Rangers sign Fox, Kravtsov and Shesterkin

Posted on May 4, 2019 by Derek

Adam Fox is one of three top prospects who signed with the Rangers. AP Photo via Getty Images.

Over the past two days, Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has been busy. He took care of business by getting Adam Fox, Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shesterkin signed to entry level contracts.

In signing all three prospects, Gorton guaranteed that next training camp will be exciting for the team and its fans. Both Kravtsov and Shesterkin made it official yesterday by putting their John Hancock’s on contracts. The KHL phase of their careers are over. Now comes the next step in the developmental process.

The Rangers selected Kravtsov ninth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. A strong showing in the Under 20 World Junior Championship for Russia saw the 19-year old forward shift to center the top line. He fared well by posting two goals and four assists in the tournament. He helped Russia take bronze.

Shesterkin is a few years older. Selected by the Rangers in the 2014 NHL Draft in the fourth round number 118, the 23-year old top goalie prospect starred for St. Petersburg SKA in the KHL. He’s put up astonishing numbers for one of Russia’s best clubs.

Between ’16-17 and ’18-19, Shesterkin has won a combined 71 games while posting 25 shutouts over those three seasons. This past year, he went 24-4-0 with a miniscule 1.11 GAA, .953 save percentage and 10 shutouts. He split time in the SKA net with Magnus Hellberg, who put up similar numbers on a talented team that featured Pavel Datsyuk, Nikita Gusev, Nail Yakupov and Anton Belov.

Considered the heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist, Shesterkin will finally get a chance to show what he can do. It’ll be interesting to follow his progress. He will have some stiff competition this Fall with current backup Alexandar Georgiev turning in a good rookie season. Also 23, he went 14-13-4 with a 2.91 GAA, .914 save percentage and two shutouts.

If Shesterkin needs some seasoning, he can go to Hartford and develop. Something that should be a strong consideration given how well Georgiev performed. In a perfect world, you would have both young netminders on the NHL roster. But Lundqvist enters the second to last year on his contract. He’s 37 and will play for Sweden in the World Championships. That starts up in six days.

On Thursday, the Rangers reached agreement on a ELC with Fox. After acquiring him from the Hurricanes in exchange for a 2019 second round pick and a 2020 conditional third, Gorton got the 21-year old D prospect signed. Originally a Flames third round draft pick in 2016, he played the last three seasons for Harvard in the ECAC.

The Jericho, NY native grew up rooting for the Rangers as a kid. One of his father’s favorite players was Brian Leetch. In fact, his first Rangers jersey was a Leetch Number 2 as a birthday present. His family had season tickets. So, he’s quite familiar with recent team history that included a lot of success in the postseason.

Fox had a great junior year for the Crimson. The right defenseman paced Harvard with 48 points including 39 assists and a plus-23 rating in 33 games. His performance made him a finalist for the Hobey Baker that was won by current Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar. If Fox can have a similar impact to how Makar has done in helping Colorado even their second round series with San Jose, there’ll be cause for excitement.

Of course, the first thing he’ll have to do is make the roster out of camp. Even though he’s not the biggest, the 5-10, 185 pound offensive defenseman is a superb skater with good instincts. If it works out well, he could find himself in the top six with power play time. But it might not be right away due to Kevin Shattenkirk and Tony DeAngelo, who’s a key restricted free agent this summer.

So too is Neal Pionk, who might be the odd man out. Even though he put up 26 points in his first full season, the 23-year old struggled defensively. He also is a Group II free agent. If you assume Shattenkirk and DeAngelo are on the top two pairs, that leaves one spot on the third pair for Pionk to compete with Fox for.

Don’t forget promising youngsters Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren. With K’Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist a year away, the Blueshirts’ back end will have a totally different look in the future.

Fox was added to the Team USA roster for the worlds. That will give him a chance to be teammates with current Rangers Chris Kreider and Brady Skjei. A unique opportunity. There’s definitely a reason to follow the tournament. Especially with young players like Fox part of it. It all starts on May 10.

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Rangers acquire the rights to Adam Fox

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Derek

Earlier today, the Rangers acquired the rights to Adam Fox. The 21-year old defenseman who was up for the Hobey Baker following his junior year with Harvard, can either sign an entry level contract this summer or return for his senior year with the Crimson.

The cost was steep. Rangers GM Jeff Gorton coughed up a 2019 second round pick along with a conditional third in the deal with the Hurricanes. Carolina is currently focused on the second round of the NHL Playoffs. They followed up a 1-0 overtime win in Game One by scoring twice in a 48-second span early in the third period to stun the Islanders 2-1 on Sunday to take a two games to none lead in the Metropolitan Division Final. Game Three is tomorrow night in Raleigh.

With a slew of draft picks, Gorton decided not to wait on Fox, who could’ve played out his senior year and become an unrestricted free agent the following summer. Instead, a young defense prospect the Rangers coveted since he was included in a trade with Calgary last year could sign with the area local he was reportedly interested in.

A Jericho, New York native, Fox represented Team USA twice at the Under 20 World Junior Championship in 2017 and 2018. In 33 games during his junior season for Harvard, he posted nine goals with 39 assists totaling 48 points that paced the Crimson. Originally a Calgary third round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft taken 66th, the right defenseman is already with his third organization before having played a NHL game.

A good skating offensive defenseman, the 5-10, 185 pound Fox could become a fixture on the power play. That’s assuming he signs as TSN insider Bob McKenzie is reporting. If he foregoes his senior year, Fox immediately becomes part of the conversation.

