Blais done for season with right ACL tear, why Reaves didn’t go after Subban

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Derek

The news isn’t good for the Rangers. Sammy Blais is done for the season with a torn right ACL. He suffered the injury during Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Devils when he and P.K. Subban came together in the corner.

The controversial play saw Blais race for a loose puck only to be tripped by Subban, which caused him to lose his balance. His right leg was exposed to the boards. The awful collision lead to Rangers’ trainer Jim Ramsay coming out and helping the hobbled Blais off the ice.

Regarding Subban, who has a recent history of slewfooting opponents, it is what it is. If NHL Player Safety were going to take action, they probably would have by now. However, with the Devils game against the Senators postponed due to a COVID outbreak with Ottawa that also will impact the Rangers this weekend (also canceled), the NHL could still decide to discipline Subban. He’s been fined twice this season for incidents with Milan Lucic and Trevor Zegras.

One thing that works against any supplementary discipline is the ridiculous PR letter the Rangers organization put out last season. Following the perplexing decision not to suspend repeat offender Tom Wilson for his cheap shots on Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin, the Rangers put out a letter ripping Department of Player Safety head George Parros for not further punishing Wilson more than a $5,000 fine. Obviously influenced by MSG CEO James Dolan, it didn’t do the team any favors.

Furthermore, there have been complaints about why Ryan Reaves didn’t go after Subban. The criticism is misguided. They were in a close game versus a division rival. That wasn’t the time or place for retribution. Especially with the instigator rule remaining a deterrent for players to take matters into their own hands. See Anthony Cirelli’s strong response to a Brock Nelson hit on Alex Killorn in the Lightning’s 4-1 win over the Islanders last night. He got two for instigating, five for fighting and an automatic 10-minute misconduct.

Already down a forward, Reaves could ill afford to take a similar course of action. Not only because it was a rivalry game. But precious points were on the line. If he gets ejected, that leaves coach Gerard Gallant with 10 forwards for the rest of the game. Not worth it.

It is unfortunate that Blais is lost for the year. A hard-working physical player who’s made a positive impact with his hard hitting style, the Blueshirts will miss the 25-year old. A versatile forward who can play either side, the former St. Louis Blue was moved around by Gallant, who trusted him. Blais was on the right side of the top line.

You don’t replace what he brings. However, the Rangers must move on without Blais. Gallant told reporters that it’ll be the versatile Barclay Goodrow, who’ll get the first crack with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider when the Rangers host the Canadiens tonight. Filip Chytil is expected back. It looks like he’ll center the third line with Alexis Lafreniere and Julien Gauthier, who now seems to have a permanent place in the lineup. He’s played well since being reinserted.

While I don’t feel Goodrow is a long-term fit on the first line, I’m okay with it for the time being. Goodrow works hard enough on the forecheck. He brings a similar quality to Blais. However, the team’s right wing issue isn’t going away. Goodrow would be better served centering the third line where he’s proven capable in the face-off dot.

Personally, I’d like to see Chytil shift to right wing. He’s proven capable of scoring when on the wing. It frees him up. Given his game-breaking speed in transition and shot, I think he’d be a good fit with Zibanejad and Kreider.

Right now, Gallant isn’t moving Lafreniere up to that line. He’s gotta do more to be in the top six. Keeping him on the third line makes sense. He’s 20 and still learning the NHL game. As frustrating as it is to see the 2020 first pick not always getting consistent ice time, they must remain patient with him. It’s a process.

With a breakout game the other day, Kaapo Kakko will remain with Ryan Strome and Panarin on the second line. Prior to his first goal of the season and assist, he’d shown signs. Maybe Gallant knows better than us. It came together on Sunday with Kakko also getting a key goal in the shootout. Now, we must see more consistency from the third-year right wing.

With Blais no longer an option, does that injury force Team President and GM Chris Drury to explore acquiring another scorer? Maybe they’ll wait and see how things evolve with Kakko and Lafreniere. Both remain keys to the season. Without Vitali Kravtsov, who won’t be returning from Traktor anytime soon, this is what it is.

It’s either play a better secondary option out of position for now or hope Lafreniere shows enough growth to be moved up. For now, Gallant will try Goodrow on the top line. He’ll likely mix and match. That’s what happens when you lose a good player.

For the cynics crying over spilt milk due to Blais being out, enough. To repeat what New York Post reporter Mollie Walker wrote during the off-season, the Rangers couldn’t afford to keep Pavel Buchnevich. Especially over the long-term. They knew they’d have to extend Adam Fox, which they did last week for an average cap hit of $9.5 million. They prioritized Igor Shesterkin, who’s proving he’s worth his new contract that pays him over five million. Plus got Zibanejad signed.

With Kakko a restricted free agent next summer, who knows what he’ll cost. It largely depends if he can build on the good game he had. He can’t disappear again into witness protection for two weeks. They need the ’19 second pick to produce. He’s playing with a superstar and good second center. No excuses.

It’s unfortunate that Blais is done. He had four assists and 37 hits in 14 games. No. He was never going to finish like Buchnevich, who is up to four goals and four assists with the Blues. However, he quickly became a fan favorite. That’s why any fan who whines is a hypocrite. Don’t forget they also got a 2022 second round pick back in that deal. That could prove crucial.

Greg McKegg was once again recalled. Igor Shesterkin will get the nod later. It looks like it’ll be Cayden Primeau for Montreal due to Jake Allen having a concussion.

With Carey Price still working his way back after admitting he had a substance abuse problem that he dealt with through the voluntary NHL program, the Rangers are facing a third string goalie on a struggling team. They must bank the two points.

Posted in Battle News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Senators’ COVID outbreak postpones its next three games, including two with local teams

Posted on November 15, 2021 by hasan4978

I guess it only took a month for us to realize that despite the fact the NHL is basically 99% vaccinated at this point, we’re not quite on the other side of this pandemic yet. With Ottawa now having double-digit players in COVID protocol the surprise wasn’t that their games this week (including tomorrow’s against the Devils and Saturday’s against the Rangers) got postponed. It’s more of a surprise that it took this long to be honest, given the Senators’ precarious situation over the last several days, not even having a team practice since the 5th – ten days ago. Ottawa has lost five straight games since Austin Watson became the first player placed in COVID protocol on the 6th, and last night had no fewer than ten players and a couple of assistants on the COVID list.

My question is, what took the NHL so long? Clearly Ottawa was compromised over the last week. I know there’s no magic number in terms of how many players being in protocol is too many, and it’s still a bit unclear how many of these players have actually had breakthrough infections and how many are merely close contacts without a positive test yet. Still, there’s only so much teams can do in terms of replacing players, you only have one AHL team and maybe in some cases an ECHL team. Bringing guys up from the AHL for the NHL team is one thing, but you also have to fill out an AHL roster with tryouts, ECHL guys and the like. Not only that but there’s always the chance this virus spreads in-game, Buffalo was out for several days last season with guys in protocol after we played them with an impending outbreak.

And I don’t want to hear the nonsense about how this proves the vaccine doesn’t matter or any of that junk. Obviously breakthrough infections and exposure are possible even with the vaccine, the point is the vaccine clearly limits the more severe symptoms, helps limit transmission and also just lessens the chances you will get the virus to begin with. It’s not going to be a zero chance in the near future, so everyone just still has to be on their guard, perhaps get a booster if you can and be more careful in the winter months as everything moves indoors. We all have COVID fatigue to a certain extent, nobody (particularly those of us who are vaccinated) wants to hear about social distancing and masks at this point but we have to face reality too, this disease still isn’t going away in the immediate future <end mini-soapbox rant>

Back in our bubble of hockey, we know all too well how a COVID outbreak can derail a season. Instead of the Devils’ next game being at home tomorrow against Ottawa they’ll get an early start on their Florida trip and two more tough games on Thursday and Saturday, after they’ve somehow gotten five points in the previous four games, despite not playing particularly well in long stretches. As of now there’s no makeup date announced for any of the games, but they probably will be once we see how long this break winds up being for Ottawa. All of us wish the best for their players and staff.

Posted in Devils, NHL, NY Rangers | 1 Comment

Rangers win a wild shootout over the Devils in a very entertaining game, Another iffy Subban play injures Blais, Kakko finally gets going

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Derek

This one had a little bit of everything. There were goals, end to end rushes, saves, hits and some animosity which you come to expect between two close rivals. In the end, the Rangers took the first of four meetings in the Battle Of Hudson over the Devils by winning in the seventh round of a shootout 4-3 before 16,130 at MSG.

The good part is it was a very entertaining hockey game played between Hudson rivals. The disappointing is their next game isn’t until March 2. Gotta love the NHL schedule makers. That’s a classic rival and they won’t see them again until almost Spring. But the Rangers will play the Blackhawks twice within a week span soon. Logic optional.

If you prefer open ice and skating, this was your kind of game. It had enough of that with the Rangers and Devils trading scoring chances. There also was some checking when things tightened up. Throw in Mason Geertsen and Ryan Reaves and you had some pleasantries exchanged during scrums.

Unfortunately, there was also controversy thanks to the latest iffy play from Devils defenseman P.K. Subban. His recent history shows an aging player who’s gaining a bad reputation around the league. It started in preseason with a dangerous slewfoot that injured Reaves, who fortunately wasn’t seriously hurt. Then came a couple of more incidents with Milan Lucic and rookie Trevor Zegras for which he got fined.

