Hughes’ first goal leads to a second straight Devils win

Posted on October 19, 2019 by hasan4978

I hadn’t heard this call of Jack Hughes’ first NHL goal till now since I was at the game.  Have to admit it was some call by Cangi…that’s #1 for #1!  Well Hughes does wear #86 but everyone knows what he meant, being that Hughes was picked #1 overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.  In a weird coincidence Hughes’ first goal came two years to the day of fellow Devils #1 overall pick Nico Hischier scoring his first NHL goal.  Fortunately in both cases the team won the game, though it certainly wasn’t easy today against Vancouver in a matinee.

Ironically if it wasn’t for the special circumstances surrounding the game – Hughes’ first being the only goal of the game, and playing against his brother Quinn (a defenseman on the Canucks) – it would have been Mackenzie Blackwood getting a deserved first star and post-game ice interview with Erika Wachter for a 25-save shutout.  After a second straight win following six losses to begin the season, I doubt anyone cares about who gets the credit or the military jacket the team’s passing out for their unsung hero of the game – although certainly Blackwood’s strong peformances the last two games pretty much ensures it’s his net for the near future at least.

It’s nice to be able to recap positives for a change…really the last few days feels like a reset on the season given everything that’s gone on.  With the aformentioned six-game losing streak bringing things to DEFCON 2 in Newark, assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald came down to the bench earlier this week, ostensibly at the request of coach John Hynes but few really believe that cover story, or that there wasn’t more to it given the staff has come under fire for the team’s poor start.  However, I doubt the coaches were the only people in the organization put on notice by GM Ray Shero.

Certainly having the assistant GM behind the bench puts everyone on probation – coaches and players alike.  Although things certainly aren’t perfect, clearly the last two games have been an improvement in all areas.  Particularly in this team’s play with a third-period lead which had been nothing short of craptacular before the last two games.  I couldn’t see Thursday’s game, but judging by the shot total and result obviously they played much better in the third period there, and today for the most part they managed to keep the third period low event until the final ninety seconds when three icings and a couple of saves that stopped play drew out the suspense.

Of course it remains to be seen whether the problems that have plagued this team throughout the first two weeks of the season will fix themselves long-term or whether things just look better because we’re in the ‘everyone’s on their best behavior because the assistant principal’s in the classroom’ part of the semester.  Tactically there does seem like a little more structure and certainly the power play actually looked like an NHL power play this afternoon, especially on Hughes’ goal.  Even the penalty kill – which had mostly been awful this season – came up huge today on several straight Canuck power plays in the middle of the game.

Can’t complain about the defense other than whatever the heck Damon Severson’s first five minutes were – when he committed a penalty, should have been called for a second on his next shift, and then gave up a breakaway recklessly wandering out to nowhere.  Honestly if the defense wasn’t already down one top six guy in Will Butcher it might have been benchable.  Maybe someone said something to him on the bench because he clamped down after that and cut out the crazy stuff.  Obviously the return of captain Andy Greene from IR helped offset the loss of Butcher on the blueline and helped stabilize the penalty kill.

Offensively the Devils are running in danger of being a two-line team, and that’s if everyone was healthy.  Hischier missed his second straight game with a bruised rib but still contributed to the good feeling around the team in recent days by signing a seven-year extension.  Not that he was going anywhere in the next few years regardless, but it’s still nice to get that long-term commitment locked up and in a cap league you always want to know cost certainty and not play it year-to-year with arbitration and load up on bridge deals.  He should be back by Friday, which astonishingly is the Devils’ only game in the next ten days.  I’d call it a Ranger-like streak since they’ve had a similar early vacation.  In a lot of ways it’s great timing for it though, given the addition to the staff and polishing up of the team’s game that it needs, plus they can at least sit on two wins in a row and feel better about themselves than they did at 0-4-2.

My biggest concern from today’s game is the dissapearing line of Nikita Gusev and Jesper Bratt.  Offensively they’re both skilled wingers but defensively have been so bad (particularly Gusev) that the staff obviously can’t trust them in tight games late, which we’ve had a lot of.  Their icetime has sunk to the level of fourth-liners but the team is going to need more from both sooner or later.  As good of a player as Blake Coleman is and as good of a guy as Wayne Simmonds is (see below) they really should be third-liners, not second-liners.  Simmonds hasn’t gotten his offense going yet in his first couple weeks as a Devil, eventually they will need more scoring than just the top line plus Nico.

At least the team is still together as evidenced by the melee that ensued late in the second period when a wayward Alex Edler elbow sent Coleman flying (threatening to knock out even more teeth after he’s already had some dental work this season), then Mirco Mueller jumped in and wound up in a tussle with Brandon Sutter earning a plexiglass fist-bump from Simmonds after the fact.

It’ll take more than ‘the brotherhood’ (another staff saying) to keep this team pulling in the right direction though.  Especially when they resume facing teams that aren’t rebuilding themselves.  Obviously the Devils are going to have to pound on teams like the Rangers and Canucks to get out of a hole, but eventually they’re also going to have to up their play to beat the big boys.  It’ll be a long wait till Friday for the next game but at least the cloud surrounding this team has gone away for the moment.  We’re almost at winning streak territory.

