Rangers implode following Zibanejad’s first even strength goal in bad 5-1 loss to Penguins

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Derek

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368758281318072324?s=19

It started out well enough. On Jacob Trouba’s first shift back from a broken thumb, he made a good defensive play to Pavel Buchnevich, who made a strong play along the boards to send Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere on a two-on-one break. This time, Zibanejad out waited Pittsburgh starting goalie Casey DeSmith and went short side top shelf to finally get his first even strength goal of the season at 1:18.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368724822595887104?s=19

Unfortunately, wasted opportunities following that goal proved costly for the Rangers, who had a three-game win streak snapped in a bad 5-1 loss to the Pens in Pittsburgh. It all fell apart suddenly. After getting nine of the first 10 shots on DeSmith, who was a bit lucky as Zibanejad sent a point blank backhand rebound just wide of the net, the Rangers imploded.

With Sidney Crosby in the penalty box for tripping up Chris Kreider, the Blueshirts were miserable on the power play. They got nothing set up and were sloppy on entries, resulting in easy Pittsburgh clears. Only a Kaapo Kakko unscreened shot from the left circle was on goal with DeSmith easily smothering it. The power outage and Zibanejad near miss turned the game around.

Following Evgeni Malkin falling into the Rangers net occupied by Alex Georgiev, who David Quinn gave a second consecutive start in a back-to-back, Ryan Lindgren took a lazy penalty when he took down Crosby to put the Pens on the power play.

Even though the Rangers did a solid job on the penalty kill, Pittsburgh would strike late. As the power play was expiring, defenseman John Marino took a wrist shot from a good angle with traffic that beat Georgiev far side over the blocker at 16:13. It wasn’t a great goal. Georgiev was off his angle a little bit to give Marino enough room to tie the game up with 3:47 left.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368730820136075264?s=19

What happened next was inexplicable. Following a stoppage, a neutral zone face-off turned into a fire drill. A Malkin pass off the boards trapped two Rangers. Then Jared McCann passed for an open Kasper Kapanen, who escaped K’Andre Miller. Miller fell down to cause a breakaway for Kapanen. In alone on Georgiev, he picked high glove on a good deke to put the Penguins ahead 39 seconds later. Georgiev hasn’t been good on breakaways this year. He isn’t making enough critical stops. Though it’s hard to put it on him. It was a total breakdown.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368731601790771208?s=09

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368731853889413121?s=19

As if that weren’t bad enough, Crosby then struck only 22 seconds later to give the Pens three consecutive goals over a 61-second span. On the scoring play, this was some very poor defense from the reliable top pair of Adam Fox and Lindgren. After Kris Letang passed the puck to D partner Brian Dumoulin, he made an outlet for an attacking Crosby, who blew past a passive Fox and split Lindgren to fire a wrist shot past Georgiev for his eighth with 2:46 left. It was again a high shot glove side that got past the backup goalie. All three Pittsburgh goals went high.

At that point, Quinn had seen enough. After allowing three goals on six shots, Georgiev was lifted in favor of former Devil Keith Kinkaid. A well traveled veteran since his miraculous run where he backstopped the Devils into the postseason a few years ago, Kinkaid was the backup with Igor Shestyorkin still out due to the mild groin strain he suffered on Thursday night. It’s interesting to note that Kinkaid had a winning record versus the Pens in his career. Much of it coming for New Jersey. Ultimately, Quinn opted to stick with Georgiev, who continues to struggle in back-to-back games.

I know this will sound like the ultimate second guess. But prior to the game, I actually thought they should’ve given Kinkaid the start. Sometimes, the element of surprise is good. He won both his starts with Hartford and is capable. Maybe it was just a hunch.

In a game I didn’t see much of following the promising start, it sounds like Kinkaid played well in relief. He had to contend with a Pittsburgh five-on-three power play thanks to another bench minor followed by a Zibanejad slash. He made nine saves in the second period to keep his team afloat. That included a couple of key stops. Overall, Kinkaid made 16 saves on 18 shots. The two that beat him late in the third weren’t his fault.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368752661449818113?s=09

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368755408991625217?s=19

One of the most disappointing aspects of the loss was the Rangers reverting. They had too many costly defensive miscues that led directly to goals against. If you really break it down, four of the five goals the Pens scored weren’t earned. That’s goals two through five. The defense was lousy. It started with Miller tripping and watching Kapanen score. Then Fox and Lindgren stood and let Crosby go by for a goal. The fourth and fifth goals were brutal.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368732351862300672?s=19

In a game where they didn’t establish much of a forecheck, they melted down to turn it into a blowout. On more poor defense from Lindgren and Brendan Smith, Malkin was able to easily bury a Kapanen pass across for his sixth at 13:57. Token resistance.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368756790146523136?s=09

Then, Zach Aston-Reese got behind Smith and Libor Hajek to break in and beat Kinkaid for his fifth from Teddy Blueger and Brandon Tanev with 3:23 remaining for the fifth straight Pittsburgh goal. Awful.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1368758930596302856?s=19

It was a night to forget. I saw a lot of overreaction to this loss from our schizo fan base. Sometimes, teams have bad games. Had they been able to get that second goal on DeSmith (23 saves), maybe we’re talking about a different game. They did a lot of good things in the first period before that bad minute. Something Trouba referenced when discussing his return with Mollie Walker. But they weren’t able to recover.

What they must do is put this one behind them. It happened. There’s no sense dwelling on it. There’s a rematch tomorrow night. It’s imperative for them to win that game. Especially with what’s ahead. At the moment, the Rangers are two up and seven down against Pittsburgh and Boston. Sure. They got some points in three. Who cares. They need to turn that around.

In this division, you can’t just rely on beating the bottom feeders. Here’s a kicker. The Devils picked themselves up and went into Boston and shutout the Bruins behind Scott Wedgewood. They’ve won three games out of four versus them. Go figure. Anything can happen in these divisional match-ups. That’s proof.

I didn’t quite understand playing Phil Di Giuseppe (9:53) over Colin Blackwell. Sure. He’s cooled off. But he plays with grit and brings energy. Is it that important to roll out Brett Howden every night for his penalty killing? Ditto for Brendan Lemieux.

Quinn told reporters he was undecided about who would get the start on Tuesday. Shestyorkin did travel with the team. My advice is simple. Don’t rush him back. Groins can be tricky. It’s not worth the risk. If I were a betting man, I’d expect Kinkaid to get the rematch with Georgiev backing up.

This was the seventh consecutive game Artemi Panarin missed. I have no idea what’s going on there. It’s obviously a very personal matter. Family comes before anything. Let’s hope he doesn’t miss too much more. I hope it gets resolved. They need him.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 John Marino, Pens (tying goal, +3 in 20:38)

2nd 🌟 Kasperi Kapanen, Pens (breakaway goal plus 2 🍎, +2 in 14:39)

1st 🌟 Evgeni Malkin, Pens (goal plus 🍎, +1 in 16:49)

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Trouba returns and Blackwell a scratch for Di Giuseppe

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Derek

Jacob Trouba is ready to return to the lineup tonight when the Rangers visit the Penguins. Face-off is after 7:30 PM.

He missed less time than first thought after sustaining a broken thumb on Feb. 4 against Washington. Trouba was expected to miss four to six weeks with the injury. Instead, he healed faster and returns to the defense for the first of two over three days versus Pittsburgh.

