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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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! ☘

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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)

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COVID outbreak hits Rangers with Fox and Buchnevich out tonight

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Derek

For 26 games, the Rangers weren’t affected much by COVID-19. Outside of Kaapo Kakko missing a week and K’Andre Miller who sat out a couple of games, the key players haven’t had to deal with the pandemic too much compared to other teams.

However, that’s changed as they prepare to host the Flyers tonight at 7 PM. A day after it was revealed that forward Phil Di Giuseppe was placed on COVID Protocol, the Rangers learned that both Adam Fox and Pavel Buchnevich had to be put on the COVID Protocol.

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1371574718604718081?s=19

So, that’s their leading scorer and top defenseman who’ll miss the game. Without both, the Blueshirts recalled defenseman Tarmo Reunanen for the game. It’ll be his NHL debut. A 2016 fourth round pick, the 23-year old Reunanen registered two goals and three assists in eight games for the Wolf Pack.

Without Fox and the injured Jack Johnson, who cleared waivers to the Taxi Squad, the Rangers will lean heavily on Miller and Trouba, who are coming off their best game of the season. They each logged over 23 minutes and went plus-two in a 4-0 shutout of the Bruins. Miller scored his second goal and Trouba assisted on a goal.

Ryan Lindgren will be without his sidekick in Fox, who plays in every situation including the top power play unit. They’ll be hard pressed to replace the Steven McDonald frontrunner. Who plays with Lindgren? We’ll see what David Quinn decides along with Jacques Martin.

Given that Brendan Smith has worked well with Libor Hajek, maybe they keep them together. That would mean trying Reunanen with Lindgren. He’s a right pair left shooting defenseman who’s a good skater. We’ll see.

As for Buchnevich, he’s been a consistent scorer for this team. His 22 points (8-14-22) pace the club. Playing at a point-per-game clip for a while, Buchnevich has boosted his value in a contract year. He recorded a goal and assist on Saturday.

Quinn had just reunited the KZB Line. They had a great game with Mika Zibanejad picking up two assists and Chris Kreider adding a goal and helper as the whole line was on for three goals for. Now, they’ll have to adjust the lines again. Does that mean Kakko moves up? It would make sense to give him another look.

Without Di Giuseppe, Julien Gauthier is back in the lineup. So will Brett Howden. So, you’ll likely see Howden play on the fourth line with Brendan Lemieux and possibly Gauthier. Perhaps Kevin Rooney gets bumped up to the Filip Chytil line. Or they could put Gauthier there with Alexis Lafreniere and Chytil.

Whatever they decide, this game and the next one on Wednesday will determine if the Rangers can give themselves a more realistic chance at the playoffs. Still a long shot given their track record. Plus they still must play the Islanders four consecutive games. Yikes.

Keith Kinkaid gets the start. No surprise. He’s played well since replacing an ineffective Alex Georgiev, who must find his game. The team also placed Igor Shestyorkin on the injured reserve due to his groin strain. So, it’ll be a little longer before he returns. The safe play.

What concerns me is the COVID-19 outbreak. That’s three players who are out. Hopefully, the Rangers are taking every precaution possible. You don’t want another Sabres/Devils scenario.

The game can be seen on MSG. It’s also an NBC game on NBCSN. I would imagine blackout restrictions apply. I’ll have more following the game.

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Kravtsov arrives in NYC, tempering expectations, Johnson on waivers

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Derek

The Russians are coming. The Russians are coming. As I teased in a recent post, the Rangers will be adding another young Russian prospect to the NHL roster. Following Igor Shestyorkin’s early success in ’19-20, Vitaly Kravtsov arrives with much fanfare in NYC.

A former first round pick selected ninth overall by the Rangers in the 2018 NHL Draft, there’s plenty of excitement to see what the 21-year old right wing can do. Following his KHL team Traktor Chelyabinsk losing in the first round of the Gagarin Cup Playoffs in Russia, Kravtsov concluded his season with two goals and two assists in the first round. It followed his most productive year in the KHL where he tallied career bests in goals (16) and points (24).

With the Rangers wanting to see what the former first round draft pick can do, it didn’t take long for him to arrive. His plane landed in JFK Airport yesterday. The team couldn’t wait to hint at the news that he was coming over to North America.

