The fallout from the latest call against Rangers and fan backlash

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Derek

It takes a lot of incompetence to mess up games the way the NHL continues to. This isn’t only a Rangers problem. It’s a league issue that threatens to tarnish the great sport we’re so passionate about.

Hockey is played at a very high tempo. The speed and skill of the current game has never been better. Showcasing the best players is easy. With the amount of exposure coming from the very successful outdoor games, the networks can highlight the league’s brightest stars. Though it’s perplexing that Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane seem to always play in those games while Connor McDavid is stuck in Edmonton with Leon Draisaitl.

It’s interesting that the one time NHL broadcast partner NBC decided to feature McDavid, it was against the Binghamton Devils the other day. Of course, the schedule makers and networks can’t predict the future. There isn’t a time machine like in Back To The Future. They didn’t know Taylor Hall would be hurt and need arthroscopic surgery. I get the logic of having them televise a game between the Devils and Oilers. They figured the rating Hart winner Hall would be leading a good team into Edmonton to face his former team. It didn’t play out that way.

To be blunt, NBC does a lousy job when it comes to McDavid. Don’t use the easy excuse that it’s due to Hockey Night In Canada. Of course, Canadian partners TSN and Sportsnet will get first crack at the star talent in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal and Toronto. Ottawa used to have those guys, but are in a rebuild that could take awhile.

As far as the troubling pattern of NHL officials unable to get together and make the right calls during games, it’s become a problem. There are too many instances where refs and linesmen are impacting games with controversial calls such as the match penalty Brendan Lemieux received on Wednesday night. That they can conference just as they did eight days prior when it came to Mika Zibanejad, and get it so wrong is frustrating.

It’s downright insulting to passionate hockey fans, who have followed the game long enough to see the changes in how it’s called. Whether it’s missing blatant infractions while continuing to call the league mandated soft hooks and holds, or overreacting to a injured player like Antoine Roussel was following the incidental Lemieux hit, more and more fans along with reporters are getting annoyed with the direction of the game.

They can cite many examples of positive things. Whether it’s commissioner Gary Bettman talking up revenue being up or the fact scoring has dramatically increased, it ignores the fact that there are issues that have become legitimate concerns for viewers.

The truth is the league has become soft. I’m not saying it should go back to the days where fights happened way more often along with melees. Nobody wants to see that. However, every once in a while, it’s good to see a tough player stick up for a teammate. Not the staged fights that still exist. With the instigator having been around for quite some time, you don’t have players policing themselves. A gripe that allows certain agitators to hide behind the rules.

It puts more pressure on the officials to make hard decisions. They aren’t perfect. Nobody is. They miss things and we complain. They also get more stuff right than most people give them credit for. Sometimes, we forget that they’re human. People make mistakes.

I feel the problem lies in how rules are interpreted. With the needed addition of Illegal Check To The Head and interference majors, they’re trying to prevent ugly incidents that were all too common. Think Matt Cooke and Raffi Torres. It also includes current Capital Tom Wilson, who plays the game on the edge.

The league is disciplining players more by handing out longer suspensions like the one Wilson served for his awful cheap shot on Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist during a preseason game. They’re even starting to go after culprits who use their stick dangerously. That’s a positive development. Let’s put it this way. Even though he wasn’t deliberately going to take out Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson, Chris Kreider got lucky that his elbow on the Calder favorite didn’t result in a suspension. He was fined $5,000. Chunk change, which infuriates fans because it happens way too often.

I wonder where the game is headed. How many times are the four officials left guessing on what they saw due to the speed of the game? How many more teams have to suffer indignities like the Zibanejad major and game misconduct that was rescinded? Calls such as the one on Lemieux decide games. Granted. The score was already 3-0 Canucks. The Rangers still had to successfully kill off a five-minute penalty.

Is it time for such tough calls to be reviewed by Toronto? I’m not sure that’s the answer. The NFL does it with certain hits that are penalized 15 yards. They want to make sure they are right. Given where the current state of the game is, it’s a possibility.

When former players like Jeremy Roenick speak out, it’s very telling.

JR played during a tougher era. I guess for right now, it is what it is. It really takes the emotion out. My reaction was anger at first followed by the way too predictable shake of the head. That’s not a good thing moving forward.

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Games #70 & 71: Alberta Edition

Posted on March 14, 2019 by hasan4978

I guess it’s true…even the worst offenses in the NHL are capable of getting hot for a couple of games or so. If you’d given me an under on 3.5 goals for these two games in Calgary and Edmonton I probably would have taken it. So it just figures the castoff Devils would score ten goals combined the last two nights. Of course a lot of good it did us in Calgary, where the Devils turned a surprising 4-3 lead after two periods into a horrifyingly bad 9-4 defeat with poor Mackenzie Blackwood being left in for all six unanswered third-period goals. Less said about that game the better, except that hopefully it doesn’t lead to a hangover effect for the rest of Blackwood’s season. His save percentage got bumped down all the way from the .930’s to .919 off of that one game.