They got the win today…now to get one on Friday and make it a winning streak.

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Jack Hughes scores his first NHL goal

Posted on October 19, 2019 by Derek

It finally happened. Jack Hughes scored his first career NHL goal for the Devils. Fittingly, it came with his team facing older brother Quinn Hughes and the Canucks this afternoon in Newark.

The top pick got it on the power play thanks to a great cross ice feed from Taylor Hall. Hughes quickly snapped a perfect wrist shot past Thatcher Demko with 5:52 remaining in the first period. Sami Vatanen helped set it up by playing catch with Hall, who created the passing lane to get the puck over to Hughes for the first of many.

The excitement from the number one overall pick was as expected. He was pumped up with his proud parents, family and friends cheering on in the stands like they have at other home games. Only this one is special. A true family affair with Jack facing brother Quinn.

New Jersey is going for two straight victories after defeating the Rangers 5-2 on Thursday night. They just got their first win of the season. Now, their top pick got the monkey off his back by following up his first career NHL assist with his first goal.

Mackenzie Blackwood is in net for a second straight game. The Devils lead by one late in the second.

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Game #5 Quinn treats DeAngelo like crap, Rangers waste good effort from Lundqvist in 5-2 loss

Posted on October 19, 2019 by Derek

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer waves to the home crowd before dropping the puck. The Caps defeated the Rangers 5-2. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Washington Capitals

Make it a three-game losing streak for the Rangers. They’ve predictably come down to earth following the 2-0-0 start. A night removed from a disappointing loss to the Devils, they were out of their league against the Capitals. The end result was another 5-2 loss in the first back-to-back of the season.

I’m not too pleased with the coach either. I’ll give him credit for altering the lines. He tried to spark something. It was mixed results. Pavel Buchnevich had his best game scoring his first goal and looking more involved. He slid down to the second line with Brett Howden and Kaapo Kakko, who still hasn’t found his footing. He’s 18. It’ll take some time.

Moving up to the top line was Chris Kreider, who hasn’t looked in sync since the start. He got to play with Mika Zibanejad and Artemiy Panarin. Kreider was fairly quiet again except for a primary assist on Panarin’s third of the season. I feel like he’s not getting enough shots. Part of it is how the offense is run. They look more for the off wing one-timer from Panarin, Zibanejad and Jacob Trouba. However, Kreider needs to be better overall.

The Blueshirts wasted a good effort from Henrik Lundqvist. Despite allowing four goals, he was superb against a quality opponent with the extra rest. Of the 33 shots he faced, I would say almost half were very tough. Let’s put it this way. The only reason they trailed by one goal after two periods was the outstanding play from the goalie. And he was hardly to blame on the Caps’ four goals. The 29 saves were excellent. He should be back in net for the Canucks, who visit MSG on Sunday.

I’m not happy with David Quinn for benching Tony DeAngelo. I understand he didn’t have a good game, but it’s clear that he’s the whipping boy for the coach, who’s already playing favorites. DeAngelo was on for two goals against and didn’t take a shift from the middle of the second on. He only played 8:09 which broken down, was 6:08 at even strength and 2:01 on the power play. That’s not enough. Would he do that to Libor Hajek or one of his other boys? Come on.

If you’re gonna do that, it shortchanges your team. Granted. He could move Brendan Smith to the back end for some shifts. Smith has been one of the most consistent players in the first five games. That’s saying something. It’s not a good development. Smith works hard every shift and more often than not, is effective on the forecheck. He also drew a penalty. It’s getting the rest of the lineup up to speed. It shouldn’t just be Smith, Ryan Strome and Jesper Fast. Brendan Lemieux was also noticeable in his return.

There needs to be more from certain players. That includes Kreider, whose lousy turnover on a pass to no one, allowed the top line of the Caps to go to work and score. As much criticism as the defense received due to people not paying close attention, you also need better play from the forwards. Both Kreider and Panarin were in the wrong spot for the third goal by the Caps. It cost them.

So, while it’s easy for Quinn to use DeAngelo as his scapegoat for what happened earlier in the game. One in which they got scored on early by TJ Oshie due to a scramble in front and the puck taking a bad bounce off Marc Staal’s skate. That really frustrated Lundqvist, who fumed at the veteran defenseman after. I know it was a mistake by Staal, but I really hate when our goalie reacts that way. It looks like he’s showing up his teammates. It reflects poorly. The bottom line is it was unlucky.

As bad as it was, the Rangers got it back thanks to an awesome play from Zibanejad. After receiving a Trouba pass, the top center turned on the jets to draw defenders before making a perfect feed across to Buchnevich in front for a nice finish. I like how Buchnevich held onto the puck first and patiently waited for Braden Holtby to go down before burying his first to tie the score.

Too bad it didn’t last long. A little less than three minutes later, it was mad chaos in front of Lundqvist as the Caps top line kept going until the puck found defenseman Michal Kempny for an easy rebound. Oh. DeAngelo was out for it. So too were Hajek, Kakko, Howden and Buchnevich. It was either Hajek or Buchnevich, who tried a panic clear in the crease that deflected right to Kempny for the goal. See for yourself.

