The Rangers season in pictures

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Derek

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, with the Coronavirus halting play in all sports and putting everyone on high alert, I decided to share the Rangers season in pictures.

Even cooler, some videos will be included that I took from the five or six games I got out to. The big feature being the Mika Zibanejad five goal game on March 5.

The season had been better than expected thanks in large part to the brilliance of Panarin and dominance of Zibanejad, who was fifth in goals with 41 while the Bread Man ranked in the top five with 95 points in his first year on Broadway.

Without those brilliant performances along with the 10 wins rookie sensation Igor Shestyorkin had, the team wouldn’t have been two points out of the playoffs with 79 before the NHL rightly paused the season due to COVID-19 pandemic.

They wouldn’t be in this position without a breakout year from Tony DeAngelo, whose 53 points are the most by a Rangers defenseman since Brian Leetch. He’ll no doubt get rewarded this summer along with close friend Ryan Strome, whose career best 59 points ranked third in team scoring despite being snake bit the last two weeks.

Adam Fox proved worth the gamble of two second round picks to Carolina. The rookie has been the team’s best defenseman. Not only due to his 42 points and plus-22 rating, but because of how poised he is with the puck in all facets. The future is bright for the Jericho, NY native who grew up a Ranger fan. He’s living out his childhood dream. At only 22 like tough partner Ryan Lindgren, Foxy should be a fixture on the blue line along with the Warrior.

Prior to getting hurt, Chris Kreider was on track for his first 30 goal campaign. He was a point-per-game for almost three months prior to fracturing his foot while blocking a shot. So good was the power forward that the Rangers decided to keep him. It wasn’t just about his 24 goals or 45 points either along with the power play production. But also about Kreider’s intangibles. He brought that work ethic, net front presence while forming impeccable chemistry with Zibanejad and a budding Pavel Buchnevich with who he’s close with. No wonder the KZB Line was a key factor in the team’s turnaround. Buchnevich up to 16 goals and 46 points on the verge of another 20 goal season and first ever 50 point one.

There was the heady play of Jesper Fast, who was a perfect complement on the second line with Panarin and Strome. Fast of course is all hustle and grit. He is that reliable two-way forward you appreciate who does the little things well such as penalty killing and winning puck battles. He’s more than the sum of the dozen goals, 29 points and respectable plus-16 rating. Hopefully, he is re-signed.

There also were key contributions from Alex Georgiev, who led the team with 17 wins and two shutouts. While he wasn’t consistent, there were moments he stood on his head to get the Blueshirts much needed wins. Particularly over the Islanders and Maple Leafs. Montreal too where Henrik Lundqvist struggled. Is this it for Lundqvist? He won 10 games and at least got one more shutout to beat lowly Detroit. Who knows. So much is ahead whenever things return to normalcy.

The value Brendan Smith brought in a dual role as a fourth line forward and eventually back as a defenseman following the departure of Brady Skjei can’t be overstated. A good team guy who did whatever David Quinn wanted. You need those types along with guys like Greg McKegg, who will play a secondary role as needed.

It hasn’t been an easy year for Jacob Trouba, who has battled consistency after a great debut versus his former team Winnipeg in a wild home opener victory. Number 8 will have to prove he’s worth the hefty $8 million cap hit they’re paying him. Since Skjei was moved to Carolina, it’s continued to be a Jekyll and Hyde year for Trouba. He’ll have to be better moving forward.

Brett Howden might not have the best hands, but he does work hard. We still don’t know if he’s anymore than a fourth liner who can kill penalties. However, he stepped up in a third line role following the Kreider injury. He fit in well with Kaapo Kakko, who certainly struggled with the North American game. The two goal game was a huge monkey off his back. It got him to 10 goals. He’ll need to improve his skating and defensive awareness.

So too will Filip Chytil, who wound up with 14 goals and 23 points after starting the year at Hartford. The young second-year forward is still figuring it out. Only 20, he will need to continue to fill out and become more consistent in the future.

Marc Staal remains a steady stay at home defenseman who brings physicality and valuable experience to the back end. While he’s far from perfect, the alternate captain is a trusted leader on and off the ice. He has remained a solid partner for DeAngelo at five-on-five while being a key part of the penalty kill. It’s worth noting he was more effective before Skjei was dumped to free up necessary space for the off-season. That looms true for the rest of the D. You take away a big minutes logger who can skate the puck out and chip in offensively and it’s going to have an affect. Even with his defensive issues, Skjei helped. But his contract made him expendable.

What to make of agitator Brendan Lemieux, who can be equally frustrating despite drawing a lot of penalties due to a penchant for taking ill advised ones? He’s still young at 24. His hit on Joonas Donskoi was cheap and could’ve been more than a minor penalty with the Rangers trailing by a goal with under three minutes left in regulation versus the Avalanche. He was bailed out by the penalty kill and Buchnevich finding a way to get a stick on a elevated Panarin pass with 13 seconds remaining to get the team a point. Lemieux must learn to better pick his spots and become more productive.

Even Phil Di Giuseppe was a nice story after coming up from Hartford. A good skater with a strong work ethic, he didn’t hurt himself in his cameo. But he’s a secondary player who can’t be a regular. Similar to McKegg. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Libor Hajek busted in his first full year by getting sent down to the Wolf Pack where he didn’t have much success. Can he rebound? Only time will tell. Unless Nils Lundkvist is legit which he very well might be, that trade with the Lightning looks like a disaster. They gave up Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller, who to be fair didn’t fit in Tampa. He has since responded in a big way on the Canucks with a huge season playing alongside Elias Pettersson.

K’Andre Miller is signed. We won’t see him for a while due to the Coronavirus. But the key is for the team not to rush him unless he blows everyone away. Development is so crucial in any prospect. That requires patience. The organization rushed Lias Andersson. We’ll never see him again. It’s likely he’ll get moved this summer at some point.

Julien Gauthier definitely has the size and wheels for a big forward to become something good. He could be a bright spot down the road.

All in all, it’s been a good year for the Rangers. Even if it looks likely over, fans can take solace in what they’ve seen. The growth of a together young team with excellent chemistry. Even if another game isn’t played until next October, the future is bright on Broadway.

Now for the season in photos and videos.

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Rangers sign K’Andre Miller, MSG to air memorable games, Coronavirus madness

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Derek

Photo courtesy ELITESPORTSNY

Over the past day or so, the Rangers have been busy. Well, not literally and figuratively speaking. There are no team practices scheduled with the NHL shutting down along with other major sports leagues due to the Coronavirus. For now, we’ll have and see what happens regarding the COVID-19 pandemic that’s halted everything.

It’s definitely a strange time. Me. I’m gonna head back to the gym and stay active before it closes. I hope it’s open. One thing I can guarantee. They won’t be out of stock on hand sanitizer and toilet paper. I took a ride last night to the Shoprite that stays open 24 hours. I ran into traffic cones at both entrances. Closed due to the chaotic situation that’s caused panic everywhere.

I laughed it off and wound up at a 7/11. Some guy went in there looking for hand sanitizer in the first two aisles. No. He didn’t have to say anything. It was obvious. I thought it was ridiculous. Like he really thought he’d find any there. He walked out with one of those David Quinn death grins after a bad penalty or goal is allowed.

In terms of what the Rangers have done but didn’t even reveal on their official Twitter account. They signed former 2018 first round pick K’Andre Miller to an entry level contract. After spending two years at Wisconsin, the defenseman has decided to forego his last two years of eligibility and turn pro. I sure hope it’s the right decision.

Given the state of the left side of the blueline since the departure of easy target Brady Skjei, they sure could use someone to help out a defense that’s struggled since the trade deadline. It isn’t Skjei who’s been on the ice for all the goals and 10 power play goals against. That’s the new defense that includes veteran Brendan Smith and misplaced eight million dollar man Jacob Trouba, whose number 8 may as well stand for his cap hit. Kind of funny how things work out.

If they ever continue what’s left of the season, the Hurricanes are one of the teams the Rangers are battling for the wildcard. They are locked into the first WC while the Blue Jackets are still in the second spot despite playing more games than the Islanders. If you went by percentage points, the Isles would squeak in over the Jackets. Right now, none of that stuff matters.

It says the Blueshirts have 12 games left. The Islanders 13. The Hurricanes 14. And so on. But we don’t know how long there will be no hockey let alone normalcy. You have to be careful and stay clean. I’m not going to keep repeating the same message. We’re supposed to be grown adults. It gets redundant and annoying real quick.

So, is there any expectation for Miller? How can there be? He wasn’t even dominant in his two years at college. He’s a excellent skater with superb offensive instincts while his defense remains a question mark. Anyone who thinks he’s gonna come in and take the league by storm probably believes in the tooth fairy. You don’t rush young prospects like Miller, who’s never played professional hockey. Especially when there could be an adjustment period.

Ticket Miller for 2021. That’s a realistic view. I don’t act like like I am some prospect wannabe expert blogger. I’ve seen Miller play. But I also know there are areas he must improve. That’s why Vitali Kravtsov wasn’t rushed after returning to Hartford. If only Lias Andersson didn’t go home and complain about whatever he felt he earned in preseason. Anyone excited about what he’s doing with HV-71 is outta their mind. What does it mean? This is coming from a guy who supported Andersson. We don’t even know if he still has a future in the organization. I expect him to be traded this summer whenever the off-season is.

Realistically, I can’t see them playing games in July. That’s insane. The ice would be melted and even with the air conditioning pumping, it doesn’t make sense. Maybe if they’re lucky, they’ll be able to complete the regular season by halving the schedule. I don’t know what Gary Bettman and the NHL is thinking. He wants to continue and not end the season. That’s commendable, but how will it play out?