Can’t say I watched much of either game although I was following both games somewhat online. In fact, I didn’t bother turning either game on. I knew we’d blow the Calgary game after wasting a shocking early 3-1 lead (just like we blew the Ranger game after a surprise early 2-0 lead), even if a suddenly hot Travis Zajac scored late in the second to give the Devils back the lead. Even following the third period meltdown from a distance was annoying though. It was a clear quit job from early in the third on, and every skater owed an apology to Blackwood after that game, even if he likely wasn’t at his best either.

I really was starting to think in terms of 0-6 on the road trip and 0-19 to end the season after the Ranger and Calgary games. If you can’t even win games where the other team takes you lightly and you get a multi-goal lead, when are you going to win them? Guess just like in October, the Oilers provided a good tonic for that. Amazing to think we opened the season in Sweden against Edmonton with a dominant 5-2 win that kicked off a dominant 4-0 stretch where it looked for all the world as if this team was actually going to take a step forward from its breakout 2017-18. If the mainstream media gave a crap about the Devils you could write a book about how a team that outscored its opponents 17-4 over the first four games completely collapsed after that.

Clearly we don’t have anywhere near the same team now than the one we brought to Sweden who took names and kicked Oiler butt. Shockingly for one night though, the result was the same despite icing an AHL lineup against a team desperate to stay in the playoff hunt out West. In the latest edition of ‘I made my NHL debut for the Devils’, defenseman Colton White played his first game last night when Egor Yakovlev took ill before the game. He played a decent 13:10 with a +1, hooray for him I guess but he’s got some work to do to force his way up even a bad pecking order on defense.

I can’t say the Devils were really much better on defense against the Oilers, but it is the Oilers after all – the same team that can somehow still screw up while having Connor McDavid. They even allowed two power play goals to US for heaven’s sakes. It was an inverse of a first-half season game where the other goalie was the one giving up all the bad goals, but hey Mikko Koskinen actually got a GM fired by signing his extension so what’s a few more bad goals? Hooray for Cory Schneider actually outplaying Koskinen and Jersey native Anthony Stolarz, who was no better. I honestly forgot he went to the Oilers in the Cam Talbot trade.

As you would figure would be the case, when you score six goals with an AHL lineup a lot of them are going to come from unexpected sources like Kevin Rooney and Kenny Agostino. Perhaps the most shocking of all was the embattled John Quenneville finally – FINALLY! – getting his first NHL goal this season and only his second in thirty-two career games. Sadly I don’t even remember the other one (two years ago). All the better Quenneville’s goal turned out to be the game winner, maybe he can actually make something of his last ten games this year and get back in the mix for a spot next season.

I paid even less attention overall last night than I did against the Flames, but part of that was the score since it seemed even the Devils couldn’t blow a 5-2 lead once they got it. I did get a little nervous at 5-3 in the second but I still was expecting to wake up to a win, which finally happened despite the desperate Oilers playing both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl nearly twenty-seven minutes apiece. At least we were able to play spoiler to one team I suppose, as the Oilers went from four points back to six in a crowded but mediocre Western Conference.

I’ll worry about the lottery another day. Right now, with ten games left it looks as if our range will be from 2-6, as in anywhere from the second best chance to win one of the three drawings for a top three pick to the sixth best odds. With our chances to win any game dwindling with each new injury and illness, I was just glad we weren’t going to end the season with nineteen losses in a row. Still would rather get a couple of wins in the last ten games, especially the Saturday games I’m going to next weekend and on the 30th. Hard to get greedy though, either you get a non-inept team or better lotto odds. Such is the life of a team out of it – again – well before Spring.

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NHL officials mess up another game

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Derek

The final score read: Canucks 4 Rangers 1.

To paraphrase what coach David Quinn had to say regarding an embarrassingly brutal five minute match penalty on Brendan Lemieux, he said they gift wrapped two Vancouver goals. Otherwise, he chose not to say anything else as to why there was no explanation on what really was a unfortunate hockey play by Lemieux, who hit Canucks forward Antoine Roussel as he was leaning downward in a tough position.

I’m in full agreement with 4everBlueshirts blogger Zak on the latest controversial call going against the Rangers. Simply put, it was not a penalty. Just as the hideous major and game on Mika Zibanejad wasn’t, which the incompetent league confirmed by rescinding it. It is unbelievable how bad the officiating is. I don’t pin the blame on the two referees and two linesmen. But rather the NHL for programming them to make reactionary calls on plays like the one involving Lemieux and Roussel.

An incensed Lemieux slammed his stick on the bench and the furious look on Quinn’s face told the same sad story. The New York Rangers lead the league in apologies. What will the NHL say this time? Oh. We’re so sorry for royally screwing you again!

I can’t anymore with this crap. The game has become so soft due to all the rule changes and how it’s interpreted. I get the need to protect players from actual dangerous hits predatory in nature that have no place in hockey. They’ve even punished guilty parties for irresponsible stick swings with suspensions. That’s a step in the right direction.
However, when you see plays you know aren’t even penalties suddenly becoming majors and game misconducts due to the four officials huddling up, it’s become a joke. Not every time is a player who’s down on the ice injured a direct result of an illegal check.