It was Hajek. DeAngelo didn’t do a good job on it. However, he definitely took the brunt by landing in the DQ doghouse. There are five players out for any goal against. That includes three forwards and two defensemen. You need to look at all five on the breakdown. Especially when Kreider was at fault on the Nic Dowd goal due to his awful cross ice pass to nobody in the Caps zone. That puck has to get deep. He didn’t cover when he came back. It was indicative of his start.

At least Kreider got the chance to atone for his mistake. So did Hajek, who’s looking more confident with the puck offensively. He made a good pinch to keep a play alive that resulted in Zibanejad absorbing a check to get the puck to Panarin and Kreider for a give and go. It was a picture perfect play with Kreider threading the needle to Panarin at the doorstep for his third to cut the deficit to one.

It really could’ve spiraled out of control. It was mostly Caps the rest of the second period. They created a lot of quality scoring opportunities that Lundqvist was able to deny. That included a penalty shot that wasn’t where he stoned Jakub Vrana down low to keep it 3-2. They called Skjei for a slash from behind to reward Vrana the penalty shot. It wasn’t even a penalty. It was a garbage call on a solid defensive play in which he got stick on stick. Something both Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti were in agreement on. Poetic justice.

Not a bad view live. That’s the only video footage I could find. I love how the anticipation of the crowd goes up a couple of notches as the shooter gets ready to take the puck and make his move against the opposing goalie. That’s what makes the penalty shot my favorite play in hockey. In this case, it really wasn’t one. So, it was nice to see Lundqvist come through. He kept his team in it. The Rangers were outshot 16-7 in that middle stanza.

There wasn’t enough sustained pressure. Outside of a strong shift from secret weapon Smith on a fourth line with Lias Andersson and Micheal Haley, and a good forecheck from Strome, Fast and Lemieux, there wasn’t a whole lot going on. You had the very nice goal created from the skill of Panarin and Kreider thanks to solid work from Zibanejad and Hajek. That was basically it.

With Quinn opting to keep DeAngelo on the bench, he went down to five D for the third. Nothing against the other guys, which feature Iron Man Trouba (game high 28:22), Skjei (18:49), Staal (19:22), Hajek (16:34) and Adam Fox (19:01). But it doesn’t make much sense. Smith had his time increased. He wound up logging 13:47 including 3:25 shorthanded. Quinn continues to use him as a key defenseman on the penalty kill. Unfortunately, he got a questionable extra two for cross-checking after bloodying Garnet Hathaway in a fight.

Predictably, the dangerous Washington power play connected for the second time in four chances. They have so many weapons that it’s scary. Start with Alexander Ovechkin in that left circle. Then there’s Nicklas Backstrom in his office on the opposite side. John Carlson up top. Evgeny Kuznetsov down low. Plus Oshie in the middle. On this one, they ran it through Backstrom up top for a Carlson one-timer that Oshie redirected past Lundqvist for a 4-2 lead with 9:42 remaining in regulation.

Given how unbelievable he’s been at the start, I think I’d try to stop Carlson. He entered with 14 points leading all defensemen. By night’s end, he was up to 17 thanks to three more assists. He’s right in the scoring race with Edmonton tandem Connor McDavid and Leon and Draisaitl. Maybe this is the year Carlson gets recognized for the Norris.

Hathaway would add an empty netter to further frustrate fans, who didn’t have enough of the 5-2 identical score in Newark. There’s also this.

It isn’t ’14-15 anymore. Losing to the Caps is like going to the dentist. It’s like novacaine. No. I’ve never had the pleasure so far. I probably just jinxed myself. 😛

I guess we won’t be seeing DeAngelo next game. I think it would be a mistake. But what do I know? He wants to play Haley and Greg McKegg while having Smith shift to D. Let him. It will only lead to more royal suckage. The Canucks are no slouches either. Even if they’ll be traveling.

The good news is the Yankees won to force a Game Six tonight back in Houston. At least for one inning, the offense got the job done versus Justin Verlander. Thank you DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and especially Aaron Hicks. Of course, that anti Yankee Verlander apologist John Smoltz had to make excuses. What an airhead. James Paxton was superb. If the bullpen by committee can force a Game Seven, I’ll take my chances even against Gerrit Cole.

The good part is I can enjoy the ballgame without any Rangers interruptions. And Sunday is an early one against football. That means if there’s a deciding Game Seven, no channel flipping.

Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!

Hudson Rivalry 3 🌟:

3rd 🌟 Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (29 saves)

2nd 🌟 John Carlson (3 assists, +2 in 25:13)

1st 🌟 TJ Oshie, Capitals (2 power play goals, +1 in 20:44)

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Nico Hischier gets paid

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Derek

The Devils didn’t wait long to extend Nico Hischier. In the third and final season of his entry level contract, the 2017 first overall pick out of Switzerland received a big extension this afternoon. Here are the details.

It kicks in at the start of next season. The average cap hit is a shade over $7 million. The seven-year, $50.75 million extension runs from ’20-21 through ’26-27. Hischier is still only 20. He recently reached 100 points in his young career with a two assists effort. He didn’t play last night due to a lower body injury. But practiced with the team this morning.

