Game #54 Shesterkin stops 42 to outduel Quick, Fil and Phil two assists each, Kakko scores to highlight 4-2 Rangers win over Kings

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Derek

Igor! Igor! Rookie Igor Shesterkin acknowledges the fans following 42 saves to grab the game’s first star in a Rangers 4-1 win over Winnipeg. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images

It’s always interesting to see how a team will respond to a bad loss. It’s no secret that they were far from good enough on Friday night versus the Sabres. Tonight, the Rangers had a better response thanks in large part to great goaltending from rookie Igor Shesterkin. He finished with 42 saves to outduel Jonathan Quick in a 4-1 win over the Kings at Madison Square Garden.

Making his sixth start (all at home), the maturing 24-year old Russian netminder showed plenty of poise and extreme focus in improving to 5-1-0 so far. He’s really setting the bar high. That’s the sign of a physically gifted goalie who looks ready to grab the mantle from Henrik Lundqvist. When they needed him, Shesterkin was there to make the key stops. That included 25 the first two periods with some nice ones on a Kings power play in a busy second.

Shesterkin was at his best in the third. Even though they don’t possess a lot of weapons outside of Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, the Kings came hard in search of the equalizer prior to Kaapo Kakko scoring a beauty from Filip Chytil and Phil Di Giuseppe. That erased a 13 game drought for the improving Kakko, who picked up his third point in four games. Prior to that, he’d gone 10 straight without a point since a goal and assist effort at Calgary on Jan. 2. His confidence is growing.

It’s these kind of positives that has Ryan Strome excited. He ended a three game scoreless drought by picking up a primary assist on an Artemi Panarin goal that came with 2:48 left in regulation to put the game away. Jesper Fast made the key defensive play to get the puck out to Strome for a two-on-one. He made a smart decision shooting low on Quick for the rebound right out to Panarin, who deposited it for his team-leading 28th. It was his first goal in five games since Jan. 31 versus Detroit.

Listening to Strome’s assessment on how sometimes goals can be hard to come by, he’s right. It isn’t an exact science. You can create a glorious chance only to be robbed by a hot goalie while later on, a teammate gets a nice bounce to score. What I really like is what he said about getting contributions throughout the lineup. He gave credit to the two Phils. In this case, Fil and Phil with both Chytil and Di Giuseppe having two assists on an improved third line. Let’s give Di Giuseppe credit as his skating and aggression has been a good fit thus far. It was the 26-year old journeyman’s first two points in his fourth game. A nice reward for a guy who works hard.

The win was also a milestone of sorts for Chytil, who recorded his first two assist game. It took him a while. In career game number 129, the 20-year old forward took a step in the right direction. For the season, he’s up to 12 goals and eight assists giving him 20 points in 45 games. The dozen markers are a new career high. He needs three points to match his career best of 23 from ’18-19. He went 11-12-23 over 75 games last season. He knows that’s how they have to play to be successful.

With Shesterkin delivering his second 40 save or more performance in six starts to join elite company above, it looks like coach David Quinn is leaning towards sticking with him for Tuesday at Winnipeg. If he does, it would be riding the hot hand while giving Shesterkin a new experience on the road. Plus it would be another good test against a playoff team that boasts some lethal weapons. Winnipeg plays a similar style to Toronto due to a talent pool that includes Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine and Nik Ehlers. Plus old friend Neal Pionk leading the offense from the back end.

He definitely is going to get one of these big three road games that also includes a visit to Minnesota and a back-to-back in Columbus to conclude the trip. That’s three games over four days before returning home for Boston next Sunday. There’s also this telling quote from Quinn on the emerging rookie backstop.

If that doesn’t tell you what’s up, I don’t know what will. Igor continues to get better while receiving more “Ig-or, Ig-or!”, chants from the appreciative crowd. At one point, I had the ESPN Radio feed on. As the fans supported Shesterkin during a stoppage with the new chant, Dave Maloney was quick to note how that used to be for Henrik Lundqvist. He still gets the “Hen-rik, Hen-rik!”, chants from the same crowd. It’s just not as common. So, while I get what Maloney was saying while adding, “How quickly some forget,” I’m going to respectfully disagree with Maloney on this one.

It’s not that we’ve forgotten what Henrik has meant to the franchise. For over a decade, he was the man carrying the teams to the playoffs and beyond with some memories The Garden will never forget. I was in the building for his huge elimination games against Ottawa and Washington. I was also there for what he did in Game Six while again staring at elimination against the Penguins during that stirring 3-1 second round comeback that was inspired by Martin St. Louis. As huge as he was in scoring that first goal on Mother’s Day when the building shook, Lundqvist shut the door by allowing only three goals the final three games. Pittsburgh never led again after Game Four.

It was Lundqvist, who was there to make a ridiculous acrobatic save on Thomas Vanek in Game Six which led to Dominic Moore scoring the series clincher from Brian Boyle to shutout the Canadiens 1-0. One of the greatest moments ever. It’s hard to believe we were there when they won the Wales Trophy and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. That series was heartbreaking for everyone. No wonder I can’t stand the Queens Kings. But I am a fan of Jonathan Quick, who grew up a Ranger fan.

There was the unbelievable 3-1 miracle to stun Braden Holtby and the Caps in the same round in 2015. Lundqvist had a lot to do with it. But he needed a little help from his friends in Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh and ultimate hero Derek Stepan. If only it didn’t end so somberly against Tampa. I don’t blame the goalie. I still think Alain Vigneault got outcoached and didn’t make enough adjustments despite a battered defense. You cannot get shutout at home in Games Five and Seven. What a bizarre series. I knew they were winning Game Six. Ask my Dad and brother.

Look. We can’t go back anymore. These were truly great moments along with Lundqvist winning the Vezina and Olympic gold. He has the franchise marks in minutes played, games, starts, wins, shutouts, etc. Number 30 won’t be forgotten despite how tough I’ve been in this space. I appreciate everything he gave this team. He wore the jersey proudly. But even he has to know by now what’s up. He said it himself a week ago when he finally got that shutout at Detroit. It feels good to contribute. He’s a competitor. Nobody likes to sit on the sidelines wearing a ball cap.

If Alex Georgiev really isn’t going anywhere, then what’s the point of Lundqvist staying? So he can get a start or two every three weeks. I’ve heard fans say how good he is as a mentor. Do they realize this team has the best goalie coach in the league? Benoit Allaire deserves so much credit for what he’s done. And Shesterkin is 24. Not 19 or 20 like Carter Hart. He’s played professionally and had lots of success. He’s mature enough to handle it and is fundamentally sound. It kind of reminds me of a young Henrik when he finally came over in 2005. He was a proven winner for Frolunda. It’s eerily similar.

There. Now that I’ve said my piece, maybe finally fans and even some critical friends can understand that I’m not some spoiled fan who takes things for granted. I enjoyed all of Lundqvist’s success. The past two to three years have been sad and depressing for fans to watch. Some can’t accept it. I’m the same person who ripped Mark Messier II because as thankful as I was for 1994, he blocked players from developing and took up too much responsibility. Or did you forget how Glen Sather paid Bobby Holik $9 million a year to be their checking center? What a joke that was. Jamie Lundmark was shafted. He still should’ve had a better NHL career once he escaped New York. It was like Jason to young prospects back then. Or did you forget what became of Jozef Balej following his memorable setup on Messier’s final goal versus the Sabres?

We sometimes need a dose of reality when it comes to things. That includes our favorite athletes and sports teams. I’m a realist. If Lundqvist told John Davidson and Jeff Gorton that he would be open to a trade by waiving the NMC to take one last shot at winning elsewhere, I wouldn’t hold it against him. Loyalty can be blind. Mats Sundin went through the same thing in Toronto. He refused to let the Leafs trade him. Eventually, he turned up with the Canucks the next year. They lost with him and he retired. Maybe Henrik should have a chat with his Swedish friend.

On March 2, the King turns 38. He’s not getting any younger. Not playing only hurts him more. It’s like what Martin Brodeur recently told Larry Brooks in an interview. Goalies like Lundqvist must play to find a rhythm. The three goalie system doesn’t help. He should go. But any trade with that contract would be complicated. He’s got another $8.5 million cap hit through next year. They’d have to pick up a huge chunk.

All this Lundqvist talk is tough. But I had to do it. The reality is Shesterkin looks ready to be that guy. If Georgiev can back up, that’s two very affordable contracts minus most of what they pay Hank. You’re talking about freeing up the necessary space to keep Chris Kreider and retain Strome as well as Tony DeAngelo. It’s worth it. Plus Tyler Wall is coming. Goalie is the least of this team’s concerns.

So is defense despite the flawed rhetoric on it which really is due to Brady No ‘D’ Skjei and Jacob Trouba. Adam Fox is an ace and Ryan Lindgren is old school. DeAngelo is a offensive machine with amazing vision. Marc Staal is done after next year. Nils Lundkvist is coming and K’andre Miller will be closer. Matthew Robertson is probably at least two years away. Would they take a look at Joey Keane? What about forgotten man Libor Hajek? They are going to have options.

If you’re looking at the forwards, we only are sure on Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. We don’t know what’s going to happen with Kreider or Fast. Pavel Buchnevich is at best a 50 point guy who is an adventure. Kakko will only get better and fulfill expectations as he gets stronger and faster. He’s got the tools. We don’t know yet on Vitali Kravtsov, who we should see by late March or April. They don’t want to burn a year off his ELC.

No. We don’t know enough about Lauri Pajunemi either despite his impressive season back home. Brendan Lemieux is what he is. A guy you can plug anywhere who agitates with his physical style that will take on all comers. But he’s a third liner at best. Probably better suited for the fourth line like Brett Howden. I’d like to see Lemieux kill penalties. Chytil looks more like a wing than center due to his defensive issues and inconsistency on face-offs. I believe he can get 30 goals as a wing. But who else plays center? It’s already weak even with Zibanejad and Strome ‘if’ he stays.

I pretty much have assessed the roster here. Screw the conventional recap. Nobody needs to know that Greg McKegg scored his third goal to open the scoring. The Keg Man is what he is. A part timer that is better suited for the role he had with the Hurricanes. He shouldn’t play daily on the fourth line. I do respect his work ethic. He’s a pro. Micheal Haley had surgery to repair an injury. Whatever. He’s not part of the future. Best of luck elsewhere.

Brendan Smith should just be off the roster. There’s no longer a point. He’s another high character veteran that I respect the hell out of. How many players would play a dual role as a fourth liner and double as a penalty killing defenseman? That’s commendable. It didn’t work out the way anyone envisioned after he came over and helped them advance over Montreal.

As disappointed as I was that Skjei cost Shesterkin a first shutout due to whatever the hell he was doing on former Leaf Trevor Moore’s goal that cut it to 2-1 with 9:13 remaining in regulation, at least Shesterkin didn’t let it bother him. He made the saves to keep it there until Fast cleared the puck out for the Strome and Panarin two-on-one rush with the Bread Man rebounding home a Strome shot past Quick at 17:12 to erase any doubt.

Chytil calmly got the puck over for DeAngelo in the middle so he could fire it down for his lucky 13th with 2:11 remaining. It was a good night. Even if it was far from perfect, the Rangers responded well. They’re now up to 58 points and 24 regulation wins with 28 left. Nine points out.