The current status of the right side of the Rangers defense includes veteran Kevin Shattenkirk, restricted free agents Tony DeAngelo and Neal Pionk. Of the three, DeAngelo is the one with the most upside. In a career high 61 games, he posted four goals with a career best 26 assists, 30 points and 77 penalty minutes. The 23-year old, who was acquired from the Coyotes with Lias Andersson (2017 seventh overall pick) for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta, established himself as a top four defenseman under new coach David Quinn. It’ll be interesting to see if they bridge him.

Shattenkirk has two years remaining on a contract that pays him an AAV of $6.65 million. The 30-year old veteran has to be better than the 28 points (2-26-28) he put up in Year Two as a Blueshirt. Expected to be their power play quarterback, injuries and inconsistency have prevented Shattenkirk from being that player.

As for Pionk, most of his six goals and 26 points came before the new calendar year where his play regressed due in part to an injury. If Fox signs on the dotted line, Pionk likely becomes an extra D who could be the odd man out. Especially with Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren possibly part of the NHL roster. Don’t forget K’Andre Miller, who’s likely to sign next year following his sophomore year at Wisconsin.

While adding Fox is a good move, the Rangers could’ve waited for him to become totally unrestricted in 2020. Instead, the total cost could be a pair if second round picks. If he plays at least 30 NHL games in ’19-20, then the conditional third becomes a second in 2020. A nice return for Carolina considering he was never signing.

The Rangers just became more interesting. They already were when they won the Draft Lottery by moving from number six to picking second behind the Devils, who must decide between highly rated Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko. Whoever they don’t select will be a nice consolation prize for the Blueshirts.

With Russian prospects Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shestyorkin signed, training camp will be one for Ranger fans to follow closely. There should be plenty of excitement.

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Devils and Rangers have fun on Twitter

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Derek

It’s rare that the Devils and Rangers have something in common. But with both local teams having the first two picks in the upcoming NHL Draft, their attention is focused on June 20 along with fans.

New Jersey has the number one overall pick followed by New York at two. It’s really up to the Devils here. Who do they prefer? Top rated American prospect Jack Hughes, or top ranked European prospect Kaapo Kakko from Finland. Will they go for the smaller center in Hughes or the bigger right wing in Kakko?

Earlier this week, Kakko made a no look feed that set up a goal for Finland in a game against Sweden. It has been replayed over and over on Twitter by everyone. The Devils social media account got in on the fun. So did the Rangers with a sarcastic response.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1121808639667339266?s=19

It’s one of those odd times where both fan bases can agree on something. Fans are drooling over each prospect for good reason. They are potential franchise players that can change each rivals’ course.

I still believe the Devils will select Hughes number one. Nico Hischier is a good center who probably should become a 70-point player. Adding Hughes would give them a great 1-2 down the middle. Hughes has a higher ceiling. Unless Devils brass actually believes in Pavel Zacha, I would take the center. But they also can use the size and skill set of Kakko.

Kakko makes more sense for the Rangers. They already boast center depth with clear number one Mika Zibanejad setting career bests in goals (30), assists (44) and points (74). With a trio of promising pivots Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil and Brett Howden entering their second years, there’s no reason for the organization to add another pivot unless it’s a stop gap this summer.

The Devils have Zacha, veteran Travis Zajac and penalty killing ace Blake Coleman behind Hischier. Their hope lies in former MVP Taylor Hall to come back healthy. Hall, Hischier and Kyle Palmieri are the projected top line. That can change if they add Hughes, balancing out their roster.
The Rangers could enter ’19-20 with Zibanejad centering Chris Kreider (if he stays) and Pavel Buchnevich. They will have 2018 first round pick Vitali Kravtsov and in the fold. Either Hughes or Kakko included.

It’s a good time to be a fan of either Hudson rival. Things are looking up.

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Staal leads Hurricanes past Islanders in overtime

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Derek

Goals were hard to come by. Game One of the second round between the Islanders and Hurricanes was tightly contested at Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn.

One goal was enough for the Hurricanes to edge the host Islanders 1-0 in overtime to steal home ice. Jordan Staal scored at 4:04 of sudden death to send the capacity crowd home silently. The veteran center was able to find enough room to send a Nino Niederreiter wide carom past an outstretched Robin Lehner to give Carolina a hard fought Game One victory.

The strange thing is Lehner nearly had it. But Staal’s rebound banked in off the Isles starter’s leg. He scored from a bad angle due to Niederreiter’s wide shot that took a favorable Hurricane carom for the game’s lone goal.

It could’ve been a different result for the Islanders. Hosting a second consecutive playoff series after sweeping the Pens in the first round, they had their chances against Carolina netminder Petr Mrazek. He got the better of Lehner in a old fashioned goaltender duel by stopping all 31 Islander shots for the shutout. Oddly enough, Lehner also had 31 saves with only the Staal shot on Carolina’s 32nd shot beating him.

The Isles’ best scoring chance came when Mathew Barzal thought he had a goal that would’ve put them ahead late in the second period. However, the refs waved it off immediately for goalie interference on captain Anders Lee. Replays showed that he was guided into Mrazek from behind with nowhere to go. Even though Mrazek was on the edge of his crease, Lee tried to avoid him. It wasn’t a penalty. But it was incidental contact which would’ve wiped out the goal anyway.

Brock Nelson got the best opportunities on the power play. Jordan Eberle twice had him set up for perfect one-timers. The Isles second line center misfired twice including a flub. He was very effective throughout the game.

In the third period, Islander fans thought they had a goal, but defenseman Ryan Pulock had his one-timer just miss. The goal horn went off. But the refs correctly ruled that the puck didn’t go in. Instead, Pulock’s shot landed on the outside of the net, making it look like it was in. Think John LeClair. Cue the angry Buffalo fans.

