Freeze Frame This

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Derek

The Rangers are tied with the Bruins 1-1 after a period in Beantown on NBCSN. It didn’t start ideally with David Pastrnak getting his 34th on a early power play for Boston due to another bench minor. That’s gotta be 11. Yikes.

But following a great diving stick save by Henrik Lundqvist to rob Chris Wagner, the Rangers responded with some good play. Eventually, they earned a power play. Mika Zibanejad drew it. It was only fitting he would be the beneficiary on just a great rush up the ice for a beautiful power play goal that tied the game.

Zak of 4everBlueshirts provided it. Look at the quick transition. I love the Ryan Strome pass to a cutting Zibanejad for the sweet finish for number 29! Just wonderful.

The power play has been a sore spot. They rank close to the bottom. But this is how you draw it up. Credit Pavel Buchnevich too by drawing two Bruins as he gained access. The pass trapped them giving Strome time and space to find Zibanejad for his 69th point. One more to 70. It’s been a while since a Blueshirt reached that number. I’ll give you a hint. They’re retired.

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Lost In Translation: Tony DeAngelo

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Derek

AP Photo courtesy Getty Images via NY Post.

For those hockey brethren who are easily upset by a interesting young player who doesn’t have the best history so far, you might want to take a second look at Tony DeAngelo. In his second season with the Rangers, the 23-year old Sewell, New Jersey native looks to have finally found a home.

A former Lightning first round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft taken number 19 overall, the smooth skating right defenseman has taken some positive steps in his development. Following a trade from Tampa to the Coyotes, he only lasted 39 games with Arizona going 5-9-14 with 37 penalty minutes and a minus-13 rating as a 21-year old in ’16-17. Ironically, the second round pick the Bolts acquired from Arizona was used to select Libor Hajek. A D prospect they packaged with Vladislav Namestnikov, Brett Howden, a first round pick and conditional second to the Rangers in exchange for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller. Go figure.

I found it odd that the Coyotes gave up on DeAngelo so early after acquiring him. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the emotionally charged defenseman. He’s had discipline issues dating back to his Junior days with the Sarnia Sting. When a talented player of his caliber gets suspended for abuse of an official more than once including as a member of the Coyotes, it speaks to a maturity problem.

After being mishandled by former coach Alain Vigneault after coming over with 2017 seventh overall pick Lias Andersson for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta, DeAngelo has been handled much better under first-year be changed boss David Quinn. However, that doesn’t mean DeAngelo hasn’t tested Quinn’s patience. On more than one occasion, he’s been a healthy scratch for off the ice issues that won’t be tolerated. An area Quinn has hammered home while also disciplining other young players to toughen them up. He’s been very successful.

On the ice, DeAngelo gives the Blueshirts something they don’t have much of. A good skating defenseman who’s fully capable of contributing offensively. Even though he sat out a lot of games in the first half, the lightning rod with the killer personality has responded well to criticism.

On a offensively challenged team especially since the departure of top six forwards Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes, DeAngelo leads all Ranger blueliners in D scoring with 28 points. That includes 24 assists with many primary helpers setting up goals like the power play tally Vinni Lettieri scored on Monday night for his first goal at MSG.

DeAngelo is a superb skater who possesses good vision. Able to find open teammates to create good scoring opportunities like the pass he made to Namestnikov who was robbed by Pens netminder Matt Murray, DeAngelo is a very good passer of the puck. Sixteen of his 24 assists have come at even strength. He’s also scored all four of his goals in that facet.

He’s also picked up eight power play assists. The latest example the perfect cross ice feed for Lettieri’s one-timer in Monday’s 5-2 home loss to Pittsburgh. By comparison, Kevin Shattenkirk has seven power play points including six assists on the man-advantage. Even with Quinn shifting him back to the top unit, most of the veteran’s success has come at even strength. Nineteen of his 25 helpers are at even strength. Similar to DeAngelo.

With six games remaining including tonight’s tough Original Six match up at Boston, DeAngelo needs two more points for 30. That would be a good achievement considering what he’s been through. Mostly self inflicted.

A restricted free agent this summer, he’s the most skilled defenseman the current roster features. DeAngelo has shown a propensity to play the game on the edge. He’s been a willing participant during scrums and isn’t shy about dropping the gloves if it means standing up for teammates. Unfortunately, Kyle Okposo learned the hard way.

Thankfully, Okposo has been able to come back for the Sabres. I wasn’t sure he would given his injury history. I’m glad he’s okay.

The thing about DeAngelo is he must learn to channel his anger. Quinn wants him to keep his emotions in check. He’s replaced Neal Pionk in the top four by forming a solid pair with veteran Marc Staal. They’re much more effective due to DeAngelo being more consistent than Pionk, who’s the same age. The difference is he wasn’t drafted or highly thought of.

In 55 games, DeAngelo has four goals and 24 assists for 28 points. He’s also a respectable plus-three on a team that was eliminated from the playoffs for a second consecutive year on Saturday. But he also has 60 penalty minutes which is the most of any current Blueshirt. One more than recently converted forward Brendan Smith.

If he is to become more successful in the future, DeAngelo must stay disciplined on and off the ice. He still has a tendency to take ill advised penalties. With the coaching staff trusting him to play key minutes (19:17 ATOI), they need him on the ice. Not in the penalty box.

They also don’t need these type of risky hits like the one he delivered on Jared McCann.

https://twitter.com/G_Off817/status/1110339392437137410?s=19

The hit caught a prone McCann up high and was dangerous. It could easily be a suspension if NHL Player Safety deemed it worthy of say two games. You never know what they’re thinking. The last thing DeAngelo needs is to further damage his reputation.

If he can keep his head screwed on straight, he has a chance to be a good player for the Rangers during their rebuild. Maybe he can even fulfill that potential. It’s up to him.

