Game #22: Kreider and DeAngelo rally resilient Rangers past Wild in overtime, Lundqvist fifth all-time with 455 wins, Panarin magic on Zuccarello’s emotional return

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Derek

Henrik Lundqvist shows off the winning game puck of victory number 455 to move into fifth all-time past Curtis Joseph in a Rangers comeback 3-2 overtime win. AP Photo credit New York Rangers via Getty Images

For a while, it looked like it would be one of those disappointing losses. However, the Rangers persistence paid off. Using a Chris Kreider power play goal late in regulation along with overtime hero Tony DeAngelo’s goal at 32 seconds of three-on-three, they rallied past the Wild to win 3-2 on Hockey Fights Cancer night at an emotional Madison Square Garden.

It also marked the return of former Ranger Mats Zuccarello. Wearing his traditional number 36 in Wild colors, the popular fan favorite heard the familiar “Zuuuucccc! Zuuuuucccc!”, chants from an appreciative Garden crowd. From the moment he stepped on the ice in warmups to his first shift, he was serenaded by the knowledgeable crowd, who loved the player he was for almost nine years in New York City.

A special moment occurred when MSG paid tribute with a video on the big screen during a stoppage. While Zuccarello looked at it, his Wild teammates gave him some taps as fans gave him a long ovation. After acknowledging the crowd a few times by waving from the bench, eventually Zuccarello got up and skated out briefly to salute the crowd. It was a very special moment that brought tears to me watching at home.

After a good start by Zuccarello’s new team, who had seven of the first nine shots thanks in large part to an early power play on a foolish slashing minor to Boo Nieves, the Rangers pushed back. Eventually, they took the lead when Brady Skjei got a little pick from DeAngelo while Zuccarello didn’t have a stick. That opened up enough of a shooting lane for Skjei to fire home his third past Minnesota starting goalie Alex Stalock at 14:50. Artemiy Panarin picked up a secondary assist while DeAngelo earned the primary.

Previously, a Kreider slashing penalty in front negated a goal. The Rangers penalty kill came through. Then Skjei scored through traffic to give him a goal and two assists in the last two games. He again was teamed with Jacob Trouba. They were okay after being reunited by coach David Quinn. In particular, Skjei was more aggressive attempting shots.

Leading by one, the Blueshirts largely dominated the second period. In fact, the Wild didn’t have a shot for a long stretch. However, like most experienced opponents, they were able to hang around due to two successful kills of New York power plays. On the latter, the home team was their own worst enemy by hesitating to shoot the puck. Stalock only had to make two stops after Brendan Lemieux drew a cross-check on an exhausted Matt Dumba, who just finished a lengthy 2:57 shift due to some unreal sustained Ranger pressure.

When the first unit kept the puck almost the full two minutes but didn’t score, I knew what was next. In fact, I predicted it in a tweet as the Wild were finally coming on.

https://twitter.com/Kovy274Hart/status/1199140300817604614?s=19

On a sustained shift, Kevin Fiala finally skated into open space and made a perfect pass across for a wide open Zach Parise, who got just enough of the puck to sneak it off Henrik Lundqvist’s outstretched glove and in for his ninth at 17:11. Jared Spurgeon added a helper on a play that was predictable with a trio that included Lemieux, Pavel Buchnevich and Filip Chytil exhausted. Neither Skjei nor a gassed Chytil could check Parise, who still can score those garbage goals.

https://twitter.com/Kovy274Hart/status/1199141706651914240?s=19

Minnesota isn’t the most exciting team. They rank very low in offense and also aren’t great defensively. For that reason, they don’t take many chances. Instead, they play close to the vest under veteran coach Bruce Boudreau. If you were expecting a wide open, high scoring game like Montreal, you were sadly mistaken. It’s not in the Wild’s DNA to get into track meets. They knew they had to pack it in and slow the Rangers down. They were coming off a blown 4-2 third period lead in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Bruins.

It was the Wild who dictated the action in the third. They created some scoring chances off their defense. Lundqvist had already robbed close pal Zuccarello on one point blank opportunity. His best save came when he denied Jason Zucker on a two-on-one with a great glove save that drew the familiar, “Hen-rik! Hen-rik!”, chants from a crowd that had been silent. It was a classic save like old times.

Playing for a chance to pass omitted goalie Curtis Joseph for fifth all-time in wins, Lundqvist was at his best. Sure. He wasn’t under siege like most nights, but he made all the key stops en route to 26 altogether for career victory number 455. Joseph somehow won 454 but isn’t in the biased Hockey Hall of Fame. He never played for any great teams. Not once did he win a Stanley Cup or play for one. The closest he came was ’01-02 when Toronto lost to Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final. He finished in the top five for the Vezina five times.

It was the Wild who surged ahead at the halfway mark. A bad neutral zone turnover that wasn’t handled cleanly by Skjei or Buchnevich resulted in Ryan Donato taking a Ryan Hartman pass and ripping his second off the goalpost and in for a 2-1 lead with 10 minutes left.

At that point, it looked like it would be a disappointing loss to a beatable team. However, Minnesota was content to sit back instead of putting the game away. That’s not going to work most games unless you are coached by Barry Trotz and playing for the Islanders these days.

Eventually, the Rangers picked up the pace. Quinn altered the lines. For a while, it didn’t look like it was working. He took Panarin off the top line and moved Buchnevich up with Kreider and Ryan Strome. There were some close calls for a frustrated Buchnevich, who couldn’t believe his misfortune when a great one-timer from the slot was turned away by a acrobatic Stalock. He prevented the goal by closing his legs to push the puck wide. Buchnevich had a couple of more high quality opportunities that he couldn’t bury. He deserved better.

Ironically, it was a very bad Hartman tripping minor in the offensive zone when he foolishly took down Skjei that handed the Blueshirts the golden opportunity they needed. Adam Fox moved the puck to Panarin, whose pass seemed to be redirected by Strome on net. The puck caromed right to Kreider who scored the huge power play goal for his sixth with 2:50 left in regulation. The scoring of the play reads Kreider from Panarin and Fox. I think it’ll be changed to Kreider from Strome and Panarin.

With only 20 seconds remaining, Fox made a great move towards the Minnesota net. He looked like he was going to win it. But his backhand missed wide. The game went to overtime. It sorta reminded me of when the old Rangers needed OT to get Mike Richter 300 wins. That was pretty cool.

This time, it was Lundqvist who got to celebrate win number 455 thanks to DeAngelo, who scored at 32 seconds of extras. The play was started by Strome with Panarin working his magic by getting the puck to an open DeAngelo, who had enough room to move in and beat Stalock with a good wrist shot for his seventh to touch off a nice celebration.

It was a really nice goal scored by a good offensive defenseman, who looks like a lock for double digit goals and possibly 40 points. DeAngelo is improving and belongs on this roster moving forward. Hopefully, they extend him soon. Or bridge him. He deserves it.

As soon as the game ended and the three stars were announced with DeAngelo getting number two and Panarin first star, I was a bit surprised that Lundqvist didn’t get a star too. He did play well. The kind of game they needed from him.

What wasn’t surprising was that MSG couldn’t wait to put the graphic up for Lundqvist. I get it. It’s nice. The production team works on these things all the time. It just felt like they were overshadowing what happened. That was a good team win like Saturday.

A comeback too in front of the home fans with many fighting for cancer survivors. If only the great Stephen Curatolo was still around to see his Rangers. He was the best fan and person because he was always so positive and happy despite his battle with cancer. That win was for him and people like him, who are smiling proudly on this night from up above. I told his good sister Jennifer as such on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/Kovy274Hart/status/1199159250150408192?s=19

There are so many people who are the most courageous that fight every day. They are the true heroes. That’s what the true definition of Monday night was all about. No wonder they rooted for and loved the underdog like Zuccarello. He will always remain beloved no matter what jersey he wears.

