Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
As they prepare for battle tonight against the sizzling Blue Jackets on Championship Sunday, the Rangers face a dilemma in net. The three headed goalie monster won’t last forever. Eventually, management will be forced to make an uncomfortable decision.
The disturbing part is that they’ll likely choose poorly like in that funny scene near the end of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. With Henrik Lundqvist barely playing these days due to younger netminders Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shestyorkin, you would think his days would be numbered. But with the power of a no-movement clause, the soon to be 38-year old franchise leader in victories, shutouts and games played doesn’t have to leave. He can stay for another year with the now bad $8.5 million cap hit hindering the team’s ability to keep key players.
You can either see the collective writing on the wall, or be blinded by what one of the all-time Rangers has accomplished. Nobody is denying how special Lundqvist once was. His shutout of the Canadiens in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Final in 2014 to clinch the franchise’s first Stanley Cup appearance in 20 years was memorable. It remains my favorite game ever attended followed up by the Game Five miracle in 2015 to stun the Capitals on the precipice of getting eliminated. There are others such as the Martin St. Louis goal on Mother’s Day to help the Rangers come back from a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in their history while beating the Penguins.
When they host Columbus later right around the time the 49ers take on the Packers in the NFC Championship Game, it’ll be Shestyorkin in net for his third career start. He won his first two by allowing three goals in each while making plenty of key saves. Now, he’s back after over a week off. The only loss in the previous five games was to Lundqvist, who allowed five in a 5-2 defeat at St. Louis. Alexandar Georgiev won the last two games against the Islanders by continuing to play well. He’s 4-1-0 against them with a 1.40 GAA and .955 save percentage.
Of course, Alexandar The Great could be the odd man out despite owning the most wins this season. He’ll soon turn 24 next month about two weeks leading up to the trade deadline. A good goalie who no one knew about due to being signed by the organization, he’s affordable like Shestyorkin. Of course, Igor has the pedigree and is expected to be the heir apparent to Lundqvist. He could supplant him as the next star netminder on Broadway.
But what about Georgiev? Is he really an afterthought due to the uncomfortable Lundqvist situation that now is becoming impossible to ignore. Even if some Ranger fans choose to live in an alternate universe. The trade proposals I’ve seen on Twitter are outlandish. They’re supposed to just move Georgiev for any forward when he is increasing his value. Unless it’s a player who can definitely play top nine and improve the roster, I have to be very careful. Yes. I too have pondered if Kasperi Kapanen would be enough in a swap with the interested Leafs due to their uncomfortable backup situation. Why not trade with Detroit instead? They have no number one goalie with apologies to the well respected Jimmy Howard.
With Tyler Wall named as a Hobey Baker candidate for top collegiate player, he will have a future. The Rangers boast goalie depth which bodes well. But there’s nothing wrong with having a rotation of two 24-year olds in Georgiev and Shestyorkin for ’20-21. The issue is Lundqvist. Unless he does a 180 and accepts a trade to say Colorado or Calgary, he will stay until the end of his contract.
That poses a problem for GM Jeff Gorton and Team President John Davidson. They can’t keep everyone. As well as Chris Kreider is performing entering tonight’s match with 17 points over his last 17 games, he will cost a pretty penny this summer. I’ve seen some unrealistic proposals. Kreider isn’t taking less than $6.5 million. He’s worth at least $7 million over six years. If he wants full security, he can ask for a seventh year. The value he brings to the roster isn’t just on the score sheet. But off the ice on the bench and in the room where he provides leadership. He’s a good example for younger teammates to follow.
Unless Lundqvist comes off the books with even a potential buyout an option, they can’t keep Kreider, Ryan Strome, Tony DeAngelo and Jesper Fast. Brendan Lemieux is also restricted, but will be cheaper. It creates a dilemma for management, who can’t just subtract players without replacing them. They don’t want to weaken a roster that prominently features Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Shestyorkin, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko. Who will they choose?
It can’t be a giveaway if they decide to retain Kreider and move on from leading scoring defenseman DeAngelo and Strome. Draft picks won’t work because they won’t improve the current roster. They need good young NHL players in return. No bull.
Try telling other fan bloggers that. It’ll fall on deaf ears. These people are blind. They don’t get the big picture. That is to still improve without making the rebuilding process even longer. If the organization listens to these people, it could be years before they see the playoffs. If you thought the Dark Ages of ’97-98 to ’03-04 was bad, this could be worse.
There can’t be any missteps. The Rangers still have two games to play both at home before the All-Star break. One tonight versus John Tortorella’s hot Blue Jackets and a third meeting over nine days against the suddenly sliding Islanders this Tuesday at MSG.
They can make things more interesting with two more wins on home ice. No matter what, it’ll be interesting what they’ll do in a month with big decisions on key players.
Elvis Merzlikins shutout the Devils with 41 saves in a Columbus 5-0 win that sent New Jersey into the break on a three-game losing streak. AP Photo credit Columbus Blue Jackets via Getty Images
Let’s give them credit for winning games against elite teams in the Lightning and Bruins with both looking like the class of the East. That’s an accomplishment of sorts for the Devils under interim coach Alain Nasreddine.
Since he took over for current Nashville coach John Hynes in this wild and wacky NHL season, the Devils have improved. They play harder since former GM Ray Shero dealt distraction Taylor Hall to the Coyotes. First-time All-Star Nico Hischier has reemerged as their top player with injured top right wing Kyle Palmieri and classic overachiever Blake Coleman being constants on a roster that obviously will change at next month’s trade deadline and beyond.
New Jersey can beat good teams like most, but remain inconsistent due to not enough secondary scoring and a immobile defense that struggles. Interim GM Tom Fitzgerald is in a tough spot with ownership. They must decide on key unrestricted free agent defenseman Sami Vatanen, who will be an attractive piece for interested suitors if he hits the market. With Wayne Simmonds and PK Subban not performing up to expectations, it’ll be interesting to see what happens.
Three @pepsi shutouts in Elvis Merzlikins' (@Merzly30) last four starts.
For now, the Devils find themselves headed for a second consecutive playoff miss. Despite dominating early on at Columbus, they couldn’t get a shot past red hot goalie Elvis Merzlikins. The 25-year old Latvian rookie who’s admirably filled in for injured starter Joonas Korpisalo, stopped 21 Devil shots in a busy first period en route to his third NHL shutout in four games. He finished with 41 stops altogether in a Blue Jackets 5-0 home win to send the Devils to a third straight defeat at the All-Star break.
In 48 games, New Jersey is 17-24-7 with 41 points to rank last in the Metro Division. Even with some improved play which also included a win over the Islanders while earning a point in a tough 3-2 overtime loss in the rematch, they only have more points than NHL doormat Detroit. The Red Wings have only 28 points following their latest loss to the Panthers. Detroit is the worst team by far and will be front and center in the Alexis Lafreniere Lottery. The Devils’ 41 points are tied with the Kings for the second fewest with the Senators at 42 and Ducks at 43. Even the underachieving Sharks are in the mix with 46. At last check, they were losing 4-1 at Vancouver late in regulation.
When you outshoot a good opponent as hot as the Blue Jackets 41-31 and out-attempt them 69-48, you have to take advantage of your scoring chances. Facing the suddenly emerging Calder candidate Merzlikins, they couldn’t. Nothing went in for the Devils. Even a Subban shot that had the Columbus goalie beat late in the third period clanged off the far goalpost. It was that kind of night as former Devil Stanley Cup hero Ken Daneyko summed up during the telecast.