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Islanders get blanked by Bobrovsky and Blue Jackets

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Derek

The Islanders remain a great story this season. On the verge of clinching a playoff berth under Jack Adams candidate Barry Trotz, they entered last night’s road game in Columbus fresh off two big wins this past weekend. Consecutive victories over the Flyers and Coyotes put the Islanders within a point of first place Washington. Both were in action on Tuesday.

With a possibility of over taking the Capitals, the Isles got blanked by the Blue Jackets 4-0. They were unable to muster any offense against Sergei Bobrovsky. The red hot former two-time Vezina winner stopped all 26 shots en route to his eighth shutout. Six have come since the All-Star break.

Columbus was in desperation mode. Having gotten a Bobrovsky shutout in Vancouver to conclude a bad road trip, they knew the Canadiens were in action at home versus the crappy Panthers. They entered yesterday two points behind the Habs for the second wildcard.

Even with the additions of Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, the Blue Jackets have had a hard time scoring goals. They haven’t jelled quite the way management envisioned. Instead, inconsistency has lead to costly losses putting the playoffs in jeopardy. Duchene hasn’t produced like he did in Ottawa. Both Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson entered with scoring droughts.

John Tortorella’s team has had to rely heavily on Bobrovsky and emerging power forward Josh Anderson. He has them playing a tight checking style eerily similar to the way the Rangers played under him.

It wasn’t surprising to see how hard fought every inch of the ice was for the Islanders. Even in a solid first period that saw them outshoot the Blue Jackets 10-7, one undisciplined mistake put them behind early on. A bench minor for too many men on the ice handed Columbus an early power play. One of the lowest ranked man-advantages in the league, they made it work when Zach Werenski passed across for an open Dzingel, who beat Thomas Greiss from the left circle at 5:43.

That was the game’s only power play. The only other penalties came with 50 seconds left in the period when Mathew Barzal took exception to a Pierre-Luc Dubois hit that caught the Isles leading scorer down. He went back at Dubois near the benches leading to matching roughing minors.

The odd thing about the first was that despite only a three shot differential, the Isles were in control at five-on-five thanks to their forecheck. They got some good looks on Bobrovsky, who was sharp throughout. His best work came when he robbed Josh Bailey with glove save. He also flashed the leather on Nick Leddy.

In the second, it was a lot of hotly contested battles during shifts between the clubs. You had some edge during scrums. Something you’d expect with a lot on the line. Both Bobrovsky’s glove saves on first Leddy and Bailey came in the first few minutes. He heard the cheers from the fans who earlier in the year had booed him for uncharacteristic play. That hasn’t been the case for two months. Counting last night’s game, he’s 14-7-0 with a 2.00 goals-against-average, .930 save percentage and six shutouts in February and March.

The best chance the Isles got came when pesky checking center Casey Cizikas got behind the Columbus defense and had a breakaway. In an earlier Islander win over Bobrovsky, he victimized the Blue Jackets netminder twice. That included his bread and butter backhand deke off a similar rush. This time, he got back pressure from a hustling Adam McQuaid. Cizikas went to the same move, but McQuaid might have prevented a goal by diving to get his stick on Cizikas’ stick as Bobrovsky made a diving stop to deny the bid.

It was essentially the last great scoring opportunity the Isles had. They didn’t get many more shots on Bobrovsky the rest of the period. Columbus picked up their game to outshoot the Isles 15-9. Greiss gave them a chance by stopping all 15 shots to keep it a one goal deficit headed to the third.

On a shift less than three minutes into the final stanza, a sloppy back pass resulted in a turnover that had an ugly end result for the Islanders. Duchene gathered the mistake and fed Atkinson, who passed for a wide open Panarin behind everyone for a clean breakaway. Having been in a cold streak this month without a goal, the Bread Man didn’t miss. He went high glove side on Greiss for his first goal in 13 games at 2:38 for a 2-0 Columbus lead.

Given how well they checked, it was asking a lot for the Isles to come back. Another mistake led directly to the Jackets third goal. Behind his own net, Johnny Boychuk sent a clear around the boards that was intercepted by a pinching Alex Wennberg. A player who’s struggled mightily, his battle kept the play alive for Oliver Bjorkstrand. He turned and fired a quick wrist shot that surprised Greiss for a unassisted goal with 8:48 remaining.

With the game all but over, Trotz still pulled Greiss even though his team was down three. Seth Jones and Duchene combined to set up Atkinson for an empty netter that erased a eight game drought. It was his 39th.

For the Blue Jackets, it allowed them to keep pace with Montreal, who blew out the defenseless Panthers 6-1. Montreal has 90 points with five games remaining. Columbus has 88 points with six left. In what amounts to a playoff game, the Blue Jackets host the Canadiens tomorrow night.

At the same time, the Hurricanes will host the first place Caps in the second game of a home and home series. Washington took the first game 4-1. Alexander Ovechkin scored his league-leading 49th. Washington is up to 98 points. Three ahead of both the Pens and Isles. All three teams have five games left. The Islanders final five are at Winnipeg tomorrow, home for Buffalo this Saturday with the Maple Leafs visiting Nassau Coliseum on April Fool’s Day, followed by a road game at Florida April 4 and the final game of the season at Washington April 6.

As far as the wildcard race, Carolina is still in the first wildcard with 91 points, 40 ROW (Regulation Overtime Wins) and six games remaining. Montreal is in the second wildcard with 90 points, 39 ROW and five left. Columbus has 88 points, 41 ROW and six remaining. ROW is the first tiebreaker if two teams are tied. So, that could favor the Blue Jackets. However, the importance of their game against the Habs is huge.

Thursday will be a great sports day. Opening Day features the Yankees against the Orioles and the Mets against the Nationals featuring freshly extended Cy Young winner Jacob de Grom versus Max Scherzer. Plus the first part of the Sweet 16 games. I’ll be flipping back and forth between the college hoops and the two gigantic hockey games that will impact the race.

