Thoughts on Quinn’s lines for Rangers vs Penguins

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Derek

Yesterday, it was reported that coach David Quinn went with different lines during practice in preparation for the Penguins. The Rangers have the Pens the next two games. So, it’ll be a big test.

Considering that they’re still playing meaningful hockey due to the Bruins continuing to be inconsistent after blowing a two-goal lead in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Jekyll and Hyde Flyers, it’s understandable why the Rangers would believe they can sneak into the postseason. They trail Boston by five points with 19 games left. The Bruins will again play the Flyers tonight.

With the Blueshirts needing to take care of business against an improved Penguins, who rank third in the division with 50 points, Quinn once again had Colin Blackwell take rushes with Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin on Monday. That means that Kaapo Kakko was moved to the third line with Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere, who Quinn praised for his improvement. He has looked more confident lately. We’ll see if he can keep it going.

The issue is Vitaly Kravtsov finds himself on the fourth line after Quinn recently admitted that the 2018 first round pick isn’t that. Based on his debut that saw him get better as the game went on in a tough shootout loss to the Sabres, it doesn’t make sense for Kravtsov to be on the checking line with Kevin Rooney and Phil Di Giuseppe, who could be getting back in for Julien Gauthier. Equally as puzzling if true.

Quinn showed enough faith in Kravtsov that he received over 10 minutes while with Chytil and Lafreniere. The first round pick trio did nothing wrong. In fact, Kravtsov was on late in regulation with Mika Zibanejad and nearly had his first goal on a diving rebound that Linus Ullmark denied. That would’ve been something.

The question is are the Blueshirts doing this because they feel Blackwell gives them a better chance to win now. Probably. He’s been a pleasant surprise scoring nine goals including seven times at even strength. The other pair coming on the power play on deflections. He’s certainly opened some eyes. At 28, what is Blackwell’s future? He’s signed through next year for $725,000. They probably figured he’d be expendable for the upcoming Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft.

A good secondary player who Quinn has utilized similar to former plug Jesper Fast, Blackwell has provided secondary scoring that the team couldn’t have expected. He was an afterthought entering the season. Now, he’s a regular who can be moved up and down the lineup while playing second power play and killing penalties. Blackwell can shift to center to take draws if needed. Although Rooney has that area covered. Another solid secondary piece that could be available with the Trade Deadline approaching.

Of course, the reaction from most observers is why demote Kakko to the third line when he seemed to have chemistry with Panarin and Strome. Most are perplexed by seeing Kravtsov on the fourth line following a promising start in which he didn’t look out of place.

As much as the future is promising, it appears the team is prioritizing the playoffs over development. They want to make it. Certainly understandable considering where they are. However, if they don’t fare well versus the Pens and then the Islanders before next Monday, that’ll go up in smoke.

One thing to note is that just because Blackwell is penciled in on the second line doesn’t mean he’ll stay there during Game 38 of 56. Quinn has shown a tendency to shift players around depending on who’s going. So, maybe you’ll still see Kakko or Kravtsov on the second line at some point later tonight.

The only lock is that the first power play unit will continue to get the bulk of the minutes. A five man man-advantage that features Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Panarin, Strome and Adam Fox. Will they be more proactive and attempt more shots instead of passing up opportunities? That remains to be seen.

Whatever happens, Igor Shestyorkin will make his fourth straight start. Finally, he’s being given the keys. He’s played well as he continues to evolve into the starting goalie. It certainly isn’t his fault the team lost to the Sabres over the weekend.

The team must play better overall. Quinn emphasized winning those puck battles and managing the puck. Something they didn’t do a good enough job with. If they want to make it interesting, they’ll need their best effort versus the Pens.

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Devils trade deadline preview

Posted on April 5, 2021 by hasan4978

With yesterday’s news that Kyle Palmieri was being scratched for precautionary reasons a clear signal that a trade is the next step for player and team, today’s as good a time as any for the inevitable Devils deadline day preview. So far pre-deadline has been unusually quiet around the NHL – especially given the quarantine time once you trade for a player, but I’m sure moves will still be made in the next week up until next Monday’s deadline. Before talking about our new normal of being sellers, first a few words on Palmieri, whose Devils career can only be described as an unqualified success from an individual standpoint.

In a lot of ways I’m sad about Palmieri being traded over more than just the fact we’ll be hard pressed to replace his production as a Devil. For starters, he was one of the few Jersey-born hockey players who played a tangible role for Jersey’s hockey team. Jim Dowd was a lifetime ago and – other than one shining moment in 1995 against Detroit in the SCF – really didn’t have that much of an impact as a Devil overall. For a fanbase and a state that has a perennial inferiority complex in comparison with New York, Palmieri was a point of pride for Devils fans during some dark years for the franchise as a whole, in part because of his upbringing and personality along with his production as a Devil.

Palmieri’s imminent trade is also emotional from the standpoint that he was the first big move in the post-Lou Lamoriello era of Devils hockey. Yeah I know Lou was still technically team president then, but it was Ray Shero who moved 2nd and 3rd rounders (initially acquired – ironically enough – in a deadline sale of Jaromir Jagr) to get an unheralded winger from Anaheim. Palmieri had scored 14 goals in 57 games during his last season in Anaheim, stuck in a bottom six role on a good team. Maybe the only person who knew what kind of player Palmieri could be was his former GM Bob Murray, who made an unusually revealing admission after dealing K-Palm:

For us Palmieri – even more than #6OA pick Pavel Zacha – was the first on-ice presence of the new-era Devils and he more than did his part over the next five seasons, scoring 132 goals in five seasons including 30 in his first season as a Devil. As a consistent 50-55 point, 25+ goal player per full season, K-Palm was consistent offense on a team otherwise lacking it, outside of Taylor Hall’s MVP year. He never embarrassed the franchise on or off-ice and frankly, part of my bitterness towards the team this season is over the fact they never really seemed interested in making an honest effort to re-sign K-Palm.

I get all the arguments against re-signing him, he’s 30 now and no doubt wants a longer-term deal than the Devils are willing to commit plus he’s also having a bit of a down year this season (who isn’t on this roster? We all know the big reason why, i.e. the COVID ‘break’ that torpedoed whatever chance we had of an enjoyable season this year). But when you’re leaking talent faster than you’re replenishing it and you don’t have much of a veteran presence as it is on the roster, I don’t really see a big downside to re-upping him at this point. Even if the back end of his deal craters a la Mike Cammalleri, so what? It’s not like we’re spending up to the cap regardless and have other contracts coming off the books – which I’m gonna get to at the tail end of this blog.

Obviously Tom Fitzgerald has made his choice, Kyle and his agent have also made theirs to test FA over taking a short-term offer so we have to live with it and hope the GM can manage to replace the scoring K-Palm’s given us in another 2-3 years after flipping him for more futures, if that. I certainly wish him luck wherever he goes this Spring, maybe not so much after depending on where he signs (hah!). K-Palm isn’t the only expiring contract that could be dealt but he’s by far the biggest name among them, with apologies to franchise stalwart Travis Zajac, who I’m not even sure gets dealt this year at the deadline. He did use his NTC to nix a deal last year after all, but maybe his attitude toward waiving is different on an expiring contract with the team clearly out of the mix. Travis being dealt would also be emotional for me, albeit understandable at this point. There’s been no effort to re-sign Travis either, nor did I expect any at his advanced age with so much of the future tied up in our two #1 OA centers, Travis would probably have a more reduced role on this team assuming Nico Hischier is healthy in 2021-22.

Also on expiring contracts are defensemen Dmitry Kulikov, Ryan Murray and Sami Vatanen. I doubt a struggling Vatanen gets us the haul he did last year when we managed to pry a 2nd rounder and Janne Kuokkanen from the Hurricanes. This year he probably will fetch a mid-round pick at best. Murray’s play has been up and down this year, it’s hard to say what his value will be, especially considering we only acquired him for a 5th rounder this offseason to begin with. Maybe with salary less of an issue closer to the deadline that alone lifts his value, and defensive defensemen do tend to bring back a pretty penny at the deadline…which brings me to Kulikov who may well return the most (other than Palmieri, probably) in a trade. Kulikov’s numbers certainly don’t jump off the page – just two assists in 35 games – but he’s been solid defensively for the most part, and his advanced numbers if you value them seem to be in his favor. He’s another guy I’d prefer to re-sign given our lack of depth on defense, but there’s seemingly been no movement on that end either and the organization continues to be fine with a ‘process’ managing style.

As many as all five could be moved although I shudder to think of the state of our D if they are – Will Butcher, Matt Tennyson and random prospect A as their replacements would be yuck-worthy, I doubt anyone else will be dealt in the next week unless some hockey trade happens or a Blake Coleman-type deal falls out of the sky. We do have to keep enough guys signed on the roster to be eligible for the expansion draft, among other concerns. Nikita Gusev just recently passed through waivers unclaimed so that’s a pretty good indicator of his value on an expiring $4.5 million deal. Our only other FA’s are our backup goalies.

I’m not expecting anything game-changing in return for Palmieri, Kulikov or anyone else but this team could definitely look very different down the stretch of the season. Ironically, in what’s now likely to be one of Palm’s last appearances in front of the media as a member of the Devils he talked about the kid who’s likely to be his replacement in the lineup – prospect winger Tyce Thompson – a 2019 4th rounder recently signed to an ELC out of Providence College. Our stated plan for Thompson is to have him watch a few games, get a couple of practices in then jump in the lineup. That screams of ‘we’ll see you after Palm leaves at the deadline kid’. As much as I roll my eyes at the all kids lineup, it will be interesting to see a few new faces down the stretch.