Both netminders were sharp. Mrazek made some acrobatic stops while also denying Josh Bailey on a breakaway. He also made a tough save on a high shot that he trapped between the top of his jersey and his mask.

Lehner was equally as good. He left few rebounds with the Islanders defense clearing the net front. He also stoned Greg McKegg on a breakaway by stacking the pad on his backhand attempt.

The Isles hit the Canes early and often. The fourth line of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck made their presence felt by delivering some big checks. But Carolina didn’t seem to mind. After a sluggish start following an emotional seven-game first round upset of the Capitals, they found their legs and started using their speed to attack the Isles.

Neither goalie cooperated in regulation. The whole third felt like overtime. There were few whistles with lots of skating and solid checking. It was next goal wins mentality.

The difference was a Clutterbuck mistake. On a three-on-two, he passed up a shooting opportunity. Instead, his pass resulted in a turnover that allowed Carolina to counter. Following a near miss from Niederreiter, Brett Pesce kept the play alive by finding an open Niederreiter in the slot. He sent another shot wide right to Staal, who ended the game.

Game Two is Sunday afternoon at 3 PM on NBC. It’s a must win for the Islanders.

Jumbo Joe! Joe Thornton is pumped up after tying Game One. His three points led the Sharks to a 5-2 over the Avalanche. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Josie Lepe.

In the night cap, the Sharks scored the last four goals to take Game One over the Avalanche 5-2 at HP Pavilion. The turning point was a successful four-minute penalty kill with San Jose trailing 2-1 halfway through the second. Of course, the Sharks had some fun on Twitter at the Golden Knights’ expense.

Joe Thornton converted a two-on-one from Marcus Sorensen. Kevin Labanc continued his astonishing play by undressing Mikko Rantanen and then whipping a high laser past Philipp Grubauer. Brent Burns banked one in for a 4-2 lead. Timo Meier added an empty netter.

Nathan MacKinnon was held to one assist and finished a minus-three. Rantanen had a goal wiped out due to an illegal kick.

Game Two of the other two series is later today. The Stars look to even up their series against the Blues in St. Louis at 3 PM. In Game One, Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice including the game-winner in a 3-2 home victory.

The Bruins lead the Blue Jackets 1-0 entering tonight’s second game. Columbus rallied in the third period with two goals 13 seconds apart from Brandon Dubinsky and Pierre-Luc Dubois. But they couldn’t protect the lead for Sergei Bobrovsky, who was outstanding.

Charlie Coyle tied the game with a one-timer and won it in overtime. He’s becoming a folk hero. Game Two is at 8 PM.

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HARD HITS: A remarkable first round finishes with a stunning comeback and another shocker

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Derek

The Sharks celebrate their remarkable comeback win in a unreal Game Seven that’ll be remembered for many reasons. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy San Jose Sharks.

So, you thought you knew it all when it came to the hockey. Not when it came to the first round of these playoffs. A remarkable round concluded late Wednesday night. There’ll be no repeat.

Following the craziest third period comeback that included a double overtime winner from unlikely Sharks’ hero Barclay Goodrow, the pesky Hurricanes had other ideas in mind for the Capitals. A resilient hockey club, they twice rallied from two goal deficits to stun the 2018 Stanley Cup champs. This time, it was Brock McGinn who etched his name in playoff lore by tipping in a pass from Mr. Game Seven, Justin Williams to send Carolina to a stirring first round series upset in double overtime.

That’s the kind of unpredictable round it was. A year removed from the Caps winning their first championship over the surprising expansion Golden Knights, neither is still around. Alexander Ovechkin did everything that he could, but it wasn’t enough to keep his team alive. Six of last year’s eight Conference Semifinalists are home early. Only the Bruins and Sharks survived the first round madness.

Boston did it by breaking Maple Leaf hearts again with the fourth line doing Toronto in. San Jose did it in more unconventional fashion. Trailing Vegas 3-0 with less than 10 minutes remaining, they got a huge break when the officials erred by rewarding them with a five-minute major due to Cody Eakin injuring captain Joe Pavelski on a cross check off a face-off. It didn’t help that Paul Stastny accidentally shoved him resulting in a bad fall with Pavelski’s head hitting hard on the ice.

Suddenly with new life, the Sharks managed to do something that only had been done once in postseason history. They scored four times on the five-minute major to reverse a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead. It happened so suddenly with Logan Couture starting the rally six seconds in. Before a minute expired, a Tomas Hertl redirection had cut it to one. A Couture laser through traffic tied the game to send the San Jose crowd into a frenzy. Still buzzing, they blew the roof off when Brooklyn, New York native Kevin Labanc fired a great shot far side past Marc-Andre Fleury.

As astonishing as the four goal barrage was, give the Golden Knights credit for showing composure by getting the wild Game Seven tied with Fleury pulled for an extra attacker. After just missing three times on a late power play with Labanc in the penalty box, they forced overtime when Jonathan Marchessault was just able to beat Martin Jones with 47 seconds left after burying a Reilly Smith pass from behind the net. The puck whizzed off Jones’ jersey and inside the post.

Even though Vegas overcame a bad call in a poorly officiated game that also counted their second goal by Alex Tuch even though replays seemed to indicate his stick was above the crossbar on his redirection, they ultimately couldn’t recover from the dreadful penalty killing that allowed the Sharks to score four times in five minutes. The twisted irony being that that same penalty kill had stifled the San Jose power play prior to the controversial Eakin major.