The Isles want to finish strong. At the moment, they’re considered third behind the Pens due to goal differential. Both teams have 95 points and 40 ROW with five games to go. Pittsburgh is plus-33 in differential while the Islanders are plus-24. Home ice for the Isles in a potential first round against the Sidney Crosby led Pens is essential. Without it, I don’t think they stand a chance.

They’re hard pressed to score goals as it is. Getting that extra home game with the first round being played at their real home arena in front of 13,917 screaming Islander fans at NYCB Live Nassau Coliseum would really help their chances.

BONY 3 STARS:

3rd 🌟 Matt Duchene, Blue Jackets (2 assists)

2nd 🌟 Artemi Panarin, Blue Jackets (breakaway goal for 26th)

1st 🌟 Sergei Bobrovsky, Blue Jackets (26 save shutout for single season career high 8)

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Game #77: Moody Monday – Devils 3, Sabres 1

Posted on March 26, 2019 by hasan4978

I was really debating going to yesterday’s game with the free tickets I got via a team e-mail.  I’d already traded in my normal tickets for buyback credit towards next season’s invoice but clearly a Monday night game between two teams going nowhere didn’t have a lot of advance sales so the Devils offered up comps as if it was a preseason game.  I did actually get tickets in my same section and row but with nobody to go with and the only people I knew that were there possibly sitting in the club section, I really didn’t feel like flying solo for a meaningless weeknight game.  Especially after getting my token 2019 attendance win before the offseason on Saturday.

While I was home, I didn’t really watch much of last night’s odd 3-1 win.  It was odd both in that the team was vastly outplayed by a cold, lousy Sabres team, and also in that you would have thought for all the world Cory Schneider was headed for yet another implosion after allowing a center-ice trickler to get through him in the first period.  Instead, showing a resilience he hasn’t always had as a Devil, Cory rebounded with a stunning 45-save game that earned him a hard-fought win, a first star and the team’s yellow helmet given out for players’ player of the game.  From clod to god all in one night, even if you’re not Cory’s biggest fan it’s certainly another feel-good moment for the embattled goalie down the stretch.  Even if his on-ice interview with Erika Wachter began on a cringeworthy note, where he sheepishly joked, ‘are those mock cheers, or real ones?’.

Obviously if you follow Cory, you know he’s always the first to call himself out for a bad game or goal allowed, so he certainly wasn’t blaming the crowd for what I’m sure was some…vocal pushback after his facepalm worthy start to the game.  If anything his problem (like mine in a lot of cases) is that he’s too worried about letting everyone down at times.  Perhaps the lack of meaning in last night’s game made it easier to bounce back from Sam Reinhart’s dribbler that tied the game after Blake Coleman’s early marker got the Devils off to a good start.  At first I was incredulous when I heard the reports that Cory was playing well after that.  Almost for his sake alone I was rooting for the win once a resurgent Pavel Zacha gave the Devils back the lead early in the third, but of course with only a handful of games left to deal with, the lotto watching has begun in earnest in this corner.

After a great start Buffalo’s been so bad they might even drop below us if they keep sinking.  Few teams have mastered the art of the late-season tank like the Sabres.  Not that things have been so great for me or Derek down the stretch either.  Looking at the Rangers’ recent run of results one thing struck me – other than their weekend OT win over the Leafs, their only wins in the last five weeks have been over us.  Twice.  Our recent two-game winning streak has been the abberation of late after a 2-9-1 stretch seemingly locked us into the bottom four.  Of course, having a bunch of guys return to the lineup probably helped over the last couple games as well.  Even if Sami Vatanen was out of the lineup again last night – this time due to ‘illness’ – and the team was largely outplayed by a Sabres team that hadn’t won on the road in weeks.  Ironically a phantom goalie interference call on what would have been a tying goal for Buffalo in the third period also (cough) helped the Devils’ cause last night.

Just figures that’s when we get our makeup call on a contreversially disallowed goal last December against these same Sabres!  Of course as a fan I’m supposed to dwell on the positives even when the positives mean very little in the grand scheme.  One positive that can have some far-reaching impact into next year has been the recent surge of Zacha in his first three games off of IR with four points.  I have seen this script before though, with Zacha frequently spasming out a couple of games of good play after going back into the lineup then going back into his usual invisible self.  If you want to take his first ten games of the season out of the mix pre-demotion, he has 12 goals and 21 points in 46 games which is mildly encouraging but hardly something where I’d bank on the kid being a top six weapon next year.  He’s going to have to consistently earn his way back up into the mix.

That’s always the danger of grading off of meaningless games, you never know when some of these late-season surges are just mirages.  Zacha and Cory are two of the key faces of that, whether you can bank on their improvement down the stretch as a sign of things to come or not.  For now the only concern for most fans is what kind of lotto odds the team will have two weeks from today, when the drawing for the top three picks is held.  Perhaps the most important game for determining that is our next one, at Detroit on Friday since the Wings are only one point behind us with a game in hand.  I don’t want to get into full reverse order standings here but barring a full collapse by a team like the Rangers or Sabres, it’s likely we’ll finish no better than fourth from the bottom.  Of course I can’t fully root against the team with Mackenzie Blackwood presumably in net on Friday.  If we’ve had a true encouraging sign in the second half of this lost season it’s been Blackwood showing he’s got the tools to be the man in the very near future in net.

Of course players and coaches never really try to lose themselves.  Even if some of our ‘injuries’ have been a bit suspect the last few weeks, those decisions are made off the ice in a lot of cases.  Players and coaches need to continually do well to try to ensure their own job security though.  I just wish there was this type of urgency earlier in the year when it could have actually mattered.

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Game #75: Yet another Penguins humiliation

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Derek

Well, at least they started out well. The Rangers actually got the game’s first two goals. Then, the Penguins remembered who they are and humiliated the Blueshirts 5-2 at MSG to improve to 3-0 versus our team. They’ve now outscored us 18-9. There’s one game remaining. Yikes.