They’ll now test themselves on the road against three hungry teams chasing the playoffs. It’ll be Trouba’s return to Winnipeg on Tuesday. How will he be received? I’m sure there will be a video tribute and a mixture of cheers and jeers. He wanted to leave, but also was too expensive for them to keep. They haven’t missed him. It’s ironic that Neal Pionk has been better. However, his role is different. Let’s be fair.

I’m looking forward to this game. Winnipeg has one of the loudest arenas in the league and great fans. There should be plenty of energy. They won a big game tonight 5-2 over the Blackhawks. That puts them up to 63 points as the first wildcard a point up on the Flames.

If it is Shesterkin versus Connor Hellebuyck, even better.

Battle of Hudson Three 🌟

3rd 🌟 Filip Chytil, Rangers (first career 2 assist game, 4 shots, +2 in 11:24)

2nd 🌟 Jonathan Quick, Kings (37 saves including some gems to keep his team in it)

1st 🌟 Igor Shesterkin, Rangers (42 saves on 44 shots to improve to 5-1-0)

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HARD HITS: Malkin somehow still gets overlooked

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Derek

AP Photo credit sportnet.ca via Canadian Press

Imagine being one of the game’s brightest stars on a team you helped win three Stanley Cups, a Calder, a Conn Smythe, a Hart Trophy and two scoring titles. All this list of achievements and hardly anyone pays attention to you.

That’s the life of Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh. The 33-year old Russian superstar will always play in the shadow of popular teammate Sidney Crosby. It makes sense. Crosby was the Next One. Taken first overall by the desperate Penguins in a strange 2005 NHL Draft following the lockout, Sid The Kid had been hyped to be the next great player. He was Canadian and had the face and cool demeanor fans could identify with.

When you look at Crosby, the franchise player and captain of the Pens has been everything advertised. He overcame a serious concussion at only 23 that made people wonder if he’d ever get back to the level he was at. It’s easy to forget he had 32 goals and 66 points in 41 games before his 2010-11 season ended. We didn’t see him much the next year either. It took a while for him to get back to the star player we respected, but loved to hate due to his antics that included embellishment, cheap shots and whining.

As he matured, Crosby grew out of that label. He’s thankfully not that player anymore. Though the “Crosby Sucks, Crosby Sucks”, chants are still fresh at Madison Square Garden. Those used to be awesome games to go to. They were fun and the atmosphere was great. Yes. You had your share of Pens fans turn out supporting Crosby and Malkin, or the other polarizing star Kris Letang. It’s still hard to believe he never won a Norris. He’s gone through his share of setbacks and battled back.

It’s ironic when you look at the Pens’ three best players, they’ve all missed a lot of time. How many more points would Crosby or Malkin have if they’d been healthy? They have three Harts between them with four Art Rosses, three Conn Smythe Trophies, a pair of Rocket Richards (Crosby) and four Pearsons. All the hardware is incredible. No wonder Sid and Geno draw comparisons to Mario and Jaromir in the Burgh. Had Lemieux been healthier, they wouldn’t have just won the back-to-back Cups that Crosby and Malkin matched. I still would take Lemieux and Jagr over them. But that’s a fun bar debate.

It’s interesting when you look at Crosby and Malkin in terms of their career numbers. At the moment, Crosby is at 1246 points (456-790-1246) in 969 games. That averages out to an impressive 1.28 points-per-game. Malkin has totaled 1059 points (408-651-1059) in 893 games. He entered the NHL a year after Crosby in ’06-07. Malkin has a excellent 1.18 points-per-game average. Somehow, the NHL On NBC forgot to include him in this list since 2000. Well, actually it is only from 2000-09. Minimum 300 games. However, Malkin would have had a 1.26 ppg in 242 games because of the cutoff.

https://twitter.com/Kovy274Hart/status/1225584341046177792?s=19

Now, if they didn’t do such a cutoff, he’s included. Or had they say done since the century, Malkin is right up there. It’s almost like NBCSN wanted to single out Crosby and exclude Malkin. I don’t get it. No three championships in the Steel City without him. They’re one of the best dynamic duos we’ve seen. Both should be appreciated.

To me, it feels like Malkin isn’t as loved. Maybe that’s my view looking on the outside. Is he Crosby? No. He’s not as complete a hockey player. If you were to ask me who the game’s best player is, I’d still answer Crosby. No disrespect to Connor McDavid or current teammate and scoring leader Leon Draisaitl. Neither are as good defensively. Crosby does it all. That’s why his team is successful.

Malkin is quietly having a great season. Of course, he missed time because he always does. However, he leads the Pens in scoring with 57 points (17-40-57) over 41 contests. So, that’s 13 games he hasn’t played. Why do you think Bryan Rust is so productive? He’s currently got a team-leading 22 goals including 15 even strength with 23 assists for 45 points in 40 games. Hint: it’s got something to do with Number 71.

Malkin makes players better. Just ask Phil Kessel if he misses playing with his former linemate. A proven scorer only has 12 goals and 32 points in his first year with Arizona over 57 games. That’s still better production than Alex Galchenyuk (5-12-17 in 45 GP). Yikes.

The Penguins are currently second in the competitive Metro Division with a record of 34-15-5. Their 73 points trail the first place Capitals by four for the division. Only the Caps (77), Bruins (80) and resurgent Lightning (75) have more points in the East than the Pens.

A team that looked to be in trouble when Jake Guentzel was lost for the rest of the regular season due to shoulder surgery. Especially on the heels of Crosby missing two months. He returned on Jan. 14 and immediately put up four points (1-3-4) in a blowout win over the Wild. In nine games since his return, the Pens captain has five goals with eight assists for 13 points. His team is 6-3-0 since.

However, the thing is that when they were without Crosby and Guentzel to start the new calendar year, it was Malkin who carried them along with the surprising goaltending of Tristan Jarry. As usual, Malkin raised his game following Crosby’s injury in November. Interestingly, he missed almost all of October before being the same player he’s always been, producing 56 of his 57 points over 39 games.

That’s who he is. A future Hall of Famer just like the great Crosby, who could one day be ranked among the all-time best. I believe he will be in the discussion no matter what he finishes up with. Malkin will reach 500 goals in a few years while Crosby will get there sooner. He’s at 456 right now. Malkin has 408. When they’re both done, they could each wind up with 600 goals and at least 1500 points. Crosby will likely be closer to the all-time greats on the scoring list.

It shouldn’t be forgotten how special Malkin is. Even if he has had his moments that drove me nuts due to the edge he plays with, I still respect him for the career he’s had. It shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Body Checks

Peep the latest from Tony DeAngelo being a comedian in the Rangers locker room while teasing friend and teammate Ryan Strome.

That kind of character is great. Not everyone gets the team concept due to irrelevant stuff that doesn’t matter. Once he hits 50 points and 15 goals, how much will DeAngelo ask for this summer? Strome will eventually snap out of his slump and hit new career highs. They’re both likely to want at least $5 million. The Blueshirts face tough decisions ahead.

I’ve already mentioned Chris Kreider enough that I may as well be his agent. Say it again. Since Dec. 8, Kreider has 14 goals and 11 helpers for 25 points in 24 games entering tonight’s special 6 PM start versus the Kings.

The Lightning finally woke up. Now, they’re winning games consistently and closing the gap on Boston, who had a terrible 3-1 loss at Detroit today. With the Bolts on fire, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are heating up along with Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy. However, take a closer look at Tony Cirelli and Ondrej Palat. It’s those gritty two-way forwards who are having a good impact. They’ll be key factors if the Lightning finally figure it out this Spring. Ditto for Stanley Cup winner Pat Maroon.

Tampa could be in the market for a defenseman with Ryan McDonagh out. For now, they’ll rely on stud Victor Hedman to log the big minutes with help from Mikhail Sergachev, Kevin Shattenkirk and Eric Cernak.

With his league-leading fifth shutout the other night before permitting two late third period goals to the explosive Avalanche in a tough 2-1 home defeat, how do they ignore what rookie netminder Elvis Merzlikins is doing in Columbus? Since taking over for injured starter Joonas Korpisalo, he’s got 12 wins and his GAA (2.19) and save percentage (.930) are remarkable. Columbus doesn’t score a lot of goals. Elvis has to be in the Calder conversation with front-runners Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. With apologies to Ilya Samsonov, Dominik Kubalik and Adam Fox, those are my top three.

Rookie Nick Suzuki is quietly having himself a nice season for Montreal, who got a big come from behind 2-1 win in overtime over the top nemesis Maple Leafs in a great Original Six match-up at Bell Centre last night. Marco Scandella tied the game up late in regulation and Ilya Kovalchuk scored on a Suzuki rebound to beat recently acquired goalie Jack Campbell. With 61 points and Carey Price finally rounding into form, the Habs are back in the playoff race. They’re five behind Toronto for third place in the Atlantic Division and trail the final wildcard by six points. The problem is they only have 17 regulation wins (first tiebreaker) and have just 25 games remaining. Having so few wins in regulation is gonna hurt. They’ll have to play great hockey down the home stretch to beat out the teams ahead of them. That could include the Panthers, whose 24 reg. wins, are more than even the Pens and Blue Jackets.

The whole tiebreak system is crazy. You have the Islanders with 68 points locked into the first wildcard, but with only 20 reg. wins while the Hurricanes are at 67 with 22 wins in regulation for the second wildcard over the Flyers, who have 67 but one less regulation win (21). Each have 27 games remaining. The Isles are at an advantage with 29 games left. The Panthers have 28 to go with 64 points. Two behind the Leafs and three off the second wildcard. This is sure to be a wild race.

Right now, James Reimer has outplayed Petr Mrazek to become the number one goalie in Carolina. Is that a good enough tandem for the talented Hurricanes to get in? They boast two young stars in Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Plus leading scorer Teuvo Teravainen, who they stole from the Blackhawks. They have great skaters who can really get up and down the ice. But without a reliable starter in net and Dougie Hamilton out, it’s going to be tough. Do they really have interest in Henrik Lundqvist, who has the NMC? Or is that just another silly rumor?

I still don’t see any scenario where Lundqvist waives it. He loves it too much here. Unless they healthy scratch the 👑, I can’t see him going to management and asking out. They haven’t had the guts yet to talk to HL30 about the complex situation with tonight’s starter Igor Shesterkin and second-year goalie Alex Georgiev. Dicey.

Who wants to win the wild and crazy Pacific? Four total points separate first place Vancouver, who boasts the best overall roster, from fifth place Arizona. You have the Canucks with 65 points headlined by Elias Pettersson, JT Miller and injured finisher Brock Boeser. There’s the explosive Oilers with 64 thanks to the McDavid/Draisaitl duo along with gritty forward Zack Kassian and underrated two-way pivot Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Then the Jekyll and Hyde Golden Knights, who have abandoned Marc-Andre Fleury in most games. Not much on defense.

Calgary is pretty similar except they have the polarizing Matthew Tkachuk, who gets underneath everyone’s skin. Mark Giordano is out now and the goalies are Cam Talbot and David Rittich. Then there’s the Coyotes, who even after adding Taylor Hall don’t score enough goals no matter who’s in net. They have the best goalies even with Darcy Kuemper out. Antti Raanta is very capable and even understudy Adin Hill is decent. But unless they score more, what a failed trade that could be with the Devils. Hall is a rental who can leave.