By winning this game, they can make it dear I say three in a row against a good Carolina club that’s third in the Metro Division. That’s on Wednesday night or Turkey Eve. Something I sarcastically joked about due to the NYR offense seeming to disappear until Kreider’s goal saved them.

https://twitter.com/Kovy274Hart/status/1199149019618070529?s=19

Hey. They woke up before the bar scene. πŸ˜‰ Now they’ll go for that “winning streak.”

Battle Of Hudson 3 🌟

3rd 🌟 Artemiy Panarin, Rangers (3 assists, +2 in 20:24)

2nd 🌟 Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (26 saves including 13/14 in 2nd for career win number 455 to move past Cujo for 5th on all-time list)

1st 🌟 Tony DeAngelo, Rangers (game-winner at 32 seconds of OT for 7th goal plus 🍎, +2 in 15:50)

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The Return of Zuccarello, Zibanejad almost ready

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Derek

Tonight marks the return of Mats Zuccarello at The Garden. One of the most popular Rangers, who went from a small role under former coach John Tortorella, to a primary one under Alain Vigneault, will be the opponent later.

It’ll still be weird to see Zuccarello in another jersey wearing his familiar Number 36 for the Wild. He was instrumental in helping the ’13-14 team reach the Stanley Cup Final. Playing on a cohesive third line with Derick Brassard and Benoit Pouliot, the pint sized Norwegian brought it. It didn’t matter about his size. He had a gigantic heart and wore his emotions on his sleeves.

He wasn’t only a playmaking right wing who made teammates better. But a hard nosed warrior that could dish it out as well as take it. Zucc as he is affectionately known by MSG and just about everyone including Dallas fans who took to him last Spring, will certainly be saluted by the Rangers during what should be an emotional game. There’ll be a video tribute and the usual acknowledgement from former teammates including close friend Henrik Lundqvist, who’ll start in net. Will they have some battles in the crease?

One thing about Zuccarello. He never shied away from going to the dirty areas to score. Though he was always more of a set up man due to his high IQ and unselfish nature, he’s always carried himself so much bigger in stature than the generous 5-8 he’s listed at. Like most small players, he’s strong and tough. You have to be to make it in the NHL.

If I could use one word to describe Zucc, it would be resilient. Who could ever forget the Ryan McDonagh shot he took off the helmet versus Pittsburgh in the 2015 first round that knocked him out of the playoffs? It’s still amazing that he came back from a brain contusion and hairline fracture that almost ended his career. He had to relearn how to speak thanks to a speech therapist.

Somehow, he came back like nothing happened. In ’15-16, he paced the team in scoring with a career high 26 goals and 61 points. Having done the unthinkable, he was nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy. He should’ve won it over ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr. But what can you do? It was a bit perplexing that Zuccarello didn’t win the award.

A heart and soul player who led the Rangers in scoring four different seasons including the memorable ’13-14 when they rallied from a 3-1 second round series deficit to beat the Penguin for the first time, he’s someone that’s easy to admire for how hard he plays the game. He became a team leader and was someone who loved being a Blueshirt. When he was finally traded last February 23, it was tough on everybody.

Even after an injury sidelined him most of the rest of the regular season, he came back and nearly led the Stars to a second round upset of eventual Cup champion St. Louis. His 11 points (4-7-11) tied him with Tyler Seguin for the team lead in the postseason.

After not re-upping with Dallas, who I still believe made a mistake, Zuccarello wound up signing with Minnesota for five years and $30 million. He went from making an average cap hit of $4.5 million as one of the better bargains to earning $6 million annually. The raise was well deserved. Even though I’m not sure how he’ll look by the end of that contract, you know he’ll give it his all.

So far, it’s been a rough go for Zucc and the Wild. They’re 9-11-3 this far in a very competitive Central Division. Even though they’ve struggled, Minnesota has played a little better recently. They enter 3-0-2 in the last five with points in five straight. Zuccarello has picked it up lately with four points (1-3-4) in his last three games. Overall, he’s played in 19 games for the Wild and is 4-7-11 with a minus-seven rating so far. Five of his 11 points have come via the power play.

Will he score on Lundqvist after having dinner with his former teammate’s family over the weekend? It wouldn’t surprise me. Zucc is that kind of player you root for and love. But he is the opponent tonight for a younger team that’s still trying to find consistency following a wild rally from a 4-0 deficit to stun Montreal 6-5 on Saturday.

For his Rangers career, Zuccarello had 113 goals with 239 assists for a total of 352 points in 509 games. He also had 215 penalty minutes due to his passion. It’s why he’s so beloved and will receive quite an ovation in half an hour. His best postseason was in the 2014 run when he had five goals and eight helpers for 13 points. That tied him with former teammate Chris Kreider for fifth that Spring.

Without Zucc, Brassard and Pouliot, there’s no comeback against the hated Pens. Ditto for Lundqvist, who was at his absolute best the last three games. Having emotional leader Martin St. Louis was truly inspiring following the tragic loss of his Mom France. It was poetic that he’d score the first goal on Mother’s Day in Game Six when MSG shook literally. I was there. Ditto for Brad Richards, who scored the series clincher in Game Seven from St. Louis. It was storybook. Even if that team ultimately didn’t win a championship due to losing to a better Kings roster that also had the benefit of some calls.

Now, it’ll be Zuccarello versus his old team at The Garden. He’ll probably shed some tears. Who will cry more? Him or Hank? Updating this post, from the great Wild reporter Sarah McLellan:

In regards to the Rangers, who enter play 10-9-2 through the quarter mark, Mika Zibanejad will miss his 13th consecutive game. However, he did practice in a white jersey and will do one more tomorrow with him expected back Wednesday on Turkey Eve. He wouldn’t give away what the mysterious upper body injury was. Though we have a pretty good idea by now. Especially given Zibanejad’s concussion history.

As expected, Boo Nieves was recalled to replace the injured Greg McKegg to center the fourth line. If he goes back down, he’ll need to clear waivers. I can’t imagine any team claiming him. Micheal Haley already cleared and stayed up with the team even playing if you can call less than three minutes of ice time that. Yikes.

David Quinn has decided to give Brady Skjei and Jacob Trouba another chance as the top pair. Even though both defensemen struggled at times on goals against the other night, he liked the way they responded. Skjei did record two assists including a important one on Brendan Lemieux’s tying shorthanded goal. Trouba got the winner off a Ryan Strome face-off win through a good Kreider screen. We’ll see how it goes.

I am not a fan of the Libor Hajek and Tony DeAngelo pair. But that’s what it is for now. Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox have been the most consistent since being put together. They’re basically the second pair. I guess we’ll find out how long the renewed Skjei-Trouba partnership lasts.

That’s gonna do it for now. I’ll have a game review later. It should be interesting.

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Good teammate DeAngelo deserves credit for sticking up for Strome

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Derek

Tony DeAngelo went to bat for teammate Ryan Strome, who’s been a steal for the Rangers since coming over from Edmonton last year. AP Photo credit Newsday.com via Getty Images

In the sometimes exasperating world of social media, things can blow up pretty quickly. The way things are spread like wildfire isn’t right. It’s almost as if some of these people have become too cool for their own sanity. They think what they say matters.

Newsflash. It does not. They’re not the story. As much as a few bloggers believe the stuff they say is 100 percent factual, it isn’t even close. If you run a blog of any kind, it’s for opinion on something you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be hockey or sports either. I follow a unique blogger who has overcome Anorexia and gives her thoughts and ideas on eating healthy and staying mentally focused. Her blog is great because it’s fresh and she’s not full of it.

