Defending champs make Lundqvist and Rangers sing the Blues

Posted on January 12, 2020 by Derek

The Blues taught the Rangers a lesson last night in a 5-2 win. AP Photo credit St. Louis Blues via Getty Images

What started out well didn’t finish the same way for the Rangers. Following the 11th goal from Filip Chytil less than two minutes in, they got a rude awakening from the Blues. The defending champs gave them a lesson by scoring four of the next five to humble the Rangers 5-2 in St. Louis.

Chytil had been playing well coming in. Despite not having much to show for it in the past three games, he’s had good chemistry with Brett Howden and teenager Kaapo Kakko while centering the third line. He’s been carrying that line. So, it was nice to see him take a Ryan Lindgren pass in the defensive zone and skate into open ice and took a good wrist shot that surprised Blues starter Jordan Binnington high glove. It ended a three game goalless drought, giving Chytil 11 for the season. Not a bad number considering he started in Hartford.

The game also marked the return of Henrik Lundqvist to the net. After giving way to Alexandar Georgiev in Vancouver and then patiently having to watch rookie Igor Shestyorkin get and win his first two NHL starts at MSG this past week, the 37-year old veteran made his first appearance since losing at Calgary on Jan. 2. It has to be difficult for the franchise wins and shutouts leader to go through such a strange time. One year left on his contract that pays him an average of $8.5 million on the salary cap, this is a less than ideal situation with three goalies on the roster. If it continues to be less work for him and he struggles, would the prideful Lundqvist reconsider on waiving his no-movement clause?

It definitely wasn’t his best game. He allowed five goals on 29 shots. Granted. These are the St. Louis Blues. The best team in hockey. They’re skilled as well as big, strong and tough. Something Chris Kreider touched on in the postgame on ESPN Radio on my way back from visiting my Mom on the other side of Staten Island. Kreider also made sure to mention their structure along with how hard it is to play against them.

Regarding the five goals he gave up, I feel Lundqvist could’ve had two. The David Perron one-timer as seen above went high, short side with little wiggle room. You can tell by Henrik’s reaction that he thought he should’ve had it. He would also get beat cleanly by of all players, Robert Bortuzzo, who after serving a double minor for hi-sticking Micheal Haley, came out of the box and took a perfect Ivan Barbashev lead pass to come in on a breakaway and go low short side to tie the score.

As the power play expired, a miscommunication between Artemi Panarin and Tony DeAngelo led to a bad turnover with DeAngelo dusted as Bortuzzo moved in and picked his spot. It wasn’t a good night for Thursday’s hero. He finished minus-three for the game and partner Libor Hajek struggled mightily in his return while subbing in for a nicked up Marc Staal. I have no idea why David Quinn put those two together. Hajek should’ve played third pair with Adam Fox while moving up the more physically and defensively sound Ryan Lindgren to the second pair. It made no sense.

With 1:19 left in the period, Vince Dunn somehow was left alone by confused Rangers forwards for his seventh goal that went off Lundqvist’s glove. He previously denied a Dunn bid earlier on the shift. But the Rangers got lost in coverage by allowing Zach Sanford to find Dunn for the go-ahead tally.

Early into period two, Pavel Buchnevich took a hooking minor 21 seconds in. That’s always good to do when starting a period when your team has no momentum. Sure enough, Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden Schenn worked the puck around to an open Perron for a big power play goal at 1:26. Believe it or not, that was Perron’s 20th. He leads the Blues in scoring with 46 points. The well respected 31-year old veteran forward makes $4.75 million and is only a $4 million cap hit. What a bargain. He returned to the team that drafted him for the third time last year and helped them finally win a Cup. He fits in well.

The Chytil line struck again before the halfway mark. This time, it was Howden who was able to get enough of a great Chytil centering feed in front to beat Binnington for his sixth at 8:49. Buchnevich was on for that shift and picked up a secondary helper on the well executed play. Howden doesn’t finish much due to not having the best hands, but it was a nice reward for a hard working player. He definitely seems more effective on the wing as opposed to center, which has more responsibilities.

Unfortunately, the momentum that cut the deficit to one was shortlived. Less than two minutes later, some poor puck management between Hajek and DeAngelo resulted in Sanford and Barbashev hooking up on a give and go that Sanford finished off for a 4-2 St. Louis lead at 10:34.

When you’re getting beat by the secondary depth of the Blues, you got issues. Sanford had a goal and assist while Barbashev recorded a pair of assists. The bottom line is even without top finisher Vladimir Tarasenko, Colton Parayko and Conn Smythe winner Ryan O’Reilly not factoring in on the score sheet, the Blues are way deeper and better. There’s a reason they’re champs.

Overlooked scorer Jaden Schwartz, who had a big postseason last year, capped off the scoring by notching number 15 from Schenn and Oskar Sundqvist at 14:50. It’s just this simple. Schwartz wanted it more than Mika Zibanejad, who got beat for the goal due to Schwartz getting positioning to finish off the nice Schenn pass in front.

By the time I checked the score on my phone after dinner, it was 5-2 Blues. There wasn’t much left in the third from reading some Tweets. It sounded like a boring period. However, this happened at the very end.

Apparently, Jacob Trouba didn’t like seeing Dunn out looking for another goal in the closing seconds. The Blues were on a power play. It didn’t make much sense for Dunn to even be out there. Or to try that move. So, I understood Trouba’s frustration. He repeatedly slashed Dunn until the Blues offensive defenseman had enough and dropped the gloves exchange some punches with a fired up Trouba.

It definitely was a wild ending to a game the Rangers had lost. Words were exchanged. Even Panarin got involved and had something to say as the Blues all waited at center ice for the Blueshirts to go back to the locker room. The fiery DeAngelo had to be restrained too. You know he doesn’t back down. Even on one of his worst nights.

Well, the rematch isn’t until March 3 at The Garden. By then, the roster should have a different look. Hopefully, there’s carryover. I love seeing that kind of intensity. You never want to hang your heads. They got beat by a way better team last night. I admired the fight they showed at the conclusion.

Oh well. Now, the Islanders visit 33rd and 8th Avenue on Monday. It’s the first meeting of the damn season! Who made the schedule? A Cyclops. We’re talking Rangers and Islanders. Now, they’ll play two this week with the return match at Nassau Coliseum Thursday. Then, the third match is the following Tuesday, Jan. 21 back at Penn Station. Crazy.

What will they do between the pipes? We know full well Lundqvist’s recent history is bad against the top rival. Is he back in or do they go back to Shestyorkin. What about Georgiev? Is he gone? I am not sure what’s going on to be honest. There are rumors, but I don’t know how legit they are.

Let’s just wait and see.

Battle Of Hudson 3 Stars:

3rd 🌟 Filip Chytil, Rangers (11th of season plus primary assist, 10-for-17 on face-offs, +2 in 17:49)

2nd 🌟 Ivan Barbashev, Blues (2 🍎, +2 in 14:45)

1st 🌟 Zach Sanford, Blues (4th of season plus 🍎, +2 in 14:22)

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DeAngelo owns troll on Twitter, Thoughts on Lias Andersson

Posted on January 11, 2020 by Derek

The computers aren’t happy with Tony DeAngelo or Ryan Strome for continuing to prove them wrong. DeAngelo was called a name by an unprofessional hack. He had the perfect response.

For a while now, there have been a few biased bloggers going after Tony DeAngelo for his political views. Personally, I don’t care about that stuff. As long as the player is performing on the ice and handling themselves well off it, that should never be brought up by anyone. Especially popular team blogs that churn out redundant rhetoric.

I’ve been mostly silent on this topic because it’s not my cup of tea to comment on such ridiculous behavior. However, given the unfair treatment the Rangers top leading scorer among defensemen has been receiving, I’ve had enough as have many loyal fans who root for the team. Loyalty. There’s a word that’s not in the Blueshirt Banter dictionary. A few clowns that write there are pathetic in their deliberate attemps to run smear campaigns against DeAngelo, Ryan Strome and to a lesser extent Brendan Lemieux due to off ice garbage.