MSG Networks announced they plan to air some memorable games of both Rangers and Knicks. So, here’s the question. Will they actually show stuff that’s not recent? I don’t know. This also goes for the Devils and Islanders. They used to have The Vault, which was a great show where you had hockey maven Stan Fischler giving commentary along with Dave Maloney and other guests throwing cool insight. I would love for that to return.

They can go a lot of different ways with this. Even if we got classic games from ’05-06 where Jaromir Jagr chased down Adam Graves franchise record in goals and achieved a new single season mark in points by going right by Jean Ratelle, I’d be okay with it. Plus a chance to see a then young rookie named Henrik Lundqvist, whose future is up in the air. Has he played his last game as a Ranger? That’s a hard question to answer.

There’s not much else to add. We don’t have much excitement right now. But there’s still so much we can do. Like the Puddle of Mudd song I’m listening to on my five CD player which still works. May as well enjoy whatever it is that we love to do.

Well, I’m gonna head out now and see if I can do some stuff at the gym. Please don’t let it be closed like what’s happening to Modell’s. How freaking sad. I guess customers are okay with getting ripped off for everything they buy. What a joke.

Peace. Be good.

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Devils season review and look at what’s ahead

Posted on March 13, 2020 by hasan4978

 

 

Let’s face it, even if the NHL manages to come back in a few weeks and play a handful of regular season games to have a mini-playoff chase, the Devils’ season for all intents and purposes ended in early December when in a matter of days, 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall was traded and coach John Hynes was fired.  Really, the season was over by Halloween as the Devils’ 0-4-2 start put them fatally behind the eight-ball from the outset, and even when the team started to play better under interim coach Alain Nasreddine, it was far too late for any of it to matter in terms of being a ‘contender’.

I’d like to give a dispassioniate ‘well here are the highs and lows of the season’ blog, but if you read my blogs regularly (even as I wrote irregularly), you know there sure as shooting weren’t too many highs to look back on in 2019-20.  Ironically the Devils’ best stretch may well have been their last ten games before this virus-caused season postponement, as they went 6-2-2 and even got back to NHL .500 before a dull 5-2 loss to the Penguins on Tuesday, which could be their final game of the season as it turned out.  I was going to go to the game, in part because I was starting to get the feeling every home game could be the last of the season, at least in terms of fan attendance.  Fortunately my friends got me out to trivia at the very last minute so it was good twofold, I avoided a hideous game and with society all but being totally quarantined, it may also be my last big social gettogether for a few weeks.

Don’t get me wrong, even I don’t plan to be a total shut-in the next few weeks though I’m not the most social person in the world anyway, I’ll still find a way to get outside for at least a walk around the local park or town – unless and until we have to literally quarantine society.  If you think that’s too alarmist, look at what’s happening in Italy these days.  Unfortunately it may not be too alarmist, heck I didn’t think we’d even get to a point where every sports league and most entertainment in America would be shut down for the better part of the next few weeks.  Shoot, my local rec sports leagues are on hold as well, so I’ll have to be more vigilant going for jogs in the park as the weather gets better (hopefully) to try and avoid putting on too many pounds.

Anyway, back to the team eulogy if you want to call it that.  Again, like I said this isn’t so much assuming the NHL regular season is dead as it is recognizing there won’t be all that much left of it to really care about as a Devils fan or the fan of any other team out of contention.  At least with Derek, extending the regular season a handful of games could get the Rangers a playoff berth.  What the heck is 5-7 more games going to prove for anyone in a Devils uniform this season?  We’ve already played 69 of the 82 scheduled games as it is.  Depending on when any potential makeups are held, I may even attend a couple of the stretch games for the heck of it if they do come back to finish out part of the regular season before the playoffs.  It’ll certainly be a weird feeling though.  We’re used to shortened regular seasons as hockey fans, but this is entirely new for not only the sport but society as well, given the total mystery over when ‘normal’ returns to life, or starts to at least.

Perhaps the break will make me appreciate the fun of simply watching hockey and my team again.  This season sure wasn’t a lot of fun.  Look at it through the eyes of #1 overall Jack Hughes for example…you’re in your first pro season, going through expected growing pains and then some on the ice with just 7 goals, 21 points and a -26 in his 61 games played, and the team flops out of the gate after a certain amount of preseason expectations to at least be competitive.  Off the ice, the GM who picked you and had a relationship with your family (Ray Shero) gets fired, just weeks after firing your coach only 26 games into your pro career.  Everyone from Hall to captain Andy Greene to vet mentor Wayne Simmonds gets traded with still no idea of what the future holds with both an interim GM and head coach.

As critical as I have been of Hughes’ rookie season that is a lot to work through, even with the admission that most #1 overall picks aren’t exactly getting drafted into stable situations.  And certainly Hughes wasn’t the biggest dissapointment for the Devils, as much as I like the guy that title has to go to former Norris winner P.K. Subban, who put up just seven goals and eighteen points with a -21 in 68 games in his first season as a Devil.  Sure, Subban played just over 22 minutes a night (2nd on the team) and his game improved after the coaching change, but that’s not exactly what anyone including he had in mind after this summer’s blockbuster trade.

Even in a season of dissapointments, the game that stands out the most will always be Opening Night, and the ghastly blown 4-0 lead starting late in the second period in a 5-4 OT loss to the Jets that was the ultimate harbinger of bad times to come – especially given the 0-4-2 start it led to.  Maybe second on the list in terms of dubious games this season would be a tie with the back-to-back gutpunches that finished Hynes in early December, the 4-0 thumping at the Garden followed by a listless 7-1 loss in Buffalo.  Even with the coaching change, those games started a particularly awful stretch where we lost seven straight games and nine of ten.  Really there aren’t that many other games which stood out in terms of annoyance, other than the Winnipeg lead each late blown lead – especially with Hynes – sort of ran together, and the roster is what it was after the trade of Hall and the injury to and subsequent trade of defenseman Sami Vatanen.

Yes there were good things that happened this year, but indiciative of how crappy this season was, one of the season’s biggest bright spots (Blake Coleman) was himself traded just before the deadline.  Coleman became a fan favorite with a hard-working all-around game that featured a surprising scoring touch in 2019-20, arguably putting up the goal of the season on that very same Opening Night where we suffered such a disasterous meltdown afterward.  Coleman finished second on the team with 21 goals only behind Kyle Palmieri’s 25, and even if the season resumes with some regular season games I think they’ll remain 1-2 in goals, since the closest to them was Jesper Bratt with 16 in 60 games.

Bratt’s play at least improved down the stretch in his third year and he started to look more like the former 6th-rounder that opened eyes as a rookie two years ago, but he still has limitations in terms of stamina and overall game aside from scoring.  Palmieri did what he does, put up his 25-30 goals and play with a workmanlike atitude, leading the team in points as well (though KHL import Nikita Gusev finished just one behind Palmieri’s 45, with 44 points of his own).  Fortunately K-Palm was exempted from the late-season purge by interim GM Tom Fitzgerald and the Jersey native will hopefully don the red and white for many years to come – whether it’s Fitzgerald or the next guy who has to make that decision in contract negotiations.  If it’s Fitzgerald clearly we know which way he’s leaning, judging by his comments at the trade deadline when asked why he didn’t also deal Palmieri.

Perhaps the biggest bright spot of all was ‘rookie’ goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, rookie being in quotes cause he played 23 games in 2018-19, just under the Calder qualifications so by the NHL standard he was still a rookie this year.  This time around he played 47 games, somehow compiling a 22-14-8 record, a 2.77 GAA and a .915 save percentage despite a slow start of his own and a dumpster fire of defensive breakdowns and offensive meltdowns around him.  On a better team, Blackwood would have gotten serious Calder consideration, but Devil fans who braved watching the dreck that was the 2019-20 season all know how well he had to play just to put up those numbers.  In a division with a bunch of young, talented netminders at least the Devils can stack up with the better teams in the division in that area.

Among other positives, defenseman Damon Severson took a step forward after the coaching change, improving defensively and being entrusted with more responsibility after the trades of Greene and Vatanen.  Severson led the team in ATOI per night, quite a statement with Subban on the team, even a Subban having a subpar year.  Gusev overcame a rocky start and his skill shined through not only during games but in the shootouts as well, as his slick moves stole at least a couple wins in the skills competition.  I could throw in Pavel Zacha and his 32 points (in 65 games) as a bright spot, but I’m still not much of a believer, especially with just eight goals of those 32 points.

Honestly, I’m surprised I was even able to do four paragraphs’ worth of positives about this season.  Maybe it’s part wistfulness now knowing that we’re not only going to miss the NHL for a long time but pretty well all sports and a lot of our non-sports entertainment as well.  Even freaking Disneyland closed for the first time since 9/11.  Though I hadn’t been watching the Devils all that much lately, there’s still a difference between voluntarily not watching but still at least paying attention from afar, and not having that diversion in our lives at all.  I do know there are more important things to worry about, but that’s for another day.  Thankfully I’m not among the sick at the moment nor are any of my friends, but the virus is getting closer to all of us, myself included with the first reported case in our town just today.

Still, we’re all entitled to commiserate over losing one of our biggest sources of recreation, joy, fun – whatever adjective you want to use.  Especially now before we do have to account for real-life problems.  We wouldn’t be the hockey fans we are without feeling passion for this sport and our teams.  Even if I love all my sports teams (Devils, Mets, Jets) equally, I’ve always felt in a vaccum hockey was the best sport of the three, and the best sport going with its combination of skill and physicality – even with less of the staged fighting and dirty plays that marked the game for many years.