The new contract will include a modified no-trade clause. Thanks to Chris Johnston for the details.

It’s an interesting deal. The Devils have decided to invest early in a good two-way playmaking pivot who should get better. Don’t forget with top pick Jack Hughes, they’re very young at center. Behind the 20-year old Hischier and the 18-year old Hughes, who picked up his first NHL point during last night’s 5-2 win over the Rangers, New Jersey has a bright future.

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Another Look: Hall elbow on Fox

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Derek

I didn’t make a big fuss out of it watching the game. Nor did I in the game review involving the Rangers and Devils. However, it’s worth taking a second look at the Taylor Hall elbow on Adam Fox.

The Devils ’17-18 Hart winner went for the big hit on Fox behind the net. He was playing the puck and saw Hall coming. Here’s what transpired:

Now, I’ve seen some replies to this Tweet. I’m puzzled. How is that clean? To make matters worse, Hall protested. In what world is elbowing a player not a penalty? That’s why Brady Skjei responded immediately. The one positive thing he’s done so far. Although his game was a bit better on Thursday night in Newark. He had a secondary assist on a goal with a good pinch.

Hall was assessed four penalty minutes on the play. He got two for elbowing and two for roughing. The latter a matching rough with Skjei. I’m only gonna say this once. Elbowing should either be a double minor or major. No in between. Hall was lucky he didn’t get more.

My question is will the play in question be reviewed. Probably not. NHL Player Safety will likely pass due to Fox ducking at the last split second. Plus he was able to continue.

However, I didn’t like the hit. It was dirty. Too bad the Rangers power play stunk. They fired as many blanks as the Yankees offense did with runners in scoring position.

As far as the next game between the Hudson rivals, it’s not until November 30. By then, we’ll have a better idea of who Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko are. Ditto for both teams.

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Game #4: A Devilishly disappointing loss for Blueshirts

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Derek

Mackenzie Blackwood makes one of 29 saves to lift the Devils to their first win of the season. They defeated the Rangers 5-2. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Devils

There are going to be nights like this over the 82-game schedule. I understand the situation with this team. The harsh reality for fans is that the Rangers are a work in progress. Even with key additions Artemiy Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox and promising teenager Kaapo Kakko, they are a flawed team.

It showed in the loss to the improved Oilers last century last Saturday. It also showed even in imperfect wins against Winnipeg and Ottawa. Well, tonight was very disappointing. Not just because it was a 5-2 loss to the hated Devils, who had to get a win sometime. Of course, it came against them. It was the way they lost that bothered me.

I can live with losses if it’s a consistent effort over 60 minutes. I can even deal with coach David Quinn’s explanations for why former first round pick Lias Andersson didn’t play enough in the first three games. As promised, he found more ice time for the seventh pick in the 2017 Draft. That was about the only positive anyone could take from a second straight defeat to even the Rangers at 2-2-0 over a laughable four games.

Nothing was good enough. Not after Quinn stopped scrimmages at practice due to being unsatisfied with the lack of tempo. Don’t blame the layoff either. That’s not an excuse for lousy special teams with the power play continuing to fire blanks after a good start. They went 0 for 6 due to being way too predictable.

Does every single one have to revolve around Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Trouba? All they do is look to set up the big right shots from the off side. What about Chris Kreider? Does he still play for this team? How many times does Pavel Buchnevich have to be out for too long on the top unit while Kakko waits until his second unit gets garbage time? Ugh. Buchnevich has four total shots in four games. Hardly enough for all the favorable ice time he gets.

The Devils also converted their first power play goal. So, they won the battle of special teams and got the better of the first match up between Kakko and top pick Jack Hughes. Hughes finally got his first NHL point. It was an impactful one with the rookie center able to deflect a Matt Tennyson shot that also went off Miles Wood for the game-winner. Congrats to him on his first assist. He centered the Devils top line with Nico Hischier (LBI) out.

In a battle of second-year goalies, Mackenzie Blackwood outplayed Alexandar Georgiev. He made 29 saves including some timely ones like his pad stop on a dangerous Zibanejad one-timer on a key penalty kill. Georgiev wasn’t his usual self. He gave up a flukey tying goal to Blake Coleman on a breakaway. The shot hit off his mask and took a weird bounce through his five-hole. I’ve never seen that before. It was strange. It wasn’t his fault as Fox had a bad neutral zone turnover that led to Coleman’s third of the season.

The Rangers got off to a good start thanks to some strong work from Andersson. He kept a forecheck going by playing a loose puck behind the net. A smart pinch by Brady Skjei saw him center the puck which Buchnevich got a piece of. Eventually, a pinching Tony DeAngelo got to the rebound and chipped it in for a 1-0 lead. They could’ve added to it by creating some more scoring chances including a pair for Fox, who made a bid for his first NHL point. But he didn’t have any luck.

It wasn’t long before Fox tried one of those risky passes in the neutral zone. As well as he’s played, that was a valuable lesson learned. It trapped everyone including Andersson, who trailed the play with Fox as Coleman fired the bizarre tying goal off Georgiev’s mask and in. Maybe he should take pointers from Henrik Lundqvist, who’ll make the start tonight at Washington. Uh oh. The schedule makers didn’t do the team any favors.