On what was our second to last home game, at least the home team scored a couple of goals. The last time out, they got shutout by Carolina on 1994 Night. So, I’m thankful for the two goals we at least got to celebrate in the first period.

Pavel Buchnevich continued to impress by making a perfect cross ice feed for a Brendan Lemieux goal on a odd man rush. Mika Zibanejad added his career high 40th assist. It was a well executed play by the top line.

Everyone knows the power play isn’t good. However, you wouldn’t have known that by the way they moved the puck around on Vinni Lettieri’s first of the season. The second unit got it done. Filip Chytil got the puck to Tony DeAngelo, who made a brilliant pass across for a Lettieri one-timer past Matt Murray, who couldn’t quite recover. The Pens starting goalie sure made up for it later.

But before they could announce Lettieri’s goal, Nick Bjugstad was able to get to a Marcus Pettersson rebound 26 seconds later to make it 2-1. DeAngelo nearly set up another goal. But a sharp Murray robbed Vladislav Namestnikov point blank by getting a piece of it with a glove. The puck stayed out despite being in mid-air. That was a turning point.

The second period was a different story altogether. Outclassed is how I’d summarize it. Anything that could go wrong did. A iffy hi-sticking minor on Brady Skjei resulted in a wonderful power play goal by the Pens. It was set up by who else but Sidney Crosby. After receiving the puck from Phil Kessel down low, the Pens captain went behind the net and made a great pass for a Justin Schultz one-time blast past Alexandar Georgiev over the glove.

Momentum swung completely in favor of the far more talented playoff contender who needed the game to tie the Islanders for second place in the division. It was totally understandable. Unacceptable too even if some of our fake fans are openly rooting for losses due to draft position. Do they even realize how long this rebuilding process could take? What fools.

The Pens outscored the Rangers 3-0 in the uncompetitive stanza. Georgiev had a rough night. Even though four of the five goals weren’t his fault, the Pens game-winner from ageless veteran Matt Cullen was one he would want back.

Following a brutal turnover by John Gilmour that allowed the Pens to forecheck, Cullen took a drop pass and came out and beat Georgiev from a bad angle short side. He wasn’t set and paid for it. Plenty of Pittsburgh fans in jerseys cheered as if it were a home game. It was kinda embarrassing.

The worst moment of the game came on the Rangers’ second consecutive power play, which Lemieux drew. The top unit got victimized twice for Penguin shorthanded bids. On the first, they couldn’t quite score. But the second was a series of dreadful plays by the top unit. They got completely outworked behind the net.

Eventually, Teddy Blueger came out with the puck and caught Georgiev off his near post for a easy backhand into the open side for a back breaking shorthanded goal that made it 4-2 to even more cheers. I don’t know who was behind the net, but Lemieux dove to take away a pass. Instead, he took himself right out of the play. It made it easier for Blueger, who may as well have been named Lex Luger on this night. He also got the lone Pens tally in the third on a rebound Georgiev couldn’t control.

Lemieux did get a chance on the same power play with a mini break. But Murray denied him to keep it 4-2.

The third was just wait and see if they could come back. They couldn’t. Murray made some key saves including a good one on Buchnevich. Eventually, Blueger sealed it by beating the invisible Ranger D to the front for his second.

That was our cue to exit. You learn a lot from these games. Brendan Smith was a standout on the fourth line. He created multiple chances and nearly pulled off a goal of the year candidate on a shorthanded bid. Since being shifted to forward, the veteran defenseman has acquitted himself well. He deserves to stay on the team. His hustle hasn’t gone unnoticed.

I also thought each young center competed well. Chytil recording an assist and working hard throughout. Lias Andersson noticeable on the forecheck and defensively responsible. Brett Howden putting himself in the right spot for a scoring chance off a Pens turnover forced by Ryan Strome. Lettieri turned in his best overall game as a Blueshirt.

In games like this, you have to pay close attention to the details. For all the criticism he gets, Marc Staal was missed. Fredrik Claesson was late on one of the goals. I’m not sure I’d bring him back.

I also liked how Brady Skjei and DeAngelo competed. Ditto for Kevin Shattenkirk. Gilmour had a rough game. Neal Pionk was okay.

The thing that bothered me was seeing some of the “fans” get up during play and leave. God forbid they wait for a stoppage. It’s just sad. Nobody cares. There’s no respect for anyone. Especially when you sit upstairs like we have for so long. These same people arrive late and just go to their seats before a whistle.

I know this will sound negative. But I’m not here to play games. I don’t want to go through another bad stretch like we did in the Dark Ages. If you aren’t old enough to know, you’re lucky. The period between 1997 thru 2004 was unbearable. It was embarrassing. It’s becoming like that again already and it’s only Year Two. I hope I’m wrong about next year.

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Prince Alexandar starts versus Pens, Looking Ahead

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Derek

Tonight, the Rangers return home to host the Penguins at MSG. The game time is 7 PM with your usual drop of the puck around 7:08 between 33rd and Seventh.

Rookie Alexandar Georgiev will get the start in goal. Fresh off a scintillating 44 save performance in a 2-1 overtime win over the Leafs in Toronto, the 23-year old Bulgarian makes another start against a quality opponent. This time, it’s old Patrick rival Pittsburgh. The Pens are battling for playoff position in the Metro Division. They’re in third place with 93 points. They have six games remaining entering tonight’s match.

Five total points separate first place Washington from fourth place Carolina. The Caps lead the division by a point over the Islanders, who all but sealed up a playoff berth by sweeping the Flyers and Coyotes over the weekend. The Pens have 93 points, trailing the Isles by two for home ice advantage if they meet in the first round. With a 2-1 overtime win last night over Montreal, the Hurricanes have 91 points with seven games left. So, they could make up ground.

In the wildcard race, the Canes are first with the Canadiens second with 88 points. Montreal leads Columbus by two for the final spot. The Blue Jackets got a badly needed 5-0 victory over Vancouver thanks to a shutout from Sergei Bobrovsky. They have 86 points with a game at hand on the Habs. The two teams meet later this week in Columbus. Montreal has a home game against Florida tomorrow night.