The play in question came when Subban and a forechecking Sammy Blais came together in the corner. Initially, it looked like a strange coincidence with an off balance Blais landing awkwardly into the boards as teammates stood by and watched helplessly as an injured Blais couldn’t put any weight on his leg. He was helped off the ice as boos rained down on Subban.

I’ll be honest. I couldn’t tell even with the replay on MSG. This was different from Subban slewfooting Reaves. It was more subtle. Hearing MSG Rangers studio analyst Steve Valiquette explain it, it clarified things. He was very critical of Subban, who did clip Blais enough to trip him up and cause what looks like a serious injury. It could be an ACL. Gerard Gallant had no update afterwards. He said it reminded him of the play on Reaves. There was no public outcry from the coach. If something happens, that’ll be up to NHL Player Safety. At this point, they need to take serious action. Nothing else needs to be said.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1460086761648971778?t=gHIw-mjr9I1sUMU66Lb3TQ&s=19

Playing a forward down again for the umpteenth time midway through a hard fought game, Gallant had to tweak his lines. On what was a well deserved breakout night for Kaapo Kakko, who finally scored a goal while also setting up another one, he opted to bump grinder Dryden Hunt up to the first line. He certainly works hard, but I doubt that’s a long-term solution. We’ll see what Gallant decides for Tuesday when Montreal visits. Filip Chytil is skating and will be eligible to return if he’s cleared.

Another positive development was that on a night none of the top guns scored, it was the kids who contributed. Alexis Lafreniere ended a six-game drought by stuffing home his fourth goal on a great play from Kakko, who passed for a Jacob Trouba shot that rebounded off Devils starter Mackenzie Blackwood right to the 20-year old for the much needed goal. That came after a power play expired. Regardless, it was Kakko’s first point of the season and helped boost both his and Lafreniere’s confidence. A welcome sight.

Trouba also made it three straight games with a point. Better than that, he and partner K’Andre Miller had one of their best games this season. After promising Devils rookie Dawson Mercer burned them in the first period with a splendid lead pass for a Jesper Bratt breakaway goal that beat Alex Georgiev five-hole, Gallant decided to task Miller and Trouba with the assignment on the Devils’ hottest line of Mercer, Bratt and Andreas Johnsson. They did a good job with in particular Miller making some excellent reads to break up plays. It was his best defensive game. He also jumped up on a rush and nearly created a goal.

There were some interesting storylines during the game. You had Georgiev getting his fourth start in 15 games. Gallant wisely opted to give Igor Shesterkin the night off following an injury scare on Saturday night. It was only the precautionary concussion protocol after Alexandre Texier accidentally was shoved into Shesterkin on his deflection goal by Patrik Nemeth. He was available. But Gallant informed Georgiev it would be his game Sunday night. He definitely was excited. He wasn’t perfect, but only allowed one stoppable goal while making some key saves when called upon.

For the Devils, it was Blackwood as I speculated. Why not after Jonathan Bernier was a 5-2 loser on Saturday. Ironically, he would come on to relieve Blackwood after he allowed a Kakko goal in tight and took a tough shot. It again was concussion protocol that saw a goalie exit a game for a backup. Although it didn’t seem bad, Bernier replaced him and did a good enough job to give his team a chance to force overtime. Bernier stopped all eight shots in relief including five in extras.

One of the most intriguing subplots was Lindy Ruff inserting enforcer Mason Geertsen into his lineup over rookie Alexander Holtz. Perhaps that was a mistake that I imagine Hasan will second-guess the veteran coach on due to how the game played out. I saw a few Devil fans critical of the decision due to the game landing in an unpredictable shootout that went seven rounds before Chris Kreider won it with his first attempt in eight years. There were no fights. Not even following the controversial Subban play.

The first game between the Rangers and Devils started off with plenty of skating. The entire first period was played exclusively at five-on-five. A welcome change from the specialty teams we often see.

It was the Blueshirts who started well by generating some opportunities on a sharp Blackwood, who made a few good saves. In particular, the second line of Ryan Strome, Artemi Panarin and Kakko were buzzing. One early play was a close call that saw an open Kakko fumble a pass down low. He would’ve been all alone on Blackwood. He went to the bench hanging his head, but got a tap from Rangers assistant Mike Kelly. He’d also get a glorious chance later, but missed wide with an open net. At that point, I half wondered who would score first. Kakko or Julien Gauthier.

On another great chance, Kreider had a shot from the right circle deflected by Subban up in the air. It broke his stick. As he skated to the bench for a new twig, Subban got the puck over to Mercer. With Adam Fox pinching in, Mercer skated out and caught Kreider with a perfect lead pass for Bratt that sent him in for a clean breakaway. On it, he waited before shooting five-hole on Georgiev, who didn’t challenge. Bratt’s fourth from Mercer and Subban made it 1-0 Devils at 15:23.

There were no other goals scored in the first period. However, Kreider nearly set up Blais for his first. Off a three-on-one where Miller stepped up in transition, Kreider made a great back pass for an open Blais only to have his one-timer clang off the crossbar. That close. Blais is still searching for his first goal as a New York Ranger. Now, he’ll likely be on the mend a while. Bummer.

In what was an evenly played opening 20 minutes that had the Rangers ahead on shots 11-10, they knew they had to pick it up. That wasn’t a problem. For a second straight game, they played a very good second period. They outshot the Devils 15-7 and outscored them 2-1.

The tying goal was another example of the brilliance of Fox. On some strong work from Julien Gauthier, who followed up a shot, Lafreniere also had a follow-up that Blackwood kicked out to defenseman Damon Severson. Feeling some pressure, he coughed up the puck right to Fox. The rating Norris winner moved in and again used a deceptive backhand to fool Blackwood for his fourth unassisted at 3:11. It was quite a play. Credit Gauthier and Lafreniere for the grunt work. They didn’t get points, but were largely responsible for the Fox tally which tied the game.

Following a successful Devils’ penalty kill of a Subban slashing minor on Strome where it was the little used second power play unit that was better in their 31 seconds, the hitting picked up. Blais crunched Severson and Reaves finished his check on Jonas Siegenthaler. After a Subban hit on Gauthier, even Lafreniere didn’t shy away by getting a good hit on Siegenthaler. It felt like the strategy was to pressure their defense more by forechecking and physical contact. It worked.

On a shift from Lafreniere with the third line, he drew a slashing minor on one-time Ranger Jimmy Vesey. Now a journeyman, he’s carved a decent role on the Devils’ fourth line. After another ineffective shift from the top unit that even forced Georgiev to make a shorthanded stop on Ryan Graves, out came the second unit of Kakko, Lafreniere, Blais along with Trouba and Nils Lundkvist.

Once again, they did a better job managing the puck. Trouba had a good keep and eventually helped create a scoring chance for Kakko. He sure looked like he should’ve took the shot. But instead, he saw a better play by passing to a wide open Trouba for a tough shot that Blackwood got a piece of. With the puck in midair, it took a Rangers’ carom right to Lafreniere who steered it in for his fourth to give them a 2-1 lead at 11:24. Kakko and pleased teammates were all smiles as they got back to the bench.

Having played a better period on goals from Fox and Lafreniere, the Blueshirts also were very active defensively. One of the best players was Panarin. Not known for his defensive acumen, he came back to break up several plays and had a couple of nice takeaways in the neutral zone. So too did Kakko, who’s a good overall forward. If he can string together some consistent scoring, then there’s still hope for the ’19 second pick. He certainly needed the big game he had.

On what can best be described as two players battling for position in front of Georgiev, Ryan Lindgren was sent to the box for a very soft interference on Nico Hischier. The replay showed both battling with Hischier losing his balance. Was it due to Lindgren, or did the refs blow the call? I didn’t agree and neither did Gallant, who gave them an earful later on.

Awarded their first and only power play, it took the Devils all of 17 seconds to tie the game up. Pavel Zacha and Bratt combined to get the puck up to Dougie Hamilton. With key penalty killer Kevin Rooney falling down at center ice, Hamilton was able to elude the other three defenders and let go of a rocket that whizzed by the glove of Georgiev for a power play goal at 13:20. It was his fourth.

It wasn’t exactly a good goal for Georgiev to give up. It came off a rush and he simply missed. Of course, the Georgiev critics had a field day. But did they forget that Shesterkin gave up a similar goal to Eric Robinson from similar distance on Saturday? All was forgiven following a three goal Ranger barrage over 63 seconds. Sometimes, I get the criticism. Other instances, I think it’s overreaction due to him being the backup. It’s ironic how much hate he’s gotten since you know who was forced out after the political crap from a biased portion of our fan base. Pot meets kettle?

The ugly incident was just ahead. With under 90 seconds remaining in the period, an attacking Blais got into a race for a loose puck with Subban near the boards. With the faster Blais clearly about to get there first, down he went in a heap with his leg exposed. It was every bit as bad as it looked. The fans booed and had a few choice words for Subban. Nothing over the top thankfully. But this didn’t look good. Right away, Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti pounced. The MSG production must’ve had the package cued up because it was shown very quickly.

https://twitter.com/HockeyHoundShow/status/1460068494997864452?t=LfePXLxthhiom–R_AOtXA&s=19

It was hard to tell what happened. But Micheletti was critical. Subban has a history now. This was a different play from the slewfoots we’ve seen from what’s become a dirty player. It took me until the MSG PM show that featured Rangers’ great Adam Graves and Anson Carter with host Michelle Gingras to realize that Subban had indeed gave a subtle trip that seriously injured Blais. The boos were deserved. What made it confusing is there was no response even from Kreider, who must not have seen it at live speed. Nothing happened. A few players had words with Subban. That was all.

