Deja Vu All Over Again! Zibanejad records another natural hat trick in another destruction of Flyers, Fox and Strome continue dominance in Shestyorkin return

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Derek

When you beat the same opponent twice in virtually identical fashion, what more is there to say? It was Deja Vu all over again. The Rangers thoroughly turned the Flyers into pumpkins for a second straight meeting. This time, it came in enemy territory. A week after destroying the Flyers 9-0 highlighted by a Mika Zibanejad natural hat trick and six points, they repeated it in an 8-3 destruction in Philadelphia.

Once again, Zibanejad was the biggest star. His second natural hat trick in nine days against the same defensively inept Flyers was the story. In two games (both wins by a combined 17-3), the top center has now posted a dozen points (6-6-12) in blowouts that were never close. Even if Philadelphia decided to start trying once they fell behind by a touchdown on Thursday night, it was way too late.

Not with Igor Shestyorkin showing no rust in his first start since March 4. In a bizarre game that saw the Flyers double up the Rangers in shots 44-22, it didn’t matter due to the steady play of the 25-year old Russian netminder. Even though it turned into a rout, Kevin Hayes tested him early by attempting to go five-hole on a wrist shot. But Shestyorkin closed the door to get a whistle at the first stoppage. He made a few more good saves with none better than his point blank denial on Claude Giroux with the score still 3-0. That proved to be the biggest save on a night he turned aside 41 of 44 shots.

What a weird game it was. Not because the Blueshirts thumped the Flyers. Just the way it happened. If you didn’t watch, you wouldn’t understand. Truthfully, the Flyers played the Rangers even in the first seven minutes. But once Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin combined to easily set up an unchecked Ryan Strome for his 11th goal at 8:01 of the first period, the Flyers came unglued. On the goal, Fox made a diagonal pass to Panarin, who waited for Strome to sneak into the picture. Jakub Voracek watched instead of taking him as the Bread Man threaded a perfect backdoor feed for a Strome tap in.

When you face a fragile team like the Flyers, who are giving up goals at an alarming rate, you have to put the pedal to the metal. The Rangers did. Shortly following Strome’s goal, it was Zibanejad and Chris Kreider combining to set up Pavel Buchnevich for his 12th for a 2-0 lead only 52 seconds later. This was another complete Flyers breakdown. With one defenseman trapped, it was a two-on-one for Kreider and Buchnevich. With only Ivan Provorov back, Kreider dished across for a quick Buchnevich one-timer that was in so fast that neither Carter Hart or Sam Rosen saw it.

In regards to Rosen, it’s not good to continue hearing him make mistakes. He never picked it up. All you saw was Buchnevich’s reaction and the red light go on. Joe Micheletti told him it was in. For as hard as it is to listen to him because of how much he talks, Micheletti at least knew it was a goal. I wish I could say the same for the way he and Rosen talked over a scrap between Brendan Smith and a visibly frustrated Nicolas Aube-Kubel on the following shift. They didn’t even mention that each received matching five-minute fighting majors. It was sad.

This broadcast has never been worse. I wish Rosen didn’t have Micheletti as a partner. I also feel bad knowing he’s lost so much off his fastball. He still has his moments. But some are hard. No matter what, Sam Rosen will always be forever remembered by every Rangers fan. He’s been a great broadcaster and voice of the team for over three decades. If he ever decided it was time, I’d be happy for him and his family. Kenny Albert has been waiting patiently while doing a good job on the radio. He’s certainly getting plenty of work on NBCSN. Deservedly so.

When it’s going bad, nothing goes right. With Flyers coach Alain Vigneault staring at the scoreboard every time the Rangers scored, it looked like a repeat from the last two years when he was behind our bench. He never seems to have any answers. Asked recently what’s gone wrong in his second year with Philly, he said if he had the answers, he’d have figured out why. Instead, it’s the same old thing Vigneault did here. He doesn’t know. He never does. For as successful an NHL coach as he’s been with Stanley Cup trips in Vancouver and New York City, he sounds clueless. You can bet his old failed assistants Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo aren’t helping. The Flyers are a mess.

Take nothing away from the Rangers. They went in and did what they had to do. Not only were they opportunistic on their shots that beat both Flyers goalies for eight on 22 shots. But they also went three-for-five on the power play. The man-advantage is where Zibanejad did all of his damage. After Kaapo Kakko drew a tripping call on Justin Braun, the Rangers went to work. It wasn’t until Fox waited for teammates in transition to get onside and set it up. The abysmal 25th ranked Flyers penalty kill let them work the puck quickly. A Strome pass for a Fox one-timer was redirected past Hart for number one for Zibanejad at 13:36. It was a good low shot that Zibanejad must’ve just gotten a piece of. Fox picked up his third assist of the period while Zibanejad earned his third point. Strome had two.

As much as this was headed the same way as the St. Patrick’s Day Philadelphia Massacre, Shestyorkin still had to come up with saves. He really looked sharp following the three week layoff. It was impressive how well he moved. It would be easy to overlook his performance because ultimately, the Rangers won the game by five goals. However, at one point, the Flyers finally started to wake up when the game looked over. They peppered our goalie the last two periods with 36 shots. He was excellent. Had they gotten it to 6-3 before the end of the second, it could’ve gotten interesting. I never panicked because I knew how susceptible the Flyers were.

They continued to mystify. Towards the conclusion of the first, a heated James van Riemsdyk nailed Ryan Lindgren from behind to earn two for cross-checking with 48 seconds left. The Blueshirts set up one good shot that Hart stopped before time expired. They still had 1:12 remaining on the five-on-four. Somewhat predictably, the Rangers got the Flyers running around. With Hart scrambling following a close call, it was Fox who found an isolated Zibanejad for a wicked one-timer inside the near goalpost for his second of the night at 54 seconds of the second period. Strome added another assist.

Things got even nuttier when the recently recalled Sam Morin roughed up Julien Gauthier, who was allowed to drive around the matador Flyers defense and force Hart into a save. That handed the Blueshirts another power play. This didn’t take too long. This time, the identical combo of Fox and Strome were able to find Zibanejad in the slot for an accurate one-timer past Hart to complete his second natural hat trick in two games versus the Flyers. Sure. They were over a week apart. But the mere fact he wound up with identical 3-3-6 games against them is no coincidence. That is almost half his 26 points. He’s now up to 10 goals and 16 assists. It’s insane what he’s done to the Flyers.

Of course, Vigneault continued staring at the scoreboard as if the replay was going to change. He never used a timeout. He didn’t pull Hart yet. The same Hart who was in for four Devils goals in which they did whatever they wanted before the Flyers made things interesting the other night. I don’t know what the thinking is in Philadelphia. Or if there is any at all. But GM Chuck Fletcher is the same guy who screwed up the Wild, who have since recovered under Bill Guerin to become a playoff contender. He didn’t have a good off-season.

It doesn’t explain how little the Flyers compete under Vigneault. We’ve seen this story before. His transition system exposes the defense and theirs isn’t good. It’s very plodding and easy to play against. Right now, I think playing them is easier than the Sabres, who continue to lose. The Rangers have had an easier time with the Flyers, who they’ll face on Saturday afternoon. If there isn’t a response, I think Vigneault is gone. They really need to replace Fletcher too.

With Philly punch drunk, even a weird K’Andre Miller shot went in at 2:42. That one came 36 seconds after Zibanejad’s third of the game. On the bizarre play that made it 6-0 after only 22 minutes and 42 seconds, Brendan Lemieux picked up a helper and of course Zibanejad did, upping his total to five on the night. This was way too easy. Almost too much so. For all intents and purposes, it was already Game Over. I don’t mean Triple H either.

By that point, Brian Elliott had replaced Hart (5 GA on 11 shots). He was in for Miller’s third. Rudely welcomed by a team that has the Flyers’ number. No wonder the Rangers are back in the divisional playoff race. They got a little help from the enemy Islanders, who recovered from a two-goal deficit to win 4-3 in overtime over the Bruins, who have now lost all five games to the Isles. Boston is still a few points up for fourth place.

Despite trailing by a touchdown, Philadelphia mounted a rally. Well, they at least made an attempt at one. Over a minute following the Miller goal, Hayes found Giroux in front for a goal at 3:46. It was his eighth from Hayes and Joel Farabee. Predictably, the Rangers relaxed with the big lead. It’s only human to. They started turning over pucks to cause Flyers chances. Shestyorkin was there to cover up the mistakes.

However, a needless Lemieux hooking minor resulted in a Hayes power play goal that suddenly made it 6-2 with 6:26 left in the period. For the rest of that second, the Flyers took it to the Rangers. They seemed to invite their wounded opponent to take their best shot. As if it were Rocky versus Clubber Lang in the rematch. All they needed was some Rocky music and shouting from Apollo Creed. They had opportunities with Smith (roughing) and Jacob Trouba (holding) taking penalties. Despite outshooting the Rangers 18-7, the Flyers still trailed by four after 40 minutes.

While some of our schizo fans were concerned, I was relaxed. I knew all it would take was a goal to calm everyone down. This wasn’t the Canadiens they were playing up in the House of Horrors like that Saturday night up north when they blew a five-goal lead to lose in overtime. As if they needed a reminder of how bad the Flyers are, Buchnevich scored a shorthanded goal just 33 seconds into the third to make it 7-2 good guys. Again, Fox picked up an assist (5) and Zibanejad added point number six.

Of course, the Flyers scored on the same power play with Sean Couturier getting his ninth from Travis Konecny and Shayne Gostisbehere. That made it 7-3 with 18:32 to go. But that was as close as they came. Instead, things got interesting.

During a scrum in front of Shestyorkin, Strome had enough of the pesky Aube-Kubel. He was ready to go. They each received two for roughing. Even as they piled up the shots, Igor was equal to the Flyers’ challenge. Nice of them to show up once they were down half a dozen. If that doesn’t tell you something’s wrong, I don’t know what to say. They look to have quit on Vigneault. It’s unbelievable. This is Year Two. He’s signed for three more years. If they lose again badly to the Rangers, is that it? We’ll see. If you’re our players, expect a better game. They need to be ready and roll with Shestyorkin.

Of course, the nastiness wasn’t over. Following a smart play from the very quiet Alexis Lafreniere in which he was able to set up a much needed Filip Chytil goal from behind the net to make it 8-3, here came a furious Morin going right after Lemieux. He just drives people crazy due to his antics. Some of which I don’t like. He takes liberties and is borderline dirty and probably psychotic. But he can be effective. On a soft team, you still need that. I don’t think he’ll be here by the summer. Think Seattle.

During this crazy sequence that saw Morin lose it during a one-sided fight where he pummeled Lemieux to the ice, the crazy sideshow pulled Lemieux’s hair and went too far. I thought Lemieux started with him. Maybe not. But this was absurd. It should result in NHL Player Safety having a hearing with Morin. I’ll say no more. While this went on, Van Riemsdyk was livid and tried to start something with Kevin Rooney. Nothing materialized. Rooney was sent to the locker room while Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl earned early showers.

Once the madness was over, the teams played the rest out. The Rangers running the clock down while on a power play where Smith got a shift. They then celebrated another lopsided victory with winning goalie Shestyorkin, who proved he’s back. They’ll need him for any kind of chance.

I’m not going to bother with the playoff race. All I know is the Rangers have tied the Flyers in points with 34. They passed them for fifth by virtue of two more regulation wins (13). A sweep on Saturday would keep the momentum going. With Fox, Strome, Buchnevich, Zibanejad, Kreider and Panarin all rolling, things are pointing upward. We’ll see what happens this weekend.