There’s your up to date playoff race. The West is more complicated with technically everyone except the Kings still alive. Even the Oilers. There are a couple of bigger games later that affect that race. In case you’re wondering about the Stars, they’ve hung in pretty good without Mats Zuccarello. They’re in the first wildcard with 82 points. One up on the Avalanche, who lost to the Blackhawks in overtime last night. Dallas has the ROW tiebreaker, but still has some work to do to get in. Zuccarello is skating. Hopefully, he will be back to help them soon.

Regarding Georgiev, who goes for his 12th win in the 26th start of the season, it’s another chance to prove himself against one of the league’s best. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel have been on a roll. With Matt Murray back in form and Kris Letang playing well, the Pens are 8-2-3 in March. Their only two regulation losses came to Columbus and St. Louis.

Quite a few of those games have gone to extras. Prior to a 3-2 regulation victory in Dallas on Saturday, they went to the shootout to edge Nashville and fell to those jerks in Carolina. They blew one to the Flyers losing in overtime. So, the last four games have been close for Pittsburgh. They’re 2-0-2.

The game tonight is the third of four meetings against the Pens. Pittsburgh won the previous two. On 1/2, they blew out the Rangers 7-2 to chase Henrik Lundqvist from net. Georgiev replaced him and allowed one. Last month on 2/17 in Pittsburgh, it was a crazy game the high scoring Pens took 6-5. Evgeni Malkin had two goals including a highlight reel one on Georgiev, who was in for all six on 41 shots. The old Mika Zibanejad line did damage with Zuccarello scoring twice and the next Ranger captain notching his 26th with 18 seconds left to make it interesting. Kevin Hayes had a goal and assist.

Honestly, that game seems like a long time ago. Since then, the Rangers have moved on while Zuccarello and Hayes look to make an impact on the Western Conference playoffs. Hayes recently had his best game in a Jets’ 5-0 blowout of the Predators. He had a goal and three assists to help emerging star Kyle Connor record his first career hat trick.

The Rangers will also finish at the Penguins on April 6. As much as these games don’t mean so much, they’re still rivalry games. That should be etched in the back of the players minds after allowing the Pens to do whatever they wanted in the first two meetings. Thirteen goals is way too many. We’ll see how much pride the boys have in the final home game against a rival you love to hate.

Even if Malkin doesn’t play, the Pens have plenty of firepower. They’ve gotten large contributions from Jared McCann since he and Nick Bjugstad came over from Florida for Derick Brassard (now on Colorado). Justin Schultz has been playing this month after that gruesome injury last Fall. So, that’s a bonus for their D that includes Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Jack Johnson, Erik Gudbranson and Marcus Pettersson. GM Jim Rutherford quietly remade it.

There’s always the pesky Patric Hornqvist, who loves crashing the net for deflections and rebounds. Some of it legal and some illegal that can lead to scrums. Similar to Brendan Lemieux, who’s become a fan favorite in record time. Coach David Quinn has moved the son of Claude Lemieux around, even giving him a shift with Zibanejad and Buchnevich the other day. It was an effective shift. Of course, he was involved on Buchnevich’s 18th goal from Brady Skjei and the improved Kevin Shattenkirk.

Shattenkirk has looked much better for about a month now. He’s back to skating well and picking up assists. Quinn has rewarded him with a spot on the first power play unit while Tony DeAngelo has shifted to the second unit. Shattenkirk has been able to get more shots through for rebounds. He also showed a mean streak by throwing down a Leaf behind Georgiev’s cage. That was as physically involved as I can remember seeing Shattenkirk. It’s good to see the prideful defenseman playing with confidence and edge.

Lately, he’s paired up with Skjei while DeAngelo has stuck with Marc Staal in the top four. John Gilmour is working with Neal Pionk on the third pair. Neither are great defensively, but do compete hard. It remains to be seen if either will be part of the Rangers blueline in ’19-20 and beyond. Pionk is restricted this summer along with DeAngelo, who’s a lock to be re-signed. As for Gilmour, he’s 25 already and has proven he can dominate at the AHL level. He led all AHL defensemen in scoring with 20 goals and 33 assists for 53 points.

With K’Andre Miller wrapping up his freshman year at Wisconsin, he’s about a year away. It would be wise for the 2018 first round pick to return for his sophomore year. In 26 games for the Badgers, Miller posted five goals and 17 assists totaling 22 points with a plus-seven rating and 18 penalty minutes. The big lefty skating defenseman could become that top pair D that the Rangers lack. He’s 6-4, 207 and skates like a forward which he was before converting to D.

Blueshirt fans should also be excited for promising Libor Hajek, who looked good in his short stint before an injury ended his season. Don’t forget about Ryan Lindgren, who is more of a defensive defenseman that likes to mix it up. With other European prospects Nils Lundkvist and Nico Gross, plus recently signed North American Joey Keane, the back end could look vastly different down the road.

Updating tonight, Staal will not play and as expected, Jesper Fast is done for the season. So, I guess that means Fredrik Claesson comes back in for Staal.

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Game #74: Strome’s overtime winner gives Georgiev another victory over the Leafs

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Derek

Maybe these games don’t have the same meaning to some. Don’t tell the Rangers. They went into Toronto and earned a hard fought 2-1 overtime win over the Maple Leafs. Ryan Strome scored the OT winner at 1:48 on a nice Boo Nieves set up to give improving rookie Alexandar Georgiev another victory over the Leafs.

For a team on the verge of elimination, they sure play tenacious hockey. Even if they needed 44 more saves from a lights out Georgiev to stifle one of the league’s highest scoring offenses. Don’t forget what he did on his 23rd birthday against these Leafs, making 55 saves in a home win on Feb. 10. In three starts against Toronto in the season series, he stopped 130 of a possible 136 shots. Very impressive considering his last two that saw him go 99 for 101 in two straight wins versus those Leafs.

