minutes, the Rangers limited the Jets’ six shots to the outside. When Winnipeg applied pressure, they found it difficult to get inside thanks to some tight checking.

Things opened up more in the second period. Former Sabre Isak Rosen got his first goal as a Jet to even the score.

The Rangers went back ahead when Lafreniere was able to deflect in a Will Borgen point shot for his ninth goal in 10 games. Perreault provided some dogged work to set up the goal for a secondary assist.

Ever since Artemi Panarin sat out before he was dealt to the Kings, Lafreniere has been a different player. He has 15 points (9-6-15) since Jan. 31, including five multi-point games. Prior to that stretch, he had 29 points in his first 50 games. Now, up to 19 goals and 44 points, he’s well within reach of a second 50-point season in his career. With 17 games left, it’s even possible for Lafreniere to chase down his previous career-high in points (57) that came while playing with Panarin in 2023-24.

The difference is that Lafreniere is now being treated like the Rangers’ number one option. Instead of deferring to others, he has the puck more and is utilizing his talent to make plays for linemates Perreault and Mika Zibanejad. At 24, it’s not too late for the 2020 top pick to become the kind of reliable player that the Rangers envisioned when they gave him a contract extension worth a $7.45 million cap hit in October 2024.

With the Rangers still hanging onto the lead, the Jets re-tied the game thanks to some splendid work from Kyle Connor, who took a Mark Scheifele feed and went around Fox to score his 29th. He caught Fox flat-footed before beating Shesterkin.

The Rangers regained the lead over a minute into the third. Following a Sheary faceoff win, Matthew Robertson took a Braden Schneider pass and had his shot tipped in by Kartye to make it 3-2. He has six points over the last four games.

Once again, the Jets came back to tie the score thanks to Vilardi getting his 25th when he put in a rebound of an Adam Lowry shot.

But like they had throughout the game, the Rangers answered back to retake the lead over two and a half minutes later. On a strong take from Lafreniere, he stuck with it after his pass for Zibanejad came back to him. He then moved it back for a Schneider shot pass that Perreault steered in for his seventh. He’s up to six points over his last three games. With 17 points in 32 games, he’s showing why the Rangers selected him 23rd overall in 2023.

With less than nine minutes to go, Edstrom finished off a pass from Vincent Trocheck from the high slot to increase the lead to 5-3. Sheary provided some strong work on the forecheck to set up the goal. It was a gritty effort.

From there, Shesterkin locked it down. All that remained was some great hustle from both Kartye and Laba that led to the latter’s empty netter. It was a terrific effort that typified how much harder the Rangers are playing.

It’s been much more fun to watch. With each win, their lottery odds could go down. They’re now 29th in the NHL with 62 points. That’s tied with both the Blues and Jets. However, they have fewer regulation wins. The thing is that if they continue to play well, they could pass the Devils and Maple Leafs in the standings.

While some observers have expressed frustration over the Rangers’ improvement due to the timing, it’s crucial for the growth of the team to continue playing the way they have. They’re building something under Sullivan. The culture change seems to be finally taking place.

No matter where they finish, they’ll be in the mix for either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. Don’t forget that they’ll have Carolina’s first round pick to dangle if they so choose. As the off-season gets closer, we’ll delve more into the draft.

There are a lot more positives entering what should be a tough test at the Wild on Saturday. Those are the kind of games that you want to see this team in. We’ll see how they fare in a hostile environment against a playoff contender.

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Rangers Revival Continues Thanks to Youth Movement

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Derek

Ever since they returned from the Olympic break, the Rangers have been playing better hockey. Unlike most of what’s been a disappointing centennial anniversary season, they look like they’re having fun.

The mood has been a lot lighter after learning that Vincent Trocheck didn’t move at last Friday’s NHL trade deadline. Perhaps keeping the likable veteran around has allowed the players to loosen up. Unlike mid January, when they learned of Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury’s plan to ‘retool’ the roster, things have improved.