Don’t forget the NHL Trade Deadline is April 12. So, there’s still some time to figure out if they should be buyers or sellers. I think they have to sell due to the roster and cap situation. They have to stop screwing around with Vitaly Kravtsov. He’s practicing and they’re keeping the kid gloves on. He’s had a good professional season in the KHL. They need to stop the bullshit crap and play him. See what they have. Or are they going to wait for Oliver Wahlstrom to play himself into the Calder conversation with the Islanders? If you don’t think that matters, then you haven’t been paying attention.

While it’s nice to see this team coming together and winning under Kris Knoblauch, who must think he’s living a dream, they must remember to develop the kids. We need to see Kravtsov in the top nine and if he’s good enough, on the power play. I want more from Chytil, who hasn’t looked right since returning. At least he got the monkey off the back. Ditto for Lafreniere and Kakko. That’s what can make this team a legit contender in the future.

I’m glad to see Shestyorkin back and looking good. Now I say play him and see if he can handle the workload. As for who backs up, I don’t care. At the moment, Keith Kinkaid has outplayed Alex Georgiev. So, he should be the backup by that logic.

One last thing. The Rangers got Jacques Martin and Greg Brown back from COVID Protocol. Martin was back behind the bench with Knoblauch and Chris Drury. Brown was upstairs. They’re still waiting to clear coach David Quinn and assistant David Oliver. Isn’t it funny how they’ve erupted for all these goals including on the power play minus Quinn and Oliver? It sure makes you wonder.

What I like most is Knoblauch doesn’t mess too much with the lines. He kept Kakko with Strome and Panarin while sliding Colin Blackwell down to the fourth line. Gauthier stayed on the Kid Line. They seem to be executing better and just playing. They also seem to be having fun. There are a lot more smiles. It helps that Zibanejad woke up. Buchnevich has earned his next contract. We’re talking in the neighborhood of $5.5 million on average. The question is what will the organization decide.

For now, we may as well enjoy the rest of the hockey. There’s 24 games left on the schedule. Let’s see what happens. Happy Birthday Dad! It was his birthday on Wednesday. He sure doesn’t like AV. But he also loved seeing our team humiliate the Flyers again. If only Toronto and Montreal would’ve lost. He can’t stand either. That’s how you know he’s an old school hockey fan. Original Six!

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Ryan Strome, NYR (11th of season plus 3 🍎 in 17:09)

2nd 🌟 Adam Fox, NYR (5 🍎 in 21:55)

1st 🌟 Mika Zibanejad, NYR (second natural hat trick and six points vs Flyers in over a week, 12 of his 26 points in two games)

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sharangovich sparks Devils past fading Flyers for fourth win in five, Blackwood makes 33 saves

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Derek

One of the stories not being covered is the play of Yegor Sharangovich. The 22-year old Devils rookie forward has been playing well of late. At the moment, it’s the play of the STK Line that’s sparked some improvement.

It was on display in the Devils 4-3 win at the fading Flyers to give them their fourth victory over the last five. The line featuring the budding Sharangovich with fellow rookie Janne Kuokkanen and veteran center Travis Zajac combined for six points (2-4-6) and a plus-three to highlight the club’s 12th win in their 30th game.

In holding off a late Flyers’ push thanks to ace goalie Mackenzie Blackwood making 30 saves on 33 shots with none bigger than holding his near goalpost on a good short side attempt from James van Riemsdyk with under a minute left, the Devils pulled within six points of fifth place Philadelphia. With 26 games remaining, they trail the COVID stricken Bruins by eight points for fourth place in the unpredictable East Division. The Rangers are four up on them for sixth and have two games versus the Flyers later this week.

With only nine wins in regulation and not enough consistent offense, the playoffs are a reach. Even the odds are against the Hudson rival Rangers making it due to Boston still having seven games remaining against the woeful Sabres. A lot of crazy stuff would have to happen to alter the top four that features the Islanders, Capitals, Penguins and Bruins, who remain idle with just 28 games played. With regulation wins the number one tiebreaker, it’s highly unlikely that the Devils aren’t sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline.

That could mean proven finisher Kyle Palmieri goes to a contender. Both the Bruins and Islanders should be interested. Boston lacking secondary scoring and the Isles needing a replacement for captain Anders Lee. Plus there’s the Lou Lamoriello factor. Connect the dots. Palmieri, who scored what amounted to a big go-ahead goal with 5.8 seconds left in the first period, could wind up elsewhere. He’s up at the conclusion of the season. Even though it hasn’t been a good year for him, Palmieri can still bring valuable assets back.

Facing a struggling rival that’s imploded recently, the Devils took advantage of some lackadaisical defense to win on the road for the eighth time in 13 games. Remarkably, they’re 8-3-2 away from The Prudential Center. If they played better at home, who knows. For whatever reason, coach Lindy Ruff’s team plays its best hockey on the road.

In a first period mostly controlled by the New Jersey side of the I-95 Turnpike Rivalry, the Devils started out well. Checking center Mike McLeod started the scoring at 9:52 when he took a good pass from rookie Ty Smith and broke in behind the Flyers defense to beat Carter Hart. It was a nice finish with McLeod able to go upstairs for his fourth from Smith and Andreas Johnsson. The goal broke an 16-game drought. His last pair came at Buffalo on 1/31.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1374507547260899330?s=19

With not much happening for the Flyers, they got a boost from Smith who interfered with Jakub Voracek. On the ensuing power play, a Voracek shot rebounded to Joel Farabee, who had three whacks at it before the puck squeaked by Blackwood to tie the game at 12:43. They used only 50 seconds to convert on the man-advantage.

But in a period where the Devils were the better attacking team, Mikhail Maltsev was able to draw a holding minor on an incensed Travis Sanheim with 1:26 left. He and Flyers bench boss Alain Vigneault might not have agreed with the call, but it was the right one.

With time winding down in the first, Kevin Hayes tried to glove down a loose puck and move it to a teammate. However, two Flyers penalty killers fumbled it allowing a pressuring Kuokkanen to steal the puck. He passed it to Jesper Bratt, who quickly dished across for a Palmieri one-timer that found its destination past a stunned Hart at 19:54. His sixth goal was a big one. It gave the Devils momentum.

Following some power failures on consecutive chances early in the second period, some more good work from Kuokkanen and Zajac on the forecheck resulted in a beautiful goal by Sharangovich to make it 3-1 at about the halfway point. On the scoring play, they applied strong pressure on defenseman Philippe Myers, who coughed up the puck along the boards. That allowed Kuokkanen (2 assists) and Zajac (goal and assist) to combine to set up Sharangovich for his seventh in the slot. A perfect one-timer that gave him his third goal in six. He’s been getting chances almost every game.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1374517898480259078?s=09

While the Devils played well offensively, Blackwood did his part making some key stops to keep them ahead by two. It was another Flyers defensive breakdown late in the period that lead to a huge insurance marker from Zajac.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1374516576079126537?s=19

On some more poor defending by the Flyers, the Devils out-hustled them to get the all important fourth goal. It was a forechecking Sharangovich who started a nice play to Smith, whose centering pass was tipped in by an open Zajac at 19:36. It was the 35-year old veteran’s fourth. He doesn’t get many goals anymore, but nobody can question Zajac’s effort. With a goal and helper, he very quietly has 14 points (4-10-14) in what could be his final season in New Jersey. A very good Devil who’s played all 1,016 games with one franchise after going number 20 in the ’04 NHL Draft, the two-way pivot needs two more goals for 200. He’s posted a respectable 544 points (198-346-544). He’s a good leader for the kids to follow.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1374522601276502018?s=09

The third period was predictably more quiet for the Devils. With that dreaded “three-goal lead,” as the legendary Stan Fischler would always say during telecasts, they sat back a little bit. Maybe it wasn’t by design. Sometimes, it just happens.

They still got seven shots on Hart, who held his team in from further embarrassment. This is after all a team that’s allowed an inordinate amount of goals during a very bad stretch that saw them give up a nine spot to their next opponent as well as six to the Islanders in another lopsided loss before playing them on even terms in a 2-1 overtime loss on Monday night.

With all of the play at even strength, it didn’t look like the Flyers had any intentions of a comeback. During the first half of the period, the Devils did a solid job protecting the house. However, Sean Couturier made things interesting when he scored the first of two with 8:23 left to cut it to 4-2. On a quick hitter, Travis Konecny was able to make a good centering feed down low for a Couturier tip in.

After getting scored on, New Jersey responded with a couple of good offensive shifts. They then defended well in front of Blackwood to keep the lead at two. It looked like it would stay that way.

However, the Flyers wouldn’t go away easily. With Vigneault lifting Hart for an extra attacker with 2:42 left in regulation, Philadelphia started to apply the pressure during a six-on-five. Following an icing, they used their timeout where veteran assistant coach Michel Therrien drew up a play.

On it, Couturier was able to beat Zajac with help from Konecny. On a quick Claude Giroux one-timer that Blackwood kicked out, a good recovery from Van Riemsdyk allowed Voracek to find Couturier open for a one-timer that gave him his second goal of the period with 62 seconds remaining.

Just like that, the Devils’ lead was down to one with enough time for the Flyers to force extras. However, it wasn’t to be. On a last ditch effort, the Flyers created an opportunity off a rebound. Blackwood held his near goalpost to deny a Van Riemsdyk bid. That clutch stop clinched the victory.

Following a big clear, the Flyers tried to fire down. Hoping for a player to direct the puck in, it missed connection leading to an icing with a few seconds to spare. With the face-off back in their end, the Devils were able to kill the remaining time to earn the win.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1374545631453253635?s=19

They deserved to come out on top. They were the better team overall and out-worked the Flyers for most of the game. Philadelphia didn’t do enough to get back on track. Instead, they lost for the third time in a row and fourth over five. In the four defeats, they’ve allowed 21 goals with the 9-0 drubbing at the hands of the Rangers on Saint Patty’s Day their version of the Philadelphia Massacre.

For the Devils, it was a good win. They have played better hockey. Even with Jack Hughes struggling to put up points, they’re getting good production from Kuokkanen, Sharangovich and Zajac. It helps that Blackwood has returned and won his two starts after Scott Wedgewood spelled him. He’s been sharp by stopping 65 of 69 shots. Exactly what they need from their starting goalie.

Next up for the Devils are the Caps tonight and Friday in DC. With the Bruins also scheduled for two in Boston if they’re ready by Sunday, and then the Caps visiting Newark for a two-game series on April 2-4, these six games will be a big test. It could determine what GM Tom Fitzgerald decides to do at the trade deadline on April 12.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Ty Smith, Devils (2 🍎, +3 in 19:17)

2nd 🌟 Travis Zajac, Devils (goal plus 🍎, 2 SOG, +1 in 16:18)

1st 🌟 Yegor Sharangovich, Devils (7th goal plus 🍎, 4 SOG, +1 in 16:05)

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Kakko ends scoring drought with two goals in win over awful Sabres, Kreider notches a pair on power play, Knoblauch makes smart move

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Derek

Nobody needed a game like this more than Kaapo Kakko. The 2019 second pick had been in a bad scoring slump. In fact, it was exactly two months since his last goal. That drought ended tonight with Kakko coming through in a big way with two goals during a Rangers’ 5-3 win over the awful Sabres at Madison Square Garden.

It’s kinda funny too. Early into the game facing an opponent that entered winless in their last 13 (0-11-2), I had this thought on Twitter. One which proved prophetic.

As you can tell, I got my wish. Many fans of this team have wanted to see Kakko get another chance playing with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. Thankfully, Kris Knoblauch noticed that Colin Blackwell was ineffective for some shifts and finally stuck Kakko on the second line. Off a Strome face-off win in the Buffalo zone, Panarin was able to get the puck in front to an open Kakko, who was able to beat Sabres third string goalie Dustin Tokarski to tie the score with his third at 7:13 of the second period.