I believe it’s very easy for some of us to become full of ourselves. There’s a certain amount of arrogance when you have a blog that becomes popular due to a cult following. While some blogs have gone way overboard at continuing to force the same redundant opinions on people, there was one former Ranger blogger I totally respected. That would be former TheNYRBlog fan turned podcaster Kevin DeLury. He isn’t forcing his views on anyone because he’s level headed. Believe it or not, you are allowed to disagree with him.

It’s funny because for a while now, Ryan Strome has become a hot topic for Blueshirt fanatics. Everyone has an opinion on him. When GM Jeff Gorton acquired him from the Oilers in exchange for Ryan Spooner last year, nobody gave it much thought. It was a scenery change for two underperforming players in their mid 20’s. Spooner wasn’t able to duplicate what he did when he first became a Ranger and quickly fell out of favor under new coach David Quinn. Strome, who had signed a two-year deal with Edmonton, suddenly was persona non grata over in Alberta, Canada.

So, the swap made sense. Nobody could’ve predicted that Strome would show improvement as a Ranger while Spooner was so disappointing, he was sent to the Canucks before winding up overseas first in the Swiss League and now in the KHL for Minsk Dynamo. While Spooner went a combined 2-5-7 over 36 games with Edmonton and Vancouver, Strome rediscovered himself by putting up respectable numbers of 18 goals with 15 assists for 33 points and 50 penalty minutes over 63 games with the Rangers.

Thirty-three points isn’t overwhelming. But Strome did it in a secondary role under Quinn, who started to trust the former Islanders fifth overall pick in 2011. He earned power play duty and more ice time under the demanding coach, who liked what he saw.

Even the most optimistic Ranger fan couldn’t have predicted his early success in the first two months of this season. Since top pivot Mika Zibanejad went down with a mysterious “upper body” injury due to Patrice Bergeron’s reverse hit against Boston three weeks ago, it’s been the steady play of Strome that’s really been a nice boost for the team.

Ryan Strome celebrates one of two goals in a win over Buffalo with Brett Howden. AP Photo credit nydailynews.com via Getty Images

A versatile forward who can shift over to center from right wing when needed, the 26-year old veteran has done just that under Quinn while picking up the scoring slack for Zibanejad, who’s now missed 12 consecutive games. He could be finally medically cleared this week with the team having four games including tonight’s emotional home match versus the Wild in what’s former popular Blueshirt Mats Zuccarello’s return. However, with Boo Nieves getting called up for Tim Gettinger possibly due to Greg McKegg leaving the Montreal game with an injury, there’s been no change regarding Zibanejad’s status.

In the early going, Quinn had Strome work with leading scorer Artemiy Panarin. But also tried Brett Howden due to Filip Chytil waiting to be called up from Hartford. Since Chytil returned, he’s shown much more confidence by scoring seven goals and adding two assists for nine points in a dozen games.

While he’s meshed well with playmaker Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider, who had one of his strongest games in Saturday’s big comeback from 4-0 down to stun Montreal 6-5, Strome has mostly been playing with Panarin, who’s been unbelievable. After having his career high 12-game point streak snapped in a ugly 4-1 loss at Ottawa, Panarin was back at it helping lead the stirring comeback with a great primary assist on Chytil’s seventh while later finishing off his team-leading 12th off a gorgeous no look Kreider feed that Strome helped set up to cut the deficit to 5-4.

Even in a game he struggled defensively by missing his assignment on Habs scorer Artturi Lehkonen’s second of the game, Strome bounced back by assisting on both Panarin and Jacob Trouba’s shocking game-winner that came directly off a big face-off win from the $3.1 million cap bargain. In 21 games, Strome is a point-per-game with his 6-15-21 ranking second in team scoring behind the Bread Man (12-15-27). Both are tied for the club lead in assists (15).

You couldn’t ask for a better start from a player that’s still young, who’ll turn restricted next summer. Like close friend and teammate Tony DeAngelo, who’s pacing all Blueshirt defensemen with 15 points (6-9-15), Strome could be looking at a nice payday next summer. So too could new Grate One Brendan Lemieux, whose signature performance on Saturday in which he recorded two goals including a huge shorthanded goal that tied the score at five in front of proud Pop Claude Lemieux.

If there is a perception that’s been pushed by the redundant bloggers who base a bit too much information on charts, it’s that there’ll be no room to keep Strome. The ridiculous part is they were pushing for Gorton to trade him before the season began. Where would this team be without his big contributions? DeAngelo chimed in in defense of his productive teammate on Twitter, which immediately blew up the way most things do in NYR Twitter.

https://twitter.com/TonyDee07/status/1198710465641304064?s=19

While it’s so easy for some of these contributors to talk up Strome’s trade value, let’s say they decide to listen. Who exactly would replace him? Before you all answer Zibanejad, we have no idea how he’ll respond once he returns. He’s injury prone. Something that’s a little concern moving forward. Last year was the first one he played in all 82 games, producing career highs across the board in goals (30), assists (44) and points (74).

Since Gorton acquired him from the Senators in exchange for the since well traveled Derick Brassard, the 26-year old Zibanejad has turned into Gorton’s best trade. He’s signed to a cap friendly average of $5.35 million through 2022. Prior to his injury, he was off to a quick start with 4-7-11 in his first nine games. A potential future team captain, there’s nothing not to like about one of the Rangers’ best players and leaders. He gets it. Hopefully, he can come back healthy. That’s why I’m happy they’re not rushing him.

Now, here’s another point regarding the Trade Strome crowd. Right now, isn’t it better to keep him since he’s been so valuable? Who exactly is going to blow up Gorton’s phone before Christmas. We’re not even at Thanksgiving yet. Some fans are so impatient. Let’s see where things stand in February next year. Scary to think it’ll be a new decade and 2020. I can still remember the cool night we met Theo Fleury and got his book signed and took this cool family photograph below at the old bookstore Borders in MSG. I sure miss those days.

Where have they gone? Back then, social media was still in its infancy stage. Facebook wasn’t as big and Twitter was almost brand new. When I first created an account on there, everyone treated each other nicely. Nobody was so judgmental as so many have become today due to intolerance that’s continuing to be spread. I’m not going to make this blog political. That’s not its purpose.

I’ve always believed in treating others the way you want to be treated. Respecting different opinions. That’s sadly no longer the case in this declining city. I know who I blame. Blame whoever you want. But some of you need to look in the mirror and see what you’ve become and what you’ve projected yourself as. It’s ugly.

Getting back to the original topic. If you have Strome going well like he has while doing whatever Quinn asks, there’s nothing wrong with having him stay with Panarin to keep that scoring balance while Chytil improves and Zibanejad works his way back. That would make the Rangers much better. They’d have three scoring lines and Howden could slide down to center the fourth line. If you want the best of both worlds in this rebuild, doesn’t that make the most sense? Let Lias Andersson continue to regain his confidence with the Wolf Pack.

Kaapo Kakko can be elevated to play with Zibanejad and either Lemieux comes with him as an effective Sean Avery deterrent, or maybe it’s Kreider, who’s always had chemistry with Zibanejad. Unless they want to try complement Jesper Fast, who fits better down in the lineup.

Here’s my reaction to Strome. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. He’s proven to be a responsible player that Quinn and the coaching staff trust to play in every situation. That includes power play where he has good patience and poise with the puck at reading the play. Ditto for him at five-on-five during a good forecheck. Strome also kills penalties. An area the team wants to improve upon. That’s more about the four personnel functioning as one unit.

I like Strome because he’s not only versatile, but also willing to mix it up. I think this team needs some of that attitude and approach. You don’t ever want to become too predictable. The quote from Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot was pretty damning on Friday night.