They’re playing stress-free hockey, which has led to more wins. In shutting out the Flames 4-0 on Tuesday, they’re 4-1-2 over the last seven games. Aside from a 3-2 overtime defeat to the Flyers on Feb. 26, in which head coach Mike Sullivan thought they looked disjointed, the effort has been much better since.

Following a come from behind win over the Penguins, they rallied from a four-goal third period deficit before falling in overtime to the Blue Jackets. They showed more heart and resiliency in each to earn cheers at MSG.

In a 6-3 loss to the Devils on Mar. 7, the score wasn’t a reflection on how they played. Despite getting doubled up in the first meeting against their close Hudson rivals, the Rangers held a lead and came back to tie the score on a Will Cuylle goal late in the second period. It wasn’t until a big Jacob Markstrom save which denied Gabe Perreault’s bid that the Devils took advantage of special teams with Nico Hischer notching their third goal on the power play before Jack Hughes put it away.

Despite the loss, the Rangers have responded well by blowing out the Flyers 6-2 on Monday. They then followed it up by winning for the first time on the second game of a back-to-back in convincing fashion over Calgary.

Similar to their success against the Flyers, the Rangers got another big game out of their younger players. Alexis Lafreniere continued his revival by recording the second hat trick of his career. After deflecting home a Mika Zibanejad shot on a power play in the first period, he put away a Gabe Perreault feed for his second of the contest. A splendid passing play was started by Zibanejad from behind the net.

Having already notched his 800th career NHL point, Zibanejad continues to flourish with Lafreniere and Perreault. A new top line that’s provided fans with excitement.

The biggest reason why the cohesive trio works is due to how unselfish all three forwards are. There’s no hesitation at moving the puck or deferring to Zibanejad, who’s the opposite of former Ranger Artemi Panarin. While he was a huge success on Broadway, Panarin often needed the puck to operate up top to create offense.

The Rangers are playing a diffrent style since Panarin departed. Instead, it’s other players hanging onto the puck and having the freedom to do more, with Zibanejad recently admitting that he trusts Perreault.

Lafreniere has always been a skilled offensive player, but now he’s utilizing his talent to put opponents on the defensive. A strong forward with good instincts, the hard work is starting to pay off.

Late in the third period, he finished off his hat trick on a 2-on-1 thanks to Perreault making the extra pass for the exclamation point on the Rangers’ third straight home win.

Laba and Kartye Contributing to Rangers’ Recent Success

While Lafreniere, Zibanejad, and Perreault have done the heavy lifting, other fresh faces are contributing to the Rangers’ recent success.

That includes Noah Laba and Tye Kartye. Since the Rangers claimed Kartye on waivers, the former Kraken forward has found a place on the third line with Laba and Conor Sheary.

In particular, it’s been the strong defensive work from Kartye that has helped lead to offense. A player who always comes back hard on the backcheck, the 24-year-old is also effective on the forecheck. That gritty effort has been rewarded so far with Kartye having a goal and three assists in his first six games as a Blueshirt.

A day after notching his first goal as a Ranger on a nice deflection of a Vladislav Gavrikov shot, Kartye set up Sheary for an easy goal in front against the Flames. That gave him four points over the last three games. He also picked up a secondary helper on a Laba tip-in of a Matthew Robertson shot versus the Flyers.

Although he didn’t record a point in the win over Calgary, Laba used his speed and strength to create the Sheary goal that made it 2-0 in the second period. Will Borgen sent a long pass down, allowing Laba to negate an icing and win a battle to free it up for Kartye, who found Sheary on the doorstep. That kind of effort has been there from the 22-year-old rookie this season.

A hard-working player capable of being trusted in all three zones, the 2022 fourth round pick is more than the seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points he has. Laba is now being used with Kartye by Sullivan on the Rangers’ number one penalty killing unit. It’s a responsibility they’ve earned on a team that boasts the reliable Zibanejad, Trocheck, and Cuylle.

There’s a lot to like about the direction the Rangers are heading in. They’re finally playing faster and with more purpose. Perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

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Lafreniere Finding Chemistry with Perreault for Rangers

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Derek

In Monday night’s 6-2 win over the Flyers, the Rangers had two key young players step up. Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault were front and center, combining with Mika Zibanejad for seven points to take three out of four from the Flyers in the season series.