Toronto couldn’t solve him conventionally. They fired shots from every conceivable angle, attempting a ridiculous 104. That means 59 never made the net. The Rangers played solid team defense by blocking 33 shots led by recent Hartford recall John Gilmour’s seven. Usually, if you give up the high volume of shots they did, it’s due to being dominated and poor defensively. That wasn’t the case. They competed for every loose puck and battled the Leafs in front.

It wasn’t one sided either with the Blueshirts getting 28 shots on goal and finishing with 58 attempts. Sure. They were outshot 45-28 including 20-7 in the third period. But they made Toronto earn it. It actually took a broken play for Zach Hyman to score his 19th off a good pass from John Tavares at 8:33 of the third to tie the score. The original play saw Georgiev stop Mitch Marner with the rebound going up in mid-air. Mika Zibanejad missed batting the puck out of harm’s way. That allowed Tavares to find Hyman for an open side.

Everything else they tried didn’t work against Georgiev. In my estimation, he played the game of the season by again stifling the Leafs at every turn. He had the number of Tavares, Marner and Auston Matthews. Oh, they got quality chances, but the focus of the Bulgarian Brick Wall was on point. If not for a flukey play, he shuts them out over a month later after the remarkable 55 save birthday present.

It went to three-on-three overtime. A sore spot for the Rangers most of the season. They hadn’t won in extras since beating the Avalanche for their first win of the season. It had been nothing but heartache for Quinn’s crew. Interestingly, he sent out Boo Nieves early in the three-on-three. The same Nieves, who played on the fourth line. He had a great chance late in regulation on a good pass by Brendan Smith. Instead, he passed it up for a covered Brett Howden. Quinn told Nieves to shoot the next time.

In OT, he got a two-on-one with Strome. Strome got the puck over to Nieves for a good one-timer that Frederik Andersen made a diving stop on to rob him. Nieves stuck with it behind the net and passed for Strome, who stuffed the puck into an open net for the game-winner. Look at the reaction of the team after the goal.

It sure was a nice reward for both Strome and Georgiev, who MSG analyst Steve Valiquette correctly noted that it’s been the first-year netminder who’s gotten all the tough starts over Henrik Lundqvist in the second half. So many pundits are too quick to brush aside Georgiev due to the anticipation of the team signing Russian goalie prospect Igor Shestyorkin.

Let’s be honest. If he signs, it would be a unreasonable expectation to think Shestyorkin could come over to North America and take the backup job away from Georgiev by playing as well as Georgie has. His improvement the past couple of months is impressive. Once again, goalie coach Benoit Allaire gas done a great job developing a young goalie who wasn’t even on the radar before last season.

Georgiev deserves to be here this Fall and share the work load with Lundqvist. Even if that means Shestyorkin starts in Hartford with recently signed college goalie Adam Huska, so be it. You don’t have to rush him right away. Let’s not go overboard. The KHL is not even close to the NHL. Shestyorkin has played on a loaded team for St. Petersburg SKA. He split starts with former AHL goalie Magnus Hellberg.

With Lundqvist signed another two years and Georgiev proving he deserves to stay, there is no need to rush Shestyorkin. He’s 23 and can develop at the right pace given the team’s depth. Georgiev is a bargain who’ll earn $792,500 through next year as his entry level contract expires. He’s a Group II free agent in 2020.

As for the one goal they scored in regulation, it came off the red hot stick of Pavel Buchnevich 19 seconds into the third period. He notched his 18th when he was able to get to a rebound of a Kevin Shattenkirk shot that Brady Skjei got a piece of. Brendan Lemieux drew attention in front to allow Buchnevich to score for the sixth time in 10 games. Lemieux does all the grunt work. He drove the Leafs nuts throughout with battles in front of Andersen.

It was a encouraging game. Especially when you win. Something that’s been a rare occurrence since last month. Their last victory came over the Devils at home. It’s been a while.

There are now eight games left. The world beater rival Penguins pay a visit to MSG on Monday. It’s a game we go to. Who gets the start? Georgiev or Lundqvist. It’s a good question.

I know it doesn’t mean a whole lot. But a win over the annoying Pens would be nice. They’ve kicked our ass this year.

BONY 3 STARS:

3rd 🌟 John Gilmour, Rangers (7 blocked shots in 22 shifts-17:00)

2nd 🌟 Ryan Strome, Rangers (overtime winner for his 14th goal as a Blueshirt, a gamer)

1st 🌟 Alexandar The Great Georgiev, Rangers (44 saves including 19 of 20 in a busy 3rd for Prince Alexandar)

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Rangers can gain ground in Lottery race with loss at Toronto

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Derek

I don’t advocate tanking. I’m glad the Rangers aren’t under coach David Quinn. They continue to play hard, but haven’t been winning games. Since the trade deadline, they have one victory. I’ve lost track of what the exact total is. I think it’s four losses in extras as well. Plus the five or six defeats in regulation. I could easily look it up, but what’s the point?

The bottom line is entering tonight’s match at Toronto, there are nine games remaining in the season. Game 74 features the Hartford Wolfpack versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. A low scoring team that struggles on the power play and on defense versus a high scoring juggernaut whose defense is in shambles.

If you want to look at the gaudy Toronto stats, be my guest. All I do know is John Tavares has 41 goals and over 80 points while Mitch Marner is closing in on 90 points. Morgan Rielly is a beast who could wind up with 20 goals and 80 points from the back end. Auston Matthews is only a few goals away from 40 despite missing time due to another injury. Nazem Kadri is an after thought. Frederik Andersen basically must stand on his head.