But as Max Pacioretty said in a quiet locker room, they had plenty of chances to win the craziest game in sudden death. It was the Sharks, who completed a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. They were still alive thanks to Hertl beating Fleury with a stunning shorthanded goal that changed direction to fool the three-time Stanley Cup winner. He had told the Sharks fans in the postgame following Game Five that they would be back for a seventh game because they were the better team. That kind of belief was backed up by clutch goals from the man known to San Jose as Hertl Power. He was splendid in the series finishing with six goals and two assists. His big goals along with Couture and a four-point performance from Labanc on that memorable power play helped offset a big round from Pacioretty, Stastny and Mark Stone.

Ironically, it was a rare Stone turnover in the neutral zone to former Ottawa teammate Erik Karlsson that led to the former Senator defenseman leading Barclay Goodrow with a perfect pass that resulted in the unlikely San Jose hero faking around Fleury and finishing off a beautiful forehand deke into an open side with 1:41 remaining in the first overtime. HP Pavilion was a madhouse with fans, Sharks alumni and excited players celebrating the unbelievable win that exacted revenge on their newest rival.

It was the kinda intense hockey that makes the NHL Playoffs the best sport to watch. The hatred between the teams made it more fun. You even had the coaches trading words to the press prior to Game Seven. Too bad NBCSN didn’t pan to a shot of Vegas coach Gerard Gallant shaking hands with San Jose bench boss Pete DeBoer. I would’ve loved to seen that. We also didn’t see Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane during the traditional handshake. The legend of Muffin Man will only grow the next time Kane sees Reaves.

It’s hard to believe what happened. Maybe both the Blues and Stars winning their respective first rounds over the Jets and Predators wasn’t too surprising. Those were toss ups in a very competitive Central Division. But few predicted the Avalanche over the Flames and practically no one truly believed the Blue Jackets would sweep the Lightning. I don’t even think the biggest Islander fan had the Isles in four over the Penguins.

I went two for eight in the first round. The only two I got right were both the Bruins (5-1 winners over the predictable Leafs) and the Sharks (5-4 somehow in OT over the Knights) by a miracle. Even Mike Rupp mocked his first round picks on NHL Network last night following the Carolina 4-3 stunner to dethrone the Caps.

A Sebastian Aho shorthanded goal swung the momentum. It was one Braden Holtby would want back. Following Evgeny Kuznetsov finally getting on the board to restore a two-goal lead, Teuvo Teravainen was able to get to a loose puck in front and beat Holtby to make it 3-2 before the conclusion of the second period. Aho lifted the stick of Kuznetsov to allow Teravainen to score the big goal.

Jordan Staal tied it early in the third when the Canes caught the Caps in a line change. Jaccob Slavin made a good pass for Staal at the Washington blueline. He skated in and fired a wrist shot that beat Holtby far side. The Capitals goalie was off his angle to give Staal too much net to shoot at. The goal reminded me of another one once scored by older brother Eric in another time. Let’s just say Rupp still remembers it and leave it at that.

For some reason, the Hurricanes do well in deciding games. They are in their first postseason since 2009. But they have now won five consecutive Game Seven’s dating back to the ’06 Eastern Conference Final.

Having the veteran leadership of Williams and Staal helps along with first-year coach Rod Brind’Amour. McGinn said he would go through a brick wall for him in a interview on NHL Network. That is a very telling quote. It explains why that team fights so hard. I knew that would be a close series. I just didn’t envision the Caps losing a home Game Seven. Especially after leading 2-0 and 3-1. My score prediction was 5-2. It looked like it would happen. But the Hurricanes never quit.

It’s going to be fascinating to see what happens. Your four remaining series feature six new teams looking to make a name for themselves. What I like most is that three are still in search of their first Cup. The Blues, Sharks and Blue Jackets are those teams. I’ll be rooting for San Jose and Joe Thornton. I’m so glad they’re still in. One of my long time friends is a huge Sharks fan. I’m very excited for her. I would love to see them win.

All four match-ups are intriguing. The first two start up later tonight. At 7 PM, you have the Blue Jackets at the Bruins in Game One of the Atlantic Division Final. Boston had to go seven to beat Toronto while Columbus has been waiting around. Who’ll it benefit? I like how the Blue Jackets are playing.

At 9:30 PM, it’s the Stars and Blues from St. Louis. This should be a closely fought series. I think the Blues have a slight edge. You know I’ll be pulling for Mats Zuccarello and Dallas.

Friday night features the Hurricanes and Islanders from Brooklyn in the Metro Division Final. Just like everyone predicted at the beginning of the season. 😂 Barclays may not be Nassau Coliseum, but the Isles’ tenacious style under Barry Trotz will be tough for Carolina after such an emotional series.

Then, it’s the star laden Avalanche at the Sharks. My oh my. This shapes to be a good one. The goalies better be on their toes because there’s an awful lot of star power in this series. I’m leaning towards San Jose.

So,how will it all shake out? I have no clue. Let’s just sit back, relax and enjoy this wild and wacky postseason.

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Ovechkin is my hero

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Derek

This was Alexander Ovechkin near the conclusion of the Capitals losing to the Hurricanes in Game Six at Carolina. His reaction was priceless.

Of course, the Capitals captain was still incensed at the refs for a controversial ruling that disallowed his tying goal in the third period. I actually knew the reason behind it. I figured it had to do with Ovechkin making contact with Carolina goalie Petr Mrazek in the crease with the puck still loose from a slick stuff in attempt by Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Based on the replays The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman showed, it should’ve been a goal, which would have tied the game. Instead, Canes captain Justin Williams tipped in a Brett Pesce shot moments later to give Carolina a 4-2 lead with 8:02 left in the third period. Dougie Hamilton added an empty netter in the 5-2 win, pushing the defending champs to a do or die Game Seven on Wednesday night.