By that point, the game was a bit unpredictable as well as ugly. Despite a territorial edge during a first period that saw them outshoot the Sabres 10-5 including at one point 9-1, the Rangers couldn’t break through on either starter Carter Hutton (2 saves) or injury replacement Tokarski. Let’s get to what happened to Hutton first.

On just hideous transition defense by Buffalo, they allowed Julien Gauthier to skate right past and get off a good shot that Hutton stopped. However, Rasmus Ristolainen shoved him right into Hutton, who was in immediate pain. Unable to continue, he was helped off the ice while limping badly. It’s an apparent leg injury. Maybe the knee or something else. It was as ugly as it looked.

It became a battle of goalies who were third on the depth chart at the beginning of the season. With Keith Kinkaid looking good in his second straight start with Alex Georgiev backing up, the former Devil was finally challenged early in the second. After having not much to do in a lopsided first where the excellent penalty kill took care of a Jacob Trouba hooking minor on Jacob Bryson, Kinkaid was pretty busy early. He made some outstanding saves to keep the surging Sabres off the scoreboard.

There were two great stops. First, he denied Bryson on a breakaway by getting a piece of his backhand deke attempt to nudge it wide. It looked like it might’ve hit the crossbar. At least from the sound of it, that’s what Sam Rosen thought. It definitely made a distinct sound. So it’s possible Kinkaid made the save and had some puck luck thanks to his goalpost. It was fantastic. Notice I didn’t say what Joe Micheletti always says. The word “FABULOUS,” which Sean M always makes light of in his blog has gotten to the point where if you played a drinking game, you’d be passed out drunk from taking shots every time Micheletti says it. It’s FABULOUS!

I normally steer clear of this stuff. But even I noticed that Joe Micheletti was overdoing it. This was against the Sabres. Technically, they are listed as an NHL team. You just wouldn’t know it by how poorly they play defensively. I really feel bad for old friend Dan Girardi. He’s now an assistant coach on the Sabres trying to fix all the dreadful mistakes they make. The Rangers could’ve named the score. That’s how many point blank opportunities they had. It was absurd.

Kinkaid still deserves a lot of credit for staying focused. He made another unbelievable save to rob the hexed Jeff Skinner of a sure goal. On a defensive breakdown, he was all set up for a gimme. With Kinkaid down and the top of the net to shoot at, Skinner fired a laser only to see an acrobatic Kinkaid make a ridiculous glove save to commit highway robbery. The fans that were there sure appreciated it. Everyone who watched did. Trust me. We were not believing our eyes either in our Twitter game chat. It was tremendous.

As what usually happens when the goalie is making great saves, they get beat on a fluky one. That’s exactly what the Sabres were able to do to jump in front 1-0. On kind of a strange play off a forecheck behind the net from Victor Olofsson and Riley Sheahan, Buffalo lineup insert Rasmus Asplund found a loose puck beside the net. With nobody else including Kinkaid aware of where it was, he calmly retrieved the puck and stuffed it in short side at 3:52. It was a slick play by a young player who was in the lineup for Kyle Okposo. Of course, that goal had many fans wondering. I wasn’t one of them. But you couldn’t help but laugh at it.

The Sabres once led in shots 5-0. But that sure turned around rather quickly. Following a stoppage, Knoblauch made the line adjustment I was hoping for. Prior to the face-off, MSG Network caught all three forwards discussing the play they executed. It started with a Strome win and then Panarin getting the puck and finding enough room to pass for Kakko for his first goal since Jan. 22 against the Penguins. The look on his face told the story. He sure needed it. It was nice to see. Good job by Knoblauch recognizing that Kakko was going and getting him out there. That one goal could be important for his confidence.

After being outshot 5-0 at the start of the period, the Rangers proceeded to outshoot their defenseless opponent 17-3 the rest of the second. They flat out dominated the Sabres, who may as well have had Rochester on their jerseys. I wish I was kidding. They might be an NHL team with some good players. But you wouldn’t know it by the way they play. What a fragile team. An interim coach isn’t fixing that mess either. They really need to get a proven coach in there. It’s a nightmare. To quote our close friend Brian, “What a disgrace.” I don’t know how he does it. They’re going to go exactly a decade without a postseason in Buffalo, which is a great sports town. I would know. I went to a Bills game and met these fans. They are the most passionate fans I’ve ever seen. At least their football team is on the right track.

How bad are they? When you’re bad, you find ways to lose. Former top pick Rasmus Dahlin took an unnecessary interference minor on Kevin Rooney in a tie game. After giving Rooney an extra shot, Dahlin got a strong response from Brendan Lemieux. Lemieux got into it with Tage Thompson, who wanted to go. It probably wouldn’t have been wise for Thompson. Of course, the refs broke it up because modern NHL crap. They each were sent off for two apiece for unsportsmanlike conduct. Phooey. With Dahlin serving his penalty, Bryson slashed Strome during the five-on-four. That handed the Blueshirts a 19-second five-on-three.

If this were any other opponent, no way what happens does. On another face-off win back to Adam Fox, who was celebrating his 100th career NHL game, the top defenseman got the puck over to Panarin, who easily fed an open Chris Kreider for a tip in. His team-leading seventh power play goal 16 seconds into the two-man advantage gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead. All he did was park in front and neither Buffalo defenseman bothered to check him. It was easy. Still on the power play, they could’ve had more. But Pavel Buchnevich took an undisciplined hooking minor in the offensive zone when he got his stick caught between Brandon Montour.

The teams skated four-on-four for the next 1:16 until the Sabres got an abbreviated five-on-four power play. They did nothing with it. Prior to the power play, the four-on-four looked like a Rangers power play. It really was bad if you were a Sabres fan. As usual, the penalty kill got it done against a Buffalo power play that’s been in a funk without Jack Eichel. I think it’s something like 0 for the last 24 now. They were 0-for-2 officially.

Late in the period with the Rangers toying with their overwhelmed opponent, Mika Zibanejad and Buchnevich combined to set up Fox for his third goal in front of Mom and Dad at 18:18. They definitely looked overjoyed to see their son already up to 60 points in his second year. He’s in elite company among Rangers defensemen. I don’t have to rattle off the names. Besides, I don’t love the comparisons. Adam Fox is a splendid hockey player. The Rangers are lucky to have him. He wanted to play for his hometown team. He sure has been well worth those two second round picks to Carolina. Foxy produced a three-point night and was named the game’s First Star.

I’ll be honest. With the game looking over, I didn’t put it back on in time for the third right away. To my amusement, the Sabres came back to tie it by scoring their two goals on two shots. Dylan Cozens and Skinner each tallied 3:13 apart to suddenly make it 3-3. What I did notice was my alerts in our Twitter game thread with a few fans going off over it. All I could do was chuckle. If you can’t laugh at it, what’s the point? All I’ll say is people need to understand where this team is. They’re not a playoff contender. If they somehow managed to get in and beat out the idle Bruins (COVID) and the Jekyll and Hyde Flyers, that would be quite an accomplishment. Boston still has five seven games left with the Sabres.

So, when they were handed another power play, I pretty much figured they’d score the go-ahead goal and put this one to bed. It was another Kreider specialty. On a simple play by Fox and Strome with the latter taking a wrist shot that Tokarski couldn’t control, the rebound went right to Kreider who steered it in for his team-leading eighth power play goal and team best 16th at 5:47.

Speaking of which, where are all the Kreider critics? The fools who bash him when he doesn’t score and think he doesn’t do anything. Nowhere to be found. So what if Kreider’s a streaky scorer. Many players are. Where would this team be without those 16 goals, or all the grunt work he provides along with the veteran leadership? I’m glad they kept him. He’s the unofficial captain of this team. Wouldn’t it be something if he somehow got to 30 in a shortened season? Let’s enjoy what Kreider means to the Rangers for a change.

They could’ve had more goals on Tokarski. Give him credit. Aside from the bad rebound on Kreider’s winner, he actually gave the Sabres a chance. His team was outshot 40-19. He faced 37 of those 39 and did well. If not for him and the Blueshirts thinking they were the Harlem Globetrotters Mighty Ducks, it could’ve wound up a more crooked number. But that’s how our team plays. They must pass the puck around like it’s a Broadway show instead of sometimes simplifying their approach. There’s not much more to add.

With over a minute left in regulation, Tokarski was lifted for an extra attacker. Knoblauch did another wise thing. He put Kakko out to help protect a one-goal lead. He didn’t disappoint. On good defensive plays from Strome and Panarin, they got the puck over to Kakko for the empty netter with 58 ticks remaining. Just that easily, he doubled his goal output. It had to feel good for the 20-year old Finnish right wing. He was all smiles.

That’s going to do it for now. For the time being, the Rangers are over NHL .500 at 14-13-4. With 25 games left on the divisional schedule, they’re up to 32 points and 12 regulation wins. One more than both the fifth place Flyers (2-1 overtime losers to Islanders) and the fourth place Bruins. Philadelphia has 34 points in 30 games. Boston has 36 in 28. They don’t know when they’ll play again. All the Rangers can do is win the two games at the Flyers coming up on Thursday and Saturday. Get that pair and then let’s talk.

At the moment having won four of six, they’re feeling better about themselves. With Zibanejad looking much more in form and the top line on a good roll, they finally have the dangerous top six they boasted last year. Even more encouraging, Kinkaid has supplied a spark in net that Georgiev wasn’t. More often than not, he’s coming up with big saves at key moments. That’s all you can ask. With Igor Shestyorkin inching closer to a return, that’s good news.

The only other notable is that the reason Gauthier was back in the lineup was due to Brett Howden being unavailable. I don’t know the details on why. But seeing a few foolish fans act like it was great made me roll my eyes. Howden was playing his best hockey recently with two assists and an empty netter while continuing to provide strong penalty killing. I don’t like when fans celebrate such stuff. It’s ridiculous. Enough already.

The Rangers next face the Flyers in two days at 7 PM. It’s officially Tuesday. The rematch is another HSIAM on Saturday. If you’re looking for a translation, it’s a partial reference to the late great George Carlin, who did real comedy unlike the crap that’s around now. Boy. Would he be ashamed. I sure miss him. But he’s always a click away on YouTube.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Chris Kreider, NYR (2 power play goals for team-leading 15th and 16th)

2nd 🌟 Adam Fox, NYR (3rd of season plus 2 🍎)

1st 🌟 Kaapo Kakko, NYR (2 goals to finally end his scoring drought)

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revenge Served Cold! Zibanejad’s game-winner on Brenden Dillon gives Rangers a satisfying victory over Caps, Kinkaid makes 28 saves

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Derek

Sometimes, the best way to get revenge is on the scoreboard. In a tight checking rematch that featured some big time goaltending from Keith Kinkaid with the game up for grabs, the Rangers got revenge against Brenden Dillon thanks to Mika Zibanejad scoring his biggest goal of the season. His unassisted goal in which he stripped Dillon and fired a pea past Ilya Samsonov with 2:32 left in regulation gave them a well deserved 3-1 victory over the Caps.

Similar to Friday’s one-goal gut wrenching loss due to Alexander Ovechkin, this was a defensive battle between old Patrick Division rivals. In fact, only one goal was scored during the first two periods. It came courtesy of leading scorer Pavel Buchnevich, who finished off an Adam Fox feed for his 11th with 2:11 remaining in a tactical first period. Zibanejad helped set it up. He was the game’s First Star with his clutch game-winning goal and a helper.