Instead, it was the Jackets, who were opportunistic. Cam Atkinson continued to stay hot by beating Cory Schneider from distance for the only goal in the first period. He just returned the other day, recording a goal and assist in a win over Carolina. Atkinson had another good game tallying twice and assisting on another Columbus goal. His three points paced them as they continue to defy logic by winning games despite having some players out under coach John Tortorella. The veteran coach who’s won the Jack Adams twice, could be doing his best coaching job. He has a team written off by everyone in playoff position with 58 points. They’re in the first wildcard with the Flyers. One up on the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs.
For Schneider, who recently returned from AHL Binghamton, it was his first start since Nov. 8. He came in relief in appearances at Toronto and Washington. After only permitting just the Atkinson goal on 10 shots in period one, he was chased by three more Columbus goals in a 3:34 span during the second period.
First, Atkinson got his second off a lead pass from rookie Emil Bemstrom at 8:40 for a 2-0 lead. Then, some sloppy play allowed Jakob Lilja to beat Schneider for a unassisted goal at 11:58. On the next shift, no Devil took Nick Foligno in front to put the Jackets comfortably in front 4-0. Vladislav Gavrikov set up the play with the goal coming only 16 seconds later to end Schneider’s night.
Mackenzie Blackwood relieved him. The rookie netminder gave up a late goal to Alex Wennberg that was set up by Atkinson and Zach Werenski for a 5-0 deficit with 1:06 left in the disastrous second. Blackwood came in and stopped 13 of 14 Columbus shots including a couple of strong denials in a lackluster third.
The Jackets continuously forced turnovers and came in transition for good chances against Blackwood, who was equal to the task. It was a nice return for the 23-year old who previously had played in a loss to the Rangers on Jan. 9. Even though it’s been a tough season, he’s proven capable of taking on the challenge of becoming the new Devils starter. He has 14 of the club’s 17 wins in 35 appearances (31 starts). The second half will continue to be all about Blackwood getting valuable experience.
The only thing noteworthy that happened in the third was a dust-up between Damon Severson and Nathan Gerbe. The smaller Gerbe didn’t take kindly to a couple of crosschecks from a frustrated Severson, finally engaging him with 2:35 left. Both received matching roughing minors and misconducts for 12 penalty minutes apiece to end their nights.
When the buzzer sounded along with the loud cannon that plays after goals, Merzlikins had his third shutout in his last four starts. A intriguing personality, he gave a huge fist pump as teammates congratulated him. The goalie was a virtual unknown the Jackets took in the third round number 76 in the 2014 NHL Draft as a 20-year old overager. Since Korpisalo went down, the rookie has delivered the same type of goaltending for one of the league’s biggest surprises.
This is a team that lost top five leading NHL scorer Artemi Panarin to the Rangers while Matt Duchene went to Nashville. Somehow, Columbus continues to win consistently despite injuries to Josh Anderson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Korpisalo, Ryan Murray, Alexander Texier, Brandon Dubinsky and Dean Kukan. They do it by outworking opponents and getting great goaltending. Having top defensemen Seth Jones and Werenski, whose 15 goals pace all NHL defensemen, helps. A credit to Tortorella.
For the Devils, they have to hope top pick Jack Hughes can be helped by the time off. Injuries have limited him to 17 points (6-11-17) in 39 games. An upper body injury kept Hughes out until Jan. 12. He had an assist in a 3-1 win over Tampa to stop a 10-game winning streak. Hughes went without a point the last three games. Rangers second pick Kaapo Kakko hasn’t been any better with 16 points (7-9-16) across the Hudson.
The biggest difference is Hughes doesn’t have much help in Newark. With possible moves coming by next month’s deadline with potential UFA’s Simmonds, Andy Greene and Vatanen all likely available, it’ll be interesting to see what the Devils organization decides. They already got rid of Hynes and Shero. The ownership is actively involved.
What is the plan of attack moving forward? One thing is likely. They should be competing for another top pick. That can only help the franchise in the future.
Rangers hero Chris Kreider wears the Broadway Hat after scoring a clutch power play goal to beat the Islanders 3-2 with 24.6 seconds left in regulation. He’s making a strong case to stay. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images
If this were a prize fight, the Islanders would’ve won by technical knockout in a dominant first period. If they didn’t play close to their best in a 6-2 humiliation on Monday night at MSG, the Islanders brought it in the anticipated rematch in Uniondale.
They fired shots from everywhere in an avalanche against Alexandar Georgiev in a lopsided period they controlled. It didn’t matter. The 22-6 edge in shots didn’t buckle the poised 23-year old Bulgarian netminder, who continues to be the wildcard for the Rangers. He stopped 21 of 22 and 38 of 40 overall in improving to 4-1-0 versus the Islanders, who have to be devastated after losing it crushing fashion, 3-2 on a Chris Kreider goal with 24.6 seconds left in regulation at Nassau Coliseum.
Kreids: "As the season's gone on, we've started to do a lot of the little things that have given us the opportunity to win games." pic.twitter.com/YMXDGRIqIn
This was a statement game for Georgiev and the Rangers. They knew the Isles would come much harder after what happened Monday in Manhattan. Unlike the match three days ago, there were no fights. However, you had your share of physicality, battles and plenty of penalties. Each team was penalized six times for a game total of 24 penalty minutes. Both had five power plays. In a key part of the latest installment of the Battle Of New York, the Blueshirts won the special teams battle and took the second game of the season series thanks to a former player losing his discipline at the wrong moment.
Derick Brassard is no stranger to Ranger fans. We loved him for how clutch he was in those memorable postseason runs. Then, we appreciated what he brought back in current top center Mika Zibanejad. Still GM Jeff Gorton’s best trade to date. A close second is Rick Nash to Boston for current Blueshirts Ryan Lindgren and Ryan Strome (formerly Ryan Spooner)
Getting back to Brassard AKA Big Game Brass. He also is no stranger to taking bad penalties. At times, he can be overly aggressive. Unfortunately for the Islanders, he picked a bad time to lose his discipline. You have to be really foolish to take a crosschecking penalty in the final minute of a tie game. That’s exactly what Brassard did by delivering repeated cross checks to Jesper Fast. Did he sell it as Brassard contended? Perhaps. But he should know better.
Again, here’s the penalty call on Derick Brassard from under a minute to go tonight pic.twitter.com/gp1s0ikpf9
It cost the Isles. Artemi Panarin came down and gained the zone. Tony DeAngelo passed for Panarin, who threaded the needle for a quick Zibanejad one-timer that Semyon Varlamov couldn’t quite handle. The loose puck came right to Kreider, who delivered the clutch game-winner at 19:35. It was his 16th of a season that’s completely turned around. Since he scored his seventh on my birthday Dec. 8, he’s a point-per-game with 17 points (9-8-17) over 17 games. Most of it coming since being reunited with Zibanejad, who continues to play at over a point-per-game clip. He scored his 18th in this one while recording the primary assist on Kreider’s game decider to break Islander hearts.