If hockey should come back I suspect I’ll watch most of whatever games the Devils makeup simply because of more appreciation of having it around, and after being completely without it for a while.  Even if it is just a stopover toward another long summer, and one where so much is unknown.  Who will be the coach and GM – and will it even matter?  Will the owners and whoever they pick as the full-time GM want another aggressive offseason or will this be a long rebuild?  Can our supposed franchise players (Hughes and Nico Hischier) take another step next year?  Namely can Hischier improve from being a solid all-around player to something more, and Hughes from being a scrub to being a competent NHL’er.  Will Palmieri and Gusev sign long-term or be shipped out this offseason?

There’s so much unknown right now both with life in general and the Devils specifically.  I can’t really do much about either other than hope for the best, and in the case of real life walk the line of taking neccesary precautions while not living in a bubble.  There’s still a lot to enjoy about life both now and after the imminent danger from this virus passes.  There will be a lot to enjoy about hockey when it returns in the months and years to come, whatever team you root for.  Whatever hardship and nonsense comes our way in the days and weeks ahead, it’ll make everything on the other side of it more enjoyable.

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If season continues, Brendan Lemieux is suspended

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Derek

Somehow, someway, Brendan Lemieux managed to get himself suspended with hockey and all of sports on hold due to the Coronavirus epidemic. It was late in regulation when he foolishly checked an unsuspecting Joonas Donskoi in the side of the head for an interference minor.

He was lucky he only received two minutes for such a bad decision. The hit came from the blindside and knocked down Donskoi. He’s fortunate if he’s not injured from such a dumb hit. The same way Lemieux better have thanked the Rangers penalty killers for bailing him out.

Not only that. But they managed to get the game tied at two thanks to an elevated pass from Artemi Panarin to a charging Pavel Buchnevich for his 16th with 13 seconds left in the third period. Even though they fell in overtime on a JT Compher deflection of a Cale Makar shot on another ridiculous play by Lemieux, who did a flyby with Buchnevich to allow Makar the room to shoot, the Rangers got a point.

If the regular season does continue at some point, they’ll have 79 points and 12 games remaining to scramble for a playoff spot. Exactly two behind both the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets with the Islanders sandwiched in between at 80. Plus the Panthers right there as well.

For now with the COVID-19 pandemic creating panic everywhere and even overreaction from some people over toiletries and other essentials, there’s no point in picturing the season even continuing. There’s too much at stake with schools closing and eventually the mind-boggling Mayor and Governor of the state will come to the same conclusion. They better.

However, this didn’t stop NHL Player Safety from issuing a statement regarding the foolishness of Lemieux’s illegal hit on Donskoi.

He’s suspended. I can’t help but laugh. Not because it isn’t the right call (it is). But due the timing. Lemieux earned it. He’s not a smart player. He can be extremely effective when he wants to be by agitating opponents and sucking them into bad penalties. Something he’s done this season. However, he has a, penchant for taking undisciplined penalties that make you scratch your head.

For a player who’s not a bad skater or forechecker, Lemieux needs to make wiser decisions. He is good along the boards and capable of setting up plays. He also can go to the net and be a distraction for goalies. But his boneheaded penalties along with poor defense are areas he must improve on.

He can be a troll as he was after the Blueshirts swept the season series from the Hurricanes in Carolina.

For the season, the son of Claude Lemieux has six goals with new career highs in assists (12), points (18), penalty minutes (111) and games played (59). The former Sabres second round pick in 2014 turns 24 in two days.

At some point, he has to get it. Especially if he wants to stay a regular in this league. The Rangers are going to improve due to their talent pool. So, if Lemieux wants to stick, he must mature.

Just getting suspended hurts the roster. Of course, there’s no guarantee the Rangers will play the final 12 games. However, if they do we don’t know if Chris Kreider will return. He might be ready if the season continues by say April 12. Or they could just skip right to the playoffs and screw some of the teams still competing for spots.

I think they’ll shorten the schedule if they do play and that would only intensify the wildcard races in both conferences. We’ll see how it plays out.

For now, it’s wait and see mode for everyone.

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NHL suspends season due to coronavirus

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Derek

We won’t be seeing cool goal celebrations like this anytime soon. AP Photo via Getty Images

As expected today, the NHL decided to suspend the season due to the Coronavirus. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused every sports league to pause play including every major college basketball conference. Why the Big East allowed Creighton and St. John’s to play a half of basketball is mystifying.

Here’s some of the statements by the NHLPA and NHL regarding today’s announcement:

There really isn’t much to add. This day was coming. Once Rudy Gobert tested positive for the dangerous virus without a vaccine, the NBA didn’t wait. Gobert is a fool. With Utah recently at MSG for a game with the Knicks, he acted like it couldn’t happen to him due to being in the United States. He even touched all microphones and caused teammate Donovan Mitchell to also test positive. What a idiot.

Needless to say, the Knicks will be quarantined. They have no choice. As far as whether the NHL season is over, that hasn’t been confirmed. They could either decide to continue the remainder of the schedule in 30 days (assuming things return to normal) or go right to the playoffs.

If the postseason started right up which is an assumption at this point, the Rangers would miss by two points. They are 37-28-5 with 79 points and 31 regulation wins in 70 games following a 3-2 overtime loss at the Avalanche on Wednesday night. The Islanders wouldn’t make it either, missing by a point despite two games at hand on the Blue Jackets.

The top eight would be the Bruins, Caps, Lightning, Flyers, Pens, Leafs, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets. The match-ups would pit the Bruins versus the Jackets, Lightning vs Leafs in one bracket while the Caps would take on the Canes in a first round rematch with the Flyers and Pens doing battle.

Out West, it would be the Blues against the Predators with the Avalanche and Stars doing battle in one bracket. In the other, you’d have the Golden Knights vs the Jets while the Oilers and Flames would meet up in the Battle Of Alberta. That would be good.

Teams that would just miss would include the Canucks and Wild.

Your scoring leaders would be Leon Draisaitl with 110 points followed by Connor McDavid with 97 points and David Pastrnak and Artemi Panarin tied with 95 points. Nathan MacKinnon would finish fifth with 93.

Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin would share the Rocket Richard with 48 goals each.

Your Calder three would likely be Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes and Dominik Kubalik although I believe Adam Fox should be up for it. Good rookies like Victor Olofsson, Nick Suzuki, Elvis Merzlikins, Mackenzie Blackwood, Ilya Samsonov and Igor Shesterkin would miss out.

The Hart would likely come down to Draisaitl, McDavid and Pastrnak even though I think Panarin merits consideration along with MacKinnon.

The Norris would be John Carlson’s to lose against Roman Josi and Victor Hedman.

The Vezina would likely include Tuukka Rask, Connor Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevskiy. No. Pavel Hasek Francouz wouldn’t make the cut. 😂

As for what will happen, nobody can predict. It will take some time for things to return to normal. Sports are officially on vacation.

Enjoy whatever it is you can do.

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Game #70 Rangers lose to Avalanche in overtime on probably the last game of the season, Coronavirus could force suspension

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Derek

I want to start this off by expressing something I’ve never felt before. The Coronavirus is something different than what we’ve seen. Nobody knows what’s going on. I would be lying to you if I knew what was happening.

All I know is life isn’t going back to the way it was before. At least not for a while. With many universities canceling classes and going virtual until further notice and schools needing to do the same if the NYCDOE wakes the heck up already, there’s no way sports are going to continue. So, when the NBA made the announcement that the season was suspended due to Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert testing positive for the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s pretty obvious what’s coming for other sports.

That includes the NHL. Something Hasan alluded to earlier last night. With the NCAA basketball tournament opting to play games without any fans aside from family members of the players at least for now, we pretty much knew what was next. In all probability, the Rangers played the last game of the regular season. They lost in an exciting game to the Avalanche 3-2 in overtime.

Given all the rumors circulating that the league is about to make a decision tomorrow, it feels anticlimactic. I enjoyed the hockey I saw. It was a lot more fun than the bore fest the Rangers won in Dallas. Unfortunately, they didn’t come out on top despite holding most of the territorial edge.

Special teams doomed them. They flat out stunk. Colorado scored two power play goals while the Blueshirts took the collar in four chances. That included a god awful long five-on-three that was so exasperating, it left me dumbfounded. At the time, they trailed the Avalanche 2-1 due to Pavel Hasek 😂 Francouz standing on his head. He wound up making 30 saves, but it felt like a lot more considering the high quality he stopped. He was brilliant.

Alex Georgiev wasn’t bad either. In his first start in four games, he gave up three goals on 28 shots. However, all three Colorado goals were on screens by the Avs, who executed well in front of the net. That included JT Compher redirecting a Cale Makar shot for the overtime winner at 2:50. A goal that could’ve been prevented if late regulation hero Pavel Buchnevich and village idiot Brendan Lemieux didn’t do a flyby on Makar. Just brutal.

More brutal was the suddenly passive Artemi Panarin. I don’t care if he setup Buchnevich for the crazy redirection with 13 seconds left for a point on an elevated pass. Panarin hasn’t been shooting the puck. That’s why he hasn’t been scoring. He passed up a wide open pointblank chance in overtime for a ridiculous pass to a covered Tony DeAngelo. It was awful. He wasn’t any better on the power play turning over the puck in a back pass to no one.