This was better than the six-point second period in which he recorded a natural hat trick in a 9-0 laugher over the Flyers. The same team that got blasted by the Islanders in a rematch 6-1 on Long Island. With two points following their toughest loss, the Blueshirts would soon pass the Flyers for fifth place in the East Division. At 13-13-4 with 30 points in 30 games, they trail the Flyers by three points. With the fourth place Bruins having their games postponed due to COVID, they trail fourth place Boston by six in the standings.

If they want to make a push, now is the time. Even if it seems far fetched, the reality is they trail the idle Bruins by six. That isn’t insurmountable with 26 games remaining. With the lowly Sabres coming in for a game Monday, it’s an opportunity to take advantage. Buffalo has lost 13 straight games. Of course, they haven’t all been in regulation. Since defeating the Devils 4-1 on Feb. 23, they’re 0-11-2. They have fired Ralph Krueger and replaced him with interim coach Don Granato. They play hard, but are fragile due to defensive lapses and undisciplined penalties. The key is to jump on them early.

Following Monday’s game, the Rangers will visit Philadelphia for a two-game series on Thursday and next Saturday. The two rivals have split the first four games. Then they close March with two more at the Capitals. A team they’re now 3-1 against. To be honest, they should be four-for-four. But Ovechkin willed his team to a comeback win on Friday.

When I’ve discussed the Caps with Sean McCaffrey of bluecollarblueshirts.com, I’ve repeatedly told him I am not overly impressed with them. I see a flawed team that can be exposed by a good skating opponent. Is it any wonder the skilled Blueshirts seem to have their number? They use their speed and skating to attack Washington’s slow defense. They also have limited Ovechkin from his office and completely shutdown the Capitals on the power play. With Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Jakub Vrana, T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson and John Carlson, they have capable players. But Evgeny Kuznetsov has had a bad season. The D even with Zdeno Chara isn’t great. I don’t view them as a playoff contender.

The Rangers match-up well. They continued to do a good job in front of Kinkaid until a key stretch during the third period when the Caps finally made a push for the go-ahead goal. Following another rebound goal this time from Carlson off relentless forecheck pressure that Wilson and Backstrom were involved in against a tired Jacob Trouba and Brendan Smith, it was gut check time for Kinkaid. Suddenly faced by an onslaught of Washington shots and rebounds, Kinkaid stood up to the challenge with his best save coming against Ovechkin on a difficult backhand from the slot. That sequence of stops set the stage for a dramatic conclusion.

It was earlier in the game that Dillon hit Ryan Lindgren from behind face first into the boards for an obvious boarding minor penalty during the second period. It was a dirty play by a cheap player, who obviously was seeking more retribution for Lindgren’s clean hit on Ovechkin. Ironically, when asked about the hit, Ovechkin took no issue with it the previous night following his heroics. That’s why he’s so highly respected. Obviously, nobody can say the same for Dillon, who fittingly turned into the goat of Saturday’s game.

On a matter of fact play where he was chased in his zone by an aggressive Zibanejad, Dillon got stripped of the puck and watched as the Rangers top center rifled home a wrist shot top shelf on Samsonov at 17:28. Poetic justice. I gotta admit when Zibanejad chased him, I was yelling at the TV for him to get the puck. Sure enough, he did and when he scored, I went nuts and screamed some obscenities that can’t be repeated in this space. That’s how pumped up I was to see Zibanejad victimize Dillon for the clutch winner. It was beautiful.

This time, there was no way they were blowing it. The Rangers closed it out in fine fashion. On a clear from Buchnevich to Ryan Strome up ice, he could’ve shot the puck into the vacated net. Instead, the very unselfish center saw Brett Howden ahead and passed it to him for an easy one-handed goal that lifted a heavy weight off his shoulders. Just his emotional reaction to the goal said plenty. It meant a lot to the hardworking Howden, who’s been playing better since being reinserted into the lineup. He had two assists recently and now finally has his first goal of the season. Good for him.

I really loved what Strome did for Howden. A total team guy. He knew how badly Howden needed that. Say what you want. Howden always works his butt off while playing on the fourth line and killing penalties which he excels at. He also has been drawing a few. He wins face-offs when called upon. I don’t know what the future holds for him in NYC. But I was happy to see him smile and get razzed by both Strome and Zibanejad.

What does this win mean? It was nice to see them bounce back after a hard loss. It’s exactly the kind of strong response that the Rangers must have to stay afloat. I would’ve loved to see the Kid Line of Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere get rewarded. Lafreniere came close prior to the Zibanejad heroics. He was set up in front. But a sliding Samsonov just got enough of his shot to send it wide. Kakko also had a great chance on front earlier in the contest. But his forehand deke was denied by an aggressive Samsonov. There also was a three-on-two rush where he wasn’t ready to shoot. Kakko must become more instinctive.

Overall, this is a good win that the Rangers can take with them. To prevail in a tight checking game where real estate was at a premium is a plus. It felt like something out of the John Tortorella Era. Sometimes, you have to rely on your defense and goalie to win low scoring close games. I think Steve Valiquette might’ve mentioned that on the postgame.

Give Kinkaid some kudos. He got it done. What a character too. You can tell how much be loves coming to the rink and playing. For Kinkaid. 👍😎🙌🖐⭐✨

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Pavel Buchnevich, NYR (11th goal plus 🍎, +2 in 19:59)

2nd 🌟 Mika Zibanejad, NYR (scored game-winner with 2:32 left in 3rd, plus 🍎, +2 in 21:30)

1st 🌟 Keith Kinkaid, NYR (28 saves including 11 of 12 in 3rd)

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Johnson’s season over following sports hernia surgery

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Derek

Jack Johnson has likely played his last game for the Rangers. Signed by the team for one year as a veteran presence to help offset the loss of Marc Staal, the 34-year old defenseman only got into 13 games for the team.

That was due to inconsistency and injuries which he apparently played through. The perplexing thing is when Johnson returned to the lineup out of necessity due to an injury to Anthony Bitetto and a Covid issue with K’Andre Miller, he was okay. However, coach David Quinn noted that Johnson was playing banged up. Maybe he never was fully healthy. If that’s the case, then he did the best he could.

That proved to be true. Yesterday, Johnson underwent successful sports hernia surgery. That according to TSN insider Darren Dreger. He is expected to make a full recovery this summer.

Is it the final time he’ll play in the NHL? It’s a good question. Considering the lack of mobility due to the physical style he’s played, Johnson might be obsolete in today’s game. At 34, the former 2005 number three pick of the Kings has played in 950 career games for four teams. They are the Kings, Blue Jackets, Penguins and Rangers.

If it is indeed over, Johnson finishes with 71 goals and 232 assists for 303 points and totaled 529 penalty minutes. In 30 postseason games, he performed well winding up with 21 points (5-16-21). The 21 came in his first 23 games including two years with the Kings and two years with the Blue Jackets. The last two were with the Pens.

Not a bad career for the 15-year veteran. Give him credit for playing hurt. Maybe Johnson wasn’t the most popular signing by the Rangers. But he always gave it his best. That’s all you can ask for. Best of luck to him in the future.

Posted in Battle News, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Blueshirts blow one in epic fashion to The Walking Dead, Ovechkin wills Caps to comeback win, Groundhog Day for Zibanejad and a wasted effort

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Derek

It takes a lot to get me angry. Last night’s game was one of those WTF just happened moments. For 53 minutes, the Rangers had complete control against a Walking Dead version of the Capitals. They so dominated at five-on-five that it seemed destined to be an easy Keith Kinkaid like shutout for Alex Georgiev.

Ultimately, Alexander Ovechkin had other ideas. His two identical goals on rebounds from in front against the Rangers top pair of Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren doomed them. Instead of following up a 9-0 rout of the Flyers with an impressive 1-0 shutout, the Blueshirts lost in epic fashion 2-1 to an all-time great in Ovechkin, who willed his dead team to a comeback victory at home.

This was indicative of what kind of season it’s been for the Rangers, who too often snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It was brutal. When you play as well as they did for so long with token resistance from their bewildered opponent that’s somehow in first place, it definitely had to stun the team. They got beat by a truly special superstar. There’s no shame in that. It’s just the way it happened nobody could’ve predicted. It was like March Madness. You had a couple of big upsets in the college basketball that rivaled it.

Okay. Maybe I’m exaggerating. To be blunt, these ’21 Rangers aren’t world beaters. They just got back to NHL .500 the other day by turning the Flyers into pumpkins. That was an anomaly. For starters, it was so uncompetitive that if it had been a prize fight, the referee would’ve stepped in and stopped it. They scored seven goals in the second period highlighted by Mika Zibanejad recording a natural hat trick and a record-tying six points in a period. Something that even impressed hated former Islanders legend Bryan Trottier. You knew that wasn’t going to happen again. To the Flyers’ credit, they went into Nassau Coliseum and got off the deck to beat the Islanders 4-3.

I know how this will sound. I don’t find the Caps all that impressive. Sure. They’re winning with regularity lately. That was their seventh in a row. You can’t argue with the results coach Peter Laviolette is getting. Most notably, Ovechkin is hot. You knew he’d heat up eventually. By scoring twice more after passing Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL all-time goal scoring list, he is now up to a five-game goal streak. Over that span, the Great Eight has six goals plus a helper giving him seven points. He has half of his 14 total goals since March 7. Ironically, that win over the Flyers started their winning streak.

It’s true. When Ovechkin scores, the Caps are a much better team. Prior to his recent tear, he wasn’t having a good season. But in the blink of an eye with the 35-year old legend, that sure changed. He’s one of the game’s most charismatic superstars. I also put him in the top five of greatest finishers. Rank them however you want. He’s up to 720 goals and counting. By tallying two more, Marcel Dionne is officially on notice. Ovechkin needs 11 to tie him for fifth all-time. Never underestimate Ovi.

I don’t often say this. But the only reason the Caps won the game was due to Ovechkin. He found a way to will his team to an undeserved victory. Great players often do. With the Rangers defense blanketing him in his office, he made a key adjustment to tie the game with 6:42 left and win it with 3:33 remaining in regulation. Twice over a 3:09 span, Ovechkin beat Fox and Lindgren to loose pucks for easy rebound goals. Although the latter wasn’t easy, he made it look that way. The essence of a great finisher.

It’s easy to pin this loss on Georgiev for the pair of rebounds he gave up. But on the first one, he was clearly screened and didn’t pick it up until it was too late. So, the rebound of a good Evgeny Kuznetsov shot (speaking of invisible players) was predictable. All Ovechkin did was spin-off Fox and outmaneuver him to find the loose change for the game-tying goal at 13:18. The second one was on Georgiev for failing to handle an unscreened John Carlson shot. Off his angle, he left a bad rebound for Ovechkin to scoop up and in one motion move to his backhand and put in with Lindgren unable to do anything.

It was sweet revenge for Ovechkin, who earlier in the game got absolutely leveled by a clean Lindgren hit that seemed to wake up the Caps. This was another one of those great open ice hits that became a story due to a complete overreaction from an opponent. Apparently, clean hard hits aren’t allowed in the modernized NHL anymore. With Ovechkin in a rare prone position, Lindgren separated him from the puck with a splendid body check right to the chest that broke his stick. Of course, he didn’t react to the hit, instead going to the bench for a change.

That’s because unlike so many of today’s soft as molasses players, Ovechkin is old school. He plays the game with ferocity. If he absorbs a big hit like he used to against Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, he’ll return the favor with the kind of wrecking ball hits that make him a fan favorite. No wonder I own a Russian Ovechkin jersey. It’s in По Русский! Not English. Ovi is easy to respect because he plays the game honestly. I wish I could echo the same for some of his teammates.