We are past the point of these calls being predictable. They’re borderline absurd. It’s insulting to hockey fans who want enjoy the game live or on TV. I didn’t even watch much of the 4-1 loss due to being emotionally invested in my Alma mater St. John’s getting a huge win over DePaul in the first round of the Big East Tournament to advance to tonight’s big quarterfinal versus Marquette.

The games don’t matter at this point. Sure. You want to see the team continue to compete hard for Quinn with young players evolving. It’s sad when I know without watching that top pick Lias Andersson isn’t playing enough. Even with the penalty fest that included two major penalties on Rangers (Chris Kreider elbowing and game), it’s disappointing that Quinn continues to roll out eight goal Jesper Fast when he’s not 100 percent while Andersson rides the pine.

It’s even worse when I finally get the chance to watch them pass the puck around the perimeter aimlessly and waste a five-on-three by not even getting a stinking shot on goal. At least Pavel Buchnevich scored his career best 16th on a late power play from Mika Zibanejad to avoid the shutout.

Seeing a flustered Henrik Lundqvist pull out a second consecutive Canucks goal from of all people, Tyler Motte on a breakaway (you gotta be kidding) is enough to make one sick. This came right after Brock Boeser made one of his patented one-timers from the off wing for a 2-0 Vancouver lead with Lemieux gone. Motte got his second in 11 seconds on the chaotic Lemieux call that was jaw dropping.

It’s beyond explanation how the officiating can continue to be so horrifically bad. I am not putting it on the refs, who are trying their best each night. Whether it’s the game being too fast or what I believe to be terrible reactionary calls due to poor interpretation of the rules, something MUST change. If it doesn’t, I might pack it in.

When I tweeted that I was done with the season once the Rangers play their final game in April, I was dead serious. The NHL has done the impossible. They’ve lost a passionate hockey fan for their beloved Playoffs. I will not watch a game for the first time since I’ve been following the sport. That’s over 30 years of love out the window.

I don’t love the sport like I once did. The NHL hierarchy is to blame for this mess. So, I’ll take a Spring break for once. I do have a suggestion. Maybe have informative meetings with the officials showing educational videos on what is a penalty and what isn’t. Accidents will happen at the speed the current game is played at. They simply have to do a better job moving forward.

If they don’t, it’s their loss.

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Lias Andersson should play in these games

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Derek

Sorry. There won’t be a recap of tonight’s 3-2 overtime loss in Edmonton. There’s no point. Speaking of which, that’s all the Rangers do these days is get one lousy point due to the lame NHL system. So, they’re now 1-2-5 in the last eight following Connor McDavid setting up Leon Draisaitl for the winner.

How bad is it? The team’s best player in the game, Brendan Lemieux referred to the three-on-three as, “It sucks to lose in the skill competition.” That’s all it is. A form of entertainment for fans to enjoy seeing extra points decided unless the five minutes aren’t enough. Then it’s that other annoyance.

Lemieux by the way posted a goal, assist and this fight below to record a Gordie Howe hat trick. He continues to play extremely well while fitting in perfectly with linemates Brett Howden (goal ended long drought) and Pavel Buchnevich (career high five hits).

That’s it for the game portion. The points don’t matter. What’s most important is the continued development of the young players. That’s why it’s extremely mystifying that 2017 first round pick Lias Andersson was a healthy scratch. The number seven overall pick isn’t getting enough ice time. When he plays, the 20-year old Swede continues to center the fourth line. Coach David Quinn also has given him some penalty kill shifts.

At this point with 13 games remaining, it’s ridiculous that Andersson doesn’t play more. When are they going to find out what he is capable of? They’ve wasted the first year of his entry level contract by treating him like a yo yo between Hartford and New York. Hardly ideal for a player GM Jeff Gorton took over Casey Mittlestadt as a key part of the Derek Stepan trade that also sent Antti Raanta to the Coyotes in exchange for that number one pick and defenseman Tony DeAngelo.

It’s understandable for fans of the Blueshirts to be frustrated. Some have already jumped to conclusions regarding Andersson when he’s hardly gotten enough ice time. By taking eight to nine shifts on the fourth line and logging around eight minutes, that’s hardly ideal for a player who performed well at the 2018 World Junior Championship for Sweden, who lost the gold medal to Canada. It might be hard to remember, but that same center scored six goals and added a assist while captaining the Swedes to a silver medal he tossed away in frustration.

He doesn’t possess the world class skill of Filip Chytil, who the same Rangers took with the 21st overall pick in the 2017 Draft. In his rookie season, the 19-year old has scored 10 goals and added 11 helpers for 21 points in 65 contests. He got into nine games last year going 1-2-3. The Czech has had his ups and downs recently becoming part of the Quinn Bin for a few games. But he has demonstrated some of the talent the organization believes he possesses by scoring a few highlight reel goals.