Here’s the deal. Kravtsov must quarantine for seven days. Once he does and of course without testing positive for COVID-19, he can join the club at team practice. That’ll be imperative so he can learn a new system. Even if I’ve been a vocal critic of the lack of structure under David Quinn, there’s sure to be an adjustment period for Kravtsov. Once he gets in a few practices and is up to speed, the organization will want to get him in NHL games and see what he can do.

It’s important to remember that he’ll be going from a wider ice surface to a smaller one with more emphasis on physical play and tight checking that limits time and space. How quickly the 6-3, 189 pound left shooting forward adjusts will determine what kind of role he’ll have. Given that he’ll be behind a top six that includes Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider, Ryan Strome and Kaapo Kakko, perhaps he can slot in on a third line with Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil. That’s assuming he’s ready.

For the time being, Quinn will likely roll out the same top nine that dominated the Bruins in Monday’s match-up hosting the Flyers. That would feature Kreider, Zibanejad and Buchnevich reunited while Panarin and Strome work with gritty forward Colin Blackwell. Chytil centers the Kid Line that features 2020 top pick Lafreniere and 2019 second pick Kakko.

The fourth line was comprised of Brendan Lemieux with Kevin Rooney and Phil Di Giuseppe on Saturday. We’ll see if Quinn sticks with it. It doesn’t seem fair to Julien Gauthier, who has done nothing wrong. He’s clearly gonna wind up elsewhere due to the organizational depth. Ditto for Brett Howden, who just hasn’t shown enough offensively speaking.

By bringing Kravtsov to the Big Apple, the Rangers placed veteran defenseman Jack Johnson on waivers Sunday. If he passes through unclaimed, the Rangers can move him to the Taxi Squad to save money on the salary cap. Something they’ll need for maneuverability the rest of the season.

The following was posted by PuckPedia two days ago about how Kravtsov will fit into the Rangers cap. With Johnson figuring to clear, it’ll create more room. So, there isn’t much to be overly concerned about.

If there is one point I want to make before finishing this up, it’s to emphasize how different playing in the NHL is from any other league. Look no further than how difficult Kakko is finding it to score. He has 12 goals in 85 career NHL games. Despite some noticeable improvement in both skating and overall play, he’s only got two goals and two assists this year. Still only 20, the talented Finn is 12-15-27 thus far in a season plus.

It hasn’t come easy for top pick Lafreniere either. The 19-year old from the Province of Quebec has four goals and three assists in 26 games. His best stretch coming when he put up five of his seven points over a four-game point streak between 2/26 thru 3/4. Since then, he’s gone five straight without a point. It speaks to how hard it is for young players who were very hyped entering the league.

Even Devils top pick Jack Hughes hasn’t lit the world on fire. After struggling in similar fashion to Kakko during his rookie year, the 19-year old first line center has cooled considerably following a hot start. While 14 points (6-8-14) rank second behind Pavel Zacha in team scoring, Hughes has only two goals and an assist over his last 11 games. During that tough stretch, he’s a minus-seven. Prior to that, Hughes was off to a good start going 4-7-11 and a plus-five with nine of his 11 points coming at even strength.

What it shows is how challenging it is to be consistent. Granted. Nothing has been normal for either Hughes or Kakko due to the pandemic that caused a big interruption in their development. Something other top picks didn’t have to deal with.

A closer look at the top candidates for this year’s Calder Trophy outlines how the more experienced players are succeeding. You have Kirill Kaprizov at age 23 coming off dominating the KHL as the leading candidate for the top rookie. He leads all rookies in scoring with 23 points (10-13-23) including his first NHL hat trick. His teammate goalie Kaapo Kahkonen is 24 and has 11 wins with a 2.19 GAA and .922 save percentage for the playoff contending Wild. Kevin Lankinen is another goalie candidate for the surprising Blackhawks, who boast several first-year players contributing without captain Jonathan Toews.

Perhaps having that necessary pro experience will help Kravtsov for what’s next. I wonder though how he’ll be handled. You have to wonder about that due to what we’ve seen with Kakko and Lafreniere under Quinn, who’s fared much better with more mature players in young defensemen Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren and K’Andre Miller.

In any event, I’m just keeping expectations down for that reason. The Rangers might insist they’re in a rebuild. But they do rely heavily on proven performers including the electrifying Panarin, who took the NHL by storm at age 24 with Chicago after dominating in Russia. That is a perfect example of an NHL ready talent who went undrafted. All he’s done is post at over a point-per-game clip with 434 points in 406 career NHL games for the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Blueshirts. A unique player with a very high skill level.