Coming out of the lineup is veteran Jack Johnson to make room for Trouba. Interestingly, he played better this time. He didn’t make any glaring mistakes while paired up with Libor Hajek, who scored his first goal of the season in Saturday’s 6-3 victory over the Devils. Credit to Johnson for doing a solid job. Also nice to see the coaching staff stick with Hajek, who has made the most of his second chance.

While Trouba returns, that likely means K’Andre Miller paired back up with the physical right defenseman. Brendan Smith can slide down to pair with Hajek. Smith has done an admirable job filling in on the top six. He remains a hardworking player David Quinn trusts. Good for him.

That won’t be the only lineup change. When asked about it, he told reporters Phil Di Giuseppe would be back in for this game. Colin Blackwell comes out. He’s cooled off during the team’s first three-game winning streak. However, I would prefer him be part of the lineup.

It is what it is. Quinn will keep Brett Howden in due to his penalty killing and fourth line role. He’s centering the checking line that right now includes Brendan Lemieux and Di Giuseppe. PDG brings similar skating and energy as the gritty Blackwell. Lemieux stays in due to his straightforward hard checking game even though he’s been a disappointment.

Obviously, Kevin Rooney has proven he belongs in with the strong penalty killing and forechecking he provides. He’ll continue to take draws for Filip Chytil on the third line that includes Julien Gauthier, whose two assist game was not unnoticed. He would’ve played more if he didn’t go for x-rays during a portion of the second period yesterday. Gauthier’s emergence is a positive development for the Rangers. He is a former first round pick of Carolina. His size and speed are intriguing.

After some consideration for Keith Kinkaid, who has a good record versus the Pens, Quinn will stay with Alex Georgiev tonight. He’ll oppose Casey DeSmith.

This will be a good test for the team to see where they are. Two against the Pens followed by a pair in Boston are no picnic.

I’ll have more later.

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Blueshirts make it a clean sweep of listless Devils in Newark, Chytil has a goal and assist to deliver first winning streak

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Derek

Well, it took long enough. The Rangers officially have their first winning streak of the season. In defeating the listless Devils by doubling them up 6-3, they made it a clean sweep of the two-game series in Newark this afternoon.

Their third consecutive win put them over NHL .500 (10-9-3) for the first time. Winners of four of the last five, things are looking up. Three of those victories have seen them score six goals. That included the two games versus their Hudson rivals at The Prudential Center. They outscored the Devils 12-5 to even the season series. The road team has won all four meetings. Four games remain.

While it’s a positive development for the Rangers, the Devils have astonishingly dropped nine straight home games. That in itself is absurd. Their last win on home ice came against the Islanders on Jan. 24. In fact, the Devils went 0-5 on their five-game home stand. They didn’t earn a single point with every loss coming in regulation.

The latest defeat dropped the Devils to 7-11-2. After a promising start that included a 3-2 triumph at Boston on 2/18, they’ve lost eight of nine since. This one was actually than the final score indicated. Remarkably, they were more competitive in Thursday’s 6-1 loss than today’s 6-3 defeat.

Sloppy is how to describe the first period by both teams. Particularly the Devils, who picked up where they left off less than 48 hours ago. They took ill advised penalties and frequently turned over the puck, leading to Rangers goals. It was a poor effort. For the game, the Devils had 26 giveaways. The Rangers weren’t much better either winding up with a ridiculous 24. Many coming in a cringe worthy opening 20 minutes.

Before the game was two minutes old, defenseman Sami Vatanen hi-sticked Brendan Lemieux drawing blood for a double minor. The Rangers were only too happy to cash in on the first half of the four-minute power play.

On just an Alex Georgiev outlet pass, Adam Fox carried the puck through four motionless Devils penalty killers and went in and beat Mackenzie Blackwood through the wickets at 2:06. Token resistance allowed Fox to cruise in for the breakaway goal. His second of the season. It was Fox’s first goal since Jan. 22 at Pittsburgh. Ironically, that’s where the Rangers travel to next for games tomorrow and Tuesday night.

With their fragile opponent struggling to establish anything aside from a bakers dozen of turnovers, the Blueshirts took full advantage of the poor start by the Devils. On just another awful giveaway by Pavel Zacha, Kaapo Kakko stole the puck along the wall and got it to Chris Kreider. He quickly fed an open Ryan Strome in front for a backhand goal at 7:15. It was Kakko’s first point in his return.

The Rangers could’ve easily had more. With the Devils continuing to mishandle pucks and play lousy defense, they had some glorious chances to increase the lead to three or four. There were odd-man rushes and break ins. But Blackwood was able to stifle both Filip Chytil and Brendan Lemieux to keep the deficit at two.

That would pay off. In what can best be described as a lapse in concentration, the Rangers gave up two consecutive goals over a brief 17-second span. On the first one, a Jesper Bratt forecheck allowed Zacha to pass up top for a P.K. Subban rising one-timer that snuck past Georgiev high blocker at 14:54. It was one he should’ve had.

On the following shift, the Devils fed off the momentum to tie the score. On a defensive breakdown, Nathan Bastian found Mikhail Maltsev behind the Rangers defense. He broke in and beat Georgiev with a good wrist shot over the right pad for his third goal at 15:11. Yegor Sharangovich started the scoring play to earn a secondary assist. He played well along with Maltsev and Bastian in the game. They were the best line for the home side.

But before they could keep the momentum, the Devils again fell apart to hand the lead back to the Rangers. Less than two minutes later, Julien Gauthier sent Chytil on a two-on-one with Kevin Rooney. He made a perfect backhand feed across for a Rooney go-ahead goal with 2:54 remaining in the wild period. It was the former Devils’ fourth. He continues to play well in a supporting role under David Quinn.

Thankfully, the ugly hockey played in the first ended with the Rangers ahead 3-2. They outshot the Devils 14-5. But only were up a goal. To be honest, that was one of the worst periods you’ll ever see in an NHL game. I wouldn’t recommend revisiting it. In a first intermission interview with Devils reporter Erika Wachter, Subban called himself and the team out for how badly they played. He didn’t pin it on coach Lindy Ruff. It was pretty telling. Ruff didn’t pull any punches afterwards.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1368313627514667009?s=09

As expected, the second period was lower scoring. However, it got off to a rough start for New Jersey. On a Pavel Buchnevich forecheck, he got the puck to K’Andre Miller. Miller then fed an open Libor Hajek at the point for a good wrist shot that found twine thanks to a great Alexis Lafreniere screen on Blackwood. He never saw it. Lafreniere jumped up making it impossible for the Devils starter to track the puck. Hajek’s first came at 1:05 from Miller and Buchnevich to make it 4-2.

A Dmitry Kulikov hold on Chytil put the Devils on the penalty kill. They were able to successfully kill it off.

The Rangers tried a different look with Strome on the offside and Mika Zibanejad at the left point. Strome got one good set up to Kreider in the slot for a shot that deflected wide. It’s obvious that Quinn is looking for more. Zibanejad continues to fire blanks like he did on the third power play a bit later. He also passed up a shot in the first period that allowed the Devils to clear the zone.

At least Zibanejad is still good at killing penalties. He and Buchnevich were standouts on a good kill of a Miller tripping minor penalty when Zacha caught the rookie defenseman flat-footed. The Devils didn’t do much on that chance. They were too passive, allowing the aggressive Rangers foursome to limit shots on Georgiev and get key clears.