Let’s get back to where the game was lost for the Isles and stolen by Georgiev, who in five career appearances including one in relief, has now stopped a mind-blowing 128 of 134 shots. That translates to a dominant 1.40 GAA with a .955 save percentage. He put on a show in the first period. At one point, the shots were 7-5 in favor of the home team. But following a Marc Staal slash that knocked down Scott Mayfield, they ramped it up.
Even though the penalty kill was strong, Georgiev faced an onslaught. The shots went from 7-5 to 18-5 rather quickly. In fact, he stopped them in their tracks on just about everything. There was a three save sequence like Monday along with a flat out denial on Casey Cizikas, who returned after missing the last two games. The save came earlier in the period. With an Islander pushed in, a sprawled out Georgiev somehow kept the puck out. That more than any stop should’ve told the Isles something.
Only a brutal miscue by Jacob Trouba allowed tough Islanders enforcer Ross Johnston to retrieve a loose puck freed up by a forechecking Tom Kuhnackl, and set up a wide open Josh Bailey for his 10th with 51 seconds remaining in the period. It was a terrible play by Trouba, who didn’t take a hit and rushed a reverse that went nowhere. It was easy pickings as no one picked up Bailey in front. Trouba struggled throughout at even strength. More so than much critiqued partner Brady Skjei, who always gets bashed. They were on for both goals against. However, they were large factors on the five successful penalty kills.
Despite being severely outplayed and outshot, the Rangers had Georgiev to thank for still just trailing by one following the period. For a while, each team played at five-on-five to start the second. Unlike the opening stanza, the Rangers tightened it up defensively. In fact, they didn’t allow an Islander shot until 14 minutes had passed. In the mean time, they picked it up offensively by using better skating legs to test Varlamov. It was his turn to make the big saves. He looked very sharp unlike Monday when the Rangers chased him for six.
Varlamov had much better rebound control. He also was strong down low denying Brett Howden with a great pad save where he stretched out to rob him. Howden was all set up, but couldn’t lift the puck. He put himself in the right position, but didn’t finish. There’s a reason he has six goals. The effort from the second-year forward is unquestioned. Playing wing on a line centered by Filip Chytil has helped him get more opportunities. As for Kaapo Kakko, he had another chance to shoot but didn’t. No shots on goal in 12:19 of ice time including 2:34 on the power play. A couple of attempts were blocked.
The Islanders ran into penalty trouble. After killing off a Devon Toews hold on Zibanejad, Mayfield tripped up Panarin to put the Rangers on their third power play. This was the odd part of the game. On a broken play in front, the Blueshirts thought they scored following a Zibanejad rebound that was very close. Only Strome thought it was in. Play continued. With them still on the man-advantage, the whistle finally blew.
As it turned out, they had reviewed the previous play where it originally looked like Ryan Pulock rescued the loose puck from crossing the goal line. However, video review indeed confirmed that the puck was entirely over the line. Zibanejad got credit for a weird unassisted power play goal to tie the score at 12:46. The refs explained that it happened with 7:14 left in the period.
Before they could get full control, it was the Blueshirts who lost their cool. Consecutive minor penalties to Adam Fox and Lindgren handed the Isles a golden opportunity to claim back the momentum. However, it was the aggressive penalty killing from Zibanejad, Fast, Strome, Howden and defensemen Skjei, Trouba, Lindgren, Staal and Brendan Smith that kept the Islanders power play off balance. The two units got their sticks and equipment on a lot of passes and shots to make big defensive plays. The effort of both Zibanejad and Lindgren in particular was Herculean. They were magnificent.
So, even when Georgiev had to make the stops, his penalty killers were tremendous. They really limited an Isles attack that loves to look for tips in front from net front presence Anders Lee. It was actually a scrum with Jordan Eberle searching for a rebound that led to a bad Lindgren crosscheck minor penalty where he shoved Eberle right into the Rangers net. The forward left the ice to get checked for concussion protocol. And no. He didn’t embellish it as some of our fans felt. Even though he was cleared to return for the third, I have nothing obligatory to say.
I can’t even with this. I’m absolutely DISGUSTED by Lindgren. Plz I hope Eberle is okay 😢😢 https://t.co/hUALFUke10
The way some fans of both teams act or react, you’d think there was a conspiracy theory when calls go against them. In most cases, that’s not true. There have been moments where I was up in arms over the officiating. Not last night. They called it consistently for both sides. Enough already.
Despite a much stronger effort in which they held a 12-5 shots advantage, the Rangers remained tied at one with their biggest rival at a lively Coliseum that was almost 14,000 strong. Yes. They were well represented in Long Island where the Islanders should remain. It’s too bad they will eventually move to Belmont for the start of 2021-22. I’m glad the rivalry returned to the old barn . It was the first time in five years. The last meeting was a 2-1 win by the Rangers on March 10, 2015. Rick Nash got the winner on a goal assisted by Staal. One of a few players left from that game.
For many younger Blueshirts including Lindgren, Kakko, Howden, Georgiev and Jericho native Fox, it was their first time playing a NHL game at Nassau Coliseum. Even though it’s now called NYCB Live with the rest, it will always be Nassau War Veterans Coliseum to everyone. This was the 117th meeting off the Southern State. Staal leads all active Rangers skaters with 56 career games versus the Islanders. A veteran of 13 years, he continues to get unfairly criticized for what he can’t do by a bunch of chart bloggers. He was solid in his 19 shifts including some key ones on the kill. He only took the one penalty while finishing with two blocks and a plus-one rating in 16:24 including 4:12 shorthanded.
Earlier in this recap, I referenced how special teams hurt the Islanders. It really bit them in the you know what this game. A undisciplined reactionary interference minor on an incensed DeAngelo a couple of minutes into period three handed the Isles another big chance to seize control. Instead, they butchered it. With the lone exception of a gigantic pad save by Georgiev to deny Mat Barzal, he didn’t have to do much. While he would go on to make 12 saves in a very competitive period that saw his team get 10 shots themselves, he didn’t do it alone like the 21 save first.
Had the Isles scored, DeAngelo was likely facing pine time for the foolish reaction to Eberle knocking his stick out. They always get the reaction. In a tie game which felt like a playoff game, you have to avoid those undisciplined penalties in the third period. However, something funny happened. An Isles misplay at the blueline allowed DeAngelo to come out of the box and two on one down the ice. He made no mistake by firing his 12th unassisted at 4:16 past Varlamov short side top cheese. It was a great shot because he looked pass to Fast and beat the Islanders starter for a 2-1 lead.
Big stop by Georgie on one end, Tony D with the snipe right out of the box got us screaming our heads off!!!!#LGR#NYRpic.twitter.com/IZhGUAVIU3
A minor penalty for closing his hand on the puck out Pulock in the box. However, the Rangers were unable to capitalize. I knew if they didn’t put it away with a better forecheck and another goal, they were running the risk of the scrappy Islanders tying it.
A key sequence between Cizikas and Panarin changed the tone. With the Bread Man having a step on the Isles’ solid two-way checking pivot, he was taken down from behind by Cizikas. I thought Panarin helped it along at the moment. So, I wasn’t surprised that they decided to take both of them. Cizikas for hooking and Panarin for embellishment at 12:29. That was a great trade for the Isles.