There were a lot of undisciplined penalties from these two Hudson rivals. It wasn’t the cleanest game. Good players from both teams took unnecessary minors. Some of the gripes we saw was ridiculous. These were legit calls. Yes. I’m pointing at you Ryan Strome, Panarin and Jesper Fast. Ditto for Taylor Hall and Palmieri. There was one run from Hall where he caught Fox up high behind the net that resulted in Skjei taking up for his fallen teammate. Hall got the extra for elbowing. It didn’t matter due to the anemic power play. God. Were they predictable.

I think the Devils were 0 for 20 until Palmieri took advantage of a face-off win and found a rebound to go short side top shelf on a surprised Georgiev for a 2-1 lead. I’m not sure how it was unassisted. How did the puck go off Georgiev? It was odd.

The most perplexing aspect of the game was the second period was the Rangers’ best. They carried a lot of the play at five-on-five and had enough opportunities. However, Blackwood got the job done by stopping all 15 Ranger shots in a second they held a 15-9 advantage. Instead of tying it and regaining momentum, Hughes won a offensive draw and got a stick on a Tennyson shot that changed direction twice before going off Wood in front for a 3-1 New Jersey lead.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1185018957801185281?s=19

The Devils were better in the third, but nearly blew the two-goal lead. On a sustained forecheck started by third liner Brendan Smith, Strome wisely got a backhand shot by Tennyson right to an open Fast, who backhanded home his first into an open side that cut the deficit to one. I said Fast needed one. Maybe that’ll get him going. It was the second straight game Strome earned a primary assist on a goal. Not bad for a player the chart nerds root against bash illogically. That’s NYR Twitter.

On a penalty kill, the Rangers nearly had the game tied. Their best shorthanded threat Zibanejad got a great chance on a mini break. He patiently held onto the puck and seemed to have an aggressive Blackwood dead to rights. But he must’ve gotten a piece of it to keep it out. I thought for sure it was 3-3. However, Zibanejad just missed. That was the turning point.

Following a Devils power play that expired, Panarin tried to get the puck out. But his clearing attempt was fanned on due to a broken twig. Nikita Gusev quickly pounced on the turnover and shot five-hole on a shaky Georgiev for a unassisted tally that made it 4-2. That was the crusher.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1185015159435210753?s=19

Much hungrier to the puck, the Devils did a much better job on the forecheck. They controlled most of the play with a 15-6 shots edge. Well, really 14-6 until PK Subban ended matters with his first as a Devil into a vacated net with over 47 seconds left.

They won because they were the better team overall. So, the first installment of four goes to the Jersey side. Too bad there’s only three more meetings. Hopefully, both teams will improve throughout the season.

From a Rangers standpoint, it wasn’t good enough. At least Andersson played more due to all the penalties. He received 19 shifts for 12:46 overall including 3:52 shorthanded. Hopefully, Brendan Lemieux will be back in the lineup over Michael Haley. Oy.

At least it wasn’t the Yankees offense against the Astros. Holy moly.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1185017505779273728?s=19

Hudson Rivalry 3 🌟:

3rd 🌟 Ryan Strome, Rangers (primary assist on Fast’s goal, 2 SOG, 5-and-2 on faceoffs in 15:08)

2nd 🌟 Jack Hughes, Devils (first career NHL assist on Wood’s GWG, 2 SOG, 2 takeaways in 18 shifts-13:09)

1st 🌟 Mackenzie Blackwood, Devils (29 saves including 15/15 in 2nd for first win of season)

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A Devilish Mess

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Derek

Pressure is already mounting for John Hynes only six games into the Devils season. AP Photo by Fred Kfoury III via Getty Images

When they won the lottery and selected Jack Hughes first overall last June, there was plenty of excitement surrounding the New Jersey Devils. Landing the 18-year old top rated American center was a home run for a franchise that struggled mightily in ’18-19.

Hughes is the kind of kid who can dramatically improve a team. He has terrific speed, vision and scoring instincts. The season is only six games old. It hasn’t gone well so far. He’s without a point despite having some close calls. He’s getting closer to his first career milestone. Something Rangers second pick Kaapo Kakko did this past Saturday in a loss. They’ll face off tomorrow in Newark.

This isn’t Kakko versus Hughes. Something the Rangers rookie right wing reminded reporters. It’s the Rangers against the Devils. The latest installment of the Hudson Rivalry. A epic battle between bitter rivals with the Holland Tunnel separating them. It used to be the Lincoln Tunnel. But the Devils play in Newark at The Prudential Center. The site of Thursday’s first meeting.

While the schedule has been ridiculously light for the Rangers, the Devils have played six times. They still are without a win. Something that eluded them in the season opener on home ice. A game they led 4-0 became a gut wrenching 5-4 shootout loss to Winnipeg. It was a harbinger of things to come. Recently, they blew a 4-1 lead on Columbus Day in a jaw dropping 6-4 home loss to the Panthers. They were greeted with boos off the ice.

That defeat dropped them to 0-4-2. They’re in last place overall with two points. That’s tied with the Wild and Senators for the least. But at least Minnesota and Ottawa have wins. The Devils are at rock bottom ranking 31st. They’ve been outscored 29-13. The worst differential so far.