The Metropolitan Division Semifinal has been the only first round series that’s gone according to form. The home team has won all six games. Until last night when the Capitals had leads of 1-0 and 2-1, the road team had yet to have a lead during the first five games. Washington will have to rely on its home ice advantage along with all their playoff experience to advance to a second round meeting with the Islanders. I took the Caps in seven for that reason. We’ll see if I actually get a series correct.

After tonight, I’m 0-for-5. The Stars defeated the Predators Monday night at home by a score of 2-1 in overtime. The hero was veteran defenseman John Klingberg, who took a great Alexander Radulov pass and beat a heartbroken Pekka Rinne at 17:02 of sudden death.

Dallas advances to a intriguing Central Division Final against the Blues next round. St. Louis eliminated the Winnipeg on Sunday night. They’ll have home ice against the Stars. One of those two teams will play in the Western Conference Final.

There’ll be three deciding Game Sevens. Tonight, it’s a double dip with the Maple Leafs taking on the Bruins at 7 PM in Boston. If Toronto doesn’t get it done this time, John Tavares will get a lot of blame. One empty net goal isn’t what he was signed for. After blowing Game Six at home, there’s some pressure on Pajama Boy to deliver in enemy territory.

The second game will feature the Golden Knights visiting the Sharks in San Jose at 10 PM. Right now, Vegas has to be wondering how they let San Jose back in the series. Martin Jones suddenly has become a brick wall, outplaying Marc-Andre Fleury, who still has to be in shock that he allowed Tomas Hertl’s shorthanded goal to get by him in double overtime. Mark Stone has gone quiet the last two games. Can the Sharks complete the 3-1 comeback at what will be a loud Shark Tank?

The best part of these deciding seventh games is the winner moves on while the loser goes home. This is the kind of drama that makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs the best to watch.

It’s unfortunate that we’ve already seen quite a few questionable calls impact games. Until they address the issues with rule interpretation and the replay system, it’s gonna continue. Ask any Winnipeg Jet how they felt the moment Brayden Schenn’s goal was upheld to tie up Game Five. They never recovered.

Following the Jets’ elimination, Nikolai Ehlers played with a fractured leg and Patrik Laine played through a back injury that probably affected his ability to finish.

The Norris candidates are Mark Giordano, Brent Burns and Victor Hedman. Once again, the Lightning bias shows. Hence they are regular season awards. Kris Letang got snubbed and so did John Carlson. Morgan Rielly had a pretty special season too.

It’s going to be funny when the Lightning win most of the hardware including the President’s Trophy. A lot of good that did.

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HARD HITS: Another One Bites The Dust

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Derek

The Winnipeg Jets shake hands with the St. Louis Blues after becoming the latest higher seed to fall victim in the 2019 NHL Playoffs. AP Photo via Getty Images.

Another One Bites The Dust. Much like the classic Queen hit, higher seeds continue to go by the wayside in an unpredictable 2019 NHL Playoffs.

The Winnipeg Jets became the latest victim in a first round that’s seen both top seeds, the Lightning and Flames conquered. If you took the underdog Blue Jackets or the Avalanche, you won big. Over 48 percent of the participants in the NHL Bracket Challenge lost by taking the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup. Due to the big Columbus upset, the league is allowing fans to resubmit their bracket before the second round.

No. I’m not partaking. I’ve already made too many awful predictions for one postseason. With the Blues eliminating the Jets in a very competitive six games, I’m now 0-for-4. If the Maple Leafs can win later today at home over the Bruins, you can make it 0-for-5. Also a Golden Knights victory on home ice in Game Six would make me 0-for-6. A Stars win over the disappointing Predators tomorrow and well…You get the hint. 😂

There’s no end in sight to what’s going on. At least the defending champion Capitals responded yesterday in impressive fashion by dominating the Hurricanes 6-0 in Game Five to take a 3-2 series lead. That’s been a rare series where home ice has mattered. The home team has never trailed and won every game so far. What will Game Six bring in Raleigh? Hopefully, a do or die Game Seven in a first round that’s lacked high drama.

No. I don’t consider what Columbus did to a vanilla Lightning too dramatic. Even if you love upsets, it’s become the Bizarro World in your hockey playoffs. Where anything is possible.

It’s not like this hasn’t happened before. There are examples. The loathsome Kings if you live in New York or New Jersey. The Mighty Ducks. Heck. Even the Coyotes made a run to the Conference Finals in Mike Smith’s prime when he was up for the Vezina. You know. The same year Henrik Lundqvist won it.

Upsets do happen. It isn’t the NBA Playoffs where you don’t even need to be a diehard basketball fan to figure out what the Conference Finals will look like. My take on upsets is I like them to a point. But not when they become the norm. There’s no shock value anymore surrounding these playoffs. So, if NBC winds up with the Islanders and Blues for the Cup, so be it.

I want to stress that by definition, the Islanders defeating the Penguins isn’t a true upset. They were the higher seed who had the home ice advantage. And what a decided edge it was playing those two games at Nassau Coliseum. That’s what today’s buildings should sound like. Not the library between 33rd and 7th.

What made what the Isles did so impressive was that they swept the Pens. It wasn’t a fluke. Following Josh Bailey scoring in sudden death to win Game One, they dominated a team that features superstars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel. Throw in Jake Guentzel too and proven Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray.

None of that mattered. Barry Trotz coached a perfect series against a fundamentally flawed Pittsburgh roster that lacked the excellence of execution that’s required at this time of year. Another Bret “Hitman” Hart reference. I’m sensing a theme.