Since head coach Mike Sullivan put them together as a top line, Lafreniere and Perreault have found chemistry with Zibanejad, who’s continued to have a bounce back season. The certain Rangers’ MVP scored his team-leading 26th and 27th goals while adding a helper for a three-point effort against his favorite opponent. In 52 career games versus the Flyers, he’s now up to 25 goals and 25 assists for a total of 50 points, which his most against any opponent. In four games this season, he finished with five goals and three assists for eight points.

Most noticeably, both Lafreniere and Perreault continued to play well in the victory. With the Rangers already ahead thanks to a Noah Laba goal 64 seconds in, Vladislav Gavrikov dumped the puck behind the net. An attacking Gabe Perreault closed out his man to free up the puck for Lafreniere, who centered a pass in front for Zibanejad to easily finish for a 2-0 lead. Perreault’s aggressive forecheck made the goal possible. Only 20, the 2023 first round pick showed off his unique skill later on Zibanejad’s second goal.

On a power play late in the period, Lafreniere helped create his own goal indirectly. He handled a tough pass by moving the puck over for Zibanejad who got it back on a Vincent Trocheck rebound to set up a Lafreniere one-timer in the slot that made it 3-0.

In the second period, the 24-year-old former 2020 top pick showed more confidence with the puck by hanging onto it to create a scoring opportunity for himself. It was his patience and slick skating that allowed him to get around a Flyer for dangerous shot in the slot that was blocked wide.

Since the departure of Artemi Panarin, Lafreniere has picked up his play by putting up seven points over the last six games. That included a three-point game in a win over the Maple Leafs on Mar. 5. Dating back to Jan. 31, he’s posted three multi-point games, including two goals and an assist against the Penguins. That’s four goals and six helpers for 10 points in his last eight.

Even in the 6-3 loss to the Devils this past Saturday, he had Perreault for a goal on the power play until Jacob Markstrom got across to make the big toe save. Lafreniere’s pass across for Perreault highlighted the awareness each have. They seem to know where each other is. A good characteristic for two promising players who both could be a big part of the Rangers’ future.

While it’s certain that Perreault will be a key piece moving forward, Lafreniere must continue to prove that he should be included. There’s no doubt that he’s capable of becoming a more productive player than he’s been so far. A disappointment due to his inconsistency throughout his six-year career, it’s up to the Quebec native to step up now that he’s in a top line role that includes being featured on the first power play unit. With 19 games remaining in the season, how he finishes could determine his fate. If he can maintain his recent strong play, Lafreniere should definitely stay in the Big Apple.

Perreault has continued to grow as a player. His ability to make plays with the puck highlights why the Rangers selected him 23rd overall. He’s also shown a willingness to go to the dirty areas to make things happen. Following a Matvei Michkov power-play goal that got the Flyers to within 3-1, the 20-year-old Perreault parked himself in front and steered in a rebound that was set up by Trocheck and Adam Fox on the man-advantage.

On another power play late in the period, Perreault used his vision to hit Zibanejad with a no-look backhand pass that made it 5-1. When later asked about it, Zibanejad said he expected the pass.

Perreault and Lafreniere each had a goal and assist in the win. More than that, Perreault heaped some praise on his linemates afterward.

“Those two guys are unbelievable. They’ve made it super easy on me. So, I’ve been playing with Mika for a while now and he’s been unbelievable from the start and kind of taken me under his wing. It’s been awesome,” he said.

There’s no question that Zibanejad has been a positive influence on both. It took a while for him and Lafreniere to gel, but they work well with Perreault who’s been a perfect complement. Unless something unforeseen happens this off-season, they should continue to remain intact for the Rangers in 2026-27.

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Sabres’ Win Over Lightning In Game For The Ages

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Derek

On Sunday, it was Hockey Day In America. Both the NHL on TNT and ESPN showed doubleheaders, featuring eight teams. Although the best game between the Wild and Avalanche was decided in a shootout on Nathan MacKinnon’s winner, it paled in comparison to the show the Lightning and Sabres gave in a first place battle in Buffalo.