That’s the perception from opponents who have been successful against this team. It’s why you need your DeAngelo’s, Lemieux’s and Strome’s who aren’t going to put up with that nonsense. I’ll throw in team player Brendan Smith and Trouba, who’s learning about life without all the ridiculous talent he had to work with in Winnipeg. He’s pretty tough.

It’s not easy to work in three rookie defensemen the way Quinn and easy target Lindy Ruff have with the promising Adam Fox, tough Ryan Lindgren, and skilled Libor Hajek. They’re three different style defensemen who are all the same young age of 21. When things go right, does Ruff get any credit or is he to only blame for all nine losses? Come on. I’m not even suggesting he’s perfect. But the impatience is a little over the top from this rational fanbase. Stay woke.

I also appreciated this gem from Strome following Saturday’s stirring comeback that was only the fourth time in Rangers franchise history they’d completed a comeback from a 4-0 deficit:

It shows that he’s got some personality. These guys do pay attention to this stuff. They know what’s being said. If you want a more in depth take on this story and his great trip to Ottawa and Montreal which also included meeting the family of completely forgotten Rangers Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Boucher, go read Sean McCaffrey’s blog recap. It’s priceless. Just as a warning to any huge Henrik Lundqvist supporters, he doesn’t pull any punches on how the organization and MSG treats him compared to the rest of the roster.

If you’ve read some of my recent stuff, I’ve hinted at it. But it is what it is. He had a choice to leave, but opted to stay by exercising his full no movement clause. That’s his right. He sure is expensive with that $8.5 million AAV thru 2021. But those kind of contracts always age badly. Let’s not forget what the Blackhawks gave Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook. The difference being they won three Cups. I’m sure Henrik would trade all those wins and Vezina for one Cup. Ego aside. He loves being a New York Ranger. I know I’ll catch flak for that from some of the Lundqvist critics. But I’m fair and objective unlike a couple of other blogs that will defend Hank like they’re Joe Micheletti or Steve Valiquette.

At some point, the organization is going to face a tough decision regarding top goalie prospect Igor Shestyorkin. I prefer spelling it that way. That’s the Russian in me. Or for those who are curious. Π˜Π³ΠΎΡ€ΡŒ БчСстяоркйн!

Right now, that’s a topic for another day. I am curious to see two things this week. How the team handles their comeback win with Zucc in town later tonight. Can they actually put together consecutive wins, or a more consistent effort than what we saw over the weekend? How will Alexandar Georgiev handle his next start coming off the worst of his season? There’s pressure. He can be sent down before a deadline. The Rangers know it.

Finally, just to reiterate the main point on this post. What a stand up teammate and great guy DeAngelo is. He didn’t have to respond to that tweet, but did because he felt obligated to defend Strome. That’s a team oriented person. Some of the overreaction to it was sadly predictable.

When Kreider called me out that one time on a honest mistake I made, he was right. I apologized. It’s interesting that he’s deleted Twitter the last couple of years. Probably the smartest decision on his part. Social media can be a huge distraction for professional athletes and even a detriment to even bigger names. That’s as far as I’ll go on the subject.

I’ll have something up later on Zuccarello.

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Beating the Wings temporarily hides turmoil

Posted on November 24, 2019 by hasan4978

After a somewhat predictable week where the Devils got housed against Boston and in Pittsburgh, followed by needing a third-period explosion to beat a spectacularly bad Detroit team, not much has changed for the better.Β  In fact, you could make the argument it changed for the worse long-term – and not just cause a 1-2 week puts the team even further back from any kind of playoff contention.Β  There isn’t going to be much in terms of game recaps here, mainly cause I had to miss watching Tuesday’s crapfest (was doing trivia out with friends at a local bar and grill), and last night I was at a Friendsgiving, while I just knew better than to watch the predictable beatdown on Friday – especially after they were fortunate to hold off a Crosby-less Pens assault last Friday at the Rock.

No, the worst thing about this week wasn’t that the siege finally got to Mackenzie Blackwood to the tune of nine goals in just under two games, after he was pretty well the only reason the team has gotten a few of the wins they have.Β  You couldn’t count on Blackwood to play all 82 games, and thankfully new acquisition Louis Domingue passed his first test – although playing the once-proud Wings is almost like playing Rutgers in college football.Β  Even other bad teams can clean up on them.Β  It wasn’t even the fact the team only had two goals in its first eight periods this week until finally breaking out in the third period for four against hapless Johnathan Bernier in the Wings’ net.Β  If anything, the Devils’ performance last night only served to throw the rest of their sorry season into stark relief…how the Devils could be neck and neck in the standings for dead last in the NHL with THIS team is even more beyond me.

If I seem a little sore over beating up on the Wings, it’s more that the timing of it was ill-served after coach John Hynes’ lineup machinations last night – where his constant scapegoating of Pavel Zacha and Jesper Bratt came to a head.Β  It’s as if Hynes saw we were playing the Wings, his own job was in peril after the team sleepwalked through the week and decided if I’m going down I’m going down with my guys, which meant sitting Zacha and Bratt in favor of awful John Hayden and callup Brett Seney.Β  I’m the first to admit Seney has done well in the AHL this year and deserved a callup, even if his initial NHL season wasn’t all that impressive last year, and while I don’t think Hayden belongs in the NHL it’s not as if anyone else has been playing all that well either.Β  So sure, change the lineup around but at least pick different guys to send a message to.Β  And I’m no fan of Mirco Mueller either so while I would rather see Matt Tennyson shot into the sun first, changing the sixth defenseman really isn’t going to make that big a difference against Detroit anyway.

It’s more that constantly scapegoating the same two younger players isn’t serving anyone well.Β  Let’s take Bratt first…I admit his skillset (small playmaker) is probably a bit redundant on this team, but whose fault is that?Β  He’s still a 21-year old player who’s proven he can play in the NHL and has a lot of talent.Β  He struggled early in the season, in part due to playing a lot with Nikita Gusev who was a total trainwreck early (though by all accounts he seems to be straightening out a little), got scratched for a few games then made the coach look silly by scoring two goals in his return to the lineup though unfortunately it might have been taken as proof that Bratt needs the spurs put to him.Β  Within two games he was back under ten minutes of icetime in Carolina, and while I wouldn’t call his four goals and seven points in eighteen games great by any stretch it’s not as if anyone else has been lighting it up either.Β  Only first-liners Hall, Palmieri and Hischier have more than ten points this season.

But sure, go ahead and keep scapegoating the 21-year old finesse guy while letting the 24-year old ‘grit’ forward (Miles Wood) screw up game after game, of course because he puts pucks on net from no angle to appease the advanced stats and he has the ability to play physical, he gets immunity somehow from the bald grim reaper.Β  Wood only had five points and a -10 in 21 games himself before yesterday.Β  Of course Hynes gets to play I told you so after he had an assist with a +2 last night…again, against a horrible team.Β  Basing anything over what happens against Detroit is like calling a team meeting before your best pitcher takes the mound against a lousy team, or saying you can win without your best player in the NBA because he takes a load managment night off against the lousy Knicks.

At least Bratt still has time, though having decreasing production isn’t going to serve him well needing a new contract after the season.Β  In the case of Pavel Zacha he did get a new deal in the offseason for three years at $2.25 million, but after the way the staff has treated him this season he may wish he’d signed in the KHL as was briefly rumored (by his agent).Β  I’m also the first to admit I’m not a huge believer in Zacha but after finishing last season with 20 points in 30 games, he was scratched the third game of this season which was ridiculous enough – especially when he got off to a strong start with 6 points in his first 9 games.Β  His offensive production has tailed off in November, but he still does other things to help the team win even when he’s not scoring.Β  I can’t say the same for coach’s pet Hayden, who had five points in 54 games as a Blackhawk last season and 0 in his first 9 as a Devil this year…but hey, he hits guys in the 8-10 minutes he plays!Β  So voila, after both Zacha and Bratt had a -2 in Pittsburgh where nobody played well, they get scratched in favor of Hayden, Wood and Seney – who like I said probably deserved a callup but wasn’t all that impressive last year with thirteen points and a -14 in 51 games.