I’m referring to the annoying fraud Brenden Dillon. A big and strong defenseman who likes to deliver cheap hits like the one he deserved a penalty on earlier in the game, this fake tough guy had to respond to the Lindgren hit as if it was dirty. One thing about Lindgren, who predictably was cut by accident when he took a puck to the face while on the bench at the start of the second period. He is tough. There’s nothing fake about him. He hits hard and plays good hard-nosed physical hockey. He also can be accountable if necessary. He’s the opposite of Dillon. A veteran who sought retribution by exchanging words and going after Brendan Lemieux, who didn’t like it. Why he wound up with an identical unsportsmanlike conduct is beyond me. It was crappy officiating.

I’m glad both Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti called out the garbage thinking of these modern players. Rosen was incensed. It’s ridiculous that clean hits can’t be accepted without something foolish happening. What ever happened to responding by just hitting back on the next shift? The game is physical. There’s a big difference between a good old fashioned hit and one that crosses the line. I didn’t even think the heavy hit Tom Wilson delivered on Brandon Carlo was as bad as it was interpreted. On that subject, Wilson served the seventh and final game of his suspension mostly for reputation and for Carlo unfortunately being in a prone position with the big hit causing injury due to his head being exposed to the boards. Wilson is expected to return for the Caps in Saturday’s rematch.

I thought what Dillon did was completely uncalled for. He deserved the only penalty which would’ve gave the Rangers a power play. At the time, they were nursing a one-goal lead courtesy of a beauty from Artemi Panarin on the power play back in the first period. The goal was set up by Ryan Strome, who continues to produce.

With Nicklas Backstrom off for tripping Brett Howden for just his third minor penalty as noted on the Washington feed which I watched for that period, a Fox shot hit the crossbar past Vitek Vanecek. The puck came right to Strome, who made a perfect pass across for a Panarin one-timer that just snuck by Vanecek, who got a piece of it. It gave Panarin goals in three straight. In four games since he returned from his mysterious Russian exile due to the garbage rumor his former scrub coach made up, the Bread Man has been brilliant. He has seven points (3-4-7) and trails leading scorer Pavel Buchnevich by a point for the team lead. For the season, Panarin is 8-17-25 in 18 games. He’s played in 87 games as a Ranger during the regular season and registered 40 goals with 80 assists for an impressive total of 120 points. The Wonder Bread Man delivers.

If there was a sore spot in a well played game for our side, it was the lack of finish from Zibanejad. He really needed to follow up his big game with another goal, assist. Instead, it was back to business as usual. Despite getting some ‘good looks,’ he couldn’t put the puck past Vanecek, who had a great game. He finished with 32 saves. That included some big ones on Zibanejad, Strome, Fox and Jacob Trouba. Even his first save was a good one when he denied a pinching Brendan Smith off a good Strome pass from behind the net halfway through the first.

Regarding Zibanejad, he drew a penalty and had three shots. His line with Buchnevich and Chris Kreider buzzed during shifts. But never created a goal. He also had a great chance on a power play in the third. With the team still ahead by one, Strome made a sneaky good pass in front for Zibanejad, but his deflection wasn’t on net. If he hits it, they score and go up 2-0. It’s probably a different result. That power play came early on in the momentum turning third. He drew the tripping minor on the loathsome Dillon 31 seconds in. He had the one good chance and blew it. Strome put the puck exactly where it needed to be. Like Groundhog Day for Zibanejad. He might be the Swedish version of classic Bill Murray character Phil Connors. If I were him, I’d destroy my alarm clock and shatter 100 sticks. They aren’t working with regularity. I hate the song, “I Got You Babe.” Sorry Sonny and Cher. It’s the movie.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the Kid Line had some good shifts early. Kaapo Kakko actually had more than a shot on goal. He wound up with three including a tricky wrist shot from the right circle turning into a tough Vanecek save. He was better. If only Alexis Lafreniere had made a better saucer pass for an open Kakko in the first. It would’ve been a breakaway. Instead, it was behind him and he couldn’t handle it. It was like a hot grenade. The Caps feed mentioned that Lafreniere practiced that exact pass before the game with better success. Oy. Do it in a game and it could lead to a goal. Production remains an issue for the two youngest players.

Here’s the frustrating aspect of Friday night. At one point, the Caps were held to 11 shots. They hardly tested Georgiev, who made a couple of good saves in the first two periods. The second was so strange that it felt like an exhibition. There was hardly anything happening until Lindgren caught Ovechkin. Then Dillon acted like a punk. Lemieux let him know about it. The refs then butchered it. Because why the heck not. It’s sickening that this is what passes for hockey. What a bunch of chicken crap. You can tell the mood I’m in when I am so blunt. It really ticks me off. Imagine how Ron Duguay feels. He had a tweet that indicated positivity on how well the Rangers were playing. I responded. Unfortunately, my reply turned out to be prophetic.

It isn’t so much that I thought he was wrong. They played that well overall. From a defensive standpoint, they gave the Caps nothing. But for whatever reason, you had the fourth line out for both Ovechkin goals. I believe Laviolette had Ovechkin double shift to gain an edge. The Rangers still had the top pair out. They just didn’t get it done. You don’t expect Ovechkin to get his goals in front like that. But there’s a reason he is sixth all-time.

It’s not good that Howden, Lemieux and the normally reliable Kevin Rooney wound up on for both goals against. Especially over three minutes apart. Was it just Laviolette getting a match-up on the fly? He has the last change. If you don’t think that stuff matters, then you don’t know hockey. Ovechkin still victimized Fox by out-Foxing him. And he got the better of Lindgren on the bad rebound Georgiev left to exact revenge on the scoreboard. That is how you get the ultimate payback.

I can’t speak for other fans or bloggers like my good buddy Sean McCaffrey of BlueCollarBlueshirts.com. If you want as honest a take on these games along with the sarcasm mixed in with classic Photoshops and lots of history on our team, Sean is worth the read. He doesn’t pull any punches. His blogs also go longer and into every fine detail including his love for Statmastah Steve Valiquette. 😁 When it comes to staterrific and scienterrific along with Chartographology which are three words I invented due to my good friendship with JPG, Sean absolutely loves Valiquette’s approach to analyzing these manifestos. If you don’t know by now I’m kidding, then you don’t get my sarcasm.

Following the second Ovechkin rebound goal with 3:33 left, the Blueshirts were shell shocked. They were done. There was no chance they were tying it. You could tell by how they reacted to it. It was the Caps who kept attacking with their checking line generating a good chance that a sprawling Georgiev stopped to at least give his team an opportunity.

However, he didn’t get to the bench until less than a minute was left. The Blueshirts were so bad at the end, it made me wonder if they will ever score a six-on-five goal to force overtime. They suck at it. This was organized chaos. Only 47 seconds were left when the extra attacker came on. And no. Kris Knoblauch didn’t send out Kakko, who I actually thought had his best game in weeks. If you never give him the chance, how will he ever grow as a player?

I honestly agree with New York Post columnist Larry Brooks. He wrote a scathing column that was extremely truthful about where this team is. The kids need to be put in a better position to succeed. Forget the playoffs. Anyone who actually thinks that’s realistic hasn’t paid attention. This team has messed up so many winnable games that you’d have to be high as a kite to believe they’re going to catch Boston and finish in the top four. They’re not beating out the Islanders, Caps or Pens. And you know Boston will swing a trade to bolster their paper thin scoring after the Perfection Line.

The truth is this is still about the younger players and where they are in their development. As much as everyone wants to crown Fox and Lindgren, games like tonight happen. Call it unlucky. Call it whatever you will. Or maybe call it the Rangers firing blanks when they should’ve buried the so-called playoff contending Caps. They match-up well with them. This should’ve been win number three of three. Instead, it’s a bad loss. The fourth meeting is later today at 7 PM.

Igor Shestyorkin is close to returning. If there’s a God, he’ll be back in net because they need him. I know a lot has been made of his injuries. Don’t forget they didn’t start until that very unlucky car accident. One where we should thank our lucky stars both him and Buchnevich were alright. Afterwards, there was the mysterious injury that kept him out of two games versus the Hurricanes in the Preliminary Series. Then the mild groin strain sustained when he tried to get across on a Damon Severson chance. Blame the defense for that. They took the last few minutes off in a blowout win.

We do need to see Shestyorkin at 100 percent playing the bulk of the starts. That way we can find out if he can handle a workload. He’s clearly the best goalie they have. If he’s not ready, it’s a flip of the coin between Georgiev and Keith Kinkaid. That doesn’t inspire much confidence. At 12-13-4, it is what it is.

It’ll once again be Knoblauch with Gord Murphy and Associate GM Chris Drury running the bench with David Quinn and his coaching staff unavailable due to COVID Protocol. We’ll see if they make any changes. Maybe we see Julien Gauthier get back in.

That’s all for now. See you later.

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Devil news and notes in another lost season

Posted on March 19, 2021 by hasan4978

In a season unlike any other this schedule still feels weird. On the one hand I feel like we got swept by the Rangers a month ago because of all the games that have been played, but it’s only been two weeks. That’s what happens when you play *checks notes* seven games in just under two weeks. Predictably the Islanders were the Globetrotters to our Washington Generals in a three-game washout last weekend. Of course all the games were close, the Islanders don’t have a great offense (even before losing Anders Lee for the season) and play close games. And we obviously should have won the third game with no fewer than two disallowed goals.

I didn’t really see either, but the one that overturned our apparent OT winner last Sunday was the NHL’s new ‘replay for a half millimeter offside’ rule that reduces scoring and fixes a problem that wasn’t really an issue to begin with. As much as I think it’s a pointless rule, I could do nothing but laugh when I saw Twitter going nuts over the disallowed goal. Let’s face it, losing teams find ways to lose games. Especially against teams building a winning culture like the Islanders now. Tomorrow’s matinee against the Penguins marks the official halfway point of our season and we’re twelve points out of a playoff spot. Even with such a long break between games and another one looming soon enough, there’s just no motivation for me to watch right now.

It’s been said before that if you’re an owner, you would rather have your fans be emotionally nuts as opposed to apathetic. I’ve pretty much reached the apathy stage with the Devils right now and I’m sure I’m not alone. I came to that realization when it dawned on me that I haven’t really ranted a lot on the team this year. Of course part of that is probably due to the fact I’m not as emotionally invested without having to go to games this year. That’s gonna be a real problem once this pandemic is over, re-engaging your fanbase on a personal level. YouTube videos and podcasts aren’t enough, as cool as the interviews and the postgames can be, nothing replaces live action with the fan camraderie. You feel more invested with the team when you are investing time and money in seeing them play.

To be fair there’s also an implicit understanding (at least for me) in how annoyed can you really be when 80% of the team had COVID not that long ago and 100% of them are affected by this crazy post-break schedule? You can’t properly evaluate anyone with this schedule, and especially considering the lack of different teams we’re playing. Are we as bad as we are because we’re still god-awful, or does this division make us even look worse than we are? Probably the truth is some combination of the two. However much you want to excuse the Devils’ performance due to COVID, the schedule, the toughness of the MassMetrowhatever division, this is another season where trade deadline day is going to be our highlight until the lottery, and it just sucks whatever the reason. This team may deserve some slack but I find myself not wanting to give it to them because this season is just more crap piled on top of our post-Lou loserdom.

I’m not here to rant about how we should never have let Lou Lamoriello go, I acknowledge things got stale here, he was slow to adjust to the post-2005 NHL and too wedded to guys who had won for him (chief among them head scout David Conte) to make necessary changes. Lou didn’t want to admit this team needed a rebuild or a philosophy change – and he wasn’t going to stick around for a rebuild either. That said, getting in trouble with a win-now philosophy beats the alternative which is the last several years, particularly 2020 and 2021. Guys who should have been part of the solution as we finally turned back into a winner – Taylor Hall, Blake Coleman, now perhaps Kyle Palmieri – are just being flipped for more futures as we kick the can further down the road.