Whenever Kravtsov makes his Broadway debut, let’s be realistic about it. If we are, it’ll be better. Especially given the condensed schedule. Welcome to Manhattan Виталия Кравцов!

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King For A Day: Kinkaid pitches shutout in total Rangers domination of Bruins

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Derek

It all went accordingly for Keith Kinkaid and the Rangers in a rematch with the Bruins at Boston. Buoyed by a tone setting message delivered by Jacob Trouba to Patrice Bergeron on the first shift, Kinkaid stopped all 18 shots while the Rangers thoroughly dominated a flat Bruins in a 4-0 shutout. That ended a three-game losing streak.

Let it be known that Game 26 of 56 was the best effort of the season. After three miserable defeats, the Rangers responded to the return of Artemi Panarin by turning the Bruins into ‘Ruins literally. That’s how badly they outplayed the Boston hosts. It didn’t matter that Jaro Halak started once again. He had no help from his team, who opted to take the afternoon off. Had their been a crowd, they would’ve heard it.

This was a beat down minus any fights. Or a TKO by submission. It also was the coming out party for K’Andre Miller. Having slumped recently with inconsistency, the rookie defenseman stood out in this one. Not only did he score a goal that proved to be the game-winner in the early going. But he was dominant defensively with partner Trouba, who delivered one of his best games since joining the Rangers a year and a half ago. The dynamic duo combined for a goal, assist, 10 attempts, eight hits, five blocked shots and a plus-four rating in over 23 minutes of work.

It was a welcome sight. Normally, the story has been the top pair of Adam Fox and physical partner Ryan Lindgren. However, they got plenty of help from the second pair. Miller and Trouba were so good that it allowed David Quinn and assistant Jacques Martin to work in Libor Hajek and Brendan Smith without too much pressure. A strong top four can have a positive impact.

Making his second start over three games, Kinkaid was sharp throughout to record his first shutout as a Ranger. He didn’t have to stand on his head due to how well the team played in front of him. However, he made the key saves when called upon. None bigger than his great stop on a Brad Marchand one-timer during a Bruins power play. He got across and shut the door to keep the Bruins best player off the scoreboard. That was huge.

Prior to opening face-off, MSG Network revealed the healthy scratches with Panarin finally returning after a nine-game absence. Surprisingly, Julien Gauthier sat out along with Brett Howden, who remarkably had played in 113 straight games. Leave it to Joe Micheletti to put a spin on Howden finally sitting.

Howden hasn’t scored a goal and has two assists. The bottom line is as much as he hustles and helps kill penalties or win face-offs, it’s not enough to justify playing him every day. They better hope Nils Lundkvist is as good as advertised. I don’t know enough about Karl Henriksson yet. Just that he’s considered a two-way center who Sweden missed at the recent World Junior Championship won by USA.

As for Gauthier getting the day off, I didn’t understand that at all. He’s improved recently and been noticeable. But for whatever reason, Quinn decided to reinsert Phil Di Giuseppe and stay with Brendan Lemieux, who I’ve become increasingly frustrated with. His hit from behind on Trent Frederic near the benches was unnecessary. A ridiculous penalty taken by an irritating player who hasn’t been up to par.

Of course, she’s right. Emily knows hockey. But like I said, he wishes he had an ounce of his father’s talent. At least Claude backed it up. I really didn’t care for that hit. Nor did I like Lemieux mixing it up with the Bruins at the conclusion of a dominant first period. Why even do that? Don’t wake them up. Lucky for him, the Boston malaise lasted the entire 60 minutes. They must’ve forgotten their Ovaltine.

As far as the lineup went, here’s how it looked:

Kreider-Zibanejad-Buchnevich

Panarin-Strome-Blackwell

Lafreniere-Chytil-Kakko

Lemieux-Rooney-Di Giuseppe

Lindgren-Fox

Miller-Trouba

Hajek-Smith

Kinkaid

Georgiev

As both Sam Rosen and Micheletti noted, the Rangers are almost back to full strength. Only Jack Johnson and Anthony Bitetto are still banged up. They’re finally a healthy team. Given that Hajek can fill in fine for Johnson or Bitetto, they’re basically back where they need to be. The only key missing player is starting goalie Igor Shestyorkin, whose mild groin strain might keep him out a bit longer. That’s not too surprising given the tricky nature of groin injuries. They shouldn’t rush him back. The postseason is a reach despite what Rosen and Micheletti say while waving the Rangers pom poms. The less said about it, the better.