It’s very hard to critique the Bread Man. He’s been unbelievable this season. His 94 points are remarkable. But he definitely has become reluctant to shoot due to always looking for the perfect play. Maybe that’s due to Mika Zibanejad scoring at an NBA Jam on 🔥 rate. Once again, Zibanejad scored to give him 41 goals by actually beating Francouz early for a 1-0 lead. Phil Di Giuseppe and Adam Fox picked up assists on the unreal wrist shot.

Zibanejad could’ve easily had another two or three goals. He hit the crossbar twice and was absolutely denied twice more by Francouz on breakaways with the cool Colorado goalie not going for his backhand move. Part of it was he is a right glove. The other part is he was seeing everything fired his way. To say he was sensational would not be overstating it. A terrific performance by the 29-year old who may as well have changed his last name to Hasek, Roy, Brodeur, Sawchuk, Dryden, etc. You get the picture.

The issue in the game were the bad penalties the Rangers took. In the first period leading by one, a bench minor led directly to Tyson Jost sniping his ninth from Gabriel Landeskog and Makar through a screen. It only took 25 seconds and David Quinn was beet red following the penalty. His penalty kill has not been the same since the Brady Skjei trade. They allowed two more power play goals. Dallas got one too the night prior. That’s 10 PPG allowed since the trade deadline. Coincidence? Maybe. They’re not getting it done.

While the Rangers took dumb penalty after dumb penalty, they had a golden opportunity to go back ahead. Already on a power play to start the second period, they drew another to get a two-man advantage. With the top unit out, they did everything but score. In particular, the now jinxed Ryan Strome can’t buy one. He hit the goalpost on a wide open shot which basically was a slam dunk. Then he had Francouz down and misfired with players down in front. I don’t know if it would’ve counted, but wow. There were other chances for Strome, who had another shot later go off the post. He also was flat out robbed by Francouz on a rebound in front.

It wasn’t his night. I thought Strome was one of the best players. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t score. Neither could Buchnevich until some theatrics late. He was denied by Francouz on a great pass in front. He also had a wraparound turned aside by the lightning quick Francouz, who got across to get his skate on it. He also stoned Kaapo Kakko on a backhand that he couldn’t elevate. He took everything away low and his team did a good job not allowing the Rangers to get the looks needed to go high. They didn’t do a good enough job screening.

That’s why the Avalanche are where they are and the Rangers are where they are. Colorado won this game despite no Nathan MacKinnon, Mikka Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Matt Calvert and Andre Burakovsky. But they got back the ultra skilled Makar, who only assisted on all three goals they scored. What a dynamic player. He’s going to win the Calder. If he doesn’t, there should be an investigation. He’s better than Quinn Hughes and whoever else you want to put up. Adam Fox is the closest to him. He was real good again tonight recording two more assists.

Right after the Rangers failed on the big power play with Zibanejad hitting the post, Brendan Smith took a bad tripping minor. It only took Colorado a dozen seconds to score. Off a face-off win, Landeskog and Makar combined to get the puck over to old friend Vladislav Namestnikov, who waited for Compher to set up in front. The former Ranger torched his ex-team by rifling home his 17th through the perfect Compher screen for a 2-1 Avalanche lead at 3:55.

Georgiev had zero chance. He never saw it. That’s why Colorado is so tough. They can overcome all the injuries to key players including stars MacKinnon and Rantanen due to their depth. Other guys like Compher, Namestnikov, Jost, Valeri Nichushkin, Ian Cole and Ryan Graves step up. Francouz is winning all these games while Philipp Grubauer is out. If you’re the Avs and your season eventually continues, how do you not start Francouz for the playoffs?

That’s assuming there is one. We have no idea if it’ll happen. 1919 saw no completion due to influenza which killed star Joe Malone. Go read about it. I did last night ironically. It really is a crazy and scary time. Not that I’m fearful. I’m not. But you have to be careful. If you think I’m kidding, think again. Do you know how many times I’ve seen people not wash their hands at MSG after using the bathroom? It’s gross.

The issue is very real. Just take precaution. Use soap and hand sanitizer. Don’t shake hands. I saw a lot of fist pumps after my Alma mater St. John’s stunned Georgetown with a 23-0 run to end the Big East first round win. That was pretty amazing in itself. You better believe I was pumped. Though I did feel for Patrick Ewing. The players and coaches all fist pumped.

Here’s a question for those curious. The Jazz were recently at MSG. Should the Knicks be quarantined? Do the Rangers need to be? This is insane. They haven’t found a vaccine yet. I watched Stephon Marbury do the test in China with a mask on his Instagram. It made me nauseous seeing him in pain. Thankfully, it came back negative. Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson weren’t as lucky in Australia. Yikes. I sure hope they recover.

When they canceled the Indian Wells tennis tournament, that was a bad sign. I was bummed for Brian and for all the fans and players along with workers. What’s gonna happen with the rest of the season? Baseball is going through the same thing. Does anyone believe they’re going to have Opening Day on March 26? It’s likely to be pushed back.

When you have as brief a postgame press conference as I’ve ever seen featuring a few quick answers from Zibanejad, Marc Staal and Quinn, that’s a telling sign that things aren’t right. For those crying conspiracy, you’re wrong. This might feel like an overreaction. But it isn’t. This isn’t political either. It’s SERIOUS!

I gotta be honest. Given how well Francouz played following a huge save from Georgiev on a Matt Nieto penalty shot, I didn’t think the Rangers were tying it. It was frustrating. One power play was so hideous due to the first unit overstaying their shift and insisting on more passing, I got angry. I was yelling at the TV set. What were they doing? Especially Panarin. He was driving me nuts. He also took a dumb hooking minor to negate a power play earlier in the third.

You had Lemieux taking a very selfish penalty with under three minutes left in regulation. He takes a lot of dumb penalties. I know he brings energy, but some of these penalties are awful. He draws a lot too, but at some point, he needs to get it. I’m really frustrated with him.

That could’ve meant no points. But the Avs were passive. They seemed lackadaisical, allowing a clean Zibanejad shorthanded breakaway. But Francouz no sold his forehand deke, backhand to rob him. The second time he denied him. Earlier in the game, Zibanejad had him beat, but he got just enough of it to push it off the crossbar. That’s how hot Mika has been. It would be a shame if we don’t get to see more Mika Magic this season.

Following a successful kill, the Rangers didn’t have a lot of time to screw around. After a DeAngelo fumble resulted in a clear, the last gasp came. In transition, Fox got the puck up to Panarin, who had a step coming in. This time with the puck rolling, he threw the puck in the air to a charging Buchnevich, who somehow got his stick on it to put it in for his 16th at 19:47.

It was so astonishing that I went nuts on the tying goal. It felt like a miracle. That’s how fun this team has been to watch. If this really was it, thank you Rangers for one more exciting moment. How I wish they’d gotten the win.

They sure had their chances in the three-on-three OT. But Panarin jerked around with the puck and then Zibanejad hit another crossbar with his laser of a shot. Back came the Avalanche and that quickly with me up in arms that Lemieux was out, he and Buchnevich didn’t even lay a body on Makar. Their blow by allowed Makar to fire a shot Compher managed to deflect home for his 14th.

Game over. I was pissed. More so at Lemieux than anything. What was he doing out there? I would’ve rather seen Di Giuseppe or Brett Howden than him. Why not Jesper Fast? At least he’s responsible. Oh well. That’s how it ended. Joe Micheletti pulled no punches in the shortest postgame ever, calling out both Buchnevich and Lemieux. Good.

What sucks is it likely was the last game. It’s so hard to believe. I can just hear a chair umpire during a big tennis match when rain hits saying, “Play suspended.” Unfortunately, that’s what we’re looking at.

Until next time.

Battle Of Hudson Three 🌟

3rd 🌟 Mika Zibanejad, Rangers (41st goal and hit two posts, stoned on 2 breakaways with 6 shots, a star player)

2nd 🌟 Cale Makar, Avalanche (3 assists including the primary on a great setup for Compher OT winner, a remarkable player)

1st 🌟 Pavel Francouz, Avalanche (30 saves including some remarkable stops where he morphed into Hasek)

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NHL and its fans adjusting to a new normal

Posted on March 11, 2020 by hasan4978

 

 

I don’t really want to write this blog but feel compelled to, because let’s face it – whether you have it or not, Coronavirus is affecting every aspect of our lives at this point – and if you don’t know what Coronavirus is by now, odds are you might already be in enough of a bubble to not have to worry about it.  This is a hockey blog so I’m obviously not going to get into political machinations and will only talk about how this is (and will) affect the rest of the hockey season all around the world as well as everyone’s personal lives.  Outside of the NHL you already have colleges like Harvard canceling the rest of their season already, many overseas leagues either have been or will be suspended, and the ones that aren’t may well play in empty buildings.  Inside the NHL so far you have the Sharks moving – if not outright canceling – the rest of their home games this month.

 

 

With word coming down literally as I’m writing this that March Madness (the NCAA college basketball tournament) is closing off its tournament to fans due to public safety concerns, it seems inevitable that the NHL’s upcoming games and playoffs will also be affected.  At this point it seems nothing is off the table.  Will the entire postseason be played without fans, or be suspended entirely?  It’s actually not unprecedented for the Stanley Cup to go unawarded due to health concerns, in 1919 the Spanish flu interrupted and eventually ended the Finals without a champion being crowned.  Until now, that’s been the only season in modern history other than 2005 – thanks again, Bettman – where the cherished trophy wasn’t awarded.