If I am gonna rant on anything now, it’s the blase nature of two straight years where we don’t even attempt to sign guys, we just run the clock down toward the deadline and look to flip them. I get the whole ‘you never want to overpay for guys on the back end of their career’ moneyball philosophy in a salary cap league but at some point when you’re losing talent faster than you replace it, it’s penny wise and pound foolish to just continually boot guys out the door when their contracts expire. Especially when you need talent to help the development of the under-28 brigade you ostensibly want to build around.

I also recognize they were probably right to cash out on Hall, his stats have declined post-injury and he’s had an awful year in Buffalo (who hasn’t?). Clearly they got more than they had any right to expect in a Coleman trade in terms of potential future value but ultimately that’s all it is right now, potential. That said, when you look at the fact we’re rolling out a rookie fifth round pick and a Carolina castoff in our top six and cursing the fact that ubertalented Jack Hughes has no wingers to pass to, you wonder what we’re doing here. That’s not to pick on Yegor Sharangovich or Janne Kuokkanen, who’ve both shown they have talent enough to play in the league. But if you’re trying to build around Hughes and Nico Hischier – who’s still in the Bermuda Triangle of injuries at this point – you would at some point in the near future want wingers that can consistently score at the end of their passes, no? Having developmental wingers for your developmental centers isn’t exactly the best way to…develop either.

Which brings me to Palmieri. Sure, he just turned 30 this year and he’s had a very meh year to put it mildly with four goals and thirteen points in twenty-six games. This is a guy that usually is good for around 25 goals and 50-55 points a season, which isn’t something you can say about any other winger on our roster at the moment. Even Jesper Bratt hasn’t hit 20 goals or 40 points yet in his career and his advanced stats belie his actual lack of production (one goal in 21 games so far this year). Maybe Pavel Zacha now that he’s moved off center can become a winger who can score with seven goals and seventeen points in twenty-six games. Everyone else is either potential or future stock. And after last year’s deadline, GM Tom Fitzgerald was effusive in his praise of Palmieri. But that hasn’t translated into any kind of real movement toward a contract after this season.

Since the Atlantic’s a pay site I’ll summarize it this way: Fitz is still a Palmieri fan but if you read between the lines it seems as if he’d prefer a shorter-term deal (what GM wouldn’t?) while player and agent would want a longer-term one – again not a shocker, hence the standoff, albeit one where both sides have said there’s been total transparency. Fitz also mentioned what the market would look like this offseason while we’re still trying to get out of a COVID world with a flat cap in the NHL. Much of what both sides say sounds good on paper. What bugs me – besides the no wingers for Jack and Nico problem – is we’ve been sitting on cap space for multiple years waiting for the right time, the right players to use it on and that time never seems to come. And we still wind up with unused cap space and holes to fill.

When it’s all said and done, we’re going to have more holes than we did two years ago and again, we’re losing talent faster than it’s coming in. That isn’t a good place to be after you’ve ostensibly been rebuilding for the better part of six years and your roster’s only getting younger. Fitz says he knows we need vets to help the kids, but we’re coming up on a deadline where a bunch of vets are likely to be out the door. Palmieri’s just the biggest name on the trade block, but defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Ryan Murray, franchise stalwart Travis Zajac and another guy we’d once pegged as a hopeful top six winger (Nikita Gusev) are also likely on the block themselves as their contracts expire. Perhaps that’s also part of my apathy this year, I know at least a third of the roster is basically dead man walking anyway.

It’s the possible departure of Palmieri that cuts the deepest though, especially with him being a local guy who’s handled himself in a first-class manner and has been a bright spot in some dark days for this franchise. Maybe management will be right about the market, and Palmieri won’t get longer-term deals this offseason – his chances for that are declining the longer his slump lasts – but I doubt he’ll come back here on a shorter-term one. Other than the local angle what’s the draw for signing a one-year deal here as opposed to with an actual contender where he can have a deep playoff run for the first time since his early career in Anaheim?

At some point we don’t see the forest for the trees and account for the human angle or intangibles, in the obsessive quest to worry about our 2025 cap and only pay what a guy is worth for as finite a term as possible. It’s doubly silly to worry about the cap three and four years down the road when it’s not like free agents are just flocking to come here anyway. Even in the best of times we had to overpay to get free agents and seldom got the first-choice ones. Truly a far cry from the days where when one-time beat guy Tom Gulitti queried Lou about his cap problems, Lou deadpanned ‘don’t worry about my cap’.

I do credit current GM Fitzgerald on one thing – he’s at least tried to address the lack of scoring winger problem longer-term by drafting Alexander Holtz with the first of his three first-rounders this year, and also trading for Nolan Foote as a part of the Coleman deal. It’s not likely either will be a real factor before 2022-23 though, if they can even live up to their draft billing and skillset at the NHL level. It’s just hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel overall at this point, after our fluke start this season’s lived down to my expectations and next year doesn’t look any better either. Am I supposed to get excited we actually won two meaningless games in a row over the Sabres (finally) and Penguins?

Especially when we didn’t exactly walk away unscathed from the latter with Zacha and Nathan Bastian getting injuries during the game, while Mackenzie Blackwood aggravated an apparently existing issue in warmups and had to miss his start, which is also insane. You’re in an already lost season and are letting one of your keys for the future play hurt?! We are literally bad enough to get coaches fired – ask Ralph Kreuger. At least they finally broke their insane home losing streak, whoopdie damn doo. Maybe the two wins in a row will get me to watch some more this weekend at least although it’s depressing when even your wins are littered with carnage.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Saint Patty’s Day Philadelphia Massacre: Zibanejad’s record-tying six points in a period lead the Rangers to a 9-0 laugher over awful Flyers

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Derek

This had a familiar feel to it. It was 14 years to the day that something very similar happened at Madison Square Garden. The only difference is we were there for it. The Rangers version of the Boston Massacre occurred on March 17, 2007. On that Saint Patty’s Day, the ’06-07 Rangers won 7-0 over the Bruins with future captain Ryan Callahan scoring his first two goals and having one of three fights.

Last night’s version of the Philadelphia Massacre was even better. Or worse if you root for the other side. In as one-sided a game as there could be, the Rangers humiliated the Flyers on national TV by a 9-0 knockout victory at 33rd and 8th. To think that this was broadcast on NBC Sports Network by a national audience. It conjured up images of the last ever game Patrick Roy played for the Canadiens when the Red Wings destroyed them at Montreal on ESPN.

How much emphasis should there be on one game? The convincing win brought the Blueshirts back to NHL .500 at 12-12-4. With exactly 28 points at the halfway point of the abbreviated 56-game season, they are within three of the reeling Flyers for fifth in the East Division. But still trail fourth place Boston by six with the Bruins having a game at hand. Each team has 10 regulation wins as do the Flyers, who look to be headed in the wrong direction under familiar coach Alain Vigneault. The Capitals and Islanders sit comfortably at 42 points apiece in the top two spots while the Penguins have 37 in 29 games played.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, the Rangers need to have a big weekend against the Caps. If they can over 24 hours on Friday and Saturday night, only then can we take them seriously. While it’s true they won the first two meetings versus Washington, the Caps are playing better now that Alexander Ovechkin is heating up. He passed Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL all-time list with his 718th goal in a victory over the Islanders. He also became the 35th ever NHL player to reach 1,300 points. The upcoming games in DC should be interesting.

The biggest story to come out of Wednesday’s game was the record setting performance from Mika Zibanejad. He tied an NHL record by putting up six points in a period. It took place in a lopsided second that saw the Rangers put up a touchdown and extra point on a dreadful Flyers, who went through the motions. This was every bit as eye opening as it seemed. In a word, shocking. In all my years following the sport which included some awful Ranger teams during the Dark Ages (’97-98 through ’03-04), I’ve never seen a team play worse hockey than last night.

Prior to his six-point eruption that included a natural hat trick on goals four, five and six in the unbelievable second period, Zibanejad had been Missing Mika. He entered with only three goals including one at five-on-five. By night’s end, he scored one shorthanded, one on the power play and one at even strength to turn the trick over a 10:10 dominant span. The six points rivaled his remarkable five-goal, six point game that beat the Capitals last year with Zibanejad Capping it off in epic fashion by scoring his record fifth in overtime on a breakaway. That was a great game won by the Rangers 6-5 before the pandemic stopped play later that week.

If you wanted an idea of what was to come, look no further than the first period. After missing the first part of it due to a run at the store where they didn’t give me a paper bag for the food I picked up until I asked (typical New York State bull shit), I got back in time to see the Rangers up 1-0. Adam Fox had skated past invisible Flyers to set up topflight finisher Rod Gilbert Brendan Lemieux for an easy goal into an open side with Brian Elliott helpless. He’d get used to that feeling as would replacement Carter Hart. Neither Flyer goalie got any help at all. It was embarrassing.

A few minutes while watching the second period called by Kenny Albert, some more awful Philadelphia defense allowed Ryan Strome to come off the wall and easily pass across for a quick Artemi Panarin one-timer that went top shelf for a 2-0 lead at 14:47. It gave him goals in two straight and continued his good run. Since returning to the lineup, the Bread Man has six points (2-4-6) in three games. He is still as lethal as ever. But on a night he had a goal and helper, he was outshined by Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich.

Following a first period in which they scored twice on six shots with the Flyers actually having an 8-6 edge, the Rangers exploded for a ridiculous seven goals to deal their Philly rival their most lopsided defeat against our team. This was assault and battery. The hockey version consisted of a relentless Blueshirts attack turning the Flyers into ghosts. It’s a good thing for them it wasn’t a home game. Imagine Gritty. What can I say? I love Gritty. The Flyers have the best mascot going for them.

You could tell from the first shift what kind of period the second would be. After almost setting up a goal, Buchnevich was the beneficiary when he was left wide open for a perfect Zibanejad feed from behind the net for an easy finish at 1:38. On the play, Zibanejad took Phillipe Myers off the puck like he was a traffic cone and then set up Buchnevich for his ninth. Myers and partner Travis Sanheim had a night to forget with each on for six goals against, meaning they both were minus-six. I don’t know how that’s possible. But it was on March 17, 2021. Corned beef and cabbage with a pint of Guinness for everyone who cheered the Rangers. If you rooted for the Flyers, you might’ve spit out your food or gone for double shots of Bushmills.

Two minutes following that goal, the madness continued. On just another dominant shift by the top line, Zibanejad and Jacob Trouba combined to feed Buchnevich at the top. He had his shot pass for Chris Kreider bank off a Flyer skate past Elliott to make it 4-0 at 3:38.

Even a Flyers power play couldn’t swing the momentum. Instead, Alex Georgiev made the save of the game when he flat out robbed Nolan Patrick of a sure goal. Joel Farabee sold it well and made a great pass across for what looked like an easy finish for Patrick. Instead, I watched in shock as a sprawling Georgiev got across in time to make a great pad stop to deny the bid. It proved to be gigantic because the Rangers came back down and erased any doubt about the game.

On an easy transition with token resistance, Zibanejad over skated behind the net, but drew three Flyers. He wisely sent a back pass to a pinching Trouba for his first of the season. Yes. Even Trouba got into the act by hitting the back of the net on the sweet Zibanejad feed. Buchnevich started the scoring play to earn an assist, giving him three points. That was enough for Elliott, who mercifully allowed five goals on 13 shots. Hart replaced him. The fun wasn’t over.