It’s pretty insane to think as many as 11 teams are still alive out West. That includes the whole Central with Winnipeg (61), the Predators (59), Wild (58) and Blackhawks (58) bunched up. Your wildcards are Calgary with 62 and the Jets with 61. The same 61 the Coyotes have, but with one more regulation win (21) and one less game played (56). Nashville, Minnesota and Chicago each have 28 games left. So, they can make up ground. Are any of them good enough? I would take the Preds, who have underachieved. Maybe Pekka Rinne can get hot and Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson can earn their money.

Finally, there’s this as the Rangers get ready to host LA:

Jacob Trouba 53 GP 7-16-23 -9 44.1 CF (56.7 D Zone starts)

Neal Pionk 56 GP 6-30-36 +5 50.9 CF (55.3 O Zone starts)

Trouba $8 million AAV

Pionk $3 million AAV

One turns 26 after the deadline. That would be Trouba, who the Blueshirts traded for by sending Pionk and the same first round draft pick they received with Brendan Lemieux, back to Winnipeg so they could select Finnish defenseman Ville Heinola. Pionk turns 25 this summer and is on a much more reasonable contract. He was expendable due to DeAngelo and Fox. Plus Nils Lundkvist is coming soon.

I like Trouba and would do it again. The thing is he’s on a worse roster and doesn’t have the ideal left D partner like he did in Winnipeg. He also doesn’t have Dustin Byfuglien ahead of him. That was last year when he posted career bests in assists (42) and points (50). He cashed in as most do in contract years. He’s a hard-nosed physical player who can skate and log the important minutes on Broadway.

That all stated, he must be better for this contract to make sense. Right now, it doesn’t. Did you know his salary is $12 million for this season? Nobody cares because now, all we do is look at the cap hit. It’s still too high just as I went on the record and said when it was signed. In reality, Trouba is a solid defenseman who isn’t worth over $6.5 million. But that was the market. In no world is he Erik Karlsson or Brent Burns. Speaking of which, how is that working out in San Jose?

Trouba must be more consistent. He entered tonight with no points over his last six. But his main job is shutting down the opposition. There have been too many instances where he’s been caught out of position like the god awful goal Jimmy Vesey scored to clinch Friday’s disgrace. We’ll see where it goes.

Kudos to Mackenzie Blackwood for making the Devils respectable with back-to-back shutouts. That’s one more shutout than the $8.5 million man has since 2017. I had to.

Kieffer Bellows will be good because the Islanders didn’t rush him. He has a scorers instinct. Take note.

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Shestyorkin to start tomorrow versus Kings, more Panarin 24/7 TV MSG redux, keep Kreider, Ovechkin chases Gretzky

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Derek

With all the love Artemi Panarin has received, how come the Rangers and MSG don’t celebrate their history before 1970?

When Sunday hits, it’ll be Igor Shestyorkin back in net to take on the Kings. David Quinn revealed the news to reporters following Rangers practice. He indicated that the rookie has been the best of the three goalies lately.

Good. Shestyorkin deserves to play more. It’s only been five games that he’s started thus far. However, despite a complicated three goalie system, the poised 24-year old Russian has stayed sharp. The latest example was a very good 27 save performance in a 5-3 win over the dangerous Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

It was a game I attended along with Justin and Dad. You can refer to my fun game experience here that included meeting a great Leafs fan with good perspective on what ails his team. Ironically, they quickly went out and traded for Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford to address the lack of goalie depth and lack of sandpaper.

While the Leafs battle the Panthers and other teams for the playoffs, reality is setting in for the Blueshirts. Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Sabres was mind numbing. On a night they should’ve been the more rested and prepared team, it was the opposite.

Instead, an opponent that lost at home to the god awful Red Wings seemed to have more energy and desire. It was Buffalo that played an intelligent and patient checking game that frustrated the Rangers. They got the game’s first three goals due to lackluster play from our team. The final score wasn’t indicative of what happened. A late Rangers rally fell short. They stunk for over 55 minutes.

It was a huge reminder of where this team is in this rebuild. You can go Gaga over Artemi Panarin like the whorish MSG telecast did last night. He’s an outstanding star player. Even with the points becoming harder to get due to teams staying back to take away time and space, the Bread Man still made a brilliant backhand feed for a Mika Zibanejad goal to prevent a shutout. He’s a magician with the puck.

As nauseating as the broadcast was of Panarin 24/7 TV, at least he deserves the accolades. It’s so hard to be successful in New York City. This is what he wanted. The big stage. Something Rick Carpiniello mentioned during a too short second intermission segment. I like Carp. He’s been around the Rangers beat forever. Just as long as Larry Brooks. The difference is Carpiniello is more professional and personable. He’s a good guy. You can see his work on The Athletic. His game reviews remain the best. Though Vince Mercogliano is definitely trending in the right direction. He’s the new guy who does a good job covering the team.

For the season, Panarin is up to 27 goals with 45 assists for 72 points. He paces the Blueshirts in all three categories along with plus/minus (23), power play points (6-12-18), even strength points (21-33-54), shots on goal (167) and shooting percentage (16.2 percent). Mind you the Wonder Bread Man has done this in 52 games. I want to correct myself. I said 53 games in the review last night. The Panarin celebration on MSG Network was over the top even by their standards. It was maddening. Get ready to puke.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s hang his number 10 jersey to the rafters. If you don’t know by now, that’s my gallows humor. Don’t take it to heart. Even in a bit of a slump with no goals and two assists over the last four games, Panarin still ranks fifth in the NHL scoring race. He trails Nathan MacKinnon (74 points), David Pastrnak (75), Connor McDavid (80) and Leon Draisaitl (83). Behind Panarin (72) are Brad Marchand (69), Jack Eichel (68) and the underrated Jonathan Huberdeau (68). The explosive Auston Matthews also is at 68 after getting his 40th goal and three helpers in a Toronto 5-4 overtime win over Anaheim last night. So, now you have both Matthews and Alex Ovechkin leading the league with 40 goals. Pastrnak is still at 38. That’s your Rocket Richard race.

Don’t forget Ovechkin needs two goals to become a member of the 700 Goal Club. He flew by Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman. They’re in the rear view mirror as the Great Eight chases Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals. Something that once was unthinkable. With 14 goals over his last seven games including a ridiculous three hat tricks, he shows no signs of slowing down. He’s currently eighth all-time. Next up is Mike Gartner, who had 708 goals. Ovechkin should definitely get 10 more goals for 50 to tie Gartner. He likely will pass him the way he’s going. The top six are Phil Esposito (717), Marcel Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741), Jaromir Jagr (766), Gordie Howe (801) and Gretzky (894).

It’ll be fun to see if Ovechkin can do it. He’s amazing. How come the Caps aren’t celebrating all his achievements on an ode to Ovi broadcast? Sorry. I couldn’t resist. You’d think Panarin was the greatest thing since sliced 🍞. Maybe the Rangers should be sponsored by Panera Bread. Why not? It would make sense. They even created a new luxury box suite for the Bread Man.

With all this going on, do you think Henrik Lundqvist is jealous? How come they didn’t have any quotes from the 👑 on Panarin last night? Chris Kreider had some nice praise. He wants to try to stay. Hopefully, the discussions with him and his agent go well.

If Kreider actually does work out a deal to re-sign before the trade deadline, that would be shocking. It’s better for him to wait as he’ll have more negotiating power. But he is the number one rental player available. So, you have teams who would love to add him for a deep run. With a real shot at his first 30 goal season, things are pointing upward. I would love to see him get it. He’s worked hard.

Since 12/8, he’s over a point-per-game with 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points over 24 games. That good stretch turned around his year. He now ranks third in goals (20), second in power play goals (8), tied for second with Zibanejad in shooting percentage (15.4), fourth in shots (130), fifth in points (38), third in hits (96) and third in penalty minutes (58).

As I’ve said repeatedly like a Taylor Swift song on the radio, is this a player you want to trade? They do and they only hurt themselves in the next couple of years. You cannot replace him. It’s not just about statistics. Kreider brings the intangibles that you need. The nice combination of size, strength and speed along with skill makes him a unique player. Now a five-time 20 goalscorer, the 28-year old former ’09 first round pick has been one of the best players the Rangers have selected in that round. Find me another player who’s been just as productive in both the regular season and postseason. That eliminates former Blueshirt JT Miller, who’s having himself a career year with the Canucks.

I’ve referenced how long it’s been since this team drafted a player who scored 30 in a season. Ryan Callahan came close as did Kreider. You have to go all the way back to Tony Amonte, who not only had 33 in ’92-93. But went for 35 his rookie year in ’91-92 as a 21-year old to finish third behind Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Bure for the Calder Trophy.

In fact, Amonte finished with 84 goals and 99 assists for 183 points in 234 games before moving onto Chicago where he starred alongside Jeremy Roenick and eventually Alexei Zhamnov. The Rangers don’t win the Stanley Cup in ’93-94 without Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan. What if they could’ve kept Amonte? Would they have still won? Could they have been even more successful? We’ll never know the answer. Amonte wound up with 416 goals and 900 points.

It’s basically like wondering what if the arbitrator had ruled in favor of the Rangers for the rights to Eric Lindros. The package would’ve included Amonte, Alex Kovalev, Sergei Nemchinov, James Patrick and John Vanbiesbrouck. Plus first round picks and $20 million. Of course, they didn’t win. The arbitrator ruled in favor of the Flyers, whose package included Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Steve Duchene, Ron Hextall, Kerry Huffman, a number one pick (Jocelyn Thibault) in 1993, future considerations (Chris Simon) and $15 million to the then Quebec Nordiques. We know how that all turned out.

On Hockey Day In Canada, there are plenty of games being played today. Just not the Rangers, who will look to rebound tomorrow at 6 PM versus the Kings. Let’s see how Shestyorkin does against them. I’m glad it’s not Lundqvist vs Jonathan Quick after what happened at the loathsome Staples Center of Horrors. As you can tell, I have no love for the Kings. They do play hard for coach Todd McLellan. I couldn’t name more than five or six players. Those I’m familiar with.

In five starts all at The Garden, Igor is 4-1-0 with a 2.61 GAA and. 922 save percentage. He’s allowed 13 goals on 167 shots. That’s very good for a first-year player. At some point, they have to run him out on the road and see how he handles a hostile environment. The Islanders would’ve been the perfect test in the last of the three game week series prior to the All-Star break. Instead, Alex Georgiev got his third start in three games versus them and lost.

After Sunday, the Rangers hit the road for three at Winnipeg Tuesday, Minnesota Thursday and Columbus on Valentine’s Day. That’s a tough three game slate over four nights. The perfect opportunity for Shestyorkin to finally play on the road. In fact, the Rangers are away from MSG eight of the next 10 following tomorrow’s match. The only home dates are Feb. 16 vs Boston and Feb. 22 vs San Jose. They also have road games at Chicago, Carolina, the Islanders, Canadiens and Flyers on 2/28 to conclude the month.

Once we pass the trade deadline on Monday the 24th, the season will be almost over. The roster will change. We don’t know who will go yet. Let’s not speculate. I’m hopeful they’ll do the right thing for the future of the franchise.