I have to say I’ve bounced between both extremes in terms of my mentality.  At times I have been guilty of the ‘now we’re getting a little too over the top here’ mindset while in general I am of the better safe than sorry approach.  Even if I still do think to a degree people have to live their lives, and not in fear.  This virus and the public alarm has at least temporarily changed even the most basic things about life such as curtailing public gatherings like big crowds at sporting matches, or parades – almost all St. Patrick’s Day parades are getting canceled including in Ireland itself.  For a while we all have to accept maybe your friend doesn’t want to hug or shake your hand.  And that stranger’s cough which can be an annoyance now becomes an alarm to get as far away as possible.

Even as arguably neccesary precautions get taken for the greater good, there’s a cost for many people whose jobs and lives are impacted by not being able to make a living.

 

 

It’s not just in sports obviously, it’s the cruise ship and airline workers who may get laid off, the teachers and students who won’t be able to complete their semesters, and any other profession or recreation that gets affected.  There’s no easy answer how to fairly compensate everyone for lost wages and unpaid leave.  Nobody feels bad for the billionaire sports owner who will lose a few gates over the next several months, but everyday people are going to be impacted by this as well and have the most to lose, both in terms of their ability to work and their personal health.

I’d like to say I have some message to calm everyone’s fears but that’s up to people more in the know than you or me.  Personally I haven’t changed anything major at the moment but it’s easy for me to say since I’m not personally in the high-risk (re: older) demo yet although who really knows what’s high-risk at this point with such a new virus and the lack of accurate testing so far.  In any case, you might want to be more careful if you have elderly relatives and friends around you.

I did kind of want to go to last night’s Devils game just because with the way things were heading it might be my last of the season with my next home game not till the 21st, but fortunately – given the way the Devils got smoked – I wound up doing trivia night with a couple of my friends instead.  If my last home game of the year winds up being the shocking win over the Blues last Friday I’d be fine with that at this point.  Already a season-ticket autograph session with P.K. Subban that was scheduled for tonight (a make-up since Subban couldn’t make the initial team autograph event) was canceled, and all fans who had RSVP’ed for the event will get an autographed picture via snail mail instead.

For now we just have to ride this out, hope things pass soon and in the meantime enjoy what we enjoy including the NHL from a distance, try to stick to being around the people you care about and be understanding if someone would rather Facetime or talk on the phone as opposed to in-person contact.  And if you are sick, don’t try to be a hero – stay home, take care of yourself and don’t endanger or worry anyone else.

Posted in NHL, Stanley Cup | 3 Comments

Rangers look to make it 11 for 12 on the road at depleted Avalanche without MacKinnon

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Derek

Tony DeAngelo and Mika Zibanejad jump jump real high like Kris Kross during Zibanejad’s five goal game. The Rangers take on the Avalanche, who are without Nathan MacKinnon tonight. They still must show up ready. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images

It’s another big game later tonight for the Rangers. Fresh off a satisfying 4-2 win at Dallas last night in which Mika Zibanejad scored number 40 to become the 20th Blueshirt to do so, they will face a very good team in the Avalanche.

Having won 10 of their last 11 on the road, they’ll need another good performance to come away with a crucial two points at Colorado. News hit earlier that star player Nathan MacKinnon won’t be available due to a lower body injury.

As dynamic a player as he is ranking in the top five in scoring with 93 points (35-58-93), it doesn’t matter. All you need for proof is how poorly the Rangers played in an awful 6-4 loss to the Devils, who don’t have the talent of the Avalanche. It’s imperative that they approach this game with the same intensity as last night.

For whatever reason, the Rangers are a better team away from MSG. They play with more urgency and attention to detail. They enter play 19-12-2 on the road. That included a franchise record nine-game road win streak that was snapped in Philadelphia. By returning to their winning ways yesterday, it shows that they’re more comfortable away from home where they’re 18-16-2.

With 13 games remaining, they have eight of their last 13 on the road. That includes the game tonight in Colorado and Saturday in Arizona. They then return to MSG for Calgary and Pittsburgh with a return trip at the Penguins to conclude a home-and-home series between 3/18-20. After that, they have Buffalo on the road, return home for Columbus and then hit the road again for a three-game road trip at Washington, Tampa Bay and Florida to conclude March.

Basically, all these road games along with three home sandwiched in between will go a long way to determining if the Rangers can qualify for the postseason. The final three April games are home for the Flyers, at the Pens for a third game versus them, and the home finale against the Blackhawks. It seems strange that that’s the final game. Facing a team in the other conference. Hopefully, it’ll mean something.

Now that I broke down the remaining schedule, anyone can see how tough it’ll be to make the playoffs. There are a lot of hard games against quality opponents. With the exception of the Blackhawks, who trail the wildcard by eight points, every other team is fighting for the playoffs. Only the Coyotes are out of playoff position with four more points than Chicago. They trail Nashville, Vancouver and Winnipeg by four with 12 games left. They also have to jump over Minnesota, who is one point out.

The point is there aren’t any pushovers on the schedule. Even if there were, we saw what happened on Saturday. It’s not only the Devils playing spoiler. The Kings have done it as well out West along with the Ducks. The Sabres just beat the Caps and even the lowly Red Wings won a game over the Lightning in a shootout.

When it gets to this part of the year, every team is playing hard. So, the Avalanche are without MacKinnon, Mikka Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Matt Calvert and Philipp Grubauer. Andre Burakovsky and star rookie defenseman Cale Makar are day-to-day which means they’re questionable for later.

None of it means anything if the Rangers don’t win the game. They’ll likely be facing the Pavel Francouz. A 29-year old veteran who’s played extremely well since Grubauer went down. He is 1-2-1 over his last four with 3.69 GAA and a .868 save percentage. So, he has cooled off. But overall, Francouz is 20-7-4 with a 2.43 GAA, .922 save percentage and a shutout.

Michael Hutchinson is the backup. Since joining Colorado, the journeyman is 1-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .944 save percentage. His only game came versus Detroit in a 2-1 win on Mar. 2. He made 17 saves.

Despite the injuries to key players, the Avalanche are fighting for the top spot out West with the Blues. They trail St. Louis by two points for first place. The Blues have 92 and the Avs have 90. Colorado has a game at hand with 13 left.

With MacKinnon out, captain Gabriel Landeskog has been on fire lately. One of the NHL Three Stars of the Week that highlighted Zibanejad’s five goal game with him named First Star, the 27-year old forward recently had a eight-game point streak (5-8-13) snapped in a 3-1 loss at the Kings. Since the All-Star break, Landeskog is 8-13-21 over 20 games. That’s half his production in an injury riddled year. Overall, he’s got 21 goals with 21 assists for 42 points in 53 contests.

If MacKinnon, Makar, Burakovsky, Rantanen and Kadri all are out, that leaves Landeskog as the only top six scorer on the Avs. However, they can’t be taken lightly due to good secondary scoring coming from Joonas Donskoi, JT Compher and Valeri Nichushkin. Tyson Jost has also picked it up and old friend Vladislav Namestnikov has been a good addition after coming over from Ottawa. He’s dangerous shorthanded and is 3-2-5 in eight games with Colorado.

I still say the Rangers made a mistake moving him after two games. They should’ve waited. Look at our secondary scoring for proof. Namestnikov has quietly put together a solid season with 16 goals and 14 helpers for 30 points with four shorthanded goals. That’s tied for the league lead.

The Avalanche still can get offense from the blueline thanks to Sam Girard and the always overlooked Ian Cole, who the Pens never should’ve got rid of. He’s a solid defender. Of course, the Rangers will see former fourth round pick Ryan Graves. A defenseman who never was given a chance despite some good play with the Wolf Pack, he’s blossomed into a top four physical D with a heavy shot that’s produced nine goals. He leads the league in plus/minus (42). Amazing that they gave him away for nothing.

Keep an eye on rookie Martin Kaut. A gifted rookie with two goals and an apple in eight games. Kind of forgotten is Erik Johnson, who once was taken number one overall by the Blues in 2006. Now a 31-year old veteran, he’s healthy and that means he draws most of the tough assignments. He’ll get the big minutes along with Graves, who normally pairs with Makar. Nikita Zadorov loves to bang the opposition with crushing checks. The Blueshirts better beware.

When you look at the Avalanche roster, you can understand why they’re so good. Even if there’s a discrepancy between MacKinnon and the rest if the scorers due to setbacks to Rantanen, who’ll be back, Kadri and Landeskog, who’s back on form, they’re well balanced. It won’t be an easy game. They’ve only lost nine games in regulation, entering with a 17-9-6 home record. Like the Rangers, they’re better on the road boasting a 24-11-2 mark.

On the news front for the Rangers, they’ve recalled forward Steven Fogarty from Hartford. As expected, it’s an emergency recall due to the lower body injury Filip Chytil suffered in the first period last night. He’s day-to-day.

If Chytil can’t go, then you’ll see Fogarty plugged in on the fourth line with Brett Howden likely centering Brendan Lemieux and either Kaapo Kakko or Phil Di Giuseppe. I’m curious to see what David Quinn decides following the two-goal game from Kakko, who got his second last night on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. Does he stuck with Di Giuseppe on the first line to start with Kakko on the third line, or does that change?

Stay tuned. As brilliant as Artemi Panarin has been with his 94 points ranking fourth in scoring, he’s gone a season high seven games without a goal. The Bread Man is still setting up teammates with nine assists over that span. However, he’s not shooting the puck as much. Part of that is due to how much attention he’s been getting. Opponents are keying on him and taking away his shot. The other aspect is his reluctance to shoot. He’s always looking for the backdoor pass which he’s so good at. They can use a goal off his magic stick tonight.