Alright. Not much has gone right. However, it’s only six games out of 82. Last year, they started much differently by winning their first four before becoming one of the NHL’s worst teams. That’s just some perspective for panicked New Jersey fans. Even the best teams can get off to bad starts. However, let’s not compare this team to the Stanley Cup winning Blues, who celebrated the franchise’s first ever championship by visiting the White House on Tuesday.

Rebuilding teams take longer. I’m not suggesting the Devils are in a total rebuild. Not when GM Ray Shero acquired former Norris winner PK Subban to help the defense. He also took a risk by signing former KHL star Nikita Gusev after acquiring the Russian forward from Vegas. The results have been mixed with Gusev scoring two goals and one in the shootout. However, he’s not playing top six minutes. The NHL is an adjustment for him.

Which brings us to coach John Hynes. A nice guy, who has guided the Devils to one postseason since Shero brought him in a few years ago. Granted. Those were bad teams. In ’17-18, Taylor Hall carried the team to their first postseason since they played for the Stanley Cup in 2012. He deservingly won the Hart Trophy as league MVP to become the first Devil to do so. However, they were quickly eliminated by the high powered Lightning in the first round.

That team had a good top line centered by then rookie Nico Hischier, who also went first overall to the Devils. He’s a good two-way player that can be trusted in any situation. However, Hischier still hasn’t reached his full potential. But he’s already proven a capable center, who can play in the top six. It’s easy to forget he’s only 20. With two assists in six games, he just eclipsed 100 points. He’s 37-64-101 over 157 games. The only way to go is up.

Right now, it’s Hischier centering the familiar first line with Hall and Kyle Palmieri. The trio have good chemistry, but haven’t found their stride yet. Most importantly, Hall is in a contract year. He only has one goal with four assists. They need more goal production from him and Palmieri, who’s at two. If the team continues to struggle, that could make it tough convincing Hall to stay. He is going to be an attractive free agent that should draw considerable interest given his age (28 on Nov. 14) and talent. If he ignores the rumors from annoying media, he should do well. That could mean a huge payday in estimation of $12 million AAV over the long-term.

At the moment, the Devils have plenty of issues. They’re very easy to play against due to not always making it hard for opponents defensively. Former Hall of Fame captain Scott Stevens said as such along with ’03 Cup hero Mike Rupp on NHL Network following Monday’s debacle. Stevens said there should be a lot of soul searching. Both he and Rupp pointed the finger directly at the players instead of the coach, who’s clearly on the hot seat. So much so that fake Twitter accounts were tweeting his demise, which sadly many people believed. They didn’t look for a blue check mark to make sure they were verified. Oops.

When you’re struggling as badly as they are, it will just increase the scrutiny. Hynes is in his fifth year behind the bench. There are increased expectations due to the additions of Hughes, Subban and Wayne Simmonds, who is without a goal. Subban has struggled defensively having been caught out for quite a few goals against. He acknowledged that he must improve his play along with the team. He also went out of his way to defend the coaching staff.

The thing is even if you’re an outsider like me watching from the opposite side of a unique rivalry, some of the lineup decisions have been puzzling. With Hughes struggling defensively, Hynes decided to slide him down to the third line to ease responsibilities. A center has more to learn. Hughes will in due time. It’s hard to understand having Travis Zajac as your second center. Sure. He’s been a staple and by all means is a good all around player that remains a top penalty killer along with shorthanded threat Blake Coleman. But at this stage of his career, he can’t be asked to fill that role.

They should let Hughes learn on the job. Due to Hischier leaving the game the other day, he got to play with Hall and Palmieri. A good experience that we could see more of. While Hynes figures out where Jesper Bratt fits along with Gusev, Miles Wood looks like a fourth liner instead of a top nine forward. If he didn’t take so many undisciplined penalties and buried some chances, it would be different. He’s a frustrating player.

The blueline is weakened without veteran captain Andy Greene. On the injured list, that’s forced the coaching staff to play both Connor Carrick and Mirco Mueller. Not exactly the plan. Sami Vatanen has probably been their best D so far. He just needs to stay healthy. Damon Severson has the capability to be more than he is, but he struggles with inconsistency defensively. Will Butcher has the skating and offensive instincts to get back to producing as he did in ’17-18. But he’s still developing.

So, where are the Devils? They certainly haven’t made it easy on Cory Schneider, who’s already left a game trying to make a stretch save due to a cramp. He’s got over a 4.00 GAA and .876 save percentage in four games. The sad part is it could be worse if not for some of the tough saves he’s had to make.

Mackenzie Blackwood is struggling badly in his second season. The numbers are ugly. Not worth mentioning. That’s what happens when you play on a team that doesn’t look committed to winning. Have they tuned out coach Hynes? Every coach has an expiration date. There’s also this development.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1184542923305766922?s=19

This looks like something the Rangers once did when they were awful. Tom Fitzgerald is the assistant GM. Now, they’re asking him to be on the bench next to Hynes? This reflects poorly on the organization. So, Hynes needs a watchdog this early in the season. Holy moly.

It might be early. But these aren’t your father’s Devils, who once won three Cups. Something must change soon.