With Ryan Lindgren in the box for slashing Farabee, the Flyers handed Zibanejad his first goal while on the penalty kill. On just a brutal turnover off a face-off win, Zibanejad stole the puck inside the Rangers blue line and scored an unassisted shorthanded goal on the first shot Hart saw eight seconds into the Flyers power play. Previously this year, he’s had all sorts of problems finishing on breakaways. This time, he didn’t miss with a nice forehand deke and tuck to make it 6-0 at 8:27. It was at this point where I wondered what I was watching.

The lack of effort from the Flyers was truly astonishing. It was as if they had quit on Vigneault. I wondered why he never used a timeout. But that’s how he coaches. I probably would’ve lifted Elliott at 4-0 down. Not that it would’ve mattered. But the lackadaisical defense was an eerie reminder of what happened to the Rangers under Vigneault in the last two seasons. That the Flyers are already looking so lost in only Year Two after a successful ’19-20 has to sound off the alarms in Philadelphia. This is the kind of game that gets a coach fired. They’re obviously not going to do it yet. But if they keep this dog and pony act up with three straight coming versus the Islanders, yikes.

The period still wasn’t over. On a power play, Zibanejad took a Panarin pass and got behind the Flyers penalty kill to score his second consecutive goal. He went upstairs on a passive Hart, who stayed two far back in his net to leave high glove open. That’s the sign of a fragile goalie who hasn’t found his game. He certainly was helpless and must’ve thought he was seeing Rangers everywhere like a Bugs Bunny episode.

Late in the period, there were more Zibanejad theatrics. This time, he was able to finish off a pass from Kreider to complete the hat trick at 18:37. Buchnevich drew the other assist giving him a career high four points (2-2-4). Yes. There were some hats tossed on the Garden ice with fans in the building. It paled in comparison to that memorable five-goal game where he outdueled Ovechkin. If ever a player needed this kind of game, it was Zibanejad. What it could do for his confidence might be the magical spark this team needs. As slim as their playoff hopes are, a hot Zibanejad with Panarin, Kreider and Buchnevich would be hard to stop. Especially with Strome proving last season wasn’t a fluke. He added two assists as well to give him 22 points.

Just imagine if they could somehow get anything out of Kaapo Kakko. It’s sad that he had no points and one shot in over 14 minutes. At least he was on for a goal. With less than a minute left, Alexis Lafreniere sent Libor Hajek in for a quick transition. He had Filip Chytil wide open for another easy finish past a shell shocked Hart at 19:39. It gave Chytil his fourth. He has five points (2-3-5) in nine games this month since returning. He continues to grow.

Aside from The In-Grate One, Lemieux doing Lemieux things at the conclusion of the dominant period, the Flyers were punchless. They showed no fight. No response. This might be the softest batch of Flyers I’ve ever seen. There is plenty of skill which Vigneault teams always have. But nobody fights. That philosophy was an unpopular one here. There’s no way you don’t need some grit and character in your lineup. The Flyers have been synonymous with it forever. Not anymore. Maybe the Flyers should be sponsored by Soft Batch cookies. Imagine Gritty showing off his cookies during a segment. It would be priceless.

The third period was so useless, it’s not worth recapping. Nothing happened. The Rangers wisely called off the dogs and didn’t try too hard to further humiliate the Flyers. Had they, it probably would’ve just set off frustration. They still have to see the Flyers four more times. Better to just play clean hockey and not run it up like that funny coach in The Mighty Ducks. At least Gordon Bombay got even in the end.

So, what else is left to say? Well, Georgiev came back and pitched a shutout. He did stop all 26 shots he faced and had to feel better about his game. I know it was a blowout. But he made some good saves with none better than the sparkler against Patrick. It was his sixth career shutout. Unless Igor Shestyorkin is ready, you stick with Georgiev for Part I of the Caps double dip.

Let’s see what happens. As far as not having David Quinn behind the bench with his staff due to COVID Protocol, they didn’t miss a beat. The bottom line here is the players played well and made life very easy on Kris Knoblauch, Gord Murphy and Chris Drury. It must’ve felt like coaching peewee. A 9-0 rout in an NHL game. That rarely happens.

So do six-point periods. Zibanejad matched Bryan Trottier, who also put up six in a period versus the Rangers in 1978. As critical as I’ve been with Zibanejad, he has now recorded two six-point games in a year. That is crazy. For Mika, it’s about consistency. While it’s true he was starting to look like his old self picking up assists, the goal scoring department had been severely lacking. If he’s truly back, it’ll continue at Washington. They’re not a defensive juggernaut either. There should be plenty of offense.

I would say more. But it’s late. I visited our friend who celebrated his birthday on Saint Pat’s. Pretty cool stuff. I know two people who have birthdays on Irish Day. For Blueshirt fans, it was green with envy. My one Guinness Stout tasted good while enjoying this ass kicking.

It really happened. They really won 9-0 over the Flyers. Forgive me while I pinch myself. Until later. It’s been fun.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Jacob Trouba, NYR (1st goal of season plus 🍎, +4 in 19:50)

2nd 🌟 Pavel Buchnevich, NYR (2 goals plus 2 🍎 for a career high four points, +5 in 17:09)

1st 🌟 Mika Zibanejad, NYR (natural hat trick and a NHL record-tying six points in a period, +5 in 18:23, 12 of 18 on draws)

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Quinn and coaching staff on COVID Protocol, Fox and Buchnevich return

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Derek

Two hours before tonight’s game, there is more news involving the Rangers. When they play the Flyers for the second time in three nights, they’ll be without the entire coaching staff.

Coach David Quinn along with assistants Jacques Martin, David Oliver and Greg Brown will be out due to COVID Protocol. In their place will be Hartford Wolfpack coach Kris Knoblauch, Gord Murphy and Associate GM Chris Drury. Knoblauch will be the acting coach for tonight’s game.

As the Covid turns, both Adam Fox and Pavel Buchnevich were removed from the Protocol. They’ll each return to the lineup.

There isn’t much to add. Getting Fox back solidifies a defense that struggled on Monday night. Particularly the K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba pairing. Without Fox, the team allowed two power play goals and weren’t as good defensively at even strength. The power play also stunk.

Getting Buchnevich back should really boost the top line which had a bad game in the 5-4 overtime loss. Kaapo Kakko was so bad that he was demoted to the third line in favor of Alexis Lafreniere. Buchnevich’s return can allow Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider to play together with their top right wing, who’s tied with Artemi Panarin in scoring with 22 points.

Figure Kakko and Lafreniere to drop back down to line three with Filip Chytil, who had a good game the other day. As for who comes out, that remains to be seen. Both Brett Howden and Brendan Lemieux combined for a Kevin Rooney goal. Julien Gauthier scored a beauty. He also took three penalties including a hi-sticking double minor on Claude Giroux that allowed the Flyers to tie the score. It looks like he’s out.

It’ll be an interesting decision. Figure Tarmo Reunanen will come out of the lineup despite recording his first NHL assist on an Artemi Panarin goal. One other note. Anthony Bitetto returned to practice yesterday. So, he’s getting closer.

Alex Georgiev gets the start in net. It’s an opportunity to get back on track. His struggles have been well documented. The Rangers need him to be steady and make the key saves. Keith Kinkaid backs up.

The game can be seen exclusively on NBCSN at 7:30 EST. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! ☘

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

Voracek burns Rangers in a frustrating overtime loss

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Derek

This one is hard to explain. Not so much because the Rangers blew a chance at two points. But just how unpredictable and frustrating the 5-4 overtime loss was to the equally Jekyll and Hyde Flyers at Madison Square Garden.

It was a tale of two very different games in the third meeting of eight between the classic Patrick Division rivals. There was the first part which the Flyers dominated rather quickly by getting the first two goals on Keith Kinkaid within a 1:18 span. Both a result of some hideous defensive play and a lost face-off. Stuff that can’t happen if you want to get back in the division playoff race.

Then there was the crazy second part that saw the Blueshirts wake up and take it to the Flyers by scoring three in a row on a shocked Carter Hart over a 7:04 span. They totally reversed course to take a one-goal lead and could’ve had more. Instead, a stick foul resulted in a critical tying power play goal that set the stage for more bizarre play ahead.

The third part was a rare sight with the fourth line putting the Rangers back ahead before yet another undisciplined stick foul allowed the Flyers to tie it up again. Deadlocked, another bad stick foul almost turned into disaster for the Rangers, who thankfully realized the apparent go-ahead power play goal was offside. A successful challenge that was easy to notice even after seeing it live. How the four officials didn’t is beyond me. But they didn’t have a good night and neither did either team.

The final part was mystifying. You had whoever the three skaters wearing Broadway Blueshirts dominating puck possession in a lopsided three-on-three overtime. Only they kept skating, passing, skating, passing and resetting. There was hardly any shooting. Eventually, it led to the Flyers scoring on their one opportunity that left a bitter taste.

It really summed up the season. Twenty-seven games in, this is who the Rangers are. It was all rolled into one for 63:47 until Jakub Voracek ended it by beating Kinkaid badly on a clean breakaway to end it in favor of the Flyers, who were all smiles. Why not. They got away with one. I have no idea how that team with their talent can play such a sloppy game. They did and won to inch closer to the slumping Bruins (4-1 losers to the Pens).

Before breaking this one down, I want to note five key skaters for our side that really fell short in Monday night’s latest one-goal defeat.

93 Zibanejad 0-0-0 -3 2 SOG

20 Kreider 0-0-0 -2 3 SOG

24 Kakko 0-0-0 -2 0 SOG

79 Miller 0-0-0 -1 1 SOG

8 Trouba 0-0-0 -1 3 SOG

Those five Rangers were the only minuses in this crucial game if you are waving the pom poms like Sam and Joe. If you’re like me, you know better. However, like I told someone the other day, these were the two games to show something. They already lost one even though the Flyers tried their best to hand it to them. Screw the brownie point. That’s for losers.

Out of the five players listed above, only Chris Kreider had a good game. He ran into some rotten luck by hitting two goalposts on perfect high shots that had Hart beaten. He also was denied by Hart on some crazy Harlem Globetrotters passing from first star Artemi Panarin and the exasperating Mika Zibanejad. Had Kreider finished there or on one of the other scoring chances, we’re not talking about a loss. He gives it his all. I got nothing to say about Zibanejad. Regarding K’Andre Miller, he had a very bad game after the very good one on Saturday. Jacob Trouba just happens to be his defense partner. He wasn’t great either.

Everyone knew the team had a built-in excuse if they didn’t win. No Adam Fox and no Pavel Buchnevich. But by now, Kaapo Kakko should be able to score regularly. That he isn’t is becoming increasingly worrisome. He wasn’t even a factor with coach David Quinn removing him from the first line in favor of top pick Alexis Lafreniere, who also went without a shot despite creating a couple of good opportunities. At least you noticed him. Kakko stunk. This was a significant step back for the all but invisible second pick. Why can’t he figure it out? It’s to the point where I want Vitaly Kravtsov to play ahead of him. He has two weeks to change that opinion.

Would anyone take Kakko over Kirby Dach now? Anyone. He’s a center and once he returns to the Blackhawks, you know he won’t disappear. He uses his size and speed. I wish Kakko did. He needs to show something these last 29 games. I’m tired of him not scoring or getting enough shots on net. For all the improvements with the skating and strength, he has to start justifying why he went number two in 2019. I bet Kravtsov fares better. He’s a year older and played in a better pro league.