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Devils’ rally too late in frustrating one-goal loss to Caps, who sweep the season series, Palmieri expected to be traded

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Derek

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1378836877042651137?s=19

It was another frustrating loss for the Devils against the Caps. Despite outplaying them by a significant margin, the Devils still couldn’t find a way to get a win against the Caps. Instead, a third period rally was too late in a 5-4 loss on home ice.

In doing so, they didn’t win a single game against Washington over the 56-game schedule. It’s sadly true. Even on an off day, the Capitals had enough offense to hang on for a one-goal win to complete an unthinkable season series sweep of the eight games. Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal on the power play and assisted on two others to help the Caps finish 8-0 versus the Devs. New Jersey only earned two points to finish 0-6-2. At least the nightmare is over.

The eighth and final meeting between the rivals was different. The Devils outshot the Capitals 39-19. That included leading in shots by a healthy 31-12 margin after two periods. It didn’t matter.

The Caps were opportunistic against Mackenzie Blackwood by scoring five times on 19 shots including three for 12 over the first 40 minutes. Following a Travis Zajac goal that started the scoring, it was the Caps who got the next three on goals from T.J. Oshie (breakaway), Conor Sheary (deflection off Damon Severson) and Ovechkin (rebound).

Zajac had a good game. He scored twice by converting one-timers off superb feeds from Nick Merkley (2 assists). Merkley was in the lineup due to Kyle Palmieri being sat out as just a precaution. It appears the veteran right wing might be on the move come next Monday at the NHL Trade Deadline. His agent confirmed it after the two sides couldn’t reach agreement on a contract extension.

The big news obviously is more important than the game. The 30-year old forward from Smithtown, New York has been a good Devil. Originally acquired by the club from Anaheim on June 26, 2015 for a ’15 second round pick (Ryan Gropp) and ’16 third (Rem Pitlick), Palmieri has scored 20-or-more goals in five of six seasons. That included posting a career best 30 and 57 points in ’15-16.

Although it’s been a challenging year after getting out of the gate slowly, Palmieri still has 17 points (8-9-17) on an offensively challenged team. If he doesn’t play another game, he’s done well producing 140 goals with 126 assists for 266 points in 397 games as a New Jersey Devil. A good top six player who’s hit double digits in power play goals (11) four different times, he would be a welcome addition for a playoff contender. Given the fact it was going to be hard to retain him as it played out, it’s better for the Devils to get what they can for Palmieri, who should have quite a few teams bidding on him.

On a rebuilding club that features several rookies along with teenager Jack Hughes, who finally ended an eight-game pointless drought with an assist on Yegor Sharangovich’s eighth goal late in the second period that pulled the Devils within a goal, GM Tom Fitzgerald’s job is to continue to improve the talent pool. Some of the young players have shown flashes. With top prospects Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer players the franchise is banking on to help Hughes and oft injured former top pick Nico Hischier, the formula is simple. Continue to get as much as you can for expendable assets.

This was a winnable game. But the Devils had some breakdowns and didn’t get the saves they usually do from Blackwood, who entered the game seeing at least 40 shots the past three starts.

After Zajac buried a Merkley feed in front for his sixth at 3:17, the Caps responded thanks to the dangerous Oshie. Taking an Ovechkin pass in transition, he exploded past Devil defenders and dusted Blackwood with a nice backhand top shelf to tie the score at 9:16. The game remained even through one despite the Devils having a 17-5 edge in shots.

Some credit must be given to Ilya Samsonov, who made several big saves to give his team a chance. His best came when he robbed Severson later with a cat reflex glove save that sent the Devils defenseman off the ice to take out some frustration. Samsonov made 35 saves.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378809559918243840?s=19

During the rest of the action, the abysmal Devils special teams really hurt them. But before that point, Conor Sheary scored his eighth on a strange play. Taking a pass from Friday’s hero Dmitry Orlov, he had his shot ricochet off Severson up in the air and past an unsuspecting Blackwood at 3:21 to give Washington the lead. Chalk it up to bad luck.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378804388219793408?s=19

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378804091812466688?s=19

A Dmitry Kulikov hi-stick on Ovechkin a few minutes later led directly to the Great Eight tying Brett Hull for second all-time in power play goals. Instead of scoring from his office, he snuck in and was in the perfect spot to outmuscle Zajac to steer in a rebound of a Nicklas Backstrom shot that Blackwood mishandled. It was one he should’ve had. Instead, Ovechkin deposited it for his 265th power play goal. He trails only Dave Andreychuk (274) on the all-time list.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378808387199234048?s=19

The Caps gave the Devils some power play chances. The best opportunity came for Hughes when he was all set up on a good cross-ice pass from Pavel Zacha. One-on-one with Samsonov, he fired a good shot right off the near goalpost and out. That’s how close he was to finally ending his goal drought. To his credit, he stuck with it and would help set up a Sharangovich even strength goal with 2:18 remaining in the second.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378808782717915139?s=19

On a innocent looking play, Hughes and Ryan Murray combined to get the puck to the speedy Sharangovich in the neutral zone. He did the rest by coasting into the Caps zone and ripping a good wrist shot past Samsonov for his eighth. It ended a five-game goal drought. Somewhat interestingly, the primary assist gave the defensive oriented Murray nine for the season. He also picked up helpers on Zajac’s pair giving him 10. Not known for his offense, the three assists extended his point streak to three. Over that span, he’s recorded six helpers and gone plus-six. Still just 27, the former Blue Jackets first round pick has been a solid pickup. Murray is unrestricted this summer. Will he become available?

Trailing only by one, the Devils made life harder on themselves at the start of the third. On the power play with Lars Eller off for slashing Severson, they managed to allow a shorthanded goal to Carl Hagelin. Severson got trapped at the Caps blue line by Brenden Dillon of all people. It turned into an odd-man rush with Garnet Hathaway setting up a Hagelin one-timer past Blackwood for his fourth at 2:41.

Then Ovechkin made a great play that resulted in the game-winner. After taking an Orlov outlet, he broke in two-on-one and made a nice dish across for Evgeny Kuznetsov, who buried his seventh at 5:31. The goal put Washington in command up three with under 15 minutes left in regulation.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378816841376731138?s=19

However, the Devils never gave up. On a good forecheck from behind the net, Zacha put the puck out in front where Jesper Bratt was able to finish off his fourth to cut it to 5-3 with 9:45 remaining. That gave Zacha 20 points on the season. He hasn’t been as good lately. But he’s improved under coach Lindy Ruff.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378819498963308544?s=19

With over four minutes left, Murray and Merkley combined to set up Zajac for his second of the game. It was another good one-timer from the well respected veteran pivot that made it a one-goal game with 4:07 left. Zajac is in the final year of his contract. The 35-year old has played his entire career with the Devils. His two tallies give him 202 for his NHL career. The former ’03 first round pick has played in 1,023 games and produced 549 points (202-347-549) while being a responsible two-way pivot the team can rely on for face-offs and to kill penalties. Will he be back? He has 17 points. Not bad for a locker room leader on a low scoring team.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378822558104092674?s=19

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378822796051161089?s=19

Unfortunately, that’s as close as the Devils got. They couldn’t find the equalizer on Samsonov late with Blackwood on the bench. A somewhat curious decision by Ruff and his coaching staff was opting for P.K. Subban and Sami Vatanen with an extra attacker. Vatanen is a serviceable player. But he shouldn’t be used in that situation. Rookie Ty Smith should be. That oversight makes about as much sense as Barry Trotz never using rookie Oliver Wahlstrom on any six-on-five for the Islanders.

This isn’t about one coach here. They’re all the same. For some reason, experienced coaches don’t fully trust their young players enough. Smith is the best defenseman the Devils got. He has 19 points and is in the upper echelon for the Calder that’ll probably go to Kirill Kaprizov. There was no reason for Smith not to be out for that final shift. His last one came with 2:15 remaining and lasted 39 seconds.

How coaches manage their young players when it’s a rebuilding team playing out the string is vital. They should’ve found a way to get Smith back out there. It didn’t help that the Devils had problems creating anything. Instead, both Kulikov and Vatanen took shifts.

Next up for the Devils are the hot Sabres. They’ve got points in their last four games including two wins. The first game is Tuesday in Newark with the return match Thursday up at Buffalo. They then have the Pens to close the week on Friday and next Sunday. That’s four games before the April 12 Trade Deadline. By then, we’ll have a better idea where Palmieri is going.

I’m sure Hasan will get into more on Palmieri and the trade deadline stuff.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1378807867013206016?s=19

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Evgeny Kuznetsov, Capitals (game-winning goal plus 🍏 in 13:09)

2nd 🌟 Travis Zajac, Devils (2 goals for numbers 6 and 7, +1 in 19:25)

1st 🌟 Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals (19th goal on power play tying Brett Hull for second in PPG’s with 265, 2 🍎, 3 SOG in 17:09

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Sabres take it in a shootout to spoil Kravtsov’s Rangers debut, Panarin’s pair not enough in a disappointing loss to more determined opponent

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Derek

Vitaly Kravtsov finally donned his number 74 and made a good NHL debut for the Rangers. Unfortunately, after Linus Ullmark robbed him of his first goal, it was the Sabres who took the game in a shootout. AP Photo by New York Rangers via Getty Images

On what was a memorable night for Vitaly Kravtsov, who finally made his NHL debut, the Rangers came up short to the Sabres in a disappointing 3-2 shootout loss Saturday night. This was a good game for Kravtsov, who played relatively well in his first game. He had three shots on goal including a great opportunity to score his first NHL goal only to see Linus Ullmark rob him late in regulation. The 21-year old Russian took 14 shifts all at even strength for 10:45 while playing with Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere.