When he was called upon, Georgiev was sharper in the second making 12 saves in a strong period. His best one came on Jack Hughes, who he denied on a rebound in tight. He did a better job staying square to the shooter. For the game, he stopped 24 of 27 shots to pick up the win. With Igor Shestyorkin out due to a mild groin strain, it’s his net for now. He’ll be in there again Sunday for Part One against the Pens. They were 4-3 winners over the Flyers this afternoon.

To the credit of Blackwood, he made some important saves as well to keep the game within striking distance. The Devils continued to give up two-on-one opportunities. It mystified Ken Daneyko. There was a goalpost hit by a wide open Strome. Strome wound up tallying twice including the empty netter that sealed it late. He could’ve had a hat trick.

Throughout the game, the third line of Chytil, Rooney and Gauthier was particularly dangerous. They were all over the puck attacking a struggling Devils defense. In the final period, Chytil would get his first goal since returning due to a strong play from Gauthier.

On a face-off in the neutral zone, Damon Severson gave up the puck to Gauthier. Gauthier skated around the net before setting up Chytil in front for his third goal in eight games. He was able to go to the backhand and beat Blackwood high short side for a 5-2 lead at 8:38. The improving 21-year old Czech recorded a goal and assist to earn the game’s First Star.

The rest of the period was irrelevant. Nothing really happened. Georgiev made some saves. He also had help from the quick stick of Miller, who made a great defensive play to get a piece of a Kyle Palmieri rebound that left him bent over in dismay. Miller still makes mistakes, but is so fundamentally sound, it’s scary. Once he matures, he has the tools to become a first pair shutdown defenseman with offensive potential.

With time winding down, Bastian was able to beat Georgiev on a weird shot that might’ve changed direction with 2:12 remaining. Travis Zajac and Jesper Bratt earned helpers on Bastian’s second goal that cut it to 5-3. That’s as close as they got.

With Ruff lifting Blackwood for an extra attacker with two minutes left, Strome took a Fox pass and scored into an open net with 1:13 left to put an exclamation point on the win. With 11 points in the last eight games, Strome is up to 17 (8-9-17) for the season. He’s really picked it up and is proving he can produce without Artemi Panarin. Another lazy narrative from a misguided faction of ‘fans’ who need their eyes checked.

All in all, the Blueshirts did what they had to do. They took two games from a rival that’s really struggling. The Devils were lousy today. At least they competed for two periods the other day. They were worse in the rematch. Uncompetitive.

Give credit to the Rangers for winning the games on the schedule. That’s a requirement. You don’t get any freebies. Even if these two games felt like it. Their top players excelled sans Zibanejad, who might never score at five-on-five again. Good thing Buchnevich, Kreider, Strome, Fox, Lafreniere and Chytil continue to perform at a high level.

They’re winning without Zibanejad doing much. What if he scores one? Will it turn around his year? This disappearing act isn’t helping him for his next contract. A year away from unrestricted free agency, he might have to wait until sometime next season to see if the Rangers want to keep him. Strome continues to do all the things necessary to justify his two-year contract that also expires in 2022. Things could get interesting.

In regards to where things are, give the team plenty of credit. Led by Kreider, they’ve figured out how to win without Panarin. Who knows how much longer he’ll be out due to the outside distraction back home. I thought he’d miss at least six games. Tomorrow would make it seven. We’ll see if his status changes for the upcoming week.

At least I don’t have to link up the classic Major League 2 video about a “winning streak.” They took care of that.

Now, it’s time to find out where exactly they are against better competition. It’s the Pens for two in the Steel City followed by two more versus the Bruins on March 11 and 13 up in Boston. The Rangers are a combined 2-3-3 against those opponents. Basically, they’ve won twice and lost six. Let’s see if they can improve.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Julien Gauthier, NYR (2 assists, +1 in 18 shifts-9:38)

2nd 🌟 Adam Fox, NYR (2nd goal of season plus 🍎, +1 in 22:57)

1st 🌟 Filip Chytil, NYR (goal plus 🍎, +1 in 14:25)

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Di Giuseppe a healthy scratch for today’s rematch

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Derek

The Rangers take on the Devils in a little while at The Prudential Center this afternoon. It’s a rematch between the Hudson rivals.

New York took the third meeting 6-1 highlighted by a Chris Kreider hat trick and Igor Shestyorkin making 32 saves. He left the game with 5:52 left due to a mild groin strain. A fortunate outcome considering the amount of pain he was in leaving the ice.

Alex Georgiev gets the nod versus Mackenzie Blackwood in the fourth meeting of eight against the Devils in Newark. A Ranger win would even the season series. The Devils took the first two at MSG.

With the return of Kaapo Kakko to the lineup, coach David Quinn has decided to healthy scratch Colin Blackwell. One of his best players this season. It is puzzling. Blackwell is a hardworking gritty forward who has five goals and three assists. That includes two power play goals off redirections Phil Di Giuseppe.

UPDATE: Apparently, Quinn changed his mind on Colin Blackwell. I never understood why he was considering sitting a player who has five goals including two on the power play plus three assists.

What about Brendan Lemieux? A player who’s underachieving. He took a bad penalty in the offensive zone. Even though it didn’t lead to a goal, he hasn’t done enough to justify staying in the lineup over Di Giuseppe, who brings a more consistent game. I prefer what PDG has added to this team. He has assisted on some goals and finishes checks. He got credit for his first goal recently by going to the net. Instead, he’s the odd man out.

With Kakko back, he’ll play with the sizzling Kreider and Ryan Strome on the second line. He missed over a week due to COVID-19. He was eligible to return a few nights ago, but needed some practice time. It’s a golden opportunity for the second-year Finnish right wing to tale advantage. He should also see power play time.

Julien Gauthier has earned a further look in the lineup. He will continue to play alongside Filip Chytil and Kevin Rooney. Chytil is centering the third line. Rooney will take the face-offs. Gauthier will look to continue his improvement.

Brett Howden stays in the lineup due to his penalty killing. The Rangers rank fifth in the league due to a more aggressive kill that doesn’t give opponents a lot of time. Howden is part of an effective unit that features Rooney, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. Strome and Kreider can also kill penalties. It’s mostly Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox on defense out getting the job done. Brendan Smith and Jack Johnson kill penalties as can K’Andre Miller.

Zibanejad picked up an assist on Alexis Lafreniere’s fourth goal. He is still without an even strength goal. He remains centering the first line with Lafreniere and Buchnevich. Both are playing well. Lafreniere has a four- game point streak (3-2-5). Buchnevich has nine points over his last eight.

The game starts after 1 EST.

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Rangers get good news, Shestyorkin has mild groin strain, Kakko to return Saturday

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Derek

The news is better than expected on goalie Igor Shestyorkin. After leaving last night’s game with less than six minutes left in the third period, it looked like a potentially serious injury. He was helped off the ice.

However, the Rangers got good news on the starting goalie who made 32 saves in a 6-1 win over the Devils. After learning more about his leg injury suffered with 5:52 left, it turns out he suffered a mild groin strain. Rather than being out long-term, the team announced that Shestyorkin is “day-to-day.”

Phew. That’s a relief. Especially when Shestyorkin looked to be in serious pain bent over. He couldn’t put any weight on it as he exited with the help of Rangers trainer Jim Ramsay.