This has nothing to do with on ice performance. Even if Joe Fortunato would have you believe that it only has to do with the beloved charts and Corsica they use to assess everything. Not when you have dirty rotten hypocrites like this tool bag hitting below the belt in this off putting tweet that was screen shotted.

https://twitter.com/TonyDee07/status/1216035882362425345?s=19

Let’s give some credit to DeAngelo for handling the childish name-calling well that he received from the biggest loser this fan base has. It’s not even worth mentioning his name. That’s how embarrassing this person is. They don’t deserve the time or space. I don’t care which way you lean on politics. As long as you don’t cross the boundaries by lowering yourself to using derogatory insults as personal attacks, you’re okay in my book.

While I might not agree with Mr. Fortunato on his approach to covering the team through his blog by basically depending largely on charts, I’ve never seen him do what one of his bloggers did before. It’s downright offensive and unbecoming of any fan blogger to say what that sad hypocrite said. Especially on the heels of DeAngelo’s memorable game Friday in which his hat trick was the first by a Blueshirts defenseman since Reijo Ruotsalainen. His five points tied Hall Of Famer Brian Leetch for the most in franchise history by a Ranger blueliner. Leetch did it twice.

It isn’t nice to call someone names. In today’s PC world, we must watch what we say. Especially with social media so prevalent. It’s okay to disagree with someone. That’s called having a different opinion. Unfortunately with some of the BSB bloggers, if you do you’re cast out and not a true fan. They’ve created a divide among Ranger fans. Something that’s been unhealthy for a while. You’re either with them or against them. So much for having thoughtful discussions and rational debates.

It wasn’t always this way. Somewhere over the last few years, it became too much to even give a different opinion without getting the silent treatment or an immature response that lacked common decency. It shouldn’t be that way.

We all root for the same team. You’d think everyone would be happy when we see a virtuoso performance like the one DeAngelo had the other day. Plus Igor Shestyorkin had 46 saves in the 6-3 home win over the Devils. There was a lot to like. Artemi Panarin had another three point game. Chris Kreider continued his roll with his 14th goal and an assist to give him 16 points over the last 15 games. Ryan Strome bounced back from a benching for losing a defensive draw that led to a Devils shorthanded goal to set up two goals including Jesper Fast for his seventh to put the game away.

The main focus should be on the players. If you root for the team, you support the logo no matter who represents the Rangers.

Too much of sports have become political. Ever since the 2016 Presidential Election, the Democrats have turned it into a witch-hunt against President Trump. Even when he makes the right decision like he did with an evil terrorist and mass murderer in Iran, it’s frowned upon. Whose side are they on? As someone who was a registered Democrat, it’s appalling how disrespectful and divisive they’ve become. Israel is the only ally the United States has in the Middle East. As a respectful Jewish person, I really dislike what the Democratic Party has become. It’s too progressive and is being pushed further left by dangerous women. This isn’t the same party I supported. That’s why I’m an Independent. There are flaws with both mainstream parties.

That’s about as much as I’ll ever discuss politics. The reason I did was what we are seeing with a faction of deranged Ranger fans. Political views should be left out when it comes to supporting our teams. Sports are supposed to be enjoyable. A nice distraction from our everyday lives. I had a blast at my third game. There were good Devil fans in our section I had a good conversation with. That’s the point. If you can get along with opposing fans without the silly fights that used to be the norm, you should be able to do similar with friends who don’t share your political beliefs.

That doesn’t matter. Friendships do. Keep them because the older you get, the harder it is to maintain contact with close friends. I miss the days when it was easier to get together and do fun things. A friend recently became a father for the first time last Sunday night. He’s a loyal Democrat. That doesn’t matter. Even if we don’t share the same views, I love him. I’m so happy and excited for his family.

A final thought on DeAngelo. He’s having a great season thus far. He enters tonight’s game in St. Louis with 36 points (11-25-36) to place fifth among all NHL defensemen in scoring. Yet he isn’t an All-Star. Who cares. The current All-Star Game format sucks and so do the jerseys. Has anyone seen them? Yikes. Until they go back to the traditional five on five alternating East vs West or North America vs The World, I have no use for the ASG. I can find something else to do with my free time.

With the DeAngelo stuff out of the way, and good on him for having the sense of humor to handle what that hypocritical miscreant said, I want to comment finally on Lias Andersson.

As you know, he packed his bags and left Hartford. It didn’t go well for him after getting sent down. In fact, his final points came on my birthday when buddy Tim Daddio saw Hartford play Binghamton. Andersson had two goals and an assist on Dec. 8. After that, it was all downhill for the former 2017 seventh overall pick. He went 4-1-5, but slumped badly by struggling mightily.

What happened? We don’t know. Anyone who pretends they do is a liar. Andersson was promptly suspended by the team for essentially quitting. He went home to Sweden. For a while, there was total silence from the organization on Lias, which I felt was wrong. They do so much to prop these kids up. Especially after The Letter. The PR is a big part of the problem. They go into full spin mode. How’s Kaapo Kakko looking? He could use some time in the AHL.

After a good preseason that saw him have a better training camp than Filip Chytil or Brett Howden, coach David Quinn praised Andersson. There was even some thought that maybe we’d see Andersson get a real shot in the top nine. Instead, he started on the fourth line behind Howden and Ryan Strome, who shifted back to his natural position. That turned out to be a wise move. He’s been splendid putting up 41 points in 43 games while flourishing with Panarin and Fast. That’s allowed Quinn to reunite Kreider and Mika Zibanejad with Pavel Buchnevich, who remains frustrating to watch.

Chytil started the year in Hartford, but worked hard to get back. He also benefitted from a Zibanejad undisclosed upper body injury. He came back up and was a improved player scoring goals in six of his first nine games. Since then, he’s leveled off with only four more. I like him, but he needs to find consistency. Not just show glimpses.

As for Andersson, he never got off the fourth line and had just one assist in 17 games before being sent down. It was obvious that the demotion hurt his confidence. He recently finally spoke out about what happened in an article published back home. He was under the impression that he’d be the second center behind Zibanejad after his preseason. Keep in mind this was before Quinn committee to Strome as his second center. Based on what happened, you could actually see how he’d think this. Instead, he was dropped to the fourth line where his ice time disappeared. It got so bad that he was barely playing.

So, sending him down made sense. However, he didn’t respond the way Chytil did. He sulked and let it affect him. Hardly what you’d expect from a high character player the team sold the fans on when they reached for him at number seven ahead of Nick Suzuki and Martin Necas. This was a player who just two years ago captained Sweden to a silver medal in the 2018 World Junior Championship by posting six goals and an assist.

Now, we find out that Andersson wasn’t happy. He’s hinted at stuff going on behind the scenes. However, he denied having an anxiety issue or mental illness, which is positive. So, what the heck happened?!?! Nobody knows. It sounds like some kind of bullying or odd behavior resulted in the 21-year old center losing his mind.

Then, there’s the part about him admitting he played hurt with possibly two bad legs. That he took pain medication to play through serious injuries that could’ve hindered his skating. If that’s true, that’s an indictment on the Rangers organization. Painkillers are pushed like candy by doctors. As we are well aware, Daniel Carcillo raised the issue. We know about the terrible tragedies to Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak, Rick Rypien and a few other former players who are no longer with us. It’s a serious issue that the NHL continues to tiptoe around.

Now, we find out from Team President John Davidson that the organization have a lot of good people in place and never gave an inclination that anything was wrong with Lias. He has hinted at flying out to discuss things with Andersson, who even mentioned that his entry level contract expires in 2021. He says he misses playing hockey, but discussed the possibility of having to go another year plus without it. Crazy stuff.

Can he be salvaged, or is it too much for Davidson to convince him to come back and play for the Wolf Pack and regain his confidence? He’s only hurting his value which can’t be much. Is he a “bust” as I’ve seen other bloggers and fans call him or is it too soon for that? I put part of the blame on the organization for doing what they always do. Overhyping the kid and not being patient enough to develop him properly.

Meanwhile, Howden gets a free pass despite little production. He plays hard and is a solid fourth line penalty killer. Not exactly what they advertised following the trade of two established NHL players in Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller with the Lightning. Libor Hajek isn’t exactly anything special either. Nils Lundkvist looks like the best player in that deal and who knows if he will be ready in the Fall. He’s young.