It didn’t take long for them to tie it. On a smart dump in from Anthony Beauvillier, the puck took a favorable home carom off the back boards right to the rushing Ranger killer where he was able to beat both Skjei and Trouba to a loose puck and slide it between Georgiev’s legs for his 12th with 7:20 remaining in regulation. It was a fluky play for sure. But the Isles got one like that in their predictable 8-2 rout of the lowly Red Wings on Tuesday. It took all of 11 seconds for him to score. Pulock and Brock Nelson, who otherwise was noticeably quiet, got the assists.
If there was one factor in taking these first two games with the third installment next Tuesday back at 33rd and 8th Avenue, it was the Blueshirts stifling Barzal. He’s the leading scorer and lone All-Star for the Islanders. The third-year playmaking center leads them with 39 points (17-22-39) in 46 games. He doesn’t have as many helpers due to the team lacking consistent finishers. In fact, it’s Barzal who has thought shot more with his 17 goals ranking second right behind Nelson’s 18. He needs six more to set a new career high. If he had more help, the Isles could become more of a threat this Spring. Lou Lamoriello needs to make a trade.
If you can limit Barzal the way the Rangers were able to, you have a pretty good chance of winning. He has no points in the two losses with a minus-five rating and five shots. Lee was also held off the score sheet again while Eberle had tough luck clanging a power play chance off the crossbar. He’s been their best forward in the two games, getting two points (1-1-2) on Monday. Leo Komarov also hit the post on a point blank opportunity in the second that Trouba got a piece of.
With the game hanging in the balance, the two teams played a tight checking affair at even strength. It seemed like this one was destined for overtime. Neither goalie budged. Both had strong rebound control. Particularly Georgiev, who seemed to have velcro on his pads. He was very good. If he is the “thirdgoalie” in this bizarre rotation that still features Henrik Lundqvist and patient rookie Igor Shestyorkin, he’s proving that he could be capable of starting in the NHL. It just won’t be on Broadway. I know I’ve voiced my opinion plenty about what’s going on. This tweet isn’t going to change things.
Unless Lundqvist wakes up with a bad hangover, he’s not gonna change his mind. He loves it in NYC. He has a family and enjoys the surroundings along with the royal treatment he receives from the Rangers organization. They treat their players well. That’s why it’s a marquee attraction despite it still looking like they’ll be on the outside of the playoff picture for a third straight year. They’re up to 50 points, but with the Blue Jackets continuing to win and the Hurricanes, Panthers, Flyers and Penguins all ahead, it’s hard to see such a transitional team making the postseason.
Ultimately, they have to do what’s best moving forward. I know it sounds like a broken record. But they cannot keep everybody. The contracts of Lundqvist and Staal expire next year. Unless something unforeseen happens, Gorton and John Davidson will have to choose between team leader Kreider, Fast and rising restricted free agents Strome and DeAngelo. The latter two both with arbitration rights. The price is rising. You could be talking a figure of $10 million for both. That never seemed possible. Now, it’s reality. And the way Kreider is playing, how do they say goodbye? I wouldn’t want to be Gorton.
Getting back to the dramatic conclusion. It was moments prior when Kreider took a knee from Johnny Boychuk while trying to skate out of his end. He limped to the bench. Fortunately, he was okay and returned. Boy, did they need him. While on a sustained cycle, Fast was crosschecked twice by an overly aggressive Brassard. At that point, I wasn’t expecting any arm to go up. But Brassard pushed it. He took the same bad penalties for our team.
And then there was Barry Trotz's read on Derick Brassard's cross-checking penalty at 19:06 of the third that led to Chris Kreider's game-winning power-play goal with 24.6 seconds left:
I still didn’t believe they would win in regulation. Following an Islander clear, their crowd had to be feeling pretty good about the prospect of getting a point and playing for overtime. However, a quick Ranger transition changed matters. Suddenly, DeAngelo got the puck back to Panarin, who had enough time to feed Zibanejad for his heavy shot. As fate would have it, Kreider put home the rebound with Boychuk the closest to him.
Poetic justice. He is a solid defenseman. I respect his game. But he was lucky not to be called for a trip which could’ve injured Kreider. It felt damn good to see Kreider bury that and break Islander hearts. The game wasn’t over yet.
A tricky backhand which looked like a centering pass in search of a rebound had to be nervously kicked out by Georgiev with a few seconds left. One more clear down the ice clinched the hard fought win. If Monday was a nice treat, this was way more. To see them win a tightly played game like this was fun. This is exactly what the rivalry is all about. It’s why fans get pumped up for these games and debate each key play. Look what it meant to Kreider.
Not to forget, but Kreider also had a goalie interference minor with 6:09 left in the period when the game was tied. He had a good chance and his speed carried him right into Varlamov. Even though Pulock gave him a shove, it was the right call. It was nice to see his teammates pick him up. It was one of those plays where Kreider had a step and when he gets going like that in close, his momentum is going to take him right into the goalie. There’s nothing dirty about it. He doesn’t do it much anymore. I’m glad he wound up the hero.
Nobody has been more misunderstood than number 20 for these Broadway Blueshirts. They take him for granted. I debated some good respectable fans on why I’d like to keep him. Is he a superstar? No. However, is he a good player who can impact games by using his big frame to create havoc? Unequivocally, yes. Combined with the intangibles and leadership he brings, that’s an important player. He might not always score like he has been the past five weeks. But he is irreplaceable.
If they choose to keep him, it’s going to run Kevin Hayes money. Are they willing to do it for say at least six years at an average cap hit of $7.25 million? This is his age 29 season. He’ll probably want that seventh year. Would he take a discount to stay? Why should he?
They have to seriously explore what his worth is on the trade market. If they cannot get a young NHL forward back that can be a good player on this roster, I don’t know if I move him. This cannot be a repeat of Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller to Tampa. Even if Howden is an NHL player, he hasn’t proven to be a top nine guy yet. The jury remains out on Libor Hajek, who got sent back to Hartford. I remain optimistic over Nils Lundkvist.
I’m very curious to see what they’ll do. The organization still has a month to figure things out. Remember. If you subtract good players off the roster, you have to replace them. That won’t be easy. The key to this will be the continued emergence of Chytil along with the development of Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov, who are both not where they need to be yet. That’s okay. They’re teenagers. I still think Kakko would be better suited with a stint at Hartford. He’s too indecisive. Confidence is lacking.
Is rising prospect Lauri Pajunemi (2018 Round 5) someone they can count on? He has 21 goals for TPS-Turku in SM-liiga in Finland. That’s 21 goals and 30 points in 35 games in a good professional league. I don’t want to go overboard.
Some of the European NYR fans have a better knowledge here. I’m curious to see what Steven Voogel thinks. He knows these kids. I trust him. He can be followed on Twitter (StatBoy_Steven). I met him at a preseason game. He was wearing a Kakko jersey. They’re close. He’s a good bloke who knows his hockey. The rest I won’t comment on. Not everyone is respectful when it comes to following this team.
With the Blueshirts at 50 points through 46 games, they are giving themselves a chance here before the All-Star break to make up ground. On Sunday, they got the red hot Blue Jackets who are playing remarkably well under John Tortorella with backup goalie Elvis Merzlikins. It’s astonishing what they’re doing with key players still out. Cam Atkinson just returned and had a goal and assist in a big 3-2 win against Carolina. They both have 56 points. So do the Flyers. Florida is at 55 and Buffalo is up to 51. Even the Maple Leafs aren’t safe at 57.