Andersson is a grittier player who works hard during shifts. It’s his work ethic that got him taken so high. While there remain doubts about what his ceiling is, it’s worth noting that only a handful of players from that ’17 Draft have played in the NHL. The count is up to 24 with 17 coming from Round One, including Andersson and Chytil. Ironically, Chytil’s 24 points place him seventh in scoring behind Robert Thomas (25 points), Mittlestadt (26), Miro Heiskanen (28), Nolan Patrick (57), Elias Pettersson (58) and Nico Hischier (96).

The point here is it’s too early to judge Andersson, or anyone from this class. That even includes Patrick, who the Flyers took second overall behind Hischier, who’s performed well for the Devils after going number one. Pettersson went number five to the Canucks. Based on his rookie year that has him as the Calder favorite, one could argue that he should’ve gone higher. But don’t forget it’s Year One for him.

Regarding the Rangers’ refusal to give Andersson a real look, it doesn’t make sense. There’s no way Connor Brickley should be playing over Andersson in Game 68 of 82. That’s a joke. It’s a wasted opportunity having him sit out this late in a season where the team isn’t playing for anything. With 69 points, they’re not making the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

If it truly is a rebuild as they insist, then Andersson has to play. Not only as a checking line center. They need to see what they have. He’s only gotten a small look in the top nine. So, he remains at a goal with four assists for five points in 29 games. That’s after going 1-1-2 in seven last Spring.

Jesper Fast is a hard working player, who is a solid leader that always brings it every shift. The fact he’s playing hurt and continuing to receive regular turns in the top six with only eight goals is absurd. Nothing against him. But it’s ridiculous to keep playing him that many minutes while Andersson rides the pine.

I understand what Quinn’s doing. He’s establishing a certain criteria that all his players must earn to be moved up. He even benched Chris Kreider recently by sticking him on the fourth line. Kreider only took two shifts in the third period of a game last week, and got a shift in overtime. The same Kreider has gone seven straight games without a goal. He’s stuck on 26 with 13 games left. He can’t be 100 percent.

Here’s the thing. At this juncture, the coaching staff know what they have in vets like Fast, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ryan Strome, Jimmy Vesey, Kreider and leading point getter Mika Zibanejad. They continue to evaluate Howden, who got his fifth goal in game number 53. Howden is definitely a player Quinn likes. The soon to be 21-year old center who was acquired as part of last year’s blockbuster deadline deal with Tampa, likes to hang onto the puck and remain patient before making plays for teammates. He’s gotten a lot more of a chance than Andersson.

There are still those remaining 13 games to give Andersson a chance to earn more of a look than he’s received. If he is indeed part of the future, what do they have to lose? Do they really view him similarly to Boo Nieves, who’s 25 and just got a one-year contract? That would be very disappointing and short sighted.

This can’t be handled like past Rangers’ first round picks who we hardly knew. Manny Malhotra. Cough. Jamie Lundmark. Cough. Lauri Korpikoski. That is part of the team history. So, for every Kreider, J.T. Miller or Marc Staal, there have been classic cases of the franchise changing its mind on young players they thought highly of. Don’t forget they once traded up for Pavel Brendl and gave away Marc Savard to grab Lundmark. Oops.

As for Quinn’s reasoning on why DeAngelo sat out, that’s better left unsaid. DeAngelo is the best defenseman they have. It would be a shame for him to waste his talent due to off ice issues. He has to know that. Who would you rather see? The highly skilled DeAngelo or Neal Pionk. Next question.

Hopefully, Quinn removes the handcuffs off Andersson. Time is wasting.

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Rangers sitting Andersson and DeAngelo makes zero sense

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Derek

I’m going to make this short and sweet. It’s an absolute joke that both Lias Andersson and Tony DeAngelo are sitting out for tonight’s game at Edmonton.

What purpose does it serve the Rangers? They’re playing out the remainder of the schedule. It’s Game 68 of 82. They enter with one win in the past seven (1-2-4). The come from behind 4-2 victory over the worse Devils on Saturday night. At 28-28-12 with 68 points with 14 games remaining, they’re not making the playoffs.

What’s the point in healthy scratching Andersson, who is not playing enough on the fourth line due to some odd reason. Isn’t it about time coach David Quinn finds out a little more about the seventh overall pick from the 2017 NHL Draft? We already know what Brett Howden is. He hasn’t scored a goal in forever. It wouldn’t hurt to bump Andersson into the top nine for a couple of games and see what he can do with real minutes.

As for DeAngelo, I don’t get it. He’s their best defenseman this season. A player who’s responded well to Quinn’s criticism, the skilled right D leads the team in scoring from the blueline with 25 points (4-21-25) and a plus-four rating in 49 games. More than half his 21 assists came in the last month, including a impressive eight game point streak where he tallied nine helpers. It’s 11 since Feb. 4 versus LA.

At this point in the season, I can’t think of one good reason for DeAngelo to sit. Ditto for Andersson, who should be given more of an opportunity.

That’s because there isn’t any reason for it. This is just overkill by Quinn. What’s the point? Excuse me if I decide to tune into more meaningful hockey games later.