If you think the coach took last night’s 5-1 win (where the team was fortunate just to get to the third period tied) as some proof of his lineup switches being a difference, you’d be right.Β  Just look at this video clip and all the praise of the fourth line – helped out by Devils Twitter highlighting it.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1198440718345424896

Ridiculous.Β  Yep, the fourth line’s combined 26 minutes of icetime and two assists were the difference in a 5-1 win against a horrible team.Β  I get wanting the role players to feel good but this smacks more of a passive agressive ‘hey, look at how my lineup changes worked’ than anything else.Β  But when the team loses it’s all the players didn’t execute the system well or there wasn’t enough compete.

I’ll give Hynes this, he picked a good time to go full troll with his lineup.Β  Not only cause of playing the Wings last night, but this team could actually go on a short-term run in spite of itself playing the also-struggling Wild on Tuesday, going to Montreal later in the week after they just went splat last night, then playing a matinee against a subpar Ranger team the Devils arguably had their best game against this season.Β  I’ve never been a big fan of rooting against the team just for draft pick position (especially in the case of sports where there’s a lottery like the NHL now) but I’d be lying if I didn’t say the thought crossed my mind that it’s more harmful long-term allowing this staff to have total immunity month after month to play favorites and revert to low-event caveman hockey that isn’t really doing much to help foster sustainable improvement.

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Game #21: Determined Rangers make history with comeback from 4-0 down to stun Canadiens at House Of Horrors

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Derek

Brendan Lemieux slaps five with goal scorer Pavel Buchnevich during a historic Rangers comeback win from 4-0 down to stun the Canadiens 6-5 in Montreal. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Canadian Press

There are games and then There Are Games. What transpired just a little while ago at the Bell Centre in Montreal was unthinkable. The New York Rangers found a way back from a 4-0 deficit to stun the Canadiens for an improbable and thrilling 6-5 come from behind win in regulation at the House Of Horrors.

For one night at least, the Blueshirts erased a lot of old ghosts and demons that have haunted them up north against the Canadiens. They made some history along with it by showing tremendous heart and character in a great comeback victory that still feels unbelievable.

It was only the fourth time in franchise history they rallied from 4-0 down to win a game. Wow. It sure puts things in perspective. When you think you’ve seen it all including the Habs turning the tables on the Rangers to score five straight to pull out a 6-5 win a decade ago in the Tom Renney Era, the NHL’s youngest team somehow overcomes a off night for Alexandar Georgiev along with some follies that had me and friend Jonathan shaking our heads as we watched at his place. But he felt a comeback. So, I want to give him the credit for it once Filip Chytil scored his seventh that made it 4-1.

If there is a image of a player, who epitomizes this win it’s the black and blue Brendan Lemieux. A hard-nosed gritty forward who only knows one way to play. Balls out. He didn’t back down from a scrap against Tom Wilson in a home win over Washington that already feels like a lifetime ago. Not three days earlier. He plays so hard and the right way. It was really nice to see him get rewarded tonight with two enormous goals including the first shorthanded goal of his career that got the Rangers back to even at 5-5.

The evolvement of Lemieux has been crucial to the team’s success. Yes. He will have his moments where he loses discipline and takes bad penalties. However, after coach David Quinn makes an example out of him, he will come back harder and respond like the dedicated player he is. Right now, it’s the new Grate One who’s the straw that stirs the drink for these Black and Blueshirts. Yes. It applies. They don’t win pretty. They win by grinding and working like they had to to not be embarrassed again like the previous night at Ottawa.

There is the dynamic skill of artist Artemiy Panarin, who rebounded with his 12th goal and an assist after having his 12-game point streak snapped. However, it wasn’t only Panarin that was needed for this special comeback victory against an opponent they rarely beat up north. It was Lemieux going to the hard area in front to tip in an Adam Fox shot for a huge goal that cut the deficit to 4-3 after a power play expired. On the same play, Chytil got the jersey dirty by winning a battle to dig the puck out for Jacob Trouba, who wound up with an assist on that goal. He may not have gotten a point, but without Chytil’s hard work, that goal never happens.

There was a Pavel Buchnevich goal where he took the puck hard to the net and got rewarded when his shot deflected off a shaky Carey Price, who wasn’t able to protect what seemed like an insurmountable four goal Montreal lead. It was Buchnevich’s fourth of the season, and one that opened the door for a Rangers comeback. The goal made it 4-2 less than a minute following Chytil’s beauty set up by Panarin off a good rush from the otherwise defense challenged Brady Skjei. At least he used his skating and contributed two assists. That would include a key defensive play later that led to Lemieux’s shorthanded goal.

The Rangers scored three in a row so quickly within a 3:20 span that it actually made fans believe they could pull this off. Somehow, a game the more rested Habs had in control on a pair of Max Domi goals sandwiched around an Artturi Lehkonen goal and then a Shea Weber goal that went right through Georgiev at 2:51 of the second period, became a rallying cry for a desperate team.

They rose up. Even after failing miserably on a two-man advantage for 33 seconds with a chance to draw even, the Rangers never gave up. Not even following a bad sequence from Ryan Strome, who after winning a defensive draw was unable to clear the zone and failed to pick up Lehkonen, who whistled in his second of the game on a great feed from Domi (2 goals, assist) at 5:20 for a 5-3 Habs lead.

I thought that was it. However, on the next shift, some tremendous work by the new trio of Strome, Kreider and Panarin resulted in the Bread Man cashing in his team-leading 12th to make it 5-4 just 31 seconds later. It was a splendid forecheck started by Strome, who somehow managed to get the puck to Kreider, who made a brilliant backhand saucer feed for a Panarin tip in at 5:51.

Whenever you trail a game by a lot, there are casualties. Quinn shortened his bench and got desired results. Unfortunately, Tony DeAngelo (minus-two in 10:13), Libor Hajek (minus-three in 13:01) and Kaapo Kakko (minus-three in 13:49) sat for stretches during the comeback. If the coach applied the same discipline to Skjei and other vets, that would be better. You can’t argue with the end result.

He mixed up his lines and got what he wanted. Jesper Fast was moved down to the third line with Brett Howden while Lemieux was promoted to a line with Chytil and Buchnevich. At one point, Strome and Chytil switched spots. It was hard to keep track. We were also flipping to the dreadful other Garden outfit, the Knicks. Talk about atrocious.

As tough a night as he had that made me long for Igor Shesterkin, Georgiev deserves some credit for hanging in there. He didn’t show frustration over some of the goals he allowed. Particularly, the second Domi one with a slight Trouba screen, and the brutal one to Weber unscreened. He was called upon to make key saves and did. Even if he was shaky.

The Lemieux shorthanded goal was a great play by him and Howden. After Skjei forced Montreal into a sloppy turnover, Lemieux took off with the puck and got it over to Howden, who got it back to Lemieux for a tap in at 8:40. That it came following a tacky interference minor on Panarin that had me referencing, “Montreal, Typical!”, was poetic justice. You should’ve seen Quinn’s reaction on the bench to the call.