Kravtsov and those young players who coach David Quinn wasn’t shy about using were not the problem. It was the more experienced players the coaching staff leans on who made enough costly mistakes to blow a point in a frustrating one-goal loss. A Ranger specialty. Especially given their abysmal record in such games. They are now 4-8-5 in games decided by a goal. In other words, the Rangers have won only four times in 17 contests where had they earned a few more points, they wouldn’t be desperately chasing the Bruins for fourth place.

To be brutally honest, they didn’t even deserve a point in this game. They were outplayed, outhustled and outworked by a more scrappy Buffalo team. How else can you explain the zero takeaways they were discredited with? That’s appalling. I’m not a big proponent of the MSG postgame with Chartographology Statmastah Steve Valiquette. But he’s absolutely correct about why they lost this game. They didn’t win many 50/50 battles in the corners. Instead, it was the Sabres who did with even former Blueshirt Steven Fogarty very noticeable. He had two more takeaways than all 18 skaters in Broadway Blue. Simply unacceptable.

Besides that, the Sabres were the better team at five-on-five scoring both their goals on 27 shots. The Rangers wound up with one even strength goal in 24 shots from Artemi Panarin, whose two pair weren’t enough to win the game. The sad part is his second goal that gave the Blueshirts a 2-1 lead shouldn’t have even counted. The play was definitely offside.

The Sabres lost the challenge because the NHL is clueless. The television replay showed that the puck was out when Panarin played it to keep it in. The white ice was proof even if Joe Micheletti denied it. What’s the point of even having coach’s challenges if they can’t get it right? They also should not penalize a team for an unsuccessful one. It’s ridiculous.

Aside from playing down to the competition, who definitely was up for the rematch after getting completely dominated on Thursday night, the Rangers again fiddled around with the puck to waste their last two power plays. It truly was exasperating. They kept over passing instead of shooting the puck. In particular, Ryan Strome was guilty of this on three separate instances when he had wide open shots. No wonder his 11-game point streak is no more. He’s had a superb season, but there are moments where you wonder why he always defers to Panarin, Mika Zibanejad or Chris Kreider. It wasn’t a good game from him or even the Bread Man himself, who was culpable on Victor Olofsson’s tying goal that came with 3:41 left in regulation.

Even Adam Fox, who extended his point streak to 10 with an assist, got caught deep on Buffalo’s first goal. A Casey Mittlestadt finish far post on a two-on-one rush with only Ryan Lindgren back. The goal came less than three minutes following Panarin getting his first of the game when he followed up a broken play to surprise Ullmark, who lost sight of the puck with Kreider in front. That goal came on the power play from Kreider and Fox at 10:02 of the first period. Mittlestadt’s third was set up by Taylor Hall and Rasmus Dahlin at 13:01 to tie the score.

With the first mostly played at five-on-five, Kravtsov received six shifts on the third line for 4:43. It averaged out to 47 seconds per shift. In his first ever period for the team, he made a conscious effort to keep the shifts short and change. A wise thing for a young player making their NHL debut. Chytil would up with 5:23 in seven shifts and Lafreniere received 4:35 in half a dozen shifts. As the game went on, you could see the confidence growing for Kravtsov, who seemed to work well with Lafreniere, who totaled 12:02 in 16 shifts. He even got a long shift in overtime for 1:39 with Colin Blackwell. A rarity for the 19-year old.

The trouble for the Rangers had more to do with the Sabres, who held a 10-9 edge in shots for both the first two periods. They simply weren’t hard enough on the puck. Especially once Mittlestadt was able to beat Shestyorkin. Buffalo got momentum from that goal and carried it forward. They actually were the more dangerous team in the second. That despite Panarin getting a gift at 17:52 of the second when the play was upheld. His 11th of the season was created by a terrific cross-ice feed from Fox that allowed the Bread Man to bury a one-timer past Ullmark for a 2-1 lead with 2:08 left. It was Fox’s 28th helper. He’s up to 32 points as he continues to close the gap on Victor Hedman. As nice as that is, individual awards are secondary to winning games. Save that stuff for some other blog.

Making his third straight start, Shestyorkin was very good again. He made 27 saves including some key ones to give his flat lining team a chance even though it was far from their best hockey. There were times where he fought the puck to allow some rebounds. But Quinn was pleased with the play of his improving rookie netminder, lost due to a skill competition. One that wasn’t even his fault.

Over his last four starts, he’s 2-1-1 despite allowing two goals in each outing. That should be good enough to win on this team. But when you mix in mind numbing losses like the defeat to the Flyers a week ago along with Saturday’s disappointment, it explains why this isn’t a playoff team. They’ve had plenty of opportunities to gain ground on Boston. Instead, they now trail them by four points with 19 games remaining. The Bruins still have three extra games to make up including a boatload versus the Sabres, who suddenly have earned five points of a possible six.

With the Penguins coming up on the schedule this week for two, you better believe there’s some urgency. It’s put up or shut up. This week will determine the Rangers’ fate. That includes the April 12 Trade Deadline, which is only eight days away. The organization will face some tough decisions a week from tomorrow. We’ll have a better idea what GM Jeff Gorton and Team President John Davidson will have planned.

In the third period with the team in the drivers seat, they never put away the Sabres. Instead, they let them get off the mat and take advantage of some very sloppy play from Panarin. For as good as he is, there are instances where he will turn over the puck. Unfortunately, he picked a very bad time to make a lazy play. With the team protecting a one-goal lead, Sam Reinhart forced Panarin into a misplay. He stole the puck and moved it to Kyle Okposo. The veteran quickly found the dangerous Victor Olofsson alone in the slot for one of his deadly one-timers that went right past Shestyorkin to tie the score at 16:19.

Just brutal. It was a lackadaisical decision from the team’s best player. Although you’d be hard-pressed to find a better Blueshirt than the indispensable Fox this year. The minutes he logs along with his brilliant play is why he’s in the conversation for the Norris. He wound up playing 28:08 and padding his assist total to 29 with his primary helper on the tainted Panarin goal in the second period. So, I misspoke. He has 33 points. Partner Ryan Lindgren also picked up his 12th helper. More known for the physical edge he brings with a good example late when he got right in Okposo’s face following a scrum, Lindgren continues to improve. He remains the ultimate warrior for the Blueshirts.

I also want to praise Blackwell for similar intensity. He might only be 5-8 on skates. But he doesn’t back down from anyone. He was right in the face of the Sabres post whistle. I can’t say enough good things about him. I know a few people couldn’t understand why he got an OT shift with Lafreniere. Have they paid attention? It was the same duo that was successful that resulted in Laffy13’s first NHL goal in overtime.

I would’ve liked to have seen Kaapo Kakko get a shift in three-on-three. He drew another penalty and didn’t do anything wrong. But he never saw a shift in extras. Quinn went with Zibanejad-Panarin-Fox, Blackwell-Lafreniere-Miller with Chytil, Pavel Buchnevich and Strome also getting shifts. Somewhat curiously, Kreider never got a single OT shift. So, it wasn’t only Kakko who didn’t play. Even Jacob Trouba was out for a brief stint.

If there was an opportunity to grab the two points, it was on a very good shift from Kravtsov late in regulation. After hustling back to deny a Sabres chance, he stayed on with Zibanejad. On sheer effort, a diving Kravtsov had a rebound ticketed for the Buffalo net until Ullmark robbed him blind. Had that gone in, what a great story it would’ve been. So close. Give Ullmark credit. He never gave up on it and made the monster save with 1:55 left in regulation.

The three-on-three wasn’t exactly riveting. In perhaps as tactical an OT as you’ll see due to the redundant resets that have turned the artificial part of the hockey into a bore, neither side budged. It was a well defended five minutes where neither goalie had to come up with a defining stop. So, it went to the shootout.

Boy, did our shooters come up small. Following a Shestyorkin save on Olofsson, Panarin danced as if he was in a ballerina. Ullmark didn’t go for one fake to easily turn him aside after Round One. In the top of the second, here came Tage Thompson with a great deke and missile that beat Shestyorkin short side with not much room. Then came Zibanejad, who I have no idea what he was doing. His forehand try was easy pickings for Ullmark. With a chance to end it, Mittlestadt tried to go backhand but was stuffed by Shestyorkin.

Out came Kakko in the last of the third. He was so good recently that it made sense to use him. However, his move to the backhand never even hit the net, sending the Sabres off the bench all smiles. They’re now hot. They have points in their last four going 2-0-2. To be honest, they could have a four-game win streak. They should’ve beat the Flyers twice. Madness.

While it was an encouraging start for Kravtsov, this was a discouraging loss for the Rangers. Now, it’s back to the drawing board. While they’re off the next two days, they’ll be watching the Flyers and Bruins this Monday. If you want the playoffs as Sean McCaffrey does of Bluecollarblueshirts.com, you root for a Flyers win in regulation. No three-point game.

The Blueshirts have the Pens visiting Madison Square Garden twice on Tuesday and Thursday. They then must travel to Nassau Coliseum for a match-up with the hated Islanders this Friday. That means three big rivalry games over four days. Then a fourth in six next Sunday at the Isles. These four games are enormous. It’ll determine what they do.

Following those four are a ridiculous four-game series with the Devils from April 13-18. That will follow the Trade Deadline. That’s all for now. Wasted chances should be the title of the 2021 New York Rangers season. Until next time. For those who celebrate, Happy Easter. To my Jewish followers, Happy Passover.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Linus Ullmark, Sabres (28 saves including highway robbery on Kravtsov, stopped all 3 Rangers shooters)

2nd 🌟 Adam Fox, NYR (2 more 🍎 giving him 29, 28:08 of ice time)

1st 🌟 Tage Thompson, Sabres (shootout winner, 3 SOG in 16:37)

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Привет Виталий Кравцов! Vitaly Kravtsov likely to make NHL debut for Blueshirts tonight in Buffalo

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Derek

It looks like it’s finally time for Vitaly Kravtsov. The 21-year old Russian prospect could be in line to make his NHL debut for the Rangers in tonight’s rematch at Buffalo.