A game that wasn’t shown on national TV turned into the game of the year. It featured five fights, melees, and 15 combined goals between the two teams who combined for 102 penalty minutes. The Sabres rallied from a 7-5 third period deficit to beat the Lightning 8-7 before a full house. Their seventh consecutive win moved them into sole possession of first in the Atlantic Division.

The fun started early when Brandon Hagel boarded Tage Thompson, leading to a fracas. Darren Raddysh went after Rasmus Dahlin, who obliged him in the first fight of many. It only intensified from there. Following a Josh Doan power-play goal, former Ranger Sam Carrick introduced himself to Buffalo by giving up size and strength against Scott Sabourin in the second scrap of the period. Although he lost the battle, fans went nuts.

Things got even crazier on the following shift. With the teams at each other’s throats during a heated scrum, several players got together. While Bowen Byram and Charlie-Eduoard D’astous exchanged plesantries, Hagel and Peyton Krebs fought in amother battle. Hagel got the better of Krebs, who joined Byram and D’astous in an already crowded box that included a few players from each side.

Kucherov and Mattias Samuelsson went after each other following a stoppage, exchanging slashes. A few minutes later, both Erik Cernak and Michael Kesselring each received unsportsmanlike conducts. Throughout the game, there was plenty of yapping going on. Aside from all the penalties, the scoring picked up over the remainder. That wasn’t the only thing that happened.

Before six seconds had even gone by in the second period, there were two more fights between Cernak and Kesselring and Corey Perry and Beck Malenstyn, who exchanged heavy blows in the best bout of the night.

On another power play, the Sabres made it 2-for-2 thanks to Dahlin setting up Jason Zucker for a 2-0 lead. It got even more hectic when Hagel attacked Dahlin from behind, repeatedly hitting him to earn four minutes for roughing. Alex Tuch made the Sabres a perfect 3-for-3 when he tipped in a Thompson shot to increase the lead to three.

Once things calmed down, the Lightning got themselves back in it. After Perry and Tuch exchanged goals, Kucherov had his shot take a friendly bounce in front to make it 4-2 on the power play. That goal sparked the Bolts to finish the period strong by getting the last three goals to draw even.

Former Sabre Zemgus Girgensons made it 4-3. Then, some sloppy play from the Sabres allowed J.J. Moser to tie the game.

The Lightning rode the momentum by getting the first two goals of the third period to suddenly surge ahead by two. After Kucherov got his second of the game, Brayden Point put away a loose puck with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen down and out following a strong move from Oliver Bjorkstrand. On the next shift, Carrick took a Zach Benson pass in the neutral zone and scored his first as a Sabre to make it 6-5. He skated in and made a perfect shot to beat Jonas Johansson. In one game, he welcomed himself to Buffalo by taking on a bigger foe and scoring a big goal. There were plenty of fans in the Big Apple with grins.

When Hagel restored a two-goal lead for the Lightning at almost the halfway point of the third, it felt like the game was over, but it was far from it. Less than two minutes later, it was Sabres captain Dahlin who scored a beautiful goal to pull the Sabres within 7-6. After taking a Thompson feed, he went right around and moved in to bury his 13th, igniting the crowd once again.

With the building still buzzing from Dahlin’s highlight reel goal, Zucker got behind the Lightning defense, broke in and scored his second to make the score lucky seven’s.

Instead of going to overtime, the Sabres went back ahead thanks to Doan’s second power-play goal of the night coming with 4:17 remaining. Doan is up to a career-high 21 goals in his first season for Buffalo. He and Kesselring came over from the Mammoth for J.J. Peterka. A deal former Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams made last year. That has proven to be a gift due to Doan, who has five more points than Peterka.

The Sabres were able to protect the lead to earn the victory. Of course, it didn’t come without one more scrum at the buzzer. They’ve now beaten the Lightning twice over a nine-day period. The fourth and final meeting is on April 6.