That’s going to do it for now. Tonight, Henrik Lundqvist gets the start with Alexandar Georgiev backing up in St. Louis. Shestyorkin gets the day off. It’ll continue to be interesting to see how the Blueshirts handle the three goalies. I feel bad for Georgiev. He did nothing wrong. But this is what it is for now.

If Ryan Lindgren (lower body) can’t go, they’ll either shift Brendan Smith to defense or reinsert Hajek. The defending champs will be quite a test.

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DeAngelo’s hat trick and five points highlight Shestyorkin’s second consecutive win

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Derek

Make Friendships Great! Ryan Strome congratulates Tony DeAngelo on his career game that included a hat trick and five points. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images

I’ve been sitting here for a while on the couch contemplating what I saw tonight from Tony DeAngelo. I don’t go to many games. Fortunately, I got to witness a brilliant performance from the improving Rangers defenseman. DeAngelo recorded his first career hat trick and a career high five points to highlight an exciting Rangers 6-3 home win over the Devils at an energized Garden.

As great as it was to see DeAngelo complete the hat trick in the second period on a superb Chris Kreider screen, my favorite moment came in a five goal first period. While on a power play, he made a perfect slap pass from his end off the boards that a flying Kreider retrieved to skate in and beat Devils netminder Mackenzie Blackwood with a filthy backhand on a great deke. Here’s how it looked:

Seeing that play develop live from up top in the second to last row of our section, I knew with the speed Kreider had he would score. He is terrific on such set plays due to his explosiveness and ability to go to his patented forehand deke, backhand finish. His go to move on such breakaways. He used the angle perfectly to fool Blackwood, who wouldn’t finish the game. He was chased from the Devils net after DeAngelo became the first Rangers defenseman since Reijo Ruotsalainen did it on Mar. 17, 1982.

If you are curious, Brian Leetch never recorded a hat trick in the regular season. However, he did get three in a virtuoso performance against the Flyers in Game Three of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semis. I remember it well because it was a game they should’ve won. Despite the hat trick from Leetch, they lost the game in sudden death.

It is pretty cool for DeAngelo to put up a five point game. Not many Blueshirts have done it from the back end. He joins Leetch as only the second Rangers defenseman to record five points. That is the franchise record for one game. Not bad for a player who went through some hard lessons last year under coach David Quinn.

“It was cool,” DeAngelo told Rangers beat writer Vince Mercogliano of getting the hat trick. “I said it in between periods. I’d never had a hat trick before — even in juniors. Maybe when I was a young kid, but that was cool.”

It started with a great backhand saucer pass for a Artemi Panarin one-time blast past Blackwood to the far side for a 1-0 lead.

“The pass he made to Panarin today on the first goal — that’s an all-world pass,” sidekick Ryan Strome said following another good night in which he had two assists including a beautiful set up for Jesper Fast that put the finishing touches on the victory. “That’s on the backhand, and he’s a defenseman below there.”

It wasn’t all positive for the Blueshirts, who allowed the Devils to pepper rookie goalie Igor Shestyorkin with 49 shots. Making his second straight start, the 24-year old Russian was more composed despite the heavy workload. Even after allowing a shorthanded goal to Kevin Rooney on a rebound that tied the score up, he didn’t allow any bad ones. On that goal, it was a lost draw and DeAngelo didn’t take Rooney, who got his first of the season. A Ranger tradition that continues.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1215431256730677248?s=19

Rather than allow that goal to effect them, they bounced back 1:41 later when DeAngelo scored his first of the game from Mika Zibanejad and Kreider at 9:47. A John Hayden undisciplined interference minor on Kaapo Kakko resulted in the play of the night. Off a Zibanejad defensive face-off win, DeAngelo got the puck and surveyed the ice. Then, he sent a great slap pass that banked right to an onrushing Kreider, who blew in and beat Blackwood for his 14th with 7:44 remaining to make it 3-1.

“You can’t use it every game,” DeAngelo said of the set play that worked. “But before the O-zone draw, I told (Kreider) that we would give it a shot there — just because the way they were playing, they were trying to take away (Panarin) there. So, I figured maybe we catch them, and fortunately it took a real good bounce and he made a great finish.”

As good as they were offensively in chasing Blackwood with five goals on 25 shots after two periods, the Rangers still have a lot of work to do to improve defensively. Unlike the win against Colorado that saw Shestyorkin stop 29 of a more manageable 32 shots, he got the gauntlet from a relentless New Jersey team. Even without rookie Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, they didn’t give up like that last game which was the prelude to former coach John Hynes getting fired. Funny enough, he just took over for Nashville, who evened up their record on a night Pekka Rinne joined Ron Hextall, Martin Brodeur, Jose Theodore, Evgeni Nabokov and Mike Smith as goalies to score an empty net goal.

A Brett Howden miscue lead to a Blake Coleman goal off a redirection of a Damon Severson point shot that Travis Zajac set up. On the play, Coleman appeared to get away with a crosscheck in front before scoring his 14th to make it a one goal contest before the first ended.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1215436638819627009?s=19

Interestingly enough, a fan seated next to me took the over on the 6.5 total. He was pretty pumped up about the five total goals in the wild period. Even as his Devil friends razzed him after their team scored. It was good back and forth banter. I rather enjoyed it. He also had no love for the skittish Pavel Buchnevich, who somehow fell on a breakaway. He also came close to scoring following the criticism, but the refs correctly ruled that he hit the goalpost. The puck never crossed the goal line. That’s Buchnevich in a nutshell.

The Devils were able to tie it up almost nine minutes into the second period. This one was controversial and bizarre. On a strange play where the net came off while Shestyorkin stretched out to try to prevent the puck from going in, it looked like no goal live. There was a lot happening on the play. You had the puck thrown towards the net with Jacob Trouba battling Coleman in front. Plus the circumstance with the net.

What we didn’t realize is that during a stoppage, the play was under review. You know my sentiments on Toronto. I’m not going to get into it. When they came back from the break, they ruled it a good goal due to Trouba accidentally shoving Coleman into the net. It is some weird rule about continuation. I have no idea what or how they applied it. Here’s how it looked:

Hearing Joe Micheletti explain it, Trouba accidentally kicks the puck following a Severson shot. As upset as I was at the time along with most of our section along with perplexed fans, they felt the puck would’ve crossed the line even if the net didn’t come off. I hate the rule because it seems confusing. Let’s just call it a bad break or bounce. Either way, a goal originally credited to Coleman became Severson’s fifth from Nikita Gusev and Zajac at 8:56.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1215444783935774720?s=09

Rather than let a tough call get to them, the Rangers responded well by scoring the next two goals within a 2:54 span. DeAngelo was involved in both. He got his second when he used some traffic in front to beat a screened Blackwood from Marc Staal and Buchnevich at 12:08. The third goal would come on the power play. Adam Fox drew a hi-sticking minor on Nico Hischier. It only took 11 seconds for Panarin and Strome to feed DeAngelo at an open point. With a great Kreider screen on Blackwood, he fired a perfect laser high and inside the goalpost to complete the hat trick with 4:58 left in the period. Hats poured on the ice as DeAngelo was congratulated by happy teammates at the Ranger bench.

https://twitter.com/ViennaDxo/status/1215453671464501248?s=19

The big night prompted this Tweet above from DeAngelo’s proud sister Vienna. What I love is how appreciative she is of the fans who support her brother. Those would be the more knowledgeable fans who don’t act like whiners with an axe to grind due to a nonsensical agenda. How about enjoying what Tony Dee is doing. He’s up to 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points in 43 games. The 36 points ranks fifth among all NHL defensemen. A game like the one he had was a joy to view live. I couldn’t be happier. Quinn went out of his way to praise him in the postgame.