Ryan Strome is also in a slump without a goal in six and only one helper. He’s still shooting, but they haven’t been going in. They can sure use big nights from the unique combo of Panarin and Strome.

The encouraging part is the secondary scoring has picked up thanks to Howden, Kakko and Greg McKegg. They’ll need to continue chipping in. Most of the scoring is coming from Tony DeAngelo (15-38-53) and Adam Fox on the back end. Fox is now up to 40 points, meaning he and DeAngelo are the first pair of Blueshirts defensemen to record at least 40 points or more since the dynamic duo of Brian Leetch and Sergei Zubov. That’s insane.

It would be nice if Jacob Trouba contributed. He’s been stuck on seven goals for the longest time. He certainly shoots the puck enough leading the defense with 167 shots. More alarming, Trouba doesn’t have a single point since the Brady Skjei trade. He gets a little power play time on the second unit, but his primary job is to shutdown opponents. Playing with Brendan Smith is a big adjustment from Skjei, who was a better skater that could carry the puck out.

Between the two, I gotta be honest. Smith has been better than Trouba. They’re both minus-12. But I like how Smith has played despite his lack of foot speed. However, he makes up for it with his compete level. Needless to say, Trouba’s ice time is down with the coaching staff managing Smith, who’s the sixth defenseman despite being paired with Trouba. Both kill penalties.

They’ve leaned more on Fox and Ryan Lindgren, who is continuing to gain a reputation for his physicality and tenacity. DeAngelo remains with Marc Staal, whose minutes have gone up in some games. Quinn at times has tried Fox with DeAngelo. A unique offensive skating pair I like. But they can’t do it too much due to the defensive aspect.

In regards to what Quinn decides as far as who starts, that’s entirely up to him. He can stick with his original plan and start either Alex Georgiev or give Henrik Lundqvist the biggest start of the season. Or he can reverse course and tab Igor Shesterkin following his 31 save performance where he looked like himself. Don’t forget they have two days off before the Coyotes.

I’ll update things later.

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Game #69 Kakko scores twice and Zibanejad reaches 40 goals in key win over Stars, Shesterkin 31 saves, Rangers 40 Goal Club

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Derek

Igor Shesterkin gets some love from Marc Staal after a big 4-2 Rangers win over the Stars. They remain three points out of the wildcard with 13 games left. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images

Needing a win, they came out desperate. In a big game to start a do or die three-game road trip, the Rangers showed up ready to play in Dallas. Showing the urgency and resolve necessary after suffering the worst loss of the season, the Rangers earned a 4-2 win over the Stars.

They did it through hard work and much more determined play. For whatever reason, this team plays better away from MSG. Just call them the road warriors. They’ve now won 10 of their last 11 road games. Even though it got hairy late, they left no doubt who the better team was tonight.

It only took 19 seconds at the start for them to put the ugly 6-4 home loss to the Devils behind them. On just a wonderful opening shift, Artemi Panarin led rookie Adam Fox for a big goal on a good wrist shot past Dallas starter Ben Bishop. It was his eighth.

Continuing to play well, the Blueshirts were more focused defensively. They played much better in front of rookie Igor Shesterkin, who was much sharper throughout. After getting chased for the first time in his young NHL career, Shesterkin bounced back by making some key saves en route to 31 stops to improve to 10-2-0. He didn’t have to stand on his head, but flashed the leather on one glove stop and got across on a couple of others when things got interesting.

These were the Rangers who’d won all those games in February to get back in the playoff race. Continuing to carry the play, they increased the lead to 2-0 when Mika Zibanejad made some more team history. On a good rush from Pavel Buchnevich and Brendan Lemieux, he steered in a Lemieux feed for his 40th goal of the season at 10:12.

The goal made Zibanejad the 20th Blueshirt to score 40 in a season. The last Ranger to do it was Rick Nash. Marian Gaborik also did it. So did franchise record holder Jaromir Jagr when he scored 54 in ’05-06 to break Adam Graves’ record of 52 set in ’93-94. I just gave you five of the 20 Rangers who reached the mark. Name the other 15. I’ll have the answer later.

One thing I know for sure is Zibanejad is the first Blueshirt to get 40 in 56 games. He missed 13 earlier in the season. Where would he be if he hadn’t missed time? In the Rocket Richard race and possibly the Hart conversation with Panarin. That’s insane. He deserves all the credit for what he’s done. Just give him the ‘C’ next Fall. I know you can make a compelling case for Chris Kreider, who skated this morning for the first time. His timetable remains the same. So, don’t get too excited.

With the Stars offense really struggling to do anything at five-on-five, the second half of the period got chippy. Following a Jacob Trouba tripping minor on Mattias Janmark to put Dallas on the power play, a clean Ryan Lindgren hit led to Stars finisher Denis Gurianov lose his mind. He started up with Lindgren following the play to earn an extra two minutes for roughing, which negated the power play only 24 seconds in. It was dumb. There’s no other way to put it.

If there was one mistake David Quinn made, it was having Marc Staal out with Tony DeAngelo during the ensuing four-on-four. I didn’t understand why. You’re up two in enemy territory. You may as well go for the kill. I would’ve sent out Fox with DeAngelo, Zibanejad and Panarin. They would’ve had a good chance to score. At one point, they still toyed with the slower skating Stars, but were unable to connect despite some strong puck possession.

When they did test Shesterkin, he was ready. Unlike Saturday night, the 24-year old rookie was composed. He made some good saves in traffic and showed off that quick reflex glove. He also denied Henrik Lundqvist killer Blake Comeau by holding his ground. I don’t have to remind anyone what the history is between Comeau and Lundqvist. He would later trip up Buchnevich for a late Ranger power play which they were unable to connect on. It would’ve been nice to get a third goal before the end of the period.

In control, the Rangers continued to look a couple of steps ahead of the Stars, who heard groans from their crowd. They’re a good team, who plays close to the vest under interim coach Rick Bowness. He’s done a very good job turning things around for Dallas, who will be a tough out in the postseason just like last year. Just ask the Blues. The issue is their offense is so bad that it puts a lot of pressure on the defense and two goalies. In this case, Bishop and Anton Khudobin. You wonder if that style can be successful.

Dallas was without Alex Radulov, who was out sick and had to stay away from the team. He skated on his own at practice. All part of the Coronavirus which I’ll get to. It’s changed the way sports are covered. Reporters are no longer allowed in any locker room. This also goes for other major sports including the NBA, MLB and MLS. In fact, the big Indian Wells tournament was canceled for tennis. A real bummer for players who traveled and all the employees who were going to work. My friend Brian Sanborn and his wife had tickets to the final. Now, it’s kaput. How sad.

This is how it is. There’s even talk that the Sharks could postpone home games due to the risks of the virus. It really is crazy. You could have situations where teams play in front of empty arenas. I have no idea what direction this will take. Even if I feel there’s a lot of fear being created by the media, my best advice to anyone is to use precaution. Wash your hands. Use hand sanitizer. Dry properly. Limit handshakes. It’s definitely a strange time. I’m not gonna change who I am. But yeah. This is a serious health issue and unpredictable due to new cases and testing.

I hope they find a resolution to the Corona. Speaking of which, I think the actual beer is overrated like Mat Barzal. Any drink you need a lime in or a piece of fruit isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Give me a pint of Guinness or a Dos Equis. Or an Amstel Light. I don’t drink often. I’m big on alkaline water and tea. But sure. On occasion, a cold brew isn’t bad.

How to steer this recap back in the proper direction. Well, be safe out there. Okay. Now that I said my piece, let’s get to the biggest development in this win. In a game Filip Chytil left due to a lower body injury that’ll keep him day-to-day and should prompt an emergency recall from Hartford for tomorrow’s game in Colorado, there was a Kaapo Kakko sighting. After going 98567811445 games without a goal (really 14 for those keeping track), the rookie forward broke out with not one, but two goals in the crucial second period to break open the game.

On the first, some hustle from Brett Howden combined with the slickness of Jesper Fast, who Quinn double shifted, allowed Howden to pass across for a wide open Kakko who had a open net to shoot at. It had to feel good. He acknowledged so afterwards. It’s been a struggle for him, but Quinn told reporter Vince Mercogliano he decided to put Kakko back on the third line an hour before the game. He said he liked the look of the lineup better with Kakko there while Julien Gauthier went back down to the fourth line. It was a candid answer.

Kakko’s ninth was his first goal since Feb. 9. It really was a great play by Howden, who hustled to keep the play alive for Fast, and then took a pass and threaded the needle for the Kakko finish. Howden has quietly raised his game. While there will continue to be complaints over his production and silly metrics from stat nerds, the sophomore has been more involved lately. I like what I’ve seen from him. Let the same trolls continue to cry. They’re never satisfied.

Brendan Smith didn’t like a late hit he got following a whistle. Clearly agitated, he found a dance partner in Stars captain Jamie Benn a couple of shifts later. Benn might not be as productive as he once was. But he’s a true leader who doesn’t back down from anyone. Prior to the face-off, he and Smith talked and decided to drop their gloves. Benn is a tough comer. Give Smith credit for engaging him and doing well in a slow developing scrap. Good thing Benn shook off the linesmen so they could go. I like that.

Benn was trying to awaken his dead team which hasn’t played well recently. They went a crazy amount of time between scoring five-on-five goals. This is a team that doesn’t score much as it is. They scratch and claw for every inch. In the game Monday, they didn’t have it. Frustration showed. There was some edge to this one. A couple of minutes later, Lindgren mixed it up with Andrew Cogliano with each sent to the box for slashing.