It set up a good third. With the score tied, Strome made a heads up play. The effective playmaking second line center could’ve passed for Panarin. Instead, he realized that he had Kakko coming in fast for a one-on-one with Blackwood. What happened next was a brilliant power move from Kakko, who deked and tucked the puck around Blackwood, who absorbed body contact on a beautiful go-ahead goal at 6:29. It was the goal Kakko had needed. It was great to see him drive hard to the net and finish.

Following his goal, a hobbled Blackwood was visibly shaken up. However, he initially stayed in the game. It wasn’t until a stoppage with 11:23 left that he left the game for concussion protocol. Bernier relieved him. With the Rangers in full protection mode nursing a one goal lead, Bernier only faced three shots.

The Blueshirts chose to defend by cutting off the neutral zone and chip pucks deep. It was working pretty well. Georgiev wasn’t asked to make many tough saves. His best came off a redirection that he gloved. He also did a good job getting whistles for face-offs to slow things down. For the game, he made 24 saves.

With Gallant continuing to roll four lines, he had Reaves out with Rooney and the dependable Barclay Goodrow for a shift. However, they all got caught too high in the neutral zone. That allowed Tomas Tatar and Hischier to set up Zacha for a shot that went off Hischier right back to Zacha, who buried the rebound for his seventh with 2:44 remaining. On the play, Fox got caught too high leaving only Lindgren back. Zacha did the rest to force overtime.

In the three-on-three, the Devils seemed to dictate the terms. Playing very deliberately by resetting a couple of times, that kept Fox, Panarin and Strome out for an extended shift. But to their surprise, the trio were up to the defensive challenge. Georgiev only saw one Devil shot which he stopped.

Remarkably, it was Panarin who was still out for two minutes that was with Mika Zibanejad and Trouba for an offensive shift. Zibanejad couldn’t find the angle and Panarin was out of gas. Trouba got a good chance along with Kreider. But nothing was doing. Despite a 5-1 edge in shots, they couldn’t beat Bernier. It was shootout time.

The shootout was every bit as unpredictable as the game. After both Severson and Zibanejad were foiled in Round 1, Bratt went five-hole and Kakko scored on a backhand in Round 2. Then, Hamilton got just enough on his shot to squeak it by Georgiev, who got a piece of it. With the pressure on, Panarin moved in deep and somehow whipped a laser off the goalpost and in top cheese to force Round 4.

The fourth round featured young guns Mercer and Lafreniere. Neither were able to score. In the top of the 5th, Andreas Johnsson went five-hole again to again put the Devils within one save of victory. But this time, it was Strome who went through the wickets of Bernier to send it to the sixth round.

After three straight misses from Tatar, Rooney and Zacha with one highlight being Georgiev making a desperation scorpion save that the legendary Martin Brodeur made famous, the stage was set for Kreider. A player who is never used in the shootout, he came in with great speed and faked Bernier out by going to the backhand for the win in the bottom of the 7th.

O’ Captain! My Captain! It was fitting that Kreider was the unlikely shootout hero. He hadn’t took one in eight years. When told that by reporters, Gallant joked that he noticed Kreider hiding down the bench with Fox, who would’ve been next. But he talked about how great Kreider is. He sure celebrated it basically telling Reaves on ice that he couldn’t bleeping believe it. All smiles for the true captain of this 9-3-3 team. He deserves it. That’s how good he’s been.

In regards to Blais, we’ll know more later today. I don’t expect it to be good news. It’s sad that such a sneaky play will likely cost him significant time. If that’s indeed the case, I don’t give a rat’s you know what about George Parros. NHL Player Safety must come down hard on Subban for his cheap bs. A message must be sent.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1460090205164216323?t=lupolY3zYZlc07Fhlj01SQ&s=19

The Rangers couldn’t because they were in a close game with the Devils. Try explaining that to the dinosaurs who don’t get why Reaves is on the team. This isn’t the same sport it once was. There’s no eye for an eye like the wild and crazy days of the 80’s or 90’s. Even some of the 2000’s had that element. You can’t do that anymore. Too bad these rivals don’t meet up again until freaking March. Insanity.

THREE STARS 🌟 OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Jesper Bratt, NJD (breakaway goal plus 🍎, shootout goal in 18:26)

2nd 🌟 Miller/Trouba, NYR (assist, 6 combined SOG in 9 attempts, 4 hits, 3 blocks, +3 rating in their best game so far)

1st 🌟 Kaapo Kakko, NYR (1st goal and 1st assist of season, shootout goal, +2 in 20:01)

Posted in Battle Of Hudson, Devils, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Georgiev to get start versus Devils in first game of Battle Of Hudson

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Derek

Tonight, the Rangers play host to the Devils in the first game of the season between Hudson rivals. Indeed, the Battle Of Hudson is renewed for another year where at least it’ll feel more normal. Even if it’s not quite a sellout at MSG, you’ll have fans from both sides emotionally invested on a Sunday night. Better a 7 PM game than earlier on an NFL Sunday.

The Rangers look to win their third consecutive game. With wins over the Panthers earlier this week and a more complete effort in last night’s victory over the Blue Jackets, they have to feel better about themselves entering tonight’s match. Especially with Artemi Panarin finally getting his first two five-on-five goals against his former team in Saturday’s 5-3 road win. Sidekick Ryan Strome added two apples while Chris Kreider continued his torrid start with a pair of goals including his seventh on the power play matching a career high. Even Jacob Trouba chipped in with his first goal and a primary helper.

Undoubtedly, it’s better when more of the upper echelon players are involved positively. It wasn’t only Igor Shesterkin, who was fine after being taken out due to an incidental collision with Columbus goal scorer Alexandre Texier. They checked him for concussion protocol. Alex Georgiev subbed in and stopped two shots in the final 6:45 as the Rangers shut it down. He’ll make his fourth start of the season against the Devils. Obviously, he’s struggled so far. But this is a chance to get back on track. We’ll see if he’s up to the challenge.

As for the Devils, we still don’t know who Lindy Ruff is rolling with in net. Based on what Hasan posted last night, I would’ve thought Mackenzie Blackwood would get the second game of a back-to-back. But I checked Roto Wire and they had Jonathan Bernier listed as expected. That isn’t confirmation. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Blackwood had a couple of good games last season in Devil wins at MSG where he was bombarded. Let’s assume he gets the nod as he is their starter.

One thing to watch for is the play of rookie Dawson Mercer. A good skater who’s got a little bit of Mat Barzal in him when it comes to elusiveness, Mercer has been rolling lately. In the 5-2 home loss to Boston, he scored a goal and assisted on one. For the season, he’s got 10 points (5-5-10) with every single one coming at home. We’ll see what kind of challenge he presents for the Rangers defensively.

I’ve already covered the continued struggles of Alexis Lafreniere. He remains stuck on three goals and a helper while playing on the third line. Though you wouldn’t know it by the ice time he received yesterday. I really wonder if he wouldn’t be better served playing major minutes with the Wolf Pack. I guess it depends on how things go. It seems like a waste to play him if he’s not able to earn Gerard Gallant’s trust.

Dougie Hamilton makes a difference for the Devils patrolling the blue line. They certainly pay him enough. He’s exactly as advertised. A terrific skater who can control the game at five-on-five and run the power play. Former Rangers’ draft pick Ryan Graves has made a good partner on their top pair. He took the warm-ups and is a game time decision after exiting yesterday’s game with an injury.

I’m still astonished that the old regime run by Jeff Gorton never gave Graves a look following The Letter. He’s proven to be a capable top four defenseman who is a good skater for his size that does a bit of everything. The opposite of K’Andre Miller, who in my view would be better served as a forward. Maybe he needs to be at Hartford. There’s talent there when you see the skating. Sometimes, the decision making is lacking. Miller is young and still learning. Let’s hope he gets it.

The Devils are getting improved scoring from Andreas Johnsson. His ’21 is well documented. He has turned the page and is contributing in the goal department and assists. Nico Hischier has picked it up recently. A good two-way center, the former top pick is more of a playmaker than finisher. He can play even strength, power play and penalty kill. A good overall player, the key for the Devils’ captain is staying healthy. So far, so good.

Jesper Bratt has been mentioned plenty by Hasan as being a streaky player. He can be really good due to his speed, or a non-factor. However, he’s been more noticeable lately. Another player who must be accounted for. The Devils recently recalled first round pick Alexander Holtz. Thus far, he has an assist for his first NHL point. But still hasn’t gotten that first goal. It’s a Rangers tradition to give up first goals. I hope that doesn’t happen again. Holtz has a strong shot and will get a look on the power play.

UPDATE: Scratch that. It looks like former Wolf Pack enforcer Mason Geertsen is in for Holtz. You know what that means. Fireworks 🎆 🎇 🧨.

P.K. Subban is now public enemy number one for the slewfoot on Ryan Reaves in a pointless exhibition game. Originally, I didn’t think it was deliberate. But he did it again during the season and was fined for it. Keep a close eye on what develops here. Subban has been productive too. You still have to not allow too much space for his heavy shot.