The superb New York Post reporter Mollie Walker all but confirmed it with this tweet below.

A Rangers first round selection taken ninth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, Kravtsov has waited for this moment. Having been delayed due to coach David Quinn wanting to take a closer look at him in practices following recovering from COVID-19, it looks like the right wing could finally get into the lineup for tonight’s match versus the Sabres.

Coming off a good KHL season with Traktor Chelyabinsk where he scored 16 goals with eight assists for a total of 24 points in 49 games, Kravtsov has wanted to play in the NHL since last year. Following Traktor’s first round elimination where Kravtsov recorded two goals and two assists in five games, he took flight to New York.

That included a mandatory quarantine before he could get tested by the Rangers medical staff. Once he passed those tests, Kravtsov had been practicing with the team. When COVID hit the coaching staff suddenly, that delayed the inevitable. In Game number 37 of 56, the time is right to find out about Kravtsov. Given how established the top two lines are with the team playing its best hockey in hopes of chasing down fourth place Boston (7-5 winners earlier over Pittsburgh), Kravtsov could find himself debuting on the third line ‘if he plays later

The Kid Line has consisted of Filip Chytil centering 2020 top pick Alexis Lafreniere with 23-year old former Carolina first round pick Julien Gauthier. Although Gauthier was involved in helping set up a Chytil goal during the third period, he’s likely to play on the fourth line. That’s assuming the team does the logical thing and healthy scratches Phil Di Giuseppe. A hardworking player who has a goal with seven assists while playing with Kevin Rooney and Colin Blackwell on the checking line. Gauthier deserves to stay in the lineup. If that means Blackwell shifts over to the left wing, so be it.

Whatever happens tonight, it could be very exciting for Ranger fans who have patiently waited to see Kravtsov play. Even with the current logjam at right wing due to the very productive Pavel Buchnevich and improving second-year forward Kaapo Kakko, the time is right to find out about Kravtsov. He might not wind up with a lot of ice time in his first game.

It’ll largely depend on how things go. That includes the special teams with Quinn and assistant David Oliver leaning heavily on the five man top power play unit of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider and Adam Fox. How the game goes will dictate how many shifts Kravtsov sees.

It’ll be interesting to follow. Considering how little ice time the Kid Line received after working hard to create Chytil’s go-ahead tally during the third period of what turned into a more stressful 3-2 overtime win, you never know what to expect.

Whatever happens, it’s a game that is more about the future than the present. Playoff race and all. I’ll have more on the game much later tonight.

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Orlov trips up Devils in low scoring game in overtime

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Derek

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1378146611520544771?s=19

Offense was hard to come by. For sixty minutes, it was virtually nonexistent in a tight checking game between the Devils and Capitals. Only two goals went in during regulation. That would change during the three-on-three with the Caps prevailing on a Dmitry Orlov ripper high bar and in past Mackenzie Blackwood in a frustrating 2-1 overtime loss at The Prudential Center.

This wasn’t exactly a Picasso. The Devils have had trouble beating their old Patrick rival all year in this eerie season. They aren’t a high scoring team to begin with. So, it wasn’t exactly a revelation that they only were able to beat Caps rookie goalie Vitek Vanecek once in 64 minutes and 39 seconds. It was the second time they’ve fallen to their Kryptonite in the artificial three-on-three crap that isn’t hockey.

By now, it probably sounds like a broken record to Hasan. The Devils are 0-7 versus Washington with only Sunday’s rematch left in Newark. If they can win, they would avoid losing all eight meetings. To get technical, they’re 0-5-2 against an otherwise flawed team that has taken full advantage of the Devils and NHL doormat Sabres. They’ve banked 25 of 26 points versus the seventh and eighth place teams in the East Division. That’s basically half their point total of 52, which for now has them in first place over the idle Islanders and Penguins.

Are the Caps good? Having seen them implode a couple of times against the Rangers, I’m not so sure. If you’re winning most of your games versus inferior competition, that means you can’t be a great team. But it also means you’re beating the teams you’re supposed to. After giving up a ridiculous 13 goals in consecutive losses to the Rangers and Islanders including eight on Thursday night, the Capitals played more defensive minded against the Devils. It was good enough to win.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1378142994323374080?s=19

Even though they were outshot in every period, the Devils were able to draw even when Mike McLeod rebounded home a Jesper Boqvist shot for his sixth at 12:53 of the second period. It answered a John Carlson goal in which he got loose in front to put away a Lars Eller feed at the doorstep for his 10th a few minutes earlier. That was it for the scoring in regulation.

Despite getting outshot 37-20 in the three periods, the Devils had a couple of opportunities to win the game. Especially what has to be a frustrated Jack Hughes, who despite getting some quality chances, remains without a point over the last eight games. It’s been a tough go for the 19-year old former top pick. It was during the third when he was able to get to a bouncing loose puck in the slot and fire a quick shot that rang off the goalpost with a few minutes remaining. It wasn’t the only great look he had.

There also was the offensive to the eyeballs Andreas Johnsson, who can’t put the puck into the ocean. Oh. He got five shots on net. But none went in. Acquired by GM Tom Fitzgerald from the Maple Leafs to boost secondary scoring, the 26-year old left wing has been the biggest disappointment for the Devils. He remains stuck on three goals and five assists in an exasperating 35 games. Interestingly, his last goal came in a loss to the Caps on Feb. 21. Coincidentally his only two-point game of a lost year. Johnsson had one good chance in front when he was one-on-one with Vanecek during OT. Hughes found him isolated, but Johnsson lost control of the puck after trying to make a move. That sums things up in a nutshell.

Without Blackwood, who was very steady in finishing with 38 saves on 40 shots, the Devils don’t get a point. More often than not, it’s the play of the young netminder that keeps them in games. He can’t do it by himself. He’s a very good goalie. Without run support, it’s tough to win in this league. Over his last three starts, he’s faced 40-or-more shots. That included a 40 save shutout of Boston. Blackwood has stopped 122 of 128 shots in those games, but only has one win to show for it.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1378169735246921730?s=19

In the overtime, the best chance came when Hughes was in alone on Vanecek. He made a good move going to a backhand deke. However, the Caps first-year goalie was able to get a pad on it to deny Hughes’ bid. Prior to Orlov’s winner, the Devils had one more great opportunity to finally beat Washington. P.K. Subban came in with under a minute left and waited before making a good centering feed for a cutting Travis Zajac. But Zajac’s point blank chance was stoned by a sprawling Vanecek.

Orlov picked up the loose puck and rushed up the ice with only rookie Yegor Sharangovich back. Orlov pulled up and fired a pea past Blackwood short side top shelf that was in and out so fast, neither Steve Cangialosi or Ken Daneyko realized it was in. It was a great shot from a defenseman that isn’t exactly Carlson or Sergei Gonchar for the Caps. Even he was surprised by what he did, giving an oh shucks look before smiling following his overtime winner with 21.7 seconds left.

Sometimes, it’s like that when you’re losing games. It’s also worth noting that Blackwood had to deny Conor Sheary right at the beginning of extras. Off the draw at center ice, Carlson slipped a backhand pass past Damon Severson sending Sheary in. Blackwood made a terrific save. So, Sheary got to play in three-on-three. Strange stuff.

Rookie defenseman Ty Smith took two 20-second OT shifts. Lindy Ruff opted to use Subban and Severson mostly. Dmitry Kulikov was on for a 54-second shift. Much of the three-on-three depends on puck possession. With so many mind numbing resets, it doesn’t make for good hockey. That sometimes can limit how much a player plays. They really need to go back to four-on-four. It was much better.

As for the Devils, they have 21 games left including Sunday’s rematch versus the Caps. That game will conclude the season series. They remain at 13 wins up and 16 down with six more defeats coming in extras. So, they’re really 13-22. Not good enough. With 32 points, they’re essentially playing out the string. It’ll be interesting to see which players are available over the next week. The trade deadline is April 12. It’ll be here before you know it.

Of all 31 teams, the Devils lead the NHL in rookie scoring. They’ve totaled 61 points (22-39-61). In fact, 26.2 percent of their goals (84) have come from rookies. The Blackhawks are second with 55 and the Senators rank third with 50. At least there’s a commitment to playing their young players.

Both Aarne Talvitie and Tyce Thompson recently signed two-year entry level contracts. Nikita Gusev cleared waivers and was assigned to the Taxi Squad.

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Quinn’s puzzling lineup decisions with the Kid Line overshadows a not so impressive overtime win over the Sabres

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Derek

Artemi Panarin and overtime hero Mika Zibanejad are all smiles following the Rangers’ 3-2 win over the Sabres. If only it was all positive for the team when it comes to the in game adjustments from David Quinn and Teflon assistant David Oliver. The good, The bad and The Ugly for a team that isn’t doing Alexis Lafreniere any favors. AP Photo by New York Rangers via Getty Images

If you watched last night’s game, here is the positive:

  • The New York Rangers won a game they had to have.
  • Their best players combined for the game-winning goal in overtime win by Mika Zibanejad with Artemi Panarin setting him up for a one-timer past losing Buffalo goalie Dustin Hasek Tokarski at 4:32 to deliver a 3-2 victory over the Sabres.
  • Adam Fox continued his emerging Norris candidacy by making a subtle defensive play to send Zibanejad and Panarin on a two-on-one rush for his 27th assist and 31st point.
  • Igor Shestyorkin won his fourth straight decision by making some big stops in a flat start en route to 21 saves.
  • Ryan Strome extended his point streak (2-14-16) to 11 straight by recording an assist on Colin Blackwell’s ninth goal that tied the game in a dominant second period that saw the Blueshirts outshoot the Sabres 15-2.
  • The ninth goal from Blackwell continued his career season that’s seen him produce 13 points in 27 games while making a strong case to stay.
  • With the victory, the Rangers cut the deficit to three behind the Bruins, who were 4-1 losers to the Pens.
  • Filip Chytil scored for a second consecutive game thanks to some splendid work from Alexis Lafreniere and Julien Gauthier.