Now that he’s healthy, Kesselring has helped solidified a blue line that’ll be even better once trade deadline acquisition Logan Stanley debuts. He and veteran Luke Schenn were acquired from the Jets for Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, a 2026 conditional fourth round pick, and a 2027 second round pick. A steep price to pay. If they can help the Sabres go far in what will be their first postseason in 15 years, no one will care. Especially if they wind up winning it all.

None of this looked possible three months ago. However, the Sabres have been the NHL’s hottest team over the last three months. Since dropping to 11-14-4 on Dec. 8, they’re an absurd 28-5-2 – vaulting to the top of the standings. With 18 games left, they have the fifth most points. Now two up on the Lightning, who have two games in hand, they’re challenging for the top spot in the division. Even the Hurricanes are only two points up for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Astonishingly, the Sabres have the most regulation wins (33) in the conference. If they stay hot, that could come in handy this spring.

Nobody could’ve predicted this turnaround. The Sabres are proof that having plenty of character and chemistry matters. The amount of battles they got into against a former two-time Stanley Cup winner is proof that they won’t back down from anyone. Even the Lightning, who know a thing or two about intense rivalries. Now, they can add the Sabres to that list.

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Hughes Is the Rangers’  Daddy: Posts Hat Trick and Assist in Devils’ win

Posted on March 8, 2026 by Derek

When it comes to the Hudson rivalry, one thing hasn’t changed. Jack Hughes continues to own the Rangers. He’s their Daddy. In another dominant performance, Hughes posted a hat trick and an assist for a four-point game in a 6-3 Devils’ win over the Rangers in Newark on Saturday.

In just his 24th career game versus the Rangers, Hughes upped his totals to 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points. His most against an opponent. After scoring his first goal on the power play via a rocket past Jonathan Quick that made it 3-2, Hughes helped put the game away when he converted on a breakaway in a three-goal third period for the Devils.

That followed up captain Nico Hischier’s game-winning power-play goal, which made the Devils a perfect 3-for-3 on the day. Special teams made a difference in their fourth straight win. Despite gaining a point on the slumping Penguins, who lost to the Flyers in a shootout, they remained nine points out of the wild card due to the Bruins winning over the Capitals.

With 19 games left in the season, the Devils can’t afford many slip-ups if they want to chase down the final wild card or the Pens in the Metropolitan Division. As much of a longshot as it is, they still have something to play for. Following an all too predictable trade deadline in which Tom Fitzgerald did nothing, other than make two statements about Dougie Hamilton and Simon Nemec, the Devils still have the same roster down the stretch.

Related: Devils’ Season Ending With Whimper After Zero Deadline Day

Jesper Bratt opened the scoring just 66 seconds in when he put away a Cody Glass feed for his 14th. In what’s been a disappointing season, it was only Bratt’s ninth even-strength goal. With a goal and two helpers, he has a four-game point streak (1-5-6) during the winning streak.

The Rangers came back to tie it thanks to Will Borgen scoring for the second time in three games. Not known for his offense, the defensive defenseman took a Vincent Trocheck pass and beat Jacob Markstrom from distance for his fifth. Since being paired up with Braden Schneider, Borgen has two goals and two assists with a plus-7 rating over his last five games. Both have played well since Mike Sullivan made the change.

A surprising offensive source continues to be Vladislav Gavrikov, who made it three games in a row with a goal. On some strong work down low from Tye Kartye, who was noticeable throughout, Noah Laba fed Gavrikov for a slap shot that went high glove on Markstrom to put the Rangers ahead 2-1.

But late in the period, Gavrikov took a penalty that allowed the Devils to draw even. With him in the box for interference on Paul Cotter, it was the Devils’ second unit that capitalized with time winding down.

Following a pass from Arseny Gritsyuk up top, Luke Hughes waited before firing a wrist shot that Dawson Mercer tipped in for his 15th on the power play. He got free from Matthew Robertson, who didn’t close him out, allowing him to deflect in the Hughes shot to tie the score.