Good for him. After all the questions surrounding his contract status coming into camp, DeAngelo bet on himself. He took the qualifying offer. He is gonna make a ton of money this summer. Which brings a intriguing question for the organization. What will they decide to do? Now that Kreider is playing well (16 points over last 15 games) along with Strome and DeAngelo, the Rangers are facing a hard choice very soon. Before you all answer that trading Kreider for a first round pick and prospect is the answer, have you seen our forwards? If they subtract either Kreider or Strome (even both), the crop up front becomes even weaker. They are paper thin already with Kakko struggling in Year One and Filip Chytil only showing glimpses.

Defense is actually the team strength. But if they make the tough decision to move on from DeAngelo due to what he could get in arbitration, that kind of production isn’t easy to replace. Neither is Kreider’s leadership and combination of speed, skill and net front presence. He is a locker room leader. Trade him and it can’t just be a first and an unproven prospect. They need NHL talent. So if Boston comes calling, the ask should be Jake DeBrusk and a one. That goes also for Pittsburgh, Colorado and maybe St. Louis (Robert Thomas).

This is all about maximizing the value. If all three players continue to perform well, that’s good. The organization also has another conundrum due to Shestyorkin looking good so far. Some of the saves he made in the third period were superb. None better than the glove stop point blank on a Devil power play to keep his team up two. The “Igor, Ig-or”, chants were fun to take part in. He only finished with a cool 46 saves in his second start.

With the defending Stanley Cup champion Blues on tap in St. Louis Saturday night at 8 PM, what does the coaching staff decide? Would they really give him a third consecutive start against arguably the top team in the league? Or do they go back to Henrik Lundqvist to keep him fresh while facing stiff competition? What about Alexandar Georgiev? It really appears that his days are numbered. As long as Shesty proves he belongs, I have to believe Georgiev goes soon. The problem is goalies don’t have much value. A third round pick is the likely return. Maybe trade with a goalie starved team like Detroit. That would be a higher third.

With Shestyorkin shutting the door on the Devils, some excellent teamwork between Panarin, Strome and Fast put the exclamation point on the win. Panarin made a good outlet to Strome to cause a two-on-one. He patiently waited before sliding the puck across for a quick Fast one-timer past Devils reliever Louis Domingue with 7:04 remaining in regulation. It was Fast’s seventh. After a three assist effort against the Avalanche, that gives him four points in the last two games. Fast is up to 7-11-18 for the season. He seems to really fit in with Panarin and Strome. His career high in goals is 13 and points is 33. Both established in ’17-18. It would be nice to see him surpass both in a contract year. He’s another player the team must decide on.

Walking out of the main entrance for a change due to having to park seven blocks away on 25th Street on the Seventh Avenue side, it was nice to soak in a win. The long walk back to the car wasn’t bad. We passed Fashion Institute Of Technology. There were some cool paintings. Never mind that I parked next to the literal garbage bag disposal. Yikes.

I’m not complaining. I gotta be up early too due to a doctor’s appointment. Guess it’ll be a quick turnaround. I won’t mind. It’s always more fun to do a winning recap. Especially when you run into old friends like Anthony from our old Section 411 before MSG became the World’s Most Renovated Arena. I’ll never buy another beer as long as I go to games.

But I’ll always enjoy the relationship formed over two decades. Now, it’s the Roaring 20’s. We’re talking 25 years since my first game. It never gets old. Even if the arena is very different. It’s all about having fun with the people you know. Until next time.

Battle Of Hudson 3 Stars:

3rd 🌟 Chris Kreider, Rangers (Since scoring on my birthday 12/8, he’s got 16 points in 15 games including goal and 🍎 tonight)

2nd 🌟 Igor Shestyorkin, Rangers (improves to 2-0 as a starter by stopping 46 of 49 shots including 18 for 18 in 3rd)

1st 🌟 Tony DeAngelo, Rangers (1st NYR defenseman with a hat trick in regular season since Reijo Ruotsalainen, 5 points (3-2-5) tie single game franchise mark with Brian Leetch for a defenseman)

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Shesterkin gets another start in first taste of Hudson Rivalry

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Derek

Tonight, the Devils pay a visit to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers. It feels like forever since these Hudson rivals have seen each other.

There was a lot of hype for Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko in October. There isn’t the same hoopla anymore due to Hughes still out with a lower body injury and Kakko not scoring much while on the third line.

Nobody said it was a lock that both 18-year old rookies that went one and two in the NHL Draft were going to light it up right away. It’s going to take a little more time before they turn into the players fans are excited for. Both play third line ironically. Kakko with Filip Chytil and Brett Howden. That’s where he’ll be tonight.

The big story is this is rookie Igor Shesterkin’s second consecutive NHL start. On Tuesday, he won his NHL debut by recovering from permitting two early goals to make 29 saves in a feel good 5-3 win over the Avalanche. That included stopping 28 of the final 29 after falling behind quickly 2-0 on goals from JT Compher and Nathan MacKinnon. He showed good composure and made some key stops to turn it around.

How will the 24-year old Russian do this time? Will there be anymore nerves? Or is he the kind of goalie who’ll settle in and really make things interesting for the Rangers organization? With Henrik Lundqvist the backup and Alexandar Georgiev third string, this is a unique situation. It won’t remain this way forever.

Can Shesty make it two for two in his second start over three nights? Both are at home and you know there will be plenty of support from the fans. The “Igor, Igor”, chants will be out in full force.

With the Devils having played much better since trading distraction Taylor Hall, this won’t be an easy game. They played the Islanders tough twice, beating them once and falling in overtime the other night on an Anders Lee goal. Nico Hischier is playing his best hockey and Kyle Palmieri continues to score. Even PK Subban has reemerged.

It should be an interesting test. I’ll have a game recap much later. As we are going to get the Igor Experience. Let’s hope it goes well.

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No supplementary discipline for Lindgren

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Derek

It’s not often I agree with a ruling by NHL Player Safety. I previously had written a critical piece on the hypocrisy of what they decide to review. That’s a consistency issue that will continue to be up for debate.

What isn’t is that after having a telephone hearing with Rangers rookie defenseman Ryan Lindgren regarding his hit that injured Avalanche forward Joonas Donskoi in the first period of Tuesday’s game, they decided against taking any supplementary discipline. Here’s the two part explanation on Twitter:

I think the key in their ruling not to fine or suspend Lindgren was that he didn’t take an indirect angle or go out of his way to deliver the check on Donskoi. He didn’t extend outward or upward as they explained. This was a good clean hit with shoulder to upper body contact that unfortunately caught Donskoi in a prone position to make head contact. It was unavoidable.

I’ve seen enough angry replies to the Tweet already. That is expected. Nobody wants to see a player get hurt. However, there was nothing dirty about Lindgren’s hit. It was similar to a few of Scott Stevens’ biggest hits.

There really isn’t a whole lot to add here. Lindgren was held accountable by Nazem Kadri, who immediately instigated a fight and bloodied the rookie. They also got that call right, giving Kadri 17 penalty minutes including an instigator and misconduct.

As I said previously, hitting and fighting are part of hockey. That isn’t up for debate. Hopefully, Donskoi isn’t out a long time due to the hit. If he’s cleared, Lindgren could return tomorrow. We’ll see.

The right decision was made here. Kudos to NHL Player Safety on reviewing it and realizing it was a clean play that was unintentional.

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NHL Player Safety hypocrisy

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Derek

During Tuesday night’s game won by the Rangers 5-3 over the Avalanche, rookie defenseman Ryan Lindgren delivered a vicious hit on puck carrier Joonas Donskoi that knocked the Colorado forward to the ice. On the play, Donskoi never saw Lindgren due to Filip Chytil.

The end result was Lindgren coming across and catching Donskoi with a clean shoulder check that ended his night. It was the kind of hit we used to see from Scott Stevens. The Devils legend was known for punishing players in fragile positions. Eric Lindros, Ron Francis and Shane Willis could all testify to that.

Following the game which also saw Nazem Kadri make a bee line for Lindgren to pummel him in a onesided fight that ended his night as well, Colorado coach Jared Bednar complained in his post game interview about the big hit. Not surprisingly, the NHL Department Of Player Safety has decided to review the hit to determine if there will be supplementary discipline.

https://twitter.com/Kovy274Hart/status/1214955482005286918?s=19

My reaction to it was more about the inconsistency of Player Safety. Where were they after Ryan Ellis elbowed Pavel Buchnevich? A dirty play the respected Nashville defenseman only received a minor penalty on despite Buchnevich needing concussion protocol to make sure he was okay. They never bothered to review the hit.