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Hajek a bright spot in helping Lundqvist get a rare win last night

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Derek

Ryan Strome’s locker has a nice surprise following a three-point effort. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

These days, there really isn’t much to write home about if you’re a Rangers or Devils fan. Even a third rivalry game of four didn’t have much juice last night. With both teams headed for playoff misses, these games don’t feel as important.

Unless you’re a tank nerd hoping for the losses to pile up in some desperate hopes to improve your team’s chances at punching the lottery ticket to Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko, there isn’t much to get excited about. At this point, the Devils are closer to that race than the Rangers, who came back to post a 4-2 home win on Saturday night. Their third straight victory in the season series with one game left on April Fool’s Day in Newark.

With the Devils icing a depleted roster minus several regulars including last year’s MVP Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha, Jesper Bratt, Sami Vatanen and Miles Wood, they gave it the old college try. First period goals from Damon Severson and Blake Coleman (redirect of a Will Butcher shot) put them in front by two. But it didn’t hold up.

The healthier Rangers responded with a dominant second period by outshooting their Hudson rival 14-2. Due in large part to strong goaltending from Cory Schneider, they only snuck one past him with hard working forward Ryan Strome able to get a stick on a Kevin Shattenkirk point shot to deflect home his 12th as a Blueshirt at 18:22 to cut the deficit in half entering the third. Strome continues to be a effective player. He was the game’s number one star with two goals and an assist.

Despite Schneider’s best, the Devils couldn’t quite hang on. A nice passing play between demoted top left wing Chris Kreider and Strome led directly to rookie defenseman Libor Hajek scoring his first career NHL goal to tie the score at 1:29 of the third. Taking a nice pass from Kreider, the pinching D let go of a superb wrist shot that beat Schneider high glove. A great moment for the young player they acquired last year in the blockbuster deadline trade that sent former captain Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Lightning for a package that also included Brett Howden, a first round pick and conditional first this year if the NHL leading Bolts can win the Cup.

It was well deserved for the young player, who’s acquitted himself well since coming up from Hartford. So much for those quiet statistics with the lowly Wolf Pack. If a player is good enough to be an NHL player at Hajek’s age, then you can throw out what he did in the AHL. Not many of the team’s prospects have fared well there. But when you see them come up, they look like they belong.

That includes the under utilized Lias Andersson, who played less than seven minutes while centering the fourth line. The seventh overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft got some penalty kill time. He works hard and looks more confident since returning. Baby steps for the young Swede who will continue to improve. Hopefully, he’ll see an increased role down the stretch.

As for Hajek, he suffered a separated shoulder on a hit following the goal. Unfortunately, it looks like we may not see him again in the remaining 14 games. At least he showed why GM Jeff Gorton was so high on him. The skating, reads and capability to jump into the rush are good signs.

Hajek’s first NHL goal sparked the Ranger comeback in the third. Another player who’s played well recently is Vladislav Namestnikov. The once hexed forward continues to put up points. On a shift with Mika Zibanejad, he took a perfect centering pass and beat Schneider with s good one-timer for his 10th with 6:35 left in the contest. Brady Skjei helped set the winning play up to get a secondary helper. He’s been more active offensively in the second half. It’s all about finding consistency defensively for the emerging team leader.

Prior to that goal, a sprawling Schneider got across to rob Tony DeAngelo. The Devils veteran netminder gave his team every opportunity finishing with 37 saves. He wasn’t helped out by teammates, who took some undisciplined penalties. Ironically, the Devils killed off all five Ranger power plays while going an opportunistic 1-for-2.

But in a game they once led by two, they were never able to beat Lundqvist again. When both your goals come on half your shot total in a good first period, that’s not a winning formula. Sure. The Devils turned it up in the third by getting 10 shots on Lundqvist. But he was up to the task to wind up with 22 saves for only his second victory since the All-Star break. To be fair, he hasn’t been starting every night with coach David Quinn making sure to give rookie Alexandar Georgiev half the starts to take a further look at the 22-year old Bulgarian.

With Adam Huska signing after three years with the University of Connecticut, and the likelihood of Igor Shestyorkin coming over for 2019-20, Georgiev is about to get some stiff competition. It’ll be interesting to see what the Rangers organization decides. I like Georgiev and think he has proven himself as a capable backup. But the goalie picture is about to get crowded. Especially if Shestyorkin is all he’s cracked up to be.

Strome put the exclamation on the third period turnaround by scoring into an open net for his 13th at 19:50 from Namestnikov (1-2-3) and Zibanejad (2 assists). Strome earned first star honors with two goals and an assist while Namestnikov got number two star with 1-2-3, followed by Hajek with goal number one. Too bad the injury prevented him from coming out.

All in support of Lundqvist, who had to make one last save to deny a good try from Devils defenseman Egor Yakovlev. A tricky high riser that Lundqvist safely grabbed out of harm’s way. It had to feel good for the recently turned 37-year old franchise goalie to remember what it’s like to get a win. They’ve been hard to come by. He sounded at ease in the postgame.

At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for. Sure. The playoffs are not a realistic possibility. But in raising their record to 28-28-12 with 70 points, the Blueshirts continue to work hard for the most part. The thing that is noticable is that Quinn hasn’t been shy about making examples out of vets Kreider and Shattenkirk. He wants the team to get it. No matter who you are, nobody is above the team. There are no shortcuts in this league.