The Rangers have Mika Zibanejad with 68 points and 28 markers. Both team bests. After that, Chris Kreider, who isn’t playing, remains on 26 goals and has yet to crack the 50-point mark due to the hamstring injury he’s played through. After that, it’s Jimmy Vesey, who I think has gone eight or nine straight without a point. Pavel Buchnevich has been their best scoring forward with five goals over the past nine. He needs three for 20. A nice accomplishment if he can get it. Especially given the month he missed and struggles before adjusting under Quinn.

Tony DeAngelo leads the blueline with 26 points on mostly assists. A guy who was healthy scratched a lot due to a variety of reasons due mostly to off ice issues that will not be tolerated. It’s up to him. He’s got the talent. It’s all about maturity for the former first round pick of the Lightning, who didn’t last long in Arizona before coming over in the blockbuster that saw the Blueshirts say goodbye to playoff hero Derek Stepan and popular backup Antti Raanta. A trade that also netted Lias Andersson with the number seven overall pick in 2017. A young player who needs more ice time in these final nine to get a feel for what he can do.

It’ll be Alexandar Georgiev getting the start in net. The same rookie who had 55 saves on his birthday versus these Leafs at MSG. Four off Mike Richter’s mark of 59 for regulation.

So, what’s the focus? Continuing to see what Filip Chytil, Andersson and Brett Howden can do at center ice behind Zibanejad. Taking a look at deserving Hartford standouts Vinni Lettieri and John Gilmour. Evaluating what’s left with Kreider out and Jesper Fast likely done for the remainder of the schedule.

As for where the team is in the standings, they remain at 69 points with only 22 ROW. The lowest in the league. With the Devils prevailing over Arizona in a shootout, they are up to 65 points with a few more regulation and overtime wins. So, while it looks like the woeful Senators, Kings and Red Wings will all finish behind the Rangers, it’s possible for the Devils to pass them. However, they have played 76 games. So, it’ll still take a lot for the Rangers to wind up 27th with the fourth worst record.

They will continue to play honestly under the no nonsense Quinn. It’s just a question of how many of these games can they actually win? I jokingly said they might not win the rest of the year due to the lineup. Given how futile the offense is and the power play, who knows.

We’ll see how they fare in enemy territory tonight against a putrid defensive playoff contender.

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Game #76: Devils 2, Coyotes 1 (SO)

Posted on March 23, 2019 by hasan4978

I’ve been so used to writing emo recaps lately, I actually started to type in Coyotes 2 in the title space as if they’d won this afternoon’s game before catching myself. For once the Devils did win a hockey game, and were really the better team against an Arizona squad fighting for their playoff lives in front of a near packed house at the Rock. Honestly they should have won long before the shootout but for some terrific goaltending by Darcy Kuemper, a pair of maddening misses by Mike McLeod (still looking for his first NHL goal) and a PP that actually looked NHL caliber for once but still fired blanks time and again.

Obviously there was no recap for Thursday’s game…what’s to say about an AHL team losing 5-1 to the hottest team in the league outside of the Tampa juggernaut? Especially considering I didn’t watch a second of the highlights.  Amazingly, our lineup was a lot different for this afternoon’s game though. No fewer than five of the walking wounded (Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri, Miles Wood, Mirco Mueller and Sami Vatanen) were suddenly all healthy enough to play. I don’t want to accuse an organization of flat out chicanery – least of all my own – but the timing just smells fishy.  I even joked to my friend Rudy, ‘are we just bringing these guys back now to sell tickets for the last few home games?!’

If we were holding these guys out in some sort of soft tank, maybe they should have waited another game or two since a little streak could still possibly change our lotto odds.  Early on, it did look like more of the same in spite of the returning cavalry with Oliver Ekman-Larsson floating a partially screened wrister past Mackenzie Blackwood in the first period but after some more typical uninspired play of 2019, the team did wake up later in the first, getting rewarded when Drew Stafford’s wrister slithered through a screen and under Kuemper to tie the game. After that, the goalies took over but even so, the last two periods were as good as I’ve seen the Devils play in months. Even old, slow Stafford looked like he was using the turbo button on a power move towards the net in the second period.

I was only moderately surprised at the crowd at the Rock today, there were I’m sure a lot of presold tickets for a Saturday matinee and a lot of kids there to boot. Contrast that with our upcoming game with the Sabres on Monday where they’re literally giving away comp tickets to that game for season ticket holders as if it was a preseason game. Which to be fair, it pretty much is – an extended 2019-20 preseason if you will. I’m still debating using my comp for Monday, I hadn’t planned to go and probably won’t if my one couple friend winds up in the clubs as opposed to their normal seats since nobody else I know is going either. Not that I blame any of them.

At least I did get to see a few of my arena friends today. Otherwise these games just don’t have enough meaning to stay wrapped up in them. Oh sure, I celebrated out of habit when Blake Coleman and Pavel Zacha’s shootout goals gave the Devils a win – and my long awaited first live win of 2019 (now 1-6 in games this calendar year). But it felt empty afterward, like eating comfort food when depressed. Or as one time New Jersey Net Derrick Coleman once famously quipped…whoopdie damn doo.

Oh sure we played spoiler to the Coyotes to an extent, but it’s not like they’re any real rival. And we do get too wrapped up in the minuscule difference one or two places in the lotto odds can mean. Just look at 2016, when John Moore’s meaningless OT goal against the Flyers bumped our odds from third best to fifth best…but when the drawing was actually held it was one of our combos that came up. Perhaps the best thing about today’s game – besides the performances of Blackwood and Zacha – is it knocks one more game off the schedule and this time without any suspected catastrophic injuries.

 

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Game #73: Rangers lose again to Howard and Athanasiou led Red Wings

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Derek

Once again, it was Groundhog Day for the Rangers. They saw their collective shadow against Jimmy Howard, Andreas Athanasiou and the Red Wings to lose 3-2 in the final meeting of the season. In fact, all three losses to Detroit came by identical 3-2 scores.