I don’t see Gallant making any other lineup changes. They won last night and played two good periods. It wasn’t only smoke and mirrors like previous wins. Julien Gauthier also had an effective game, picking up a key secondary assist on the Trouba goal while also drawing a penalty. He should remain in on the third line with Lafreniere and Barclay Goodrow, who so far has silenced critics. He and Sammy Blais have been two players Gallant can count on. Goodrow for his penalty killing and ability to move around and even take face-offs. Blais for his strong forecheck and physicality. I’d also throw Kevin Rooney in there as well. The ex-Devil continues to be a good addition since Gorton added him last season.

So, what to expect? I am not sure on the score. But I feel there will be a bit more intensity that we’ve seen from these two bitter rivals in a while. I’ll have a game story later.

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Despite encouraging win over Blue Jackets, Rangers not doing Lafreniere any favors

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Derek

Winning is supposed to be fun. But if you think this is a Cup contender, you need your head examined. Making the playoffs is a goal for this team. By winning 5-3 over the Blue Jackets, the Rangers checked off another two points and their eighth victory against only three losses in regulation (8-3-3).

That’s the encouraging part. The discouraging aspect is again, Alexis Lafreniere hardly played. The 20-year old first overall pick in 2020 is a ghost under coach Gerard Gallant. Despite playing on the third line, he received the least amount of ice time (9:44). It can’t be good for his confidence that the coach doesn’t even have enough belief to play him with the team ahead by three goals.

Lafreniere didn’t have a shot in the win. Would it be the worst thing in the world if they stop jerking him around and send him down to Hartford? At least in the AHL, Lafreniere could get regular shifts including top power play and regain his confidence. The way he’s been handled is like a hand grenade. That’s the direction the organization has taken. They care about wins. Not helping develop a potential franchise player who is lost in the shuffle.

This short-sighted thinking could actually cost the Rangers over the long-term. They won because their highest paid player decided to show up. Artemi Panarin scored twice including his second during a sudden turnaround. Following an Eric Robinson goal that went right by Igor Shesterkin, who didn’t look particularly good on two of the three he allowed, the Rangers responded with three straight goals over a 63-second span.

Jacob Trouba started it when his smart pinch down and perfect feed allowed Chris Kreider to bury his 10th to tie the score 43 seconds later. Kreider had another big game getting his team-leading 10th and 11th including yet another power play goal that proved crucial early in the third. A self-inflicted wound from Columbus starting goalie Elvis Merzlikins led directly to Ryan Strome setting up an open Panarin for his second of the game 36 seconds later to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.

They weren’t done. On a strong shift behind the net, Julien Gauthier won a board battle to get the puck over to Barclay Goodrow. Goodrow then centered for Trouba, who actually hit the net for his first goal of the season. Speaking of overpaid players who haven’t lived up to the contract former GM Jeff Gorton gave along with the customary NMC like candy. For once, Trouba looked like the defenseman he was in Winnipeg, recording a goal and assist in the victory. More performances like that and he won’t be an easy target for the fanatics.

That three-goal barrage turned the game around. It really swung on a Merzlikins turnover. He aggressively came out and misplayed a loose puck that wound up going to Strome. He was able to find Panarin for the go-ahead tally. The Rangers never trailed again. Strome quietly had a good game. He had two assists including a key secondary on an odd man rush that saw Adam Fox get the puck over for an easy Panarin finish with 2:31 left in the first period. It was a big goal because they didn’t exactly play well in the first. But a better finish allowed them to tie the score.

It answered a power play goal from Jakub Voracek. Not a known shooter due to his playmaking capabilities as he continues to do with the Blue Jackets as he had with the Flyers, he scored his first goal in his second stint with Columbus at 8:59 of the first period. With Sammy Blais off for a cross check that broke his stick on Alexandre Texier, rookie Cole Sillinger and Oliver Bjorkstrand combined to get the puck over to Voracek, whose sinking wrist shot fooled Shesterkin for the game’s first goal. It was a nice play off the rush with Bjorkstrand staying onside to set Voracek up. The Rangers wisely didn’t challenge.

For a good portion early, the Rangers struggled to sustain much puck pressure. The Blue Jackets had the better of the play getting eight of the game’s first 12 shots on Shesterkin. Outside of the Voracek tally which was stoppable, he made some key saves when his team wasn’t establishing much at five-on-five. Eventually, the Blueshirts settled down to finish the period better thanks to Panarin’s first goal at five-on-five. Shots were 12-9 CBJ.

Sometimes, all it takes for a great scorer is getting that one goal to get the monkey off their back. That’s what I thought after Panarin scored. Even though it was both Strome and a patient Fox, who did most of the work, Panarin found open space and finished. Exactly what Gallant wanted to see. Maybe he needs to face his former team more often. The six shots were a season high. The prior two games, he didn’t register one. Despite hearing the boos, the Bread Man produced. In two games (both NYR wins), he has five points (2-3-5). Too bad they only see Columbus one more time on Jan. 27. That’s the NHL schedule for you. Utterly ridiculous.

In the second, with not much going on, Zach Werenski and Jake Bean got the puck up to Robinson, who simply gained the zone and fired a high shot that sailed by Shesterkin’s glove far side. The shot was good. But it’s one you expect our top goalie to have. It was surprising.

The way the Rangers responded was perfect. Less than a minute later, a smart Trouba pinch allowed him to make like Fox and center for a quick Kreider redirect that beat Merzlikins at 7:39. Kreider is a different player this year. He’s burying his chances with most coming directly in front. If there’s a real positive under Gallant, it’s the play of Kreider. I believe his style fits perfectly under Turk, who prefers grit. Kreider looks every bit like one of the game’s best power forwards. He wasn’t done.

After Panarin notched his fourth from Strome thank to an early Christmas gift from Merzlikins, Trouba got a head start on Thanksgiving by finishing off a Goodrow feed from behind the net to suddenly make it 4-2 Blueshirts. It happened that quickly. If you blinked for a moment, you missed it. The best part is they scored at even strength. An area they dominated in a much improved second that saw them outshoot the Jackets 19-7. A nice turnaround from being down 12-9 after one. They led 28-19 after two.

A foolish interference minor penalty on Blue Jackets’ captain Boone Jenner with 35 seconds remaining in the second put the Rangers on a power play. Although they didn’t convert on the first part to end the period, they made the most of the remainder at the start of the third.

Following a Fox pass down low, Zibanejad patiently waited before sending a great pass across for an easy Kreider tip in at the 52-second mark of the third. Zibanejad is such a shooting threat that he keeps opponents honest. The Columbus penalty kill completely forgot about Kreider, who scored on the backdoor. It was his NHL-leading seventh power play goal. Right now, there isn’t a better net front presence than Kreider, who continues his hot start with 11 goals in 14 games.

It got interesting in the second half of the third period. On just a ridiculous play from Patrik Nemeth, who shoved a player right into Shesterkin, Texier scored on a deflection of a Vladislav Gavrikov shot pass to cut the lead to 5-3 with 6:45 left. Somewhat predictably, a hobbled Shesterkin left the game. Gallant indicated that he should be available for the Devils later tonight. Given what’s coming up over the next week, I have no problem with Alex Georgiev getting the second half of a back-to-back. He only faced two shots in the final 6:45 stopping both.

We’ll see what Gallant decides. At least he kept Gauthier in over Greg McKegg, who was a recall from Hartford with the injury prone Filip Chytil going on IR retroactively. I honestly think Chytil should play on the right side with Strome and Panarin, replacing the ineffective Kaapo Kakko. How can anyone argue when he still is without a point? In over 16 minutes last night, he didn’t register a single shot. I’ve seen enough. Put him on another line.

As for Lafreniere, I wish I didn’t see it coming. But when they took him first overall after how hyped he was by Canada, they didn’t take into account the Ranger Factor. They don’t know how to use top picks. Does anyone think they thought they’d wind up winning the two part NHL Draft Lottery? They had already extended Kreider, who’s looking worth it. Panarin isn’t going anywhere. Lafreniere plays the same position as both Panarin and Kreider. That makes him third on the depth chart.

Unless he can learn to play the right side, it looks like a waste. I was concerned about this very scenario. It’s playing out because Gallant quickly scrapped the Lafreniere right wing experiment on the top line early. Now, there doesn’t seem to be a role for him. Is this normal? He can’t even get consistent shifts game to game or power play time. When there’s more defined roles for fourth liners Ryan Reaves and Dryden Hunt, that’s a problem. Don’t expect any other NYR blogger to address it.

Despite all the spin, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The 8-3-3 start is nice. It allows them to feel good about themselves. Especially in a competitive division where points are tough to come by.

Next up are the Devils. They’ve played some surprisingly good hockey without Jack Hughes. Dawson Mercer was in that same draft as Lafreniere. He’s got 10 points (5-5-10) and plays a real role. His game is eerily similar to Mathew Barzal. All 10 of his points have come on home ice. We’ll see how he fares in his MSG debut.