While Shesterkin did his job on one end, it made the Rangers’ job easier. Quinn rewarded Kakko by moving him up to the Zibanejad line with Buchnevich. On a very effective shift, he got his second of the game. On a good play by Fox and Zibanejad, they worked the puck down low for Kakko, who had Bishop dead to rights. He was able to tuck in a backhand into a open net for his 10th at 17:18. That made it 4-0.

The game felt over, but Phil Di Giuseppe took a unnecessary tripping minor on Janmark. The undisciplined penalty came with 15 seconds remaining in the second. Following a couple of good saves from Shesterkin to start the third period, Miro Heiskanen set up Roope Hintz for his 19th at 1:23 from Corey Perry. That allowed the Stars to convert on the power play and give themselves a chance.

They played more aggressively in the period. With life breathed in, they tested Shesterkin more often. He was up to the challenge. However, Cogliano was able to finish off his third on a nice setup from Heiskanen and Joe Pavelski to cut it to 4-2 with still 8:08 remaining.

Even in a game they were comfortably in front by four, you cannot relax. That’s how quick things can turn around. They took their foot off the gas pedal. Suddenly, Shesterkin made an acrobatic glove save to keep a dangerous shot out that would’ve cut it to one. He made 11 saves on 13 Dallas shots in a busier third.

A bad Smith tripping minor of Perry with 4:30 left in regulation made things more dicey. You have to question why they were in the situation they were in. They should’ve put it away before it got to this part. Fortunately, the penalty kill led by Shesterkin got it done.

Eventually, Bowness would pull Bishop for a six-on-five with over two minutes left. But even as the Stars pressed the attack, the five Rangers which included Howden, Fast, Zibanejad, Staal and Trouba never buckled. The three forwards made some key blocks and broke up passes down low to keep the Stars at bay.

When the clock ran out, they had the win they so desperately needed. With the Hurricanes winning to move ahead of idle Columbus for the first wildcard and the Islanders getting a point in a wild 5-4 shootout loss in Vancouver, the Rangers remain three behind the wildcard with both Carolina and the Blue Jackets each having 81 points. The Isles have 80 and are one out despite only 24 regulation wins. It’s ridiculous how many extra points they benefited from. Ditto Columbus.

It is what it is. The Rangers now have 13 games left. They can only focus on one game at a time. Up to 31 regulation wins which is one better than the Panthers, who they’re tied with in the crazy wildcard chase, they must get wins. It’s not going to get any easier. They’re at the Avalanche on Wednesday night. The same team Shesterkin started his run against two months ago.

I’m curious to see if Quinn changes his tune. Shesterkin looked much better in the victory at Dallas. He wasn’t overworked. The Rangers defended well. Would the coach reconsider? He told reporters he planned to start either Alex Georgiev or Henrik Lundqvist in the second game of the back-to-back. Is anyone comfortable with either backup playing right now when every game matters?

I’m not. I don’t like what I’ve seen from Georgiev lately and Lundqvist doesn’t inspire much confidence. I would go back to Shesterkin. That’s me. It’s not my decision. It’ll be interesting to see what Quinn decides and which player they call up assuming Chytil can’t go.

For now, they’re still alive. Keep winning.

Battle Of Hudson Three 🌟

3rd 🌟 Adam Fox, Rangers (8th goal plus 🍎, all he does is product while playing responsibly in his end, better than the other 2 rookie D up for the Calder)

2nd 🌟 Kaapo Kakko, Rangers (2 goals to end a 14-game drought for numbers 9 and 10 in the pivotal 2nd)

1st 🌟 Mika Zibanejad, Rangers (40th goal to become 20th NYR to reach the mark plus a 🍎 in another scintillating performance)

Rangers Trivia: Name the 20 Rangers to score 40 goals in a single season.

I gave you five.

*Mika Zibanejad (40 in ’19-20 with 13 games left)

Rick Nash (42 in ’14-15)

Marian Gaborik 42 in ’09-10 & 41 in ’11-12)

Jaromir Jagr (54 in ’05-06)

Adam Graves (52 in ’93-94)

Pat Verbeek (41 in ’95-96)

Mark Messier (47 in ’95-96)

Mike Gartner (49, 40 & 45 in ’90-91 thru ’92-93)

John Ogrodnick (43 in ’89-90)

Tomas Sandstrom (40 in ’86-87)

Walt Poddubny (40 in ’86-87)

Pierre Larouche (48 in ’83-84)

Ron Duguay (40 in ’81-82)

Phil Esposito (42 in ’78-79)

Pat Hickey (40 in ’77-78)

Jean Ratelle (41 in ’72-73 & 46 in ’71-72)

Vic Hadfield (50 in ’71-72)

Rod Gilbert (43 in ’71-72)

Steve Vickers (41 in ’74-75)

Andy Bathgate (40 in ’58-59 won Hart)

*current season

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Game #68 Scrappy Devils humiliate listless Rangers in costly loss, chase Shesterkin

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Derek

Fredrik Claesson celebrates his goal that made it 3-2 in a four goal second that powered the Devils past the Rangers 6-4 bringing a harsh reality to the playoff push. AP Photo credit New Jersey Devils via Getty Images

This always had the feel of a trap game. Unfortunately, the Rangers fell into the trap door in embarrassing fashion. In what amounted to the worst loss of the season, the Devils humiliated the listless Blueshirts 6-4 at The Garden.

The fourth defeat in five games to a team that played AHL caliber players on defense was a total meltdown. You want to talk about coming down off a emotional high. From Mika Zibanejad etching his name in franchise lore with his five goals saving the team to household names like John Hayden, Kevin Rooney, Fredrik Claesson and Dakota Mermis, this was devastating.

I warned anyone who would listen that these aren’t the same Devils who the Rangers beat up the last two times. Apparently, the message didn’t sink in. The players stunk it up and cost themselves a chance to gain ground in the wildcard race. They may as well throw the tape in the garbage, or burn the DVD.

It was that bad. I’m not even going to bother with the stupid wildcard in a flawed point system that doesn’t reward the best teams. Why bother? It’s not like they could be when it was the Devils who supposedly were playing the second of a back-to-back. The Rangers had Friday off. Did they do too much partying? At times tonight, they looked hungover.

The Devils have been playing very well under interim coach Alain Nasreddine. They actually got back to NHL .500 and are up to 68 points. Only eight behind our team if you can believe that. Look at their roster. It doesn’t even compare. The job Nasreddine has done with that team is remarkable. They don’t have high end talent, but work their butts off.

That was the difference. Even though they’ve won a lot of games over the past month, how many were really complete efforts? Let’s face it. The Rangers have relied heavily on Igor Shesterkin with some help from Alex Georgiev before he came back to earth. If not for the young goalies making a ton of saves due to all the shots and scoring chances they give up, this team would be screwed.

In particular, Shesterkin covered up a lot of mistakes. He spoiled us rotten. Did they really expect him to not be rusty after a two week layoff? The truth is they panicked by rushing him back due to Georgiev needing a mental break. It didn’t help matters that they’ve lost total faith in Henrik Lundqvist because he would’ve been a good candidate for Saturday’s game. So what if he’s not the same goalie. Sometimes, you can’t just avoid playing him altogether.

By running Shesterkin back out following a quick recovery from a rib fracture in a car accident, they only hurt themselves. He wasn’t sharp and allowed a couple of bad goals. For the first time in his brief NHL career, the 24-year old Russian proved human by getting chased for five goals on 23 shots in two periods.

It happens. Expectations were through the roof and he had delivered. That’s why they even got within two points of the playoffs. Now three with 14 games left and a very difficult three game road swing at Dallas, Colorado and Arizona. That’s going to make or break the season.

When they traded Brady Skjei to Carolina for a first round pick, I understood the context of why. It was due to wanting to subtract his contract and free up necessary room to re-sign key free agents this summer. However, when you change your mind and decide to go for the playoffs, it’s awfully tough to replace a skating defenseman who logs important minutes. Especially given Skjei’s age. He isn’t a consistent player. He’s continued to have his struggles as a Hurricane. However, his ability to skate the puck out helped Jacob Trouba more than some fans realize.

Brendan Smith is a heart and soul guy who gives tremendous effort. He’s way more physical than Skjei. However, he cannot play the key minutes while mismatched with Trouba, whose own struggles have gone overlooked. His play has not improved since Skjei departed as some would have you believe. The truth is for how tough he is physically, Trouba has his flaws. He’s not a great skater and needs a better partner to make it work.

It’s not so much that Skjei is some All-Star. It’s that by subtracting him for cap considerations, they risked missing the postseason. Even after re-signing Chris Kreider, whose fractured foot hasn’t helped, the blueline was going to become an issue. It wasn’t great with Skjei. It’s worse now due to Smith playing too much along with Marc Staal, whose play has dipped. He’s playing more minutes with Tony DeAngelo. They’ve been on for more goals against. It’s not a coincidence either that rookie tandem Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox have shown some inconsistency. There’s much more pressure on them to deliver. Both are only 22.

This isn’t an excuse. On paper, the Rangers have overwhelming talent and depth compared with the retooled Devils that subtracted Andy Greene, Blake Coleman, Wayne Simmonds and Sami Vatanen. They also are without Will Butcher and have made several call ups including one-time Ranger Claesson, who did in his former team with a crushing go-ahead goal that made it 3-2 less than two minutes into the second period.