It’s why there is hope for the future. The notable improvements of Pavel Buchnevich (career high 15 goals and six power play goals), Namestnikov, DeAngelo (career best 21 assists and 25 points), Jimmy Vesey (new high 18 assists and 34 points) and leading scorer Zibanejad (27-38-65) bode well.

There’s still plenty of work to be done. Even with 2018 first round pick Vitali Kravtsov not coming until next Fall, there’s reason for optimism. The coach has instilled it. We’ll see who the Rangers wind up with in June. Even if it’s not a Hughes, Kakko or Vasili Podkolzin, they have a chance to improve.

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Game #69: Stupid Saturday – Rangers 4, Devils 2

Posted on March 10, 2019 by hasan4978

Guess Derek’s finally as apathetic as me about both our teams’ meaningless late-season games. This is the gamble schedule makers take when you bunch four-five games with a team’s biggest rival from the last day of January on, if one team’s out of it, that’s bad enough – when both teams are out of it? Forget it, we might as well be playing Anaheim and they might as well be playing Vancouver. Even on a Saturday night. Being home on Saturday is the only reason I even had on the latter part of the third period when OF COURSE the Devils blew it in the end, turning a surprise 2-0 lead into another stupid 4-2 loss.

The sad part is I should be happy, each loss slightly ups our lotto odds and as a bonus their win slightly decreases theirs. Of course I don’t actually want to see my team lose every single game the rest of the season (right now our losing streak is at six in a row with another four straight road games looming), and you always want to beat your rivals even if the game means zilch. I’ve always said this, and it’s especially true when you do have nothing but younger guys and depth guys playing but when you have extended losing that doesn’t help anyone learn. That only promotes a culture of losing and shows you don’t really have as many in-house solutions as you thought.

At least the goaltending’s held up for whatever that’s worth. Cory Schneider certainly turned back the clock to 2016 last night, do just well enough to look good losing. The sad part about games where you really have no chance to win is that you can’t even take joy out of the little things all hockey fans should smile at, like a kid’s NHL debut. Last night it was Brandon Gignac who played his first game, and fortunately with less than twelve hours’ notice his family somehow made it from Quebec to see him play.

Of course it would be nice if in a meaningless game, the kids actually got to play. Gignac played just 9:04 last night, unfortunately for him it was long enough to register a -2. At least that wasn’t as pointless as Mike McLeod’s NHL debut where he played just under five minutes. What’s the point of having a guy come up here and go through all the butterflies only to play sparingly once you’re here? That’s not a cup of coffee, that’s a sip.

I get that coach John Hynes doesn’t want to lose games 8-1 or 10-1 but this is glorified preseason anyway, and the team’s still not winning despite playing your few NHL players (Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Blake Coleman) 20-minute nights and having Andy Greene play nearly ten minutes shorthanded yesterday. Cory quipped that Greene was the Alex Ovechkin of penalty killing. He’s certainly getting treated as such by the staff but if the Devils are going to move forward next year, Greene can’t have as big a role on the team.

You would think with thirteen games left in the season the Devils would find a way to get at least a couple of random wins, even with their depleted lineup. I can’t picture losing nineteen in a row to end the season, even with the roster as decimated as it is. Problem is you look at each game individually and there really isn’t a single game you would favor the Devils in at this point. I thought last night would be one of those random wins when the Devils jumped out in front late in the first period with goals from Damon Severson and Coleman.

Even with the Rangers’ own rebuliding and lineup issues, their roster is still miles better than what we’re icing and it showed in a dominant second period that turned the tide completely. Despite being outshot 14-2 somehow the Devils still led 2-1 after forty minutes but it was just a matter of time before the roof fell in and sure enough two more third-period goals would follow, then an empty-netter to seal the Rangers’ third straight win over us in the most meaningless season series at least since the glory days when the Devils curbstomped a hapless Rangers team during the regular season for 4-5 straight years, if not before then.

Honestly the Rangers should have been embarassed if they lost this game with no fewer than ten injured players – including eight Opening Night regulars out of the lineup for the Devils, not counting the four others that were traded in February. That’s what things have come to now, we’re every other team’s get-well marker. Except maybe Ottawa, who we’re finished playing this season. I’m not even going to the last home game of the season against the Rangers…what’s the point? At least the Devils smartened up and made ‘Fan Appreciation Night’ the next to last home game in years they play the Rangers in the last home game, which happens too frequently to be honest.

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Game #68: Frustrating Friday – Caps 3, Devils 0

Posted on March 9, 2019 by hasan4978

This season’s gotten to the point where I’m actually surprised after hearing about a Caps three-goal win over the Devils that things weren’t worse. After all, with our AHL lineup I figured Alex Ovechkin and company could pretty much name their score. Ovechkin didn’t even get a point against the valiant Mackenzie Blackwood who again held up well tonight with 33 saves, only allowing two goals – one a third-period power-play marker from Nicklas Backstrom, and the other an early tap-in goal from Andre Burakovsky that gave Washington the only goal it actually needed.