These are strange times in this league where seven coaches have now lost their jobs. Gerard Gallant was the latest casualty when the Golden Knights shockingly dismissed the same coach who guided them to a Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. A four game losing streak was enough for them to make a very odd decision by replacing Gallant with former Sharks coach Pete DeBoer. That still is one I cannot understand given the history between the archrivals. Wow.
John Hynes also reemerged with Nashville after they mysteriously decided they had enough of proven winner Peter Laviolette. I bet Hasan had a good chuckle. Holy crap. There’s never been a stranger time in the NHL. Proven coaches are an endangered species. One losing skid can get you fired. Somehow, Jeff Blashill still has a job for now untilGallantreplaceshim. So too does Jeremy Colliton. It is crazy to think Chicago has crept within five points of a wildcard. Two total points separate first place Calgary from fifth place Edmonton. Winnipeg is at 54 points and out of a playoff spot. Is Paul Maurice next to walk the plank?
You can’t use that without a Goonies reference. Classic. Anyway, I’ve blogged for way too long. I went extra due to the craziness of the NHL. A lot can happen between now and late February. Teams are going to make tough decisions on whether to buy or sell. It won’t be easy.
The Rangers wrap up with the Jackets and Islanders before the break. Maybe then, Kakko can go down and work on his game.
The Bread Man Delivers by dominating the Islanders with five points in the Rangers’ best win of the season. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images
By show of hands, who had the Rangers getting six past Semyon Varlamov? Better yet, who had the Bread Man absolutely humiliating the Islanders with a signature two goal, three assist, five point performance? Who saw this coming? Admittedly, I sure as heck didn’t. Look at my prediction:
At least I can mock myself when I’m totally wrong. 😃 The first official meeting of the Battle Of New York wasn’t low scoring and definitely didn’t go in favor of the second place Islanders. Instead, it was total domination by a focused Blueshirts, who saved their best game of the season for tonight. The end result was a well deserved 6-2 home victory over their biggest rival at a lively Madison Square Garden.
Even though I wasn’t there along with Justin, our Dad was and got to enjoy an old fashioned rivalry in a rare ass kicking by our team. Let’s face it. The Islanders are a very good team under a great coach in Barry Trotz and legendary Hall of Fame GM Lou Lamoriello. They usually get the better of the Rangers on Broadway. So, I was realistic about the game. They’re very detail oriented due to a tight defensive system they play under Trotz. Not the highest scoring team, that’s how they must play.
Funny enough, it was already 1-0 Islanders before I walked in to watch after making a smoothie. Jordan Eberle was able to come off a face-off win and maneuver around and tuck the puck in by Monday’s starter Alexandar Georgiev. The forgotten 23-year old made his first appearance since losing a tough decision at Vancouver 2-1 on Jan. 4. Following the loss, Igor Shestyorkin was summoned from Hartford. He then impressed everyone by winning his first two starts. Both at MSG. Then Henrik Lundqvist returned to the net and was less than stellar in a 5-2 loss in St. Louis.
The goalie situation is something that’s being discussed by everyone right now. There’s been rumors of Georgiev being the odd man out. The well respected Elliotte Friedman had a recent report on Saturday night that the Rangers are open to listening to offers on Georgiev. However, they don’t want to give him away. A second or third round pick isn’t what they want back.
Prior to coach David Quinn wisely announcing that he would get the start versus ah opponent he’s had success against, I wasn’t sure if we’d see Georgiev again in a Rangers jersey. Having three goalies all up with the team isn’t easy for anyone. However, I am not in favor of trading him.
I prefer John Davidson have the talk with Lundqvist. This isn’t an ideal situation for him. Regardless of where he is career wise, he’s an all-time Ranger who’ll have his number retired. Does he want to stay in a rebuild without any likely playoffs due to his loyalty and love for being a popular New York figure? Would he reconsider waiving the big No Move Clause to chase a Stanley Cup? It isn’t happening here.
If they cannot convince him to leave, they’re on the hook for one more year at the unfriendly $8.5 million cap hit former architect Glen Sather generously handed out when Cam Talbot was still here as the dependable backup. The back end of such long-term contracts almost always turn out this way. Look at what’s happening in Chicago with core defensemen Duncan Keith and most notably, Brent Seabrook. At least they won three Cups. Even what they pay captain Jonathan Toews is insane. He is still productive. But only Patrick Kane is aging gracefully.
"I think it was a fun game for the fans to see today."
If Georgiev does go, it better be for an NHL forward who is a equally young, up and coming player. Not any pick or fourth liner either. That’s the only way a trade is acceptable. They have over a month still to determine what happens. With the Bulgarian playing well despite a nine day layoff, does he get the rematch on Thursday night at the Nassau Coliseum? I don’t see how they can go back to Lundqvist when he looked out of sorts this past weekend. Either give Alexandar The Great another start or let Shestyorkin get his first taste of the unique rivalry, which didn’t disappoint at 33rd and 8th Avenue.
Well, unless you were an Islander fan. As I was told unsurprisingly, there were plenty of dark blue and orange in the crowd of 17,403 which at last check, isn’t even a sellout. Sad times for Dolan. That’s what he gets for jacking up prices at M$G. When a beer runs basically 19 dollars, that sums it up. I think the cost of a hot dog is like eight bucks. Are you kidding me?!?! I don’t eat at the Garden on the rare occasions that I go. Unless it’s a pretzel, save your money.
It’s always interesting to see how this team will respond to some adversity early on. They got scored on 18 seconds in on a simple Nelson face-off win to Eberle, who had way too much daylight to score his fifth. That was the only bad moment for the Panarin line with Ryan Strome and Jesper Fast. Same for Brady Skjei and partner Jacob Trouba, who got faked out by Eberle on the game’s first goal.
Rather than hang their heads and let the Isles take over, the Blueshirts stood up and fought back literally. On a face-off in the neutral zone, Micheal Haley stood in and took his lumps against Islander heavyweight Ross Johnston. One of the toughest fighters, he got some good early shots in. But Haley did a good job coming back to earn a draw. This told you it wasn’t going to be one of those games.
Then, before the linesman even dropped the puck for the next face-off, Brendan Smith fought Matt Martin. He didn’t do as well as Haley. But the confusing part was when both participants got automatic game misconducts due to a NHL rule. Apparently, there can’t be two straight scraps unless the puck is dropped. Blame the linesman. They delayed and then Martin and Smith went at it. This wasn’t quite the classic line brawl. Can you believe it’s almost eight years since that happened? I ran out of the bathroom to see the three fights. Unreal scene and a much different crowd.
Only Brandon Prust should’ve been a regular when the Rangers and Devils faced off in the disappointing Conference Final. That would be the one I left the house following the Adam Henrique overtime goal and walked to my old grammar school yard and sat in the darkness quietly thinking to myself for an hour before calling up Robert “Kraze” Davis to congratulate him on his team’s revenge. I am a good sport. He called it prior to the playoffs too. But his team didn’t quite get it done against the Kings. A team both Devils and Rangers fans hate equally.
Following the consecutive fights, it was all Rangers. They were the aggressor throughout. Playing a more straight ahead style that included a consistent forecheck along with players thinking shot first, they made life extremely difficult on the Islanders and Varlamov. Following a good stop on Panarin, Fast beat Nick Leddy to a loose puck by getting his stick on it to rebound it past Varlamov for a tie score at 8:14. Despite mild protests from both Leddy and Trotz that Fast knocked his stick out, it wasn’t that. He got the puck for his eighth. Part of a three point night (1-2-3) that earned him the game’s Second Star.