If you don’t have a full commitment from all 18 skaters, you cannot win in the Stanley Cup Tournament. I watched some truly pathetic defending by the Predators in a blowout loss to the Stars at home where the fans are loud. A team that once prided itself on defense and checking to make the 2017 Stanley Cup Final lacked it in a big Game Five. It was embarrassing. That doesn’t mean the series is over just yet. But Dallas is gonna be extremely raucous for a potential close out game with a chance to advance to a second round meeting with St. Louis.

If you can skate, score timely goals, defend well, win battles and get good goaltending, you can advance. There’s a lot of sacrifice. If Alexander Ovechkin didn’t become a more complete player under Trotz, the Caps would not have won last year. He buys in and knows what it takes.

What the postseason is proving is that you don’t need the game’s biggest stars to win. That btw includes the goalie where Blues rookie Jordan Binnington has become a folk hero. It no longer makes sense to spend to the max on a goalie in the salary cap era. The Rangers are paying the price for that.

What if I told you the Isles could win with Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss? Lehner now is a Vezina candidate in addition to the favorite to win the Masterton Trophy for overcoming serious off ice issues. He deserves all the accolades he receives. Any NHL team could’ve had him last July. He earns $1.5 million.

That doesn’t mean more proven netminders can’t get it done. Golden Knights’ ace Marc-Andre Fleury has won three Cups. All coming with the Pens including the last two as a backup in ’16 and ’17. Don’t forget that Fleury came through when Murray couldn’t go. He’ll make an average of $7 million per year after signing an extension last summer that’ll keep him in Vegas through ’21-22. He’s 34 and has more good years left. His current salary is a bargain at $5.75 million AAV.

The future Hall of Famer has 439 career wins, including 35 in ’18-19 for a team that relies heavily on him. I believe he got shafted for the Vezina. No disrespect to Lehner or the other two candidates Ben Bishop and heavy favorite Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Pekka Rinne has the pedigree. The ’17-18 Vezina winner took the Predators to their greatest heights before losing to the Pens. The 36-year old veteran currently earns $7 million AAV. Saturday wasn’t his fault. There are many culprits underperforming for Nashville. Paging P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg.

As much as we saw it with the 128-point Lightning, who got very little from certain Hart winner Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Ryan McDonagh, it also happened to the Flames against Colorado. While Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog beasted and feasted on the Calgary defense, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm couldn’t do anything with the Avalanche or Philipp Grubauer. The former Washington backup, who evolved into the Colorado starter is 27 with a cap hit of $3.3 million. He will go up against either Fleury or Martin Jones next round. And yes, they’ll be a underdog again.

The thing about being the underdog is there’s far less pressure. As favorite coach John Tortorella put it during his team’s successful first round against the stormy Lightning, he wants his players to have fun. Being too business like can sometimes be a disadvantage. Go out and play.

I can’t predict what else will happen. That’s probably a good thing for the teams who are left standing when this chaotic round ends.

BODY CHECKS

-What if Alexandar Georgiev continues to prove he belongs in the conversation for the future of the Rangers’ net? Unlike some of the whacky suggestions that have been thrown around, he’s not tradable. The 23-year old concluded a good rookie season winning more games than he lost by NHL standards. He posted better numbers than Henrik Lundqvist. No. I’m not throwing them out. Georgie isn’t proven enough and doesn’t possess the value that former NYR backups Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta had.

-As a follow-up, there’s nothing bad about having both 23-year olds Georgiev and recently signed top prospect Igor Shesterkin in training camp. They’re both cheap and should receive strong consideration as the future starter on Broadway. It promises to be an exciting chapter that’ll also include 2018 first round pick Vitali Kravtsov and either Kaapo Kakko or Jack Hughes. I listed it in the order I expect it to go for the Rangers. Meaning expect the Devils to select Hughes first overall.

-Lundqvist will compete for Sweden at the World Championship next month. That’s good. He can use the extra work following a less than ideal season that saw him more of a backup than starter the final nine weeks. Maybe it’ll reenergize him. This rebuild and losing thing isn’t easy for him.

-Chris Kreider and Brady Skjei will represent Team USA. So, the Rangers will be well represented. I know Cory Schneider is going to play too. Like Lundqvist, the Devils netminder can use the extra work with Mackenzie Blackwood having a good rookie season.

-I’m most excited for Quinn Hughes to be part of the American roster. The Canucks 2018 first rounder impressed with three assists in five NHL games at the end of the season. Vancouver is going to improve over the long-term. Especially once Michael DiPietro and Tyler Madden join Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and next captain Bo Horvat. Thatcher Demko will also have a chance to share the net with Jacob Markstrom.

-Matt Duchene boosted his value with a big first round by posting seven points (3-4-7) in helping the Blue Jackets finally advance to the second round.

-Kevin Hayes didn’t. He still went 2-1-3 in a undefined role for Winnipeg. The way he was handled by veteran coach Paul Maurice was puzzling.

-If Vegas advances to Round Two, expect Mark Stone to have something to do with it. He has six goals and four assists while playing with Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny. The Knights don’t want to go back to San Jose for a seventh game. But it sure would add drama.

-I’ve rather enjoyed the intense rivalry between Evander Kane and Ryan Reaves. They hate each other and it shows when they’re out during shifts. I especially loved Kane referring to Reaves as “Muffin Man,” following their fight. Reaves one upped him on Twitter.

-Ryan O’Reilly continues to perform at a high level for the Blues. Following a career best season of 77 points (28-49-77) that included a plus-22 rating and 21 even strength goals, he was nominated for the Selke for the first time. He also won over 56 percent of face-offs. O’Reilly had two goals and two helpers in the first round.