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Devils winter potpourri

Posted on February 8, 2020 by hasan4978

You wouldn’t think it to watch their play, but after the All-Star break the Devils have gotten at least a point in each of their five games since then.  Sounds great, and certainly beating the Flyers 5-0 on Thursday was, even if I had another commitment and couldn’t watch a minute of the game even if I wanted to.  Other than that though, it’s just been more of the same for a gang that couldn’t shoot (or defend) straight.  Scratching out a road shootout win over Ottawa last Monday?  Fine.  A back and forth shootout loss to Nashville in the John Hynes reunion game?  Not so much, but we always seem to have at least one wild, cooky game with the Preds every year whichever bench Hynes is on anyway.  Failing to bring home a game against the Stars on ’00 reunion night which we dominated for the better part of 35 minutes?  Typical.

Certainly the worst game of the five was Tuesday against the Habs, also known as the Ilya Kovalchuk 2.0 return, which was another fitting pie in the face game.  Sure we had key people missing from our lineup (so did Montreal, thanks to the flu) but when you get a 3-0 second period lead, you gotta put the game away.  Losing a 3-0 lead was just so indiciative of what the last few years of Devils hockey have been, actually getting the game into OT after falling behind 4-3 just drew out the agony…with the real pie face splat coming when Kovalchuk scored the shootout winner and shushed the crowd of 12000 or however many people were there to boo him the whole night.  If we were in a different situation, I might be upset but watching it on TV I only could laugh at this point.  Quite frankly we kind of deserved that pie in the face – or three – as an organization these days.

I still don’t think it’s likely interim Alain Nasreddine keeps his job through whatever new administration emerges from the rubble of replacing both a GM and coach in-season, but at least he’s earned some respect for his calm, yet competitive demeanor.  I almost thought it wasn’t allowed for a coach to call timeout to yell at his players the way Nasreddine did after we fell behind, given how little Hynes would use a timeout for that specific purpose.  Since Ray Shero got replaced as GM, there hasn’t been a peep about what the organization’s direction is going forward, other than the stock line we want to win sooner rather than later if possible.  We’ll see how true that is judging by the moves sure to come at the deadline and this offseason.

I don’t really want to comment on the team on ice, especially since I’ve barely watched one of these five games in aggregate – I even had to leave the Dallas game early to see a friend but wasn’t exactly sorry about that at this point – and nothing that really happens on ice is going to matter apart from younger players hopefully getting better.  There are a couple of things off-ice to comment on though, one good and one eh.   Of course, the good was the ceremony for the 2000 Cup winners on Saturday night, specifically the nice touch of allowing Petr Sykora to skate a lap around the rink with the Cup after he was denied that moment on the ice in Dallas in 2000 due to Derian Hatcher’s headshot in Game 6.  Figures all it took to bring out one of the most intense crowds of the season was celebrating the past…well that and a real nice giveaway replica Cup ring.  That alone was worth having to sit through this team for a couple of periods, although I knew by the end of the second they were probably blowing this game against the Stars and sure enough they ate it in OT.

By this point, the on-ice failures are as expected as the off-ice shortcomings.  Of course here I’m referring to season ticket renewal time, which comically came the night after the blown game against the Habs.  Everyone step up and renew your tickets after we fell on our faces again and got shushed out of our building by the hated Kovalchuk!  No, prices weren’t raised which was the absolute positive bare minimum you could have expected after the last two seasons.  What is laughable is the option to renew and lock in your prices for two years, with absolutely no incentive given for it other than…locking in the same price for two years.  You would think they’d at least try to add some incentive to that so-called perk since people like me would understandably be cautious about committing to two years when so much about this organization and its direction is up in the air.  Tickets are already hard to sell and impossible to get even season ticket face value for this year, after one or two more bad years?  Forget it.

Even the hook of locking in a price for a second straight year isn’t quite what it seems since the number of games you’re allowed buyback credit (exchanging your tickets to some games at season ticket holder price for a credit towards next season’s invoice) is dropping from 8 to 6 next year.  So there is an actual ‘increase’ in the 2022 invoice just in the form of the two fewer games credit you’re getting, never mind what else they’d dare to increase it by if you don’t lock in your prices by then.  They do offer the opportunity to exchange six games for extra tickets to six other games, which probably has a limited use at best since they’re not going to let you exchange preseason games for extra Opening Night tickets obviously, perhaps if you want to exchange tickets for one Saturday game to another it can have some use but exchanging Tuesday tickets against Ottawa for say, Monday tickets against Calgary?  Meh.  That’s basically what you’re talking about.

It was an easy decision for me, and others I suspect to only pick the one-year option.  I almost feel silly about doing this much complaining to only keep my tickets again but really I’d pretty much locked myself in early to renewing both by using my buyback credits (which get erased if you don’t renew), and with my apathy toward using my reward points, since there wasn’t a whole lot they were offering I actually wanted to use them on and I didn’t jump on enough of the club seats when they had an absurdly low point value.  It is stupid that the reward point system is one of two incentives you have to pick to keep using it, it should be an automatic part of your ‘membership’.

Don’t get me wrong, things aren’t all bad even with the state of the team.  Just last week, I was able to get to a team autograph event where Kyle Palmieri signed my Palmieri jersey.  Of course watch us trade him now lol…but the player events are usually my favorite thing among the perks and incentives.  Earlier this year a lot of the younger Devils were at Funplex in another team event and I got pictures with guys like Nico Hischier and Will Butcher and a nominal ($10 combined) credit for me and my friend at Funplex as well as free access to the rides for the night, so we did the bumper cars for a while as well as the racing game.  Little things like that and the Cup ring giveaway do help add intrinsic value to being a season ticket holder, but the prices themselves are getting way above what you can realistically hope to recoup on the secondary market for most games.  A lot of my reason for retaining the tickets is location – right on the aisle behind the goal is a prime location and probably the only reason I can still sell any tickets at all this year.

Still, I am going to approach things differently next year and not use my buyback credits (while trying to use more of my reward points) until after the next invoice comes out.  If we’re in the middle of another rebuild and they dare to raise prices, well next year this is probably a different conversation, seat location or no seat location.  At a certain point even with the buybacks and location it just isn’t going to be worth it to have to worry about having to sell a third of the games, and take a loss selling single tickets to certain other games.  These last two months without the buybacks would be particularly brutal on the resale market, with a ton of winter weekday games.  All eight of my buyback games were weekday games between last Thursday and late March.  Even with that buffer, the team (and prices) plummetted so quickly this year the early season games were a struggle to find someone to go with/sell games.

Of course there is the contrarian argument that since I’ve been a season ticket holder at the Rock I’m not going to know how much I’ll miss the little things (seat location/certainty, the perks) until I cut the cord.  Just don’t make it easier for me to want to find out, that’s all I’m asking for the next year.  As it is the last couple years have made it easier for many other sth’s to cut the cord.

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Game #53 Jimmy Vesey Revenge Night, Hutton owns the Rangers again in Sabres 3-2 win, Awful Panarin overkill by MSG Network

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Derek

Jimmy Vesey gets some love from Jack Eichel after his goal which proved to be the game-winner versus his former team in a Sabres 3-2 win over the Rangers on Artemi Panarin 24/7 Night at MSG. AP Photo credit Buffalo Sabres via Getty Images

If you know anything about hockey, anyone can beat anyone. Even the best teams can have off nights. It’s hard to be perfect over a long 82 game schedule. I wish it had occurred to the Rangers that they couldn’t just show up to the rink and think it would be an easy two points against a struggling Sabres, who have been flu ridden and played a back-to-back on the road.

In the best league, you CANNOT show up for five out of 60 minutes and expect to win. Last night was embarrassing. Forget the last ditch effort to pull off a Miracle on 34th Street. Yes. It’s true the fragile Sabres tried their best to hand them the game. However, this was inexcusable. Who did they think they were? The Bruins, Lightning or Caps.

The Rangers got exactly what they deserved. The final score might read, Sabres 3 Rangers 2. But anyone who saw that ugly display knows better. They were sloppy throughout and it was an annoying game. Frustrating and disappointing. We watched at Jon’s on his DVR in the mancave. Only it’s all the way up. It’s pretty cool. He’s got a lot of nice posters on the wall including a Jordan/Bryant one that now is a haunting reminder. It just is very sad. There’s a lot of Mets stuff because he’s a huge Amazin’s fan. And plenty of Knicks, which is depressing in its own right. I love them too.

I knew the score was 1-0 Buffalo late in the first when Justin and I arrived. But I didn’t say anything. I never would. Besides, I didn’t see what happened. I knew better than to watch when we were visiting our great friend. I’m not that way at all. I don’t like watching stuff from behind. But it is what it is. If we have to do it from time to time due to Jon’s cute baby girl Emma, I’m good with that.

I love watching sporting events live. But if I don’t and catch up, I prefer to still see everything in its entirety. That way I can get a feel for the game. Just by the way they played the first period, we could tell that the Rangers were off their game. The passing wasn’t crisp. There were bad turnovers instead due to poor puck management. This wasn’t anything like the exciting 5-3 win over the defense optional Maple Leafs.

Give the Sabres credit. They had a good game plan and executed it to near perfection until it got a little dicey. One of Bill Pidto’s favorite expressions dating back to his ESPN days when I worked behind the scenes. Yes. I actually got to work with Bill when he did ESPN News. He is a very funny guy. He would joke about things and even talk to me about his stocks. He’s a interesting person. Nobody has been a better fit than Pidto at MSG. His MSG 150 is must see. The man’s a pro. Don’t forget it was that guy who originally hosted NHL2Nite prior to John Buccigross. Whenever there was a score update from a game, he would say, “What do we have?”

Unfortunately tonight, MSG Network decided to do a in game feature of lifetime Ranger Artemi Panarin. I love the Bread Man as much as anyone. He’s been unbelievable in this great first year as a Broadway Blueshirt. But from the outset, it was painfully obvious what the broadcast would be about. It was Panarin 24/7 TV on MSG. You had the ISO Cam for every shift. It was overkill. I love the production. I understand how much work goes into it because I worked in a truck for the Devils. I just felt it took away from the game.

One other point regarding this love fest. The in game analysis on everything Artemi became annoying by the third period. Here you had a game in which the team failed to play well in. They trailed by two goals and had barely tested Ranger killer Carter Hutton. It was only made worse by Jimmy Vesey getting revenge by scoring the eventual game-winner in the third period. He also had an assist while benefiting from playing on the Buffalo top line with the great Jack Eichel and underrated Sam Reinhart. He scored too. Gee. I wonder if that Scrooge reporter had anything to say to him after the game. What a loser.

What I’m saying here is I didn’t need to see MSG’s Steve Valiquette with that annoying smirk on his face providing more insight on Panarin shifts with the team losing. Where was the game analysis? Anything would’ve been better. I felt like the whole thing was a jinx that came off forced. It felt like they were saying, ‘Who cares about the game? We’re celebrating 53 games of the Bread Man. Let’s have some cake!’

It would’ve been a lot better had they been winning. Panarin spent most of the night frustrated by the Sabres constant tugs and checking. They were relentless. They got away with some hooks and gave him the business. Even Jeff Skinner was in his grill during one shift. I have to hand it to Ralph Krueger. He had his team prepared. What about David Quinn? Why was his team so flat with an extra day off? It made about as much sense as Kaapo Kakko starting on the fourth line that shall remain nameless. Thank the heavens he didn’t stay there. He played one of his best games. He was easily the best Ranger.