After the goal, the Rangers really started to control the flow. They used their skating to pin the Isles in for long stretches. One such sustained shift earned cheers from the home fans. The other noticeable difference was how they defended. They didn’t back up like usual. Rather they took away time and space by standing up at the blueline while getting their sticks on Islander passes and shots to go the other way. This was a focused team. Every defenseman got the job done along with willing forwards.
Despite a 17-7 edge in shots, they still were tied after a period. Give Varlamov some credit for keeping his team in the game. Eventually, the Isles starter would crack. The relentless pressure from the Blueshirts was too much. Trotz also didn’t have his best night behind the bench. He waited too long to pull Varlamov.
It was a very good shift by the top line that led to the go-ahead tally from the now on fire Chris Kreider. On some excellent puck possession from Skjei, he set up a Panarin shot from the point that Kreider was able to redirect home for number 15 at 5:06. The refs said it was a good goal despite Kreider’s stick being dangerously close to crossbar height. If it had been over, there could’ve been a reversal. Following a video review, they confirmed the goal as called to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Had it gone the other way, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Usually, it’s all about the original ruling. That’s what happened.
With the Islanders reeling, it was the Blueshirts who continued to be a couple of steps ahead. They kept firing shots at Varlamov, who did a good job. They were up to 26 halfway through the contest. In particular, the 21-year old rookie tandem of Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox had a superb night. Quinn matched them for a majority against the superb Mat Barzal line. Barzal is the Isles best player and leading scorer. They really did a good job against him.
While they took care of their end, that allowed the ultra talented Fox to step up offensively. On another dominant shift by Panarin and Fast, Fox hustled to keep a puck alive at the Isles blueline. He then maneuvered around and totally faked out Varlamov by surprising him with a sharp angle shot to catch the Islander netminder off his near goalpost for a crushing goal that made it 3-1 with 8:49 left in the second period. The assist gave Panarin three points for the fourth consecutive home game. He was just getting started.
After toying with a bewildered rival, they took their foot off the gas pedal the last few minutes. Suddenly, the Islanders mounted their best attack on Georgiev. Having not been tested frequently, it was surprising how composed the second-year goalie was. His best sequence came on a crazy flurry started by Derick Brassard. He made four saves in a row including one on Josh Bailey. That was tremendous goaltending from the Rangers wins leader this season. He got plenty of love. If he doesn’t make those big saves, the game could’ve swung. Altogether, the game’s Third Star finished with 32 saves to improve to 11-9-1.
After being outshot 16-8 due to the late Isles’ onslaught, it was important for the Rangers to realize they couldn’t get away with that to win this game. The Islanders are a resilient hockey club that doesn’t quit. They had to reestablish momentum. They did and showed up with a terrific third that reinforced why this was the best game so far.
This period was all about Panarin. A player the Islanders targeted last summer by even offering him more money, he chose the Rangers and Manhattan over Long Island. I thought they’d make life difficult on him. Instead, they could be seeing the Bread Man in their nightmares until Thursday’s rematch off The Meadowbrook Parkway. That should be interesting.
A bad turnover inside their own blueline allowed Panarin to break away from a training Scott Mayfield in the first minute of the third. Even with Mayfield hustling back, Panarin faked out Varlamov by looking forehand and then going backhand to create an angle that didn’t seem possible. The puck beat Varlamov high to the short side for a 4-1 lead at 49 seconds. That gave him four points. He wasn’t done.
On some splendid hustle from Fast on a back check in the neutral zone, he moved the puck up to Strome, who in turn found a cutting Panarin alone where he beat Varlamov through the five-hole with a simple wrist shot for his fifth point. It was his team best 26th goal and gave him a jaw dropping 67 points over 45 games. There’s never been a better free agent signing by the Rangers in franchise history. He’s doing things I didn’t think were possible. This still isn’t a playoff team. The man is putting himself into the MVP conversation. It’s truly amazing.
Only Jaromir Jagr was like this in the record breaking ’05-06 season when he led the team to its first postseason since ’96-97. That year, Number 68 had a single season franchise record 54 goals with 69 assists and a single season best 123 points in his age 33 year. He turned 34 on February 15. If ever a player deserved the Hart that didn’t get it, it was Jagr that special season. Joe Thornton won it after dominating for San Jose following a trade from Boston. Astonishingly, Jagr is still scoring goals back home at 47 going on 48 in Kladno, Czech Republic.
With 37 games remaining, how many more goals and points does Panarin have on his sizzling hot stick? He has 21 points over his last nine games. We’re talking Connor McDavid level here. Almost NHL ’94 video game stuff. What if they were a better team? The Wonder Bread Man is fast approaching his previous career bests in goals (31), assists (59) and points (87). Both the apples and points were achieved under John Tortorella last season in Columbus. The 31 markers were with Chicago in Year Two during ’16-17. With this being his age 28 season, there should be more exciting years to follow. For what they’re paying him ($11.64 million AAV), he’s worth every penny.
There aren’t enough adjectives to describe Panarin right now. He’s making Strome a whole bunch of money. Speaking of which, he hit 30 assists with the primary helper on the Bread Man’s second of the game that shouldn’t been the end for Varlamov. Strome BTW needs four more assists to set a new career high. His 42 points are eight off his career best set with the Isles in ’14-15. A restricted free agent, Strome is going to command a lot more than the $3.1 million he is listed at. Maybe he can hire Panarin as his agent. I don’t think Fast would protest. He’s benefitted too in a contract year. Do they re-sign him? Many tough decisions loom ahead.
It was a point blast from Trouba on the power play that put a then down Varlamov out of his misery. Fox (goal, two helpers) and Filip Chytil set it up. Even though he only had one assist, Chytil played one of his best games. He was flying all night long and could’ve had a pair of goals if not for Varlamov earlier on. He really is blossoming into a good young player with promise.
I wish I could echo the same for Kaapo Kakko. The 18-year old Finnish right wing continues to look green due to his style of holding onto the puck too long. He passed up on some more shooting opportunities again. Instead, he aimlessly carried the puck behind the net which didn’t lead to anything. Confidence remains an issue. I know they don’t want to do it. However, I really feel a stint in Hartford could do the kid wonders. As long as he understands why. They don’t want to further damage his confidence.
Even though Nelson was able to deflect in a seeing eye Eberle shot for a power play goal two and a half minutes later with Marc Staal in the box for tripping, it didn’t matter. They didn’t celebrate the goal as it came with the game already decided. That didn’t mean there wasn’t some unfinished business.
A Nelson hit on a crouching Mika Zibanejad drew a crowd very quickly with 5:09 left in the action. He knew where Zibanejad was and came high to deliver the check. That led to more fisticuffs between the rivals. A aggravated Kreider quickly grabbed Nelson and roughed him up. Somehow, he got four minutes for roughing with a misconduct while Nelson received only two despite an illegal cross check to Zibanejad. While that was going on, you had Johnston punching away at the much smaller Tony DeAngelo. Despite the size differential, DeAngelo wanted more of Johnston. He sometimes is too brave. I like the bravado. Just be careful. For their part, both Johnston and DeAngelo received 12 minutes each. Matching roughing minors and misconducts to end their nights.