Now, for the negatives:

  • Another lackluster start allowed the Sabres to get the first goal only 2:06 in when Rasmus Asplund was able to score on a rebound from Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Dahlin, who was allowed to take a wide open shot that created the goal.
  • For some reason, the Rangers couldn’t connect on any passes in the early going, causing sloppy turnovers that allowed a more focused Sabres to generate quality chances against Shestyorkin, who really made some key saves when his team looked like it was elsewhere.
  • The power play again saw its collective shadow by over passing so much that it looked like a bad repeat, which begs the question what exactly is offensive guru David Oliver doing to change the mentality of a top unit that refuses to shoot the puck.
  • A lost defensive draw by Zibanejad allowed Sabres forward Tage Thompson to tie it up with four seconds remaining.
  • The total ice times for the Kid Line are as follows:

A. Filip Chytil 10:02

B. Alexis Lafreniere 8:11

C. Julien Gauthier 7:16

Only Chytil received a brief 10 second shift on the little used second power play. How is this helping develop the young players? The handcuffs are on. They may as well be stapled to the bench.

  • Following that third line working hard to create Chytil’s go-ahead tally at 6:17 of period three, Lafreniere received only one more 52-second shift between the 12:26 mark and 13:18 mark of the third. He totaled 2:07 in the third period. Hardly enough trust even though it was his stick to it ness that lead to the Chytil goal. That is an epic fail by David Quinn.
  • If you’re wondering about Gauthier, who got even less time, his last shift following the second Rangers goal came between 12:14 and 13:14 of the third, totaling 60 seconds. He wound up with 2:23 played in the period.
  • Chytil, who was one of their most effective skaters, wound up with four shifts and 3:22 with 3:12 at even strength in the third. He barely played in three-on-three.

How is this helping the development of the young players? Even Kaapo Kakko, who seems to be fitting in well on the second scoring line with Panarin and Strome, was shortchanged in extras. He never took a shift after getting 5:04 in the third. That included a 29-second power play shift when the scarcely used second unit was given a chance. He totaled 18:29 overall including 1:45 on the man-advantage.

I’m all for sticking your best players out during the three-on-three due to how crucial the extra points are. But if the coaching staff can’t send out Kakko for one lousy overtime shift, what the heck is going on? Lafreniere scored a pretty goal in that very rink for his first NHL point from Blackwell. Now, he never sees the light of day in OT.

It’s puzzling the way this crack committee is handling the kids. I understand they’re prioritizing winning games due to how mediocre the Bruins and Flyers are. They feel they can sneak into the playoffs. Is it worth it? Not at the expense of the young players, who are the key to “The Rebuild.”

It doesn’t feel much like one anymore. For all the gaudy numbers Foxy is putting up while proving to be an elite defenseman, there is a level of concern with a majority of fans who want to see the younger forwards play. Here’s a sampling of how some of us felt despite the win.

https://twitter.com/TheEsq_of_212/status/1377834694935339011?s=19

https://twitter.com/TheEsq_of_212/status/1377816528712835074?s=19

I can easily cite a lot more examples of how JD, Reaper and Esquire (Mike) feel. And we aren’t alone in this thought process. Even David Shapiro of Blueseat Blogs was mystified at the lack of playing time for the Rangers’ top pick who showed a willingness to attempt shots and make a good play around the net that allowed Gauthier to dig out the loose puck for Chytil’s goal. You can’t be oblivious to what’s happening.

If the goal is to squeeze into the postseason and likely get demolished by either the Islanders or Penguins, who I think will pass the flawed Capitals (13 GA in consecutive losses), then they could be successful. I’m not saying that a real playoff experience for players like Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Shestyorkin, Kakko, Chytil, Lafreniere and Gauthier wouldn’t be beneficial. Playing in a true best-of-seven first round series would teach them a lot about how they need to play to win in the trenches.

However, I almost feel like winning at this point should be secondary. It’s the development of the kids that is most important to the Rangers’ future. Not the other way around. With apologies to the brilliant Bread Man, Zibanejad, Kreider, Strome, Buchnevich, Foxy and Jacob Trouba, who actually got a shot on goal, it truly should be about the players who this rebuild is supposed to focus on. If the Stars can do it when they’re a team trying to avoid a Stanley Cup hangover, why can’t the Blueshirts?

I can’t take all the East/West nonsense anymore. The reluctance to shoot is driving a portion of fans who love this team batty. To become successful, they have to have the right combo. That means a more straight ahead North/South style of hockey. You do need skill and can use it in certain instances like in transition and on the forecheck when it tires out opponents. But there are too many moments where you want to pull your hair out or toss the remote control when the players pass up wide open shots from scoring areas to pass the puck around like a grenade. That doesn’t work in the postseason.

You need to possess those gritty players like Blackwell, who lays it all out there to help the team win. That’s why I’m in favor of retaining Blackwell. When is the last time a secondary player scored nine goals including two on the power play off tip ins while wearing the Blueshirt? Jesper Fast did the nuts and bolts, which he’s continuing to provide in Carolina. He did in the Blackhawks with a half minute left in regulation for his fifth goal. He’s also scored a pair on the power play because coach Rod Brind’Amour knows how to use Quickie. I view what I’ve seen from Blackwell as similar. Keep him. Case closed.

Brendan Lemieux didn’t feel he was given an opportunity to show what he could provide. His role decreased under Quinn, who flat out lied about wanting to utilize Lemieux even in a top six role with power play time. He once received second duty as a net front presence like Kreider. But after the big addition of Panarin, things changed. He didn’t quite finish the way he hoped. However, the In-Grate One played with the necessary edge you’d expect from the son of Claude Lemieux. Pepe as he became known to teammates, was popular in the room because he never backed down from anyone. He played on the edge and agitated opponents. In the end, he realized he needed a change. So, he asked for a trade. He didn’t debut with LA yet due to the annoying quarantine. Good luck to him.

What about Brett Howden? Is he gonna get back in for Phil “One Goal” Di Giuseppe? This isn’t a knock on PDG, who plays a hard-nosed game and certainly mixes it up during scrums. I liked his shove on Dahlin in the first that ticked off the underachieving Sabres former top pick. He competes and is solid on the checking line with the reliable Kevin Rooney and versatile Blackwell, who at least Quinn realizes he can bump him up like Fast when he needs a spark. That’s why Blackwell should stay. As for Howden, get him back in over PDG. He’s younger and plays the game honestly. Even if it looks like he could be in danger of being moved soon.

Somehow, the team must take a look at each young prospect. What are they waiting for with Vitaly Kravtsov? It’s been over two weeks and he still is waiting…The 21-year old Russian who they selected ninth overall before Oliver Wahlstrom, must play. Find out where he is in his development, which could be accelerated due to a strong season with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL. By continuing to screw around, they risk losing Kravtsov. He wants to play for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League!

Find out about Morgan Barron too. He has done well thus far in limited action with the Wolf Pack. Get him into the lineup. Ditto for Tarmo Reunanen. If it means a well respected veteran like Brendan Smith sits or winds up elsewhere because I can think of some teams who can use him, so be it. If they can finally see what they have in Libor Hajek, the they sure as heck can do the same for Reunanen, who only recorded his first NHL point by assisting on a Bread Man goal.

This blog is already too long. It isn’t about the game. They won. Big deal. They had a wide margin in shots over the second and third. I think the third was 21-8. So, that means they outshot the Sabres 36-10 over those two periods. It was Buffalo’s third game in four nights. They definitely looked shot in the second half. Credit Tokarski for Turning Back The Clock into Habs mode when he replaced Carey Price in the Eastern Conference Final seven years ago. He played well. That it required overtime due to a lost face-off is sad. But face-offs don’t matter according to analytic enthusiasts. Sure.

No three stars tonight. Only some very valid points about the confusing direction of this team. That finger is pointed directly at both John Davidson and Jeff Gorton. If they can’t see it, then it’s an issue.

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A Foxy and Bread Man Special, Shestyorkin comes up big early in comeback win over Caps

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Derek

Igor Shestyorkin gets a hug from Alexis Lafreniere. He deserved it. AP Photo by New York Rangers courtesy Getty Images

It was a strange night at 33rd and 8th. For starters, the Rangers looked dead in the early going against the visiting Caps. Washington jumped all over them by scoring twice less than two minutes apart. In fact, they had the game’s first nine shots. In what could’ve easily been a four or five goal first period, Igor Shestyorkin wouldn’t let it happen. His outstanding play allowed the Rangers to regroup and pull out a well deserved come from behind 5-2 win over the Caps.

If ever a starting goalie made a difference, it was in this one. Following early tallies from T.J. Oshie (power play) and Nic Dowd (five-on-five), it was the Igor Show at Mask Square Garden over Penn Station. He stopped the swarming Caps in their tracks like a speeding train suddenly halted. The Amtrak to Washington won’t be as smooth for Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps. They couldn’t put away the Rangers early. Shestyorkin stopped them from a runaway train. Otherwise, maybe it’s a one-sided game and bad night we’re talking about. He halted 10 of 12 shots to stem the tide.