If only more players had come with that kind of effort. It was one of those games. I said to Jon and Justin that it felt like a 4-1 kind of night. It nearly came true. At least Carter Hasek Hutton didn’t pitch a shutout. That would’ve been typical. This team hasn’t gotten shutout all year. Hutton did improve to 5-2-0 in eight games versus the Rangers for his career. His GAA (2.16) and save percentage (.932) improved following a 37 save effort in which he stopped 21 of 23 shots in a much busier final frame. The funny aspect is this guy has even better career numbers vs the Pens. You cannot make this stuff up.

For two periods, it was a vacation. Hutton could’ve been on a lounge chair on a beach. He didn’t have to do much. The Rangers obliged by playing lazy hockey. They turned pucks over and we’re caught out of position defensively. By the way they played, it looked like they took the Sabres lightly. That was most discouraging. Maybe they too were caught up in Artemi 24/7 TV on MSG.

Alex Georgiev got the start. In his first appearance as a starter since before the break on Jan. 21, he was blameless. None of the three Buffalo goals were on him. This was a simple case of the team doing a poor job in front of him. He actually kept them in it with some good saves. Georgiev finished with 25. It wasn’t enough to win. He also relieved Henrik Lundqvist earlier this week in the loss to Dallas. He stopped five of six shots in the third.

It was on a weird line change that the Rangers gave up the game’s first goal. Colin Miller hit Zemgus Girgensons with a good pass to spring him loose in the neutral zone. With Brady Skjei coming on late, Marc Staal got caught out of position. An on rushing Girgensons made a nice move around Staal and then went to a backhand deke, forehand tuck to beat Georgiev, who didn’t come out and challenge. That’s my only criticism. I don’t think he thought Girgensons would get in. I can’t believe he has 10 goals. One of the few Sabres outside Eichel, Reinhart and Rasmus Dahlin that are performing well.

In a period played entirely at five-on-five, the edge went to Buffalo. They were sharper and did what they had to do to take the lead to the locker room. Somewhat curiously, Vesey started the game on the top line. I wondered if he would stay there. It worked out well for him. He was noticeable throughout and could’ve had another goal earlier off a nice Eichel backhand setup. He truly is a special player. Imagine if they ever surround him with talent. One of the game’s best players needs the spotlight of the playoffs.

There weren’t many players who played well in the first 20 minutes for the home side. Pavel Buchnevich was again engaged. He only wound up with one shot, but I don’t understand how. He generated chances and was even feisty going at a Sabre after a whistle. That’s how he must play. I didn’t notice Mika Zibanejad or Chris Kreider early on. Panarin struggled with the Sabres diligent checking. Ryan Strome is officially in a scoring slump. He continues to get looks, but they’re not going in.

Filip Chytil and Kakko both looked good. Eventually, they would wind up together after the Phil Di Giuseppe experiment produced nothing. What was the point? I get what Quinn is trying to do. He wants to make Kakko more defensively responsible and earn his ice time. It worked. He had some dominant shifts that displayed his unique talent including puck possession. If he continues to play like that, it bodes well.

The second period was much of the same. The Sabres staying disciplined while the Rangers made mistakes. With the officials continuing to let them play, it allowed Buffalo to frustrate Panarin. None of this was featured on MSG. Eventually, he had enough taking a needless holding penalty on Miller as soon as Skjei got out there. Coincidence? I think not. Nothing positive ever happens when Brady is on the ice in his end. He clearly is hurting Jacob Trouba, who continues to under perform. He’s not an $8 million player. That’s not his fault. That was the market. Of course, the Rangers overpaid. They frequently do. Are they really going to let Kreider go when he still has a lot more to give? It would be so Rangers. They’ll be worse off.

Of course, Leslie is right. Anyone with a pulse can see how much Kreider means to the team. The chemistry he has with Zibanejad is unmistakable. They push Buchnevich to be better. That’s why Quinn continues to roll out the KZB line. It’s a good fit. If they can figure out a way to retain Kreider, they’ll be much closer to the playoffs in the next couple of years. Even without a true top pair left defenseman. Truthfully, Adam Fox is the best D they got. He’s getting more and more confident and Quinn is rewarding him. By night’s end, he was the lone defenseman out there when Georgiev went to the bench. He’s extremely poised for his age.

Hockey is a funny game. You can have a real good offensive shift like the one the trio of Chytil, Kakko and Brendan Lemieux Di Giuseppe were having. They came very close to tying the game up. That was largely due to Kakko in full beast mode. Wait till he gets stronger and improves his skating. He showed off some of that Jagr like quality throughout this one. There was one awesome shift where he made a power move around a Sabre and nearly pulled off a great goal. That’s the kid the Rangers drafted.

Unfortunately, during the same shift, the Sabres turned the puck the other way quickly. With only Ryan Lindgren back and Chytil unable to come back hard, it became a two-on-one. Eichel sprung Reinhart, who went to the backhand to score a nice even strength goal for his 20th at 15:16 of the second. Vesey started it from his end to earn a helper.

The goal was a crusher. Chytil just didn’t have enough left to backcheck. It’s much easier to play offense at that young age than get back defensively. This wasn’t about lack of hustle. He just isn’t as good skating back. Reinhart dusted him to make it 2-0. I’m still not sold on Chytil as a center. We’ll see.

With the Sabres taking away the neutral zone and keeping most shots to the perimeter, it made life easier on Hutton. He only had to stop 16 total shots the first two periods.

In the third, a driving Zibanejad finally got a step on the Buffalo defense to draw a holding minor on defenseman Henri Jokiharju. The real exasperating part of the first Ranger power play was the top unit’s insistence on making the perfect play. They had the Sabres penalty kill hemmed in. But a low percentage Zibanejad forced pass went out of the zone to let the tired four penalty killers off the hook. By the time the second unit got out, there were 30 seconds left. What a waste.

With the Sabres sitting back, they were clearly waiting to pounce on another Ranger mistake. They got it more than halfway through when Eichel found Vesey at the Ranger blueline. He was able to split both Trouba and Brendan Lemieux and break in and score on what else but a backhand down low on Georgiev to make it 3-0 Sabres with 8:04 remaining. It was only his eighth goal. I don’t think he cared. It had to feel good.

For the longest time, it seemed like Hutton was destined for a shutout. He had to make a lot more saves as the Blueshirts finally realized they had to be more desperate and put actual shots on the veteran backup. What a concept. By this point though, he wouldn’t break. He was stopping everything. The Sabres did a good job allowing him to see the puck.

As MSG continued the Artemi Panarin 24/7 show, he finally did something. Moved up to the top line, he turned a innocent looking play into an unreal saucer backhand feed across for a cutting Zibanejad for his 22nd goal with 2:53 left in regulation. I don’t know how he did it. It was just great vision by a special player. We initially thought it was just a backhand pass that banked off a Sabre and in. The replay didn’t do it justice.

Quinn then pulled Georgiev once his team had clear possession on the attack. It was then that Rasmus Ristolainen took a dumb hooking minor on Kakko. It was a lazy penalty. He’s just not that good. He can produce offense and hit. But defensively speaking, he stinks. As good Buffalo pal Brian has said, they need to move him for a center or goalie.

On the power play, Quinn risked it by going for a six-on-four which meant Buffalo could go for the empty net shorthanded. But there were less than two minutes left. On a good play from both Zibanejad and Kakko, Kreider was able to get enough on a rebound to squeeze the puck just over the goal line by Hutton with 1:40 still left. They made sure to review the play and Jon was proven right. It looked in, but you couldn’t tell to the replay. That gave Kreider his 20th goal. It’s amazing to think that on my birthday back on Dec. 8, he entered that game with only six. Since then, he’s scored 14 of his 20 while going over a point-per-game. What a turnaround.

https://twitter.com/RangersMSGN/status/1225971304320376832?s=19

By that point, Quinn had to keep Georgiev on the bench for the six-on-five. They certainly had some looks. But it didn’t fall their way. An offside on Panarin with Fox trying to get in got to the competitive Russian. He cursed in his own language, obviously mad at himself for not staying onside. That’s the kind of night it was.

In the end, the right team won. Kudos to the Sabres for playing a good game. They deserved the two points. It would’ve been crazy had the Rangers come all the way back after not doing anything for so long.

One final thought. I couldn’t understand why Buchnevich was not out at the end while Lemieux was. It didn’t make sense. Of course, Lemieux went after Curtis Lazar at the final horn. It was nonsensical. He had gone at it with Brandon Montour earlier after the defenseman pushed him down to the ice in front of Hutton. It should have been interference, but not on Friday night. Old rules prevailed. So did Buffalo.

Battle of Hudson Three 🌟

3rd 🌟 Jimmy Vesey, Sabres (8th goal plus 🍎, 4 shots, +2 in 15:32)

2nd 🌟 Carter Hutton, Sabres (37 saves including 21 in 3rd, 5-2-0 vs NYR)

1st 🌟 Jack Eichel, Sabres (2 🍎, +3 in 21:29-24 shifts)

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Georgiev in for Rangers versus struggling Sabres, Reinhart vs idiot Buffalo reporter, a suggestion to trade Fast

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Derek

Tonight, it’s the Battle of New York. Well, sorta. It’s not quite the unique historic rivalry between Manhattan and Long Island. But the Rangers and Sabres get together at The Garden later for a Friday night game between two teams out of the playoffs.

While it pales in comparison to Rangers/Islanders, it’s the big city versus the more laid back upstate. If you’ve ever been to Western New York, you know what I mean. Having made the trip up to Buffalo once with Bills and Sabres close friend Brian, I know the big difference. Sports up there are unique. There aren’t any bandwagon fans. They love their teams in Buffalo.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 14 and a half years (September 11, 2005) since we went the long seven and a half to eight hours in Brian’s car when he still lived in Sayreville, New Jersey. Those were the days. I really enjoyed the trip and meeting some of the coolest Bills fans at the storybook tailgate before the Bills defeated the Texans in the season opener. Great stadium too if you like being closer to the action. We sat up. There’s not a bad seat in the house. I wonder what will be for the Bills in terms of getting a new stadium.

If I had to sum up Buffalo sports fans in one word, it would be passionate. They are as loyal a fanbase as there is. They’ve been through a lot. At least the football team seems to be trending in the right direction. As for the hockey team that still is located right across from the Buffalo News, it’s been a struggle.

Despite boasting one of the game’s brightest young stars in Jack Eichel, the Sabres are a bad hockey team. That doesn’t mean they can’t come into MSG and win. It’ll be interesting to see what they have to give following a home loss to the god awful Red Wings. It came in a shootout. But still, it’s Detroit. This exchange took place in the Buffalo locker room between Sam Reinhart and troll Mike Warington Harrington:

The way Harrington continued to badger Reinhart over the end of his shift where he didn’t exactly bust it to prevent a Dylan Larkin goal, was in poor taste. Sure. Reinhart could probably have hustled more. However, Buffalo fans aren’t fooled by this media troll. He’s basically their Larry Brooks.

Brian had some choice words for Harrington, who of course has him blocked on Twitter. I’m blocked by Brooks too and proud of it. These guys can dish it out, but they can’t take it. Guys like these two are washed up relics who need to be retired and at a bar. They like to stir the pot. Brooks continues to regarding the Rangers salary cap mess that could cost them Chris Kreider. A valuable player who could be retained if a certain goalie was scratched and asked out. Brooks wouldn’t dare ask that question. No reporter would.