Groin injuries are tricky. The Rangers will approach it with caution. We’re talking about a 25-year old netminder who’s still in the early stage of his NHL career. It’s the future that’s most important for him. They shouldn’t rush him back.

With a busy schedule that includes a return match tomorrow afternoon against the Devils followed by games on Sunday and Tuesday at Pittsburgh, they shouldn’t take any chances. Alex Georgiev is a capable backup goalie who can fill in for the time being. He’s 2-2-2 with a 2.76 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 9 games. Eight starts.

Think of it this way. When Shestyorkin was injured in the car accident last year and missed time, David Quinn turned to Georgiev mostly with Henrik Lundqvist as the backup. He did a good job. Of course, there will be more pressure. He’ll have to do a good job with his rebound control.

If Shestyorkin has to miss two weeks including the games at Boston, so be it. It’s not about this season. Even at 9-9-3 thanks in large part to Chris Kreider’s hot streak, the team isn’t expected to make the playoffs. They’ll have to leap two good teams. It won’t be easy.

The Rangers should thank their lucky stars it isn’t an ACL or knee. For now, it’s Georgiev’s net with veteran Keith Kinkaid the likely backup.

As far as Saturday goes, it looks like coach David Quinn has made a puzzling decision to sit out Colin Blackwell. With Kaapo Kakko set to return after practicing with Ryan Strome and Kreider, the gritty Blackwell was the 13th forward behind Brendan Lemieux and Brett Howden. How is that possible? Never mind.

It won’t take Quinn long to realize Blackwell belongs in the lineup as a regular. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what he brings. Figure Jonny Brodzinski to be ticketed for Hartford.

The defense will remain the same. Jacob Trouba is back practicing, but in a non-contact jersey. It looks like he could be back sooner than expected. A good thing for the back end. That would move Brendan Smith down to the third pair and likely push Jack Johnson to the press box.

That’s gonna do it for now. All things considered, the Rangers got the best possible news on Shestyorkin. That’s a big positive.

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Kreider’s second hat trick of season highlights Rangers 6-1 win over Devils, Shestyorkin injury a concern

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Derek

AP Photo by New York Rangers courtesy Getty Images

Statistics don’t always tell the whole story about games. If you were to look at the box score of tonight’s game, you wouldn’t have believed the Rangers wound up running away from the Devils to win comfortably 6-1 before fans at The Prudential Center in Newark.

In the third meeting between Hudson rivals, the Rangers took full advantage of the chances they got to earn their first win of the season against the Devils. In fact, it ended a three-game losing streak that dates back to last year versus New Jersey. They were due. Even if conventional wisdom says that getting outshot almost double (36-19) on the scoreboard isn’t the best recipe for success. It didn’t matter.

Highlighted by Chris Kreider’s second hat trick of the season, great goaltending from seriously injured starter Igor Shestyorkin (32 saves before leaving in the third), and strong special teams, the Blueshirts put four past Devils starter Mackenzie Blackwood (11 saves on 15 shots) to chase him. Kreider was the best offensive star. He continued his rampage by getting numbers 11, 12 and 13 to give him a ridiculous eight goals over the last five games. In Artemi Panarin’s absence, the true leader of the Rangers had stepped up to bring them back to NHL .500. At 9-9-3 with 21 points, they’re no longer out of it in the strange Patrick (East) Division. They suddenly are within six points of both the third place Flyers and fourth place Bruins.

Let me preface this by stating the obvious. If not for a world class performance from Shestyorkin, who was utterly brilliant during a lopsided first period, they don’t win this game. Unlike previous head-to-head match-ups against Blackwood, he got the better of it. The Devils were way better than the Rangers in a first period that saw them get the game’s first goal from overdue number one center Jack Hughes and hold a 14-6 edge in shots. Hughes nearly had a pair, but his early opportunity went off the goalpost. The same post Dmitry Kulikov hit during the first as well.

Outside of the third and fourth line along with K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox, the Rangers were badly outplayed in the opening 20 minutes by a Devils team that wanted to end their losing streak. Oddly enough, the only shot that beat Shestyorkin was of the fluke variety. On a long Sami Vatanen outlet pass that took a strange carom, the puck bounced right to Hughes in front for the game’s first goal. He beat Shestyorkin point blank for his fifth at 7:12. It was his first goal in six games.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1367631759387549704?s=19

But in a period where the Rangers could get nothing going, Shestyorkin stood up to the challenge by turning away Devils’ scoring chances with relative ease. He was so calm in net that even some very bad defensive breakdowns that lead to dangerous chances didn’t bother him. Focused is how to describe the 25-year old Russian netminder who still earned the Broadway Hat despite being forced to exit the game with 5:52 left due to a “lower-body” injury.

https://twitter.com/HockeyHoundShow/status/1367665151466409991?s=19

What a shame too because it didn’t look good. Facing an odd-man rush led by Damon Severson, he went to push off on a high shot and took a funny stretch that left him in writhing pain. He was helped off the ice by Rangers trainer Jim Ramsay while unable to put any weight on one leg. It looks like either a groin or an ACL. Hopefully, it’s not the latter because that would be a long-term injury. There’s also the possibility it’s a knee. We’ll wait and learn more tomorrow. Regardless, Shestyorkin won’t be back for Saturday’s afternoon rematch. It looks like the goaltending will fall largely on the shoulders of Alex Georgiev. He made three saves in relief the final 5:52.

Obviously, the injury to Shestyorkin overshadowed a great game from Kreider, who wasn’t buying the narrative about struggling teammate Mika Zibanejad. As expected, he stuck up for Zibanejad when asked about him. The much maligned first center again had a tough night. He was so quiet during the first that coach David Quinn benched him for over 10 minutes in the second period. Number 93 missed a few shifts while Filip Chytil got the call in his place. The encouraging part was when he returned to action, Zibanejad responded well. He did wind up setting up Alexis Lafreniere for the sixth and final goal late in regulation. Zibanejad played only 13:04 for the game. His minutes have decreased over the past few games.

When pressed on what he wasn’t seeing from Zibanejad by Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic, Quinn indicated that he didn’t like his center’s game early. He felt that Zibanejad is letting the stats affect him. If you saw Lafreniere on the bench following a goal next to him, it’s true. While the budding rookie who also made a great pass on a Pavel Buchnevich goal for a two-point game was beaming, Zibanejad looked like Zibanesad or Zibanemad. He’s mostly been Zibanebad. For whatever reason, it’s not going well for him.

The good news is the brilliant play of Kreider along with the marked improvement from Lafreniere have sparked the team. Buchnevich has also had a revival with his goal and assist giving him nine points (4-5-9) over his last eight. With Ryan Strome chipping in with two more assists to give him a line of 2-7-9 in the last eight, the Rangers are finally getting production from key players. That should buy Zibanejad some time to get his game in order. It has also allowed Quinn to mix and match with the top six that’s still without Panarin and Kaapo Kakko. It’ll be interesting to see what he decides if they have Kakko back for Saturday.

With pseudo Jesper Fast replacement Colin Blackwell able to be plugged anywhere in the lineup, Quinn has managed him well by using the gritty forward in the top six and on the power play. His impressive play has moved him ahead of the puzzling Brendan Lemieux, who just might be the odd man out for the Expansion Draft when the Seattle Kraken pick from an unprotected list. Lemieux took one of those needless offensive zone penalties 180 feet away from the Ranger net in the third. He also upset P.K. Subban with a tough hit that saw the veteran defenseman skate off with back pain. He stayed in the game.