THREE STARS 🌟 OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Jacob Trouba, NYR (1st of season plus 🍎, 6 SOG, +2 in 22:38)

2nd 🌟 Artemi Panarin, NYR (2 goals, 6 SOG, +2 in 19:42)

1st 🌟 Chris Kreider, NYR (2 goals including 7th PPG, 5 SOG, 11-3-14 in 14 GP)

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Devils’ winning streak grinds to a halt in another matinee dud

Posted on November 13, 2021 by hasan4978

For all the things that may be changing so far with the Devils, apparently one thing destined never to change is the Devils’ dreadful record in weekend home matinees. It seems as if it’s the same script over and over again, sellout crowd ready to go nuts (albeit a sellout crowd with a noticeable contingent of Bruins fans today), and the team throws out another nothingburger of a game. I wish I had stats to back it up, I know the Devils were 0-9-1 in weekend home games last year but that was with no/little crowd in the stands and they weren’t all matinees. Sure, it’s hard to really get on them in the overall landscape for losing 5-2 to the Bruins. After all, I’d have taken two out of four this week and they already have the first two wins in the bank. Still, there were some troubling things that came out of this game.

First among them was – as much as I like Lindy Ruff – the head coach’s insistence on line matching as if it was 2003 and we had John Madden and Jay Pandolfo at their peak instead of Mike McLeod as our ‘checking center’ against one of the best lines in the league with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, who just ran roughshod around us all afternoon. It’s unconscionable to me how you have a line that’s absolutely cooking right now in Jesper Bratt, Andreas Johnsson and Dawson Mercer and yet they get a grand total of eight minutes of icetime in the first two periods – in which, oh by the way, they scored the team’s only two goals of the game – while the coach keeps running out McLeod and Jimmy Vesey playing not to lose. You know what they say about playing not to lose, you stop playing to win when you play not to lose.

I mean come on now, I’m fine with McLeod as a fourth liner but he shouldn’t be any more than that. You have to have one of McLeod or Jesper Boqvist as your default third-line center until Jack Hughes gets back, I understand that. That does not mean that our third-line center should be getting first line minutes, especially being behind for most of the game. And I get why he moved rookie Alex Holtz off our supposed first line with Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha in the third period, Holtz hasn’t done much so far and if you want to replace him with a vet in crunchtime, fine. But what the heck has Tomas Tatar done as a Devil to earn benefit of the doubt to be moved up when not playing well?! He scored one lucky goal against the Islanders that apparently gave everyone in the locker room warm and fuzzies because he’s ‘popular in the room’. Wonderful, he still hasn’t actually produced points as a Devil (five in thirteen games is actually higher than I thought his total was, but only that one goal among them) and was a -2 in his 17:22 of icetime today.

Not that lineup decisions were our only issue today, although in that vein maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for the head coach to let Jonathan Bernier sit for a week after his hot start to the season, cause he sure cooled off today with a couple of meh goals allowed and a lot of juicy rebounds that extended plays. Bernier even nearly botched away a goal with Cory Schneider-esque puckhandling in the first period. Maybe he was owed some market correction after his 4-0 start to the season, but either way he was gonna get in a game during the back-to-back. Obviously despite Bernier’s start, Blackwood’s still being treated as the clear 1A goalie and having a virtuoso shutout performance Thursday only solidified his hold on the starting job. I don’t want to hear that Bernier shouldn’t have played after Blackwood had a shutout though, you can afford to give Blackwood an extra day off after he hasn’t played all spring and summer. Bernier was gonna play one of these games regardless, might as well let Blackwood play in the four-point division game.

Now that I’ve checked off goaltending and line matching, let’s go back to a familiar problem that unfortunately cropped up again today….hideous special teams. How is it possible that the special teams, which finally showed some signs of life over the last week, can go right back to collectively sucking?! It’s not as if it’s just the power play or just the penalty kill, it’s either they both work, or more often they’re both a tire fire, as was the case today. Regular as clockwork, our power play failed on two straight chances in a five-minute span in the first period and that turned the momentum of what was mostly an even game till then. From there till nearly the end of the second period it was a Bruins rampage. Erik Haula scored just a few minutes after our power fails turned the game, then the hated Brad Marchand scored on the power play early in the second period to really put us behind the eight-ball.

Despite the team being lifeless in the second period, it was the Mercer line that somehow kept the Devils in the game, pulling a goal back just twenty-eight seconds after Marchand scored with some nice tic-tac-toe passing from Bratt to Johnsson to Mercer for a highlight-reel goal that pumped some life back into the Rock. It wouldn’t last long though, as Marchand gleefully took advantage of one of Bernier’s juicy rebounds to restore the Bruins’ two-goal edge barely two minutes later. It stayed at 3-1 for most of the period, and the coach still continued to line match at the expense of the Mercer line until they got a rare shift at the end of the period and inevitably took advantage with another highlight-reel play as Bratt got the puck behind the net and it took a fortunate carom to Mercer in front, who made the patient pass back to Bratt for an open-net goal that pulled the Devils back within one despite being dominated for much of the previous thirty minutes.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1459609777462550537?s=20

Finally it seemed as if the coach got the message early in the third and rolled out the Bratt line more, and while they created our best chances they couldn’t quite get the tying goal. That’s when the refs decided to strike, with a possible cross-check from Taylor Hall on Ryan Graves going uncalled and leading to an odd-man rush at the other end, which the Bruins promptly scored on to basically end the game as a contest, and end Graves’ afternoon as well as he left injured. According to the coach he’s day-to-day so hopefully this actually IS a day-to-day situation and not just an euphemism for we don’t want to give out any info on an injury timeline, heaven forbid. Funny how that goes uncalled while an even clearer boarding of Boqvist minutes earlier got missed. Perhaps the most maddening call of all was actually in the second period when Brandon Carlo got called for interference, but Nico was also called for embellishment! I might be missing something but I didn’t think Nico was in the officials’ black book a la Joseph Blandisi who got called for diving once a month seemingly. So when a guy five inches taller and forty pounds heavier cross-checks you in the back, you also get penalized for what…not getting up soon enough?!

You aren’t the only one Amanda. Especially given with the frequency it’s called. Maybe like one tenth of the dual penalties get called you can actually argue both happened simultaneously, but most of the time it’s either a clear dive or a clear penalty, you can’t apply the wisdom of Solomon to everything and just penalize both sides if you have any doubt. Make a call, one way or the other. But you’d better be sure if you’re calling embellishment, especially if it’s a guy with a seemingly squeaky clean rep like Nico, and he’s fouled by a much bigger player.

It wasn’t even just the on-ice stuff that annoyed me today – since the Prudential Center first opened, sections 7-9 and 17-19 were the club areas, no question about it. There were some front-row seats in other sections that had club access but the actual club section seats are all cushioned, and all blocked off from the rest of the arena. I only come to find out today that in fact it’s only the two direct center ice sections that have complete club access now, while the other sections’ club access only goes up to row 5, or row 8 of the section (I’m not even gonna bother to go through it). Everyone else, you have to enter the section through an adjacent area, go to your seat and then go around again on your way out without passing through the club area. Obviously the seats I got for this game and the Wild game don’t qualify for club access, whatever. Figures that getting club seats on a giveaway sounded too good to be true, it obviously was.

It’s annoying and nonsensical that it’s set up that way, but probably prevented me from eating too much today in the end. Plus I still have my food and beverage card ($150 for the season) anyway, so I tried two empanadas at one of the stands and was done with my ‘gorging’ for the afternoon, and I can use some reward points for other club seats if I wish, which is surprisingly easy this year since club seats are only 1200 reward points and you get 500 reward points just by ‘checking into’ a game, i.e. marking down you’re in attendance, plus you can get other reward points with in-game question and answers on their app. So all in all the season ticket rewards have been fine so far this season, as they should be – you want to make your ticket holders happy, especially after many let the team make interest on their money through the pandemic. I guess the disappointment in not actually being in the club area before the game was a harbinger for what was to come on the ice this afternoon.

We’ll see about tomorrow’s game at the Garden, obviously Blackwood is playing. Graves, who knows? Hopefully more of the players show up tomorrow, if I was doing a three stars it’d be all three forwards from the same line. Can’t say too many other people besides 63, 18 and 11 impressed me today.

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Chytil lands on IR, McKegg recalled

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Derek

The Rangers are finally back in action when they visit the Blue Jackets tonight at 7 PM. It’ll be their first game since a 4-3 home win over the Panthers on Monday.

After missing Monday’s game with an injury due to accidentally colliding with Sammy Blais in the first period of a blowout loss at Calgary, Filip Chytil was placed on the IR by the team. It’s retroactive. With the fourth-year forward again hurt, the Rangers recalled veteran center Greg McKegg from Hartford.

The 29-year old journeyman has already played in eight games for the Blueshirts in his second stint. He appeared in 53 games during ’19-20, tallying five goals and four assists in a secondary role. Last season, McKegg played in five games for the Bruins scoring a goal. He spent most of his time on the taxi squad.

At this point, McKegg is a filler who can play on the fourth line when needed. Given the team’s continued face-off woes, that’s probably why they summoned him. Even without Chytil, who isn’t a true center due to his inability to win draws, the Rangers have four NHL centers on the roster. Behind Mika Zibanejad and Ryan Strome are Barclay Goodrow and Kevin Rooney. While Goodrow is used mostly on the wing, he can play center and already takes face-offs. Both he and Rooney are over 48 percent along with Strome. Zibanejad is lower despite taking the most draws.

In regards to who gets the start, it’s anyone’s guess. Alex Georgiev was front and center talking to the press yesterday about his bad start. He spoke about getting back to the goalie he was. Truthfully, he hasn’t been the same since the blowup with former teammate Tony DeAngelo following an overtime loss to Pittsburgh. DeAngelo plays for Carolina now and is doing well. Georgiev must rediscover what worked. He’s allowed too many rebounds and been beaten on stoppable shots.