As far as the 7 PM game, Alex Georgiev will make his first start in a week. I’ll be honest here. Nothing against him. But the way Igor Shestyorkin performed in the 5-3 victory over the Maple Leafs, I think I would’ve given him another start. I get why David Quinn wants to get Georgiev back in net. It’s not an easy situation they’re in. Maybe we’ll see Shestyorkin on Sunday against the Kings. That’s a 6 PM start.

If Georgiev plays well and then Shestyorkin does the same assuming he goes in two days, what happens with Henrik Lundqvist? Is he considering going to management and waving his no-movement clause?

In a Brooks column this morning, he hinted that Lundqvist’s prediction is coming true. He might not be here soon. As he draws nearer to his 38th birthday this March 2, it’s possible the three goalie system could be coming to an end. That all depends on Hank. I’m not going to assume anything here. Given how the organization bends over backwards for him, they’re probably afraid to have a serious discussion with the franchise leader in victories, shutouts and games played.

It’s all about public relations here. You have a split in the Blueshirt fanbase. More and more people are coming around. They see the writing on the wall. It’s time. When our friend Jon says it’s time, it’s time. He is the eternal optimist with all his teams which include the Knicks and Mets. That’s saying something. It looks like we’ll be watching tonight’s game at his place. Just like last week. Hopefully, it’s another good result.

In some strange way, the civil war between Ranger fans reminds me of the crap going on in Washington DC. I’m not going to go further there. I have my opinion. That’s where it stays. Everyone is entitled to their own. It should be more respected. If you know me, you know how I feel about the two party system.

That you have Blueshirt fans fighting over Lundqvist and other players who continue to contribute to the team, it’s pretty sad. Some of these people are out of their minds. They’d rather trade the best offensive defenseman in Tony DeAngelo since Brian Leetch due to his political beliefs. Hint. It’s the dumbest Rangers blog spreading this false propaganda. I could care less who our players support as long as they respect our country and what it stands for. I love DeAngelo as he’s not only becoming one of the game’s best offensive D. But his engaging personality is very popular with his teammates. That means a lot more than some foolish blogger acting like a spoiled hypocrite. They think their opinion is gospel. It’s not. That means they have a lot more in common with a dictator that I’ve seen referenced way too much.

In regards to DeAngelo and close buddies Ryan Strome and Brendan Lemieux, I’d love to keep all three. However, I want Chris Kreider to stay put. They aren’t going to get equal value for what he brings. He has remarkable chemistry with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich, who as Quinn noted, is like a rollercoaster game to game. His description was dead on. Buchnevich is only effective when he’s physically engaged. He has been lately. Is it sustainable? He should continue to produce playing on that line.

If the Rangers subtracted Lundqvist, it would be much easier to keep Kreider. He will come in at around $7 million for at least six years if not seven. It’s his final big contract. Anyone who thinks he owes the Rangers anything is incorrect. He doesn’t. Kreider has been one of the best first round picks this team’s made since the turn of the century. They don’t hit on many firsts. As I’ve stated before, he’s not just about statistics. Though I’m glad to see him at just over a point-per-game since 12/8. He’s worked his butt off. This is a unique player with the size, strength and speed to impact the game. Add in the intangibles and leadership and you can understand why I want him to stay.

I know how this will sound. But moving Jesper Fast to clear some room for Kreider wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Who’s more valuable? It’s not even close. Apologies to the hardworking Fast, who brings a consistent work ethic to the lineup no matter what line he plays on. But what is he? At best, Fast is a 15 goal, 35 point guy who is a effective two-way forward that kills penalties. He’s not a kid anymore. He is 28. Is he much cheaper than Kreider will be? Sure. But he’s going to want at least $3 million on that next contract. Probably a little higher.

As much as I like Jesper, he’s replaceable. It’s like our buddy Anthony Cinque said to me the other night at the game. If you can’t replace him, then you’re in trouble. There’s gotta be a cheaper alternative within the organization. Lauri Pajunemi? Why not. Brett Howden plays penalty kill and looks more comfortable at left wing than center. But he has stone hands. That’s what they got from Tampa for JT Miller…

Personally, high character guys like Fast are what playoff contenders want. His speed and grit are good characteristics for teams going for it. He can play a bottom six role, penalty kill which he’s very good at, and slide up and down the lineup. Friend Madison Miller believes he’s worth a third round pick. I don’t want anymore picks unless Kreider goes. They need roster players. But Fast is likely at best worth a late two. Maybe you get a fringe prospect.

So, as it pertains to tonight, I don’t know what to expect. The Sabres are a mediocre team that has a top 10 player, a good second-year offensive defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin, a good right wing in Reinhart, and streaky finisher in Jeff Skinner. They have other guys like Rasmus Ristolainen on a crowded defense that’s not that good. But little else. Jimmy Vesey plays for them. So does Evan Rodriguez. That’s not a ringing endorsement. Marcus Johansson is on them too stealing money. Kyle Okposo still plays. So does Conor Sheary. I guess Sidney Crosby can make anyone look good. Think Rob Brown and Mario Lemieux. You get the picture.

They sure miss rookie Victor Olofsson. He’s good. It’s easy to forget he had 35 points in 42 games. The 24-year old Swede would’ve been up for the Calder against Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. Adam Fox is one of the better rookies too. But don’t forget goalies Ilya Samsonov and Elvis Merzlikins. Even Mackenzie Blackwood deserves mention despite how bad the Devils are. He shutout the Flyers last night with 46 saves. Dominik Kubalik is also in the mix due to his 21 goals.

Last night, Jonas Johansson made his first NHL start for Buffalo. I doubt you’ll see him later. It’ll probably be Carter Hutton. And no. It’s unacceptable for the Rangers to lose to him. We know the history. Linus Ullmark is out with an injury. He has 16 wins and a .914 save percentage on the Sabres. That’s good.

The Sabres have been taking it on the chin lately from aggravated fans. They have their reasons. From knockoff throwback jerseys they had some of their most memorable players wear to an ownership that hasn’t gotten it done. Yeah. I’d say there’s plenty of ammo for unhappy Buffalo fans. They last made the playoffs in 2010-11. That’s absurd. A once proud franchise that always seemed to appear in the postseason has missed it in 10 of the last 12 years. Holy mackerel. Lindy Ruff is the last successful coach they know. Yes. That Lindy Ruff.

They’ve gone through general managers, owners and currently don’t have a Team President. It isn’t a good situation. You have to think they’d have serious interest in Chris Drury to run the operation. He’s the assistant GM for the Rangers, who wouldn’t let him interview for a job last year. They love him. Would Buffalo be willing to pay a draft pick for Drury? They need more stability. Is GM Jason Botterill the right fit? He’s only in Year Three. They can’t keep firing people. Ralph Krueger coaches them.

What about the Rangers? Well, they go for a second consecutive win and fourth in five. They are up to 56 points. Tonight is Game 53. They are two points better than the Sabres, who will play Game 55. If you’re an eternal optimist like Jon is, you still believe there’s a chance at the playoffs. But as I told him last night via a phone call with my brother Justin, they have to subtract players due to this summer. He wants Lundqvist scratched. The thing they won’t do. He knows what must happen.

The Rangers trail the Hurricanes by nine points for the final wildcard. By virtue of their predictable comeback win over the lowly Kings in which Kieffer Bellows scored his first two NHL goals, the Islanders moved past the Blue Jackets into third place with 68 points. Columbus is 11 clear of our team with 67 in the first wildcard. Despite remarkable play, they’re not out of the woods. The Leafs have 63. One behind third place Florida and two out of the last wildcard. The Flyers also have 65, but don’t have the first tiebreaker which is regulation wins. They have only 20 compared to our team’s 23.

So, assuming the lineup is the same, I have to think Strome and Artemi Panarin are back together with Fast. That would mean Filip Chytil with Kaapo Kakko and Lemieux. Howden would stick with Greg “Keg Man” McKegg and Phil Di Giuseppe on the new fourth line.

At this point, there’s no reason to use Brendan Smith anymore due to Ryan Lindgren finally killing penalties. He’s been a good team guy. But it’s time. They need an improved fourth line. Continue to take a look at Di Giuseppe and Howden. I still don’t get why Boo Nieves can’t be here. Or even Steven Fogarty.

Vitali Kravtsov had two assists in a 7-4 Wolf Pack win on Wednesday night. At some point, I’d like to see him up. But don’t rush him. He hasn’t proven himself yet. Let him earn it like Bellows did with Bridgeport. My guess is you won’t see Kravtsov until the final nine games.

As for the defense, it’s not changing. Brady Skjei and Jacob Trouba are back together. Lindgren and Fox comprise the second pair. DeAngelo and Marc Staal are the third pair. But you know DeAngelo will get more ice time due to what he brings. Ditto Fox. Those are the best skaters.

I’ll be curious to see if Georgiev can continue to stay sharp following a layoff. That’s a wrap. I’ll have more later.

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Igor Shesterkin already proving himself

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Derek

There was a lot of hype. Expectations were through the roof. That was due to how well Igor Shesterkin performed for St. Petersburg SKA in the KHL. Taken by the Rangers with the 118th pick in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft, the Moscow, Russia native proved to be one of the best goalie prospects in the game.

From 2016-17 through ’18-19, Shesterkin went 71-12-10 with SKA. That translates to 71 victories in 95 games. He put up remarkable numbers to dominate the KHL. That included 25 shutouts over that span with 10 coming last year. A season that saw him post a 1.11 GAA and. 953 save percentage.

At that point, the Blueshirts had to sign him. They finally did to get Shesterkin over to North America last summer. The anticipation for him was maybe higher than it was for a kid by the name of Henrik Lundqvist, who the team took in the seventh round in 2000. Fast-forward and everyone knows how great a goaltender he became in New York City. Now, the elder statesman is nearing the end of his career at least with the Rangers. It’s a complicated situation.

For the younger 24-year old Shesterkin, there were still questions he had to answer. How quickly would he adjust to the smaller rink in the AHL with Hartford? Not long at all. All he did was continue to win games consistently by going 17-4-3 with a 1.90 GAA, .934 save percentage and three shutouts with the Wolf Pack. He was named an AHL All-Star, but skipped the event with the Rangers opting to let him get extra work instead with a bye week during the break.

Since his recall, Shestyorkin or Shesty has proven he is capable of performing well against NHL competition. During last night’s 5-3 win at MSG, he made 27 saves to defeat the Maple Leafs. One of the league’s best offenses, the Russian showed good composure by making several big saves. None better than going post to post to deny Auston Matthews of a sure goal early. Even though Matthews would get him twice later on two great shots, Shesterkin prevailed to improve to 4-1-0 in five Ranger starts.

With a defense that can sometimes be shaky, he has proven he can come up with the clutch stops. Possessing a quick glove that is like a whipping motion, he is a fun player to watch play the position. He’s also very athletic and strong down low which good goalies need at this high level to be successful.

So far in five games all at home, he’s won four starts with a 2.61 GAA and. 922 save percentage. Respectable numbers on a young team that isn’t consistent at five-on-five. It’s not just the defense. The forwards play a important role too. That’s the misconception in other spaces.

Take a look at the big Leafs stars and their plus/minuses from last night. They shared responsibility along with the putrid Toronto defense while getting victimized by the trio of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich.

For Shesterkin, he already is hearing the “Ig-or, Igor!”, chants from the Garden crowd. And for good reason. There is reason to be excited. The hype so far is real for the young Russian netminder, who seems to have a keen sense of humor. He understands.