You can paper around a bad defense with good goaltending and system hockey, but there’s no way to invent offense when it wasn’t great to begin with, and you’re missing almost all of your biggest scorers. Since the trade deadline the Devils have scored seven goals in their last six games, and that ratio really shouldn’t improve all that much at this point considering the lineup is basically Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, a slumping Blake Coleman and a bunch of AHL’ers who either aren’t ready or can’t play.

Pretty much the only reason to watch down the stretch is Blackwood, who’s giving more and more hope by the game that our goaltending issue will be solved in the near future. Not just with his play but the mental toughness he’s exhibited in trying circumstances this season. Just don’t expect many goals in support of him or Cory Schneider (starting at MSG today) the rest of the season. Schneider can empathize with his younger teammate on that score, when he was actually playing above average on a consistent basis Cory got a similar amount of goal support. Going forward though, he probably should be the thing 2 to Blackwood’s thing 1 – see iconic photo below of Cory and former comrade Roberto Luongo:


If it’s tough getting into a normal Devils game, it’s doubly tough when there’s really nothing on the line for the team they’re playing. Washington’s basically playing for playoff seeding on top of the Atlantic and ten points clear of a playoff spot, while today’s opponent the Rangers are just as out of the playoff picture as we are, albeit seven points ‘behind’ us in tank-a-thon. Then come three late Western Canada games, which also fall in the zero motivation to watch category. If I’m going to watch meaningless hockey I’m not staying up past midnight to do it. I’ve had enough trouble sleeping the last couple nights as it is.

I could bother to recap the game later today but one of the good things about it being Devils-Rangers is I can let Derek handle that one. Especially if as expected the hungrier, healthier Rangers win again. I want to do some form of thoughts after every game but what’s the point on a meaningless back-to-back? If the Devils somehow win I may have to recap the game too out of pure hilarity. Probably will have the game on in some capacity but can’t say I’m that emotionally invested in it. Maybe we’ll actually score a goal at least, that’d be nice.

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Game #67: Athanasiou beats Lundqvist in the shootout to deal Rangers another tough loss

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Derek

When the Rangers and Red Wings get together, there’s always one guarantee. Henrik Lundqvist and Jimmy Howard will have a goalie duel that is decided by a goal. It also usually requires extras.

That was the case tonight with Howard getting the better of Lundqvist in the shootout. He stopped all three shooters and had a bit of luck when Pavel Buchnevich hit the goalpost. That allowed the host Red Wings to prevail over the Rangers 3-2 at Little Caesars Arena.

The Red Wings honored Ted Lindsay with the Number 7 on their jerseys and seats. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

The story before the game was Detroit honoring legend Ted Lindsay, who passed away at age 93 earlier this week. A big part of the famed Production Line that included Sid Abel and Gordie Howe, Lindsay was a terrific player who helped the Red Wings win four Stanley Cups between 1950 to 1955. He won the Art Ross once and was a NHL First All-Star a remarkable eight times.

The Red Wings all wore a special No. 7 patch on their jerseys during the game. Here is a nice video tribute they put up on their Twitter account.

On a emotional night, maybe it was fitting that they got a big performance from one of their young players. Andreas Anathasiou was their best player. A streaky scorer, the talented forward with the game breaking speed and world class shot recorded a goal, assist and the shootout winner for the Red Wings.

The Rangers had trouble dealing with his speed in transition. With the game tied in the third period, a near miss at one end by Brett Howden lead to Athanasiou coming on a two-on-one the other way and sniping his 23rd high glove on Lundqvist at 6:15. On the play, Tony DeAngelo got caught after having his rebound blocked. That left only Brady Skjei back. He gave Lundqvist the shot, but Athanasiou has a excellent one and flat out didn’t miss.

In a back and forth game that saw Lundqvist have to stop 40 shots in regulation (43 of 45 overall), Buchnevich was flying all night. Having already gotten the Rangers’ first goal thanks to a great effort for a second and third rebound past Howard, he took a good Brendan Lemieux feed and broke in on the Detroit netminder and threw a backhand upstairs that Howard only got a piece of for his career high 15th goal with 5:31 left.

It was a great scoring play. Both DeAngelo and Lemieux got assists with the former Winnipeg Jet recording his first career two assist game. He’s fit in nicely since coming over as part of the Kevin Hayes trade that netted the Rangers a first round pick. Lemieux seems to have some chemistry with Buchnevich. Two totally different players in terms of skill and style, the Rangers’ Odd Couple work well together. They definitely looked good on a third line with Howden, who just cannot catch a break.

Speaking of which, Howden had another good opportunity to win the game in overtime. However, he couldn’t finish. There’s no questioning the effort the rookie center puts in. At some point, he needs to score a goal. Hopefully, before the season runs out. There’s still 15 games remaining including a MSG rematch versus the Winged Wheel.