At least the telecast was watchable thanks to former captain Ryan Callahan doing his second straight guest appearance in studio with host John Giannone and Steve Valiquette on Zoom Conference from his home office. It was much better. Having Callahan provide insight and work with Valiquette gave the broadcast more balance. You can only take so many of Vally’s charts. Plus you have a popular Ranger who had a good career here before finishing up with the Lightning. Captain Cally knows the important details during games and has been a welcome addition to NHL Network where Ken Daneyko also doubles when not working Devils games. NHL Network has gotten much better due to the variety of former players they have. It starts with Kevin Weekes. They are a good watch for in game updates and more. I hope we see more of Callahan on MSG.

Where to start on today’s game? The Rangers showed up ready to go while the Bruins must’ve thought the game was optional. Either that or they didn’t set their alarm clocks. They stunk. You would never have guessed that this was the same team that dominated the Rangers by taking four of the first five meetings. Full credit to Quinn and his staff for having the team prepared. They were aggressive from the outset quickly getting good chances on Halak, who had a strong first period. If not for him, the Rangers could’ve put up a field goal.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1370800405224038402?s=09

Instead, they settled for a Miller goal off a face-off win from Mika Zibanejad. Reunited with KZB line members Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich, he played much better. He won an offensive draw back to Buchnevich, who got the puck to Miller at the right point. The defenseman let go of a good shot with Kreider providing a screen on Halak in front. It found its way into the net for his second goal. The first since before the Tony DeAngelo fiasco. A frustrated Halak felt Kreider interfered, but he did not. He simply stopped right in front and that was enough for the game’s first goal. What else can you expect from the unofficial team captain? He does the dirty work.

The Rangers had to kill off a Smith minor for smothering. My way of describing what he did to Sean Kuraly. Without him, the fourth ranked penalty kill went to work. While the Bruins looked like they were skating in quicksand, our players seemed to be flying. It was the skaters in Broadway Blueshirts that were moving in unison. They took away virtually everything the Bruins like to do. A strong unit led by Kevin Rooney, Colin Blackwell, Zibanejad, Buchnevich, Trouba, Miller, Fox and Lindgren shined throughout the game. The Bruins went 0-for-5 on the power play and were held to just five shots.

Following a power outage of their own, that also included an abbreviated Bruins man-advantage with Alexis Lafreniere off for hooking Urho Vaakanainen (must be fun for Bruins homer Jack Edwards to pronounce). When they played at even strength, the Blueshirts were superior due to limiting time and space from the dangerous top line of Marchand, Bergeron and David Pastrnak. The so-called Perfection Line was anything but. They were hounded by relentless Rangers checkers all day. It was a welcome change from what we’re used to. Marchand played through whatever was nagging him. He was still his rat self later showing frustration by taking a pair of undisciplined penalties. If you can get him off his game, you have a pretty good chance of shutting down the Bruins. It’s my opinion that he’s their best player. As he goes, so do the Bruins.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1370804677944696834?s=09

While Kinkaid cruised to an easy six save first period, Halak had to work harder for nine saves on 10 shots. Given the difference in quality, it felt like more. He made a couple of key stops to prevent an early Ranger rout. Unlike most starts including the previous two where he pitched shutouts, he got no support. As disappointing as Alex Georgiev was on Thursday, the Rangers scored zero goals before he was chased out of the net. They got blanked. Today, they returned the favor to the Bruins. I know we all mocked Smith for his captain obvious quote that if you don’t score, you can’t win. But it proved to be prophetic. Maybe his future career is as a fortune teller. Imagine the perks. Free Chinese fortune cookies with every Smith prognostication.

The second period would start with Lemieux pulling his usual shenanigans. After mixing it up with a few angry Bruins at the end of the first, he couldn’t help himself by boarding Frederic from behind at the conclusion of his shift. It was idiotic. But that’s what you get from the In-Grate One. At times, he can be effective when he sticks to a wiser straightforward approach and draws penalties by agitating opponents like his better Dad. Then there are other instances where you wonder what the heck he’s thinking. He plays on the edge, but still hasn’t figured it out. By now, that shouldn’t be the case. I once supported him. Now, I would prefer not to see him. Though I do want Frederic to get revenge in the final two games at Boston. We’ll have to wait for that. By day’s end, refs Chris Rooney and Wes McCauley had seen enough of each, sending them to the showers.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1370836156443676682?s=19

It didn’t matter that Lemieux took an unnecessary penalty because the penalty kill bailed him out of jail. Kinkaid made one save while the killers did the rest. They really dominated the Bruins power play. They barely got any setup time. It’s a credit to how locked in the Rangers are while shorthanded. They even had a couple of attempts on Halak due to their aggressive mindset. It really is the biggest improvement. Martin is a lot better at the defensive aspect than Lindy Ruff, who never was a great fit in that role. He’s better as a head coach. Although the Devils sure are making life miserable for him lately. That’s an even younger roster than ours.