If you compare Ellis’s elbow which was directly to Buchnevich’s head with Lindgren, who landed a shoulder to the upper chest and head of a prone Donskoi, you could make a case that the Ellis hit was worse due to it being an elbow that was a direct head shot. Here is the Lindgren hit on Donskoi:

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1214926247119278085?s=19

The case for a suspension is that they can rule that it was an illegal check to the head. Even if Lindgren didn’t leave his feet and led with his shoulder, there was head contact. Though the principle point of contact was shoulder to chest with Donskoi in a prone position.

Regarding the particulars before tomorrow’s home match against the Devils, it is a telephone hearing. So if Lindgren does get suspended, it’ll likely be for one game. If that’s the case, the team could just shift Brendan Smith to defense and rotate him for some fourth line shifts.

The issue is when it comes to Player Safety, nobody knows what they’ll review and what they’ll ignore. They suspended Corey Perry for an elbowing major in the Winter Classic between Dallas and Nashville. That was warranted. If only there was more consistency.

In reference to Stevens, I don’t imagine he’d enjoy playing under today’s rules where there’s a microscope. He was the best open ice hitter who brought the intimidation factor. Hitting is part of the game. So is fighting. As we saw last night, sometimes they go hand in hand as Lindgren found out.

There will be a decision soon.

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A night to remember for Shesterkin and Rangers

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Derek

Igor Shesterkin gets some love from Henrik Lundqvist after his first NHL win. The Rangers defeated the Avalanche 5-3 at The Garden. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images

The chants were different this time at Madison Square Garden. It wasn’t the familiar “Hen-rik, Hen-rik!”, we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. Instead, Ranger fans serenaded rookie goalie Igor Shesterkin with “Igor, Igor!”, chants in what amounted to an exciting 5-3 home win over the Avalanche.

On a night to remember, the 24-year old Russian netminder showed a unflappable mental fortitude after giving up two early Colorado goals on their first three shots. Neither were his fault. Another kid with a bright future, Adam Fox made a mistake that resulted in Hart candidate Nathan MacKinnon converting a mini break by finding the five-hole on Shesterkin for a 2-0 Avalanche lead.

How would he respond to the early adversity against one of the West’s best teams? Just fine. For the remainder of his first NHL game in a complex three goalie roster that the Rangers will worry about, Shesterkin stopped 28 of the next 29 shots to win his first start. He didn’t have to be spectacular. But was there when they needed him. Shesterkin made 13 saves in a busy third period to finish with 29 altogether.

Following Wonder Bread Man Artemi Panarin sealing it with an empty net goal from a brilliant Jesper Fast (3 assists), Igor received a nice moment when backup Lundqvist came over to congratulate him on his first victory. Hopefully, the first of many for the composed goalie the Rangers stole in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft.

https://twitter.com/akakko86/status/1214748015799492618?s=19

For some fans like this one above, it was Lundqvist that made them a fan of the Blueshirts. If you’ve been around longer due to living in the Big Apple like myself, you understand better. Nothing lasts forever. This franchise has had their share of goalies who were special. From almost its inception, the Broadway Blueshirts have boasted great goalies throughout nearly a century of history. Names such as Lorne Chabot, Dave Kerr, Gump Worsley, Chuck Rayner and Ed Giacomin have been the guardians of the galaxy.

Even all-time great Terry Sawchuk finished his career on Broadway. Gilles Villemure shared a Vezina with Giacomin in ’70-71. When Eddie was placed on waivers by Emile “Cat” Francis, he opposed the Rangers as a Red Wing on a unforgettable night where fans chanted, “Edd-ie, Edd-ie, Edd-ie!” John Davidson took over and carried the team to the Stanley Cup Final in ’79.

Eventually, John Vanbiesbrouck became the next great goalie winning the Vezina in his second full season while backstopping the ’85-86 team to the Wales Conference Final. Beezer would share the net with Mike Richter for a few years before becoming part of the expansion Panthers. The Rangers wisely held onto Richter, who would bring the franchise its greatest moment as the unflappable goalie who was unbelievable during their fourth Stanley Cup in ’93-94. He would pass Giacomin for the most wins in franchise history and wind up with 301.

It took a few years until Lundqvist grabbed the mantle to become the next great Ranger goalie. He owns almost every franchise mark including wins (458), shutouts (63), games played (881), saves (23,414) and minutes played (51,577). He has a career 2.43 goals-against-average (GAA) and .918 save percentage. All kidding aside, nobody can dispute what King Henrik has achieved. A Vezina winner in ’11-12, the only thing missing is a Cup. Unfortunately, the window passed. We’ll always be left wondering about 2014 and 2015. That’s how close those teams were. 2012 will always sting.

With Lundqvist now 37 and turning 38 soon with one year remaining on his contract, the time has come for Shesterkin. Whether you spell it that way or Shestyorkin, it’s his turn to grab the keys. That’s how it works in sports. Nobody lasts forever. Even the great Martin Brodeur concluded his career in an odd St. Louis Blues jersey that never quite fit. If he chooses to stick around for 500 wins, it’ll likely be in another jersey for the prideful Henrik.

What they have to feel good about is how composed Shesterkin was following an odd redirect goal from JT Compher and MacKinnon doing what he does. He made a big save on a Colorado power play with Jacob Trouba off for interference. It was a point blank opportunity that he denied.

By that point, the resurgent Chris Kreider had gotten one back with a neat redirect of a Ryan Strome pass for a power play goal. Following a successful penalty kill, it was Mika Zibanejad who was able to beat Colorado starter Philipp Grubauer thanks to some strong work from Fast and good playmaking from Tony DeAngelo (2 assists). Zibanejad got his 17th to tie the score. He was brilliant throughout going 1-1-2 with superb penalty killing along with face-off dominance (17-for-23) while logging 25:32. Zibanejad deserves to be the next captain.

Then, we had some nastiness when rookie Ryan Lindgren caught an unsuspecting Joonas Donskoi with a ferocious hit against the boards that knocked him silly. Before play could be whistled down, Lindgren received a beat down from Nazem Kadri, who bloodied him with a fistful of rights to the face. Neither Lindgren (upper body) nor Donskoi (upper body) returned.

I had no real issue with what Kadri did. He got the instigator for dropping the gloves first to stand up for a injured fallen teammate. Even though I tend to frown upon players fighting over clean checks like the one Lindgren delivered that flattened Donskoi, I understand why Kadri did what he did. It had no real effect on the rest of the game.

The Rangers didn’t score on the power play. However, they had the better of the play. In particular, the recently formed third line of Filip Chytil, Brett Howden and Kaapo Kakko. Since Brendan Lemieux went down with a fractured hand, Howden has been shifted off center to the left wing by coach David Quinn. He’s looked much better on the wing while playing with Kakko, who seems to be more effective on the third line centered by the improving Chytil. In fact, Howden hit a post and nearly set up Trouba for a goal if he hit the net. When Lemieux returns, I’d keep Howden where he is.

Playing for the second straight night after being shutout 1-0 by the Islanders, Colorado looked a bit off. They weren’t as sharp, showing some wear and tear in the second game of a back-to-back. However, part of that was due to how the Blueshirts played. They had a hard forecheck for once by controlling puck possession and cycling effectively. Appreciative fans responded with cheers for the effort. This was a welcome change for a team that normally struggles at even strength.

Following a near miss shorthanded on a terrific set up from Zibanejad, Brady Skjei scored his sixth on a good point shot that came off some splendid work from Panarin and Fox. The much critiqued left defenseman played arguably his finest game of the season. Paired with Trouba, Skjei logged 27:12 while doing a good job against the dangerous Colorado line of MacKinnon, Mikka Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. They actually limited their scoring chances by taking time and space away. It was a refreshing change.