After the Capitals jumped out to a 9-0 lead in shots, the Rangers finally woke up from their malaise. Filip Chytil scored a big momentum turning goal and the Blueshirts got 10 of the final 13 shots of the strange opening period. Things sure changed. In more of a defensive minded second period that saw the Caps hold a 10-6 shots edge, time and space was taken away. There was no room to make plays. Both old Patrick Division rivals buckled down to turn it into a tight checking affair. The kind that was expected following Sunday’s chaos.

If you want to point to where this game was won, it was probably during the halfway point of the first. But Shestyorkin made a few key stops in that middle stanza with 10 altogether. He gave them a chance. After being criticized repeatedly by an incensed Joe Micheletti on the MSG telecast, the Blueshirts finally responded by shooting the puck in a resounding third period which saw them methodically outscore the Caps 4-0 to take the pivotal game.

It was important to bounce back following the lost weekend where they fell by a goal to both the Flyers and Capitals. As strange a game as it was, they persevered in a superb final period to grab the two points from their DC rivals. It was the Foxy and Bread Man Special. Of course, I’m referring to Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin. Their impact was the difference in a four-goal third that put the Blueshirts back over NHL .500 (16-15-4). Points 35 and 36 helped them stay within striking distance of the Bruins, who rallied past the Devils to win 5-4 in a shootout. They trail Boston by five points for fourth and remain two behind idle Philadelphia for fifth in the East Division. Boston has three extra games left. The Rangers have two more regulation wins with 14. But it won’t matter unless they catch up. There are 21 games remaining.

Let’s get to the eerie particulars of this game. For some mystifying reason, the Rangers weren’t ready at puck drop. With Shestyorkin back in net following the Keith Kinkaid debacle, he was on his own for a while. Demonstrating how out of sorts they were, Kevin Rooney took a lazy holding minor penalty by reaching out with his left arm on Nick Jensen.

The game was barely two minutes old when Oshie struck for his ninth on the power play at 2:23. The penalty kill allowed too much gap space. John Carlson got the puck to Nicklas Backstrom, who waited for Oshie to skate out high so he could make a perfect seam pass that Oshie buried top shelf for a 1-0 lead.

Keeping with the momentum, the Caps broke out in transition and scored their second goal in 1:59. This was a weird one. Garnet Hathaway was able to get a step and try a backhand stuff that Shestyorkin got. However, with the puck not fully covered and Libor Hajek not doing a good enough job of pushing the puck under Shestyorkin, Dowd was able to score a gritty goal by stuffing in the rebound. The odd part is the officials stopped play and then noticed that the loose puck was under Shestyorkin’s skate over the goal line. Wisely, the league initiated a review and after careful consideration, correctly ruled it a good goal. That put the Rangers in a two-goal hole.

Still struggling with an aggressive Washington attack, they ceded the blue line and kept allowing point blank opportunities. Shestyorkin made at least five quality saves to prevent a Caps destruction. It easily could’ve been four or five zip. Oshie nearly had his second of the period when Ovechkin tried to get a pass across for what looked like a gimme. But a good defensive play broke up the chance.

With the team unable to test Vitek Vanecek during a lopsided first half, Kaapo Kakko had one of those WTF moments that drives fans nuts. After making a good move into the slot, he waited too long before predictably having his shot blocked. It really was frustrating. Sometimes, you have to simplify things. Something a perplexed Micheletti repeated throughout the first two periods. I don’t know if it’s due to their style. The Rangers have a tendency to over skate and pass too much. They also defer often to key shooters Panarin and Mika Zibanejad on the only five man full two-minute unit. That’s how long they overstay their shifts. It’s kind of ridiculous.

What looked like a potential blowout turned around following a Washington bench minor. Predictably, the five man PP unit accomplished nothing. Aside from Panarin hitting a crossbar with the whole top half of the net to shoot at, it was mind-numbing. There wasn’t enough execution. So much so that again like a broken record, Micheletti called out the power play. They only went 0-for-2. But it was the level of frustration that was evident. You can’t be so deliberate on every five-on-four. Is it any wonder assistant David Oliver was back from COVID? Not to blame him solely. But he is the guy drawing it up. If it’s not working, make an adjustment. Or try Pavel Buchnevich, Kakko, Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller.

Speaking of Chytil, he turned the game around. On a poor play at the point from Dmitry Orlov, an aggressive Chytil stripped him of the puck and broke in on Vanecek for a beautiful snipe. He faked and went to a forehand deke to beat the Czech rookie netminder at 15:36. His sixth goal was unassisted. All due to a great read and strong defensive play. Maybe that goal he had last week from Lafreniere was a confidence boost. The team needs Chytil to perform. That goal was the single biggest moment of the game. It also came right after Backstrom hit the goalpost. Had he scored to make it 3-0, who knows. Instead, Chytil made a game changing play to give his team momentum.

It’s not even worth going over the second man-advantage Zdeno Chara gave them late in the first with it extending to the start of the second. That’s how awful it was. Like the Groundhog seeing his shadow. Until Quinn and Oliver change it, don’t expect much. It’s hit or miss.

The second period was way different. There was less time to make plays. Both teams adjusted their strategy by playing better defensively. Something I anticipated. Honestly though, the Capitals blew their chance in the first. They should’ve been up more. Only Shestyorkin prevented it. He finished with 30 saves and won his third consecutive game since returning. A great sign.

The reason the Rangers only got half a dozen shots on Vanecek was again due to their predictability. Their refusal to shoot was not only driving fans crazy, but Micheletti cuckoo. How many times can a Rangers skater pass up on a wide open shot? Buchnevich did it at least twice. He deferred once to a covered Zibanejad. Of course, the pass never got through. He entered with 31 points in 33 games. To quote the late great Bill “The Big Whistle” Chadwick, “SHOOT THE PUCK PAVEL!!!!!” Of course, it was Shoot The Puck Barry (Beck).

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

Wayne Gretzky

It definitely was exasperating. In an evenly played period they still trailed by a goal thanks to more splendid goaltending from Shestyorkin when the Caps turned a power play into a shooting gallery, the Rangers were their own worst enemy. Had Shestyorkin not made some of the saves he did with Phil “One Goal” Di Giuseppe off for tripping Backstrom, it’s a different ballgame. He was great. He denied Oshie on a similar set up and gloved a Evgeny Kuznetsov try. Thanks to Igor, the Rangers still trailed by just one after two periods of play.

Whatever they did wrong over the first 40 minutes, they did right in the final 20. What a third period it was. For eight straight periods, Panarin had been awfully quiet. He hadn’t done anything. In the third, the Bread Man rose like baked bread. Although I can’t have any due to Passover. Happy Passover to those who celebrate. Finally, Panarin made an impact.

On a very bad Chara turnover at the Rangers blue line, Panarin intercepted the pass and took off to start a quick transition. He moved the puck down low to Ryan Strome, who found a driving Kakko (will wonders ever cease) for an easy finish for the tying goal at 4:10. It was a splendid play by all three. With the primary helper, Strome extended his point streak to 10 straight. Over that span, a pleased Sam Rosen said Strome has 15 points. To his blind cynics, is last year still a fluke? He might not always hit the net. But boy is he consistent. He’s turned the awful “hot takes” beet red. They are probably fuming. And they call themselves “fans.”

With the game tied, Panarin wasn’t done. Following a good play from. Ryan Lindgren, Panarin was somehow able to slip the puck to a pinching Fox, who was in alone with Vanecek. He made like another unnamed Rangers all-time great defenseman and faked before whipping a beautiful backhand top shelf. “Where Mama Hides The Cookies!” I had to get a reference in from legendary and poor Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret. He doesn’t do many games anymore with it being his 50th season. But if they’re at home, you can sometimes luck into catching Rick do his thing. He still has the voice. I wish to God the Sabres end their losing streak against the Flyers and not versus us. Pretty please. They’re next up on the schedule.

What can be said about Foxy. He’s been unbelievable. All those points he’s racking up aren’t by coincidence. He is the only true offensive defenseman this team has. They lean on him so heavily for everything. From five-on-five to penalty kill to power play, Adam Fox is proving he can do it all. He’s third now among NHL defensemen in scoring. He’s now a candidate for the Norris. Yes. It’ll probably go to Victor Hedman, who’s far and away the best defenseman in hockey. But Fox is sure to get some votes. Where he winds up I don’t know or care. But it’ll be interesting to see him finish in the upper echelon. He’s definitely in the Top 10. I had him ninth a few days ago. He keeps rising. I’ll save the other candidates for another day.

Anyway, Fox’s fourth from Panarin and Lindgren (2 assists) came at 6:32. That’s 2:22 after Kakko got his fifth to knot up the game. Did he ever need it. You don’t measure success by scoring against teams in the NHL basement. Let’s just say that Kakko goal is more meaningful because of who it came against. Especially after he refused to shoot the puck. That was bigger than Fox continuing his Norris candidacy.

One of the things I really liked about this period was the Rangers’ relentlessness. They didn’t stop attacking. Lafreniere attempted a couple of shots. A welcome sight. He actually had a good one earlier when nobody was shooting. He did receive over 10 minutes tonight. It was positive. Julien Gauthier got a little less, but remained effective playing on the Kid Line.

The Capitals did up their play following Fox’s goal. But any shot they sent towards Shestyorkin was repelled with confidence. He got stronger as the game went on. He turned aside all 10 Washington shots in the period. He got some insurance from the one and only Bread Man.