It’s hard to explain what happened in the second. It wasn’t so much that the Rangers played well. However, they were better than that mess of a first period. They still were susceptible to the Devils transition due to lapses in D coverage. Particularly from Brendan Smith, who struggled with the speed of the younger Devils. He misjudged a Kyle Palmieri rush allowing him to cut inside and make a power move towards Shestyorkin, who turned him away. There also was a big save on a Hughes breakaway later.

If something changed, it was the execution of the special teams. A lazy Palmieri slashing minor when he knocked out Chytil’s stick turned the game around. On just a great rush from their end following a Devils clear, an on-rushing Buchnevich dropped off the puck for Strome at the right side. He made a perfect centering feed for a cutting Kreider, who beat Blackwood for his 11th at 8:28 on the power play. Just a great play by all three with Strome executing a great pass for the Kreider finish. It was Buchnevich who replaced an ineffective Zibanejad on that power play.

A little over six minutes later, another strong transition resulted in the second Kreider goal of the period. After Strome missed on a good opportunity wide with a shot, the puck was recovered and passed back to Ryan Lindgren. He took a point shot that somehow Kreider was able to deflect home. The later Devils replays broken down by MSG analyst Bryce Salvador showed how Kreider was able to score the goal. Damon Severson didn’t tie him up, allowing Kreider enough time to set up in front and redirect the puck for his 12th at 13:57.

By that point, the Blueshirts had taken control. Even a Libor Hajek cross-checking minor with 5:03 remaining didn’t swing the momentum. Instead, the Devils found it very tough on the power play due to the aggressiveness of the Rangers on the penalty kill. They were kept to the perimeter and hardly even got shots through on Shestyorkin. The penalty killers which include ex-Devil Kevin Rooney, Brett Howden, Zibanejad and Buchnevich, did a good job taking away lanes. They also got key clears.

Despite a 9-6 edge in shots, the Devils trailed by a goal after two. The third was one no one could’ve predicted. It certainly stunned Ken Daneyko on the Devils television feed. To summarize, the Devils imploded. They got outscored 4-0 in a forgettable period. The crazy part was the Rangers scored their four on only seven shots with two beating Blackwood and a couple beating reliever Aaron Dell.

Sloppiness was on display from the beginning. As Hasan mentioned in his quick assessment of what went wrong, Pavel Zacha committed an awful turnover in front of his own net. After he lost the puck, Chytil intercepted it and fed an open Kreider for a quick one-timer that got by Blackwood just 23 seconds into the third. That gave him his second hat trick of the season and fourth of his career. He’s doubled it up recently with his torrid play. He might not have a ‘C’ on that jersey. But by now, everyone knows who the captain is of this team. He not only says what they have to do to become successful. But is getting it done as a leader.

It was a few minutes later that Lafreniere made a good defensive play to stop Hughes in his own end. After denying the Devils’ top threat, Lafreniere came away with the puck and created an easy goal for Buchnevich. Skating in and gaining the New Jersey zone, he drew attention long enough to make a bullet pass across for an open Buchnevich, whose one-timer beat Blackwood to chase him. It was his seventh from Lafreniere at 3:57 that gave the Blueshirts a 4-1 lead.

Not long after, Mike McLeod delivered a dangerous hit from behind on Smith into the boards. Not pleased about it, Smith dropped the gloves with McLeod for a brief scrap. Each received five minutes for fighting. Somehow, McLeod didn’t receive an extra two for the hit from behind. An obvious boarding which amazed Daneyko, who admitted that he got away with one.

A Lindgren hooking minor handed the Devils another chance on the man-advantage with less than 13 minutes left. They did manage to get some setup time. But few attempts got through. It was again the Rangers penalty kill that did a good job. They adjusted their strategy by taking away rookie Ty Smith. He’s a good shooter who the Devils like to run the top of the power play through. He attempted some shots, but they were blocked. Only one shot made it to Shestyorkin, who made a nice kick save.

Like I said earlier, the special teams were a noticeable difference in this game. While the Rangers went 1-for-2 on the power play, the Devils took the collar in four chances. That really impacted what happened. It didn’t matter that they had so many more shots. With the penalty kill strong and Shestyorkin even stronger, it all contributed to a great third period for the guests.

McLeod would later cut across the crease and bump into Shestyorkin for a goaltender interference minor with 6:54 left. Before he made his way to the box, Kreider had words for him. That’s exactly the kind of response needed when that happens. McLeod plays a chippy game. He was obviously trying to create some energy for his team. But you can’t let him run around without letting him know about it. Smith did following the cheap hit. So did Kreider even with McLeod off for a penalty.

Even though they didn’t convert on it, the Rangers added insult to injury soon after it expired. Smith finished off his second from Phil Di Giuseppe and Rooney to make it five unanswered goals. Just 62 seconds later, it got even uglier for the Devils when a persistent Zibanejad took a puck away and passed across for a Lafreniere laser that was in and out of the net so fast, Dell never had a chance. It was a lethal wrist shot high cheese. Lafreniere is up to four goals and three assists with the points coming now.

Unfortunately, the win came at the expense of Shestyorkin. He went down at the 54:08 mark due to trying to prevent a Devils odd-man rush. It falls on the defense for the injury to our goalie. Only a forward was back on the play. They relaxed. That was costly. I don’t know how long he’ll be out for. But my dire feeling is we might not see Shestyorkin again this year. I hope I’m wrong.

It was a nice win. A rare blowout even if it was a bit eerie given what happened. The game was close until the last period. Then all hell broke loose. Losing a good starter like Shestyorkin stinks. Don’t forget the accident he got into last year with Buchnevich. He went down and Georgiev took over and did a good job. They got back into the race. They’re gonna need Georgiev to deliver here. If not, the season will be a short one.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Alexis Lafreniere, NYR (4th of season plus 🍎, confidence is growing)

2nd 🌟 Igor Shestyorkin, NYR (32 saves on 33 shots before leaving with injury, brilliant on a bittersweet night)

1st 🌟 Chris Kreider, NYR (goals 11, 12, 13 for 4th career hat trick, second of season)

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Empty feeling still prevalent in Newark

Posted on March 5, 2021 by hasan4978

In this of all seasons it’s hard to know where criticism will diverge from reality. I was gonna be even harder on the Devils in the headline, but before even getting to criticisms I have to remind myself that yes, over half this team had COVID in-season and it’s not always gonna be smooth sailing for a team I and many others expected to finish either last or next to last even before that disaster. Certainly guys like Mackenzie Blackwood and Travis Zajac are a couple of the more glaring examples – not that Zajac was playing all that great before the pause himself, but Blackwood’s game has certainly taken a hit since that unfortunate team-wide absence.

That said, when too many veterans are passengers for extended periods – you get nights like tonight – and it just reminds you we’re going on eight years of almost constant losing hockey aside from the one Taylor Hall-led blip of life on the radar screen. I haven’t been watching as much lately so some of my angst has dissipated for that reason but not watching tonight had to do more with both my annoyance over the Nico Hischier injury and needing to take a long nap after a lack of sleep last night. Literally I slept through the game. So upon waking up I did what all the kids do and checked YouTube first – to see if the Devils postgame had anything up online before bothering to check the result on my computer. When I saw it was 6-1 I rolled my eyes. Then I turned the postgame highlights on, albeit a Devils highlight show but then I was actually surprised, this was a 6-1 game?! Especially seeing the 36-19 shot total in favor.

Then my mind immediately went to quitting, which perennial losing teams tend to do. Certainly Pavel Zacha’s turnover on goal #3 early in the third was ugly and I’m now back off the bandwagon after his fluke point scoring streak ended, that was more of the same old Zacha I’ve come to know and loathe. Hence my wanting to call the piece loser mentality instead of empty feeling. Whatever you want to call it, the Devils have now lost eight straight regulation home games including back to back beatdowns from their two local rivals in our first games with fans back in the building. This whole season has had a Charlie Brown-like feel to it…seemingly on the verge of becoming relevant again after the 6-3-2 start and now this – double digit points out of the playoff race and sinking in the standings faster than a skydiver after seven losses in their last eight games.

More than anything outside of maybe the COVID pause, it’s the Hischier thing that’s just put a total wet blanket over the season though. Derek chronicled his season of hell in a previous blog but we’ve certainly hit all the different ways to miss a game eh? Injured off the ice before the season, sick off the ice during it and now injured on the ice, from his own teammate no less. Finally the diagnosis came back on a fractured orbital bone and being in concussion protocol, so basically this was a worst case scenario. A fracture AND concussion-like symptoms from it at the very least. I almost titled this blog mutually assured destruction though, since the Rangers had a key loss of their own during the game. I did get the Rick DiPietro heebie jeebies seeing the highlights of Igor Shesterkin suffering a goalie’s worst nightmare of an injury. Hoping for the best, but at the very least it looks like he’s not going to play in the rematch Saturday afternoon.

Not that it’ll matter for that game since our special teams sucks, scoring sucks, right now goaltending sucks and on top of all of that it’s another retro uniform night where we’re guaranteed to suck in general. It didn’t even matter that Lindy Ruff put all our lines in a blender and hit the mix button before the game with some panic-looking combinations. You could say they responded, at least early judging by the shot totals but it obviously didn’t help create offense in the end. Credit Shesterkin obviously but there’s a lot of good goalies in this division, you gotta start scoring sooner or later. We were predictably shut down on Tuesday by the Isles, lost to both Capital goalies over the weekend and got whipped in the third tonight. Overall the Devils have scored just sixteen goals in their eight-game slide (1-7), including twelve in the seven losses while our lone win and four-goal performance in it was extremely fortunate after the Linus Ullmark injury, to put it mildly.

Both the best and worst thing about the remaining part of the season is the compressed schedule. One bad game turns into three turns into five with the snap of a finger, which is very frustrating and going to color the evaluations of a lot of guys in the end. Certainly our slow-starting vets like PK Subban, Kyle Palmieri, Nikita Gusev and company aren’t going to have a lot of time to salvage their season. On the other hand there’s only about two months left of games because of it so it really isn’t that long a time frame for the fans to deal with more losing. In a normal season that’s eighteen games old we’d be in late November and still be staring down the barrel of four plus months of hopelessness. So that’s good I guess.

Still it’s very discouraging, sure there are isolated positives to take out of the season so far but they become less and less meaningful surrounded by the tide of negativity and disappointment. Especially considering Blackwood’s backslide and Hischier’s injury. You want to see stuff from the younger guys and for different reasons two of our franchise keys going forward aren’t helping the cause right now. Even Jack Hughes was slumping on the scoreboard for a few weeks now, but by all accounts was a lot better tonight, including an electric goal that actually gave the Devils the lead for a while. As Edmonton fans or Buffalo fans can tell you, one young center isn’t enough to turn things around though. There just isn’t a lot else to say…Derek can handle the game recap from the winning side today and Saturday. I’m just played out with this team right now.

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Devils lose Hischier to sinus fracture

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Derek

In a recent game against the Capitals, Devils captain Nico Hischier took a hard P.K. Subban shot right to the face leaving him bloody on Feb. 27.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1365762954243768321?s=09

The key center hasn’t played since. It appears that’ll be the case for a little while. According to Devils reporter Corey Masisak of The Athletic, Hischier has been placed on IR due to sustaining a sinus fracture. He’s considered “week-to-week” in concussion protocol.

Having only played five games due to a broken leg and COVID-19, the young center will miss more time. Something that’s unfortunate for the Devils, who are a better team with him than without. Hischier has two goals and an assist this season.

Without him again as they enter tonight’s match versus the Rangers, it’ll be up to the Devils core to step up. That includes Jack Hughes, who has only five points (1-4-5) in his last 11 games following a hot start. He has just one goal since Jan. 24.

Coach Lindy Ruff held a meeting with the leadership earlier yesterday. That included Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Subban, Damon Severson and Hughes.

The Devils host the Rangers in Newark for the first of two at 7 PM. The rematch is Saturday. They’re 2-0 versus them, taking the first two at MSG.

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

Blueshirts skate by lifeless Sabres in a sleep fest, Mr. Happy has a goal and assist in one-goal win, Chytil returns, Buffalo misery

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Derek

Two points is two points. You don’t get style points for winning a hockey game. Even if it left a lot to be desired. The Rangers skated by the lifeless Sabres for a 3-2 win at MSG. They did what they had to do to defeat a miserable opponent who looked like they couldn’t beat a peewee team.

That doesn’t matter. It wasn’t memorable hockey played at 33rd and 8th. It didn’t have to be. Boosted by the return of Filip Chytil, who looked good despite not taking face-offs, they bounced back from Sunday’s ugly loss. It was a must win.

Now, they’ll try to get a victory for the first time this year against the Devils. They’re 0-for-2 so far. The Blueshirts have two more chances this Thursday and Saturday against their Hudson rivals, who are struggling. They lost to the Islanders 2-1 with a Miles Wood goal with 12.3 seconds left in regulation preventing a shutout. We’ll see if our side is more successful in the upcoming two-game series with both in Newark.

This tweet I posted doesn’t say much about tonight’s game. The mere fact the Rangers only could muster eight shots the final two periods against the Sabres isn’t encouraging. They got lulled to sleep in a very dull game.

Buffalo might be the worst NHL team. They’re leaderless due to captain Jack Eichel deciding to go through the motions. He really looks disinterested. Outside of setting up a Sam Reinhart goal to tie the game in the first wild minute, the much discussed number one center was invisible. I don’t want to hear any trade rumors about him the rest of the season. If that’s how he wants to play, count me out. I don’t think it makes sense for our team. That’s all I’ll say. He isn’t going anywhere until the off-season.

As for the game, what can be said? Pavel Buchnevich had his best night in a while scoring and setting up a goal in a good first period. He got the scoring started at the 28-second mark when Mika Zibanejad sent him in behind a putrid Sabres defense and he beat Carter Hutton with a quick snapshot. Adam Fox picked up a secondary assist.

But before Sam Rosen and the ridiculous Joe Micheletti could stop crowing over how this could be the night for Zibanejad to finally score a goal, the Sabres replied back on the next shift. On a quick counter in which Brendan Smith fell down, Eichel and Victor Olofsson combined to feed Reinhart for his eighth at 55 seconds to tie the score. All I could do was laugh.

Proving how bad they are, the Sabres donated the goal right back. Less than two minutes later off a Zibanejad forecheck, a Buffalo turnover allowed Buchnevich to steal the puck and patiently wait for Brandon Montour to go down. With Hutton dead to rights, Buchnevich shot in front with the puck deflecting off Alexis Lafreniere and in for his third at 2:36. It gave the 2020 top pick a three-game point streak for the first time in his career. He has a goal and two assists.

Things are starting to click for Lafreniere. He’s starting to look more comfortable playing with Buchnevich and Zibanejad. The improvement from the rookie left wing even saw David Quinn reward him with the most ice-time among Ranger forwards with 18:35. He was even out protecting the one-goal lead on the second to last shift of the game. That shows more confidence in an evolving young player, who’s finally starting to get it. The best sign to come out of the win.

In terms of storylines, there wasn’t a whole lot else. Chytil returning meant Jonny Brodzinski sitting out as a healthy scratch. However, with Kaapo Kakko finally removed from COVID Protocol, look for him to be cleared soon. When he is, someone else will sit. The candidates are Brett Howden and Julien Gauthier. I’m not going to comment on this. Let’s wait and see what Quinn decides. Here were how the lines looked:

Lafreniere-Zibanejad-Buchnevich

Kreider-Strome-Blackwell

Rooney-Chytil-Gauthier

Lemieux-Howden-Di Giuseppe

With Chytil unable to take face-offs, Rooney filled in. After having two strong games in a row, he didn’t win a single one in six draws. Not good. At least Zibanejad had a good night, going 8-for-11 while Ryan Strome broke even winding up 7-and-7. The top two centers combined for 15 of their 18 face-off wins. Overall, the Rangers went 18-for-44. Hardly a good outcome. The only thing Eichel did well was win draws going 10-and-8. Otherwise, you hardly noticed him.

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear. The Rangers had one good period. They played well in the first period, eventually settling down to outshoot the Sabres 11-9. Afterwards, Buffalo held a 15-8 edge in shots the rest of the way. That won’t cut it against real competition.

To be honest, they were lucky to win this game. If not for Hutton completely missing a Chris Kreider long shot off a simple play near the midway point of the game, they could’ve lost. Kreider’s shocked reaction summed it up. His wrist shot that beat Hutton high glove proved to be the game-winner. Make it six goals and seven points over his last five games. He’s always been a streaky scorer. Right now, he’s hot. His best stretch has allowed the Rangers to win twice without exiled top scorer Artemi Panarin. He’s up to 10 goals.

Where are all the Kreider critics? Did they go into hibernation like hopefully winter? Let’s face it. This team doesn’t have many finishers. Where would they be without him? I’d rather not imagine. Even without a stitched ‘C’ on his jersey, it’s number 20 who is the emotional leader of this roster. He usually nails it when interviewed in this COVID Era. Win or lose, he tells it like it is. He might not have been made available following the game. Instead, Buchnevich and Igor Shestyorkin talked along with Quinn.

It was kind of interesting to see Mr. Happy answer questions from reporters via Zoom Conference. He didn’t smile once. This after a very good game in which he could’ve had a hat trick. He missed a great chance on a Zibanejad feed with an open net. He also had another great opportunity that went by the wayside at the end of the game. Maybe the Rangers should hire a shooter tutor on empty nets. If you’ve seen Buchnevich and Strome in action, it might be a good idea.

Listening to Quinn following the game, he basically acknowledged the obvious. That for whatever reason, they didn’t play close to their best game. He doesn’t seem to understand why his team looked like it has over the last two. I don’t know what to say. He’s the coach. You’d think by Year Three, Quinn would have more of a grasp on his roster. Even if it’s young, there are enough players he knows to get a good read on things. They better not pull that next game versus the Devils. They won’t be so lucky.

With the Rangers ahead by a pair, it was the Sabres who nudged closer in a sleep inducing second period. A Tobias Rieder long shot from inside the blue line went through a good Dylan Cozens screen past Shestyorkin to cut the lead to 3-2 with 3:39 remaining. Igor picked up the shot late due to traffic. Even though he was hard on himself during the postgame, I don’t fault him for that one. It was a good play by Rieder to shoot with Cozens doing the grunt work. Rasmus Dahlin and Rasmus Ristolainen picked up the helpers.

I know he didn’t face as overwhelming workload. But Shestyorkin made some key saves throughout. His best coming when he thwarted the hexed Jeff Skinner pointblank off a great pass. That critical stop kept the Rangers in front by a goal prior to Kreider sniping. There were other big stops as the 25-year old Russian netminder had a good night finishing with 22 saves to pick up the win.

It’s funny how Skinner never is used with good players by Buffalo coach Ralph Krueger. He was easily their best forward throughout. Playing mostly on the third line with Curtis Lazar, he had three shots and nine attempts. Some of the misses dangerous during the third when the Rangers only had three total shots. The crazy part is the Sabres themselves only had five. How do they expect to tie the game with such a lackluster effort? Even Teflon MSG analyst Steve Valiquette took a shot at them.

https://twitter.com/TheEsq_of_212/status/1366940933116334084?s=19

To summarize, Valiquette said that it looks like the Sabres have given up on the season. Think about that for a minute. They just got finished playing Game 20 of a 56-game schedule. They’re now 6-11-3 and dead last in the new Patrick Division. I refuse to refer to it as East. That’s ridiculous.

The Rangers themselves improved to 8-9-3 in 20 games. Hardly anything to write home about. They have 19 points to the Sabres’ 15. But when you watch Buffalo play, you begin to understand why they’re so bad. There’s not much fire. Give Cozens credit for accepting Ryan Lindgren’s challenge and throwing down. That kid has spunk. He even got the better of the exchange.

Who else on the Sabres played well? Not Eichel. Certainly not the misplaced Taylor Hall, who found himself with Kyle “Zero Goal” Okposo. What kind of circus are they running over there? They sat Casey Mittlestadt so Okposo and Cody Eakin could play. That’s insane. Mittlestadt actually had played well since returning. Surely, they can’t keep Krueger as coach. He’s misusing a lot of key guys they spent money on. No wonder Eichel wants out.

When I’m spending more time on the opponent than the Rangers, you know how bad it is. My best friend is a huge Sabres fan who has no hope. He barely watches them. Can you blame him? How many years can they keep missing the postseason and be in the Lottery? What is their plan? A 20-year rebuild? It’s absurd. That team has no structure and hideous defense. They lost guys to injuries including Jake McCabe and Will Borgen. It’s no excuse for how poorly they play.

The Rangers were lucky they played such a pathetic opponent. They got away with playing down to the competition. I’d rather play more competitive teams and win those games. The win over the Bruins was that. You know for as bad as they’re struggling, the Devils will be ready to go in less than 48 hours. They just aren’t scoring much. But I’m sure their eyes will light up when they see the Rangers logo. They’ve already handled us twice at The Garden. That was bad enough. This is a chance at payback.

With the team getting healthier, they have a chance here to get back to NHL .500 and above. Get the next two games and they can get right back in it. The Flyers, Pens and even Caps don’t exactly look like juggernauts. There’s ground to make up. But it’s not too late. You can get back in it quickly with all these divisional match-ups.

That’s all I have to say. If they’re gonna make a run, now’s the time for it. Two against the Devils followed by a pair versus the Penguins. Assuming Panarin doesn’t return by Saturday, that’s another two games without him. It’s another opportunity for other Blueshirts to step up. We’re still waiting on you, Zibanejad.

Before I forget, Happy Birthday to Henrik Lundqvist! It was his 39th birthday yesterday. Hope he enjoyed it. It’s nice to see him back skating. Best wishes to King Henrik.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Igor Shestyorkin, NYR (22 saves including 14 of 15 the last 2 periods)

2nd 🌟 Adam Fox, NYR (2 assists, +1 in 23:47)

1st 🌟 Pavel Buchnevich, NYR (goal plus 🍎, 4 SOG, +2 in 18:11)

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Devils swept by Caps as the regression continues

Posted on February 28, 2021 by hasan4978

There isn’t much good to say about this weekend losing another two games to the Capitals and failing to carry over any momentum from the wild Thursday win over the Sabres. Indeed that win proved to be the only one during this six-game stretch of only playing Washington and Buffalo. 0-3 against the Capitals is understandable, albeit still annoying. Sure they’re a better team than us but you’d think we could get a lousy point or two considering all three times we were in one-goal games in the third period. 1-2 against the Sabres is inexcusable considering they seemingly can’t even score a goal against anyone else. Maybe if we weren’t under NHL .500 and sinking I’d say okay maybe there were some moral victories to be had in the two games, specifically in rallying back from an 3-0 deficit in the Saturday game to come within inches of tying it. I’m tired of tauting moral victories though, especially when too many key guys have stopped contributing or have been negatives from the start.

I’ve been pro-Lindy Ruff for most of the season so really the first thing I’m seriously gonna ding him on was from today’s game, specifically playing Mackenzie Blackwood for a fourth game in six nights today. I mean we’re only in the middle of a schedule where we’re playing 43 games in 76 days or some ridiculous combination of numbers. Maybe it’s 46 in 73, I don’t care. Either way are we just ignoring this kid had COVID and had only played a handful of games in the previous eleven months? Sure maybe he’s not tired now but you’re managing a goalie for three months, not three weeks here. Blackwood also hasn’t been as good this week as he was earlier in the season or right when he came off the COVID list, today was his fifth straight game of allowing three goals or more. Goaltending isn’t just about how many shots you face in a game, it’s about the mental grind of staying on point game after game. This isn’t exactly the playoff stretch drive either, even in a short season.

It would also be nice to get the disappointing PK Subban off of the first power play unit and give Ty Smith some run there. When PK isn’t accidentally hitting his teammates with shots, he’s missing the net entirely. Not that he doesn’t have plenty of company in the latter at the moment. I get you don’t want to overload the rookie but it’s only another minute a game since he’s already getting PP2 time, and the second power play unit has been better than the first in recent games, though neither really did well today. At least our PK for penalty kill actually made it through the weekend without allowing a PP goal. Baby steps, although glass half empty it’s discouraging we still managed to give up eight goals even without our PK unit subverting us.

Losing teams find different ways to lose every game, that’s basically what we’ve gone back to being in the blink of an eye. Yesterday we got rolled in the first period and spent the rest of the afternoon in a futile jog uphill only to fall right when we got near the summit. Ironically the spectacular breakdown on a breakaway goal from Jakub Vrana that put us behind by two in the third period yesterday might have influenced today’s gutless third period when the Devils – again trailing by one going into the third – for the longest time managed only one shot on net. Sure, holding the Caps to zero shots over that same sixteen minute or so stretch was nice but I’m sure they’d take the tradeoff of only giving us one shot on net for much of the third period when we’re down a goal. At least try to press the issue sooner than the last five minutes. The fact we had so many ‘shot attempts’ in the third only serves to underscore the uselessness of that stat. What’s the difference if you attempt shots that don’t even get through to the net? When you put pucks on net at least you can score, but having blocked and missed shots help nothing.

Of course having injuries in a short, compressed schedule doesn’t help either. Right when poor Nico Hischier finally returns to the lineup and starts scoring (with his first goal of the season on Saturday) he gets hit up high in the mouth/nose area with a deflected puck off a 100-MPH Subban slapshot late in Saturday’s loss. He couldn’t have gotten hit with a Mike Mottau quality shot instead? I might have to explain that joke so look up Bobby Holik’s comment about how Mottau couldn’t hurt a fly with his shot and you’ll get the reference. Of course with the quick turnaround Nico missed today’s game. Almost as if the hockey gods were torturing us, we ended another loss to the Caps with another puck to the head of a key player injury – this time with Miles Wood getting hit on the ear from an attempted Zdeno Chara clear…sorry, I can’t think of a non-rhythmic way to put it.

I could rag on guys like Kyle Pamieri, whose horrible attempt on goal late in the game with only John Carlson’s turned body between him and an open net is symbolic of his struggles. Nikita Gusev getting a couple of junktime goals become much more annoying when he fails on an open net early in the third period of Saturday’s loss when a goal there could have tied the game. Subban’s offense has almost completely dissapeared other than the odd assist here and there, and his defensive game which was never strong to begin with has been more subpar as the season’s gone on. I want to give Sami Vatanen more time (and some PP time perhaps as well) but he hasn’t looked good the last few games either. As much as I love Travis Zajac we need more from him with two goals and three points in thirteen games. Really though what’s the point of going nuts over any of these guys? Other than Subban none of these guys are signed beyond this year and Subban’s only under contract through next year. None are going to be long-term solutions.

Which is why it’s more imperative we get guys like Blackwood, Jesper Bratt (one goal in eleven games this season), and Jack Hughes – just five points in his last twelve games – either producing or back on the beam. Hughes did start the season well, Nico was coming around before his latest injury and Ty Smith has started the season consistently well, all good signs but if they’re gonna engender hope in the fanbase for the coming seasons all the younger players need do to even more and get us out of what’s already become an extended bad spell of five losses in six games. If there was ever a bad time for the Devils to get fans back in the building, it’d be this week off a slump where we’re playing our two NY rivals. Is it possible we get 50% of Islander or Ranger fans in the building for a crowd of only about 1000 or so? Guess it depends on how many season ticket holders bought off the presale and how many individual seats had to be sold after it.

I’m not really in full rant mode but tbh part of that is how little I’ve watched of the last few games. Plus as excited as the hot start got me I never fully bought in, proof of that was just how negative I was after the first loss of the string (the initial Sabres game last week) when we were still 6-4-2. I’ve seen this script before, which is part of it. 2013 we started 8-3-3 and finished under NHL .500 in a 48-game season. 2016-17 we started something like 10-6-3 and finished with another 70-ish point season. 2018-19 we dominated our first four games outscoring the opposition 18-4 but fell off swiftly and severely after that. I already wasn’t expecting a lot from this team, the 6-3-2 start was a bonus in a way but now reality’s hitting hard, especially given this schedule will not give us any kind of a mental or physical break this season.

This season is ultimately only going to be as good as our younger players make it, especially with younger players being the majority of the team plus the amount of vets on one year contracts that may or may not get sold off at the deadline. For all the talk about how this year was different than last year we may well wind up with the same conclusion in the end – a massive liquidation sale of expiring contracts at the deadline followed by some junktime wins after we’re well out of the race. If anything I’m getting too tired and jaded of this script to complain about it.

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