Perhaps having Shesterkin debut energized a team that needed a win in the worst way following a 0-3 road trip at Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. They deserved a better fate against the Canucks, but Alexandar Georgiev allowed Tyler Myers winner late. He was a healthy scratch. With three goalies, someone has to sit in the press box for now. Strange. But with the Rangers unable to send down Georgiev without passing through waivers, this is the current situation.

Despite playing well for Shesterkin, a hiccup allowed Valeri Nichushkin and Andre Burakovsky to work the puck over to a vacated Compher for his second to again tie the score at three at 11:32. DeAngelo went the wrong way and no forward covered for him. Those kind of miscues are still gonna happen from time to time. The defense and forwards must get on the same page.

However, a key face-off win by Strome led directly to him finishing off a Fast pass that Panarin (goal and two apples) helped set up for a 4-3 lead 2:07 later. That line combined for eight points after taking the collar the last two games.

With Strome in the penalty box for interfering with forgotten former Blueshirt prospect Ryan Graves, Shesterkin came up big by denying a golden opportunity in tight with a quick pad save. He stopped three Colorado shots on that power play. As the game went on, he got stronger. That included flashing his butterfly like glove to the crowd’s delight. His rebound control was excellent.

An errant hi-stick from Calder hopeful Cale Makar to Pavel Buchnevich gave the Blueshirts one more man-advantage. But they were unable to cash in. As fate would have it, it came down to the frantic final few minutes for Shesterkin. He passed with flying colors.

So too did the team due to doing a good job protecting the house. They kept most of the Avalanche shots to the outside. It was a strong effort without Lindgren, who missed the remainder of the game following his dust up with Kadri. Quinn used Brendan Smith for some shifts on defense. But he leaned heavily on workhorses Skjei and Trouba.

With Grubauer off for an extra attacker, eventually Fast made a smart defensive play to get the puck out of harms way to Zibanejad, who dished it for Panarin. He exited the Ranger zone and took his time before firing his team best 23rd into the open net for the final margin.

It was a nice way to end a good game. A memorable one for Shesterkin. He was also presented the Broadway Hat in the locker room. Welcome to the show, kid!

Battle Of Hudson 3 Stars:

3rd 🌟 Igor Shesterkin, Rangers (29 saves on 32 shots including 28 of last 29 for 1st career NHL win in debut)

2nd 🌟 Jesper Fast, Rangers (3 🍎, +3 in 17:43)

1st 🌟 Artemi Panarin, Rangers (empty net goal for 23rd plus 2 🍎, 8 shots, +3 in 19:07)

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Igor Shesterkin’s Time Has Finally Come

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Derek

Following an empty three game road trip in Western Canada, the Rangers made a big decision yesterday that could have a long-term impact on the franchise. They decided it was time to finally call up top goalie prospect Igor Shesterkin. He will make his first career NHL start tonight against the Avalanche.

Having successfully come over to North America where he dominated the AHL with the Wolf Pack to be named one of two All-Stars along with defenseman Joey Keane, the recently turned 24-year old Russian netminder will be in net to face one of the league’s best offenses. Considering they were shutout 1-0 on Monday night at the Islanders, Colorado should have plenty of motivation.

By giving Shesterkin this game, the Rangers organization isn’t shying away from testing their young goalie right away. It’ll be a baptism by fire when he faces a team that features Hart candidate Nathan MacKinnon, Mikka Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Calder candidate Cale Makar. It should present a unique challenge for the rookie who earned this opportunity by dominating the AHL by posting a 15-4-3 record with a league best 1.93 GAA, .932 save percentage and three shutouts.

So, when the Blueshirts kickoff the second half at Madison Square Garden later, there will be plenty of curiosity and excitement to see if Shesterkin can hold up versus one of the NHL’s top teams. The former 2014 fourth round pick selected number 118 overall doesn’t lack confidence. Both he and the team feel he’s ready.

Forget all the sideshow theatrics of a columnist who wants to create a fake storyline due to there now being three goalies on the NHL roster. There is no controversy here. Shesterkin earned it. The most important thing is for the organization to find out if he can handle the weight of expectation and pressure with becoming an NHL goalie. If he proves himself, then it helps the Rangers decade what’s best moving forward.

For those who argue that goaltending is the least of their problems, both Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev have sub 3.00 goals-against-averages and similar save percentages (Hank .910/Georgie .909). While they’ve done alright given the high volume of shots and scoring chances they’ve faced, neither has made enough of a difference to lay claim as a number one goalie. One makes too much money while the other is actually a couple of months younger than Shesterkin.

This day was coming. So even if there aren’t any goalie starved teams ringing Jeff Gorton’s phone off the hook to inquire about Georgiev, this is all about the future of the franchise. The Rangers have approximately six weeks to decide what they’re doing. Today is January 7, 2020. The February 24 trade deadline will be here before you know it.

Goalie is an organizational strength. Tyler Wall continues to impress with UMass Lowell in his senior year. Olof Lindbom is only 19 playing in Sweden a ways away. Adam Huska is now the starter for the Wolf Pack. Eventually, the team has to make tough choices. The Seattle expansion hits in 2022. Around the same time Lundqvist has his contract expire and Georgiev could be left unprotected if he’s still a Blueshirt.

There are more tough decisions coming up. That’s not what this post is about. I’ve referenced it before and will again in future posts.

Tonight is an exciting day for the Rangers and their loyal fans. It’s a glimpse into the future. For better or worse, Shesterkin or Shestyorkin will likely be the goalie leading this team by 2022. Who knows. Maybe if Wall pans out assuming he works out, that could be your Blueshirts tandem.

Don’t let any alarmists more concerned about the three goalie system, ruin it. This is a good thing. Hope is too.

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Georgiev gives up late goal to Myers in tough loss to Canucks, Rangers go 0 for 3 in Western Canada, Kreider Appreciation, Vancouver Retro 90’s Night invokes memories

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Derek

Marc Staal battles a Canuck along the boards. AP Photo credit Vancouver Canucks via Getty Images

Encouraging is that unlike the first two games, they played well in Vancouver. However, the Rangers still managed to lose a tough one to the Canucks 2-1 in British Columbia. They went empty by going 0 for 3 on the Western Canada road trip. It was disappointing.

Despite outplaying their old Western rival they beat in ’94 to win the Stanley Cup on Retro 90’s Night at Vancouver, the Rangers could only muster one goal on 37 shots against Jacob Markstrom. The Canucks starting goalie who was elected to his first All-Star Game, was the difference throughout finishing with 36 saves. He went 2-0 versus Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev by stopping 74 of 77 shots in a clean season series sweep. He improved to 6-2-1 for his career versus the Rangers.

It wasn’t so much that Georgiev was bad. He stopped 25 of 27 sent his way including 14 of 14 in a busy second period. However, the two goals he allowed were preventable. The first was a bad rebound of a Loui Eriksson shot he sent right on the stick of Antoine Roussel for another early goal scored by an opponent at 1:46.

In the third period of a dead even game, it was mostly Blueshirts. They carried most of the play by forechecking deep and generating quality scoring chances. For one night at least, coach David Quinn rolled four lines. They outshot Vancouver 14-6 in the period. But Markstrom made some big time saves to give his team a chance to steal it.

That they did. Following a bad icing from Brady Skjei, Vancouver captain Bo Horvat won an offensive draw back to rookie Quinn Hughes. He passed for teammate Tyler Myers, who snuck a slow high wrist shot over a kneeling Georgiev for the go-ahead tally with 1:29 left in regulation. It was one of the rare times the normally stand up goalie was caught down by a good shot that beat him stick side. A crusher for sure.

For a second game in a row, the top line of Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome and Jesper Fast were held in check. When the wonder Bread Man doesn’t hit the score sheet, it’s problematic for the team. They don’t have enough scoring depth to offset it. Panarin has been bread and butter the whole first half. His 22 goals, 33 assists and 55 points easily outdistance Strome (11-26-37) for the team lead in scoring. Hopefully, he can find his form when they return home this week.

Mika Zibanejad also went without a point for a second consecutive game. If he and Panarin aren’t doing the scoring, the Rangers will be hard pressed to find consistent offense. On a night they were much better defensively while establishing a consistent attack, it went for naught due to Myers’ late heroics.