With the game hanging in the balance, the Rangers again got caught for too many men on the ice. Another bench minor by a team that gets too many. Thankfully, they got the job done in large part to an aggressive Lemieux, who took away time and space from Brendan Gallagher in the slot to force a turnover and clear the zone. He had extra motivation with proud Dad Claude Lemieux watching with their family. It was odd to see him rooting for the Rangers.

On a Strome clean win in the offensive zone, Trouba took a long seeing eye wrist shot that banked in off a stunned Price through traffic for a 6-5 Rangers lead with 7:50 remaining in regulation. Credit Kreider for going to the net and taking Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry with him to create a perfect screen. There was no way Price picked it up until his late reaction. The puck took a favorable bounce and made it two straight games with a goal for Trouba. Both goals oddly similar. He had a goal and assist.

Following the successful kill of the bench minor which really is on the coaching staff to get fixed, it was up to Georgiev. He made a couple of important stops on tricky shots and left no rebound. As hard a night as it was for him personally, he wound up with 38 saves and the victory.

It’s one they won’t give back. One I’m sure the Canadiens cannot believe they lost. At least that’s how a die-hard Montreal fan put it.

https://twitter.com/JessHa6s/status/1198435098422599680?s=19

Well, she did dream that Domi would score the first goal of the game. He wound up with two and an apple. Go figure.

Personally, this is the best win by the Rangers in quite some time. They showed amazing resolve and persevered to get the ‘W’ in hostile territory. Winning at Montreal is as good as it gets on a Saturday night. Kudos to them for not giving up.

Battle Of Hudson 3 🌟

3rd 🌟 Jacob Trouba, Rangers (4th goal of season for game-winner plus 🍎, 4 hits, +2 in 34 shifts totaling 24:03)

2nd 🌟 Max Domi, Canadiens (2 goals plus 🍎, 4 shots, 10 attempts, +3 in 21 shifts totaling 19:35)

1st 🌟 Brendan Lemieux, Rangers (2 goals including 1st career SHG, 6 shots, 9 attempts in 25 shifts totaling 17:02)

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Class shown by Trouba towards ref Tim Peel

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Derek

During a frustrating 4-1 loss at Ottawa, an incident happened when Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba went to clear a puck while on the penalty kill. As he went to rim it around, it accidentally caught referee Tim Peel in the helmet knocking him down to the ice during the first period.

Honestly, it looked a lot worse than it wound up being. After a few minutes down being tended to, Peel got up and was helped off the ice. Considering how shaky he looked, I was thinking worst case scenario. You have to think that whenever you see a player wobbly. This time, it was a ref.

They had to check for concussion protocol. Obviously, it looked really bad for Peel. A scary and freakish play that could’ve been far worse.

Astonishingly, as Trouba scored his goal that made it 2-1 Ottawa in the first period, Peel returned to the game. Something that caught the watchful eye of Sam Rosen. He couldn’t believe it. Maybe that’s why the goal call for Trouba was so confusing. Something he apologized for.

It was more important to see Peel back. His well being is much more crucial than a ugly loss in Game 20 of 82 for this team. When he noticed the ref back, Trouba made a classy move.

Credit to Blueshirt Banter contributor Tom Urtz for catching it as did MSG. It was a great gesture from Trouba, who put his hand around Peel and smiled. That was a happy occasion. You never wish ill will of anyone involved in sports. Especially the officials. As much as we may disagree from time to time with their work, no one can question their dedication.

Kudos to Peel for being a warrior and returning. On this night, he showed more heart than the Rangers. Not an easy thing to acknowledge. I’m glad serious injury was avoided. Great job by Trouba to apologize for what happened.

Stick taps.

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Game #20: Senators give younger Blueshirts a dose of reality in brutal loss

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Derek

Twenty games have now been played. By tomorrow night, the Rangers will have arrived at the quarter mark of the season. One thing they’re learning is it’s not easy to win games in this league. That’s basically a takeaway from a very disappointed coach David Quinn following a brutal 4-1 loss to the Senators in Ottawa.

As good as Wednesday’s home win over the Capitals was was as bad as this defeat was against the harder working Senators. Like Henrik Lundqvist said in a very candid postgame interview at his locker:

“They [Senators] win because they work hard. They earn their wins.”

Until they can sustain a level of consistency, the up and down nature of the Rangers will continue. For all I know, they could shock everyone by going into the House Of Horrors and upset Montreal tomorrow night. I don’t know what to expect. One thing is certain. Lundqvist will get the game off after going three in a row. It’ll be up to Alexandar Georgiev to handle the overachieving Canadiens in a crazy environment.

Sometimes, we get ahead of ourselves by thinking this team has finally figured it out. They haven’t yet. And that’s perfectly okay. Sure. Piss poor efforts like the one the Blueshirts gave tonight are unacceptable. However, there are going to be continued growing pains for this group. It’s this team that’s the youngest in the NHL. That part is sometimes forgotten.

Take my debate with a frustrated fan from Finland. He wants to blame assistant coach Lindy Ruff for what we saw. I know it’s a popular theory being spread like gospel from other spaces. But you could have Larry Robinson teaching these guys defense and there would still be struggles. Something no Ruff cynic wants to admit. If they want to get rid of him, fine. By all means do it. I don’t see it solving the problematic defensive issues they have. They’re mostly young and there are going to be mistakes.

What frustrates me is the continued underperformance of veteran defenseman Brady Skjei. He is making over $5 million which GM Jeff Gorton gave him as an investment. There’s been no improvement. In fact, he’s continued to regress. It’s looking more and more like Alain Vigneault was right about him. Remember all the expert NYR bloggers who had hissy fits over Skjei not playing in the top four the last time this team made the playoffs? They are wrong. Shocking I know. AV knew. He correctly protected Skjei from tougher match-ups. Now, we’re seeing why.

No one player has been more disappointing than the former 2012 first round pick this team selected at number 28. Here are four defensemen who have fared better in the same NHL Draft. Shayne Gostisbehere. Colton Parayko. Esa Lindell. Jaccob Slavin. Even Adam Pelech has progressed for the surprising Islanders.

Something has to give with Skjei. He can’t continue to be this inconsistent. He’s supposed to be a top four defenseman they can count on. Right now, it’s not even close. This is not a first or second year player. It’s a player in his fifth season who’s being compensated well. It’s looking like a colossal mistake by Gorton. One of the few he’s made.

When Quinn goes out of his way to critique veterans over the young players for why this team isn’t winning consistently, he’s correct. Skjei isn’t alone. Chris Kreider has five goals and 11 points in the first 20 games. That’s a huge disappointment for a veteran player in a contract year. I watch his postgame interviews and they’re usually dead on. However, he needs to apply it to himself. He’s not getting it done. Mika Zibanejad has missed 11 games and has the same production. That’s inexcusable.

On a night where Ottawa blanketed Artemiy Panarin to end his career best 12-game point streak, nobody stepped up. Ryan Strome had one of his worst games. He was too passive and partially responsible for an Ottawa power play goal that saw Skjei get outmuscled by Jean-Gabriel Pageau along the wall. It was an embarrassing sequence.

Just as bad and sad was watching Tyler Ennis go around Skjei to score a goal on Lundqvist that was a back breaker. Skjei didn’t put a body on Ennis. Even Joe Micheletti criticized the lack of physicality. You gotta check the attacking player. It’s Tyler Ennis. Not a prime Jaromir Jagr. This was appalling.

There also was the trademark goal in the first minute from Lundqvist. He got beat clean by Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot. The puck came to him and he didn’t miss by going high glove on Lundqvist. It didn’t help that Libor Hajek was caught in no man’s land. He helped Chabot score by accidentally getting into his own goalie’s view. It was not a good night for Hajek or even Adam Fox, who is normally so unflappable. That’s gonna happen. Ryan Lindgren took the penalty that led directly to Connor Brown’s first NHL goal. Of course he did. A Rangers tradition since the Dark Ages.