In a mostly lopsided second period that saw the Devils dominate puck possession led by Hughes’ line, Quick kept them off the scoreboard at five-on-five. However, a Trocheck slashing minor proved costly. After they’d done a good job limiting the Devils, the Rangers lost a defensive draw that resulted in Hamilton and Bratt finding an open Hughes for a blast through a double screen to make it 3-2.

Over a minute later, the Rangers answered back. On a rare forecheck spent in the Devils zone, Taylor Raddysh set up Schneider for a shot that Will Cuylle redirected for his 16th. Despite being outshot 14-5, the Rangers went to the locker room tied after two periods.

Early in the third period, a big Juuso Parssinen open ice hit on Connor Brown led to chaos. The high hit came late, leading to a strong response from Gritsyuk. With Parssinen taking his lumps, a frustrated Brown repeatedly slashed him and nearly caught another Ranger. The fracas led to Gritsyuk receiving four minutes for roughing and Parssinen getting two for interference.

On the power play, the Rangers didn’t do a whole lot. They created one excellent scoring chance. On a set play down low, Alexis Lafreniere had Gabe Perreault on the doorstep for the go-ahead goal, but Markstrom robbed him with a toe save to keep the game tied.

Although they spent more time in their end defending against Hughes, the chemistry between Lafreniere and Perreault is undeniable. Perreault nearly had Lafreniere for a goal during another shift. They work well together with Mika Zibanejad, who was held to just one shot by the Devils.

With the game hanging in the balance, Cuylle took an unnecessary hooking minor in the neutral zone on Timo Meier. That proved to be the difference. Bratt had a shot kicked out by Quick into the slot. Neither Adam Fox nor Schneider could recover in time to mark Hischier, who easily snapped home the rebound upstairs for the Devils’ third power-play goal of the game.

The Rangers were putrid on special teams, going 0-for-4 on the power play and allowing one of the league’s worst power plays to get untracked.

Even worse, Fox cost them any chance of a comeback with a mind-numbing turnover that led to Hughes’ second goal. After protecting the puck along the boards, he made a lousy pass that was easily intercepted by Brown, who then sent Hughes on a breakaway where he went high blocker on Quick to make it 5-3 with 3:04 remaining.

Fittingly, Hughes added the empty netter for the hat trick in the final minute. Afterward, he spoke about the crowd chanting, “USA, USA, USA!!!”

“You know it’s funny — after Olympics I got Ranger fans cheering for me and it’s an unbelievable fan base, but in the past — they’ll be like — say something nice and then be like ‘Go Rangers’. Now it’s like, we’re all Americans. They’re proud Americans. I think it’s really cool that that happened and obviously it’ll continue to happen with the Devils fan base.”

Hughes continues to handle himself extremely well. The American gold medal hero is all the way back after the mysterious injury at a steakhouse that required finger surgery. He has it all, including girlfriend Tate McRae. There’s only one thing missing.

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Devils’ season ending with a whimper after zero deadline day activity

Posted on March 7, 2026 by hasan4978

Even as someone who’s been a skeptic of the Devils for over a year now, it’s still somewhat hard to believe that we’re in March already playing out the string after a complete dud of a trade deadline. Not only were there no buys (duh) but there was also no selling going on, for a team that’s double-digit points out of the playoffs it was telling on multiple fronts. Both in terms of lack of players to trade and in terms of ability to trade the players you might want to trade. Maybe it’s for the best we didn’t have adds given the brilliant Tom Fitzgerald’s recent record in that area

Three of those adds were waived just before the deadline with the Flyers shockingly claiming Luke Glendening, but of course the ineffective Evgeni Dadonov and the inconsequential Maxim Tsyplakov (only here as a de facto cap retention on Ondrej Palat’s contract) were not claimed, and the forgettable Juho Lammikko was already waived and had his contract mutually terminated weeks ago. Not that we don’t have bigger problems than Fitz’s choice of fourth liners – albeit Dadonov was a cheap flier for the middle six that didn’t work out – but it’s just striking how little they’ve gotten from the back six.