-The Sabres dealt O’Reilly last year for a package that included a 2019 first round pick, a second round pick in 2021, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson, who they wanted over Robert Thomas. A homesick Berglund went home and absolved Buffalo of his salary. Sobotka had a mere total of 13 points while Thompson struggled mightily with seven goals in 65 games before getting sent down. Oops. Does Buffalo want a do over? They better draft well with whatever number pick they wind up with from St. Louis.

-Watching them review everything from goals to coaches challenges hasn’t been pretty. Especially when NHL players think they’re wrong. Enter former Leaf Carlo Colaiacovo for the latest controversial call the lame brains in Toronto reviewed and approved as a good goal for Boston.

Case closed.

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Cam Talbot calls out NHL inconsistency

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Derek

If you’ve been following the first round of the NHL Playoffs, then you are as confused and frustrated as many hockey fans. Nobody seems to know what constitutes goaltender interference anymore.

In the Bruins game against the Maple Leafs at TD Garden, such a controversial ruling helped decide Toronto’s 2-1 victory in Game Five earlier on Good Friday.

Auston Matthews scored his fourth goal of the series to break a scoreless tie with 8:27 left in regulation. The play was immediately challenged by Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy for goalie interference. On Matthews’ goal, Leafs forward Zach Hyman made contact with Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask in the crease. The NBCSN replays seemed to indicate to most observers including Doc Emrick and Mike Milbury that the call on the ice would get overturned.

https://twitter.com/JessHa6s/status/1119410765843378176?s=19

Instead, following a lengthy review, they ruled that the call on the ice stood to make it a good goal for Matthews. The goaltender interference review has been an issue all season. In one case, they ruled in favor of the goalscorer with a very candid Matthews acknowledging that he got lucky after the win. That indicates how controversial this rule is.

If you have players like Talbot voicing their opinion, that is a pretty good indication of how confusing the league reviews have become. You have refs who are now afraid to make calls even when the old incidental contact explanation would’ve wiped out the goal from Matthews.

It’s a good thing Kasperi Kapanen scored to make it 2-0. Otherwise, who knows what could’ve happened? Boston got a David Krejci goal with just over 44 seconds left to cut it to 2-1. The Leafs protected the lead by getting one final save by Freddie Andersen on Brad Marchand to preserve the win.

Toronto will take a three games to two lead back home where they’ll try to close out the Bruins.

For Boston, they didn’t play well enough to win. However, there will still be wonder on the league explanation on why the Matthews goal was upheld. There was not enough conclusive evidence to overturn it. Sure.

Every decision they make is different, causing more befuddlement from the hockey community. Nobody knows what the heck is going on. Given all the technology they have in Toronto, you would think they can get it right without puzzling reasons that leave more questions than answers.

https://twitter.com/JDylanBurke/status/1119443077209268225?s=19

With Calgary about to go out in five games to another eight seed in the ultra talented Avalanche, it’ll become NHL history. For the first time ever, both top seeds will be eliminated in the first round. The Lightning won 62 games and piled up 128 points only to get swept by “eight seed” Columbus.

I like upsets as much as anyone. This isn’t good for hockey. But parity, parity, parity Gary Bettman will say. It’s growing tiresome. Not as exhausting as the confusing rulings on coaches challenges for goalie interference.

When will it end? Enough is enough already.

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Video of Day: Kevin Hayes’ Nightmare

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Derek

Despite scoring a goal, it was a sleepless night for Kevin Hayes in a crushing Winnipeg 3-2 loss to the Blues in a bizarre Game Five. AP Photo via Getty Images.

When Kevin Hayes was acquired by the Winnipeg Jets from the Rangers, he was supposed to make a difference for them in the postseason. A good player who can score and set up goals, the soon to be unrestricted free agent center hasn’t helped himself this Spring.

After not even attempting a shot in the first two games of their tough first round series against the St. Louis Blues, Hayes has two goals in five games for the Jets. The sad aspect is in order to get him going, coach Paul Maurice had him on the fourth line. Hardly ideal for a player they gave up a first round pick and Brendan Lemieux for.

In last night’s crushing 3-2 home loss during Game Five, he was their most effective player. Following an early goal from Adam Lowry, Hayes scored on a power move with a forehand deke to beat Jordan Binnington for a 2-0 Winnipeg lead in the first period.

But in a game they controlled for most of the first two periods, Hayes could’ve had more. In a bizarre sequence, he actually stopped himself from scoring what would’ve amounted to a big goal. Off sustained pressure, Hayes was on the verge of putting the game out of reach when the unthinkable happened. With a loose puck that seemed to be headed in, his poke attempt actually prevented a sure goal. Here is how it looked:

Astonishingly, his stick prevented a second goal that would’ve put Winnipeg up 3-0. St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko battled Hayes in front to help prevent the goal. It’s still amazing how Hayes didn’t score. A goal that would’ve put his team up three instead wasn’t. It left NBCSN analyst Jeremy Roenick speechless. He’d never seen anything like it. Here’s how it sounded as called by an equally stunned Ray Ferraro:

You can see Hayes’ stick position altered by the battle with Parayko, whose back check is why he didn’t score. Something Roenick pointed out during the second intermission and following the Jets’ shocking loss. The Blues used third period goals from Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz, whose game decider came with 15 seconds left to leave Winnipeg in disbelief.

The Schenn tying goal that was confusing for viewers due to his backhand headed into the net as Dustin Byfuglien shoved Oskar Sundqvist into the Winnipeg net. It sure looked like it came off its pegs prior to the puck entering. Regardless, it counted with the officials conferring with Toronto to rule that Byfuglien’s shove was why Sundqvist crashed into the net. Then came the coup de grat.