Ottawa was so dominant in the first period that they completely outclassed a listless Blueshirts, who looked like they didn’t get off the flight or had one too many at the hotel on Thursday. They forgot to set the alarm clocks. It turned into a shooting gallery around Lundqvist’s net. The Senators registered 19 shots in the period. They scored two. It could’ve been more.

The Rangers caught a break when off a face-off, Jacob Trouba had a wide shot go off Anders Nilsson’s stick and in for his second goal. It was a nice break that made it 2-1. Rookie Tim Gettinger picked up his first NHL career point with a secondary assist. Congrats to him on it. He also was parked in front on the goal. It was Greg McKegg who won the draw. Gettinger got it over to Lindgren, who found Trouba for the lucky offering. He’ll take it. It’s been a tough go for him since a hot start.

They almost tied it. But almost doesn’t count. Penalty trouble really cost them in the second period. A bench minor on a penalty kill handed Ottawa a five-on-three. I laughed. How could you not? How can they be so sloppy? They’re already a man short. You cannot screw up a line change down a man. That’s on Quinn and his staff. Of course, after Lundqvist made some acrobatic stops, they finally set up Anthony Duclair for a rocket top shelf. Wow. His 10th had some high heat on it. I didn’t know he could bring it like that. The Duke no longer looks like a bust. He also added a helper and even killed penalties.

Prior to the Rangers self destructing, they’d already given up the Ottawa third goal 71 seconds in to Ennis. The Skjei debacle that disgusted me. It got even more disgusting when Brendan Lemieux drew a double minor for hi-sticking on Christian Jaros. Rather than realize what the Sens penalty kill was doing by overplaying Panarin, they kept passing the puck around like a hand grenade. Another Ranger tradition MSG is familiar with. They passed up some good shots including Strome. It was mystifying.

Somehow, they managed only two total shots on a four-minute power play. It was ridiculous. The lack of urgency cost them any chance at a comeback. Eventually, their own ineptitude allowed Duclair to show that he’s finally found a home with his fifth NHL team. Good for him. Bad for the Rangers, who lost the season series 2-1 to a harder working team.

That’s who the Senators are. They now are up to 11 wins and only three points out of a playoff spot. It’s a credit to how hard they play for rookie NHL coach DJ Smith. They earned it.

As for the Rangers, it’s back to the drawing board. We’ll see if they learned anything from this tomorrow at Montreal. A place that’s been unkind to them for seemingly ever. The exception being the last two playoff meetings including the memorable Conference Final win in 2014. That feels like a lifetime ago.

Just a suggestion for the coach, who had Lindgren paired up with Tony DeAngelo by night’s end. Really want to send a message? Bench Skjei and have the suddenly ineffective Brendan Smith shift back to his natural position on D. Recall Vinni Lettieri and let Lias Andersson continue to work on his game.

I doubt they’ll do it. Especially on a weekend for Hartford. It’s just a thought. I’m getting tired of watching Skjei struggle. It’s very disappointing.

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Rangers Video: Artemiy Panarin Scores

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Derek

While I was at last night’s game, I was lucky enough to catch Artemiy Panarin scoring the first of two power play goals. It came at the beginning of the second period. Here’s how it looked and sounded:

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I got a little excited as you can probably tell. But it was pretty cool to catch a live goal on my iPhone. Plus the celebration and cool Rangers goal song.

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The Rangers defeated the Capitals 4-1 to improve to 9-8-2. That ended a two-game losing streak. They next face the Senators in Ottawa this Friday. Then visit the House Of Horrors, Montreal for a rare Saturday matinee.

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Game #19: The Panarin Show continues as Rangers play well in front of Lundqvist in a good win over Caps, Derek’s observations via Periscope

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Derek

The Bread Man Delivers: Artemiy Panarin is lighting up Broadway the way Jaromir Jagr once did. His two goals increased his career best point streak to 12 to highlight a satisfying 4-1 Rangers win over the Caps. AP Photo via New York Rangers

It’s so rare these days to go see a live game and come away very impressed. Especially when it comes to most area locals. Aside from the Islanders, there hasn’t been much to write about. Tonight, the Rangers changed that script by posting their most impressive win of the season. They defeated the Capitals 4-1 at The Garden.

This was the kind of complete performance they needed following the brutal two-game forgettable road trip in Florida. After giving up an ungodly seven power play goals in consecutive losses due to some lousy undisciplined penalties, the Rangers were a different hockey team on Wednesday night. For starters, they didn’t take the unnecessary early penalties that had plagued them.

In fact, they were plus-one on special teams. A welcome change that was badly needed for the MSG hosts. They didn’t give the crowd reason to roll their eyes or yawn. Even if some foolish fans in our section kept rudely getting up because they didn’t realize they were in the wrong seats until the latter stages of the second period. Something a good fan called these knuckleheads out on. That’s how it is. You get a few yo-yos.

That didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the game. If you don’t believe me in what I’ve written so far, have a look at my brief review on Periscope below. I think I broke it down well by summarizing what I liked about this win. A win that improved the Blueshirts to 9-8-2. Overall, that’s not bad considering where they are at this point.

https://www.pscp.tv/w/cKYTrDFwempNQlZhcmFPRWR8MURYeHlwRU9ydlpKTUG3534h32lVOPJTo7LZi2jamMoxlthDk6s5P_GxL53b?t=41s

As you can tell, my Periscope is the more familiar NewYorkPuck. Our old Twitter name. And it’s still the name of our website. Yes. Anyone can follow me there. I’ll be doing more hockey podcasts on there following games. Plus a few other sports mixed in from time to time.

One thing I did mention is that the Caps were without star center Nicklas Backstrom. Not having the always overlooked superb playmaking, two-way pivot hurt. I thought with him out along with Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway, who got a deserved three game vacation for a spitting incident during a fracas, that the Rangers had a good chance to win. I was proven right. Washington had some players up from Hershey.

Without Backstrom, Washington coach Todd Reirden reunited Alexander Ovechkin with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. They still had a dangerous top line, the game’s best defenseman to date in John Carlson, TJ Oshie and Jakub Vrana. Plus Braden Holtby, who heard it from the crowd in the third period. Even though none of the four goals he gave up were his fault. Chalk it up to great execution from the Blueshirts. Bret “The Hitman” Hart would be proud.

There was no scoring in a tightly contested opening period. Both Holtby and Henrik Lundqvist were sharp. Lundqvist also had some luck on his side for once. As critical as I’ve been lately on him, he had a really good night finishing with 30 saves. By winning this one, he tied Curtis Joseph for fifth on the NHL all-time wins list with number 454. It’s Lundqvist and Marc-Andre Fleury competing for sole possession of fifth. Hank leads Fleury 454 to 450. Both are future Hall of Fame goalies.

The luck for Lundqvist came in the form of four goalposts. That included the Caps hitting a hat trick in the first. As I referenced in my podcast on Periscope, sometimes you need a little luck on your side. The puck hasn’t bounced Hank’s way much the past two plus seasons. Ironically, all four Washington shots were labeled high off the crossbar. Mostly on the glove side. That’s the book on Lundqvist. It worked out well for him thanks to his best friend.

Late in the first, an aggressive Wilson was nabbed for boarding Rangers rookie defenseman Libor Hajek with 34 seconds left. Viewing it live from our seats way up in Section 419, I thought it was more from the side. But the call could’ve gone either way. Given Wilson’s reputation, he’s usually going to wind up in the penalty box.