Give the Devils credit for totally outworking, outhustling and outplaying our flat team, who looked like they went through the motions. David Quinn noticed it. He used his timeout after Claesson put the Devils ahead 3-2 which followed up Kyle Palmieri’s second on just a brutal defensive sequence 44 seconds into the awful period. The Devils outscored the Blueshirts 4-0 to turn around a 2-1 first period deficit into a comfortable 5-2 lead after two.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1236486032561975297?s=19

To paraphrase what Quinn said in his presser, they wanted it a lot more. It showed. Even early on prior to Filip Chytil getting his first goal in seven games on a nice pass from Julien Gauthier, it was the Devils winning battles and testing Shesterkin early. He made some good saves before Chytil got his 14th from Gauthier and Fox at 5:34. A good play started by Fox, who got the puck to Gauthier. He circled the net and centered for an easy Chytil finish by Mackenzie Blackwood.

However, in a telltale sign that something wasn’t right, Shesterkin gave it right back by giving up the near goalpost on a sharp angle Palmieri shot at 6:22. If there was a signal that he wasn’t himself, that was it. It was the worst goal he’s allowed. He really had to be good too due to the gaps in coverage. The defense and forwards were not on the same page. This was as poor as they could play. They lost more battles and gave away so many pucks in the neutral zone that it looked like a peewee team.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1236447641262751744?s=19

In a wide open first where defense was optional, the Rangers got that goal right back less than a minute later when Zibanejad and Fox worked a textbook give and go that resulted in Zibanejad’s sixth goal in four periods. His 39th of the season was set up by Fox blocking a clear and then a hustling Pavel Buchnevich diving to keep a loose puck alive. Fox then took a Zibanejad feed and passed it right back for a one-timer past Blackwood for a 2-1 lead.

The three straight goals were scored in a span of 1:44. It was total madness. If there was a turning point, I’d say it was the failure of the team to capitalize on two power plays. With a chance to go up two which I knew was real crucial, the Rangers didn’t. They came close once on a Artemi Panarin pass to Ryan Strome, but his shot stayed out due to a big block in front. I thought Panarin could’ve shot. He was held in check the entire game going minus-one with two shots and no points for the second game over the last three. The Devils did a great job on him by taking time and space away.

I said to Jon that those two power play failures would come back to haunt them. Just how the first was played where the teams traded chances, I could tell what kind of night it would be. I never felt comfortable. Shesterkin didn’t look it either. It was not surprising.

As if to confirm what I saw, Palmieri struck for his second (25th overall) 44 seconds into the second. It was as simple as a Mermis shot he threw at the net that Shesterkin fumbled. With Miles Wood pawing away, the puck came to Palmieri for the rebound home to tie the score. Nobody covered him. Zibanejad was guilty as were both Lindgren and Fox, who lost the battle behind the net.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1236460124778237952?s=19

A very bad turnover from Gauthier inside the Devils zone led directly to a odd man rush. On a three-on-two, Nikita Gusev patiently found the trailer Claesson by himself where he fired a unscreened wrist shot past Shesterkin at 1:36. It was his first goal since scoring as a Ranger last year. How sad. Nobody was even close by. Of note on the play, Trouba went to a covered man in front to leave the space wide open. It was an awful read by the $8 million man. In related news, prospect Nils Lundkvist scored his ninth goal in Sweden. Picture a young mobile defense on the right side with Fox, DeAngelo and Lundkvist. Oh well.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1236460465594814473?s=19

Maybe they can shift DeAngelo to the left side. I don’t see why not. He was there late in regulation paired with Fox when Quinn was desperate for offense. They didn’t look bad together. That’s their best two skating defensemen. I actually wouldn’t mind seeing how DeAngelo would do next to Trouba, who needs a better skating D to team up with. I suggest moving Smith down to third pair with Staal, who shouldn’t get more than 16 minutes. Instead, we got Lindgren with Smith.

Though he didn’t have to be great, Blackwood made all the key stops to help his team win the game. His best came when he robbed Buchnevich with a kick out on a one-timer during a Ranger power play. At the time, Mike McLeod was off for tripping Zibanejad. The issue was they didn’t get much setup time or shots. It was one and done. The special teams stunk. What can I say? It was a nightmare.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1236485349074968576?s=19

Even though the shots said the home team held a slight edge 14-11 in the disastrous period, it was misleading. The Devils kept most Ranger shots to the outside and did a good job blocking some. They were much better throughout.

On a terrible pinch by Fox, he took a tripping penalty by taking down Nico Hischier, who was looking to break out of the zone. On the only Ranger penalty, the suddenly slumping penalty kill allowed Travis Zajac to get position and redirect a Hischier feed by Shesterkin for a power play goal that made it 4-2 at 16:19. PK Subban helped set it up. On the play, Zibanejad fell down. Once that happened, it spelled doom. The Devils worked a perfect play with token resistance.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1236466295471824900?s=19

With the small Devil contingent cheering their Stanley Cup game which it was, they got even more excited when a Severson point shot somehow was put in by Hayden just 25 seconds later for a 5-2 lead with 3:16 remaining. It was a really good play by Hayden, who managed to get his stick on it. It was also another goal Fox and Lindgren were on for. Like I said, they struggled. It’s becoming more noticeable. They’re young. They aren’t perfect.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1236467316373815296?s=19

While Jon tried to be positive following that awful period, I knew better. The game was over. Based on how much harder the Devils played, there was no way they were blowing a three goal lead. I hate being negative, but I’m a realist. I called the Zajac goal and the Hayden right before they happened. I watch too much hockey.

The Devils played great. They not only were everywhere, but played like their lives depended on it. I wish I could echo the same for the Rangers. They were nowhere to be found. There was barely a pulse. No consistent forecheck. Way too easy for the opponent to get out of their end. They won puck battles all night. They were ready to play while our side was not. I don’t care if they scored two of the first three goals. They were loose and very sloppy.

In a sign that Quinn knew it wasn’t Shesterkin’s night, he made the change to Lundqvist. We know he hasn’t played much at all. We also know he was very bad last Sunday against the Flyers. I think that more than anything scared the coaching staff away from trusting the once franchise goalie from starting in a big game. It’s pretty sad how far he’s fallen.

The crowd cheered when he was announced in goal by PA announcer Joe Tolleson. The same fans who chanted, “Ig-or, Ig-or,” earlier cheered Lundqvist and chanted “Hen-rik, Hen-rik!” I understood why. I think the cult of Lundswiss knows this is it for him. I’ll credit Sean McCaffrey for that funny nickname. Those are the Lundqvist or die loyalists. He came up with a hilarious moniker for them. You can’t debate these people. That’s all I’ll say.

To his credit, Lundqvist was sharp making a excellent save to deny Jack Hughes on a breakaway. The rookie tried to beat him five-hole. But this time, Lundqvist closed it up. There was no Swiss cheese this time for Hughes to aim for on his deke and backhand try. He made a few other good saves. He only faced five shots due to the Devils sitting back. But he was sharp unlike last week.

With the Devils very disciplined in the neutral zone and their end, the Rangers couldn’t muster much at five-on-five. Even with Quinn mixing up his line combos, nothing worked. New Jersey was that good and the Rangers that bad. What can you do? It totally sucked and a lot of other bleeping words. You get the idea. Even Jon concluded that they looked like they were going through the motions. When he can see it, that’s bad. He’s the eternal optimist. He was furious. I was more disappointed than anything because I saw it coming. Don’t ask me why.

The Devils play so much harder for Nasreddine than they ever did for John Hynes, who might get the Predators in the playoffs. That doesn’t mean much. They needed a coaching change and to rid themselves of overrated star Taylor Hall. Buyer beware.

Past the halfway point, I wanted our team to get a goal just to make it interesting. They obliged when Buchnevich fed Smith for a shot that Greg McKegg tipped in for his fifth with 6:18 left in regulation. It was a very good play by Buchnevich to get Smith the shot and superb work from McKegg, who was the one Blueshirt who didn’t embarrass himself. He deserves credit for how well he’s played since Kreider went down. On a forgettable night, the Keg Man wound up with a goal and assist for a plus-two in 8:13. He was the only bright spot.

Even in a game he scored in to end a scoring drought, Chytil was minus-two which means his line was victimized for three goals. That’s horrible. The third line has been an unmitigated disaster. It doesn’t matter if Kaapo Kakko plays on it or not. They stink defensively. The defense I already killed in this harsh assessment of a post. I’m angry. Between Daylight savings and the stupid plastic and paper bag shenanigans that inconveniences paying customers, I’m in a great mood.

Thankfully, this post is coming to an end. Quinn did go for the early pull of Lundqvist with three minutes to go down two. It didn’t result in much. The decision making wasn’t good enough. Lousy puck management and coverage usually results in ugly losses. This sure applied.

The Rangers run has been a lot of fun because it was so unexpected. Kinda like the Mets last year before they flamed out. I’m not throwing in the towel. But the schedule is murder. They’re really going to have to turn it up to stay in it. Even with Columbus losing and the Panthers winning, it won’t matter unless they play a whole lot better. Can they? Sure. This was the low point.

Following Zajac scoring his second into a vacated net to make it 6-3, DeAngelo had a shot go off Connor Carrick and in past Blackwood at 19:17 from McKegg and Brett Howden. It was his 15th goal. Too little, too late.

When you come out flat like they did, you get what you deserve. Now, it’s onto Dallas. Make or break road trip with the Pens on deck following it.

Battle Of Hudson Three 🌟

3rd 🌟 Damon Severson, Devils (2 🍎, +2 in 21:24)

2nd 🌟 Travis Zajac, Devils (2 goals including a power play goal plus empty netter for Devil lifer)

1st 🌟 Kyle Palmieri, Devils (2 goals for numbers 24 & 25, the Devils best player set the tone)

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