With Washington pressing the issue down a goal with under five minutes left, Brendan Smith was able to thread a great stretch pass for a sneaky Panarin, who got behind the Caps’ defense. It was the second time I can remember Smith making such a great pass that lead to a goal. This one sent the Bread Man in on a breakaway. With the 1,761 fans making noise, he didn’t disappoint by pulling off a shoulder shrug and wicked backhand top cheese for his ninth with 4:19 remaining. That gave him three points with all of them coming in the third. Clutch. He’s now up to 32 points (9-23-32).

There would be a little bit of animosity late. With Vanecek lifted for an extra attacker, Smith gave Oshie a hard crosscheck from behind to give the Caps a power play with 70 seconds left in regulation. It wasn’t a good play. Not surprisingly, Tom Wilson didn’t like it. He had words for Smith, who’s made it a habit lately of agitating one of the game’s toughest power forwards. Wilson had recently served a seven-game suspension for a high hit that injured Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo. He actually is finally back for Boston. In the end, cooler heads prevailed.

With the Caps skating six-on-four, the Blueshirts knew they could shoot for the empty net. As usual, the penalty kill forced a turnover that allowed Buchnevich to fire the puck down for the empty net to close it out with 35 seconds left. Lindgren picked up his second helper. He quietly has 11 assists for the season. A solid number for the physical warrior that pairs up with Fox, who gets most of the ink. Don’t forget what Lindgren has meant. What a gem he’s turned into since coming over from Boston as part of the Rick Nash trade. One of GM Jeff Gorton’s best with him eventually turning Ryan Spooner into Strome. Hahahaha Edmonton. Holy moly.

This was a nice win at the right time. A third period comeback too. Of course, Wilson did act up following the Buchnevich empty netter, earning an early start on his shower. If you didn’t enjoy it, then you’re in the wrong line of business. I also enjoyed watching UCLA hold off Michigan later. Sorry to all the Blue fans out there. They gagged it up.

I guess at least one team rocking the blue mattered on this night. 😁 Next up are those Sabres for a daily double on Thursday and Saturday. I’m only gonna say this once. Especially after they blew a three-goal lead at home to the fragile Flyers at home. The Blueshirts don’t want to be the team that loses to the Sabres. Let’s Go Buffalo tonight!

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Adam Fox, NYR (game-winning goal for 4th of season, +2 in 23:11)

2nd 🌟 Igor Shestyorkin, NYR (30 saves on 32 shots, 3-0 since his return)

1st 🌟 Artemi Panarin, NYR (3-point third 1-2-3, +3 in 19:44)

Funny. Kaapo Kakko. A Man of Few Words.

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Devils illusory junktime surge ends in Beantown

Posted on March 30, 2021 by hasan4978

In the previously on part of this blog, to recap since it’s been a while – the last time I really paid any serious attention to a Devils game was the Ranger weekend fiasco. I mentally shut off entirely after the Islander three-game sweep, only paying cursory attention on Twitter and to recaps for reasons I already got into before. After losing three straight to the Isles, this team went on its now usual junktime surge beating the Pens two of three, finally squeezing out a win over the Sabres, beating the Flyers and their tire fire goaltending and then shutting out the Bruins on Sunday. Of course we lost twice more to the Caps but when don’t we lose to the Caps this season? Literally we’ve lost in every which way to them this season, from blowing leads to falling behind and coming up short in a comeback to losing late, and more recently giving up entirely in a 4-0 whitewashing at the end of a six game in nine day stretch. And oh joy – we get them twice more on deck.

Still, it seemed this team was picking up their play against everyone else to the point where yes, tonight I turned the game on when we were up 3-1 on the Bruins (again) in the second period. Our bizarre season-long hex of the Bruins aside, another win over them would have given us six in nine games and represented a true cause for optimism. I was even starting to write a more positive blog at 4-2.

Then the Devils proceeded to remind me why they suck and I emotionally had peaced out on the season weeks ago.

Maybe it’s not fair to ask them to beat the Bruins for a fifth straight time (4-0-1 in our first five with them this year) but watching the Devils blow it at the end just annoyed me though, in a manner I haven’t been annoyed this year other than the Ranger sweep. I said after the Ranger sweep I was checked out to the point where I don’t even feel like ranting, welp here comes one now. First of all, the last two seasons are proving why you can’t go nuts over second-half surges when the team’s long since out of the playoff picture. They’re the very definition of low-pressure, low-expectation games. As a Jet fan I saw how meaningless an illusory second-half surge was in 2019 when the 2020 season capsized on an iceberg. Clearly the Devils’ 2020 second half didn’t have much relevance when 2021 blew up after our illusory first several games of the season.

I really wanted to be sitting here talking about the positives from the last few weeks – how Jesper Bratt’s all-around game has been picking up since a temporary demotion to the fourth line (albeit he still has only three goals, but he’s putting up assists and actually playing well away from the puck for maybe the first time in his career), how Mackenzie Blackwood until tonight looked back to his early-season form in recent games, how Dmitri Kulikov has become a more stabilizing defensive presence we needed. In other words actually enjoying this team again.

Instead I’m sitting here cursing them out after blowing it in the third period, in no small part due to the NHL’s worst special teams….again. It figures that right when I saw the graphic about how we’re only killing off 73% of penalties my thought was at least that’s an improvement from the 60% or so it was for a while. Then of course we give up another PP goal right after I had that thought. It didn’t help that Blackwood had an off night, giving up at least a couple of goals he’d like to have back and getting straight punked in the shootout. It would be nice if this team could give him enough support to pick him up on an off night though. And it actually looked like that was going to happen at 4-2.

Of course it would also help if your PP could actually you know, get some quality chances on net and occasionally score on one. Considering we have one of the best scorers in NHL history (Mark Recchi) coaching our PP you would think, even factoring in the lack of practice time that he’d be able to draw something up on the blackboard in-game or over Zoom that’s better than the crap the Devils have been putting out game after game on the man advantage. Failing on consecutive power plays late in the third AND in OT without getting diddly poo in terms of quality chances is the perfect coda for our special teams of doom this year. Maybe better personnel choices would help too, I’ll forever like Sami Vatanen for what he did in 2018 and the fact he’s a fun personality but I’m sorry, 2021 Vatanen and crest-killer Damon Severson (who is good otherwise but historically has stunk on the PP) shouldn’t be getting PP minutes over Ty Smith, who’s our leading scorer on D this year. I did at least find it somewhat amusing that the Bruins fans obsessive booing of P.K. Subban at the end of one power play made it sound like a crowd at the Rock booing our ineffective man advantage.

Speaking of crest-killers, it’s time for our only healthy #1OA pick to start producing like one. I realize we’re barely into his second season’s worth of games, but Jack Hughes’ production has been straight out disappointing to this point. So far in his career he’s been a guy who flashes for 8-10 games of a season then craps out after that. Obviously there are different reasons for it this year, compared to last year but at some point if you’re going to be a star player you need to be a heck of a lot more productive and consistent. After his first eight games this year things looked great with three goals and five assists. Since then, he’s produced just four goals and four assists in 26 games getting consistent first-line minutes. Before the haters come at me with ‘but he had COVID! but the schedule sucks!’, I understand that – I’m in no way saying Hughes is a finished product. But for a guy who’s supposed to be an elite playmaker, he hasn’t been able to lift the level of his wingers so far and he sure as shooting hasn’t shown enough of a scoring touch to match his supposedly great analytical numbers – which dovetails right into another pet peeve of mine.

And before the nerds come at me for ranting on analytics, I understand they should be a part of the game as a complement to the eye test and intangibles. My main consternation with analytics is twofold – one, they sure as shooting aren’t perfect yet. It’s hard to expect any metric to be perfect with a game that has as many variables as hockey, and for the people that are the analytics believers to treat them as if they are some perfect finished product that can’t be questioned is mind-boggling. My other annoyance with analytics is people who believe in them give them more weight than actual production and any deviance from the belief that analytics = good player gets dismissed as just luck. If you have bad analytics and are producing it’s just unsustainable luck, it you have good analytics and aren’t producing you’re unlucky. It can’t possibly have anything to do with actual talent or on and off ice stuff that hasn’t been measured with a stat yet.

So when I hear Hughes or Bratt have such great analytics and it’s only a matter of time before they score I roll my eyes, even if there might be some truth to that. It’s hard to take the stat nerds seriously when I had to see things like them saying Hughes was a good player LAST year, when he had 21 points in 61 games and did nothing else particularly well. I don’t deny that he’s looked much better than last season in 2021, even if his recent 20+ games haven’t exactly shown that but that’s also a very low bar to clear for a #1OA. And as far as Bratt goes, this idea he’s going to have a scoring breakout isn’t borne out by his career where he hasn’t hit twenty goals or forty points yet. He’s put some assists (and one very big goal) up on the board in recent games, and all credit to him for improving his all-around game in recent weeks but long-term I’m not sure how sustainable his point production is unless a goal spike also happens. You don’t often see ten goal, forty-five assist forwards in the NHL.

Welp I’m about tapped out on this one…I suspect the next blog I post will be a trade deadline preview (or recap since it’s only two weeks away now) and more griping about how deadline day is once again the highlight of our season.

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When the message is off tangent

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Derek

Alexis Lafreniere will need to play more down the stretch regardless of where the Rangers are in the division playoff race. AP Photo by New York Rangers via Getty Images

Entering Tuesday’s return match against Washington, who hung on for a 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon, there are twenty-two games remaining for the Rangers to decide who they are. At this point, we don’t know.