Posted in Column, Devils | 1 Comment

Where is Quinn going with these lines?

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Derek

Two days before the first meeting between the Rangers and Devils on Thursday, coach David Quinn made some changes to his lines. Before I get into my befuddlement over it, let’s take a look at what reporter Vince Mercogliano tweeted.

For starters, he’s decided to end the Ryan Strome experiment on the second line. Instead, second-year center Brett Howden will get the opportunity to play between Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko.

This strikes me as a little odd for two reasons. Howden hasn’t proved anything in the first three games despite a lot more ice time than Lias Andersson. The other oddity is Strome got a nice assist on Kakko’s first NHL goal. The timing is strange.

If he’s gonna go that route, why not try Andersson? He’s been more noticeable during his shifts. The sad part is he is stuck on the fourth line, hardly playing more than eight minutes a night. How is this fair treatment to the seventh overall pick in 2017? Especially after the good training camp he had. Andersson just turned 21. It is his second NHL season. So, there’s time for things to change. It just seems like he’s getting the short end of the stick.

Another notable change is moving Brendan Smith up to the third line where he’ll play in the top nine. Uh. Why? I get that the secret weapon has been effective in his dual role where he also served as the team’s top penalty killing defenseman. But how is having Smith on a third line with Strome and Fast smart? Are they simply rewarding him? It isn’t a long-term solution. So, I wouldn’t go overboard on the overreactions we’re seeing on social media.

To be blunt, Fast needs to get it in gear. If he’s going to play top nine minutes while being one of their reliable penalty killers, he can use a goal or assist. Secondary scoring has been an early issue. It probably will be for a majority of the season until Filip Chytil makes it back. I’m not sure when that is. But he’s obviously closer than newcomer Vitali Kravtsov, who’ll take longer to develop in Hartford.

Strome is a better fit for the third line. But he’s much more effective on the right wing. That’s where he got most of his 18 goals after coming over from Edmonton. He was good on a second power play unit last season. An area he can excel at when Quinn isn’t giving the top unit the majority of power play time. That also limits Kakko, who is stuck behind Pavel Buchnevich. A good offensive player who won’t shoot. He has two shots in three games. Far from enough to be considered a threat playing with Mika Zibanejad and Artemiy Panarin.

At the moment, the fourth line is Andersson, who must feel like he’s stuck in Siberia. He practiced with Michael Haley and Greg McKegg. Brendan Lemieux took turns with Haley due to being under the weather. I’m not sure that’ll improve with heavy rain forecast for tomorrow.

As for the mixed D pairings, it remains the same. That means Marc Staal with Tony DeAngelo, Libor Hajek with Jacob Trouba and Brady Skjei with Adam Fox. While the new defense has been a little better, I’m not sure this is sustainable. In order for it to work, Trouba must be on the top pair as the shutdown defenseman. He can do it all.

No disrespect to Staal and DeAngelo, who weren’t as bad as perceived in the 4-1 home loss to the Oilers. If you looked at the three goals Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid got in the third period, the first was on the power play with McDavid banking one off Trouba. The second was Draisaitl going through Lundqvist on a backhand that was stoppable. The third was an empty net. The problem is I don’t think you want Staal and DeAngelo as your match up pair.

I could see going to Staal and Trouba over the short-term until Skjei finds his game. That’s the issue. Skjei must perform better. He’s being paid handsomely. Not to be on a third pair at this point in his career. He must find consistency. Until that happens, it won’t matter how much improvement Fox and Hajek show. They need Skjei to deliver or this blueline is in deep trouble.

At the moment, the Rangers remain 2-1-0 due to the ridiculous schedule. They’ll draw a desperate Hudson rival that remains winless after blowing a 4-1 lead on Columbus Day in awful fashion. John Hynes is already on the hot seat. Jack Hughes remains without a point. You know the Devils will be hungry on Thursday.

It’ll never the less be interesting to see what unfolds.

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Devils discover yet another blown lead

Posted on October 14, 2019 by hasan4978

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1183812419577176067?s=20

I guess I should be glad the Devils actually decided to have a game on what’s become a faux holiday afternoon and I had to work, missing going to another predictable fiasco.  I remember growing up having off from school on Columbus Day but for whatever reason – PC, cancel culture, whatever you want to call it – it’s become de-emphasized in recent years on the state and federal level.  And yeah Christopher Columbus was a bad guy but really now, the holiday’s not celebrating him as much as it’s celebrating the discovery of America.  Sure we still have Independence Day for America’s true founding but it’s still nice for the next generation to learn the story of how America was ‘discovered’.

Be that as it may, how American hockey teams can have afternoon games on a weekday that isn’t a real holiday anymore (at least not here, it is Canadian Thanksgiving so let them play home games today) is beyond me.  I get baseball teams do but you have 82 home games a year and have to have some weekday afternoon games for travel.  Plus many of their weekday games are during the summer when school’s out anyway.  If the Devils were playing better I’d be annoyed over missing this game, but with the way things were going I expected the worst, even against a Florida team struggling themselves.  I figured they were too talented with too good a coach to keep puttering along, I’m not sure about either of those things with us.