And Thursday's game at the Coliseum may have just gotten more interesting, if that's possible. Brock Nelson hits Mika Zibanejad. Chris Kreider doesn't like it, goes after Nelson. Ross Johnston and Tony DeAngelo also scrap and have words. It's 6-2 NYR with 5:09 left here at MSG.
Afterwards, the teams skated out the remaining five minutes without anymore chaos. What about Thursday? We’ll just have to wait and see. I’d imagine Thomas Greiss will be in net for the Isles. He relieved Varlamov. It could depend on how they do against the lowly Red Wings later tonight.
For the Blueshirts, it sets up perfectly. They don’t play again until the rematch. Then, have Columbus and the Islanders again next Tuesday. It couldn’t set up any better. What will happen in the next two meetings? Hopefully, more fun and excitement for our fans. Winning at their arena would be perfect.
If you want to follow a passionate Rangers fan blogger with a different perspective, please give Sean McCaffrey a follow. A thank you to Sean (NYCTheMic) for plugging our blog on the sheer lunacy of a biased and out of control blogger, who crossed the line. We’re all fans of this team here. Even though he is the biggest proponent or opponent of Lundqvist referring to him as Lundswiss (hilarious), McCaffrey would never root against Henrik in a game. That’s the difference between our blogs and the other one that for now on shall remain nameless due to their agenda. We support the team no matter who wears the Ranger logo. Even Pavel Buchnevich, who I’ve critiqued.
If you’re a true fan, you root for whoever puts on that sweater. Go read Sean’s latest on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. An avid and great campaigner of forgotten legend Frank Boucher along with the Cook brothers, etc., he has a unique perspective on the history of the franchise. It didn’t just begin in 1994 as MSG (Dolan) would have you believe. They seem to only go back to 1971. Why is that? Thankfully, they honored Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell before they passed away. What’s the deal with Boucher? Or is this something to do with the last No. 7, Rod Gilbert? I’m afraid to ask.
Tonight was great for many reasons. So, I went a bit longer on it. And paid back Sean McCaff. Thanks for your support.
3rd 🌟 Jesper Fast, Rangers (8th of season plus 2 🍎, +3 in 18:46)
2nd 🌟 Adam Fox, Rangers (6th of season plus 🍎, +3 in 18:20)
1st 🌟 Artemi “Bread Man” Panarin, Rangers (goals 25 & 26 with 3 🍎, becomes first NYR since Bathgate with four straight games of 3 points or more on home ice, 6 shots, +4 in 18:57 with the best leg kick since CM Punk)
Welp I wasn’t expecting to write this blog today or at any point really in the near future although certainly I’d soured on our now-former GM Ray Shero this year when his win-now moves busted, the rebuild stalled and the franchise was at a crossroads staring down at rebuild 2.0 after a season that began with a certain amount of expectations ended by Halloween. Still, the news coming down in the middle of a football Sunday that the Devils had fired their GM came as a shock at this point in time. Not entirely an unwelcome shock mind you, but one I’m still having trouble processing fully at the moment. I’m still struggling to put my thoughts together, but the one that keeps coming back is that it was quite honestly deserved on many levels.
Let’s face it, this franchise became a caricature of itself in the latter days of Lou though they still had tradition and a culture of wanting to win. Under owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, Shero had carte blanche to reshape the organization the way he wanted and immediately took a stick of dynamite to anything and everything that had come before him. Ownership remained patient through a long rebuild which already added on to our three playoff-less years at the end of the Lou tenure. Things looked promising when the team made the playoffs in 2017-18, but the last two seasons forever altered Shero’s legacy here and completely changed the fanbase’s perception.
Just the last two years would be enough to get many GM’s fired…sitting on our collective hands after making the playoffs in 2017-2018 led to an expected result, a crappy 2018-19. Then Shero and ownership went all-in this offseason. In hindsight perhaps that should have been the first cue things weren’t all hunky dory here since the P.K. Subban trade went against Shero’s type of not making splashy moves. Or maybe it really is just as simple as things backfired so badly this year that there was a genuine butting of heads over what to do next. Shero basically backed himself into a corner where rebuild 2.0 looked inevitable (and his refusal to engage with both Taylor Hall and Sami Vatanen on long-term negotiations suggest Shero was all too willing to enact rebuild 2.0) but it appears ownership now wants a different plan.
You have to also look at the slipshod way the coaching situation has been handled. From sticking with John Hynes too long – with a long-term extension being given less than a year before his eventual firing – to the lack of urgency in finding a different voice to replace him as evidenced by the promotion of top lieutenant Alain Nasreddine. Nasreddine’s by all accounts a good man and doing his best but promoting him to the head job when the organization had prior head coaches under its employ (Peter Horachek who’s currently an assistant, and Claude Noel who’s a scout) just smacked of Shero being stubborn and not wanting to admit the system was the problem. While results have improved lately, it’s more a result of Mackenzie Blackwood’s goaltending and Nico Hischier’s improvement than anything else, there are still many problems with the team. As I’ve said before here Shero’s MO is to get young, inexperienced coaches and it could be on some level that ownership wanted a bigger name like a Mike Babcock or Peter Laviolette.
Another thing I just thought of is perhaps our recent run also makes Shero look bad in ownership’s eyes for cashing out on Hall in December. Yeah some of us look at it and say the team is helped by not having the ‘distraction’ but no owner is going to believe trading the best player improves the team. That’s the thing, there are literally a bunch of things you could speculate on as to why the owners lost faith in Shero and threw him overboard. The coaching fiasco (which includes Hynes getting a quick job after getting canned, also making Shero look bad), failed results, likely rebuilding yet again, not wanting to sign any of our pending FA’s. All our prospect-hugger fans have to accept that just because Lou made some mistakes at the end and Conte was a bad scouting director the last ten-fifteen years, doesn’t mean that Shero was doing all the right things either. Automatically going against everything the prior regime did isn’t enough, especially when the main architect of that prior regime looks like he’s building a powerhouse on Long Island after having some success in Toronto. Perhaps that also left ownership with eggs on its face wondering WTF was going on here.
While I don’t exactly have a lot of faith in what’s next, at least it won’t be dull. For now, Tom Fitzgerald is the acting GM just like Nasreddine is the acting coach. And just like Nas was a right hand for Hynes, Fitz was Shero’s right hand as well. But make no mistake, Fitz will be doing the owners’ bidding at this trade deadline. Which could mean he’s not the GM when all the dust settles this offseason. Whether you think the owners are making a sound hockey decision or not, you have to agree with the bottom line. They’ve had enough of failed results, so have we as fans.
Last week in this space I said the Devils were about one or two wins away from turning me back into a believer after their stirring win at Nassau last Thursday, finishing off a 6-2-1 run through the new year. However, with a January schedule that has no mercy, the Devils hit a wall losing at home to the Avs and Isles before no-showing at the Garden on Thursday. Honestly, the only game I really watched as a whole this week was the maddening Isles one where mental mistakes from the usual flogs such as Damon Severson condemned them to a blown third period lead, then in OT they somehow failed to win despite Jesper Boqvist getting a breakaway before Sami Vatanen flubbed a 3-on-1. We didn’t even get a shot on net with either chance. Finally, Anders Lee put home the dagger of a frustrating night that dropped my record to two wins in 11 home games attended this year.