It certainly doesn’t help given that our ineffective back six frequently gets more minutes than they should because of injuries and holes in the top six. In some ways, we never recovered this season from Jack Hughes’ mysterious finger injury in Chicago but certainly when he’s played (and now fully healthy after his Olympic hero turn) he’s for the most part been productive, despite the team as a whole being miserable offensively for most of the season. As a whole they haven’t really gotten enough from the top six either – especially guys like Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer.

I’d like to give Timo a pass for this season given he started off well but hasn’t been the same player since his leave of absence on a family matter around the holidays, but let’s face it he’s been a disappointment as a Devil. Whether the Devils’ insistence on playing him his non-natural wing plays into it we’ll probably never know sadly but at a certain point the player has to be accountable too, especially when there’s a clear delineation in games Timo is engaged and games he isn’t. Mercer has largely been disappointing his last three years as well, especially in comparison to his great sophomore season. Sure he got off to a great start in the first two months of the season and looked to have turned a corner, but his production has gone through the floor with four goals and seven assists in his last thirty-six games.

In some ways, Bratt is the most concerning of all with just eight even-strength goals all season, and quite a few of them were even strength three-on-three. Even last season, he slumped scoringwise down the stretch with just four goals after the All-Star break though still was an assist merchant then. He hasn’t even been that this season with just thirty-two assists in 62 games compared to 56 and 67 the previous two seasons. While all the other ills in the organization will prevent them from taking that next step from playoff team to true contender, the top six’s backslide this year took this team in the other direction from playoff team to afterthought.

It actually does get old dissecting all the same old problems here – from the defense that has no transition game to the lack of depth up front and the now-concerning production in the top six as well. I haven’t even brought up the goalies yet, as it seems from what little I’ve been paying attention lately that they haven’t been a real issue since Jacob Markstrom hit rock bottom in that 9-0 embarrassment against the Islanders. I can’t even pretend to have any confidence in Markstrom at this point though, we’ve seen junktime surges before not carry over (to wit Cory Schnieder toward the end of his career having one last gasp before completely imploding in 2020-21) and make no mistake, this is junktime with the pressure now off. Suddenly the offense has remembered how to score goals in the last few games too, albeit against opposition that’s basically bitcrap themselves.

It’s just old making the same comments about the same problems that never get resolved. Two quotes from our brilliant GM on deadline day stand out though…one admitting that he didn’t even have Dougie Hamilton on the block months after leaking he’d nixed one deal and was unable to trade him, which I figured was just a tacit admission that he wasn’t going to be able to get Douglas to waive his NTC in-season and couldn’t deal him to a team not on it. Perhaps that will be settled this offseason, perhaps not. At least Hamilton’s production has improved a bit since his one-game benching, which makes you wonder what would have happened if they tried to hold more people accountable.

Fitz’s other eye-raising quote was on Simon Nemec, when asked about the trade rumors (where he was thought to be on the block for a top six forward), admitted he’s a Devil ‘right now’ and that they’ll be talking with him about his future in the offseason. You can take this organization’s seeming dislike of Nemec one of two ways. Either they think his contract ask is unreasonable – and why wouldn’t it be after you stuck your foot in your mouth calling him the best defenseman on the team by far in the first half of the season over two guys making $9 million per – or they just don’t believe in his defensive ability long-term. Maybe they have him earmarked to trade for Quinn Hughes if/when he doesn’t sign for Minnesota this offseason, which is about the only plausible scenario where the Nemec public dance might play out well for us long-term.

Either way I’m just tired thinking about or talking about the team, thanks to buybacks and selling a few games (including today), I only have a handful of games left to go to the rest of this season including tomorrow, which I wasn’t supposed to go to but had to trade my ticket to Wednesday’s game for one tomorrow when I had last minute plans come up then. It’s hard to believe we haven’t met the Rangers until today and we’re in March with both teams firmly out of the playoff race. So I can almost guarantee we’ll get a couple of early-season games with them next year to compensate, hah. What I can’t guarantee is when I’ll be back next. I don’t even have any interest in a full season recap at this point, this post was basically as much of one as I want to do. Maybe when/if we trade for Quinn or something else big happens like a Fitz canning I’ll come back but until something tangible changes, I have no interest in even giving this team any attention.

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