Even though they were unable to convert on the remaining portion of the first, the Rangers got it set up at the start of the second to convert on the power play. As luck would have it, I actually caught it on my iPhone while videoing it. It’s not great, but maybe I’ll put it up later. Some good work from Adam Fox and Kaapo Kakko resulted in setting up an open Panarin from the left circle. He put it in the basket for a 1-0 lead 74 seconds into the period.

I believe in my podcast, I accidentally said Ovechkin was in the box. That was before the conclusion of the second when he took an undisciplined tripping minor for tripping up Panarin in the offensive zone with less than eight seconds left. To correct what I said, it was Wilson’s penalty that cost his team.

Even though the Caps held a 14-9 edge in shots during the second, I felt the Rangers played well. They were able to limit most of the scoring chances to the outside, allowing Lundqvist a clear view of the puck. He stopped it. His best save was a point blank denial in tight in which he sprawled out to deny a rebound. He looked very calm in net unlike the loss at Florida. A game he wasn’t pleased with. He told New York Post scribe Larry Brooks that he felt he’s been giving up one bad goal a game. That is true. In some games, it’s been more. But at least he admitted it.

Over the first 40 minutes, the Rangers only had to kill off one penalty. A Greg McKegg minor for tripping Oshie. They were successful. I think Carlson hit a post. However, I never got the sense the Caps would score. They just seemed off most of the game. They tried some of those misdirection plays and were unable to get the puck to Ovechkin in his office. Yes. Lundqvist never had to make a crazy glove save on the game’s best finisher.

Following a successful kill of an Ovechkin tripping minor, Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov hi-sticked Fox 40 seconds later. That gave the Rangers another man-advantage. This time, they made it count. On a good pass from point-per-game center Ryan Strome down low to Kakko, he made a power move to the net and tried to stuff it in. Instead, he lost control of the puck which worked out well with it coming perfectly over to a wide open Panarin for a layup at 3:57.

That made it 2-0 in favor of the Bread Man, who extended his career high point streak to a cool dozen (7-12-19). He shows no signs of slowing down. He’s such an intelligent player. Watching him live is a treat. If you can go to a game, go just for Panarin. I haven’t felt that way about a Ranger that was acquired via signing or trade since Jaromir Jagr. With apologies to both Marian Gaborik and Rick Nash, who both were good, the immense skill level and consistent production Panarin is playing with is a sight to behold. He deserves a lot of accolades. Without him, this team would be a mess.

With fans still celebrating Panarin’s 11th goal, the second line put the game out of reach on the following shift. Just 23 seconds later, Brendan Lemieux sent Pavel Buchnevich and Filip Chytil on a two-on-one rush. What followed was remarkable passing with the duo working a give and go down low that saw Chytil dish the puck across for an easy Buchnevich tap in for his third of the season. As nice as the play was, I was most happy for Lemieux, who’d been busting his ass the entire night. He was robbed by Holtby three different times. He always plays balls out. He still had an extra treat left for the fans who stayed.

With the Rangers up by three, there was this prevailing thought that quite possibly Lundqvist could do something he hasn’t done in over two years. But it wasn’t meant to be. Brendan Smith took a dumb tripping minor that killed any thoughts of the dreaded ‘S’ word. Kuznetsov had other ideas when he snapped home a wrist shot from the right circle far side past Lundqvist for his 10th from Carlson at 7:24.

As disappointing as that was, the Rangers didn’t let the Caps steal it. Instead, they buckled down to put the game away. On a effective forecheck from Chris Kreider, Buchnevich found Brett Howden by himself in front of Holtby. He didn’t miss to convert his third to restore a three goal lead with 6:26 left in regulation.

It was a satisfying victory. But Lemieux showed some big cajones by fighting Wilson. How he wound up with an extra for roughing when both Wilson and Ovechkin double teamed him along the boards, I’ll never know. But in a game that for the most part was well officiated including referee Furman South (yes, that’s his name) taking a puck that bloodied him but stayed in to cheers from the crowd (imagine that), it was nice to see Lemieux stand up to Wilson. He even got some good shots in on one of the game’s toughest fighters. We loved it.

To me, Lemieux epitomizes what it is to be a younger Blueshirt on this team. He busts his butt by going all out every shift. Maybe he’s not always the brightest, but I like the jam he plays with. He will do whatever it takes to help this team win. Whether it’s diving to block a shot, lay a big hit, or make a hard working play that leads to a penalty drawn or even a goal, Lemieux will do it. He has his teammates’ backs.

The best thing I saw tonight was what happened during a stoppage. The Garden had a contest for a kid who named more sports movies than Fox. Not only did he win the in arena prize of a brand new Rangers jersey. It was presented to him by his Dad, who just returned from Afghanistan after a year of duty. The emotional moment was one to behold for everyone. Seeing the emotional boy cry and hug his father, who got back from serving, was one of the best things I’ve ever seen at MSG. Kudos to the Rangers organization for doing this. If you missed this magic moment, please watch it. It’ll move you to near tears.

That is something that left me with an ear to ear smile. This was the best win so far. Let’s see if they can follow it up in Ottawa on Friday.

Battle Of Hudson 3 🌟

3rd 🌟 Kaapo Kakko, Rangers (2 🍎 for first career 2 assist game in his return from the flu)

2nd 🌟 Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (30 saves including 24 of 24 first 2 periods)

1st 🌟 Artemiy Panarin, Rangers (2 power play goals giving him 11 goals so far and extending point streak to career best 12 for 7-12-19)

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Leafs fire Babcock, hire Sheldon Keefe

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Derek

In a move that wasn’t a surprise, the Maple Leafs fired coach Mike Babcock earlier this afternoon. The 56-year old veteran bench boss was brought in from Detroit in 2015 where he took over the Leafs. He got an eight-year contract worth $50 million to become the highest paid coach in NHL history. He earned $6.25 million per season.

Even though he guided Toronto back to the postseason the past three years, they suffered disappointing first round eliminations each Spring. That included the past two to bitter rival Boston. Both series went seven games before the Leafs wilted. They blew a three games to two lead in the most recent playoff meeting.

Having made a trade with Colorado to address the blueline by acquiring Tyson Barrie and forward Alex Kerfoot in exchange for Nazem Kadri, it was supposed to improve the Maple Leafs. Instead, their defense remains a mess giving up way too many scoring chances and goals against for starter Frederik Andersen. They rank 24th in goals allowed per game, giving up 3.44. They’re tied with the almost as disappointing Lightning for seventh worst.

Outside of Andersen, who’s accounted for all nine of their wins while posting a 2.76 GAA and .912 save percentage over 17 starts, Toronto’s other goalies are a combined 0-5-1 with a 4.69 GAA and .873 save percentage. Michael Hutchinson is basically the backup. He’s 0-4-1 in six appearances with a 4.44 GAA and .879 save percentage. In one start, Kasimir Kaskisuo allowed six goals on 38 shots.

Aside from the lack of a dependable backup that can give Andersen a night off, the Leafs are winless in their last six (0-5-1) having been outscored 26-15. The only point was a 3-2 shootout loss to the Flyers on 11/9. They stopped a 4-2 decision last night at Vegas, which proved to be the end of the line for Babcock.

He finished his Leafs career with a 173-133-45 record. Throughout a respectable 17-year coaching career spent with the Mighty Ducks, Red Wings and Maple Leafs, Babcock is 700-418-19-164 in 1301 games. That includes ties (19) and overtime losses (164).

Sheldon Keefe takes over. Toronto is currently 9-10-4 for 22 points. They are out of playoff position. They are still missing Mitch Marner, who will likely be out at least until the end of November. Kerfoot is also out due to dental surgery.

Still, there’s enough talent for Toronto to perform better. It was time. Every coach has an expiration date. Babcock’s ran out.

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