There’s no doubt they missed the smooth skating Fox, who’s in COVID protocol with Buchnevich and Phil Di Giuseppe. For how long nobody knows. Let’s hope those are the only cases. Fox was sorely missed on the power play and penalty kill which nearly gave up three Flyers power play goals. Special teams got burned literally. The Rangers went 0-for-3 on the power play while the Flyers were 2-for-5 despite not having a great man-advantage. Burn the statistics. It meant nothing. The same for whatever cheesy stat MSG Network put up to jinx them. They didn’t do a good job.

At the start, the Rangers looked lethargic. It was all Flyers early on. They took advantage of a defensive breakdown to go up 1-0. On a mistimed Miller step up on Justin Braun in the neutral zone, Braun was able to chip the puck to Joel Farabee to create a two-on-one. With no Rangers forward getting back, that left only Trouba in no man’s land. Farabee made a perfect chip pass over to James van Riemsdyk, who buried the chance for his 13th at 3:47. It was way too easy.

It didn’t take long for the Flyers to increase the lead to two. Only 78 seconds later, Sean Couturier beat Zibanejad so easily back to Ivan Provorov that he had enough time to skate and pick his spot with a seeing eye wrist shot going underneath Kinkaid’s arm far side at 5:05. It was definitely one he’d want back. Even if it was a good shot from Provorov, who notched his fourth from Couturier.

There really was nothing happening in the first period for the Blueshirts, who looked out of sorts. They barely tested a struggling Hart, who’s had a nightmarish season. He’s been alternating starts with veteran Brian Elliott. We’ll see if Alain Vigneault comes back with Hart again with his starter finally getting a win. Vigneault’s team is a mess. They’re very healthy now. But play so loose that it reminds me of the end of his run on Broadway. They can dominate for stretches with their offense. Then look like they’ve never played together like the awful second period where they were dominated.

Whatever they weren’t in the first 20 minutes, the Rangers were the polar opposite in the second. Picking up the pace and physical play with birthday boy Brendan Lemieux mixing it up on an early shift along with Brett Howden, they were way more engaged. Suddenly, it was the home team forechecking vigorously and controlling the play.

The game was played almost exclusively at five-on-five. Advantage Blueshirts. They began to dictate the terms. Julien Gauthier got a good chance on Hart, who stopped him on a power move. Gauthier was back in the lineup after sitting out the last two games. He is an intriguing player due to his combination of size and speed. He had a good offensive game, but took two ill advised hi-sticking penalties that really hurt. I like how he plays. But he better learn to control his stick.

Artemi Panarin was terrific in a three-goal second period. Playing for the second time and first on home ice since returning, he really played well. The Bread Man got on the score sheet when he finished off a pretty cross-ice feed from rookie defenseman Tarmo Reunanen at 8:12. The play started in transition with Ryan Strome getting the puck to Reunanen, who recorded his first point in his NHL debut. He didn’t even get nine minutes of ice-time due to all the penalties. But he did nothing wrong while paired with veteran Brendan Smith, who had himself a game.

A few shifts later, Smith caught the Flyers napping. Making a great stretch pass for Panarin, he took off and made a sweet dish across for a Colin Blackwell one-timer that was in the back of the net so fast, I don’t think Hart had time to react. Wow. Was it a great play. Panarin on such plays is automatic. He made such a bullet pass that it was in the perfect spot for Blackwell, who got his sixth at 10:52 to tie the score. He makes things happen. Why Quinn ever sat him I’ll never understand. He’s making a strong case to stay. Imagine Blackwell in a fourth line role. He’s a good secondary player. A great find by GM Jeff Gorton.

While the Flyers seemed to be suffering from whatever bug the Rangers had in the opening period, it was New York that continued to roll. The turnaround continued thanks to Gauthier. After having been robbed by Hart earlier, he wouldn’t be denied this time. With Panarin still on, he made a good pass for Filip Chytil, who I felt was one of the best Rangers. He created offense all game, even making some stellar defensive plays. Chytil passed the puck to Gauthier at the Flyers blue line. He flat out dusted Shayne Gostisbehere, turning on the afterburners to break in on Hart and beat Hart with a nifty backhand for his second goal at 15:16.

As great a scoring play and goal as it was for Gauthier, he then accidentally got a piece of Travis Konecny while trying to get the puck. That proved costly. Only nine seconds into the five-on-four, Claude Giroux fed Farabee for a quick one-timer that went high short side on Kinkaid to tie it up at three with 1:24 left. It was a great shot. Obviously, you don’t want to give up the short side. Something we’re seeing goalies do with more regularity. Shooters are picking that spot. If you watch NHL Network, then you know it’s become the new five-hole. It was Farabee’s 12th from Giroux and Voracek.

Then things got interesting. With under 30 seconds remaining, Smith absolutely leveled Giroux with a clean shoulder hit that knocked down the Flyers leader. Predictably, he was met with animosity from Nolan Patrick, who basically instigated stuff. I understand why he went after Smith. But if we’re being honest here, this is exactly what I hate about today’s game. Why should a player face fake tough guys following such a good hit. It was a good check right to Giroux’s shoulder. He got up and didn’t seem upset.

What was unacceptable was Voracek being the third man in and double teaming Smith. That was ridiculous. I know that he stepped in for Patrick due to his injury history. He missed an entire year due to migraines. But Patrick is a North American player and wanted to stand up for his fallen teammate. Even if I feel it’s totally unnecessary for every clean hit to have this overreaction, this is what you get now. It is what it is. I knew they wouldn’t give the Rangers a five-on-three. That just wasn’t happening in a tie game. So, they gave Smith two minutes for roughing and Patrick two as well with Voracek receiving an extra two to hand our side a five-on-four.

If they’re not gonna call the instigator, at least have the common sense to assess a misconduct to the third man in. That seems fair. It makes that player, who in this case was one of the Flyers’ best in Voracek accountable. A lousy job by Wes McCauley and Dan O’Rourke. They also missed a clear delay of game after conferring with linesmen Tony Sericolo and Tyson Baker. That should’ve been a Rangers power play with the puck going over the glass and clearly hitting the protective netting. That wasn’t the last issue either.

Predictably, the Rangers couldn’t score on the power play with 1:44 carrying over into the third period. A good chance came on a good Trouba shot pass for an open Zibanejad in front. But his redirect didn’t even hit Hart. That’s typical of the kind of awful season he’s having. Screw the one goal he got at five-on-five. He’s still stuck on three goals. Insanity. Kevin Rooney is outscoring our number one center. How is that possible?

There also was the great opportunity where Panarin had the puck in front and passed for Zibanejad, who in turn passed to Kreider for what looked like an easy one. Only somehow Hart got across to make a great pad save to stone Kreider. It was your classic Rangers three-on-one with not one of the three guys you’d want able to finish. It was absurd.

A little after the power play, the fourth line created a goal out of hard work. With Brett Howden colliding with a Flyer in the corner, he was able to keep the play alive by moving the puck down low to Lemieux. Lemieux centered for a wide open Rooney, who buried the chance by going high glove on Hart for his fifth at 2:56. It was refreshing to see the checking line come through to put them ahead. They earned it.

Unfortunately, another mindless Gauthier stick foul allowed the Flyers to tie it up once again. On just a careless play that somehow McCauley and O’Rourke didn’t see along with the two blind linesmen, Gauthier wildly swung his stick and caught Giroux from behind to send him down to the ice. Incredulous following the obvious high stick that bloodied him, he looked at the officials in shock. That they had to review whether it was a double minor was ridiculous. It was embarrassing. It had to be called. I can’t believe they didn’t see it. It was like Lafreniere getting cut by a Brad Marchand high stick and the Rangers got only a two-minute power play.

Of course, the 19th ranked Flyers power play took advantage. Forty seconds in on the first half, Voracek took a Provorov pass and patiently waited for a sneaky Giroux to go around the net into position before sending a pass through the blue paint right to Giroux for an easy tip in past Kinkaid at 5:33. I don’t buy Joe Micheletti blaming Kinkaid for that goal. It was well executed. He didn’t see it and neither did Trouba, who was not even close to Giroux, who had his sixth on the power play from Voracek and Provorov to make it 4-4 with 14:27 remaining in regulation.

Sometimes, you have to put it on the penalty killers. They’d been unbelievable for a long time. That included Fox and Buchnevich. The bottom line is they failed to get it done. Both Trouba and Miller were on for both Philadelphia power play goals. They also were victimized on the first goal from Van Riemsdyk early. It wasn’t a good game for either. They needed a better game from that pair minus Fox, who normally teams with Ryan Lindgren. Instead, he paired mostly with Libor Hajek.

As much as some of our fans were critical of Kinkaid for allowing five goals including Voracek’s clean breakaway overtime winner, they don’t even get a point without him. He made three gigantic saves during regulation that gave them a chance. That included two breakaways by denying Voracek and Scott Laughton. It also included a point blank opportunity off a horrible giveaway in front.

He wound up with 25 saves on 30 shots including 10 of 11 coming in a not so good third. He isn’t the number one goalie nor was he expected to be the backup. Alex Georgiev hasn’t made those critical stops. Especially on breakaways. Maybe our fans should just can it. They’re down to the third string due to Georgiev playing poorly. Igor Shestyorkin can’t come back soon enough.

To be blunt, neither goalie had much help. There was no defense played. It was ugly hockey played at 33rd and 8th.

Kevin Hayes thought he had the potential game-winner late in regulation. With Strome off for a mindless hooking minor with less than five minutes left, Hayes was able to beat Kinkaid on a good Gostisbehere pass from the right circle far side. However, when they entered the zone, it was clear as day the Flyers were offside. I called it right away. It’s hard to believe how poor the officiating was. They screwed up so much. What if there weren’t video reviews and challenges to cover up their mistakes? Thankfully, Quinn challenged and the scoring play was reversed. He’s three-for-three on challenges.

The wild and wacky game needed overtime. Of course, it did. In it, the Rangers played keep away. First, it was Zibanejad, Panarin and Trouba. Then Strome, Kreider and Miller. But for all the puck possession they had, they simply didn’t do enough with it. Even against tired Flyers, not one quality shot. They only registered a measly shot on Hart from the perimeter. It was pathetic.

I really am beginning to loathe three-on-three. All it is is keep away and resets. They made a mistake getting rid of four-on-four. It works better. I don’t like the three-on-three because it’s not hockey. It’s become too deliberate. It’s astonishing that the Rangers never were able to generate one great chance. They had the puck for over three minutes and accomplished zilch.

Kinkaid made a bad outlet that Panarin couldn’t handle at his own blue line. He didn’t make a great attempt to save it. With Voracek close-by, he easily took the puck away and had all the time in the world before going to a beautiful forehand deke for an easy put away to give the Flyers the victory at 3:47. An unassisted tally by probably the best Flyer on the night.

It’s easy to pin it on Kinkaid, who didn’t need to rush the pass. Panarin was out of gas. That didn’t help either. Voracek had been on for a while. But it’s much easier for an attacker to go on offense than play defense in an awkward position. The mistake wound up costing the Rangers a valuable extra point.

As for what we saw, it was an imperfect game played by two flawed teams. Make any excuse you want. The Rangers should’ve still been ready to play. Instead, you have ridiculous reporters who cover this team making every excuse in the book.

‘They didn’t know if they were playing. No morning skate. Who’s playing?’

Hogwash!

Honestly, don’t even watch the tape. It was not a good game for anyone. Awful hockey. The rematch is Wednesday night on NBCSN at 7:30 PM. Puck drop around 7:38.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Ivan Provorov, Flyers (goal plus apple, +2 in 26:10)

2nd 🌟 Jakub Voracek, Flyers (overtime winner at 3:47, 2 🍎, -1 in 18:50)

1st 🌟 Artemi Panarin, NYR (6th goal plus 2 🍎, +2 in 21:20)

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment