Georgiev moves on from DeAngelo altercation the right way

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Derek

AP Photo via Getty Images

In many ways, one of the cool things to admire about Alex Georgiev is his poise. Since joining the Rangers, the birthday boy who blows out 25 candles when he makes his first start since the sad episode following a 5-4 overtime loss to the Pens, has always displayed a level of maturity.

Win or lose, his calm demeanor never changes. Not even after the altercation with former teammate Tony DeAngelo, who’s since been dismissed by the organization for detrimental behavior that cost him his job. Despite a sad incident that took place over a week ago in Pittsburgh, the 25-year old Georgiev has moved on. When asked by New York Post columnist Larry Brooks about what happened, the unflappable netminder chose to take the high road. A wise move.

“I don’t want to elaborate on what happened. I just want to keep it in the past,” he told Brooks. “Emotions happened, and that’s all I can say.

“I wish Tony the best moving forward.”

That’s the right way to handle such a difficult situation. It hasn’t been easy for Georgiev or the team. Despite made up rumors to the contrary, DeAngelo was a popular teammate. However, his polarizing behavior got him in trouble. It was more than he was worth. That despite what he contributed last year.

All of it’s in the past. For Georgiev, he gets a chance to return to net when the Blueshirts step up in competition and host the Bruins for the first of two over three days at Madison Square Garden. It’s an opportunity for him to get back on track. After shutting out the Islanders to start the season, he’s lost three straight decisions (0-2-1) by allowing 12 goals on 82 shots. That translates to an ugly 4.50 GAA and .854 save percentage.

Rangers coach David Quinn wants to get him back in. Igor Shestyorkin performed very well the past three starts. But with a busy schedule, the third-year coach emphasized how important it is to have two goalies for this strange season.

“I think [Alex] has handled [the fallout] it well,” Quinn stated. “It’s been over a week now and I think we’ve all moved past it. Our guys are in a good spot and he’s in a good spot. He’s looked good in practice.

“I think it’s important for him to get in the net for a variety of reasons. We’re going to need him, one, and two, he wants to play. I think this will help him to continue to move forward here but I think he’s moved forward anyway.”

Of course, he’s correct. Georgiev needs to get righted. It’ll not be easy facing the division-leading Bruins. Boston is 8-1-2 with 18 points in 11 games. Despite star power forward David Pastrnak missing time, they haven’t missed a beat. Led by future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron (6-9-15) and the game’s best overall left wing Brad Marchand (7-8-15), they’re where they usually are.

Even after letting former captain Zdeno Chara go to Washington and Torrey Krug sign in St. Louis, the Bruins haven’t missed a beat. In four games since returning, Pastrnak is on fire with eight points (5-3-8). Part of the NHL’s best line, he’s the finisher who’s particularly dangerous on the power play.

Charlie McAvoy is third in team scoring with 10 points while playing mean defense. David Krejci is still there chipping in nine assists and key additions Nick Ritchie and Craig Smith have added depth scoring. Tuukka Rask is still one of the best starting goalies with Jaro Halak a good backup.

This is going to be a big challenge. Especially coming off a 2-0 shutout defeat to the Islanders. A frustrating game due to how well they played the first 50 minutes before falling apart. Offense is at a premium. If Artemi Panarin doesn’t get on the score sheet, it’s problematic. Until Mika Zibanejad snaps out of his funk, there isn’t enough scoring.

The power play has been equally frustrating. It’s too reliant on the number one unit which features Panarin, Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox and Pavel Buchnevich. They stay on for too long and despite creating looks, aren’t finishing enough due to Zibanejad’s struggles. That leaves the second unit of Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Strome, Alexis Lafreniere, Brendan Lemieux and Jacob Trouba with little time to get anything set up.

Speaking of Lafreniere, he remains stuck on one goal in 11 games. Part of the problem is he’s been moved around from line to line. Not in the top six, he currently plays with Brett Howden and Phil Di Giuseppe (PDG). They had a good game on Monday night. For Lafreniere, it’s about continuing to create chances and bring energy to his shifts. It would be nice if the coach didn’t shorten his shifts in crunch time.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Rangers respond to the upcoming challenge. After the Bruins, it’s the Flyers. Another good team that can score goals with former Blueshirt Kevin Hayes off to an impressive start in his second year there.

We’ll see how Georgiev fares along with the team on Wednesday night.

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Varlamov shuts the door again on Rangers in a defensive battle, Islanders win playoff caliber game

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Derek

One mistake was all it took for the Rangers to lose a hard fought game to the Islanders. Unfortunately, they made a pair in the final part to get shutout 2-0 by Semyon Varlamov. He’s now posted two shutouts in two starts versus the Rangers.

It isn’t a bad loss by any stretch. The Rangers went toe to toe with the Islanders in a North/South grind it out, playoff caliber game. They worked extremely hard and stayed with the more experienced bitter nemesis, who don’t forget made the Conference Finals last year. Simply put, they didn’t get the job done. So, the mini win streak ends at two.

Truthfully, Igor Shestyorkin deserved better in this one. He played as well as he could by making tough stops throughout. The problem was he got no run support. The Blueshirts couldn’t cash in on either of their power play chances. Again, David Quinn over relying on the top unit. He throws all his eggs in one basket. It doesn’t leave the second unit enough time.

Neither team budged through 50 minutes. Although it did open up somewhat early in the third period when Varlamov denied both Artemi Panarin and the jinxed Mika Zibanejad on breakaways. The first one was a glove save on Panarin, who couldn’t believe it. The second was when he didn’t blink on Zibanejad’s fake and closed the five-hole up much to the slumping number one center’s chagrin. He can’t buy a goal.

Those two Varlamov stops were the biggest of the game. Eventually, he got some help from his fourth line. In these kind of games where there’s hardly any breathing room, it’s the grinders who usually decide it. With Cal Clutterbuck baring down on Libor Hajek, he made a big mistake by sending a backhand up the middle right to Adam Pelech. He took a low shot through traffic that Matt Martin got a piece of allowing Casey Cizikas to score in tight with under nine minutes remaining.

Just over two minutes later, they allowed Mat Barzal to start a quick transition to Clutterbuck, who outmaneuvered Adam Fox to set up Martin for a put away. He beat Anthony Bitetto to the front for the crushing goal that finished it off. The third line did a poor job on the back check which turned a nothing play into a key insurance marker for the Islanders. Noteworthy is that Bitetto was caught on with Fox, whose usual partner Ryan Lindgren wasn’t out for the shift. Lindgren played over 21 minutes.

Jacob Trouba took a late penalty to give the Isles their only power play with less than four minutes left in regulation. They didn’t have to do anything. They killed the two minutes off the clock, leaving the Rangers with 1:47 remaining. Not enough time to do much of anything given how this game was played. Right now, the playoff proven Isles are better at it than the Blueshirts. It’s a game they can learn from. They’ll have to.

With under a minute left, they called a tacky delay of game minor on Pelech, who couldn’t believe the call. The Islanders bench including coach Barry Trotz protested. It looked like the puck didn’t go straight out of play. Leave it to the MSG replay to not even bother showing a good look as to whether it was.

It didn’t matter. The Isles did what they had to do to win the game. And it was that cohesive fourth line that got it done. Coincidentally, the Rangers’ most effective lines were their third and fourth lines. They were good throughout and effective on the forecheck. Alexis Lafreniere had five hits and didn’t look intimidated. He even stripped Leo Komarov in the first to generate a scoring chance for Phil Di Giuseppe. He worked hard as did the fourth line that included Kevin Rooney, Brendan Lemieux and Julien Gauthier.

To Quinn’s credit, he rolled all four lines. Nobody played under 10 minutes. A rarity. It truly was a tight checking game where you knew whoever scored first would win. Unfortunately, it was the Islanders.

Kaapo Kakko received over 17 minutes while playing on the second line. He was thwarted by a sharp Varlamov pad save on a one-timer in the slot. He also made a good defensive play to break up an Isles’ opportunity. Even though the numbers aren’t there, he’s definitely improved overall. So far, Kakko is 2-1-3 having missed a game for COVID Protocol. If he keeps working, they’ll start to go in.

K’Andre Miller stood out in defeat on the blue line. He made a great defensive play to sweep the puck away from an attaching Barzal. It was also his outlet that trapped the Islanders which led to a one-on-one between Panarin and Varlamov. Miller is doing well. He recovers quickly and uses his reach to break up plays like the potential tap in for Brock Nelson that never made it.

Fox played another strong game. He made some subtle plays in his end to get out of trouble and join the rush. Although he did get caught out on the Martin goal, he was superb throughout while getting big minutes. His 24:59 paced the Rangers.

Both Russian netminders faced 30 shots each. Shestyorkin stopped 28 while counterpart Varlamov stopped all 30 to pick up his third shutout of the year.

Listening to the postgame, Chris Kreider felt that while they didn’t give up much, they didn’t do enough offensively to score. He said the team was good in spurts. Quinn reiterated that by indicating that they didn’t have many second chances. He also noted that they didn’t build any momentum off either power play.

The Rangers were better on face-offs. In fact, the second worst face-off team went 27-and-17 against one of the league’s best. Zibanejad won 11 of 13 while Ryan Strome won 11 of 15. That’s a big positive. They entered slightly over 41.0 percent. The Rangers worked on draws in practice. This is a nice improvement.

There really isn’t anything else to add. With Boston coming in for two on Wednesday and Friday, this is the exact style they have to play. The only difference is doing what it takes to get the ‘W.’

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd ⭐ Matt Martin, Isles (2nd goal, plus 🍎, +2 in 16 shifts-10:30)

2nd ⭐ Igor Shestyorkin, Rangers (28 saves on 30 shots, another game he allows 2 or less)

1st ⭐ Semyon Varlamov, Isles (30 saves for 3rd shutout, 2nd vs NYR this season)

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A haunting realization for hockey fans

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Derek

This was the picture at an empty MSG earlier as players warmed up.

The music might be the same. But the building isn’t. Without fans, there will continue to be hockey played as long as COVID-19 doesn’t affect the Rangers. It’s already impacted several American teams including the Devils, who never should’ve played the rematch at Buffalo over a week ago.

This empty scene is seen around most arenas. Here were the Senators preparing for their game.

There is no buzz in these buildings. Just players going about their business like they have so many times since childhood when they played peewee. Even those games were attended by family and friends. I used to watch my brother skate at the local Skating Pavilion down the road. It was always fun.

The point is it’s a sad reality. Here we are almost a year later with no end in sight to the pandemic. It could take months for many adults like myself to get the vaccine. It’s elderly like my parents and people with pre-existing conditions who are the priority. When they have shortages due to all the patients who must receive the vaccination, it’s not a positive sign.

It’s kind of like Groundhog Day. Considering all the snow, ice and freezing cold weather we’ve had since the calendar turned to February, you get the point. Sports are still going on, but with confusion like we saw with the Brooklyn Nets and the strange Kevin Durant situation last Friday. The COVID PROTOCOLS leaving star teammate James Harden confused.

There’s been talk that the Wild might not play this week either, forcing the NHL into more rescheduling of games. Something that could also occur with the Sabres and Devils. This is now official. No games this week for those three teams.

What if this disturbing trend continues? How can they continue to think they’ll complete a 56-game season? It feels like they’re gonna have to consider pausing. Even the NBA is doing better. But not much given all the players you find on Health and Safety Protocols. There are cancelations almost every night.

Somehow, the NFL completed their most challenging season last night with the Bucs and Tom Brady surprising the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes in a 31-9 rout. The Super Bowl was played in Tampa before 25,000 fans spread out around the stadium. It was successful even if the big game fizzled.

The difference is football is played outdoors. They didn’t have to reschedule too many games and were able to work around the pandemic. Baseball too is outdoors. They played in a bubble and the Dodgers won the World Series over the Rays last year.

For indoor sports like the NHL and NBA, it remains a serious concern. Especially for hockey. Naturally, there have been no such issues in the All Canadian North Division. It’s here in America where the virus continues to run rampant.

I have no clue when things will return to normal. While some teams can host a limited amount of fans like in Florida and Texas, most NHL arenas will be eerily silent except for the music and pumped in crowd noise. It isn’t the same. However, there’s nothing they can do about it. All we can do is watch when our teams are on. Enjoy it for what it is. A necessary distraction from reality.

There isn’t much else to say. Hope feels a long way off. We got a long long way to go.

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Shestyorkin gets third straight start versus Islanders

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Derek

After getting the weekend off due to the Devils battling COVID-19, the Rangers return to action tonight to face the Islanders. It’ll be the third installment of the Battle Of New York at MSG. They split the first two at the start of the season.

Most were wondering what David Quinn would decide in net. Would he go to Alex Georgiev, who’s had a good record versus the Islanders, or ride the hot hand in Igor Shestyorkin? After much secrecy, it’s officially Shestyorkin who’ll get his shot at the Islanders.

For the Rangers, who are up to 4-4-2 following big wins over the Pens and Caps last week, it makes sense to stick with Shestyorkin. He earned two wins and played well. It’ll be his seventh start. He’s 3-2-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .913 save percentage in 7 games. Following a slow start, he’s won three straight decisions while allowing five goals on 84 shots. Now is the time to establish him as the starter.

Georgiev hasn’t played since the wacky 5-4 overtime loss at Pittsburgh that resulted in the altercation with since dismissed defenseman Tony DeAngelo. A polarizing player who the organization is trying to find a new team for. They’re not in a rush. If it makes sense, then there’ll be a trade. Georgiev has been given time off to settle down. He’ll definitely see time during a busy week.

Officially, there are no lineup changes. Brendan Smith skated in a non-contact jersey. There’s nothing new to report on Jack Johnson. Colin Blackwell also remains out. Here are the projected lines:

Kreider-Zibanejad-Buchnevich

Panarin-Strome-Kakko

Lafreniere-Howden-Di Giuseppe

Lemieux-Rooney-Gauthier

Miller-Trouba

Lindgren-Fox

Hajek-Bitetto

Shestyorkin

Georgiev

The Islanders enter with an identical 4-4-2 record after defeating the Pens 4-3. They came back to win it on home ice on goals from Cal Clutterbuck and captain Anders Lee on the power play. Jordan Eberle tallied twice and Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves to earn his fourth victory.

It looks like the Isles will also have the same lineup for tonight. Varlamov gets the start.

This is what it looked like at practice yesterday.

The Islanders are missing Anthony Beauvillier. He is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Michael Dal Colle took his place on the second line and tallied two assists against Pittsburgh.

For the Rangers, Artemi Panarin looks to stay hot. Over the last four games that’s seen them go 3-0-1, he has nine points (3-6-9) including three-point nights against the Pens and Caps last week. He and Ryan Strome have found the chemistry they had last season. Strome enters with five points (3-2-5) in four games.

Kaapo Kakko joined them last game and played well. He picked up his first assist on a good defensive play in his zone to trap Zdeno Chara. That led to Panarin setting up Strome for the game-winner.

Mika Zibanejad notched a primary assist on the empty net goal from Pavel Buchnevich. It was his first point in seven games since Jan. 19. Zibanejad remains stuck on a goal with two assists. The good news is he’s looked better over the last two games. Maybe tonight he finally snaps out of it. He has one goal on 32 shots. The Rangers need him.

Since notching the exciting overtime winner at Buffalo for his first NHL goal, Alexis Lafreniere has been quiet. The top pick is currently playing on the third line with Brett Howden and Phil Di Giuseppe. He is still adjusting. Hopefully, the rookie will figure it out soon.

The fourth line that features Kevin Rooney (points in three straight), Brendan Lemieux and Julien Gauthier has played well. It’s nice to see them contributing. Rooney emphasized how they have to be a four line team to be successful.

Adam Fox has been the team’s best defenseman so far. He leads all Blueshirts D in ice time (24:29) and scoring with seven points (1-6-7). Five of his seven have come on the power play where he quarterbacks the top unit. Fox has been on for four goals for and three goals against at five-on-five. He and partner Ryan Lindgren are a solid tandem the coaching staff relies on.

K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba are the other pair that comprise the top four. They continue to improve as a tandem with Trouba pacing the team with 37 hits and his 24 blocked shots tied with Fox. That included nine in the win over Washington.

It’ll be Libor Hajek and Anthony Bitetto as the third pair for a second game in a row. They didn’t break 10 minutes with David Quinn opting to lean on his top four due to the schedule. With upcoming games against the Bruins twice and then the Flyers on Valentine’s Day, look for the third pair to receive a few more shifts at even strength.

We’ll see if the Rangers can make it three in a row.

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The COVID-19 Concern

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Derek

As we reach Super Bowl weekend in February, there is a harsh reality for hockey. They’re facing something different this season.

Much like the NFL and NBA, the NHL has adversity due to the virtual unknown. Unlike last summer when they were successful in executing a great postseason due to two bubbles thanks to Toronto and Edmonton without a single player testing positive for COVID-19, the league is in dire straits already. Not even a month in and there have been many players from teams who have either been positive or in COVID Protocol. That’s caused seven teams to postpone games for as much as a week.

Having already seen the pandemic hit the Stars, Golden Knights and Hurricanes early, four more teams have had to pause their schedule. They include the Hurricanes, Devils, Sabres, Wild and Avalanche. All are not currently playing which has resulted in several cancelations affecting other teams.

At the moment, the Devils have 17 players in COVID-19 Protocol. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was added to the list earlier today. He joins a lengthy list that includes Jack Hughes, Kyle Palmieri, Ty Smith, Jesper Bratt, Yegor Sharangovich, Andreas Johnsson, Nikita Gusev, Nathan Bastian, Mike McLeod, Damon Severson, Janne Kuokanen, Travis Zajac, Pavel Zacha, Matt Tennyson, Sami Vatanen and Connor Carrick.

At least starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood is no longer part of it. After a great start to the season, he hasn’t played since making 47 saves to hold off the Rangers on Jan. 19. The Devils have been forced to start mostly Scott Wedgewood with Eric Comrie winning his first game in last Sunday’s rematch at Buffalo. A game that shouldn’t have been played. Something resident Devils blogger Hasan referred to a few days ago. The Sabres even had concerns going in, but the NHL gave the go-ahead. A huge miscalculation.

Here’s the thing. Nobody knows if the virus was transferred during the game. That hasn’t been proven. However, the NHL announced some changes to their rules in an effort to make it safer for its players. Most notable is the removal of glass panels behind benches to allow for better airflow. They also don’t want any players reporting to the arena for a game until one hour 45 minutes before puck drop. The exception is medical treatment for injuries. There must be a mandatory six feet of space between players in the locker room.

“With about 20 percent of our season played, we are mindful of the fact that we might be seeing a more aggressive transmission of the virus and will continue to make adjustments to our Protocols as we consult on a daily basis with, and adhere to, the recommendations of our medical advisors,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said yesterday in a statement.

Bettman added that nearly 100 players entered COVID Protocols. Less than half were due to confirmed positive results. Most cases have been asymptomatic. The most important issue is the players’ safety. Given the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, the NHL will continue to closely monitor the situation and make necessary adjustments.

Hopefully, they won’t have to consider pausing the season. Every team that’s been negatively impacted have been in U.S. cities. It isn’t surprising given how poorly the virus has been handled. There doesn’t seem to be any control despite vaccinations finally being made available. The problem is they must continue to prioritize elderly and people with pre-existing conditions, who are more at risk.

Much like basketball, hockey has been hurt by the pandemic. In less than a month, the NHL has postponed 26 games. Some have been rescheduled while many are still to be determined. It isn’t a fun time for anyone.

As great as it is to have the sport back, prioritizing safety and precautions are more crucial than playing games. The NHL believes it will be able to complete a 56-game season with it concluding in early May. They did leave some space just in case.

It’s hard to believe that things will improve. The truth is nobody can predict what lies ahead. In what’s already been a crazy three and a half weeks that’s made it feel like an eternity due to the postponements, the cold winter continues to punish much of the Midwest and East Coast with up to two feet of snow dumped in the New York and New Jersey area. A polar vortex is being predicted with record breaking low temperatures coming that could even reach warmer states like Florida. None of this is good.

I honestly have no idea how the rest of the year will go. In Year Two of the awful Coronavirus, it doesn’t look promising. Even if you’re the most optimistic hockey or sports fan, you have to be concerned. People’s livelihood is more important.

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Bitetto’s rare goal highlights Rangers’ win over Capitals

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Derek

When he got the call on Monday, Island Park native Anthony Bitetto couldn’t have been more excited. The defensive defenseman had a good debut for the team grew up rooting for. It paled in comparison to his second game. He scored a rare goal to highlight a 4-2 Rangers’ win over the Capitals at home.

The goal Bitetto scored was only the third of his NHL career. It’s one he’ll remember. The goal was of the highlight reel variety with the veteran skating through the Caps’ defense before flipping a backhand past Vitek Vanecek halfway through the contest to put the Rangers ahead by two. He later admitted that his last three were disallowed.

On a night where Libor Hajek got back in the lineup for the first time in over a year, the Rangers played a good game in defeating a tougher opponent in the 10th game. They won their second in a row for the first time this season. More importantly, they continued to play better by picking up seven of a possible eight points to get back to NHL .500 (4-4-2). The victory moves them into a tie with the COVID-19 stricken Devils with 10 points in the East Division. The idle Islanders are now eighth.

There were other positives in the win. Ryan Strome continued his resurgence by tallying twice to give him points in four straight. After a slow start likely due to the new contract, he’s come out of it. The valuable second center has his confidence back, which showed as he, Artemi Panarin and budding sophomore Kaapo Kakko were easily the best line. They combined for six points and a plus-six rating.

In a rookie goalie match-up featuring Vanecek against Igor Shestyorkin, it was the 25-year old Russian who came out on top by making 31 saves. That included half a dozen big ones on Alexander Ovechkin, who did get his final shot to go off a Nicklas Backstrom offensive draw that made it interesting. It also featured Shestyorkin absorbing a heavy Ovechkin one-timer from his office that caught him good. He was okay and showed more confidence to win for a second consecutive time.

One thing that helped was getting off quickly. Facing a good opponent who just blew a game to lose for the first time in regulation, the Rangers came out flying. Following a shift from the reunited KZB Line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich, the second line had a good cycle that produced a hard-working goal. Off a feed from Panarin at the point, Adam Fox took a low wrist shot that Strome redirected top shelf on Vanecek at 1:41. It was nicely executed play with Strome doing the dirty work.

They could’ve had more. In fact, the Blueshirts had nine of the first ten shots. However, Vanecek kept them off the scoreboard on an early power play by robbing Zibanejad. Panarin made a great read through the Caps’ penalty kill to pass across for a quick Zibanejad one-timer. But Vanecek was able to keep the puck out on a good shot against the grain, leaving the struggling top center looking skyward. Even though he didn’t score, Zibanejad looked more like himself. Maybe he’ll get one in the next game.

That won’t be until at least Monday when the Islanders are supposed to visit MSG for the third time. We can only hope at this critical point. Not even a month in, COVID-19 is affecting a lot of teams and players. With the Devils, Sabres and Wild not playing due to positive tests, the Avalanche are the latest team to have games postponed. This is a troublesome sign for the NHL, who altered one of its rules to further restrict players from being at risk. One can only hope the complicated situation will improve.

As for the rest of the first period, the Caps finally awoke from their nap. Perhaps Ryan Lindgren delivering a thunderous check on Capitals antagonist Tom Wilson got them going. He got revenge later by nailing Lindgren, who absorbed a double check in the corner. Washington outshot the Rangers 7-6 to conclude the period.

The Blueshirts also continue to improve steadily on the penalty kill. They went four-for-four against the Capitals, who boast the Great Eight. Plus Backstrom, John Carlson, T.J. Oshie and Wilson. They’re still without Evgeny Kuznetsov, who is still in COVID-19 Protocol. So is Ilya Samsonov. Though they haven’t missed him as much due to Vanecek. The 25-year old Czech goalie made 28 stops.

Even though they couldn’t cash in on a Garnet Hathaway tripping minor penalty, the Rangers increased the lead to two thanks to some wondrous puck wizardry from Bitetto. On a Kevin Rooney pass behind the net, a pinching Bitetto carried the puck around after sidestepping a Carl Hagelin hit. He then came off the wall and cut to the middle before beating Vanecek for his first goal as a Ranger at 9:15. It was Bitetto’s first one since Nov. 18, 2017 with Nashville.

After successfully killing off a bench minor for too many men on the ice, the Rangers ran into some bad luck when a Hathaway shot took a funny carom off Hagelin and by Shestyorkin’s glove to cut the lead to one with 63 seconds left in the period. It was a strange play that saw the puck go off Hagelin’s body and Shestyorkin couldn’t field it. Hathaway drew a Brett Howden slash to put the Caps on the power play with 10 seconds remaining.

In the third, the Rangers again got it done on the penalty kill. Their new aggressive box has been working. Shestyorkin still had to deal with Ovechkin. He also got help from a defense led by Jacob Trouba, who blocked a game high nine shots. Half of the team’s total (18). It was one of his best defensive games since joining the Blueshirts over a year ago.

Nursing a one-goal lead with Shestyorkin making key saves like his predecessor Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers took advantage of a bad turnover to get a huge insurance marker. After Jakub Vrana backhanded a pass to nobody, Kakko chipped a backhand pass up the boards past Zdeno Chara. That resulted in a two-on-one between Strome and Panarin. It was a textbook give and go with Strome getting a pass back from Panarin to tap in his second of the game for a 3-1 lead with 12:05 remaining.

Following a stoppage, Backstrom beat Zibanejad on a draw right back to Ovechkin, who made no mistake by smoking a wrist shot past Shestyorkin with 8:59 left in regulation. It was Ovechkin’s 709th of his career.

During a four-on-four, the Rangers stayed ahead thanks to Shestyorkin, who was under siege most of the third. He turned aside 10 of 11.

Strome nearly had the hat trick but missed. He might want to work on that since he also had Vanecek out of the net earlier and sent a puck wide. No worries though. Panarin and Zibanejad combined to send in Buchnevich for an empty netter at 19:33. It snapped a seven-game drought.

Before the game ended, Vanecek didn’t take kindly to Brendan Lemieux skating by his net. He tripped him up at the buzzer which lead to fisticuffs. While Lemieux somehow avoided facing the music, Rooney stepped in and fought Brendan Dillon. He didn’t win against a very tough Dillon. But earned some more stripes. I don’t know why Lemieux did that for. The game was over. With seven games left, figure the Caps to be coming after him.

At the end of the day, it’s a good character building win. Even with Alexis Lafreniere struggling and David Quinn limiting Hajek and Bitetto to under 10 minutes, this one was special for Bitetto. A Broadway Hat kinda night for the area local.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd ⭐ Jacob Trouba, NYR (9 blocks, 4 hits, +1 in 24:42 including 3:56 SH)

2nd ⭐ Anthony Bitetto, NYR (1st goal as a Ranger, +1 in 9:30)

1st ⭐ Ryan Strome, NYR (2 goals, +1 in 21:42)

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Kakko set to return and Hajek gets his chance on birthday

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Derek

Tonight, the Rangers return to action when the Capitals visit The Garden. It’s the first of eight match-ups against one of the division’s best teams. Coming off Monday’s 3-1 comeback win over the Penguins, it’ll be a good litmus test for the Blueshirts. They’re in the bottom part of the newly formed East Division tied with the Islanders at 3-4-2 for eighth.

Two points against a good Washington team that enters at the upper echelon of the division with a 6-1-3 record, would be a huge confidence boost. Especially given that they’ve yet to put together a good stretch. Don’t forget that Game 10 means there will be only 46 games left in the abbreviated season. One that’s threatened by COVID-19 with the Wild joining the Devils and Sabres who are the latest NHL teams to have games postponed due to several positives. It’s definitely a cause for concern.

For the Blueshirts, they got good news when second-year right wing Kaapo Kakko was cleared out of COVID-19 Protocol after missing a game for tonight. The sophomore has two goals in eight games so far while being moved around. His skating has improved and just maybe the former Rangers ’19 second pick will take advantage of a great opportunity. With Colin Blackwell still out, Kakko gets a look on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. This is what many fans want to see. If it clicks, we could get to see a lot more of Kakko on the second scoring line.

The other bit of news is that Libor Hajek will make his season debut. It’s been a while for the former Lightning ’16 second round pick, who was a key part of the 2018 Trade Deadline blockbuster involving Brett Howden that also netted former Blueshirt Vladislav Namestnikov, a ’18 first round pick (Nils Lundkvist) and a conditional second pick in ’19 that became Karl Henriksson. That sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Lightning.

On his 23rd birthday, it’s a chance for Hajek to show the coaching staff what he can do. A player that’s dealt with injuries and been passed on the depth chart by promising rookie K’Andre Miller, he will be on the third pair with veteran Anthony Bitetto, who had a solid first game on Monday. It probably won’t be a lot of minutes because David Quinn can manage the shifts along with assistant coach Jacques Martin. But it’s important for Hajek to play a good game at five-on-five. That’s where he’ll be featured.

Igor Shestyorkin gets his second consecutive game in net. We’ll find out if he can build on his good outing three nights ago. He has an opportunity to give Quinn something to think about. While it hasn’t been the best start for the 25-year old rookie, he can make a case for the number one job with Alex Georgiev getting a mental break due to the unfortunate incident with soon to be former Ranger Tony DeAngelo.

I’ll have more later on the game.

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Talking Rangers Hockey

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Derek

https://anchor.fm/derek-felix/episodes/Pushing-Buttons-Rangers-Move-On-From-DeAngelo-with-a-Big-Win-eps6l

The Rangers are back in action tomorrow night when they host the Capitals. With both defensemen Jack Johnson and Brendan Smith uncertain for the game, I ponder if we could see defenseman Libor Hajek play with Anthony Bitetto.

Hajek was part of the trade that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay. He and Brett Howden were key pieces that came back with former Ranger Vladislav Namestnikov, ’18 first round pick Nils Lundkvist and ’19 second round pick Karl Henriksson.

If you want to listen to my latest Pushing Buttons Podcast, please click on the link above to hear more on the Rangers. Or find it on Spotify.

It includes the organization moving forward without Tony DeAngelo, who’s drawing interest from teams with the Rangers willing to pick up part of his $4.8 million salary cap hit. Plus some praise for Howden, who still has a chance to establish himself in a more defined role.

I discuss the trade GM Jeff Gorton made almost three years ago. Plus more hockey.

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It’s Time for the Rangers to find out about Libor Hajek, McDonagh/Miller trade still haunting organization

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Derek

It’s Groundhog Day! Here in Staten Island, the good news is Staten Island Chuck didn’t see his shadow. This despite all the snow we got in the metropolitan area.

With the fun out of the way if you believe in the groundhog from one of my all-time favorite movies starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, it’s time to circle back to a trade the Rangers made at the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline. Believe it or not, it’ll mark three years on Feb. 26 since GM Jeff Gorton sent defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller over to the Lightning in exchange for forward Vladislav Namestnikov, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek, plus a 2018 first round pick (Nils Lundkvist) and conditional 2019 second round pick (Karl Henriksson).

Viewed at the time as a commitment to The Letter informing fans that the Rangers organization was fully committed to a rebuild in former coach Alain Vigneault’s last year before David Quinn replaced him, people were excited for what the future held. They were sellers at that deadline and the Lightning were looking for a good second left defenseman who could relieve some pressure from ace Victor Hedman. It made sense for Tampa, who also received Miller in an expanded deal that was surprising.

Nobody anticipated Miller being included in the trade. Surely, the Rangers had to pry one of the Bolts’ best prospects. There was hope they could get either defenseman Cal Foote or forward Taylor Raddysh. Instead, Gorton accepted former Lightning GM Steve Yzerman’s offer of former ’16 first and second round picks Howden and Hajek in the trade that also netted top nine forward Namestnikov and two draft picks that turned into D prospect Lundkvist and center prospect Henriksson. Both of whom are back home playing in the Swedish Hockey League.

Up to this point nearly three years later, the trade has been a disappointment. While Howden started out well as a rookie under Quinn in ’18-19 before hitting a wall, the 22-year old Calgary native has become a bottom six forward, who usually is on the fourth line and penalty kill. At the present, he’s centering the third line with Filip Chytil out. It’s an opportunity to prove he can be more than a role player who provides energy and wins face-offs. So far, he has one assist entering Thursday’s match versus Washington.

In 145 career NHL games, Howden has totaled 15 goals and 28 assists for 43 points. Not what they were hoping for from the number 27 pick taken in the ’16 NHL Draft. He was good for Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championship where he went 3-4-7 and plus-nine in seven games. That’s probably what intrigued Rangers’ scouts.

This isn’t a question of Howden’s work ethic. He gives it his all every shift and is a trusted shorthanded player. Quinn has used him at both center and wing. He tries different things because Howden is versatile enough to be moved around. It would be nice if he could become more productive.

A good teammate, Howden stepped up and fought Kasperi Kapanen at the end of a lackluster first that sparked the Rangers to a come from behind 3-1 win. Don’t think the players didn’t appreciate it in the locker room. They did.

I definitely am not alone in praising him for that scrap. The first period from the Rangers was lackluster and didn’t inspire much confidence with the Tony DeAngelo dark cloud hanging over their heads. Even if he picked on a player who wasn’t much of a fighter, Howden chose the right moment to wake up his team. They needed it. Not surprisingly, they responded well by getting the next three goals to get a much needed win. Hopefully, it’s one they can build on.

The other player in the deal that’s on the Taxi Squad, Hajek has not established himself yet as an NHL regular. Following a good ’18 WJC where he tallied a goal and seven assists for Czech Republic, the Rangers must’ve liked what they saw. A second round pick that went 37th in the ’16 Draft, the left skating defenseman was advertised as a young player who could be part of the rebuild.

If there was an alarming sign, maybe it was that he didn’t perform well in his first pro season. In 58 games for Hartford, Hajek had five assists and a minus-26 rating. They recalled him. In five NHL games, he scored his first goal and went plus-one with six penalty minutes. A good enough skater with some size, maybe there was potential.

The following season, Hajek played in 28 more games for the Rangers. However, he never really got untracked. He picked up five helpers and went minus-four with 12 PIM before being sent down. As it turned out, fellow rookie Ryan Lindgren beat him out to become a regular on the Blueshirts. He continues to excel while teamed with Adam Fox on the most trusted pair.

Meanwhile, Hajek has struggled since. After going 1-2-3 and a minus-10 with 14 PIM in 23 contests for the Wolf Pack, he started the ’20-21 season back home playing for Brno Kometa. In 10 games, he picked up two assists and was minus-five in Czech. He even got scratched. Maybe it’s a confidence issue.

Whatever the reason, the soon to be 23-year old who turns it on Thursday, hasn’t been able to crack a Rangers defense that now features vets Brendan Smith and Anthony Bitetto with Jack Johnson currently injured.

At some point, the organization needs to find out about Hajek. Is he already a bust? Can he be fixed? With Smith suffering an upper-body injury due to a head on collision with Brandon Tanev, would they consider dressing Hajek to play with Bitetto on the third pair against the Capitals? I’m unsure. If he doesn’t dress for the game with possibly both Johnson and Smith out, then he’ll be assigned to Hartford.

I don’t pretend to know what’s going on during team practices. What I do realize is that time is ticking on Hajek, who has been passed by former ’18 first round pick K’Andre Miller. The 21-year old plays with poise beyond his age and could be the anchor of the defense it hasn’t had since McDonagh left.

Other potential options for Thursday could be Tarmo Reunanen or Matthew Robertson. We’ll wait and see if they have to decide. It all depends on the status of Smith and Johnson.

As far as the remaining prospects in the McDonagh/Miller trade, Lundkvist is a promising skating right defenseman who can provide offense. Not the biggest in stature, he played on Sweden in two World Junior Tournaments. In 2020, he tallied eight points (1-7-8) over seven games. He’s fared well in Sweden registering nine goals with 14 assists for 23 points this year after going 11-20-31 in ’19-20. The Blueshirts need to sign him this year.

Henriksson missed the ’21 WJC due to COVID-19. Sweden definitely could’ve used the two-way center. In seven games at last year’s tournament, he had a goal and two helpers. Henriksson plays for Frolunda in SweHL. Thus far, he’s gotten into 32 games and recorded six assists with 16 PIM and a minus-one rating. He probably needs more time to develop. Especially due to the pandemic which is so unpredictable.

As for Namestnikov, the Rangers moved him over a year ago to Ottawa. They received a fourth round pick in the upcoming 2021 NHL Draft. I doubt you’ll ever see Nick Ebert. Namestnikov moved on from the Senators to another rebuilding team in the Red Wings where ironically Yzerman is in charge. Go figure.

While McDonagh played a key role helping the Lightning win a second Stanley Cup last year, they dealt Miller to the Canucks. Since then, he’s become a top line forward for Vancouver. Miller admitted that he worked harder on his commitment to the game and learned from past mistakes that often saw him benched by Vigneault.

At 27, the former ’11 Rangers’ first round pick is a point-per-game player since joining the Canucks. After setting career bests in goals (27), assists (45) and points (72), he proved himself with 18 points (6-12-18) in the playoffs. A sore spot previously for him with the Rangers and Lightning. He’s off to a good start with 10 points (2-8-10) in nine contests entering Tuesday’s match against Montreal.

Here’s the thing. Wouldn’t a skilled player like Miller look good on the current Rangers roster? With an average cap hit of $5.25 million through 2023, he’s one of the biggest bargains in the NHL. Who would’ve guessed it? I always knew he was capable of more than he showed in the Big Apple. The 56 points he put up in ’16-17 was proof. But another postseason without a goal and the team reaching a decision in ’17-18 lead to his dismissal.

He didn’t even last long in Tampa following a promising start. Maybe he really needed a kick in the ass. It happens sometimes in sports. A change of scenery can wake up an under performing player. I’m happy for Miller that he got his act together.

In regards to that trade, there are still many question marks surrounding it for the Rangers. Unless things change, the deal could be viewed as one of the worst in club history. Hopefully, one of the players they got back can change the perception.

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Sabres season also postponed through the 8th (at least)

Posted on February 2, 2021 by hasan4978

As a Devils fan, I feel compelled to apologize to Sabres fans in general and NHL fans at large for the entire season being jeopardized by whatever the heck happened with our franchise in the last week. Thing is, it’s impossible to know who exactly to blame at this juncture. Clearly one, if not both games this weekend should not have been played. Certainly the Sunday game should have been nixed after two new additions to our COVID list this weekend followed Mackenzie Blackwood (who seems to be patient zero) being placed on the list last week.

Buffalo already has two players on the COVID protocol list themselves as of today, including Taylor Hall – with almost certainly more to follow. It’s unlikely a positive result would show up just three days after our first game with the Sabres if it was an in-game transmission but at this point postponing their games is the right call at last by the NHL. If the Sabres start getting confirmed cases and it gets contract traced to our game then it could be pretty much game over for the NHL in 2021, presuming it’s shown that (unlike other sports so far) you can have in-game transmission.

Aside from the fact that the Devils added five new players to their own COVID list (while Blackwood came off, yippee) including poor Jesper Bratt who’d just gotten out of mandated quarantine, what’s become annoying is that clearly there’s more evidence someone dropped the ball here. And if that someone was the Devils they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Especially after it came out that the Sabres are very angry with both us and the league for the lack of transparency around our COVID situation.

I can’t blame anyone involved with the Sabres for being annoyed, their schedule has been disrupted due to factors beyond their control. I don’t want to assume this is our fault but let’s be real, coach Lindy Ruff and GM Tom Fitzgerald have gone back to the Lou Lamoriello days of giving out as little information as possible. If it comes to lineup decisions, you gotta watch the pregame warmups to figure out lines and scratches. Injury updates? Hah, we still haven’t gotten the straight story on the Nico Hischier injury with the latest rumor – from an overseas paper – being a broken fibula. Why you would choose to be secretive about an injury that will be fully healed anyway by the time the player returns to the lineup is beyond me, but that’s gamesmanship.

Playing fast and loose with info on COVID cases would be a different ball of wax though. This is a whole new level beyond normal gamesmanship, which is why I don’t want to assume we did anything untoward. But it would only be a step away for us as opposed to maybe two or three steps away for a more transparent team. If it’s found we did anything wrong, I pretty much wouldn’t begrudge the NHL any punishment they choose to hammer us with.

It is clear the league themselves dropped the ball in letting Sunday’s game go on though, whoever’s decision it is on postponements or cancellations. Nothing good could have come of it when you had two straight days of an active player testing positive, and one of them having played in the Saturday game. Protocols and judgement all around – from the league to teams to individual players themselves – have to improve if the NHL doesn’t want to embarrass themselves further by having the season get postponed when every other season including the NBA has managed to power through.

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