The game’s second goal was provided off some superb work from the top line. On a good Buchnevich back pass to Trouba at the point, he moved the puck down low for a forechecking Zibanejad. On just a great saucer pass that was basically a timing play with his teammate cutting to the net, he made a soft feed just by the diving Jakub Zboril to Kreider for a sweet finish at 5:42. It broke a four-game goal drought for the Rangers’ top finisher. Kreider is now up to 14 goals with 10 coming in the last 11 games. As a team, they’ve won five of the past six when Kreider scores. The lone exception being his first hat trick of the season at the Flyers. Coincidentally, the next opponent. They better follow this game up with a victory on Monday. The next two are against Philadelphia at Madison Square Garden.

Not long following the Kreider goal that made it 2-0, Marchand took a bad hi-sticking minor on Lafreniere. However, nobody realized that Lafreniere was cut. It was while on the bench that he had blood wiped from his nose that a visibly upset Lafreniere couldn’t believe it wasn’t a double minor. It should’ve been. The Rangers got some looks on their five power plays. They moved Zibanejad more to the slot area for shots while Panarin occupied the off wing. Ryan Strome was in his spot along the right boards while Fox was at the top with Kreider in front. Strome had the best chance, but his low shot was padded away by Halak, who did a good job keeping it close.

The only difference from the opening period was the Bruins’ eagerness to pick up the physical play. Might that have had anything to do with Lemieux? Boston loves to muck it up in the corners and turn it into a dogfight. The Rangers never backed down. They kept attacking at five-on-five where they did a better job. There were no odd-man rushes on Kinkaid. The best chance came with Fox off for hooking (really Lemieux’s penalty). They finally were able to work the puck across for a Marchand one-timer that Kinkaid got across on and stopped. That’s the save they haven’t gotten from Georgiev, who likely will have the next game off too.

Outside of the Marchand opportunity, Boston could establish very little. They were outshot 11-5, meaning the Blueshirts led in shots 22 to 11 after two periods of play. Had their been fans, they would’ve been booed off the ice. That’s how futile they looked. Boston skated without Jake DeBrusk, who after finally ending a long goal drought, was out due to COVID Protocol. They don’t have a great offense to begin with and have relied on David Krejci and the annoyingly effective Nick Ritchie. I’ll get into that guy more later.

At the start of the third period, Marchand suckered Lindgren into a holding minor nine seconds in by skating underneath him along the boards. Lindgren inadvertently took him down for the easy call. It is what makes The Rat so effective. He knew his team had nothing and drew one to see if they could get back in it. But a disciplined Rangers penalty kill wouldn’t allow it. When Kinkaid wasn’t called upon for saves, the four skaters did a masterful job of pressuring the Boston five man unit. In particular, Miller made some superb plays while teamed with Trouba. He’d been struggling of late. This game was an indication of what kind of player he can be. That’s why I believe he has a high ceiling. He’s still learning.

The Boston frustration boiled over when even Bergeron was whistled for an offensive zone interference minor. He set an illegal pick on Zibanejad, who was at his best in this game. Even though he didn’t finish, he set up a pair of goals and his line was on for three goals for. They each were plus-three and impacted the game. Zibanejad also nearly went .500 on draws (13-and-14).

As for the newly minted Kids Line, Kaapo Kakko had the best chance. But his good wrist shot was foiled by Halak, who made 29 saves in a losing effort. He sure was frustrated by the end of it, slamming his goal stick after the Rangers’ fourth goal from Buchnevich. The thing with Kakko is this. He’s played in 85 career games and scored only 12 goals. As much as I like the improvements in his overall game, the former 20l9 second pick has to start finishing. He’s only 20 and I get that it takes time. But Kakko was selected to score goals. If he can’t, then it’ll be a colossal disappointment. Jack Hughes isn’t lighting the world on fire yet either. But he’s shown why he went first and has that extra gear. He also has more pressure.