That and the Colorado loss (though I didn’t attend last Saturday) pretty much turned me off to the team the rest of the week so I saw none of Thursday’s disgrace at the Garden or yesterday’s surprise late Christmas gift from the Caps, who no-showed and got booed at home. I remarked to a friend I missed the days where our fans would boo a first place team for the sin of a bad period. Not that I like fans acting spoiled per se, but it’s more a commentary over our situation right now. When moving out of 30th place in the NHL for the first time in several weeks is noteworthy. Even more surprising than the win over the Caps was the fact it came without Mackenzie Blackwood in net. Apparently playing him through a cold/flu, teeth dislocation and whatever other mystery injury allegedly cropped up after the Ranger game finally caught up to the overworked rookie.
With zero hope of winning last night I ignored the game and enjoyed the late Spring-ish weather, and was summarilly shocked when I saw the Twitter updates pouring in during the game. 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-1…guess this was just one of those WTF nights during an 82-game schedule when down was up and up was down. Although give the team and specifically Louis Domingue credit. Arguably, the deposed Cory Schneider is starting to breathe down his neck for playing time after a good stretch in the AHL with Domingue failing to impress at the NHL level thus far, till last night where he made 31 stops and kept the league’s best team at bay. Even a win like last night isn’t enough to really get me pumped up again, though I did get a chuckle from the viral few seconds from Nikita Gusev at the end of the video above.
Reminded me of the apocryphal (or true) story of Mariano Duncan with the 1996 Yankees when he said ‘we play today, we win today – that’s it!’. Sometimes not knowing much of the language can be a benefit, you don’t know enough to throw in a bunch of cliches and platitudes. In Gusev’s case the money quote after about five seconds of his game puck speech was ‘we need to win next game’. Really, that’s all you can do this point if you’re the Devils. Just concentrate on each game individually and don’t get caught up in your situation although it’s harder for guys like Vatanen, Wayne Simmonds and other non-FA’s who could be on the move in the next few weeks. It’s also harder for the fans, considering the team’s still thirteen points out of a playoff spot with the season more than half over.
As per the new normal, the second half is all about looking for signs for next year, and that starts with the coaching staff, specifically whether GM Ray Shero sees enough from Alain Nasreddine to remove the interim tag or if he goes elsewhere for one of the available big-name coaches (Mike Babcock, Peter Laviolette, perhaps others like Jon Cooper after the season). The fact deposed coach John Hynes got a plum job so soon after being relieved of his duties here really puts Shero on the griddle. Either Hynes fails again and it’s a further strike against Shero’s ability to pick coaches, or Hynes succeeds and Shero looks like a buffoon for not giving him enough to win with here. Personally, I think it’ll be more the former seeing how the Hynes ‘system’ was either ineffective or too high-risk to work though it’s certainly possible with better defense and goaltending in Nashville Hynes will look better at least in the short-term. Certainly Shero has a ‘type’ of coach to hire historically…assistant/AHL guy who’s never coached in the league before. All three coaches in his thirteen years of a GM including Nas have fit that simple description so (unfortunately) I don’t think it’ll take as much for him to keep Nas as most people do.
I will give Nas credit for showing some fight over a bad call (see below) last night though, especially after he arguably didn’t push back enough over the contreversial no-call on Colorado’s fourth goal last Saturday when Blackwood got slew-footed behind the net and had no chance to make the save. Whatever happened last night was enough to set the mild-mannered coach off:
Plus just the fact the team responded off a rare dog performance lately was enough to suggest at least the coach still has their attention. You don’t always have to do it in an overtly showy way.
#NJDevils Nasreddine said something almost in passing during his post game tonight.
He mentioned how with a day off yesterday to travel it gave him time to talk to some of his team leaders.
Appears whatever he said appears to have resonated tonight.
Of course a big part of whether Nas succeeds will have to do with what he can get out of the younger players in the second half. Certainly two of the most important ones (Blackwood and Nico Hischier) have stepped up, with Nico putting up six goals and ten points in the eight post-Christmas games including two goals last night. Blackwood’s overall numbers might not show it – especially after the Ranger game – but he’s given an outmanned team a chance to win most nights and done that while being a 23-year old rookie starting in the NHL. However, it’s been a mixed bag at best from their other younger players. Boqvist has a dissapointing total of four goals and zero assists in his first 30 NHL games. Pavel Zacha has just three goals in 40 games with a -15, only a bunch of secondary assists are making his point total look better than he’s played.
Unlike Zacha, #1 overall Jack Hughes has played better than his point total looks with just six goals and sixteen points in 36 games, though he finished 2019 with a flourish getting a shootout winner against the Bruins before going on the shelf the last several games, more on that below. Jesper Bratt’s yo-yoed in and out of the lineup due to health and performance issues and his performance level has stagnated with just 8 goals and 15 points in 36 games. Our young defensemen (which was Nas’s perview before ascending to head coach) have more or less stagnated too, with Severson still making the same old mistakes, Will Butcher and Mirco Mueller still having the same physical and mental limitations – in that order.
Perhaps the most annoying thing the last couple of weeks hasn’t even been on the ice though. It’s more the fact that for the second year in a row we have a vague mystery injury to one of our best players. Last year Taylor Hall was day-to-day for months, insulting everyone’s intelligence with that designation before finally getting the inevitable knee surgery that ruled him out for the season. This year it seems like it’s Hughes who’s got mystery injuryitis. He’s been ‘day-to-day’ for two weeks with a suspected shoulder issue and really no accurate timeline of how much longer he’ll miss on the shelf. It would be nice to have a little more transparency for one of the franchise’s most important players going forward. If you’re going to hold him out through the All-Star break fine, at least say so and don’t be vague to try to sell a few extra tickets that aren’t selling for a dog team.
Not to mention how they’ve handled Blackwood. I get they have no other reliable goalie and Nas is coaching for his future employment, but this isn’t exactly a playoffs or bust train here either. There’s no reason to keep playing Blackwood every other day through the flu, dental surgery and whatever else was bothering him this week, which finally caught up to him in the Ranger game as he allowed five goals at the Garden before being pulled. You have to handle your younger studs carefully (which they arguably have with Hughes, making their Blackwood overworking more head-scratching) but at the same point be a little more transparent with the fans who are already ticked off enough at the team. I get the media doesn’t care enough to ask these questions and hold management accountable but fans do, and most hockey fans are smarter than to buy the party line. Don’t treat us like we’re idiots.
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.
Gotta be honest… that four-minute double minor by Robert Bortuzzo worked out pretty good for us in the end. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/NRzzX6Ux62
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)
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.
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.
@AdamZHerman really Adam? Very poor choice in wording here. I know you have a dislike for DeAngelo for being a trump supporter but the Guido comment is completely unnecessary pic.twitter.com/I4MtPvUopH
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"He's had a pretty special season in a lot of ways."
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.
What an encore performance by Igor Shesterkin. 50 shots, 47 saves. The amount of sheer battle in this sequence says it all. pic.twitter.com/QBaL60NS07
Igor Shesterkin's 46 saves were tied for the third-most by a Rangers rookie goaltender in one game since the NHL began to track saves in 1955-56 (Richter – 59; Georgiev – 55; Vanbiesbrouck – 46). #NYR
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.
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)
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.
hasan4978
Derek
Battle Of Hudson 
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