Whatever happens regarding Alex Georgiev, whose name will continue to be mentioned even with the Maple Leafs out after wisely getting Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford from the Kings, Shesterkin looks like the Rangers goalie of the present and future. If Lundqvist was ever open to waving his no-trade clause, that would make things a lot easier. That is up to him.

For now, Shesterkin remains one of three NHL goalies in a complicated rotation. Maybe the picture becomes clearer on Monday, Feb. 24. The date of the NHL trade deadline. However, we know Shesty isn’t going anywhere. That’s a good thing for everyone.

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Game #52 Buchnevich, Zibanejad and Kreider take apart Maple Leafs, Shestyorkin improves to 4-1-0 for Rangers

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Derek

Pavel Buchnevich celebrates a goal in easily his best game of the season. He finished with a goal and two assists in the Rangers 5-3 win over the defenseless Maple Leafs. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images

David Quinn wanted improved play at five-on-five. He got it in a 5-3 Rangers home win over the defenseless Maple Leafs. In a topsy turvy battle between old Original Six rivals, it was the first line of the Rangers that did in the Leafs, who lost a important game. They remain a point behind idle Florida for third in their division and trail the Flyers by two for the final wildcard.

Toronto’s issues are well documented. Having attended my fifth game of the season, I figured the lack of defense would lead to the Over hitting. I’m not a gambler. But if I was, I would’ve took the Over due to the goal total being seven. That seemed like a good bet. Funny enough, I predicted eight total goals during warm-ups and even nailed the final score. I didn’t pick a winner though because I wasn’t sure who would win. The desperate Leafs or the inconsistent Rangers.

The Maple Leafs were again without starting netminder Frederik Andersen, who sat out with a neck injury. He’s day-to-day. That meant backup Michael Hutchinson got the start. Ironically, all four of his wins have come as a starter. He actually entered play having won his last four starts. Outside of one questionable goal to Pavel Buchnevich that came right after an Auston Matthews goal late in the second period, he played a good game. Hutchinson finished with 30 saves.

Meanwhile, Igor Shestyorkin got the nod for the Rangers. All five of his starts have come at MSG. That’s by design. I thought it was a good test to let the kid see what he could do versus the high flying Leafs. As much as I thought Alex Georgiev would get the start due to his career record against them, this was the right call by Quinn. Shestyorkin is here to play. While he might not as much as he’d like, it’s smart to find out what they have against a good opponent. Even if Toronto wouldn’t know the word defense if it hit them in the logo, they boast plenty of offensive talent.

Any time you can face a skilled team that features Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares, it’s a good thing. The Leafs don’t lack for talent with William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, Tyson Barrie and injured defenseman Morgan Rielly part of a strong offense. Rasmus Sandin has been playing with Rielly out. He is the future of the Toronto blueline. Just 19, he’ll only get better.

The problem with Toronto is they’re too easy to play against. They might have replaced Mike Babcock with Sheldon Keefe. But their roster isn’t constructed the right way. As a passionate Maple Leafs fan I spoke with during the game put it, they don’t have enough sandpaper. He said they need a physical forward, a tough defensive defenseman and a better backup goalie. Right on all three accounts. When I mentioned that they probably miss Matt Martin, he agreed. They lack that kind of high character player, who will get the jersey dirty.

He also grinned when I brought up Darcy Tucker. He was a lot of things due to his dirty style. But he was a tough hockey player who had skill to go with his grit and physicality. Ditto for Shayne Corson and Gary Roberts. All three were a big part of those Leafs teams that made good runs that included two Conference Finals. Similar to the ’93 Leafs, they never got over the hump. That ’92-93 roster should’ve reached the Stanley Cup Final. Instead, they lost to the Kings due to a memorable Game Seven from Wayne Gretzky.

That’s what the Toronto history is. Losing heartbreaking series. They were probably better in ’99 than the Sabres. But Buffalo had Dominik Hasek. It was similar in ’02 when the underdog Hurricanes beat them as a Cinderella. Of course, they’ve blown series in gut wrenching fashion to the Bruins. Last year, they led 3-2 in the first round before Boston rallied. As the Leafs fan uttered, they have their number. Yet he still wants another shot at them. First, that gotta make the playoffs.

While it was nice to have a good conversation with an opposing fan, who had a Crazy Eddie Belfour jersey on, the game was entertaining too. In the early going, it was exactly what I expected. It wasn’t more than 66 seconds old and you already had three rushes with the Leafs buzzing on two. It was the high tempo you figured they’d come out with. They can score with anyone. It’s just that they struggle with the other key parts of the game. Defense optional.

The Rangers got an early power play when Zach Hyman went off for a phantom hook on Jacob Trouba. One of those new NHL specials. The Toronto fan didn’t like it. However, that’s what they call. Hyman was aggressive on the forecheck and got his stick in. That’s all it takes. In the old days, that’s play on.

Despite being handed an early gift, the Ranger power play wasn’t good. The top unit didn’t establish much. They were sloppy and turned over pucks for easy clears. After going a perfect three-for-three the other night, they took the collar in two chances.

Shortly following the successive kill, the Leafs took the lead when Tavares rebounded home a dangerous Nylander shot that Shestyorkin made a good stop on. However, the low pointblank shot caromed right to Tavares for an easy put away for his 20th at 7:36. The defensive coverage was lousy.

Before the Toronto contingent could get too comfortable, the Rangers struck back 1:14 later to tie the game. On a sustained forecheck, Tony DeAngelo was given all sorts of time. He patiently waited for Filip Chytil to get position in front before threading a nice pass for a tap in. It was Chytil’s 12th goal and first in eight games since tallying at St. Louis on Jan. 11. Marc Staal picked up a rare point with a secondary helper.

Late in the period, things fell apart for the Leafs quickly. With the game tied, Chris Kreider won a offensive draw back to Mika Zibanejad. He didn’t take long releasing a perfect shot by Hutchinson for a 2-1 lead at 17:18. It was a well executed play.

What happened next was stunning. Off the next face-off at center ice, Zibanejad and Buchnevich sent Kreider in behind the Toronto defense. It took him only six seconds to move in on Hutchinson and go to his patented backhand deke for a sweet finish at 17:24. It was Kreider’s 19th. He missed the last game due to a minor injury. He sure didn’t look rusty. Kreider had another big night registering a goal and assist with a plus-three rating. He’s been dominant since Dec. 8 with 24 points in his last 23 games. It’s sad to think this could be it for Kreider.

The second period was weird. As expected, the Leafs came out desperate. Some good pressure forced Ryan Lindgren to take a cross checking minor penalty 59 seconds in. But the Rangers got the job done on the penalty kill. They got their sticks on pucks and cleared it out.

As play continued, it was strange. Despite constant pressure from Toronto, they couldn’t score on Shestyorkin. He made some good saves. It wasn’t until there was over there minutes left that the Leafs finally got the deficit down to one. On some relentless pressure behind the net, Johnsson was able to get free and center the puck for Matthews, whose low backhand fooled Shestyorkin for his 38th goal. It was a world class play.

But before they could grab the momentum, a turnover alllowed Brady Skjei to find Buchnevich alone in the slot where he skated in and fired a dipping low shot past Hutchinson to restore a two goal lead with 2:30 left in the period. The puck dipped underneath Hutchinson. It gave Buchnevich goals in four of his last five games. He has 11 for the season.

In the third, there wasn’t much going on. To their credit, the Rangers defended well in front of Shestyorkin. When there were close calls, the athletic rookie showed why he’s so highly rated. There were some odd attempts due to deflections in front. He continues to be very composed. I wonder if he’ll get another start on Friday. I expect it to be Georgiev.

A Greg McKegg hooking minor gave the Leafs a late power play with 4:16 remaining. On the man-advantage, Toronto didn’t make the foolish move and pull Hutchinson for a six-on-four. They didn’t give the Rangers a free shot at the empty net like so many other teams do.

It paid dividends when Tavares got the puck over to Matthews for his 39th on a deadly one timer. Marner picked up his 40th assist. The Leafs knew they had a chance of coming back. They got the third goal with 3:28 left.

But on a night they defended well, Buchnevich got the puck over to Greg McKegg, who made certain the game would end. It was just his second goal. Keg Man continues to work hard. It’s nice to see him get rewarded. It was probably the best game of Buchnevich’s Rangers career. He was engaged after his benching and Quinn criticism. He got rewarded for his hard work.

As we headed for the exits, apparently there was some frustration from the Leafs. Hyman fought Jacob Trouba. Ryan Lindgren got matching roughs with Toasted. Where was this battle level during the game?

That’s the Leafs in a nutshell. This was a good win. It gives the Rangers three over the last four with Buffalo coming in on Friday. They should be weary due to it being the second of a back-to-back.

The Rangers went 2-1 against the Maple Leafs. Not shockingly, all three matches saw the teams combine for at least eight goals. Here’s the breakdown:

Dec. 20 Maple Leafs 6 Rangers 3

Dec. 28 Rangers 5 Maple Leafs 4

Feb. 5 Maple Leafs 3 Rangers 5

Unless they fix their issues, the Leafs could actually miss the playoffs. Unfathomable. It also speaks to how competitive and close the East is. I think they’ll probably still get in by the skin of their teeth. If they don’t, when does Brendan Shanahan and Kyle Dubas finally face criticism? This happened after the loss. Cancel those ridiculous Georgiev to Toronto rumors.

As for our Broadway Blueshirts, they are up to 56 points with 30 games left. At the beginning of the season, I predicted them for 85 points. That’s doable. They trail the wildcard by nine points. The playoffs remain a long shot.

The next two games are at 33rd and Eighth Avenue versus the Sabres and Kings. If Georgiev gets Buffalo, does Lundqvist get LA on Sunday? What about Shestyorkin?

I guess we’ll see.

Battle of Hudson Three 🌟

3rd 🌟 Chris Kreider, Rangers (19th of season plus 🍎, +3 with 5 shots in 19:51)

2nd 🌟 Mika Zibanejad, Rangers (21st goal plus 🍎, +2 with 6 shots in 20:56)

1st 🌟 Pavel Buchnevich, Rangers (11th goal plus 2 🍎, +4 with 6 shots in 17:11)

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Rangers face the desperate Maple Leafs tonight, Shestyorkin starts, Strome on possible lineup changes

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Derek

Tonight, the Maple Leafs visit Manhattan when they do battle with the Rangers. The game is a 7:30 PM start. It must be one of those NBCSN flex games. Plus you got the Canadian telecast. From checking the schedule, it doesn’t say anything about NBC Sports Network. Interesting.

The Leafs find themselves trailing the final wildcard by two points. The Flyers currently occupy that spot with 65 points. With their 4-3 win in overtime over the Stars yesterday, the Islanders are the first wildcard with 66. Toronto is fourth in the Atlantic Division with 63 points. They are a point behind the Panthers for third place. The Leafs have 29 games remaining. Florida has 30.

The big news is the recent injury to starting goalie Frederik Andersen. However, it’s not serious. He’s listed as day-to-day. For now, that means Michael Hutchinson will start later. Backup goalie has been a sore spot for Toronto all season. They should have interest in Rangers netminder Alex Georgiev. It will depend on what’s offered as to whether he goes or not. You know what I think about it.