After failing to capitalize on a power play, Strome finally got his 10th. On a great second effort from Panarin, he found an isolated Strome across the ice for a nice one-timer past Halak at 8:03. Blackwell made it possible with some hustle at the end of his shift to get the puck to the Bread Man. He has such great vision that it was an easy pass for his first point since returning. He looks like the same dynamic player. Despite missing nine games, Panarin did what he does best. Create time and space while finding open teammates. The ultimate team player.

Marchand slashed Miller for another penalty with 7:30 remaining. It was one of those penalties he’ll take when the game isn’t winnable. He isn’t as dirty. But he’ll take liberties with players. That included Hughes in a loss to the Devils a while ago. I would say he’s very sneaky. But this also is one of the game’s best players. The unique combination of skill, grit and speed he combines with his physicality makes him a royal pain in the ass. He’s the kind of player you love if he’s on your side. But hate if he isn’t. No wonder I’m a fan. He doesn’t get enough credit for how great a player he truly is.

With the game all but decided and Sam and Joe yucking it up, they didn’t even realize Buchnevich scored on a quick snapshot from Kreider with 3:48 left. What’s the point of them calling the action if they’re so easily distracted? It’s pretty sad to hear Rosen like this near the conclusion of a brilliant Hall of Fame career. I blame MSG for turning the telecast into a three-ring circus. It’s so ridiculous that it makes me long for the lunacy of the Bruins called by blatant homer Jack Edwards. Micheletti doesn’t help either. This is what Dolan created.

Buchnevich continues to pile up points. With two more, he’s up to a team-leading 22. I still don’t know what they should do with him this summer. With Vitaly Kravtsov arriving soon and it being so crowded at the wing with them expecting more out of Lafreniere and Kakko, Buchnevich might become a cap casualty. If you can use him in a trade for a center, don’t think twice. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out.

Finally, I want to call out Ritchie for his cheap shot on Kakko. Hitting an opponent is one thing. But doing it from behind is another. This guy is my number one target when the teams meet up for the final two times. I’m sick and tired of his act. All he does is run around and take shots at our guys. I know it’s not only the Rangers. I really would love to see either Trouba or Lindgren knock him out.

Oh well. That’s going to do it for this game review. It was a lot of fun to do. Hopefully, they can follow the victory up with one on Monday versus the struggling Flyers.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Keith Kinkaid, NYR (18 saves for 1st shutout as a NYR)

2nd 🌟 Jacob Trouba, NYR (assist, +2 in 23:24)

1st 🌟 K’Andre Miller, NYR (2nd goal of season, +2 in 23:36)

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One year ago – then and now

Posted on March 12, 2021 by hasan4978

Coming up on the first anniversary of when the world as we know it changed in a dramatic way, I was debating whether to do a blog on the impact of our ongoing battle with the COVID-19 virus that stopped first the sports world, and then the country at large in its tracks at this time last year. I haven’t exactly gone out of my way to look for coverage of the one-year anniversary, but ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast on March 11 was quite good and worth the hour listen. March 11, 2020 for this generation was as symbolic as September 11, 2001 for the last generation and even more so in a lot of respects. Anyone like me who’s lived through both knows there are a lot of similarities, and a lot of differences – it’s not worth going through all of them here. Both were truly shocking and rocked our collective belief in being safe and secure. Of course September 11, for as horrific as it was still didn’t change as many people’s daily lives in as many ways as the pandemic has over this last year.

You need to only look at sports as a prism for this difference. Just ten days after the attack on the twin towers, there was a baseball game in a packed stadium in New York City. One made truly iconic, magical even by Mike Piazza’s game-winning HR that started the healing of millions of grieving citizens, for mostly intangible reasons that are hard to put into words. Of course you still couldn’t help but feel a difference in the air that September and October as both baseball teams played on with increased security and reverence for our police and firefighters. While the Mets’ season ended after September, the Yankees went back to the World Series leading to another breathtaking moment before Game 3 when then-president Bush stood on the mound alone, giving a still-grieving nation a defiant thumbs up before throwing a first pitch strike to the cheers of a sold out Yankee Stadium.

Of course, sports’ return to the field last year wasn’t so easy or cathartic.