Oh sure. They tease you to death with mesmerizing performances in blowout wins over the Flyers. Then fall flat in consecutive losses to that same strange opponent and mount a furious rally in a bizarre final period before losing 5-4 to the Capitals. In doing so, they dropped two more one-goal games to fall to 3-12 in such instances. The brownie points don’t count in my book. All those defeats mounting for a mediocre team that finds itself at NHL .500 with a 15-15-4 mark through 34 games.

What are they? On some nights, the Rangers have proven fully capable of competing with the upper echelon in the confusing East Division. They’re three up and two down versus those first place Caps, who visit Madison Square Garden later tonight to conclude a two-game series. They’ve taken three of six against the Flyers, who they blew out twice by a combined 17-3 football score. The pair of Mika Zibanejad natural hat trick, six-point games that allowed the number one center to snap out of it. Also big games from Ryan Strome and Adam Fox, who took home First Star of the Week honors for his 11 points (1-10-11). Fox is a rising star who will receive some Norris votes.

Here’s the frustrating aspect. As well as they’ve played in some wins, there are still too many instances where they lose in crushing fashion. The Flyers rematch on Saturday was one of those. A game they didn’t play well enough in due to not matching their upset rival’s intensity. It showed in the lack of shots and over passing. It also was on display when they completely fell apart in a dizzying second period that saw the Caps outscore them 3-0 following an even first period where nothing happened. Then there was the wild and wacky third that saw Tom Wilson make it 4-0 before Colin Blackwell scored twice to spark a last ditch effort that fell short. T.J. Oshie’s redirect that made it 5-2 proved too much to overcome despite goals from Alexis Lafreniere and Chris “PPG” Kreider.

Speaking of Lafreniere, he received a shade over eight minutes of ice time on Sunday with head coach David Quinn finally back behind the bench. This followed even less time versus the Flyers under Hartford coach Kris Knoblauch, who had the top pick in single digits three different times. So, this isn’t just a Quinn thing. It’s organizational. Here’s what the coach offered to reporters including Vince Mercogliano of USA Today.

“He and I talked actually before the last Philly game, and you can just see he’s frustrated. This is a hard league. I know we’ve all talked about how it’s a hard league to step into in these circumstances. It’s hard enough when you get a one-week training camp, you don’t have any exhibition games and you have to hit the ground running. It’s just a really strange year, and it’s a hard year for rookies. You can see that he’s getting frustrated, and to me, it’s the mental aspect of what he’s going through right now. We’ve just got to help him through it.”

A lot of what Quinn said is right. This isn’t a normal season. Especially for a teenager who went number one overall in a hyped 2020 NHL Draft. Only three draft picks are playing. Tim Stutzle of the Senators has fared well so far in a more defined role for the true rebuilding Ottawa. Jamie Drysdale has debuted with the Ducks scoring his first NHL goal and adding an assist while getting ideal shifts on the back end of Anaheim, who are one of the worst teams. It’s much easier for Drysdale and Stutzle than Lafreniere, who can hardly get any power play time due to who’s ahead of him. That isn’t his fault.

It’s the way the Rangers are constructed. They can continue to insist they’re a rebuilding team. But how can they be when they doled out all that money on Artemi Panarin and then overpaid Jacob Trouba? With decisions looming on key restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich and potential 2022 UFA’s Zibanejad and Strome, it’s hard to gauge what they are. Kreider was re-signed last year prior to the Trade Deadline. He decided to forego free agency and take a home discount. He didn’t have to. If they’d subtracted him, nobody could’ve filled his role as the power forward who scores goals in the trenches while screening goalies.

Let’s not forget that the organization had zero idea they’d luck into the top pick due to a flawed two part lottery system. By getting swept by Carolina in as uncompetitive a three-game Play In Series as possible, they actually wound up winners by landing Lafreniere with the first pick last October. However, he hasn’t found it easy. With no AHL options due to a different set of rules for junior hockey players who played in the QMJHL, he’s played in all 34 games with mixed results. There are some shifts where you notice him like the four-game point streak he put together. Then there are times you don’t know he’s out there. That’s if he’s playing.

At only 19, the first-year left wing from the Province of Quebec is still adjusting to life in the NHL. With five goals and five assists, Lafreniere hasn’t quite lit the world on fire. However, all 10 of his points have at even strength including the memorable overtime winner in an exciting road win at Buffalo. That was before the Sabres went into the tank literally. He did score on a rebound of a Julien Gauthier shot to make things interesting the other day. Then Kreider scored his team-leading ninth power play goal. He leads the team with 17. A good number for a streaky scorer. Especially given the leadership he provides.

When you have a young core that features a game changer in Panarin, who is paid handsomely, it changes the expectations. For all the emphasis on the youth movement that includes steady D tandem Fox and Ryan Lindgren, plus K’Andre Miller, there still are more experienced players the Rangers are relying on. So, while they handle Lafreniere cautiously due to where he is in his development, the reliance on top two centers Zibanejad and Strome is a significant gap from Filip Chytil. A young player who showed promise at the start prior to his injury, the 21-year old former first round pick has yet to prove he can supplant Strome, who has superb chemistry with Panarin. When his sidekick was out, he proved he could still produce by working well with Kreider.

With Buchnevich taking a leap up with 31 points over 33 games, he’s increased his value this summer. A year away from unrestricted status, he can either be traded or re-sign for a nice raise. With the team still waiting for Kakko to start finishing more consistently and Vitaly Kravtsov on deck for his anticipated NHL debut, it’ll be interesting to see how the team handles this final stretch. While they’ve gotten good production from Buchnevich, Kreider, Panarin, Strome and Zibanejad, they’re still looking for improvement from Kakko and Lafreniere. Their progression is the key to the future. One that is more vital than any present success.

When it’s hard for the coaching staff to find enough power play time for the kids, it doesn’t bode well for their development. How many other teams lean so heavily on a top unit that remains puzzling? No matter how many power play goals they score, the five man top unit of Fox, Kreider, Panarin, Strome and Zibanejad have been consistently inconsistent. There are moments where they connect and others that are mind-numbing due to the reluctance to shoot the puck. The little used second unit that sometimes has either Kakko or Lafreniere on gets the remaining scraps. It isn’t a recipe for success. When they do start a man-advantage, there aren’t enough reps which hurt chemistry.

Even though the forward depth has improved thanks to key additions Blackwell and Kevin Rooney, there are too many instances where a young player finds themselves in a reduced role. How do you explain Julien Gauthier? He has created offense off his size and speed when he’s in the lineup. However, Gauthier has taken bad penalties that found him scratched despite his contributions. Then there are games like Sunday where he doesn’t receive enough ice time in a back-to-back where some of the core were sluggish. That included Panarin, who had a second straight poor game without a point. Even Fox had a tough day. A rarity.

Then there’s the decision to start Keith Kinkaid over Igor Shestyorkin. If it was only due to his one successful outing in a 3-1 win on 3/20, it wasn’t the right choice. However, if it’s because they didn’t want to use Shestyorkin for a third straight start after coming off his groin strain, that’s more understandable. Especially with the amount of shots he faced against the Flyers. There’s a recent injury history with the starting goalie that isn’t too comfortable. If he’s going to take the reigns, they need him to be healthy moving forward. That’s a requirement for any good starter in the league. That Kinkaid had a tough game allowing five goals on 22 shots didn’t help matters. On Sunday, Quinn felt more comfortable starting his third string goalie on the depth chart due to Alex Georgiev’s struggles.

This is his third year behind the bench. Quinn said before the game that he wants to use his best players. But then chose Kinkaid for a game they needed to win. You can’t have it both ways. That also applies to the situation with Lafreniere, who did score a goal despite having his role reduced. He might not be as good overall as Kakko is in his second year. But Lafreniere has two more points than the 2019 second pick who blew a one-on-one with Ilya Samsonov by refusing to shoot the puck. Instead, he opted for a fancy deke that an aggressive Samsonov poke checked away. It’s those scoring opportunities that Kakko must start burying with regularity. The Rangers didn’t draft him for his Corsica possession statistics or defensive play.

It’s also perplexing that Quinn didn’t feel Kravtsov was ready to help the team. He hasn’t had enough discussions with the first round pick due to having COVID-19. However, it’s not like the 21-year old Russian prospect hasn’t been practicing. He can speak to him on the phone, through text or Zoom. Something he did to communicate with other players. If for some reason Kravtsov doesn’t debut this week, it could be to make sure they get enough games in for other players due to the Expansion Draft. While it is a tacky reason, it’s understandable. Does playing Phil Di Giuseppe really matter at this point?

Brendan Lemieux was traded to LA due to a numbers game. That was understandable. He will get an opportunity for more of a role with the Kings, who are trying to chase down both the Blues and Coyotes for the fourth and final spot in the West Division. Quinn also referenced Brett Howden, who is ready to return to the lineup following COVID protocol. The organization also wants to take a look at Morgan Barron. A ’17 sixth round pick out of Cornell who’s played well in the AHL. In a dozen games with Hartford, he has seven goals and three assists. Considered a two-way center, Barron definitely deserves to play. That way they can better determine what he is.

With well respected veteran Brendan Smith up after the season, he could be a trade candidate. He’s done a solid job filling in on the blue line. Even with a mix up on the Flyers’ winning goal on Saturday between him and Libor Hajek, it’s hard to critique him. The effort is always there. It’s a positive development that the Rangers have now seen Hajek enough to decide his future. One that probably will be elsewhere. If they do move Smith by the April 12 Trade Deadline, they can play Tarmo Reunanen in more games. He recorded an assist in his one game.

Over the next month, the Rangers will face many tough decisions. Whatever is going on in the standings, they must choose the future. It’s a lot wiser than a hope and a prayer.

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