The only offense came from Pavel Buchnevich. He’d been in another scoring slump. However, after taking a vicious hit in the corner, Buchnevich went to the net and was the beneficiary of a fantastic strip and dish across from the underrated Chris Kreider to tie the score at 7:59 of the first. Kreider made the whole play possible by using his big frame to steal the puck and find an open Buchnevich for a put away into an open side. That gave the 24-year old Russia n his seventh goal (first in seven games). He ends the first half with 23 points (7-16-23) including a goal and assist in his last two. Will it finally get him going?

As for Kreider, he has picked it up. While the dozen goals in 41 contests aren’t great, the 14 assists give him a respectable 26 points, which ranks fifth in team scoring. Don’t forget he sacrificed some of that for the ultra skilled Panarin. Since being reunited with Zibanejad, the 28-year old American has played better. From Dec. 8 on when he scored a goal in a win at Vegas, Kreider has 13 points (6-7-13) with a plus-four rating over the past 13 games. Exactly a point-per-game.

He’s back to being the player he can be. No matter what happens on February 24, Kreider has been one of this team’s most dependable performers for nearly a decade. Some fans take him for granted. Not everything he does during shifts shows up on the stat sheet. Or beloved Corsica. If they do move on from him come next month’s trade deadline, he will be sorely missed. There aren’t many players like him who can do the grunt work. His leadership will also be missed.

Of course, the organization has to do what’s best for the future of the franchise moving forward. If only Jeff Gorton didn’t commit so much money towards Skjei. In a perfect world, I’d keep Kreider. But his price is going to be around the same ballpark as former teammate Kevin Hayes. We’re talking at least six years at a likely AAV of $7 million. He’ll turn 29 by the end of April.

With other decisions on Group II free agents Strome, Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Lemieux, whose straight forward physical style is missed, they’re caught between a rock and a hard place. Fast can be re-signed for an affordable cost of three or four years for around $3.25 million on average. He’s also up like Kreider. Do the math. They can’t keep everyone.

If Lundqvist ($8.5 million) and Marc Staal ($5.7 million) were coming off the books this summer instead of next year, that would free up enough space to keep almost everyone. Nothing should change for either senior Blueshirt. I’d like to see what AHL All-Star Igor Shesterkin can do. They also have to decide on Georgiev, who’s been alright. But there’s only so much he or an aging Lundqvist can do. Shesterkin is the real deal. I hope we see him soon.

Ironically, last night was Kreider’s 500th game as a Ranger. The former ’09 first round pick taken number 19 is closing in on 300 career points. His assist gave him 151 to go with 145 goals for a nice total of 296 points. Remember when he came fresh out of Boston College where they won a national championship, and he debuted during the 2012 NHL Playoffs? He had yet to play an official regular season game, but fit in well scoring five big goals while adding two assists during the club’s run to the Eastern Conference Final. He went 5-8-13 two Springs later in the gut wrenching Stanley Cup loss to the Kings. It was his tying goal in Game Five from USA buddy Derek Stepan that saved the Rangers against the Capitals in Round Two.

Throughout it all, Kreider has been here for all of it. Maybe he didn’t quite hit the 30-goal mark or 60 points as I believed he would. Go look at his goal totals. 21 in ’14-15. 21 in ’15-16. 28 in ’16-17. He had 16 in 58 games during ’17-18 where he recovered from rib resection surgery due to a blood clot. He had a refreshing new outlook following it. You know he hits 20 if he doesn’t miss 24 games that season. In ’18-19, he hit 28 for the second time in his career. His 52 points were one off a career best 53 set in ’16-17.

Is Chris Kreider a great Ranger? No. However, he has been a very good player, who improved under former coach Alain Vigneault. The net front presence became his trademark along with screening netminders and tipped pucks for goals. Nobody is better at that than him. They keep a stat for it. You think there won’t be a lot of interested teams if he’s available. The Pens lost top finisher Jake Guentzel for the rest of the regular season. They could come calling. So could the Avalanche or Blues.

The point of emphasis is that more fans should appreciate Kreider while he’s still a New York Ranger. I critiqued him like many too. However, I understand what he brings. There haven’t been many successful Rangers first round picks. He got to see former teammate JT Miller last night. After not fitting in with Tampa, Miller has been a much better player in Vancouver. He plays top line with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser while playing a similar role to Kreider. He has 40 points (15-25-40) in 42 games. I’ve seen criticism over Kreider not having similar production. Has he ever played with that kind of talent? Miller didn’t exactly light it up with Nikita Kucherov or Steven Stamkos. He never showed up for any playoffs either.

This is one of the biggest issues I have with our fan base. They’re so unappreciative. So arrogant that it defies logic. If Kreider was Russian like Buchnevich, he’d be beloved. I’m not making this up. There is a inner circle of people who call themselves ‘fan bloggers.’ Only they’re hardly objective. One such nuisance is still trying to argue for Buchnevich over Strome due to some lazy excuse that he’s played with Panarin. Who’s more valuable? The $3.1 million bargain who’s formed splendid chemistry while shifting to center, or the inconsistent moody right wing, who doesn’t always bring it. There’s only a two-year age gap. These people who swear only by metrics and nerdy charts should be outlawed. They don’t watch each shift and aren’t objective.

Buchnevich doesn’t play a lick of defense and avoids physical contact like the plague. That means he must produce. Otherwise, he’s a wasted investment that Gorton should look to trade. This isn’t criticism either. It is the truth. Strome can play center while being trusted at five-on-five, power play and penalty kill. Buchnevich is used in the top six at even strength and on the power play. If he showed more of an impulse to shoot the puck like his strong finish last year, his production would go up exponentially. His goal boosted his confidence as he was one of the three best Blueshirts on Saturday.

Now, let’s see if Buchnevich can follow it up. If he does, then there will be cause for excitement. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be a 25-goal, 55-60 point player. Quinn has given him every opportunity. Right now, his current pace is 14 goals and 46 points. He has to do better than that. That’s why fans are so divided on him.

I want to praise the Vancouver Canucks for bringing back the classic skate jerseys that defined them in the 90’s. I’ve always felt that cool logo along with those futuristic colors were their best uniform. Picture Pavel Bure flying down the ice for a clean breakaway goal on one of his patented forehand dekes. Or Cliff Ronning making a perfect pass across to Greg Adams for a one-timer past Mike Richter. Or captain Trevor Linden dragging Leetch while scoring a nice shorthanded goal. Or Kirk McLean making a sprawling save as he did throughout their surprising run 26 years ago. Those were cool teams.

Don’t forget Alex Mogilny once wore that Jersey and scored over 50. Too bad Bure was out hurt. They had some good rosters. I never understood why they moved on from that era by changing the logo when Mark Messier traded in his Blueshirt for a Canucks jersey. Neither decision ever made sense. The roster would be destroyed when Bure was traded to Florida in a move for Ed Jovanovski. Mike Keenan also wound up there after his shortlived disaster with the Blues. Yikes.

I guess it just goes to show you what a low down dirty rat Keenan was. He was negotiating with Detroit supposedly while the Rangers were still trying to win their first Cup in 54 years. Crazy. Then, the chants of “One More Year”, at the Canyon Of Heroes parade in City Hall while you could tell Keenan was gone for St. Louis. Forcing that regrettable trade involving Esa Tikkanen and Doug Lidster with Iron Mike for classic underachiever Petr Nedved. A player Messier couldn’t stand. Plus they had that asshole nut job Colin Campbell taking over so he could treat Alex Kovalev like crap. What a buffoon. He was carried by Gretzky in ’97 along with Richter and Leetch. I think that’s part of why Messier left. It wasn’t his team anymore. He couldn’t be upstaged.

It’s hard to believe I rehashed that wild and crazy era of Rangers hockey. One in which they should’ve wound up with at least another Cup if not for some awful moves by Neil Smith sans Messier.

Maybe the Canucks having a throwback night is why. It’s a lot more fun to write about than the current Rangers, who dropped their third straight game. They’re headed for another season without playoffs. That’s the reality of where they are.