The call by Blues broadcaster John Kelly describes the utter shock at Schwartz’s amazing winner. An emotional play by play man who sometimes goes over the top like his Avalanche days, he nailed it with a dramatic call that had veteran analyst Darren Pang nearly losing his mind at what he saw.

There was nothing happening behind the Winnipeg net. It was a puck battle. Then, Schwartz freed the puck up to get the winning play in motion. As he wisely cut to the front of the net, the puck came to Tyler Bozak. Always a crafty playmaker, he sent an elevated pass towards Schwartz that he was able to get his stick on and beat a shocked Connor Hellebuyck. There wasn’t much room with Schwartz just able to position himself for the one-timer with Jacob Trouba on him. It was Trouba who lost the puck to Schwartz behind the net.

That’s hockey. You never know what will happen. It was a bang bang play. The Jets never recovered from Schenn’s game-tying goal with 5:08 left. I think psychologically, they were shell shocked. It was a strange turn of events. Hayes had 3-0 on his stick. He also was stoned by Binnington on a similar break in. He tried the same forehand deke, but the puck rolled just enough to allow Binnington to slide across and get a pad on it.

Hayes could’ve had a hat trick in the 9:39 he played. Instead, the missed opportunities came back to haunt him. I doubt he got much sleep last night. The thing is Winnipeg blew a four-minute power play halfway through the contest. They had another chance with a two-minute power play following O’Reilly getting St. Louis back in it on a rebound for a St. Louis power play goal with Trouba in the box for a ill advised roughing minor on Vladimir Tarasenko at 19:39 of the second.

Had the Jets converted on either of those power plays, we’re not talking about Hayes. It’s a game they should’ve won. Instead, they head to St. Louis facing elimination this holiday weekend. The road team has won all five games. Can Winnipeg again beat the Blues to force a deciding Game Seven at home?

It’s gonna be interesting.

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AV meets Gritty, The crazy first round continues

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Derek

AV Meets Gritty: Gritty presents Alain Vigneault with a whistle and Flyers jersey. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Flyers.

Okay. So, Alain Vigneault and the Flyers are a strange fit. It’s gonna be interesting to follow for Ranger fans. The good thing for us is it’s from a distance.

That makes it easier. We don’t have to concern ourselves with how AV stunted the growth of some young players anymore. Now, we can enjoy current Rangers coach David Quinn as he enters his second year. He’s very hands on and will get to work with more young talent. Whether it’s Kaapo Kakko or Jack Hughes, one of the top prospects will be here along with top Russian prospects Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shesterkin next training camp.

Anyway, here Vigneault played along with Gritty after meeting the popular Flyers mascot. He was presented with a present. I got a kick out of it.

For now, we can at least try to enjoy the unpredictable NHL Playoffs. Is Calgary about to bow out too like Tampa? Both top seeds could only wind up with one combined victory unless the Flames respond at home in a do-or-die Game 5.

https://twitter.com/GMillerTSN/status/1119080091215179776?s=19

The Blues stunned Winnipeg by rallying from a two goal deficit to score three unanswered in a stunning 3-2 reversal that included Brayden Schenn’s controversial tying goal and Jaden Schwartz’s even more startling game-winner with 15 seconds left. The road team has won all five games in the very closely fought Central Division Semifinal. Nothing would surprise me when it shifts back to St. Louis for Game Six.

You have the Sharks forcing a Game Six with a resilient 5-2 win over the Golden Knights at the Shark Tank. Tomas Hertl scored twice and Martin Jones made a huge save on Reilly Smith to prevent the tying goal. Now, the pressure shifts to Vegas when they return home.

There are those pesky Hurricanes holding serve by taking both Games 3 and 4 in Raleigh to level the Metropolitan Division Semifinal with the defending champs. They did it by getting key stops from Petr Mrazek to edge the Capitals 2-1 in Game Four.

They made goals from Warren Foegle and Teuvo Teravainen stand up. I feel for T.J. Oshie, who was shoved hard from behind by Foegle into the boards, injuring the key Washington Cap. I felt it should’ve been a five-minute major instead of a two-minute minor for roughing. He will miss significant time. That’s a big loss. Will the Department of Player Safety suspend Foegle? I’m not sure.

So, you have the unpredictability of the first round. Where the Lightning have already cleaned out their lockers following a record season that included 62 wins and 128 points.

I saw both Theo Fleury and Martin St. Louis drive home a point I’ve made before on analytics. While we use Corsica to measure a team’s success, all the statistics in the world don’t measure a team’s heart at this time of year. It’s will over skill that wins in the playoffs.

More Fleury on why the Blue Jackets won in four straight over the Lightning.

The same exact thing happened to Pittsburgh. The Islanders were hungrier. To paraphrase what Evgeni Malkin said, ‘They wanted it more.’

That is an indictment on the Pens. They didn’t measure up to the execution, grit and determination of Barry Trotz’s Islanders. Bret Hart would be proud.

One more comment on the controversial hits. You always notice a sharp contrast between the two sides on such tough calls. Todd Reirden thought it was a dangerous hit by Foegle while Rod Brind’Amour countered that it was a light shove. Sure it was.

Later today, you’ll have a classic double header. A pivotal Game Five between the Maple Leafs and Bruins with the best-of-seven series all even following Boston’s wild and crazy 6-4 win at Toronto.

In the night cap, it’s the Flames trying to stave off elimination at The Saddle Dome. They’ve dropped three in a row to the faster and more skilled Avalanche, who took Game 3 and 5 on sudden death goals from stars Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

Can Calgary summon the energy to support veteran netminder Mike Smith? They’ve gotten nothing from Johnny Gaudreau, who’s been held to one assist in the series. He, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm need to step up along with Matthew Tkachuk and captain Mark Giordano. It’s now or never.

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