It wasn’t even a sure thing that sports would return after the events of early March. Just like people of generation X will never forget where they were and what they were doing when the world stopped on September 11, 2001 – people won’t soon forget what they were doing on March 11, 2020 either. Sure, we had a bit of a warning this was coming unlike what happened in 2001 but it was a really slow rampup to where we got in one crazy day. Outside of sports, you had the WHO officially calling the COVID-19 virus a global pandemic earlier that afternoon. That evening, acting icon Tom Hanks announced he and his wife both had the virus. Those two things alone might have started our collective alarm bells sounding, but for a lot of people nothing hit harder than when the NBA canceled its season after a player tested positive for COVID-19, and everyone realized all sports (and a lot of other entertainment) would necessarily have to follow soon enough.

I know I sure wasn’t taking this virus as seriously as we all would be taking it a couple of days later. The night before the country stopped, I was out at a packed bar doing trivia with a couple of my friends and hugged them both hello (one was a little nervous about the virus, the other wasn’t yet), the way I’d done on Mondays or Tuesdays for many weeks before that. Actually, I had already gone to the Devils game against the Penguins but my friends Kyle and Justine wanted to do trivia at the last minute and I would rather have done that then be at another meaningless game by myself, even if the Devils were playing better then. So I pulled a first and left the arena soon after arriving to go see my friends instead. I did at least make the right decision on that score as it turned out, considering the Devils lost 5-2 and I wouldn’t see either of them for a few months after that night. My last official game was thus on the 9th last year, when the Devils actually beat the Blues.

Part of our collective naivete was that we just didn’t know the extent of how much the virus was already here. After all, we didn’t have rapid testing then or for weeks after. One of my older friends (a Devils season ticket holder) recently told me he and his wife probably had the virus a couple weeks before the pause but were never tested for it. Don’t get me wrong, I did get the sense when I left the Rock for the final time on the 10th to head off to trivia that I might not be back for a while, with teams like the Sharks and NBA’s Warriors already announcing they wouldn’t have fans in the building for their upcoming games. I thought we were headed for a imminent future where we’d have to play sports in empty buildings. I didn’t fully comprehend the possibility there might not BE sports at all, or a lot of other things we take for granted in daily life such as hanging out and being social, or going for rides on crowded subways. I love going to NYC but I can’t rightly remember the last time I was there, perhaps it was for a Met game in July or August of 2019, or a random trip to the city soon after.

On March 11 itself I was at home when all this news came down the pike, learning about it mostly through seeing stuff on Twitter through the prism of the NBA game in Oklahoma City that got postponed, and would instantaneously lead to the pause of the entire NBA season. It was a surreal atmosphere considering other NBA and NHL games were being played that night. Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban’s visceral on-camera reaction in real time was fitting for a whole nation in shock.

With the NBA season on pause, the NHL followed suit the next afternoon – today is that dubious anniversary, in fact. So did March Madness and other major sports although I have to give a tip of the cap to Wimbledon which actually insured itself against a global pandemic so they didn’t feel the pinch like the rest of sports did having games canceled and fans barred from buildings. Over the last year we’ve learned more than we ever wanted to about mask wearing, social distancing and the differences between indoor transmission and outdoor transmission. Not to mention the merits of Zoom.

We also learned about bubbles in large part because of the NBA and NHL, which both returned to empty buildings in secure locations to hold its respective 2020 postseasons. Many NBA and NHL teams returned last summer to muted anticipation and champions were crowned, but for the also rans like us who didn’t have bubble basketball or hockey it would be a much longer wait. We all learned to make do in different ways. One of my unexpected favorite things about having no live sports is when sports shows, which had nothing other than the NFL offseason to cover figured out they could use memory lane (discussing old games with guests) as a way to both fill airtime and provide entertainment to the fans. As someone who likes sports history this was right down my alley.

This isn’t to minimize all we’ve gone without since that day. Even if you’re one of the lucky ones like me who haven’t gotten the virus or lost any loved ones to the disease yet, there is going to be an incalculable mental and emotional toll to account for once this is all over, to varying degrees for everyone. At least it does feel like there’s an end coming in the not too distant future with the president’s announcement yesterday that all states are being instructed to make vaccines available to the population at large by May 1. That’s not to say we’ll all be vaccinated then or soon after, I’m sure the line’ll be long and annoying even with a (too high) number of anti-vaxxers who won’t bother to get it, but it’ll be worth the hassle of trying to get the vaccine to get past this so that in 2022 we won’t still be talking about restrictions and social distancing.

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