I’m most looking forward to today’s gold medal game between Russia and Canada at the IIHF Under 20 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. That should be fun. Alexis Lafreniere tries to bring Canada back the gold against a experienced and talented Russian roster that got a breathtaking overtime winner from Ivan Zubov to stun Sweden 5-4.

That’s where I’m at. If you get up, put on NHL Network and watch it. It’ll be fun. Nils Lundkvist will be on the TV along with Karl Henriksson in the bronze medal game versus Finland earlier. Lundkvist looks to have a bright future on Broadway. He’s good. Another right defenseman.

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A telling Gif from Thursday’s loss on Skjei struggles, The harsh reality Blueshirt fans must face

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Derek

I didn’t catch it. However, other fans did. Following an undisciplined minor penalty by Brady Skjei, coach David Quinn had some interesting words with assistant coaches David Oliver and Lindy Ruff on the Rangers bench.

Kevin DeLury caught it and then highlighted what Quinn was saying to Ruff about Skjei. The much maligned fifth-year defenseman who had another forgettable game in the team’s 4-3 loss at Calgary.

The Go Rangers Radio podcaster, who once ran the best blog about the team, definitely is on to something. It doesn’t take much to figure out what Quinn told Ruff. He was done with Skjei for Thursday night. A game in which he also finished minus-two. He didn’t see another shift the rest of the third period.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens moving forward. Given the situation, I doubt you’ll see Marc Staal get over 22 minutes of ice time when the Rangers visit Vancouver tomorrow night. With both Ryan Lindgren and Skjei struggling, Quinn had no choice but to double shift the veteran left defenseman. He was the only steady player of the team’s trio.

Would the coach consider healthy scratching a defenseman for Libor Hajek, who has been skating with the team on the road trip? That’s possible. However, I’m afraid that if he gets in the lineup, it’ll be for Lindgren, who received less than 13 minutes due to a second consecutive bad game. Not Skjei, who will be given more leeway due to his standing.

I’m not suggesting I agree if that’s what Quinn does. But the issue here is Skjei is trusted by the coaching staff to log more important minutes than Lindgren, who at last check is still a 21-year old rookie that plays alongside fellow 21-year old freshman Adam Fox on the third pair. With Fox recording a career high three points on all assists last night to give him five helpers in the past two games, he has been a productive player for the club. His 22 points (5-17-22) rank second among Rangers defensemen behind Tony DeAngelo (8-21-29). Jacob Trouba also has 21 points (6-15-21).

Offense from the blueline isn’t an issue for the Rangers. Team defense is. They aren’t very good at protecting the front of the net or stopping opponents in transition as was evidenced on Thursday night. Puck management is part of the problem. It doesn’t only apply to the six D, but also the 12 forwards.

Artemi Panarin had arguably his worst game as a Ranger, going minus-three with three shots. His ill advised back pass trapped Trouba and Skjei, directly causing a breakaway goal scored by Johnny Gaudreau. His line got victimized three times including on a Flames odd man rush started by Gaudreau that linemate Sean Monahan finished for the game-winner. The three forwards including Ryan Strome and Jesper Fast didn’t do a good enough job getting back. Neither did Lindgren, who got caught napping on Noah Hanifin’s feed down low for the Monahan tally.

Even though it’s been a struggle lately for him, Lindgren has been a pleasant surprise for a team that lacks enough grit and physicality. He’s played in 30 games so far after debuting last year. His improvement has been a bright spot that’s not discussed enough. A classic stay at home defenseman who plays with an edge similar to former Blueshirt Mike Sauer, Lindgren has improved his skating and positioning to form a solid third pair with the smoother skating and more offensive minded Fox.

If Quinn so chooses to give him a night off in the press box, so be it. It’s part of the learning process. As for Skjei, the mistakes are glaring. No longer a kid as he was under former coach Alain Vigneault, who took his share of heat for not using Skjei higher than the third pair, he’s proven to be correct about the former 2012 first round pick. He was only protecting the defenseman from tougher match-ups. Now, he’s exposed on the top pair while dragging down Trouba, who has to do too much.

In a perfect world, Skjei would be on the second pair. However, the rebuilding Blueshirts aren’t in that position. They must manage young players like Lindgren, Fox and DeAngelo. Ditto for Hajek, who hasn’t proven himself despite the organization believing he’s as good as advertised due to GM Jeff Gorton trading away Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller to the Lightning in a trade that also netted Brett Howden.

The best aspect of the trade could be yet to come with 19-year old defenseman Nils Lundkvist possibly a year away. He’s playing for Sweden at the World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic with recent second round pick Karl Henriksson. Both have performed well. Lundkvist has five assists and Henriksson is 1-2-3 as an 18-year old center. Sweden will face Russia in one semifinal tomorrow. The other semifinal pits Canada against Finland, who ousted Team USA 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

Former 2018 first round pick K’Andre Miller (0-2-2) had a disappointing tournament. Recent third round pick Zac Jones (1-1-2) was more impressive. Perhaps 2019 second round pick Matthew Robertson has the brightest future of all the team’s defense prospects. He’s a left defenseman who the team didn’t hesitate to sign following a eye opening camp.

What does all this have to do with Skjei, who Gorton mistakenly gave an average cap hit of $5.25 million through 2024? Just that the contract looks very bad right now. Sure. The skating defenseman will put up points as his 17 attest. However, once Staal comes off the books next year, Skjei will replace the second most tenured Ranger as the worst contract on the roster. Not withstanding the $8.5 million cap hit they’re also on the hook for Henrik Lundqvist through 2021. But both Staal ($5.7 million AAV) and Lundqvist can come off the cap, freeing up lots of space if the organization sticks to the long-term plan.

What happens if Skjei doesn’t improve? It’s still up to the 25-year old American to find consistency under Quinn. He can’t keep getting turned around like a turnstile for goals against, or continuing to take unnecessary penalties. An area Quinn has been pretty consistent at emphasizing. He even benched Kaapo Kakko for an offensive zone holding minor in a game he was very good in posting a goal and assist. It might’ve come at the expense of winning.

The only player who doesn’t seem to get punished is Pavel Buchnevich. A polarizing fourth-year pro that’s similar to Skjei. They expect more than six goals in 40 games. The 22 points isn’t an improvement either. If the Russian right wing, who’s being given every chance to succeed in the top six, doesn’t pick it up during the second half, he could become trade bait.

When one looks at the Rangers closely which includes metrics that involve Corsica, it’s ugly. Even if you are objective like me and remember to include the zone starts, there aren’t many positives. A whole lot of negatives due to this team not possessing the puck enough. They aren’t a good forechecking team. That includes face-offs which remains a sore spot.

There have been games they won which were stolen by Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev. If the goalies don’t perform at a high level as was the case for a frustrated Georgiev in Edmonton and Lundqvist, who wasn’t all that bad at Calgary, then the Blueshirts have no chance most nights.

They aren’t good enough yet. Unless so-called ‘vets’ like Skjei drastically improve, there won’t be any playoffs for a third straight year. Something I pretty much expected coming in. Even with Panarin, Zibanejad and continued revelation Strome performing at a high level, it’s not enough to carry this team. Don’t forget D Day is coming on Chris Kreider.

If you subtracted the Bread Man, they’d likely be near the bottom of the league. Maybe not Red Wing bad. But in the mix for the NHL Lottery that features top Canadian scoring prospect Alexis Lafreniere.

Don’t look now. But the Devils are only six points behind for seventh in the Metro Division. There aren’t many bad teams either. Just a lot of mediocrity. The Rangers could drop back down into the bottom six that includes the Devils (36), Senators (37), Ducks (38), Kings (38), Sharks (39) and Red Wings (23). Their 42 points tie them with Chicago and Nashville. The Sabres and Wild each have 43.

The truth is we have to be realistic about the situation. It’s probably not going to get better. At 19-17-4, the Rangers have probably overachieved up to this point. Especially if you measure everything by charts as some stubborn fan bloggers do. This isn’t that kind of team. You have to judge each player by how they’re performing. By actually you know. WATCHING each shift.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I’m not expecting much.

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