Even as negative as I am about the Devils right now, I didn’t think we’d lose them all.  And when they took a 4-1 lead over the Panthers in this unusual weekday matinee, I figured this was just gonna be one of those random wins that we’d forget about in a couple weeks when the team’s 2-10-3.  Yet when I saw the score was 4-3 at the end of the second period and they gave up still another goal in the final fifteen seconds of a period I knew, you knew, everyone and their brother knew the Devils were blowing this game.  The Devils’ defense and goaltending is as bad as the Met bullpen.

Sure enough, three more goals followed in the third due to the usual quota of mistakes, bad penalties and airhead coaching.  Not that I saw most of it even after getting home early and turning it on, after the game had already been tied up.  Neither today or in the Winnipeg game did Hynes use his timeout to try to stall the momentum of the other team as the roof was falling in, instead he used his timeout in the final minute down two goals as if to torture the fans still there on their day off.  Or maybe he senses the end near and wanted to do something as a head coach before getting his walking papers.  In a normal organization we’d be talking about days for Hynes to turn around the ship at most, but with owners all too willing to ‘trust the process’ and a GM who’s buddy-buddy with the head coach will GM Ray Shero do what needs to be done if this season continues to spiral out of control on this six-game homestand?

And as much as I want to bag on the staff and it usually is the staff’s fault when everyone on the team stinks and is playing below career norms, it’d be nice to see some form of leadership out of this locker room too.  Yes that means you Taylor Hall, P.K. Subban, Kyle Palmieri, Andy Greene and Travis Zajac.  I’d say Cory Schneider too but I’d settle for him actually just making a clutch save once in a while.  Someone needs to take the bull by the horns and say enough is enough, we’re playing like dog crap and we need to hold ourselves accountable here.  Unfortunately one of the bad trends of the end of Lou’s tenure has continued through Shero’s in having too many milquetoast guys who won’t rock the boat.  It’s little coincidence that the one season that this team actually broke out of the loser mold they had vet leaders like Brian Boyle who would get down and dirty and say what needs to be said.

Honestly there isn’t much left to say right now until the inevitable coaching change, whoever that is.  I haven’t the foggiest idea whether anyone’s out there, unless they bring in Guy Boucher who has at least made a couple of deep playoff runs and has a prior relationship with Nico Hischier (as his coach in juniors), which is a plus.  Although Nico himself was hurt in today’s game with an undisclosed injury, adding to the misery.  And Jack Hughes missing his first NHL goal on a gimme was indiciative of both the team’s poor play and fans’ frustration.

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Wolf Pack earn split as Chytil continues hot start, Kravtsov gets first point

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Derek

This weekend, the Hartford Wolf Pack had two games. They were able to earn a split. On Saturday night, they defeated Springfield 3-1 at the XL Center where the Hartford Whalers used to play.

Filip Chytil continues to perform well in the early going for new coach Khris Knoblauch. After picking up his first two assists last weekend, the 20-year old Czech center notched a primary assist on Phil Di Giuseppe’s game-winner and scored into an empty net at the end.

Nick Jones picked up the other goal for the Wolf Pack. Defensemen Ryan Lindgren had an assist in the home victory. He had a nice goal in a win last week as did defenseman Sean Day, who got an overtime winner on a nice move around the net.

Igor Shesterkin made 17 saves to pick up his second win. The Russian prospect earned the game’s second star. First star went to Di Giuseppe.

In the traditional 4 PM Sunday matinee, the Wolf Pack fell to the Rochester Americans 3-2 in a shootout. The teams traded two goals apiece in the second and third periods.

For Hartford, Chytil got on the scoreboard for a second consecutive game from AHL veteran Danny O’Regan to put his team on top. Boo Nieves added his first of the season from Vitali Kravtsov and experienced former NHL vet Matt Beleskey.

It was Kravtsov’s first point for the Wolf Pack in his third game. A positive step for the 19-year old forward, who made news when he was a healthy scratch last week in the club’s second game. Hopefully, this can boost his confidence as he gets more familiar with the North American style.

To their credit, Rochester was able to rally with two goals in the third period. Remi Elie had a goal that started the comeback. He also assisted on Zach Redmond’s game-tying goal with 13 seconds left in regulation. Sabres prospect Tage Thompson had two assists.

Following a scoreless overtime, Thompson scored the only goal in Round One of the shootout to beat Adam Huska. Former Ottawa hero Andrew Hammond shutdown Hartford shooters Chytil, Vinni Lettieri and Di Giuseppe.

So far, so good for Chytil. Playing his natural position, he has two goals and three helpers over four games. It’s easy to forget that the 2017 first round pick played there in ’17-18 for 46 games, putting up 31 points (11-20-31). Now, he’s learning the center position so that when he comes back up, Chytil will be more prepared for the second line role Rangers coach David Quinn wanted to see him in.

Huska had a busy day stopping 35 of 37 shots he faced. Even though he didn’t win, that’s a good job. He’s splitting time with Shesterkin, who they’re grooming for New York. It’ll probably be that way the whole season unless something happens to Henrik Lundqvist or Alexandar Georgiev.

The Wolf Pack return to the ice on Friday to host Springfield. Game time is 7:15 PM.

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