With the schedule picking up over the next 10 days including the Rangers hosting the Devils (5-2 losers to Boston earlier) at MSG tomorrow in a back-to-back, they’re going to need both goalies. That means Georgiev should get at least two starts over the next six games. Igor Shesterkin is the clear number one having played extremely well. However, he’s not a robot. That means he can’t play every night or be expected to save the team like he did Monday when he was under siege. They barely survived a furious Panthers’ rally.

I’m terms of what to expect, Kaapo Kakko continues to practice with Strome and Artemi Panarin. Despite not having any points, he was better against Florida. He lost his first point of the season when a Panarin goal was overturned on a successful coach’s challenge for goaltender interference on Strome. It was incidental contact. Kakko attempted more shots. He must continue to to finally get on the score sheet.

With Alexis Lafreniere struggling to produce, he’ll likely continue to play on the third line. It’ll be weakened without Chytil. On Monday, he played with Goodrow and Julien Gauthier, who again failed to score on a breakaway. Stone hands. If they stay intact, look for Sammy Blais to again play on the first line with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. He had an active game. Blais isn’t a top line player. But he is the kind of versatile player Gerard Gallant trusts. Ditto for Goodrow. Both have been good additions.

Defensively, the team must improve. Part of it is they aren’t spending enough time on the forecheck at five-on-five. If you checked the numbers at five-on-five, it’s scary. There aren’t many players faring well. That includes Panarin, who despite being a point-per-game, isn’t happy with his game. Good. He shouldn’t be. The even strength statistics are atrocious.

Due to that, they spend way too much time defending. That isn’t what Gallant wants to see. He voiced his displeasure following the one-goal win over Florida. The third period was unacceptable. In fact, they’ve been outscored 11-1 over the last four games in third periods. That needs to change.

The Rangers average under 23 shots a game. That’s absurd. They must have more of a shooters mentality. It starts in the face-off dot. A notorious bad team on draws despite having a former linesman work with them during training camp, nothing has changed. Losing face-offs leads to less puck possession. Go check the zone starts for most players. It isn’t pretty. Go by five-on-five on hockey-reference.com. That’ll paint a true picture.

Elvis Merzlikins is starting for Columbus. He’s been excellent so far. In the first meeting, the Rangers got the better of him by scoring four times on 37 shots in a home win on Oct. 29. That’s his only loss so far. He enters 5-1-0 with a 1.98 GAA and .940 save percentage. If it’s Shesterkin again, it’s a high profile goalie match-up. He’s 6-2-2 with a 2.37 GAA, .931 save percentage and one shutout that came versus Columbus.

I’ll have more following the game.

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Devils thump Islanders 4-0 for third straight win

Posted on November 12, 2021 by hasan4978

Maybe, just maybe this is a new day in Newark after all. If you could dismiss the Devils’ 7-3 win against the Panthers on Tuesday as an inevitable road letdown from a team off to a hot start that just lost its first regulation game the night before, you can’t dismiss Thursday’s impressive win over the Islanders so easily. Especially given the Devils’ 2-6 record against (mostly) these same Islanders last year. If the fans are starting to believe in this young team that’s now 7-3-2 despite ostensibly their top center for all but two of those games, it looks as if the team already has that belief in itself.

I admit to having that exact feeling before this four game stretch against the Panthers, Islanders, Bruins and Rangers. However after two impressive wins and seven points out of a possible eight in their last four games, this team’s earning some credibility from the fanbase. Blackwood himself was a big reason why in last night’s game, stopping all 42 shots he faced from an Islander team still on the road for the eleventh straight game until their new arena opens. Tough noogies – we had all the excuses we needed and then some when they killed us last year.

It wasn’t just the Blackwood show in spite of the stats though, it was a team effort last night. To wit, four different goalscorers and ten skaters put up at least a point. Our special teams continued its show of life over the last week with both a shorthanded goal and a power play goal. If there’s one cause for optimism besides now having both goaltenders in gear and playing well, it would be having a sustainable positive contribution from our special teams, which arguably sank us as much as COVID did last year. I’m sure GM Tom Fitzgerald was looking on like a proud dad as all four goalscorers were either signed, traded for or drafted by the Devils’ third-year GM.

Getting Janne Kuokkanen was a masterstroke for Fitz, although he got off to a bit of a slow start this year, he’s starting to heat up with two goals in his last three games. His shorthanded goal last night in the first period opened the scoring and gave the Devils an additional shot of momentum after Blackwood stopped Matt Barzal on an early breakaway that could have completely changed last night’s game. It was a tense first two periods as the contest remained at 1-0 until a late second-period power play goal doubled the Devils’ lead and gave Tomas Tatar his first goal of the season. Sometimes results matter more than looks, as a Dougie Hamilton shot caromed off Tatar’s leg past Ilya Sorokin, but that couldn’t dampen Tatar’s emotional celebration of his first goal this season.

It was prize rookie Dawson Mercer who upped the Devils’ lead to three in the third, off another brilliant feed from a still-sizzing Andreas Johnsson. All Mercer had to do was beat Sorokin on a partial breakaway, which he did for his fourth goal of the season. Yeah I’d say this teen wonder is here to stay. The jury remains out on fellow teen rookie Alexander Holtz, kept off the scoreboard again but as long as the team’s winning and Holtz isn’t hurting matters you might as well see if he can get going at the NHL level. Hamilton himself would finish the scoring with just under four minutes remaining with his third goal of the season. Hamilton and fellow offseason acquisition Ryan Graves have combined to give this team a true first pairing it’s sorely lacked since the days where the two Scotts patrolled the blueline. Maybe you could argue Paul Martin and Brian Rafalski were a legit #1 pairing, or Andy Greene and Mark Fayne resembled one for a hot minute but neither were a long-term solution.

Speaking of Greene, too bad the schedulemakers couldn’t figure out a way to squeeze in one more game for the Islanders so that he’d play his 1000th game at the Rock instead of #999. He played eighteen minutes with an even plus minus, which is about what you can expect from Greene – even in the twilight of his career. On the other hand Zach Parise and Kyle Palmieri’s reunion trips at the Rock in Islander uniforms weren’t as placid with Parise getting a -1, Palmieri being a -3 and both committing minor penalties. I always liked Palmieri when he was here so his heel turn in the three or four games against us since going to the Island is a bit puzzling, it’s almost as if he’s playing like he was a pariah here with bones to pick with ex-teammates like Damon Severson, who was on the other end of a roughing matching minor in the second period.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to even watch this game, much less attend seeing as I had my own prior commitment. Not that I really cared since I was happy over the win, and also given the fact I wasn’t likely to go to all three home games in a five-day span anyway. Plus I was just there Tuesday for the goalfest and I’ll be back Saturday afternoon – in all-you-can eat club seats no less – the second of four (currently) such games I’m getting upgraded as a season ticket holder. Well technically two of the games were season ticket holder upgrades and the other two were part of a free ticket giveaway sent to all sth’s, where I happened to notice club seats were available for tomorrow’s game and the pre-Thanksgiving night game against the Wild.

I was in the clubs for the Sabres game already, as much as I like the all-you-can eat aspect, there wasn’t an especially big food selection – chicken tenders, buffalo chicken tenders, fries, small burger sliders, hot dogs that are only lukewarm, baked pretzel pieces, a few other things and assorted snacks. I did like the fact they were portioned out, seeing as I like to have a little bit of everything when I’m there anyway although I might stick to the tenders, fries and dessert for the most part going forward. Sometimes you forget about the tradeoff sitting down low is until you’re there. I was in section 9 for the Buffalo game, only a few rows up from the ice…a great view for the near half of the ice, not so much so for the far end. Plus with club seats you have to pay attention at all times with potential pucks going into the stands right behind the glass, whereas in 120 where I normally sit, your attention can wander and it’s still a great seat. Still, I’m not gonna turn down an upgrade and free food even if I prefer my own seats on some level.

Of course the fact I’m literally getting comped club seat tickets (outside of the actual season ticket rewards) isn’t a great sign for attendance. According to my buddy who was at the game last night it was about 60-40 Islander fans, which makes sense given it’s the closest thing they’ve had to a home game so far this season while it’s the middle of our third home game in five days. At least for once we sent them home angry. Having a bunch of home games early in the season isn’t going to help attendance either, but without much of an NFL season for local fans apart from fantasy/knockout pool/betting interests and MLB likely to go into witness protection in another three weeks, the Devils will have their time to get the fanbase back. It’s up to the team to continue to earn points and belief from the fans that this year will be different.

Devils Three Stars:

  1. Mackenzie Blackwood (42 saves, shutout in his third start of the year)
  2. Dougie Hamiton (goal, assist and +1 in 20:42)
  3. Dawson Mercer (goal, +1 in 15:51)
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Devils de-claw Panthers at the Rock

Posted on November 10, 2021 by hasan4978

Coming back from a moderately successful West Coast trip, the omens weren’t great for the Devils before tonight’s game. Personally, I almost forgot I was going to the game tonight – which I didn’t exactly take as a good sign either. Of course I only watched bits and pieces of the California trifecta of games. Hearing about Miles Wood’s hip surgery didn’t help my mood, although at least they finally deigned to let us know what the issue was with the physical, speedy winger. Despite the team’s 5-3-2 record heading into tonight’s game I didn’t exactly like our chances against a sizzling Florida team, who finally hit a speed bump at the Garden last night after a 10-0-1 start to their season. Particularly when I found out Dougie Hamilton was going to miss a third straight game, after word was that he’d try to go in the warmup and they’d decide then I got to the arena and looked down on the ice toward the end of warmups specifically to see if Hamilton was there. Nope, and sure enough it turned out he didn’t even skate in the warmup after all. Just as well since if his availability was still tenuous enough to hinge on a pregame skate then he probably shouldn’t be playing, especially with three more games in a brutally tough week of competition for the Devils.