When it comes to our team facing Howard, they cannot beat him. Simply put, the long time Red Wings netminder who idolized Mike Richter, always saves his best for the team he grew up rooting for. So, it’s never surprising when he routinely makes 40 or more saves against them. In fact, I predicted 43 early on and the usual one goal win over unlucky counterpart Henrik Lundqvist. I was close. He finished with 41 to improve to 10-3-3 in 16 career appearances versus the Rangers. See NHL.com’s Dan Rosen’s tweet below.

Howard is a goalie I’ve always had a soft spot for. He came after all the Red Wings’ success. It looks like the affable veteran will stay put for another year with the only franchise he’s known. Good.

He isn’t a Hall of Fame netminder. However, the former University of Maine star has carved out a solid career in Hockey Town. He’s up to 241 career victories with 24 shutouts and respectable numbers across the board. The soon to be 35-year old on March 26 should be a lock for the US Hockey Hall of Fame. No small accomplishment.

I can’t count how many times the Rangers and Red Wings wound up in a one goal game with Howard and Lundqvist in net. But I’d imagine it’s been almost for the duration of their match-ups. That’s just the way it is. Some things will never change. If you’re an old school 80’s music fan, you know where I borrowed that from. ;).

Facing a team with fewer points than them, the Rangers came out fast and dominated the Red Wings with a 17 shot first period. That included the game’s first seven. They controlled much of the action except for the scoreboard. Howard wouldn’t cooperate turning aside all 17 Ranger shots with maybe his best stop coming on Chris Kreider, who acknowledged to playing through a hamstring injury since the Tampa game last month.

With a young lineup that included Hartford call ups John Gilmour and Vinni Lettieri, the Rangers made their share of mistakes. However, I liked the effort they gave. With coach David Quinn finally moving Filip Chytil to his natural position of center, and having Lias Andersson center the fourth line, it was a different look. Brett Howden also centered a line. Only leading scorer Mika Zibanejad had experience down the middle. That’s how it should be for the remainder of the season.

Former Islander center Frans Nielsen took advantage of a mistake to score his 10th from Detroit call up Taro Hirose in his NHL debut. Gilmour got turned outside in by Nielsen who broke in and went upstairs on Lundqvist for a 1-0 lead.

In between stoppages, I was also flipping to the big play in game for pseudo Alma mater Fairleigh Dickinson. Like Devils blogger Hasan, I too attended the FDU Madison campus. It was only for three semesters before I finished up at St. John’s. My school has a pretty big game tomorrow night against Arizona State. It’s a second chance.

I too was thrilled to see the kids from FDU Teaneck get the school’s first win in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. They’ll now meet West No. 1 seed Gonzaga. They earned it by coming from behind to beat Prairie View. It was exciting.

I know I’ve been neglecting our team lately. But I made sure to lock in and catch as much of tonight’s game as possible. I watched more than I have the past two weeks. It’s been a rough time for the team. They remain at only one win since the trade deadline that saw Kevin Hayes and Adam McQuaid follow Mats Zuccarello on the way out to playoff contenders. It still is like an out of body experience seeing Hayes in that weird No. 12 Winnipeg Jets jersey. He scored a goal in a win the other night. Zuccarello is now traveling with the Stars, who remain in the first wildcard. Hopefully, he’ll be back soon.

Detroit played a better second period. They took it to the Blueshirts in the first half. Ranger killer Athanasiou struck again for his 27th past a helpless Lundqvist at 4:30. After Kevin Shattenkirk got caught up ice, Chytil was too late on Nielsen’s tally with 2:44 left. That’s gonna happen. The 19-year old rookie is still learning. Ditto for Andersson, who’s also been caught on for some goals against. It is the development stage for the former 2017 first round picks.

Athanasiou was lethal during the season series going for four goals and two assists in the three Red Wing wins. One of the game’s fastest skaters, it’s all coming together for the center with the dangerous shot. Detroit might not be so bad if he continues to improve along with future captain Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Anthony Mantha and rookie Filip Zadina. Their defense remains shaky.

It wasn’t a lack of scoring chances for the Rangers against Howard because it never is. They got their looks throughout. At least for two periods, they couldn’t beat him. He stopped all 31 shots. I wondered if they would break through.

It took a power play drawn by Zibanejad on Bertuzzi (slashing) for them to snap the shutout. The power play has been a sore spot since the deadline. They were 1 for 32 entering this one. But this time instead of passing the puck around and firing blanks, a Shattenkirk rebound came right to Ryan Strome, who buried his 13th as a Blueshirt at 14:46 for an actual power play goal that drew them within one.

Pavel Buchnevich picked up a secondary helper. He continues to play well. Reunited with Kreider and Zibanejad, he was the most dangerous shooter. Unfortunately with Lundqvist on the bench, his one-timer from the slot deflected just wide. He was visibly upset on the bench after the speedy Athanasiou broke free and scored into an open net.

As it turned out, it proved to be the winner. That’s because some hard work on the forecheck from Lettieri resulted in a puck recovery from Howden, who got it to Neal Pionk for a quick one-timer that rebounded out to that sniper Brendan Smith for a well deserved goal with under 10 seconds remaining.

That was it for the game. On to the next one. Nine left.

Howell Honored: Prior to the game, the Rangers honored Harry Howell, who passed away on 3/10 at age 86. A 17-year Blueshirt who played the first 17 seasons on Broadway as a excellent Hall of Fame defenseman who won a Norris Trophy in ’66-67 before Bobby Orr’s dominance, he played for the Rangers from ’52-53 until the ’66-67 season when he posted a career best 13 goals and 40 points as a 34-year old to be recognized as the league’s best defenseman.

In 1160 games, Howell finished with 82 goals and 263 assists for a total of 345 points as a Blueshirt. The 1160 games remain a franchise record.

In 2009, the club finally retired his No. 3 alongside Andy Bathgate’s No. 9 in a memorable ceremony.

MSG showed some highlights of Howell’s brilliant Rangers career along with a wonderful clip of him thanking the fans for all the support. He was a classy player that’ll be missed.

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