Despite his success versus the Leafs, Georgiev will not start tonight. It’ll be Igor Shestyorkin. He will get his first taste of Maple Leaf hockey. Oh boy. This should be a treat. The Over/Under is at 7 total goals. Up from the usual 6.5 when the Rangers play. As much as I like what I’ve seen from Shestyorkin, you have to think there will be plenty of goals. I’m thinking at least eight. Especially the way these teams skate and play.

David Quinn has put more of an emphasis on five-on-five play following Monday’s 5-3 loss to Dallas. Over the past two games, the Blueshirts have zero even strength goals. They have scored four power play goals including Mika Zibanejad’s lone tally in the Henrik Lundqvist 1-0 shutout of lowly Detroit. The man-advantage went three-for-three against the Stars the other night.

That means they’ve gotten zilch done at five-on-five. Oh. It’s not that they played poorly at even strength. They generated enough chances and shots. However, they got no results. Credit Anton Khudobin for that. Dallas was better at taking advantage of their opportunities. They got the last three at even strength with two in the second chasing Henrik Lundqvist. Then a rebound goal on Georgiev.

With the focus on improving at five-on-five, Quinn is toying with the idea of new lines. Yep. That includes the trio of Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome and Jesper Fast. They’ve cooled off. So, expect them to be broken up for the start of this one. When asked about it at practice yesterday, Strome understood why.

Here is a player who gets it. He knows that despite good results in a potential career year, he needs to be better. He admitted that he needs to shoot the puck more. Something that’s a common theme with this team. Pavel Buchnevich has been as evidenced by his three goals over the last four games. However, he got benched last game. What line will he play on?

I’d imagine Quinn is putting Panarin and Zibanejad back together in an attempt to match the Leafs firepower. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander have been their best players. John Tavares is under a point-per-game. He’s not been as consistent as his first year. Kasperi Kapanen is a key contributor who the Rangers might have interest in. Again, this is just spitballing.

I definitely am curious to see how they respond. This game has some juice to it given the importance for the Leafs. I’ll be there. Recap will be much later.

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Game #51 Stars bring Rangers back to reality, Lundqvist pulled, Buchnevich demoted despite a goal

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Derek

Stephen Johns celebrates an emotional goal during a Stars 5-3 win over the Rangers, who again failed to win three in a row last night. AP Photo credit Dallas Stars via Getty Images

Some games you can’t explain. Although I knew the Stars were better than the Rangers, it still hurts that they again failed to string together three consecutive wins. They’ve only done it once and that was before Thanksgiving.

Like a broken record that plays over and over again similar to classic Bill Murray character Phil in Groundhog Day, the Rangers aren’t a playoff team. They may have took care of business by banking four points against lowly Detroit. However, they were no match for Dallas, who used a pair of Joe Pavelski power play goals within a 16 second span to turn a 1-0 deficit around. The Stars got another goal from Henrik Lundqvist killer Blake Comeau as they scored three in a row to break open a tie game and defeat the Rangers 5-3 at MSG.

There wasn’t much to like about this one. The only area they excelled was on the power play. Indeed, the Rangers went three for three on power play goals from Pavel Buchnevich (10th), Brett Howden (7th) and Brendan Lemieux (6th). The problem was despite doing some good things at five-on-five and leading in shots 18-11 and then 22-13, they didn’t take advantage.

Instead, it was the Stars who were opportunistic by scoring four times on 15 shots to chase Lundqvist, who made his second straight start following a shutout at Detroit. It didn’t go well. He was out by the start of the third period where Alex Georgiev replaced him and allowed one goal on six shots in relief. The one was scored by Corey Perry on a rebound to make it 5-2 Stars.

That was enough for Dallas backup Anton Khudobin to come away with the victory. He was far busier finishing with 33 saves including 29 for 29 at even strength to give his team the road win. The Stars go for the metro area sweep at the Islanders tomorrow night.

The game started out well for the Blueshirts. With Andrew Cogliano off for a trip on Artemi Panarin, Buchnevich scored for the third time in four games to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead at 2:29. It was a lucky one. Taking a feed from Panarin, he skated into the Stars zone and caught Khudobin leaning with a sharp angle shot to hit double digits for the season. Tony DeAngelo picked up a secondary assist for his 40th point.

The game changed following an interference minor to Brendan Smith. Dallas would capitalize in odd fashion when Pavelski scored his 10th from John Klingberg and Jamie Benn. It was weird because of the way the puck was ruled to have gone in. Even the replays on MSG were confusing. The puck hit the glass after going in. Both Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti were confused. So was I. David Quinn had to be puzzled after losing the challenge. It handed Dallas another power play.

It didn’t take long for Pavelski to notch number 11 just 16 seconds later. Tyler Seguin and Benn combined to set up Pavelski in the slot for a 2-1 Dallas lead at 8:24. He was left wide open to blow a one-timer past Lundqvist. It was lousy coverage by all four penalty killers. Jamie Benn was allowed to easily find Pavelski in the slot for the second power play goal that put the Stars up by one.

Still trailing, the Rangers got the benefit of a Dallas bench minor for too many men on the ice. They would score in unconventional fashion. Initially, the refs immediately waved off Brett Howden’s goal. The reason being is he gloved the puck down first in front of the Stars net before putting it in. They must’ve thought he didn’t get a stick on it. After video review, the call was overturned giving Howden a rare power play goal.

Kaapo Kakko picked up an assist along with Lemieux. It was Kakko’s first point since Jan. 2. So it took exactly a month for the teenager to get his 10th assist and 17th point. He’s looked better since the team returned from the break. I thought having the time off would be good. He went home and it had to help. He’s still playing on the third line. But perhaps a promotion could be coming.

After one period, you had a tie hockey game. All four goals were scored on the power play. The Rangers held a 13-7 shots edge. They would surge ahead in the second by getting five of the first nine to increase to 18-11 for the game. However, they were unable to score on Khudobin, who outside of allowing a bad goal to Buchnevich, had a good night. He finished with 33 saves. One of the best backups in the game, he allowed starter Ben Bishop to rest for Tuesday’s visit at the Islanders. The Isles need the game as they’ve fallen to the final wildcard behind Columbus and Philadelphia.

It was the Stars who got the first goal at even strength. It was an emotional one for defenseman Stephen Johns. Having dealt with post traumatic headaches, he wasn’t sure he would get to return again. He scored his first goal of the season on a good one-timer from the point through traffic to put Dallas ahead 3-2. Here’s how it looked and sounded on the Dallas telecast. Plus an emotional Johns discussing how much it meant with his parents in the stands.

Obviously, you feel good for Johns. It sounds like he went through a difficult time. Him talking about the pain he experienced and how it wasn’t only him. But his parents too that have supported him by attending many games. That’s what it’s all about. He has good perspective. A feel good moment for sure.

I mentioned earlier how Comeau kills Lundqvist. He owns him. It’s the strangest thing. Since his days with the Islanders, the checking winger has always had a penchant for scoring big goals against Lundqvist. How many of the 14 are shorthanded? He did get probably two or three with the Isles and Pens down a man. For a player who’s never going to be confused with Ovechkin, he has a good shot. Once again, it was Groundhog Day at The Garden for Hank.

He probably sees Comeau in his sleep scoring on such great shots as the excellent wrist shot he ripped top shelf on the far side, blowing a hole through his glove. I said that for effect. Some guys just have goalie’s numbers. Comeau took advantage of a misread by Phil Di Giuseppe (yes he played for Chris Kreider). The puck took a favorable carom off the side boards over Di Giuseppe right to Comeau for a two-on-one. He’s a shoot first player. The alternate Stars captain earned his seventh on the fluky play to give the Stars a two goal lead at 11:56 of the second.

You can tell by the reaction of Ryan Lindgren how disappointed he was by the Comeau goal. Di Giuseppe was scrambling back, but obviously was too late. It’s a shot you’d like to see Lundqvist stop. But let’s give some credit to Comeau. It was a great shot. Better than I first thought. Not bad for a guy with 135 career NHL goals in a respectable 835 games while playing for six teams (Isles, Flames, Blue Jackets, Pens, Avalanche, Stars). The Rangers are the only team Comeau has double digits against going 14-10-24 in 36 games. Crazy stuff.

The second period was a letdown. The Rangers also took two penalties aside from the breakdowns on the Dallas goals. One was coincidental with both Howden (hooking) and Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (embellishment) going off for matching minors.

Without Kreider, who they kept out as a precaution despite him pushing to play, Quinn mixed up his lines. Believe it or not, Di Giuseppe started with Buchnevich and Mika Zibanejad. However, quite a few different combinations were tried as the game went on. This even included Lindgren taking a shift with Marc Staal. Why? It also featured goal scorer Buchnevich on the fourth line with Greg McKegg and Brendan Smith in the third.

That didn’t go well. They were caught on for the Stars fifth goal. On some sustained pressure, a one-timer was mishandled by Georgiev. The rebound went right to Perry, who got position on McKegg to slam it in for just his fourth goal at 5:22. How the mighty have fallen. He once won the Hart Trophy with the Ducks.

Regarding what happened to Buchnevich, Quinn didn’t say much. He just repeated himself when pressed.

Strange how the guy goes from getting his third goal over the last four early on and then gets benched. The Rangers were without Kreider. Filip Chytil shifted to the wing to take Buchnevich’s place. Lemieux also played more even drawing a penalty and then tallying a third power play goal that made it 5-3 with 6:43 left in regulation. Adam Fox drew the only assist on Lemieux’s deflection. That’s something he’s adept at. He definitely needs to become more consistent. He hasn’t been as effective since returning.

Of course, Lemieux stirred the pot late. With Georgiev pulled, the sneaky Blueshirt knocked the stick out of Benn’s hands. He then took a pass and put a shot past Khudobin with a minute left as the whistle blew. With Benn irate at Lemieux for what he did, obviously it was no goal and matching minors to both players. Lemieux for interference and Benn for roughing. I would’ve done the same exact thing to Lemieux. He’s a lot like his Dad, who was a better player that knew how to agitate the heck out of opponents.

As far as replacing Lundqvist with Georgiev at the start of the third, Quinn explained it well.

He obviously wasn’t happy with his team’s effort. They once again failed to get that winning streak. How can anyone expect them to chase down all the team’s in front of them when they can’t put together a good stretch? That’s why I’ve been consistent in concluding that this isn’t a playoff team. They do compete hard, but there is also too much inconsistency which good teams don’t have.

Next up are the Maple Leafs. They’re the same Jekyll and Hyde high flying and scoring club that doesn’t play much defense. Even worse, they lost starter Frederik Andersen to an injury during last night’s 5-3 home loss to the Panthers, who scored the last four. Michael Hutchinson replaced him after the first. It wasn’t until the third that the bottom fell out. He allowed three goals in a row followed by an empty netter.

The Leafs fell back to out of the wildcard. They have 63 points, trailing the Isles by one. The Hurricanes also have 63 with one less game played. Unless Montreal or the Rangers make a move, it’s basically 10 teams competing for eight spots.

Battle of Hudson Three 🌟

3rd 🌟 Joe Pavelski, Stars (a pair of power play goals in 16 seconds)

2nd 🌟 Blake Comeau, Stars (14th career goal vs Lundqvist on a wicked wrist shot high cheese, a Ranger killer got the winner)

1st 🌟 Stephen Johns, Stars (emotional first goal that put Stars ahead for good with parents in stands)

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