To paraphrase Chris Berman or whoever he got the quote from…that’s why they play the games.

Not only did the Devils strut out of the Rock with a stunning 7-3 win, but they actually had to come from behind twice in the process! If you told me how this game would eventually wind up before puck drop, I would have been surprised but random blowouts of good teams do happen over the marathon that is the NHL schedule. That said, if you told me after the first ten minutes of the game what the result was going to be, I would have been flat-out shocked. It looked like yet another dreary start for the home side early as Mackenzie Blackwood (in his first home start of the year) gave up a terrible wraparound goal to Sam Bennett, and got no help from Ty Smith who was beaten to the puck and allowed Bennett to stuff home his own rebound from the initial attempt. At about the midway mark of the period the Panthers were outshooting us either 7-3 or 8-3 and my attention was already wandering.

Perhaps even more shocking than the end result was what actually turned the game around – SPECIAL TEAMS. Or to be more precise, the fact special teams actually turned the game around for the Devils in a positive way for a change. I didn’t even think much of it when the Devils killed off a Florida power play although not letting the game get to 2-0 early was huge. Heck, even a bad PK like the Devils can still manage to kill off around 7 of 10. When the Devils’ power play actually struck later in the period though, then you knew something was cooking. More precisely, it was the Jesper Bratt-Andreas Johnsson combo that was cooking, which has been money over the last couple of weeks in general. On this play Bratt’s initial shot eventually rebounded to Johnsson who stuffed home the rebound at 15:46, after starting the give-and-go with a nice feed to Bratt in the first place. If only all our PP’s could operate that efficiently.

At least Johnsson’s fifth goal of the season was well-timed, and the momentum fully shifted our way. Barely two minutes later the Devils cashed in further when Nico Hischier deflected a Ty Smith shot past Panthers goalie Spencer Knight. Up 2-1 and getting cheered off the ice, you would have thought the Devils could carry their momentum through at least a minute of the second period. Instead the quick-strike Panthers temporarily turned the game on its ear with back-to-back goals. First, the talented Alexander Barkov scored off a rebound from a blocked shot to tie the game after just twenty-four seconds. Then barely a minute later, Owen Tippett drifted behind the entire Devils defense and was wide open for an easy tap-in goal off a nice feed from Gustav Forsling. Down 3-2 before you could blink, all my negativity came back in droves.

Almost as if saying anything you can do, we can do too, the Devils shrugged off the two early goals and tied the game just twenty-nine seconds after the Panthers took the lead. It was again Johnsson who was at the center of a key goal, this time off a nice feed from rookie Dawson Mercer through traffic. Johnsson’s sixth goal of the year surpassed his total from the entire 2021 season, after just eleven games! I can’t remember the last time a player went from zero to hero this quickly, maybe Keith Kinkaid during his Cinderella surge in 2018? It’s one of those unlikely redemption stories that make sports the greatest reality TV out there. Where would the Devils be right now if Seattle had taken Johnsson over Nate Bastian in the expansion draft?

Ironically the absolute craziness of the first two minutes in the second period gave way to an actual mundane period after that, almost as if both coaches said okay let’s put the kibosh on this pond hockey. Of course, that still doesn’t mean the goals were about to stop for the night. In another example of a game where what can go right does go right, PK Subban gave the Devils the lead with a slapshot from yesteryear that I’m not sure has actually hit the net or gotten past a goalie since his heyday in Montreal. Still, as good as being up 4-3 felt I didn’t exactly think this was over, especially with the Panthers’ high-powered offense and our suspect late-game defense.

It was another power play that gave the Devils some breathing room early in the third, when Hischier and Mercer both caused a turnover in the defensive zone, then Hischier’s feed at the other end found Pavel Zacha with time and space to get his own rebound past Knight and extend the Devils’ lead for the first time to two goals. If I had time before going to bed I’d try to find out when the last time the Devils had two power play goals in a game was, but it feels like a while. Perhaps the most noteworthy fact about Zacha’s sixth goal of the season was that it was also Alexander Holtz’s first NHL point, off a secondary assist. It was also the rookie’s best game clearly of the three he’s played so far. Hopefully the first goal isn’t too far behind but for tonight, a point will do for Holtz.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1458285161100070913?s=20

After Nico tipped one of his shots past Knight earlier, this time Smith got one in the back of the net himself through traffic just seconds after Zacha’s goal, polishing off a three-point night and a deserved star after a shaky beginning tonight and some uneven games since coming off of IR. Even at 6-3, I wasn’t convinced it was over but the Devils did a fairly good job of holding the lead in the third and keeping their head despite some attempted Panther goonery (what would you expect from a team with Radko Gudas and Patrik Hornqvist on the ice?). Almost as if baking a cake with things you wanted to see from the team tonight, the Devils’ empty-net goal from Jimmy Vesey was the icing on the cake, since the team had struggled in the empty net situation both offensively and defensively so far this year. Yes, I was finally convinced the game was over at that point, despite the nearly four minutes remaining. Ironically the Devils’ win pushed their record to 6-3-2, which was their high water mark last year. Hopefully there’ll be a better end to this year’s story.

Before the game the Devils observed a moment of silence for long-time usher Earl Laycock, who’d become a cult figure at the Rock due to his ‘Dancing Earl’ segments on the Jumbotron. Can’t say I ever knew the man personally or even had any interaction with him but plenty did, and he was omnipresent for everyone due to the popular stoppage of play segments, which will forever be called Dancing Earl’s Dance Moves.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1458224526182002690?s=20

Devils Three Stars:

  1. Andreas Johnsson (two goals, +1 in 14:35)
  2. Nico Hischier (goal, assist in 14:51)
  3. Ty Smith (goal, two assists and a +2 in 19:31)
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Rangers hang on to pass test against pesky Cats, Gallant not happy but win snaps three-game losing streak

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Derek

“That’s a little maybe too nerve racking at the end. But we pulled it off at the end and got the win. … You try not to not think about it. They haven’t lost in regulation. We give them the first loss. We take these two points and move on. “-Mika Zibanejad on the Rangers’ 4-3 win over the Panthers, who had previously not lost in regulation.

The Rangers needed a win in the worst way. They got it by scoring four goals in the first two periods and then hanging on literally against the pesky Cats, who never gave up. It all resulted in a 4-3 win at MSG before 14,877.

That halted a three-game losing streak (0-1-2). Like Mika Zibanejad said following the win, they’ll take it. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch. However, you don’t get style points. At the end of the day, it’s a win on home ice against one of the best teams. That’s the positive takeaway along with the brilliance of Igor Shesterkin, who again was Mount Igor by making 42 saves to preserve a one-goal win in the closing seconds.

Coach Gerard Gallant wasn’t too pleased despite getting the win. He was happy with the offense which came on special teams and during a pivotal four-on-four that allowed them to build a 4-0 lead after two periods. Despite being outplayed at five-on-five and outshot by a wide margin (39-8 at 5-on-5) including 45-18 overall, they were very opportunistic to earn the two points.

What Gallant didn’t like was how many wide open chances the dynamic Panthers had. From the slot area, they were credited with 22 chances to the Rangers’ 9. It’s certainly an area Gallant wants to fix with a much needed four day break. Their next game isn’t until at Columbus on Saturday. Then, the schedule picks up again with the Devils the following night and Montreal a week from Tuesday.

One thing Gallant is correct about is that the schedule so far has been tough. He said that the nine games they’ve played on the road were the second most behind the Islanders, who are still on a 13-game road trip before they finally open their new arena in Belmont. That’s true. It isn’t easy to do all that travel and come out ahead. So far, they are thanks to the superior goaltending of Shesterkin and the continued superb play from Adam Fox, who was in the middle of it again tonight. His shorthanded goal with less than six seconds left in the first period was gigantic.

This game was won on special teams and during a crucial four-on-four. That’s where the Rangers hit the jackpot. With Florida coming in having dealt previously unbeaten Carolina their first loss, they had captain Aleksander Barkov back after he sat out with a lower-body injury. They only were missing Sam Bennett. As expected, Filip Chytil didn’t play for the Blueshirts. Instead of recalling Greg McKegg for the umpteenth time, they actually played Julien Gauthier (if you can call 8:46 TOI playing). He was on the latest third line with Barclay Goodrow and ghost Alexis Lafreniere (1 missed shot in 10:07 including a 31-second power play shift).

Moving up to the top line was the versatile Sammy Blais, who again was effective throughout. It doesn’t seem to matter where they put him. He only knows one way to play. He has one more point than Pavel Buchnevich, who some misguided souls are pointing to for the lack of scoring production. He of two goals and an assist on a good Blues team. Maybe he misses Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. This isn’t to suggest they’ve replaced him. Not yet at least. Although Kaapo Kakko had one of his better games.