Of note, coach David Quinn didn’t play Chris Kreider much at all in the third. Unsatisfied with the alternate captain, he sent him out for a four-on-four shift, and gave Kreider a turn with little used 2017 first round pick Lias Andersson on a make shift fourth line with Jimmy Vesey. Why Andersson received less than nine minutes of ice-time is beyond me. It’s puzzling. What’s the point if he’s barely gonna play?

The three-on-three was unbelievable. Both teams created chances. Buchnevich made a bid for his first career hat trick, but Howard closed the door on a five-hole try. Athanasiou had another great rush, but was denied by Lundqvist, who also stoned Bertuzzi with his team still trailing at a crucial point of the third prior to Buchnevich tying matters.

Without Kevin Shattenkirk, who was a healthy scratch, Quinn went with Mika Zibanejad, DeAngelo and Buchnevich in the shootout. No one was able to solve Howard, who got the lone goal he needed from who else but Athanasiou on a good shot that beat Lundqvist five-hole in the top of the second.

Following DeAngelo getting stopped by Howard, Lundqvist made a last ditch diving pad save to rob a grinning Tyler Bertuzzi, who couldn’t believe it. That left it up to Buchnevich. The Rangers’ best player on the night moved in and had Howard beaten, but his wrist shot rang off the post to give the Red Wings the victory.

The best part of the game was listening to an aggravated Zibanejad, who’s sick of losing. That’s six straight losses (0-2-4). Listen to the frustration. He’s not having it.

BONY 3 STARS:

3rd 🌟 Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (43 saves to take another hard luck defeat in shootout)

2nd 🌟 Pavel Buchnevich, Rangers (two goals for career best 14 &15 with 5 shots)

1st 🌟 Andreas Anathasiou, Red Wings (goal for 23rd, assist, plus shootout winner)

Notes: Shattenkirk, Fredrik Claesson and Connor Brickley sat out. … Red Wings were without leading scorer Dylan Larkin and top D Mike Green, who’s out for the remainder of the season with a virus. … Howard finished with 32 saves and went 3-for-3 in the skill competition to pick up his first win since Valentine’s Day. … In a eye popping statistic that won’t make the coaching staff happy, NYR got killed on face-offs losing 67 percent of them to the Wings (43-and-21). The combination of Athanasiou and Luke Glendening went 31-and-8. How bad was it? Zibanejad won 7 and lost 13. Ryan Strome lost 11 of 16. Andersson went 3-and-6. … Shots were 45-34 Detroit and shot attempts were 84-50. Way too many with the loss of so many draws contributing. Until they address this key area, it’ll continue to be problematic going forward. … Next up for the Rangers (27-27-13) are the Devils on Saturday night at MSG. I won’t be around for that.

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Why even bother rescinding the major call on Zibanejad?

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Derek

A day following the unfortunate circumstance that went against the Rangers’ leading scorer Mika Zibanejad in a 1-0 loss to the Stars on Tuesday night, the league predictably rescinded the five minute boarding major penalty and game misconduct on the top center.

It doesn’t matter. The NHL admitting that the incorrect call was made by a linesman for an incidental Zibanejad hit on Radek Faksa, just confirms the obvious. That sometimes, accidents do happen. It didn’t help the Blueshirts overcome kryptonite Ben Bishop, who improved to 11-2-0 against them for his career.

Regarding the controversial penalty that cost him 15 penalty minutes and the rest of the game, Zibanejad had a couple of interesting thoughts on the call being reversed.

“I was just trying to get in front of him and get the puck since it was right there,” Zibanejad told Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “Just unfortunate. The way he went down, I thought he hit his head on the ice, that’s why I kind of stayed. I just wanted to make sure he was OK. I didn’t think it was from the bump.”

Dallas coach Jim Montgomery revealed that Faksa passed concussion protocol and has a neck strain. So, that is encouraging news for Faksa and the Stars, who remain in the first wildcard out West.

Rangers coach David Quinn had one brief statement on how things have gone for his team when it comes to having calls go against them. “Unfortunately, we lead the league in apologies,” he told reporters following practice at American Airlines Center.

The Rangers finish a brief two game road trip in Detroit Thursday night with face-off scheduled for 7:38 PM. Neither Jesper Fast or Marc Staal (flu) practiced. Fast has been playing hurt. With nothing to play for, it would make sense to have him sit out. Both Lias Andersson and Connor Brickley were healthy scratches on Tuesday.

As far as who’s been playing together, Zibanejad has centered Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich the past two games. Ryan Strome has anchored Vladislav Namestnikov and Jesper Fast. Brett Howden has worked between Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil. Boo Nieves centered the fourth line the other day with Brendan Smith and Brendan Lemieux.

With no Staal at practice, Fredrik Claesson took rushes with Tony DeAngelo. Rookie Libor Hajek worked with Neal Pionk, and Brady Skjei partnered up with Kevin Shattenkirk.

Henrik Lundqvist returns to the net where he’ll likely face Jimmy Howard. Whenever they meet, the games are normally low scoring with overtime likely. If that is the match-up, it would be nice if there were more goals. 2018 Detroit top pick Filip Zadina got his first career NHL goal on the power play the other night. A wicked one-timer. Keep an eye on him.

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