Before I get to the particulars on the game, it was Military Appreciation Night. I’m glad they honor our veterans, who sure deserve the acknowledgement for all they’ve done for our country. One that remains divided. Maybe if they did more for the vets, there’d be less animosity and a lot more positive support. They’re exemplary people who deserve this honor. Not just on Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day either. Thank you! 💜🙏✨⭐

After they honored a veteran who dropped the ceremonial first puck between Barkov and Jacob Trouba (seriously), there was a great rendition of the National Anthem followed by the game. I thought I heard a smattering of boos for Trouba, who hasn’t exactly been lights out at the start of his third year in the Big Apple. More encouraging was that he had a good game as did much maligned K’Andre Miller, who sure picked a great time to score a highlight reel goal that had Gallant joking that he’d move him up to left wing for next game. If you watch the postgame interview above, Miller didn’t take the bait.

The first period was very fast moving and exciting to watch. One thing about the Panthers. They play a great style that involves skating, speed, skill and a strong forecheck. They aren’t shy when it comes to shooting the puck. The polar opposite of the Rangers, who rank dead last in average shots per game. That’s probably by design under Gallant. But even he knows you can’t get outshot by such a wide margin and have sustained success.

Before five minutes had been played, Patrik Nemeth took another penalty when he grabbed onto Sam Reinhart during a puck battle along the boards. Nemeth has to stay away from those penalties. He’s a key penalty killer who blocks shots. Good thing Shesterkin and the Rangers had his back. It also helped that Carter Verhaeghe got his stick up on Ryan Lindgren to make it four-on-four for 24 seconds. That penalty was one they took advantage of.

Once up five-on-four, it was the Blueshirts who grabbed the 1-0 lead thanks to some splendid work down low from the trio of Artemi Panarin, Zibanejad and Kreider. It was Panarin who setup an open Zibanejad in front for a quick one-timer that a sliding Spencer Knight stopped. He made a very good save, but couldn’t control the rebound that went right to who else but Kreider for his league-leading sixth power play goal. His team best ninth was a perfect way to start it off after Kreider called out the team for their awful play in Calgary. He has been terrific so far. The true leader of this team.

After leading in shots with eight in the early going, the Rangers started giving up the blue line to the swarming Cats’ attack. They possess a lot of speed through the neutral zone and can transition like a speeding express train. Aside from Shesterkin making some great stops including an incredible pad save on a shot he couldn’t have seen, the Panthers missed the net from point blank range a few times. That even included Barkov prior to the Kreider goal.

With under a minute to go, Kevin Rooney got a strange unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty. He wasn’t happy even mouthing off before going to the box before a stoppage. It looked like a weak call. But rather than be passive, the penalty kill was aggressive. That paid off when on a good Zibanejad rush, he passed for Goodrow, who made a terrific back pass to a cutting Fox for a huge shorthanded goal at 19:54. Goodrow made the play to essentially send Fox in. One on one with Knight, he went to the backhand to beat the rookie for a 2-0 lead. Just brilliant.

In the postgame, Zibanejad felt they played two good periods. Even though they didn’t have the puck a lot in the first, they were only two shots down (9-11) and led by two where it counted. I know the shots for the second favored Florida 17-6. But I felt that was the Rangers’ best period. They didn’t give up as much off the rush and defended better. Most of the shots on Shesterkin came from the outside. If he’s on and can see it, he’s going to stop it most of the time.

Ryan Reaves drew a cross-checking minor on Brandon Montour off some strong work by the fourth line. However, they didn’t do much with the power play. In fact, Knight never even saw a shot. Ironically, he faced three more shorthanded shots including Fox’s foxy shorty. The special teams was much better than the previous losses in Alberta to both Edmonton and Calgary. It proved crucial.

On a battle during a shift, Lafreniere looked to have drawn a power play on Aaron Ekblad. The Cats’ ace defenseman held him. But somehow, they also called Lafreniere for embellishment. I didn’t see him go down. Another iffy call. I wondered if the extra open ice would benefit the Panthers. Much like my score prediction (5-2 Florida), I couldn’t have been more wrong.

First came the goal of the night. On what can best be described as a WTF moment, off a Kreider pass, Miller exploded around Florida defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and then drove hard to the Florida net and made a great move and shot far side to beat Knight for a 3-0 lead at 12:48. That’s one for the highlight reel. He used his speed and strong skating to look like a forward. It was a terrific play. He once was a forward. You never know.

https://twitter.com/ntilikina21/status/1457884629512372225?t=KZ6a9aZU7aFE0Ed5jJaT6w&s=19

With Florida clearly out of sync, a Trouba lead pass for Panarin started a clear two-on-one rush. He could’ve shot had he wanted to. However, the unselfish Bread Man dished across for Ryan Strome, who easily buried the shot into an open side for a 4-0 lead with 6:42 remaining in the period. It was his second goal of the season and first since Oct. 29 in a win over Columbus. That gave them two goals within a 30 second span during the four-on-four.

Game over? Not so fast. When you face a good opponent, they’re not going to go away that easily. Florida never stopped attacking. Had they put away some of their chances and Shesterkin been human, it could’ve been a different game. By the same token, Panarin had a goal wiped out on what would’ve been Kakko’s first point of the season earlier. A great example of him possessing the puck and going around the net to feed Panarin for a goal. But Florida interim coach Andrew Brunette successfully challenged that Strome interfered with Knight. It was incidental contact. A marginal ruling.

To Henrik Lundqvist’s point following the game, they didn’t let the call bother them. They responded by extending the lead to 4-0 after 40 minutes. Up to that point, Shesterkin was unstoppable. He made 28 saves the first two periods. Shots were 28-15. But the Rangers led in face-offs 23-12. A key category they usually struggle at. Strome had a good night going 11-and-5.

That changed in the nervous third. Before you even could look up, the Panthers scored 20 seconds into the period. Eetu Luostarinen was able to put in a rebound past Shesterkin, who was clearly interfered with by the annoying Patric Hornqvist. How many whacks can he get away with? The ref was right there. Just because he’s a veteran doesn’t make it right. A few Bolts fans went ballistic over it. For whatever reason, Gallant didn’t challenge it. A mistake? More like a miscalculation.

The Rangers spent most of the third period on their heels. They again sat back way too much. The Panthers were allowed to gain easy access and get off good shots on Shesterkin, who was up to the challenge. One thing I’m getting sick of is seeing opponents take hacks and whacks after the whistle at our goalie while nobody does a thing. Shouldn’t the D knock someone down? Where’s the snarl? If someone had knocked Hornqvist on his ass, the controversial first goal never even happens. That must change.

With the whole third played exclusively at five-on-five, Florida dominated. They fired and fired to hold a lopsided 17-3 edge in shots. For the game, it was 45-18. But even worse if you went by total attempts. They out-attempted the Rangers 91-37. That’s absurd. Forty-six never reached the net.

From my count, the Blueshirts had two good shifts to at least take some pressure off. They really need to shore the third periods up. Prior to getting shelled by Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, it had been their best period. Counting the three Florida got, by my count it’s 11-1 over the past four games. Yikes. It sounds like the old AV play book against LA. Never mind.

Facing a dangerous Panthers offense, they couldn’t run the clock out fast enough. Off a lost defensive face-off, Reinhart finally was able to beat Shesterkin when he took an Owen Tippett feed and buried a one-timer past the goalie to cut it to 4-2 with 1:26 left. Suddenly, you wondered as they controlled play if things were about to get dicey. A Bill Pidto expression.

With Knight off for an extra attacker, it did. On another lost face-off from Zibanejad, a Barkov win back for a quick Hornqvist shot made it 4-3 with still 39.5 seconds remaining. To hear Sam Rosen tell it, he let out a whoa. Exactly how every fan felt watching.

It came down to the final seconds. Shesterkin had to make two more saves before a delayed penalty (at least that’s what was up on MSG) saw a desperate Panthers try for one final shot. Ekblad was unable to control the puck cleanly which helped run off a few seconds. A shot went wide and then the buzzer sounded.

They survived. As scary as the ending was, they got the job done. Thanks in large part to the unflappable Shesterkin, who was named the game’s First Star with 42 stops. He didn’t come out. Maybe he was frustrated. He’s similar to Lundqvist, who hates giving up goals. That’s good. Now, he and the team will get a much needed rest. Hopefully, they can work on some of the issues that must improve.

Let’s take a deep breath. Breathe a sigh of relief. They won. It’s a lot better than losing. So, the Rangers are 7-3-3 with 17 points. Good for second place in the Metropolitan Division. They’ve played more games than anyone else in the division. Three more than six teams including the Hurricanes, who remain in first with a 9-1-0 start. We know that Islanders will gain ground. The rest are in the middle aside from the Capitals, who won over the Sabres last night to get to 16 points in 12 games. Alexander Ovechkin tied Brett Hull for fourth all-time in goal scoring. Congrats to Ovi.

As for the Rangers, they just completed their third game over four days with travel across two continents. Maybe that is why they had nothing left in the third. At least that’s what I’m hoping. Gallant said they’ve got to be tougher. He’s right. Let’s see if they make some adjustments for Columbus. Enjoy a few days of stress-free hockey minus our Rangers.

THREE STARS 🌟 OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Artemi Panarin, NYR (2 assists including great feed on Strome goal, more noticeable)

2nd 🌟 Chris Kreider, NYR (PPG for team best 9th of season plus 🍎 on Miller goal)

1st 🌟 Igor Shesterkin, NYR (42 saves on 45 shots including 28/28 in first 2 periods)

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